Chapter 53

And so, another two weeks passed.

Damien had now reached the point where he could counterattack me, and Milia’s archery skills had become more useful than her swordsmanship.

Milie, feeling disheartened, fiddled with her dagger, and both Damien and I tried to comfort her.

“Well, you know, beginners usually improve quickly at first. If you keep training your swordsmanship, you’ll get better. Don’t worry about it.”

“That’s right, Milia. It’s because you’ve been training so hard that you’ve come this far, right?”

“I guess so…?”

Other than that, nothing particularly noteworthy happened.

Well, the only things I could know about were the happenings inside the academy, anyway.

I tried going to the guild to earn some money, but for some reason, there were no suitable requests.

And there was still no reply from Marquis Ludwig.

—

Then, Freide came looking for me.

That day, I was having lunch in the special dining hall as usual, pondering over the events that were a little over a month away.

Only Nigel and I were in the dining hall.

Calix hadn’t returned yet, and Asha had skipped lunch today.

Just then, Freide opened the door and walked in.

She was wearing the usual academy uniform, with a fur coat draped over it, and holding a letter in her hand.

After glancing around for a moment, she walked straight toward me.

This was unusual. Although her hostility toward me had slightly lessened, she still usually frowned at the sight of me and never initiated conversation.

With a puzzled expression, I looked up at Freide, who was now standing right in front of me.

Her brow was still furrowed, but her demeanor was subtly different.

Her reddish-brown eyes no longer held contempt or hostility, but rather a mix of awkwardness and suspicion.

What’s going on…?

Did she find some clue I wasn’t aware of?

If so, that’s good news.

Though I doubt Freide would act so proactively. Who knows?

“What is it? Do you have something to say to me?”

“Do you think I’d come looking for you if I didn’t, you barbarian? It’s important, so finish your meal and come to my room.”

With that, Freide turned and left.

Important business… At this point, it must be about the beastmen, right?

Guess it’s not the time to be sitting around eating.

I put down my fork and stood up.

I’d eaten enough anyway.

“Nigel, I’m heading out first. Whatever it is, it seems urgent.”

“Understood. I’ll clean up and wait in the room.”

After asking Nigel to take care of the cleanup, I headed to Freide’s room.

—

Freide’s room, which I hadn’t visited in a while, still had that eerie atmosphere.

Living in a place like this, no wonder her personality turned out so twisted.

Even priests would probably turn into mad cultists if they stayed here for a week, given the horrifying interior.

The door I had broken last time had been repaired, now replaced with a sturdy iron door and reinforced hinges.

“So, what’s this about?”

Freide, who had been sitting on the sofa waiting, pointed to a chair across the table.

I guess she wanted me to sit.

I walked over and sat down. The leather cushion was surprisingly comfortable.

On the table was a half-empty wine glass.

Of course, there was no glass for me.

After I sat down, Freide finally spoke.

“You said you’d find evidence of beastmen hiding in the underground waterways, but it’s already been a month. Have you found anything?”

“…Not yet.”

My answer was awkward.

Well, I hadn’t even gone to check yet. I was planning to go soon.

I didn’t expect Freide to push me like this.

Maybe she took my words more seriously than I thought.

“Sigh… I was foolish to expect anything. This is a problem.”

Freide sighed and handed me a letter.

It was filled with Imperial script, and at the end was the seal of Paleon.

“This is news from the north. Reports say a large beastman army is gathering at the border of the Sky Mountain Range.”

Freide crossed her arms and legs, clearly displeased with the situation.

“A beastman army in the north…?”

“It’s news from ten days ago, so the Empire’s main knight forces are probably already heading north. That’s the standard response.”

My mind instantly became a mess.

A large-scale gathering of beastmen at this point? Was that in the original story…?

I don’t know. The north wasn’t really detailed in the game.

But it’s certain there wasn’t a war-level bloodbath.

The thoughts kept piling up.

Was this why the militia could openly attack academy students?

Because a significant portion of the capital’s forces had moved north?

But the timing doesn’t match. The mid-term training is still a month away.

Why are they moving now? Are they trying to speed up the attack…?

No, that can’t be.

It doesn’t make sense.

There’s no reason for that.

Unconsciously, I shook my head.

Even if academy students aren’t dispersed outside, it’s impossible for a group of barely twenty warriors to openly attack.

They’d be surrounded and wiped out without achieving anything.

So why?

For now, I couldn’t figure it out.

“If what you said is true, and there are beastmen infiltrating the capital… then this military display in the north is probably a diversion to draw the Empire’s attention. The problem is, there’s no evidence to support that claim.”

Freide shrugged.

The only evidence was my vague testimony.

