Kays Translations

Chapter 8: In Swordsmanship Class

(W-why…?)

Ren had never expected her to appear so suddenly, without the slightest warning.

As though mocking his stunned expression, the newcomer stood proudly before the assembled knights and barked an order.

“All of you, continue your training—assuming you are capable of feeling ashamed after losing to a boy so young.”

Her leather shoes struck the floor with a sharp click at every step as she approached.

Ren watched in astonishment until the woman reached the center of the training grounds and addressed him.

“Who are you?”

The force behind the question was almost tangible.

Combined with an aura fierce enough to make his skin prickle, it nearly made Ren swallow hard.

“My name is Ren Ashton.”

“…Hmm. Just as I thought.”

Her piercing gaze did not make Ren flinch.

“I am Estelle, Director of the Lion’s Holy Office.”

The name was exactly the one Ren had expected: the woman who stood at the head of the Lion’s Holy Office.

Seeing Estelle in person subjected him to a remarkable tension he had not experienced in a long time.

The more conscious he became of it, the more astonishing her sheer presence seemed.

(I never heard anything about a parade or ceremony welcoming the returning force. Well, I suppose they would not hold one every time.)

Ren was bewildered precisely because no one had told him anything.

Then he glanced at the clock and let out a small, “Ah.”

He had come to train before attending the academy, and the time when he needed to prepare for class was rapidly approaching.

Realizing he had become far too absorbed in sword practice made him want to clutch his head.

First, however, he needed to explain the situation to Estelle and apologize.

Even then, faced with someone as important as Estelle, Ren naturally wondered whether it would be proper to leave merely because he had class.

“Director, Lord Ren must attend the academy shortly…”

One of the knights came to his rescue.

“Hmm.”

Estelle’s demeanor changed at once.

“Ren, you do intend to attend the academy, correct?”

“Y-yes! But I believed I should greet you properly, and I could not bring myself to say anything…”

“A commendable attitude. Nevertheless, you must also value your lessons—especially at this time of year.”

Estelle dismissed him so readily that Ren blinked in surprise.

He bowed at her answer and hurried out of the training grounds.

Watching his retreating back, Estelle remarked:

“Not bad. He is a young man with a firm core.”

Then she laughed and added, “Though naturally, he cannot compare to my husband.”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“—And that is what happened.”

Ren told Licia about the encounter after reaching their classroom.

Sera had come to stand before the adjacent desks where Ren and Licia sat, and her smile stiffened as she listened.

“S-so the Director has returned…”

“I have never met her, but do you have some unpleasant memory involving her?” Licia asked.

“Not me—my father. Though I would not exactly call it an unpleasant memory.”

Some time before Ren and Licia arrived in Elendil, Sera’s father, the current head of House Riohard, had crossed swords with Estelle. It had not been a hostile clash born of disagreement; they had simply wanted to test one another’s skill.

“He lost completely. Utterly.”

“Really? Even though your father is Sword Saint-class?”

“Yes. Watching from the side, I could not understand what was happening at all. Even Father said he had lost before he knew what had happened.”

Sera continued while recalling the bout.

“Licia probably understands this better than I do. A Sword Saint of the Mighty Sword Style stands apart from Sword Saints of other schools. And Sword Saint is the rank with the widest gap in ability between people who hold it.”

Sword Saint was the rank immediately below Sword King.

Because Sword King was the only rank above it, differences in strength within the Sword Saint rank were far more pronounced than at lower levels.

In other words, Sword Kings were so overwhelmingly powerful that measuring the Sword Saints beneath them became difficult.

And a Sword Saint of the Mighty Sword Style was an even more exceptional opponent.

“Ah! That reminds me—I wanted to ask you something, Licia!”

“My, what brought this on so suddenly?”

“The Mighty Sword Style! How is your training going? I heard you have been visiting the Lion’s Holy Office to polish your swordsmanship, so tell me how strong you have become.”

“You want to know my rank?”

