Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Moonlight Sword
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It was late afternoon.
The work-study student Cheryl brushed the dust off the bookshelves while lost in thought.
'What was tonight's menu again? Croissants? Danish pastries?'
Getting to eat at the staff cafeteria, famous for its delicious food, was one of the perks of being a work-study student. She couldn't quite recall the exact menu, but the way her mouth was watering suggested it was something pretty tasty.
She tied back her long, chestnut-colored curly hair tightly and adjusted her round horn-rimmed glasses. Once she finished sorting these two more shelves, her work for the day would be pretty much done.
Three days before the semester started, the empty library was both her workplace and her playground.
Apart from the occasional professor or instructor who hadn't gone home for the break stopping by, she was the only one here.
Gazing at the endless rows of bookshelves and inhaling the scent of old paper wasn't so bad, but it did little to ease her chronic loneliness.
"...Don't do this. You mustn't love a lowly girl like me."
She mimicked the protagonist from the novel Fatal Maid she'd read yesterday,
or
"A woman has no right to wield a sword? Ha! My blade is too good for a pathetic worm like you. Come at me. I'll smash that arrogant nose of yours!"
She muttered lines from the famous female knight 'Elbera' and the like just to keep herself from getting too bored and lonely—otherwise, who knew what might happen.
"Get stronger, Princess. No shining jewel or beautiful dress is worth more than a single drop of sweat shed on the training grounds in the heat of battle... Huh?"
Cheryl suddenly sensed someone's presence. The moment she turned her head, she realized she was way too late.
"Gasp!"
She clapped a hand over her mouth and stared at the young man who had been standing there unnoticed.
Glossy blond hair, snow-white skin. A handsome youth who looked like the word 'noble' had been carved into human form stood before her eyes.
The young man wasn't mocking her or anything. He was simply staring at Cheryl with an expression of pure amusement,
and Cheryl just wanted to drop dead right then and there.
'Please! Just laugh at me instead. Laugh, I beg you! Don't try to comfort me. Please!'
Her desperate wish went unfulfilled. Philip had never learned how to mock a student.
"... "
An awkward silence stretched out.
The young man, Philip, cleared his throat to break the tension.
"Ahem, looks like I came at a bad time. Sorry about that."
The curly-haired girl, Cheryl, had turned red not just in the face but even on the backs of her hands, her eyes brimming with tears. Philip had no idea how to console her.
"Your pronunciation was pretty good, though. You could be an actress."
"Ah... thank you."
"Well, I have some books to find."
Hearing her half-dead voice, Philip quickly made himself scarce. The bookshelf he was looking for was a good few minutes' walk from the entrance.
"...Sniff."
Ignoring the poor girl's sniffles as best he could, Philip searched for the history section.
—Oof, even Neria's embarrassed. That cringe is gonna linger. Anyway, Master, what are you looking for here?
When Neria, strapped to his waist, asked, Sevile—er, Philip—replied in a low voice.
"A secret manual."
—A secret manual? Does the academy library even have one of those? Not in some family vault or dungeon?
A secret manual was, quite literally, an item for learning techniques passed down in secrecy.
They were usually the property of noble families or martial organizations, and it was hard to even catch a glimpse without pulling off some special event.
Yet Previa Academy had no fewer than five such manuals. The one Philip coveted was among them:
'Moonlight Sword. Nothing could suit me better right now.'
"This academy's over 200 years old. It's bound to be overflowing with secrets no one knows about."
—If no one knows, how do you know?
"...Just do?"
—No fair. Can't you share a little?
'Sharp as ever when it doesn't matter...'
Philip grumbled as he rummaged through the shelves.
'Moonlight Sword' was one of the hardest skills to obtain even in Heroes Academy. Without solid knowledge of the game's lore, you couldn't even find the clues.
Normally, you'd gather info on the 'Itulida' continent from academy activities and field trips, piece together hints from that, chase down leads, and finally uncover it in the academy library—
by arranging specific books in a specific order on a specific shelf. And if someone had borrowed one of those books? You'd wait endlessly for its return.
"But it's vacation now, right?"
—Who are you talking to? Did the girl from earlier hear your mutterings?
Ignoring Neria, Philip's eyes darted ceaselessly.
'Found it.'
Having snagged two books from the history section, Philip headed to geography.
—Master, Neria's bored.
"Just a bit longer. A few more books. Ah, here we go."
Next was literature, which had twice as many books as the other sections.
—Hey, that's the book my second master loved.
Philip, scanning the shelves, turned at Neria's words.
The title was Moonlight and the Girls. Exactly what he was after.
"Ah, thanks."
—...Master, you don't like that yuri stuff where girls hug and kiss, do you?
"Not really? Is that what it's about? Was your second master... No, never mind."
He had no intention of opening that forbidden box. Better to let bygones be bygones.
'This body really is a cheat.'
