SWNOVELXO CH 10 - The Noble Flower in My Clumsy Writing
Chapter 10
(Part:05) The Noble Flower in My Clumsy Writing
It didn’t take me more than a few hours to realize just how easily I had accepted others’ malicious intentions.
“Ugh, ugh… ha, ha…”
It’s just a simple run.
I’ve got the benefits of possessing the abilities of this character, and physically, I’m close to the peak of my age group in this world.
So, I accepted the 150km distance in one day without thinking much about it.
But now, I’m struggling with every breath, my throat dry, nausea rising, and the dehydration is hitting hard.
The training course mixed up steep uphill climbs, mountain paths, downhills, and flat ground.
Especially on the steep mountain paths where I had to crawl, I could feel my strength draining rapidly.
Remaining distance: 90km.
Remaining time: 16 hours.
The time left was plenty.
The problem was my stamina. And water.
I’d been running slowly for the past 30 minutes, barely making any progress.
It wasn’t a mistake in pacing.
I had deliberately slowed down in the beginning, knowing I’d need energy for the harder parts of the course ahead.
But the true malice came from whoever designed this test.
‘They should’ve at least given me water.’
That was the biggest issue.
There was no water along the course.
If there was a creek or a puddle, I’d be drinking like a dog right now, but there wasn’t a single drop of water anywhere.
Of course, if I leave the course, I’d be disqualified.
And the supplies they gave me didn’t even include “food.”
That was cruel.
Normally, a canteen and dry rations should’ve been in my gear, but instead, it was just packed with extra sand.
It was clear they didn’t want to make any exceptions at the training grounds they ran.
Rather than continuing to climb, I flopped onto my back right there.
I had plenty of time.
As long as my condition was good, I could finish in half the time left.
Huff. Huff.
I steadied my breath, taking slow, deep breaths.
The distance and speed didn’t match, but the exhaustion reminded me of the marches I’d done back when I was in the military.
Twice in the military…
Twice in the military. What the hell.
The world’s gonna end anyway, but here I am, trying to stop it with a stupid, tearful performance.
This is too much. Damn bastards…
I’m gonna snap.
‘Ah, I don’t even care. Let’s just rest and think about it.’
How long had I been focusing on my breath? I felt a faint gaze over my closed eyelids.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a girl looking down at me like I was buried alive, with curly blonde hair hanging down.
Her skin was so pale it almost seemed transparent, like she had never seen the sun.
Blinking, blinking.
Am I seeing things?
I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but the view was still the same.
I sat up quickly, and the girl jumped back just before our heads could collide.
“You…”
“Hi.”
She waved her fingers as a greeting.
Her name was Lizzy.
Lizzy Rose Depp.
She was one of the heroine candidates, known as “The Fickle Lizzy” among the protagonist’s group.
One of the harem leaders in fanfiction, a potential love interest.
“What are you doing here? Didn’t you hear that you can’t interrupt during the exam?”
“Yeah. I didn’t hear that.”
“Oh…? Fine.”
I laid back down again.
She was the perfect example of someone who was always all over the place, never predictable.
She had a lot of curiosity, and couldn’t stand not knowing something.
As the heir to a prestigious magical family, her life goal was to “marry a handsome guy and live a fun life,” and she’d say it out loud all the time—completely uncontrollable.
She’d likely activated her curiosity radar when an unexpected person showed up during the middle of the training, causing the instructors to panic.
“Why are you doing this?”
So, her sudden appearance here was just because of her curiosity.
“Why? I’m just getting my butt kicked for trying to butt in the middle of the training.”
“You… your way of speaking is funny?”
She giggled like she’d just found something interesting.
“Go away. Don’t bother me.”
I really didn’t have the energy to reply to her curious questions.
Anyway, she would be around the protagonist sooner or later, so I didn’t need to make an impression.
I waved my hand to tell her to go away, but she seemed to find it amusing.
She’s really weird.
“Want me to help you?”
“Don’t. I don’t want anyone butting in and messing things up. I can handle this much on my own, even though I’m super thirsty.”
“Yeah, you look like you do.”
She glanced at the numbers on the tracker before continuing.
