Chapter 13: The Training Grounds(2)
Chapter 13: The Training Grounds(2)
"So, what you're saying is..."
"... ..."
"You threw that ball because you thought my brother was just some random Martial Studies freshman? And you figured since I was right there, I’d just block it anyway?"
"...Yeah."
Adelia answered quietly to Nicole’s question, which was laced with suppressed rage. For the record, the woman was currently kneeling in front of Nicole with her head hung low.
I stood beside Nicole, looking down at her. Glancing around, I noticed that since we were on the far edge of the vast training hall, hardly anyone was paying us any mind. Even when someone did pass by, they’d give us a quick look and then go about their business.
It seemed they were more interested in the people sparring in the distance than in our little drama.
While I was lost in thought, Nicole suddenly barked at the kneeling woman.
"Do you even hear yourself right now?! Huh?!"
"... ..."
"I told you never to pull stunts like that, no matter how much you're joking! Do my words mean nothing to you?!"
As Nicole roared, the kneeling woman flinched violently. Having only seen Nicole’s gentle side until now, this was quite a surprising reaction.
Then again, any sibling would be furious. Her precious youngest brother had almost been seriously hurt.
It was just a novel sight for me, as she had never raised her voice like this before.
"Answer me, Adelia. Am I wrong?"
"I-I'm sorry..."
The woman apologized in a voice as faint as a crawling ant. However, Nicole’s anger hadn't subsided yet; she let out a long, huffing breath through her nose.
"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Isaac. If you pull a stunt like that again, I’m filing a formal complaint with the professor, so consider yourself warned. Got it?"
"Yeah..."
"Good. Now, apologize."
At Nicole’s command, the woman slowly lifted her head. Now that her face was visible, I took a good look at her.
She had light brown hair neatly cut into a bob that reached her neck, a sharp nose, and impressively long eyelashes. Overall, she was a beauty with a distinctively boyish charm.
As I stared into her eyes, which were a shade of blue close to the sky, she stared back at my face for a moment before opening her mouth.
"Oh. He's pret—"
Was her mouth the problem? As soon as those useless words started to spill out, Nicole’s aura became even more terrifying. Honestly, she wouldn't have had any right to complain if she’d been slapped right then.
Sensing the dangerous vibe Nicole was giving off, the woman quickly bowed her head and rushed out an apology.
"I am truly sorry. My prank went too far. I promise I will never do anything like that again."
Her husky voice suited her boyish looks quite well. It seemed that frivolous tone from earlier only came out when she was joking around with Nicole.
Seeing her bow so low in apology, I replied, feeling a bit flustered.
"Ah, yes. It’s fine. By the way, did you say your name was Adelia?"
"Yes. I'm Adelia Cross."
Seeing as she lacked a middle name—something only granted to nobles—Adelia was a commoner. I was slightly surprised, as I’d assumed she was a noble based on her looks alone.
But to throw a ball at me as a 'prank'...
That meant one of two things: she was either a best friend who transcended social class with Nicole, or she was just thoughtless. Given that she spoke informally to Nicole, I assumed it was the former.
I looked at the visibly nervous Adelia for a moment before tossing out a question.
"Are you friends with my sister?"
"Uh..."
Adelia started to answer but then glanced at Nicole for permission. Nicole still looked angry, but she gave a small nod of her chin.
At that, Adelia flashed an awkward smile and answered quietly.
"Yeah. We're friends. We've been together since we first enrolled."
"Then you can just speak comfortably. You're my sister's friend, after all."
"Really? Is that okay?"
She switched to informal speech immediately. I nodded, inwardly amused by how quickly she brightened up.
Letting out a huge sigh of relief as if she’d finally been granted a stay of execution, Adelia began to speak at a rapid-fire pace.
"I'm really, really, really sorry. Let me apologize one more time. I was just curious about who Nicole was bringing along, you see. I never dreamed it would be her brother."
"Like I said, I'm fine. It's in the past, and you threw it expecting my sister to block it anyway, right? It’s not like you threw a dagger."
"Still, a sorry is a sorry. If I’d thrown that at anyone other than Nicole’s guest, I would’ve been expelled on the spot."
"And you knew that, yet you still pulled that shit?"
As Nicole pressured her with a fierce voice, Adelia couldn't find a proper excuse. She just let out an embarrassed laugh, flustered, and hung her head in guilt.
Seeing that Adelia was sincerely reflecting on her actions, Nicole let out a deep sigh and reluctantly forgave her.
"Whew. Like I’ve been saying, stop with the pranks from now on. Once or twice is one thing, but you do this every time I come to the training hall, and it’s starting to get on my nerves."
"Sorry..."
"Noona. Has she always been like this?"
"Every single time I come here."
No wonder her reaction time was so fast. It seemed Adelia was a repeat offender.
Pulling pranks like that every time she showed up must have been incredibly annoying for Nicole. And today, it was even worse because her own brother had almost been in danger.
I watched Nicole ruffle her own hair in frustration, then a sudden curiosity struck me, and I looked toward the entrance of the training hall. The entrance was shaped like a long tunnel, making the interior quite dark; even with the light, you could barely make out silhouettes.
Yet, Adelia had been certain it was Nicole coming through that darkness. Even if a familiar silhouette was walking toward her, that alone shouldn't have been enough for such certainty.
"Miss Adelia."
"Hm? Did you call me?"
"Can you infuse mana into your eyes too?"
"Of course. I might not look it, but my skills are top-notch."
Her answer was full of pride. Certainly, the fact that she was a teaching assistant alongside my sister was proof enough of her skill.
If you're wondering what infusing mana into one's eyes has to do with skill, just think about how sensitive our eyes are.
