Chapter 307 - EASG 3

It might be rude to compare people to animals, but Yennekar Palerover reminded me of an overly excited Golden Retriever, someone whom people would naturally gravitate towards.

She was similar to a puppy waving its tail to happily greet everyone. And wouldn't you want to hug or pat such a puppy?

That was probably what our class felt with Yennekar. They always flocked to her whenever they saw her, hugging her and linking arms with her.

In fact, they would always aggressively stare at me if I so much as stepped within a three meter radius of her, in fear that I might be a bad influence.

Now, if Yennekar was like a cute puppy, then Laucy Mayreel was a stray cat.

Yes, the sound of her rough breathing while cuddled up did indeed resemble that of a cat, but it wasn't just about her outer appearance.

You see, wild stray cats could never be tamed.

They were never affectionate or friendly to passersby, or at least, all the stray cats I had seen in my life were that way.

Street cats had their own rules in life which they followed amongst themselves.

They were always the center of their world, even if they were living in some shabby back alley somewhere. And no matter how dirty and ragged their fur was, their steps were always refined, like that of a princess.

And it wasn't like such an attitude was due to their vanity, nor were they acting like that on purpose. It's just… the way they were born.

And Lucy Mayreel was born just like that.

"Ughaaahk-"

She stretched as she sat up.

It had been about thirty minutes since I came back to my camp only to find Lucy sleeping in my shelter.

I spent that time sitting down and thinking about what I was supposed to do about her.

The sun had almost fully set, and on a spring day such as this, the high sky had begun to darken.

"..."

Lucy sat absentmindedly, her eyes not fully awake yet. A few strands of her hair were stubbornly stuck on her cheek.

And as soon as she woke up on someone else's place, the first thing she said was,

"…I'm hungry…"

Ah… I admired her for such a talent.

We finally met eyes, and for a while, I just sat there on my rock by the campfire and stared at her without a word, chin propped by the palm of my hand. If she were any regular girl, she would've already grasped the situation and felt embarrassed.

But it was Lucy Mayreel.

"Out of 100 points… about 90."

I just sat still.

"I think the way you covered it with leaves was nice, because it allowed the sunlight to only subtly pass through. The breeze flowing inside was also refreshing, which was good. As soon as I laid down, I fell asleep right away."

Did my camp just become one of Lucy Mayreel's top three places to take a nap at in Silvenia?

Academy?

"But I didn't have a choice but to sleep face down as the floor was covered with clothes… it would have been nicer had it been a little softer. But it blocks the sun quite well and I also liked the sound of the flowing stream nearby."

She expertly assessed without changing her blank facial expression.

"It was great."

There was no change in her expression, but there was a strange twinkling feeling that convinced me she felt quite satisfied.

…Just what the hell am I saying?

Lucy stood up and stretched her limbs once more.

My wooden shelter was wider than one might think. But that's all it was. Its width was wide but the ceiling stopped around my shoulders. To put it simply, I couldn't stand inside.

So seeing Lucy stretching inside such a narrow space made me realize our difference in physique. She really was a small girl. Even the sleeves of her school uniform were loose despite her wearing what must have been the smallest size.

Suddenly, Lucy's stomach started to rumble as she popped out of the shelter.

Yes, 'popped out' was the perfect way to describe her action.

Her footwork resembled those of Murim martial arts movies. She was gathering magic at the tip of her toes and was using elemental wind and gravity magic, along with high-level shock absorption magic, just to land her small body in her desired place.

She was using all kinds of high-level magic as she moved around, as if she was a god. She was multicasting five or six spells that even professors at the Magic Department would need to concentrate to use. She was doing everything instinctively, unconsciously.

"Is this dried meat? Can I eat it?"

Lucy picked up a piece of jerky I had lying around and took a bite off it.

She licked her lips as she chewed.

"Eghk–! It's too salty."

She stuck out her tongue with a frown.

"…Though, there also seems to be an indescribable taste?"

She then took another bite.

She seemed to start to enjoy the salty taste after chewing for a while, so she ended up eating the whole thing. Then she pointed to another piece.

"Can I have another one?"

"…Okay."

She then sat on top of my drying rack and twirled her feet in the air, as if she truly enjoyed the taste of my jerky.

She frowned at how salty it was at first, hating it. But now she kept on chewing with a completely satisfied look on her face.

…Ah. Just what was this feeling? I was feeling some type of way.

It felt like that unique satisfaction you get when you're feeding a cute pet.

Wait, was this… did I just become a cat mom?

What is this addictive feeling all of a sudden…?

"..."

No! I frantically shook my head. Get it together… That was Lucy Mayreel!

She was a key character in 'Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster.' Nothing good would come out of getting involved with her.

"It was too salty at first, but now I actually really like it because it's salty. It's quite a sensational taste."

"..."

"This salty taste… I love it."

Ah… I understood.

Lucy Mayreel was an unprecedented genius with overwhelmingly high grades among the first-years. That meant she must be living in Ophelis Hall, where they allowed only the best students to stay.

Ophelis Hall boasted of having the best facilities among the three major dormitories in Silvenia. You couldn't stay at Ophelis without either a high status or a high grade.

Therefore, the student cafeteria at Ophelis Hall only served the best food from the best chefs in the kingdom. The taste was often sophisticated and refined, suited for high-ranking nobles.

But there was a taste that such high-quality food cannot offer.

The 'Salty, Spicy, Sweet" combo.

A taste outside the realm of a sophisticated palate that only cared about the freshness of ingredients, the harmony of tastes, and a balanced nutrition. It was a provocative taste that didn't care about one's health.

It was like a whisper from the devil.

"Can I take all of this?"

"No."

That would be crossing the line. That's my lunch, you kid!

"Ughhh…"

I felt sad at seeing her disappointed face. But it may just be a snack to her, but it was my means to survive.

She could just eat a lot of the high-quality food back at Ophelis Hall.

Suddenly, I had a brilliant idea.

"Come to think of it…"

Lucy was indifferent to hardships, and she wasn't afraid of anyone in the academy. The Benevolent Princess Penia, The Golden Daughter Lortel, and the renowned evil Professor Glast—they were all equals to Lucy who had a carefree soul.

But that didn't mean there was no one who could control the unpredictable Lucy.

"Uhm… I actually heard the Ophelis Hall maids were looking for you."

Lucy's face turned green as soon as she heard those words.

And with a kick that pushed her off into the air, she disappeared in an instant.

Then she reappeared right back and flew into the shelter to grab her wide-brimmed witch hat.

"I think I have to go."

"Okay… Good luck."

"I'll come again later."

No, please don't come back.

"But before I go, I have something to say. She asked me to tell you."

I already wasted too much time with Lucy.

I was in the middle of preparing to wash the casual clothes I need to wear tomorrow.

Lucy pointed at the forest.

"What?"

I looked in the direction Lucy was pointing, but there was nothing but trees.

"..."

"That wolf that's the size of a house, it keeps on watching over you."

Goosebumps ran down my back in an instant.

There was a whole realm not yet visible to me as someone who hadn't trained my spirit resonance just yet.

"Someday, by all means, please save Yennekar."

And then Lucy disappeared again, leaving me with that message as if it was nothing.

I slowly turned my head back to where Lucy was pointing to.

It was filled with the sound of crickets crying through the overgrown trees.

Other than that, there was nothing else I could see.

****

[Announcement]

There will be a joint combat class for the first and second-year students. Please check your assigned group through the distributed list.

Who: Students enrolled in the Intro to Basic Cooperative Combat Class and the Advanced Cooperative Combat Class at the

Where: Common Combat Training Facility in the Nail Hall

∗ Participation from the Alchemy Department students is too low! It's great to practice Alchemy, but please participate in common classes as well!

Professor Claire Elfin, Assistant Professor of Combat Practice

The announcement was made during the second-year students' meeting at the student center the next day.

Was it already time for the joint combat class?

Things were progressing quite fast. This was the event where Yennekar Palerover first appeared in the game.

Apart from the monster battle that would take place, this was where the second-year political drama began. What would happen was quite obvious, given the circumstances.

Both combat and politics were important variables in this world. One must always keep an eye on them.

Anyhow, I wasn't able to get a proper look at Taylee since I was called to the dean's office last time. But since this was a joint combat class, I would definitely be able to see the faces of the main characters from the first-years.

