[Chapter 17] You Can Forget Your Wallet, but I Shouldn't Have to Call the City Guards Afterwards! Spoiler Solria, Shopping District (Kyle POV) A strange sense of deja vu blossomed in my head as I walked through the shopping district for the second time today. I turned to my side with a wry smile to see a blank-faced Aria as we followed behind Alain and Lillian. It felt like I was right back in Delhurst as I watched the crowd of people in front of us respectfully split down the middle to let us pass through unhindered. The sound of Lillian humming a happy tune was slightly drowned out by the noise of the people around us, but the smile on her face was apparent for all of us to see. The four of us passed by dozens of shops and stores on our way to Lillian’s favorite restaurant while Alain tried to chat to Aria and me about Lucy before Lillian called out to us. “It’s right around the corner here. Follow me!” (Lillian) Lillian led the way as we all rounded the corner into a large alleyway that split off from the main road before stopping in front of a quaint looking tavern. A large wooden sign which had the words ‘Silver Dragon Tavern’ written below a picture of a silver-colored dragon silhouette was mounted above the doors. Lillian stared at the front of the tavern for a moment before turning around to us with a lively look in her eyes. “Alright, everyone! Welcome to the Silver Dragon Tavern. It might not be the most high-class place in the capital, but it’s my own little hidden gem that I’ve found recently. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a self-proclaimed gourmet, and I’ve been to almost every restaurant here, so just trust me when I say it’s got some of the best food in the capital. There’s even a nice cozy ambiance to boot. So what do you think?” (Lillian) Lillian stood there with her hands on her hips as she proudly smiled at us with twinkles in her eyes like she was waiting to be praised. Hmm, I honestly expected something more... aristocratic. I thought for sure that she was gonna drag us to some super expensive restaurant reserved for the upper echelons of nobility when she mentioned it was her favorite one, but this is fine too. It might even be better to just enter a nice, simple tavern like this so I don’t have to deal with any stuck-up members of high-society. Besides, I can’t help but get a little bit nostalgic when seeing such a perfectly generic RPG-style tavern like this. And she said it even has some of the best food in the capital, right? Well, let’s see just how good it is then. I smiled back at Lillian and gave her a thumbs up as a sense of anticipation bubbled up inside of me. “Well, I’ve always had a soft spot for cozy aesthetics like this, so nice job, Lillian!” (Kyle) “Yeah, me too. I always hated it whenever I had to dress formally and act like a snob for some dumb dinner party, so something like this is more of my style. If the food’s as good as you say, I might even bring my little angel, Lucy, next time.” (Alain) “What about you, Captain Aria?” (Lillian) “It looks good.” (Aria) “Alright, let’s go, then!” (Lillian) Lillian twirled around again and began to lead us in as we followed her into the tavern. The doors smoothly opened as the dozen or so customers sitting at the wooden tables looked over at us while we made our way through the entrance. People ranging from well-dressed merchants to lightly armored adventurers seemed to recognize Lillian as they laughed and called out cheerfully to her instead of avoiding us like the people on the street did, and Lillian waved to everyone with a smile on her face too. “Looks like Miss Lillian’s back today!” “Yep, how’s everyone doing today?” (Lillian) “Oh, we’re all trudging along. Oi, Miss Ellie! Miss Lillian’s back and it seems like she brought some friends with her today too! Why don’t you come out and take her order like usual?” One of the rough looking adventurers dressed in leather armor called out towards the kitchen area at the back of the tavern, and a moment later a female voice sounded out from the back as the curtains covering the entrance to the kitchen separated to reveal a young woman who looked like she was around Lillian’s age. “Yeah, I’ll be right over.” She was wearing a waitress outfit and ran over enthusiastically while holding a few menus in her hands. “Hey, welcome back, Lillian. What can I do for you today?” “Hi, Ellie. Get us a table for four, please.” (Lillian) “Sure, no problem. Follow me.” (Ellie) The waitress, Ellie, smiled at us before turning around and leading us to an empty table near the back. We took our seats and she handed us some menus, but right after we all settled in, the sound of the front door opening again caught her attention. “Ah, please wait right there. I’ll be over in a second. Sorry, I guess you all can just look at the menu for now. I’ll be right back.” (Ellie) Ellie turned to us with an apologetic smile on her face before running back to the front counter and grabbing another menu to go help the person that just came in. I opened up the menu in my hands and gave it a quick glance as Lillian called out to us with a proud smile on her face. “Alright. Don’t worry, I’ve already had every dish here, so since Ellie’s busy right now, just ask me if you have any questions.” (Lillian) “Ok, will do.” (Kyle) The Silver Dragon’s menu matched the cozy, rustic atmosphere, and most of the dishes looked like they were just simple, home-style cooking that even I could make. There wasn’t too much on the menu and there was no sight of any flashy entrees with rare, premium ingredients or anything like that, but all the dishes were neatly lined up with a few pictures here and there, and the names were straightforward enough that you could tell what the food would be like just by reading it. A few moments passed as everyone except Lillian scanned the menu before Ellie returned to our table and pulled out a notepad as she got ready to take our orders. “Alright, sorry for the wait. What can I get you all?” (Ellie) “I’ll just have the usual, Ellie.” (Lillian) “Sure, no problem, Lillian. What about the rest of you?” (Ellie) “Give me the porkchop skewers with a side of pasta.” (Alain) “Ok, and what about you two?” (Ellie) Ellie stared at me and Aria after taking Alain and Lillian’s orders. A moment passed by as I thought about what I should have before pointing to the menu. “Hmm, let me get the roast chicken over rice then.” (Kyle) “Ok. And you, Miss?” (Ellie) Ellie turned to Aria, who was still reading through the menu, but it seemed like she didn’t notice Ellie until Lillian tried to get her attention. “Would you like some more time, Captain Aria?” (Lillian) Lillian’s voice seemed to surprise Aria a bit as she stopped staring blankly at the menu and cleared her throat before placing her order. “Ahem. No, it’s alright. Just give me the beef and potatoes.” (Aria) “Ok, no problem. I’ll put your orders in right now. Your food should be ready in a few minutes.” (Ellie) Ellie finished writing in her notepad with a smile and returned to the kitchen as I took another look around at the decor. The tables were spread out a bit sparsely, but the lively background noise and occasional prop weapon hung up on the walls made me feel like I really was sitting in a genuine RPG tavern. Sunlight shone in through the windows by the entrance and I propped my chin up on my hand as I stared across the tavern and out the window to see a few people walk by the storefront. A faint smile crept its way onto my face as I took in the scenery before I heard Lillian talk to me in a gentle voice. “It’s a nice atmosphere isn’t it?” (Lillian) “Yeah. You know, I think it’s nice to just have some ordinary peaceful days like this.” (Kyle) “We should come here more often then. This tavern just opened about two months ago, so not many people know about it right now, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be packed every day by the end of the year.” (Lillian) “Really now? Well, guess we should enjoy the atmosphere while we still can then.” (Kyle) I turned back to everyone else with a smile as Alain cheerfully asked about possibly meeting up next week too. “Yeah, we should all go out together next week too. There’s this famous pastry shop that my little Lucy always goes to, so we can get dessert there afterward.” (Alain) “Yeah, that sounds great. How about it, Captain Aria?” (Lillian) “... It’s fine to relax every once in a while, but as knights of the Empire, we should devote ourselves to training instead of slacking off.” (Aria) “...Understood, Captain Aria.” (Lillian) Alain and Lillian leaned back in their seats with disappointed faces and I stared at them moping for a second before letting out a sigh as I turned to Aria with a defeated look on my face. “Lighten up a bit, would you?” (Kyle) “I think I’ve lightened up a bit too much already. As a knight captain, I should be a hardworking role model for my subordinates, not goofing off with them.” (Aria) Role model? Well, you know what they say, never meet your heroes, because they're sure to disappoint you. I don’t get it. It’s not like they’re gonna lose all respect for you just for opening up to them a little more. “Again with this? Look, your subordinates are literally trying to get to know their role model better, and their role model is rejecting them.” (Kyle) “Getting to know me better won’t change our relationship. I’ll still be their captain, and they’ll still be my subordinates. If anything, they’re wasting time that could be spent training.” (Aria) Aria crossed her arms with a slight frown on her face as she leaned back in her chair. I sighed before slamming my head into the table once I saw how stubborn she was gonna be. I don’t know what I expected. I figured that she wouldn’t budge so easily, but come on, at least try. Should I just tell her the truth? Well, knowing her, she probably won’t let up unless I’m blunt about it, and I feel like just letting this go on is only going to make it worse, so I might as well go all in. “What, you think that they won’t accept you if you’re not a ‘serious knight captain?’ Well, they already know about your fake personality, and even after they found out they were being lied to all this time, they still tried to get to know you. So just be honest with them for once and be yourself. I’m trying to help here, and you’re making it really hard.” (Kyle) “...Eh? Wait, what?” (Aria) Aria sat there and stared blankly at me for a moment as she tried to process everything my muffled voice just said before turning her head mechanically to Alain and Lillian who had guilty looks on their faces. Lillian gave out a dry chuckle as she looked out the windows for a moment to try and avoid eye contact before telling Aria about our conversation earlier. “Haha, about that… sorry, Captain Aria! Ky already told us the truth. It’s ok if you’re not serious all the time, you’re still our Captain, and we wouldn’t think any less of you if you weren’t serious. We’ve heard about what you’ve been through, and neither of us can deny that you’re someone who’s experienced a lot. You’re definitely a strong knight who’s completely worthy of our respect, but we don’t want to just know ‘Knight Captain Irisveil’... we want to know our real Captain Aria too. So if you’re ok with it, please be the real you.” (Lillian) “Yeah, honestly, it always kind of felt awkward when you were like that anyway. We’d much rather have a captain that we can talk to and have fun with.” (Alain) Alain and Lillian stared at Aria with determined glints in their eyes as they finally let out their thoughts. Aria stared back at them for a moment before an embarrassed fluster crept up on her face. She dropped her arms and lowered her head as I sat back up again before turning to her. “See, they don’t care if you’re super serious or not. They genuinely just want to get to know you for who you really are.” (Kyle) “...Wh-...Wh-...” (Aria) “What?” (Kyle) “Why did you tell them!?” (Aria) Aria sprung towards me angrily as she grabbed me by the collar and violently shook me back and forth. “Didn’t I specifically tell you to keep quiet about it!?” (Aria) “Argh! Stop! I just wanted to help!” (Kyle) “Wait! Captain Aria, it’s not his fault! We were the ones who asked in the first place!” (Lillian) After a moment, Aria finally stopped shaking me and I collapsed on the table while she covered her face with her hands and muttered to herself before Lillian guiltily called out to her. “...Um, Captain Aria, if it means anything to you, we’re really sorry. If you don’t want us to know, then we can just leave right now and forget any of this ever happened.” (Lillian) An awkward silence surrounded the table for a moment before Aria let out a sigh and finally put her hands down to reveal a defeated look on her face. “It’s fine. You two already know the truth anyway…” (Aria) “Yeah, I already told you two the truth, so don’t let up and keep trying, otherwise she’ll never come out of her shell and all this pain I’ve suffered through will be in vain.” (Kyle) “This is your damn fault in the first place!” (Aria) Aria started whacking me as I was trying to get back up and I helplessly reached out to Alain and Lillian with tears in my eyes. “Don’t look away! These are Aria’s true colors! Are you sure this is the person you two want to know!? Go on, you can still run!” (Kyle) A few minutes later, Aria sat there with her head held in her arms after she finally stopped beating me up. She was in the middle of talking with Alain and Lillian when Ellie finally came back holding a large tray with our meals. “Sorry for the wait, you guys. If there’s anything else you need, just let me know.” (Ellie) I stared at the plates of food as Ellie laid them out on the table, and a delicious fragrance permeated the air as we all grabbed our respective meals before Lillian’s voice rang out. “Alright everyone, let’s dig in!” (Lillian) Alain and Lillian began to wolf down their food while I poked at the roast chicken on my plate with my fork before taking a small bite. The chicken was crispy on the outside while still maintaining a tender juiciness on the inside indicating that it was cooked at the perfect temperature. The taste was a little bland for me, but that was probably because of the light seasoning. However, other than that, I had to admit, Lillian was right when she said the food was good. After all, whoever cooked this probably didn’t have the time to get as much experience as me in cooking, so being this good was already beyond my expectations. A slight smile showed itself on my face as I thought about a few ways this recipe could be improved while taking small bites of my meal, but after a moment, I was brought back to my senses by Lillian’s voice. “How is it? The food’s great, right?” (Lillian) “Yeah, it’s fantastic! I’m definitely gonna bring Lucy next time.” (Alain) “Well, I gotta admit, this is probably the best restaurant I’ve ever been to. Nice find, Lillian.” (Kyle) I replied to Lillian cheerfully before taking a sip of water from my cup. However, as I put my cup down, I saw Alain turn to Aria and ask her what was wrong. “Is there something wrong with your food, Captain Aria?” (Alain) I looked to my side to see that Aria was just staring at her plate after taking just a few bites. “No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that I can’t get used to the flavor.” (Aria) “Is the taste weird? Let me ask Ellie to remake it then.” (Lillian) “Eh? It’s alright, it still tastes good. It’s just that it’s a bit different compared to what I’m used to.” (Aria) “Different? Did they put in some seasoning or something? Here, let me see.” (Kyle) I reached over to Aria’s plate and stabbed a piece of beef with my fork before popping it into my mouth. The juices spread out as I chewed on the beef and the consistency and texture were almost the same as how mine usually turned out, but Aria was right, the taste was slightly different compared to how I usually made it. I sat there for a second thinking about what the difference was when Aria turned to me after taking another bite of her food. “See, it’s not as sweet compared to what you usually make.” (Aria) “Ah, you’re right. Why didn’t I think of that? Anyway, I’m impressed you could even tell there was such a minute difference compared to mine.” (Kyle) “Of course. How many times do you think I’ve had your cooking, especially your beef and potatoes?” (Aria) Aria crossed her arms with a proud look on her face as Lillian stared at us with a slightly flushed face. “Eh? Wait, Captain Aria, what do you mean by that? Ky cooks for you?” (Lillian) “Yeah, he does every day. In fact, I think you’ve seen his cooking before.” (Aria) “I have?” (Lillian) “He’s the one who makes all of my lunchboxes.” (Aria) Aria pointed at me as Alain put down his fork and butted into the conversation. “Wait, I always thought a chef from your household made them, or maybe even you yourself, Captain Aria.” (Alain) “I’m only good at chopping vegetables and I can’t cook at all, but at this point, Ky is basically my chef, so I guess you’re sort of right. Anyway, back to the point. Like I said, the food’s still good, just a little more bitter than I’m used to.” (Aria) “Well, they do say that the taste of love makes everything a little sweeter.” (Lillian) Lillian giggled a little bit as Aria coughed in surprise before covering the lower half of her face with her hand, but I ignored my surroundings for a moment as a serious glint shined in my eyes while my chef’s soul got riled up from what Lillian said. “Taste of love? Well, I admit I do love cooking a lot, but let me tell you, Lillian, there’s no such thing as nonsense like the taste of love. Cooking is a series of purely physical interactions between ingredients that’s guided by a chef’s hand. For example, the slight decrease in sweetness was probably due to the chef not cooking the onions enough. You see, when onions are heated up they turn brownish in a process called caramelization, which makes the large, complex sugars inside the onion break down into smaller, simpler ones, releasing a sweet flavor, which is then usually absorbed by the meat in dishes like beef and potatoes. It’s a complicated chemical reaction, and it’s reactions like this that are usually attributed to some fake, immaterial factors like the taste of love by people who know nothing about cooking. Well, since you probably don’t cook, I can’t blame you this time, but it irks my chef’s soul whenever people think that the art of cooking is so easy.” (Kyle) “...Eh?” (Lillian) Alain and Lillian stared at me in utter confusion as I relaxed before starting to eat my food slowly again with a smile on my face. A while later, a table full of empty plates filled my field of vision and Aria was talking with Alain and Lillian when Lillian finally asked Ellie for the bill. “Ellie, we’re all finished, so could we get the bill?” (Lillian) “Yeah, sure.” (Ellie) “Thanks!” (Lillian) Ellie started making her way towards the front counter while Lillian turned back to us all with a smile. “I think it was really fun having lunch together like this, and I promise that we won’t slack off even a bit in training, so if you don’t mind me asking again... Captain Aria, would you like to come out for lunch with us again next week?” (Lillian) “Yeah, we won’t tell anyone else about your act if you don’t want us to, but at least come out with us for lunch every once in a while so we can actually talk.” (Alain) Lillian gave Aria a gentle smile while Alain looked towards her with an expectant look in his eyes as Aria sat there for a second with her arms crossed. After a moment, a slight fluster crept up on her face as she looked away in embarrassment before replying with a quiet voice. “Well... as long as you two don’t slack off, I guess I can put aside a little time next week.” (Aria) “Alright!” (Lillian) “We did it!” (Alain) Alain and Lillian started celebrating as Aria’s face got a little bit redder and I looked to my side before nudging her lightly with my elbow as I couldn’t resist teasing her a bit about it. “Wow, it must be tough being this popular. I wonder what your secret is?” (Kyle) “S-Shut up!” (Aria) I laughed at Aria a bit as Alain and Lillian finished their little celebration and Ellie came back with the bill. “Alright, here you go. Just bring it up to the counter whenever you’re ready.” (Ellie) “Sure, no problem, Ellie. Don’t worry guys, I said I would pay for lunch today, and I’m a knight of my word.” (Lillian) Ellie walked back to the counter as Lillian cheerfully reached into her right pocket and rummaged around. “...eh?...” (Lillian) She pulled out her hand out of her pocket and stared at her empty palm for a moment before rummaging through her left pocket with a panicked look on her face. “...Eh!?...” (Lillian) Lillian pulled out her empty hand again and the cycle repeated itself as she checked the inner pockets of her jacket to no avail before she finally stared back at us with a nervous smile plastered on her face. “...U-Um, it seems that I left my wallet back at the barracks…” (Lillian) We all sat there at a loss for words before Alain stood up with a determined look on his face. “It’s alright, Lillian. I was the one who suggested we go out for lunch in the first place, so let me pay for it this time.” (Alain) Alain smiled at us all before tears burst out of Lillian’s eyes as she started apologizing. “I’m sorry, Alain! I even promised to pay and everything! I’m a failure as a knight and a noblewoman!” (Lillian) “Err, calm down. You’re not a failure, you just forgot your wallet this time. Look if it makes you feel any better I was going to try and pay for next week’s meal anyway, so you can just pay for it next week instead.” (Alain) Alain picked up the bill and started making his way towards the counter as we all got up after him and followed. I gave a dry laugh and Aria sighed as Lillian’s wailing finally died down right before we reached the counter. Alain placed the bill down on the countertop as he called Ellie over. “Excuse me, Miss Ellie. We’re ready to pay.” (Alain) “Sure, no problem.” (Ellie) Ellie smiled at Alain, and he smiled back for a moment before taking a step back and grabbing the front of his uniform with both hands. A passionate flame lit up in his eyes as he pulled open his uniform jacket with gusto to reveal the horrifying sight of hundreds of pictures of Lucy lining the inside. “Alright. You can have any picture of my little angel, Lucy, so take your pick. Personally, I recommend this one right here. It’s one of my favorites.” (Alain) Crap! I knew I forgot about something! He was acting so normal before that I actually believed he was a good person for a second there! Should I call the city guard over? No, wait, even if he's a lunatic, he's still a knight, so they probably can't do much to him. Ellie stared at Alain with a dumbfounded expression and a slightly frightened look in her eyes as he pointed to a picture of Lucy standing by a lake. We all stood there at a loss for words before Aria immediately whacked him in the head and sent him flying to the floor. “Who the hell tries to pay for a meal with a picture of their sister!” (Aria) “I didn’t want to part with one of my most precious belongings either! Every one of these pictures is priceless, but I also left my wallet at the barracks!” (Alain) “Then why try to pay!?” (Aria) An awkwardness pervaded the atmosphere as Alain’s muffled and indignant voice from the floor was drowned out by Aria’s yell before she cleared her throat and apologized to Ellie. “Ahem. I would like to formally apologize for my subordinate’s behavior, Miss Ellie. It seems that he’s currently not right in the head. I’ll make sure that he’s a bit more disciplined next time, so please just ignore what you just saw.” (Aria) “Sorry about that Ellie. Alain’s a little… abnormal sometimes, but usually he’s a nice guy…” (Lillian) “...O-Ok… Well then, I’m, uh... ready whenever you are…” (Ellie) I let out a sigh as I watched Aria kick Alain a bit while he was on the ground before stepping past him on the ground. “It’s ok, I’ll just pay for it this time, and don't worry, I have actual money on me.” (Kyle) “I-I’m sorry, Ky! Making the guest I invited out for lunch pay for my meal, I really am a failure! Not just as a knight and a noblewoman, but as a person! I can’t, no, I won’t let you do this!” (Lillian) “Lillian, it’s ok! You’re not a failure! You just forgot your wallet! It happens to everyone! So, get off of me already!” (Kyle) Lillian clung to me as she started crying her eyes out about how she was a failure and Aria had to help me wedge her off before holding her back while I walked over to the counter. I pulled out my wallet and put some actual money onto the counter as I let out a sigh. “Alright, that should cover it. Sorry about this whole fiasco…” (Kyle) “... No, it’s alright. Haha…” (Ellie) Ellie gave me a dry laugh while she handed me back my change to the sound of Lillian’s unintelligible cries in the background and I thanked her before Aria and I dragged Alain and Lillian out the door. “Thank you.” (Kyle) “...Uh, sure, no problem. Hope to see you all again... I guess...” (Ellie) Solria, Middle District (Aria POV) The beautiful purple sunset behind me filled the sky as the sound of steady footsteps mixed in with the light breeze. It was now early evening, and I was currently walking home with Ky following right behind me. After eating lunch, we returned to the barracks so Alain and Lillian could pick up their wallets before going off to explore the city together. We visited a few historical landmarks and even the castle before returning to the shopping district to check out the market, where we parted ways once the sun began to set. Well, I guess I didn’t get to spend the day with Ky the exact way I wanted to... but today was still pretty fun. And anyway, it’s not like it was a complete waste of time. I got this at least, didn’t I? I held my hand out in front of me and opened it up to reveal a small hair ornament as the edges of my mouth curved upwards into a gentle smile. The simple-looking hair clip had the design of a small white flower on it and I stared at it before closing my eyes. While we were shopping at the market before, Lillian dragged us into an accessory shop. Since I never really wore any accessories, Lillian told me I should try a few, but I didn’t really like the showy ones made of jewels or precious metals that Lillian said would look nice on me. So once everyone split up on their own in the store, I just waited by the entrance for them to be finished. But after a few minutes, Ky walked over and handed me a small gift bag. And inside was the hair clip I was holding in my hands right now. After a few moments, I finished running through my memories. Ky and I continued to walk along the road for a bit while I was deep in my thoughts when suddenly, the sound of his voice brought me back to my senses. “Today was pretty nice, wasn’t it?” (Kyle) “Even though all we did was waste time today, I have to admit, it wasn’t too bad.” (Aria) “Well, did you enjoy yourself at all?” (Kyle) “...Yeah, a bit.” (Aria) “Then you had fun. And honestly, that’s all that matters. Look, people are emotional, and sometimes the most trivial reasons will drive them to do the stupidest things. That’s just the way we are, and nothing can change that. So, I think that as long as something nice happened, even something as insignificant as the fact that you had some fun... then today wasn’t a waste of time at all.” (Kyle) “Really?” (Aria) “Yeah.” (Kyle) The most trivial reasons drive people to do the stupidest things, huh? The slight warmth from the waning sunlight enveloped me and the noise from my surroundings slowly disappeared as I held the hair clip close to my chest. I could feel my heartbeat as a fuzzy feeling spread out from deep inside of me and circulated through my body. I stopped in my tracks as Ky stopped behind me too and a moment passed while I silently gathered my courage. And then, the warmth from that fuzzy feeling overtook the sunlight’s warmth. “...Hey, Ky... Can I ask you something?” (Aria) “Sure, what is it?” (Kyle) “Why did you give me this hair clip?” (Aria) “... What kind of dumb question is that?” (Kyle) Eh? I heard Ky let out a disappointed sigh and I gripped the hair clip in my hands before twirling around with an angry face. I was about to yell at him, but before I could even finish a single word, he cut me off. “Wha-” (Aria) “Are you stupid? Of course it’s because I thought it would look good on you.” (Kyle) The scene that met my eyes was Ky with a beaming smile as the brilliant colors from the gentle sunset behind him streaked across the evening sky. The street was illuminated with a faint purple glow and I could just barely make out the beautiful city skyline slightly downhill as a breeze blew by and made his hair flutter a bit in the wind. But despite the stunning backdrop to this scene, I couldn’t help but stare at Ky. I immediately shut my mouth and felt blood rush to my head as a deep blush covered my whole face, even to the tips of my ears. One of my hands shot up to cover my uncontrollable, shaky smile while the other one held the hair clip. And I turned right back around before responding in a quiet voice. “R-Really?... T-Thanks, then…” (Aria) I stood still for a moment as I tried to calm my nerves before Ky called out to me again. “Hey, are you ok?” (Kyle) “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go home and have dinner.” (Aria) I started walking as fast as I could, almost like I was running away from Ky, but a few unsteady steps later, I let out a short squeal as he caught up with me and swept me off my feet into a princess carry. I unconsciously curled up a bit in surprise and I could feel his heartbeat at my side as any remaining blood I had left rushed to my face making my blush turn a brilliant crimson red. I tried to open my mouth and say something, but the only thing that came out was some faint gibberish as Ky let out a sigh and began to slowly walk back home while carrying me. “Alright, you’re obviously not well, so just go back home and rest for a bit. Look, you have to start telling me when there’s something wrong, otherwise, it’ll be like the whole practice sword situation all over again!” (Kyle)
[Chapter 18] The Greatest Teachers Learn from Their Students Spoiler Royal Academy, Room 207 (Kyle POV) I looked out the hallway windows to my side to see a beautiful sunny day outside and a light yawn inadvertently left my mouth as I slowly made my way over to the classroom. I was a little light on sleep today since I stayed up last night trying to make sure Aria was ok, but I don’t think I helped much. Ever since we finished hanging out with Alain and Lillian yesterday, she’s been a little fried in the head. She was barely able to talk last night and got flustered everytime I tried to talk or even enter the room. It seemed like she was on edge the whole night too, but I think it might have been my fault. I bought a small hair clip for her yesterday when we were shopping with Alain and Lillian in an accessory shop because it was the first time I’d ever seen her do anything even close to hanging out with friends and I knew that in order to make any progress in curing her social anxiety, I would need to make sure yesterday had a lasting impression on her. From what I saw while we were hanging out yesterday, I was pretty sure that she was having at least a bit of fun, so I thought that buying her a small gift as a reminder of the fun she had yesterday would be a good strategy to trick her brain into associating fun with hanging out yesterday, and consequently, Alain and Lillian too. I was racking my head when we went shopping yesterday thinking about what I could buy, since, it had to be something she would use often enough to actually be an effective reminder, it couldn’t be too much of a burden on my wallet either since we were already a bit strapped on cash, and most importantly, it couldn’t be too suspicious. It had to be something I could reasonably give her as a present. Eventually, I figured that a cheap accessory or something like that would be perfect and I managed to secretly convince Lillian to inconspicuously bring us into an accessory shop while we were shopping. After that, Lillian kept Aria busy while I looked around the store and found a nice, simple-looking hair clip that wasn’t too pricey. I bought it and gave it to her after Lillian signaled to me that she was alone, and we all went home a little after that. Aria nearly gave me a heart attack too when we were walking home and she randomly asked why I bought the hair clip for her. I just came up with some random excuse while putting my best smile on, and I thought she was onto me for a second there, but it looked like she bought it. Anyway, I feel a little guilty now though because when I silently peeked into her room last night to check if she was ok, she was just sitting in her bed, completely silent and hugging her knees while staring blankly at the hair clip I bought her as her face was burning up. I bought her the hair clip as a small keepsake, but it looks like I underestimated exactly how crippling her social anxiety was because instead of reminding her about how much fun we had with Alain and Lillian yesterday, it was just triggering a prolonged anxiety attack or something like that. And this morning it was even worse. I woke up to make breakfast and she was just sitting in the living room wearing the hair clip while looking like a disheveled mess with bloodshot eyes and bags under her eyes like she barely got any sleep yesterday. She ate breakfast as fast as she could and tried to make a break for it by telling me she was leaving for work, but I stopped her before she went outside. After double checking to see if she was ok, it seemed like she got over some of the anxiety by herself last night, at least enough to talk to me a bit again, but I wasn’t about to let her walk out of the house looking like a ghoul, so I cleaned her up a bit and fixed her hair. She curled up again and refused to make eye contact with me while I was cleaning her up, but when I tried to take away the hair clip, she immediately resisted, so I just left it on. Anyway, she seemed normal enough afterward to go to work after I was done, so I just handed her lunchbox over and sent her on her way. So now, thanks to my great idea, I’ve probably made it harder for Aria to open up and I’m late to class too because of the time I wasted cleaning her up earlier, since, of course, everything nice I do has to eventually end up screwing me over some way, doesn’t it? Well, whatever, I guess I’ll just have to burn that bridge when I get to it. I let out a sigh as I stopped in front of the door to room 207 and opened it before stepping into the room. The sight of everyone talking to each other in their seats met my eyes as I walked in and they all turned to stare at me while I walked over to my desk, pulled out the chair, and took a seat. “Hey, everyone.” (Kyle) I put my satchel down and leaned over on top of my table while stretching my arms out with a blissful sigh as Mari yelled at me. “You’re late, Ky! Class was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago!” (Mari) “Yeah, sorry about that I had to do something.” (Kyle) I got up and rummaged through my bag to look for alchemy materials as I pulled out the first few stones I could find, a few ice elemental monster cores. I threw them on the table and rubbed my eyes before calling out to the class. “Uh… anyway, I guess we can just go over some more ice element circles today or something. We already did a couple basic ones last week, right? So I guess we can do some more advanced ones today. Any questions?” (Kyle) I got up off the table and looked around at the room as I saw Sophie swiftly raise her hand and call out with a curious glint in her eyes. “Professor Kyle, what are the differences between the magic circles we studied last week and the more advanced ones we’ll be studying today?” (Sophie) “Eh? Well, uh… they’ll have more lines in them.” (Kyle) “Is that it? Is there a change in mana density or the flow of the magic circle?” (Sophie) “Seriously Sophie, why even ask at this point? Do you really think Ky knows the answer to any of that?” (Zane) “Hey, come on, don’t say that. Professor Kyle might be a little bit… ok, very unreliable when it comes to his knowledge of the specifics, but at least the magic circles always work if we draw them the way he does, and hey, maybe he even knows something about what Sophie’s asking this time.” (Halbert) Halbert looked over at me with an expectant smile, but unfortunately, his trust was misplaced as I averted my eyes from his blinding aura of kindness and turned to Sophie with tears in my eyes from letting Halbert down. “Sorry, but I have no idea.” (Kyle) “See, I told you.” (Zane) “Haha…” (Halbert) “Ok, got it. I guess I’ll just have to analyze these myself later too.” (Sophie) Zane sighed and shook his head as Halbert gave a dry laugh with a slightly disappointed face while Sophie wrote something down in her notebook with a passionate smile on her face. “You know what? How about we just start class.” (Kyle) I walked up the board and picked a random ice magic circle that was around a second level spell before picking up a piece of chalk. A complicated magic circle took its form in a few seconds as the chalk in my hand flew around the board and I grabbed a monster core before going to the corner of the room to get the large bucket that I’ve been using to catch all the ice bits after I learned my lesson last time. Back when I was running around fighting all the time, I never really thought about anything that happened after I used a magic circle except whether or not it hurt the enemy, but the last time we studied after an ice element magic circle in class, I got ice bits everywhere and had to clean it all off the floor afterward. So my genius solution was to just use a bucket to catch any side products from the magic circles and toss it all out after class. I put the bucket below the magic circle on the board and held the monster core up to the circle to activate it. “Frozen Snare, single cast, activate.” (Kyle) An icy blue light shone from the magic circle on the board as soon my words left my mouth and a chunk of ice encased my hand after the magic circle activated. After a moment, I shook my hand and broke free as a few chunks of ice fell into the bucket with a loud clunk. “Alright, there you go. This magic circle is more or less around the level of a second circle ice spell, and it’s meant to be used as a trap because once it’s activated it’ll try and encase anything touching it in a layer of ice. So ideally you could set it up on the ground and set it off when an enemy steps on it, or even draw it on the palm of a glove with a few channels to connect it to a monster core and activate it when you grab something to freeze whatever you’re grabbing. Well, that is as long as you don’t mind getting your hands a little cold like I did.” (Kyle) I placed the monster core back onto the table and rubbed my hands together while breathing on them to warm them up a bit as everyone looked over with curious expressions on their faces. The sound of pens scratching against paper resounded through the room and I moved the half-full bucket of ice chunks back over to the corner of the room before taking a seat at my table. Sophie was the first to run up to the board to inspect the magic circle as I deflated backward into my chair. I pushed the monster cores on the table towards her direction before flopping down on top of the table with a yawn while watching everyone else slowly walk up to the board. “Alright, here’s some monster cores if you guys want to experiment, just be careful with what you freeze, and make sure you catch all the ice in the bucket. As for me... well, I’m a little tired today, so I’ll just be taking a little nap. Do me a favor and wake me when it’s time for lunch will you?” (Kyle) I closed my eyes as everyone turned to me with awkward expressions, and I was beginning to drift off into sleep when a light impact on my side and Mari’s yelling brought me back to my senses. I opened my eyes to see Mari standing in front of me with an angry face as she held her fist up while Reina stood behind her with an awkward smile on her face. “I don’t care how tired you are, Ky! You’re the professor, so do your job! What am I even paying you for if you’re just gonna come here and sleep!” (Mari) “Eh? They can just wake me up if they need anything, and it’s not like I do much after I give them a circle to study anyway. Usually, it’s just them copying down the magic circle then experimenting with it by themselves while I sit and read a book or something in the corner. So cut me a break this time. I’ll only be sleeping until lunch, so I’ll be awake for the rest of class. It’ll be fine.” (Kyle) I waved my hand at Mari as she stood there like she wanted to say something back, but she just shut her mouth after a moment and let out a sigh as she shook her head in disappointment while Reina tried to comfort her. “What’s wrong, Mari?” (Kyle) “Nothing, I’m just realizing how little you’ve actually been doing as a professor.” (Mari) “Well, Professor Kyle already wrote a magic circle on the board for us to study, and he seems like he’s really tired today, so how about we let him rest for a bit, Aunt Mari?” (Reina) Mari stared at Reina for a moment, who was smiling at her, before staring at me for a bit and letting out another sigh. “Alright, fine. You can take a small nap until lunch, but just this time, alright? You’re lucky that Reina’s nice enough to plead for a lazy professor like you.” (Mari) Mari turned around and walked back to her seat with a disappointed look on her face as I turned to Reina with a grin before extending my hand out and gently patting her head. “Thanks, Reina.” (Kyle) I closed my eyes as I heard Reina let out a soft whimper and mumble some incoherent gibberish, but I ignored it as the sound of everyone chatting softly in the background slowly lulled me to sleep. *** Some light shaking woke me up as I heard the sound of Sophie calling my name. “Professor Kyle, wake up. It’s lunchtime.” (Sophie) I got up and let out a yawn before groggily rubbing my eyes open to see Sophie standing in front of me. “Alright, I’m up, I’m up. Thanks, Sophie.” (Kyle) “No problem.” (Sophie) Sophie turned around and walked over to Mari and Reina to have lunch as the sound of the door opening caught my attention. I looked over and saw Halbert, Regnis, and Zane walk into the room holding their lunch from the school cafeteria before Zane called out to me. “Ky, you’re finally up. Come on, let’s have lunch.” (Zane) “Sure.” (Kyle) I stretched a bit before reaching over to my satchel to pull out my lunchbox as Halbert, Regnis, and Zane sat down at their seats and waited for me. A few moments passed as I pulled my chair over and sat down in front of them while they all opened their wrapped sandwiches and started eating. After taking a seat, I placed my lunchbox onto the table and opened it up as Zane took a bite out his sandwich before taking a swig of his juice. “Bleh. Man, these sandwiches really are tasteless.” (Zane) “Yeah… It’s not the greatest. But hey, at least it’s cheap.” (Halbert) “Just man up and eat it. It’s not tasty, but it’s enough to fill our stomachs, isn’t it?” (Regnis) “Well, if the school lunch is so bad, why don’t you just bring in your own.” (Kyle) “Well, we live in the school dorms, so none of us have the luxury to have someone make us lunch every day like you, Ky.” (Zane) Zane peered over at my lunch with an envious look on his face before taking another bite of his sandwich with tears in his eyes. “If you don’t have anyone to make you lunch, just make it yourself like I do.” (Kyle) “Wait, you make these yourself?” (Zane) “Yeah, every day in the morning before I come to class. Who do you think made these?” (Kyle) “Eh? I always thought someone else made these for you too, Professor Kyle.” (Halbert) “Well, there is someone else that I live with, but uh… when it comes to cooking... let’s just say that terrible wouldn’t even begin to describe it. Anyway, like I said you can just make your lunches yourself if the school ones are so bad. I’m not saying you need to cook, but I’m sure all of you are at least capable of putting together a sandwich or two.” (Kyle) “Hmm, I never thought about that. Well, I could probably make a decent sandwich, but I’ll be honest, I don’t really want to. It seems like a drag to go buy all the ingredients, and I’d rather just sleep in during the mornings instead of waking up early, and stomach this stuff later. At the very least, it’s edible.” (Zane) “I would make lunch for everyone in the morning if I could, but my schedule’s pretty packed usually, and I’m busy most mornings. So I can’t really take out the time to make us lunch.” (Halbert) Halbert gave me a sheepish smile and helplessly scratched his head while Zane finished his sandwich with an unenthusiastic face. Huh, I thought for sure Halbert would say something along the lines of ‘don’t worry guys, I’ll make everyone lunch from now on because that’s what friends do’ since he’s the designated nice guy who seems like he would go out of his way for anyone even remotely acquainted with him, but I guess he has other things to do too. Well if he’s not the one making lunch, I guess Regnis is left out of the trio, but I highly doubt he’s going to do it considering his whole bootleg Goku and Vegeta dynamic with Halbert. I started taking a sip of water as I looked over at Regnis to see him crossing his arms with his eyes closed like he was thinking about something, and a moment passed before he cleared his throat and turned to Halbert and Zane. “Well since Halbert’s so useless he can’t even take ten minutes out of his day to make sandwiches, I guess I’ll just have to pick up the slack and make lunch for us all.” (Regnis) Wait, what? I immediately coughed up a bit of water as Regnis looked away from us with an embarrassed frown while Zane thanked him with a carefree grin and Halbert turned to him with an apologetic one. “Oh, cool. Thanks, Regnis.” (Zane) “Sorry, Regnis. I guess we’ll have to rely on you again. Thanks.” (Halbert) “Eh?” (Kyle) “What’s wrong, Ky?” (Zane) The trio looked over at me in confusion and I gestured them to stop before turning to Halbert and Regnis. “Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. I thought you two had the whole rivalry thing going on. What happened to ‘I’m only here for one reason, to get stronger, strong enough to surpass a certain man’ when you introduced yourself?” (Kyle) Zane started laughing at my impression of Regnis and Halbert let out a light chuckle as Regnis had an embarrassed look on his face. “Let me tell you a secret, Ky. Regnis might look like he’s a jerk on the surface, but ever since we’ve been kids, he’s always been helping us out. He’s really a nice guy who always looks out for everyone, he’s just too shy to show it.” (Zane) “S-Shut up! I’m not like I’m specifically looking out for you two. I’m just trying to make my lunches better, and making lunch for you two is just something extra to make sure that you’re both on the same level as me, since beating you two wouldn’t count as much if I had a huge advantage like better nutrition.” (Regnis) “Yeah, yeah. It’s ok, you don’t need to tell us the truth, Regnis. We already know, so thanks, buddy!” (Zane) Ah, I see. Thought I had him all figured out as the cardboard cutout rival with an inferiority complex, but it looks like he’s really just an edgy tsundere. Well, I guess his act was good enough to fool me at first, so he got me there at least. Regnis looked away from Halbert and Zane with an embarrassed blush on his face and crossed his arms again as I turned towards him with an understanding smile. “I see, never thought you’d be such a tsundere, Regnis.” (Kyle) I let out a light-hearted laugh and reorganized the trio’s relationship dynamic in my head as they all turned to me with confused looks on their faces again. “What’s a tsundere?” (Zane) “Oh. Sorry, I guess a little, uh, ‘hometown dialect’ slipped out there. You see, back where I’m from, a tsundere is someone who always acts like they don’t care about you even though they really do on the inside, and they usually say things along like lines of ‘I had nothing else better to do’ or ‘I just made it for you because it was an extra,’ when they really did it for your sake, but were too shy to say it outright.” (Kyle) Zane started laughing hysterically after I told him what a tsundere was, and he pointed to Regnis as he could barely stop laughing. “I’ve never heard someone so accurately describe Regnis! I guess he really is just a big tsundere!” (Zane) “Yeah… the description really is uncanny... Well, I guess I learned something new today.” (Halbert) “I’m not a tsundere or whatever! My goal is to surpass Halbert fair and square, and it won’t count if he’s at a disadvantage, alright?” (Regnis) A few more minutes passed as we teased Regnis a bit before we finally finished lunch and it was about time to start class again. I put away my now empty lunchbox and walked back up to the front of the room as I gathered everyone’s attention. “Alright, I guess we should start class again. So, what did you guys learn about the magic circle?” (Kyle) I looked around the room and saw Sophie’s hand shoot up instantly with a passionate look in her eyes. I let out a sigh and got out of my seat as I pulled out a notebook and pen from my satchel and brought my chair with me to the corner of the room. “Alright, just come up here and tell us what you’ve got, Sophie.” (Kyle) Sophie immediately got up and sprinted to the front of the classroom with her notebook in her hands before stopping in front of the magic circle on the board and beginning her lecture. “Well, after analyzing it a bit, I’ve learned that this magic circle in particular, Frozen Snare, has a more complex design like you mentioned before, but as such, it also requires a higher quantity of mana and therefore, higher mana density to function, especially in these areas, indicated in this diagram I’ve drawn.” (Sophie) I scribbled down some quick notes on Sophie’s explanation of the magic circle in my notebook while Sophie opened her notebook to reveal a small copy of the magic circle on the board with a few circles and arrows pointing to certain parts. She showed it off to the rest of the class with a beaming smile on her face and pointed to the important parts of it while giving her explanation. “You see, the circled parts have about double the mana density of the previous ice element magic circle we studied last week, Ice Shard, while the parts with an arrow pointing to them have about the same level of mana density. However while the differences in the mana density might lead you to believe that the mana flow might fluctuate in some areas, it’s actually very smooth and the flow is unimpeded in most parts of the circle. The only problem area I could find is a small point at one of the super-high-density areas in the middle where the mana tends to build up, but I believe that’s where the mana from the monster core is converted into actual ice, so it would make sense for it to have a higher mana density. That’s all I have on the design of the magic circle so far, but I do have some theories about the different functions of the sub-designs in the circle.” (Sophie) Sophie turned towards me with an expectant look in her eyes like she was waiting for me to give her some praise before she started talking about her theories and I finished writing down what she said in my ‘research notebook’ for my lesson plans next year before giving her a smile. “Alright, good job, Sophie. That’s some nice analysis of the magic circle there. Anybody have any questions?” (Kyle) I looked around the room to see Halbert and Regnis writing down things in their notebooks, while Zane was just fumbling around with his pen and Reina had an awkward smile on her face as she was consoling Mari, who was facepalming as she shook her head. “It seems there aren’t any questions from the class, so would you please elaborate on what your theories are, Sophie? Also, send me a copy of that diagram later if you can so I can, uh... grade it for you.” (Kyle) “Alright, so as I was saying, for the first sub-design on the top left of the magic circle, my theory is that it functions as the indicator for what form the ice takes. You see, when we compare it to the previous magic circle, Ice Shard, you can see that many of the sub-designs are similar or the same, but this one on the top left is one of the few sub-designs that has changed. I’m not completely sure if this hypothesis is correct, however, if I had another ice elemental magic circle around the same level, I could cross-reference them and maybe even figure out what some of the other ones do, Professor Kyle.” (Sophie) “Uh, sure. Give me a second and I’ll draw you another one.” (Kyle) Sophie turned to me again with another expectant look on her face and I stopped writing in my notebook as I picked another random ice elemental magic circle. Which one should I draw? Well, I mean she’s right about that symbol because when you change it the ice will make different shapes, but if I tell her that outright, I’ll probably have to actually teach the rest of the class something else, so I should probably just give her a magic circle to study that has to do with the shape of the ice. Uh… oh, I got it. It’s a little more complex than what we’ve been doing, but how about Frost Blade. I’m sure that Sophie will figure it out by the end of the day like she does with every other magic circle we study anyway. Her talent and intuition for alchemy are leagues above mine, to the point where it’s borderline scary. At this rate, I’ll run out of things to teach her after a few months. Hmm, maybe we should have some more practical training so I don’t have to constantly throw magic circles at Sophie and watch her process them within a few hours. Regnis was asking about practical uses for magic circles last time anyway, so maybe some controlled combat might be in order. I guess we could go out of the city and practice on some monsters. I’m sure that there are a few weak ones like slimes or something in the forests nearby. Actually, I can probably just drop by the guild and ask them about the safe areas for beginner adventurers too, since the safe areas usually just have weak monsters. I walked over and picked up a monster core from my desk as Sophie took a seat before taking a piece of chalk off the chalkboard, drawing another magic circle right next to the Frozen Snare circle, and activating it. “Frost Blade, single cast, activate.” (Kyle) An icy blue shone out from the chalkboard again as moments later the monster core in my hands was completely used up and a longsword made of ice emerged from the magic circle. It felt cold to the touch as I held it in my hands and I swung it around slowly a few times to test out the weight as a nostalgic, yet frighteningly familiar feeling rushed into me through my hand gripping the sword. Man, how long has it been since I held a sword? I almost forgot how natural it felt to be gripping one. Looks like my days of fighting and killing might be over, but the memories stay forever, huh? Well, they can haunt me all they want, but I’m technically retired now, so I’m too lazy to go fight. And hopefully, I’ll never have to experience that feeling of cutting into another person again... but, hey, if I need to, I can at least cut some inanimate objects, can’t I? A feeling of melancholy flooded my senses as I stared blankly at the sword in my hands for a moment before I threw the piece of chalk I was holding into the air and swung the ice sword in my hands. My thousand year old muscle memory kicked in and I unconsciously used a good portion of my strength to slice the chalk cleanly into two pieces as the edge of the ice blade cut through the air following the same utterly refined motion that I had used a real blade for countless times in the past. A strong wind blasted through the room from the pure air pressure of my swing as the blade of ice in my hands instantly shattered into bits after making contact with the chalk and a burst of tiny ice crystals covered the floor. I came back to my senses after I heard the two pieces of chalk hit the ground, and I looked around at the mess on the floor surrounding me as I held the now bladeless hilt of the ice sword. Ah, crap. I used too much strength, didn’t I? Well, I guess I’m on cleanup duty again then… Maybe I should invest in a tarp too. I let out a sigh and turned back to the class to see everyone staring in astonishment as I sheepishly smiled and scratched my head. “So, uh, that was Frost Blade and it makes, well, a blade of ice as you saw. It’s around the level of fourth circle ice magic, and it’s a legitimate weapon so it’s a bit dangerous, but it seems I used a bit too much force when I tried to show off how sharp it can be and accidentally broke the blade. Sorry about that. Anyway, I hope this magic circle helps you prove your theory, Sophie. I tried to pick one that was related to the shape of ice changing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go grab a broom to clean up this mess. You guys can start studying the magic circle while I’m gone, just be careful not to hurt yourselves.” (Kyle) I gave a dry laugh and dropped the sword hilt made of ice in my hands into the bucket before leaving the room to go get a broom as I took a deep breath and calmed down the urge to fight and kill that was beginning to bubble up again after so long.
