Maintenance
Ever since we returned to the dormitory, Sierra hadn't said a single word, no matter how many times I tried to talk to her.
And so, I began searching for a way to cheer her up.
Since she was ignoring me from inside the Demon Blade, the solution I came up with was to perform maintenance on the sword.
In this bizarre situation where my master had become a Demon Blade, wasn't maintaining her vessel the ultimate act of filial piety a disciple could offer?
With that thought in mind, the maintenance of the Demon Blade began.
I gently placed Sierra on the bed and prepared several clean cloths along with the bottle of oil I had received from the blacksmith, Deidros.
And so, the grooming began.
Sliiide.
First, I drew the blade from its scabbard.
Examining the blade closely, I found no trace of rust or grime, despite having cut down countless monsters in the Labyrinth.
This was because Sierra was an exceptionally well-crafted sword.
Strictly speaking, it didn't even look like it needed maintenance.
But I had to do it anyway.
Hoping that this, at least, would soothe Sierra's ruffled feathers.
Next, I gently tapped the oil bottle against the blade, letting the oil fall drop by drop.
I flipped it over and repeated the process. Just as Deidros had said, the oil didn't run off easily.
The blade was now quite thoroughly coated.
Deciding that there was enough oil, I sliced my palm to draw blood, letting the droplets fall onto a clean cloth.
Deidros had told me this was a method he personally devised.
It seemed to be due to the unique properties of blood-drinking iron, which absorbed blood.
Holding the blood-soaked cloth, I began to wipe down the blade.
Shhhk.
From top to bottom.
I stroked it slowly and gently, moving from the hilt to the tip of the blade.
Not knowing how many times I was supposed to do this, I simply repeated the motion over and over.
As I polished the sword, a strange sense of peace washed over me.
Occasionally, as I ran the cloth along the blade, the Demon Blade hummed with a faint vibration, which startled me. Yet, despite this, Sierra showed no signs of emerging.
Having absorbed plenty of blood and oil, Sierra was more than just glossy—she caught the moonlight streaming through the window, reflecting a brilliant, radiant luster.
Feeling a bit lightheaded, perhaps from losing too much blood, I spread a clean cloth on the bed and laid the Demon Blade Sierra upon it.
Should I rest for a bit?
Dragging my exhausted body, I slumped down next to the blade to rest. Only then did a purple demonic energy begin to drift from the sword.
Soon, Sierra's entire form materialized from the Demon Blade.
"Why... why hast thou stopped tending to This Lady...?"
Those were the first words out of Sierra's mouth after her long silence.
Her face was flushed a deep crimson, and she couldn't even bring herself to look me in the eye.
"...Isn't this much enough?"
I replied, running a finger along the blade.
A bit of the reddish, oily residue rubbed off onto my fingertip.
"Hngh... I-I see..."
"Ah, come to think of it, Master, you mentioned before that your senses are linked to the Demon Blade, making you highly sensitive. Did you feel any discomfort while I was performing the maintenance?"
"...Strangely enough, it was not uncomfortable in the least. This Lady is fortunate to have a disciple with such deft hands."
Sierra's voice, sounding quite pleased despite her flushed cheeks, echoed in my mind.
Since I had never maintained a sword before, I had simply followed Deidros's rough instructions, but she seemed remarkably satisfied.
"What did it feel like?"
Unable to fathom what it felt like to have one's senses linked to a sword, I asked her.
"Mmm... Well... Yes, if This Lady had to compare it, it felt somewhat akin to a... 'massage'..."
Sierra hesitated for a long moment before answering cautiously.
"...A massage?"
I repeated her answer, thoroughly bewildered.
Oil... massage...
I couldn't quite picture how coating a blade in oil and wiping it down with a clean cloth was similar to a massage.
An oil... massage...?
Only when I rephrased the words in my head did I begin to understand why her face was so red.
"Ahem. Well, in any case, I'm glad you feel better."
I cleared my throat awkwardly and continued.
"More importantly, Master, I was wondering if anything unusual really happened last night."
At my question, Sierra brushed her forehead with the back of her hand as if she didn't even want to recall it.
"Unusual occurrences... Sigh. Nothing of great import transpired. Just as that medic said, the girl named Eisel merely clung to thee slightly in her sleep."
"Did I happen to mutter anything strange?"
"This Lady knows not of such things. Thou wert sleeping like the dead."
Only after hearing Sierra's words could I let out a sigh of relief.
"Whew. Then, my shirt..."
