Chapter 24: The Academy's Service is Over (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 24: The Academy's Service is Over (2)
One mass-produced magic sword had broken, but it seemed these dark mages were more competent than I thought.
Since they already had a fair number of completed magic swords on hand, I was able to get another one from Uncle Aeryun as compensation for the damages.
I probably shouldn't say this, but if our kingdom’s mages were even half as competent as those killed dark mages, Leon wouldn't be called a magic wasteland.
Of course, the fact that there are so many dark mages means the Empire is destined to keep coming under their attack.
Furthermore, it was a headache to think that most of them would be drawn to the Academy by Daisy, our fatally charming RoFan heroine.
Still, for something made by a dark mage, it wasn't particularly dangerous, so I put it straight into practical use.
“Got a minute?”
“I do, but…”
My target was the guy with the most overblown reputation among the RoFan male leads: the Minor Sword Emperor.
According to Agent Boradori, the Minor Sword Emperor was currently in hiding, mortified by the fact that he’d been possessed by a magic sword.
Since that practical lesson, he’d been cutting back on his Flower Arrangement Club activities.
Apparently, he was moving around alone under the pretext of individual training, just like me.
How utterly shameless.
While someone who actually needs individual training is still busy dealing with the midterm terror incident and dark mage business.
I’d given him a pass because he’s a RoFan male lead, but he was acting nothing like one.
If he was embarrassed, he should’ve gone to Daisy’s side to be comforted.
Honestly, it was a bit absurd. As if some balance patch were in effect, Ellen—who was supposed to be an outsider—was sticking close to Daisy’s side.
Consequently, the Minor Sword Emperor, who was originally the one stuck to her, had started drifting away.
It would be a disaster if the screen time distribution for the Academy arc changed like this.
If Ellen goes, I have to go too…
The Church of Light arc is supposed to start as soon as summer vacation begins.
I couldn't afford to be dragged there and suffer.
“What is this?”
That was why I handed the magic sword I’d obtained from the Empire to Asran.
At this rate, forget being the Minor Sword Emperor; he wouldn't even make it to Micro Sword Emperor.
“The magic sword you used last time.”
“Gah!”
The recipient immediately threw it away.
It looked like a full-blown case of PTSD.
“Seriously.”
I barely caught the thrown sword and scowled.
“What if it breaks?”
One magic sword had already broken just from him fighting an imaginary Prince Ellen.
These magic swords were fragile enough to break from mere imagination, so they had to be handled with care.
“I-I heard Daisy purified that!”
“It was purified and returned to the Empire.”
“Then what is this?”
The Minor Sword Emperor looked at the mass-produced magic sword in my hand with an incredulous expression.
“A fake magic sword mass-produced using that one as a motif?”
I gave him a short, simple explanation of the sword's effects.
While it couldn't raise one's rank like the original, it was a sword that drew out the user's limits by applying mental domination.
If he used it while protecting his mind with mana, he could utilize the sword's effects without any issues.
“No, how do I even do that?”
“Just think of it as protecting your head with mana.”
“……No, I’m asking how exactly.”
What is wrong with this guy?
He’s someone who can at least coat his sword in mana.
All he had to do was apply that and block the mana radiating from the magic sword, specifically around his head.
“Just think of it as an application and try it.”
“You’re sure?”
“What would I even gain from controlling you?”
Someone weaker than me.
I barely managed to swallow those words, fearing he wouldn't even show up to the training grounds if I said them.
“Phew.”
After contemplating my persuasion for a moment, the Minor Sword Emperor drew the sword from its sheath. He’d fallen for my claim that he could draw out his hidden strength if he used this well.
And then.
“Aaaargh!”
“Good grief.”
The moment he was possessed by the magic sword, I knocked him out.
It seemed we still had a long way to go.
On the fourth attempt, the Minor Sword Emperor finally managed to resist the sword's domination.
Of course, this was only possible because it was a mass-produced version.
In the original work, he was said to have overcome it even while holding the real thing.
We really had a long way to go.
“W-What… do I… do now?”
A sigh escaped me as I watched him grit his teeth, barely enduring the magic sword, but I held it back.
Our Micro-Micro Sword Emperor probably didn't want to be like this either.
It was all for the day he’d become strong and confidently woo Daisy.
“Talk to the magic sword.”
“Talk? To the sword?”
“Yeah. It keeps asking if you want power, right?”
“It does.”
“When you say you want power, it tells you to imagine a specific enemy. So, designate your target first.”
Then, something occurred to me, and I quickly added a word.
“Oh, by the way, Ellen is off-limits. It broke when I tried that.”
It broke when I did it, so it was guaranteed to break if the Nano-Sword Emperor tried.
“…I wasn't even thinking of him.”
It seemed the Nano-Sword Emperor knew his place.
“I can't beat Ellen if I can't even get past you.”
“Oh?”
So he thinks he can beat me?
If I were a swordsman who staked his life on the blade like Princess Hestia, I might have taken that as a provocation.
But to me, the sword was a means, not an end.
Honestly, I was starting to get a little curious myself.
Would the magic sword actually think Asran could beat me?
If it were possible, I’d have to upgrade him from Nano-Sword Emperor to Micro Sword Emperor.
And the result was…
“It says it’s possible.”
Seeing the Micro Sword Emperor smirk as he raised his sword…
“Ho…”
I decided to test the magic sword's performance for myself.
The magic sword's performance was certainly usable.
Asran’s swordsmanship, which pushed past his limits to pressure me through optimal routes, was definitely fierce.
If we had sparred like this from the beginning, I wouldn't have been so disappointed.
