〈 Chapter 86 〉 Contact (1)
*
A few days later, mock battle.
I was stationed at the high ground of the battlefield as usual.
“How boring this position is.”
Maybe it was because I recently had to push my swordsmanship to the limit for the first time in ages, but the stiffness in my body was twice as bad.
I was feeling the desire to draw my sword and clash with the candidates at any moment.
However, doing so would only lead to disaster.
“At least let’s keep it cool until this match is over.”
Of course, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t keep my sword in hand.
I was just taking a somewhat passive approach to the battle, even though I would considering using a bow.
That was part of the plan, after all.
“I need to keep my rating as low as possible.”
This wasn’t just about me.
“Looking good.”
I had clearly told Yusera how to fully utilize her abilities.
However, Yusera wasn’t using any of it at all.
She was employing the same old sword techniques, which undeniably had its limits.
“Her rating was bound to drop naturally anyway.”
The opposing teams had already completed their evaluation of her based on her battles with Elsie.
She could only demonstrate a maximum of ten techniques.
Thanks to that, her opponents focused solely on exchanging ten techniques with her without panicking.
“If this is a matter of deliberate manipulation, it might as well be.”
What Yusera was doing was strictly not her best effort.
I wasn’t completely insensitive to my teammates’ feelings.
However, if you ask whether the cause of this situation solely rested on me, that wasn’t the case either.
“Dammit, that Secia woman probably calculated all this as well.”
The upcoming mid-term trade event.
She planned to discard Yusera during that trade event.
She intended to use her only as much as needed and toss her aside.
“That would be a good judgment for me, on the contrary.”
I advised Yusera to be kicked out of the team according to Secia’s intentions.
First and foremost, it was certainly clear that she needed to get away from Secia.
Wouldn’t there be a way to raise her rating?
Well, even if she raises it, there’s nowhere to go.
Sigritt, the orthodox knight, wouldn’t prefer Yusera.
Professor Huff wouldn’t want to take both her and me since I’m not from a prestigious family, and I didn’t even want to go there.
Ultimately, there was only one option left.
“Come to think of it, it’s about time I make contact with that guy.”
It wasn’t an urgent matter I had to deal with, so I had been putting it off until now, but now that the trade event was right around the corner, I couldn’t postpone it any longer.
Though it wasn’t the decisive reason, that guy was somewhat involved in my entrance to the academy.
Conveniently, I had the chance to make contact with him soon.
*
“I underestimated how quickly I’d be figured out.”
Secia, the instructor of Swordsmanship Class 2, bit her lip tightly.
Beside her, professors of archery, spear arts, magic, tactics, and various subjects watched the mock battle, including Huff, the instructor of Swordsmanship Class 3.
“Ten techniques are the limit, huh?”
“It’s a mock battle, so there’s that. In reality, it’s an ability with no practical value at all.”
For a while at the beginning, Yusera had attracted attention with her outstanding sword skills and considerable enhancement abilities.
She produced results better than Secia’s expectations.
Of course, this allowed her to beat Team B of Swordsmanship Class 1, but it also meant Yusera’s potential was quickly analyzed.
“Especially that last match was decisive.”
She had deliberately made sure Yusera didn’t use all her techniques.
However, during her battle with the candidate called Elsie last time, Yusera’s limits were laid bare for all to see.
With that, all analysis was complete.
“It’ll now be difficult for her to perform as she once did.”
Before Yusera’s abilities could be properly analyzed, Secia’s plan to present her skills in a lit state went awry.
Nonetheless, considering Yusera had managed to perform beyond her expectations, it wasn’t a total loss.
The league had already passed the halfway mark, and the results of the two teams she mentored had been quite good.
In particular, Team B’s Candidate Wilhelm excelled remarkably.
“Let’s start solidly setting up the trade plan.”
Of course, the priority during a trade should be the wishes of the candidates.
If the candidate wanted to go to the instructor they preferred, arrangements should be made accordingly.
But Secia wasn’t going to easily allow that.
“I’ll try to persuade them first, but…”
If that doesn’t work… there were many other methods.
*
In the multi-purpose classroom created for the purpose of liberal arts education.
The only sound that filled the room was the clashing of wooden swords.
Midway through the first semester, the swordsmanship liberal arts class finally began.
I was sharing swords with Wilhelm, who was assigned as my partner.
