Chapter 26

It was still a bit early for dinner, so the spacious dining hall was quiet and empty.

A faint lavender scent filled the air, and the chandeliers decorating the ceiling swayed gently, casting a bright light.

In the center of the dining hall, three round tables for six, each covered with a red tablecloth, were arranged in two rows. At each seat, crystal glasses and silverware were neatly placed on white napkins.

One wall of the dining hall was blocked by a metal door leading to the kitchen, and through the cracks, the tantalizing smell of meat wafted out.

Asha, sitting at one of the tables, spotted me and waved.

“Ah! It’s been three days, Hersela. Here for dinner?”

“Yeah. Are you eating alone, Asha?”

It wasn’t meant to be sarcastic. Eating alone in the dining hall probably wasn’t something to be mocked in this world, right?

“Calix doesn’t eat meat, so he eats separately. I haven’t met the others yet.”

“Where’s your escort?”

Even if Calix is like that, as a special admission student, you’re allowed one escort, so shouldn’t you be eating with them? I came here with Nigel, after all.

“My escort is an automaton! It doesn’t need to eat. Want to see it later?”

“Ah, sure…”

Asha smiled brightly and waved her fork. Typical demi-humans. In a world close to the medieval era, they’re the kind of race that sparks a technological revolution among themselves.

As I sat next to Asha, Nigel went to the kitchen to order our meals.

“Huh? Looks like Freide’s here for dinner too.”

“That silver-haired girl?”

Following Asha’s gaze, I saw Freide walking in alone.

She had taken off her fur coat, which looked too hot to wear, but even inside the dormitory, she was still neatly dressed in her academy uniform. Meanwhile, Asha was just wearing simple clothes, having taken off her mechanical gear.

Freide glanced around the dining hall, and our eyes met. She frowned and turned her head away.

“Freide’s alone too. Should we invite her over?”

“Do you think she’d come? I’m sitting here. It’d just make things awkward.”

“Yeah, you’re right. What a shame.”

Freide sat far away from us and let out a small sigh.

Come to think of it, why is she eating alone? Doesn’t she have any friends?

Soon, Nigel returned, and the three of us chatted until dinner arrived. Nigel, mindful of his role as an escort, mostly gave short answers to Asha’s questions.

A servant soon brought us and Freide four roasted ducks on a metal cart. It seemed they didn’t serve full-course meals, as the dinner was simply the main dish, white bread, and wine.

I cut into the oily duck with a knife and chewed. The sweet, savory juices and the spicy aroma of the seasoning filled my mouth.

I glanced at Freide, who was cutting her meat into tiny pieces and chewing elegantly with her eyes closed. Well, she’s a noble, after all.

“The first lecture is in two days. Are you attending, Hersela?”

“The first lecture is about weapon utilization and understanding martial arts, right? I’ll give it a listen.”

“I heard they’ll start with basic sparring on the first day. Not sure if they’ll make us spar, though.”

“Sparring, huh…”

Suddenly, my thigh twitched, and I glanced at Nigel. He tilted his head curiously, then swallowed the meat he was chewing.

“Hersela? Did you want to say something?”

“…It’s nothing. The meat’s good.”

“Yes. The chefs are quite skilled.”

Nigel nodded and took another bite.

That kind of thing won’t happen again, right? This is the Empire’s top educational institution, after all. They wouldn’t be that unreasonable.

Still, just in case, I should leave Ice Blade in my room. Bringing it along might lead to some bloody mess.

Sparring, huh. I wonder if anyone would dare challenge me. Well, there’s that guy from Dein… Knut, was it?

I haven’t seen him since the entrance exam, but I’ll probably run into him during lectures. He was staring at me so intensely it gave me chills.

…Well, no need to worry too much. It’s not like he can openly try to kill me in front of everyone at the academy.

After finishing the meal and parting ways with Asha, I headed back to my room.

Freide was still meticulously cutting her food, having barely eaten half. I think I know why she eats alone.

—

“By the way, Nigel. Can you get me a longsword?”

Back in my room, I suddenly thought of it and asked Nigel to get me a sword.

No matter how I thought about it, my original sword was something that could cause trouble if recognized. The blade looked like an ordinary high-quality longsword at first glance, so I’d been lucky no one had noticed so far.

But if I kept using it at the academy, someone might recognize the inscription on the blade and figure out its true nature.

“A longsword? A regular one shouldn’t be hard to find, but wielding two longswords at once isn’t very efficient.”

Nigel shook his head slightly. Did he think I was trying to dual-wield? Well, I guess if I’m already carrying a longsword and asking for another, that’s the only thing he could assume.

“No, it’s not that. This sword is special to me. I’ll use a regular longsword at the academy.”

“I see. Then I’ll get you a similar longsword by tomorrow. I can request one from the academy. They should have plenty of steel swords.”

“Ah, are regular steel weapons provided for free? Then can I request something like this too?”

Seizing the opportunity, I described the form of Ice Blade to Nigel. The left arm armor, covered in scales from shoulder to fingertip, with a sharp, jagged edge.

Hersela’s original combat style involved using Ice Blade and a longsword simultaneously to unleash a chain of attacks. But Ice Blade itself was a bit uncomfortable to use, with its coldness and the uneasy feeling it gave me.

