On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 319

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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First Day of Infiltration, The Organization Was Destroyed Episode 319
I’ll grow in my own way
Renoa Nihalis was a student who never stood out in any event—whether group assignments, Festa, or otherwise.
The same held true during the recent Exchange Tournament, practical training, and final evaluation.
Where there exists an upper tier, a lower tier must also exist.
Yet this was something Ziel most certainly did not overlook.
Praise Cards and Praise Coins—he received them less frequently than others, and he was not a student with any particularly notable achievements, but Ziel had been watching him carefully and remembering him all along.
“S-sir, Teacher. Can I… really win this?”
“Draw your sword and recall my teachings. Then you will win.”
In truth, this was the first time Ziel and Renoa had exchanged so many words in a single day.
“I-I can do this!”
“No. You will do this.”
Ziel had no siblings, so naturally he knew little about what siblings truly were.
Yet through Delev and Celia, he had come to understand something of what blood kinship meant.
In that sense, the way Renoa’s siblings now gazed upon him was utterly different from anything Ziel had ever experienced.
“Renoa is Walker Rank? That makes no sense. Ruben isn’t even Walker Rank.”
“And he’s sparring with Gallard?”
“Talk sense. Look at Gallard’s pride getting hurt.”
“Gallard does have good talent among us, though.”
Mockery.
Disdain.
“I wondered what that timid boy learned at the Academy, but is this all just bluster?”
“Who knows. He studied under that great Teacher, so maybe he picked up something or two.”
It was unmistakable ridicule.
They had heard rumors of Ziel drifting through the Northern Region, but that was all.
No matter how excellent the teacher, the Renoa etched in his siblings’ memories was a child defined entirely by timidity.
Under those gazes, Renoa trembled slightly.
That gaze. It was that very gaze.
“Student Renoa Nihalis.”
“…”
“Student Renoa Nihalis.”
“Y-yes, Teacher.”
“If you cannot overcome this, your Academy life will not change.”
“…”
“Perhaps it never will. Is that what you want?”
“N-no…”
“Then win. You have only one choice.”
As always, Ziel drove his student toward the cliff’s edge.
For most, it was no cliff at all—merely a small step when one looked back—but this time was different.
He had to win.
Yet Ziel was certain.
“You’ll win. In terms of pure skill, you’re a step ahead.”
“Me? But Gallard is mid-level Walker rank.”
“You’re Walker rank too. Within that tier, matches are decided by experience and instinct. You’ve already accumulated considerable real combat experience under my instruction.”
“….”
Ziel produced his prepared trump card.
“Win, and you get a Praise Card.”
“R-really?”
“To keep it fair, I’ll only give you one.”
“That’s more than enough!”
My heart raced.
The Unlimited Dining Table!
My friends had visited multiple times, but I’d hesitated and never gone.
Because I lacked Praise Cards.
Too timid to even use the “Ziel Free Pass” I’d received.
But a Praise Card!
“You certainly know how to motivate, Boss.”
“Motivation is essential.”
“True. Winning against mid-level Walker rank won’t be easy, so this makes sense.”
Gilbert seemed to think differently.
A mid-level Walker wouldn’t be an easy opponent.
More importantly, this was the Northern Region.
While my Students had accumulated considerable experience through the Boss’s instruction, children raised in the North might possess even greater real combat experience.
“No, she wins.”
“But these are Northern kids?”
“Look at his sword stance.”
Gallard emerged at that moment, drew his sword, and assumed his stance.
Ziel assessed it with a sharp eye.
“That’s a sparring stance.”
“Ah.”
Gilbert understood immediately.
Comparing it to Renoa made it even clearer.
“In real combat, you never know when or how an attack will come, so your stance remains fluid, but in sparring, it’s fixed….”
“Exactly. Unlike Student Renoa Nihalis.”
From Ziel’s perspective, Gallard lacked substantial real combat experience.
He possessed talent, but nothing more.
In reality, that was precisely the case.
Fortunately meeting a skilled Master, he’d advanced to mid-level Walker rank, and consequently received everyone’s expectations—yet his real combat experience remained limited.
“Exchange proper courtesy, and begin your sparring.”
Alton himself stepped forward as the sparring supervisor.
The observers were all members and servants of the Nihalis Family Estate.
It was far more than a simple sparring match.
This was a demonstration before the family’s own.
‘How is this supposed to be sparring with him?’
Though I grumbled inwardly, Gallard at least presented himself seriously on the surface.
‘Well, since we’re doing this anyway, I suppose I’ll let him land one strike, maybe two at most.’
Gallard brimmed with confidence.
Watching my younger brother’s stance, I had to suppress a smile.
He held a sword, certainly, but something about it felt loose and unrefined.
‘What exactly has he been learning at the Academy?’