[Chapter 18.5] Heroes and Magical Girls Aren't Too Far off from Eachother, Are They? Spoiler Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Halbert POV) The screech of metal grinding against metal rang in my ears as my hands shook from the shockwave that blasted through my hands. The silver blade of the greatsword in front of my eyes shifted in a blur as I put strength into my legs and rolled off to the side. Immediately after I moved, the sound of the ground cracking reached my ears and I regained my balance as I saw the flash of an indistinct red figure out of the corner of my eye. How is she still this fast? I held my own greatsword up to see the sunlight shine through the crystal clear blade that seemed like it was made of pure glass and I immediately shifted it to my left side before channeling mana into my body strengthening magic while simultaneously activating reinforcement on my greatsword as I grit my teeth and braced for impact. A hazy white light shone out from my greatsword and the crimson red blur stopped in place for a split-second before another heavy shockwave was transmitted into me through my hands. The pure force blasted me a few feet away and I barely managed to flip myself over mid-air before landing shakily. As soon as I stood up again, I glanced around to see if I could catch even a glimpse of the opponent, but this time all I could see was an empty field in front of me. Damn, I lost sight of her. Where is she? The sound of a single footstep behind me reached my ears and I immediately swung my head around to see the crimson red blur dash towards me before an arc of silver met my blade in another head-on clash. I desperately pumped mana into my body strengthening magic and pushed as hard as I could against the ground, but after a moment, I was just barely overpowered and my legs gouged out the earth beneath me as I was pushed back while the vague red figure slipped past me using the momentum from the previous swing. I twisted my head around as she disappeared from the corner of my eye again and began to dance around me always attacking from just slightly out of my line of sight. There wasn’t even a moment to reposition or even move my legs as one strong impact after another was barely being blocked by my greatsword after pushing my body to the limit every time just to be able to react. I can’t keep this up much longer. She’s already in control of my tempo. I need to find an opening. Faster! I need to be faster! I can’t win if I’m this slow! I need to at least be able to see her! My eyes widened and the mana flowing around my body increased as a good portion of it flooded to my eyes. It felt like I could see clearly again as my kinetic vision was pushed to its utmost limit, and I could finally catch a clear view of Captain Aria as she danced around me. A small sense of confidence built up inside of me as I began to ever so slightly speed up before, there was finally an opening. Another arc of silver clanged against my greatsword as I kicked against the ground with my legs and the momentum from the blade dance stopped abruptly after finally meeting its match as I pushed her back after blocking her swing. This is it! The opening I need! I let out a yell as lightning element mana coursed from my body, through my hands, and into my blade. A brilliant blue glow shone out from my greatsword as arcs of blue lightning swirled around it like serpents and I took a heavy step forward before swinging with all my might towards Captain Aria. But, it seems that I was underestimating her a little too much as she instantly reacted by ducking under my blade and kicking off the ground before swinging from below. A solid hit connected with my chest plate and my stomach churned from the impact as I hacked out a cough before being blown into the air again. A moment later, I crashed back onto the ground and barely managed to even get up this time as I gasped for breath and stared at Captain Aria who was standing there with a sharp glint in her eyes. “Are you giving up?” (Aria) I felt my strength return a bit as her crystal clear voice rang out in my ears before I looked up and held my greatsword again as I called out raggedly that I could go on. “I-I can continue.” (Halbert) This’ll probably be the final strike... I don’t have anything else left in me. A pair of piercing red eyes just stared at me for a second while I prepared myself for the final attack. I inhaled a deep breath as I grit my teeth and time seemed to slow down. I saw Captain Aria kick against the ground again in slow motion and start to make a straight dash towards me as she readied her sword to swing from below. A moment passed in that sensation of slow motion as I tried to put strength into my legs, but no matter how much I tried, they wouldn’t budge. Come on! Is this your limit!? You can’t even beat Captain Aria when she’s going easy on you!? How the hell are you going to be a hero like this!? How the hell are you going to beat Regnis and Zane like this!? Just be stronger! Just be faster! Just move, damn it! She’s getting closer! She’s dashing right in because she believes you can continue, so show her that she’s right! I screamed internally at myself as my legs were beginning to give out, but that only served to fuel my rage at my own weakness before finally, I felt a jolt enter me through my hands and spread through my body instantaneously as something inside of me clicked. A cool feeling flooded out from deep inside of me and I felt strength enter my legs again as a strange sense of tranquility encompassed me. I need something. Something strong. Something fast. Something to show her that she was right to believe in me. Should I use a sword technique again? No, she’ll just dodge it. What I need... is a single swing. The strongest swing I know. One that’s fast enough and strong enough that she can’t dodge it! I emptied my mind and closed my eyes as I searched deep inside for the form of the strongest sword swing I could imagine. However, what showed up in my head was an unexpected figure. Captain Aria is the strongest opponent I’ve ever had the chance to cross blades with, and I’ve witnessed her training countless times, so I completely expected it to be an image of Captain Aria that showed up, however, the image I saw instead was of a solitary man. He had a head full of snow white hair that was tied into a ponytail, along with golden eyes that seemed to see through your entire being. In one hand he held a sword made of pure ice, and in the other, a single piece of chalk. He threw the piece of chalk up into the air, and after a moment he took the sword in his hand and swung it. I couldn’t understand anything at the time. It was too quick and too subtle for me to understand. But now I finally realize just how terrifying that swing was. That single swing was beyond even the level of a swordmaster. It was closer to the absolute peak of swordsmanship. It was a sword swing that had been utterly refined to the point where it was ingrained in his very being, and for the single instant that the sword made contact with the piece of chalk in the air, it felt like even I was being sliced into pieces. I fell into a hazy trance as I finally opened my eyes to see Captain Aria directly in front of me and every last bit of mana I had left was driven straight into my body strengthening magic as I gripped my greatsword with both of my hands before clumsily imitating that single swing. The air surrounding my greatsword screeched as I sliced through it, and the sight of the crystal clear edge of my greatsword making contact with another silver one surrounded by a hazy white glow was the last thing I saw before the accompanying burst of wind made me pass out. *** I let out a light groan and slowly woke up as I felt my body cramp up a bit before taking a look at my surroundings. The familiar sight of the medical bay in the 7th Squad barracks met my eyes as I sat there for a moment before going through my memory. Ugh, what happened?... The last thing I remember was sparring with Captain Aria. She was completely controlling the tempo like usual, but I somehow found an opening, used a sword technique, and swung at her. Then she dodged it and hit me in the chest, but… what happened after that? I sat up in the medical bed and cleared my head as I tried to track my memory to no avail. I distinctly remembered what happened up to the point where Captain Aria dodged my sword technique and counter attacked, but all that was coming up after that was the image of an extremely vague, shadowy figure. I held my hand up to my chest as I could still feel a bit of pain from the clean hit to my torso earlier, and I slowly got out of the bed when suddenly I heard the door open. After turning to the door, I saw Captain Aria walk in and sit down in front of me. The sunlight shone in through the window and illuminated her figure as she looked at me with a slightly concerned expression on her face. She was dressed in her uniform instead of light armor like before when we were sparring, and her beautiful red hair and eyes contrasted with the pure white color of her knight captain uniform along with the small hair clip of a white flower that she’s been wearing recently. I think everyone was a little surprised when she started wearing that hair clip a few days ago since it never seemed like Captain Aria was the type to wear accessories, but honestly, it looked really pretty on her. “You’re awake, Halbert. Are you ok?” (Aria) A light afternoon breeze blew in through the open window and made her hair flow in the wind as I couldn’t help but stare at her speechlessly for a moment. My face blushed bright red and a warm feeling bubbled up from inside of me as I felt an urge to confess my feelings for her right there, but after a moment, I suppressed those feelings as I reminded myself about the situation. No, you can’t, Halbert. I know Captain Aria’s perfect. She’s beautiful, strong, and although she can act a bit cold at times, she’s genuinely kind and gentle on the inside. But, no matter how much you want to tell her your feelings, remember, you can’t. She’s just your assigned master in swordsmanship, and you’re just her coincidental student. Your relationship is nothing more, nothing less. And not only that, you’re also the hero chosen by the God of Light. You’re destined to go fight the new demon lord in a few years with Regnis and Zane by your side, and even if you could ignore everything and run away with her, I’m sure that with her sense of justice, she couldn’t. She knows you’re the hero, so even if she felt the same way, she would definitely follow you out onto the battlefront and fight alongside you… but she’s not meant to be out there fighting with her life on the line every day, and you wouldn’t want that anyway. So just be content with this. Just enjoy these carefree days while they still last. I took a deep breath once I came back to my senses and I looked down before answering her with a slightly melancholic tone in my voice. “I’m fine, Captain Aria. I just overdid it a bit when we were sparring earlier... but I’m ok now.” (Halbert) “... That’s good to hear.” (Aria) “Sorry. To think that I lost the spar badly enough to end up in the medical bay and make you worry about me, even after personally requesting you got a little serious this time… I guess I really am a failure of a hero.” (Halbert) I let out a disappointed sigh and held my hands in front of me as I stared at them. A moment of silence passed as I looked at the bandages covering my hands before Captain Aria’s voice broke me out of my trance. “You didn’t lose though.” (Aria) “Huh?” (Halbert) I raised my head and stared at Captain Aria in confusion as she crossed her arms. “The rules were that I couldn’t use any sword techniques, only body strengthening magic up to a certain level and pure swordsmanship, but I used a sword technique to block that last swing you made. So I lost.” (Aria) “Wait, but didn’t you dodge that last swing and hit me in the chest from below?” (Halbert) “No, the one after that.” (Aria) “I passed out after that one though, didn’t I?” (Halbert) “Do you not remember the last swing you made?” (Aria) “The last thing I can remember was you dodging my sword technique and hitting me in the chest. What did I do after that?” (Halbert) “... I asked you if you could continue, and you said yes, so I decided to make the next strike the last one. When I closed in on you though, your last swing at me was unexpectedly fast, enough that I couldn’t dodge it, and strong enough that I had to cast reinforcement to block it. So I did, and you fainted right after you finished your swing. Who taught you how to swing like that?” (Aria) “Who taught me? I… I don’t know. I don’t remember being able to swing like that, and I genuinely can’t remember anything past your hit to my chest.” (Halbert) “Well, it doesn’t matter who taught you. Just try and recall the feeling of that swing. It was a swing close to the level of a swordmaster. Maybe one day, that swing will save your life against the demon lord... You have somewhere important to go tomorrow, right? So just rest for now.” (Aria) I watched silently as Captain Aria got out of her seat and began to leave the room, but when she got to the door, she paused and stood there. I stared at her for a moment as an awkward silence spread through the room before she called out to me in a quiet voice. “... Someone told me recently that I should be a little more open with my feelings, but honestly, I still can’t communicate them very well, so I guess I’ll be a little blunt this time. Stay alive, Halbert. I would be sad if you died.” (Aria) Captain Aria left the room and closed the door after she finished what she was saying, but the warm fuzzy feeling came back in full force as I stared at the door for a moment before whispering quietly to nothing in particular with a smile on my face. “...Will do, Captain Aria.” (Halbert) The Goddess of Love’s Divine Domain, Eliza’s House (Eliza POV) My eyes scanned through the page of the book I was currently reading as I laid down on the couch in the living room. A few more moments of peace and quiet passed by as I flipped to the next page, when the sound of the door opening caught my attention. I got up slightly and peered over to see Reina, who was dressed in full cleaning attire, walk into the living room while holding a broom. “Lady Eliza, I finished cleaning the house, what should I do now?” (Reina) “Hmm, I think Olivia mentioned that she needed you to do something, but I don’t remember what it was, and she’s not here right now, so I guess you can take a break until she gets back. She’s just at the monthly meeting with the God of Light anyway, so she should be back soon.” (Eliza) I returned to my original position on the couch and was about to open my book again when I heard someone bust open the front door. “Welcome back Lady Olivia. I just finished cleaning the house and Lady Eliza mentioned that you needed me to do something, right?” (Reina) “Never mind that, Reina. You can do it later. We have a more important issue to deal with right now.” (Olivia) I turned to the door to see Olivia standing there with a serious face before she ran over to me while holding an envelope in her hands. “Lady Eliza, I just finished the meeting with his highness, the God of Light, and he told me that we’ll be having some visitors soon. His highness’ chosen hero and two of his allies will be coming over to visit.” (Olivia) “Eh? The hero? H-He sounds like someone really important. Lady Eliza, what should we do!?” (Reina) His chosen hero? Was there someone like that?... Oh, right. I remember now. Faust, that old geezer, was rambling about the rise of a new demon lord who would turn against the gods or something like that a few years ago. He even made us all gather up for some dumb meeting to plan for it. I think I slept through most of it, but I do remember at the beginning he couldn’t even tell us any characteristics of this supposed new demon lord or even how they were going to rise to power. Apparently, his visions of the new demon lord were being ‘masked by the power of one of the rogue gods,’ and only the destined hero and his fated allies would be able to stop the new demon lord, but personally, I think he was just making up some nonsense to stay relevant. After all, no one visits that senile idiot anymore after he failed to predict what happened with Ky, so he probably just wanted some company, and what kind of vision can’t even tell us anything about the ‘new demon lord’ except that they’ll exist? Some God of Fate he is. I mean seriously, even if there was a new demon lord, we’re gods for god’s sake! We could just crush the new demon lord the moment they show up! There’s no need for a hero, and I highly doubt anyone on the level of anomaly that Ky was will be showing up anytime soon. After all, I heard that Ky was powerful enough to kill several gods without a divine spark himself, and we still managed to seal him, even after he got one, so what’s a puny little demon lord compared to the former blight of the gods, Ky? And it’s not like everyone who sealed Ky is dead because of it either. In fact, they all lived, and the main guy who sealed Ky, his former best buddy, the God of Justice, what was his name again? Uh… it Kazuki or something like that. Yeah, him. He’s still alive and well. In fact, he’s even stronger now since he got a pretty big popularity boost after everything was said and done, so he took the easy road to becoming a high god a while ago. “The hero and his allies? Well, what do they want?” (Eliza) “I’m not sure. His highness, the God of Light just told me to hand you this letter as soon as possible, and that it was your choice whether or not to tell me why after you read it, Lady Eliza.” (Olivia) Olivia handed me the envelope she was holding as Reina stood next to her with an anxious look on her face. I held the envelope in my hands and inspected it for a moment before breaking the seal on the back and pulling out the actual letter inside to read it. Dear Eliza, Hey, it’s me! Long time no see, Eliza. Well, it wouldn’t be so long if you would ever show up to our scheduled monthly meetings instead of just sending Olivia over all the time. She’s been running ragged because of you since I met her, and she still somehow finds the time to take care of everything you won’t do. I heard you hired someone else recently, so just give the poor girl a break, would you? I feel guilty every time I see Olivia come visit then immediately leave after her business is done because she has to get something else done for you by the end of the day. But anyway, onto more important things. Faust told me yesterday that he finally had a new vision on the new demon lord. Apparently, there was still a lot of interference by the same rogue god, but this time it was a little weaker for some reason, so he managed to figure out what he believes is the new demon lord’s alias, ‘The Tyrant.’ Now, I know what you’re thinking, while this alias isn’t exactly the same as the one on everyone’s mind once you hear ‘Tyrant,’ it is eerily similar to it, especially at this time when we’ve just recently released Kyle. So, with this in mind, I, the God of Light, Alba Lux, would like to formally request that the Goddess of Love, Eliza Strateous, grant my chosen hero permission to enter her divine domain and search the former residence of The Tyrant of Eternal Calamity and current True God of Death, Kyle. Look, I know that you might miss him a lot, and I’m sorry if this reminded you of him, but I can’t allow another tragedy like what happened a thousand years ago to happen again and any possible lead is a good one. Don’t worry, we won’t hunt down Kyle again. I promised him his freedom after his sentence, and I will stay by my word as long as he does not violate the terms of our agreement. Kazuki has vouched for his innocence too, and I myself have already seen how much he’s changed, so I believe that he won’t commit the same sins again. It’s your choice to decide whether to tell anyone else about the circumstances, but please make sure that you only let those who are trustworthy know. As of this moment, besides you, me, and Faust, only my chosen hero and his allies, along with a few other gods know about the new demon lord’s alias. Anyway, I’m sure that you’ll understand and accept my request, so I’ve taken the liberty of assuming your agreement. I’ll be sending over my chosen hero and his allies approximately an hour after Olivia returns, so I hope you cleaned up recently. Toodles. Yours truly, Alba I let out a sigh as I stared at the poorly drawn smiley face at the bottom of the letter and after a moment I ripped up the letter in my hands before burning it to ashes using some simple fire magic. I turned to Olivia and Reina as they stared back with concerned faces and let out a tired groan before getting off the couch. “Is it something we shouldn’t know, Lady Eliza?” (Olivia) “No, it’s fine. Apparently, that old coot, Faust, had another vision about the new demon lord and found out that their alias is ‘The Tyrant.’ So that superstitious idiot, Alba, is just going to send over the hero and his buddies in about an hour so they can check the basement.” (Eliza) “...’The Tyrant’... I see, so they want to look through his things, huh?” (Olivia) Olivia had a bitter smile on her face as she slowly turned towards the door to the basement and I followed suit while Reina looked at us with a confused look on her face. “Wait, I have so many questions! There’s a new demon lord!? What does ‘The Tyrant’ mean!? And what’s in the basement!?” (Reina) “Don’t worry, Reina. I’ll explain it all after the hero and his buddies come over. Just change out of your cleaning gear because they’ll be over soon.” (Eliza) The Goddess of Love’s Divine Domain, Ritual Grounds (Reina POV) “Augh… I know I’m supposed to be a magical girl, Lady Eliza, but do I really have to wear the outfit?” (Reina) I let out a whimper and hugged my staff as I turned with an embarrassed blush to Lady Eliza, who was just wearing her pajamas like usual in stark contrast to Lady Olivia who was dressed in a formal robe as she let out a disappointed sigh. The three of us stood in front of the ritual grounds in the backyard while we waited for the hero and his allies to show up. Lady Eliza turned to me with a proud smile on her face before replying to my question with a haughty tone in her voice. “Of course you do! The outfit is basically half of what it means to be a magical girl! It’s basically your uniform, and I was the one who personally designed it, so there’s nothing wrong with wearing it. What do you have to worry about anyway? Even if you’re only a trainee, you’re still the one and only Goddess of Love, Eliza Strateous’ genuine heroic spirit in name, compared to some no-name hero that Alba picked.” (Eliza) “But, it’s embarrassing! The skirt on this outfit is too short, and these stockings barely even go past my knees, so my legs are showing! Besides, don’t you think a bit too much of my chest is exposed!?” (Reina) I cried out desperately as I complained about the amount of skin I was showing, but it was all to no avail as Lady Eliza just ignored me and looked up at the sun in the sky to tell the time before crossing her arms with a confident smile. “Alright, it should be about time. Stand proud, Reina, and don’t forget to pose!” (Eliza) “Wha-!?” (Reina) I let out a surprised yelp as a large magic circle began to form in the middle of the ritual grounds and a bright white light shone out from the magic circle, blinding me for a moment as I heard some strangely familiar voices say a few things before Lady Eliza called out to them in a smug tone. “Ugh, my eyes. Where are we Halbert?” (Zane) “Well, I think this is the Goddess of Love’s divine domain, right?” (Halbert) “It should be, unless something went wrong with the teleportation magic.” (Regnis) “Welcome to my divine domain, hero and his allies! I hope Alba prepared you well because you’re now in the Goddess of Love, Eliza Strateous’ hands!” (Eliza) Eh? I hesitantly lowered my hand from in front of my face as my vision slowly came back to me, revealing three unexpected figures, Halbert, Regnis, and Zane. All three of them were dressed in light training attire with the Church of Light’s symbol on it and Halbert was even bandaged up in a few places. Zane was rubbing his eyes as Halbert wobbled around a bit before replying to Lady Eliza while he slowly regained his vision. “Greetings, your highness. I am the hero, Halbert Alyon, and my allies and I… Eh?” (Halbert) Halbert raised his head and stared at me in surprise after he regained his vision and a moment of awkward silence passed between us as Regnis stood there silently and crossed his arms while Zane stared at me too with a surprised face. “Reina? Is that you? What are you wearing?” (Zane) “... Don’t worry, Reina, I won’t say anything about your choice of attire.” (Regnis) I’m finished... My social life is done for. Of all the people who could’ve been the hero and his allies, why did it have to be people I know!? I dropped down to my knees in defeat while tears ran down my cheeks as Lady Eliza turned to me with a curious look on her face. “Wait, Reina do you know them? Because they seem to know you.” (Eliza) “... Y-Yes, Lady Eliza. They’re my classmates.” (Reina) “... I’m sorry, Reina. If I had known, I would’ve never let Lady Eliza make you wear that outfit…” (Olivia) “Wait, wait, wait. Can someone please explain what’s going on?” (Zane) Zane waved his arms around and cried out in confusion as Lady Eliza stared at the three of them before letting out a sigh. “You three are lucky that you’re also Reina’s friends in addition to being Alba’s chosen hero, otherwise I would’ve made you suffer a bit in place of that idiot for sending you all over without even asking first. Well, I guess you all can come in for now. I’ll explain everything inside.” (Eliza) “Eh? T-Thank you, your highness.” (Halbert) Lady Eliza turned around and started walking towards the door with a tired expression on her face as Halbert gave her a deep bow before everyone slowly followed her inside. A few minutes later, Lady Olivia left to go finish some work in the study room, while I was standing behind Lady Eliza, who was lying down on the couch nonchalantly after explaining the situation to everyone as Halbert, Regnis, and Zane were all on their knees on the floor in front of her. “To think that you were actually a heroic spirit... I would like to formally apologize for any rudeness we might have committed towards you before, Lady Reina. If there’s anything I can do for you to make up for my earlier discourtesy, just let me know.” (Halbert) Halbert lowered his head towards me and apologized as I panicked a bit and hugged my staff. “N-No, you don’t have to be so formal with me. I’m not a real heroic spirit, just a trainee. The only thing I even do around here is clean the house.” (Reina) “That’s no excuse though. Even if you’re just a trainee, you were still chosen by her highness so you’re on at least the same standing as me, if not higher.” (Halbert) “See, Reina. I told you earlier. What’s a measly chosen hero to one of my heroic spirits.” (Eliza) Lady Eliza turned towards me with a smug smile on her face before letting out a pompous laugh and I let out a sigh as I tried my best to communicate my feelings to the trio on the floor. “Look, I’m not anyone great of anything like that. I was just lucky enough to meet Lady Eliza and Lady Olivia, so if you want to do anything for me, then just treat me like normal... and please don’t tell anyone else that I wore this outfit.” (Reina) “Will do, Reina. Your secret will go to the grave with me.” (Halbert) “I won’t tell another soul.” (Zane) “I promise I won’t say a thing about this, and I’m a man of my word.” (Regnis) “Thank you.” (Reina) I let out a sigh of relief as I felt my knees go a little weak from having such a huge pressure lifted off me before I thought about the bigger situation we were in and my knees began to shake again. “Anyway, now that we’re done with that. What should we do about the new demon lord? Don’t we only have a few years left?” (Reina) “Don’t worry about it, Reina. Trust me, the gods aren’t so weak that just anyone can come here and push us around, and it’s even not your problem to worry about in the first place, it’s theirs. According to that old coot, Faust, and that idiot, Alba, these three will be the ones destined to take down the new demon lord, not you. So just sit back and relax. Anyway, moving on, even though I don’t want to admit it, I do owe Alba, so you guys can check out the basement, just let me know when you want to so I can open it.” (Eliza) “Really? Thank you, your highness. If it would be possible, we would like to investigate the basement as soon as possible.” (Halbert) Halbert smiled at Lady Eliza and was about to get up when suddenly Zane grabbed Halbert’s shoulder with a frighteningly serious look in his eyes. “Wait. Before we investigate the basement. Halbert, Regnis, don’t you think there’s something even more important we need to do? We’re sitting in front of the Goddess of Love, so we should take this once in a lifetime chance to have our luck in love be read!” (Zane) “I don’t need anything like that.” (Regnis) “Well, just because you don’t need it, doesn’t mean that we don’t! Right, Halbert?” (Zane) “Well, for me... even if I do get mine read, I don’t think it’ll help much…” (Halbert) Halbert replied with a slightly sad tone in his voice while Zane slammed his head down onto the floor as he begged Lady Eliza to read his fortune, but Lady Eliza just took a casual glance at Zane on the floor before getting off the couch and walking towards the basement door. “Please, I’m begging you, your highness. Tell me, will I ever get a girlfriend?” (Zane) “Not likely.” (Eliza) “Eh?... Wait! You didn’t even do anything yet! Don’t you have to read my palm or something!?” (Zane) “Who do you think I am? I don’t even need to do anything to tell that you’re not the type who’ll get a girlfriend anytime soon. Trust me, I’m the one and only Goddess of Love, and when it comes to matters within my expertise, my word is the hard truth, so if you can’t handle it, then don’t ask.” (Eliza) “Damn it! Damn it all! Am I really going to be a wizard for the rest of my life!?” (Zane) Zane slammed the ground with his fists in despair as tears poured out of his eyes and a few moments passed before he got up with a depressed look on his face and joined the rest of us following Lady Eliza to the basement door as Halbert patted him on the back while letting out a dry laugh. We walked up to the entrance to the basement together and Lady Eliza held her hand out towards the door as we all took a step back. A large magic circle that glowed with a hazy white light appeared on the surface of the wooden door for a moment before a sound akin to glass breaking resonated in my ears and the magic circle shattered into bits of light. “Alright, there you go. It’s open. Might be a little dusty down there though.” (Eliza) I looked at the door curiously as Lady Eliza opened it slowly to reveal a staircase down into a room with stone walls. “Speaking of which, Lady Eliza, what’s even down there? The door’s always been locked even when I clean, so I’ve assumed it was something important, but it doesn’t look like there’s much there, so why are we even searching it? Is it something related to the new demon lord?” (Reina) The moment after I finished asking, Halbert, Regnis, and Zane all put on serious faces as the atmosphere turned grave and I got a little scared as Halbert asked Lady Eliza a question in a serious tone. “Your highness, does Reina not know?” (Halbert) “I-Is it something I’m not supposed to know about?” (Reina) “No, it’s fine. You’re trustworthy enough, so I’ll tell you about it right now. There’s nothing down there except a jail cell with a small bed, a wooden desk, and an old clock. It’s just that the person who used to sleep in that bed, use that desk, and tell the time with that old clock was a bit... extraordinary.” (Eliza) “W-Who was it?” (Reina) “The current True God of Death, also formerly known as The Tyrant of Eternal Calamity.” (Eliza) “E-Ehhhh!!? W-W-Wait, what do you mean the current True God of Death!? Why was he living in the basement!?” (Reina) I started panicking as Lady Eliza closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning to me with a narcissistic grin and laughing evilly. “Muahahaha! Are you scared, Reina? Well, don’t be. After all, you’re my heroic spirit, and have you forgotten who I am? I’m the one and only Goddess of Love, and even the True God of Death had to submit to my infinite power! Now, come on, follow me. I’ll show you around the basement.” (Eliza) Lady Eliza confidently strode down the stairs into the basement and led the way as Halbert, Regnis, and Zane followed behind her before I shakily made my way down after them. C-Calm down, Reina. Lady Eliza’s right, you have nothing to be scared of! You’re the one and only Magical Girl of Love, Reina Sylfey, and you can do this!
[Chapter 19] Declarations to the Gods and Digging Holes Are My Expertise Spoiler Middle District, Irisveil Mansion (Kyle POV) Hey there, everyone! It’s me, your friendly neighborhood Kyle. Come join me today as I sit here and eat my dinner in silence because Aria still refuses to talk with me! The sound of Aria wolfing down her dinner was the only thing I heard as I sat across from her and stared intently while slowly taking bites of my food. You see, today we met up with Alain and Lillian again, and this time we decided to go see a play together, but although I enjoyed myself, our day out also amplified the issue that’s been sitting in the back of my head for the past few days. Aria’s been avoiding me since last week. Her morning routine for the last couple days could basically be chalked up to waking up, coming downstairs, and taking her lunchbox before immediately leaving for work, and after she gets back from work, she just wolfs down her dinner without a word then makes an excuse before running upstairs to her room for the rest of the night. She’s barely spoken to me at all recently, and even earlier today she was stuck to Lillian like glue while avoiding any contact with me. A loud sound echoed out as Aria slammed her empty bowl down on the table and I watched her down her entire glass of water in a few seconds before she immediately got up and announced her departure in a shaky voice. “T-Thanks for the meal. I’ll be in my room if you need me.” (Aria) She turned towards the living room and started to walk away, but I already made my decision to confront her about her recent behavior today, so I wasn’t going to let her just weasel her way out so easily. I put my utensils down and ran to the entrance to stop her as she let out a surprised yelp. “Hold it! Where do you think you’re going? You’re not leaving this room until you sit down and tell me exactly why you’ve been avoiding me this entire week.” (Kyle) I stared at Aria with a slight frown on my face as she made eye contact with me for a moment before looking away with a nervous smile on her face. “W-What are you talking about, Ky? I haven’t been avoiding you at all.” (Aria) “Really? Then why are you looking away from me? I’ll believe you when make eye contact and say it!” (Kyle) A moment of awkward silence passed between us before Aria slowly craned her neck to face me again. “I h-haven’t…” (Aria) The glint in my eyes sharpened the moment she started speaking and I stared even more intently at her while she stuttered. Before long, she couldn’t handle it anymore and the blood rushed to her head while she covered her face with her hands. A few minutes later, Aria was sitting on her chair in front of me with a dazed look on her face. I could hear her muttering to herself and there was a blank look in her eyes as she stared at the floor in front of her. I leaned back against the table with a stern expression before crossing my arms and directly addressing the main issue. “So why have you been avoiding me this week, Aria?” (Kyle) “I don’t want to say it, it’s embarrassing!” (Aria) “No one’s here except me and you, so what’s there to be embarrassed about?” (Kyle) “You being here is the reason it’s embarrassing in the first place!” (Aria) “Eh? Well, just tell me anyway. Come on, I won’t hold it against you.” (Kyle) “Alright, fine. If you really want to know why, the truth is, I can’t look straight at you anymore!” (Aria) Aria stood up with a red face as she finally told me why she had been avoiding me this past week, and I slouched over with a bitter smile while a few tears leaked out of my eyes before I grabbed my face for a moment. “... Look, I know I’m not the best looking guy around, but just because I’m ugly, doesn’t mean you have to be so blunt about it… I’m sorry Aria, but my face is just something I can’t fix. I mean, I guess I could start wearing a mask again… Actually, maybe just a paper bag will do. I think I’ve overstayed my welcome with masks already.” (Kyle) “That’s not what I meant, you idiot! What I meant was that… that every time I look at you now I start to get flustered.” (Aria) “Eh? Why?” (Kyle) “What do you mean why? It’s because of you in the first place!” (Aria) “Wait, is it because I gave you that hair clip?” (Kyle) “Of course it’s because you gave me this hair clip!” (Aria) Aha! I knew it! Looks like another victory for Great Detective Kyle! You see, Aria’s been acting strange ever since we went out with Alain and Lillian last week, and after logically eliminating all other possible causes from that day, my hypothesis for the probable cause was down to either the hair clip or Alain and Lillian themselves since those two factors were the only things she’s had extended contact with every day since our outing last week, but seeing she acted, er, mostly normal around Alain and Lillian today, it had to have been the hair clip. Now the question is, why was it the hair clip? I was pretty confident in my choice of gift and I thought I had every angle covered, but I guess I missed one or two. “So I was right, it was the hair clip. Well, I thought it was a pretty nice gift, but I guess it’s caused more problems than it’s solved. After all, last week you were just sitting there staring at it for a couple of hours after I gave it to you, and that’s definitely not normal.” (Kyle) “W-Wait, you were watching!?” (Aria) “Ah. Wait, it’s quite unlikely, but there’s another possibility, and if what I’m thinking is true, then this might be a more serious issue than I originally thought. After all, it would explain all your strange behavior recently. I’m sorry Aria, but I think I might have given you a cursed item. Don’t worry though, if there’s anything I’ve learned about cursed items, it’s how to get rid of them. We could try and get it purified at the church, but I think just destroying it completely would be the safer option. We should have a sledgehammer out back somewhere, so we’ll be fine. Oh, and don’t worry about what I saw you doing last week either, it’s ok, I won’t tell anyone.” (Kyle) I turned to Aria with a smile, but all I saw was her slowly walking over with a dazed look on her face after taking a knife from the kitchen. My smile immediately shifted to a shaky nervous one and cold sweat ran down my back as a scary aura began to protrude from Aria. “Eh? W-Wait, what are you doing? P-Put down the knife! Did the curse already take over your body!? Wake up, Aria! At least put up a fight!” (Kyle) I slowly backed up against the wall as she inched closer with the knife in her hand before I saw the life in her eyes return and she stared at me for a moment before she got flustered again and slumped back into her chair. “A-Aria? Are you ok? Did you regain control of your body from the curse yet?” (Kyle) I observed her cautiously and took a step closer before she suddenly stood up with an angry look on her face again. “I’m not cursed, you idiot!” (Aria) “I don’t know… that’s exactly what a cursed item taking over Aria’s body would say…” (Kyle) I stared at her with a suspicious look on my face, but Aria just whacked me in the head again as she began to yell at me with a red face. “Are you really going to make me spell it out for you!? Just how dense are you!?” (Aria) “Aria! You’re ok! Whew. I was getting scared there for a second that I’d have to bring you to the church to get purified after all. Anyway, I know I might be a bit dull at times, but you’re not giving me enough information to work with. Look, you’ve been acting strange recently and I’m trying to help you, so just tell me what’s wrong.” (Kyle) I looked at Aria with a concerned face as she stared at me for a second before letting out a sigh as she sat back down and covered her face with her hands again before letting out a muffled voice. “L-Look, last week we went out together for the whole day, and even though Alain and Lillian joined us as extras for lunch and everything afterward, we still went out for lunch together, then went sightseeing around the city together, and after that we went shopping together, so isn’t that just a d-d-date?” (Aria) “... Eh?...” (Kyle) W-Wait... she’s right! We were alone when we went to the smithy, and it’s not like Alain and Lillian did anything to butt in between us, so if you took them out of the picture, i-it really was just a date! And even if you do count them, you could still just say it was a double date! It was my turn to be embarrassed this time as a light blush began to form on my face while my eyes widened a bit from the realization. My hand rose up immediately to cover the lower half of my face and I looked away from Aria before replying in a shaky voice. “W-Well, it seems that I missed a few perspectives when it came to the events last weekend. After thinking it over again, I can see why you would interpret it like that, e-especially after I gave you the hair clip as a present, but honestly, I really just gave it to you b-because I thought it would look nice on you. T-There wasn’t any hidden romantic meaning behind it.” (Kyle) An awkward silence filled the room as we both avoided eye contact and I stood there while thoughts raced rapidly through my mind. A few moments passed as I felt my heart rate increasing before I finally suppressed my embarrassment and thought about what to say next. Alright, Ky. I know you’re a bit flustered right now, but calm down and think about the situation you’re in. Aria’s self-esteem is on the line. Come on, even if you’re an arch-wizard of unimaginable power, you’ve still been hanging around Eliza for a millennium, at least a bit of her expertise has gotta have rubbed off on you, right? You’ve read tons of romance manga too, so what’s the right thing to do in this situation?... W-Well, usually in shoujo manga, there are only two choices for this kind of situation. I either have to deny it and hide my true feelings or just straight up confess! So, let’s just slowly go over the options. My first option is denying it, but even if she’s been a lot more open and happy since our days in Delhurst, Aria’s still on shaky ground, and saying that I don’t think of her as a woman at all is the conversational equivalent of kicking her off a cliff… so, I guess that leaves option number two, confessing… But what do I confess to?... I’m an arch-wizard for god’s sake! What do I even say in this situation?... Alright. Despite how low it is, I guess you’ll just have to work the old charisma stat again and go for it, Ky. Just pretend you’re a shoujo protagonist’s love interest and say some cheesy lines to make her feel better or something. At the very least it’ll probably save her self esteem, and hey, it might even give her some more confidence in herself. If it ends up screwing you over later on, you’ll just have to burn that bridge when you get there, the number one priority right now is Aria’s mental state. I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes and calmed down my furiously beating heart before slowly walking over to Aria. Trying my best to ignore the raging blush on my face, I pulled my chair over and sat down in front of her. She peeked out from the gaps between her fingers to see what was happening and a moment passed as we made some light eye contact before I started to talk to her in a gentle voice. “Look, you can look back at what we did together last week however you want to see it, whether you call it a date or just having fun with our friends, I won’t mind it at all, but please just act normally around me again.” (Kyle) I slowly moved Aria’s hands away to reveal her furiously blushing face before grasping one of her hands with both of mine while staring straight into her eyes. “I’ll be honest, ok? It might not seem obvious all the time, but you’re an important person to me, Aria. Otherwise, why would I have stayed by your side for so long? I care about you, and it scares me when I see someone so important to me just suddenly start avoiding me. I’ve already driven away enough of the people I care about, and I don’t want to lose another.” (Kyle) I saw my reflection in Aria’s crimson red eyes, and it seemed like her face was beet red as she let out a surprised jolt. “It’s ok if you’re not ready to just start talking to me again like normal, but as long as you’re trying, that’s good enough for me. I told you before, right? I’m your partner. There might not be a single other person in this entire world that cares about you, but just know that I always will, because that what being your partner means. So take as much time as you want, I’ll be waiting for you. I know I haven’t been leading by example very much when I told you to start being more open with your feelings, so let me start by telling you how I really feel. Aria, I lo- urk!” (Kyle) Whew! That was a close one. Glad I stopped myself just in time there. Looks like I got a little too into character there and almost said something I couldn’t take back so easily. I finally looked away from Aria after my awkward pause and cleared my throat before continuing in a quiet voice. “Ahem. Aria, I would love it if you would just start acting normally around me again.” (Kyle) There was complete silence as I stood there while staring at the wall and a part of me wanted to just run away while another part of me wanted to stay and see if my act worked, but eventually, my curiosity got the better of me and I slowly turned back to see Aria sitting there with tears flowing down her cheeks. W-Wait, what did I do wrong!? She wasn’t supposed to cry! I did the calculations and everything! W-What do I do now? I didn’t account for this even being a possible result! I tried my best to hide my nervous confusion as she pulled her hand out from my grasp and wiped the tears from her eyes before getting out of her seat and hugging me. Eh? I froze up. Aria was lightly her rubbing her face into my shoulder and I could faintly hear her breathing before her voice rang out with a tender tone. “...Hey, Ky. Looks like I’ve forgotten about a lot since we moved to the capital, huh?... Maybe it’s been the peace that’s dulled my feelings, or maybe I’ve genuinely just changed, but you know, I think I’ve finally remembered what it was that drove me to wake up every day during our days back in Delhurst. I promise I won’t avoid you anymore... And I’m sorry that I took so long to finally tell you this, Ky. You’re an important person to me too... You’re irreplaceable to me... because you’re my one and only partner.” (Aria) My breathing turned shallow as mixed emotions filled my heart. It was a tender warmth I hadn't felt in a long time, yet at the same time, there was a faint tinge of a vaguely familiar sadness. I closed my eyes and the melancholy started to overwhelm my thoughts as I stood there. When I opened my eyes again, in front of me was a hand. It was a cold, blood-stained hand that had taken countless lives. It was a hand eternally chained down by the weight of its sins. It was my hand. Yet, that hand moved. It slowly wrapped around Aria's back, and when it pulled her closer, I finally realized why. It was just for a moment... but that hand finally felt warm again. It felt human again. Then my other hand moved too. It gently held Aria's head before pulling it a little closer as the melancholy faded. After a moment, a soft blush made its way onto my face and I stood there in complete silence with a flustered smile as Aria hugged me. ... Partner, huh?... It wasn't until a few minutes later that she finally let go, and we sat down to have our first actual, albeit slightly awkward, conversation in a week. Royal Academy, Room 207 (Kyle POV) I flipped to the next page in my book as I leaned a little farther back in my chair. The sunlight from outside shone in and illuminated the page in front of me as the subtle background noise was interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice. “Hey, Ky. Come on. It’s lunchtime already.” (Zane) “Eh? Sure, I’ll be right over.” (Kyle) I lowered the book in front of my face to see Zane beckoning me to come over and eat lunch with him, Halbert, and Regnis, but for some reason, there were a few new additions to our little group today. Sitting next to the trio were Reina and Sophie. A quick glance around the room showed no signs of Mari being back from her meeting yet, so I grabbed my lunch box from my bag and walked over to join them all as I brought my chair over to the table with me. Regnis and Zane were already eating some homemade sandwiches while Reina and Sophie each had their own lunch boxes. Halbert, however, was sitting there with his sandwich still untouched as he continued to focus on the book he had been reading since this morning whenever he was free. After a moment, it seemed Halbert finally noticed me and lowered the book in his hand a little to smile at me as I stared at them all with a puzzled look on my face before taking a seat at the table. “So, what’s with the gathering today?” (Kyle) “Oh, well, we had some stuff to talk about with Reina, so I thought it would be nice to talk over lunch.” (Halbert) “Eh? Really?” (Kyle) I turned to Reina with a curious look on my face as she replied in a timid voice. “Y-Yeah.” (Reina) “So what about you then, Sophie?” (Kyle) “Well, it’s no fun eating alone, so I joined everyone else.” (Sophie) Sophie took a bite out of her lunch before turning away with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. I chuckled a bit at her small plight before turning to Halbert who had bandages on his hands and face for some reason and I opened up my lunchbox before asking Halbert about his wounds. “By the way, Halbert, I’ve been meaning to ask you this since this morning, what’s with the bandages, did you get hurt?” (Kyle) “Don’t worry, Ky. He just got a little scratched up while training a few days ago.” (Zane) “Training? How did he get so roughed up from training? Did he go to the wild and fight monsters all day or something?” (Kyle) “Haha… Well, about that, I actually got beat up pretty bad by my swordsmanship instructor when we were sparring.” (Halbert) “Swordsmanship? Wait, if you’re interested in swordsmanship, then why are you in my ancient alchemy class?… Shouldn’t you be in the weapons department instead?” (Kyle) “Uh, well, actually, it’s my dream to become a knight, and somehow I managed to be taken in as a student by a really strong swordswoman a few months ago, so I decided that instead of trying to learn swordsmanship from two masters at once, it would probably be better to try and focus on learning swordsmanship from one while going to school to learn something else that might help in a fight, like ancient alchemy.” (Halbert) Halbert scratched his head with a sheepish smile on his face as he let out a light chuckle and I took another bite of my lunch as I stared at him a bit. “Hoh? Well, I can see the reasoning behind your actions, but since you caught the eye of a strong master, that means they saw enough potential in you to pass on their sword techniques. Which means you probably at least have some talent for the sword along with decent mana control, right? So even if you didn’t want to learn swordsmanship from two masters at once, wouldn’t enrolling in the magic department and using your talent at controlling mana to learn magic from one of the professors in that department be better then? Trust me, Mari had a huge campaign this semester to hire the best of the best, and her reputation as the Grand Mage of Wind attracted a lot of powerful mages in particular, so most of the professors in the magic department are at the top of their field. Look, I’ll be honest with you, I’m not exactly the best teacher, and if your main focus is swordsmanship, then magic as a secondary focus is probably a better option than ancient alchemy since it’s more versatile and you don’t need to prepare anything beforehand to use it in a fight.” (Kyle) The glint in my eyes grew a little sharper as I explained my revised reasoning to him, and I saw him get a little nervous as he panicked a little before giving his reply. “Eh? W-Well, I, uh, thought about enrolling in the magic department too, but I decided that ancient alchemy would be better since I don’t need to chant to use it like I do for magic. Of course, I know that if you train enough, you can cast spells chantlessly, but I heard that takes a lot of time and practice, and I don’t exactly have that much time to put into learning magic since my main focus is swordsmanship. So even if I have to prepare materials and draw a magic circle beforehand, something like ancient alchemy that doesn’t require a chant from the start would be better and easier to use in a fight, I think... After all, I only have a few years left before I have to... pass the knight cadet exam.” (Halbert) “Eh… Well, I guess both magic and ancient alchemy have their own advantages and disadvantages, so I can’t say which is better for sure, but you are right about the chanting part.” (Kyle) I continued to eat my lunch as I compared the usefulness of alchemy and magic, but while I didn’t care all that much about which was objectively better, it seemed that my lackluster support for my own field of expertise ticked Sophie off. She put down her food with a loud slam as I saw passionate flames light up in her eyes. “Well, since Professor Kyle doesn’t have any pride as an alchemist, I guess it’s up to me to tell you the truth, Halbert.” (Sophie) Sophie immediately stood up with gusto as she raised her hand up and pointed to the sky. “Alchemy is definitely, without a doubt, completely superior to magic! What kind of idiot doesn’t prepare for a fight beforehand anyway? And if you’re always prepared, then in every situation, alchemy is ten times better than magic!” (Sophie) The tension in the air from Sophie’s passion was almost tangible as she finished lecturing Halbert before turning and pointing to me. “And who said that magic was more versatile than alchemy? Alchemy can be just as versatile than magic, if not more! Magic is just letting mana fill a predetermined natural form by having an image in your head, it’s all up to nature after that, but alchemy goes beyond nature! Alchemy is taking one of those predetermined natural forms and changing it to be stronger, or faster, or even function entirely differently! For every spell circle, there’s a countless amount of alchemical variations that can all do the same or different things! I know that you might think that having the choice of what spell to cast when using magic is what makes it more versatile in a fight, but I believe that having to make the choice of what the optimal spell is to use in that situation, then picturing the spell before chanting for a while if it’s a spell you didn’t practice, is much less versatile than just having one reliable alchemy stone that you know how to use instantly and chantlessly, without having to think about it in most situations! Hmph.” (Sophie) After she finished her outburst towards me, Sophie crossed her arms and finally sat down. We all stared at her with awkward speechless smiles as she went right back to eating her lunch like nothing ever happened. “T-Thanks for the insight, Sophie. A-Anyway, moving on. Don’t worry too much about the knight cadet exam, Halbert. I have a few… connections, so if you don’t make it, I can probably still get you in. So just relax and eat your lunch. I like reading too, but I think eating is more important, isn’t it?” (Kyle) Halbert gave me a dry laugh in response and closed the book in his hands before starting to eat his sandwich. “By the way, what book are you reading? I don’t really mind what you do in my class, but I’ve seen you reading it since this morning, so now I’m kind of curious what book had you so hooked.” (Kyle) “Oh, this? It’s actually a book about an old myth.” (Halbert) “Myths? I didn’t know you were into that kind of stuff.” (Kyle) “Y-Yeah. I got into them recently...” (Halbert) Myths, huh? Well, I always kind of found them a little boring to read, but despite how formulaic they are, I can definitely see why a young boy would find myths interesting. I mean it’s usually just a generic story of a hero rising up and overcoming all odds to defeat the demon lord or something along those lines, but aren’t heroes and demon lords what a young boy’s romance is all about? Anyway, I might not know much about the newer ones, but if it’s a myth about someone from around my time, I should be able to tell him a few details, right? After all, it’s a teacher’s job to ignite his student’s curiosity, isn’t it? “Well, I’m glad you’ve found a hobby. Which myth is it anyway? I’ve read a couple of myths too, so maybe this is one I’ve read before.” (Kyle) “W-Wait, Halbert. I-Is this the one about…” (Reina) “...Yeah.” (Halbert) Halbert had a bitter smile on his face as he closed the book and stared at the cover for a second while I took another bite of my lunch. “The Tyrant of Eternal Calamity.” (Halbert) As soon as that name left Halbert’s mouth, I immediately froze up with a nervous smile on my face while resisting the urge to violently cough my lunch out. Ah. I see. So this is what it feels like to be an adult finally looking back on his edgelord teenage years. I never thought I’d ever hear that name again, especially from one of my students, yet here I am. Life really finds a way, huh? But with that being said. Ahem. Argh! Halbert! Please don’t say that name again! Otherwise, I’m going to have to go outside and find a hole to crawl into! A moment passed as I sat there in complete silence while my face twitched a bit before Sophie’s voice broke me out of my blank daze. “The Tyrant of Eternal Calamity? Who’s that?” (Sophie) “Eh? Well, it seems like it’s a bit of a forgotten legend around here because I looked through the entire library when I went there yesterday, and this was the only book I could find about The Tyrant of Eternal Calamity, so I’d be surprised if you knew. The only reason I even knew about it was because a… friend told me this myth a while ago. Do you know about it, Professor Kyle?” (Halbert) Know about it? Well, I guess you could say that considering the fact that I am it! I screamed internally to myself as I let out a light cough while cold sweat ran down my back before barely gaining enough control of myself to reply to Halbert’s question in a nervous voice. “N-No, not at all. Never even heard of it.” (Kyle) “Well, then if you or Sophie would like to know about it, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you.” (Halbert) No! Halbert! Please! I’m begging you! At this rate, I’ll never be able to show myself in this classroom again! “I’m alright. Doesn’t really sound that interesting, and The Tyrant of Eternal Calamity is kind of a lame name too.” (Sophie) Well, thank you for helping me avoid that bullet Sophie, but you seem to have shot me with another one after pushing me out of the way… I mean, even if I didn’t make it up myself, I still think it’s kind of cool… “Well, I don’t think the name is that lame. It has that kind of mysterious and dark feel to it, doesn’t it?” (Regnis) I knew you were always my favorite of the trio, Regnis! Looks like only a fellow edgelord can understand the complicated internal mechanisms of my taste in names. Actually, you know what, I think I’ll even buy you a souvenir the next time I’m out shopping. “Eh, I mean it’s alright, but it’s a little too over the top, isn’t it? I mean if I were a villain, I’d probably name myself something that rolled off the tongue easier.” (Zane) “Well, actually, according to the myth, The Tyrant of Eternal Calamity’s name was based on a declaration to the gods that he made. He didn’t actually name himself that.” (Halbert) “E-Eh? A-A declaration to the gods? W-What was the declaration?” (Reina) “Umm, it was about stealing back his happiness or something like that. Wait, give me a second. I’ll pull up the page.” (Halbert) Wait, my declaration to the gods? Which one was it? There were several of them. My memory’s a little shot after so long, but I mean if it’s just a random line I said, there were plenty of cringy one-liners. All I remember about my name was that all the gods started calling me that one day. I mean, back then I did refer to myself as ‘a tyrant’ in the third person because I thought it was cool and intimidating, so I know where they got the ‘The Tyrant’ part of the name from, but I didn’t even know the ‘Eternal Calamity’ part was based on something I said. Halbert opened the book and began to flip through the pages for a moment before stopping on one. “Ah, here it is. The declaration went like this, ‘This world has taken away the happiness that this tyrant held dear. It has torn asunder everything in this tyrant grasp but the throne of death upon which this tyrant sits. And so, this tyrant will bring eternal calamity to this world until this tyrant seizes back what he has lost.’” (Halbert) Ah. Now I remember. It was right after I killed the demon lord, wasn’t it? Kazuki was there too if I recall. Boy, I was real mad that time, wasn’t I? Well, mad enough that I randomly screamed at the sky like a lunatic while holding up the demon lord’s decapitated head... But I guess on the bright side I wasn’t completely crazy if the gods really did hear me... unless it was Kazuki who told them... haha… Wait! I’m not supposed to be calm about this! Halbert, stop! You’re going to give me a heart attack! The Tyrant of Eternal Calamity himself is about to be finished off unknowingly by his own student! “Eh? Professor Kyle, are you ok?” (Halbert) Halbert put the book down and turned towards my direction with a concerned face as I was hiding behind the table by sitting on the floor and hugging my knees while muttering quietly to myself with a blank look in my eyes. “E-Eh?” (Reina) “Oi, Ky what’s wrong?” (Zane) “Do you need to go see the school nurse?” (Sophie) “I can take you there right now if you need me to.” (Regnis) Everyone turned to stare at me and after a moment of awkward silence I got up and faced them with a dazed smile. “It’s alright, everyone. Professor Kyle is fine. He just remembered he had something important to do. In fact, he’ll be right back. haha...” (Kyle) Reina started to panic while everyone else stared at me in confusion as I gave a dry mechanical laugh to them before marching stiffly out the door. There should be a shovel or two in the warehouse, right? About two hours after that, Mari came back from her meeting and found me outside crying in a hole with a shovel on the ground nearby, but that’s a story for another time.
