Chapter 85

“By the way, did you finish preparing for the banquet? It’s about ten days away, so it’s time to start paying attention.”

“…Ten days?”

“The banquet to celebrate the restoration of the capital. It’s written that it’s in ten days. Did you not receive the invitation yet? Or maybe you were too busy reading other letters and missed it?”

Freide shrugged her shoulders.

A commemorative banquet in ten days? Has the restoration work progressed enough to hold such an event already? I thought it would take at least another month…

“I don’t want to go… Do I really have to?”

“Well, probably? All the nobles in the capital have been invited. And you’re one of the main figures in this whole thing.”

Fine. Let’s go. I’ll just refuse dance requests and stand in the corner. That’s it.

At least, thankfully, knights can attend in their academy uniforms instead of dresses. It’s supposed to mean treating me as a knight, not a lady. Though it does feel like I’m being treated as a special case.

When I got back and checked, the invitation was indeed there. It was just buried naturally among other letters. No wonder I didn’t notice.

Who can I blame? The person who piled up the received letters in a corner was none other than myself.

—

Four days later.

I attended a lecture for the first time in a while. I didn’t really plan to come, but I was curious about what ‘Simulated Combat Experience Against Monsters’ on today’s lecture plan meant. Honestly, how can I endure a VR lecture?

The number of students had significantly decreased. Maybe around sixty or seventy. Even excluding the priest trainees who went to the shelters, many seats were empty.

Did they drop out? Well, it’s possible. The reality they faced in actual combat was probably quite different from their expectations. It wouldn’t be strange if they couldn’t handle the PTSD.

Rather, those who remained must have exceptionally strong wills. They still stirred a bit when they saw me.

“Those guys, they’re still glancing at me. Aren’t they scared? I’ve almost fully recovered my energy.”

“Well, they’re probably used to your face by now. It’s different from when they were too scared to even look at you properly.”

Damien explained the reason.

Back then, my aura and gaze made my face almost invisible, so they were just scared… But now they already know what I look like.

So even if my aura or gaze intensifies again, they’ll first see the face they remember and won’t feel much fear.

“Also, your atmosphere has changed a bit since then.”

Milia added. Compared to the fierce aura before, lately, the overall vibe has softened a bit.

I understood what she meant. The uncontrollable flow of life force has settled. As I’ve come to understand my power, I’ve naturally learned to control it.

In short, it means I’ll always be followed by those gazes within the academy… as long as I don’t show any killing intent.

Still, it’s better than when I was completely weak. Those gazes are more of admiration or awe rather than lust or disgust.

I should get used to it. Admiration is better than lust or disgust, right?

—

A while later, Professor Kal-lain entered and began the lecture.

“Today’s lecture, as previously announced, is a combat experience training to prepare for battles against monsters. Given the academy’s policy changes, you all need to become more familiar with monster and demon extermination as soon as possible.”

That’s true. First-years are still unrefined forces, so sending them out immediately would be risky. Even if they’re just assisting second-years… in the unpredictable real combat situations, anything could happen.

“However, given the current circumstances, it’s difficult to conduct actual combat training immediately. Therefore, after much discussion, the academy has decided to introduce a new teaching method. That is the simulated combat experience. It uses illusion-based mental magic to simulate real combat. The magic department has put in a lot of effort.”

Professor Kal-lain held up a magic tool that looked like a helmet.

“MT-V. Its official name is Manipulate Tantibus-Visor. The effect of this magic tool… is to forcibly put the wearer into a sleep state and make them dream a pre-set nightmare. Additionally, with dream-viewing spells, we plan to observe and evaluate your responses. Just in case, the pain sensation has been reduced, so fight without fear.”

The professor pointed to a large white cloth hanging behind him. It was empty in the middle, with various spells densely written on the edges.

“The main building argued that combat training against beastmen was necessary… but unfortunately, this was rejected.”

What’s unfortunate about that? Trying to make students who still have beastman PTSD fight beastmen already? Are they trying to make all the academy students quit?

“It’s faster to experience it directly rather than explain with words. We’ll conduct the training in order of student numbers and perform evaluations and analysis. And… Princess Ai-shan Gi-or is exempt.”

