Never a Dull Moment (1)
Lost in the trance of executing the forms of the Grand Emperor Sword, Esabel suddenly felt something was off.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Huh? What?
It was as if the training dummy had suddenly turned into solid rock.
Just moments ago Leon had been yielding weakly under her pressure, yet now he was blocking every one of her attacks with effortless ease.
This is bad… I can’t give him an opening!
A chill ran down her spine. Esabel poured mana into her blade and prepared to press even harder—
Flash!
Leon’s eyes sharpened into a predatory gleam.
The gaze of a beast the instant before it sank its fangs into its prey’s throat.
“······!”
Goosebumps erupted across Esabel’s entire body.
The next moment—
Flash—!
A sunset-colored streak of light swallowed her vision.
She never even saw what happened.
She only felt something whip past her.
Clang—!
In a world turned pure white, a clear, ringing metallic note reached her dulled ears.
“······.”
When her sight returned, Esabel realized her hand was empty.
Whoosh— Thud!
She turned her head. Her sword, fallen from midair, stood buried point-first in the ground.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips.
“······Ah.”
She had lost.
“Wooooaaaaahhhhh!!!!”
A thunderous roar of cheers shook the entire academy grounds.
A thrilling reverse victory always drives a crowd wild.
Leon’s image—cornered one moment, then snatching victory with a perfect counter the next—was pure adrenaline.
“Was that…?”
“The secret swordsmanship of House Crusif, right?!”
“Whoa, are these really the chicks who just enrolled today?”
“Leon. That student’s name is Leon, correct?”
“Anyone know which class he’s in?”
“This year’s exchange tournament is going to be something else.”
Instructors and students alike made no effort to hide their excitement over the freshmen’s high-level duel.
But the most excited person present was Leon himself.
“Yeeeeeeeah!!!!”
“······.”
Like a fighter who had just scored a knockout, Leon tore around the plaza in a mad victory lap, looking for all the world like a monkey with its tail on fire.
“Hooooooooo!!!!!”
“Wooooaaaaahhhhh!!”
To everyone’s surprise, the crowd kept clapping and cheering right along with him.
Encouraged by the reaction, Leon grew even more fired up and began reenacting the finishing blow with his sword.
“Heav!! En!! ly!! Sword!! Art!!!!”
“······.”
Whoosh!
“Take thiiiiis!!!!!!”
“P-please stop…”
Watching Leon bellow until the veins stood out on his neck, Esabel squeezed her eyes shut.
Isn’t he getting a little too carried away…?
But speaking up now would only make the loser look even worse, wouldn’t it?
Unable to scold him directly, Esabel instead shot frantic glances at Instructor Melmoren.
The instructor finally snapped out of it and stepped forward.
“······Ahem! Ahem!”
“Hahaha! Thank you, everyone! Thank you! Oh? One more time? One more time? Heav!! En!! ly!! Swor—”
“Stoooop!! Enough!!”
Panicked, Melmoren hastily cast a Silence spell over the entire plaza.
“······.”
“······.”
“······.”
Only then did the crowd settle down a little.
“······.”
Melmoren glanced sideways. Esabel’s face had turned a deep, mottled red, as if she were about to explode.
They had come within a hair’s breadth of witnessing the imperial princess detonate on the spot.
“······A splendid match. The winner is Leon Crusif. You are now the second-ranked student.”
Wiping cold sweat from his brow, Melmoren pulled a scroll from his coat and scribbled something down, immediately updating the new rankings.
As expected, Elprime Academy was thorough about such things.
“All right, all right! The duel is over! Disperse!”
When Melmoren waved his hands, the heat finally drained from the crowd and people began drifting away one by one.
Through the ebbing tide of spectators, Esabel approached Leon, who still wore a thoroughly satisfied smile.
She intended to offer the proper post-duel greeting.
“Haa…”
She wasn’t thrilled about it, but as a member of the imperial family she had to set an example, didn’t she?
And the match had taught her a great deal as well.
“Leon Crusif.”
“Ah, Your Highness.”
“······It was a good match.”
She extended her right hand for a handshake.
“Thank you.”
Leon politely took her pale hand in his.
“······.”
“······.”
The heat of their bodies, the rough calluses, the pulses beating in unison.
Feeling each other’s grip, a subtle sense of kinship between warriors rose between them.
Hmm.
Esabel felt the lingering ill will toward Leon melt away as if it had never existed.
There was a reason people said fighting brought people closer.
Maybe I shouldn’t wash this hand today?
Leon, of course, was seriously entertaining that exact thought.
