𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐘 • 𝐁𝐋

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗

𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Three months had zipped by like a squirrel on a sugar rush at the noble, medieval academy. Now, it was time for the ultimate showdown: a three-day marathon of exams that had Y/N's brain feeling more twisted than a pretzel. Life in the academy during these past months had been like trying to juggle flaming swords – chaotic and occasionally painful.

Y/N's relationship with Theo had also gone through a peculiar transformation. Sure, Theo still treated him the same, but Y/N couldn't help feeling like a squirrel in a tutu when they crossed paths.

Meanwhile, Damien's love meter had taken a turn for the better. It had crawled from a measly 16% to a whopping 47%. Whoa, talk about progress! On the flip side, Theo and Alaric's Love meters were as good as an '▂▃▅▇█▓▒░E͇̥͎̊͝R̴̩͖͚̝̥̯̝̰̐͋̚R̼̪̗̮̬̈͞O̘̟͇̼̠̫͚ͫͬͯͤ́ͅR͉͓̯͈̊̚͡░▒▓█▇▅▃▂' message. Sadly, Y/N didn't have a magical system to chat with about the problem. Nope, no tech support here.

As Y/N and Damien settled into their study session at the Lorekeeper's Library, the world around them seemed to conspire against their concentration. Scrolls and dusty tomes lined the shelves, and the aroma of ancient parchment filled the air. Y/N leaned back in their rickety wooden chair, scratching his head in frustration.

Now, let me tell you something about Damien – he was the kind of smart that lurked in the shadows, preferring to keep a low profile. Y/N often suspected that he had a secret library of knowledge hidden somewhere.

They were knee-deep in "The Art of Swordsmanship: Training in the Way of the Blade," a subject that had Y/N scratching his head more times than he cared to admit. The book was filled with complicated terms and diagrams that made his brain feel like it was doing acrobatics without a safety net.

Y/N squinted at the book in front of him, eyes scanning lines that seemed more like hieroglyphics than words. The text droned on about some mysterious attack called the "Serpentine Slash," which, to Y/N, might as well have been a recipe for unicorn stew.

In a moment of utter confusion, Y/N turned to Damien, his face a symphony of bafflement. "Damien, what on earth is a Serpentine Slash? Is that like a dance move with a sword? Because I've got two left feet."

Damien, being the brilliant mind he was, started to explain the intricacies of the technique when, out of the blue, a voice chimed in from the vicinity of Y/N. It was a soft, timid voice that sounded like a gentle breeze on a warm summer's day.

"The Serpentine Slash," the voice said, "is a fluid and precise sword maneuver, often used to disarm opponents. It involves a graceful, serpent-like motion of the blade, designed to catch your opponent off guard."

Y/N spun around to find the source of this newfound wisdom. There stood Kalix, the kind and timid noble, smiling like an angel who had just solved a particularly tricky puzzle.

"Kalix!" Y/N exclaimed like a kid who just found out candy grows on trees. "You're my savior! Damien was about to turn this into a Shakespearean sword saga!"

Y/N's brain, meanwhile, was going through some gymnastics to translate 'Serpentine Slash' into 'That thing you do with a sword that's all twisty and tricky, like a snake on roller skates.

"Shakespearean?" Kalix asked, a bit puzzled by Y/N's unique terminology. Meanwhile, Damien shot Kalix a glare that could've melted an iceberg, clearly less than thrilled about the interruption. But Kalix remained as unflappable as a pancake on a griddle, his calm demeanor contrasting Damien's simmering annoyance.