[Chapter 20] I'm Just Your Normal Average Adventurer Here Today to Subjugate Some Slimes Spoiler Solria, Shopping District, The Ironclad Forge (Kyle POV) The sound of scraping metal filled the room as I accurately carved out the circle for a barrier spell on a throwing knife before placing a monster core into the slot on the bottom of the handle. I held the throwing knife in my hands and inspected it a bit before inserting it into the holster attached at my left waist. After making sure everything was in place, I pulled on the diagonal belts lining my long coat to make sure they were strapped tightly before placing the engraving tools on the counter and turning to Lucas with a grin. “Alright! Finally finished. Thanks for lending me your engraving tools, Lucas.” (Kyle) “Sure, no problem, Ky. By the way, everything fits fine, right?” (Lucas) “Yep, perfectly!” (Kyle) I ran my hand through my hair and struck a pose as I stood there in the middle of the empty shop. I was wearing the red long coat that Lucas made, and a pair of black pants covered my legs while on my hands were a pair of thin black gloves. On the back of each glove was an alchemy circle with a small metal bezel in the center holding a monster core, and the different circle design and color of the monster core on the back of each glove indicated that they were two distinct spells. I let out a confident chuckle as I let my hands drop to my sides before turning to Lucas again. “But, man. Good thing you finished preparing everything so soon. Today’s the first time I’m gonna be doing practical training with my students, so it would’ve been really awkward to show up in my normal clothes after telling them all to gear up for a fight. I honestly only expected the coat to be adjusted, but you even finished my order of throwing knives in time.” (Kyle) Lucas turned to me with a beaming smile and a sparkle in his eyes before replying with a proud tone in his voice. “Of course, Ky. You’re a paying customer right now, and it’s our duty to make sure we complete our customers’ requests to the best of our ability. Anyway, even if you weren’t a paying customer right now, how could I not put my best efforts into the first test run of my masterpiece! I made sure the coat would fit as perfectly as possible according to your measurements, and the throwing knives were all individually forged by me yesterday. Uncle Grayhill should be done with your sword any second now too, so if you have any additional requests, just let me know.” (Lucas) “Nope, this is more than enough! Thanks, Lucas!” (Kyle) “Like I said before, no problem! Just make sure to tell me how your practical training session goes later. Some results from actual fights would help me a ton for my next masterpiece. Oh, and if any of your students can actually understand the magnificence of my masterpiece, then do me a favor and let them know that it was me that made it!” (Lucas) Lucas let out a prideful laugh and I smiled back at him for a moment before the door to the forge in the back opened up. Uncle Grayhill walked out carrying a longsword in a sheath, and after placing it on the counter, he looked towards me with a grin. “Alright, laddie. Here’s your sword. It ain’t exactly made out of orichalcum like the lassie’s, but I tried to make it as close to your specifications as possible, and I guarantee that it’s a quality blade.” (Uncle Grayhill) I picked up the sword on the counter before unsheathing it. It was just a simple unengraved longsword made out of regular steel, and the blade shone with a silverish gleam while the edge seemed razor sharp. Man, I guess I really underestimated Uncle Grayhill’s skill, huh? Even with the needlessly detailed requests I made for the sword, he still managed to follow them down to the letter. The weight and length are perfect, and although I don’t know the first thing about blacksmithing, even I can tell that forging something to exact specifications is insanely difficult. I held the longsword in my hand and tested out the balance of the sword by taking a few slow practice swings. At first, it was slow enough that it looked more like I was waving a metal stick around than it did a sword swing, but after making sure that the center of gravity was in the right place, I decided I should test out how the sword would hold up once I moved a little faster. Wait, how fast should I go? I mean the best test would be to swing as fast as I can, but thinking about what happened last time with the ice sword… well, perhaps holding back a bit this time wouldn’t hurt. After all, if I swung hard enough, the wind pressure would probably make a mess of the shop. And anyway, I’m only bringing a sword in case we run into any dangerous monsters, so hopefully, I won’t need to use it to fight at all. If we stick around the designated beginner areas, we should be fine. I grabbed the handle of the sword and precisely controlled the amount of strength in my arm as it shot diagonally outward. The blade cleanly sliced through the air and while the speed of my swing wasn’t very fast, I could tell that the sword had a solid core to it, at least enough that it could survive a few full power swings. After turning back to Lucas and Uncle Grayhill, I sheathed the sword again. “How is it, laddie?” (Uncle Grayhill) “I don’t know how you did it, but it’s perfect. Thanks, Uncle Grayhill.” (Kyle) “Don’t mention it, laddie. Just do me a favor and say hello to the lassie for me when you see her.” (Uncle Grayhill) “Yeah, tell Miss Aria I said hi too!” (Lucas) Uncle Grayhill gave me a hearty chuckle as I waved goodbye to him and Lucas before grabbing my small bag of supplies off the floor and walking out of the shop. After leaving the shop, I reoriented myself before turning towards the direction of the adventurer’s guild. As I took a step forward, my left hand holding my new longsword in its sheath naturally fell to my left side and tried to hang it at my waist, but it seemed that I forgot my throwing knives were already there. Ah, crap. Looks like I’m still not used to carrying around an actual sword with me, huh? Hell, even just having a sheath for it in the first place feels weird when you’ve been used to making everything out of thin air for the past thousand years… Well, at least Uncle Grayhill thought ahead and gave me a sheath with a strap on it. I guess another leather belt to add to my growing collection it is. I stood there awkwardly in the middle of the street as I fiddled around with the leather strap on the sheath of my new longsword before figuring out how to sling it over my shoulder. After attaching it to my back, I double checked that I had everything I needed on me before making my way over to the adventurer’s guild where I told everyone to meet me today. Solria, Southern District, Solria Adventurer’s Guild (Kyle POV) The adventurer’s guild in the capital city was massive. It was a huge building that looked more like a mansion than an adventurer’s guild. It was three stories tall, nothing like the small wooden building in Delhurst, and the ornate main entrance was carved out of what seemed to be marble, while the arched windows lining the light gray brick walls gave the whole building a kind of noble feel to it, despite that fact that most of its inhabitants were anything but. Today seemed to be a slow day though, probably due to the last dredges of the summer heat, as there were barely any people. There were maybe a few dozen adventurers coming in and out at most, not nearly as many as when I saw the guild for the first time last fall, so, while the guild was huge, it barely took more than a few seconds to spot out where the class was. I saw them gathered together standing by the entrance as they talked to each other and looked around the crowd, presumably to find me. Halbert was wearing light armor with pieces of metal strapped here and there, and a huge greatsword almost as tall as him was strapped to his back. The way he had it strapped to his back kind of reminded me of the way Aria did it, but maybe it was just the fact that I was at the adventurer’s guild again that was filling my head with memories of our time in Delhurst. Standing next to Halbert was Regnis, who was also donning similar looking light armor. However, attached to his back was a slim, silver colored spear with a simple, unadorned spearhead instead of a large greatsword like Halbert had. Moving on to Zane, he had full leather armor on and a small cloak covered his shoulders. There was a metal staff in his hands, and he stood there hunched over while using his staff like a cane. Reina was dressed in a brown hooded robe that went down to a little past her knees, and underneath her robe, it seemed like she was wearing some loose clothes which let her move around easier. She also had a staff like Zane, however, hers was wooden and it was also just slightly taller than her as she held it to her side. Finally, standing next to Reina was Sophie, who had some pieces of leather armor on to cover her vital points. Her abdomen and limbs were basically unprotected, and a small pouch was attached to the right side of her belt while a pole-shaped object about the length of her arm and wrapped in cloth was being worn horizontally at the back of her waist. Speaking of which, this is probably as good of a time as any to explain why we’re all out here in adventuring gear today. After all, today is a Wednesday, so you’re probably wondering why we’re not in class right about now. You see, after Mari came back from her important meeting two days ago and found me crying by myself in a hole outside... well, first of all, she yelled at me for ruining the academy’s lawn… but after that, she mentioned that her presence was requested for another important meeting involving the Empire’s Grand Mages and that she would probably be busy for the whole day today. So, of course, I had to take this opportunity to finally get some practical training in. After all, Sophie might be perfectly ok with how things have been going so far, but I doubt anyone else, including me, could stand just sitting in a classroom and studying circles every day. Anyway, Mari told me that she didn’t care what I did in class today as long as I stayed out of trouble, so technically this isn’t breaking the rules at all if we’re just out here in the safe zone for beginners to test out some alchemy circles on slimes and whatnot. We’re in the heart of the Empire, so everywhere nearby is basically a safe zone since almost all the strong monsters have been cleared out already, and because of that, there’s basically only beginners in the guild. Occasionally, there’s the rare uproar over a few A-rank or S-rank adventurers reporting back to the guild after specially assigned quests, but most of the time, the guild here’s packed full of newbies, so they’ve put a lot of work into making sure everything around here is safe and accounted for. I heard they even make your guild cards for you on the spot when you register here, so there shouldn’t be any long wait for everyone to get their guild cards like there was for me in Delhurst. But anyway, now you might be asking me, why are we out here then if we just want practical training, wouldn’t just going out and setting up some training dummies in the academy’s field be safer? Well, you would be correct… but I know that Regnis is always thirsty for ways to use ancient alchemy in a real fight, so I think that getting some first-hand experience fighting monsters is much more valuable than just blasting some stationary target dummies. Coincidentally, there just also happens to be a problem with the slime population around here right now since most of the newbies don’t want to work in the summer heat so no one has been keeping the slime population under control, but I assure you that the high rewards on slime subjugation missions right now have absolutely nothing to do with why we’re all out here today. It’s just happenstance that I’ll be taking a slime subjugation quest today. After all, I live in this beautiful city and walk through its streets every day, don’t I? So I have to do my part and keep it safe from the upcoming slimy crisis. Any monetary gain from my actions is purely accidental. Ahem. Anyway, getting back on track, I’m sure that we’ll all be fine. We’re just doing some practical training out in the woods nearby, and we even have with us a seasoned adventurer, me. It isn’t like before when I had to be cautious of everything because I didn’t know how strong the monsters had gotten. I know about all of the common monsters nearby, and none of them are a problem for anyone even remotely competent. So theoretically, anyone from the abnormally talented student population this year, or the ‘golden generation’ as Mari puts it, should be able to easily defeat dozens of monsters. And in case we’re really unlucky and somehow do run into something dangerous, I might take a bit of a beating, but I can at least distract it while everyone else runs away, right? I started walking towards everyone, and it looked like Reina spotted me as I saw her hug her staff and get everyone else’s attention before pointing at me. The rest of them looked over and Halbert waved at me as I made my way over to them. “Professor Kyle! Over here!” (Halbert) I looked up in the sky to check the position of the sun, and it looked like it was approximately 10 AM, a little earlier than our intended meeting time, but since everyone was already here, starting early wouldn’t be bad. “Hey, everyone.” (Kyle) I waved to everyone before Zane cried out in disbelief while beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. “Wait! Ky, how the hell are you even alive in that tacky long coat!? I only came out here in the sweltering heat with full battle gear on because you said we were gonna be fighting some monsters today, but we haven’t even done anything yet, and I’m already dying!” (Zane) “Eh? Well, I’ve gotten used to working in the heat after spending so much time running around in the southern part of the Empire, but... is my coat really that tacky?...” (Kyle) I looked down at the red coat Lucas gave me and patted it a bit before looking to everyone else for their opinions. “Well, it’s, uh, pretty unique, I guess.” (Halbert) “U-Umm, yeah! It really makes you stand out!” (Reina) “You don’t have to lie... Just tell me that you think it’s tacky. It’s alright, I won’t be mad.” (Kyle) Halbert and Reina had awkward smiles on their faces as they let out dry laughs and tears flowed out of my eyes before I turned to Sophie and Regnis. Regnis just stood there with a slightly embarrassed look on his face and crossed his arms while I could see that Sophie was covering her mouth with her hand and struggling not to laugh. However, after a moment, she finally couldn’t hold herself back anymore and burst out in hysterical laughter as she pointed at me. “W-What the hell are you wearing, Professor Kyle!?” (Sophie) “A coat, ok!? And I think it’s pretty cool… A-Anyway, let’s just get going. I think I’m starting to feel the heat too, so come on, follow me inside.” (Kyle) “Huh? Inside? Inside where?” (Zane) “The adventurer’s guild. Where else? Why do you think I had you all meet up with me in front of it? After all, you need to be a registered adventurer if you’re gonna be out there fighting monsters. It’s the law, right, Reina?” (Kyle) “E-Eh? Y-Yeah, if I remember, the law states that self-defense against monsters is fine, but you do need to be registered as an official adventurer or have some sort of permit from a local authority if you’re going to be actively hunting monsters within the Empire’s territory.” (Reina) “Wait, we’re registering as adventurers!? Why didn’t you just say so!? Lead the way then, Ky! Quick!” (Zane) Zane immediately popped back to life as a passionate sparkle appeared in his eyes and I could see him jittering around in anticipation as he looked towards the guild hall. “It’s just registering as an adventurer... Why are you so excited?” (Kyle) “What do you mean? Don’t you get it, Ky? We’re registering as adventurers! Genuine adventurers! It’s every young boy’s dream to become an adventurer, roaming around the world fighting monsters and getting the ladies! Besides, haven’t you ever looked up to a famous S-rank adventurer when you were a kid? Like Blue Flame Seraphina, or Ryton, The Dragonslayer of Stone!” (Zane) “Eh, well, when I was younger I was pretty… busy dealing with other things, so not really. And trust me, going out into the woods and fighting monsters for a living is a lot different than what you think it is. Same goes for dragon slaying.” (Kyle) I scratched the back of my head with an unenthusiastic look on my face as I waved to everyone to follow me. My legs dragged me slowly towards the door, and we all entered into the large guild hall together. However, the moment I stepped foot into the guild hall, my lethargy disappeared and I was overcome with a strange sense of nostalgia. The late summer sunlight shone in through the windows, illuminating the clean wooden lobby, and a myriad of adventurers stood in line at the large receptionist desk, crowded around the several large bulletin boards with quests of all kinds pinned to them, or just sat at the tables nearby chatting with each other. It was a picturesque scene straight out of a fantasy anime, and for a moment I was overwhelmed. It finally felt like I was walking into a real adventurer’s guild for the first time. … I see. So this is what it feels like to be in a real adventurer's guild, huh?... Well, I guess I can understand you a bit more now, Zane. Looks like I’ve forgotten just what it means to be a true adventurer. To be someone who fights monsters for a living, someone who’s favorite pastime is bragging about their death-defying feats over a round of drinks with friends, and, most importantly, someone who isn’t immediately singled out and avoided like the plague when walking into a room full of his peers! This is what the genuine adventurer experience is! It’s nothing like what happened with Aria! I took a deep breath while a smile inadvertently made its way onto my face. There was only one receptionist at the counter today since it seemed to be quite a slow day, but I didn’t mind at all as I led everyone over to wait in the short line before turning around to them. Zane had an enthusiastic smile on as he quickly glanced around, while Regnis and Halbert took in their surroundings with a sense of wonder. Reina wasn’t too moved since she was probably used to this kind of atmosphere after working as a receptionist at an adventurer’s guild herself, but it seemed that Sophie felt more like I did, as she inspected the inside of the guild hall with a faint smile. “Alright, everyone. Looks like there’s only one receptionist today, so it might take a bit longer than expected to register, but we started a little early so we should be fine. Anyway, I can just hold our place in line for now, so if you guys want to, you can go explore around while we wait.” (Kyle) “Then, I’ll be heading over to the quest board if anyone wants to come check it out with me.” (Halbert) “Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see what quests are available, so I’ll tag along for now.” (Regnis) “How about the rest of you?” (Halbert) “Sure, I’ll join you.” (Sophie) “E-Eh? Well, i-if you don’t mind, then I guess I’ll join you too.” (Reina) “I’m good. You guys can go without me, I’m gonna go see if there are any famous adventurers here today instead.” (Zane) “Alright, then we’ll be back in a few minutes.” (Halbert) Everyone except Zane walked off to go check out the bulletin board full of quests as Zane started looking around to see if he could recognize anybody famous. Eventually, after a few moments, it seemed like spotted someone as he pointed over to a table in the back of the main lobby. “Wait. H-Hey, is that Mountain Axe Lloyd!?” (Zane) “Who?” (Kyle) I looked towards the table that Zane was pointing at with a curious look, and the person who landed in my sights was a large middle-aged man with a large battle axe at his side, leaning against the table. He had short black hair and a rough beard, while his outfit consisted of metal armor, and he held a mug of what seemed to be ale in his hands as he laughed with a few other adventurers sitting with him. “Mountain Axe Lloyd? Is he famous or something?” (Kyle) “Wait, Ky, you don’t know about Mountain Axe Lloyd? He’s the B-rank adventurer who took down a giant stone python by himself! They say he chopped its head off clean in one swing with his axe!” (Zane) “Nope, never heard of him. Actually, I don’t know about any of the adventurers around here. I was only active as an adventurer near the Zolran Mountains at the southern edge of the Empire before I retired, so this is the first time I’ve even set foot in the capital’s adventurer’s guild.” (Kyle) “Hmm, I guess that kind of makes sense then. After all, Mountain Axe Lloyd is only active around the capital. But he’s still a veteran B-rank adventurer, so you must have really been in the boonies down south if you didn’t even hear his name once.” (Zane) “Why? Is B-rank supposed to be really famous?” (Kyle) “Well, most B-rank adventurers are only well-known locally, but most of the stronger ones have had their names spread somewhat. When you get to A-rank and S-rank is when you start to genuinely become famous.” (Zane) “Eh? Really, now?” (Kyle) Huh, looks like Aria’s a lot more famous than I thought. Well, I guess there’s the whole knight captain thing too, but she hasn’t actually made any public appearances yet, so she’s probably still a lot more well-known as the Crimson Rose, at least in the southern part of the Empire. I mean I’ve never really heard much about any other famous adventurers either, but I guess barely talking to anyone back in Delhurst kind of does that to you. Anyway, Aria hasn’t taken on any quests in a while, so her fame, err, well, perhaps more like infamy, has probably died down a little after becoming inactive. “Anyway, I’m gonna go see if I can go get his autograph. I’ll be back in a bit, Ky.” (Zane) “Alright then.” (Kyle) Zane ran off to the table where Mountain Axe Lloyd was sitting with an excited glint in his eyes as I turned around to face the receptionist desk again. A few minutes passed by as I waited peacefully in line and the indistinct chatter in the background gave me a warm sensation inside before I finally came back to my senses. There was only a single person left ahead of us in line, and I was about to call out to the class, but when I turned towards the direction of the bulletin board, they were already coming back together. “Hey, guys, we’re next in line.” (Kyle) “Yeah, glad we made it back in time.” (Halbert) “Hey, Ky, I think the guy in front is done already.” (Zane) “Huh?” (Kyle) I turned around to see the man previously standing in front of the receptionist desk start to leave. “Oh, you’re right. Well, looks like we’re up then.” (Kyle) Standing behind the counter was a young lady with long brown hair and blue eyes who looked like she was around her mid-twenties. Alright, Ky. She doesn’t seem to be scared of you like Reina was. Your starting point is already miles ahead of where it was last time, so just act normal and don’t mess this up. I walked up to the receptionist desk with a smile as she greeted me. “Hello, sir. How can I help you?” (Receptionist) “Hi, I’m actually here today to reactivate my guild card since I’ve been inactive for the past year or so.” (Kyle) “No problem, sir. I’ll just need your guild card for a few moments.” (Receptionist) “Sure.” (Kyle) I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out my guild card before handing it over to the receptionist. “Here you go. Oh, by the way, there aren’t any rules against partying up with newly registered adventurers, right? The kids behind me are actually going to be registering as adventurers today, and I would like to form a party with them.” (Kyle) “Eh? There shouldn’t be any problem. It’s just recommended that you do lower level quests when in a party with beginners.” (Receptionist) “Really? That’s great then. I was a little scared that I wouldn’t be able to form a party with them since my rank is a bit on the higher side.” (Kyle) I let out a relieved sigh as the receptionist lady giggled a bit and took my guild card before walking into the office behind the counter. A few moments passed by as I waited peacefully before I suddenly heard the door burst open. The receptionist lady came out of the office and walked up to the counter again, but this time there was a bit of a scared look on her face before she bowed deeply towards me. … Eh?... Why do I have a bad feeling about this?... “E-Excuse me, sir!” (Receptionist) A brief moment of panic ensued before I immediately held my finger up to my mouth and gestured to her to be quiet. Her hand shot up and covered her mouth the moment she saw me gesture to her, but it seemed that her initial outburst still caught the class’ attention as they all stared at me with confused faces. “Is everything ok there?” (Halbert) I turned around slowly with a nervous smile on my face before responding to Halbert’s question. “Don’t worry, everything’s fine. The receptionist was just a little surprised.” (Kyle) I let out a dry laugh before facing the receptionist again. The class stared at me for a second, but after that, they seemed to let it go as they started chatting amongst themselves again. “Please, quiet down a little, miss. I don’t want to make a big scene. I won’t hurt you or anything, I just want to reactivate my guild card and take a slime subjugation quest with my students, so just treat me like you would any other normal adventurer.” (Kyle) I whispered to her while pleading to her to be quiet, and after a moment, it looked like she calmed down a bit. There was still a bit of fear in her eyes, but it seemed that she got the message as she took her hand away from her mouth before beginning to speak softly to me. “I a-apologize for the inconvenience, sir. I didn’t realize before that you were so h-high ranked. I promise, it won’t happen again, so p-please, have your guild card back.” (Receptionist) The receptionist held my guild card shakily with both hands before handing it over to me respectfully, and it was then that I realized my mistake. On my guild card was a glowing letter ‘A’ where my guild rank was supposed to be. Ah, I guess I did get promoted after all, huh? Well, I was already a B-rank after completing so many high-level quests with Aria back in Delhurst, and we did report slaying the dragon on the mountain range to the guild, so looking back, it really was only a matter of time before I was promoted. I mean, I never really bothered checking my rank because I retired and moved to the capital with Aria right after we killed the dragon, and it’s not like I even had the mana to activate the spell on my guild card and check my rank, so I just kind of forgot about it. Well, since I was promoted, chances are Aria was probably promoted to S-rank too. Eh, at least she deserves it unlike me. She’s a genuinely strong swordswoman, while I always just tagged along on her quests and barely ever did anything, so I always kind of felt that my rank was undeserved, but looks like the guild doesn’t care about my feelings much. Anyway, I hope no one else saw my rank. I don’t want this to be a repeat of what happened in Delhurst and I’m perfectly content with just being treated as an average adventurer. I took my guild card back from the receptionist with a helpless smile on my face before slipping it back into my pocket as it looked like the receptionist finally regained control of herself. “Is there anything else I can help you with today, sir?” (Receptionist) “Umm, well, my students still need to register as adventurers, so if you could help us with that too, that would be great.” (Kyle) The receptionist stiffened up a bit as she gave me a salute before replying in a determined voice. “Don’t worry, sir. I’ll make sure that their registration goes as smoothly as possible.” (Receptionist) “Really? Thank you, miss.” (Kyle) I gently smiled at her and she stopped saluting me before lowering her head and staring at the countertop. For a moment there, it seemed like her face turned a little red, but I didn’t even bother thinking about it as I breathed an internal sigh of relief for finally navigating through that minefield of a conversation. Solria, Southern District, Solria Adventurer’s Guild (Halbert POV) I saw it. It was a simple metal card, thin and seemingly made of a silverish metal. The adventurer’s guild symbol was inscribed into the metal of the card itself, signifying that it was a genuine guild card issued by the guild itself, and next to that inscribed symbol was some text. The first line of text read ‘Name: Kyle’ and there was nothing unexpected about that, it was just Professor Kyle’s name, but what was written underneath that was something unbelievable. There was another line of text that simply read ‘Rank:’ and to the right of that line of text was a softly glowing letter ‘A.’ It was only for the briefest of moments that I caught a glimpse of that small metal card before Professor Kyle put it back into his pocket, and I probably wouldn’t have even noticed it if the receptionist’s yell before didn’t make me alert, but none of that changed the undeniable truth. Professor Kyle is an A-rank adventurer. I don’t really know much about adventurers, and I never really cared enough to learn about them in detail. However, one thing I do know is that an A-rank adventurer was definitely someone who was strong. Much, much stronger than me... I stared at Professor Kyle’s back. There was a simple sheathed longsword strapped diagonally to his back, and the tacky red coat he was wearing hid the shape of his body, but despite all this, I could still make out the outline of his shoulders. His shoulders weren’t very broad. In fact, I always considered him to be more on the slender side, and the image of him in my mind was always someone who was lighthearted and goofy. He was always just someone who you could laugh with, and, even with his usual aloofness, he looked like he would help you out if you ever needed it. I mean, I always realized in the back of my head that he had probably been in his fair share of fights if he was skilled enough to be teaching what was essentially battle alchemy, and I still remember that time he ended up swinging so hard with a Frost Blade that it shattered, but perhaps it was the mere fact that he was manaless that made me see him the way I did. I never saw him as someone strong. I took a deep breath and tried my best to hide my shock as I glanced around at the rest of the class. Reina, Sophie, and Zane seemed to be preoccupied with talking to each other about something, so they probably didn’t see it, but when I locked eyes with Regnis, I could tell. He saw it too. In his eyes was the same disbelief that was in mine, and we stared at each other for a moment before Professor Kyle turned around to face us. “Alright. I’m done, so you guys can register now. Luckily we’re in the capital, so it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get your guild cards.” (Kyle) He called out to us with the same carefree smile on his face that he always had and it seemed like the receptionist was already prepared as there were five registration forms placed on the counter neatly. I walked up to one of the registration forms and started to fill it out as I reformed my mental image of Professor Kyle before I heard Regnis whisper to me from my side. “... A-rank, huh?...” (Regnis) “... Yeah…” (Halbert) After that small exchange, neither of us said a word to each other until we got our guild cards.
[Chapter 21] Slimes and Forest Fires Don't Mix Very Well Spoiler Outskirts of Solria, Silvia Forest (Kyle POV) We were finally at the edge of Silvia Forest. About half an hour has passed since we left the city, and we were currently standing at the entrance to Silvia Forest. Lush foliage surrounded the dirt path leading deeper into the forest and the sound of the birds chirping echoed out while a light breeze blew past us. Hmm, I should probably warn them all before we enter. After all, the ideal scenario is that no one gets hurt at all. I turned around to make an announcement about safety to everyone. Halbert and Regnis had serious expressions on their faces, but Zane was still rubbing his guild card with his hands as he looked around at everything with an excited sparkle in his eyes, while Reina and Sophie seemed to be taking this more leisurely. “Alright, we’re finally here. Now, before we start our little field trip, I’m going to warn you all. Silvia Forest might be classified as a safe zone for beginners, but you shouldn’t let your guard down. It’s still a monster-filled area, so stay alert. And just so you all know, we looking for slimes, so tell me if you see any!” (Kyle) “Ah. Ky, there’s one right there!” (Zane) “Where!?” (Kyle) Zane pointed behind me and I immediately pivoted around while my eyes lit up. I spotted a slime next to a tree nearby. It looked like any normal slime, just a light blue gelatinous ball with a small sphere inside of it acting as its nucleus. My greed almost got the better of me as I was about to immediately pull out a throwing knife and kill it, but I managed to hold myself back after reminding myself that I should explain how to kill slimes to the class first. I cleared my throat and let go of the throwing knife I was grasping before asking everyone what they knew about slimes. “Ok, so we’ve located our first, uh, practice target. But before we begin practical training, let me just double check. What do you all know about slimes?” (Kyle) “Well, they’re a good source for low-level water element monster cores, aren’t they? I don’t know much about fighting them though.” (Sophie) “Actually, it’s been a while since I saw one, but there used to be a few roaming around my hometown.” (Halbert) “Yeah, back when we were kids we used to see them here and there. They were pretty weak too.” (Zane) “If I remember correctly, their weak point is the ball in the center, right?” (Halbert) “Yep. If you try to hit them with a weapon, you’ll have to aim for the ball thing, but it’s way easier to just blast the whole slime with magic.” (Zane) “Exactly, which is why they’re the perfect practice targets for our practical training today. One of the advantages of alchemy is that using your own mana is technically optional, so if you’re ever out of mana, or you’re manaless in the first place like me, you can still use alchemy stones to damage enemies that can’t be hurt by regular physical attacks. For example, if I didn’t know alchemy, I would have to do something like this to kill a slime.” (Kyle) I’m sorry Mr. Slime, but looks like you’ll have to die. It’s for my retirement fund’s sake! I pulled a throwing knife out of my holster. The glint in my eyes sharpened before I tossed it lightly at the slime, and the knife cut through the air as a nostalgic feeling bubbled up inside of me again. Man, it’s been… well, let’s just say ‘a while’ since I’ve thrown a knife, but looks like my aim hasn’t gotten that rusty. An audible clink rang out as the throwing knife tore into the slime and pierced its nucleus. The slime died almost immediately as it popped like a balloon and my throwing knife landed on the floor next to a small blue crystal, the slime’s monster core. “See, normally I would have to aim for the slime’s weak spot since most physical attacks would just go right through the slime.” (Kyle) After walking over and retrieving my throwing knife, I picked up the slime’s monster core too, which served as proof of its subjugation for my quest, and returned to the class before showing them the small alchemy circle etched into the blade of the throwing knife. “But if I had used the alchemy circle on the knife, I wouldn’t have had to worry so much about aiming exactly for the core.” (Kyle) I glanced around to see if there were any more ‘volunteers’ nearby for my little demonstration, and, luckily, I spotted another slime out of the corner of my eye. “Perfect, there’s another one right over there. I’ll show you how to kill one with alchemy first, then you guys can practice.” (Kyle) I put the first slime’s monster core into a bag and made my way towards the other one as the class followed me. “There are tons of ways you can use alchemy to fight. You can set up a hidden alchemy circle on the ground as a trap, you can use alchemy to add extra magical effects to your weapon, and you can even draw a circle on your gloves, shoes, or armor if you’re going to be in close combat, but the easiest and most direct method is probably just throwing something with an alchemy circle on it at the enemy.” (Kyle) I waved my arm again and threw the same throwing knife I used before at the other slime. “Tempest Arrow, single cast, activate.” (Kyle) Goodbye, Mr. Slime Two! The knife flew through the air again, but this time, it shone with a green light as the alchemy circle on the knife activated. Gusts of wind wrapped around the knife like serpents, forming the vague shape of an arrow and a split-second later, the knife stabbed into the dirt in front of the slime as small, yet razor-sharp blades of wind tore the slime apart. The turbulent winds carved a few small marks on the tree right next to the slime, but by the time the wind got to us, it was just a breeze. “Well, usually something like a throwing knife would be preferred since it's easier to aim with and there’s more room to draw a complex circle if you need it. But if you don’t have anything like that, even just throwing a monster core is fine as long as you draw a proper alchemy circle on it.” (Kyle) The wind died down, and I turned to the class again with a nonchalant shrug as my hair settled. “Alright, with that being said, let’s go find some more slimes so you all can try it. There should be a ton around here.” (Kyle) “Finally! The moment I’ve been waiting for! Lead the way, Ky, it’s time to do some real adventuring! They’ll all be talking about me by the end of the month!” (Zane) “I feel like that might be a bit of a stretch…” (Halbert) “Don’t call it a stretch, Halbert. That implies there’s still a chance that people will be talking about this idiot.” (Sophie) “It’s ok, Zane. I doubt you’ll make a name as a famous adventurer, but if you make a big enough fool of yourself in public, I’m sure they’ll be talking about you in no time.” (Regnis) Regnis walked over and patted Zane on the shoulder before Zane cried out in indignation. “Oi, let me dream at least!” (Zane) We all laughed a bit at Zane’s expense before I walked over to Mr. Slime Two’s final resting place to pick up my knife again along with my second monster core. We started to walk deeper into Silvia Forest while keeping an eye out for more slimes, but fortunately, it wasn’t even a minute of walking before we ran into two more of them on the side of the road. They were slowly moving along the trees and I stopped in my tracks a few feet away from them as I cheerfully called out to everyone. “There are two slimes right there, so who wants to go first?” (Kyle) “Me!” (Zane) “Sure, go ahead. Be careful though, it might just be a slime, but keep in mind it’s still a monster.” (Kyle) “Don’t worry, I’ve got this!” (Zane) Zane ran up to my side as the excited sparkle in his eyes returned stronger than ever, and he held his metal staff in his hand while taking a stance that almost looked like he was holding a spear instead. A moment passed before he started chanting to activate his body strengthening magic. “The deepest potential of this body, I desire thee. Let mana course through, and may the will of strength flow through me to transcend my limits! Body Strengthening!” (Zane) Immediately after he finished chanting, Zane kicked off the ground, sprinting towards the three slimes while letting out another, shorter chant for what seemed to be a wind spell. “Ethereal wind of this endless sky, I command thee, come forth and strike! Storm Drive!” (Zane) A green, two-layered magic circle formed on the tip of Zane’s staff and he stopped in front of the first slime to jab his staff towards it. The moment the magic circles made contact with the slime, a blast of wind blew the slime away while Zane took another step forward. He shifted his stab’s momentum to the side and swept the end of his staff straight through the nucleus of the other slime in one smooth motion. The wind from his spell died down as he turned around, slammed the bottom of his staff against the ground, and struck an edgy pose with a proud smile on his face. “See, slimes are nothing to the Great Adventurer, Zane Royhardt!” (Zane) Zane started to laugh arrogantly, but I just stared at him at a slight loss for words before bursting his bubble. “Uh, well, you’re definitely strong enough to handle a couple slimes by yourself, but there’s no point to this practical training if you don’t use alchemy to kill them…” (Kyle) “Ah, crap. I forgot...” (Zane) “Nice job, you dolt.” (Sophie) “It’s fine. We’ll just find some more slimes. Come on.” (Kyle) The rest of us walked over to Zane and I picked up the two new monster cores before we moved on. A few minutes later, we found another slime. Sophie walked up next to me and pulled out a monster core along with a pen from the bag at her waist before turning to me with a confident smile. “Alright, let me try this time. Don’t worry, I’ll actually use alchemy.” (Sophie) “Ok, but like I said before, this is a real monster. It can be dangerous, so treat it as such and try to eliminate it as efficiently as possible.” (Kyle) “It’ll be fine. It’s just a slime, isn’t it?” (Sophie) Sophie started to draw an alchemy circle on the pale blue monster core she held in her hands and after a moment, she put the pen away before tossing the alchemy stone towards the slime. “Ice Shard, single cast, activate!” (Sophie) The alchemy stone shimmered as it shot towards the slime, and a moment later, it transformed into a sharp chunk of ice. The ice shard easily impaled the slime’s nucleus and the slime dropped a small monster core on the floor as it died. Sophie turned to me with a proud smile and a twinkle in her eyes that made it obvious she was looking for praise, but despite her stellar performance, I was a little more concerned with something else. “How was that, Professor Kyle?” (Sophie) “... Well, your aim was pretty good, but, uh, why did you yell out the name of the alchemy circle?” (Kyle) I looked at Sophie with a puzzled look on my face as she stared back at me with a similar one on hers. “I was just activating it. Did I say it wrong or something?” (Sophie) “No, what you said was perfectly fine, but I told you to treat this as a real fight, didn’t I? It might seem cool and flashy to activate alchemy stones by yelling their names out, but it isn’t optimal at all in actual combat. In fact, it might even put you at a disadvantage, so just activate it normally next time, ok?” (Kyle) “Eh? Normally? Wait, you mean this isn’t how you normally activate ancient alchemy circles!? How do you activate it normally then!?” (Sophie) “Just trigger it with your mana, like any other alchemy circle… What made you think activating alchemy circles verbally was normal?...” (Kyle) “You did! You’ve been activating everything verbally, so I just assumed that was how ancient alchemy circles were activated! How was I supposed to know that using my mana was even possible!?” (Sophie) Ah. Wait, I guess I never explicitly told them that they could activate alchemy circles with their mana, did I? I mean, they always verbally activated circles in class, but I thought it was just because they wanted to look cool or something while doing it... “... Uh, well, I’m kind of a special case since I don’t exactly have mana, so I have to activate everything verbally... Ahem. Sorry if I gave you all the wrong idea there, but just so you know, you can activate ancient alchemy circles with your mana just like any other alchemy circle. After all, it wouldn’t be very advantageous for combat if you had to announce exactly what you were about to do, right?” (Kyle) I waved my hand a bit as I smiled at everyone sheepishly and a moment passed as they stood there at a loss for words before Sophie facepalmed with an exasperated sigh. “A-Alright, so with that being said, let’s go find some more practice targets for now. I’m sure there are a few more slimes nearby, and if we keep following this road, there should be a rest area for adventurers where we can eat lunch.” (Kyle) I let out a nervous laugh and picked up the monster core before starting to walk down the road again as everyone followed me. *** About an hour later, we were fairly deep into Silvia Forest and I was humming a tune as we walked along. A few horned rabbits ran by in the bushes a few feet away from the path, but because of how difficult it was to hit them, they weren’t very good practice targets for the class. Horned rabbits are another monster native to Silvia Forest, and they’re exactly what you think. Just a rabbit with a single horn on its head. However, despite being low-level monsters, they’re relatively fast and, as such, they’re often hard to subjugate for beginners. Anyway, I don’t have a quest to subjugate them or anything like that, so we’ve mostly just ignored them and hunted all the slimes around here instead. Everyone’s already gotten a few chances to practice using alchemy on slimes and the collection of 70 or so small, blue monster cores currently jingling around in my bag as we walked was a good indication of just how many slimes we found on the way here. Actually, I think the overpopulation problem was a bit more serious than I previously thought. I heard it was because the weaker monsters have started migrating for some reason. And the main hypothesis from the guild right now is that a strong monster has probably taken an area nearby as its territory, driving all the weaker ones out. But, honestly, it’s kind of ridiculous how many low-level monsters there were in Silvia Forest. There weren’t that many at the edge of the forest, but as we ventured deeper, they just kept coming. And there really weren’t many adventurers out here either. The only other adventurers we’ve seen so far were a small party of three that we passed by earlier. They were hunting slimes just like us. Well, besides that though, everything was going smoothly and we were currently heading towards the rest area to take a break for lunch. “K-Ky, are we at the rest area yet? I don’t think I can take this heat much longer.” (Zane) Zane’s tired voice rang out and it seemed like he was on his last legs as he panted for breath while trudging along beside me. “Well, according to the map, it’s just past the right turn up ahead.” (Halbert) Halbert stared at the map he held in his hands, while Reina walked over to Zane with a gentle smile to console him. “Don’t worry, Zane. I’m sure we’ll be there in no time.” (Reina) “Yeah, stop whining. The heat’s not even that bad.” (Sophie) “Maybe for you it isn’t! I’m dying over here!” (Zane) “Well, you were the one who decided to wear full leather armor. You even brought your cloak...” (Regnis) “It’s fashionable, ok!?” (Zane) “Hey, I think we’ve arrived, guys.” (Kyle) “What? Really? Finally!” (Zane) We approached a sharp right turn in the dirt path and after we rounded the corner, there was a short distance to a clearing, which I assume was the rest area. The warm sunlight shone in, illuminating the small grassy glade, and a few birds flew around in the open air chirping here and there. It was the perfect place for us to have a nice picnic and eat lunch together. Well, it would’ve been if it weren’t for the countless gelatinous blobs roaming around. But fortunately, with our current circumstances, a congregation of so many slimes was probably more of a blessing than a curse. Muahahahahaha! Looks like lady luck’s finally on my side for once! I hit the jackpot! I laughed evilly in my mind as Halbert put away the map with a helpless smile and Zane fell to his knees with a defeated face while he held his staff with one hand like a cane. “Well, looks like we’ll have to do a bit more work before we can take a break. Sorry, Zane.” (Halbert) “Damn it! Damn it all!” (Zane) Zane’s distressed cry echoed into the sky as he slammed his fist on the ground, and I let out a light chuckle before turning to the class with an excited smile. “I think everyone’s already gotten the hang of using alchemy and with the rate we’ve been finding them, there’s clearly no shortage of slimes, so let’s just clear them out normally for now. We can have lunch when we’re done and go find more practice targets to resume practical training after that. How’s that sound?” (Kyle) “Sure. Sounds good to me.” (Sophie) “That’s fine with me.” (Halbert) “No objections here either.” (Regnis) “Well, if nobody else has a problem…” (Reina) “... Do I even have a choice?” (Zane) “Alright, then let’s get started!” (Kyle) “I can clear out the back area over there.” (Halbert) “I’ll take care of the middle then.” (Regnis) “Ugh... You guys can handle it, right? I’m gonna sit down for a bit.” (Zane) Halbert pulled his greatsword out and stepped forward. The sunlight gleamed off of the steel greatsword in his hands and his voice rang out as he activated body strengthening magic. “Before me stands an enemy. One who I must defeat, so grant me the strength to go beyond! Body Strengthening!” (Halbert) Regnis’ voice rang out right after Halbert’s, and he pulled out his spear before activating his body strengthening magic too. “Silent storm flowing through this body, I desire thy rage. Rage strong enough to break any barrier! Body Strengthening!” (Regnis) Hmm, looks like Halbert and Regnis’ have unique chants for their body strengthening magic. They’re a little shorter than Zane’s too, but that might just be a result of their different specializations. Speaking of specializations though, we actually fit most of the generic RPG party roles if you take into account everyone’s ‘class.’ We’re just missing a healer. Zane’s fighting style looked like it was based around controlling the midrange, and he reminded me of a battle mage. He could still sit in the back and use magic normally just like any other mage, but close quarters combat was no stranger to him. And with the help of his metal staff, a few short spells, and body strengthening magic, he could probably put up a pretty decent fight. Halbert, however, was definitely a full-on swordsman, and because of that, he was probably much more familiar with the intricacies of body strengthening magic compared to Zane. Regnis was kind of in the same boat too since it looked like he was similar to Halbert, just with a spear. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Reina who, judging by her outfit, was a pretty traditional mage. If I had to describe her role in our little imaginary party system we’ve got going on, she would be our damage dealer. The immobile kind that stands in the back and blasts the enemy with magic while the frontline tanks, aka Halbert and Regnis, keep the enemy busy. Sophie was kind of an enigma though. Her light leather armor indicated that she definitely wasn’t a front line tank like Halbert and Regnis, so my best guess was that her fighting style probably relied more on speed instead. It was the kind of armor you would find on an archer, but I doubt she’s an archer because if you look at her, she’s lacking the most essential aspect of an archer, the bow. The closest thing she had to a weapon was the rod-shaped thing wrapped in cloth that she had strapped to the back of her hip and I don’t know what it was, but it definitely wasn’t a bow. Well, assuming it is a weapon though, it’s too short to be a staff or a spear, leaving the two most likely possibilities of a wand or a shortsword. But she isn’t dressed like a traditional mage at all, so it probably isn’t a wand. And while her attire would match up with a shortsword user, I don’t think it’s a shortsword either since it would be much easier and more efficient to wear a shortsword openly on your hip rather than wrapping it in cloth, which would make it terribly hard to take out in a real fight if it was a sword... When I came back to my senses, Halbert had already kicked off the ground toward the slimes and he began to mow his way through to the back while Regnis followed behind him. Sophie had an excited smile on her face while she stood there watching Halbert and Regnis wreak havoc in the field of slimes. I stared at her intently as I tried to figure out what was strapped to her back, but after a moment it seemed that she noticed because she stared back with a puzzled look on her face and a bit of an embarrassed blush. “What? What is it?” (Sophie) “Well, I was just wondering what that thing wrapped in cloth is.” (Kyle) “Yeah, now that I think about it, it’s pretty strange. What is that?” (Zane) “Is it something you don’t want to show us, Sophie? You don’t have to show us if you don’t want to.” (Reina) Zane and Reina were now looking over at Sophie with a curious look on their faces too, but unexpectedly, Sophie actually smiled once we asked her about the thing strapped to the back of her hip. “It’s ok. I was just about to reveal this thing anyway since we were going to clear out the slimes normally.” (Sophie) The passionate flames in Sophie’s eyes lit up again as she unmounted the object from her back and placed what I assume was the bottom side of the object on the floor with a light thump before starting to unveil the object with a smug smile while holding it steady at the top. However, what I saw under that cloth was something… quite surprising. “This is one of the latest advancements in the Empire’s modern alchemical technology! It’s called-” (Sophie) “Ah, it’s a gun...” (Kyle) Yep, the thing Sophie carried around all day was a gun, well, to be more exact, a rifle. The whole thing was made of shiny silverish metal with some stylish purple designs on it, and for some reason, there wasn’t a hammer on the end of the barrel. However, there was a slot on the side, right above the trigger, with a large red monster core embedded into it. Huh. Never thought I would ever see a gun again. I didn’t think it would be necessary to develop in a world full of magic, but this one probably shoots magic bullets or something judging by the fact there’s a monster core embedded in it. I guess technology really has advanced over the past thousand years. Either that or some other poor sap from Earth is here now too, spreading our technological advancements around… Actually, it’s probably the latter considering it’s still called a gun. Well, looks like I’ll have to keep an eye out in case any reincarnators or summoned heroes come knocking on my door. I’ve had enough of demon lord this and chosen hero that a long time ago. I want nothing to do with it! I was slightly shocked for a moment after seeing a gun again, but Sophie ran up to me with an excited look on her face right after I cut her off. “Wait, Professor Kyle, you know what a gun is?” (Sophie) “... Uh, well, the guns I’m used to seeing are a little different from this one, but yeah. You could say that.” (Kyle) “What does it do?” (Zane) “From what I can tell, it looks like it’s a type of gun called a rifle. And judging from the design of this one, my best guess is that it shoots out some sort of magic projectile. Think of it as a kind of crossbow, but instead of shooting arrows, it shoots magic.” (Kyle) “Exactly! You load monster cores into the side slot as a mana source and the internal alchemy circles inside the gun compress the mana into a spherical projectile called a bullet before launching it out the end. It might be a bit of a hassle to carry around, but the firepower is no joke. Watch!” (Sophie) Sophie picked the gun up and took aim at a group of slimes near the front. A moment later, she pulled the trigger and a red light shone from the monster core on the side before a small glowing bullet easily pierced the slime closest to us. A small explosion of flames eradicated four slimes, and their monster cores dropped to the floor as flames started to spread from the immediate edge of the explosion to the grass nearby, setting a few other slimes ablaze. … And this is exactly why you don’t use fire magic in a forest… Sophie turned back around to us with another proud smile on her face as she loosely hugged the rifle in her hands while slimes ran around in the flames behind her. “So, what do you think?” (Sophie) “Ah! S-Sophie!” (Reina) “Hey, there’s a fire!” (Zane) “Eh?” (Sophie) Reina shakily pointed at the scene of destruction behind Sophie as Zane shot up on his feet again in a panic. Sophie turned around and saw the fire at about the same time Halbert and Regnis noticed it. “Hey, what happened!?” (Regnis) “Is everything ok over there!?” (Halbert) Our frontline duo called out to us with concerned voices as they started to make their way back, but I don’t blame them though. After all, I would be pretty concerned too if I was in the front drawing aggro and my backline DPS just set everything on fire while I wasn’t looking... “We’re ok!” (Kyle) I yelled back to Halbert and Regnis while giving them a thumbs up to tell them that we were fine before turning back to Sophie again. “... Now, Sophie, I know that it’s cool to blast things with fire magic, but please, take the surroundings into account next time…” (Kyle) She stared at the fire for a moment before turning away with an embarrassed look on her face as she cleared her throat. “Ahem. Sorry, looks like I got a little too excited and forgot to switch out the type of monster core…” (Sophie) “Why did you even have a fire elemental monster core loaded in the first place?” (Kyle) “Well, I didn’t know we were going to be in a forest today, ok? Hmph.” (Sophie) Sophie crossed her arms and pouted as I let out a sigh before turning back to face the raging fire. “Alright, I guess I shouldn’t have been so vague with where we were going today. Anyway, let’s just put this fire out before it spreads any further.” (Kyle) Outskirts of Solria, Silvia Forest, Rest Area (Halbert POV) It’s been about an hour since we finished securing the rest area and despite a couple, uh, ‘unfortunate occurrences’ near the start, we successfully cleared out the slimes roaming around the rest area with no problem and ate lunch together afterwards. However, right as we finished eating lunch, a wave of a few dozen slimes came along and ran through the clearing while completely ignoring us for some reason. We managed to kill some of them as they ran past us, but the majority of them ended up running away and Professor Kyle told us he would be back shortly before running off to chase after them, so currently, we were talking to each other while waiting for him to return. “I still can’t believe you set the clearing on fire…” (Zane) “It was an accident! Professor Kyle even said it was!” (Sophie) “Hey, speaking of which, when do you think he’ll be back?” (Halbert) “Well, hopefully not soon. I finally got a break, so let me enjoy it while I can.” (Zane) Zane let out a relieved sigh as he sat in the grass next to me. “Do think he’s ok? That was a pretty big wave of slimes he went after.” (Reina) “It’s only been about 15 minutes, Reina, I’m sure he’s fine.” (Regnis) “Yeah. Besides, there might’ve been a lot of them, but they’re still just slimes.” (Zane) “Hmm, I wonder what was up with those slimes though. I heard there was a problem with the monster population migrating right now, but they just completely ignored us and ran through. It seemed kind of strange.” (Halbert) “Eh, not our problem. We just have to sit here and relax until Ky comes back.” (Zane) “But what if he gets lost afterward? Shouldn’t we go help him?” (Reina) Zane slouched over his knees and dangled his arms in front of himself as he deflated a bit while Reina still looked like she was a little worried. I was about to reassure her that everything would be ok, but the moment my voice rang out... a cold eeriness ran down my spine. And I wasn’t the only one who felt it. “I-” (Halbert) I immediately shot up with an alert face and activated my body strengthening magic. “Before me stands an enemy. One who I must defeat, so grant me the strength to go beyond! Body Strengthening!” (Halbert) Mana pumped throughout my body and I instantly felt lighter as I pulled out my sword and took a stance. “Silent storm flowing through this body, I desire thy rage. Rage strong enough to break any barrier! Body Strengthening!” (Regnis) “The deepest potential of this body, I desire thee. Let mana course through, and may the will of strength flow through me to transcend my limits! Body Strengthening!” (Zane) Regnis and Zane got up right after me and readied themselves for a fight too as Reina and Sophie pulled out their weapons. Without a word, we all grouped up with grave looks on our faces. Then, I heard a noise. From between the trees in front of me, there were two strange mana signatures and the faint sound of clanking armor rang out, drowned out slightly by the rustling of the bushes. It seemed like everyone else heard it too. They all turned to stare at the trees with me as we watched two humanoid figures emerge from between the bushes. A full suit of old scratched up plate armor with faded blue designs and a tattered cape encased the first figure, while a sleek, rounded helmet hid its entire head. And in its hand, it held a badly chipped broadsword. But despite its appearance, I could immediately tell what this thing was. The almost corrosive sensation of its mana signature along with the two softly glowing dots floating in the middle of hollow eye sockets, just barely visible through the slit in its helmet, gave it away. The first figure standing before us was an undead knight. And standing behind the undead knight was the second figure, a slim man. A black hooded cloak covered his entire body, and in his hand, he held a long staff with a large black crystal on the tip. His skin was pale and his left eye glowed faintly with a dark green while his right eye was simply brown. However, despite his bizarre and haggard appearance, I was certain that this man was much more dangerous than the undead knight standing in front of him. The man’s mana signature was like an abyss. No matter how much mana I spread near him, it all disappeared after a moment, almost like it was absorbed. He’s not an undead, which means he’s probably the necromancer in control of that undead knight... Can we defeat them?... No, we have to defeat them. Now that we know they’re here, there’s no way they’ll just let us get away and inform the Empire about their existence. They’ll definitely try to kill us. The undead knight stopped and the man stepped past him with a twisted smile as his voice rang out in a gleefully wicked tone. “Ah, I finally found you... So, which one of you is the hero?... Oh! How terribly rude of me. I almost forgot. When asking others to introduce themselves, you must introduce yourself first. Ahem. Greetings, hero and his allies. I am the Sin of Envy, Zeon. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” (Zeon) Hero!? Is he the demon lord!?... No, he called himself the ‘Sin of Envy,’ not ‘The Tyrant.’ Which means, he’s probably one of the demon lord’s subordinates instead. “So, hero, I’ve already introduced myself. Will you not grant me the same decency and introduce yourself? I do believe this is the first time that you’ve met a Sin, and I’m honored to be the first, so let’s make this meeting a good one.” (Zeon) Zeon cackled like a lunatic as I glanced at the sword in my hands. Thanks to the high-level illusion magic that I had the high priestess apply this morning, the phantom image of steel covered up the crystal clear blade underneath, but in reality, the greatsword in my hands was the sacred sword that his Highness gave me when I was first chosen as the hero. After a moment, nobody had moved, and we all waited in silence before Zeon spoke again. “Now, come on, hero. You’re not even going to tell me your name?... Well, that’s fine. After all, I think I can guess who you are.” (Zeon) Zeon let out another low chuckle as he stared at me for a moment before the soft glow in his left eye instantly turned harsh, and a moment later, his staff transformed into a copy of my greatsword. “Oh?... I see. Illusion magic, huh? Sneaky little rat, aren’t you, hero?” (Zeon) W-What!? Impossible! That was a sixth circle illusion spell! He didn’t even chant! “Since you’re going to make this difficult, hero, I guess I’ll have to be the honest one out of the two of us. Ironic, isn’t it? Well, to tell you the truth, all I want is his Majesty’s sword. Personally, I could care less about whether you live or die, but unfortunately for you, I still have a debt to pay back to her Highness for this left eye, so it looks like you’ll have to die.” (Zeon) Zeon laughed maniacally into the sky again as he dispelled the illusion magic and I felt cold sweat drip down my back as he slammed his staff on the ground with the same twisted smile on his face. “Now, shall we begin?” (Zeon)
[Chapter 22] A Guilty Resolve, a Sword, and a Sin Spoiler Outskirts of Solria, Silvia Forest, Rest Area (Halbert POV) I tightly gripped the handle of my greatsword as every muscle in my body tensed up in preparation. Mana pumped through my body as my kinetic vision sharpened and I watched Zeon, ready to react the moment he moved. “I apologize, hero, but I’m not particularly fond of fighting directly, and I’m not too confident in my body strengthening magic either... so I hope you don’t mind if I borrow yours for now.” (Zeon) Zeon’s chuckled and his left eye shone brightly again as he stared at me before slamming the tip of his staff down again, this time cracking the ground beneath it. “Not too bad.” (Zeon) … Borrow?... Wait. Magic! It was the same with the illusion magic on my sword earlier! I yelled out to everyone else as it finally clicked into place. It was his left eye. It was somehow copying our magic! “Careful! He can steal our magic with his left eye!” (Halbert) “Oh? Looks like my little secret’s out. I guess I said too much again. It really is a bad habit of mine. Ah, but it’s fine. After all, I’ll be silencing you all right now anyway.” (Zeon) Zeon pointed the tip of his staff at us and the undead knight immediately started to charge towards us. It stomped against the ground with a hoarse growl, dashing forward as I screamed at everyone. “Get ready!” (Halbert) The undead knight was fast, but I've seen someone faster before. Compared to Captain Aria, the undead knight was slow! The undead knight’s sword flew towards me horizontally from my right side as I channeled mana into my own sword. The tip of my blade stabbed into the ground while I simultaneously activated reinforcement to prepare for impact. Our only chance is to eliminate it in one go before Zeon can do anything. I’ll block its swing first! Then Regnis and Zane can attack it afterward while Reina and Sophie get to a safe distance to finish it off! It was the best plan I could think of considering the circumstances, but unfortunately, there was a fatal miscalculation that I failed to take into account. I've heard about the undead from the high priestess before, which is why I immediately recognized what the knight was. Low-level undead were usually just shambling corpses, barely able to even walk, while the higher-level ones often had somewhat enhanced strength and speed compared to a normal person. However, this particular undead knight was far stronger than any undead I had ever heard about. Its sword clashed with mine and an insanely strong impact hammered my arms. I was blown away a few feet to my left before the undead knight moved its sword again with dexterity beyond what should be capable for even a high-level undead. It easily parried both attacks from Regnis' glowing spear and Zane’s empowered staff before knocking them away as well. Luckily, Reina and Sophie managed to make some distance while the undead knight blocked the attacks, but after knocking Regnis and Zane away, it turned towards Reina and Sophie. I grit my teeth and started to dash towards the undead knight again, but the moment I took a step, I heard Zeon’s voice ring out. “Where do you think you’re going, hero?” (Zeon) The black crystal on his staff started to glow and instantly, a third-circle darkness spell appeared underneath me. Three black magic circles stacked up on top of each other, slowly rotating as I immediately slammed my leg against the ground and rolled to my right before darkness-element mana surged out of the magic circles to form spikes that shot upwards and pierced the air where I was a moment ago. Damn! The undead knight! The first thing I did after getting back up was glance over at everyone else. The undead knight swung its sword at Reina and Sophie, but as it started its swing, Zane managed to chantlessly cast a first-circle earth spell below the knight’s leg. The dirt beneath the small brown magic circle disappeared, shifting the knight’s stance mid-swing while two large magic circles appeared in front of Reina and Sophie. Raging wind filled in the gaps of the green magic circle, forming a circular barrier which the undead knight’s sword smashed against. The wind scratched at the metal sword, and sparks flew off from where the blade made contact as Reina’s wind magic barely blocked the swing. Regnis got up and attacked the knight again from its side as Sophie shot at it with her gun, but the undead knight just turned to its left and held its sword up again to block Regnis’ glowing spear. Regnis’ spear was deflected slightly and shot to the left of the undead knight’s helmet as it scraped against the undead knight's sword. Bits of ice formed as Regnis’ spear technique froze the edge of the sword and immediately afterward, a small explosion of light-element mana hit the undead knight from its right side. Suddenly, it let out an agonizing roar of pain as it almost stopped moving for a moment. Regnis took another step forward and swept the end of his spear at the undead knight’s chest, encasing a part of its armor in ice before Zane struck it with a second-circle wind spell, pushing the undead knight back a few steps. “Light! Its weakness is light magic!” (Sophie) Sophie yelled out to everyone else right after she figured out light magic could stun the undead knight temporarily, but unfortunately, I was forced to shift my attention away from them as Zeon’s voice drowned out the sound of the wind and clanging metal in the background. “Oh? How rude, hero. You shouldn’t ignore others when they’re speaking to you.” (Zeon) It seemed like Zeon wasn’t going to let me go help everyone else so easily. I turned to him and he walked a little closer to me as I tightened my grip on my greatsword. “Now that’s more like it.” (Zeon) So he’s coming after me, huh?