Chapter 118
Chapter 118
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Sparring
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Two days had passed since then.
"Big Brother, you haven't been hiding anything from us lately, have you?"
"You've been saying that nonstop for two whole days now. I really am not hiding anything."
The only changes over the past two days were that I'd grown a tiny bit taller, and Lin Shaomei's suspicions had grown a lot.
Ever since I'd slipped out during self-study time, the way she looked at me had become strangely sharp.
'...Well, the truth is, I meet Olga in secret every night.'
After the others went to sleep or returned to their rooms, I'd carve out about an hour from bedtime to chat or gossip with Olga.
"But lately, your expression has this weird mix of brightness and tension...?"
"That's because you and Al'Miraz keep staring right through me."
The problem wasn't just Lin Shaomei. For some reason, Al'Miraz had also started shadowing me lately, watching my every move.
-"Ah, it's nothing, Master! Just do whatever you need to comfortably!"-
At first, I thought she was just happy and clingy from affection deprivation, but as the days went by, her pupils trembled, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Even when I asked what was wrong, she'd just give that awkward smile and say that.
'...Did Mephisto maybe chew her out or something?'
It was possible. That obsessive guy who chased after me calling me his friend might be jealous that Al'Miraz had joined my harem.
Anyway, because of that, I had to keep asking Sirka for sleep magic every time, putting Lin Shaomei and Al'Miraz into a deep slumber before I could sneak off to meet Olga.
For the record, if anyone asked, they might call it an affair, but honestly, we just drank tea, chatted, and gossiped. That's it.
I'm faithfully keeping my vow not to let my eyes wander to other women in front of my harem girls! Meeting in secret is just for Olga's sake.
"S-Stop right there! Everyone, assemble! T-Ten-minute break, then we'll do s-sword training!"
At that moment, Professor Urdan Helik's shout rang out.
"Ah, looks like basic physical training is over for today."
"Already? Has an hour passed?"
I'd been sprinting at full speed with restraints all over my body and Lin Shaomei on my back. I made a regretful face.
Ending basic training after just one hour? Something I couldn't even imagine when rolling around with Teacher Marianne or with Lin Shaomei!
"Huaaaah, waaater...!"
"Ack! Hot water again! Isn't there any cold water?"
But the other first-years collapsed on the spot as soon as Professor Urdan Helik's one-hour newbie basic training ended, groaning miserably.
At least the knight family kids were barely managing to fetch water pitchers for the others. Pitiful.
So fragile, you freshmen. Too fragile!
"Huuuugh... Shaomei, water, water..."
"Huuung... I-I'm dying..."
And among that fragile crowd, Jorba and Claire staggered over to us with deathly pale faces.
"Young Master, you always skip training with me, but you're struggling this much with just this?"
"The academy curriculum is super mild. You need at least three hours to build real stamina."
"Sh-Shut... both of you up..."
Lin Shaomei held out a water bottle with a pathetic look on her face. Jorba gulped it down while spitting out the kind of harsh words he'd never say normally.
He'd been skipping every day claiming he had a date with a girl, and today he'd tried to skip again, but Lin Shaomei had dragged him here by force, so he was rolling for his life.
"D-Does this really help me become someone like Lady Agnes or Lady Shaomei... a cool woman...?"
"Of course! Lady Agnes and Princess Marianne are all strong women, right? Claire, if you want to become a cool woman, you need to build stamina!"
On the other hand, Claire, who'd been left in our care while Kaiyen was away these past few days... was a peculiar character.
She used to be sweet and innocent, idolizing nobility but learning the harsh reality from watching sleazy nobles hit on Kaiyen.
But those guys had already been preemptively dealt with by me to draw their aggro, so she hadn't tasted the bitterness. Instead, she followed us around admiring my fiancées and mimicking them, vowing to become a cool new woman. It was cute.
'As a spiritist, she doesn't really need physical training...'
Violet was skipping swordsmanship and PE classes anyway, so there was no reason for spiritist Claire to attend.
She'd just been roped in because Lin Shaomei, who loves stamina training, recommended it, and I'd allowed it out of worry that weird guys might bother her.
...Well, physical training is good! It'll all be strength later when you leave the academy! Hang in there, Claire!
"Hoo... So when's Kaiyen coming back, Arthin? He just left Claire with us."
"Well, there's a process to receive the holy sword from the church, so we have to look after Claire in the meantime."
Normally, Kaiyen would be chosen as a hero by the holy sword's selection in a few months, but this regression, thanks to Olga pulling strings, he was going through the hero qualification verification now.
I only knew because Olga tipped me off. I'd never gotten a holy sword myself, so I didn't know the process.
"Kyaha! Arthin! This running class is great! This seat hasn't sprinted full throttle in ages—feels refreshing!"
"How far did you run? I thought you'd gone back to the dorm since you vanished."
"Just straight ahead for thirty minutes, then turned around and sprinted back full speed!"
Only after Unicorn, who'd been sprinting so far ahead she was out of sight, finally arrived late did our whole crew assemble.
As expected from a horse at heart, Unicorn loved running. Even in her dress, her speed was probably the fastest among us?
"The professor said five more minutes of rest, then sword training—get ready! Everyone, grab a training sword from the front!"
"Aaaah! My head's gonna explode!"
"Five minutes is something at least... I'm gonna nap."
Watching the students wail at the TA's words, I couldn't help clicking my tongue as my old-man heart ignited.
"Tsk tsk, fifteen minutes rest? You're getting off easy. My body's still stiff and hasn't warmed up properly."
