Lunchbox Bomb!
Several days passed, yet Leonhardt remained silent. It seemed my suspicion that he might stir up some kind of trouble had been nothing more than needless worry. He never showed himself before the others. From what I'd heard, he hadn't even returned to the Imperial Palace and was simply holed up in his own room.
"Um, Silvia?"
"Hm? What is it?"
At Helena's cautious call, Silvia turned to her with a bright, gentle smile. Even Helena, who had looked somewhat uncomfortable, found herself at a loss for words in the face of that utterly harmless expression.
"Where did your friends go? Why don't you hang out with us instead?"
Stepping in for Helena, I posed the question to Silvia. By now, she should have had at least a few friends to spend time with. Why was she sticking with us instead? Cain still hadn't returned, but even so, for the sake of a healthy academy life, it would be better if she spent time with her own friends.
Silvia tilted her head slightly at my question before answering.
"Helena and Felice are my friends too, aren't they?"
"……Well, that's true."
That wasn't what I'd meant. I didn't have many friends at the academy either, so normally Helena and I would have been walking around together. With Silvia joining our group, however, the stares from those around us had become difficult to ignore. That probably wasn't the reason Helena felt uneasy around Silvia, though.
"Then there's no problem, right?"
"Um… I suppose not."
Unable to find any logical rebuttal, I nodded reluctantly. After all, it wasn't my place to tell her whether she should or shouldn't spend time with us.
"Felice, are you going to practice again today?"
"Of course."
Swordsmanship training was something that couldn't be skipped even for a single day. Missing even one session would result in a massive loss. I nodded at Helena's question. She seemed to ponder something for a moment before nodding to herself.
"Got it."
"……Got what?"
"Nothing at all."
At my question, Helena simply waved her hand with that same harmless smile. Silvia, too, only offered a gentle smile in response to my answer. What was going on? It felt like they were plotting something. I blinked, struck by an odd sensation, but nothing came to mind. Nothing unusual was supposed to happen around this time anyway, so I let it pass.
In the original novel, Leonhardt completely falls apart. The moment he hears that Achillea has become the Crown Princess, he crumbles, and Silvia is there to comfort him. The problem this time was that Leonhardt would never receive that comfort from her. Despite his terrible personality, the reason Silvia had stayed by his side was because she felt indebted to him. In short, it was a sense of obligation.
Silvia had been subjected to subtle ostracism without even realizing it. While she had a few children she could call friends, the other students quietly excluded her. Cain had been the one protecting her from that, but with him gone, Leonhardt would have been the one looking after her. Even if it stemmed from his selfish desire to claim her as his own, to the lonely Silvia, that kindness had still been something to be grateful for.
After that, Silvia received all sorts of help from Leonhardt, which was why she remained by his side when he broke down. Thanks to her, Leonhardt pulled himself together, turned over a new leaf, and came to genuinely cherish her… That was how the original story went.
But the future had already changed. By Silvia's side, where no one should have been, Helena and I had unintentionally appeared. Leonhardt was also supposed to learn of Achillea's ascension to Crown Princess much later, but that moment had come far sooner than intended. As a result, he had broken down much earlier. That meant Silvia's sense of debt toward him had vanished as well, which in turn meant Leonhardt would have to fall apart all alone.
The future where Silvia and Leonhardt ended up together had also become slightly uncertain. But so what? I wasn't some saint, and there was no reason for me to feel sorry for Leonhardt when he treated me like garbage. The only thing I needed to keep in mind was that the original novel's events had already been twisted, so I shouldn't place too much faith in them. It was probably for the best that Silvia wouldn't end up with someone as foul-tempered as Leonhardt. Of course, knowing her personality, she might still pity him… but that was her decision to make. Not that the probability of that happening was particularly high.
……As long as Leonhardt didn't cause any major incidents, that is.
Shaking off my stray thoughts, I brought my sword down just like before. After devoting myself even more intensely to training these past few days, the tip of my blade felt sharper than ever, which I found deeply satisfying. Without realizing it, a small smile formed on my lips as I raised and lowered my sword again and again. Though it was essentially the same repetitive motion, a sense of pride welled up within me as my skill steadily improved. Was this what they called a sense of accomplishment?
If before it had felt like I was swinging the sword according to the sensations etched into this body, now it felt as though I was controlling it to some degree. And the more that feeling grew, the deeper the smile on my face became.
In my previous life, I hadn't been fond of physical activities. My only hobbies had been staying indoors, reading books, or watching movies rather than exercising. But after crossing into this world, I found myself enjoying swordsmanship training far more. Whether that was simply because I had talent now, or because I hadn't in my past life, even I didn't know. I simply swung my sword in silence.
Let's aim for even better results in the next joint training session.
While I didn't particularly need to achieve high marks at the academy, getting better results in the joint training than before would be proof that my efforts were paying off. With that resolve, I brought my sword down once more. Clearing my mind of stray thoughts, I focused on the strike, correcting the trembling tip of my blade and pouring all my concentration into the arc it traced through the air.
Many academy students tended to neglect the basics. However, no matter the field, those who reached the highest levels always found the fundamentals to be the most important. Only by laying a solid foundation could one avoid collapsing when they climbed even higher.
"Haa……"
Letting out a short breath, I wiped the sweat dripping from my forehead with the back of my hand. The cool evening breeze quickly began to dry it. I had long since surpassed the thousands of downward strikes I'd set for myself. It was probably time to move on to something else. Starting tomorrow, I decided, I would also practice the other basic stances taught in the fundamental swordsmanship class. Just as I gripped my sword again—
"Felice!!"
"……Helena?"
As I was about to resume my stance, the sound of my name made me snap out of it and turn my head. At the entrance to the training grounds, Helena stood waving with a smile.
"What's going on? Are you here to train too?"
Helena didn't particularly like using the training grounds. I didn't know why, but I assumed it was because she found the stares from others burdensome. After asking in surprise, I slowly blinked at her attire. She wasn't wearing her usual training clothes but her everyday outfit.
"Uh, not really."
"……Come in first."
With her hands clasped behind her back, Helena had been watching me. At my words, she gave a shy smile and trotted over. If she wasn't here to train, why had she suddenly come? Feeling impatient because I hadn't yet met my quota for the day, I looked at her. Muscle loss… No, sword loss was happening here.
"Were you training?"
"Yeah, I was. So what brings you here?"
Sweat dripped steadily. There was a saying that sweat from heat felt unpleasant, while sweat from exercise felt refreshing. But since I hadn't finished my quota yet, I felt strangely uncomfortable.
"Well……"
Helena continued to fidget with her hands behind her back, hesitating. What on earth was she being so roundabout about? Tilting my head, I looked at her, and she squeezed her eyes shut before thrusting something she had been holding toward me.
"Dinner! I made some, so… do you want to eat together?"
"Dinner…?"
"Yeah… If that's okay."
At her words, I stared blankly at the lunchbox she held out. Though I'd spoken like some kind of fitness fanatic, I wasn't actually one, so I didn't follow any strict diet. Maybe it was because this body belonged to Felice, but the food in this world suited me perfectly, and I had no particular dislikes. Training would be delayed a bit, but… it felt rude to refuse a lunchbox she'd gone to the trouble of making, so I nodded.
"I don't mind."
"Really?"
"Would I lie about something like this?"
Helena beamed brightly, clearly pleased with my answer, and I scratched the back of my head.
"Let's eat right away!"
"……Sure."
I could always train a little longer afterward.