After lunch, the next practical exam, sparring, began.
To be honest, I didn’t think much of the previous exams, and sparring was even more so. In the end, it was the same as during the entrance exam.
Dodge all attacks, and if it’s a parry, deflect it.
Within the purpose of sparring, my abilities were ridiculously overpowered.
I did try using the magic tool Frank gave me, but it was completely useless against the upperclassmen.
Since their attacks seemed trivial, they probably felt like they were mocking me, which only ended up pissing me off.
On top of that, Seria had become so overwhelmingly strong that there was no meaning or fun in watching her spar anymore.
The only thing worth watching was Lilith’s sparring. Seeing her growth was like watching a well-developed character shine in a cutscene.
Her attacks, exploiting gaps with movements incomparable to before.
While the other upperclassmen showed significant growth, they were nowhere near Lilith’s level.
So, it seemed like Lilith would finish her sparring without a hitch, but then an unexpected variable popped up.
“Let’s have one last match with me.”
Lowell Soulriver, the future Sword Master.
A skilled but low-key recluse-type character.
He doesn’t stand out much… and his role in the story isn’t that significant.
If you dig deeper, he’s done a lot, but he’s somewhat detached from the main story. If you follow the story conventionally, he’s the type you rarely see.
It’s rare for someone like him to step forward, but I kinda expected it.
He probably thought this was a reasonable way to bridge the gap he felt with Lilith earlier.
Of course, he’s confident in his skills, so that’s why he’s acting this way.
That’s why he’s ignoring me and Seria, thinking Lilith is the only one worth challenging.
And the result was, of course…
“Damn it!”
“Ouch, Professor! Some healing, please!”
“Hold on, Lilith. I need to treat the kid with broken ribs first.”
Lilith’s overwhelming victory.
At first, it seemed like Lowell’s fast sword swings were pushing her back, but at some point, she started taking shallow hits to close the distance and finished him off with a Saintess Punch.
Even with a healing specialist professor on standby, that took some guts.
“I’ll catch up to you, so be ready.”
Maybe because of that display, Lilith seems to have been chosen as his rival… but that’s not really my business.
After that, the exam wrapped up without any major incidents.
The gap was somewhat noticeable, but that’s just because Seria and Lilith are special cases. The others… well, they’re just normal.
You could tell those guys were growing up pretty fast too.
Especially Harold, who I hadn’t really interacted with since the entrance exam and hadn’t even thought about lately.
He’s already gotten into crafting equipment, swapping out the weapons he made one by one during sparring.
He’s not at the level of switching weapons mid-battle yet, but it’s still impressive that he’s become proficient with multiple weapons.
Of course, he still ended up losing to my dodging and parrying… Saying that makes me sound like a bully picking on a newbie.
Don’t get me wrong, though. Harold’s overall stats are probably way higher than mine now. I was just acting in self-defense.
“Right, Seria?”
“What?”
“Say I’m right.”
“Yeah, sure. You’re right.”
Seria agreed too. Not guilty, case closed.
—
After the midterms, Seria and I went to Professor Reina to get a day pass.
Since Seria had already arranged the permission beforehand, we just picked up the proof and left.
After the midterms, we were given a few days off as a reward for our hard work. It was only three days, but since it overlapped with the weekend, it was a decent break.
And during that time, I had to go to the Royal Palace. That’s why I got the day pass.
We were leaving tomorrow morning, so I got it in advance, but now that I had it, I felt kinda pressured.
“Hehe, it’s finally tomorrow.”
Seria was all smiles, looking carefree. Must be nice to be so relaxed.
After getting the day pass, we had some time to kill, so I got dragged around by Seria as usual. We ended up at the academy café.
I don’t usually go to cafés much, but ever since I started hanging out with Seria, I’ve been visiting this place a lot. I’m practically a regular now.
The coffee and desserts are all pricey, but money wasn’t really an issue, so it wasn’t a big deal.
Seria’s a princess, so this kind of spending probably doesn’t even make a dent in her wallet.
“Rudion, your hair’s looking a bit messy now that I see it.”
After we ordered and sat down, Seria, who had been staring at me, said that.
I touched my hair and realized it was pretty unkempt.
I hadn’t paid any attention to it since coming here, but if Seria’s pointing it out, I guess it’s time for a trim.
But now that I think about it, Seria hasn’t changed much at all.
Her hair was a striking blonde, the bright kind.
With a face like hers, even a little extra volume in her hair would stand out, but somehow, it doesn’t seem like that at all.
It doesn’t even look like her hair’s gotten longer.
And not doing it… It was taken for granted in the game, but it was strange that only Seria remained the same at this moment when my hair was growing rapidly.
