Inside Out (3)

The master of the snowy mountains didn't necessarily need to be captured. The answer lay in using the 'suspicious pill,' whose very combination method was questionable. A box of ginkgo nuts, a lion's mane, and three hours of boiling mandrake root to create a strange concentrate. Mix them all together and you obtained one suspicious pill. It served as an instant-acting sleeping agent effective against high dragons like the master of the snowy mountains. I couldn't remember the exact ratios, so I had to spend several weeks experimenting with different ingredient proportions. 'I honestly didn't think it would work.'

In the actual game, this was the mainstream strategy for dealing with the master of the snowy mountains. By the later stages, it became too difficult to hunt them down conventionally. Every player followed the guide and farmed them this way around Chapter 3. With that memory in mind, I tried a rough, makeshift version. Anyway, it worked, so all was well. Thanks to that, I—who couldn't even use mana—gained the ability to wield freezing-attribute ganggi just like the lady.

Didn't I use ice magic when I brought the lady to evade the wyvern's dragon flames? This was it. Though called ganggi, its application was no different from magic. In any case, the Drakaris I had obtained that way was now properly absorbed into my body.

“I shall await your summons at any time, my lord.”

“Right.”

He was a steel spirit of strong and loyal character. They say the first button is the most important. True to that, he never uttered a single complaint like other steel spirits usually did. Instead, he even swore his loyalty, saying I had 'liberated him from that detestable high dragon.' Now, as the mediator and pillar among the steel spirits in the mirror world, he was fulfilling his role perfectly. There was nothing more to ask for. Though the total number was still only four, including Burga and Azero.

As if on cue, the man in the fedora standing beside Drakaris cut in.

“O master ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of steel, accept this humble greeting from Rorschach.”

“Puheng-. Master, sorry. I tried to fix it, but this guy's speech still won't correct itself…. Burga is incompetent and in despair…!”

“No, it's fine.”

I accepted Burga's apology, whose sincerity was questionable. The one who had spoken to me was the Symmetrical Sword Rorschach. Rorschach possessed the ability to distort the senses of those around him. Though it only affected 'senses,' it could be utilized in a way that felt almost like 'phenomenon manipulation.' A typical ability whose value depended entirely on how it was used. He was another steel spirit with a proud and occasionally grumbling personality. His occasional thorny way of speaking was a problem, but for now, he too had pledged his loyalty to me.

—Then, as expected, Rorschach crossed his arms and began grumbling.

“I'll speak my mind without beating around the bush. I'm disappointed, master of steel.”

“Suddenly?”

“It's not sudden. When you tore apart that guy Roban the other day. You should have used me or Drakaris. But in reality, you only used that dog-meat seller Burga. We were completely left out in the cold.”

…Very honest and emotional, indeed.

“Ppeeng-!!! Who are you calling a dog-meat seller, you stupid idiot butt-head!”

“Taming a newly captured steel spirit makes you a dog-meat seller. Therefore, you are a dog-meat seller.”

Burga, called a dog-meat seller by the porcupine-like Rorschach, stomped the ground and threw a childish tantrum, but that was all.

“…So you didn't use these two, Yohan?”

The lady, who had been quietly listening to Rorschach, only asked me in surprise.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“There were two opportunities to use them, but for various reasons, I didn't.”

“There were that many opportunities?”

“The first was at the gate of Sigmund.”

She might not remember, but when I was blocked at the entrance, I had said that using an 'irregular' method would make entry trivial. That had referred to Rorschach's power. If I wanted, I could distort the senses and make the gatekeeper think 'I am not in front of him,' allowing me to pass through leisurely. But doing so might have led to trouble later.

“…Anyway, I didn't like that, so I considered a more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠orthodox method.”

“I see. Then what was the second?”

“The second was during the sparring match. Would you use a cattle-slaughtering knife to kill a chicken? It would be strange to bring out steel spirits against mere brats.”