Being able to inject mana into the eyeballs to see clearly in the dark is a testament to excellent mana control.
I knew this because I’d consulted my father while writing the Xenon Biography. He had happily explained various other abilities to me as well. Beyond that, I’d used memories from my past life to create my own additions.
I looked at Adelia, who seemed to have regained her energy, and asked her another question.
"Then can you distinguish body heat too?"
"What? How could I do that? That’s a technique you can only use once you're at least at the level of a Knight Commander."
Adelia retorted in an incredulous voice. My father had said anyone could do it with a little effort, but I guess that was only by his standards.
"You said you're Nicole’s brother, right? Just a word of advice—don't even dream of comparing your father to other people. How can anyone compare to a man who can change the map with a single swing of his sword?"
"Is Father really that amazing?"
I knew he was incredible, but I didn't realize he was that legendary. When I looked at Nicole for confirmation, she just shrugged.
"I don't know. I'm not really sure myself. You know how it is. Has Dad ever bragged about himself?"
"Never. But why is that?"
"He said that every time those achievements are mentioned by others, he sees the faces of the knights who were sacrificed. You might not know this, Isaac, but before you were born, he couldn't even sleep at night without alcohol."
Judging by the symptoms, he was a classic case of a soldier suffering from PTSD.
Moreover, my father was a Knight Commander, and a member of the Navy Knights at that, so he must have had several times more combat experience than most. I’d heard the Navy Knights were the strongest order in the Minerva Empire and were assigned all sorts of missions.
Among those missions was the subjugation of demonized demons. Actually, since many groups handled demon subjugation, the Navy Knights were more like the final resort.
The fact that he raised three children successfully despite all that showed he had incredible mental fortitude.
"Anyway, Adelia. You're getting ready for sparring now, right?"
"I have to. There are a lot of freshmen, so it’ll be pretty busy."
"Then as punishment, you're doing it all by yourself today. I'm going to show my brother around."
"What? Wait a minute. Even so, that's..."
"What?"
When Adelia immediately protested, Nicole just raised an eyebrow. In the end, Adelia, burdened by her guilt, had no choice but to back down.
"...Fine. But just for today, okay?"
"I'll think about it."
"Oh, please. Don't be like that."
"Now, who was it that almost put a nasty bruise on my precious brother's face?"
It looked like Adelia was thoroughly cornered. I looked back and forth between Adelia, who was practically begging on her knees, and Nicole, who was considering it with her arms crossed.
Looking at them like this, they really did seem like best friends who ignored social status. It might be because our family generally didn't care much for authority, but Adelia’s behavior was enough to make anyone else gasp in horror.
As she had said herself, threatening the life of a noble was grounds for expulsion at the very least, and potentially even imprisonment.
How did this person become friends with my sister?
While I was wondering, the situation ended with Nicole granting Adelia’s request.
"Now, go get ready for sparring. I'll be in the spectator seats, so make sure you explain the situation to the others."
"Got it. Isaac, was it?"
"Yes. I'm Isaac."
"Keep a close eye on this big sister while I spar. I'll make you fall for me in no time."
"Stop talking nonsense and just go."
Nicole tossed a steel training sword she’d brought along, and Adelia caught it effortlessly. Even as she walked toward the training grounds, she waved her arms about playfully.
She was as flighty as a child, but strangely, she wasn't someone you could hate. I waved back at the receding Adelia and asked Nicole what I’d been curious about.
"Noona. How did you two become friends?"
"It just kind of happened. She kept hovering around me since enrollment, so I talked to her, and we've been close ever since. Her personality is a bit... well, strange, but I can guarantee her skill. Her prank earlier was just over the top; she’s definitely not a bad person."
"Nicole?"
While we were talking, someone called out to Nicole from behind. It was a man's voice, a pleasant baritone.
Both Nicole and I turned to see who it was.
...Uh.
The moment the man's face came into view, I felt my brain stall in real-time. It was a face that was far too familiar—one I had desperately hoped never to encounter.
While I stood there frozen, Nicole spoke with a welcoming tone, as if they were already acquainted. Unlike the man who spoke informally, Nicole’s tone was filled with a level of politeness I hadn't heard from her before.
"Lord Leort? You're here early today."
"This is the first week of the new semester. I haven't been busy at all."
He had hair that shone golden like Lina’s and clear blue eyes. If Lina had a delicate, puppy-like face, the man before us had a strong, tiger-like impression.
Meanwhile, the man, who had been talking to Nicole, shifted his gaze to me and let his voice trail off.
"And the person next to you is..."
"He's my brother. Say hello, Isaac. This is Lord Leort, the Crown Prince of the Minerva Empire."
Unaware of my internal turmoil, Nicole patted my back and introduced me. I faced Leort, my heart pounding with tension.
I was incredibly flustered by this unexpected encounter, but I had to greet him regardless. Besides, there was no real reason to be nervous; this was the first time Leort and I had ever met, and he had no idea I was the author of the Xenon Biography.
There was zero chance of me suddenly being locked away in the Imperial Palace.
With that thought, I greeted Leort using the etiquette I’d learned at home. The important thing right now was to avoid any suspicion.
"Greetings. I am Isaac Ducard Maishal. It is an honor to meet you, Lord Leort."
"Aha. So you're Nicole’s brother. I thought you two looked alike. Nice to meet you. I am Leort Urmi Jacklith, the rightful heir of Minerva. But did you say your name is Isaac?"
"Yes."
"Oho."
Why? Why that exclamation? You're making me nervous.
Just as I was muttering anxiously to myself, Leort asked me with a very delighted expression.
"So you're the student Lina was talking about?"
...Fuck. My life.