“Exactly!”

Sera’s curiosity was hardly surprising.

Licia had been renowned for her swordsmanship and talent since childhood.

Sera had always seen her both as a rival and as the standard she wanted to reach, so she could not help wondering how much stronger Licia had become.

“I learned to use the Sword Adept Art near the end of last year. Since then, I have been aiming for Swordmaster.”

Sera’s smile froze at the casually delivered answer.

“I-I should not have asked…”

It was only a rough comparison, but Licia’s general combat ability was already about equal to a Swordmaster of another school—and she had reached that point before the previous year ended.

Sera collapsed face-first onto Licia’s desk and kicked both legs beneath it.

She had clearly realized that the gap between their abilities had widened and needed a moment to process it.

“Lady Licia…” Ren began.

“Do not worry. Sera may not look it, but she is quite resilient.”

“What do you mean, ‘may not look it’? Are you saying I look frail?”

“Physically, yes. Your waist is incredibly slender.”

“That sounds like sarcasm. I do not want to hear it from someone even thinner than I am.”

The two traded jokes and then smiled at each other.

Licia had only just rested her cheek on one hand with a resigned look when Ren spoke.

“Huh?”

“Come to think of it, Vayne is not here.”

Tension immediately ran through the group.

More precisely, Sera’s sudden change in attitude left Ren staring in astonishment.

“Who is that? I do not know him.”

“…What?”

As Ren blinked at Sera’s chilly answer, she turned toward the window with a conspicuously offended expression.

Licia immediately leaned close and whispered into Ren’s ear.

For an instant, a sweet fragrance tickled his nose.

“Apparently, a student one year above us called him away. She belongs to one of the Hero Houses and is said to be an extraordinarily beautiful second-year girl.”

“Ah… I have heard rumors about her.”

“That is why Sera is in a bad mood.”

“I see. It appears I touched on something I should have left alone.”

Licia smiled wryly and told him he probably did not need to worry.

“…Would you like to meet that upperclasswoman too, Ren?”

“Not in the slightest.”

His immediate, unwavering answer startled Licia instead.

Beside her, Ren quietly reflected.

(Now that she mentions it, I think there was an event like that.)

Soon after entering the academy, Vayne deepened his friendships with members of the Hero Houses and met a second-year girl positioned as a secondary heroine. Like Sera, she was strikingly beautiful and naturally drew attention.

It was not that Vayne had been seduced by her charms. She merely asked for a small favor so reasonable that refusing would have seemed stranger than helping.

There was also one other member of a Hero House in this class besides Sera.

That student was nowhere to be seen and apparently had not arrived yet. Ren had not exchanged a single word with the person thus far.

He would not particularly mind if that remained true until graduation.

(Come to think of it, Lady Riohard became sulky just like this in the game.)

In other words, Ren was now witnessing what had happened behind the scenes of that event.

He had repeatedly reminded himself that treating the game and this reality as identical was foolish, yet every similarity inevitably gave him much to think about.

Determined to improve her mood, Sera changed the subject with almost excessive force.

“Our class begins this afternoon, right?!”

Needless to say, she meant the swordsmanship lesson she had anticipated more than any other.

General subjects such as swordsmanship were not limited to the Special Class; students from the General Class could attend as well.

The three of them had all selected the same lesson and would take it together that afternoon.

“Yes. But Sera, I believe I have said this before: I do not mind training with you outside the academy.”

“Of course I remember. I simply wanted to wait for the day when we could cross swords here at the academy.”

“…Does that distinction matter?”

“It is a matter of feeling. I want you to see, on this grand stage, how much stronger I have become since the day you defeated me so completely at the knights’ station.”

If that carried meaning for Sera, both Ren and Licia respected it.

Her daily efforts to catch up with Licia shone brightly even in their eyes.

When Vayne finally returned to the classroom, Sera greeted him with a pointedly aloof expression.