What? Why am I the only one exempt? I want to participate too.

“I wanted to give it a try.”

“May I ask the reason for exclusion?”

“Well, of course. It’s impossible for an anti-magic user to be affected by offensive mental magic.”

Ah, that makes sense…

Essentially, it’s a magic that not only incapacitates but also delivers nightmares causing pain… So it would be blocked.

I had no choice but to accept it.

“Originally, we didn’t prepare any hostile entities for master-level warriors. The hostile entities prepared today are trolls, ogres, and small monster species, so it wouldn’t even serve as training for the princess.”

“…Understood.”

I felt a bit empty.

I was quite looking forward to it. A VR experience in another world.

…Well, since it’s come to this, I might as well just watch Damien and Milia’s battle.

—

The training that began was quite a bizarre sight from a distance.

A student wearing a shining helmet lay on a mat in front of the hall, groaning and twitching.

Other students quietly focused on the screen behind him.

The vivid contents of the dream were projected onto a large sheet at the back.

It felt like watching a movie or a game video.

In a dark cave, a person who looked exactly like the lying student was fighting monsters.

Every time an enemy was defeated, a new enemy appeared from the other side of the cave.

First, a troll, then an ogre. The monsters would probably come after that… but no student had reached that point yet.

Most were folded in half while fighting the troll, and the rest were torn apart by the ogre.

“Ahhh!”

A student whose neck was ripped out by an ogre suddenly sat up. The magic tool that had stopped working blinked.

“Huff… huff…!”

The student, who had taken off his helmet, gasped for breath and rubbed his neck.

It seemed like he hadn’t yet escaped the terror of a near-death experience.

…Is this really okay? I heard they reduced the pain, but the psychological shock seems quite significant.

“You’ve worked hard. Return to your seat.”

“Yes…”

The student slowly got up and returned to his seat.

He staggered a bit, but his heartbeat and breathing gradually stabilized.

Hmm… That should be fine. Well, if a student couldn’t handle this, they would have dropped out already.

“Your handling of the troll was excellent. However, even though ogres don’t have regeneration, their vitality is not weak, so don’t let your guard down.”

Professor Kal-lain gave a brief evaluation. It was an accurate critique.

In the case of the troll, they fought cautiously wary of its regeneration, but against the ogre, they inflicted a fatal wound and then let their guard down, getting caught.

“Next is Damien. Come forward.”

“Yes!”

It’s finally Damien’s turn. Now we’ll get to see something worth watching.

Damien, wearing a helmet, lay down on the mat.

—

– Crash!

Rock fragments flew up.

The wall grazed by the greatsword split apart, scattering fierce sparks.

The troll’s roar echoed throughout the cave, but it wasn’t a war cry or a roar of anger.

Rather, it was more like the scream of an animal feeling threatened, barking fiercely out of fear.

Having lost its weapon in the first attack, and then a leg in the next moment.

“Graaah!”

The troll’s right arm, swung with a shout, cut through the air in vain.

The thick gray forearm brushed past Damien’s eyes.

Damien, who had spun halfway to dodge the attack, swung his greatsword down as naturally as flowing water.

A fountain of blood spurted as the troll’s wrist fell to the ground.

The greatsword, about to embed itself in the ground, was drawn back by Damien’s spin, tracing an arc again.

Continuously, without interruption. Just as Freide had advised.

Like slicing vegetables with a well-sharpened knife, the troll’s arm was chopped into pieces.

A spray of blood mixed with screams rose.

But the painful time wouldn’t have been long.

In the next moment, its head flew off.

“Excellent.”

The students nodded at Professor Kal-lain’s murmur.

To take down a troll with just four attacks. And it was one-sided.

Not a bad result.

“Groooaaar……”

The ogre didn’t last much longer either.

Although its physical abilities were superior to the troll’s, allowing for some back-and-forth.

It was meaningless, though.

The ogre, having lost its limbs, sank down with a final cry.

Damien swung his greatsword, shaking off the blood clinging to the blade.

The only injury he sustained was from being deflected off a wall while blocking an attack with the flat of his sword.

So now, finally, the monsters, right?

They said it was a small species, so it probably won’t be much.

Soon, the dream’s background completely changed.