With that, it would be hard to convince even a single noble, let alone the Empire.

“What if we trusted your word and called the Empire’s knights back to the capital, only to find out it wasn’t true? What if the purpose of that army wasn’t a diversion, but an actual invasion of the north? The north would be even more vulnerable with the reduced forces…”

It’s gonna get rough. So, I was hoping you’d bring some evidence or something…”

Freide stopped talking and looked at me.

With a look that said I was truly pathetic, she sighed again.

I, feeling unnecessarily upset, started making all sorts of excuses.

“No, I was busy preparing for this and that. I was training guys who could handle the beastmen, and I was also gathering silver.”

“Silver? At the first-year level, it’s not really going to help much. How much have you saved?”

“Well…”

I hesitated and explained the situation to Freide.

I had asked Asha to help me gather quite a bit of silver, but since I didn’t have the money, I hadn’t been able to buy and use it yet.

“You’re not kidding, are you? This won’t do. Come with me.”

Freide got irritated and stood up.

“Where are we going?”

“To your friend, the half-beast, Asha, right? To her room.”

Her steps were a mix of annoyance and confidence, unhesitating.

I hurriedly followed her.

—

Luckily, Asha was in her room.

Surprised by Freide’s sudden visit, Asha’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between me and Freide.

“What’s going on, Hashelle? You and Freide coming together?”

“I don’t know. Freide suddenly dragged me here.”

As soon as she heard about the silver, she headed straight here.

Did she want to see it for herself?

“This amount isn’t bad.”

Freide glanced at the pile of silver ingots and smiled slightly, then turned to me.

“Barbarian, how many guys did you say you trained? What weapons do they have?”

“Well, there are two among the students. Damian, who’s first in the knight department, and his friend Milia. Their weapons are greatswords, daggers, and bows.”

Originally, there were only five guys who could be used as combatants. And only two of them are close to me.

But why is she suddenly asking about that?

“Two? Just two? Really, I can’t believe it… Well, first-years are all pretty much the same.”

Freide, who had been muttering to herself, raised her head and tossed something towards Asha.

Asha fumbled to catch it.

The clinking sound of metal echoed dully.

“Huh? What’s this? A money pouch?”

Inside the leather pouch was a heap of gold coins.

“It’s a commission. One greatsword and one dagger each. The base is black iron, with silver plating on the surface. And with the remaining amount, make some silver arrows. Two days should be enough, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. I can make them in two days… But silver plating? Hashelle mentioned something like that before. Why all of a sudden?”

Asha asked curiously.

Freide clicked her tongue and leaned down, bringing her face close to Asha’s.

Their eyes were just a hand’s breadth apart.

“Listen well, half-beast junior. This is advice from your senior.”

Her tone was soft and gentle, like giving friendly advice.

But the content was anything but.

“If you want to be a merchant, never. Ask about. The customer’s circumstances. Merchants who ask such things either go bankrupt within a few years… or end up as corpses. Got it?”

“……”

Asha closed her mouth.

Freide smiled contentedly and straightened up.

“So, this should be enough, right? Once it’s done, deliver it to those two, and keep the remaining arrows as reserves. Barbarian, you come with me again.”

As if the matter was settled, Freide grabbed the doorknob.

—

Good heavens, I can’t believe she was planning to provide the silver with her own money.

I had misunderstood her all this time.

From now on, I shall call her Lady Freide.

“Thank you, great Lady Freide!”

I expressed my gratitude with the utmost respect.

If you give me money, you’re my senior.

Freide’s body jerked to a stop.

Her neck creaked as she turned to look at me, her face full of shock.

Goosebumps covered her neck, visible above her collar.

“That’s creepy. Don’t talk like that.”

With just those words, Freide staggered out of the room.

—

We returned to Freide’s room.

As if trying to erase the awkward memory from earlier, Freide calmly sat on the sofa and took a sip of wine.

“Once the weapons are completed, we’ll start searching the underground waterways the very next day. You, those two, me, and Sir Nigel—five of us.”

“Even if I’m okay with that, Damian and Milia are regular students, right?”

Regular students can only freely go out after becoming second-years, right?

First-years have to live according to the academy’s curriculum.

That’s the rule.

“That’s not a problem at all. A couple of regular freshmen can be sent out early for external field trips with my authority. Unlike you, I have a somewhat trusted position within the academy.”

Freide smiled confidently.

I smiled back.

“Oh, Lady Freide. Oh…!”

I dodged the flying wine glass and fled the room.

—

Still, it’s a relief that most of the problems I was worried about have been solved.

This way, we can naturally start investigating the underground waterways, and with five of us searching, we should find something.

We just have to wait three more days.

—

The next night.

The capital was engulfed in flames.