Back then, I had told Eclipse that the me who was sparring wasn't even using half of half of the power I possessed. Though the 65th class had many monstrous new students, to be honest, as someone carrying relics of B-rank or higher inside my body, I didn't feel any real crisis. Just a month ago, I had been shooting down wyverns on the battlefield using Drakaris's power. A WWE-like entrance sparring match? No matter who came, I was confident I could handle them while yawning. But if I showed too overwhelming a performance, no one would want to spar with me. Especially for Eclipse, who needed to create opportunities for me to spar, that would be problematic. So maintaining an appropriate balance was important. Even without using the steel spirits, I had turned Roban into a exhausted mess. If I had used them then, who knows what would have happened.

'Well, if I really had, Eclipse might have been so scared of crossing swords that she would have just given up.'

Then the lady nodded quietly, as if she understood.

“A remarkable child. Since you thought that way, it wasn't arrogance.”

“It was an appropriate judgment on my part, my lady.”

Though Rorschach didn't seem to agree.

“Yes. That part is correct. I am a cattle-slaughtering knife. No, a tiger-slaughtering knife. But on the other hand, I wonder if I'm not receiving your trust. So use me next time.”

I cut him off firmly.

“Honest is good, but my heart is my own.”

“No. Then I have my own heart too. Know the heart of the sword.”

“That's enough, Rorschach. This Drakaris will apologize in his stead.”

“What's with the pointless talk. Annoying lizard.”

And as always, it was Drakaris who mediated their argument.

…Ah, this dreadful argument. This was why I disliked using the projection orb. Whenever I took it out, things always became this tiresome. Of course, when it came time to use their abilities, they all behaved quietly. But if I tried to listen to the opinions of these renowned swords gathered together, all that came out were fights. Always demanding things, asking why I didn't use someone, what someone wanted to do. Rorschach—he was one of the treasures stored in the Vitagarte family's treasure vault. After seeing me devour Drakaris, the lady had secretly stolen one and brought it for me to consume. Not long after, the lady had to relinquish her position as heir, and at the same time, a ban on entering the treasure vault was issued. So I couldn't eat anything more after that.

“Hmm, from what I see, Azero still hasn't fully awakened.”

When the lady spoke, Burga answered.

“Even if she awakens, there needs to be a period of 'correction.' Please give it a little more time! Kuhelhel.”

Though her words were light, at least Burga was a specialist in correction and training. How did she train them? I wouldn't know. But there was the result called Rorschach. As his budding potential suggested, Rorschach had originally refused to listen no matter what, but Burga had declared to me that she would take responsibility for correcting him. And now… he had reached the point of begging me to use him, hadn't he?

“Take as much time as you need.”

Therefore, there was no reason for me not to trust her.

“Yes, this lake goddess or Lisa water goddess or whatever this thing is, this Burga will tame it well, Master. Then, thank you for visiting Burga's little kid garden again today!”

With that, Burga shoved the still-unconscious Azero back into her mouth and disappeared. The projection orb turned off.

“…Did you see a satisfactory result, my lady?”

“Yes. It was fun, like watching a comedy routine or a play.”

But the moment I saw the lady's expression, I immediately realized I had been deceived all along. Look at that. She couldn't even hide her curling lips.

“My lady, saying you wanted to see my power was a lie, wasn't it?”

“Puh, puhuheu-!”

The pretext she had given at first—that she needed to understand my power—was fake. Rather, this was simply… because she knew that talking with the residents of the mirror world drained my energy, she had wanted to see me exhausted, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hadn't she?

'What a nasty hobby….'

Still, if it made the lady smile even for a moment, that was enough for me.

“Yohan. As long as I'm with you, it'll be fine, from now on too….”

But this had only solved the matter of getting into the academy. There were still many problems left to deal with. 'Entrance ceremony, entrance ceremony….' Among them, the entrance ceremony was the biggest immediate issue. Perhaps now was the right time to bring it up. I carefully spoke to the lady, who seemed to be in a slightly better mood.