So, I thought I’d equip myself with something similar and try to adapt to Hersela’s combat style. If it came down to it, I’d use it, but it didn’t seem like something I’d bring out during sparring.

“Hmm… For something like this, they probably don’t have it in stock. You’d likely need to request a custom order.”

“Custom order? How long would that take?”

“At least four days. It’ll cost a bit too.”

Custom orders take time…

Looks like they’re asking for money.

What to do? I don’t even have half a month’s living expenses left.

“Can we manage with what’s left of our living expenses?”

Since there’s no money for food and lodging, I guess I won’t need living expenses for a while.

“If you cut your daily smoking in half, it should be enough for this month. But you’ll need to figure something out before next month rolls around.”

“Alright, let’s do that. No big deal, I’ll just cut back a bit.”

“Understood. I’ll head downstairs to submit the support request and then stay in my room. If you need anything, just call me.”

No doubt he’ll just be working out in his room.

Since he’s in a guard position, he probably can’t just go down to the training room alone.

“Got it. Good job.”

After sending Nigel off, I sat at my desk and organized what I needed to do for the time being.

First, dominate the first lecture.

Absorb the academy’s lecture content.

Get closer to Damien, but not too close.

Get acquainted with other main characters.

Figure out what Knut is scheming.

Adapt to Hersela’s instincts.

Spend two days a week outside the academy to find ways to make money.

And what else… Oh, right, check the state of the underground waterways. Just in case, even though there’s no trace yet.

I jotted down the events I could remember in order.

The academy’s training content was mostly skipped in the narration, so I didn’t know much about it, but I still remembered the major events that would happen outside the academy in the coming years.

Yeah, that should do it. This should be enough for now.

I folded the memo neatly and put it in the desk drawer.

The sun had completely set, and it was starting to get dark.

Outside the academy walls, the city was brightly lit, but inside the walls, it was as silent and dark as a world cut off from the outside.

I went to the bathroom, added some bath salts, and soaked in the tub.

A faint rose scent filled the air, and the warm water gently enveloped me up to my neck.

Half-submerged, I leisurely enjoyed a cigarette while bathing.

The smoke drifted up and escaped through the small vent in the bathroom.

Two more days, I guess. Tomorrow, I should visit the training room.

I need to get my body used to moving again. Whether it’s sparring or real combat, there’s going to be a lot of fighting ahead.

After finishing my bath, I did some light stretching, changed into my pajamas, and went to bed.

—

The entrance ceremony arrived.

The central area of the academy was bustling with new students, but the special dormitory remained as peaceful as ever.

Calix was still clanking his scales while training, Ferne was still lost in his drinks, and Asha had locked herself in her room to work on something again.

The other two hadn’t returned to the dormitory.

The saint candidate, well, that’s expected, but what on earth is that Evian guy up to?

When I asked Calix, he clicked his tongue and said Evian was probably hanging around the capital’s entertainment district.

He advised me to ignore him if I ever ran into him, describing him as a guy with dirty blond hair and the tanned skin typical of southerners.

Yeah, sounds like someone I should stay away from.

—

I went to the training room with Nigel and spent the day swinging the new longsword until its weight felt familiar.

It was a well-made, sturdy, and balanced sword.

Freide, who had come to the training room, asked Nigel something, and after hearing his answer, she stared at me with wide eyes.

It wasn’t her usual look of irritation and disdain, but a strange mix of confusion and disbelief.

She seemed like she wanted to say something to me, but after hesitating for a while, she turned and left the training room.

What on earth did Nigel tell her?

Curious, I asked Nigel what they had talked about.

“She said she thought she’d seen me before. She asked for my name and position, so I told her.”

And that made her react like that?

Hmm. Come to think of it, I’d forgotten because he’s been so dutifully following me around, but Nigel was actually a pretty high-ranking knight, wasn’t he?

He did say something about being the Tenth Sword of Randenburg.

“Speaking of which, you said you were the Tenth Sword of Randenburg. What’s that? Sounds impressive.”

“I’m not that impressive. The title of Randenburg’s Sword is just an honorary position granted by the Marquis.”

Nigel slightly lowered his head, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

“If the Marquis himself granted you that title, it must be something special, right?”

“Compared to the other nine, I’m still just an inexperienced knight. The Marquis just thinks highly of me.”

His voice was soft, but his tone was firm.

So, the Marquis has at least nine other knights stronger than Nigel.

…It’s a good thing he’s on our side.

If we’d been enemies with the Marquis, we’d have been captured and killed without putting up much of a fight.

Anyway, Nigel might be humble, but judging by Freide’s reaction, the title of Randenburg’s Sword is definitely a big deal.

It’s almost hard to believe that such a knight is quietly serving as my attendant.

I should treat him better from now on.

—

Morning came.

I woke up early, donned my new longsword and armor, and headed to the main lecture hall with Asha.

I left the Ice Blade in its case under the desk.

Asha carried her mechanical backpack and held a collapsible lance connected to the metal frame on her right arm.

The mechanical backpack had also been upgraded, with more nozzles and pipes, and the exposed parts were now covered with metal plates.

She said she’d modified it to allow quick directional changes while hovering.

She happily rambled on about technical knowledge that would baffle a Ka`har, so I just nodded along, pretending to understand.

Soon, the main lecture hall building came into view.