It was an opportunity for me to check if the story was moving along 'properly' and if nothing had been changed.

I stretched my stiff shoulders as I walked out of the student center, aching from staying up all night trimming my arrows.

I would continue living this hellish lifestyle, but humans were adaptable creatures. I could feel that my body had somehow started to adjust. It would be nice if I could significantly raise my Vitality stat.

But I was sure everything would work out well in the end.

Ah… I was even able to think of such hopeful thoughts for quite a bit.

-x-X-x-

The first and second-year students' joint combat class may seem like a normal event but it actually had a fair amount of importance in the story. That's because this event was when Taylee would first hold a sword.

Taylee had only previously learned hand-to-hand combat in accordance with the Combat Department's curriculum. But in this event, he cut down Lazy Lucy's lightning attack with a sword.

Taylee had been born with a talent for swordsmanship. And for him who hadn't realized he had such a talent and had only been training in bare-handed martial arts, this event was a turning point in his life.

He was paired with Lucy Mayreel, whose own talent hadn't fully bloomed yet. Taylee succeeded in cutting down Lucy's lightning attack, catching her off guard. Lucy retaliated with an overwhelming intermediate lightning spell, ultimately defeating Taylee.

However, in doing so, Lucy broke one of the rules which only allowed the use of beginner elemental magic. That earned Lucy a disqualification and earned Taylee the win.

Through the duel, Taylee confirmed his talent as a swordsman and his name began to circulate among the entire first-year students.

Despite having received that dreadful ending blow and only winning due to a technicality, it was still true that he did beat Lucy Mayreel.

And since there hadn't been any big changes yet, things would probably go according to the original story, right?

A long-awaited weekend.

It was an opportunity to take care of all the things I couldn't get done during the week.

I discovered there was a lot more room for food than I had thought. Hunting became more efficient after I became more proficient to a certain extent. But the most crucial thing was I learned how to set up hunting traps.

[ Newly Crafted Product

Snare Trap

A trap installed by tying a rope obtained from the construction site of the Olren Hall to an elastic tree trunk.

Effective at catching small animals.

Production Difficulty Level: ●●○○○ ]

[ Production completed. Production skills have increased. ]

Despite it being hurriedly made through following the instructions I found in a survival guide I borrowed from the library, it turned out better than I expected. My production skills had gone up and my woodworking skill had almost reached level 10.

Above all else, traps were time efficient. Even when I was attending my classes throughout the day, the traps were there, doing their job.

After classes each day, all I had to do was go around the places I left traps at and collect the wild animals dangling from the trees.

At first, all I could get were small creatures like tree squirrels and rabbits, but I would hit the jackpot sometimes and get something like a raccoon. Of course, more often than not, the rope would rip, or the jerky I left as bait would be gone.

But considering how little labor was required once every trap was set, it was still an advantageous method.

And with establishing this dual method of procuring food through direct hunting and using traps, I was able to obtain more than enough meat. It had come to a point where hunting wasn't the problem, rather, it was the hard labor involved in cleaning the animals. But even then, it was a problem to be happy about.

I was also able to raise my standards of living quite a bit.

My level of production used to be limited to the materials I could gather from the forest. But ever since classes started, I had been able to pick up discarded items from classrooms and the various ongoing construction sites across campus. Through that, I obtained different types of materials that couldn't be found in the forest.

There were several buildings currently being built under the support of 'The Golden Daughter, Lortel.' Thanks to her, there were quite a few construction sites on the outskirts of the academy. Snooping around earned me various construction materials. I was able to obtain leftover lumber, shabby and rusty nails, and ropes of ambiguous length. But my best find was a hand ax.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of smashing firewood resonated through the forest.

I was using the base of a tree I had cut as my workbench to cut firewood. It may be worn out, but this discarded ax that the construction workers no longer used was my best find this month.

Thank you to the manual laborers who left this lying around! I felt like crying…!

"Phew… this is quite hard…"

I cut the logs into large pieces with Wind Blade, then I cut them vertically with the hand ax.

My Wind Blade was just at a beginner level and wasn't powerful enough to cut down a whole tree.

Because of that, I had actually been using small stems to maintain my campfire. But because their sizes were all different, and some even had moisture left in them, their efficiency and effectiveness weren't great.

But now, if I were to use actual proper firewood, then my efficiency in managing the fire would increase tremendously.

It was a pain to constantly take care of the campfire. And it was so crucial too, as I needed the heat at night to make sure no nearby wild animals would come close. It always needed constant maintenance.

But the fire never lasted long due to the poor kindlings I had been using. There were even cases when it would waft in acrid smoke into the shelter after it had burned out.

It was hard enough to find time to sleep during the day, and yet I would still lose sleep at night.

"Phew… Look at all this sweat…"

My casual clothes were already soaked in sweat.

I would usually wash my casual clothes twice a day during weekends.

Gathering herbs and edible plants, hunting, preparing my daily necessities, or even just inspecting the camp… every single moment of my life had become a series of aerobic exercises. There was never a day I was not sweating.

I went back to the stream to wash myself off. Even though I was a few meters away, seeing my camp warmed my heart. I felt a sense of pride from seeing its appearance improve bit by bit.

"..."

However, I had been getting a certain uninvited guest a lot recently.

I let out a sigh at seeing Lucy sleeping sluggishly on a flat rock by the stream.

Ever since that first day, Lucy would often come by my camp and take a nap whenever she wanted.

There was no sense of regularity to her visits. It seemed she just came by whenever she felt like it.

"Hello."

Even though we were not fully acquainted, we ended up greeting each other whenever she ran into me before she would go to sleep. Then she would be gone the next moment.

I wanted to avoid getting close to an important character like Lucy Mayreel at first, but I eventually stopped thinking about it after a few days.

I mean, Lucy Mayreel's visits were akin to natural disasters.

I was in the middle of doing all my piled-up work this weekend, I didn't really have the capacity to waste any energy trying to get rid of a stray cat.

And it wasn't like she was causing any harm. She would just lay down and sleep. Often, she would eat a couple of jerkies, and then she would leave when she wanted to.

I just thought of her as a background piece. She widened her radius of actions around the camp too. She would sometimes sleep on top of trees or on the rocks by the stream, under the sun. She seemed to really like the stream a lot.

Recently, I laid down dried leather from martens and squirrel furs as flooring in my shelter, and she made a fuss about liking how fluffy it was.

Somehow, it really did feel like I was raising a cat…?

Zzz… Zzz…

I walked past Lucy to wash my face in the stream.

The face reflected on the surface of the water looked completely wiped out from cutting all that firewood. I soaked my hands in the cool water to wet my face.

Then I realized I hadn't checked my stats recently.

"!?"

"What???!!!"

"Eughakk?!"

My scream woke Lucy up, and she ended up rolling off the rock.

****

[ Name: Ed Rothstaylor

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Academy Year: 2nd

Species: Human

Achievements: None

Vitality: 5

Intelligence: 5

Dexterity: 9

Willpower: 7

Luck: 6

Combat Skills Details >

Magic Skills Details >

Life Skills Details >

Alchemy Skills Details >]

"Hi, Ed! You look happy today! Did something good happen?"

Of course it did!

I had been steadily increasing my proficiency in both woodworking and magic, which had raised my Dexterity stat and Intelligence stat respectively.

But that wasn't what was important.

My Vitality stat had gone up a whole two points.

What did that mean?

It meant that my training had finally opened my damn body up, which wasn't born with any physical ability.

Although it would've been weirder had it not gone up at all, given how much physical work I had been doing all this month.

However, this body wasn't born with any proper muscle strength, agility, or endurance. And no matter how much I trained, there had been no change in my Vitality so it was actually starting to break my heart.

So I couldn't believe that it actually rose a whole two points!

A wall that had been persistently blocking me had just broken down. I had now entered the next stage. From here on out, I would hope to be able to grow even further.

How could I not be happy?!

But of course, there was no way I could show my happiness on the outside.

"What? Not really…"

After the lecture, we students began to leave Professor Hela's Introductory Elemental Class one by one.

Even though I had been replying as coldly as possible to Yennekara, she still kept on talking to me with a smile on her face, just like usual.

"Hey, Ed! Uhm, you know about tomorrow's practical combat class? It's with the first years. And the groups have already been decided. Isn't it so nerve-wracking when you think about seeing them? I'm still not used to being an upperclassman, for some reason. Haha!"