… That’s fine though. I’ll keep him busy while everyone else runs! Zeon came to a stop about a dozen feet away from me. His black cloak ruffled in the breeze as we stared at each other for a moment before suddenly, Zeon pointed the tip of his staff at me and instantly he cast seven second-circle darkness spells. I felt mana gather in the air to form rotating black magic circles behind him, and arrows made of darkness element mana emerged from the circles before shooting towards me. Covered in a hazy white glow, my sword swung in an arc in front of me, shattering three of the seven arrows while I dodged the rest by jumping to the left. I need to close the distance between us! After landing, I pivoted on my left leg, shifting my body to face Zeon and charging forward with a yell, but before I even made it halfway to him, another third-circle darkness spell appeared in front of me. Crap! A hazy white light once again covered my blade as I channeled mana into my blade, activating reinforcement to shield myself by holding the flat of my sword against the magic circle. Spikes made of mana stabbed towards me, slamming against my sword as another strong impact knocked me back a few feet. There wasn’t even a moment of respite as seven more magic arrows shot at me immediately afterward. Then, Zeon’s crazed laughter echoed out before he started chanting in order to cast a higher-level spell. Three swift slashes with my sword barely intercepted the new volley of arrows, and as my last swing finished, Zeon was also about to finish his short chant. However, right before he finished, the tip of a metal staff swung towards him from his left. “Shadow beyond the blackest pitch, reveal thyself and- Kuh!” (Zeon) “Uwooooh!” (Zane) Zeon’s chant was interrupted by Zane’s yell as he thrust his staff towards Zeon’s head and the clang of metal sounded out as their staves made contact. Zeon managed to block the swing from Zane’s staff with his own, but it seemed like Zane didn't just charge in without a plan because right behind him there were four green magic circles lined up and rotating in unison. Zane’s body was blocking the fourth-circle wind spell from Zeon’s field of vision so he couldn't copy it! Zeon still had my body strengthening magic active so he shoved Zane away easily after blocking his attack, but right as he was shoved out of the way, Zane activated the same earth spell he did before, caving in the ground beneath Zeon’s right leg and breaking his balance. And the moment Zane was out of the line of fire, Reina finished her chant and activated her wind spell. “Gale Lance!” (Reina) The four magic circles spun rapidly as the surrounding air converged to create a lance made of razor sharp wind blades. It hurtled towards Zeon, but somehow he was able to react in time as his left eye shone with a green light again while he held his staff up to cast another spell. Three third-circle darkness spells lined up in front of him and mana burst forward from the magic circles, forming three barriers as the lance of wind shredded through the first two before just barely being stopped by the third one. Zane and Reina's plan didn't work, but... thanks to them, I had an opening! Blue bolts of lightning coursed through my blade as I channeled lightning-element mana into my sword and dashed past Zane, finally closing the distance between me and Zeon before I swung my sword at him with every last bit of strength in my arms. Zeon twisted his head to look at me and held up his staff as I swung straight down at him from above. Darkness-element mana gathered in the air again, forming another two barriers to block my sword technique. The two barriers were shattered by the explosion of blue lightning, but it stopped my sword for a moment, long enough for Zeon to leap back a bit. My swing ended up hitting nothing but the air and the moment the barriers shattered I realized that I just fell for the same trick Zane just used on Zeon. Since the barrier was made of black mana, I couldn't see the third-circle spell behind it that Zeon had chantlessly cast. I leaned backward immediately and sent a kick at Zeon’s stomach before pulling my sword up to block just as the spell activated. More spikes shot out of the magic circle, scraping against my sword and armor, but I managed to get out relatively unscathed whereas Zeon was blown back a good distance by my kick. What? Why did he get knocked back so far? He has the same body strengthening magic as me. Wait, he copied Reina’s spell and now he’s suddenly weaker. Did he lose my body strengthening magic? Can his eye only steal one spell at a time!? I lowered my sword after blocking Zeon’s spell, but what met my eyes was a fourth circle wind spell. It was the same spell Reina had just used only this time, it was aimed at me. I pumped mana into my legs and kicked against the ground, shoving my body to the left. I managed to barely dodge the spell, but even though I dodged it, Zane didn’t. The lance of wind smashed into the ground next to where Zane was and blew him away. Zane! Zane’s body bounced along the ground as Zeon started to chant again. “Come forth, cursed hands of the fallen! Shadow Grip!” (Zeon) Instantly, a few dozen small magic circles surrounded me. They were all arranged to form fifth-circle spells and clawed hands with a wispy look to them shot out from the circles, grabbing my limbs, throat, and torso to hold me in place. The hands even drained my mana slowly as they held onto me. I glanced behind me and Zane was being held against the ground by a few hands too as Zeon walked up to me. “Well, I must admit, hero, you and your friends gave me a little trouble, but I do believe that our fight is now finished. I’ve had enough fun and you have lost… Darkness as-” (Zeon) Zeon held his open hand out towards me and started to chant again as the spectral claws held me down in place, but before he even got two words out of his mouth, a yellow ball hit the left side of his body, followed instantly by an explosion of light-element mana. “Insolent pests!” (Zeon) Zeon roared out in anger after Sophie shot him, and pointed his staff at the rest of the class fighting the undead knight. A fourth-circle darkness spell appeared on the ground in between the undead knight and the rest of the class. Regnis jumped backward, while Reina created another barrier of wind to protect her and Sophie before an explosion of darkness-element mana razed the ground. Shards of rock from the shattered earth shot out from the center of the explosion as everyone was blown away in separate directions. Regnis was mostly fine thanks to his quick reaction and body strengthening magic while a good portion of the explosion was blocked by Reina’s barrier. Despite the barrier absorbing the brunt of the explosion though, Sophie was still nicked in the leg by one of the rocks. However, Sophie’s injury was probably the least of her worries. The only reason they could even fight with the undead knight in the first place was because Reina and Sophie had been keeping it stunned with light magic while Regnis kept attacking it to force it to continuously block, but that entire plan crumbled with just one spell from Zeon. The constant assault from the three of them had stopped, and the undead knight was now free to move. It let out a bestial roar and charged towards Sophie as Regnis sprinted forward desperately to try and intercept it, but it was already too late. Regnis wasn’t going to make it in time. It was like time slowed down as I helplessly watched the nightmare unfold before my eyes. Sophie was going to die. She was going to die and it would be because of me. She had nothing to do with Zeon. She's not a hero. She doesn’t even know about any of this demon lord stuff. She was dragged into this all because of me. ... It’s all my fault... Stop. Stop! STOP!!! I screamed desperately in my head for the undead knight to stop over and over again, but it was useless. All I could do was watch the undead knight slowly get closer until finally, it reached Sophie and swung its blade diagonally downward towards her as she sat on the floor with a scared look in her eyes. Then, I saw another figure appear. He was fast. Unbelievably fast. I didn’t even see him clearly until he suddenly appeared in front of Sophie. A long red coat covered his body while white hair tied into a ponytail fluttered in the wind as he finally stopped in place before holding up his left arm. The undead knight’s sword made contact with the sleeve of his coat and the screech of grinding metal echoed out as sparks flew off the point of contact. The ground beneath him fractured from the force of the impact, but despite all this, he didn’t move. Not even one single step. The undead knight’s swing, the same swing that blew me away easily, was blocked by Professor Kyle. Outskirts of Solria, Silvia Forest, Rest Area (Kyle POV) A strange feeling rose up inside of me as I stood there blocking the blade that would have killed Sophie had I been late even a single moment. It was regret, it was sadness, it was relief, and in the depths of my heart there was even a sick sense of excitement, but after a moment... it was all drowned out by anger. I glanced around me. To my right, Regnis was in the middle of sprinting forward, covered in dirt and scrapes, while Reina reached out in desperation towards Sophie. To my left, Halbert and Zane were being held down by several hands from some sort of magic. And although I didn’t turn around to look, I knew that sitting on the ground behind me was Sophie. She had fear in her eyes, and amongst the small scratches and cuts, there was a large bleeding wound on her leg. In front of me stood an enemy dressed in a suit of armor. I could see the soulfire in its hollow eyes through its helmet. It was an undead, just a mere soulless puppet, commanded by who I assume was the black-robed man standing in front of Halbert a few dozen feet to my left. And it was this necromancer and his undead that had attacked my precious students. It was because of these two that Sophie had a bleeding cut across her leg, that Zane was pinned to the floor, that Halbert was being held down, that Regnis was injured, that Reina had a hopeless look in her eyes. A furious glint appeared in my eyes before I shifted my left hand forward. The sudden motion knocked the sword away, and I grabbed the undead’s right arm, pulling it to my left side while stepping forward. It started to fall forward and my cold voice rang out as my right hand formed a fist. “Impact, full power cast, touch-trigger activation.” (Kyle) My legs rotated to turn me to my left, and the force from the instant shift traveled through my torso up to my arm before my fist smashed into the undead’s chest, right where its center of gravity was. The force that had built itself up starting from that initial rotation of my legs exploded as it made contact with the undead, and its metal armor was crushed by my punch before the glove on my hand shone with a white glow. The alchemy circle activated, and an insane amount of force rushed out of my fist. The undead was blown away straight towards the necromancer before a crazed wind burst out from where I had hit it. The necromancer barely managed to react in time and dodge as the undead shot into the forest behind him, smashing through about four or five trees before coming to an unmoving stop. Then I reached into my holster and pulled out a throwing knife before my left hand shifted, and a knife shot towards the necromancer. “Thunderbolt Spear, full power cast, activate.” (Kyle) The alchemy circle on the knife shone with a piercing blue light before thick bolts of lightning burst out from the knife, forming the vague shape of a spear, but as it flew towards the necromancer, his left eye shone with a green light and the alchemy circle for Thunderbolt Spear appeared in front of him. It immediately activated and an identical spear of blue lightning emerged before shooting towards my throwing knife. The two spears of lightning collided in mid-air and the resulting explosion of electricity charred the grass around it before my knife fell on the ground below the explosion. “Watch out! He can steal your alchemy with his left eye!” (Halbert) Halbert’s distressed voice rang out and I stood there for a moment while the necromancer watched me with an alert look on his face. He can steal my alchemy... which means my best option is… My right hand reached behind me and grasped the handle of my longsword. A melancholic feeling bubbled up inside of me, but it was overpowered by my anger as I thought about the consequences of my actions. Are you too scared to even unsheathe your sword? To save the people you care about? What are you afraid of? Just move, you goddamn coward. Air entered my lungs as I took a deep breath. Strength entered my hands, and I finally pulled out my longsword and held it towards the necromancer. The sunlight shone off the tip of the blade giving it a silverish grey gleam, and a terrifyingly familiar feeling bubbled up inside of me again... but this time, I didn’t reject it. I exhaled, and my grip on the handle tightened before I took a stance. My left leg moved forward half a step as my right hand held the longsword softly at my side with the tip of my blade and the fingers of my loosely open left hand pointed in the same direction, towards the necromancer. It was my personal stance, just a lazy variation of my master’s stance that I modified slightly to fit my own sword style, but despite my lackluster stance, my swordsmanship was anything but normal. “Oh? Another one? Ah, but I can’t exactly call you a pest, can I? After all, you’re not like the rest of them. You’re strong. I can’t afford to go easy on you.” (Necromancer) The moment he finished speaking, the necromancer pointed his staff towards me and three fourth-circle spells appeared in the air before spears made of darkness-element mana shot out towards me. “Stop!” (Reina) “Professor Kyle!” (Sophie) “Watch out!” (Regnis) Worried voices echoed out from behind me and I could see in the distance that the punch earlier wasn’t enough to finish off the undead either. There was a large dent in its armor, but it got back up and roared before charging towards me again. My body was screaming at me. Just taking a stance wasn’t enough. It wanted to move. It wanted to swing a sword. It wanted to fight again. And so... I let it. It was an almost instantaneous flash of steel. I took a step forward and my sword swung outwards, striking the tip of the first spear aimed at my chest. A strong impact entered my arm through my sword, but my arm slightly shifted, transmitting the force through my body and nullifying as much as I could using a series of small rotations before driving the rest into the ground with my legs. The ground beneath me cracked slightly and my sword smashed through the first spear, shattering it into particles of mana as I grabbed the second spear with my left hand. The spearhead grinded against my palm and once again, I nullified the momentum again before gripping my hand into a fist, crushing the second spear. Then my right arm moved again and the last spear was shattered by my sword just like the first one as the necromancer finished casting his next spell. “Spectral warrior from an ancient abyss, emerge and indulge thyself once more in battle. Guardian of Dusk!” (Necromancer) A seventh-circle spell materialized on the undead’s chest plate and darkness-element mana flooded out of the circle, completely devouring the undead before the mass of mana started molding itself, taking the same form as the undead knight. Wispy black mana radiated off the newly born specter, and blood-red flames ignited in the visor of the helmet as a blade of mana formed in its hand. The necromancer’s left eye shone as he stared at the specter before another seven-layered magic circle appeared in front of him a second, identical specter emerged. The new specter moved to guard the necromancer as the first one dashed towards me, but the moment it kicked off the ground, I already arrived in front of it. My leg smashed into the ground in front of the specter, stopping my momentum as I rotated my torso to shift the momentum from my legs to my sword. My sword thrust forward towards its heart and the specter held its blade in front of its chest to block it, but right as the tip of my blade was about to make contact with the specter’s blade, my sword suddenly shifted. My initial thrust instantly transformed into a swing, then back into a thrust as the tip of my blade slipped past the specter’s sword and pierced its neck. Then I took another step forward, transitioning into a swing again and just like that, it was dead. I separated the specter’s head from its body and it dissipated into black wisps of mana. Strength poured into my leg as I was about to dash towards the necromancer, but the moment I turned towards him, I froze. The necromancer held his staff out. The tip was pointed towards Halbert’s head and he turned to me as I stood in place. “Oh? You work fast, don’t you? That was my ace in the hole, but it barely took you a second to kill it, so the second one probably won’t give you much trouble either. I do wonder though, are you faster than my magic? Unfortunately, I’m running a little low on mana, so there’s no doubt in my mind that I would lose if I fought you now, but I assure you, I have more than enough for one or two more spells.” (Necromancer) The necromancer let out a chuckle before turning to Halbert again as his left eye lit up. “Ah, this whole meeting really was a mess. But it’s over now, isn’t it? Well, aren’t you lucky, hero? You’ve escaped death this time, but remember this, as long as you hold that sword, I, Zeon, will find you all again. And next time, it will be different. Your deaths are no longer just a favor to be repaid to her highness, it is now also his majesty’s will that you all die. And as his faithful servant, it is my duty to execute his command, no matter the cost. In due time, his majesty, the True God of Death shall descend and drown this world in eternal calamity once more. So rejoice. It is the greatest honor for lowly beings such as yourselves to contribute to his majesty’s divine reawakening” (Zeon) Zeon’s wicked laughter echoed around the clearing and I lowered my head to stare at the ground in front of me. Ah… so that’s why he was attacking them… I understand now… He said it himself, didn’t he? He’s nothing more than a faithful servant of the True God of Death. He’s a deluded lunatic who was drawn to my legacy. He almost killed the class as a part of his vain attempt to ‘revive’ me, and he would no doubt hunt them down again if it meant he would be a little closer to his goal. Everyone was attacked because of me. Everyone was injured because of me. Everyone almost died because of me. It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. Everything is because of me. It was because I left them alone. It was because I decided to even come out here in the first place just to make some pocket change. They should have been safe and sound in the classroom. They should have been going through another peaceful day. Their wounds, their pain, their fear... ... It's all my fault... Again and again... A thousand years ago... and even now... ... It’s always because of me... … Atonement? What a joke. I can lie to myself all I want about atonement, but in the end... I know the truth better than anyone else, don’t I? Only when these accursed hands are stained with blood, can they ever hold anything close. It’s always been that way. Nothing’s changed. I opened my mouth, and broken laughter echoed out to match Zeon before he stopped to look at me while I muttered quietly to myself. “... You know, despite all my talk about atonement, I’m really just selfish, aren’t I?... But that’s fine… If it means I can see the people I care about smile happily again… what are a few more sins?...” (Kyle) “Oh? Is there something I’m missing? Or have you actually started to lose your mind?” (Zeon) Zeon stared at me with a puzzled look on his face, but I just ignored him as I slowly called out to the rest of the class with the most gentle voice I could currently muster. “I’m sorry, guys. It’s all my fault... But don’t worry, we’ll be back home soon. I promise... so just do me a favor and look away for a moment... Professor Kyle’s about to be a little scary...” (Kyle) As soon as I finished speaking, I closed my eyes. My fake smile was replaced with a cold expression, and then, I released it. The class was still nearby, so I couldn’t release the full extent of my bloodlust, but this much it was enough. The bloodlust I had been holding back burst outward, and what met Zeon’s stare was a pair of piercing golden eyes, tinged with a hint of frenzied, murderous rage. My bloodlust swirled around me before I concentrated it directly on Zeon. Then Zeon fell to his knees, clutching his throat as he struggled to breathe. I gripped the handle of my sword and moved forward. In an instant, I was in front of the specter. Sword swing from the top left. The specter’s sword swung downwards toward me from the left, but it was too slow. My left hand shot forward, grabbing its helmet while my sword flashed diagonally upward to the right. The specter’s blade scraped against the shoulder of my coat, while my blade smashed into its side, crushing its armor at the point of impact before ripping straight through and slicing the specter completely in half. Then I let go of its head and its upper torso fell on the ground as it dissipated into wispy black mana before I took another step. Zeon shakily held his hand out towards Halbert, barely managing to choke out a few words to cast a third-circle spell at him as my voice simultaneously rang out. “D-Dark Spike!” (Zeon) “Radiant Barrier, full power cast, activate.” (Kyle) A throwing knife stabbed into the ground at an angle in front of Halbert, and a brilliant yellow light shone from the alchemy circle etched into the blade of the knife as a large shield of light instantly formed in front of him. Pulses of mana continuously rippled through the shield of light as the tips of the mana spikes scraped against it while Zeon’s eye lit up. I arrived in front of Zeon and my sword flipped around in my hand to point down before I held it with both hands and stabbed downward towards him. He leaned back slightly, raising his head to look up at me as the same barrier I had just used to block his spell materialized above him. Pulses of mana rippled through the shield as it stopped my blade for a moment before my cold voice rang out again like a death sentence. “Accel, full power cast, activate.” (Kyle) A white light shone from the glove on my left hand, and my sword violently burst downward at an incredible speed. The sound of glass shattering reached my ears as my sword pierced the shield and just like that, it was over. The blade went straight through Zeon’s chest, impaling him and pinning him to the floor before I finally restrained my bloodlust again. The clawed hands holding Halbert and Zane down disappeared, and silence returned to the forest. Zeon weakly reached up to the sky with his hand and quietly whispered as blood poured out of his mouth. “... y-your... m-majesty…” (Zeon) He was calling out to his god. He was calling out to me. You can pray, you can beg, you can cry, but in the end, you’ll receive no salvation from the gods of this world. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the gods of Aias have no sympathy... and that includes me. So... I’ll see you on the other side, Zeon. After a moment, Zeon’s hand fell to his side as the last bits of life in him faded. Outskirts of Solria, Silvia Forest, Rest Area (Halbert POV) The moment Zeon’s hand fell, a green light shone from his left eye again. What looked like a small green ball of light rose up from Zeon’s left eye, floating in mid-air for a moment before green flames burst out, completely devouring it. It burned away into nothingness. Then it was once again silent. The only evidence that there was even a fight were the holes around the clearing and Zeon’s body. Peace returned to the forest and Zane walked up to my side. “... He’s dead…” (Zane) “... Yeah…” (Halbert) It was all over. I finally lowered my sword as I felt a sense of relief flood my system before turning to Professor Kyle, but he just silently stood there until Zane called out to him. “...Ky-” (Zane) But before Zane could even finish a word, an arm wrapped around me and I was pulled into a hug along with Zane as Professor Kyle whispered to us. “Thank God you’re still alive...” (Kyle) The arm hugging me was soft and it felt like any slight movement from me would let me easily break away, however, I couldn’t help but look over Professor Kyle’s shoulder at Zeon’s corpse. In front of me was a reminder of just what the same arm currently hugging me was capable of, and a chill ran down my spine as I thought about the insane bloodlust I felt from Professor Kyle just a few moments ago. It was like light and day. It felt like I could barely breathe before, but now… Professor Kyle had a worried look on his face, but other than that, he was back to his normal self. And after a moment, he let go of me and Zane before running over to the rest of the class. We silently walked behind him as I stared at my open hand. If Professor Kyle hadn’t returned in time, if he wasn’t strong enough to save Sophie, if he wasn’t strong enough to kill Zeon, everyone would have died. If I was stronger this wouldn’t have happened. If I was stronger no one else would have been hurt. My right hand slowly closed into a tight fist as I grit my teeth and swallowed my anger at my own weakness. Goddess of Chaos’ Divine Domain, Throne Room (Goddess of Chaos POV) In front of me was a small green ball of light, glowing softly as I held in between my fingers. It was something that shouldn’t exist according to the laws of this world. It was my second greatest creation, an artificial divine spark, a heretical imitation of the world will’s gift. The Sin of Envy, one in a set of seven sin sparks that I had created to raise the new demon lord, and the fact that it had returned to me meant that the chosen possessor of the Sin of Envy, Zeon, had perished. But I couldn’t care less about his death right now. Zeon was a traitor. And despite being chosen by me as a potential candidate for the new demon lord, he was loyal to another god. No, I should say that he envied another god. His deluded obsession was to the point that instead of competing with the other Sins for the title of demon lord, he sought out his god’s divine relics in a pitiful endeavor to steal his god’s identity. He revered that god so much that he himself wanted to become that god, and that was exactly what made him the perfect Sin of Envy despite his lack of loyalty to me. Ah, but it’s fine. With his death, Zeon’s sin spark had returned to me, its creator, along with something else. I held the sin spark in my hand, and the natural laws of chaos enveloped it before a mirror materialized in front of me. Illusions played out in the mirror recounting Zeon’s last moments, and in those illusions, there was a certain man. His long hair was a pure white color, tied into a ponytail, and he was dressed in a red coat while holding a longsword in his right hand. A pair of sharp golden eyes peered at me from inside the illusions like they had seen beyond even dimensions to gaze into my very soul as a long-dead feeling reignited inside of me again. Was it love?... No, it was more like ecstasy. A twisted smile made its way onto my face. I found him. I found him. I finally found him again. My greatest creation, The Tyrant of Eternal Calamity. It’s such beautiful irony though, isn’t it? The very same god Zeon revered was the one who extinguished him in the end. “Now, what will you do? It’s all crashing down around you again, isn’t it? But don’t worry, I’ll always be here for you. Now and forever. So keep me captivated again this time, my dearest Ky.” (Goddess of Chaos)
[Chapter 23] This Arrogant Young Master Will Have to Use Ten Percent of His Power Spoiler Royal Academy, Room 207 (Kyle POV) The sunlight shining in from outside warmed me up slightly as I leaned back in my chair, and a faint sigh echoed around the empty classroom while I continued to stare vacantly at the ceiling. I was early today, much earlier than usual. Yesterday, after a thousand years, I finally killed another person again. And it was still the same, even after all this time. There was no remorse, no sorrow, all I felt was a cold indifference, and after that, there was nothing more. Instead, I was more worried about the class. Luckily though, no one was seriously injured. Halbert, Zane, and Regnis managed to get away with just a few scrapes and bruises while Reina was just exhausted from using most of her mana. Sophie only had that cut on her leg, and after performing some simple first aid, I managed to stop the bleeding. But before we left the clearing, Halbert stopped everyone and asked us to keep what Zeon said to ourselves. Halbert said something along the lines of how he didn’t want to get anyone else involved as he got down on his knees and begged us with a trembling voice, so what could I do but agree? I don’t know what he wanted to keep us out of, but I’m sure he has his secrets… just like I have mine, so I didn’t ask. After that, we all returned to the city and I carried Sophie to the hospital before reporting to the guild that we were attacked in Silvia Forest by a necromancer. I left out the details of what Zeon said just like Halbert asked, but I did mention that I killed him in self-defense. Our cover-up story for Mari was that we were in the classroom like normal yesterday, and if she asked, Halbert, Zane, and Regnis were bruised from sparring after class while Sophie accidentally cut her leg at home yesterday. I’ll say it now, I’m not a very good professor. I’m always just barely on time for class, I can’t teach very well, I slack off all the time, and… I even put my students in danger. I’m an awful professor, but as awful as I am... I still care about my students. They’re not meant to be out there fighting for their lives. They should be right here, safe and sound, happily wasting away their youth in this peace, just like everyone else their age... I raised my right arm up and spread my hand out in front of me as I whispered to myself. “... They shouldn’t have to go through what I did... no one does…” (Kyle) My hand slowly closed and I took a deep breath before slumping over on my desk as I stared at my fist on top of the table. Royal Academy, Room 207 (Sophie POV) The door opened with a loud click as I entered the classroom before shutting it behind me. I was early to class like usual, but today, instead of an empty room, there was an unexpected figure. Slumped over on his desk with a sad expression on his face was Professor Kyle. Eh? But wait, class doesn’t start for another hour. Am I’m actually late? No, it can’t be. There isn’t anyone else here either, which means… Professor Kyle was actually early today! He turned toward me and we made eye contact as I slowly walked over to his side while he sat up in his seat. I stood there for a moment, staring at him with a puzzled look on my face before he asked me what was wrong. “Umm... what’s wrong, Sophie?” (Kyle) “Nothing… it’s just... Are you sure the clock in your house is adjusted correctly?” (Sophie) “Oi. What’s that’s supposed to mean? Is it that strange for me to be early for once!?” (Kyle) After replying, Professor Kyle slumped over on his desk again with tears flowing out of his eyes, and I couldn’t help but giggle a bit at his comical retort while he mumbled grumpily to himself. “The moment I decide to actually be a good professor for once, my own student doesn’t even appreciate it! Hmph.” (Kyle) When I saw Professor Kyle pout cutely and turn to look out the window, I couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. “You know, just being early doesn’t make you a good professor.” (Sophie) “It’s a start, alright!?” (Kyle) After my laughter finally died down, silence returned for a moment before Professor Kyle’s voice softened to a gentle tone as he continued to stare outside at the clouds in the sky. “Anyway... is your leg ok, Sophie?” (Kyle) I looked down at my left leg wrapped in bandages. It was injured yesterday during the necromancer’s attack, but the cut wasn’t too deep, and after some treatment at the hospital, it was basically healed up already. “Yeah, it’s fine. When I was at the hospital, the doctor there used some light healing magic and told me my leg should be completely back to normal in a few days.” (Sophie) “That’s great… I’m glad you’re ok, Sophie...” (Kyle) He turned back around and I could see the relief in his eyes as he gently smiled at me. “... I really am…” (Kyle) I wasn’t sure exactly why. Maybe it was because that lonely, melancholic atmosphere around him had finally disappeared, or maybe it was because I finally saw him smile again after everything that happened yesterday, but as I continued to stare at him, a warm feeling started to bubble up inside of me as my heartbeat gradually sped up. A moment of silence passed by before I quickly twirled around so I wouldn’t have to face him anymore, and after bringing my hand up to touch my face, I realized it was burning up. I covered my mouth as my voice lowered to a whisper with a tender tone. “... Yeah… Thanks for carrying me back to the hospital, Professor Kyle… “ (Sophie) “Sure, no problem. It’s the least I could do.” (Kyle) I held my hand against my chest until my heart calmed down before turning around to face Professor Kyle again. I was about to say something when the door behind me suddenly opened, and I heard Reina call out to us. “Eh? Professor Kyle, why are you here so early today?” (Reina) “Why is it that me showing up a bit early is so unexpected? Am I really that lazy in your eyes?” (Kyle) “N-No, it’s just that… you usually show up right before class starts...” (Reina) Reina replied with a helpless look on her face as indignant tears began to flow from Professor Kyle’s eyes again, and I turned around to face Reina as I giggled a bit. “I know right. That’s exactly what I thought too!” (Sophie) Royal Academy, Room 207 (Kyle POV) “Ky, I’ve done it. I’ve found my future girlfriend!” (Zane) I took another bite of my food as I stared at Zane, who had passionate flames burning in his eyes while he pointed to the ceiling in a victory pose. It was lunchtime now, and although Mari asked earlier about why everyone was bandaged up, it seemed like she believed our cover-up story after hearing it from everyone. I guess the exp from the fight yesterday boosted everyone’s friendship level though because today we all gathered to have lunch together again, Mari included. “You know, I doubt you actually did, but I guess I’ll bite. Who is it?” (Kyle) “I don’t know what her name was, but I saw a really cute girl when I was rushing to class this morning, and after I tripped on a rock, she even came over to help me up.” (Zane) Sophie let out a sigh and Regnis just went on eating like nothing even happened while Halbert and Reina stared at Zane with helpless smiles. “Here we go again… She was just showing you some basic human kindness. You probably won’t ever even see her again.” (Sophie) “That’s where you’re wrong, Sophie! She had our school uniform on, so she’s definitely somewhere in the academy! I knew the moment I first laid eyes on her! She’s my soulmate! I’ll find her if it’s the last thing I do!” (Zane) I took another bite of food before nodding once and turning to Mari, who was sitting to my right. “Hey, do we have something like a witness protection program here?” (Kyle) “A witness protection program? No, what’s that?” (Mari) “Oh, well it’s basically a program that provides protection to people who may be the target of criminal activity. Anyway, it’s fine if we don’t have one. We can probably just ask one of the security guards to make sure Zane doesn’t stalk the girl after we find out who she is.” (Kyle) “Oi! I’m right here, you know!” (Zane) Sophie laughed a bit after Zane’s outburst, while Halbert let out a dry chuckle before patting Zane on the shoulder. “That’s a great idea, Professor Kyle!” (Sophie) “Hmm, how well do you think it’ll work though? I doubt the security guard could be there all the time.” (Regnis) “Well, I’m sure that-” (Kyle) I was about halfway through my sentence when the sound of the door opening interrupted me, and everyone turned to look at the entrance as a man burst into the room. He had long black hair that went a little past his shoulders along with a pair of sharp, brown eyes while his outfit looked like it came straight of a wuxia drama, consisting of a white swordsman robe with a sash at his waist that had golden dragons embroidered on it, and not the kind of dragon that you would find out in the wild either, it was the serpentine kind of dragon that you would’ve found back in eastern mythology back on Earth. Everyone watched him as he glanced around the room for a moment before locking eyes with me. Then I felt a familiar feeling wash over me. I never thought I’d see someone else besides Halbert at this kind of power level, but I guess this world really is big, huh? This man is definitely a wuxia protagonist! His main character aura is off the charts! Can’t a small side character like me catch a break!? Right after adjusting to Halbert’s monstrous main character aura, another one shows up! Wait, since he’s here... a-am I the next arrogant young master acting as a stepping stone for him!? Come on! If you’re gonna make me an arrogant young master, at least let me enjoy the position for a bit first! I’ll be here minding my own business, and next thing you know, he’s gonna use his sect’s forbidden technique on me for just standing in his path today! The man opened his mouth and it looked like he was about to say something when Mari cut him off. “Uh... Professor Yong, right? Were you looking for me? What’s the problem?” (Mari) Eh? Professor? “Oh. I didn’t realize you were here, Headmistress Sylfey. I apologize for my sudden entrance, but actually, I have some business with Professor Kyle.” (Professor Yong) Professor Yong turned to stare at me again before walking up. Argh! Why is it always me!? I’ve never even met the guy, and he already has a problem with me! Please, sir! I’m just a poor little side character! I have nothing to offer you, so go play protagonist with Halbert or something! My internal screams echoed out into pointlessly as I met Professor Yong’s sharp stare with a nervous smile. “Umm… Can I help you, sir?” (Kyle) “You’re Professor Kyle, correct?” (Professor Yong) “Yeah…” (Kyle) “I see, so I have come to the right place. My name is Raven Yong of the House of Yong, and I challenge you to a duel, Professor Kyle!” (Raven) “Wait! We’ve never even met! What the hell did I do to you!?” (Kyle) “What did you do?” (Raven) Raven crossed his arms and started to chuckle before pointing at me dramatically. “I already have confirmation from a reliable source, so there’s no use denying it. You were the one who cut the budget for the weapons department, right?” (Raven) “Wait! Cut the budget for the weapons department!?” (Mari) Mari turned to me and grabbed me by the collar with an angry smile as cold sweat ran down my back. “So, what’s this about cutting budgets, Ky?” (Mari) I let out a dry laugh before explaining myself. “Well, remember the hole in the wall from the first day of class? Where do you think I got the money to fix it? I had to cut someone’s budget to get everything sorted out, and obviously, I couldn't cut the alchemy department's budget. I don’t have access to the business department’s budget either since they’re basically self-sufficient, so only the magic and weapons department were left, and the magic department was already running a little dry while the weapons department just got new stuff last year. I just made the logical choice and cut a little of the weapons department budget.” (Kyle) “A little!? The budget was almost cut in half compared to last year!” (Raven) Cut in half? I shouldn’t have used that much... Ah. Wait, I remember now. I bought Neo-Excalibur and all that other stuff with their budget too, didn’t I?… “Ahem. Ok, well, admittedly it may have been more than a little, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s gone. What’s done is done. I’ve already had the room repaired. I can’t do anything at this point.” (Kyle) “Tsk. Fine, then since you’ve already spent the weapons department budget, we’ll duel for the alchemy department’s budget.” (Raven) “So you’re telling me that if I lose this duel then I have to transfer some of the alchemy department’s budget to the weapons department?” (Kyle) “Precisely.” (Raven) I freed myself from Mari’s grasp before turning to face Raven while crossing my arms. “Perfect, then I can say with absolute certainty that... I refuse!” (Kyle) “What? Have you no honor, Professor Kyle?” (Raven) “Honor? What’s that? Can I buy alchemy materials with honor? Well, let’s say that hypothetically I do accept your duel. Now if I lose, then you’ll get your budget back, but what do I get if I win? Will I take the other half of the weapons department budget too? What will you do then?” (Kyle) “Kuh. That’s a fair point.” (Raven) Raven closed his eyes for a few moments as he thought about the terms of the duel before nodding to himself in confirmation. “Then should you be victorious in our duel, the House of Yong will owe you a favor. However, I doubt it will be a problem because... you won’t win.” (Raven) “Oh? Really now?” (Kyle) Oi. I know you’re a protagonist, but at least show some respect for your supporting cast. Even side characters like me have a limit, you know? Fine, if this is how you want to do it, then this arrogant young master will have to play his part and take out the trash. Oh wait, he heard about the budget cut from someone else, didn’t he? So there might be some loose ends to tie up too after this. “Then I accept your duel.” (Kyle) I chuckled evilly to myself while cracking my knuckles, but before I could get up, Halbert let out a nervous laugh and held me back in a panic. “W-Wait, Professor Kyle! I don’t think this is a very good idea. L-Look, if you two want to duel, then instead of a fight, how about you two compete in something more peaceful, like a game?” (Halbert) “Hmm, a game? Well, considering Professor Kyle is manaless, I don’t think a fight would be very fair either, so a game doesn’t sound like a bad idea. If it’s a game, we can hold our duel indoors too. Headmistress Sylfey, may I ask that you act as the witness to our duel?” (Raven) Mari let out a sigh before slumping backward into her chair with a tired expression on her face. “Fine. I guess I’ll be the judge for your dumb game then.” (Mari) “Great. I’ll even let you choose the game, Professor Kyle.” (Raven) “You’ll let me choose? Don’t regret it then, Professor Yong.” (Kyle) Hmm, what game should I pick?... Well, how about chess?’ it’s been awhile since I played, and I’ll have to make the board and pieces, but it shouldn’t take too long. “Mari, is it ok if take some of the scrap wood from the storage room?” (Kyle) “Eh? Nobody’s using it, so sure.” (Mari) “Thanks. Then I’ll be back in a bit.” (Kyle) Everyone stared at me in confusion as I left the classroom, and after a bit, I returned from the academy storage room with a plank of wood about half the size of my desk. “Ok, so I’ve decided on what game we’ll play.” (Kyle) “Oh? What game is it?” (Raven) “It’s a board game from my hometown called chess, but since I don’t have a playset with me, I’ll need a bit of time to make the board and pieces first.” (Kyle) I walked over to my desk and rummaged through my bag, pulling out the small carving knife that I usually used for engraving monster cores before sitting down and carving out the pieces as I explained the rules to everyone while they watched me curiously. A few minutes later, a simple-looking chess set was sitting on the table in front of me. The board was just a square plank of wood with an eight by eight grid drawn on it, while the pieces were small wooden sculptures with half of them colored black using a pen to signify which side it was from, but despite how crude my craftsmanship was, it was still a perfectly functional chess set. “...and those are the basic rules of chess. Simple enough, right?” (Kyle) “I see, so chess is a game where we command equal armies while defending our respective lieges. A battle between two generals, how fitting for our duel. Very well, I accept this battle of wits.” (Raven) Raven nodded his head in acceptance as I put my knife away and placed the board between us before setting up the pieces so that he was the white side. “Well then. Since I chose the game, you can make the first move.” (Kyle) “The first strike, huh?” (Raven) I gestured toward him to start and he held his chin with his hand as he stared at the board, deep in thought. A few moments passed before he slowly reached out and moved one of his pawns forward, but the instant he let go of his pawn, my hand shot out and immediately moved a pawn forward to match his. He let go of his chin and looked up at me in astonishment, but I just gave him a wry smile back before telling him it was his move. “What’s wrong, Professor Yong? It’s your turn to move, isn’t it?” (Kyle) “Y-Yes, I suppose it is.” (Raven) He cleared his throat nervously before taking another few moments to make his next move, but the same thing happened again as I instantaneously made my move before the cycle started to repeat itself. I told you, didn’t I, Raven? This arrogant young master would put you in your place, so let me show you the true power of a side character! Just try and pull through this with your plot armor, I’ll shatter it myself! I wasn’t the hidden ace of my high school chess club for nothing! *** About five minutes later, I quickly moved my queen into place as I announced the end of the game with a smile. “Oh, I do believe that’s checkmate, isn’t it?” (Kyle) “Y-Yes…” (Raven) “So what’s the verdict, Mari?” (Kyle) “You won the duel, Ky.” (Mari) “Cool. It was a good game, Professor Yong.” (Kyle) My hand extended out toward a frustrated Raven as he slowly grasped my hand for an awkward handshake. Well, I guess I can’t blame him for being so shaken though. After all, his strategy was so basic that I read him like a book. It must’ve felt like I was in his head, always one step ahead of his every move. But he started this, so I’m showing no mercy. A smug smile made its way onto my face as I shrugged nonchalantly after we finished our handshake. “So now that I’ve won, you owe me a favor, right?” (Kyle) “... Yes, I do.” (Raven) “Alright. Then since the duel’s over, you can return to your class now. Just make sure you don’t forget about that favor. After all, you were the one that said that there was no way you would lose.” (Kyle) I started to clean the chess set up while chuckling mockingly at an angry Raven, but before I could pick up the board, Raven slammed his hand down on it while mumbling to himself. “... A rematch...” (Raven) “What?” (Kyle) “I said I want a rematch, Kyle!” (Raven) Come on, buddy. I gave you a chance to escape and everything, but since you insist on getting your ass kicked again, let me do my part as a member of the supporting cast and accommodate your wish. “Sure thing then.” (Kyle) I set the pieces back up again before spreading my arms out with a sly smile, almost like I was presenting the board to Raven. “Your move, Raven.” (Kyle) Royal Academy, Room 207 (Raven POV) Again. It’s happening again. The clack of wood echoed around the room as I placed my piece down before Kyle instantly made his move in response. I glanced up at his mocking smile as an indescribable mental pressure washed over me. This was already our fifth, no, our sixth rematch, and despite so many matches, it was the same story every time. It was like he could read my mind. Every move I made, every thought I had, he knew it all. I just fell for trap after trap as my army slowly died out. It wasn’t like two generals facing each other, no, it was more like a beast toying with its prey. I glanced towards the clock before thinking about my next move. Looking at the time, I’ll have to go back and start class again soon, so this will probably be our last match… Fine. I didn’t want to have to use it, but this is the only way I’ll even have a chance against him. I covered the right side of my face with my hand before preparing myself to activate my right eye. You see, despite how normal my eyes looked, they weren’t normal at all. When I was young, my eyes were blessed by the two guardian spirits of the House of Yong, and as a result, my right eye gained the ability to gaze into the future, while my left eye was able to slow down my perception of time. Using my right eye only shows me a still image, a single second in the future, and it makes me nauseous afterward too, but seeing as Kyle always moves immediately after I do, it won’t be too much of a problem to just activate it once and see his next move. I picked up my knight and carried it over to where I was originally planning to move, but right before it touched the board, I closed my left eye while channeling mana into my right eye. My hand hid the silverish glow of my right eye, and my sight was replaced momentarily with a vision of the future. Kyle had made his move immediately afterward just like I suspected, and when I came back to my senses, I held down the urge to puke as my hand stopped in its tracks before swiftly moving my knight to another spot where Kyle’s next move would have resulted in his rook being captured. I moved my right hand to cover my mouth as I felt my stomach churn a bit while looking up at Kyle again. However, this time he didn’t make his move immediately. Instead, he stared at the board for a moment in thought. Heh. I’ll admit it, Kyle. You’re the most frightening opponent I’ve ever faced. No more underestimating you. There’s no way I can beat you without my full power, so I’ll give you the respect you deserve and go all out! A passionate smile made its way onto my face as a long-lost sense of excitement bubbled up inside of me again after so long. Finally, I was on an equal playing field again, facing a worthy opponent. Now, make your move, Kyle! I cried out internally as I pumped myself up, but before I could even think about my next move, Kyle’s mocking voice rang out. “Oho? Not bad, Raven. I guess I’ll have to use ten percent of my power!” (Kyle) I-Impossible... Ten percent? You mean he wasn’t even trying before!? My eyes widened in shock as Kyle’s gaze sharpened. “Wha-” (Raven) I barely even saw him move. Before I could even get a single word out, I was interrupted by the clack of wood as Kyle had already finished his move. A small burst of wind made my hair ruffle a bit, and when I finally looked down at the board again, the same pressure as before washed over me, only this time, it was much stronger. “Check.” (Kyle) That single word was like a death sentence. His bishop had taken one of my pawns and moved to a spot in between all of my pieces to put my king in check. It wasn’t like before where he was playing defensively, always reacting to my move and slowly closing in on my king. This time, he was on the offensive. It was an insanely aggressive move, a suicidal blitz by his bishop. D-Do I take it?... Or move my king to safety?... No, I have to take it! I’m already too far behind! Even if he wants a war of attrition, I need every advantage I can get! I grit my teeth and moved my knight to take his bishop, but the moment I placed my piece down, I saw a blur as Kyle’s arm instantly reached past mine, and once again, the clack of wood rang out along with another small burst of wind. “Checkmate.” (Kyle) Ah, I see. So, I wasn’t even an opponent in his eyes this whole time, huh? Even with my right eye, my full power was nothing compared to him. “Do you want another rematch, Raven?” (Kyle) “...No, I have to get back to my class now. You may be the victor today, but... I’ll be back tomorrow!” (Raven) “See you tomorrow then, Raven.” (Kyle) After making my declaration, I left the room with a determined look on my face while passionate flames burned in my eyes. Just wait, Kyle! I swear I’ll surpass you! Royal Academy, Room 207 (Kyle POV) Ah, that felt refreshing. You know, even if he wasn’t much of an opponent, I’ll admit, it was pretty fun playing chess with Raven. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll even go a little easier on him. After Raven left the room, Halbert turned to me with a helpless smile on his face as he finished the last bite of his sandwich. “Professor Kyle, maybe you should’ve eased up on Professor Yong at the end there.” (Halbert) “He started it, didn’t he? At least it ended more peacefully than a fight.” (Regnis) “Yeah, but he seemed kind of on edge after losing so much.” (Zane) “W-Well, he did let Professor Kyle choose the game...” (Reina) “Yep. What did he expect would happen?” (Sophie) Sophie shrugged and put away her empty lunch box as I glanced at the clock before turning back to the class with a satisfied smile on my face. “Eh, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Anyway, it’s about time to start class again.” (Kyle) Everyone cleaned up before gathering in front of the board again to study the alchemy circle we were going over today as I started to put away the chess set, but as I was gathering up the pieces, I felt something tug at my sleeve. I turned around to see Mari grabbing my arm. She stared at me for a moment before clearing her throat with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. “Ahem. Ky, do you have anything to do right now?” (Mari) “Eh? No, not really. Why?” (Kyle) “Well, then... if you’re free, w-would you mind playing a game of chess with me?” (Mari) “Oh? Are you sure you want to play such a dumb game with me?” (Kyle) I gave Mari a smug smile and she lowered her head to stare at her arm while mumbling quietly to herself. “What did you say, Mari? Sorry, I couldn’t hear you. I'm a little busy cleaning up the pieces for this dumb game.” (Kyle) “I said I was wrong, ok!? I-It looked kind of fun. There, I said it! Hmph.” (Mari) I couldn’t help but let out a light laugh as I sat there watching Mari pout cutely while crossing her arms. “Sure then. Just give me a second to set up the pieces.” (Kyle) A few moments later, Mari sat down across from me as we started our match. It was set up the exact same way as before, with Mari being the white side while I was the black side. Well, this isn’t a duel, so maybe I should go a little easy on her. Of course, I won’t let her win so easily, but I should at least give her a chance, right? “Alright, you can go first then.” (Kyle) *** A couple of minutes later, I casually moved my last piece into place as I announced my victory. “And that’s checkmate.” (Kyle) “Ah.” (Mari) Mari stared at the board in surprise for a moment before immediately grabbing my arm again. “I want a rematch, Ky!” (Mari) … Just like Raven, huh? Well, I guess it’s fine. It’s nice to just relax every once in a while, and there’s already an alchemy circle on the board for the class to study, so it’s not like I’ve got anything else to do anyway. “Sure, but could you let go of my arm? I can’t set the board up if you keep holding it like that...” (Kyle) “Eh? S-Sorry.” (Mari) Mari released her vice grip on my arm with a slightly embarrassed face before I set up the pieces again for our next match. “Your move then, Mari.” (Kyle)
[Chapter 24] Lunchboxes Are the Best Type of Weapon for Attempted Assassination Spoiler Royal Academy, Room 207 (Kyle POV) It was another beautiful day today. The sunlight outside was pouring into the classroom from the window and the sound of the birds chirping outside gave me a peaceful sense of tranquility, one which was immediately interrupted by the clack of wood, followed by Sophie’s crystal clear voice. “Checkmate.” (Sophie) “Not again!” (Raven) The sound of a chair scraping against the floor followed the outburst as Sophie jumped out of her seat with a proud smile on her face and turned to me with her hands on her hips while Raven fell to his knees in defeat. A little over a month has passed since I had my duel with Raven, and after that first match, he’s been coming over every day during lunchtime to play chess with me so as a result, we’ve become pretty good friends. Surprisingly, the class eventually joined in on chess too, so to deal with the new influx of players, I had two new, more professional-looking chess sets made, and after about twenty or so games, we’ve basically established a loose skill ranking. At the top, of course, is yours truly, and right after me is Mari. Next, in third place is Sophie, while fourth and fifth place go to Halbert and Regnis, who are at about the same level. Sixth and seventh place are Reina and Zane who are also close to being equally skilled, and in last place... is Raven. Honestly, I don’t know where he’s finding the determination to keep going after losing so much, even Mari lost most of her steam after losing to me about ten times in a row the first day I played against her. I mean, occasionally he makes a good move or two, but he rarely learns from his mistakes, and after a few more games against him, I noticed that he only makes those good moves after covering his right eye. Furthermore, for some reason, it only works when he’s playing against me. Well, the mere fact he has some sort of secret weapon against me alone is probably why he keeps trying to play against me despite our levels being so vastly different, but I don’t think he properly understands that I’m the final boss, the level ninety-nine demon lord if you will, while he’s still a level one hero who just started off on his journey. Just because you have one attack that’s super effective against me doesn’t mean you can just go ahead and skip past the other ninety-eight levels! Unfortunately for Raven though, even a demon lord gets bored after a while, and just stomping him like usual isn’t much fun anymore. I came to the conclusion that he can’t improve much from only playing against me either, so recently, I’ve begun to outsource my games against him to my loyal demon generals, aka my students, while I sit by and play against someone else, watch the match, or read a book. “How was that, Professor Kyle? It only took twenty-two moves to beat him this time.” (Sophie) “Hmm, nice job, Sophie. As expected of my first general.” (Kyle) I held my chin up with my hand as I nodded in approval while looking at the final state of the board. Sophie had systematically hunted down most of Raven’s pieces before cornering his king, making this her fourteenth win against Raven. “Hmph. Naturally.” (Sophie) I held my hand out towards Sophie and we exchanged a quick high-five before we both turned to stare at Raven who was looking up at us from the floor. “Alright, are you ready, Sophie?” (Kyle) “On the count of three like always, right?” (Sophie) “Yep.” (Kyle) Sophie and I simultaneously plastered smug grins on our faces as I held my closed fist up. “One…” (Kyle) I extended my pointer finger upwards to start the countdown while Sophie held her hand up to cover her mouth. “Two…” (Kyle) My middle finger followed my pointer finger forming my hand into a peace sign as I could hear a few faint giggles already starting to leak out from Sophie. “Three!” (Kyle) Finally, my ring finger shot up, completing the countdown as Sophie finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and we both pointed at Raven while laughing hysterically. “Damn it! Damn it all!” (Raven) Raven slammed his fist against the ground in frustration and Sophie and I danced around him while we continued to make fun of him. “I’ll get you back for this humiliation one day, Ky!” (Raven) “Oh? You’ll get me back, Raven? Let me ask you then, how are you going to defeat me, the demon lord, when you can’t even beat one of my loyal generals?” (Kyle) “Kuh!” (Raven) A few moments later, after our laughter finally died down, Halbert let out a dry chuckle before calling out to us with a helpless look on his face. “Umm, maybe you should give him a break, you two.” (Halbert) “A break? Those are some bold words coming from my second general himself.” (Kyle) I gave Halbert a hearty chuckle as Regnis and Zane each grabbed one of his shoulders with understanding smirks on their faces. “The enemy’s humiliation deserves no remorse, Halbert.” (Regnis) “Yeah. After all, we have to celebrate our victory somehow, don’t we?” (Zane) “Well said, my third and fourth generals.” (Kyle) We all exchanged a few more laughs at Raven’s expense before Mari’s annoyed voice interrupted us from across the room. “Oi, can you idiots quiet down!? I’m trying to play a game here!” (Mari) After yelling at us, she turned back to Reina and the annoyed look on her face instantly transformed into a blissful smile as she cheerfully placed her piece down on the board in front of her. “Alright, it’s your turn, Reina.” (Mari) “... Mou…” (Reina) Reina let out a cute groan as she held her head in her hands while staring at the chessboard in front of her with a distressed look on her face. “It’s ok, you can take your time.” (Mari) I’m sorry, my fifth general, but even this demon lord himself can’t save you this time, so all I can say is that I’ll make sure to remember you. Thanks for your service. I sent off my fifth general with a short salute before turning back to the rest of the class and clearing my throat to get their attention. “Ahem. So like I was saying, it’s fine, Halbert. At this point, I’m sure he’s already used to it, and it’s not like we really mean any of it. It’s all in good fun, right?” (Kyle) I turned to Raven, who let out a sigh before getting up with a bitter smile on his face while patting off his clothes. “Yeah… Anyway, I have to get back to class now. But I’ll be back tomorrow like usual! So just wash your neck and wait, Ky!” (Raven) “Eh? Is it already time? See you tomorrow then.” (Kyle) I waved goodbye to Raven before he stormed out of the classroom with a glint of renewed determination in his eyes. A few minutes passed by as I cleaned up the chess set while Mari and Reina finished up their game, and shortly after, Reina joined the rest of the class again with a defeated look on her face. Sophie consoled her with a smile as I led everyone up to the chalkboard where a complicated light-element alchemy circle was drawn on the board. “Ok, so what can you guys tell me about this alchemy circle?” (Kyle) I pointed to the alchemy circle on the chalkboard as Sophie opened up her notebook before her hand immediately shot up. “Yes, Sophie” (Kyle) “This alchemy circle is the one for Radiant Barrier. It’s a light-element alchemy circle that generates a flat, circular barrier of mana, similar to many basic defensive spells. Here, I’ve drawn another diagram detailing all the sub-designs I know the function of that are in this alchemy circle. Can you double check if everything’s right, Professor Kyle?” (Sophie) Sophie held her notebook out and showed us the absurdly complicated diagram that she drew before handing it to me as I let out a light cough. Urgh. So this is what I get for actually trying to teach, huh? She’s looking at me with that excited twinkle in her eyes again. What do I do? Uh… My eyes darted around the room as I desperately searched for something to help me get out of this situation before eventually staring out the window. Luckily, the weather outside today was nice and warm… in fact, it was almost perfect weather for practical training! Yeah, practical training! Now that I think about it, we haven’t practiced drawing alchemy circles at all, so we can just do that for the rest of the day. It’ll be a nice break from just regurgitating random alchemy circles on the board every day too. Radiant Barrier is even a pretty good circle to test their skills. It’s not insanely difficult to draw, but it’s not too easy either, and it’s easy to test. We can just set up their alchemy circles on some training dummies and I’ll whack the barrier a couple of times to see how strong it is. It’s perfect! I stared at the diagram for a moment before closing her notebook and handing it back to her. “Uh, everything looks correct to me. Anyway, just to make sure, you’ve all copied down the alchemy circle somewhere, right?” (Kyle) “Yeah. Why?” (Sophie) “Well, I was just thinking, it’s a beautiful day today, so how about we move class outside and practice drawing this alchemy circle? After all, Radiant Barrier is a pretty useful one to know, so I want to make sure you can all draw this one correctly.” (Kyle) I smiled and pointed towards the window at the clear blue sky outside, but unfortunately, my enthusiasm was met with a mixture of confusion and concern. Reina, Regnis, and Zane had varying degrees of surprise written on their faces, while Sophie and Halbert were giving me worried looks. “Wait, you mean we’re actually going to be doing something other than staring at the board today!?” (Zane) “Professor Kyle, are you sure you don’t need to sit down for a moment?” (Halbert) “Is it that surprising for me to actually do my job for once!?” (Kyle) Royal Academy, Training Field (Kyle POV) A deep breath of fresh air entered my lungs as I stared at the wide-open training field in front of me before shielding my eyes from the sun with my free hand as I gazed at the clouds in the sky. Ah, it really is nice out today. I guess summer hasn’t completely disappeared yet, huh? A light breeze blew past me, making my hair flow a little in the wind as the corners of my mouth couldn’t help but edge upwards into a light smile before I slowly walked over to the middle of the field to place down the wooden training dummy I was carrying. Mari opted not to join us and went back to her office for the day after I told her that we were moving outside, so what met my eyes when I turned around was the class lined up in front of me holding their notebooks. “Alright, so we’re gonna be testing out your circle drawing skills today. Who wants to go first?” (Kyle) “Is that even a question at this point, Ky? We all know who it’s gonna be.” (Zane) Zane let out a dry laugh as Sophie pulled out two vials of golden-colored liquid along with a similarly colored monster core before turning to me with an excited smile. “Of course. Leave it to me!” (Sophie) “Well, I think just using a regular pen would be fine, but I guess you can use enchanted ink if you want to. I’m warning you though, it’s pretty hard to get it right on the first try.” (Kyle) “It’s fine. I have plenty of enchanted ink.” (Sophie) Sophie walked up to the wooden dummy and a few minutes later, a complete alchemy circle for Radiant Barrier was neatly drawn in the middle of the torso. She held the light-element monster core up to the circle before silently activating it with her mana as a bright yellow light shone from the alchemy circle and a circular shield made of light-element mana formed in front of the dummy. It was large enough to cover the whole dummy and the shield itself was faintly transparent, which meant that Sophie had drawn and activated it correctly. “Alright, how’s that?” (Sophie) I lightly knocked on the middle of the shield like I was knocking on a door, and every time my hand made contact, a small wave of mana rippled through the shield from the point of contact, canceling out the impact from my knocking. “Looks good to me. Ok, so now that we have a shield, the first thing I want you guys to know about is the shield’s limit. A single cast activation of Radiant Barrier can just barely block a third-circle spell, so while it is a decently strong shield, don’t think you’re invincible just because you’re standing behind it. You have to keep its maximum durability in mind.” (Kyle) “Maximum durability? I only did a single cast activation, but since I used light-element enhancement ink, it should be more durable than usual.” (Sophie) I stared at the shield again for a moment before turning back to the class with a nonchalant shrug. “Hmm, well, I’m not exactly sure how durable it is if the circle was drawn with enchanted ink, so I guess we can test it out.” (Kyle) “Alright, looks like it’s my turn to shine then. Everyone stand back, I’ll hit it with a third-circle wind spell to start.” (Zane) “Eh? It’s fine, you don’t need to.” (Kyle) “Huh? Wait, then how would we test it?” (Zane) Zane stared at me with a confused look on his face as I lightly knocked on the shield again. “Well, we can just hit the shield directly, can’t we? Why bother casting a spell and wasting your mana?” (Kyle) “H-Hit it?” (Reina) “Yeah.” (Kyle) “Uhh, we don’t have any weapons with us though...” (Halbert) “We don’t need a weapon. A fist works just fine, doesn’t it?” (Kyle) “Eh?” (Halbert) “Magic and martial techniques aren’t your only options to attack, you know. Sometimes just straight-up punches and kicks are viable too.” (Kyle) I cracked my knuckles and turned around to face the wooden training dummy before calling out to everyone. “For example, like this.” (Kyle) My body struck a simple stance and I pulled my fist back, holding it against the side of my waist before sharply exhaling as it shot forward. The moment it made contact with the shield, a huge pulse of mana rippled through it and I felt some resistance for a moment before my fist broke right through. The sound of glass shattering rang out and my fist stopped right before it smashed into the wooden dummy as the small burst of wind generated from my punch made my clothes and hair flutter a bit. Damn. I might be a little off, but it seemed like it could’ve taken a good bit more than just a single third-circle spell, maybe even two third-circle. Even if it was drawn using enchanted ink, the fact that it’s this durable in the first place means that Sophie drew it almost perfectly. On her first try too. I knew she was talented, but this is kind of unbelievable. The first time I drew Radiant Barrier, it took me about three attempts before I even got it barely working. I guess Mari was right. This really is the golden generation, huh? After breaking the shield, I returned to a casual standing position before turning back around to face the shocked class with a shaky look on my face as a cold sweat ran down my face. “That Radiant Barrier was almost twice as strong as normal. Your talent for alchemy’s pretty scary, Sophie.” (Kyle) “Wait, I’m the scary one!? You’re the one who can punch straight through barriers without body strengthening magic!” (Sophie) *** The sound of glass shattering rang out again as I smashed Zane’s Radiant Barrier before I turned around to see him collapse to the ground in exhaustion while letting out a sigh of relief. “Hmm, it’s a little weaker than usual, but considering you just used normal pen, I think you did a pretty decent job this time, Zane. This one gets a pass from me.” (Kyle) “Urgh. Finally. What was that, my thirteenth try?” (Zane) “Fourteenth, actually.” (Regnis) “How the hell did you do it so perfectly on your first try, Sophie!? Ky was right, your talent really is scary.” (Zane) “Well, it’s not my fault you suck at drawing circles.” (Sophie) “You’re just a freak! Do you even know how hard it was to get all those tiny details right!?” (Zane) Actually, what time is it? Zane and Sophie started to bicker in the background again while Reina and Halbert tried to stop them, but I just ignored the whole spectacle and stared up at the sky again. Judging by the position of the sun, it was about time for class to end. Luckily though, everyone already managed to draw a working Radiant Barrier at least once, and honestly, they were all pretty good at it. Reina only took about five tries before she managed to draw a decently working one and it took Halbert eight attempts to get a working one, while Regnis took nine. As mentioned before, Zane took fourteen tries and Sophie… well, I kind of expected her to be a monster at alchemy from the beginning, but let’s just say she really lives up to her reputation. Anyway, that’s good enough for today I think. I should probably dismiss them now. “Hmm, it looks like we’re out of time for today, so I guess class is dismissed. See you all tomorrow.” (Kyle) Solria, Middle District, Irisveil Mansion (Aria POV) The first thing I heard when I woke up was the faint sound of the birds chirping outside, and a moment later, I slowly opened my eyes to see my ceiling, illuminated by the morning sunlight. After sitting up in bed, I rubbed my eyes for a bit and let out a yawn before turning to gaze out my window at the clouds leisurely floating through the sky as a sense of lethargy spread through me. A few more moments passed by while I stared blankly at the vast blue sky outside before the sound of light knocking on my door snapped me back to my senses. “Aria, you awake yet? Breakfast is ready.” (Kyle) “Y-Yeah.” (Aria) I moved my legs over and leaned back on my bed again while stretching when suddenly the door opened to reveal Ky standing there with his apron on. We locked eyes and I froze up mid-stretch as he stared at me for a moment before giving me a slightly disappointed look. “You just woke up, didn’t you?...” (Kyle) “N-No, I… ” (Aria) I scrambled through my head to think of an excuse, but before I could come up with one, Ky let out a faint sigh as he walked over to me. I sat up in an embarrassed panic as he got closer, but after a moment, he was already standing right in front of me. “Come on, it’s almost seven. Here, let me fix your hair.” (Kyle) Eh? “W-Wait!” (Aria) I felt his hands softly plop down on my head. They were radiating with a familiar warmth, and a moment passed by before he started to run through my hair, straightening it out as a faint blush spread to the tips of my ears. I’m pretty sure Ky only took about a minute to fix my hair, but that one minute felt like ten to me and when he finished, he took a step back to look at me before giving me a gentle smile. I immediately broke eye contact with him and lowered my head to stare at my legs as I felt my heart rate rising. “Ok, all done. Go wash your face and change out of your pajamas then meet me downstairs for breakfast. Today’s gonna be eggs and bacon.” (Kyle) Ky left my room after that, and when I finally heard the last of his footsteps disappear, I immediately picked up my pillow and buried my face in it as I let out a cute whimper before starting to calm myself down. “... augh…” (Aria) Solria, Middle District, Irisveil Mansion (Kyle POV) Soft sunlight shone into the kitchen from the window and warmed me up slightly as a faint breeze made the curtains flutter before spreading the delicious aroma of eggs and bacon into the living room. It was a picturesque scene of a peaceful morning and I couldn’t help but cheerfully hum a tune while I sat at the dining table reading a book. Two plates of eggs and bacon were sitting in front of me and just as I flipped to the next page, I saw a hint of red out of the corner of my eye. I lowered the book in my hands and turned towards the kitchen entrance to see Aria’s head popping out from behind the wall. “Hey, what are you waiting for? Sit down and eat. You’ll be late.” (Kyle) We made eye contact for a moment and she let out a soft grumble before walking into the room. “Mmm…” (Aria) She took a seat across from me and picked up her utensils as I put my book down and followed suit, but before I could even say anything else, she abruptly stood up in her seat as she glanced at the clock. “Ah. Wait, is it half-past seven already!?” (Aria) “I told you that you’d be late if you didn’t hurry up, didn’t I?... Well, it’s too late to regret it now. Just eat quickly.” (Kyle) “Urgh.” (Aria) A few minutes later, Aria dropped her utensils onto her plate with a clang as she finished wolfing down her breakfast before running out of the kitchen in a panic while I took her empty plate and put it in the sink. “Thanks, Ky. I’m heading out.” (Aria) “Alright, see you later.” (Kyle) After that, I heard the sound of the door opening and closing before quiet returned to the house as I finished eating breakfast myself. *** I placed the last of the dishes on the drying rack with a light clang and turned off the sink as I glanced over at the clock on the wall. It’s almost eight already, huh? Guess I should start heading to class. A moment passed by as I stretched my arms a bit after cleaning the dishes, but as I walked out of the kitchen, I saw something unexpected. Sitting on the living room table was a familiar-looking lunchbox. It was Aria’s lunchbox. I walked over and stared at it for a moment before letting out a disappointed sigh. “... Of course she forgot it…” (Kyle) Well, looking at the time, I don’t think I’ll make it to the 7th Squad barracks and back to the academy before class starts so… I guess I’ll have to go drop it off it to her during lunchtime. Solria, Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Kyle POV) The faint hustle and bustle of the city echoed out in the background as I made my way towards the 7th Squad barracks with Aria’s lunchbox in hand. It was about a quarter past noon, and lunchtime for the class started a while ago. Raven came over to visit like usual rambling about how today was the day that he would finally defeat me, but unfortunately for him, I had a certain idiot’s lunchbox to drop off today, so after pushing my match with him onto Mari, I went on my merry way, bringing us to my current situation. After a few minutes of walking, I finally arrived in front of the large metal gate to a familiar dojo-style building. The same old plaque labeled ‘7th Squad’ that was stuck on the front of the building told me that I was indeed at the right place, but it seemed like there wasn’t much happening today because I didn’t see anyone behind the gate when I walked up to it. Damn, I was hoping someone would be out here to let me in. Should I climb over?... Eh? Wait, it’s open. Yep, that’s right, the gate was open. You see, when I walked up and nudged it slightly I was prepared to vault myself over it, but it just opened by itself. I guess someone forgot to lock it… Well, whatever. Easier for me I guess. After closing the gate behind me, I started to walk over to the front door of the 7th Squad barracks, when suddenly I saw someone round the corner from the right side of the building. It was a young man who was dressed in the 7th Squad uniform with a sheathed longsword hanging at his left hip. He had a head full of blonde hair, which contrasted against his bright green eyes, and a moment passed by while we stared at each other before he started to dash over with a serious look on his face. Oh, looks like someone actually is here today. Perfect, I can probably just drop off Aria’s lunch to him. “Ah. Hi, are you-” (Kyle) I smiled nicely and raised my free hand up to wave hello, but before I could even finish my sentence, the tip of his longsword was held at my throat as he yelled at me while radiating ill-intent. “Who are you!?” (Knight) Ah, I see. So it’s gonna be one of those days, huh? Solria, Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Edward POV) I could feel a light breeze blowing past my face as I stood there with my eyes closed while the chirping of the birds blended in with the faint drone of the city. Then, I opened my eyes, and the background noise was drowned out by the sound of my sword slicing through the air as I took a step forward. A few swift swings later, I resheathed my longsword at my left hip and let out a sigh to release most of my body’s tension after finishing my daily practice routine. Looking up at the sky told me that it was a little past noon, about time for me to head back inside and eat lunch. Speaking of which, Captain Aria said she lost her lunchbox today, right? Well, if she didn’t find it yet... maybe this is my chance to impress her. I’ll give her some, no, all of mine. After all, it’s a proper gentleman’s duty to help a beautiful maiden through her troubles, and well... it wouldn’t hurt if she saw how nice I was and fell for me too. The mental image of a beautiful woman with flowing, crimson-red hair surfaced in my mind as I held my chin in my hand while the corners of my mouth curved upwards into an expectant smile before I reminisced about the first time we met. I’ll admit, when I first met her, I didn’t think much of her. She was very pretty, but I’ve seen a lot of pretty women in my time, and just being pretty wasn’t enough for me. However, if there’s one thing I’ll never forget, it’s those cold, yet beautiful, red eyes staring down at me as she helped me up after easily crushing me with just a practice sword during our duel for the position of captain. That was the first day we met, and also the exact moment that she stole my heart. I don’t know what everyone else thinks of her, but to me, Captain Aria was more than just a pretty face. She was strong, she was noble, and despite her cold outward demeanor, she was even gentle. A few moments passed before I let out a sigh and finally returned to my senses. Well, I should head inside. Everyone’s probably waiting for me. I turned around to walk towards the door to the training room. However, as I was about to enter the training room, the sound of the faint creaking of the front gate caught my attention. Hmm? Did someone go out? I spread my mana out as I tried to sense who it was, but I could vaguely tell that everyone else was inside... whereas there wasn’t a single mana signature by the gate. Hmm, strange... I immediately turned suspicious as I changed directions and started to walk towards the front gate instead. When I finally rounded the corner, what I saw was a man in a dress shirt with a red tie loosely tied around his neck. He had a head of long white hair that was tied into a ponytail, and his golden-colored eyes met mine for a moment as we stared at each other, but his appearance wasn’t the important part, what was important was that in his hand, he was holding a familiar looking lunchbox, one that I had seen plenty of times. It was Captain Aria’s lunchbox. Once I saw him, I immediately tried to sense his mana signature again, but it was the same as before, absolutely nothing. He has no mana signature… Is he a thief trying to steal Captain Aria’s lunchbox? No, probably not. Since he’s capable of completely hiding his mana signature, he’s definitely skilled, not the type of petty thief who only steals food, and there are plenty of things more valuable than Captain Aria’s lunch that he could steal instead… Wait. Could it be? Is he an assassin of some sort trying to poison Captain Aria’s lunch!? That would make sense seeing as it looks more like he was trying to sneak in! After coming to my conclusion, I immediately dashed over to apprehend the intruder as I grabbed the hilt of my sword. “Ah. Hi, are you-” (Intruder) I heard him call out to me in a friendly voice to try to lower my guard, but the instant I saw his hand move, I pulled out my sword. It flashed through the air before stopping right at his neck as I yelled at him. “Who are you!?” (Edward) Nice try, but I’m not so easily fooled. I’ll make you pay for this. How dare you make an attempt on Captain Aria’s life!