Watching Vayne’s bewildered back, Ren smiled to himself and silently wished him luck.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

After lunch, before they headed to the training grounds, Sera was in an even better mood in the changing room than she had been that morning.

“I finally get to cross swords with you again, Licia. I need to warm up thoroughly.”

“Yes, yes. Just do not exhaust yourself during the warm-up.”

“I know! Hee-hee… I am going to show you how much stronger I have become since the last time we fought.”

The two changed out of their uniforms and into training clothes.

The Imperial Military Academy did not issue a designated athletic uniform, so every student wore clothing that allowed easy movement and raised their spirits.

Once changed, the girls left the changing room and made their way to the training grounds used for swordsmanship classes.

The facility resembled a small arena and appeared almost excessively grand for a single school. Spectator seating even surrounded the entire floor.

Yet the simple fact that this was the Imperial Military Academy explained everything.

At least ten other male and female students had already assembled inside.

Vayne was among them, but Ren was not.

“It seems Ren has not arrived yet,” Sera observed.

Licia answered her.

“Ren will be late. He has work for the Lion King Grand Festival committee, so he said he would join the afternoon lesson halfway through.”

“Is that all right? Should you not be helping too?”

“Normally, yes.”

“What do you mean, normally?”

“Do not worry about it. It is our concern.”

Ren’s task was minor—little more than handling a small amount of paperwork.

He had decided it would be unfair to make Licia accompany him and keep Sera waiting.

Sera had looked forward to this lesson until today, and Ren had felt reluctant to postpone it any further.

Licia concealed those circumstances and began warming up before class.

As she loosened her body, she noticed someone approaching.

“Ah, Vayne.”

Vayne came over and addressed Sera and Licia.

“Ren says he will be late.”

“We know. Committee work cannot be helped, and we should be grateful to him.”

“Right. So, um… you are partnering with Clausel today?”

“Of course.”

As they talked and continued warming up, the appointed time arrived.

The male instructor responsible for the class entered the training grounds, looked over the roughly twenty assembled students, and spoke.

“Everyone, welcome to Imperial Swordsmanship.”

The academy also offered lessons in other schools, including the Sacred Sword Style.

Completing the foundational Imperial Swordsmanship course was enough to satisfy the swordsmanship credit requirement; everything beyond that was left to each student’s discretion.

“Leomel recognizes Imperial Swordsmanship as its foundational sword school. Nevertheless, everyone here—students of the Special Class and the General Class alike—should already have received some instruction in handling a sword.”

The students nodded quietly.

“First, I will determine your present level.”

The first half of the lesson would be devoted to that assessment, while technical instruction would begin in the second half.

As the instructor had said, however, most of the students gathered there were already far more skilled with a sword than others their age outside the academy.

Even within a class on foundational swordsmanship, the actual level of practice would depend on the students present.

“I will walk among you and observe. Find any partner you like and cross swords freely. Your school does not matter, but do not use Arts. Begin!”

The command came abruptly, but the students obeyed.

As everyone began forming pairs, the match that attracted the most attention was Licia and Sera’s.

Their extraordinary beauty alone would have drawn eyes, but both girls were also famous for their swordsmanship.

Naturally, the instructor was curious to see how strong they were.

The students had unconsciously left the center of the training grounds open. Licia and Sera moved there and raised their practice swords without concern for the attention upon them. Licia, accustomed to fighting Ren and the knights of the Lion’s Holy Office, stood naturally and at ease.

“…Show them the results of all your effort. This is no time to be nervous.”

Sera, by contrast, looked slightly tense.

Then Vayne called out to her.

“…Sera!”

Vayne thrust a clenched fist encouragingly toward her. Sera slapped both cheeks to steel herself, and the stiffness left her body.

Perhaps buoyed by Vayne’s support, her usual confidence returned to her expression.

“Are you ready now?” Licia asked.

“Yes. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Licia’s voice was gentle.

She had patiently waited until Sera could swing without reservation, and Sera answered with a slightly embarrassed smile.

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