A month has passed since Diggerus disappeared.
The news of the Student Council Vice President going off the radar had been a hot topic among the Akadeumi students for quite a while, but no matter how big the deal was, it was someone else’s business, so now no one even mentions it.
Considering how the Jibchak Family came to the academy and caused a scene, it’s unlikely he went back to his family. So where on earth did he go?
Since the game didn’t have a scenario where Diggerus disappeared without being expelled, I have no way of knowing his whereabouts now.
Naturally, the Vice President’s position became vacant.
Alkiné tried to fill the position with someone else, but everyone knew how skilled Diggerus was, so they all refused.
She even subtly suggested it to me, but I desperately declined.
That position should go to Seria later. She’d fit it much better.
After that, the matter was completely left alone.
No matter how skilled he was, no one really relied on him.
After all, the Student Council is a group of top students gathered to tackle the Rift. It wouldn’t collapse just because one person disappeared.
His absence could easily be managed if Alkiné just paid a bit more attention to supporting roles… So, there’s no real need to feel his absence.
At some point, not only his name but even the vacant Vice President position stopped being mentioned.
As if it had always been that way.
I thought to myself, I shouldn’t end up like that.
///
A few more days passed, and one day, the time finally came for Lilith to come down from the mountain.
It’s partly because Lilith has become strong enough, but also because midterms are coming up.
If she doesn’t start studying the theoretical side soon, things could get tough.
Of course, not for me, but for Lilith.
“Seriously, Rudion… how do you ace exams when you’re always dozing off in class?”
Lilith confronted me, clearly unable to understand.
For reference, she scored 20 points on today’s quiz. Out of 100.
Seria and I both got perfect scores.
Honestly, I was a bit shaky on the magic theory, but the puzzle patterns were exactly the same as the ones I’d seen countless times in the game, so I just plugged in the answers and got them all right.
Some of them were lucky guesses… but hey, a perfect score is a perfect score.
This is what they call the vibe of experience, Lilith.
If you’re feeling wronged, why don’t you pour your life into a game too?
…Isn’t this just bragging?
Anyway, for that reason, today was the last day of training.
Honestly, at some point, it felt like I wasn’t teaching her anything, and Seria was the one doing all the hard work…
“I just pointed out the things that bothered me. It wasn’t particularly hard or anything, so don’t worry about it.”
Whenever I brought it up, she’d always respond like that and avoid eye contact.
What a tsundere.
Since today was the last day, I thought it was a good opportunity and invited Alkiné to sit in the spectator seats.
“Wait, isn’t that the Student Council President?”
“I specially invited her. Today’s the last day of training, after all.”
Truthfully, I called her to show off how strong Seria had become.
I feel a bit guilty for using her like that. I’ll have to treat her to a meal later.
Well… even though I say that, it’s obvious that Lilith’s face is going to get stamped with defeat.
Her skills have literally skyrocketed. Compared to a month ago, she’s grown so much that you can’t even call her the same person.
To what extent, you ask? Lately, without dodging, it’s impossible to avoid her combos.
Combat skills are one thing, but her wide variety of usable magic makes it really hard to just dodge everything.
Of course, Seria’s relentless teaching of multiple magic activations played a big role… but still, mastering and using such difficult techniques is proof of her growth.
She’s not quite at the level to join the Student Council yet, but with this growth rate, she’ll probably be recruited by the time she’s a second-year.
If that happens, will she accept? In the original story, she refused, so I can’t help but feel a bit excited.
“Don’t get too nervous just because the President is watching. Just do your usual thing.”
“Okay.”
After taking a deep breath, Lilith immediately charged at me without hesitation.
But it wasn’t just a simple charge. As she ran, she expanded a space of light and filled it with Holy Power, creating an environment advantageous to her.
Since all the Holy Power in this space belongs to Lilith, from now on, you can expect magic to fly at you from anywhere.
*Whoosh!*
As soon as I was on guard, chains of light appeared behind me, trying to bind me.
I twisted my body to dodge, and then Holy Arrows rained down from above. It used to be just one arrow, but as time went on, it increased by one, and now it’s up to five arrows at a time.
That thing.