“My lady, this is sudden, but about the speech at the entrance ceremony. Could you not do it?”

“Hm?”

Whether this would be accepted was uncertain, but…

***

When the time that had flowed like that arrived, it was the honorable entrance ceremony of Sigmund Academy's 65th class. As expected, the A-rank I had received in the initial sparring test showed no signs of dropping. There were other minor tests, but with the lady's energy fully recharged, there was nothing I couldn't do. The lady had paid my entrance fee. Though it was a bit tight to use the pocket money she had officially received, there was no problem thanks to the Shagalor Scholarship. The weather on the day of the entrance ceremony was clear. Fittingly splendid white and red flags. The cloth pieces symbolizing the empire fluttered proudly in the sky. All students wore white uniforms and lined up in order, swearing loyalty to the empire and the emperor. For some, just doing this would make their pride as imperial citizens soar to the heavens.

“With that, following the principal's address, we will have speeches from the representative students of the 65th class. Students whose names are called, please come up to the stage.”

Eventually, the principal began calling the three students representing this class. They were beings of brilliant light in terms of both their origins and the power and authority they possessed. They were the three-horse carriage that would play a major role in the 65th class being called the 'Golden Class' in society. Their profiles were truly splendid.

“…Our great Karlank Empire's First Prince, Vankite von Karlangk. Please come forward to the stage.”

First was the crown prince, the next emperor and the proud face of the empire.

“The daughter of the Aregore family, the absolute lord of the four magic towers and the empire's teacher. Gremory Aregore.”

And next was the bloodline of the mage family that had designed this empire. The only family that united the four magic towers extending in the four cardinal directions into one, the distinguished daughter of Aregore. And finally…

“The shield that protects the empire, the daughter of the ancient Vitagarte Grand Duchy, the last fragment of the Karlank Empire. Karalin von Vitagarte.”

Even my lady. Regardless of the reason, the crown prince, the magic tower lord's daughter, and the grand duke's daughter had all entered the same class. As you can see, the request I had made to the lady had, coincidentally, not been accepted. At that time, I had said this: 'To be honest, all the students lined up at the entrance ceremony will know our backgrounds. The fact that we were stripped of our succession rights and sent to the academy as if we were being chased out….' So nothing good would come of it. Except for the few northerners, the central regions looked down on us with such backgrounds. So standing on the stage might leave her mind dazed from far more serious jeers and mockery than expected. My advice had been that it would be better not to do it at all, but…

'How could I do that? Even if I was called as a representative of the family, I can't not show my face. If I did that, the Vitagarte name would become a target of ridicule along with me.'

So cheer me on. I'll endure it. To be honest, I knew very well that it was like walking into a trap, but since she said that, I couldn't bring myself to break her resolve. Though she seemed to have nothing left, the fact that she carried Vitagarte's blue blood was the lady's last remaining pride and glory. Knowing that she wouldn't want to not show her face at all while carrying such blood…

'So…. I'll be counting on you.'

Therefore, with that resolve in my heart, I could only quietly look up at the stage. But standing here, even though I tried to remain as composed as possible, I couldn't hide the swelling feeling in my chest. Before becoming the lady Karalin's attendant, I had once been a player in this world. It was a somewhat old story now, but I had a history of clearing Eternal Eclipse one by one and fangirling over each of the characters present here. Yet the fact that I was standing shoulder to shoulder with them here felt quite unreal. It felt like all the stories were truly beginning now.

“Ahem, and next… we will hold the medal awarding ceremony for the student who passed all entrance exams with the highest scores all at once.”

…However, the next name called from the stage was more than enough to shake my excited mind.

“Yohan Kim.”

“…Huh?”

“Please come forward to the stage.”

…Me? Me? They're telling me to go up on stage between those three?

'I'm screwed.'

Without any prior notice, suddenly? Wait, there was no development like this in Eternal Eclipse. I let out a dying scream.