Reina, the general of the Empire, was quite strict with Sera.
Honestly, calling her strict would be an understatement.
From the very beginning, she had no intention of allowing Sera to pass. Ideally, she never intended to send her to the battlefield at all.
After all, Sera was just an ordinary human.
Ariel was born with the power of starlight, and Klana possessed the traits of a saint. It was no easy feat for an ordinary human like Sera to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
It was close to impossible.
As time passed, the gap would only widen.
The hero had the potential to awaken even more of the starlight’s power, and Klana could purify demons with her divine power.
What could Sera do in between them?
She was excellent, but ultimately still just a student.
Reina believed she wasn’t at a level fit for the battlefield yet. Especially not next to the hero.
Not everyone could become like Sertia.
An ordinary human entering the hero’s party and making a name for themselves would require at least the same level of talent as Sertia.
To test this, Reina stood in Sera’s way. She was a trial and a wall, checking how much Sera could accomplish.
And then.
“······.”
Sera proved herself.
Despite countless defeats, she did not give up, and with each duel, she grew at a rapid pace.
Especially her last movement surprised even Reina.
‘Is this the new era?’
So she had to admit.
Sera already had the aptitude.
And she had the right to move forward.
Perhaps this was the new era Sertia spoke of before her death.
How far ahead did she foresee things before she died?
Who knows?
After finishing her last lesson with Sera, Reina quietly stepped aside.
*
After the duel, Sera seemed on the verge of collapsing. Iria caught her before she hit the floor.
“Ah, thank you. I’ve actually been cutting back on sleep for the past few weeks, just training day and night.”
“Is your body okay?”
“I’m a bit tired, but I’m fine. Despite all the duels, I didn’t get a single scratch. Does that mean the skill difference is that drastic?”
“Hmm.”
Indeed, Reina looked highly skilled in dueling with students. She only showed a slight difference in strength without actually attacking the students.
It could be seen as the ideal teacher’s demeanor.
“And this is a secret, but supposedly Reina’s main elemental attribute isn’t ice. Yet her skills are amazing, right?”
“Reina-senpai is famous for being strong among the professors.”
She’s one of the three generals of the Empire. Among the strongest of the Empire, she was in the top three.
Considering that the first, Freya, had cut off one of Iria’s arms, and the second, Albert, had inflicted severe injuries on her, Reina must be just slightly below those levels.
It was never a fight a student could win. Just facing her head-on was impressive enough.
She probably broke through her limits just like Ariel.
Iria also took note of Sera’s talent. Perhaps one day, she could stand alongside Sertia.
Sera, whom Iria hadn’t seen in a while, looked quite exhausted unlike her usual self.
Her mana was drained, and she was gasping for breath. It was evident how deeply she had thrown herself into her training without caring for her body.
Sera’s memory, having run out of mana, appeared even without using magic.
The emotions she felt and the complex thoughts swirling around in her mind.
‘Did she think she was falling behind?’
Ariel was strong, and Klana was irreplaceable.
However, unlike those two, Sera thought she had nothing, driving herself to the brink.
But.
‘Does she not realize?’
Iria pondered, looking at Sera.
Did she really think she had nothing? Not to mention standing beside the three, she would rise to the top.
After all, she possessed qualities similar to Sertia.
Sertia had briefly overwhelmed Iria. If she had been in her prime, Iria would have been the one to fall.
If Sertia, who was stronger than Iria, was a glimpse of Sera’s future, the most terrifying thing would surely be her.
Iria debated whether to tell Sera this fact but ultimately decided against it. She believed Sera would find her own answers one day.
“Do you want to take a break if it’s hard?”
“No, I feel a bit better now. Shall we walk for a bit?”
Sera stood up with Iria’s help.
Iria nodded.
Three days remained until the newly formed hero party set off on their journey after twenty years.
It was truly just around the corner now.
Iria had finished all her preparations to leave, but she didn’t know how to spend the remaining three days, so she decided to spend it with her party members.
Currently, she was walking with Sera. The winds blew and danced with Sera’s red hair.
Sera, taller than Iria, took strides much longer, causing Iria to lag behind slightly.
Iria was gazing at the back of Sera who was walking ahead.
“Are you ready to go? Have you said goodbye to your friends?”
In that situation, Sera turned to Iria and asked.
Iria nodded.
“I did.”
“Did you finish everything? Enough that you don’t have any regrets about this place?”
“······.”
Regrets.
Iria scratched her cheek as she glanced back at the path she had taken through the Academy.
The floor she had stepped on, and the walls of the building that had crumbled and been repaired.
Professors carrying thick books, students of that age engaging in light-hearted chatter with smiles on their faces.
Various scenes came into her view.
And then.
“Yes.”
Iria nodded once more.
It turned out she had spent quite a long time in this academy, but she had nothing left behind.
Regrets.
Things she hadn’t even realized. Perhaps she knew but had forgotten.
At present, she couldn’t feel anything, so all she could do was nod.
Looking at Iria, Sera wore an expression that seemed to suggest deep thoughts.
“Well, I see. You’re really strong, Iria.”
“······?”
“I think I would have too many regrets. Being with you all is great, but if I have to leave, I don’t think I can shake off this feeling of disappointment.”
Iria didn’t feel the same, but Sera was human.
A human who feels emotions, who experiences regrets.
That’s why it was complicated. Sera walked down the corridor with a look of daze.
“Unlike you, I still haven’t said goodbye to my friends. I spent so much time in the training hall.”
“Did you really have friends, Sera-senpai?”
“Oh, you’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
It wasn’t intentional, but.
Sera looked up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.
“Of course I did! I’m a second-year in the academy. If I had kept going, I’d be about to enter my third year.”
“······.”
“That’s how it has been, but I’ve been so focused on training lately. I might be wasting my precious time in a place I may never return to.”
As a first-year, Iria might not fully understand Sera’s feelings, but being a second-year, Sera held the Empire’s academy in high regard.
She thought of it as a gift of this age, one she could never experience again after graduation.
“Well, that doesn’t mean I want to stay here. If I had even the slightest intention of that, I wouldn’t have challenged the professors like that.”
“So what are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying to make the most of the valuable time you have here because you may never come back. Even I feel regretful having spent two years here, so I was just curious about how you, a first-year, feel.”
Sera said this as she affectionately ruffled Iria’s hair.
“The places we’re going are certainly difficult and harsh. I was worried if you might have made this decision at such a young age. In other words, it’s a concern from your senior.”
“There’s barely a year difference though.”
“Well… Looking at it by age, it might seem that way, but there are things a senior can see that others can’t.”
For a while, Sera kept ruffling Iria’s head until she glanced down, meeting Iria’s eyes.
“You’ll understand my feelings when you have your own cute junior someday. I’m sure of it.”
“······.”
“Don’t we still have places to go? There’s not much time left to be in the Empire either. I hope you spend your remaining time without regrets.”
With that, Sera turned away, along with the fact that she still had a mountain of things to do.
Once again alone, Iria walked down the academy’s corridor, recalling Sera’s words.
Wasting time.
Something she had never considered.
Iria pondered what to do in her remaining time before choosing to seek out other comrades.
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