Philip's eyes were cheats too. Perfect vision, discernment, dynamic visual acuity—he could spot the books he wanted just by skimming the shelves without close inspection.
After gathering all six books, Philip went to the western corner, the unclassified section. Beneath a window on the wall there sat a rickety desk with a small bookend on it.
'In Memory of the Tragic Genius Master Otem.'
'Discussing the Golden Age of Swordsmanship.'
'Dragons of the Rundah Mountains.'
'Moonlight and the Girls.'
'Awakening to the Sword—Subtitle: Everything About the Blade.'
'Dedicated to Geniuses.'
Arranging these six books in the bookend in the right order would yield the secret manual.
The order? The five W's and one H.
'Master Otem, in the golden age of swordsmanship, at the Rundah Mountains, under moonlight, awakened to the sword, and dedicated it to geniuses.'
It was the story of a sword master named 'Otem,' who vanished long ago after glimpsing moonlight and weaving his revelation into swordsmanship: Moonlight Sword.
⚡ SKILL ACQUIRED ⚡ Moonlight Sword (Secret Manual) Knowledge transmitted directly. Mastery requires exceptional aptitude.
As he slotted the books in order, a faint light seeped from between the pages. It formed a slender thread that lingered briefly on Philip's hand before vanishing.
"... "
Philip closed his eyes, motionless, until the full contents of Moonlight Sword settled in his mind. This was the kind of secret manual transmitted as pure knowledge, not text.
—Whoa, Neria's never seen anything like this. What is it? What kind of secret manual?
"Guess we'll find out from here on."
Originally, Moonlight Sword wasn't worth learning.
Its acquisition difficulty was insanely high, and unless you were like Philip—someone who loved collecting game info—you might not even know it existed.
Plus, the system let you learn only one secret manual.
While other S-rank ones included mana cultivation methods ('mental arts') and usable early techniques, Moonlight Sword required built-up mana and a tempered body to even taste its power.
Minimum requirement: Sword Aura mastery. Without that swordsmanship proficiency and mana, entry-level was impossible.
The problem? You'd hit game over from spec deficiency long before meeting the prereqs.
Philip had tried squeezing value out of it through all sorts of means, but learning it meant you could never push past mid-game.
'But in my current situation, it's fine to learn. I don't lack raw power right now, and I've already met the conditions.'
As if someone had arranged it perfectly, Philip's setup matched the requirements spot-on.
'No way this turns out bad.'
He'd never used it, but a secret manual this hard to get couldn't suck.
Normally he'd pick another, but unlike before, he had leeway now. Time for a gamble.
The contents of the Moonlight Sword secret manual flowed into his mind.
Philip immediately understood why it used this transmission method instead of book form.
Moonlight Sword brimmed with concepts too abstract and advanced for words.
It discussed uncertain possibilities over tangible phenomena, in forms distant from intuition.
Its very approach diverged from standard swordsmanship.
Literary metaphors so refined they were rare even in Philip's old world.
Like describing a single drop of spilled wine at a banquet becoming an ocean—impenetrable without imagination.
A true genius-only manual, rejecting ordinary approaches from the root.
'...But why do I kinda get it?'
Amid the abstractions, Philip sensed something. He grasped, vaguely, that these indescribable insights formed a grand flow.
He felt he knew how to take the first step into Moonlight Sword.
—...Master?
At that moment, Neria's voice snapped him back. Looking around, he saw it was already dark.
—How many hours were you like that? Neria thought you'd passed out!
Plus, an angry ego sword and one curly-haired girl were waiting for Philip.
"...What time is it?"
Philip asked, and the poor work-study girl answered.
"Nine p.m. I... I called out, but you didn't respond..."
Cheryl wanted to cry.
She wasn't brave enough to disturb a noble instructor deep in what looked like important contemplation. So she'd missed dinner, but that couldn't be helped.
'...It was croissant day, too.'
Gurgle. Her empty stomach let out an embarrassing rumble. And it wasn't just Cheryl who heard it.
'Did she starve because of me?'
Nine p.m. meant the staff cafeteria was closed. Philip knew about Cheryl.
A commoner third-year in the magic department, scraping by on work-study during breaks and professors' errands during term to cover tuition.
She didn't play a big role, but her cute look with round horn-rimmed glasses made her pretty popular.
Feeling a pang of conscience, Philip spoke up.
"You missed dinner because of me."
"Ah, no! I'm fine. Instructor."
"Fine? I was gonna treat you to bread at Crusel Bakery as an apology."
The words "Crusel Bakery" instantly filled Cheryl's mouth with saliva.
It catered to the academy's wealthy noble staff and students, pricey yet so popular during term that reservations filled up.
For a poor work-study student like Cheryl? A pipe dream.
"Sluuuurp. Really, I'm okay..."
"I'm not okay. Come on."
Following Philip, Cheryl returned that night hugging enough bread to last days. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