“Just wait a little. I’ll be coming back for that rank soon.”
Her face still blazing with competitive fire, she delivered the vow.
Leon answered with a crooked smirk.
Seeing it, Esabel let out a short laugh of her own and walked away.
“Leon! That was a magnificent duel! As expected, your skill is something else!”
Only after Esabel left did Carotin approach to offer his congratulations.
“Hahaha! I’ve always been pretty decent with a sword!”
“Ohhh! Indeed! But why did you throw that handkerchief so hard earlier?”
“Mm! That was actually part of a strategy…”
Footsteps.
Leon’s nonsense was about to start up again when two beautiful girls approached and cut it short.
“Sir Leon. Sir Carotin. A pleasure to meet you.”
Though she wore the same uniform, an unmistakable air of wealth clung to the blonde girl dripping with glittering accessories.
“Hey.”
Beside her stood a cool-looking beauty with deep violet hair and matching eyes.
“Hmm…? Ah!”
Carotin studied them with a puzzled expression, then brightened in recognition.
“Riana! Celia! It’s been ages!”
Riana Elingold, fourth daughter of Duke Elingold.
And Celia Helbridge, third daughter of Duke Helbridge.
Late afternoon.
The finest restaurant in Elaim.
Under Riana’s lead, the four ducal heirs sat down for a slightly early dinner.
Elprime Academy’s rules were relatively lenient; once classes ended, students were free to leave campus until curfew.
“The fact that all four ducal houses have children in the same year is fate, don’t you think? Let’s get along well for the next three years.”
As was true everywhere, social networking held enormous importance in this world’s aristocratic society.
The upper class and elites sticking together was simply human nature.
The higher and rarer the status, the more vital those connections became.
Having academy classmates of the same age and year from the empire’s only four ducal houses was a meaningful bond indeed.
They would be seeing one another’s faces constantly for the next three years, after all.
That was why Riana had actively arranged this little get-together for the sake of “networking.”
There was just one minor problem.
Leon Crusif? Leon Crusif…?
The name of the black-haired boy who had just displayed such overwhelming skill felt strangely unfamiliar.
She had met Celia and Carotin often enough at social gatherings and banquets to have some acquaintance with them.
But this boy simply would not come to mind.
Strange…
In truth Riana had crossed paths with Leon a few times in the past, but his image had changed so drastically, and their greetings had been so brief, that he had left no lasting impression.
In any case.
Having a narrow social circle was something Riana simply could not tolerate.
Excellent background, top-tier skill, and a personality overflowing with confidence—Leon more than qualified to become her friend.
She decided then and there that she would get closer to him.
“Sir Leon, is the meal to your liking?”
“It’s incredible.”
“Fufu. This restaurant is carefully managed by our house. We warp the finest ingredients straight from the southern continent…”
Leon had cheerfully tagged along the moment free food was mentioned.
Having burned through a great deal of stamina, he was ravenous; he shoveled steak into his mouth while letting Riana’s explanations go in one ear and out the other.
Thanks to the original story he already had a rough idea of her personality, so her friendly interest didn’t strike him as particularly suspicious.
She’s the ultimate social butterfly type.
After the display of skill earlier, it was only natural she would take an interest.
If this had been the original Leon Crusif, the four of them would never have gathered like this.
At this point in the timeline he would probably have been alone in the training hall, swinging his sword in pursuit of the top rank.
Whatever the case, building ties with these people could only benefit him.
While occasionally responding to Riana and chewing his steak, a sudden thought struck him.
By the way… the Republic bastards should already be here by now, right?
In the original story, spies from the Gamelon Republic appeared frequently throughout the early-to-mid sections.
They carried out all manner of terrorist plots aimed at crushing the Latia Empire’s future—the academy students.
And the place those spies usually hid was, of course, the city of Elaim surrounding Elprime Academy.
“······.”
One mage (Riana), one tank (Carotin), one spear user (Celia).
A certain instinct prickled. Leon’s eyes swept the table as he began gauging their combined combat power.
Billy, who had returned to the dorms after receiving demerits for being late on the very first day.
“Hmm.”
While unpacking, he let out a short hum.
He had just realized that in his rush to jump off the carriage he had left behind the bag containing his clothes.
Even someone who lived as frugally as he did still needed a change of underwear, didn’t he?
I’ll have to step out for a bit.
Billy made light preparations and left the academy, heading for the shopping district of Elaim.
By pure coincidence, that direction was exactly where Leon’s group was having dinner.
The man who invited disaster was on his way.