So tomorrow was already the practical class. I had no choice but to participate because it was mandatory.

Just as the name implied, the joint combat class was a simulated one-on-one combat training. Of course, students wouldn't actually use real weapons or powerful magic.

Students from the Combat Department were going to use fake weapons, while students from the Magic Department were only allowed to use beginner elemental magic. And those from the Alchemy Department were not allowed to use overly powerful drugs or spiritual skills.

We wouldn't really be doing any sort of collaboration even though we were put in groups. It was a list of matches, more than anything.

We were to conduct one-on-one practical battles according to the randomly created match schedule with the mixed years. Of course, these battles were to take place with everyone watching.

The complete randomness of the placements allowed for various match combinations.

A first-year vs first-year battle would be a good opportunity for inexperienced underclassmen to show off their skills while still getting advice from the upper years.

A first-year vs second-year battle, on the other hand, would be a good opportunity for the first years to experience a more masterful battle through direct combat.

Lastly, a second-year vs second-year battle would be a good opportunity for the first years to see the level of combat and magic skills they should be aiming for.

The point was to watch all the battles.

From what I could remember, all the important characters in the story would participate in this class. The class size was so large because everyone was supposed to participate regardless of their department.

The Benevolent Princess Penia, The Golden Daughter Lortel, The Spear from Nature Ziggs, The Elementalist Yennekara, Hard Worker Emilia, Lazy Lucy, Gloomy Clevius, Romantic Adele…

There were an endless amount of characters.

But the most important person was… The Failed Swordmaster Taylee.

I already roughly knew the match list, which meant I knew who would win and who would lose. And even though frustrating, the first years would win almost every battle.

The purpose of the joint class was for the first years to learn from the second years, but the first years were full of important characters that completely slaughtered the upperclassmen. Seeing Professor Glast applauding with a satisfied look on his face sure was a spectacle.

But what could they do? If they were unhappy, then they should've been the main characters, haha!

Although there was one second-year who won against a main character from the first year.

Yennekar Palerover completely overwhelmed The Golden Daughter Lortel.

To be fair, she herself was the final boss of Act 1, and this practical class was the first time she would appear in the story.

"Ed, do you want to take a look?"

Yennekar handed me the list of matches with a big smile on her face.

"No, it's fine. I'll check it later," was what I was going to say to keep my distance. But then I became curious about who my opponent would be.

Since I shouldn't even exist in the story at this point, I was worried there would be a big change in the match list due to me intervening.

Most of the first years participating in this class were important characters in the story. I had been keeping my distance from such main characters, but this is the one time it couldn't be helped if I were to become their opponent.

It wasn't like there was anything I could do given the nature of the class.

So I should just stay calm and deal with whoever my opponent was.

"Let's see…"

"Oh, right here! Here you are! Come look!"

Yennekar cheerfully handed me the list of matches, as if happy she had finally heard a proper response from me for once.

Thankfully, there were no big changes. Most of them were still the matches I remember.

All except for one.

'Match 13 – Ed Rothstaylor vs Penia Elias Kroel'

That name sounded familiar.

"..."

No… Oh… My… God…

"..."

It shouldn't have been her…

****

The royal residence was abuzz with the news.

It seemed that newly stocked high-end clothes in the business district were in fashion.

Products distributed by the Elte Company were selling like hotcakes.

Princess Penia was not very pleased by this.

"That fox-like merchant's scheme… I can see it clearly but…"

Princess Penia used her Insightful Eyes to gauge others, and they told her of the Golden Daughter Lortel's slyness inside of her. This was something unpleasant to the princess.

She was one of the three Class A students recognized by Professor Glast from the class assignment exam. Lortel Kehelland was the only child of the best merchant on the continent and was a girl as sly as her father.

She appeared to always be polite and upright, but she was actually hiding her true calculating nature of weighing everything on a scale of profit.

The princess sat on her magnificent bed and sighed.

Even this sacred place of learning was nothing more than a means to make money for Lortel. She wasn't using her magic talent, nor her outstanding brain capable of photographic memory, to study.

The princess could feel it with her sixth sense. The Elte Company was gradually trying to take control of Silvenia's distribution channels, which was not completely irrelevant to the princess.

"I really don't like her… But I can't just deal with this only using my personal feelings…"

The princess buried herself in all sorts of magic books, documents, and bags scattered on her bed.

"Again and again… I keep thinking about the kingdom and politics… Even though it's been a while since I've been here…"

But no matter how magnificent her royal residence may be, it would never match up to the actual thing.

If she were at the castle, she wouldn't be able to lie down on her bed like this, nor would she be allowed to lay her reference books and documents all over her bed.

Doing such inappropriate acts helped her feel like she was rebelling, but it also made her feel a sense of self-deprecation. And yet, it also made her feel a strange sense of satisfaction, as was only human.

The princess stretched her body once again while smiling bitterly.

"Keughk! Phew… Alright… The most important thing is to develop myself through learning."

With that in mind, she checked the notice distributed to the first years. She had to carefully check everything related to that class.

But after seeing the assigned groups for the joint combat practice, she buried herself in her bed once again.

"This is just like the last time… this strange ill-fated relationship…"

After agonizing for three days and three nights on whether to try and urge Ed Rothstaylor to leave the academy, the princess ended up putting it on hold. Instead, she asked the head of her royal knights, Claire, and the dean of the Magic Department, Dean McDowell, to keep an eye on him.

That was because he was an unusual person that the princess couldn't see through with her Insightful Eyes.

She pushed back dealing with him as the semester started, and with her getting caught up in all sorts of things. But he was someone she couldn't just ignore.

A man with a lot of unknowns. But he didn't seem to have any excellent talent with magic. The princess would probably win without much trouble.

"There's no reason to be worrying so much."

She decided to go to sleep as she was on her soft bed. She didn't even take off her school uniform properly, nor did she organize her books scattered about. The first thing she wanted to do was relieve her fatigue. Of course, this was something unimaginable as part of the royal family.

There were so many things she needed to pay attention to.

Even though all Emperor Kroel wanted was for her to let everything go and just enjoy the joys of learning. He wanted her to ignore the kingdom and its politics and just enjoy her life as a student.

But that simple task was too difficult for a young royal such as herself.

Such was the fate of a monarch, after all.

-x-X-x-

I didn't know who came up with the term 'butterfly effect', but I thought the concept behind it was amazing.

The small fluttering of a butterfly's wings could cross oceans and cause a hurricane that could devour buildings on the other side of the world.

It was in accordance with the Chaos Theory, which stated that there were too many natural variables in the world for us to actually control the future.

Even the slightest change in a variable could have an exponential effect on the outcome of reality.

To put it simply, it was like a snowball rolling down a mountain. No matter how insignificant it may be at the top, it could eventually have an unexpectedly big result once it reaches the bottom.

Just like the words of the wise said, 'You shouldn't try to control everything in the world as you wish.'

I never thought I would realize the weight of those words in this Joint Combat Practice class.

As expected, old sayings were never wrong.

****

Nail Hall had traditionally been used for joint combat classes as one of the three buildings in the Student Center.

It was a well-designed colosseum-style arena where all the spectator seats, as well as the floor, were always polished clean and smooth.

Of course, even the training ground for sparring and fighting in an academy for the nobility would be made with such dignity.

I was sitting in one of these spectator seats while I watched the mock combat practice happening in the center of the colosseum.

Usually, there would only be one or two gems in each year, but this year's batch of freshmen was like a sky full of bright stars. This meant the second years were bound to be focused, watching the whole time.

Among these stars were the three students recognized by the strict Professor Glast: Spear from Nature Ziggs, Golden Daughter Lortel and Lazy Lucy.

Everyone's attention was completely focused on these three freshmen from the Magic Department.

Bang!

"Thank you for the great experience. I was deeply impressed by your experienced management of magic. I learned something from you today, so thank you for that."

Down the center was Ziggs, a descendant of the northern nomadic people, who was in the midst of throwing a second year off the stage with his wind magic.

His long curly hair, which reached the nape of his neck, swayed in the aftermath.

"I hope I can learn something from you again next time."

He politely gave his greetings.

At any rate, that guy wasn't out of his mind.

The second-year Magic Department student that went up against Ziggs… what was his name? Was it Michael?

Anyway, he couldn't pull himself up together so the staff had to carry him out.