[Chapter 25] Everyone Has to Enter for No Reason, It's a Time-Honored Tradition! Spoiler Solria, Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Edward POV) “Who are you!?” (Edward) In front of me stood an intruder, frozen as the edge of my sword pressed close to the base of his neck. Bright, noontime sunlight reflected off the metal blade in my hands as I channeled mana through my body, chantlessly activating my body strengthening magic. My vision sharpened and I instantly felt lighter as mana coursed from my core through to the tips of my fingers. My eyes shifted, and a quick glance let me look over the intruder again. His average looking outfit, no, his disguise made him seem like a harmless civilian, but in contrast, the look on his face told me he was definitely a dangerous individual. I made eye contact once again to see a fake, lifeless smile plastered on the intruder’s face, and despite his efforts, it was quite obvious that under that fake smile he was quite angry. Thoughts about what to do next ran through my head like lightning, but in the end, it all circled back to one thing. I should apprehend the intruder first. “This is private property of the 7th Squad Knights.” (Edward) My eyes sharpened and I glared intensely at the intruder, making sure there were no sudden movements from him while adjusting my footing a bit so it would be easier for me to immediately get into a stance. After all, if he really was an assassin, then it was likely he had some kind of hidden weapon or spell. “Yes, I’m well aware.” (Intruder) “How did you get in here?” (Edward) “How did I get in? Simple. One of you idiots left the gate open.” (Intruder) I took a quick glance at the open gate behind him before shifting my line of sight back onto him. Huh? Left the gate open? What kind of fool does he take me for? I opened my mouth to say something when suddenly his arm holding Captain Aria’s lunchbox moved outwards towards me. “Look, I’m just-” (Intruder) A hidden weapon!? I kicked against the ground with my leg, taking a step forward as I smoothly shifted into a proper stance before counterattacking the intruder. Mana flowed through the blade of my sword as I activated mana edge. It swung inward, flying straight towards his arm while a hazy white light covered my blade, but right before my sword made contact, his arm disappeared in a blur. The intruder stepped back while simultaneously retracting his arm out of the way at an incredible speed to dodge my swing. As my right arm completed the arc of my swing, my legs shifted and carried that momentum by spinning around before rushing forward to close the distance. A diagonally downward swing from my right side sliced towards the intruder, but once again his body blurred as he took half a step out of the way, just barely dodging the swing. Tsk. He’s fast, huh? I’ll have to get serious then! I can’t let him escape! My left leg stomped forward to chase after the intruder as he leaped back a few feet. As the arc of my swing ended, I reversed the momentum to make another wide, horizontal swing at him while simultaneously channeling light-element mana into my sword. A yellow glow replaced the hazy white light covering my sword and a blade of light-element mana emerged from the tip of my sword while I swung. After activating my sword technique, I immediately dashed forward again, following right behind my sword technique as it flew towards the intruder, who yelled at me. “Oi! Are you crazy!?” (Intruder) The intruder jumped upwards into the air to avoid my sword technique while the edge of my sword shot towards him in the air. Even more light-element mana surged through my sword as I activated a Novarel-style sword technique. The yellow glow covering my blade solidified into a razor-sharp edge and I put strength into my legs as I lunged forward with my full body weight into a diagonal upwards swing. In an instant, my sword was just inches away from the intruder while he was still mid-air. I’d like to see you try and dodge now! Take this! I was sure I about to slice straight through him or at least wound him severely, but unfortunately, it seemed that in my rush to try and land a hit, I had the misconception that he would only dodge. His hand shot out again, however, this time, it moved toward my sword. It made contact with the flat of my blade and a violent impact resonated through the sword into my arms as the intruder knocked my blade out of the way. What!? My sword flew wildly in a different direction and I clenched the handle of my sword a little harder to stop the shaking in my hands before immediately shifting the momentum into another wide horizontal swing, but it was too late. The intruder had already reached the ground, and a step to the side put him just barely out of the range of my swing. I took another step closer to chase after him again before making another swing at his legs while he continued to yell at me. “Wait! Stop! I’m not an enemy!” (Intruder) Streaks of light from the mana coating my sword formed into afterimages of the arcs of my swings as I lashed out several times with a familiar chain of attacks I must have practiced at least a thousand times before. My mastery of Novarel-style swordsmanship was on full display as I gradually sped up with every attack, seamlessly bending the momentum from each swing into a new one at a different angle. However, I wasn’t the only one who sped up. A step forward into a straight thrust, a spin followed by a wide horizontal slash, an almost instant shift back into a downward cleave, none of it even touched his clothes. No matter what angle I swung, thrust, or slashed at the intruder from, my sword either just didn’t connect at all or was knocked away just enough to barely miss him, and even with my enhanced kinetic vision, there were a few times where the intruder’s movements were just a blur. It was like he was dancing around my blade. “Just listen to me for a second, damn it!” (Intruder) The intruder cried out for me to stop, but I ignored his request as I pumped more mana into my body strengthening magic. I have to be faster! One hit! One hit is all I need! A frenzied surge of mana spread through my body, my kinetic vision sharpened to its limit, and a split-second later, the ground beneath me cracked a bit as I instantly shot forward with a yell to make one last swing at the intruder’s right side. “Uwoohhhh!” (Edward) Then he moved. The intruder threw Captain Aria’s lunchbox straight up towards the sky before stepping closer, past my sword to grab my arm. He kicked forward at a low angle, sweeping my legs while he pulled me inward to break my balance, and before I could even react, my sword had left my hands as I was thrown into the air behind the intruder. Crap! I grit my teeth, held my arm out towards him, and started a short chant to fire a second-circle light spell at him while I was still upside down in mid-air. “Brilliant Arrow!” (Edward) Two magic circles appeared in front of my open palm, rotating in opposite directions as an arrow made of light-element mana emerged and shot towards the intruder’s back. I flipped around to land upright on my legs before immediately looking back up at the intruder, but instead of an injured intruder, what met my eyes was an instantaneous flash of steel. The intruder spun around to face me, and a single swing from my own sword easily shattered the arrow of light into particles of mana. I started to get up again to try and cast another spell at the intruder when suddenly he shifted forward. The ground beneath his legs cracked before a small burst of wind made my hair rustle as my sword was held at my throat. A sharp pair of golden eyes pierced through me and I froze as a chill ran down my spine while his cold voice rang out. “Have you calmed down now?” (Intruder) Solria, Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Kyle POV) “Have you calmed down now?” (Kyle) A moment passed as I stood there holding a 7th Squad Knight’s own blade up to his throat before letting out a sigh, dropping my death glare, and stabbing the sword into the ground in front of him as I facepalmed. Well, it seems like the idiot looking for a fight in front of me finally stopped, all it took was an immediate threat to his life. I try to do something nice for once, and of course, the first person I meet is the one guy who’s way too eager to let his sword taste blood! He wouldn’t even stop to listen to me for a second! All I wanted to do was drop off Aria’s lunch quickly and leave! I didn’t even have mine yet!... Wait... Why do I feel like I’m forgetting about something… Ah. Aria’s lunch! I immediately turned around in a panic to face where I just came from to see a lunchbox a few feet above the ground and strength poured into my legs as I dove forward to catch the lunchbox. Luckily, I managed to barely just save it in time as I pounced forward and grabbed it in mid-air before hugging it close so I could break the impact from the fall with my body. After rolling on the ground for a bit, I finally came to a stop and my limbs flopped over to my side as I laid there on the ground with a perfectly safe lunchbox sitting on top of my chest. … Why is it that every time I come to the 7th Squad barracks, I immediately get attacked?... A moment passed as the knight and I both sat there frozen in silence before suddenly I heard the sound of a door being slammed open followed by Lillian’s voice. “Edward! We heard screaming! What’s wrong!?” (Lillian) Lillian burst out into the front yard of the 7th Squad barracks followed shortly by Alain and another woman. She was dressed in the 7th Squad uniform too and long, sky-blue colored hair along with a pair of similarly colored eyes contrasted against the white of her uniform. Three pairs of eyes vigilantly scanned across the yard to assess the situation, and I don’t know about the bloodthirsty idiot over there who I assume is Edward, but there wasn’t much fight left in me. A moment passed by as I locked eyes with Lillian, Alain, and the blue-haired knight before the distressed looks on Lillian and Alain’s faces transformed into confusion. “Eh? Ky?” (Lillian) “Oh, Ky, is that you?” (Alain) I lifted Aria’s lunchbox off my chest and slowly got up before patting my clothes off as I let out a tired sigh. “Yeah, it’s me…” (Kyle) “Wait! Do you guys who the intruder is!?” (Edward) “I was trying to tell you this whole time! I’m not an intruder!” (Kyle) I turned around to yell at Edward who had also gotten back up, picked up his sword, and was now pointing it toward me again. “Uh... What happened?” (Alain) Alain stared back and forth between us as I turned to him to explain when Edward’s voice cut me off. “So-” (Kyle) “Alain, I found this suspicious person trespassing a few minutes ago! He was standing near the front door, and when I interrogated him about how he got in, he lied about the gate being open!” (Edward) “I’m telling you! The gate really was open! You’re the one who immediately put a sword to my throat when I tried to say hello and explain myself!” (Kyle) “Lies! The gate’s been locked since this morning! I was the last one to use it, and I distinctly remember locking it!” (Edward) “Ah, I see. So it looks like you really won’t listen unless I beat it into you, huh?” (Kyle) I stepped forward while cracking my knuckles and Edward grit his teeth before taking a stance again when Lillian got in between us and waved her arms around frantically with an embarrassed look on her face to stop us. “W-Wait, you two! Stop!... Umm, Edward, I think Ky’s telling the truth… I, uh, may have gone out earlier because I forgot something at home, and, uh, well, I guess I forgot to lock the gate when I came back… Hehe...” (Lillian) Edward was at a loss for words as he lowered his sword while Lillian laughed dryly and twiddled her fingers with a sheepish smile on her face, and a rejuvenating sense of satisfaction filled my heart when I saw Edward turn to me with a resentful look on his face while crossing his arms. “Fine! Maybe I was wrong about the gate, but it doesn’t change the fact that he was sneaking around! And look, he even has Captain Aria’s missing lunchbox!” (Edward) Edward turned to Lillian while pointing to Aria’s lunchbox in my hand as everyone turned to me. “Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me. Here, Lillian. I just came over to drop this off, so give this to Aria.” (Kyle) “Eh?” (Lillian) After turning to Lillian, I plunked Aria’s lunchbox down in her hands as Edward yelled out for Lillian to stop. “Lillian, careful! That food might be poisoned! Quick, just help me capture the intruder first!” (Edward) Edward picked up his sword again, but Alain immediately ran over to hold him back as Lillian tried to convince him to calm down. “W-Wait! Edward, calm down! He’s not a suspicious person or trying to poison Captain Aria!” (Lillian) “Not suspicious? Why is he hiding his mana signature then?” (Edward) “He’s not hiding his mana signature, he doesn’t have one! He’s manaless! And anyway, he’s Captain Aria’s friend who usually makes her lunch! Why would he try to poison her!?” (Alain) “M-Manaless!? Impossible!... W-Wait, but that means I-!” (Edward) Edward stared at me in shock as an embarrassed fluster spread through his face before I saw another head pop into my field of vision from my side. A pair of eyes scanned over me as the blue-haired knight from earlier pulled out a small notepad and a pen before circling around me with a curious look on her face like she was inspecting something. “Umm… Can I help you miss?...” (Kyle) I stared at her with an awkward smile, but only the sound of her pen scratching against paper answered me as she scribbled in her notepad. “Hmm…” A few moments passed as she circled me one last time before stopping in front of me, crossing her arms, and nodding to herself. “So just to confirm, you’re only Captain Aria’s ‘friend,’ right?” … Why do I have a bad feeling about this?... “Y-Yeah.” (Kyle) The moment I answered her, her eyes lit up with a sparkle and before I could even get another word out she introduced herself. “Perfect! Nice to meet you then, Sir Ky. My name is Charlotte Linne. Now, this might seem a bit strange to ask, but could you do me a favor and quickly fill out this form for me?” (Charlotte) Charlotte pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me as she stared at me with an excited smile. After a bit of hesitation, I reached out to received the piece of paper from her, but just as I grasped it, I heard Lillian yell out to interrupt us. “Wait, Charlotte! Stop!” (Lillian) I turned to my side and saw Lillian rush towards us with a panicked look on her face before snatching the piece of paper out of my hand and crumpling it up while letting out a sigh of relief. “Ah! The registration form!” (Charlotte) Eh? Registration form? “Charlotte, didn’t Captain Aria tell you to stop with the forms!?” (Lillian) Lillian scolded Charlotte with an embarrassed look on her face as Charlotte crossed her arms and lowered her head a little to stare at the floor before answering in a serious voice. “... Heh. Stop? If there’s one thing I’ll never do, it’s stop! Captain Aria could beat me up a hundred times, and I still wouldn’t stop!” (Charlotte) Charlotte raised her head again, and passionate flames burned in her eyes as she pointed to the sky with a fiery resolve in her voice. “I can’t stop! Not until I achieve my dream, no, my life’s purpose! I swear on the name, Charlotte Linne, that I will obtain a harem of pretty boys to spoil me rotten or die trying!” (Charlotte) I stood there at a complete loss for words as Charlotte turned to me with gusto and flipped through her notepad before pointing to me with a proud smile. “And you meet the requirements to be a harem member, Sir Ky! Being manaless was a pretty big initial loss of points, but you’ve definitely got the looks, and you even cook! Coming all the way out here just to drop off lunch for a friend got you some points in the kindness section too, so you passed the harem member entry evaluation with 82 points out of a possible 100! Not bad for being a manaless! In fact, since you’re manaless, you’d be perfect as the shy, gentle cutie in my harem who wouldn’t hurt a fly! The kind that’s always worrying about me and taking care of me!” (Charlotte) Charlotte scanned me over again and nodded to herself in approval as Lillian and I both stood there at a loss for words. “Oh, and don’t worry too much about the morality of the whole harem thing. Her divine holiness, the Goddess of Love, accepts polygamy too as a valid form of marriage. It’s all a-ok as long as it’s with pure intent and all members consent.” (Charlotte) Charlotte gave me a cutesy smile and a thumbs up before pulling out another piece of paper and holding it out towards me. “Anyway, since you’re the first harem member, you even get a head start on everyone else! Remember, love is war, and any lead is a good one. So, do both of us a favor, and fill out this marriage registration for me, would you, honey? Here, you can borrow my pen.” (Charlotte) … Ah, I see. It all makes sense now. I was really wondering what kind of environment could possibly allow an innocent-looking young woman like her to become such a depraved, harem-obsessed weirdo, but turns out she’s just one of Eliza’s followers… And so, now that I’ve mentioned it, you’re probably curious about Eliza’s followers. Ahem. Well, considering my circumstances back when I was in jail, I wasn’t exactly very involved in Eliza’s religion, but from the little bits I’ve seen for myself, along with some more graphic details from Olivia’s occasional complaint-driven tirades, I have a pretty good idea of what Eliza’s religion is like. Most of Eliza’s shallow followers are just people looking for some good luck with a crush or an unrequited love, but as for her more devout followers... Let’s just say most of them are quite… special in some way or another… Well, I can’t really say I blame them though. After all, when the big boss herself is too lazy to even try and manage her subordinates, eventually they’re bound to get out of control. Honestly, the only reason Eliza’s religion still even functions somewhat properly is because Olivia was competent enough to find the few fairly normal people out of Eliza’s devout followers and appoint them as the higher-level priests. My eye twitched a bit as my expression slowly morphed into a dazed smile before I tore the marriage registration that Charlotte handed me into pieces, but unfortunately it seemed like all my rejection did was get Charlotte even more fired up. “Oh? Playing hard to get, honey? Well, that’s fine with me! After all, it wouldn’t be much fun if you just gave in immediately!” (Charlotte) The passionate flames in Charlotte’s eyes burned a little brighter as she immediately pulled out another three registration forms before Lillian grabbed her to try and restrain her while she started yelling at the sky about how she was going to gather a harem again. “Wait! How many forms do you have!?” (Lillian) A moment passed as I watched the spectacle before Alain and Edward ran over. Edward looked like he was still a little on edge as he stared at me with a frown on his face, but Alain stood there for a second before turning to me with a sigh and apologizing for Charlotte’s behavior. “... She did it again, didn’t she? Sorry, Ky. Charlotte can be a bit... weird sometimes.” (Alain) You’re one to talk, you damn sis-con! With your weirdo level, you probably worship Eliza too! “She did the same thing to me, Edward, and even the rookie too when we all first met, and well, as you can see, she gets pretty fanatical about it, so her first impressions usually aren’t the best... I sort of pity her though. She’s pretty hell-bent on the whole harem thing, and while her divine holiness may accept polygamy too, I personally believe that a pure love is something you should dedicate to one person. Love that’s split between several people will never be as strong as love that’s completely dedicated to one person.” (Alain) … Why did I have to be right?… I let out an internal sigh as passionate flames that were eerily similar to Charlotte’s lit up in Alain’s eyes before he reached into his uniform jacket to pull out a picture of Lucy and hold it up to the sky. “Just look at my little angel, Lucy! My love for her is completely pure and at least ten times as strong!” (Alain) … See? What did I tell you about Eliza’s devout followers?... Alain joined Charlotte in passionately yelling at the sky as I walked over to Edward with a pitying smile while he stared at me with a cautious look on his face. An awkward moment passed by as he flinched a bit when I patted him on the shoulder while the occasional quip about how perfect Lucy was or how a certain someone would collect every pretty boy in the Empire for her harem echoed out from the two idiots yelling at the sky in the background. “Edward, right?” (Kyle) The cautious look on Edward’s face turned into confusion as he hesitantly replied. “... Yes.” (Edward) “Look, I’m sorry about what happened before, but I really was just here to drop off a lunchbox. And well, considering that I’ve already accomplished my task along with the... unfortunate current circumstances, I’ve decided that it would be best if I just left, so I’ll be leaving this mess to you, buddy. Thanks!” (Kyle) A light chuckle left my mouth as I turned around and walked quickly towards the front gate before I heard Edward’s distressed voice behind me. “Eh. What!?” (Edward) The sound of footsteps and more yelling echoed out behind me as I immediately shuffled towards the gate even quicker. “Wait! Come back, honey! You didn’t fill out the registration yet!” (Charlotte) “Charlotte, stop!” (Lillian) “Uwooh! Lucy!” (Alain) “For the last time! I’m not joining your damn harem!” (Kyle) I yelled back at Charlotte as I broke into a mad dash and ran into the street before making my way back to the Royal Academy. Solria, Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Aria POV) How did I forget it at home!? I cried out internally as I sat there with a red face in front of the door to my office while hiding from everyone. A few minutes ago, I heard the faint sound of yelling from the front gate, so I ran over to the lobby to see what was going on, but when I made it there, I heard Ky’s voice outside and w-well… I leaned against the door to my office as memories of what happened earlier this morning ran through my head and I unconsciously started to twiddle with my hair while the blush slowly spread across my cheeks. … I-I froze up, then panicked a bit, peeked through the window, and saw him hand over my lunchbox to Lillian. After that, I ran back to my office to hide until now... A soft sigh left my mouth as I hugged my knees before whispering to myself in embarrassment. “... I can’t believe I managed to forget my lunchbox... Ky even had to come drop it off…” (Aria) I stared at the ground in front of me in silence, when suddenly the sound of someone knocking lightly on the door made my heart skip a beat. “Captain Aria, are you there? We found your lunch.” (Lillian) Lillian’s bubbly, carefree voice echoed into my office as I immediately got up and dashed over to my desk in a fluster. A muffled bang rang out as I accidentally kicked my desk before sitting down. “Captain Aria, are you ok?” (Lillian) “Y-Yes, I’m fine.” (Aria) I covered the bottom half of my face to hide my blushing and tried desperately to regain my composure as the door opened and Lillian stepped into my office with a concerned face. She placed my lunchbox down on my table and we stared at each other before I averted my eyes and stared down at my lunchbox while clearing my throat awkwardly. “A-Ahem. W-What’s wrong, Lillian?” (Aria) I continued to stare at my lunchbox as a moment of silence passed before Lillian’s voice rang out again with a mischievous tone. “You know, Ky was nice enough to come by and drop it off. In fact, he’s sitting in the lobby right now, so why don’t we all have lunch together. I’ll go get him.” (Lillian) “W-W-Wait!” (Aria) My heart almost leaped out of my chest as I immediately raised my head with a burning, red face and reached out to stop her. I was ready to stop her by force if necessary, but instead, what met my line of sight was Lillian giggling. “Sorry, Captain Aria. Seeing you so flustered was too cute, I couldn’t resist teasing you a bit. Don’t worry, Ky left a little bit ago. I’ll keep everyone busy for now, so just come join us when you’ve calmed down.” (Lillian) I sat there frozen as Lillian laughed a bit before calling out to me again in a gentle voice as she left the room. “I don’t know what happened between you and Ky, but I’ll be rooting for you, so go get him, Captain Aria!” (Lillian) I finally regained control of myself as the sound of the door shutting echoed out and I sat there for a moment before burying my face into my desk with a whimper. “... augh…” (Aria) How am I supposed to calm down after that!? Royal Academy, Room 207 (Kyle POV) A relaxed sigh left my mouth as I stared out the window wistfully at the academy grounds with a satisfied smile on my face. Class was about to end in a few minutes, and I was sitting in my classroom surrounded by… well, mostly normal people. But even if they’re not the most normal, the important thing is none of them worship Eliza. At least I hope none of them do… “Professor Kyle, we’re done drawing our circles. Can you come check them out.” (Sophie) “Oh. Let me see.” (Kyle) Sophie’s voice snapped me back to my senses, and I turned around to see everyone standing by the board with a few alchemy circles in front of them. Sophie’s was perfect as usual, and Reina’s was almost perfect. Halbert and Regnis’ circles were both fine, and judging by the faint chalk smudges around parts of Zane’s circle, it took a few tries, but it looked like he managed to draw a pretty decent circle in the end. “Alright, looks good to me. Nice job, everyone. If this was a test, you all would’ve passed with no problem.” (Kyle) I was about to dismiss the class when Mari walked over and pulled on my sleeve to get my attention. “Oh, speaking of which, Ky, when are you going to be giving them their first exam. I think the deadline for grades for the first half of this semester is coming up soon.” (Mari) “Eh? Wait, I have to hand in grades?” (Kyle) “Eh?” (Mari) Mari and I stared at each other in confusion for a bit before she started to berate me. “Wait. Didn’t Professor Balrum give you a grade book at the beginning of the semester?” (Mari) “Grade book?... Oh. I remember now.” (Kyle) I reached into my satchel and rummaged through it for a bit before pulling out a notebook with the Royal Academy’s seal on it. “This thing, right?” (Kyle) “Yes!” (Mari) “Eh, do I really have to hand in grades? It kind of seems like a pain in the butt...” (Kyle) “What do mean ‘do I really have to hand in grades?’ Of course you do! You’re a professor, aren’t you!?” (Mari) “Urgh. Fine, I guess everyone gets a 100 then.” (Kyle) I pulled a pen out of my bag, flipped to a random page in the grade book and was about to write in a few perfect scores when Mari grabbed my arm to stop me with an angry look on her face. “Real grades. They need real grades.” (Mari) I let out a sigh and closed the grade book. “Alright, I guess we’re having an exam next week then.” (Kyle) “Next week? Wait, don’t we have the next two weeks off? It’s the Empire’s anniversary next week.” (Zane) “Ah.” (Kyle) Damn, I forgot. The anniversary of the Empire’s founding is next week, and for some reason, the entire week of the anniversary and the week after are both national holidays… Well, I guess I shouldn’t complain too much since I get the next two weeks off too... We can have an exam the week after we get back then I guess… Urgh, wait. If I’m remembering right, the annual academy tournament is right after we come back, and I just know Mari’s definitely going to try and make me help her out with the tournament prep... Wait! The tournament! Can’t I just make that their exam? Yeah, if they make it past the preliminaries, they’ll get a 100 or something like that. I turned back to Mari with a twinkle in my eyes, hoping that for some reason the stars aligned and everyone was going to randomly enter the tournament. “Hmm, Mari, since ancient alchemy is meant for combat, would it be ok if I held a more practical exam instead of a written one?” (Kyle) “Oi, if I find out you hurt a single hair on Reina’s head, I will personally rip you into pieces.” (Mari) Mari grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close with an angry look on her face to make her point clear. “C-Calm down! I’m not gonna hurt anyone!” (Kyle) “What are you going to do then?” (Mari) “W-Well, we have the academy tournament after we get back from break, right? So I was thinking, how about I just make the tournament their exam? It’ll be a good test to see how well they can utilize ancient alchemy in a practical situation.” (Kyle) “You’re going to force your class to enter the tournament!?” (Mari) “Of course not!... But, uh, if they’re all entering already... well, why not?” (Kyle) I gave Mari a sheepish smile before turning back to the class with a hopeful look on my face. “Hey, how many of you are going to be entering the academy tournament?” (Kyle) An awkward silence filled the room for a moment as the look on everyone’s faces slowly turned serious before Halbert raised his hand. “I will.” (Halbert) Damn, are none of them except Halbert competing? Come on guys, have a little more drive! This is the obligatory tournament arc that always happens in every magic school! It’s a time-honored tradition that literally everyone has to compete for absolutely no reason! I was about to let out a sigh and shelve my genius plan for now, when suddenly a new spark of hope lit in my heart as Regnis raised his hand, followed by Sophie. “I’ll also be entering.” (Regnis) “Me too.” (Sophie) Then, before I could even say a word, Reina and Zane joined them. “Yeah. Count me in.” (Zane) “I-I’ll be competing!” (Reina) Mari immediately let go of me with a worried expression on her face and ran over to Reina as soon as she heard Reina say she was entering the tournament. “Reina, are you sure? You don’t have to enter the tournament just because this idiot wants you to.” (Mari) “I’m not forcing her to enter! Look, Reina if you don’t want to enter the tournament, it’s ok.” (Kyle) “Yeah, there’s no need to-” (Mari) It seemed like Mari was about to continue rambling when Reina turned to her and cut her off as an intense determination swirled around in her eyes. “I’m sure, Aunt Mari.” (Reina) All it took was four words to make both Mari and I stop dead in our tracks. In fact, as Reina said those words, I could see the unexpected resolve burning in everyone’s eyes as I sat there frozen for a moment before the corners of my mouth inadvertently curved upwards into a smile. Heh. I knew I could count on you guys! A faint sense of pride in my students welled up inside of me as I stood up from my chair and made an announcement to the class. “Perfect. Then the academy tournament will be your first exam. Make it out of the preliminaries to pass. And with that, class today is dismissed.” (Kyle) I waved my arm to dismiss the class as I reconfirmed the fervent determination I felt from them. I can tell you’re all serious about this, so do your best and don’t let me down!
[Chapter 26] Finals and Phantoms Spoiler Royal Academy, Room 207 (Regnis POV) A strange uneasiness filled my heart as I sat there waiting patiently for my turn to talk to Professor Kyle. Class ended a few minutes ago, and Halbert, Zane, and Reina had already left the classroom earlier while Headmistress Sylfey seemed to be nagging Professor Kyle about something, but after a few more moments, she left the room as Professor Kyle let out a tired sigh. Now’s my chance! I immediately got up, but the moment I did, I heard someone else do the same. I turned to my side to see Sophie, and our eyes met for a moment as we both stood there in silence. … So... you need his help too, huh?... Halbert and Zane are lucky. Halbert’s master is still in the capital so he can hone his swordsmanship with her and the high priestess is always at the church for Zane if he wants to improve his magic skills, but my master isn’t here currently. Captain Lars is still on duty at the northern edge of the Empire, so right now… the best option I have is the only A-rank adventurer I know... Maybe I can’t learn any spearmanship from him, but I can at the very least, I can learn some more alchemy. I took a deep breath as I could sense a similar resolution burning in Sophie’s eyes, and we nodded to each other before walking up together to Professor Kyle’s desk where he was slumped over with a blank, forlorn look on his face. Royal Academy, Room 207 (Kyle POV) I stared out the window at the clouds floating by as I said my final goodbyes to my break. As I expected, Mari wants to make me come along with her as her little assistant to set up everything for the tournament, but I guess if we’re looking at the bright side, at least I don’t have to write up an exam for the class too... Damn it. I just can’t catch a break today, can I? First I had to deal with the idiots at the 7th Squad Knights, and now I come back to find out I have to work overtime! I was about to resign myself to the inevitable when suddenly Sophie’s voice brought me back to my senses. “Professor Kyle.” (Sophie) “W-Wha-” (Kyle) I scrambled around in a slight panic before sitting back up to see Sophie and Regnis standing in front of my table with serious faces. “We have a request.” (Sophie) “Huh? A request?” (Kyle) “Please train us. We need to get stronger.” (Sophie) Sophie’s voice was tinged with a soft, almost begging tone as she bowed deeply to me before Regnis did too. “... Please, we have no one else to turn to...” (Regnis) Eh? Train? Thanks to Mari, I won’t even have any time to relax, so where am I going to find the time to trai- Ah. A surge of hope flooded my heart as I stood up with an excited twinkle in my eyes. “Sure, no problem!” (Kyle) Sorry, Mari, but it looks like two of my precious students need my help over the break, and what kind of professor would I be if I didn’t do everything I could to help them over the entirety of the break? So I guess you’ll just have to finish all the preparations for the tournament by yourself. I laughed to myself triumphantly as Sophie and Regnis slowly stopped bowing with confused looks on their faces. “What? What’s wrong?” (Kyle) "Wait, that’s it? You’re just going to accept like that? There’s no requirement, or a test or anything like that?” (Sophie) “Why would we need a test? You’re already my students, aren’t you? So as your professor, of course I’m going to help you two out. And, well, to be honest, this will help me avoid some extra work too, so it’s not like I don’t have any incentive at all...” (Kyle) I let out a dry laugh and scratched the back of my head sheepishly before clearing my throat. “Ahem. Anyway, you said it yourself, Regnis. We only have two weeks, so let’s get going!” (Kyle) I grabbed my bag and pointed out the window towards the front gate as I made another announcement with a smile on my face. “Alright, your first task will be to go get your weapons and rendezvous at the front gate of the academy within half an hour!” (Kyle) *** A while later, I was making my way over to meet up with Regnis and Sophie again after informing Mari about the ‘unfortunate’ request from my students, and the subsequent change of plans. The academy campus was still bustling with activity even though classes ended almost half an hour ago and dozens of students walked past me as I lightly jogged over to the front gate of the academy, where Regnis and Sophie were already waiting for me. They stood on the side of the main path while clutching their weapons, and I waved to them before running over. “Alright, are you two ready?” (Kyle) “Yes.” (Regnis) “What are we going to do, Professor Kyle?” (Sophie) “Hmm, well, before we start, I should probably get a general idea of how you two are right now. So let’s head over to the training fields first. We can have a small spar there. Follow me.” (Kyle) I turned around and started walking towards the training field with a smile as Regnis and Sophie followed behind me. We weaved our way through the crowds of students leaving campus to move to the training fields. However, when we finally arrived at the entrance to the training fields, despair flooded my heart as I saw it again. There it was, my mortal enemy in all its abhorrent glory. In front of me wasn’t the clean, empty academy training fields I was used to. In front of me was… another line! Yes, a line. There was a multitude of students in uniform following behind who I assume were their respective professors as they all waited in line for their turn to use the training field. I scanned through the huge line of people before finally spotting a familiar figure standing in the middle. Wait a second! I’d recognize that tacky outfit anywhere! A man with long black hair who was dressed in a white robe held together by an embroidered sash was standing in line, talking to a student who had short, dark brown hair and similarly colored eyes. The student had a longsword sheathed at his waist and was nodding at the man with a stoic look on his face when I called out to the two in line. “Oi, Raven!” (Kyle) “Oh, Ky. You’re here too?” (Raven) Raven waved at me nonchalantly as I ran over and grabbed him by the shoulder. “Raven, what’s going on? Why is there such a huge line to use the training fields?” (Kyle) “What are you talking about? Obviously, it’s because of the academy tournament coming up.” (Raven) Raven stared at me with a puzzled look on his face as Regnis and Sophie finally caught up with me. “Everyone wants to use the training field right now, so I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for your turn, Ky. But if you get on line now, you’ll probably be able to use it before nighttime.” (Raven) “Damn it! I should’ve known this would happen! There’s no such thing as a tournament arc without everyone having their own training montage!” (Kyle) Raven nodded to himself in confirmation as I muttered to myself when suddenly the brown-haired student Raven was talking to before interrupted us. “Professor Yong, who is this?” “Oh, right. You two haven’t met yet. Jin, this is my friend, Professor Kyle from the alchemy department. Ky, this is my best student, Jin.” (Raven) “Pleased to meet you, Professor Kyle.” (Jin) “Uh, same here...” (Kyle) Raven’s student, Jin, turned to me while still completely straight-faced and bowed slightly as we stood there awkwardly for a moment before I cleared my throat and turned back to Regnis and Sophie with a defeated sigh. “Well, looks like we can’t use the training field…” (Kyle) “Where do we go then?” (Sophie) I rubbed my temples as I stood there thinking about where we could go, but nowhere else came to mind except the academy training fields. “Ugh. There’s no way we can do any training like this. Alright, maybe we can borrow a training field from the adventurer’s guild then. If I remember, they should be just outside the southern part of the city.” (Kyle) Regnis and Sophie looked like they were startled a bit after I mentioned leaving the city, but after a moment, they recollected themselves and nodded to me with serious faces before Raven’s voice suddenly rang out again from behind me. “Oh? Looks like I was right. You came here to train your students, Ky. Which means they’re entering the academy tournament too, right?” (Raven) “Yeah.” (Kyle) “I see. Then… ” (Raven) I stopped and turned around to see Raven with a smile on his face as he patted Jin’s shoulder before extending his open hand out towards me. “... let’s see who’s students come out on top! It’s a duel, Ky, and this time, it’ll be different! So don’t get eliminated before our battle!” (Raven) Oi, calm down, you duel-obsessed idiot! You’re not even the one competing, your student is! Raven clenched his hand into a fist before he turned to Jin with passionate flames burning in his eyes. “Jin, we have no time to waste!” (Raven) “Yes, Professor Yong! I won’t let you down!” (Jin) Jin nodded at Raven intensely before Raven called out to me again. “We’ll see you at finals, Ky!” (Raven) “Uh, ok… See you then, I guess...” (Kyle) A quick glance around let me see that a few people were beginning to stare at us after Raven made such a scene, so I quickly waved goodbye to him before leading Sophie and Regnis back towards the front gate of the academy. Southern Outskirts of Solria, Adventurer’s Guild Training Field No. 3 (Regnis POV) A gentle breeze rustled the grass around us as Sophie and I followed behind Professor Kyle. About two hours have passed since we left the academy to go to the adventurer’s guild and we were just now arriving at the entrance to one of the training fields that Professor Kyle managed to rent for today from the guild. A locked gate attached to the large fence that surrounded the entire area was the entrance to the field and I could spot a few training dummies in the distance, set up near the center along with some trees dotting the landscape here and there. “We’re here.” (Kyle) Professor Kyle walked up the to gate and pulled out the key that the receptionist at the guild gave him before unlocking it and kicking the gate open. We all entered the training field and he closed the gate behind us before we walked about two-thirds of the way to the center of the field. “This spot seems good enough, so looks like we can finally have our spar. Are you prepared?” (Kyle) “Yeah.” (Sophie) Sophie’s determined voice rang out as I picked up my spear and got into a stance before answering too. “Yes.” (Regnis) “Ok. Then you two can say when we start. I’ll go easy on you, but you two should treat this like an actual fight. Don’t hold back.” (Kyle) Professor Kyle repositioned to a few feet away from us before turning around and slowly taking a stance with a surprisingly serious look on his face. His left hand was open with his fingers held loosely together and extended outwards towards us while his right hand was held at the side of his waist in a fist. Sophie pulled out her gun and held it steady in Professor Kyle’s direction, whereas I lowered my spear a bit so that it was pointing forward. I looked over my shoulder at Sophie and we nodded to each other before I yelled to announce the start of the fight. “Go!” (Regnis) I began my chant to activate my body strengthening magic right after starting the battle, however, as soon as I said a single word, Professor Kyle dashed forward. “Silent storm-” (Regnis) I couldn’t even get past the second word of my chant before it was cut off by a sharp spin kick and I barely managed to bring my spear up in time to block the kick at my chest as I was blown a few feet backward while Professor Kyle spun to face Sophie who was caught off guard by the immediate assault. She aimed the gun at him in a panic, but before she could pull the trigger, his left arm shot out and grabbed her wrist. He pulled her inward while breaking her balance by kicking low at her leg before he almost instantaneously disarmed her as she fell over. A moment later, Sophie was lying on the ground with the tip of her gun pointed straight at her head. It was over in a matter of seconds. “Alright, I think I have a general idea of what level you two are at right now. Are you ok, Sophie?” (Kyle) “... Y-Yeah...” (Sophie) Professor Kyle lowered the gun and extended his other hand towards a shaken Sophie to help her up as I ran back over. “Wait! You attacked before I could even activate my body strengthening magic!” (Regnis) A faintly indignant tone in my voice alluded to my frustration, but Professor Kyle just turned to me with a slight frown on his face as he patted the dirt off of Sophie before handing her gun back to her. “Well, of course. What kind of idiot would wait for you to finish casting your body strengthening magic before attacking? I even let you start the battle, so if you’re not going to activate it beforehand, then as your opponent, naturally I would take any advantage I could get, especially in a case like this where I’m unarmed against two people, one of which has a ranged weapon.” (Kyle) “I…” (Regnis) I tried to make an excuse, but nothing came out of my mouth as Professor Kyle spoke again. “I told you to take this seriously, didn’t I? You’re lucky this wasn’t a real fight and I wasn’t a real enemy, otherwise you would both be dead.” (Kyle) It was those last few words that shut me down. Professor Kyle was right. I stood there in silence for a moment as a scene from my memory played out in my head again. Halbert and Zane were on the other side of the forest clearing, held down by spectral hands from some strange spell, Reina was reaching outward with a desperate look in her eyes, and Sophie sat there in absolute terror right before the undead knight’s sword was about to reach her. … I was knocked away that time too, wasn’t I?... I ran as fast as I could to try and save her, but I wasn’t fast enough. I fought as hard as I could to try and beat the undead knight, but I wasn’t strong enough. I... I lowered my head to stare at my hands before I whispered to myself in frustration. “... Damn it… I couldn’t do anything... It’s just like the fight against Zeon again…” (Regnis) I grit my teeth and my grip on my spear tightened as my surroundings began to slowly meld together into a vague mess of colors and noise before suddenly, the sound of a soft sigh brought me back to my senses. I raised my head again to see that Professor Kyle had abruptly stopped in his tracks. He tilted his head back a bit to look up at the clouds as we all stood there in silence before Sophie tried to ask him what was wrong. “... Professor Kyle, what’s wrong?” (Sophie) “... Hey... let me ask you two something…” (Kyle) His voice had a sort of somber nostalgia to it as he continued to stare into the sky with his back turned to me and Sophie. “Why do you two want me to train you?... I know there’s the academy tournament coming up in two weeks, but... ” (Kyle) Professor Kyle turned around to face us, but for some reason, his usual listless aura was missing. Instead, the air about him was tinged with a faint melancholy. A pair of golden eyes stared straight at me and Sophie. It was the same pair of golden eyes that I had seen plenty of times before. The ones that twinkled whenever he got excited. The ones that dulled whenever he felt lazy. And the ones that were terrifyingly sharp when he fought Zeon. But this time, it wasn’t like any of those. This time, there was a lonely, wistful glint in his eyes as he gently smiled at us. “... to me, it kind of seems like it’s because of something else...” (Kyle) … Why?... I stood there frozen as dozens of reasons ran through my head, but before I could even say a word, the sound of a single footstep broke the silence. Sophie had taken a step forward and Professor Kyle and I both turned to her as she started to speak in a quiet voice. “... When we fought Zeon... right before the undead knight was about to kill me, I looked around one last time. I was scared. I thought it was going to be the last thing I would ever do. I thought I was going to die. My leg was injured, and it hurt a lot... but everyone else had injuries too... Even though they were hurting too, even though I’m sure they were all afraid too, despite all that, they all still tried desperately to save me. I saw them. Every single one of them... You too, Professor Kyle…” (Sophie) Sophie tightened her grip on her gun before she raised her head to stare back at Professor Kyle. “I don’t want to see that despair in their eyes again. That’s why I need to get stronger... I need to get strong enough that nothing like that ever happens again. Honestly, I don’t care much about how well I do in the tournament. I just want to tell them all something. I want to tell everyone that I'm strong now, that nobody else needs to hurt themselves to save me again!” (Sophie) Her previously soft voice slowly got louder until it reached the point where it was almost a yell, and Sophie finally ended her speech as she gazed right back at Professor Kyle with a fervent resolve surging in her eyes. … Pathetic… Absolutely pathetic, Regnis... You were personally handed this sacred spear by his Highness, you’ve been taught by one of the strongest spearmasters in the Empire, you’re someone who’s fated to help defeat the demon lord! But Sophie? She has none of that. No sacred weapon to use, no powerful master to guide her, no grand destiny to fulfill! And yet, despite the fact that she’s just a normal girl, she’s still trying her best to get stronger! Stronger for your sake! I grit my teeth again and my left hand moved to grab at my heart before I stabbed the bottom of my spear into the ground in frustration. So how can you catch up to Halbert and Zane like this!? How can you protect anything if you’re so pathetic you can’t even take a single step forward like the normal girl standing right next to you!? Just move, damn it! I screamed at myself internally as my anger at my own weakness finally overcame my fear. I took a step forward. Then, I opened my mouth. And this time, my voice followed. “I hate it. I hate that feeling of helplessness I had when we fought Zeon. I hate being so weak that I couldn’t do anything to the person hurting my friends, that I couldn’t do even a single thing to stop the undead knight that was about to kill one of those friends right in front of me. All I could do was watch as everyone else struggled to survive… It’s not just about beating Halbert and Zane… I have to get stronger. Strong enough that next time I can do something! And I’m sure that everyone else feels the same way right now too, I’m sure they’re trying their hardest! So I have to show them that I’m not falling behind either!” (Regnis) I finished yelling out the last of my speech with a hoarse voice as I gazed straight back at Professor Kyle. A determined glint shone in my eyes as we stared at each other for a moment before he closed his eyes, and whispered something to himself. “I see…” (Kyle) Then, Professor Kyle sighed faintly again before relaxing his shoulders a little. The bittersweet smile on his face was gone. In its place was a proud grin, and when he opened his eyes again they were shining clearly. “... Well, I already kind of knew, but looks like I’m not a very good professor, am I? After all, it seems that my students have already gone and grown up splendidly without even a bit of my help... It takes a lot of courage to be able to face your fears like that, a level that I definitely didn’t have when I was at your age. Even now, I still don’t. Ironically, I think I have more to learn from my students than they do from me, but even so... I’m still a professor, aren’t I? So I think this time, for the sake of what little pride I have left as one, I’ll have to try my best to match up to the courage and expectations of my precious students…” (Kyle) Sophie and I stood there for a moment as a breeze blew by. It came from behind Professor Kyle, and his clothes and hair ruffled softly in the wind as the atmosphere around him instantly transformed. There wasn’t so much as a hint of melancholy anymore. No, right now his aura was different. It was intense. It was overwhelming. It was the aura of someone who was strong. “If you two really want to get stronger, then I’ll help you get stronger, but don’t complain if I’m a little strict. We’ll start your real training with a training camp next week. Unfortunately, looks like renting out this field for today was a bit of a waste since I’ll have to go make some preparations for the camp if I’m going to take this seriously. So let’s head back to the city for now. Meet again tomorrow morning by the front gate of the academy at 10 AM. Training for today is dismissed!” (Kyle) Professor Kyle waved his arm outward to dismiss us before spinning around to lead us back to the city as Sophie and I answered in unison. “Yes, Professor Kyle!” (Sophie & Regnis) Solria, Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Halbert POV) The clang of metal crashing against metal rang out in my ears. I struggled to keep my mana flowing through my sword while my grip on my sword’s handle was starting to loosen from continuously blocking Vice-Captain Edward’s swings. His blade was covered in a coat of light-element mana as it flowed smoothly from one swing to the next, drawing countless glowing streaks of light in the air as he slowly pressed forward, but despite his leisurely pace, there wasn’t even a moment of rest for me as I was forced back several steps from the endless assault in front of me. Sparks of blue lightning flew off my sword as impact after impact pounded against it before eventually, I couldn’t keep up anymore. Vice-Captain Edward’s sword smashed against the side of mine and a loud clang sounded out as I felt a violent force tear it out of my hands. It spun in the air a few times before landing on the ground a few feet away, but by then, the tip of Vice-Captain Edward’s sword was already pointed at my throat. “You’ve lost, Halbert.” (Edward) I froze for a moment before I fell backward onto the ground, gasping for breath as Vice-Captain Edward sheathed his sword again. “Well, you’ve improved a bit, but you still have a long way to go.” (Edward) “T-Thank you, Vice-Captain Edward” (Halbert) I put strength into my legs and got up again as I heard Sir Alain call over to us from the side. “Don’t be so tough on the rookie, Edward. You even used one of your family’s signature sword techniques!” (Alain) I turned my head to my side to see Sir Alain walking towards us with a smile. He helped me up before Vice-Captain Edward turned around and spoke in a stern voice. “He lost this time because his swordsmanship wasn’t refined enough. Not everyone he fights will be around the same level as him... And anyway, I still went a little easy on him, didn’t I?” (Edward) “Vice-Captain Edward’s right, Sir Alain. I’m still too weak... In a real fight, no one would just let me win.” (Halbert) I let out a disappointed sigh before Sir Alain patted me on the shoulder. “Eh, don’t worry too much, rookie. You’re already pretty strong. Edward’s just mad that he lost earlier and now he’s taking it out on you. Honestly, I think he should be more like my little angel, Lucy, and learn to let it go. Isn’t that right, Edward?” (Alain) Sir Alain poked Vice-Captain Edward in the arm playfully before Vice-Captain Edward immediately yelled at him with an angry, flustered face. “I’m not mad!” (Edward) “Really? It kind of seems like you are to me.” (Alain) Eh? I stared at them with a confused look on my face as Sir Alain laughed a bit while Vice-Captain Edward grabbed him by the collar of his uniform. “Wait, Vice-Captain Edward lost to someone?” (Halbert) “I didn’t lose! I-It was a tie!” (Edward) “D-Did another Knight Captain come by to visit or something?” (Halbert) “Oh, right. You weren’t here, rookie. Captain Aria’s friend came over earlier to drop something off for her, but Edward thought he was an intruder and attacked him on sight even though he was unarmed.” (Alain) Unarmed!? How did they break through that barrage of swings!? Even with my sword, I could barely handle it and he was going easy on me! I knew Captain Aria was insanely strong, but I didn’t think everyone around her would be so strong too... “Like I said before, he was acting suspiciously by the front door! I didn’t know Lillian left the front gate open and he had Captain Aria’s missing lunchbox!” (Edward) Vice-Captain Edward grumbled about it a little more before turning to me with an annoyed look on his face as he tried to change the subject. “Anyway, Halbert, didn’t you say that you had something to ask Captain Aria about after our spar?” (Edward) “Y-Yeah.” (Halbert) That’s right… I need to ask her for an important favor... Vice-Captain Edward walked over, picked my sword, and tossed it over as he pointed towards the front door to the barracks. “Then get going. She should be in her office.” (Edward) “Yes, Vice-Captain Edward!” (Halbert) I gave a knight’s salute to Vice-Captain Edward before making my way over to Captain Aria’s office as he waved to shoo me away. *** The door to Captain Aria’s office stood right in front of me as a surge of anxiety filled my heart. The hallway was silent, silent enough that I could hear my own heart beating in my chest. I wanted, no, I needed to knock on the door, but despite me telling my hand to move, it just wouldn’t… All I could manage to do was stand there frozen. It was like I was being held down by Zeon’s spell again. A deep breath entered my lungs as I stood there with a distressed look on my face before I closed my eyes for a moment. In my mind, the shadowy, phantasmal figure of a man dressed in a black hooded cloak emerged, and in his hand was a staff with a black crystal embedded at the tip. He had a twisted smile on his face as he slowly pointed his staff at me before wisps of darkness gathered behind him to form an undead knight covered in old, scratched up armor with faded blue designs and a tattered cape. The shadowy figure and I stared at each other for a moment. A cold feeling of death swirled around in his eyes before he let out a crazed, yet absolutely silent laugh and disintegrated into wisps of darkness himself, disappearing into nothingness along with the undead knight. And then, I was alone once more. … You know better than anyone what you need to do, don’t you?… Everyone almost died because of you, because you weren’t strong enough to defeat the Sin of Envy, Zeon. You need to get stronger… So what are you afraid of, Halbert? You’re lucky Captain Aria’s right here to help you. Regnis and Zane don’t have that luxury, and yet I’m sure that they’re still trying their hardest to get stronger right now! They’re already far ahead of you! So how?... How the hell are you going to face them if you can’t even gather up the courage to knock on a door? How are you going to save anyone like this? I opened my eyes again and looked down at my right hand. It was trembling, trembling from my anger at my own weakness as I screamed at myself internally one last time. What kind of hero can’t even protect the people around him!? My hand slowly tightened into a fist before the trembling stopped. And finally, I moved. I raised my hand and knocked on the door as a burning resolve lit up in my eyes. ... Two weeks… You only have two weeks, and this time, you’re the one who has to catch up!
