Victory Banquet (2)
For some reason, Professor Jake lowered his voice, his expression hardening into stone.
Though he was usually the kind of teacher who threw dignity to the wind and teased his students despite being forty-four years old, right now he looked like an entirely different person. I knew all too well when that look appeared on his face.
"Never think your vessel is small. I've watched you for years, and I swear it! Junon, you're more remarkable than anyone in this place!"
It was the very same grim resolve he had shown when cornered, desperately trying to buy time for the students to escape. Even so, no one could have known about my secret duel with Sylvia. Michel had been the closest, but even she hadn't actually witnessed it. And so I answered casually—or rather, shamelessly—as though nothing whatsoever had taken place.
Professor Jake lapsed into a brief silence before offering words thick with worry, telling me not to push myself too hard.
He kept quiet about it in the infirmary on purpose.
He had waited until my body recovered before finally bringing it up, but there was no way I could tell him anything concerning Sylvia. Above all else, I had no desire to see my name get around.
The sun began to sink, and dusk crept across the grounds. Perhaps because it was winter, twilight seemed to fall faster than usual. After stowing my textbooks and stationery into the corridor locker, I made my way to the physical training room, just as I did every day.
Up until that moment, I genuinely believed I was done crossing paths with the members of Tembris. And yet...
"Hello there."
Standing before me was a girl whose composed, unreadable face concealed eyes that seemed capable of piercing right through anyone's soul. Someone I had barely spoken to in this lifetime, and the number-one person I least wanted to encounter.
Senia stood right in front of me.
By rule, a standard team required at least six members, with at least one person filling each designated role. Because humans were at a distinct disadvantage against magical beasts, smooth teamwork and proper role distribution were vital. Whether formed as a basic academy team or later designated as a Named Party, whenever a crowd gathered, heads inevitably clashed.
What happened when a team faced a magical beast and was forced to retreat or struggle through a harrowing battle?
Arguments broke out, and dissenting opinions flew back and forth. It was a common, almost everyday occurrence—a rite of passage every team had to weather at least once.
Yet in the Tembris Party, such friction had been virtually nonexistent. That was because they had a close-combat vanguard who thoroughly analyzed the habits and attack patterns of every beast, pinpointing their weaknesses with razor-sharp precision.
Under normal circumstances, someone tailing me to start a conversation wouldn't be a big deal. But the fact that it was Senia following me and striking up a chat made it deeply alarming. If it were anyone else, I could cook up an excuse and brush it off, but with Senia, the board was entirely different.
This is bad. Why is she after me...?
Few people on the entire Kempf-Litton Continent, let alone within the Tembris Party, could match her sheer insight. Senia was the kind of person who could deduce what someone was hiding from a single, minute gesture. The current situation was perilous. If I gave her even a sliver of leverage, she would latch onto the clue and arrive at the truth faster than anyone alive.
"I could have sworn I only ever saw you stopping by the mana training rooms," she noted lightly. "To think you've changed your routine to physical conditioning."
Damn it. Even Professor Jake hadn't picked up on that right away. Senia had drawn her conclusion solely from spotting me at the training gym. Anyone else would have either found it strange or asked why I had switched, but her ability to read between the lines operated on an entirely different level.
I couldn't afford to give her any more information. The moment I ran into her, today's workout was effectively ruined. My best move was to retreat to the dormitory and figure out how to handle her. However...
"Walking away now will only leave you frustrated, you know."
As I turned to slip toward the exit, Senia blocked my path with her scabbard, pressing the conversation forward. "I'd really like to know how you managed to defeat Sylvia. You know better than anyone that she isn't an opponent you can handle through brute force alone, don't you?"
...Damn it all.
Of all things, she had seen that?
Humans were creatures of emotion; every person possessed a secret or a tender nerve they were sensitive about.
This isn't going to be easy, Senia thought.
The wall Junon had erected was extraordinarily sturdy, stubbornly resisting any attempt to breach it. That was precisely why she had brought it up so bluntly, laying down the card that she had watched him fight Sylvia.
Not that I had much of a choice either.
With the upcoming End-of-Term Evaluation and the Start-of-Term Evaluation determining next year's class assignments, sparring exams were all but guaranteed. If she wanted to break through the wall of Class C, she had to find a way by any means necessary. And right in the middle of that search, she had witnessed Junon of Class E claim victory over Sylvia of Class C. It was an outcome shocking enough to make one's jaw drop.