Using non-beginner magic was not allowed. But if it was…

Zigg's magic skills far exceed the level of beginner magic spells. I was certain he could have shown a much stronger performance had he been allowed to use higher levels of magic.

The second years began to gossip amongst themselves.

"The first years won again."

"At this rate, won't all the second-years lose?"

"This year's freshmen are an odd bunch. How did all these monsters end up together in one batch?"

The Joint Combat Practice was an annual event, but the results this year were terrible. The second-years were mercilessly overshadowed by the first-years. We were already halfway through the matches, and it felt like the second-years were nothing but punching bags for the first-years so they could show off their skills.

It was quite a sad scene.

"The students whose names are called, please proceed to the waiting room after your preparations. Lucy Mayreel. Taylee McLaure."

The time has finally come. The match the people were most interested in.

The audience began to whisper amongst themselves.

It's finally here.

I adjusted my posture and shifted my focus completely on the stage.

Everyone would probably be focused solely on Lucy, the extraordinary genius who was touted to rewrite the history of Silvenia Academy.

But that was nothing more than a storytelling technique to bring attention to the real main character through reversing expectations.

The real focus was Taylee McLaure, the protagonist of this world, who was born fated to become a swordsman.

Even though he had never held a sword in his life before, he would be able to cut down Lucy's lightning-fast magic.

Taylee would use that gap in her carelessness to close the distance. And Lucy, having been caught off guard, would use the intermediate lightning magic Lightning Strike to hit Taylee.

Taylee would be completely overpowered by Lucy's instinctive magic, but since she had used an intermediate spell, Lucy would get disqualified and Taylee would be honored the win.

"This is to remind first-year student Lucy Mayreel to please finish your preparations and come up to the arena."

Ah… it was a really great scene.

All his life, Taylee had constantly been treated and told that he wasn't talented. Even after getting accepted into Silvenia, he was still treated as a failure. From getting bullied by a guy like Ed Rothstaylor to always getting failing scores in his combat class, Taylee's life truly was full of ordeals.

But Taylee never stopped training. And this match was the moment when he felt like everything he had done until then had finally been rewarded.

The directing of the scene was so dramatic. The close-up shot of him crying while looking at his childhood friend Ayla was truly heartbreaking to witness.

"I repeat, first-year student Lucy Mayreel. First-year student Lucy Mayreel. Please finish preparing for your battle and come up to the arena."

...?

"First-year Lucy Mayreel. I repeat, first-year Lucy Mayreel. Please come up to the arena. Lucy Mayreel."

Uh…

What's going on?

Where the hell did that girl go???

****

It was hard to describe the strange sense of euphoria I felt the moment I saw Taylee in the arena.

Even though it had only been through a screen, I had lived as him several times. From the miserable bad ending to the unforgettable true ending—I had lived through his life and journeys.

I also couldn't help but think of all the hardships that lie ahead of him.

Although he was born fated to be a swordsman, his life wasn't always destined for success. Among the many routes in his life he could take, there wasn't a single path that wasn't difficult.

So I decided to cheer him on.

I had planned on taking care of my life and living it to the fullest, while he would be the one to step in and take care of all the ordeals that would befall Silvenia.

"I will do my best with all the power that I have!"

A round of applause and encouragement greeted Taylee's strong declaration on stage.

Yes, you could probably call it encouragement, because everyone in the arena believed he would get destroyed by Lucy Mayreel.

What they didn't know was that Taylee actually possessed the most overwhelming talent among all the students in the academy.

As someone who already knew how the whole story would go, I expected the public's opinion to change in the future.

Well, there was that.

And then there was this.

What was I even doing right now…

"Eughk, Ahhhk!"

I pinched both of Lucy's Mayreel's cheeks.

Lucy got bored pretending to listen to the class, so she ended up looking for a place to take a nap. She somehow found her way to the spare podium behind the center stage of the arena.

It wouldn't have been a good idea to completely leave Nail Hall, so she probably thought that the spare podium was a good enough place to take a nap in.

I found her there, curled up and sleeping.

"Agghk, Eughkk!"

"Hey, wake up. Wake up already. It's your turn!"

She took a while to wake up, but Lucy finally sat up from underneath the podium.

She had the same blank face as she would normally have after waking up at my camp. Even her tangled hair, one side of it was tied down while the other had come undone. There wasn't even any room for her hair to stick on her cheeks.

And the words she said the moment she woke up were the same as well.

"…I'm hungry."

She brushed her hair and stretched some more. Then she looked at me and said her usual greetings.

"Hello."

And then she asked oh so casually and naturally.

"Do you have any beef jerky?"

I seriously wanted to hit her in the head.

"I do."

"Give me some."

"Finish your duel first."

"First-year student Lucy Mayreel. Please hurry and come on up."

It was bizarre to see one of the dueling opponents pop out from under the podium. Everyone in the audience, including the assistant professor who was in charge, watched Lucy with a puzzled face.

The important thing was she didn't ditch class and run outside of Nail Hall. That meant they could still have the duel. For a moment, I was afraid the duel would get canceled and completely change Taylee's fate.

"Eughhhhh!"

Lucy stood up and the messy half of her hair completely fell off its hair tie, her neatly tied hair falling apart.

"..."

Lucy gathered the hair that had escaped and picked up the tie. Then she handed it over to me and, in a drowsy voice, said something utterly ridiculous.

"Please tie my hair…"

"No, just leave it untied and go quickly."

"No way… If I just leave it like this, the Ophelis Hall maids will scold me. They're way too scary…"

The maid of Ophelis Hall were the only people whom Lucy, someone who had even tried to compete with Headmaster Obel, feared.

The only reason why Lucy had been able to maintain a neat appearance despite sleeping wherever whenever was thanks to the maids of Ophelis Hall.

They were a group of elite maids trained to serve all kinds of nobles, but even such professionals couldn't seem to control this unpredictable stray cat. They probably couldn't help but get angry and scold Lucy for her actions.

But it was a relief they could at least still somehow control her…

I sighed as I grabbed Lucy's hand and sat her down. I held her hair tie as I gathered up her wayward hair, and then tied it neatly to match the other side.

I was supposed to duel with Princess Penia later, but it was ridiculous how I had to interfere with someone else's duel.

And everyone in Nail Hall was watching the whole spectacle!

"What's with that person? Isn't that Ed Rothstaylor?"

"He still attends classes? Wow, he's quite stubborn, huh?"

"What's with him? He's having a grand ol' time with the first-year top student just like that?"

"They look close?"

"Are you sure that's close? Isn't he acting more like her guardian?"

I knew it was quite a sight to see the most disgraceful second-year student and the most honorable top first-year student nagging each other over fixing her hair. It made me feel embarrassed so I finished tying it up quickly.

Then Lucy stood up, still half-asleep, and I also fixed her overcoat for her. Then I tucked the hem of her shirt back inside her skirt and tightened it well, and even straightened her messy collar.

I then fixed up her falling knee socks and re-tied her hair again so she would look somewhat presentable. Her sleeves were a bit long, but she never really cared about the size of her uniform and only wore whatever she received.

"You're good?"

"Yeah."

"All right. Hurry up and go out there."

I shoved Lucy's back and pushed her up to the stage.

And she stood there, across from Taylee, yawning loudly, as if everything in the world was annoying.

"Then the duel will start…"

Bang!

With a single blow, right in the middle of Taylee's chest, Lucy hit him with low-level lighting magic.

It all happened in about 0.3 seconds.

****

Taylee McLaure's life had always been a series of ordeals.

Born as a country bumpkin, he was a failure of a student who had never performed well since entering the academy, a loser who had never been recognized by anyone.

Apart from his childhood friend Ayla, nobody had ever believed in Taylee ever since he was a kid.

No matter what he did, his results were always below-average that even his family had slowly begun to turn their backs on him.

But then a chance to forget everything had come.

For Taylee, his admission into Silvenia Academy was a means to prove himself. It was as if God had finally smiled down on him.

He barely managed to pass the written test after staying up night after night studying.

He even almost failed his practical test because of a despicable upperclassman. But thanks to the mercy of Princess Penia, he was able to pass.

And not only that, he had somehow overcome all the other hardships and challenges that kept on coming his way once the semester started.

He almost lost his life to an accidentally summoned monster-type kobold during the placement test. Then he couldn't attend the opening ceremony because of some classmates who had kept him out, calling him a failure as a student.

