The Second "Are You Crazy?!"
Honestly, the second time I snapped "Are you crazy?!" it was a little emotional. There was no real reason to keep pretending I didn't know Leonhardt and continue the conversation, but maybe my mind had regressed along with my appearance. Whatever the reason, I found myself getting worked up too. Of course, I personally disliked Leonhardt as well. Even when I read the original novel, he had been an incredibly unlikable character. That said, I also thought it was a bit reckless to openly antagonize him. When talking to Leonhardt, I simply couldn't control the emotions that boiled up inside me without warning. That description probably fit better.
……What a strange feeling.
I was lost in thought for a moment when Helena started slapping my arm in a panic. I gave her a faint smile and sat back down.
"What if the prince decides to retaliate later?!"
"Well… unless he becomes emperor, he won't be able to do anything."
The current emperor of the Empire was still in good health. More importantly, the original novel never even reached the point where the emperor died. Right now, the three heirs were simply competing for the position of successor, and Leonhardt was one of them. I rested my chin on my hand and gazed out the window, relaxed. If I had to describe Leonhardt simply, he was "a self-centered, selfish brat." Or an idiot. An idiot who didn't even know what was truly important to him right now, let alone how to achieve it. Because of that, I wasn't particularly worried.
"……But what if he actually becomes emperor?"
Though the probability was extremely low, Helena asked with a worried expression. I curled one corner of my mouth into a gentle smile and answered.
"If the Third Prince becomes emperor……"
If, by some chance, that situation ever came to pass—
"I'll just leave the Empire."
Because that would be the day the Empire disappeared into the annals of history.
[Basic Swordsmanship Class.]
It was exactly what the name suggested: a class where one learned the fundamentals of swordsmanship. Since the Academy was a place where people with "talent" gathered, there was a prejudice that this class wouldn't be very popular. Surprisingly, however, the basic courses had been consistently well-loved since the Academy's founding. Of course, subjects like magic were different because one needed talent just to have a foundation to build upon, but other disciplines such as swordsmanship, archery, and spearmanship remained popular even at the beginner level. Some female students chose them for self-defense, while others who had entered through different departments simply wanted to learn them as a hobby.
Today, two people who shouldn't have been there were present.
The first was—
"A little late, but starting today, Leonhardt will be joining us."
It was Leonhardt, the Third Prince of the Empire.
"……"
Zelin, the instructor of the basic swordsmanship class, gritted his teeth inwardly at the sight of Leonhardt simply looking down at the students without saying a word in response to his introduction. Even though Leonhardt was a student and he was the teacher, Zelin was merely a commoner while the other was the Empire's Third Prince. He couldn't voice any complaints. He couldn't understand why Leonhardt had insisted on being introduced only to fall silent the moment the situation arrived, when he could have simply attended the class quietly.
Leonhardt glared at the students with his blue eyes full of displeasure before returning to his seat without a word. Zelin let out a long sigh inwardly, shook his head slightly, and opened his mouth.
"Then, let's practice what we learned last time."
Basic swordsmanship was exactly that—learning the fundamentals. The most basic movements that knights or complete beginners could perform. In other words, the class focused on mastering fundamental actions like downward strikes, upward strikes, and thrusts. And the second person who shouldn't have been there was—
Creak!
The training hall door burst open and a man walked in. Zelin and the students' eyes widened at the sight of a face that had no business being here. Paying no attention to their reactions, the man swept his gaze across the training hall once before giving a small bow and speaking.
"My apologies. I'm a little late."
Red hair and black eyes. Upon recognizing his face, Leonhardt's lips curled into a rough smirk.
"This is Felice, who said he would be attending class from today onward."
It was Felice.
That guy obviously came here because of Silvia.
I stared at Leonhardt's back for a long moment before shaking my head and raising my sword. Leonhardt was a student of the magic department. He had even been admitted with the second-highest score, proving his exceptional talent in magic. Of course, some of that was thanks to being taught by a mage from the Magic Tower. In any case, the reason he had come all the way here to learn swordsmanship was obvious even without asking.
