Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: An Important Item?
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Is it an important item?
I've worried about this before.
'If my meddling delays an event, won't they all pile up later?'
The thought of multiple events erupting all at once, spiraling into an uncontrollable mess, was horrifying just to imagine.
But what I'd pictured back then was that happening to Laura—
Flash!
"Eut?!"
"The necklace... reacted...?"
Why is this happening to me?
I never even considered this!
Rodwell's challenge to a duel drew the eyes of everyone in the knight department—
but the act itself wasn't the negative scandal it had been at the entrance ceremony.
Fighting a duel over a girl on the first day was gossip fodder.
But clashing swords in the knight department over a difference of opinion? That was just daily life.
It was the same as card game nerds yelling, "Hmph, I'll prove I'm right. Duel me!" before they fought.
That's why I accepted Rodwell's challenge, and the instructor didn't try to stop it.
No, he even naturally stepped in as referee.
"Attacks permitted only to the upper body. It ends with surrender or inability to continue. When I give the signal, salute each other and begin."
With that simple explanation, the instructor stepped back to wait for us to ready ourselves.
Rodwell and I each donned our protective gear and drew our swords.
Unlike his usual glares, he now stared at me with a gravely serious expression.
Just before our blades met, he whispered quietly to me.
"It won't be like that time."
That time?
When had I ever crossed swords with this guy?
But there was no time to ponder it deeply.
After our swords lightly clashed in salute.
Rodwell rushed at me with startling speed.
Faster than anything I'd seen in class.
As if he'd been holding back for the entrance exam, his blade sliced through the air.
I dodged the attack first while analyzing his swordplay.
'Fast. If I defend sloppily, a technique will slip right through.'
A sword stance focused more on offense than defense.
I tried to deflect it for a counter, but Rodwell never committed deeply.
His movements felt like he knew my sword all too well.
And I, in turn, sensed something quite familiar in his blade.
'Is it because it's the Paella sword style?'
No, he'd just watched my sword before, so that didn't explain why his felt familiar.
And it was only after several exchanges that I finally recalled the source of that familiarity.
'Ah, it's the sword from the swordsmanship exchange.'
Was Rodwell there?
There had definitely been someone using this style.
A boy glaring at me with blazing eyes, burning with fighting spirit to the very end.
After that fierce back-and-forth led to a brief lull.
I was convinced it had been Rodwell and voiced my pure admiration.
"You've gotten a lot better. It was hard to recognize you."
"......Is that so."
Rodwell replied in a low voice.
He seemed to grit his teeth, annoyed by my words for some reason.
'No, that was a compliment.'
Why does he always get mad when I compliment him?
As I felt indignant, Rodwell charged with an even fiercer aura and shouted.
"Let's see how long you can stay that relaxed!"
Clang!
The attacks resumed.
His offense intensified, as if everything so far had just been probing.
I deflected and countered—
but as if to prove he was this story's combat lead, he dismantled my counters without hesitation.
Followed by his own counters.
Our blades tangled and separated repeatedly, like a pair of snakes.
And as I watched his sword, I grew puzzled.
'What? Is this all he's got?'
Rodwell had undoubtedly grown beyond recognition.
His rapid progress was protagonist-worthy.
But his absolute skill still fell short.
To the point where I was confident I could beat him at least seven out of ten times.
This was a far cry from the Rodwell I remembered.
Wasn't he the novel's powerhouse?
But no matter how I racked my brain, he showed no greater threat.
Rodwell seemed to sense it too, his expression twisting more and more.
"Still... can't reach you...?"
What emanated from that face was profound frustration.
For a moment, I pondered this bizarre situation of the world's strongest failing against me, then reached a conclusion.
'His growth just isn't there yet.'
Well, it hadn't been long since academy enrollment.
A few more months, and he'd be too strong for me to touch.
So beating him now should be fine, right?
I muttered a line that sounded familiar from somewhere and switched to offense.
Clang!
"Guh?!"
Rodwell hurriedly assumed a defensive stance, startled by the sudden shift.
But his defense seemed inferior to his offense, a bit clumsy.
The more I pressed, the further back he was pushed.
Riding that momentum, I transitioned into one of my specialties: sword wrestling.
A technique to disarm the opponent while blades are locked.
Rodwell struggled to hold on, but his stance was already at a disadvantage—it was only a matter of time.
And just as I twisted to wrench his sword away.
Flash!
"Eut?!"
Suddenly, a beam of light burst from Rodwell's chest.
Startled, I disengaged and retreated, while Rodwell, seeing the light from his own chest, tore open his armor and pulled out what was inside.
The source was a necklace.
I tilted my head at the sight.
'A defensive magic artifact?'
No, if so, he'd have removed it before the duel.
As if to prove my point, Rodwell muttered with a flustered expression for the first time.
"The necklace... reacted...?"
He glanced back and forth between me and the necklace.
I slowly lowered my sword at the sight.
The duel ended in my victory.
Even if it wasn't defensive, carrying a magic artifact in a duel was a foul.
Plus, I'd held the advantage right up to activation, so no one contested the referee's call.
Our team would proceed with the plan I'd devised—
but I was more concerned about Rodwell's state.
He fiddled with the necklace, his face grave.
Unlike his usual diligence, he ignored the lecture entirely, fixated only on the necklace.
And when class ended.
He approached me as if he'd been waiting for this moment.
"Could we talk for a moment?"
"About the necklace?"
"......Yes. I'd be grateful if you could spare the time."
Rodwell made his request with uncharacteristic politeness.
Curious about the necklace myself, I nodded readily.
He briefly expressed thanks and led me to a spot out of sight, then produced the necklace.
"Could you touch this for a moment?"
He handed it over as he spoke.
I gripped it as requested, but there was no reaction.
Rodwell's expression grew even more complicated.
"No reaction... Then what was that during the duel?"
I didn't know either.
I was a novel transmigrator, but I'd forgotten most of the content.
All I remembered were fragmented scenes about Laura.
Rodwell's story? Nothing.
So I asked honestly.
"What is this necklace? Something important?"
Rodwell nodded gravely at my question.
Then he slowly opened up and explained the situation.
"It's a memento from my mother."
His mother's keepsake, huh.
Clearly a key item in Rodwell's personal backstory.
As expected, he awkwardly recounted how it evoked cherished memories of his childhood with his mother.
And explained why he'd approached me.
"This necklace used to shine when my mother wore it. After she passed, it lost its light..."
"But it shone during the duel."
"Yes. So I thought maybe you were the reason... and asked you."
But apparently not.
He stared wistfully at the still-motionless necklace as he spoke.
I checked for any activation trigger, but it showed no change.
'A final burst of light before it dies?'
Like a last glow before the end of its lifespan.
No solid info, so just guesswork.
I finally gave up unraveling the necklace's secret and went to hand it back to Rodwell—gripping it with my other hand.
And that's when.
Flash—!
"Hm?"
"The necklace is glowing again?!"
The necklace lit up once more!
Rodwell and I stared wide-eyed at it.
'What changed? It definitely wasn't working until just now.'
All I'd done was grip it with the other hand—
......The other hand?
I switched hands holding the necklace.
The light faded, and it went dormant again.
Rodwell watched, plunged into confusion, and muttered.
"What in the world...?"
That's what I wanted to know.
Why does this necklace only react to my right hand?
For a silly moment, I wondered if my right hand had been possessed by the Black Flame Dragon from some novel reincarnation all this time without me noticing.
Then it hit me.
The difference between my left and right hands.
It was—
'Laura infused her magic power into my right hand during magic class.'
Laura's magic power.
This thing seems like a core story progression item.