This was precisely why those living comfortably beyond the Mountain Range could never match the Northern People.
Regrettably, my younger brother appeared to have been corrupted by life south of the Mountain Range.
“Here I come, Renoa. Block it well?”
And so Gallard took the first step and rushed forward—
Clang!
Everyone watching assumed Gallard was deliberately holding back with that attack.
Because Renoa had blocked it far too easily.
But the second exchange felt decidedly different.
Thud!
The moment Renoa blocked the incoming first strike, he reflexively twisted his body and launched a counterattack, which connected squarely with Gallard’s chest.
“Ugh.”
Gallard staggered backward with a sharp cry.
The onlookers gasped in shock.
The first successful strike came from Renoa, not Gallard?
Even Renoa himself was astonished.
I had simply executed what I’d been taught.
Block, then counterattack.
The timing of the counterattack was exactly as Teacher Ziel had instructed.
Seize the moment when the opponent attacks, block simultaneously while twisting the body to thrust or slash.
Deceptively simple, yet I had required far more practice time than the other students to master it.
But the results were undeniable.
“Renoa, you… how did you…?”
At my older brother’s stunned expression, something called ‘confidence’ finally began to take root in a corner of my heart.
A place that had once belonged to timidity!
“Gallard, you were holding back too much from the start.”
“Even so, you’re not supposed to go easy on your youngest sister like that?”
“Gallard! Now do it properly!”
Despite the encouragement, Gallard found himself paralyzed by an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
‘If I’m careless, I’ll get hit again.’
Truthfully, I had held back on the first strike somewhat, but I never expected him to block it so effortlessly.
I never imagined a counterattack would come flying at me.
The problem was that I couldn’t react to the speed of that counterattack.
That was why.
“You’ve done it properly.”
Ziel nodded with a sense of satisfaction.
Gilbert and Kelvin also expressed admiration.
“You did exactly as you were taught, Boss.”
“That… that’s even a threat to me.”
It was true.
Renoa had already surpassed her older brother Gallard in terms of practical experience.
Not just in real combat.
Sometimes the grueling training that repeated endlessly until it satisfied Ziel’s exacting standards—training that felt like hell itself!
Because the comparison was against fellow Second Years, but the moment we stepped outside, I was no longer in the “lower tier.”
“Gallard, what are you doing! Attack quickly!”
“You said it was a single strike before! If you attack now, it’ll be the third time!”
The young nobles of the Nihalis Family still didn’t believe for a moment that Gallard would lose.
Family Head Alton as well.
Gallard was the pride of Nihalis!
If he continued to grow well like this, he could easily surpass his older siblings and become a knight who would make a name for himself even in the Northern Region.
“Gallard, what are you doing!”
At Father’s sharp rebuke, Gallard startled and gripped his sword again.
Meanwhile, Renoa waited cautiously.
This thought also crossed my mind.
‘Is my older brother weak?’
It was the opposite.
Renoa had become far too strong without even realizing it herself.
The opportunity to prove it had only just arrived.
After completing First Year First Semester and First Year Second Semester, there had been two vacation periods.
But each time Renoa returned to the Family Estate, all she did was spend time quietly in her own room.
The only other thing was occasionally reviewing what she’d learned in class during the late hours of the night when everyone was asleep.
“Hah!”
Tap!
Because of this, the skill Renoa displayed now was beyond imagination!
Clang, ting!
Gallard launched consecutive attacks, perhaps to prevent counterattacks!
Yet Renoa easily blocked them this time as well.
The attack flying toward the upper section—she met it with her sword blade vertical.
Then the attack aimed at the lower section she smoothly blocked by twisting her wrist—
Tsk, tsk, tsk… Clang!
Then she raised her arm and pushed Gallard’s sword away—
“Renoa Nihalis wins.”
She shifted to the offensive.
Gallard couldn’t hold out long.
‘This… this is insane!’
Clang, screech!
He was desperately defending, but he was pushed back relentlessly, again and again.
Though Gallard possessed his own talent and defended adequately, the problem lay in how he responded to panic.
When an opponent he’d underestimated overwhelmed him.
When an unfamiliar type of attack came crashing down.
Renoa had learned all of this through sparring with her friends and received instruction from Teacher Ziel.
But Gallard had not.
“Gallard! You’re being pushed back!”
“Renoa’s Swordsmanship—is that even possible? She’s incredibly fast!”
Even Ruben, who had dismissed his sister, stood transfixed, watching Renoa’s Swordsmanship.
Gallard was going easy on her?
No one could have taken the speed and power of that Swordsmanship lightly.
‘What do I do?’
Just as Gallard wavered—
“Now!”
Renoa thrust her sword through the opening.
“Ugh.”
Gallard dropped to one knee, sharp pain searing through his abdomen.
