The training grounds behind the royal palace were huge. The air smelled of dust and sweat, sunlight bouncing off the polished blades of knights practicing in neat rows.
I, Riel Arkwood or rather, Aki inside Riel's body stood there with a wooden practice sword in hand. My palms were sweaty. Not from fear of the sword, but because of who was standing in front of me.
The Hero.
Eren Valorheart. The chosen one. The blond-haired, smiling disaster who, in the game Blade Destiny, was supposed to defeat me, expose my crimes, and cut my throat during the second act.
And here he was, smiling at me as if I wasn't the biggest villain in his life.
"Ready, Lord Arkwood?" Eren asked, his voice light and friendly. Too friendly.
I forced a grin. "Oh, I was born ready. Which, of course, is a lie. I'm absolutely not ready."
The knights nearby chuckled nervously. They weren't used to nobles like me making jokes. Riel Arkwood, in the original story, was cruel and arrogant. I guess my nervous humor was already throwing people off.
Eren tilted his head, confused but amused. "Then, let's take it slow. It's just a friendly spar."
"Right," I muttered under my breath. "Friendly spar. With the guy destined to stab me in about… hmm, forty chapters of novel made on the game?"
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Let's fight."
We began circling each other. My wooden sword felt heavy, and Eren's movements were fluid, almost too perfect.
I swung first — clumsy, unbalanced. Eren blocked it with a flick of his wrist.
Clack!
The sound echoed across the training yard.
"Good try," Eren said cheerfully.
I scowled. "Don't talk like I'm a five-year-old trying to cut bread!"
He laughed, the sunlight catching his hair. "You're stronger than you think. Your stance just needs work."
Wait. What? Was the Hero… encouraging me? This wasn't in the game. In the game, he hated me. He mocked me. He was my rival.
Why was he smiling at me like we could be… friends?
I attacked again, faster this time. Eren blocked, but as he pushed my blade aside, I saw something odd. A shadow moved in the corner of my eye.
I froze.
The diary's words flashed in my memory:
"On the training ground, beware. The sword is not the only thing aimed at you."
My instincts screamed. Without thinking, I lunged forward — not at Eren, but past him.
Shiiing!
An arrow whistled through the air, aimed at his back. I smacked it with the wooden sword, snapping the shaft in half before it reached him. The crowd gasped.
Eren spun around, eyes wide. "An arrow?!"
The knights shouted, running toward the trees where the shot had come from. But whoever fired it had already vanished.
For a moment, silence filled the training ground. Everyone stared at me.
Eren looked… stunned. Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face. Not the polite smile of a noble, but a warm, grateful one.
"You… saved me," he said softly.
I blinked. "Don't sound so surprised. I ,I mean, of course I did. That's what villains do. Save heroes. Yep. Very normal."
The knights started murmuring. "Lord Arkwood saved the Hero?" "Maybe he isn't as bad as they say…"
Great. Fantastic. Just what I needed rumors of redemption. The diary had warned me about avoiding attention, but now I'd gone and made myself the center of it.
Eren stepped closer, eyes shining. "I think I misjudged you, Riel. You're not the man I thought you were."
"Trust me," I muttered, "I'm not the man I thought I was either."
He laughed again, and for some reason, it wasn't annoying. It was terrifying. Because a smiling Hero meant one thing - my death flags were changing.
And changing flags meant danger.
Still, as we walked back together, side by side, I couldn't shake the strange feeling growing in my chest.
Maybe, just maybe , the Hero wasn't my enemy anymore.
Or maybe… that would just make things worse.