[Chapter 27] Figuring out How to Activate This Sacred Weapon Was a Breeze Spoiler Solria, Middle District, Irisveil Mansion (Aria POV) The sound of my steady footsteps softly echoed around the empty street as I stared blankly at the ground in front of me while walking home. My surroundings were tinted a light purple from the beautiful sunset behind me and a gentle breeze blew by, cooling down my head a bit as I let out a faint sigh before falling a little deeper into my own thoughts. It was just another lazy, peaceful evening with nothing to do except go home for dinner, but I had to admit, I was a bit sentimental right now. A while ago, Halbert came into my office to talk to me. When he showed up, I was still a bit flustered from my chat with Lillian, but I snapped out of it once I saw the serious look on his face. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but before I could even say a word to him, he fell to his knees to ask me for a favor He asked me to help him get stronger. At first, I was confused. After all, I was already training him, and as far as I knew, there wasn’t any emergency concerning the demon lord so there wasn’t any rush to get stronger, but despite that, I could hear the desperation in his voice as he quietly begged me for my help. So I asked him why he was in such a hurry. I was worried that something had happened with the demon lord, but Halbert’s answer was unexpected. It wasn’t complicated, or even related to the demon lord. All he said was a few words. ‘I finally realized that I have people I can’t afford to lose.’ That was it. And yet, that was all he needed. That alone was more than reason enough, and I knew that better than anyone because back in Delhurst, no, even now… I placed my hand over my heart and closed my eyes before quietly whispering to myself. “... I also have someone I can’t afford to lose… Someone who’s irreplaceable…” (Aria) The back of a familiar, white-haired figure emerged in my mind. And a moment passed before that figure turned around to face me. A pair of soft, golden eyes met mine and the figure smiled tenderly at me as I felt a faint warmth spread through me. … He’s an idiot sometimes, he’s lazy sometimes, and well, he’s dense a lot of the time, but in the end, he’s still… "... my one and only partner, isn’t he?..." (Aria) The edges of my mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards into a gentle smile as I opened my eyes again to see that I was already standing in front of the mansion. The gate creaked a bit as I entered, but I just ignored it and walked up to the front door. Then, I opened it. And my voice rang out as I entered the house. "Ky, I'm home." (Aria) The delicious aroma of food filled the house along with sizzling sounds from the kitchen as I saw Ky pop his head out from the kitchen entrance. “Oh, welcome back. In fact, perfect timing. Dinner’s almost ready.” (Kyle) I took off my shoes and put them down on the side as he walked out of the kitchen with his spatula in hand. “Alright, what’s for dinner today?” (Aria) I giggled at Ky before getting up with a smile. Well, looks like I’m pretty lucky. My irreplaceable person is right here, isn’t he? Always by my side, no matter what happens. “Oh. Right, speaking of which, sorry. It’s a bit sudden, but unfortunately, I’ll be gone for most of the next two weeks.” (Kyle) Eh? “Wait! Gone!? What do you mean!?” (Aria) I immediately ran over and grabbed Ky by his arm as he explained everything to me. “Well, long story short, I’m on break for the next two weeks, but my students asked me to help train them for the academy tournament coming up, so I’ll be conducting a training camp for them over the break. Oh, but don’t worry. I’ve already prepared everything for you, so you’ll have no problem even if I’m gone for a bit. There are enough meals to last a whole week in the fridge, and I’m sure you’re at least competent enough to reheat them by yourself. Even if you overcook it a little, it should still taste relatively ok. As for the house... well, there’s no way it can get too dirty while I’m gone, right?... Actually, wait. Let me correct myself. As long as it’s someone like you who’s reasonable and capable of cleaning up after herself, there’s no way the house can get that dirty... Ahem. Anyway, it’s only two weeks, and I’ll be back next weekend to check up on everything and make more food for you so I’m sure you’ll be fine. Now come on, let’s eat dinner before it gets cold.” (Kyle) Ky finished his explanation and patted me on the head before walking back to the kitchen as I fell to my knees with a defeated look on my face. What happened to staying by my side!? Royal Academy, Front Gate (Kyle POV) It was another beautiful autumn day. The sun was shining in the sky, and a gentle breeze blew by as I walked over to the front gate of the Royal Academy to meet up with Regnis and Sophie. There were still some students training here and there, and as expected, the training fields were just as busy as yesterday, but that didn’t matter because today we were going to take a trip to an adventurer town a little south of the capital. “Hey! Regnis! Sophie! Over here!” (Kyle) I spotted Regnis and Sophie standing near the gate and I called out to them while waving to get their attention. They both had backpacks on and were holding their spear and gun respectively as they waved back at me, and I ran over before asking them if they had everything they needed. “Did you two bring everything I asked you to?” (Kyle) “Yes, but are you sure this is all we’ll need?” (Regnis) “Yeah, just a week’s worth of clothes, a tent and sleeping bag, and our weapons seems like it might be a little lacking.” (Sophie) “Don’t worry, you have a seasoned adventurer with you who has more than enough supplies on him.” (Kyle) I smiled at Regnis and Sophie before pointing at the large backpack I was wearing. It was filled with my old adventuring equipment that I used when Aria and I were still running around in Delhurst, along with some special supplies for the training camp, and I even felt a bit nostalgic as I heard the rattle of my cooking utensils inside, but unfortunately, despite my enthusiasm, Regnis and Sophie still looked a little worried. “Well, even if our supplies are a bit light, I’m sure we’ll be fine. After all, we’ll be near a town too. And it’s not like we’re going to be gone for two weeks straight. We’ll be back in the capital for the weekend to restock on supplies. But anyway, before we set out, I’d like to drop by somewhere first.” (Kyle) “Eh? Where?” (Sophie) “A blacksmith. After all, we need to get some new weapons made for you two.” (Kyle) “Wait. New weapons?” (Regnis) Regnis and Sophie stared at me with confused looks on their faces as I nodded to them. “Yep. Well, actually, Regnis, you might be fine with your spear, but the main problem here is with your gun, Sophie.” (Kyle) “My gun? What do you mean?” (Sophie) “Well, the gun you have is a rifle, which, unfortunately, is not optimal for the one on one combat that you’ll be experiencing in the tournament. A rifle is more suited to long range, team-based combat, where you’ll have someone to distract the enemy for you while you attack them from afar, but in the tournament, you’re probably going to be restricted to just a small area with only you and your opponent.” (Kyle) Sophie stared at her gun for a moment before looking back up at me with a concerned frown. "Then what will I fight with? I haven’t really used anything other than a gun.” (Sophie) “Wait. Who said you need to change weapons?” (Kyle) “You did! You just said my gun isn’t good for one on one combat, so I’m changing to a new weapon, right!?” (Sophie) Sophie yelled at me as I scratched the back of my head sheepishly before replying. “Well, just because your particular type of gun isn’t the most suitable, doesn’t mean you need to stop using guns entirely.” (Kyle) “What are we going to do then?” (Sophie) Sophie crossed her arms and pouted angrily before I dramatically pointed at her with a proud smile on my face. “Simple. If your current gun isn’t optimal, then we’ll just have to design a new one for you.” (Kyle) As I mentioned my plan, I could see the curiosity light up in her eyes before she begrudgingly replied with a slightly excited tone. “Design a new one?” (Sophie) “Yeah. You said before that your gun was the latest in the Empire’s alchemical technology, right? Well, then we’ll just have to make another advancement! In fact, I already have a design in mind, and I refuse to believe that with our combined understanding of alchemy that we can’t at least create a functional prototype! But before that, we’ll need to have the physical frame for the gun made first, so we’re going to head over to a blacksmith to put the order in right now. That way it should be done by next weekend when we get back. And since we’re going to a blacksmith anyway, I thought why not have something made for Regnis too.” (Kyle) I turned towards Regnis as he stared at his spear for a moment. “So Regnis, would you like a new spear?” (Kyle) “I think I’ll be fine with this one. It’s a little… special to me, so I don’t want to replace it.” (Regnis) “Hmm, how about some new armor then?” (Kyle) “My armor’s still in good condition too, so honestly, I don’t think I need anything. Thanks for the offer though.” (Regnis) “Alright, suit yourself.” (Kyle) I shrugged before gesturing for Regnis and Sophie to follow me. “Ok, let’s get going then.” (Kyle) Solria, Shopping District (Sophie POV) The hustle and bustle of the capital’s shopping district surrounded me as Regnis and I followed behind Professor Kyle. Indistinct chatter from countless people was only drowned out by the sound of several carriages running through the streets, and I glanced around as my sense of excitement only grew stronger. Our small group of three squeezed our way through the crowds of people before finally, we arrived in front of what seemed to be a small blacksmith’s shop on the side of the street. A wooden sign above the entrance read ‘The Ironclad Forge,’ and Professor Kyle stopped in his tracks before barging in through the front door. Inside the quaint looking shop there was a large counter directly in front of us, while a variety of weapons and armor lined the walls. Behind the counter was a brown-haired boy with a pair of goggles on his head. He looked a little younger than us, and when he noticed that we entered, he called out to Professor Kyle with a friendly tone in his voice. “Oh. Hey, Ky. Welcome back.” “Hey, Lucas. How are you?” (Kyle) Professor Kyle waved at the boy, who waved back before answering. “I’m doing great.” “Where’s Uncle Grayhill?” (Kyle) “Well, he’s out on a delivery, so I’m stuck watching the shop by myself for now.” The boy laughed and exchanged some small talk with Professor Kyle before finally turning to me and Regnis with a curious look on his face. “By the way, Ky, who are they?” “They’re my students.” (Kyle) Professor Kyle pointed to us with a grin before Lucas readjusted the pair of goggles on his head and smiled at us as Regnis and I introduced ourselves. “Nice to meet you. The name’s Lucas. What are your names?” (Lucas) “Regnis.” (Regnis) “I’m Sophie.” (Sophie) “Well, welcome to The Ironclad Forge. The best smithy in the capital!” (Lucas) Lucas smiled proudly and gave us a thumbs up before turning back to Professor Kyle. “So, did you need another sword or something, Ky?” (Lucas) “Nope. I have to give my respect to Uncle Grayhill. That sword survived a lot more abuse than I thought it would, though it’s currently sitting in my room collecting dust.” (Kyle) Professor Kyle let out a dry laugh before changing the topic of the conversation. “Anyway, I’m actually here today to commission something for one of my students.” (Kyle) “Eh? What do you need us to make? A spear? Or, uh...” (Lucas) Lucas stared at my gun for a moment with a confused look on his face before Professor Kyle spoke again. “Umm, well, it’s a little hard to explain... I think just drawing the blueprints and showing you would be easier, so could I borrow a pen and some paper?” (Kyle) “Sure. Give me a second.” (Lucas) Lucas ducked behind the counter before pulling out a pen and a piece of paper. “Here you go.” (Lucas) “Thanks, Lucas. Just give me a second.” (Kyle) Then Professor Kyle turned to me with a serious look on his face. “Sophie, can I see your gun for a moment? I need to figure out how the alchemy circles in it work before I can implement them into the new design.” (Kyle) “Eh? Sure. Here. The alchemy circles are right under the panel on the side.” (Sophie) I handed my gun over to Professor Kyle and a moment passed by as he just stared at it intently from a few different angles before nodding to himself. “Hmm. Just as I expected…” (Kyle) What!? Did he already figure out how it works!? But he didn’t even see the circles yet! Could it be? Is his intuition as an expert alchemist just that good? I stared at Professor Kyle in shock and was about to ask him how he could tell how my gun functioned when suddenly, the serious look on Professor Kyle’s face disappeared and he cleared his throat with an embarrassed look on his face before sheepishly handing my gun back to me with a dry laugh. “Ahem. I have no idea how to open this thing...” (Kyle) I stood there for a moment at a loss for words as the realization that he just had no idea what he was doing shattered my previous sense of awe like a rock going through a window. Eventually, I let out a sigh and took my gun back before opening up the panel for him. Underneath the tube where the bullets were fired out, there was a long panel with decorative designs on it that opened up to reveal ten complex alchemy circles etched into the metal of the gun with enchanted ink, and I held the gun up to show them to Professor Kyle before starting to explain how each of the alchemy circles worked. *** A few minutes later, Professor Kyle pointed to the first alchemy circle that had a line drawn to connect it to the slot where monster cores were loaded. “Alright, I think I sort of get it now. So when the trigger is pulled, it activates this first circle, which draws out mana from the inserted monster core and channels it to the second circle, which then compresses most of it into the shape of a small sphere. If the mana from the monster core has an element, then one of the next six circles activates depending on what element the mana is and converts the rest of the uncompressed mana into non-elemental mana so that it can power the ninth circle, which launches the sphere at a high speed.” (Kyle) “Yep. And the tenth alchemy circle is there as a safety switch. The mana flow is in the opposite direction so it can immediately cancel out the process in case anything goes wrong with one of the previous circles, and thanks to the enchanted ink’s high mana attunement level, the whole system flows lightning fast and as smooth as butter.” (Sophie) “I see.” (Kyle) “Wait, stop. My head hurts.” (Regnis) “Uh, well, it sounds pretty cool…” (Lucas) Regnis rubbed his temples with a defeated look on his face while Lucas gave me a dry chuckle after I finished explaining the function of the last circle with a satisfied smile. “Well, I understand the basic idea behind each part of the system…” (Kyle) Professor Kyle held his chin and frowned slightly before immediately throwing his arms out in frustration and yelling at the ceiling. “... but why the hell are the circles so stupidly complex!? All it does is fire a ball of mana out of a tube, doesn’t it!?” (Kyle) “Of course they’re complex. Every circle has an incredibly specific function and it’s all part of a larger system where even a small mistake would result in total failure, so everything has to run perfectly.” (Sophie) “Urgh, fine. Then looks like I’ll have to change the new design a bit to compensate for the room that the alchemy circles will take. Umm, I guess I can make some extra room on the barrel, though it’ll be a bit heavier…” (Kyle) Professor Kyle let out a sigh and began to mutter to himself as he turned around and started drawing on the paper Lucas gave him earlier. “... Ah. Wait, can’t I just condense the system a little?... Right, I can just use that one circle… but is it compatible with modern alchemy?… Actually, I should leave enough room for the whole system anyway in case it doesn’t mesh too well with my alchemy… Eh. worst comes to worst, I guess we’ll just have to put the alchemy circles for the extra features on the handle or something...” (Kyle) A few more minutes passed as I watched Professor Kyle sketch out a strange shape before holding it up and turning around to show the new design off to me and Regnis. “Alright, Sophie. Here’s the new design for your gun.” (Kyle) The new design still had a vaguely similar shape to my gun, but the main body of the gun was considerably shorter. It was basically a long rectangular box about twice the length of the handle, and the actual tube to fire the bullets was on the upper half of the box whereas the lower end reached down past the trigger and merged with the trigger guard. The angle that the handle came off of the main body of the gun was also a bit different, with it being almost at a right angle, but the slot to insert monster cores was still above the trigger. It looked quite strange compared to my current gun, but an exciting sense of curiosity welled up inside of me again as I stared at the new design. “So you know how I said before that your rifle wasn’t very good for direct one on one combat?” (Kyle) “Yeah.” (Sophie) “Well, this type of gun is called a handgun, and it’s much more effective in a one on one situation. It’s smaller and lighter, which makes it easier to carry and handle compared to a longer gun like your rifle. It also only requires a single hand to use, which means you can wield two of them at the same time. I tried to make this design focus more on mobility and skill, but don’t worry, I didn’t forget about firepower. In fact, if everything goes according to plan, then theoretically, the new alchemy system will have an even higher potential output than the one in your rifle.” (Kyle) “Eh? A higher potential output?” (Sophie) “Yep. We’ll need to do some testing first with the new system, but that can come after we have the physical prototype in our hands.” (Kyle) An excited spark lit up in my eyes again as Professor Kyle nodded to himself before handing the blueprint over to Lucas. “The shape might be a little strange, but I’m sure you and Uncle Grayhill are skilled enough to handle it.” (Kyle) “Hmm, well, it doesn’t look impossible at least.” (Lucas) Lucas picked up the blueprint for my new gun and inspected it for a moment before turning back to Professor Kyle. “So what should we make them out of?” (Lucas) “Uh, I guess just steel would be fine. How long do you think it’ll take to make two of these?” (Kyle) “I can’t be completely sure, but... I think we can probably finish it in a few days.” (Lucas) “Perfect! I’ll be back this weekend to pick them up then. How much do I owe you?” (Kyle) “Umm, well… taking into account the material costs and… wait, what would be the cost of labor for something like this… Argh. Whatever, I’ll just put it on your tab when I figure out the final price.” (Lucas) Lucas let out a defeated sigh as Professor Kyle thanked him. “Thanks, Lucas! Tell Uncle Grayhill I said thanks too!” (Kyle) “Sure, no problem. See you later, Ky.” (Lucas) Lucas waved goodbye to Professor Kyle as the three of us finally left the shop. The sun was still shining bright and the noisy atmosphere of the shopping district enveloped us again, but somehow, the sound of Professor Kyle’s voice was still crystal clear as he turned to stare at the sky for a moment before calling out to me and Regnis with a smile. “Alright, come on, you two. I already reserved a carriage for us on one of the caravans heading south today, and they should be leaving in about an hour, so let’s get going.” (Kyle) “Yes, Professor Kyle!” (Sophie & Regnis) Royal Academy, Headmistress’ Office (Mari POV) The sound of pages being flipped was the only thing that broke the silence in my office as I sat there with a strange sight in front of me. Bowing to me in the middle of my office was one of the students from Ky’s class, Zane, but instead of his usual carefree appearance, this time, he held a long, metal staff in his hands and was wearing light training attire with the Church of Light’s symbol on it. A few moments passed, but he still didn’t say a word. All he did was stay there, frozen like he was a statue until finally, I let out a sigh and stopped filling out my paperwork before speaking to him. “So before we start, would you mind telling me exactly who you are?” (Mari) My voice had a tinge of coldness to it as it rang out, and after another moment, Zane responded quietly. “... So, they really didn’t tell you anything, huh?...” (Zane) “No, they didn’t.” (Mari) He took a deep breath before raising his head again while I continued to speak. “His majesty only requested that I teach you magic, and there was that high priestess from the Church of Light too, but she didn’t tell me anything that I couldn’t already figure out on my own. All she said was that I would be doing a great favor for the Church of Light by taking you under my wing and that you were someone extremely important, but I think the latter was obvious enough considering the fact that you managed to get a high priestess and even the Emperor himself to move on your behalf.” (Mari) I sat there with my arms crossed after finishing my little recap of what happened last night, and silence pervaded the room again as Zane grit his teeth before lowering his head a bit to stare at the ground. “Is your identity something I can’t know?” (Mari) “... No… even if it’s something I’ve been given... it’s still mine... and I have the right to decide who I tell…” (Zane) Zane raised his head again, but this time there was an unexpected determination burning in his eyes. His sight was unwavering as he stared straight at me, and my eyes sharpened in return as I spoke again. “Then, let me ask again. Who are you?” (Mari) “I’m… a fated ally for the God of Light’s chosen hero...” (Zane) “What? The God of Light’s chosen hero?” (Mari) “Yes, hero... I know this might be a bit much to take in right now, but… according to the God of Fate, a new demon lord will soon descend upon this world again... and the ones destined to defeat him are the hero along with his fated allies. I’m… one of those fated allies… ” (Zane) Zane had a bitter smile on his face as he explained everything to me, but I just stared back at him like he was a crazy person. “... You don’t believe me, do you?” (Zane) “No, I don’t.” (Mari) “Well, sorry, but if you’re looking for proof, then this is all I have...” (Zane) Zane held his staff out. “This was the sacred weapon that his highness, the God of Light gave me when I was chosen as one of the hero’s fated allies...” (Zane) His grip on the staff tightened a bit as I reached out towards him. Then he let go completely, and it dropped into my hand. The simple looking staff was unexpectedly light. It felt more like it was made of wood, yet it was still cold to the touch and shone with a shiny, silverish gleam just like metal. A few decorative patterns were etched along the whole length of the staff, and I inspected them for a moment before raising my head again with a skeptical look in my eyes. “How exactly is this a sacred weapon? It just looks like a fancy metal stick to me.” (Mari) “I’ll be honest with you, Headmistress Sylfey, even to me, it just looks like a fancy metal stick, but… I swear on my life that it’s a sacred weapon. When his highness handed it to me, he told me that there was a power hidden in the staff and I would only understand how to use it when the time came for me to. It’s just... that time hasn’t come yet... so, I have no idea how to use it. All I can say right now is please, believe me.” (Zane) Zane bowed deeply again as his voice quieted down, almost to a whisper. “... I need your help to get stronger…” (Zane) He was silent again after that, and I could even see him trembling a little as he stood there bowing. Should I believe him?... Well, he doesn’t seem like he’s lying, but it’s all a bit ridiculous, isn’t it? And even if what he’s saying really is true, I’m not too keen on venturing into the territory of heroes and demon lords… I stared at him for a moment before letting out a sigh. “You said this staff was your only proof, right? Fine, then let’s put that claim to the test.” (Mari) Zane stopped bowing as I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. A surge of mana burst out from within me, and it flowed into my right hand as I condensed it before delicately controlling it, almost like a thread. My mana swirled around in my palm, and when I opened my eyes again they were glowing hazily with a light green as the air around the room started converging inward while the sound of paper fluttering in the wind filled the room. The natural law of wind enveloped my right hand. And then, I touched the staff. I was honestly expecting nothing to happen, but instead, all of the natural law of wind concentrated in my right hand was instantly absorbed by the staff, and the designs on the staff lit up with the same hazy light green. The light jingle of a bell echoed out in my mind with an eerie clarity while what looked like an almost spearhead-like shape composed entirely of the natural law of the wind emerged from the tip of the staff. It glowed with a hazy light green too as wind began to rage around it like a small tornado. Then, I heard a strange voice echo in my mind with the same eerie clarity of the bell earlier. “... You are not the one chosen by the God of Light…” It sounded like the quiet whisper of a young girl, and after the voice stopped, the sound of a bell echoed out again. The natural law of wind in the staff completely dissipated as everything went back to normal, and silence returned to my office again before Zane ran up to my desk with a shocked expression on his face. “Headmistress Sylfey! What did you do!? H-How did you activate it!?” (Zane) “Well... I… just channeled the natural law of wind into it…” (Mari) “The natural law of wind!? Is that the key!?” (Zane) Zane started to ramble, but I just sat there for a moment and thought to myself while zoning out the rest of his nonsense in the background. I’m not the one chosen by the God of Light… That was the voice said, right? Which means… I came back to my senses before raising my head to see Zane staring intently at his hand while trying to concentrate wind-element mana into it. "Come on, Zane! Concentrate harder!" (Zane) … this idiot was telling the truth, wasn’t he?… I let out a tired sigh and took another moment to think over everything again before cutting Zane off with a calm voice. “Fine, Zane. I believe you now. And I’ll teach you magic too." (Mari) "Eh? Really!?" (Zane) "There's one condition though...” (Mari) I tossed his staff back to him and he caught it in a panic as I stood up from behind my desk and pointed at him with a stern look on my face. “... I don’t care if you’re one of the hero’s fated allies, or even the hero himself! If you want to learn magic from me, then you’ll have to follow my orders. No exceptions.” (Mari) After my declaration, I saw Zane freeze up, but after a moment, he saluted me as the determination from before returned to his eyes. “Thank you, Headmistress, no, Master Sylfey!” (Zane)
[Chapter 28] Birds of a Feather Flock Together Spoiler Outskirts of Adventurer Town Siel, Training Camp (Kyle POV) A breath of fresh air entered my lungs as I took in the beautiful scenery surrounding me while stretching my arms a bit. Spread out in front of me was a rocky clearing with a gentle waterfall, which emptied into a small, tranquil lake at the base. The faint breeze blowing by ruffled my hair and clothes a bit while bright sunshine sparkled off the soft ripples on the surface of the crystal clear lake, completing the serene atmosphere of the rocky clearing. Although, I will admit the peacefulness was slightly ruined by the sight of Regnis and Sophie desperately running back and forth across the clearing while covered in sweat… Ahem. Well anyway, a few hours ago we arrived in the Adventurer Town of Siel, a small town to the south of the capital. I remember staying there for a night when Aria and I were traveling to the capital from Delhurst, and while the town itself was actually quite ordinary, one of the mountains nearby was the perfect setting for our training camp. There was water here, there was a large clearing nearby with plenty of room, and it was far enough out of the way that we probably wouldn’t be disturbed. And anyway, if we’re talking about a training camp, it has to be on a mountain, doesn’t it? It’s almost a natural law of the universe at this point that training on a mountain increases the effectiveness of the training, especially for Regnis and Sophie, who have both had contact with main characters like Halbert and Raven. Some plot armor has probably rubbed off on them already and I’ve even assembled all the necessary training arc buffs for them. They’ve been in contact with two main characters, they’re training in the mountains, and I guess I count as an old master, right? Well, anyway, I’m even helping them cheat a bit, so I’m fully expecting that somehow they’ll defy every single expectation I have of them and learn some overpowered forbidden techniques through sheer willpower or something by the end of their training montages. I smiled and nodded to myself in anticipation before turning around to complete the aforementioned cheating device for Regnis and Sophie. Three small tents surrounded a fire pit and our backpacks were laid out on the side next to a few bags of supplies I bought in Siel, however, in front of me was something that seemed out of place for our quaint little camp. At my feet was a pool of warm water which I dug out and filled using alchemy earlier. It looked like just a small hot spring with nothing too special about it, but the key to its specialness was the blue, palm-sized alchemy stone I held in my hand. It was engraved with a series of complex alchemy circles, and a faint, hazy glow surrounded it as I held it in my hand. The alchemy stone was something I prepared yesterday for the training camp. Since today was the first day of training, I thought I would keep it simple, and just told Regnis and Sophie to just run back and forth across the clearing 100 times without body strengthening magic so they could improve their base physical strength. You see, the way body strengthening magic works is that it’s like multiplying your original strength and speed, so the higher your base stats are, the stronger and faster you’ll be with body strengthening magic. For example, if your body strengthening magic was at the level where it doubled everything and your base stats were at 10, then your body strengthening magic would raise them to 20, but if your base stats were at 15, the same level of body strengthening magic would raise them to 30 instead. Unfortunately, I can’t teach them how to use a higher level of body strengthening magic since I could never use it myself in the first place, and as for imbuing their bodies with a natural law like I did… Well, let’s just say even if they were at the level where they could manipulate natural laws, they probably wouldn’t be able to endure the insane amount of pain from the process so our best option right now is to do some physical training and raise their base stats to increase the effectiveness of their body strengthening magic. However, the problem is that eventually their bodies will give out from the constant physical strain and exhaustion, right? So that’s where this cheating device comes into play. You see, back when I had just been summoned to Aias, I used to do a lot of physical training with Kazuki since swordsmanship was my main method of fighting. But thanks to being a manaless, I usually had to train at least twice as hard as him to even have a chance of keeping up and as a result, I was no stranger to running out of stamina, passing out in the middle of training, and waking up the next day with crippling muscle pain from pushing my body to its physical limit. So in order to try and fix that problem, I did some research into alchemy circles that were related to healing. Eventually, I managed to find an alchemy circle, Revitalization, which relieved the target of all physical fatigue and restored them to a normal state, but unfortunately, just like healing magic, it also sapped the target of their vitality. Revitalization was basically the equivalent of borrowing energy from your future self, which was why it wasn’t used often except for urgent situations where your life was on the line. However, it was basically my only option if I wanted to even try and keep up with Kazuki’s insane rate of growth. And well, although it was kind of expected that his strength would skyrocket compared to mine with him being the chosen hero and all that, my pride, or I guess I should say my pettiness, wouldn’t let me just sit back and watch him run so far ahead of me... So I got to work, and after a few months of research and experimentation, I finally managed to modify it into a new alchemy circle which could use vitality from sources other than the person being targeted, and with a few other alchemy circles to help supplement its effects, it could even affect multiple targets through the use of a medium like, for example, a small pool of water. Unfortunately, I still had to find a source of vitality other than me to power it and since most external sources of vitality were extremely rare and expensive, running it was basically equivalent to burning money, but luckily, abusi-, ahem, utilizing my authority as an ally of the hero let me ‘convince’ the Church of Light to help me cover those expenses. I named the new alchemy circle Sanctuary of Revitalization, which I know is a pretty unoriginal name, but you know, a few months of constant research kind of wears out your creativity... Anyway, moving on, normally I would’ve needed to spend an astronomical amount of money to get enough objects with vitality stored in them to run this thing constantly, but wouldn’t you know it, turns out that we have someone here who coincidentally has an infinite amount of vitality, me. And the stone’s already starting to absorb some of my vitality from me just holding it, so if I activate it and let it absorb a ton, it should keep the thing running for a while. Hopefully, at least enough to help Regnis and Sophie get through the physical training I have planned for them. Well, there are also a few small side effects like having to eat a lot more to keep up with the amount of energy being used, but I turned out just fine after using it constantly for almost two years, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, right? And anyway, I brought my cooking utensils for a reason. What? Is it ethical to help them cheat like this? Well, trust me, if my experience with Kazuki was any indication, then they’ll need all the help they can get to even stand a chance against a main character like Halbert. In fact, I’m sure he’s off somewhere right now discovering some hidden bloodline ability or mastering a secret skill that he found on the side of the road one day. There’s no way they, Regnis especially, will be able to catch up to Halbert without some sort of boost. Besides, all I’m doing is relieving them of all their physical exhaustion, their mental exhaustion I can’t do anything about, so it’s really up to how strong their wills are to see if they truly can complete all this training I have planned. Just think of this as… accelerating their growth rate a bit. “Sanctuary of Revitalization, continuous cast, activate.” (Kyle) The moment I activated it, an intense blue glow burst outward from the stone and I felt it violently absorb as much of my vitality as it could before I dropped it into the pool. At first, the glow pierced through the water too, but after a second, the alchemy stone sunk to the bottom and the glow slowly dissipated as the water finally calmed again. For a moment, I felt slightly lightheaded as I stood there staring at the small pool, but after sitting down on a nearby rock and taking a few deep breaths, the lightheadedness disappeared and I was back to normal. The sight of Regnis and Sophie running back and forth filled my field of vision again as I let out a sigh before quietly talking to myself. “Well, it’s all up to you two now... Honestly, I didn’t think both of you would last this long, but it looks like I’ve underestimated you two. You’re both keeping up, so give it all you’ve got and show me what you’re made of.” (Kyle) The edges of my mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards into a smile as I watched them try their hardest to continue running, and for the faintest of moments, I really believed that they would complete the first task of my hellish training schedule with ease. Then, Sophie tripped and fell over. Ah. Regnis stopped running and started to slowly walk over to see if Sophie was ok, but after he made it about halfway there, his legs gave out from exhaustion and he fell over and collapsed himself. I sat there at a loss for words for a moment before getting up and walking over to the middle of the clearing to go help them. “... Well… On the bright side, at least they lasted until I finished setting up everything, right?...” (Kyle) Royal Academy, Headmistress’ Office (Mari POV) The sound of pages being flipped echoed through the room for a moment before being drowned out by my voice as I called out to Zane. “Zane, are you finished with the academy seal? Also, how much longer are you going to take with the approval forms for those budget requests? They were supposed to be done as soon as possible!” (Mari) “E-Eh? Wait, didn’t I leave the seal on your desk earlier? And I’m going as fast as I can with the approval forms!” (Zane) I raised my head a bit to stare past my desk. Zane was sitting on the floor surrounded by piles of papers. He scrambled around looking for the academy seal in a panic before I stopped writing for a moment and let out a sigh. “How am I supposed to get anything done if you’re going to take this long with just some simple approval forms?” (Mari) “How am I supposed to go any faster!? There’s way too many! I’m only about halfway through them all, and I still have to double-check all the math afterward! Give me another hour at least!” (Zane) Zane cried out in indignation as I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples while mentally rescheduling everything I needed to do after taking Zane’s speed at filling out paperwork into account. “Well, hurry up then. I don’t have all day to teach you magic, you know.” (Mari) “What kind of teaching is this!? I’m just helping you do your work! All you’ve done so far in terms of actually teaching me magic was tell me how to cast that first circle wind spell yesterday!” (Zane) “Well, why do you think we’re rushing to finish everything? It’s so I can clear up next week to teach you full-time. What? Did you think I would just drop everything and immediately start to train you all day just because you came in and asked? I have things to do too, so the longer you take, the less time I’ll actually have to train you afterward. Also, that first circle wind spell I taught you has a name! It’s called Zephyr Gyre, and it’s my own original spell, an evolving spell with infinite potential! You’re lucky I even showed you how to cast it in the first place, and the fact that you can’t push it past a first circle spell means that your skill at controlling mana is terrible!” (Mari) “Well, where am I supposed to find the time to even practice it if you’re making me do all this paperwork? I have to sleep too, you know!” (Zane) Zane continued to rummage through the piles of papers around him as I slumped over on my desk before letting out a tired groan. “Ugh… Well, this wouldn’t be a problem if you just finished everything I gave you on time like Ky did. If he were here, he would’ve finished the approval forms, reviewed the entire budget, and made me a cup of tea by now…” (Mari) “Well, I’m not Ky! Besides if he would've finished everything faster, then why didn't you get him to help you instead?” (Zane) “I would’ve if I could, but he ran off yesterday with Regnis and Sophie for a training camp or something.” (Mari) I pouted after grumbling about Ky’s absence for a moment, but surprisingly, what answered my grumbling wasn’t another remark from Zane like I expected. Instead, the sound of papers fluttering slowly died down and I looked over to see that Zane had stopped rummaging through the piles of papers around him. He had a serious look on his face as he stared at his own empty hand in front of him while quietly mumbling to himself. “... so he’s with Ky…” (Zane) “Hey, stop slacking off and get back to work.” (Mari) I called out to Zane again, but he just pushed around a few piles of papers, pulled out the academy seal, and tossed it over to me while still staring at his open hand in silence. I immediately sat back up and caught it before yelling at him for throwing it over so suddenly, but the moment I said a word, Zane cut me off with a quiet resolve in his voice. “Oi-” (Mari) “You said Zephyr Gyre was an evolving spell, right?...” (Zane) I sat there for a moment before I answered Zane with a confused look on my face. “What?” (Mari) “Regnis is training with Ky, right? And Halbert is probably with his master right now. Those two are already charging straight ahead, so how am I going to catch up to them like this?” (Zane) His open hand tightened into a fist for a moment before he turned to me and raised three fingers. “Three days. I’ll raise Zephyr Gyre to the second, no, the third circle within three days! And I’ll finish the approval forms right now too! Just give me half an hour! Now come on, let’s finish this before we waste any more time!” (Zane)` Zane began to sort through the approval forms again with a burning determination in his eyes as I facepalmed. There’s no way he’ll be able to make it to the third circle in three days. Maybe the second circle if he’s lucky, but he would need a miracle to make it to the third circle! If I say anything though, he’ll probably lose all his motivation to keep working! A moment passed before I slumped over on my desk again with an exhausted sigh. Reina, where are you? I miss you already! The Goddess of Love’s Divine Domain, Eliza’s House (Reina POV) “Lady Eliza, I finished cleaning the house.” (Reina) A light sigh of relief left my mouth as I walked over to the sofa where Lady Eliza was lying down and reading a book. She flipped to the next page before turning away from her book to look at me. “Oh, you did?” (Eliza) A moment passed by as Lady Eliza slowly sat up before glancing around the living room. “Alright, looks clean to me. Nice job, Reina.” (Eliza) “Thank you, Lady Eliza, but… what do I do now?” (Reina) “Hmm. Well, Olivia should be back with Sera soon, so I guess just take a break for now. After all, it’s probably better if you rest for a bit before learning magic from Sera.” (Eliza) “Um… I know I asked this before already, but are you sure it’s ok to have her holiness come over to teach me magic?... I mean, she’s a Goddess, isn’t she? I feel like I’m wasting her time asking her to come over and teach me magic…” (Reina) I fiddled around with my fingers nervously as Lady Eliza just slumped back on the sofa before reassuring me. “Trust me, it’ll be fine. Despite the way she acts, Sera loves slacking off, so there’s no way she’ll give up the chance to come over and cut work for two weeks to teach you magic. Besides, what are you scared of? She might be a Goddess, but you’re the one and only Magical Girl of Love, aren’t you? So don’t worry, it’s not like she’ll bite or anything.” (Eliza) Lady Eliza let out a chuckle before starting to read her book again as I pulled my fist close to my chest and closed my eyes. Anxiety and fear, those were the two emotions that swirled around in my heart knowing that I was about to meet another Goddess, but despite my unease, I tightened my grip on the broom in my hand. Lady Eliza’s right. I’m the one and only Magical Girl of Love… and I need to get stronger. Strong enough to protect the people important to me! I opened my eyes again, and this time, they shone with radiant determination as I nodded to Lady Eliza. “Ok.” (Reina) I walked over to the closet to put the broom back before making my way over to the kitchen to take a small break and prepare myself. *** “Come on, Reina. You can do this...” (Reina) I hugged my staff a little tighter as I whispered to myself while Lady Eliza and I waited at the empty ritual grounds in the backyard for Lady Olivia to return. A light breeze blew by the picturesque scene, making my hair flutter for a moment before suddenly, a magic circle formed on the floor in front of us. Here she comes! A blindingly bright light shone outwards from the magic circle as I held my arm up to shield my eyes before I heard an unfamiliar voice ring out. “Eliza, I’m here. Where’s the kid I’m supposed to be teaching?” It was a woman’s voice, dainty and light, yet somehow tinged with a hint of feistiness to it. And after a moment, I finally lowered my arm to see who it was as Lady Eliza called out to her nonchalantly. “Oh, hey. You’re finally here, Sera. Been a while, hasn’t it?” (Eliza) The first thing I saw was a familiar sight, Lady Olivia, but behind her was an unknown young woman with a confident smile. She had silky black hair which was tied into the shape of a short folded ponytail and her eyes were a brilliant vermillion red while her outfit consisted of a sleek, sleeveless robe the same color as her eyes as well as two slim, light-purple arm covers that spanned from just below her shoulders to her wrists. A combination of ethereal elegance and liveliness radiated out from her as she stood there for a moment with her hand on her hip before answering Lady Eliza. “Yeah, it has. By the way, why didn’t you tell me sooner that the obnoxious idiot finally left? He was so annoying, especially after he opened up! I liked it a lot better when he barely opened that aggravating mouth of his. Honestly, I don’t know what you two both saw in him to fall for him like that.” (Sera) Eh? Fall for? Her holiness crossed her arms and let out a disappointed sigh before Lady Olivia cut in with a slight blush on her face. “Ahem. Lady Sera, I know it’s been a while, and I’m happy to have you over again as well, but please don’t just openly reveal our personal matters like that!” (Olivia) “Eh? Reveal? Wait. Does the kid not know?” (Sera) Her holiness glanced at me with a confused expression for a moment before the edges of her mouth curved upwards into a mischievous grin as she poked Lady Olivia to tease her. “Oh? Are you embarrassed about your little crush on that idiot? It’s ok, we’re all friends here, aren’t we? And the kid’s gonna find out eventually, so why not just tell her now?” (Sera) Her holiness shrugged playfully before turning around to face me again, but before she could even say a word, Lady Olivia instantly grabbed her holiness’ shoulder and stopped her. Lady Olivia had a scary smile on her face and her grip tightened as she spoke with a threatening tone in her voice. “Lady Sera, Lady Eliza asked you to come over to help teach wind magic to Reina, right? Well, it’s understandable if you want to relax a little before starting, but if all you’re going to be doing here is gossiping about my personal matters, then perhaps I should send you back to your own divine domain so you can finish up the rest of the work that you just handed over to Lady Kris before coming over.” (Olivia) Her holiness froze up for a moment before turning to Lady Olivia again, this time with a panicked look on her face. “Wait! I’m sorry, Olivia! Don’t send me back! Kris is still angry at me because of that time I went down to the main plane to mess around a few years ago, she’ll kill me if she finds out I dumped all that work on her again to come over and slack off! L-Look, I’ll start teaching her right now.” (Sera) “Then get to it! Honestly, you and Lady Eliza are exactly the same. You’ll both take any chance you can to skip work, hmph.” (Olivia) Lady Olivia’s scary smile finally faded as she crossed her arms and pouted before she and her holiness walked over to me and Lady Eliza. “Alright, Reina. Lady Sera here will be teaching you wind magic, and while I can’t speak for her personality or work ethic, at least her skill at wind magic is top-notch. Also, speaking of work ethics, thanks to a certain someone lazing around all the time, there’s still some work I need to take care of, so I guess I’ll leave you under Lady Sera’s watch for now.” (Olivia) Lady Eliza let out a dry chuckle and avoided eye contact as Lady Olivia turned to her before letting out a tired sigh. “Anyway, if you need me, I’ll be in the study room like usual, so good luck, Reina.” (Olivia) “Thank you, Lady Olivia.” (Reina) Lady Olivia smiled gently at me before entering the house, leaving me and Lady Eliza with her holiness. “So I guess you’re the kid that I’m supposed to be teaching. Reina, right?” (Sera) “Y-Yes, your holiness!” (Reina) I immediately straightened my back and saluted her holiness while Lady Eliza energetically stepped forward to introduce me. “Yep. She’s my new heroic spirit trainee, the Magical Girl of Love, Reina!” (Eliza) “Magical Girl of Love? What’s that?” (Sera) Her holiness stared at me in bewilderment for a moment before Lady Eliza explained what a magical girl was while making a few punching motions in the air to mimic the action of a fight. “Well, a magical girl is basically a mysterious hero who uses the power of her magical staff to transform and battle against the forces of evil in the name of love and friendship! Think of it as a heroic spirit with a secret identity. Come on, show her your transformation, Reina.” (Eliza) Eh? Lady Eliza turned to stare at me with a shining, expectant look on her eyes as all of my determination from before immediately shattered while an embarrassed blush spread through my face at just the thought of showing off my costume to another person, much less one who happened to be a goddess. “D-Do I have to? It’s embarrassing!” (Reina) “Of course you do! What kind of magical girl doesn’t transform? Besides, what are you embarrassed about? You’re the one and only Magical Girl of Love chosen by yours truly, aren’t you? So stand proud, and don’t forget to pose when you finish the transformation sequence!” (Eliza) Lady Eliza grinned at me as I dropped to my knees in defeat before slowly getting up again with a flustered face and channeling mana into my staff to activate it. A ball of pink mana formed in the middle of the hook of the staff and music started playing from seemingly out of nowhere as a bright pink light enveloped my body before shattering like glass to reveal me dressed in my magical girl uniform, posing shakily as tears flowed from my eyes. “Tada! Isn’t the design for the uniform cute? I designed it myself!” (Eliza) Lady Eliza closed her eyes and nodded to herself with a satisfied smile while her holiness just stood there and stared at me awkwardly. “I mean, the costume looks fine, maybe a little too frilly for my tastes, but that’s not the problem. She’s supposed to have a secret identity, right? Shouldn't she have a mask or something too so everyone can’t see exactly what she looks like?...” (Sera) “Ah.” (Eliza) A moment of awkward silence passed by as Lady Eliza stood there and stared blankly into space before turning to me again with a worried look on her face. “Quick, Reina, I need to design a mask for your costume!” (Eliza) “Eh?” (Reina) Lady Eliza stared at me intensely to inspect my costume before patting me on the shoulder and making a declaration with a determined look on her face. “Don’t worry, Reina, I’ll get the design for your mask done by the end of the week! In fact, I’ll redesign the whole costume! Sera, I leave Reina to you for now!” (Eliza) Wait! Lady Eliza! Lady Eliza promptly ran back into the house with gusto, leaving another awkward silence between me and her holiness before suddenly, her holiness called out to me. “I guess I should start by actually introducing myself.” (Sera) She crossed her arms as a light breeze blew by, making her hair flow lightly in the wind as her crystal clear voice rang out again. “I’m the Goddess of Fire, Sera Kuon. Nice to meet you, Reina.” (Sera) “W-Wait, Goddess of Fire? With all due respect, your holiness, aren’t you supposed to be teaching me wind magic?” (Reina) “Well, I might be the Goddess of Fire, but that doesn’t mean my wind magic is weak. After all, I’m a True Ancestor Phoenix, so my mastery of wind is second only to my mastery of fire.” (Sera) Eh? P-Phoenix? I scanned over her holiness a few times, but no matter where I looked, there were no feathers or anything. She just looked like a normal person. “Actually, I guess in terms of my physical body, I’ve already completely transformed into a human a long time ago, even before I became a Goddess, but technically, I’m a sacred beast since my original form was a True Ancestor Phoenix. Although, as much as I loved my original form, I have to admit, it really was a pain in the butt to do anything! Being a human is much easier. I’m not gigantic anymore, I don’t accidentally set things I touch on fire, and having actual hands is great! There’s a reason every sacred beast eventually ends up trying to turn into some sort of person. It’s just way too convenient.” (Sera) Her holiness waved her hand a few times to dismiss my concerns before continuing. “But anyway, that’s enough about that. Since I’ll be your magic teacher for now, you can just call me Master Sera. I’ve heard enough of ‘your holiness this’ and ‘your holiness that.’ It’s annoyingly formal, and all it does is remind me of work!” (Sera) “Y-Yes, Master Sera!” (Reina) Master Sera spun around and stared at the open field behind the ritual grounds for a moment before calling out to me again as I hugged my staff. “Alright, I guess we should get started then.” (Sera) “W-What should I do, Master Sera?” (Reina) I hugged my staff a little tighter as I asked Master Sera about what our first course of action would be, but she just ignored me and took a step forward before holding her hand out towards the ritual grounds. Instantaneously, wisps of wind tinted with the same brilliant vermillion red as her eyes materialized from seemingly nothing. Then, the red wind swirled and churned around us like a storm as I held up my arm to block my face from the raging tempest before suddenly, all the wisps rapidly converged right above Master Sera’s palm to form a slightly transparent red feather that subsequently burst out in a blazing flash of flames. After a moment, the air around us finally calmed down and Master Sera turned around to face me again with a smile on her face. “Well, first I need to know what level your affinity with wind is at, so here, eat this.” (Sera) Eh? I stared at the burning feather in Master Sera’s hand for a moment before she urged me to eat it again. “I can’t come up with a lesson plan unless I know what level your affinity with wind is at.” (Sera) “W-W-Wait! How will eating this help me figure out my affinity to wind!?” (Reina) “This is an original spell I’ve developed that artificially refines your body. After you eat it, you’ll pass out for an hour or two and the spell will burn away any internal impurities. It does have a small side effect though where you randomly emit elemental mana during the process, mostly fire-element.” (Sera) I’ll explode! I’ll definitely explode when I eat it, won’t I!? “Luckily, it’s not really a side effect for us, since I can tell what level your affinity with wind is by sensing the concentration of any wind-element mana your body emits. Also, there might be a few hallucinogenic dreams while you sleep, but I’m sure you’ll be fine… Probably…” (Sera) Master Sera took a step closer to me, but I immediately backed away as I hugged my staff a little tighter and called out in a trembling voice again. “I-Is there no other way to figure out my affinity with wind!?” (Reina) “Well, there are a couple other methods that I know, but they all take way too long, and most of them require that you stay constantly focused too, so this is the quickest and easiest way! Not only that, but you’ll also be getting physically stronger without even trying, so we won’t have to put that much effort into training your body strengthening magic either. Now come on, we don’t have all day. Look, it’s even strawberry flavored!” (Sera) Master Sera stepped closer again as I started to slowly back up towards the door to the house before opening my mouth to refuse. However, it seemed like that was my first and final mistake. “I- Ack!” (Reina) The moment I opened my mouth to speak, Master Sera’s hand instantly shot forward and shoved the flaming feather into my mouth. An intense strawberry flavor immediately gushed out from the feather and covered every last corner of my mouth as an incredible sense of drowsiness started to overwhelm me. Why is the strawberry flavor so strong!? Then, a strange sense of weightlessness enveloped my body before I felt a cozy warmth surge through me. It swirled around inside of me and spread out to every last inch of my body as I faintly heard Master Sera’s voice ring out one last time before passing out. “See, I told you it tasted good.” (Sera)
[Chapter 29] Omelettes Are Earned Not Given Spoiler Dream (Reina POV) I slowly opened my eyes. In front of me was emptiness... An endless expanse of blank white spread out as far as I could see and a quiet peace blanketed the surroundings as I took a moment to reorient myself. … Where am I?... I glanced around, hoping to find something to help me understand my current situation, but there was nothing. Nothing except empty, white space. … What?... Still in a groggy daze, I stumbled forward, but as soon as I took two steps… it was like reality itself shattered. The endless white around me shattered like glass into countless pink fragments of light to reveal a brilliant night sky filled with twinkling stars. I stared blankly into the darkness that stretched infinitely in every direction before finally, I snapped out of my stupor and looked around in a panic. Then, gravity changed. It spun, swirled, reversed. And I desperately reached forward as if I was trying to grasp at something that could save me from the chaotic weightlessness, but unfortunately, there was nothing. Pink light started to ripple outwards from me as I tumbled aimlessly through the almost abyss-like sky. I opened my mouth to scream, yet the only thing that came out was silence before gravity shifted once more. I was suddenly propelled downwards again as I looked up and saw the moon of this endless night sky, faintly radiating with a gentle moonlight as it floated peacefully amongst the stars. Pink flames suddenly ignited from the nothingness around me. They enveloped me as the turbulent wind rushed past my ears, making my hair and clothes flutter while I started to accelerate. Then, I spun around in midair before starting my descent from the heavens headfirst like a pink meteor streaking through the night sky. But as I shot downwards, it was like the sky started to rotate. The moon slowly lowered, hiding behind the horizon on my left side while simultaneously, the sun slowly rose from the horizon on my right side. I raised my arm to shield my eyes from the radiant sunlight as it illuminated the clouds below me with a faint mixture of pink and orange. It was strange. I should’ve been terrified. After all, I was in an unknown, incomprehensible sky all by myself, falling from an unknown height. Yet, for some reason, none of it mattered to me. All I could think about was how warm the gentle, ethereal sunlight felt, how breathtakingly beautiful the endless night sky above me looked, how soft and fluffy the clouds below me seemed. What filled my heart wasn’t fear, it was surreal tranquility. And after a moment, I gave in to that tranquility. I lowered my arm and slowly closed my eyes as I continued my freefall towards the clouds. The tender warmth of the sunlight, the faint sound of the wind brushing past my ears, the quiet, mellow serenity of the sky, I just absorbed it all for a moment before gradually losing consciousness again. The Goddess of Love’s Divine Domain, Ritual Grounds (Reina POV) When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the clouds floating in the afternoon sky and I sat back up before glancing around at my surroundings. Then I heard Master Sera’s voice ring out again. “Oh, you’re awake, Reina. How do you feel?” (Sera) I was currently in the middle of the ritual grounds and crouching by my side was Master Sera. In her hands was my staff, and the feathers lining the hook of it were softly glowing with a vermillion red as she stopped inspecting them for a moment to stare at me with a slightly curious look on her face. “I feel… calm.” (Reina) A sense of serenity filled my mind as I took a deep breath. Fresh air entered my lungs and energy spread out to every last inch of my body before I stood up. “... Like my body is somehow lighter.” (Reina) “Good. Try casting a spell.” (Sera) Master Sera pointed towards the empty field past the ritual grounds. I turned towards the empty field and held my hand out in front of me. A spell, huh?... How about Storm Arrow then? The mental image of an arrow made of wind filled my mind as I was about to cast the simple, second circle wind spell, but as I stared out at the open field, something inside me told me to stop. Then, as if by some unknown instinct, I closed my eyes and stood still. The gentle breeze blew by, making my silky hair flutter lightly as I started to gather wind-element mana inside of me before inhaling another breath of fresh air. And after a moment, I released it all. I exhaled, and the wind-element mana inside of me surged into my arm almost instantaneously. Strange. It’s never flowed this smoothly before. The mana rocketed through my shoulder and straight to the tips of my fingers like a raging stream as I finally opened my eyes again to see three light-green circles in front of my open hand. They spun rapidly before a spear composed entirely of wind-element mana emerged from the center of the three magic circles and shot into the distance at an incredible velocity. After a moment, it struck the ground and an explosion of air burst outward from where it landed. Eh? Wait, wasn’t that supposed to just be a Storm Arrow? The last bits of my previous calmness finally disappeared as I stood there in shock for a moment while Master Sera walked over to my side. “Alright, it looks like you’ve successfully refined your body, but I do have something to ask you, Reina.” (Sera) “Eh? What is it?” (Reina) Master Sera stared at me again with the same curious look she had before. “Have you ever used fire magic?” (Sera) “Eh?” (Reina) I stared back at Master Sera with a blank face before immediately jumping to the worst conclusion. Wait, I’m learning wind magic, right? C-Could it be? Is my affinity with wind so bad that it isn’t even worth it to teach me wind magic!? After a moment, I collapsed to my knees with a despondent look on my face. “N-No... I-Is my affinity to wind that terrible?” (Reina) I raised my head to look up at Master Sera as tears began to form in my eyes, but what I saw was a confused Master Sera. “Terrible? What are you talking about? Your affinity to wind is one of the strongest I’ve seen in a while.” (Sera) Eh? “S-Strongest!? (Reina) I slowly got up again before staring at Master Sera with my own mixture of anxiety and confusion. ”T-Then why are you asking me about fire magic?” (Reina) “Because somehow your affinity to fire is even higher.” (Sera) “E-Ehhhhh!?” (Reina) “I have no idea why, but your affinity to fire is incredible. In fact, I think yours is on par with some of my heroic spirits. I was wondering why you wanted me to teach you wind magic.” (Sera) “W-Wait!? It’s that high!?” (Reina) “Yeah. At the level your affinity to fire is at, it should be significantly smoother for you when casting fire magic. How have you never even noticed?” (Sera) How have I never noticed?... Ah. Umm… now that I think about it... Have I ever really tried studying fire magic?... “Err, well, everyone in my family specializes in wind magic, and my mom and dad always told me I was great at it. So... I always just kind of thought it was my specialty too... I mean I’ve used some basic, first circle fire spells before, but every first circle spell is kind of easy to use, isn’t it?