And Renoa pointed her sword at the space between his brows.
“Surrender.”
“….”
The surroundings fell silent.
A gust of wind whistled past, brushing against them both.
As that cool breeze touched his cold sweat, Gallard suddenly understood.
“…I’ve lost.”
It was his defeat.
Of course, the surroundings remained silent.
Gallard’s declaration of defeat.
No one could believe it.
“How could Renoa possibly….”
“I can beat Gallard, so how could Renoa….”
To them, Renoa was nothing more than an insignificant younger sister, nothing more and nothing less.
Even Ruben, Renoa’s only younger brother, had paid her little attention.
And yet that same Renoa had confidently drawn her sword and defeated Gallard.
“…The victor: Renoa Nihalis.”
With Alton’s belated declaration, the match came to an end.
Ziel and his companions showed no shock at the astounding result—merely expressions of inevitability.
“Boss, which of them do you think could be a worthy opponent?”
“The one introduced as the second son has the appropriate level.”
“Ah. That friend is a Fourth Year by Academy standards, isn’t he?”
“Yes. Renoa Nihalis is slightly below the Fourth Year average. However, his practical experience gives him an edge—he can certainly hold his own.”
And then came an even more shocking opinion.
Alton, standing not far away, heard this and was left speechless.
But now it was difficult to doubt any longer.
‘When did she grow so much…’
To think she could achieve such impossible growth while he paid her no attention.
Alton hesitated briefly before approaching Renoa.
“Well done, Renoa.”
“….”
Naturally, this praise was not welcome.
The very praise she had longed for, yet receiving it brought no joy.
“You’re only praising me now.”
“Because you’ve only just done well.”
‘…You could have at least encouraged me before.’
Though every finger aches when bitten, there were fingers Alton had overlooked—and Renoa was one of them.
That was precisely who Renoa was.
Alton found himself unable to respond.
Awkwardness and the faintest hint of regret.
And astonishment at what his daughter had become.
So he changed the subject entirely.
“From now on, the Family will spare no support.”
Yet Renoa answered with a resolve he had never heard before.
“No. What I have now is enough. I’ll grow in my own way.”
It was Renoa’s first act of defiance.
Alton’s words simply died in his throat.
“….”
There was change.
She had shed her timidity and gained confidence.
Renoa passed her father and her older brother Gallard, whose expressions were unreadable, and approached Ziel.
“Thank you, Teacher. You awakened me.”
Ziel’s response was predictable.
“That’s true. I did.”
“….”
“But it was you who stepped into that sparring match. Without your choice, nothing would have happened.”
Renoa’s face brightened.
It was the most joyful thing she had heard all day.
Yet Ziel remained merciless as always.
“However, in 2 of your final 3 attacks, your wrist axis wavered. It’s a Footwork issue. When executing the right Diagonal Slash, your left foot moved too quickly. Your pivot foot is equally unstable. Plant yourself with greater conviction.”
“…Yes.”
“Your Feedback is adequate. During the Break Period, dedicate yourself to Physical Training and posture refinement.”
“Understood!”
Gilbert added a word, just to be thorough.
“Renoa. We’ll be in the Northern Region for some time, so if anything should happen with your Family House… go to Harmatan.”
“Harmatan?”
“Yes. Go there and mention Teacher Ziel—or rather, the Boss—and you’ll be able to stay.”
“Ah… Yes, I understand.”
Once Renoa left, Ziel asked a question.
“Why did you say that?”
“Well… Renoa won, but I suspect it will remain difficult for a while. Those brothers won’t simply change their attitude overnight, will they?”
“Mm.”
“The Bullying might even intensify. So I mentioned it just in case. Ideally, we’d accompany him, but our schedule is too full for that.”
Ziel nodded.
“You see what I cannot, Gilbert.”
“Is that… praise?”
“Yes. Well done. It’s something I couldn’t have said.”
Ziel added one more Solution to the matter.
“This Family House is not a comfortable place to stay during the Break Period. I’ll push for the Knight Order Camp again.”
“An excellent idea, Boss.”
It wasn’t only Renoa.
Several Students prefer remaining at the Academy to returning to their Family Houses.
Some share Renoa’s circumstances; others have different reasons.
Thus Ziel’s measure seemed quite effective.
In any case, the Home Visit to the Nihalis Family Estate concluded there.
And Alton, having witnessed Renoa’s performance, conceived of a splendid idea.
‘I should seek an Admission consultation at the Academy. They teach to that level of Skill?’
A Father who would spare no effort to strengthen his Children.
That was precisely who Alton was.
Of course, there remained one fact he did not yet know.
Renoa had grown strong not through Academy Admission, but through learning from Ziel.
And one thing more.
Not a single sibling besides Renoa possessed the Qualifications to learn from Ziel.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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