But thanks to the unwavering support of his childhood friend Ayla, along with Aiden, another student who was also in danger of failing classes, Taylee was somehow able to endure it.

And right now, this was the moment to prove it.

Not only to the first-years, but also to the upperclassmen and even the professors, all of whom couldn't help but be in awe at the extraordinarily rare genius that was Lucy Mayreel.

He was in a brutal situation where everyone expected him to lose.

But even in this moment full of despair, Taylee never lost hope.

Lucy wasn't someone he could beat with just meager efforts. Despite all the ridicule he received from his classmates, Taylee stayed up all night, training his body, swinging his fists, and constantly training in hand-to-hand combat.

Even until this moment, when everyone believed he would lose, Taylee never stopped putting in the effort to try and win.

And right now.

Before he could even react, a single blow of magic had struck him and left him hanging off the wall of the stadium.

"Keuk… Heughk… Eughkk…"

Nevertheless, Taylee stood up.

Scattered around him were all kinds of weapons, from bows to swords to whips.

They were mock weapons prepared for the students of the Combat Department. Most of them had no blades and were modified to be blunt.

Taylee looked at the knuckles in his hand. They were a weapon that had been with him for a long time. But today, he quietly took them off.

A sense that struck like lightning went through Taylee's mind.

He saw a shabby wooden sword amongst the scattered weapons. His body jumped out of instinct and picked up the broken sword from the floor. Then he got into position, his body covered in wounds.

It was the first time he had ever picked up a sword in his life.

His opponent was an extremely rare genius magician whom everyone was in awe of.

Nevertheless, Taylee stood up with the support of his two legs.

There were people who believed in him. Taylee had to repay them for that.

Taylee clenched his teeth with that single thought in mind.

****

"He picked up a sword…!"

I held my breath the moment I saw Taylee hanging off the wall, but clenched my fist as soon as he grabbed the sword.

That's right… You could do it…!

"Lucy Mayreel!"

Taylee shouted out Lucy's name with a fiery voice.

Even I, who was only watching from the audience, felt that something was going to happen.

That's right. That was the scene right there!

The scene where Taylee, who never gave up despite destiny abandoning him, dealt with all the challenges and trials the world threw at him… this was the scene where he sends a signal of his revival.

This was the cry of a swordsman who didn't give up on his life, and would always be engraved into the hearts of all the students… It was this moment.

"Hyyaa!"

His movements were not of someone who was holding a sword for the first time.

There was a sensation of mana engraved on the low-grade wooden sword in Taylee's hands. That was a sensation allowed only to those who were fated to be a swordsman.

It was the Energy of Aura.

Even a thick wall of several layered stacks of mana could be cut like paper.

The students in the audience began to become overwhelmed by his vigor.

It was a sign that Taylee had clearly changed.

All the students held their breath. They couldn't help but anticipate that something extraordinary was about to happen.

But then an unknown wind blew past.

And with a sudden gale that swooped in for no reason, Taylee's body began to float in the air in an instant.

Bang!

In the ensuing lighting magic, Taylee was struck again and thrown against the wall.

This time, it took about 0.5 seconds.

"Huh?"

****

It was a perfect knockdown this time.

A cloud of thick smoke billowed out, and beneath it all was Taylee's body, completely covered in wounds.

"Heunnggg…."

Lucy Mayreel rubbed her eyes while stretching her body lazily.

"Good work…"

Lucy came down off the stage, carefree as can be, as if she had done an annoying trivial task.

The audience was still completely silent. Everyone's eyes were focused on her.

Lucy bounced her way over to me and ignored it all, as if nothing had happened. Then she grabbed my collar, her face blank, and started bothering me again.

"Can you give me the beef jerky now?"

Meanwhile, I came to a realization.

The wind magic that Lucy used during the duel looked to be beginner wind magic at first glance, but she didn't use it on her own. I knew what magic it was, magic that could momentarily constrain the opponent's movement and create a gap by breaking the balance.

It was Storm's Blessing. A skill that could only be acquired by signing a contract with the high-ranking wind spirit Merilda.

It hadn't been a long time since Lucy had started coming to my camp. A few days at most.

She always looked tired and would take naps, yet she was able to sign a contract with a high-ranking wind spirit.

Merilda and Lucy were completely separated in the original storyline. They never got involved with each other because Lucy never had any reason to visit the northern forest.

Did that mean she had been able to make contact with Merilda because she had been staying at my camp? And through that, she was able to use Merilda's Blessing, inadvertently becoming unnecessarily stronger.

That's just…

No one could ever imagine signing a contract with a high-ranking wind spirit in just a few days.

"..."

I looked towards where Taylee was. He had dropped his sword and sat there, collapsed with his head down. The life that was normally in his eyes was no longer there.

The overwhelming gap in their talent must've felt like violence. The realization that a huge wall existed between the both of them… his heart must have broken in an instant.

That was… I thought I may be in big trouble…

I quickly stood up from my seat. I couldn't just leave him there like that.

I pushed away Lucy, who was sticking to me and walked over to Taylee, who was coming down from the stage in total despair.

"The next contenders in the combat practice are Ed Rothstaylor and the honorable Princess Penia Elias Kroel."

Meanwhile, my name was already being called.

I saw Princess Penia in the audience, neatly arranging her clothes and standing up.

I ran into the princess on my way to the arena a while ago. Her eyes became aggressive the minute she saw him, just like usual. The fact that she was hostile towards me was nothing new.

She seemed to have already made up her mind when it came to me. But Princess Penia was not my concern at this moment.

"Ed Rothstaylor… Last time, you…."

I walked past her just as the princess started to say something. Taylee would have completely left if I were to stay still.

The act of ignoring the words of the princess of the nation was an unpardonable sin, but here in the academic district, the virtue of learning precedes one's status, so I wouldn't have to face capital punishment, at the very least.

After all, there was something more important than that.

I left behind the princess, who completely looked shocked at having been ignored. I saw Taylee just as he was disappearing amongst the crowd and shouted out towards him.

"Hey! Taylee!"

I don't know if this would make any difference, but it was better than staying still.

"Your efforts will be rewarded! Don't be discouraged! Hey! Straighten your back! There's nothing to be ashamed of!"

If Taylee's heart was broken and he became completely discouraged, there was a high chance that I would likely suffer as a result, I couldn't just leave him like that.

"Walk with confidence! You did a good job! This was only because your opponent was too good! Don't be discouraged by something like this!"

Please don't be disheartened, Taylee!

You were destined to go through all the hardships! There were going to be so many challenges and trials that would arise in this academy in the future! I didn't want to be the one to do the saving!

I kept shouting words of encouragement and support as Taylee slowly walked away and completely disappeared into the crowd.

It was pure desperation from the bottom of my heart.

-x-X-x-

"Penia, you were born with God's blessing."

The first person to recognize Penia's Insightful Eyes was her father, Emperor Kroel.

An emperor's life was nothing but an endless parade of secret battles and conspiracies. And since her father only ever showed his honorable side to the public, no one could have ever guessed how dirty was the darkness he was hiding.

And the emperor was wrong about Penia's Insightful Eyes.

It was not a present from god. It was something she had acquired from trying to protect herself from a depressing abyss.

She had complete confidence in her ability.

She had been able to read the chancellor's eyes, filled with intent to poison her aunt.

She had seen the duchess's desire to turn her son into royalty.

She had glimpsed the trembling eyes of a worker trying to steal a golden chain from the bedroom, and had heard the unstable footsteps of a leader who tried to embezzle the knights' armament funds.

She had even felt the gaze of a young royal that was jealous of her power, and noticed the trembling voice of a spy disguised as a maid to collect information.

Oh, the princess knew of the dark abyss underneath every royal's gaze that looked up to her benevolence.

But despite knowing everybody's darkest secrets, she had always led her life acting as if she knew nothing.

"I look forward to working with you."

She looked straight at the boy who greeted her so politely.

The princess had a unique level of sixth sense. A higher level of intuition than her would require mind-reading.

****

"Hahaha! What's with him?! Isn't that Ed Rothstaylor? He was always wearing fancy clothes and jewelry, but now, he looks like a peasant!"

"That frugal appearance suits him quite well!"

"He was always arrogant, but it's finally going to be revealed he actually has no talent in magic."