"I don't know what 'easy' means, but if you train with me instead of studying every morning, wouldn't your body loosen up?"
"Nice try, Shaomei, but midterms cover up to chapter seven, and we're just starting chapter three. Training? No way."
"Hing..."
Lately, dawn training was just me alone or occasionally with Agnes watching. It lacked the hardcore edge, so it didn't feel like real training.
I couldn't overexert while consuming elixirs, but more than that, my body was just more accustomed to Teacher Marianne's hellish regimen.
'Come to think of it, I haven't seen Teacher Marianne lately.'
Since that last... intimate training session where our bodies tangled, I hadn't met Teacher Marianne once.
She'd even been absent when I went to the student council to meet Crown Prince Richard. She was probably avoiding me.
'I should go apologize... She was helping with training, and I did something so lewd.'
I let out a sigh. Back then, I must've lost my mind to lust.
"Don't be too upset, Big Brother. Anyway, the instructor from our home dojo on Mount Tai is arriving tomorrow as promised?"
Huh, that wasn't why I'd sighed. But Lin Shaomei thought I was bummed about training and hugged me tight, patting my back.
Squish! Lin Shaomei's large, elastic breasts pressed against my chest.
Mm, definitely energizing.
"Cheater...! You're known as Agnes's fiancé outside, so we agreed to hold back!"
Then Unicorn slyly sidled up and linked arms with me. Soft sensations on both arms—pure bliss.
I secretly cast cognitive control magic and savored this happiness for the brief five minutes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Clang! Kaiyen hefted the heavy sword.
"For the next week, you'll be doing practical combat training with me."
In the special training room with just the two of them, Sergei Cheliefsky spoke calmly from across from Kaiyen.
"Only after you gain strength befitting a holy sword hero over this week can you challenge the holy sword's trial."
—One of the academy's secret facilities, the special training room was originally built to test exceptional geniuses beyond standard specs.
Designed with final battles against giants or Demon King's Army officers in mind, its sturdy durability and magitech devices allowed for diverse environments and conditions. It was favored by some geniuses and professors.
But now, at the Northern Church Papal Court's request, all schedules for the week were canceled for Kaiyen.
And from the secretly installed observation panic room, Olga Virtus watched the scene with Thomas.
"Will he be alright, Saintess? Sir Sergei is among the top ten holy knights of the church... And in actual combat, he's always ranked at the top among the black knights, said to surpass even the white knights..."
At Priest Thomas's words, Olga waved it off with a fine expression, gently savoring her glass of wine as she looked down at the two.
"It's fine. A true hero should breeze through such contrived trials, no?"
In truth, Olga remembered Kaiyen was the hero. So the right thing would be to let him take the holy sword trial immediately and hand it over.
However, to check those harem girls of Arthin's who arrogantly claimed to be main wives, Kaiyen needed to obey her words.
In other words, this week was Olga's preparation to drill church doctrine into him day and night, turning him into her mouthpiece.
'I know you're strong, Kaiyen... But that's before the new world opens. Right now, you're just a hero candidate with good physical abilities.'
Olga's past life memories were only of meeting Arthin. She had no detailed recollection of Kaiyen. But she remembered he started shining after drawing the holy sword.
'Alright, I told them to go hard on day one, so if Sir Sergei disciplines him properly, it'll break his confidence.'
Of course, this wasn't just for Olga's scheme.
From chats with Arthin lately, he planned to confront the Demon King's Army's approach head-on, not avoid it.
'If you get stronger, the dangers to my husband will decrease... So you'll stay by my side even longer, right?'
She planned full support for Kaiyen to save the world as the hero.
In that time, she'd provide Arthin everything he needed, ensuring he could never leave her side.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"...Can I go all out?"
At that moment, Kaiyen, who'd been silently listening to Sergei's explanation, spoke up.
"Of course. I'll try not to hurt you too much, but I won't go easy on the win or loss."
It might sound arrogant. Sergei, who'd served the church for decades and slain countless enemies, was near the pinnacle of black knights.
But Sergei showed no emotion about it.
Arrogance and confidence were perilously close. It wasn't bad for a young hero candidate to show that much self-assurance.
"Neutralize, disarm, subdue—do whatever. Go all out."
As those words ended, holy power began flowing from Sergei's sword.
—The saintess had said to be strict on day one, but facing a student, Sergei decided to approach as a thorough instructor.
'It'll be a tough lesson, but if you're truly the hero, endure it.'
Kaiyen nodded at the sight and gripped his longsword one-handed, slowly assuming stance.
"...Is it starting?"
"Yes. I'll yield the first move from now on. Unleash as you like."
Kaiyen nodded slightly again. Then he focused on the sword's tip.
At this moment, Kaiyen was utterly serious. Only one thought dominated his mind.
'...Gotta end this quick and go see Arthin.'
Crunch!
The iron hilt of Kaiyen's sword began to dent slightly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
—Clang!!
Clatter.
A wind passed. No one there noticed its path.
Behind the wind's trail, Sergei Cheliefsky's sword fell to the floor.
Unfortunately, Olga didn't know. That from his 2nd to 4th regressions, Kaiyen had stuck to Arthin endlessly until just before he left the academy.
Even after Arthin left, Kaiyen's blind obsession kept him remembering and recalling Arthin every moment, training relentlessly to follow him to the Demon King's castle.
The reports saying he'd been neutralized twice misled her into thinking only memories tinged with love for Arthin—like hers—remained.
—Kaiyen, the 16th-cycle hero's prowess.
"Shall we continue? Or can I go?"
Calmly, the black-haired young man gripped the stunned holy knight's wrist and said.