…” (Reina) I twiddled with my fingers in embarrassment for a moment as Master Sera’s expression slowly shifted from being at a loss for words to pity. “W-Wait! Don’t stare at me like that! I swear, I’m not stupid!” (Reina) My eyes started to water again as Master Sera let out a disappointed sigh before suddenly tossing my staff back to me. I caught my staff in a fluster and the glow faded from the feathers as her voice rang out again. "Well, whatever. I heard from Olivia that the reason you wanted to learn wind magic from me was to get stronger." (Sera) “Y-Yes!” (Reina) I immediately snapped back to my senses and plastered a serious look on my face as my grip tightened on my staff. “... I need to get as strong as I possibly can." (Reina) “Then, I guess we’ll change the lesson plan a bit. You’ll be learning fire magic, and I guess we can work on your wind magic too later. But with your affinity to fire, you should have zero problems understanding everything even if I just show it to you once, so it’s less work for me anyway.” (Sera) Master Sera shrugged nonchalantly as I answered with a determined look in my eyes. “Yes, Master Sera!” (Reina) Outskirts of Adventurer Town Siel, Training Camp (Sophie POV) I slowly sunk towards the bottom of the small pool of water as I felt mana slowly seep through me followed by a strange warmth. It spread outwards from the center of my body to the tips of my fingers as the warmth melted away the fatigue, and after it completely enveloped me, I gently opened my eyes again. Rays of faint sunlight shone through the crystal clear water as I floated peacefully for a moment before finally snapping back to my senses. …. Eh? Wait... Despite the tranquil scene and how refreshed I felt, my current situation was... a bit of a difficult one... My mouth opened, releasing what little air I had left in a burst of bubbles as I immediately started to panic after realizing I was underwater again. And after flailing around for a bit to regain my sense of balance, I started swimming upwards. The sound of splashing water was the first thing I heard after I surfaced, and I hacked out a few coughs before glancing around. It was currently sunset and everything was illuminated with a soft lavender sheen as Professor Kyle stared back at me with a relieved look on his face while crouching at the side of the pool. “Oh. You’re awake, Sophie. You took a while this time so I was starting to get worried that something had happened.” (Kyle) “If you were so worried, then why did you dunk me completely underwater in the first place!? I almost drowned this time! Can’t you at least leave my head above water next time!?” (Sophie) “Err, well, if you aren’t completely submerged, then the effects of the pool won’t affect your whole body. After all, the pool only works when you come into contact with the water. And besides, the drowning isn’t even that bad once you get used to it.” (Kyle) Professor Kyle nodded to himself as I pushed my wet hair out of my face before crying out in indignation again. “Can’t I just keep my head underwater for a bit after I wake up then!? All I have to do is come into contact with the water, right? So what’s stopping me from just taking a small dive after I’ve woken up?” (Sophie) “Ah.” (Kyle) For a moment there, I repressed my urge to strangle Professor Kyle as he abruptly stopped nodding to himself like he suddenly had an epiphany before answering in a slightly nervous tone of voice. “A-Ahem… As expected of you to come up with such an ingenious plan the moment I mentioned the problem, Sophie, but I’ve definitely, one hundred percent already tried that before, and uh... it didn’t work well. It was… too slow! Y-Yeah, it was too slow since you had to wake up first, then keep your head in the pool for a while, effectively doubling the time it takes to recover! B-But after thinking about it again, we’re not in too much of a rush. So starting tomorrow, how about we try using your method instead. Haha…” (Kyle) Professor Kyle let out a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. You definitely just realized, didn’t you!? Water dripped off my body as I pulled myself out of the pool with an angry look on my face before suddenly, the growl of my stomach echoed out. Ah. It seemed like reality finally caught up to me as I felt a wave of hunger spread through me despite my body being full of energy. My anger faded as a bit of embarrassment took its place, and a slight blush spread through my face while Professor Kyle got up and stared into the distance behind me. “Oh, right. It’s been a few hours. You two should be getting hungry about now.” (Kyle) Professor Kyle turned back to me with a strangely passionate grin on his face. “Well, you’ve been working hard non-stop, so I guess it’s my turn to put in some effort. Just go dry yourself off and take a break for now. I think you’ve earned it. I’ll go get Regnis then make us some dinner. Don’t worry, even if we’re out camping in the middle of nowhere, I swear on my pride as a chef that it’ll still be delicious. The least I can do is feed you two well after you’ve given it your all today.” (Kyle) Professor Kyle swung his arm around to loosen his shoulder as he walked past me before making his way over to Regnis who was still running, but looked like he was on the verge of collapsing. “Alright! The passionate flames of my chef’s soul are burning bright again!” (Kyle) “What?” (Sophie) *** It was like time slowed down to a crawl for me. Each second that ticked by felt like minutes, no, hours as I sat there in agony, and even the exhausting pain from running until I collapsed earlier was nothing compared to the torture I was currently experiencing. Reflected in my eyes was the soft, orange flicker of the campfire, a stark contrast to the beautiful purple twilight of the night sky, yet I couldn’t care less about it if I wanted to. The entire world around me could have crashed and burned at this very moment and I probably wouldn’t even have noticed. The only thing on my mind right now was the campfire right in front of me. The simultaneous source of both my endless torment and my fondest hope. Set up around the campfire were a few fish skewers. Drool leaked out from the side of my mouth as the fragrant aroma of grilled fish filled the air around me, making my hunger pangs feel more like punches directly to my gut. With every breath, my stomach was screaming at me to just give in to my instincts and rush over to completely devour the fish, but somehow I was just barely able to restrain myself for what seemed like an eternity until finally, my salvation arrived. “Three. Two. One. Perfect.” (Kyle) Professor Kyle’s voice rang out as he pulled out some light seasoning and sprinkled it over the fish skewers, making the aroma just that much more enticing. And before I could even let out a word, Professor Kyle handed the freshly seasoned fish skewers over to me and Regnis with a confident smile. “Sorry to keep you two waiting. Unfortunately, it’s a little simple, but I still tried my best to make it as delicious as possible, so here, eat up. I’ll make some more in the meantime, so don’t worry too much about running out.” (Kyle) I stared at the fish skewers in Professor Kyle’s hand like a predator eyeing its prey as I slowly wiped my drool away before finally snapping and giving in to the rumbling of my stomach. Every muscle fiber in my arm tensed up as I immediately swiped two fish skewers and finally took the long-awaited first bite. “Ah. Wait! Careful, it’s hot!” (Kyle) My teeth sliced through the incredibly tender fish with ease as I tore a chunk out of its side like a frenzied animal before suddenly, my sense of taste was overwhelmed. It was like time froze for me as a tsunami of deliciousness surged through to every last corner of my mouth. The taste was beyond heavenly. It was on a whole other level compared to anything else I had eaten before. The subtle blend of seasoning perfectly complemented the succulent taste of the grilled fish which was cooked to perfection. It was like everything melted together in my mouth, and the only thing that kept me from instantly devouring both skewers in my hands was the burning sensation left behind after I swallowed it. I immediately opened my mouth and stuck my tongue out to try and cool it down, but after taking only two quick breaths, I couldn't resist my stomach anymore. One more bite… Just one more bite! I started to bring one of the fish skewers closer to my mouth again, however, this time I felt someone stop me. Professor Kyle grabbed my arms and held me back as my stomach let out another rumble while I tried to chomp at the fish skewers in vain. “Sophie! Stop!” (Kyle) “Let me go! I just want another taste! Just one more!” (Sophie) “You’ll burn your mouth! You can eat as much as you want in a bit! Just let it cool off first! Wait! Regnis, not you too!” (Kyle) “I’m sorry! I can’t help it!” (Regnis) Professor Kyle’s grip on me loosened as he presumably shifted his attention to Regnis before I finally managed to wiggle one of my arms free and take another bite of fish. I tore another bite of fish off the skewer before experiencing heaven once again as I couldn’t help but shed a few tears from finally reaching the end of my arduous torment. Although admittedly, maybe a bit of it was from the burning sensation in my mouth... Eventually though, I swallowed the second bite. And it was then that I realized I wanted more. Just one more bite wasn’t enough. I needed another one, no, another two! My grip tightened on the fish skewers in my hands as I stared at them before strengthening my resolve. I don’t care if my mouth is on fire, I’ll cool it down with the taste of fish! Outskirts of Adventurer Town Siel, Training Camp (Kyle POV) It was another beautiful sunny morning. The sun was shining high, making the water sparkle like diamonds, the morning dew still clung to the grass around us, and a breath of the crisp, cool mountain air entered my lungs as I stared at Regnis and Sophie lined up in front of me. “Alright, how do you two feel?” (Kyle) Regnis stretched his arms a bit while Sophie looked down at her legs. “Honestly, much better than I thought I would.” (Sophie) “Yeah. After all that running we did yesterday, I was expecting to be much more exhausted.” (Regnis) Well, looks like the pool is still working fine so plan A is a success. Kicking the training up a notch and pushing them to their physical limits multiple times a day shouldn’t be a problem. I guess I should give them a little more motivation though, otherwise, they’ll reach their mental limit fast. “Good.” (Kyle) I smiled at them and was about to continue when suddenly, Sophie raised her hand. “I have a question though.” (Sophie) “Eh? What is it?” (Kyle) I stared at Sophie with a slightly confused look on my face as her eyes twinkled brightly for a moment. “When are we having breakfast?” (Sophie) Regnis’ eyes sharpened the moment the word ‘breakfast’ was mentioned as both of them started to emit an aura of raging curiosity. “Eh? Breakfast? Well, I was planning to start cooking it after you two did some warm-up exercises.” (Kyle) “Warm-up exercises? No problem. What are we going to do?” (Regnis) “Heh heh. Well, yesterday, I went a little easy on you two to help you get used to the type of training we’ll be doing for the next week, so get ready to constantly be reaching your limits starting today. We’ll start it off with some more running. Just run around another 100 times or so like you did yesterday. You two should be faster now, so it shouldn’t take too long compared to yesterday. And don’t worry if you collapse, I’ll throw you into the pool right away so give it your all again.” (Kyle) Just running around again shouldn’t be too hard, right? I mean, judging from the width of the clearing, it’s only a little more than what I used to run every morning back when I was training. I gave the two of them a thumbs up, however, it seemed like they didn’t exactly share the same level of enthusiasm as I did. “Urgh.” (Sophie) Sophie flinched a bit and let out a small groan of dismay as Regnis seemed to get a little pale after presumably remembering the suffering they endured yesterday. “Um, how about we just have breakfast first? We can run at any time, but we can only have breakfast in the morning, right?” (Sophie) “Yeah, any later and it becomes lunch instead.” (Regnis) Sophie let out a dry chuckle as Regnis nodded in agreement while the color returned to their faces. Oi! Where did all your determination go!? What happened to getting stronger to show everyone you can protect yourself!? What happened to catching up to Halbert and Zane!? Ugh. Looks like they’re already closer to their mental limits than I thought… Guess I’ll have to find something to bait out their courage again. Well, they seemed to be pretty intent on eating breakfast, so let’s try that. Sorry, you two, but since you both intend on being lazy, it looks like my only option left is to go full instructor from hell. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before plastering a serious look on my face to get into character. It seemed to work though since they immediately perked up and stared back at me in silent anticipation. “I don’t know what kind of training you two have had before, but if you think that you’ll get through mine without putting in any hard work, then you’re sorely mistaken. If you want breakfast... then you’ll have to earn it.” (Kyle) My cold voice rang out with a sting as I held up two fingers before continuing. “In two hours, I’ll start making breakfast, and if you don’t finish by the time I’m done cooking... then you won’t get any.” (Kyle) Regnis and Sophie looked devastated once I mentioned there would be no breakfast if they didn’t finish in time, and after a moment, they slowly collapsed to their knees in despair as I turned around before dropping the fake expression for a genuine, nervous one. Crap! Was that too much? I didn’t think they would just give up so easily! In fact, with the amount of actual interaction they’ve had with main characters like Halbert and Raven, they’re, at a minimum, members of the major supporting cast! Their willpower should be the one thing they have that’s somehow endless... Should I give them more time? I was about to turn around again and make an excuse to extend my previous time limit when suddenly, I heard Regnis’s voice ring out from behind me. It was a little quiet, but for some reason, it seemed like every word was filled with deep resolve. “It’s just another 100 laps, right?” (Regnis) “Y-Yeah, basically.” (Kyle) “I see.” (Sophie) Eh? Wait... I immediately put on a serious expression and turned around again to see what was going on, but what greeted me was the sight of Regnis and Sophie slowly getting up with raging flames of determination burning brightly in their eyes before they both took a deep breath and started to sprint madly towards one side of the clearing. I couldn’t keep my excitement from showing on my face anymore as a victorious grin replaced the serious expression on my face while they ran off. Yes! Hook, line, and sinker! Outskirts of Adventurer Town Siel, Training Camp (Sophie POV) It was like my lungs were on fire. Every breath I took just made the stinging pain in my chest worse, and my sweat drenched me as I struggled to even move my legs anymore, but even so, I strained my body to keep on going. I had to keep going because... my breakfast was on the line! I still vividly remember the taste of the grilled fish from yesterday. The fragrant aroma, the juicy tenderness, the explosion of deliciousness! I’ve already lost count of how many times I’ve collapsed so far, but I don’t care if I have to run until I collapse a million times, I swear I’ll taste that kind of heavenly flavor again if it’s the last thing I do! Besides, I’ll be fine after floating in the pool for a bit anyway! I grit my teeth as I pumped all my remaining energy into my legs to take a few more steps forward before finally, my body gave out and I fell over again. *** When I finally opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw was the sun shining in the clear, blue sky. A few clouds slowly floated inwards from the edges of my vision as the morning sunlight warmed my face slightly. I silently drifted in the tranquil waters for a moment, taking soft breaths as a familiar warmth melted away the aching pain in my body before finally, I snapped back to my senses. I immediately scrambled to stand up before glancing around. The sound of splashing water mixed in with the pleasant chirping of the mountain birds as I turned to my side to see Professor Kyle standing by the campfire with a cooking pan in his hands while Regnis was sitting nearby with an expectant glint in his eyes. I wasn’t sure about how long it had been since we started running, but looking at the current situation, it seemed that we finished in time. Professor Kyle was about to say something after noticing that I woke up, but before he could even say two words, I immediately cut him off with a sparkle in my eyes similar to Regnis. “Welcome ba-” (Kyle) “What’s for breakfast, Professor Kyle?” (Sophie) “Oi, calm down. You didn’t even finish healing yet.” (Kyle) “I’ll finish in a moment.” (Sophie) My eyes sharpened with determination as Professor Kyle just sighed and mumbled to himself for a moment before finally answering my question. “Well, we can’t exactly have fish for all three meals every day, so I was thinking maybe omelettes.” (Kyle) “Omelettes are fine.” (Regnis) Regnis nodded to himself in anticipation as I dunked my head underwater for a moment to finish recovering before leaping out of the pool and running over to the campfire with an expectant look on my face and an excited smile. “Alright, I’m ready for omelettes!” (Sophie) “I need time to cook!” (Kyle) The Goddess of Love’s Divine Domain, Ritual Grounds (Reina POV) I slowly exhaled one last time as I finally opened my eyes and swung my staff forward while letting out a light shout. “Ei!” (Reina) I felt it. The flaming mana flowing through me was a relatively new sensation, yet for some reason, it was strangely familiar. Like it had always been there, but it was only now that I noticed. It raged from the core of my body, through my arm, and into my hand before finally being absorbed by my staff. The soft shine of my unwavering, sky blue eyes contrasted brilliantly against the radiant, vermillion red glow of the feathers lining the top of my staff as I stared past my staff at the open field in front of me while mana from my staff concentrated on a single point in the distance. Five magic circles appeared where I concentrated my mana. Each one was the same dazzling vermillion color as the glow of the feathers on my staff, and they all rotated rapidly in opposite directions before the name of the spell I was casting echoed clearly in my mind. Ignition Burst. Suddenly, an enormous explosion of flames burst outward from the center of the magic circles, engulfing the space a few feet in every direction. The grass near the explosion was all instantly burnt into ashes and I held up my arm to shield my face from the wave of warm wind that followed the thunderous roar of the spell. After a moment though, the air finally calmed down and most of the fire disappeared as I lowered my arm to see a crater with a few residual wisps of flame still rising from it. “Oh. That was a pretty good one. I’d give it a solid nine. What do you think, Sera?” (Eliza) “Nine? No way! That was a seven at best. Her mana control was good, but that was way too weak for half her total mana pool. She even has that staff you made with those feathers that I gave you ages ago. The explosion should’ve been at least 50% bigger.” (Sera) Lady Eliza’s and Master Sera’s voices rang out from behind me as I leaned on my staff and let out an exhausted breath before turning around to see both of them sitting at a small table a few feet away. Lady Eliza was in the middle of drawing what I assumed was the new design for my costume while Master Sera waved towards me. “Come on, Reina. Put a little more effort into the next one.” (Sera) Was that still not good enough!? How much longer will I have to do this!? “It’s already been over a day since you finished refining your body. If chantlessly casting an easy fifth-circle fire spell is already giving you trouble, then how are you going to control the natural laws of fire by the end of the week? At this rate, we won’t even get time to work on your wind magic before the tournament or whatever that you mentioned. So try a little harder.” (Sera) “... augh… Y-Yes, Master Sera.” (Reina) I let out a tired whimper as I shakily replied to Master Sera before Lady Eliza let out a devious chuckle. “Heh heh. Don’t worry, Reina. Worst comes to worst, just ask your aunt to push the tournament back a week or two. After that, it won’t matter how strong you are because I’ll definitely get your new upgraded costume done by then, and I’d like to see someone even try to break through the defense of a costume that’ll be designed and enchanted by yours truly! Muahahaha!” (Eliza) “... Thank you, Lady Eliza, but there’s just one problem with that plan.” (Reina) “Eh? What’s wrong?” (Eliza) Lady Eliza’s evil laugh finally died down as she turned to me with a curious glint in her eyes while I stared back for a moment with a blank smile on my face before taking a deep breath and screaming into the sky. “There’s no way I’ll wear something so embarrassing to the tournament!” (Reina)
[Chapter 29.5] Detective Lillian Is on the Case! Spoiler Royal Academy, Headmistress’ Office (Mari POV) “Urgh.” (Mari) The sound of a short groan left my mouth as I leaned backward a bit in my chair before slumping on top of my desk face first. I sat there for a minute, taking in this rare moment of silence as I rolled around slightly. The sound of pages being flipped had been a constant in this room for the last few days, but right now, the only thing I could hear was the sound of the birds chirping peacefully outside. It seemed that everything good was destined for an end though because as much as I wished I was one of those birds outside singing their songs without a single care in the world, unfortunately, I was an adult with way too much work and responsibility. And after a few more moments of my much needed break, I finally lifted my head again with a sigh to see the disappointing reality around me again. The gentle morning sunlight shone in through the windows, illuminating the piles of papers scattered around my office as I blankly stared off into space. The will to work that I had so painstakingly built up over the past few minutes of rest immediately poured out of me like water being squeezed out of a sponge. And after a few moments, I was back to feeling lazy as I turned to stare at the clock on my wall before banging my head against the table again. “... Where the hell is Zane?... He was supposed to show up an hour ago…” (Mari) It was quite a nice day today, which only made it feel that much worse that I was stuck in my office doing paperwork alone. It wasn’t even like I could just finish the paperwork up quick and go relax either. The annual academy tournament was already a big event for the academy, but with the influx of so many talented students this year, the amount of requests from the teaching staff has grown exponentially. I mean, with the level of talent our first-year students have shown so far, I can at least understand the increase in requests for the first-year tournament, but even the second-year and third-year tournaments have been riddled with pleas for more resources. Well, I guess this was bound to happen with the increase in budget thanks to our current golden generation of first-years, but I didn’t expect to have to rush everything so much because of Zane. Another sigh left my mouth again as I tilted my head upwards a bit to stare at my office while still laying on my desk. In a way, I’ve already committed myself to this kind of work with the hiring campaign last summer, haven’t I? But back then I at least had Ky to help me finish a lot of it. His sarcastic remarks were a little annoying at times, but I’ll admit, he’s definitely reliable when it comes to getting paperwork done… and well… I guess it was nice having him around to keep me company too. A slight feeling of lethargy was starting to spread through me as I continued to procrastinate when suddenly, I saw someone slam open the door. “Ah.” (Mari) I immediately jolted up again before I saw Zane walk in with bags under his eyes. “Oi! You’re an hour late! How are we going to finish in time for your training like this?” (Mari) I yelled at Zane, but he just stared into space for a bit before walking towards me slowly like a zombie. “Hey, are you even listening!?” (Mari) I was about to continue chastising him when suddenly, he held out his hand and started to chant in a low voice. “Wind of eternity, break free and spiral beyond this endless sky. Zephyr Gyre.” (Zane) As soon as he finished his chant, three magic circles formed in his palm and began to spin in unison as gusts of wind began to gather from every corner of the room, scattering piles of paperwork everywhere before converging into a vortex in the palm of Zane’s hand. And after a moment, he compressed it all into a sphere about the size of his hand as I stood up in shock. “What!?” (Mari) Unfortunately, it seemed like Zane was out of mana though since the sphere of wind dissipated as soon as I got out of my seat, but even if he was only able to hold it for a moment, what I just saw was undoubtedly a third-circle Zephyr Gyre. Yesterday he was still struggling with the second-circle! Did the hint about rotation I gave him yesterday push him that far already!? I was about to ask Zane about how he went from first to third-circle seemingly overnight, but the moment I opened my mouth again, Zane’s voice rang out. “... Heh, I told you I’d get it to third-circle, Master Sylfey...” (Zane) Then, he dropped his arm, fell backward, and collapsed on the floor behind my desk. “Zane, what happened!?” (Mari) I immediately ran behind my desk to check up on him in a panic, but after checking his breathing and vital signs, it seemed like he just passed out. I let out a short sigh of relief before sitting there as the sound of fluttering papers finally died down. Well, from the looks of it, he just passed out from exhaustion. But judging from the bags under his eyes, he probably practiced Zephyr Gyre all night instead of sleeping! After deducing how Zane raised his Zephyr Gyre to third-circle, silence filled the room again and I started to mumble to myself about what to do next. “Urgh. Even if he got to third-circle, we’re gonna be behind with the tournament preparations at this rate… And since he passed out, I’ll have to make up for his portion of today’s work too...” (Mari) After a moment, I stood up again and resigned myself to my fate as I let out an exhausted sigh, but when I raised my head and finally looked around the room again, it was then that I finally realized. “Ah. Wait!” (Mari) Zane’s Zephyr Gyre had made a mess of my office and scattered paperwork everywhere, which meant… … I had to reorganize everything too… I fell to my knees with tears in my eyes as I thought about how much extra work I would have to do now. “... Where are you Ky? I won’t mind a few more sarcastic remarks if you help dig me out of this bottomless pit of paperwork…” (Mari) Solria, Middle District, Irisveil Mansion (Aria POV) The sound of birds chirping was the first thing I heard when I woke up, and I slowly opened my eyes to see the sunlight shining in through my window. After a moment though, I finally sat up in bed. The sunlight was still blinding me a bit as I rubbed my eyes and let out a yawn, but all in all, it was another peaceful morning. Although, there was something, no, someone missing from this typical morning in the Irisveil household. It was like I was waiting for him to open the door and call me down for breakfast, to hear his voice again and have him gently wake me up, but the reality is... that Ky isn’t here today. And I’ll admit, I never realized just how empty it was without Ky here. It wasn’t like I had never lived by myself before, in fact, I lived by myself for a long time after my father passed, and even after I left the capital, I lived alone for another year in Delhurst before I met Ky. Living alone never really bothered me back then, so... I wonder why it’s so lonely right now. The only thing that’s changed is that my house is bigger. My eyes drifted from the window revealing the sight of the beautiful blue sky outside down to the blanket covering me as I hugged my knees for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. There was a strange silence to the house, and I could feel my heart beating as a sense of loneliness slowly overcame my lethargy. I guess after living together with Ky for so long, I’ve forgotten just how it was to be all by myself again... A few minutes passed as I sat in bed contemplating what to do next, but eventually, I decided to just get ready for work. I let go of my knees and turned to sit on my bedside before getting out of bed and standing up. Looking around my room, I could see the morning sunlight illuminating everything as I walked over to my desk to pick up something very important to me. Sitting on my desk was a hair clip that looked like a small white flower. I picked it up and held it in my hand before staring at it for a moment. The sunlight reflecting off of it made it gleam as I held it, and admittedly, it felt a little cold in the palm of my hand, but still, to me, it was warm in a different way. The edges of my mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards into a small smile as I gripped the hair clip and closed my eyes before taking a deep breath. After a moment, I exhaled and opened my eyes again as I felt the cold loneliness in my heart subside a bit. Well, Ky will be back this weekend, won’t he? It’s only three more days until he’s back. That’s not too long, right? He’ll be back before I know it. Besides, I have other things to worry about right now. Everyone will probably be waiting for me at the barracks if I’m late, and I still need to help Halbert get stronger, so I should probably go warm up something for breakfast, then pack my lunch instead of sitting in bed and feeling lonely. I made my way over to the door and took one last look at my room before closing it and walking to the bathroom to fix my hair before getting ready for work. Solria, Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Lillian POV) “Hmm…” (Lillian) I peeked my head around the corner of the wall as I stared curiously at the scene in front of me. Arrows flew and flashes of blue lightning crackled through the training field behind the barracks as the rookie was sparring with Charlotte, but despite the flashiness of the battle before me, my focus wasn’t on them. Instead, I was spying on Captain Aria who was observing the spar between them. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with her, but for some reason, it seems like she’s been a little depressed over the last few days. At first, I thought it was just my imagination since her stone-cold demeanor was the same as always, but over the last three days, my intuition was screaming at me that there was something wrong. And after looking a little deeper into it, there was definitely something off about her. Ever since Alain and I found out about her real personality, she’s been slowly trying to interact more with everyone in the squad little by little, but the last few days, it felt like she’s pulled back again. She hasn’t been talking as much and I even spotted her eating lunch outside by herself yesterday while silently staring into the sky, which coincidentally also brought me to the biggest clue, her lunch box itself. For the last few days, her lunch box has been different. The way it’s packed was different from her usual lunch box, which immediately tipped me off to my first suspect, Ky. I haven’t seen him since he delivered Captain Aria’s lunch last week, and unfortunately, the only person who knows about what he’s been up to recently is Captain Aria herself. My current hypothesis was that something happened with her relationship with Ky, but with no way to contact him directly, my only option right now was to keep observing Captain Aria. I continued to stare at Captain Aria from behind the wall as I held a small notepad in my hands and thought about any leads that her behavior could give me. A few more moments passed as I watched her before I suddenly heard Alain’s voice ring out behind me. “Hey, Lillian, what are you doing?” (Alain) “Kyah!” (Lillian) I let out a surprised shriek before immediately covering my mouth in a panic to not blow my cover. After pulling Alain back behind the wall, I glanced over at Captain Aria again, but luckily she didn’t seem to hear my shriek over the noise from the spar. After watching her for a few more moments to reassure myself that I was still unnoticed, I signaled to Alain to be quiet before whispering to him as he stared at me with a confused face. “Alain, be quiet. Don’t let Captain Aria notice us.” (Lillian) “Eh? Why? What happened?” (Alain) Should I tell him? Well I guess he already knows about Captain Aria’s true personality too, so it wouldn’t hurt, and to be honest, any help at all would be nice… Now the question is, will he believe me? “Well, it’s mostly my intuition for now, but I think something happened between Captain Aria and Ky. It’s a little hard to tell, but she seemed to be bothered by something these last few days, and it doesn’t look like Ky has been making her lunch like he normally does.” (Lillian) After a few more moments of explaining the situation and my suspicions to Alain, he took a second to think about it before reorienting himself to hide behind the wall too. “I’ll help you out then, Lillian. After all, how could I face my little angel, Lucy if I don’t even help out when my friends are in trouble. And anyway, we can’t let Captain Aria crawl back into her shell like before. Now, what do we do?” (Alain) “Hmm…” (Lillian) I closed my eyes as I stood there for a moment going through all the options we had at our disposal. Well, one option is to tell everyone else, but Charlotte, Edward, and the rookie don’t know about Captain Aria’s real personality since she still mostly keeps up the act in front of them, and I don’t think Captain Aria would like us telling them all the truth... I don’t think just spying on her the whole day would actually help much either since I've already watched her for the last few days and her schedule seems to be full with training the rookie for now... I guess our only option is some sort of confrontation, huh? But we can’t just do it at any random time, she won’t open up for real unless she’s alone like she was at lunch yesterday, which means one of us will need to keep everyone else busy somehow while the other talks to her to weasel out some more information. After thinking through our limited options, I explained the plan to Alain. “I think our best option is to try and get some more clues by talking to her, but since only we know about her real personality, I don’t think she’ll let up her act unless she’s talking to one of us. Which means we’ll need to keep everyone else busy while we talk to her. My plan for now is that one of us will keep everyone else away while the other person tries to talk with her.” (Lillian) “Sounds good to me. I’ll be honest though, I don’t think I’m the best person to talk to her when it comes to delicate emotional matters like this. You would probably be better at that, Lillian, so let me try and take care of everyone else.” (Alain) “No problem. Anyway, Edward and Charlotte shouldn’t be too hard to keep away, but it seems like Captain Aria has been mostly training the rookie these last few days though, so he’ll be the biggest problem. We need some way to separate them for at least a few minutes so I can talk to her. Any ideas?” (Lillian) Alain stood back and took a few moments to think before turning back to me with a confident look in his eyes. “I think we can try it in a little bit. I heard from Edward that he was going to head out to the shopping district in about an hour or two, so I’ll just tag along with him and drag Charlotte and the rookie with me too while you stay behind and talk to Captain Aria.” (Alain) “Perfect.” (Lillian) “Alright, I’ll give you the signal later then. I swear by my little angel, Lucy, that we’ll save Captain Aria if it’s the last thing we do.” (Alain) Alain pumped his fist with determination and I couldn’t help but smile a bit as a sense of camaraderie bubbled up in my heart. “Yeah. Let’s split up for now. You go work on convincing Charlotte to go, and I’ll keep an eye on Captain Aria until then.” (Lillian) “I’m on it.” (Alain) *** This is your chance, Lillian! I walked down the hallway before stopping in front of the door to Captain Aria’s office. A moment passed by as I took a deep breath before gathering my resolve and putting a smile on my face. It was just past noon, and Alain made sure everyone else set off for the shopping district a few minutes ago. The whole building was silent except for the faint sound of the birds chirping outside, which was subsequently drowned out by the sound of me knocking on the door a second later. “Captain Aria, are you there?” (Lillian) “Yeah. What happened, Lillian?” (Aria) After I heard Captain Aria respond, I slowly opened the door to find her sitting at her desk with her lunch box on top of the table. It seemed like she was about to eat lunch by herself again. Looks like Ky didn’t make her lunch today either… After glancing at her lunchbox, I closed the door behind me and walked over to Captain Aria’s desk. “Were you about to have lunch, Captain Aria?” (Lillian) “Yeah. Halbert went out to the shopping district with everyone else earlier, so I thought that I would be efficient with my time and eat now instead of later when I could be training Halbert. Actually, I thought you went with them too.” (Aria) The moment Captain Aria answered, my eyes sharpened a bit as countless possible responses ran through my head before I finally decided on being a little more direct. I can’t waste this golden opportunity that Alain gave me. Even at this very moment, the clock is ticking down. It’s now or never! “Umm, well, I decided to stay behind this time. Heh heh.” (Lillian) I let out a light chuckle and scratched my head sheepishly before continuing. “Oh, speaking of which, your lunchbox looks a little different than usual today.” (Lillian) “Eh?... Err, well, I had to pack it myself today. I guess it’s not the same as Ky’s after all, huh?” (Aria) Captain Aria finally dropped her act a bit as she answered in a slightly forlorn tone. I knew it! I plastered a surprised expression on my face as I reignited my determination before continuing. “Did something happen with Ky? I thought he made you lunch every day.” (Lillian) Here we go! This is it! “Well, he’s out of the city until this weekend, so I’ve been packing my own lunch recently.” (Aria) Eh? Out of the city?... That’s it!? I thought it was something way more serious! Wait, could it be? After hearing the truth, I couldn’t help but let my actual surprise show on my face as I lost all restraint and let my true thoughts slip. “Wait, so you mean you were just lonely!? I thought something terrible happened between you and Ky, and that’s why you looked so sad these last few days!” (Lillian) “E-Eh?” (Aria) Captain Aria stared blankly at me for a moment before an embarrassed blush rocketed through her face. “W-W-Was it that obvious!?” (Aria) Captain Aria immediately slammed her head onto the table in embarrassment to hide her face as I stood there for a moment before going into a panic after realizing what I just said. “Ah. Umm, c-calm down, Captain Aria! It wasn’t that obvious! I-In fact, the only reason I even noticed was because my intuition told me you seemed a little down! I don’t think anyone else realized anything at all!” (Lillian) A few more minutes passed as I tried my best to console Captain Aria and it was only after a while that we both calmed down and it seemed like Captain Aria was finally willing to at least face me again, albeit still with a bit of an embarrassed blush on her face. She slowly raised her head again as I stared at her with a wry smile before I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “What? What is it? Do I really seem that lonely!?” (Aria) Captain Aria barked at me with an aggrieved tone in her voice like a sad puppy as I took a moment to get some control over myself again and managed to stop laughing. “No, it’s just that… I couldn’t help but laugh after seeing you so flustered.” (Lillian) A few more giggles leaked out of my mouth before my voice rang out with a gentle tone. “But, you know what?... I’m glad that you’re ok, Captain Aria.” (Lillian) The sides of my mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards into a beaming smile thinking about the situation, and I continued to talk with Captain Aria until everyone else returned from the shopping district. Solria, Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Aria POV) A sigh left my mouth as I stared at the purple sunset outside my window. A few hours had passed since everyone came back from the shopping district, and now, it was about time to head home for dinner. I finished training with Halbert a few minutes ago, and another day had gone by in a flash, but judging from the silence permeating throughout the barracks, it seemed like everyone had already set off for home. A few more moments passed by before I left my office and walked around the barracks to check that everything was ok. After making sure everything was locked up properly, the only thing left to lock was the front door. The sound of my footsteps echoed as I walked through the empty hallways, and a slight sense of loneliness crept up on me again as I finally entered the front lobby. But when I opened the front door and stepped outside, I saw something unexpected. “Ah, finally! There you are, Captain Aria, we were all waiting for you!” (Lillian) “Yeah, hurry up, Captain Aria. At this rate, we’ll be late for our reservation.” (Charlotte) “I don’t think we need to rush Captain Aria too much… After all, the reservation is for eight o'clock, right?” (Halbert) “Yeah. Don’t worry, Captain Aria, we still have plenty of time.” (Edward) “Hmm, well, I think we should still try to get there before it gets dark.” (Alain) Lillian was standing on the path leading to the barracks and waving at me with a smile as Charlotte stood behind her while Alain, Edward, and Halbert were gathered near the front gate. “Wait, didn’t you all go home?” (Aria) “Nope. Sorry about the short notice, Captain Aria, but tonight we’ll all be having dinner together, including you.” (Lillian) A gentle breeze blew by as I stared back at everyone smiling at me, but for some reason... it felt more like it was a warmth melting away the loneliness that had just crept up on me. A moment passed by before I turned around, and despite my best efforts to keep up my blank face… I couldn’t help but smile as I locked the front door. Sorry, Ky… I know you worked hard cooking all that food for me, but... it looks like I’ll be having something else for dinner tonight.
[Chapter 30] Back Pain Is the Nemesis of a Dignified Knight Captain Spoiler Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Halbert POV) “Are you ready?” (Aria) The sound of Captain Aria’s calm voice rang out across the empty training field as I faced my opponent and took a stance before confirming that I was prepared to start the spar. “I’m ready.” (Halbert) Reflected in my eyes was Vice-Captain Edward and in the background nearby, I could hear the rest of the 7th Squad Knights faintly cheering me on. “Go get him, rookie!” (Alain) “Give it your best shot!” (Lillian) “If you beat Edward, it’ll bump your score up a bit!” (Charlotte) The sound of their cheering gave me a bit of courage, but after a moment, I took a deep breath and quietly emptied my mind to focus all of my attention on the fight. I watched intently as Vice-Captain Edward took a stance before confirming he was prepared to start too. “I’m ready.” (Edward) A greatsword with a crystal clear blade and an elegant looking longsword were the only things between me and Vice-Captain Edward. The noontime sunlight rained down on us, making the sharp edge of Vice-Captain Edward’s blade glimmer while mine glistened beautifully as Captain Aria’s voice rang out again. “Then, begin!” (Aria) The second Captain Aria announced the start of the spar, I immediately activated my body strengthening magic with a short chant while Vice-Captain Edward chantlessly activated his in response. “Grant me the strength to go beyond! Body Strengthening!” (Halbert) I have a long way to go before I can activate my body strengthening magic chantlessly like Captain Aria and Vice-Captain Edward can, but I’ve at least managed to shorten the chant down to one phrase! Mana flooded my body as everything suddenly felt lighter and my kinetic vision sharpened. Then, I put strength into my legs and kicked against the ground, dashing towards Vice-Captain Edward. The distance between us closed in an instant as I made a quick slash at his waist. The instant before my sword made contact, I quickly channeled mana through it and activated mana edge to sharpen the blow, however, the sound of clashing metal that echoed in my ears when I dashed past him told me that Vice-Captain Edward had blocked it with ease. Didn’t work, huh? Well, I expected that. After all, everyone in the 7th Squad Knights is incredibly strong. I know the best that I’m the weakest out of all of us, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up so easily! The moment my foot touched the ground, I immediately spun around while twisting my body to take another swing at Vice-Captain Edward. “Haaah!” (Halbert) But it ended with the same result as the last swing. Vice-Captain Edward blocked it with ease as I shifted my legs again to return myself to my normal stance while Vice-Captain Edward called out to me. “You’ll have to do better than that, Halbert. Show me how much stronger you’ve gotten!” (Edward) The moment Vice-Captain Edward finished speaking, light-element mana instantly burst outward from his sword, solidifying into a yellow coat of mana that covered the blade as he counterattacked by swinging towards me. Here it comes! His signature technique, Luminous Stream! The moment our blades clashed, a strong impact entered my arms through my sword as I took a step back before Vice-Captain Edward transitioned into another swing at me from overhead. I held up my blade and blocked it, but he just instantly shifted into another swing that I followed up to block again before the cycle repeated over and over again while his sword left streaks of light in the air as an afterimage. After a few moments, our swords had clashed dozens of times and sweat was dripping down my face as I rolled out of the way to just barely dodge a swing. The intense pressure from Vice-Captain Edward’s assault finally eased up when I managed to get out of his attack range, but I was already starting to run out of stamina and my instincts were telling me that it wasn’t over. As soon as I got up, I could see him readjusting his stance before his body started to lean forward again. If this keeps up, I won’t even get a chance to strike back. I’ll definitely lose in a battle of attrition. I have to break through his defense with one big hit! I calmed down the turmoil in my mind and inhaled another breath of the cool air while realizing what I had to do to win. However, that was easier said than done. After all, my hands were already slightly shaking from blocking Vice-Captain Edward’s sword technique and my legs were only in marginally better condition. My body was telling me that I would not be able to endure the next exchange of blows, which only accentuated what I had to do even more. Vice-Captain Edward’s sword technique had no openings. My only chance at victory was to attack before he did! Don’t collapse, Halbert. You’ve already gotten this far, so don’t give up now! My mind raced through all my options as I thought about what sword technique I could use. A basic sword technique definitely won’t work, and I can tell my normal lightning-element sword techniques won’t be strong enough either. Damn it, what can I even use? It was like time slowed down as I watched Vice-Captain Edward start to dash towards me, before all of a sudden, a strange sense of tranquility spread throughout my body. It was like a wave of calm that washed away the fear and panic running rampant in my mind. My hands stopped shaking, and the uncertainty clouding my eyes finally cleared up as I heard Captain Aria’s voice bubble up from the depths of my memory. “Fast and powerful, yet inherently violent. Those are the attributes of lightning. And if you let your lightning run wild, it will strike you before your opponent. So the most important thing about using lightning is to control it. Control the violent nature of your lightning, then concentrate it. Focus its speed and power into your sword before releasing it all in a single instant. Watch closely, Halbert. This is Levin Flash.” (Aria) The image of Captain Aria using a lightning-element sword technique appeared in my mind. One that was on a completely different level from any of my sword techniques. It was the sword technique of a swordmaster. The speed and power were incomparable. All of it was concentrated into a single swift motion. There wasn’t even a trace of the violent nature of lightning as it sliced through the air at an incredible speed, and even though it was only cutting through empty space, it felt like there wasn’t a single thing in the world that could stand up to the crimson flash of that sword. The only things left behind in the arc of that swing were the sparks of scarlet lightning from its afterimage. Control it. Condense it. Concentrate it, Halbert. Remember how Captain Aria did it. I gripped the handle of my sword tightly as an incredible sense of clarity rushed through my heart. Then time returned to normal speed as Vice-Captain Edward took a step forward to chase after me while I strained every muscle fiber in my arms to swing horizontally at him while channeling lightning-element mana into my sword. Every last ounce of mana I had left shot through my arms and converged into my blade as I struggled to crudely recreate the brilliant glow of Captain Aria’s sword technique. I could tell that it wasn’t even close to Captain Aria’s, but still... Even if it was just a clumsy imitation, it was still the strongest sword technique I had right now! My sword was fast enough to be a blur even to my enhanced kinetic vision as it shot towards Vice-Captain Edward’s side, but he held up his sword and activated a sword technique of his own as he grit his teeth and blocked my swing head-on. A brilliant yellow glow covered his blade the moment our blades made contact before a burst of blue lightning propelled my sword even further forward. This is it! I could feel my swing start to break through his defense before suddenly, the resistance from his sword lightened up and another force hit the flat of my blade from below, shoving it upwards slightly. What!? My line of sight honed in on his blade and it was then that I realized the force that pushed my swing upwards was his sword. Vice-Captain Edward had just barely deflected my swing. My sword missed him by an inch as he leaped backward to mitigate some of the initial impact from my swing before shifting his sword again, and in an instant, the tip of his sword was pointed at my throat. “You’ve lost, Halbert.” (Edward) “Edward is the winner.” (Aria) Captain Aria’s voice rang out once more to announce the winner of the spar and I finally released all the tension I had before as my legs buckled and I fell backward onto the ground. After a moment, Vice-Captain Edward sheathed his sword before extending a hand to help me up. “That last swing was good, Halbert. For a moment there, I thought I was fighting against Captain Aria herself.” (Edward) “But it still wasn’t enough to beat you, Vice-Captain Edward… I gave it my all, but in the end, you deflected it so easily. Even after all this training, it feels like I’ve barely made any progress at all...” (Halbert) I grabbed his hand with a bitter smile on my face, but as he was pulling me up, I heard him sigh before his voice rang out again. “It wasn’t easy.” (Edward) “Eh?” (Halbert) “Halbert. You’re not the only one training, you know. After my tie against that bastard, I’ve been training hard too. One week. It took me this entire week to just barely get the hang of the same deflection skill he used. And I can only do it successfully about half the time. It was just luck that I managed to deflect your last swing this time, but if it was the Edward Novarel of one week ago, he definitely would have been hit by that last swing of yours. Don’t say that you’ve made no progress, Halbert. You’ve gotten stronger. Your efforts have not betrayed you.” (Edward) After I regained my balance, Vice-Captain Edward let go of me and let out an embarrassed cough before turning away, but what greeted him was the rest of the 7th Squad Knights gathered behind him. “Edward, I always thought you would be too snobby and arrogant to ever show someone else your gentle side, but it looks like you finally found the courage inside of you. I’m so proud.” (Lillian) “Yeah, despite your narcissistic tendencies, you still have what it takes to encourage the rookie like that. It was almost as touching as that one time my little angel, Lucy drew a picture of me. It’s still framed on my bedroom wall to this day!” (Alain) “Oi, I’m not snobby or arrogant! Just what kind of person do you think I am, Lillian!? And the last person that should be lecturing me on narcissism is a sister-obsessed weirdo like you, Alain!” (Edward) Vice-Captain Edward started to yell at them as his face tinted red from a mixture of embarrassment and anger, whereas Sir Alain and Miss Lillian had tears in their eyes as they crowded around us. Miss Charlotte, on the other hand, was writing on a notepad while staring at Vice-Captain Edward with a smile. “Hmm, this side of Edward is pretty good. The gap between the usual high-born noble side and the rare caring superior side is cute. This’ll add at least 3 points to your harem member score!” (Charlotte) “I guess this is what it feels like to be a mother watching her child grow up…” (Lillian) “Grr! You guys-!” (Edward) It seemed like Vice-Captain Edward finally snapped as he chased the rest of the 7th Squad Knights back towards the barracks. I just stood there, a bit at a loss for words as I watched their antics, but right before he ran back inside, I could hear Sir Alain call out to me. “Just take a break for now, Rookie! You must be tired! We can have our spar tomorrow if we really need to!” (Alain) Haaa. Well, he’s probably right. I should take a break... I looked down at my hands that were starting to shake again after that last exchange of blows before raising my head to gaze at the sky. The sunset was beginning to dye the sky a beautiful shade of purple. It was getting late. I took a deep breath and exhaled as the sound of steady footsteps approached me. “Captain Aria... Have I gotten stronger?” (Halbert) “Yes. You have...” (Aria) Her quiet voice rang out again to answer mine as I continued to stare at the sky. But this time, her voice was different compared to earlier. Her voice sounded a bit warm, and the calmness in her words eased the doubt in my mind more than anything else. Yeah. Captain Aria would know better than anyone, wouldn’t she? I’ve gotten stronger. Regnis, Zane, just wait for me, you two. I can’t just keep staring at your backs forever. I’ll catch up soon. The shaking stopped. My hands weren’t trembling anymore. And a smile couldn’t help but form on my face as I lowered my head before turning towards Captain Aria. “Yeah. Let’s get back to training then.” (Halbert) Solria, Shopping District, The Ironclad Forge (Kyle POV) “Ah. It’s pretty late, isn’t it?...” (Kyle) The evening twilight had already settled in on the Imperial capital, blanketing the shopping district that we had just returned to after the long first week of our training camp. However, despite the dark night sky, the noisy atmosphere of the shopping district was still in full force as the alchemical lamps lining the streets lit our surroundings with a warm tint. Dozens of people walked by us as I stopped staring at the sky and lowered my head with a bitter look on my face. “... Which is probably why the Ironclad Forge is closed…” (Kyle) Yes, in front of us was the same brick and stone smithy with the same chimney sticking out of the building, but the inside of the store mirrored the night sky outside. You could see through the windows that there wasn’t a single light on. I let out a disappointed sigh as I turned around to face Regnis and Sophie. “Sorry. I thought we would make it back sooner.” (Kyle) “It’s fine. We’ll just come again tomorrow.” (Sophie) “They’re already closed so there’s nothing you can do, Professor Kyle.” (Regnis) “Yeah, you’re right. Well, I guess we can just proceed with the original plan for now then. Go home and rest, you two. After surviving this past week of hellish training, I think you two deserve it.” (Kyle) Well, the source of their determination may have changed a bit during this past week, but they still passed the first part of Professor Kyle’s training camp with flying colors, didn’t they? Although, unfortunately, neither of them have unlocked a hidden bloodline power or anything crazy like that yet, but we still have another week before the tournament, so who knows what will happen? I smiled at the two of them as a sense of pride welled up inside my heart. Regnis nodded silently in agreement to our plans while Sophie mumbled something to herself before quietly letting out a disappointed sigh. “... Tsk, just as I feared. No dinner today, huh?...” (Sophie) Actually, the truth is I may have heard what Sophie had mumbled to herself, but luckily, it was something that I decided to completely ignore. Perhaps for my own sake it was better to just pretend that the resolve in their eyes was still purely because they wanted to get stronger to protect their friends and completely untainted by my previous mental manipulation. After I chuckled dryly to myself for a moment, I made plans with Sophie to meet up at the Ironclad Forge tomorrow morning before we all split up and went home. *** It was now well into the evening, and the twilight had silently given way to the darkness that covered the sky. I could see the stars shining beautifully as I made my way back home with my backpack slung over my shoulder. “Haaaaa~” (Kyle) I let out a relaxing sigh as I rounded the corner towards the Irisveil Mansion while enjoying the quiet atmosphere that pervaded the noble district. It was a world of difference from the liveliness of the shopping district and a strange sense of anticipation bubbled up inside me as I thought about seeing Aria again for the first time in a while. A breath of the crisp night air entered my lungs as I walked up to the front door. A moment later, I opened it to see the same old living room as always. The only difference was that it was slightly disorganized, but it was like a weight was lifted off my heart after seeing that and the corners of my mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards into a relieved smile. I thought the house would be an absolute mess after I was gone for a week, but it looks like I worried too much. I guess I’ve been so used to Eliza’s shenanigans that I’ve forgotten. Aria’s a proper adult who can take care of herself. “Aria, I’m home.” (Kyle) I gently called out to Aria as I entered the house, but after a few moments, it was clear that the only response I was going to get was silence. Hmm, I guess she isn’t home yet. The lights are on though. Did she forget to turn them off? Well, she already exceeded my expectations with how clean the house still is, so I guess it’s fine to let something small like this slide every once in a while. I’ll go unpack my stuff first then make dinner. Ah, should I make Aria’s favorite? Well, it will be her first fresh meal in a while so I guess making it a bit special wouldn’t hurt. The familiar scent of home eased my heart as I walked over to the stairs while thinking about what to make for dinner. Solria, Middle District, Irisveil Mansion (Aria POV) I hugged the pillow in my arms a little tighter as I let out a quiet sigh. “Haaaaa~” (Aria) What am I doing?... I couldn’t help but glance around at the slightly familiar room as I sat on the bed in my pajamas. The room was a bit plain and it only had the essentials in terms of furniture, but everything in it reminded me of a certain person who was important to me. Well, actually, it was probably because this was that person’s room, but that wasn’t the main issue at hand. The real problem was… I was lonely. I missed Ky. I hadn’t felt this lonely in a long time. And even though I had everyone at the barracks to help me ease the loneliness during the day, in the end, I still had to come back to this empty house every night… It’s like being able to eat as much delicious food as you want before suddenly starving again... I glanced over at the desk which had some notebooks and a few bags of alchemy materials before moving my gaze out the window. It was Friday night. The stars were shining brightly with the moon in the beautiful night sky, but all I wanted was for the moon and stars to disappear as fast as possible so that the sun could rise and it would be tomorrow already. Just one more day. A few moments passed as I continued to stare out the window before I slumped backward onto Ky’s bed while hugging his pillow. Then I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before starting to fantasize about what tomorrow would be like. Tomorrow. He'll be back tomorrow morning. He’ll open the door, walk back in, and call out to me like usual. Then I can cure my crippling Ky deficiency, and everything will be ok again. The corners of my mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards into a soft smile as the sound of a familiar voice suddenly echoed through my mind. “Aria, I’m home.” (Kyle) Yeah, he would sound just like that. “Hehe~” (Aria) I giggled softly to myself and rolled around in Ky’s bed while hugging his pillow as I continued to daydream before suddenly, I heard the sound of a door opening followed by a thud. Eh? I immediately froze before slowly sitting up in Ky’s bed. And it was then that I saw a certain person who had just awkwardly dropped his backpack while standing at the entrance to the room. A head full of snow-white hair that was tied into a ponytail poked its way past the door as a pair of golden eyes stared straight at me. I swore that my heart stopped while I blankly stared back at Ky, but for some reason, there was still blood rushing to my face as it started to burn up. “... I’m sorry…” (Kyle) After a moment, Ky broke the awkward silence and turned away with a dazed look in his eyes as he smiled blankly at me. I could see a slight blush on his face as he tried to close the door, but I immediately threw his pillow away, leaped out of his bed, and grabbed his arm to stop him before he could leave. “W-Wait! I-It’s not what you think!” (Aria) *** “So you were in my bed because your back was aching?” (Kyle) “Y-Yeah. My back has been aching a bit since this morning! T-They say a firm mattress is better for back pain, right? But my bed was too soft, so I was planning to u-use yours. It was only for today though!... O-Only for today...” (Aria) I just barely managed to choke out my response in a shaky voice as I averted my eyes from Ky and glanced around the rest of the dining room before taking another bite of food. It was the first time in a while I had some of Ky’s cooking that wasn’t reheated, and today’s dinner was even my favorite, beef and potatoes, but my mind was currently more preoccupied with my current situation than eating. I couldn’t tell if my face was still completely burning red, but I could definitely still feel some heat when I touched my cheek. Kyaaaaa! My embarrassed scream echoed out internally in my mind as I quickly swallowed the food in my mouth in a panic before hiding my face from Ky. It’s red, isn’t it!? It’s definitely still red! C-Calm down, Aria! If you don’t calm down, then Ky will be able to tell you’re lying! W-Wait, actually, now that I think about it… my story is super suspicious, isn’t it!? I made it up on the spot so of course it’s not going to be the perfect alibi, b-but aren’t there too many holes in the story? He just saw me jump out of bed and tackle him with no problems! And it’s not like I’ve been pretending my back hurts either! I held my hand up to my chest. I could feel my heart racing after thinking about how suspicious my explanation sounded, but I tried my best to calm down before thinking about what to do next. It’s too late to change my story now! I need to change the subject to something else! I raised my arms and pretended to stretch a bit before trying my best to stop the shaking in my voice. “A-Ah, but for some reason, I’m feeling fine now. S-So just forget about it, Ky.” (Aria) I let out a fake laugh and smiled awkwardly at Ky. “Y-Yeah… Well, I’m glad you’re ok then.” (Kyle) Ky’s awkward response had a slightly embarrassed tone in it as he answered, and there was a look in his eyes that seemed to say he wouldn’t pry any further for the sake of my dignity... “Wait! I’m telling the truth, I swear!” (Aria) “It’s ok, Aria. I… believe you.” (Kyle) He doesn’t believe me! He definitely doesn’t! My face was now bright red again and I lowered my head to hide my raging blush from Ky for a moment before reaching across the table to grab Ky by his shirt while mumbling to myself. “... Forget it…” (Aria) “E-Eh?” (Kyle) “Forget it! Wipe it from your memory! Forget everything you saw!” (Aria) My scarlet blush had already spread out to the tips of my ears and I raised my head again in a flustered panic to yell at Ky to forget everything before starting to shake him roughly. “How!? I don’t have the power to erase my memory at will!” (Kyle) “Just smash your head against the wall or something until you forget!” (Aria) “It doesn’t work like that! All I’ll end up with is a broken wall!” (Kyle) “I’ll do it myself then! Just hold still! All I need is one clean hit!” (Aria) “Oi, why does it sound like you’re trying to put me out of my misery instead!?” (Kyle) Royal Academy, Boys’ Dormitory (Zane POV) You can make it, Zane… Come on... just a few more steps, and you can finally rest! I let out an exhausted breath as I slowly took another step towards my room. My legs felt heavy, my head was starting to hurt from the sound of the birds chirping outside, and the morning sunlight shining in through the windows was making my eyes sting as I slowly walked down the hallway towards my dorm room, but it was nothing compared to the suffering I had endured this past week while helping Master Sylfey finish the preparations for the tournament. My line of sight wavered for a moment as my mind drifted back to a few minutes ago when I finally escaped from that hellhole of paperwork. Master Sylfey was sitting at her desk while surrounded by piles of paperwork like usual, except this time, she had dark bags under her eyes even worse than mine. They made it seem like she hadn’t slept in days, and she was halfway through an application from the magic department when she finally gave in to her fatigue and fell asleep at her desk, which then allowed me to quietly make my escape. I know we’re really behind schedule, but she’s crazy! It’s a miracle how she even lasted that long. It’s only been a night without sleep for me and I’m already close to my limit, but I don’t think she’s had a wink of sleep in two days until now! At this rate, she’ll probably end up collapsing from exhaustion before she even starts teaching me! Damn it. If only Ky stayed instead of running off to train Sophie and Regnis. Then I could have pushed all this onto him and I would be relaxing right now instead! Why am I the only one who has to suffer so much before even starting my training!? I finally arrived in front of the door to my room as aggrieved tears were starting to well up in my eyes and my body was screaming at me to just give up and collapse right there, when all of a sudden, I heard the sound of a door opening followed by a yawn. I turned towards the source of the sound to see Regnis leisurely walk out of his room. “... Ah. I must be going crazy too... I’m already starting to see things…” (Zane) I mumbled to myself before chuckling bitterly for a moment as I convinced myself that this was just an illusion. However, right as I decided to just ignore everything in front of me, Regnis finally noticed me and the uncharacteristically relaxed look on his face instantly morphed into confusion as he called out to me. “What have you been doing, Zane? Why do you look like an absolute mess?” (Regnis) Eh? “Y-You’re real!?” (Zane) “What are you talking about?” (Regnis) I stared at Regnis in disbelief for a moment, but after rubbing my eyes to reaffirm that he was, without a doubt, standing right in front of me, I came to a certain realization. Wait. If Regnis is here, then that means… “If you’re back then he must be too!” (Zane) “What?” (Regnis) “Where’s Ky!?” (Zane) I’ll find him. I’ll definitely find Ky and push all this off onto him if it’s the last thing I do! It was like I sprung back to life as I grabbed Regnis with a desperate look in my exhausted eyes while a good portion of my fatigue was shoved to the back of my mind to be ignored until I managed to dump my responsibilities onto Ky. “Professor Kyle? He should be at the blacksmith-” (Regnis) “What are you waiting for then!? Let’s go!” (Zane) Solria, Shopping District, The Ironclad Forge (Kyle POV) “Alright, here you go, Miss Sophie! It was a bit tricky to shape the finer details at first, but all it took was a few tries to get used to for someone with my level of talent!” (Lucas) “Ah. Thank you.” (Sophie) Lucas let out a prideful laugh and handed Sophie her new handguns as Uncle Grayhill let out a disappointed sigh. “That’s enough, boy. Where’d your modesty go?” (Uncle Grayhill) “Well, I think it’s fine to let him be a little prideful of his work. After all, it genuinely was a difficult request and from what I can see, Lucas recreated my blueprints almost perfectly.” (Kyle) “A little pride’s fine, but if ya let him run his mouth freely like that, he’ll never learn to be humble. A true blacksmith is one who doesn’t need to brag about his skill because his work does it for him!” (Uncle Grayhill) Uncle Grayhill crossed his arms and nodded to himself with a smile on his face, but Lucas’ angry voice cut him off before he could continue preaching about the virtues of a true blacksmith. “Hey! A few months ago, weren’t you bragging about Miss Aria’s sword to everyone you met? You should’ve seen it, Ky! Even the mailman couldn’t hear the end of it from the old man!” (Lucas) “Ah.” (Uncle Grayhill) Uncle Grayhill’s face turned a little red from embarrassment as he cleared his throat awkwardly before gushing about Aria’s sword. “A-Ahem. Well, the lassie’s sword was different! It was pure orichalcum! How many blacksmiths in the world do you think dream of even touchin’ a bit of orichalcum, boy!? And we had the chance to forge a whole sword out of it! How could I not brag!? Ahhh~ It was incredible. The orichalcum must’ve been at least five times as hard as steel, yet it still folded so cleanly. Even the sharpenin’ was smoother than any other sword I forged before!” (Uncle Grayhill) “Tsk. Whatever, you hypocrite.” (Lucas) Lucas clicked his tongue at Uncle Grayhill then turned to face me and Sophie again as Uncle Grayhill continued to reminisce about forging Aria’s sword in the background. “Anyway, what are you two going to do with them now? Aren’t they supposed to shoot magic or something?” (Lucas) “Oh, right. Sophie, you brought the alchemy supplies, right?” (Kyle) “Of course.” (Sophie) I turned towards Sophie who handed her new handguns over to me with an excited sparkle in her eyes. She placed a few bottles of enchanted ink on the counter before pulling her old rifle off her back and unveiling it. “So how are we going to modify the alchemy system?” (Sophie) “Well, I already have a general idea of what circles to modify. The real problem will be blending in the new alchemy circles in so it runs smoothly, but it shouldn’t take too long. If we start now, we can probably get a working prototype done by lunchtime.” (Kyle) "Actually, about lunch-” (Sophie) Sophie wiped away a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth as she began to ask me about lunch when suddenly, she was cut off by the sound of the door being kicked open. I turned towards the entrance to the shop to see Zane run in while Regnis followed behind him. “Kyyyyy!” (Zane) Zane was panting heavily as he entered the shop, and his disheveled appearance along with the dark bags under his eyes made it obvious that he was almost at his physical limit as he stumbled over before collapsing to his knees in front of me. I turned to Regnis for an explanation, but the bewildered look on his face told me that he had just about as much of an idea of what was happening as I did. “Zane? What’s with the bags under your eyes?” (Kyle) “Quick, come with me to the academy!” (Zane) Eh? Zane grabbed my leg with a desperate glint in his exhausted eyes as suddenly, my intuition warned me it was going to be something tiresome. “Please, Ky! I need your help! You’re the only one who can save me!” (Zane) Ah. Why do I feel like this is going to be a pain in the neck?...