The students' whispers could be heard all the way down to the arena. It seemed they wanted to mock and belittle Ed as much as they could, but couldn't because they had to behave in front of the princess of the kingdom.

"Yes, I look forward to working with you as well."

She gently raised her hand and felt the flow of her magic, her condition at its best. One of the important characteristics of an impressive archmage was to always take care of one's body.

She narrowed her eyes at the boy across from her.

"Your efforts will be rewarded! Don't be discouraged! Hey! Straighten your back! There's nothing to be ashamed of!"

"Walk with confidence! You did a good job! This was only because your opponent was too good! Don't be discouraged by something like this!"

Ed Rothstaylor shouted at the student who was in danger of failing the class, all the while ignoring her, the princess of the nation.

But rather than be surprised that he disrespected her, what surprised the princess more was the urgency in Ed's voice.

"Did you hear him yelling at Taylee earlier? He's seriously quite stubborn."

"Ha… even after bullying him earlier this year, he's still making a fuss. He really should stop picking on that weakling."

"Maybe he just wanted to try and act nice. Something like, 'At least I'm helping him now, even though I bullied him before'? Maybe he's thinking something like that."

"Wow, his intentions are quite shady then."

"Was he someone like this in the first place?"

The audience's words could no longer be considered whispering.

Even the princess could hear them all the way down where she was. There was no way Ed Rothstaylor hadn't heard them.

But his eyes remained calm. His pupils didn't even tremble one bit.

It was easy for the princess to read his emotions through his eyes.

Looking at his eyes, it was easy for Princess Penia to read his emotions,

Indifference. Apathy. But otherwise good.

It was a familiar feeling, the same feeling from that time she saw Ed at his camp. Ed had always been this kind of person. The audience's mocking whispers didn't even leave a scratch on his heart.

There were many people like Ed. People who tended to have indifferent attitudes, born with calm temperaments regardless of what others might say.

Those were people that believed themselves to be the center of their lives. This firm belief ingrained in their hearts wouldn't be shaken by the will of others.

There was no need to look far for such people. The first years were full of them.

Students like Lucy Mayreel, the Golden Daughter Lortel, and Spear from Nature Ziggs.

The princess felt relieved at the thought. Somehow, this made Ed seem more human.

It took a while for her to accept it, but he was somehow a level above the princess's Insightful Eyes. It was why he was able to take his stance with such conviction.

However, his puzzling words from earlier and that of ignoring the princess…

Ed was wholeheartedly encouraging a first-year student, someone he had tried to fail before. The contrast made the princess feel dizzy.

Just when the princess thought she had him figured out, he would do something like this and become like a slippery fish that would torment her.

Was he yelling at Taylee to make fun of him?

Was it all a two-faced stunt to make up for what he did while cheering Taylee on?

Without knowing his motivations, his actions did appear to support the audience's expectations.

But the princess saw his sincere desperation from a while ago, something he had never shown before.

If he had appealed to her the same way back when they met at his camp, then the princess wouldn't have such a headache over him right now.

"Please don't expel me from the academy. I'm sincerely reflecting on my actions. Please give me a chance."

Had he appealed like that with all his strength, had he fallen on his knees and rubbed his hands together, she wouldn't be feeling so uncomfortable right now.

So many people already bow their heads and desperately appeal in front of her anyway.

But he treated his expulsion with indifference, the same way he was taking all the mocking and ridicule from the audience.

However, his reaction to the heartbroken first-year student who failed was not indifference but unnatural desperation, something sincere from his heart.

"You're confusing me, Ed Rothstaylor."

The princess sighed.

Was that something to use that much energy on?

She was tired of being swayed by Ed's unpredictable behavior.

He was just… a student whose nobility was stripped from him.

He wasn't someone corrupt, dreaming of overthrowing the royal family. Nor was he a corrupt prime minister embezzling public funds, or a disgraceful staff who tried to steal a royal's wealth.

Who cared if her Insightful Eyes could not gauge him?

Yes, this duel was an opportunity to take care of this once and for all. To end it all here.

The princess managed to calm herself down. This was her chance to fight Ed Rothstaylor, who she couldn't understand at all.

"I want to end it all cleanly with this duel."

There were so many unknown things in this world. As long as there was a simple way to take care of it, it didn't matter. The context of it wasn't important. Just because she couldn't figure him out doesn't mean it's the end of the world.

She was already gauging the amount of mana Ed Rothstaylor had. It wasn't an amazing amount, but the natural way he controlled the flow of his magic meant he wasn't an easy opponent.

This was the first march between a second year and a first year. Therefore, a handicap that they could only use beginner-level magic was out in place to even out their fighting power.

You could tell that Ed has had a lot of practice using beginner elemental magic by the way he could control the flow of his magic through his body. It was hard to say how much intermediate elemental magic he could use, but he was, at the very least, skilled with beginner magic.

The princess's magic skill was not as impressive as Lucy's or Lortel. But she had never neglected her magic training due to her diligence.

"Please begin your match now."

Princess Penia got into position.

The first strike. It was usually used to measure your opponent's skills.

The princess's water elemental magic specialized in anomalous attacks. It wouldn't be easy to respond to the sudden changes in her attack's movements.

"I'm coming!"

The princess raised her hand, where the beginner elemental magic Water Ball was formed.

Using magic to form a mass of water was a tricky technique. It could surprise the enemy through his blind spots, applying great pressure.

She was capable of summoning up to five Water Balls at once, allowing her to attack from all directions. However, to gauge Ed's skills first, she only summoned one.

His elemental magic was wind and fire. How would he respond?

The princess planned to change her strategy according to how Ed would react. She was thinking of increasing her magic output little by little, fighting with all of her power.

Through this one last dramatic battle, Princess Penia wanted to forget everything that she could about Ed Rothstaylor, an enigma she could not understand.

There were so many other things she could pay attention to aside from him.

She threw her Water Ball with all her might, the mass of water changing directions as it soared to attach Ed.

The princess saw it. His eyes were following the Water Ball's path. Would he use wind? How would he defend himself? And after his defense, what should be the follow-up blow—

Bang!

Her Water Ball hit Ed right in the abdomen.

His body flew through the air before rolling on the floor. A pile of dust rose from where he landed. He had completely fallen, sprawled out on the floor.

"…I lost."

"What did you say?"

Princess Penia's eyes began to tremble.

"HAHAHAHA!"

"Wow! What the hell was that! He was more useless than Taylee!"

"He acted all cool but fell down at once!"

"Princess Penia! You're so cool! That was amazing!"

The audience cheered and applauded her win. They sounded extremely happy to see the public enemy fall down, defeated.

But that wasn't what it looked like from where the princess stood across from him.

Ed Rothstaylor's eyes were following her Water Ball's movement as it flew right into him.

It wasn't that he couldn't stop it.

It was that he didn't stop it.

"Just what are you…"

"Great match. Thanks to you, I learned a lesson today, princess."

He took off his dueling guards and stood up, meeting her eyes as he gave his greetings.

It was then that Princess Penia realized he hadn't made eye contact with her until now.

He never had any interest in their duel from the very beginning.

Princess Penia felt as though something hot was stuck in her throat, and it wouldn't disappear. The uncomfortable feeling she tried to shake off through this fight had now started to swallow her whole.

****

Was it really the time for a duel?

I quickly walked off the arena as fast as I could. The childish mockery and ridicule the students welcomed me with today… It must have been great to see me get knocked down so easily after one shot from the princess.

"Taylee… where did that guy go?"

There was a prioritized order for everything. And everything had a set level of importance.

It was important to minimize the impact as carefully as possible when in contact with Princess Penia. That was so I wouldn't affect the story as the princess was an extremely important person in the game.

But Taylee, as the main character of this world, was even more important than the princess.

If he were to completely succumb to this ordeal and get disheartened, it would form a fatal flaw in my grand plan of taking advantage of him so I could graduate.

I had to do something no matter what. It didn't matter how important of a person the princess was.

"Anyways, finding Taylee is my first priority."

Leaving behind their taunts and mockery, I rushed down the hallway leading to the exit of Nail Hall. The class wasn't over yet, but I should be able to mix well among the crowd and leave unnoticed.

As long as I find a way to help Taylee come to his senses, I could just work hard to cover for the things that would affect my grades.

I took long strikes with that thought in mind, noticing there was another person behind me.

"Ed Rothstaylor!"

