Nana had never been told that Ricardo Sordi would be coming.

When she got the message from Hildebert through Jack Black, she figured it was finally happening. But not a single word had been said about Ricardo Sordi.

It wasn’t like she needed to be told.

Still—she needed time to prepare herself mentally.

Honestly, just coming out to face Hildebert already required a lot of mental preparation.

This senior, one class above her, was ridiculously handsome—and absurdly capable.

He could even produce some kind of strange shockwave from his sword. Nana still couldn’t quite believe something like that actually existed.

And now, someone who could pull off such impossible feats with a single blade was going to personally watch over her.

How pathetic must her own skills look in comparison?

Even so, she couldn’t refuse.

He said he would carefully look over her swordsmanship. She knew this was an opportunity she couldn’t afford to miss. It wasn’t like Nana lacked ambition when it came to the sword.

In fact, she was a little excited.

She had always wanted to properly learn how to use a sword.

But Ricardo Sordi too?

Nana trembled in fear.

He was a second-generation senior—someone like the sky itself.

A war hero.

She had even heard he had been Leeho Chang’s mentor.

That made him the mentor of her mentor.

She felt like she might faint.

Ricardo Sordi was always immaculate.

That only made him more difficult to approach. At least Hildebert had some humanity to him. He didn’t care much about outward appearances.

He dressed neatly, sure—but it felt casual. Like he preferred standard-issue HQ clothing, the same way Leeho did.

But Ricardo Sordi was different.

Unlike Hildebert, his attire was flawless every single time.

On top of that, by Nana’s standards, he was one of the most handsome seniors there was.

Everything about him terrified her.

“Nana.”

Jack Black called her name again.

Nana snapped out of her fear for a moment.

“Jack....”

She looked up at him with a hint of reproach.

The most famous man in Center Core gave her an awkward smile.

“They’re not the kind of people who judge others harshly. You don’t need to be so tense.”

“Have some water.”

Luke, who had just finished his training and was wiping sweat behind her, spoke up.

“I didn’t touch it.”

“Th-thank you....”

“Want me to step out~?”

Nana heard a second-generation senior speaking to Hildebert.

Her back snapped straight as she took the water bottle from Luke.

“It might be easier for you to spar if I’m not around....”

“Then I’ll contact you after we finish.”

“Senior!”

Nana blurted out instinctively, seized by a sense of crisis.

Everyone turned to look at her.

Panicking, she hurried over to the seniors.

“Um, I-it’s fine if you stay....”

The two tall men looked down at her.

The pressure was unbearable, but Nana forced herself to stand her ground.

She couldn’t become the useless rookie who drove away a sky-high senior just because she felt uncomfortable.

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Ah~.”

The second-generation senior slipped a hand into his pocket and replied with an unreadable expression.

Nana bit her lip and studied his face.

He didn’t seem offended—but he did look slightly troubled.

“I guess hanging around someone who doesn’t care about ranks messed with my sense of the system~. Kids these days all have strong personalities....”

“Are you referring to me as that ‘someone’?”

Hildebert looked genuinely puzzled as he turned to Ricardo.

The mentor of her mentor snorted.

“Well then, I’ll get going~.”

“Senior!”

Nana called out again as he turned to leave.

“Um, I mean... it’s really fine, so please....”

Wait, was that wrong?

Suppressing the urge to clutch her head, Nana glanced between them anxiously.

Should she tell him to go? He did say he’d leave earlier.

Or should she ask him to stay?

She couldn’t tell anymore.

Even the expression on the senior who had stopped at her call was impossible to read.

What kind of expression was that?

Feeling a small panic rising, Nana turned her head and shot an SOS toward Jack Black.

He was the most socially capable person she knew.

Surely he would know the right answer—

“You can sit and watch before you go, Rick.”

Her savior wasn’t Jack.

It was Hildebert.

When Nana turned back, she saw him gesturing toward a long bench for the senior.

“It won’t take long.”

“You don’t have to cut it short because of me~.”

“Haha, it’s not like that.”

Hildebert laughed lightly.

“It just won’t last long anyway.”

Nana froze for an entirely different reason.

It was a relief that the second-generation senior had given up on leaving and sat down.

But as he took his seat, the impeccably neat mentor of her mentor added casually:

“Sorry for making things uncomfortable~. I’m not offended or anything, so don’t worry~.”

“Th-thank you....”

Nana responded blankly.

Hildebert’s words—it won’t last long anyway—kept echoing in her head.

Even as she stretched according to the senior’s instructions, her mind didn’t fully return.

She moved mechanically.

The senior began stretching as well.

Finishing her warm-up before Hildebert, Nana walked over to her peers to finally drink the water she hadn’t touched.

“Are you guys staying to watch?”

She asked quietly.

She had grown fairly close to them by now.