As if reading my thoughts, Seria’s eyes slightly curved.
“I tidy up every day. I was taught that self-care is important.”
“So, you’re saying I’m an uneducated guy who doesn’t do important self-care?”
“You know that’s not what I mean, but you’re teasing me again. It doesn’t work on me anymore.”
I teased her so much that she’s now immune to most of my usual repertoire.
Realizing my intention, Seria playfully glared at me, but since her original demeanor is quite cold, it was somewhat intimidating.
She usually acts warmly towards me and is almost always smiling, which dilutes it, but her impression is actually quite hard to approach.
Her cool blue eyes also feel cold in her appearance, making it hard to even start a conversation when she sits expressionless.
Of course, knowing her introverted nature and having gotten used to it by living together, I don’t think much about it anymore.
Seria must have realized that too, so she consciously restrained her usual glaring.
Later, when the drinks and desserts we ordered arrived, Lilith was somehow sitting at our table.
“What’s this?”
“It’s Lilith.”
“No… She wouldn’t ask if she didn’t know. Hey! Rudion! Don’t teach Seria weird stuff!”
Lilith, not understanding the usual banter between me and Seria, unnecessarily scolded me.
Seria continued without paying any attention.
“She stopped by for a cup of coffee and came over to say hi when she saw me.”
“Are you going to eat here?”
“No, I’ll take it to go. I need to review what I got wrong on today’s test.”
“You’re working hard.”
Thinking about how she still failed the theory test despite her efforts, it seemed somewhat meaningless, but I decided not to voice that.
I set down the drinks and desserts I brought and sat down.
Since Lilith took the seat opposite Seria where I usually sit, I ended up sitting next to Seria.
This meant I was facing Lilith… Maybe because we were just talking about hair, I couldn’t help but glance over her appearance.
Her silver hair, neither long nor short.
Seeing that it’s subtly longer than when I first saw her, it seems she doesn’t manage it as extremely as Seria does.
“What are you staring at? Hey, Seria. Aren’t you managing your boyfriend?”
“Ah, we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend yet…!”
“Oh, so ‘yet.’ So, you’re saying you’ll date someday?”
Judging by her actions, she seems like the easy-going type you’d find at a party, but don’t be fooled, she’s the Saintess.
Of course, she fights like a martial artist, so she’s also close combat… Anyway, she’s the Saintess.
I heard she still occasionally wears her Saintess outfit and shows up at religious events, but she seems too embarrassed to brag about it to anyone.
Of course, I’ve seen her in-game illustrations multiple times, so I know exactly what she looks like… Honestly, it suits her ridiculously well.
She’d never admit it herself, but Lilith in her Saintess outfit is the very image of a benevolent Saintess.
Her slightly pale face and somewhat lifeless black eyes actually add to her mystique… Thanks to that, her standing as the Saintess keeps growing day by day.
If her influence grows any more, she might not even get to rest on holidays, being dragged around everywhere.
“Ah, my coffee’s ready. I’ll head out now? Seria! Hang in there!”
“What do you mean, ‘hang in there’… Never mind. I don’t really want to know, so you don’t have to tell me…”
Lilith said that until the end, then took her coffee and left.
Lately, Lilith and Seria have always been like this.
Lilith teases Seria, and Seria can’t really react much, just gets embarrassed, while I watch from the sidelines.
From my perspective, having heard about Seria’s feelings and choosing to maintain the status quo, it’s an awkward flow.
Knowing that, Seria let out a small sigh.
“Sigh, Rudion. Please don’t feel too pressured just because Lilith says things like that. I’m really fine.”
She’s so kind it almost makes me want to date her. But of course, that’s not possible.
After that, we enjoyed the drinks and desserts we ordered. I stayed seated next to Seria.
Even though Lilith left and the front seat was empty again, suddenly moving seats would’ve felt awkward.
“The Rifts have been quiet lately. I was kind of looking forward to following up on them.”
“They’re supposed to appear occasionally. Speaking of which, how long has it been since we last went to the Student Council?”
“The last time was four days ago. It’s not too late yet, so should we head over after finishing this?”
After some casual conversation, our next destination was decided.
The Student Council, huh… I should send a message ahead.
[Rudion: We’re coming over to hang out.]
[Alkiné: Didn’t I clearly say the Student Council isn’t a place to hang out?]
Well, I got permission. I can go with peace of mind.
“But this is way too sweet, I can’t eat it.”
“Really? I prefer things a bit sweeter than this.”
The overly sweet dessert that I was about to leave was completely finished by Seria.
It was a pretty big portion, too. Honestly, it seems like her main diet is dessert, not rice.
But thanks to that, we could leave the café without any food waste.