The princess had surprisingly jumped down from the arena and followed me. Her Vitality might be low as she was leaning against the wall, catching her breath.

I looked back at the princess, puzzled beyond words.

"Huh? Princess Penia, for you to have come all the way here without your knights…"

"Don't make that face like you don't know anything!"

Honestly, the princess shouting at me with a voice full of contempt was a bit surprising. Was she ever this kind of character in the game?

No, the better question was, was there even anything that could have made her so mad?

"Every time… Being unsure if it's wrong or right… Do you know how frustrating it is to have to measure a person like that?"

"Um… I am not sure what you are talking about. If it's about the duel, I have learned a lesson, thanks to you…"

"What do you mean 'learned a lesson'…!"

I could clearly see her clenched fists shaking. She must be seriously angry.

"Princess Penia, please… calm down."

"You never thought of winning from the beginning. All you thought about was getting out of the arena as quickly as possible!"

"Princess Penia, your voice is too loud…"

The princess was not the type of person to be flustered enough and show it publicly like this. This was completely unexpected, coming from her.

Princess Penia was a royal that hated using her authority to oppress people. She was also a noble that never forgot the value of her dignity.

So to put pressure on, shake her fists at, and raise her voice, all without dignity, to someone beneath her power… it went against her own beliefs. And if someone were to see or hear this, the rumors won't be pretty.

I tried to calm her down first.

"It's already hard enough to keep up with my classes, but that fox-like merchant keeps hiding her intentions and is trying to devour the whole academy for her own gain! And Professor Glast's temper isn't getting any better! Meanwhile, people around me kept mentioning the royal laws… even if I didn't want to, I had to pay attention to them! It's all too difficult!"

Had she always had that much pent-up anger?

But why was she unloading all of that on me? Was it a sin to have a duel with her? I get that she had a lot of built-up frustrations inside of her, but she wasn't going to have all of that explode on me, was she?

"Princess, please calm down."

"Even if everyone in the world believed you, I clearly saw through you, even for just a moment. And that moment you encouraged Taylee, you were really desperate."

No, I had no choice but to be extremely desperate… I'll be screwed if he gets disheartened…

But that was something I couldn't explain to her. Instead, I decided to use the 'absolute defense strategy' that everybody all around the world used. From elementary school students, all the way to grown-ups.

"I'm serious…"

Do you have proof?

You don't have proof, right?

You only have your suspicions, right???

"No, that's…"

"But it's true… I'm telling the truth…"

This strategy left no room for an argument. Even if she had her Insightful Eyes, because I said it wasn't, then it wasn't. If she were to keep bringing it up, she would have no choice but to bring physical evidence.

"I'm serious… it's the truth…"

"Ahh… Seriously…!"

At this point, without manner or class, the princess grabbed her hair with both hands, her expression crazy with frustration. She stomped her feet and kept saying the same thing.

There was nowhere to relieve her anger and frustrations so she trampled on the pavement.

"AHHH! SERIOUSLY!!!"

Being so close to finding out the truth, only to have it repeatedly escape and run away from her would definitely leave her frustrated enough for steam to come out of her head. Not just for a day or two, but for several weeks.

On top of that, her Insightful Eyes had always allowed her to see through anyone easily. As this was a new experience for her, she was bound to be two or three times more frustrated and suffocated.

But there was nothing I could do. It was my responsibility to make sure the future was stable and moved along as smoothly as possible.

If someone else was in my place… would they have been willing to tell her?

-x-X-x-

Princess Penia's Head Escort, Claire, difficulty chased after the princess, her charge having jumped off the arena and running towards the exit.

The princess barely managed to calm down as she saw Claire approaching.

No matter how furious she was, she still had to maintain her royal status. She wasn't in a position to show such undignified behavior in front of her royal knight.

"I can't give up on how things are currently."

She approached me with an ill-tempered look, her anger not having completely subsided.

"You know something, don't you? Surely… Whether you are bearing the weight of it or hiding it… I don't know why you aren't talking, or maybe you're being forced to, but I can tell that there is something. I can't feel any malicious or dark intent inside you but…"

"I think you may be overestimating yourself, princess…."

"Listen carefully. I can't say anything right now because I don't have any evidence but…"

The princess's bright golden eyes looked straight at me.

As expected of a main character. The more I thought about it, the more I remembered just how important of a role Princess Penia and Lucy Mayreel had.

It was difficult to act appropriately in front of the princess's Insightful Eyes.

Just like how she caught me in my brief moment of desperation earlier, her sharp sixth sense didn't allow for even a moment of carelessness.

In 'Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster', Princess Penia's Insightful Eyes was just a simple ability that allowed her to know an opponent's next action in advance during battle, or to peek at an opponent's stats.

But aside from that, it was treated as nothing more than a plot device.

However, living in this reality myself, actually facing her ability in my daily life had caused me much mental anguish.

I knew it. It was better to keep as much distance away from the princess as possible.

Although it would never happen as she was a main character, I needed to make sure to never become too close to her. I felt like I was starting to care too much about it.

Of course, I wasn't sure if it would be easy to keep my distance. It would all depend on my effort from now on.

"How sure are you that you would get your answer as long as you figure out the vague outline of the situation?"

The princess let out a sigh. She seemed to finally realize how funny and ridiculous this whole situation was.

She put her hands on her waist and let out another sigh, finally regaining her composure.

"Anyway… I'm sorry I yelled and showed disgraceful behavior towards you."

She swept her hand over her face, seemingly recalling the terrible way she had acted earlier.

Well, even though she was furious, at least the conversation ended with an apology from the princess.

The difference in status between us was enormous. If she was even slightly irritated, it could have had catastrophic results for me.

It was an unprecedented situation in the first place. Princess Penia had rarely gotten annoyed or angry at others, the reason for which was quite complicated.

I knew about some instances in the princess's childhood which made it understandable why she had such an unnaturally altruistic and caring personality.

When she was young, she pointed out a slight stain on her teacup. This resulted in a maid she was friendly with getting whipped in the royal garden.

The royal family was always conscious of the dangers of being poisoned. So the fact that a stain remained on a piece of tableware for the royal family, and the fact that it even reached the table, was a clear indication that the maid was insincere in her important duty of checking.

But that wasn't all.

One day, the princess was running around the garden when she fell down, getting a scratch on her skin. That very same day, her head escort was changed.

Whenever she was tired or had a minor illness, the royal doctor's complexion would always turn pale.

Once, her shoe broke during a royal banquet. The royal tailor personally came to her room and threw his body on the floor, apologizing with tears running down his face.

For Princess Penia, who was born with a graceful personality, all of these were burdensome and only served to put pressure on her.

Not a single mistake was allowed on the path of a noble monarch. They must always accept that their own mistakes would be an irreversible disaster for someone else.

If the princess herself were to directly express her anger or resentment towards someone, she wouldn't even be able to estimate what kind of disaster she had brought upon them.

The Benevolent Princess was a nickname given to her in tribute to her caring nature. But I knew the truth. That her nickname was nothing but a chain that bound her.

But there was nothing I could do for her. I didn't have any reason to. But if there was something that was bothering me, it was that I had become a variable in her worries.

"It's okay to leave. You've been looking at that door for some time now. You must have something urgent to attend to, right?"

The princess let me leave as if she had given up. And I was grateful for that.

In any case, I knew I shouldn't be here, and yet my existence had given the princess unnecessary stress.

"It's already hard enough to keep up with my classes, but that fox-like merchant keeps hiding her intentions and is trying to devour the whole academy for her own gain! And Professor Glast's temper isn't getting any better! Meanwhile, people around me kept mentioning the royal laws… even if I didn't want to, I had to pay attention to them! It's all too difficult!"

That moment when she lost her rationality and her pent-up feelings surfaced… She was definitely different from the Princess Penia that I knew.

All sorts of incidents would occur in the original story, causing her mind to wear out little by little. But to even include me in there, I was sure she felt as if her head was about to explode.

I put my hand on the exit and said a few words.

"No matter what type of burden I may carry, it shouldn't be any heavier than the weight the princess carries."

She might think I was being too presumptuous, but this shouldn't end up being too big of a deal.

"While it's definitely necessary to pay attention to politics and social problems, why don't you try putting your mind at ease? This isn't a place where the royal family needs to establish authority over everything… it's just Silvenia Academy."

The princess's eyes widened at my words, even though I didn't say anything too surprising.