She could be honest with them. It was strange—she had once thought both of them were far superior to her.

Life as the youngest Black Badger wasn’t easy, but somehow the psychological barrier had lowered.

It helped that they were both good people.

Luke had been quiet at first, which made him intimidating—but the more she got to know him, the more she realized how thoughtful he was.

His introverted nature was comforting. With Luke, she didn’t have to force conversation.

“I’m planning to watch.”

That kind of honesty made Nana feel at ease.

“Besides, neither you nor Jack really know much about swords. So there’s no need to worry about it.”

“What are you talking about? You’re both good....”

Nana replied timidly.

“I’ve seen you fight a few times.”

“I only use daggers.”

Jack responded casually, arms crossed.

“I don’t know how to use a longsword. I don’t have talent for it either. I was surrounded by excellent swordmasters when I was young, but I never managed to absorb any of it. But you’ll be different.”

Nana was secretly surprised.

It was hard to imagine Jack Black as a child.

She knew that this superstar of Center Core was actually a humanoid Creature like Hildebert. That he had once been a “handler” who controlled Creatures. That he was just as old as Hildebert.

Those facts made him easier to talk to.

Because before being a superstar, he was an ancient alien.

Jack Black narrowed his eyes in a smile.

“And Hildebert picked you out personally.”

“Well, I’m the only rookie who uses a sword....”

“He said he found a gem.”

Jack spoke with a faint smile.

“Hilde never exaggerates when it comes to swordsmanship.”

Heat rushed to Nana’s face.

She drank the water Luke had given her, trying to cool down.

She was happy to be praised.

But it also weighed on her.

What if the golden-eyed senior was mistaken? 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

What if she disappointed everyone here?

What if the “gem” they thought they had found was nothing more than a chipped piece of glass?

“Nana.”

Hildebert’s voice called her.

She inhaled and turned.

“Do you have a preferred type of sword?”

“Uh... until now, I’ve mostly used the swords provided by HQ.”

“Those are daggers. Have you only used daggers?”

“I’ve tried longswords before. But I’ve never used one in an actual mission.”

“Which did you prefer?”

The question caught her off guard.

Nana blinked at him.

“...Both.”

Only after answering did she realize she had spoken too casually.

But Hildebert didn’t mind. He simply smiled.

“Did you bring a dagger today?”

“Yes.”

She hadn’t been issued a longsword.

And she didn’t own one personally. Bladed weapons were harder to obtain than firearms. Ever since former Supreme Commander Yehyeon sparked interest in swords, more people had become curious—including Nana—but that didn’t make real blades any easier to acquire.

In fact, among all the Badgers, only ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Jonathan Kudo and Hildebert used swords as their main weapon.

“When did you try a longsword?”

“I did fencing for a short time.”

“Ah, I see.”

Hildebert murmured to himself.

For some reason, Nana felt an odd sense of seasoned experience in that quiet remark.

He was usually so gentle that even a slight change in tone made him feel completely different.

Hildebert seemed to think for a moment, then looked back at her.

“That would suit you too.”

“I want to learn your swordsmanship, Senior.”

The words slipped out.

Only after speaking did she realize how presumptuous it sounded.

But before she could scramble to take it back, Hildebert smiled.

“I’m honored.”

It wasn’t her imagination—right now, he truly felt like a far more senior figure.

“I’ll teach you everything I know. It won’t be exactly the same, though.”

Then he drew his sword.

The blade was smooth, almost glowing white.

Nana stared, entranced.

It’s beautiful.

She thought that every time she saw it.

A truly beautiful sword.

“Want to hold it?”

“Yes.”

She answered immediately.

Hildebert gave a long smile, then flipped the sword and offered the hilt to her.

“It’ll be a bit big and heavy for you.”

It was.

But that weight felt welcome.

Holding Hildebert’s sword, Nana fell into a daze, her eyes tracing every detail.

The perfectly maintained blade reflected one of her eyes.

There was a faint metallic scent.

Or was it blood?

The edge was honed so sharply—

Nana Dol couldn’t resist.

She lightly touched it with her finger.

“Nana.”

Luke called out, but she didn’t respond.

She was staring at the thin line of blood forming on her finger.

Her enhanced body quickly closed the clean cut.

But she could still see the trace left by the blade within the droplet.

If Hildebert swung his arm once, an opponent’s head would be severed.

A sword that dangerous—and that beautiful.

“You’ll find a sword that suits you too.”

Hildebert was suddenly right in front of her.

Bending down to meet her eyes, he gently took hold of his sword again and smiled.

“Isn’t it pretty?”

“Yes.”

Nana answered without hesitation.

“It’s beautiful.”

Unlike others, Hildebert didn’t look at her like she was strange.

He simply gave a small laugh and sheathed the blade.

Then, with a faint golden smile, he said—

“Let’s begin.”

The spar started.