The Cold Rose's Winter, Part 9
Since the commercial district surrounding the academy was packed with all kinds of facilities, finding a place to stay for the time being was not very difficult.
Compared to the luxurious mansion owned by the Serion family, it was a humble lodging, but I was never one to care about such things anyway. Considering my current situation, it did not matter much.
Without even a carriage, I walked to the academy on my own two feet.
"Hey, look over there. That's Seraphina."
"Huh? It really is."
"How does she have the nerve to show her face at the academy after what happened? Has she no shame?"
"Shh! No matter how she looks now, she's still a Serion...! And if the rumors are true..."
"You mean the one about her becoming one of that honor student Marc Visus's concubines? *Sigh*... I guess even after such a public humiliation, as long as you're born to the right parents, you'll never starve."
"Seriously. And to think it's Marc. Honestly, I wish I could just become a concubine and live comfortably. I'm so jealous."
The moment I stepped into the academy, all sorts of unpleasant noises assaulted my ears.
These were the thoughts of ruffians who didn't even understand the situation properly, interpreting it however they pleased.
Rather than discerning right from wrong, they simply needed a toy to relieve their boredom, and this time, I just happened to be their target.
There was no need to pay them any mind, nor any reason to listen.
Yet, it was still impossible to feel good about it.
I was not one to obsess over my own authority or reputation, but my current situation—fallen so low as to be looked down upon by such vulgar people—felt all too real now.
To think I would end up like this overnight.
Shaking off these idle thoughts, I made my way toward where Rofel was likely to be.
As the end-of-term dueling exams drew near, the academy's overall class hours were shortened, and many classes were canceled altogether.
This was to encourage the students to engage in self-study and training.
Rofel, too, would surely be training to prepare for his duel with Marc in a month's time.
However, because of his association with me, he wouldn't be able to stay in crowded places either.
He certainly wouldn't be able to use the public training grounds, let alone the gymnasium, which was still undergoing repairs.
Leaving behind the stinging, contemptuous glares of those around me, I first walked toward the Magic Department building.
The place where I found Rofel was the vacant lot of the Old Academy Building, located at the back of the academy and no longer in use.
This place, which Elisio Gremlina had discovered and told him about, was overgrown with weeds and grass. Having been neglected for a long time, it was practically a ruin.
However, since there was plenty of open space, it might not be a bad place to practice magic.
In such a place, Rofel was moving his body violently, firing all kinds of magic into the empty air in various ways.
He was half-naked, panting heavily as sweat poured like rain from his entire body.
Although I was not deeply knowledgeable about magic, I was at least familiar with that method of training.
Just as muscles tear and rebuild themselves thicker and stronger, it was a method of squeezing out mana to its absolute limit to expand the capacity of one's vessel.
In recent times, it was a training method no longer practiced due to being deemed foolish and dangerous, but at the same time, it was a method uniquely suited to Rofel.
Still... I worried whether he would be able to train and duel with me in such a state.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, our eyes met.
"Ah, you're here, Seraphina. I was practicing my magic while waiting."
He wiped the sweat from his body with a towel and approached me.
"I apologize for being late. I am not yet accustomed to the path here, so it took some time."
"It's fine, that happens."
"Ah! This is a friend who's helping me out this time. It's embarrassing, but unlike my father, I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to magic."
"She's a precious friend who has given me all kinds of help with magic."
"This person?"
Looking beside him, I realized that at some point, a girl with freckles on the bridge of her nose had appeared.
Her presence was so faint and stealthy that even I, a warrior, had failed to notice her. I could not help but be startled.
Come to think of it, I felt as though she had been in my field of vision even when I was far away, so why hadn't I noticed her?
"Hello. My name is ■eiru, Me■ru ■■■■."
"I suppose you could call me... Rofel's friend."
The first thing that caught my eye was her freckles.
Of course, they were neither excessive nor unsightly; they gave her a youthful, friendly impression that was far from that of a noble.
Rather, her face was beautiful enough to be considered quite attractive.
Furthermore, she wore her hair in twin tails, and with her black hair and black eyes matching Rofel's, the two of them shared a strangely similar vibe.
"Ah... It is a pleasure to meet you, Mei■ ■■■■. I am..."
"I know. Lady Seraphina Serion. You're the other protagonist of the rumors, aren't you?"
"You don't need to introduce yourself."
"...I see."
"And you're also the one who dragged Rofel into your family's affairs, putting him in danger."
"Wait, Meiru! I told you last time, I was the one who jumped in first!"
"Don't speak to Seraphina like that!"
"No, it is fine. Her words are not without merit."
Her attitude felt strangely cold and hostile.
■■■■... I felt as though I had seen that family name somewhere before...
It was something very important... something I recalled reading in a history book... but I couldn't remember it at all.
Well, it probably isn't any crucial information, so I shouldn't dwell on it too much.
For now, I only need to express my gratitude to her for helping Rofel, even if only a little.
...By the way, it is a woman again...