[Chapter 31] Fruit Juice and Paperwork Is a Recipe for a Change of Plans Spoiler Royal Academy, Headmistress’ Office (Mari POV) “Mhmm…” (Mari) A soft groan left my mouth as I slowly regained my senses. It was warm, cozy, and the heaviness that was present throughout my body faded as I gradually opened my eyes. Initially, everything was a bit fuzzy while my sense of vision slowly adapted to the light, but after rubbing my eyes a bit, the familiar sight of my office told me that I was behind my desk like usual. For some reason though, I was nestled comfortably into a blanket as I sat at my chair. I stared blankly into space for a moment as the feeling floated around in the back of my still hazy mind that there was something off about the situation. Suddenly, the sound of the door opening caught my attention. I quickly looked towards the door just in time to see a certain person walk into the room. … Ky?... It was Ky. He had a stack of papers under his arm as he entered, and the moment I saw him it was like the fog clouding my mind started to clear up a bit. … This is a dream, isn’t it? The office should be a complete mess right now from the tournament preparations, and Ky shouldn’t be here either… Once he noticed me, Dream Ky froze for a moment before calling out to me. “... You’re finally awake?... Well, took you long enough.” (Dream Kyle) He let out a disappointed sigh before starting to mutter to himself while he held his head with his other arm. “I can’t believe that I went out of my way to avoid this torture and still ended up suffering in the end anyway…” (Dream Kyle) Dream Ky just stood there for a moment monologuing to himself as I stared blankly at him. A sense of amazement bubbled up inside me over how weirdly realistic this dream felt. ... This dream Ky is pretty convincing. I almost thought I was looking at the real one for a second... “Oi. Mari, are you there?” (Dream Kyle) Dream Ky quipped at me with a slightly tired tone to his voice, but unfortunately, my mind was more preoccupied with thinking about what I should do. This is a dream, right? So doesn’t that mean I can do anything I want? “Hey, since you’re part of my dream you’ll do whatever I want you to, right?” (Mari) Despite the listlessness that still filled my body, I managed to free myself from underneath the blanket before smugly extending my hand out towards Dream Ky like a spoiled princess. “Hehe~ Carry me over to the sofa, Dream Ky.” (Mari) However, a few seconds passed by awkwardly as Dream Ky just silently stared at me with a blank smile on his face. “Come on. What are you waiting for?... Ah! Do I need to tell you how you should carry me? Hmm... Then I guess a princess carry is fine.” (Mari) When the real Ky princess carried me, it was surprisingly cozy. Even if this is only a dream, it should still be pretty similar, right? I waved my hand a bit to gesture Dream Ky to come over, and for a moment, it seemed like it had worked. I was full of anticipation as he walked up to my desk before placing the stack of papers in front of me, but what happened next was not the future I had imagined. Instead of the pleasantly cozy princess carry that I was expecting, what I got instead was the sound of a cold, angry voice. “I see. You’re still asleep, huh?” (Dream Kyle) Eh? I quickly raised my head in confusion, but the only thing I saw was the angry smile on Ky’s face as he reached over and started to pull on both of my cheeks. “Ow! Dat hurts!” (Mari) Instantly, all of the remaining haziness in my mind was blasted away as the sudden sensation of Ky pulling on my cheeks made me cry out cutely in pain before he responded to my exclamation with a sarcastic tone in his voice. “Of course it hurts. After all, pain is the best way to tell if you’re in a dream or not, isn’t it? And I can assure you that this is reality.” (Kyle) “Awwight, I’m awake! I’m awake! Stop pwulling on my cheeks!” (Mari) A few seconds later, Ky finally stopped his ruthless assault on my face and took a step back while letting out a satisfied breath. “Haaa~ For some reason, that felt strangely refreshing. Hey, Mari, did anyone ever tell you how soft and squishy your cheeks are? Maybe the next time I feel stressed, I’ll just do this again.” (Kyle) “What kind of sadist are you!?” (Mari) I cried out in indignation while rubbing my cheeks to ease the residual pain a bit, but Ky just shrugged before replying nonchalantly. “Well, if we’re talking about sadists, I think you would fit the role better than me. Anyway, I’m sure I could rant for hours about how much I’ve suffered under you, but unfortunately, we don’t have the time. What’s important is that you’re finally awake, which means you can start working again too.” (Kyle) Ky patted the pile of papers he dropped down on my desk earlier before pushing them over to me. “Here, I’ve looked through about half of the remaining applications for the third-year tournament and picked out the more reasonable ones. All you have to do to approve them is stamp the forms. So after you finish stamping them, help me go through the rest of the applications for the third-year tournament. It’s only the middle of the afternoon right now so as long as you don’t slack off, we should be able to finish most of them by tonight.” (Kyle) “What?” (Mari) I sat there in shock for a moment before flipping through the first few forms in the pile of applications that Ky had looked through. “Wait. Ky, why are you here? Weren’t you holding a training camp?” (Mari) “Zane told me about the situation and wouldn’t let go of my leg until I promised to come help you out so I guess I’ll be your assistant again for now.” (Kyle) Nice job, Zane! You finally did something good for once! After mentally praising Zane for the first time, I pulled out the academy seal and started to cheerfully stamp the approval forms while Ky continued to speak. “But only on one condition.” (Kyle) “A condition?” (Mari) Ky’s request piqued my curiosity as I looked away from the pile of applications. But just as I raised my head to face him again, he reached over and poked me in the forehead. “Ack!” (Mari) “Don’t overwork yourself to the point of collapsing again, you idiot.” (Kyle) “Eh?” (Mari) Wait. Was he… worried about me?... My heartbeat started to speed up as I thought about the meaning behind Ky’s condition. And I could feel my face getting a little warmer as a faint blush spread across it. Luckily though, my cheeks were still a little red from before so I was pretty sure they hid the pink of my blush from Ky. I thought he would ask for a raise or maybe some more time off... D-Did he really choose me over anything else? Countless thoughts ran through my head, but just as my fantasies were starting to run wild, Ky’s next statement brought me back to reality. “You’re the only one who can teach Zane wind magic.” (Kyle) Ack! It was like someone took a hammer and suddenly shattered my daydreams into a million pieces as I finally realized what Ky actually meant with his condition. I should’ve known it would be something like that… I guess it was silly of me to expect something more, but still... I can’t help but feel somewhat disappointed... “Yeah, I got it. I’ll be sure to drill wind magic into his head properly.” (Mari) I let out a quiet sigh as I finally got my head out of the clouds before returning to stamping duty. However, it seemed that my heart was destined to be racing today because as soon as my head came crashing back down to the ground, Ky immediately made it shoot it back up into the clouds again. “And more importantly, if you collapse again… Well, I would care too much about you to not be worried. So promise me you’ll get enough rest, or else I won’t help you at all.” (Kyle) Ky crossed his arms and turned away with a pout while I sat there in a daze for a moment before mindlessly answering him. “A-Ah… Yeah. I will…” (Mari) My heartbeat was already starting to skyrocket again, but it was almost like Ky was determined to make it leap right out my chest as he smiled gently at my answer before patting me softly on the head. “Good. Anyway, it looks like your cheeks are still a little red. I guess I pulled on them a little too hard, huh? Wait here, I’ll go grab some ice for you.” (Kyle) After that, Ky promptly left the room to go get ice for me while I just sat there and blankly stared at the door while still in my flustered daze. … H-Hey... That’s not fair, Ky... You can’t make my heart race like that and then just leave! Solria, Middle District, Irisveil Mansion (Aria POV) A cool breeze blew by, making my hair flutter a bit in the wind as I walked along the paved path towards home while the last of twilight was starting to fade. And it wasn’t long before I finally rounded the last corner and saw the familiar front gate of the Irisveil Mansion. After making my way past the gate and up to the door, the jingle of my keys interrupted the gentle evening melody of the noble district as I opened the door to see the same old living room as always. However, the person in the middle of that same old living room was undoubtedly the key piece to this familiar scene. “Ky, I’m home.” (Aria) It felt like everything was back to normal as I called out to Ky who was sitting on the sofa. He was in the middle of looking through a large pile of papers as he turned to welcome me back home. “Oh, welcome back, Aria.” (Kyle) “What are you doing?” (Aria) The pile of papers he was looking at made me curious and I called out to him as I took off my shoes. He leaned back into the sofa before letting out an exhausted sigh. “Haaa~ I’m fully experiencing the repercussions of what it means to be someone who can’t say no.” (Kyle) Someone who can’t say no, huh? I don’t believe you. I think it’s just your bad habit of intruding too much in other people’s business. Ah. But well, I guess without that terrible tendency of yours, I wouldn’t be here today, so... I’ll admit, it isn’t always bad. After all, I don’t think anyone else would have had the guts to stick himself right in the middle of the Crimson Rose’s life like that. I couldn’t help but find the situation a little comical as I thought about our past days adventuring in Delhurst. And after a moment, I walked over to Ky’s side with a mischievous giggle. “Hehe~ So what did you get roped into this time?” (Aria) “In a moment of poor insight on my part, I decided I would be a good professor for once. I promised one of my students I would help him out, but his situation’s a little complicated, so I ended up having to help the headmistress finish the preparations for the academy tournament instead.” (Kyle) “Tournament preparations? That doesn’t sound too bad.” (Aria) “That’s easy for you to say, you’re not the one drowning in paperwork. At this rate, I’m going to change my plans for the training camp next week.” (Kyle) “Eh? Really?” (Aria) “Well, if we somehow manage to finish all the preparations by the end of this weekend, then maybe I can get back to the original plan, but I doubt it’ll happen. I’ll probably end up having to sort through all this paperwork in the mornings next week, then just holding the training camp nearby for a few hours in the afternoon instead.” (Kyle) Ky held his head while letting out a tired sigh, but contrary to his exhausted mood, I was secretly excited as I thought about the prospect of keeping Ky around for the next week. But wait, if he finishes the preparations by the end of this weekend, he’ll go back to the original plan. He said it probably wouldn’t happen, but… that means there’s still a possibility, right? I can’t just leave it to chance! “Well, if you’re going out of your way to help, then there’s bound to be some unavoidable compromises, right? I think it’ll be fine if you just have the rest of your training camp nearby. I’m sure everyone will understand as long as you explain the situation to them.” (Aria) “Yeah, I guess so, but it’ll still be a pain in the neck for me...” (Kyle) Ky had a bitter look on his face as I cleared my throat nervously before proceeding to the next countermeasure in my plan to keep Ky at home. “Anyway, ahem. I’m a little thirsty so I’m going to grab a drink.” (Aria) Ky returned to sifting through his papers as I quickly made my way over to the kitchen. After opening the fridge and pulling out a random carton of fruit juice, I poured two glasses and made my way back to Ky while mentally preparing to execute my devious plan. I just have to spill some juice all over his papers, then he definitely won’t be able to finish in time. If I make it look like an accident by pretending to spill it while passing it to him, it shouldn’t seem too suspicious either. “Here, Ky. I got a drink for you too.” (Aria) “Oh. Thanks, Aria.” (Kyle) Right after he thanked me, Ky extended his arm out towards me and waited for me to hand his drink over while he continued to read. Suddenly, my eyes glimmered with determination for a split second as I realized this was the opening I needed and I quickly tossed the cup towards him at an angle where it would spill all over his papers. However, unfortunately, it seemed like Ky was paying just enough attention to react in time. “Oi!” (Kyle) He immediately reached out with both hands and just barely caught the cup in mid-air before letting out a sigh of relief. “Whew~ That was close.” (Kyle) Damn, he caught it! What should I do? I started to panic a bit once I saw that Ky had safely avoided my sabotage. And a quick glance around didn’t help me much in thinking of another option either, but after a moment, I remembered something important. I was also holding a drink. “Hey, be more careful with-” (Kyle) After placing the cup down on the table, Ky started to turn towards me while berating me about my carelessness, but before he could even finish his sentence, the sound of juice splashing everywhere interrupted him. “Ah.” (Aria) There was a moment of awkward silence as Ky caught me red-handed in the middle of pouring juice all over him and his papers. And it was only after the last of the juice dripped down Ky’s face that he asked me a question with an angry smile. “Aria, would you mind explaining to me what you’re doing?” (Kyle) “S-Sorry, Ky. It was an accident.” (Aria) “An accident? How strange. Because, to me, it kind of looks like you just poured juice all over me and ruined my documents.” (Kyle) Ky’s stare was starting to make me feel nervous as I scratched the back of my head innocently before reassuring him it was just a clumsy mistake on my part. “It must have been your imagination. I swear it was just an accident! A-Anyway, I have to go, uh, prepare for tomorrow... So good luck with the rest of your tournament preparations. H-Haha~” (Aria) Beads of sweat were beginning to form on my forehead as I let out some nervous laughter before averting my eyes from Ky’s suspicious gaze. I turned around and started to scurry towards the stairs, but before I could make my escape, Ky grabbed me by the shoulder. “Oi, you’re not getting away that easily!” (Kyle) Damn it! “Regardless of whether it actually was an accident or not, you made this mess so at least help me take care of it.” (Kyle) I could feel Ky’s grip on my shoulder get a little tighter as he cried out in indignation, and when I turned around again, he was pointing at the juice-soaked pile of papers. “O-Oh. Let me grab a rag then. I’ll have it all clean again in no time.” (Aria) “That’s not what I meant.” (Kyle) “Eh?” (Aria) *** “How much more is there?” (Aria) “About half the pile.” (Kyle) Ky took a quick glance at the remaining request forms before handing me the next one in the pile. The bottom half of the page was stained a faint green from the fruit juice that I had previously spilled on it, but fortunately, it was still mostly readable. It was a request to purchase some more practice equipment for one of the classes in the weapons department, but after some calculation, I realized that the requested amount of funds was ridiculous in comparison to the budget Ky said we had. There’s no way practice equipment costs this much! I could probably get real equipment for cheaper! I placed it into the ‘needs some adjustments’ pile where surprisingly few of the requests had even made it to. However, compared to the ‘accepted’ pile, the ‘needs some adjustments’ pile was still pretty big. Most of the requests had met their cruel fate by Ky’s hand and were unhesitantly dumped into the ‘rejected’ pile, which seemed to be getting larger by the minute. Well, maybe it seemed a little harsh to reject so many of these requests considering that these were the heartfelt wishes of countless students and professors, but to be fair to Ky, from what I’ve seen so far, a lot of these requests had close to no sense of reality with the scale of their requests. One of them even requested that an entire 100ft tall statue be built to raise the morale of the magic department students before the tournament... Well, at least this one was a pretty normal request compared to previous ones. I peeked at the slowly growing ‘needs some adjustments’ pile one last time before asking Ky to hand me the next request. “Pass me the next one, Ky.” (Aria) “Here.” (Kyle) But just as I reached out to grab the next request form from Ky, the sound of my stomach growling echoed through the room. Ky just stared at me for a moment as my face started to faintly dye itself red from embarrassment. “A-Ah.” (Aria) “Oh, you’re hungry. Is it that late already?” (Kyle) “Wait! What’s that supposed to mean!? Am I an alarm clock!?” (Aria) “Nope, just a glutton that I’m all too familiar with.” (Kyle) I pouted cutely in response to Ky’s joke as he chuckled a bit before reaching over and patting me on the head. “Anyway, since it’s getting late, I’ll go make us dinner so I guess you’re off the hook for now. But you’re back on duty after dinner, ok?” (Kyle) After giving me a break, Ky walked over to the kitchen, but I just continued to pout before hugging my knees as I grumbled to myself. “... I’m not that much of a glutton…” (Aria) The Goddess of Love’s Divine Domain, Ritual Grounds (Reina POV) “Advice for sensing the natural law of fire? It just comes to you naturally.” (Sera) The image of Master Sera shrugging nonchalantly appeared in my mind as another breath of fresh air entered my lungs while I continued to meditate. It was like I was constantly on the verge of sensing something other than the gentle breeze blowing past me, but every time I tried to hone in on that faint feeling, it would quickly start to fade away. After one last attempt, I finally decided it was time to take a break from this seemingly fruitless endeavor as I opened my eyes to see Lady Eliza chatting with Master Sera while she continued to work on the new costume design. “Did you have any luck this time, Reina?” (Eliza) “Not yet...” (Reina) I couldn’t help but let out a disappointed sigh before standing up and walking over to them with a groan. “Ugh… I’ve already meditated so much, but it feels like there’s just one tiny barrier left that I can’t seem to break through no matter what I do. To be honest, I’m starting to think there might be something wrong with me.” (Reina) “Maybe there is something wrong with you. After all, with the level of affinity to fire that you have, the natural law of fire should be beyond easy to sense.” (Sera) “Wouldn’t you normally try to cheer me up in this kind of situation?...” (Reina) Tears began to well up in my eyes as Master Sera stared at me like I was some sort of rare creature. “Don’t be too down, Reina. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time.” (Eliza) “... Augh…” (Reina) I whimpered in response before Master Sera gave me a suggestion. “Well, if this isn’t working, maybe you should try using another method.” (Sera) “Another method?” (Reina) “Yeah, but I can’t think of anything right now… Hmm… Maybe if I surround you with the natural laws of fire, it’ll make it easier to sense them.” (Sera) Won’t I die if you surround me with the natural laws of fire!? “I... think I’ll stick with meditation… L-Lady Eliza, you can use the natural law of love, right? How do you do it?” (Reina) I turned towards my last hope, Lady Eliza, with a desperate glint in my eyes. But after seeing the confused look on her face, I was forced to face the cruel reality that neither she nor Master Sera would give me any useful advice. “Eh? How do I do it? I don’t know. I just kind of... feel it.” (Eliza) “Right?” (Sera) “... That doesn’t help much...” (Reina) “Sorry, Reina, but honestly, that’s just kind of how it works for me.” (Eliza) “At least give me a description of what I’m trying to sense then. Master Sera, what does the natural law of fire feel like?” (Reina) Lady Sera thought about my question for a moment before answering in a slightly unsure voice. “Uh… It’s kind of an intense, hot-blooded feeling I guess.” (Sera) “That’s way too vague!” (Reina) “Well, how am I supposed to describe it? To me, the natural law of fire just feels like the natural law of fire. It’s like if I asked you to describe what being yourself feels like.” (Sera) “Urgh… What about you then, Lady Eliza? What does the natural law of love feel like?” (Reina) “Hmm… I guess if I had to describe the natural law of love, it would be... warm and fuzzy? It’s kind of like how your heart flutters when you interact with the person that you like. Hehe~” (Eliza) After answering my question, Lady Eliza giggled to herself before Lady Sera moved on with the conversation. “Well, if you really can’t sense the natural law of fire, then there’s no point in trying to force it. It’ll just be a waste of time.” (Sera) “I guess so…” (Reina) Maybe I should just give up on the natural law of fire for now… I’m sure just normal fire magic is enough. After making my decision, it felt like a weight was lifted off my chest, and I let out a sigh of relief just as Lady Eliza called out to me and Master Sera. “Anyway, I think the new costume design is done. What do you two think?” (Eliza) Lady Eliza held up the drawing of the new costume design that she was working on with a triumphant smile. The color scheme was the same, but the new design was less frilly compared to the old one. It had a more sleek feeling to it, and a few parts of it even resembled Master Sera’s outfit. However, the most noticeable change was the addition of a new pink mask that covered the top half of the face. Well, there are still a few small problems in my opinion, but I would definitely rather wear this than the previous iteration. “It looks great, Lady Eliza.” (Reina) “Yep. I like this one a lot more compared to the old one.” (Sera) After Master Sera and I gave our approval, Lady Eliza let out a smug laugh. “Of course it’s great! After all, it was designed by yours truly! It took me a while, but I think the profoundness of my creative genius really shines through in this one. Now, all I need to do now is change the alchemy circles on the staff.” (Eliza) “Eh? How are you going to change it without that idiot around?” (Sera) “Well, since he’s not here, I was planning on just asking someone else. If I remember, he mentioned once that one of Alba’s heroic spirits knows alchemy pretty well so she could probably do it. I think her name was Sel or something. I just have to have Olivia deliver the staff and the new design over to her and it should be no problem.” (Eliza) Lady Eliza nodded to herself in approval as I stared at her and Master Sera with a confused look on my face. “Wait, who are you talking about?” (Reina) “Oh, right. I forgot. I didn’t get to tell you last time because Olivia got angry at me. Although I’ll never understand how it happened, both Eliza and Olivia ended up falling for the same good-for-nothing idiot.” (Sera) Master Sera sighed after telling me Lady Olivia’s secret, however, I was full of curiosity towards this kind of love gossip as I turned to Lady Eliza with an excited twinkle in my eyes. “Eh? Really? Who did you fall for?” (Reina) “The God of Death.” (Eliza) “Ack!” (Reina) Lady Eliza responded with a gentle smile on her face, but contrary to her innocent atmosphere, the name that came out of her mouth was terrifying. “T-T-The God of Death!? Y-You mean the one that used to live in the basement!?”(Reina) “Yep. That idiot.” (Sera) Master Sera just responded in a casual tone while I was beginning to tremble in fear after hearing about the God of Death again. “Don’t worry. Despite how scary his alias sounds, on the inside, he’s just a big softie. Although, I guess I agree with the fact he’s an idiot sometimes, especially when it comes to himself. He’s the kind of knucklehead that thinks he can never move on from his past. Even to the point of ignoring his true feelings.” (Eliza) “Ignoring his true feelings? Are you sure? Whenever I saw him, he seemed more than content to annoy me with them.” (Sera) “Yep, I’m sure. Just the fact that our relationship has barely changed is more than enough proof. He’s been together with me and Olivia for almost a thousand years and yet he still pretends to be dense even after all this time. He definitely knows that Olivia and I love him, but he’s just way too stubborn to accept it. I’m sure if you asked him about it, he would say ‘I don’t deserve love’ or something dumb like that.” (Eliza) Lady Eliza pouted cutely after finishing her short rant about the God of Death, but after a moment, she let out a soft sigh. “Although, now that I think about it, I guess Olivia was kind of in the same boat too.” (Eliza) “Lady Olivia?” (Reina) “Yeah. Don’t tell her, but the whole reason the Church of Love accepts polygamy is because of her. I don’t know why, but she used to have this idea that only one of us could be happy so she always ended up supporting me instead of trying to obtain her own happiness. And it was the same when it came to love. But I won’t accept anything less than a happy ending for both of us, so of course, being the genius that I am, I easily came up with a solution, polygamy. I’ll admit, it was a bit of a hassle for us to suddenly start accepting polygamy, but nothing can stand up to some effort from the one and only, Goddess of Love.” (Eliza) “You mean some effort from Olivia, right? I’m sure you did nothing, but sit around after telling her to start accepting polygamy.” (Sera) Master Sera chuckled dryly as she seemingly hit the nail on the head before Lady Eliza continued. “... Well, it was for her benefit. And it did help boost our popularity a little, so think of it more as me making the executive decision, and her taking care of the details.” (Eliza) Lady Eliza had a smug smile on her face as she waved her hand and carried on with our conversation for a while longer. The Goddess of Love’s Divine Domain, Ritual Grounds (Olivia POV) The inside of the house was still as I leaned against the door while hiding from them. And it was the tranquil silence that allowed the gentle breeze to carry their voices over to me. But despite my best efforts to keep up my eavesdropping, even I couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh after hearing Lady Eliza. And the corners of my mouth curved upwards into the shape of a gentle smile as I whispered tenderly to myself. “Lady Eliza, do you think I’m an idiot? It was obvious from the beginning…” (Olivia)
[Chapter 32] Restraint Is a Valuable Asset When It Comes to Both Teaching Magic and Cooking Steak Spoiler Southern Outskirts of Solria, Adventurer’s Guild Training Field No. 3 (Kyle POV) “Guess we’re back here again. Haha...” (Kyle) I let out a sardonic chuckle and scratched the back of my head awkwardly after greeting Regnis and Sophie who were standing by the gate to the training field that I rented for this next week from the Adventurer’s Guild. Two days had passed since I started helping Mari with the tournament preparations, and it was now the beginning of week two of Professor Kyle’s now downgraded training camp. The sun was high in the sky directly above us, which meant it was almost about to be noon as I walked over to the two of them before unlocking the gate. And despite the fact that we were technically on break, it was starting to feel more and more like a normal day of class as I showed up a bit late like I always did. Although, this time it wasn’t on purpose. “Sorry if I kept you two waiting. I got caught up with the tournament preparations and lost track of time.” (Kyle) A short sigh of disappointment left my mouth before Sophie replied. “Honestly, it wasn’t too long of a wait.” (Sophie) “It was bearable.” (Regnis) “Yeah, but what’s about to be unbearable is my hunger… What are we going to have for lunch?” (Sophie) Regnis silently nodded as if he was reaffirming Sophie’s claim while she stared at me with twinkling anticipation in her eyes. It seemed like the small break I gave them only made them yearn even more for my cooking, but thankfully over the break I’ve also had some time to think about the ethicality of dangling tasty food in front of them as a reward and I’ve come to the conclusion that what’s done is done. I’m no moral paragon in the first place, and if you think about it, it’s all to their benefit in the end. They’re growing stronger super fast while getting to eat tons of delicious food along the way. Besides, I’m sure that delicious food is as good a motivation as any to get stronger. Well anyway, I’ve already come too far with the carrot and without the stick, so I might as well commit fully to the carrot! Or I guess in my case it would be some delicious carrot stew... “We might have a bit of a downgrade in terms of our training area, but one benefit of being near the Capital is that we don’t have to worry about what ingredients we have since the market’s nearby too. So lunch can be whatever you want it to be as long as I can cook it.” (Kyle) It seemed like that gave them quite a shock as the moment I told them they could have whatever they wanted, they both stood there for a moment in absolute silence while deep in thought about what to have for lunch. The first one to speak again was Sophie, although it was more like a soft mutter at first as she continued to stare into space. “... Everything has tasted plain recently… the only thing that came close was that steak… but even that wasn’t the same, and it was from some famous chef or something... so… what would a steak cooked by Professor Kyle taste like?...” (Sophie) I could already see the drool leaking out of Sophie’s mouth as she muttered to herself about steak before finally, she made her decision and wiped the drool away. “... Steak. I want a steak with roasted potatoes on the side!” (Sophie) A pair of eyes sparkling with a mixture of excitement and determination were reflected in my own eyes as Sophie brightly exclaimed her order for lunch. “I guess it’ll be grilled chicken skewers for me.” (Regnis) Regnis’ cool voice followed shortly after Sophie’s lively outburst, and I thought about their requests for a moment before replying with a smile. “A steak with roasted potatoes on the side and some grilled chicken skewers, right? Sure, no problem. They’re both relatively simple meals to cook.” (Kyle) After confirming their requests, I took a quick glance at the landscape past Sophie and Regnis. The training field that the Adventurer’s Guild lent me had a bit more of a clean and practical feel compared to the rocky clearing we were at last week. To me though, it was a welcome change from the stuffy office I was just stuck in for the last few hours. Looking around, you could see the outline of the capital city in the distance, yet it was quiet and the air around here felt pretty clean despite being so close to a major city. It’s not exactly the same, but... I guess this feeling of a fresh start isn’t so bad. “Well, it looks like we won’t have the same cozy, campfire atmosphere we had before, but on the bright side, I can use my own kitchen this time. So today’s lunch will probably end up a lot tastier than the simple campfire cooking I was doing before.” (Kyle) “Eh? Tastier?” (Sophie) Sophie’s eyes lit up even more the moment I mentioned the word ‘tastier,’ and this time even Regnis’ normally stern demeanor cracked a bit as his head perked up a bit in anticipation, but after a moment, Sophie managed to settle down before clearing her throat. “Ahem. So what do we have to do to earn lunch today?” (Sophie) The determination in her voice was clear as day, but in stark contrast to her rigid resolve, I just replied with a slightly lazy tone in my voice as I waved nonchalantly. “To be honest, I didn’t have much planned for today so I guess I’ll cut you two a break this time.” (Kyle) “Wait, really!?” (Sophie) Sophie’s eyes widened in shock like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing as Regnis stood there with a bewildered look on his face. “... We’re not running across the field a few hundred times like usual?” (Regnis) “Nope.” (Kyle) “Not even push-ups? Or are we going to push a big rock around like that one time?” (Sophie) “... I already said you don’t need to do anything, didn’t I?...” (Kyle) “So we’re just doing nothing for our lunch?” (Sophie) “Well, I guess we'll have to go buy the ingredients before I can cook, but that shouldn’t take too long. We can probably buy everything and make it to my house in half an hour. Come on, let’s go.” (Kyle) I pointed in the direction of the path back to the capital city before starting to walk back. And after a moment, it seemed like Sophie and Regnis finally accepted the fact that they would be getting a bit of a break today as they followed behind me, albeit with slightly hesitant expressions. “It feels kind of weird not having to do anything...” (Sophie) “Yeah…” (Regnis) Royal Academy, Academy Training Gymnasium (Zane POV) Finally! This is it! I couldn’t help but feel excited as I followed Master Sylfey into one of the school’s training gymnasiums, and with every step I took, the drab office atmosphere that enveloped me a few minutes ago evaporated a little more from the passionate flames of my determination. I quickly took a deep breath before taking in the new change of scenery with an exhilarated grin on my face. After everything that I’ve suffered through… I’ve finally made it to my original objective! I might be a bit late to the starting line, but that doesn’t mean I’m out of the race yet. Halbert. Regnis. Just you two wait. I swear I’ll dash past you both with all I’ve got, even if it’s the last thing I do! It’s finally my turn to start catching up! My soul was on fire as I followed behind Master Sylfey to the middle of the empty gymnasium before she turned around and called out to me to grab my attention. “Alright, now that we’re here, I guess it’s finally time to start teaching you wind magic. Are you ready?” (Mari) “Yes, Master Sylfey!” (Zane) I replied with a sense of anticipation in my voice while giving Master Sylfey a firm salute. “Good. Then first we’ll start with a little lecture.” (Mari) “Eh?... Wait! A lecture!?” (Zane) It was like my enthusiasm ran right off the side of a cliff as my heart dropped upon hearing the word ‘lecture.’ “Of course. How am I going to teach you if you don’t even understand the basics?” (Mari) “Uh, I already know the basics though… Can’t we just skip the lecture and move onto some more practical training? I may not look like it, but I’m a decently experienced mage, you know.” (Zane) I was about to break out into a bit of a tirade about my accomplishments in magic when Master Sylfey cut me off. “I’m not talking about the basics of magic, you moron. Since you were accepted into the Royal Academy in the first place, I’m confident that you know at least that much. What I’m going to talk about right now is the basic principle behind【Zephyr Gyre】.” (Mari) Master Sylfey pointed at me as the annoyed look on her face subsided a bit, but I just stared back in confusion. “The basic principle behind【Zephyr Gyre】?” (Zane) “Zane, do you know what the most powerful aspect of wind magic is?” (Master Sylfey) After asking me that, the expression on Master Sylfey’s face slowly transformed into a more serious one as I stood there stumped by her sudden question. What? The most powerful aspect of wind magic? “Uh… Wind magic is usually pretty fast compared to other elements of magic, isn’t it?” (Zane) I gave her my best answer after racking my head for a bit, but Master Sylfey just stared at me like I was an idiot for a moment before letting out a disappointed sigh. “Wrong. Not even close… It’s true that wind magic is generally pretty fast, but there are other types of magic that can be just as fast or faster than wind magic. The correct answer is its ability to be manipulated. Wind magic has a strong emphasis on control, and【Zephyr Gyre】is the epitome of that emphasis on control. It is a spell that relies almost completely on your ability to manipulate wind-element mana.” (Mari) Master Sylfey held her hand out with her palm facing up towards the sky before three magic circles appeared in the palm of her hand and began to spin rapidly in unison. It was almost instant as the air in our surroundings converged into the shape of a spinning ball of wind, which was then gently held by Master Sylfey. It was a third-circle【Zephyr Gyre】. “【Zephyr Gyre】is based on rotation in particular, and maintaining each and every gust of wind spinning in it takes a level of fine mana control equivalent to simultaneously casting several spells. You have to control it all in unison otherwise…” (Mari) The perfectly spinning ball of wind in Master Sylfey’s palm suddenly exploded outward in a violent burst of wind mid-way through her sentence as I flinched a bit in surprise. “... the whole thing shatters, but since you were able to evolve【Zephyr Gyre】to third-circle. I assume you’ve already experienced this multiple times." (Mari) I slowly nodded in response as I remembered the sleepless night of grueling practice I had just gone through recently to be able to barely advance to third-circle. My【Zephyr Gyre】had popped exactly like that too many times to count! “It’s simple in theory, but extremely difficult in practice. Although, depending on how skilled you are at controlling mana… something like this isn’t out of the realm of possibility.” (Mari) The second Master Sylfey finished speaking, six magic circles appeared in the palm of her hand. They spun even faster than before as wind from every corner of the room once again instantly spiraled and converged into a sphere to form a sixth-circle【Zephyr Gyre】. What!? T-That’s insane! A chantless sixth-circle wind spell just like that!? The【Zephyr Gyre】in front of me was on a completely different level compared to the third-circle one before. The rotation of this sixth-circle【Zephyr Gyre】was multiple times faster than the previous one at a minimum and I had to raise my arms to brace myself against the raging wind just passively emanating from it. But before I could even think about how powerful a ‘pop’ from a sixth-circle【Zephyr Gyre】would be, Master Sylfey canceled the spell, and the sphere abruptly dissipated into nothingness before Master Sylfey continued. “Of course, something like that is only possible after you’ve mastered your control of wind-element mana though. In your case, you’re only just barely able to reach third-circle with your【Zephyr Gyre】and casting it is all you can do. You have no idea how to even fight with it. So our first order of business is teaching you how to use【Zephyr Gyre】in combat.” (Mari) Master Sylfey cast【Zephyr Gyre】one more time as she started another demonstration, but this time, it was just first-circle. A gentle ball of wind rested in the palm of her hand as she started to explain how to use【Zephyr Gyre】effectively. "【Zephyr Gyre】naturally takes the shape of a sphere since that’s the shape that makes it the easiest to conserve rotation in a three-dimensional space, however, that doesn’t mean it always has to be a sphere. By controlling the flow of the wind within the sphere you can change its shape, size, and its method of usage. For example, expanding it into a barrier around you would be the basics of using【Zephyr Gyre】defensively.” (Mari) The magic circle in the palm of Master Sylfey’s hand disappeared before reappearing on the ground beneath her. It continued to rotate slowly as the ball of wind in her hand suddenly expanded outward to form a thin shell around her. The barrier made of her【Zephyr Gyre】honestly seemed fragile like I could break it just by waving my arm around a bit in the opposite direction of the wind, but despite that, my intuition told me not to underestimate the familiar green glimmer of wind-element mana that flickered in between the gentle-looking gusts along with the serious glint in Master Sylfey’s eyes. “When using【Zephyr Gyre】like this, you can block attacks from any direction, however, keep in mind that spreading it out like this will make it weaker, so if you can react in time or you know in advance where an attack is coming from, shifting the wind and condensing the rotation to a small area will be much more effective.” (Mari) The magic circle once again disappeared from the floor beneath Master Sylfey before reappearing vertically in front of her as the winds swirled around in front of the magic circle to form the shape of a small, circular shield. “The more you condense the rotational force, the stronger it will be, but keep in mind that it will also be harder to control.” (Mari) I stood there and took a moment to process all the new information I had just been given before gripping my fist in anticipation as the shield of wind in front of Master Sylfey reformed into its initial shape of a small sphere in the palm of her hand. “Alright, I think I understand.” (Zane) “Ok. Then let’s move on. Next, I’ll teach you how to make【Zephyr Gyre】evolve.” (Mari) “Eh? But wait, I already know how to make it evolve. I got it to third-circle already. All you have to do is keep building up rotation with more and more gusts of wind.” (Zane) “That's technically correct, but let me ask you this. How do you gather that rotational force?” (Mari) “How? You just make more gusts of wind and add them to the spell, right?” (Zane) “Well, that’s the simplest method, but it’s also the most inefficient method that takes the most mana since you’re the one generating all that rotational force from nothing.” (Mari) “Wait, but how else can you generate that kind of rotational force if you’re not going to use more gusts of wind?” (Zane) I looked at Master Sylfey with a confused look on my face, but she just let out another sigh of disappointment before continuing. “Think about it, you idiot. The wind itself is not what you’re after, it’s the rotational force! The wind is just the medium you’re using to hold that rotational force, and there are plenty of sources of rotational force. Even other forms of force like a straight impact can be converted into rotational force, so why should you take the difficult route of manually generating it if you don’t have to? Just take the force from another source, like an opponent's attack, and convert it into your own to add to your【Zephyr Gyre】. That’s the most efficient way to gather rotational force and make【Zephyr Gyre】evolve.” (Mari) “What!? That’s possible!? Isn’t that basically an unbreakable shield then? It’ll even make you stronger when it blocks an attack!” (Zane) My mind was flooded with shock as I thought about how strong it would be if I could absorb anyone else’s attack. “Oi, be careful of thinking that way. While it is a strong defense, it is not a perfect one. The kind of complete nullification you’re thinking of isn’t so easy. There is a limit to how fast you can convert the impact of an attack into rotational force and even how fast you can gather gusts of wind to hold that force. So if you try to absorb an attack that is beyond your limits, you’ll definitely still take a good portion of that attack directly. Also, depending on what kind of attack it is, the effectiveness of【Zephyr Gyre】can vary. However, the easiest kind of attack to absorb is wind magic since you can absorb both the force and the wind from a wind spell. Here, I'll show you. Zane, shoot a wind spell at me.” (Mari) “E-Eh? Right now?” (Zane) I let out a surprised exclamation as Master Sylfey suddenly requested that I attack her with a wind spell. “Yeah, what are you waiting for? Weren’t you the one who wanted to speed things up in the first place?” (Mari) “... Alright then.” (Zane) The surprised look on my face slowly morphed into a serious one as I took out my staff before channeling some wind-element mana through it. “Ethereal wind of this endless sky, I command thee, become the swiftest arrow that pierces my foes!【Storm Arrow】!” (Zane) Two magic circles appeared at the tip of my staff and an arrow made of wind shot out towards Master Sylfey, but right as it was about to reach her, the【Zephyr Gyre】in her palm spread out to form a barrier around her again. Then, right as my arrow of wind made contact with the seemingly fragile barrier, it was almost like it just disappeared as a small burst of wind was released from the point of impact before suddenly, another magic circle appeared on top of the first one on the floor. The barrier of wind surrounding Master Sylfey was now spinning faster, and you could tell at a glance that it was thicker than before as Master Sylfey stood in the middle of that barrier completely unfazed. “Did you see what happened, Zane?” (Mari) I could hardly believe my eyes as she recompressed the barrier back into a small sphere before she stopped casting the spell, making that sphere dissipate. “Yeah. That was incredible.” (Zane) The excited smile slowly returned to my face as I put away my staff before thinking to myself that maybe this lecture wasn’t so bad. But little did I know, in a few minutes, I would be heavily regretting not asking for a longer lecture... “Alright. Now, it’s your turn.” (Mari) “Eh?... M-My turn!?” (Zane) “You wanted to get the lecture over with fast and move onto some practical training, right? Well, coincidentally so do I. It’s a lot more fun than me just explaining everything to you. Judging by the time we have left though, I won’t be able to teach you much about the offensive uses of【Zephyr Gyre】before the tournament starts so we’ll just skip that and focus completely on raising your defense for now.” (Mari) Master Sylfey had a mischievous smirk on her face as she held out her hand and chantlessly cast the same spell I just shot at her earlier,【Storm Arrow】, before quickly explaining the practical training to me while the arrow of wind that emerged from the two magic circles hovered quietly in the air. “We’ll be starting with some weak spells like【Storm Arrow】, but it won’t be very effective training if we just keep it easy all the time, so once you get the hang of it, we’ll be moving on to more powerful spells. Oh, and by the way, if we break anything, you’ll be fixing it yourself after the tournament ends. So for your sake, try your best to absorb the spells completely.” (Mari) “W-Wait, I’m not ready yet! At least let me cast【Zephyr Gyre】first!” (Zane) “Well, hurry up then. We’re losing precious training time.” (Mari) “W-Wind of eternity, break free and spiral beyond this endless sky!【Zephyr Gyre】!” (Zane) I yelled out in a panic as I quickly pulled my staff out again before scrambling to cast【Zephyr Gyre】. Despite my best efforts to quickly build up my【Zephyr Gyre】to third-circle though, I didn’t even get enough time to take a good look at the sadistic smile on Master Sylfey’s face before she let out an evil-sounding chuckle while firing the【Storm Arrow】at me. And from that point onwards, the only sounds that would come out of the gymnasium for the rest of the day were my panicked screams, the sound of small explosions, and some faintly maniacal laughter. Southern Outskirts of Solria, Adventurer’s Guild Training Field No. 3 (Kyle POV) “Alright, we’re back.” (Kyle) It was finally time to restart the training camp as I turned around triumphantly to face Regnis and Sophie. I expected to see my enthusiastic students replying with gusto and a burning determination to get stronger, but unfortunately, things don’t always work out like you want them too, and what actually greeted my high expectations was… let’s just say a bit far from my initially high expectations. “Hehe~” (Sophie) Sophie was standing in front of me blissfully giggling to herself with a satisfied smile on her face while Regnis seemed to be deep in thought as he held his chin and muttered an entire monologue to himself with a shocked expression on his face. “... When he said we would eat at his house, I thought for sure it would be something along the lines of a small, cozy home, not a mansion! The style of the mansion was a bit old, but I’ve heard that having an old style of architecture can sometimes add a level of antique value to a house. Even the inside was filled with furniture that looked way more high-quality than what I have at the dorm. How much must that all have cost?... No, wait. Now that I think about it, he’s an A-rank adventurer and also a professor at one of the most prestigious institutions in the entire Empire, the Royal Academy! I’m not sure how much money an A-rank adventurer usually makes, but it can’t be a small amount, and I’m sure he gets paid just as much by the Royal Academy, if not more. After all, he seems pretty close with the Headmistress…” (Regnis) Urgh, they’re both totally out of it… Actually, I’m not sure why Regnis is zoning out, but maybe I shouldn’t have gone all out on that steak for Sophie... After ignoring Regnis’ unintentional inquiries into my current financial situation, I called out to my two promising young students before they both finally snapped out their respective dazes. “Umm… So are you two ready to start today’s training?” (Kyle) “Ah.” (Sophie) Sophie let out a surprised yelp as she finally came back to her senses while Regnis cried out to himself like he had just remembered something important. “Oh, right! Training!” (Regnis) An awkward chuckle left my mouth as I watched them plaster serious expressions on their faces after fumbling around for a few moments. Once they finally settled down though, I opened today’s training with a bit of a strange question. “Sophie, do you know how to use body strengthening magic?” (Kyle) “Nope, not at all.” (Sophie) A short, immediate answer was what followed my question as Sophie straightforwardly told me that she had no idea what she was doing when it came to body strengthening magic. “I figured… Well, I guess you’ll have to be doing most of the teaching for today then, Regnis.” (Kyle) “Huh? Me?” (Regnis) Regnis pointed to himself while staring at me with a surprised expression on his face as I started to explain the plans for today’s training to him. “Yep. You’ll be teaching Sophie how to use body strengthening magic. After all, you’re the only one out of the three of us that can use it, so sorry to make such a sudden request, but you’re the most convenient option right now. If you don’t teach Sophie, then I’ll have to ask someone else to do it another time and she’ll lose a day of training.” (Kyle) I chuckled awkwardly at Regnis for a moment before Sophie suddenly chimed in. “Why do I need to learn body strengthening magic though?” (Sophie) “Ah. Well, the whole point of all that physical training we did last week was to improve the effectiveness of your body strengthening magic. So of course you’ll only gain the full benefits of your training once you activate body strengthening magic.” (Kyle) “How did it improve the effectiveness of our body strengthening magic?” (Regnis) “Your overall strength and speed have improved greatly even without body strengthening magic thanks to the hellish endurance training you two experienced last week, but with body strengthening magic, that improvement should be amplified by a significant degree. Just try it yourself and you’ll see what I mean, Regnis.” (Kyle) Sophie and I turned to stare at Regnis for a moment as he took a deep breath before getting serious again and activating his body strengthening magic. “Silent storm flowing through this body, I desire thy rage. Rage strong enough to break any barrier!【Body Strengthening】!” (Regnis) As soon as Regnis activated his body strengthening magic, the determination in his eyes quickly turned into shock as he lowered his head to stare at his own hands held out in front of him. “How do you feel?” (Kyle) “W-What happened? It’s incredible. My body feels as light as a feather. It’s like… like I took a breath of fresh air after feeling suffocated for an eternity.” (Regnis) “What you’re feeling right now is the strength that you’ve earned, the culmination of your efforts. Remember that feeling well.” (Kyle) After taking a good look at Sophie and Regnis standing in front of me, I couldn’t help but grin proudly after thinking about just how much both my students had grown since last week. “Well, you two still have a long way to go, but I can definitely say that, compared to last week, you’ve both grown a lot stronger.” (Kyle) It seemed like what I said was a bit of a surprise for both of them, but after a moment, Regnis and Sophie both replied with a nod before I started to explain what we would be doing for the remainder of the training camp. “Anyway, since it’ll be a bit of a slow day today, let me outline our plans for this final week before the tournament. Unfortunately, like I said earlier, we can’t really do much intense practical training today since the recovery pool isn’t set up yet, so you two will just be focusing on learning body strengthening magic while I set that up. The training for the rest of the week will be split into two parts though. In the first part, I’ll be teaching you two some basic martial arts and hand-to-hand combat.” (Kyle) “Martial arts?” (Regnis) Regnis replied with a slightly bewildered tone in his voice as I held up a finger before explaining the importance of basic martial arts. “Yeah. Although you're definitely both physically stronger now, having a strong body doesn’t mean much if you don’t know how to utilize it effectively. You should at least know how to throw a simple punch or kick, and probably how to throw someone as well. That way, not only can you incorporate some simple hand-to-hand combat into your fighting style, you can also still fight back in case you ever get disarmed.” (Kyle) Well, unfortunately, I won’t be able to teach them anything fancy since my martial arts are mostly self-taught, but when it comes to the absolute basics I’m more than confident in my own self-taught style! After all, that’s literally all it is, just the absolute basics taken to an extreme… “As for the second half of our training though, it’ll be pure combat training. The fastest way to perfect your fighting style is by honing your skills through substantial amounts of actual combat, so we’ll be sparring as much as possible during those last few days while working on your techniques. I’ll be trying to mimic as many different fighting styles as possible too so you can get at least some experience against more than just my style of fighting.” (Kyle) After finishing my explanation, I reached into my bag to pull out a few decently-sized alchemy stones before announcing the official restart of Professor Kyle’s training camp. “But anyway, for now, I still have to dig a hole and set up the recovery pool so you two should go ahead and get started with learning body strengthening magic as well.” (Kyle) “Yes, Professor Kyle.” (Regnis) After a moment, we split up as I started to look around for a good spot to put the recovery pool while Regnis and Sophie made their way over to an empty part of the training field. But as the two of them were walking away, I inadvertently overheard a... slightly concerning conversation... “Wait, what were we doing again?” (Sophie) “... I’m going to teach you body strengthening magic... Weren’t you listening at all?” (Regnis) “Ah. Sorry, I kind of zoned out again after Professor Kyle’s explanation about body strengthening magic. For some reason, I just can’t stop thinking about eating more steak...” (Sophie) Ah, I definitely should not have gone all out on that steak for Sophie...