Eli Academy.
When I only heard about it, I thought it was just a place for role-playing, but the scale was quite impressive.
“Wow…”
There were at least several dozen buildings, big and small, and numerous spacious practice grounds resembling a golf course.
Just the size alone rivals that of a decent castle.
Ayane momentarily forgot about the siege war and, as she looked around the academy, suddenly felt a piercing gaze and turned her head.
Tap, tap.
In just three minutes, the cavalry commander arrived at the academy, releasing the remnants of mana still lingering on her body.
The cavalry commander finished preparing to leave right away and asked Ayane.
“Isn’t it fascinating? Your reaction seems like one I’ve never seen before.”
“…I see it often, but it’s always amazing.”
“You seem a bit too surprised for that.”
“You know who the owner of this place is.”
An entity who, despite being a user, was anything but typical, Lily Elbrite.
Ayane had brought it up to cover for herself, but she was somewhat sincere about it.
From the user’s perspective, Lily was truly special.
No matter how many rookies obtained hidden jobs or transformed weirdly, Lily stood out even more.
‘If she hadn’t done a broadcast, I would’ve thought she was 100% NPC.’
“This is a place personally designed by Lady Lily, right? No matter how much I learn magic, I can’t possibly grasp it.”
“…Her knowledge is indeed remarkable. The Progenitor feels the same.”
“What about her?”
“?”
“Lady Lily. Don’t you think she’s too special for a user or an outsider?”
It was a personal curiosity.
Even a level 110 mage was in awe of Lily.
Would NPCs really not question the identity of such a character?
I had experience asking other NPCs before, but I never asked a powerful NPC connected to Lily.
The cavalry commander fell silent for a moment and then enveloped herself in magic.
“I don’t know the details either. But.”
“But?”
“…She is far more compassionate than one would expect.”
What?
…Before I could even ask, the cavalry commander disappeared somewhere within the academy.
She vanished in the blink of an eye.
Ayane was slightly flustered, but regardless, the operation was a success.
‘Compassionate? I’ve heard something about a saint’s compassion skill, but…’
Is that what she meant?
“…No. To begin with.”
How can a person who casually crushes heads with a hammer be compassionate?
If that’s what compassion means, the world surely wouldn’t survive.
Ayane dismissed it as mere flattery from a subject and prepared to exit the academy.
I prepared to sneak out of the Academy.
Fortunately, the security within the Academy wasn’t that impressive.
Sure, there were a few towers capable of sensing skills and magic, but that was about it.
With no guards around, if I quietly slipped away, no one would notice.
“Well then…”
Time to escape!
■
Huff! Huff! Huff!
“Ahh…”
The Sword Saint, Aisha, was training her swordsmanship at the academy as usual.
She was determined to completely master the ‘Cutting the Sky’ technique that Lily had shown her.
It was the toughest skill she had ever learned, but she couldn’t afford to give up.
And just as she was swinging her sword thousands and thousands of times today…
Bam bam bam!!
“What?”
Someone caught Aisha’s attention in the training ground filled with high-grade magical stones.
It was someone dashing at high speed.
Since NPCs hardly roamed around the Academy, it was mostly users.
If someone was crazy enough to use the Academy during the ongoing Siege War…
‘Is it that weird guy with the spear? Nah, he didn’t seem to like running.’
She had seen him a few times around the Academy, but she had never seen him running.
So, the person dashing over there wasn’t that guy.
‘Suspicious.’
Clang!
Aisha sheathed her beloved sword, the Meteor Sword, and left the training ground.
If someone was running around the Academy at this time, it was definitely not a casual jog…
‘Don’t tell me. Are they trying to attack the castle?’
The Eli Academy and the core of Elbrite Castle were quite close together.
It would be fair to say they were practically within arm’s reach of each other.
Of course, she had mentioned this issue beforehand, but Lily had brushed it off casually.
‘Hmm… Okay.’
Let’s catch them.
It didn’t matter much whether Elbrite was attacked or not, but she needed a sparring partner anyway.
Given that they were attacking ‘Lily’s’ castle, it would presumably be a ranker with some skills.
Aisha dashed forward, taking off in a flash.
Boom!!!
An enormous pressure enveloped her as she encountered a little kid carrying a doll.
This person is…
“?!”
“…This is amazing!”
Clang!!
She drew her Meteor Sword.
“!!!”
What the?!
Ayane was startled by a woman who suddenly popped up from behind.