“I didn’t expect you’d have gotten this far without doing any of the physical training. You might even be in first place among the trainees.”
“Really? That’s good to hear.”
“But, you look like you’re about to collapse.”
“Yeah. I’m dying.”
I spoke bluntly, and she frowned slightly.
Ah, I guess that was too harsh for a noble lady.
“By the way, can you really stay here? Someone might see you.”
“Don’t worry. I cast an invisibility spell. No one else can see me.”
“Ah. I see.”
An invisibility spell. A high-level magic that makes the user invisible.
I suddenly got curious about her current status and glanced at the status window that popped up.
—
**[Lizzy Rose Depp]**
– Gender: Female
– Age: 17
– Occupation: Mage
– Combat Ability: 201
– Mana: 49/100
**[Titles]**
① Heir of a Magical House
② Curious Trouble-Maker
**[Abilities]**
– Master-level Magic Control (S)(Exclusive): ★★☆☆☆☆
– Rose Depp Family Vision (A): ★☆☆☆☆
—
This is a casual, informal translation that keeps the essence of the original tone!
Here’s the informal English translation of your text:
—
**”Master-level Magic Control.”**
It’s an S-rank exclusive ability, just like Russell’s.
An overpowered ability that lets you cast 8 types of magic almost instantly, no casting required.
The “Invisibility” spell she’s using right now is part of that.
‘With nearly 50 mana… that’s pretty impressive.’
Her status screen showed stats that neither I nor Ettrange had—specifically, “mana,” which is unique to mages and summoners.
Her combat power was on par with Ettrange, who is currently the second-best in the first year.
Among the super talented protagonist group of the 21st class, she’s an overwhelmingly talented person.
With this level of talent, I could see her pulling her weight in the final episode without a problem.
“Ah, here.”
At Lizzy’s words, I blinked. Then she urged me again.
“Open your mouth.”
Reluctantly, I opened my mouth, and with a flick of her hand, a balloon-sized water droplet appeared above my head.
*Splash!*
A cool stream of water hit my face.
It was a refreshing water bomb that instantly relieved my parched mouth.
Lizzy burst out laughing as she looked at me, now soaking wet like a drowned rat.
I stared at her with a face that couldn’t decide whether to be grateful or angry.
“It’s a gift. You look like you need some help, and you seem like you’d be fun to hang around with. Make sure you pass the test.”
“Thanks, you little brat.”
I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or an insult.
But, well, whatever. She did save me from the situation where I was about to dry up and die.
“Give me more.”
“Yup.”
This time, a bigger water bomb dropped.
I used both my hands to catch it all. Then, I stood up, shaking the wet hair and face off like I was in a Sprite commercial.
“Hey, if they try to accuse me of cheating, I’m blaming you. If it comes to that, use your family’s influence to stop them from kicking me out. The Rose Depp family should be able to handle that, right?”
“What?”
“Seriously, why’d you just show up and start playing with water like that? And yet, you still helped me out, so thanks.”
“…You’re really funny, huh?”
“Next time, at least create a puddle nearby. I could use a drink on the way.”
“On the ground? That’s gross.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like I’m picky right now. I’m about to drink my own pee if I have to.”
“Ugh. Gross. Fine, fine.”
“Thanks. I’ll pay you back for this, in my own way. It’d be even better if you forgot about it.”
“I’ll make sure to remember. Good luck. Fight on!”
I waved goodbye and immediately started moving again.
I definitely felt lighter after quenching my thirst and taking a deep breath.
I kept running.
Despite the cool weather, I was drenched in sweat—whether from the water bomb or the sweat itself, I couldn’t really tell.
As the remaining distance on the tracker shrank, it felt like my life was shortening too.
But in a way, my mind was clearer than ever.
What Lizzy had left me with wasn’t just hydration.
It was the motivation I needed to hold my fading spirit together.
The world I created.
The characters I created.
And the goal of picking up the mess of the irresponsible ending I threw away and completing my second life, once again, was firmly in my mind.
All thanks to “The Fickle Lizzy,” who just couldn’t resist getting involved in any interesting situation.
Just like she always says.
“Let’s make it fun.”
—