Wilhelm quickly deflected my sword before lunging at me.
I couldn’t block that attack… I wasn’t able to.
“Ugh, lost again.”
At this point, it felt pretty natural.
I hadn’t given him that much slack either.
I was merely trying to use the three basic techniques I had learned during the very first session.
“His stats are ridiculously good.”
People often think of archers as agility-focused characters, but in Hundred Braves, that wasn’t the case.
Of course, agility wasn’t unimportant, but ultimately, strength was the most critical factor.
In fact, without using Wind’s Power, I was even falling behind him in agility.
“Not that I didn’t give him some leeway.”
Had I given it my all, I could have won with just those three techniques I learned today.
However, since I wouldn’t gain anything from that, I intentionally created some openings from time to time.
That was only possible due to the substantial gap in swordsmanship skill between Wilhelm and me.
“By the way…”
Aside from hardworking Wilhelm, the other archery class guys didn’t seem particularly proactive in sword training.
And the instructor of Swordsmanship Class 4, Freira, merely watched us.
Seemingly uninterested, with her long, dull gray hair, she constantly wore a bored expression.
“Doesn’t seem to care much, does she?”
After instructing us on the three basic techniques, she simply observed our sparring.
Rather, based on her attitude, it was hard to say she was even paying attention to it.
Looking up at the sky, looking down at the ground, her gaze wandered aimlessly.
In the end, I couldn’t figure out what she was actually looking at.
“That’s the scary part, though.”
It was about time her class would come to an end.
Ultimately, she only rose from her seat as the class was ending.
Her tone seemed as if she was talking to herself, but the volume was definitely not low enough to be so.
“I once knew a knight who said this.”
At that, the eyes of the archery class students turned to her.
Without a hint of awareness of their gaze, she continued speaking.
“A sword is just a tool in the end.”
What on earth was she saying all of a sudden?
As those thoughts surfaced, she asked us, still standing there dumbfounded.
“Do you understand what this means?”
A sword is just a tool.
At first glance, it seemed like such an obvious statement.
Thus, no candidates were quick to step up to answer.
“Though it seems familiar like I’ve heard it somewhere.”
Freira’s gaze lingered on me as she scanned the silent candidates.
But I didn’t respond.
Then, she smiled as if to say it couldn’t be helped.
“Well, I didn’t expect much. What I wanted to say is that if one doesn’t need swordsmanship, then there’s no need to learn it.”
No need to learn swordsmanship.
That wasn’t something a professor in charge of swordsmanship should be saying.
But her statement wasn’t incorrect either.
In reality, there were many people who couldn’t raise their skills to a usable level no matter how much they learned swordsmanship.
“If you don’t want to learn swordsmanship, I won’t care where you go or what you do, so do as you see fit. I have no interest in those who need swordsmanship.”
It was a surprisingly free-spirited class.
“Though that doesn’t mean she lacks skill.”
If Sigritt from Swordsmanship Class 1 produced the strongest Saint-level hero who holds the top ranking, Freira had produced the second-ranked hero.
Nonetheless, if there was a problem with her being a professor… it was just one thing.
“Can such a person even be in Hero Academy?”
When all the other students had left the classroom, I seemed to be the only one left as I faced her.
She looked a bit flustered and lifted the corners of her mouth.
“I didn’t expect you to come find me first.”
“If we’re being technical, you were the one who found me first.”
“Is it about how a sword is just a tool?”
I nodded my head.
Once she had uttered that line, her identity could only have been one thing.
Seeing my response, she let out a wry smile.
“Hmm, but it feels like you knew about me even before that, right? And you seemed to have concrete information beyond just that.”
Point taken.
However…
“If you knew about me, I could know about you too, wouldn’t it be a problem?”
The fact that I enrolled in Hero Academy while concealing my identity.
Only three individuals were clearly aware of that.
The High Priest, Gwen, and…
“That woman.”
A spy planted by the Demon King in the church.
At the same time, a spy planted by the church into Demon’s realm.
From the very beginning, I didn’t think of hiding my identity from her.
She was someone with such capabilities.
So I intentionally stepped towards her first.
“Do you have something to say?”
However, the next words that escaped her mouth were something I never expected.
“Then I’ll reveal it instead of an apology.”
She said, wearing a bright smile I had never seen during class.
“I’m your biggest fan.”
“What?”
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