"Indeed, This Lady has much to say on that matter. Last night, thou didst suddenly sit up and unbutton thy shirt, so I assumed thou wert awake. Yet, no matter how many times I called thy name thereafter, there was no response. I thought thou wert playing a prank on This Lady... but it seems that was not the case."
"Ah... I see..."
I listened quietly to Sierra's grumbling as she furrowed her brow.
From her perspective, it was completely understandable why she felt that way.
Did I unbutton it because I felt stuffy?
It was a relief that everything had passed quietly without any major incidents between Eisel and Priscilla.
Still, Eisel's behavior weighed on my mind.
We seemed to be crossing paths unusually often lately, and there was something unsettling about it.
She had offered me alcohol even though she knew I couldn't handle it.
For what purpose?
Just to play a mischievous prank?
Ever since we sat on the bench and had that small chat, the distance between Eisel and me has definitely shrunk.
If it was just a joke, I could tolerate it, but it would be troublesome if she crossed the line.
Didn't we both have secrets we wanted to keep hidden?
It was a delicate situation.
Perhaps now was the time to put a bit of distance between us.
She was a regressor, and from early on, she had been terrible at making friends and forming bonds.
She was clumsy when it came to getting close to people and building relationships.
Therefore, it would be better for my foot to be on the pedal that controlled the pace of our relationship.
"Hmm..."
"Dost thou have something on thy mind? This Lady heard about thy duel with Kaen from within the blade. ...It seems avoiding it will be difficult."
As I stared at the ceiling and let out a low groan, Sierra approached my side and spoke softly.
I had been planning to discuss my duel with Kaen tomorrow anyway, so having Sierra already up to speed made things much easier.
"Master, you mentioned before that Kaen is no ordinary person."
"Indeed. Through the eyes of This Lady, she is certainly no ordinary Class C cadet."
"What do you think would happen if I used Reverse Heaven right from the start of our duel?"
"Thou speakest of the First Form..."
Sierra immediately understood my meaning and turned her head slightly, lost in thought.
Soon, her voice echoed in my mind.
"Didst thou say there would be many watching?"
"Yes, I expect quite a few cadets will gather."
"Reverse Heaven was created from the very beginning to counter swordsmen of immense skill... Go and experience it for thyself."
As she spoke, Sierra's eyes were filled with absolute confidence.
You will win, without a doubt.
Her purple eyes practically screamed those words.
Since this confidence came from none other than the Purple Moon, Sierra, my heart felt significantly lighter.
"I feel like I still have plenty of blood to spare... Shall I perform some more maintenance for you, Master?"
I looked at Sierra with a broad smile and spoke.
With her Reverse Heaven making everything so much easier, I felt like I had to repay her somehow.
"N-Not right now...!"
Despite my good intentions, Sierra stammered and fled from me.
"I said I am fine...!"
But the Demon Blade still lay quietly on the bed.
"You don't have to be polite. Thanks to the bracelet, I've completely recovered."
I said, stepping closer to the Demon Blade.
It felt like it was going to be a very long night.
In the end, I wasn't able to perform any more maintenance on Sierra.
Sierra had grabbed my arm to stop me, and after a brief tussle, I had fallen fast asleep.
I was only trying to do a good deed as her disciple, yet she made such a fuss.
For some reason, polishing Sierra brought a sense of tranquility to my mind, making me feel healed in the process.
As soon as Edward's class ended, I headed straight for the sparring grounds.
Class A's lessons finished slightly later than those of the other classes.
Well, since Edward's class had filled up half of my required experience bar for the first time in a while, I didn't mind.
Perhaps because I arrived late, a massive crowd waiting for the duel immediately caught my eye as I entered the sparring grounds.
The buzzing of the crowd, which packed the spacious arena to the point of making it look cramped, filled my ears.
"How did so many people gather here?"
I spoke to Yuri, who had entered the sparring grounds with me.
Eisel had vanished the moment class ended, as if she had some urgent business, so I ended up coming with Yuri.
"I wonder... I see a lot of upperclassmen, too."
Just as Yuri said, looking around the sparring grounds, the crowd wasn't limited to first-year cadets; there were plenty of seniors as well.
Is it because there aren't any special events going on right now?
Since it was still the beginning of the semester, things were quiet enough to be considered boring.
In the midst of this, a newcomer who had performed impressively in the Labyrinth had stepped up for a duel, so it made sense that bored cadets would flock to watch.
"He really is blindfolded."
"I told you he was blind."
"How is he supposed to wield a sword in that state?"
"It's been a while since we've seen a clash between actual swordsmen."
Through the gaps in the crowd, I could hear the conversations of nearby upperclassmen.