I judged it was too late to just dodge, so I moved out of the way with an evasive maneuver.
Then, finally, Lilith, who had reached right in front of me, swung her fist filled with Holy Power.
The combo was disgustingly clean. If this were a game, it would’ve earned a compliment like, “Damn, that’s some next-level BS.”
A normal person would’ve been taken out instantly.
But unfortunately, I’m not a normal person. I’ve got gamer brain… no, gamer eyes, so I could see all the magic she was casting.
Of course, I couldn’t see attacks coming from behind, but this body’s performance is pretty good, so I could vaguely sense when something was flying at me from the back. That’s how I dodged the chain earlier.
Anyway, the moment I tried to dodge Lilith’s fist, she suddenly condensed all the Holy Power in the area into her hand… and then exploded it.
**BOOM!**
“Wow… she really went all out for the finale.”
You could see her determination to land at least one hit.
If I hadn’t dodged immediately, it would’ve been dangerous.
Even though she was all tattered from the explosion, she didn’t care and charged at me again.
Seeing that, I drew the sword I had never used in any of my previous sparring sessions with Lilith.
I was planning to use it today since it’s the last day anyway, but I didn’t expect her to come at me this seriously.
I felt a bit sorry for underestimating her resolve.
Of course, I still can’t use swordsmanship.
I swung it around a few times in Frank’s room during breaks at the dormitory, but I still didn’t get the hang of it.
I could kinda mimic the motions I saw in games… but that was about it.
So, for me, the sword was still just a tool for parrying.
But… isn’t that enough?
At this point, where growth has stopped, weapon techniques don’t suit me anyway.
**CLANG!**
I dodged all the incoming magic and parried what I could.
Even without using parries until now, I hadn’t allowed a single effective hit. No way I’d start taking hits now.
If I keep this up, the final training session will end smoothly.
…But if it were going to end like this, I wouldn’t have called Alkiné.
“Ms. Lilith, I’ll help you.”
“Huh?”
Seria joined Lilith, who was struggling.
Lilith might not know, but Seria and I had a separate agreement.
There was something I had prepared.
If I draw my sword, from that point on, Seria will also participate in the training.
I also told her not to hold back and to go all out, as it was meant to show Alkiné.
With two mages… it might be a bit overwhelming, but if we push hard now, Seria won’t have to feel down about not being able to keep up with the Rift.
Honestly, I was also curious about Seria’s current level of skill.
“Alright, I’m going. Rudion. I’m not going to hold back, so be careful.”
“…Wait. If she’s joining, does it even make sense for me to fight too?”
“Lilith. This is about spirit. Go in with the mindset of giving it everything you’ve got.”
“You sound exactly like Rudion now.”
And so, the 2v1 training match with Seria began… Honestly, I’ll admit it. I almost died if things had gone just slightly wrong.
Seria… was way more incredible than I imagined. When five spells, each with the same level of power that blew up the cafeteria ceiling last time, came flying at me, I thought I was going to lose it.
Why is she so strong? Even considering the difficulty change, her growth doesn’t make sense.
At this level, she’s not just securing the top spot in the second year—she could practically start preparing to graduate.
And honestly… Lilith’s coordination was dangerous too. She might not have Seria’s raw power, but her ability to exploit openings is razor-sharp.
I never thought I’d have to use parry cancels because of Lilith.
After everything was over, the Training Ground was a complete mess.
The aftermath of Seria’s magic even reached the spectator seats… but surprisingly, the area where Alkiné was sitting was untouched.
Even in the midst of all that, she still had the focus to spare for that. It’s starting to get a little scary.
Anyway, this proves Seria’s strength.
From the next Rift strategy onward, Seria will be called to join us.
And as for Lilith…
“I suddenly feel really small.”
Sorry. I didn’t know Seria was that strong either.
But you did really well too. I think you’re at the top-tier level of the first-year advanced class now.
It’s just that Seria is in a league of her own, but Lilith’s growth in just a month is still amazing.
Of course, she doesn’t seem to think so herself… but I guess she’ll realize it during the midterm practical exam.
Don’t be too discouraged, Lilith! What matters is an unbreakable spirit!