Frankly, the people who visited the dormitory last time were all women, and this time it was a woman again.
Did he possess some sort of quality that naturally attracted the opposite sex?
Of course, it wasn't as if I was jealous.
Not at all. Absolutely not.
"Huh? What did you say just now?"
"It is nothing."
"Then, can we begin our training... our special training right away?"
"Of course! Absolutely. I'm ready whenever you are."
"...What? Rofel! What do you mean by that?"
Me■ru ■■■■ shouted in disbelief.
"U-Uh? Did I say something strange?"
"Of course you did! You were doing such intense training just a moment ago, and now you're going straight into a duel without resting at all?!"
"If nothing else, the fatigue will build up in your body, and it could lead to serious trouble later!"
"You should rest for a bit first..."
"Indeed, she may be right. It appears you were forcing your vessel to expand by squeezing out your mana to its absolute limit."
"Straining your body further in this state will only do more harm than good."
"It would be wise to take a brief rest."
"But time is of the essence, I can't just sit around and rest..."
"What else can you do? While your body rests, you will have to absorb theoretical knowledge with your mind."
"First, I shall demonstrate the Serion swordsmanship before you."
Ultimately, he yielded to my and Me■ru's words and sat down.
Conversely, I stood up, gripped my greatsword with both hands, adjusted my stance, and pointed the blade toward the empty air.
Then, adopting the postures corresponding to each stance of the Serion swordsmanship, I swung the greatsword, linking various derivative movements in different ways.
Normally, I should have demonstrated each action slowly and sequentially, but since we had to keep immediate practical application in mind, the movements were executed so swiftly and concisely that they were difficult to follow with the naked eye.
Thanks to that, my swordsmanship demonstration ended quickly.
"...I showed it to you rather quickly, but this is the gist of it. If you can think of any counter-strategies for each situation, please let me know."
I expected a long silence to follow, but surprisingly, an answer came immediately.
And it came not from Rofel, but from the mouth of the girl sitting beside him, Me■ru.
"First of all, there is a slight opening in the second movement of the first stance you showed."
"Since there's no way you would make a mistake, Seraphina, that opening must be inherent to the swordsmanship itself."
"If one targets that spot, they might be able to catch the opponent off guard right at the start of the duel."
"...! You noticed it well. Indeed, that is a point frequently criticized, and even within the Serion family, we pay close attention to it."
"To think you would spot it instantly...!"
"There's more. In the charging stance, the flank is particularly exposed."
"Of course, if the opponent targets that direction directly, it wouldn't be hard to guard, but if they mix in a slight feint before attacking, it will be difficult to react to."
"Ah, I know that one. When I dueled Seraphina last time, that method was quite effective."
"Though it was a method I only figured out after losing to her dozens of times."
"Yes. Next, in the fifth stance..."
Soon, she was smoothly pointing out exactly when openings would occur in each stance and movement.
It was as if she had known the swordsmanship beforehand.
Honestly, I hadn't expected much from her.
I had thought she was merely a classmate who had taught Rofel some magic...
Who would have thought she could analyze the counters to the Serion swordsmanship so well?
"...Wow, Meiru, you're amazing."
"How do you know all this so well?"
"Did you happen to be interested in the Knight Department or something?"
"Ah...! N-No, it's nothing like that. It's just... for some reason, once I saw it, I could just tell."
"You are truly remarkable. To think you could so easily spot weaknesses known only to a select few within our family, let alone the knighthood."
"I cannot believe you are a student of the Magic Department."
"Speak honestly, did you not actually aim for the Knight Department?"
"...No. I just noticed it without realizing."
In any case, after Rofel had rested sufficiently, we put Me■ru's advice to the test in an actual duel.
The results were indeed astonishing.
Rofel was able to cope with my attacks for a much longer time than before, when he had just charged at me recklessly.
Of course, it would be far more difficult against Marc, who possessed skills superior to mine.
Still, it was clear that this would be effective for the upcoming dueling exam.
By the way, Me■ru had been quiet for a while now.
I wanted to express my gratitude to her for coming up with countermeasures in such a short time.
She had said she would organize things while Rofel and I dueled.
Turning my gaze, I happened to look in her direction... and I was left somewhat aghast by Me■ru's appearance.
I hadn't noticed when she occasionally entered my peripheral vision, but looking directly at her now, she was tightly clutching the towel Rofel had used to wipe his sweat.
Not only that, she had buried her face in it—or rather, pressed it completely against her face—blushing deeply as she repeatedly took deep, ragged breaths.
She was so engrossed that she didn't even realize I had spotted her.
...She must have been doing this the entire time she was left alone while I dueled Rofel.
If there was any saving grace, it was that Rofel hadn't noticed.
I see...
Honestly, I had suspected it, but this woman, too, just like the two women I met yesterday, felt that way about Rofel...
Ahem...
As expected of Rofel. This man is bound to face serious trouble regarding women in the future.
Even without this, his looks alone would attract no small number of women...
I can only feel pity for the countless women who will fall for him in the future.