Given the nature of a mass-produced magic sword, it wouldn't be able to pull off a rank increase.
This meant that this current power was strength the Minor Sword Emperor was already capable of drawing out.
In other words, what the current Minor Sword Emperor lacked was mental strength rather than physical power.
“I lost again…”
Look at that. He fought so well, yet he’s shriveling up just because he lost.
That’s why he loses his mind the moment he grabs a magic sword.
“You fought well.”
“What’s the point? I lost.”
Even after using a magic sword.
I sighed as I watched him mope and mutter.
“Why is a man making such a fuss over something like that?”
He looked momentarily indignant, but I wasn't done hitting him yet, you brat.
“Do you think you can impress Daisy like that?”
“Uh…”
It was hilarious to see him freeze as if he’d been hit by a petrification spell.
“H-How did you…”
“You’d have to be a moron not to know.”
It’s so obvious; you’d be an idiot not to notice.
For the record, everyone in the Flower Arrangement Club was a moron, except for our Agent Boradori and the planned shadow mastermind president.
Why?
“T-The other members didn't seem to know.”
Because it was a gathering of RoFan idiots who implicitly believed each other's denials.
“I don't know if they don't know or are just pretending not to, but they’re all keeping each other in check. You’re going to lose her at this rate, you know?”
At those words, the Minor Sword Emperor’s eyes widened as if he’d realized something.
“S-Surely, you too?”
“Want to die?”
Don't you dare lump me in with that RoFan heroine who’s a walking pandemonium.
Lust for blood billowed as I slightly unsheathed my blade.
“A-Ah, I guess not.”
They say swordsmen speak through their blades.
It seemed my sincerity reached the Minor Sword Emperor.
“R-Right. Honestly, rather than Daisy, you’re more into Violet next to her… Sorry. It was a joke. I apologize.”
We might have sparred often, but he was getting way too friendly.
There are things you can say to a person and things you can't.
“Well, since you apologized within three seconds, I’ll let it slide without cutting you this time.”
“Were you really planning to cut me…?”
Of course.
If you blurt out things like that, I’d cut even the Minor Sword Emperor’s grandfather… wait, he’s the Sword Emperor, so I couldn't.
Come to think of it, his father is a Sword Master too, so the only one I could actually cut was this Minor Sword Emperor brat.
“Anyway. You’re misunderstanding something.”
Daisy is kind.
To begin with, her character setting was that of a Saintess who embraced everyone.
…She embraced them so much that even in the later stages, none of the RoFan male leads were eliminated, making the romance front a total mess.
That virtuous nature of hers would never look down on someone’s failure or frustration.
Rather, she would help them overcome that failure and frustration. And she would be delighted to see someone grow because of it.
“In other words, to get closer to Daisy, a defeat is actually more important than an overwhelming victory.”
“A defeat?”
They say it’s a cruel world that only remembers the winners, but that’s only when there’s no narrative.
The story of an underdog with a built-up narrative can sometimes draw more attention than the winner.
What matters is an unbreakable heart.
“Think about it. I’ve been learning and growing alongside Prince Ellen since we were kids. How many times do you think I’ve lost?”
Of course, even if there were a timeline where I was stronger than Ellen, I’d still be losing due to the nature of a royal instructor’s role.
But losing on purpose and just getting trashed are two completely different stories.
Even so, I remained unaffected.
I just worried about what I’d have to do if that brat got even stronger.
Because that was my job.
Of course, I couldn't force that on the Minor Sword Emperor.
Getting trashed wasn't his job.
However, I gave him a goal to replace it.
“Just trust me. I’ll make it so you can talk to Daisy all day long.”
Not a job, but romance.
And the protagonist is a RoFan heroine.
It’s something I don't understand—no, something I refuse to understand—but for a RoFan male lead, it must be an offer he’d lose his mind over.
“R-Really?”
Look at those sparkling eyes.
“Of course. I have the experience of 68 relationships.”
The look the Minor Sword Emperor gave me was filled with reverence.
I didn't even get a look like that when I first beat him.
The fact was that those 68 relationships were the collective experiences of the royal instructors, but since he was misunderstanding on his own, I didn't feel the need to correct him.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Asran lately.”
I heard Prince Ellen’s grumbling.
If he were a princess instead of a prince, I might have taken it pleasantly, but even in a RoFan, it was best to quickly block any possibility of a "drift." I immediately put up an iron wall.
“I haven't stopped being upset yet, Prince Ellen.”
“…Still?”
His gaze seemed to ask if I was still sulking at my age, but he was still a brat himself.
He’s turning twenty this year, and in your twenties, you’re still a brat.
Some might treat me like an old man if they added my previous life’s age, but I thought differently.
Since I died at a similar age in my past life, I was a "super brat" who had experienced being a brat twice.
“In fact, isn't the reason similar?”
“What is?”
“The reason I’m with Asran.”
To be honest, it’s not like I’m particularly avoiding Prince Ellen.
It’s just that lately, I’ve had frequent meetings with individuals acting as shadows for other factions due to recent events.
And even if I have time left over, I spend it on personal training.
Which means.
“Just like then and now, you could just come to the training grounds, Your Highness. You just haven't been able to see me because you’re too busy going to see Daisy.”
“Uh, well.”
Momentarily lost for words, Prince Ellen averted his gaze.
Well, it’s more normal for a man to be crazy about a woman than another man.
But that was about to end.
In the distance, I saw the Minor Sword Emperor walking toward us, having steeled his resolve.
Did Prince Ellen sense his presence too?
“Asran?”
He greeted him warmly as Asran walked up and stood before him.
“I challenge you, Ellen!”
But what came back was a duel request, true to RoFan fashion.