Her only regret was that she hadn't caught the entire duel from start to finish. Senia had concluded that asking the man himself would yield the fastest results.
"...I don't know what you're talking about," Junon deflected. "Must've been pure luck."
"Mmh~ so that's the excuse you're going with?"
Even now, he kept playing dumb with a perfectly straight face.
"Come now, why play innocent? I think you know far better than anyone that she isn't an opponent you can beat on mere luck."
"Which is exactly why she was more likely to let her guard down, wasn't she? You're jumping to conclusions."
"If it were nobles sparring amongst themselves, maybe. But suffering a loss against a commoner, or a student from Class D or E? That's an entirely different problem, wouldn't you say?"
Senia picked apart Junon's claims one by one, countering them with relentless logic. No matter what excuse he threw up to brush her off, she stood her ground, steering the conversation back to the core issue. A realization flashed across Junon's mind.
No excuse is going to work on her anymore.
Staying here would lead to nothing good. Having run out of options, Junon shut his mouth tight and bolted.
"W-Wait...? Hey! Hey, you! Ugh, seriously...?!"
He had cut off the conversation mid-sentence and taken off at full speed. Caught completely off guard, even Senia was visibly flustered. She had thought she was right on the verge of breaking him, expecting him to confess at any second, only for this absurd turn of events to unfold. She immediately sprinted after him.
Yet perhaps the physical conditioning Junon had poured himself into over the past few days had borne fruit. Senia found herself unable to close the distance.
"What in the world...?"
Stunned and utterly dumbfounded, Senia caught her breath, staring blankly down the empty corridor where Junon had vanished before muttering in deep frustration, "Haah... I was so close to prying it out of him."
Good. Somehow, I managed to widen the gap enough that she couldn't catch up, finally shaking her off.
Only after making sure Senia was nowhere in sight did I slump into a secluded corner to catch my breath. I had thought that clearing was deserted, but she had been watching after all. Still, should I call it a relief? At the very least, it seemed she hadn't seen the whole thing from start to finish.
To think that after avoiding Michel, I would run smack into Senia.
You're the last people I ever want to get tangled up with.
In truth, they didn't even need me. Even without me, each of them had defined roles, forming a flawless, powerhouse Named Party. There was no reason for me to force my way in and become an unwanted liability.
If I caught their interest and ended up dragged back into Tembris, discord would inevitably tear through the party all over again. In the past, kind-hearted members like Michel and Senia had fiercely opposed those who wanted to kick me out. If the end result of that strife meant watching the comrades who supported me dwindle away once more, history would simply repeat itself.
That was why I had to keep running. If I didn't want to return to that party—if I didn't want to die by the hands of those who despised my very presence—I had no other choice.
"...Man, this is exhausting. Just exhausting."
"What's so exhausting?"
"What do you mean, what's so exhausting? Life itself is—"
Wait. Wasn't I alone here?
Midway through my muttered complaints, I snapped my head toward the sound, wondering in panic if Senia had caught up with me. Instead, a stunningly beautiful girl stood there, her hands neatly clasped behind her back.
"Aha! Are you worrying about the End-of-Term Evaluation?"
Though it was my first time hearing that clear, melodious voice in person, I knew instantly who she was. The girl clapping her hands together with an understanding nod was none other than the idol of Lebrant Academy, admired by young and old alike.
"Even at night, you can spot her faint glow from a distance. Just watching her walk by is breathtaking."
"Night? Please, even during the day, all she has to do is step into the shade and you can see it. Her mana circulation is so close to perfection that even her hair shines, they say."
"I bet just about every guy in the academy has Lady Renias as his ideal type. Radiant silver hair and black eyes that look like the night sky! Isn't she gorgeous?"
"I saw her in person once. When she smiled and cheered us on, telling us to do our best, I swear both guys and girls nearly swooned on the spot. She really is that pretty."
Her appearance matched the rumors to the letter. Even in the dim shadows of the alcove, her silver hair shimmered with a soft, radiant luminescence, perfectly framing her fair skin and exquisitely delicate features.
"I'll work as hard as I can so you won't have to worry, so please don't be troubled!"
And finally, the gentle, polite register she used—a courtesy that nobles and upper-class students rarely, if ever, extended to commoners or students of the lower tiers.
This was the idol of Lebrant Academy. It was Renias.