With silver hair that captured starlight and sparkling eyes.
Like she ‘flew in,’ her hair and clothing fluttered, and a distant starlight radiated from her waist.
Ayane immediately rolled on the ground as the rush of starlight brushed past her hair.
Grinding her teeth, Ayane summoned several wolf dolls.
Wolves that were as high as level 100.
The woman, seeing the wolves much larger than herself, took a step back.
“What, what’s this?!”
“That’s what I’m supposed to say. Why are you running around so hard?”
“Ha! Running is my choice. Who are you to tell me what to do?! And! You’re Aisha, right? The Sword Saint?”
The Starlight Sword Saint Aisha.
A powerful figure who had maintained a top rank for quite a while and was a hidden piece with two jobs simultaneously.
“A fangirl following the Sword Saint.”
It was hilarious for a ranker to be following someone else, but her skill was no joke.
Ayane gritted her teeth.
“Damn it. It’s going to be tough to beat the 9th place like this…!”
Why is she blocking me all of a sudden?
“You know me, huh?”
“You’re famous as the Sword Saint’s fangirl. I know well.”
“…Well, that’s not wrong. But why are you speaking informally?”
“Did you think you’d get sweet words after swinging your sword around?”
Ayane laughed at her as she said that, and the Sword Saint burst into laughter too.
“Haha… true. Then I’ll speak informally too.”
“This person is totally crazy. Completely.”
“Only you? You went too far and hurt Lily.”
“…What?”
Gulp.
This time, Ayane stepped back.
The Sword Saint scratched her head and muttered.
“I don’t remember the name, but… is it that Medium and Small Alliance? The one causing a ruckus in the Siege War right now?”
“……”
“Looks like it’s true. Are you really going to hit Lily? You seem to want to get wrecked, huh?”
“What, what nonsense are you saying?!”
Hitting Lily! Can she really say something so absurd?
She just intended to pass by; she had no intention of hurting Lily. That much she could confidently say.
Ayane shook her head vigorously in denial.
“I-I just came to do something at the Academy…”
“Really? I’ve never seen your face around here. Are you a student here?”
“……”
“Looks like you really did come to settle something.”
“No!”
“What’s not true?”
“……”
Creak.
How did things end up like this?
Did I get tangled up?
I knew it wasn’t a good idea to come to the Academy, but things went completely haywire when I tried to hurry.
“Damn! If only I weren’t facing the Cavalry Commander.”
Of course, the Cavalry Commander did shorten my distance significantly, but right now, being caught was what mattered more.
“Stay calm. I don’t know why the Sword Saint is here, but at least she’s not an enemy.”
I had no intention of attacking Lily or stepping on the Sword Saint’s land.
Ayane’s goal was just to pass through.
There was no need to turn a girl with a name so annoyingly similar to Lily into an enemy.
“I’m just passing by…”
“Huh?”
“Uh, that is…”
Ayane explained to the Sword Saint her recent actions.
She had to head north for many conquests, but to get there, she inevitably had to pass through Elbrite.
Having half-listened to her story, the Sword Saint, Aisha, nodded.
“Hmm. I see. For your conquests…”
“I thought about talking, but the situation is too urgent. There were also things I had to keep secret.”
“You aren’t just afraid of Lily?”
“…That too.”
Who could actually say to Lily, “Hey, I need to break into your house, so could you open the door?”
For Ayane, quietly sneaking by was her limit.
The Sword Saint nodded.
“Well, if that’s the case, I understand. After all, you wouldn’t rush to attack Lily without being insane.”
“Right? Then I’ll pass. Thanks for understanding…”
“Before that.”
Vrrrmmm….!
The Meteor Sword emitted starlight.
The sword was already aimed at Ayane’s neck while the wolves lunged at her but didn’t pose any threat to the Sword Saint.
With a squeak! sound, the wolves tumbled on the ground.
“Fight me just once before you go. Then I’ll understand.”
“What nonsense… I’m in a hurry, you know?”
“If you don’t want to, then think of it as attacking Lily.”
“…!”
“Do you know there’s a Lily broadcast happening around here?”
What a crazy woman…
Ayane clutched the doll she was holding tightly.
Even when time was of the essence, she was asked to fight. And the opponent was the 9th-ranked ranker.
An opponent against whom her clumsy tricks or techniques wouldn’t work.
“Not something to use here…”
Creak.
“…Don’t regret it even if you die.”
“Who’s saying that?”
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