"I'm not sure if you are aware of it, but you look very tired."

She lived a life spent looking through others, but she didn't have much experience in someone else being able to see through her.

Looking at the utterly stunned expression on the princess's face, I quickly closed the door and ran out.

Thankfully, she didn't try to stop me. That was a relief.

Anyway, Princess Penia was a main character.

She might be very bothered by my existence now, but after she gets involved in all sorts of incidents in the main story, she would forget about me soon enough.

Let's not see each other again!

Please!

****

I found Taylee McLaure on a wooden bench somewhere in the outskirts of the Student Center. He was sitting down, tightly clutching the wooden sword he used in the duel.

Now that I could see Taylee in the distance, that didn't mean I actually had a plan.

"Hmm…"

But wasn't this a hilarious situation? This wasn't even something one would think of.

The third-class villain Ed Rothstaylor who verbally abused Taylee McLaure and tried to have him kicked out has now come back to give him some words of encouragement.

Wasn't that kind of funny?

Because I was so surprised earlier, my body just automatically jumped up and I ended up shouting whatever I could think of at him. But now that I'm thinking calmly, there wasn't anything I could do to encourage Taylee.

There was no way he would feel any sense of sincerity no matter what I told him.

I thought about what I should do in such an awkward situation as I took each step toward him. But someone blocked my path suddenly.

"Don't come any closer."

I was so surprised, but after looking at her face, I felt a strange sense of joy rising from within me.

She had a short, wavy dark brown bob, with a weak appearance but a strong expression on her face showing her will.

"You are…"

"Please… don't come any closer…"

Despite both of her arms visibly shaking, she talked while maintaining eye contact.

She looked exactly like she did in the game. If you'd played 'Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster' even once, you would be glad to see her face.

She was practically the face of the game. Taylee's childhood friend that always supported him whenever he was having a hard time or facing a challenge. I didn't expect to see Ayla Triss in the flesh.

"Ed Rothstaylor… don't come… any closer to Taylee. Don't come closer…!"

Her trembling face made her look so pitiful. And yet, there was utter disdain on her face. It was a new sight to see.

Of course, only by being in Ed Rothstaylor's shoes would I get to see Ayla, who had such a weak heart, had such disgust on her face.

"Even if it's not you… for Taylee… he's already gone through so much! Isn't it enough already?! There's no need to bully him anymore! I also saw you! It… It must have been hard enough already…!"

Her trembling voice was so faint it sounded as though it was going to break, and yet she didn't stop talking till she spat out everything she wanted to say. More than anything, she was truly sincere in wanting to protect Taylee. I felt unnecessarily touched by her efforts.

That's right, that was Ayla…!

It's funny how I felt moved by someone who was staring at me like they wanted to murder me…

Clank!

The iron cup Ayla was holding fell and started rolling on the stone grounds. She must've been on her way to get some water.

It was only then that Taylee responded, having heard the sound of water splashing on the floor.

Taylee slowly got up from the bench and started walking toward us.

I felt a sense of disharmony then. That sense of weakness he had disappeared as he walked over.

"Ed… Rothstaylor…"

He grabbed the sword tightly as he approached me, then he sent Ayla behind his back and he stared at me.

"Still… I guess you still attend classes…"

A low and serious voice. I was surprised to see that he looked fairly back to life. The Taylee that I saw when he lost the duel surely didn't look to have a bit of life left in him.

So what happened?

Taylee's unique willpower to live. No matter how powerful an opponent, he had a fighting spirit that would never break. I could definitely feel that sense of willpower in him.

Had he already resurrected?

It seemed so.

After coming all the way here, I could see the whole story of what may have happened.

I couldn't follow Taylee right away because of my duel with the Princess.

However, his childhood friend and biggest supporter, Ayla Triss, worriedly ran after him.

And what happened next could be inferred without having to see it in person.

No matter how high a wall or how difficult an ordeal may be, for anything that blocked Taylee's path, Ayla would always hug, encourage, and give him positive reinforcement.

"It's okay. You can overcome it this time too. You've done so well thus far. I believe in you. You can do it. Don't be discouraged, Taylee."

She was always there to give Taylee heartwarming support, crying and laughing by his side.

As long as Ayla was with him, Taylee would always stand back up after getting knocked down.

I think even Taylee knew about it.

"Coming here… For what reason… What business do you have with me…?"

Because of her, Taylee was able to stand again.

I was worried he might think I was bullying Ayla, which would explain why he hid her small body behind him as he looked straight at me with such burning volition.

I was already used to that overwhelming feeling.

Having played as Taylee countless times, it was because of this strong willpower that I felt fully immersed in the game.

"You were quite good with the sword. I saw how you handled it."

"Tell me clearly what you are planning."

"I don't have anything planned."

For someone who used to despise you at the entrance exam to suddenly say such things, it couldn't be helped that he thought I was out of my mind.

But I still wanted to tell him something, at the very least.

I gained a sense of affection for him, having played 'Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster' many times in the past.

While I played the game, there were many times I felt he truly had a strong mental fortitude. No matter how difficult the challenges he faced were, I was always greatly encouraged by that strong willpower and never felt discouraged.

Coming to the hasty conclusion that he would lose the will to fight just because he got beaten by Lucy once…

I guess I worried too much.

He was supposed to be my solution, the one who would take on all the ordeals that would happen in the future. He was supposed to be that kind of a pushover. But after meeting him in person, my heart seemed to have changed a bit to some extent.

Well, it was already a given that he would have to take care of all the hardships for me but I should set that aside for now. I would seem heartless if I didn't.

"Euut!"

My eyes met with Ayla, her gaze still filled with contempt. But all I did was nod at her and then turned around.

I was on pins and needles, worried that Taylee had collapsed.

But no matter how praiseworthy or amazing of a friend they may be, having more contact may negatively impact the future.

So I just turned around and walked away.

I could feel their gazes on my back. And without looking, I knew their faces must be saying, "Just what the hell is wrong with that guy?"

…Well, it was something that couldn't be helped.

****

Shortly after, while the Joint Combat Training was still underway, sparks started to soar through the sky.

The students playing around the Student Center were all surprised as they looked at Nail Hall. Nobody thought that such a large-scale fire would break out so suddenly.

Although it wasn't a fire in the first place.

The flame of Takan, a high-ranking fire spirit, was a cursed flame that burned only the opponent targeted by the Elementalist who summoned him.

But that didn't mean it wasn't hot. The heat could definitely be felt spreading through the grounds. With this high temperature from a distance, the students in the audience probably felt like they were thrown into the desert.

"Was it already time for that?"

I went back towards Nail Hall with my hands in my pocket.

This was the climax scene of the Joint Combat Practice event for the first and second years.

If this was the original story, we would all be sitting in the audience at Nail Hall, watching it together.

But Lucy won over Taylee, which was different from what was supposed to happen. But thanks to the scale of the fire, I could tell from where I was.

This was the duel between 'The Golden Daughter Lortel' and 'Yennekar Palerover.'

To gauge the skills of the second-year's star student, Lortel cast intermediate ice magic at risk of getting herself disqualified. The spell blew off the ceiling of Nail Hall.

After all, the cost of repairing the ceiling was nothing to her.

But because of that, Yennekar was forced to show off the full extent of her skills and brought out the manifestation of Takan, the strongest amongst all the spirits she had signed a contract with.

I could picture what was happening even though I wasn't there.

The firefly lizard wrapped around the large Nail Hall had the most overwhelming and grandest appearance among Yennekar's 'best friends.'

I caught a glimpse of her sitting on its flaming head. She grabbed onto the spirit's hard scales and swung her wand around, just in case she lost balance and fell off. It was quite a sight to see her smiling so cheerfully in such a situation.

Never forgetting to smile, she truly was like a main character in a fairy tale.

I sat on a bench nearby and leaned back. I was exhausted. I didn't really want to enter the Nail Hall, currently burning with heat.

The appearance of the giant flaming lizard roaring against the backdrop of the setting sun was certainly quite surreal.

Even though some things happened differently from the original, I was sure Taylee and Ayla were watching this same scene.

This was going to be the final boss of Act 1, and also the first out of countless ordeals that Taylee would have to face.

The top student of the second-year magic students at Silvenia Academy, Yennekar Palerover.

I hoped they were watching it clearly.

Because this would be the last chance they get to see her appearance like this.

-x-X-x-