Chapter 33
“Why Would I Give Up?”
There was a forest near the training ground.
I was in that forest, picking wildflowers and making a small bouquet.
‘Does this look full enough? Hope it’s okay.’
I tied the flowers together with a ribbon. After adjusting their position a bit, I stood up.
“Huh?”
Just then—like they say, speak of the devil—Roitz happened to be walking through the forest.
He looked deep in thought, probably out on a walk to clear his mind.
Either way, this felt like the perfect time to give him the bouquet.
“Roitz, senior!”
I quickly stood up and ran toward him.
He flinched when he saw me. Well, I had just jumped out from the forest—of course he’d be surprised.
“This is a gift.”
I held out the carefully made bouquet to him.
“It’s for you, senior.”
But he didn’t even look at the bouquet, let alone take it. Then he just turned and walked away.
“Wait! You’re not taking it?”
“There’s no reason to.”
“What do you mean there’s no reason?”
“There just isn’t.”
Roitz started walking faster. I gripped the bouquet tightly and followed him.
The afternoon sun was starting to sink.
Roitz kept walking through the forest without saying a word. He finally stopped when the lake came into view.
I had been right behind him, so I bumped into his back.
“Ouch—senior, you can’t just stop suddenly like that.”
Roitz turned his head to look at me.
Those blue eyes that had kept avoiding me were finally looking straight at me.
I met his eyes firmly, not letting the moment pass.
“Why do you keep following me?”
“Because you won’t look at me.”
Without answering, Roitz pointed toward the lake.
“You know how to hold your breath underwater, right?”
“Of course.”
Of course I did—swimming had been part of the Yudelln entrance exam.
But why was he suddenly talking about diving?
“I held my breath there for five minutes.”
His hand was still pointing at the lake, which was covered in a low mist.
“Five minutes?”
That’s practically fish-level. I mean, is he part mermaid?
Roitz had the main character’s buffs—lots of talent and incredible skill.
Looks like that applied even in the water.
“That’s amazing.”
“Think you can last longer than I did?”
“…Huh?”
So he didn’t bring this up just to show off.
“If you can’t, then give up.”
Roitz gave a relaxed expression—like he expected me to quit right away.
“Why would I give up?”
I immediately threw off my robe and dropped it on the ground.
I gently set the bouquet on top.
‘Five minutes is rough, but…’
It wasn’t impossible. And honestly, I had nothing to lose.
“If I succeed, you have to acknowledge me.”
This was a golden opportunity to prove how capable I was. No way I was backing down.
“Fine.”
“Count properly, okay?”
Then I jumped straight into the water.
The forest in spring was covered in fog.
The leaves, wet from the afternoon dew, swayed gently in the wind.
Roitz stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a huge willow tree.
His eyes stayed fixed on the surface of the water.
Two minutes had passed. Everything was quiet.
Serdin, who had gone underwater, still hadn’t come up.
But she’d have to breathe soon—no one can hold out that long.
Then she’d stop following him around, and that would be that.
‘Senior!’
‘Look at this! I can do this too!’
She wouldn’t bother him like the past few days.
‘This is a gift. It’s for you, senior.’
She wouldn’t do those pointless things anymore either.
Three minutes. Roitz quietly counted with his fingers.
A small crease formed between his brows.
Serdin was lasting longer than he thought she would.
But it wouldn’t be much longer.
No one could stay underwater for five whole minutes.
“Think you can last longer than me?”
Roitz had known that if he challenged her, Serdin would accept.
She was always competitive.
She had strong willpower, stubbornness, and endurance.
He knew that because he used to see her every day, two years ago.
Because he had once wanted to see her every day.
But now Roitz had no such intentions.
Over the past two years, he had let all of that go.
As he should have.
Those feelings from two years ago were just a fantasy.
If he hadn’t had those illusions, he never would’ve been curious about Serdin.
Now everything was back to how it should be.
Four minutes passed.
Roitz’s calm expression slowly began to darken.
And then—five minutes.
“…”
He stopped counting with his fingers.
Something felt off.
“…Serdin.”
He murmured her name.
That’s when he finally realized what was happening.
“…”
Roitz jumped into the water.
He didn’t even have time to take off his shoes or clothes.
The thick fog split, and the once-still water was disturbed by heavy ripples.
Cold water surrounded his ears.
Under the fading sunlight, the lake turned a deep, dark blue.
His navy-blue eyes scanned the depths, searching.
Serdin was underwater, completely still.
Her pink, coral-colored hair floated softly in the water.
She looked unconscious, unmoving.
The eyes that had been so calm now trembled for the first time.
The ripples in the lake were now echoing inside his heart.
His breath caught—like it had stopped.
Roitz swam to her in one go and reached out.
His fingers touched Serdin’s thin, submerged arm.
But then—
“…!”
Serdin’s eyes flew open.
She grabbed Roitz’s hand and kicked up toward the surface.
“Pwah!”
Both of us gasped as we broke through the surface into cold air.
I floated with a huge grin on my face.
“Wow! Senior, I won, right?”
“…”
“It’s been five minutes, hasn’t it?”
“…”
“So now you acknowledge me, right?”
Hearing my happiest voice, Roitz froze.
He didn’t say anything—he didn’t even get mad.
Wow. I used to think lasting five minutes underwater was inhuman.
But I beat Roitz!
I remembered reading a theory at Yudelln last year about swimming.
It explained how you could slow down your blood flow and heart rate by adjusting your mana, so you use less oxygen.
When I read it, I thought, “Yeah right, like that works.” But it did work.
“So now you acknowledge me, right?”
Roitz just stared at me like he was speechless.
I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt so proud.
“But, senior, why did you jump into the water?”
“…”
Roitz still didn’t answer.
As I floated beside him, I noticed a leaf stuck to his wet cheek and reached out to brush it off.
But right then, Roitz slapped my hand away.
With an expression I’d never seen before—strange and unreadable—he spoke in a low voice.
“Serdin, why did you come to Elche?”
“What?”
“You said you wouldn’t come. So why…?”
“Elche just…”
He stopped, swallowing his last words, then turned around.
He slowly swam back to shore and walked away without even glancing back.
“If you last longer than me, I’ll acknowledge you,” he said.
But after that, Roitz didn’t return to the training ground until dinner.
Meanwhile, we had more grueling training sessions.
Everyone was exhausted, but still hanging in there.
“Alright, everyone, raise your glasses!”
That’s because today was the final day of boot camp.
That evening, a huge party was held.
The training hall’s dining room was decorated with glowing candles.
The tables were packed with delicious food that made your mouth water just looking at it.
It was the perfect celebration.
After enjoying the gourmet dishes, my fellow cadets and I were full of spirit—ready to become true Elche knights.
“As expected of Serdin Bibi! You’ve had talent since a few years ago!”
Just like before, the senior knights of Elche still had alcohol flowing in their DNA.
The party had been going for hours, and the night grew deeper.
One by one, people who had been laughing, chatting, and drinking started heading off to bed.
“When is he coming?”
I was getting sleepy too, but I wanted to see Roitz at least once.
I’d held my breath for five minutes—he could at least show up.
As time went by, more empty bottles piled up in front of me.