Most of the people gathered here likely shared a similar level of curiosity—nothing more, nothing less.
"Even the instructors are here?"
Yuri remarked, suddenly spotting the trio of first-year instructors among the cadets.
I had no idea why they were here.
Did Edward run straight here the moment his class ended?
Reina was spooning soup into her mouth, though where she had gotten it was a mystery.
Looking closer, I spotted the owner of Cranver Soup, who sold the dish.
Just how far did she spread the rumor...?
Right on cue, Kaen—who had likely been spreading rumors like a fish in water—could be seen standing in the center of the sparring grounds.
Standing beside her was the staff member who would oversee the duel.
I walked toward Kaen with confident strides.
"The size of this crowd seems fitting for the debut of Reverse Heaven. Yes... it must be at least this grand."
Sierra's satisfied voice echoed as she floated around the arena, examining the faces of the spectators.
Is it really okay for the duel to end in an instant when so many people have gathered?
It wasn't as if they had paid admission, so it didn't really matter, but I still felt a tiny bit of concern.
I had absolutely no intention of dragging out the fight.
As I stepped in front of Kaen, the staff member standing between us began to explain the rules.
"This duel will take place within an illusion magic barrier. You must not possess any items that could interfere with the magic. Since this is an unofficial match, there are no penalties or rewards for winning or losing."
Every duel within Innocence Academy was conducted inside illusion magic.
This was the work of Juliut.
According to the lore I knew from the game, before Juliut became the principal, cadets used to spar with protective magic cast directly on their bodies.
Juliut's illusion magic was overwhelmingly close to real combat, and it was a simple method that only required channeling mana into a prepared magic circle, rather than having staff cast protective spells on each individual cadet.
"...Any objections?"
Having recited the basic rules required before any duel, the staff member looked back and forth between Kaen and me.
In response to the staff member's question, I decided to make a proposal.
It was entirely on a whim.
"You mentioned there are no penalties or rewards, but would it be alright if we made a verbal 'promise' between ourselves? Just for fun."
"...That is fine. However, it will have no official validity or binding power."
The staff member replied, glancing at Kaen.
"...Is there something you want, Cadet Zeto? The cake you bought me yesterday was delicious, so the least I can do is listen."
Kaen's tone had shifted slightly, as if she had already decided to drop her clumsy act.
"I must reiterate, this agreement holds no official validity or binding power. Please keep that in mind."
The staff member emphasized once more with a serious face that there was no binding power.
I was in Class A, and Kaen was in Class C.
From his perspective, I might have looked like a somewhat malicious elite.
But is that really the case?
Contrary to the instructor's words, even if it meant nothing to others, this promise would be absolutely binding for Kaen.
I couldn't imagine Kaen easily breaking the teachings of the Sword Saint, who insisted that one must always keep their promises.
Having secured Kaen's consent, I told her what I wanted.
"How about granting a wish?"
"...A wish?"
Kaen frowned at my words and asked again.
"Just a reasonably light wish."
"...Very well. Though my wish might prove rather harsh for you."
Kaen replied, her eyes cold and sharp.
Unfortunately, I wasn't even curious about what her wish might be.
Because the day I would have to grant her wish would never come.
Since Kaen and I were whispering things the crowd couldn't hear instead of starting the duel, jeers began to rain down from the spectators, demanding to know when we were going to fight.
"...It seems you have finished your discussion, so we shall proceed. Ah, and the instructors have requested to switch the broadcast screen to the largest size. Would that be acceptable to you both?"
Unable to withstand the jeering, the staff member hurriedly pushed things along.
With a crowd this size, it was only natural.
"No problem."
"I don't mind either."
"Then..."
Upon hearing our replies, the staff member placed his hand on the magic circle on the floor.
Kaen's head was turned toward me, but I could feel that she wasn't actually looking at me.
She was basking in the attention of the surrounding crowd.
The flush on her cheeks made it obvious that she was incredibly thrilled.
Considering Kaen's traits...
At first, she would act slightly overwhelmed, putting on a performance befitting a Class C cadet.
Then, at the perfect moment, she would reveal her true power and turn the tables.
That would be the moment her ecstasy reached its peak, and she would finish me off with a move she deemed exceptionally cool.
Unlike before, when I was ignorant of her intentions, Kaen—who had now been reduced to a cliché 'loser hiding their true power'—was already dancing in the palm of my hand.
Just before slipping into the illusion magic, I looked at Kaen standing in front of me and smiled.
Life doesn't always go according to plan.
And that would hold true for Kaen as well.