She doesn't look it, but Silvia also admires knights.
Silvia was still just a girl her age. In other words, she harbored the typical romantic fantasy of a prince on a white horse coming to save her. Of course, the prince from fairy tales didn't necessarily have to wield a sword, but they all did anyway. That was why he had come to learn swordsmanship despite his obvious displeasure. He probably feels a bit of an inferiority complex toward Cain without realizing it, too. A ducal house was a far more stable and prestigious family than a Third Prince who might be pushed down the line of succession. On top of that, Cain was the top student in the swordsmanship department, so those thoughts must have crossed his mind even more. In any case, since I had also joined the class without being late, I listened to the instructor and raised my sword.
For me, who now possessed Felice's body, there was no real need to take a basic swordsmanship class. Of course, that was assuming I had fully inherited Felice's memories. Last night, while training with a sword, I had realized something. No matter how many hundreds or thousands of times I practiced on my own, I couldn't surpass Felice's original skill level. If Felice's memories were completely absorbed into me, that worry would become meaningless, but waiting for that was far too uncertain. That was why I had chosen this basic swordsmanship class. I still didn't know the pattern by which the memories returned, but perhaps by polishing the fundamentals, they might come back. Even if they didn't, mastering the basics myself could create a good synergy when combined with the memories I already had.
I exhaled evenly and listened to Zelin's words while following his movements. At the same time, I might be able to correct any bad habits Felice had unconsciously developed. No matter how many times a person repeated the exact same sword swing—tens, hundreds, or thousands of times—habits inevitably formed. That was why even when knights performed the same motion, there were always slight differences. Of course, unless one's eyes were exceptionally sharp, those differences would go unnoticed.
……But how do I even know this?
It felt like something I'd seen before. I'd read so many novels that I couldn't remember clearly. In any case, that was why I had decided to attend the basic swordsmanship class. So for now, I simply focused on Zelin's instructions and swung my sword downward. Because the class was literally about building fundamentals, it was incredibly tedious. After all, you couldn't tell a child who couldn't even walk to run. As time passed, many students would inevitably drop out. It wasn't a required course, so failing it wouldn't bring any major disadvantages. At worst, one might not receive a scholarship? And if someone was struggling enough to desperately need a scholarship, they wouldn't be taking leisure classes like this in the first place—they'd be using that time to practice their main subjects instead.
However, I had a clear purpose, so I simply concentrated.
"Haa……"
Ever since yesterday, I'd noticed that this repetitive motion consumed quite a bit of stamina. The sword had to be brought down slowly and straight, and the trajectory couldn't deviate even slightly. If done properly, sweat would pour down like rain. Drip…… Just like now. I frowned at the beads of sweat running down my forehead but kept my eyes fixed on the downward swing.
It curved.
After doing this for several hours, I was beginning to identify the bad habits ingrained in this body. Felice's bad habit was that the tip of the sword would subtly curve to the left as it descended. At first I thought it was my imagination, but it wasn't.
……Again.
This time, as I focused on bringing the tip straight down, I couldn't help but let out a long sigh at the voice that reached my ears.
"You got beaten by Cain and came running here, didn't you? Pathetic."
"……Haa."
There stood Leonhardt, not a single drop of sweat on him, his practice sword slung over his shoulder as he looked down at me with a lazy posture. He was probably still bothered by my earlier retort in the morning and the fact that he couldn't speak his mind freely because of Silvia. A mocking smile played on his lips.
……And this was supposed to be an imperial prince. The Empire's future looked bleak. I shook my head inwardly and lowered my voice as much as possible before speaking.
"Your Highness, please focus on the class."
Once again, something murky stirred within me. A strange emotion I couldn't even understand myself.
"I don't need to do this kind of thing, so it doesn't matter to me."
The thought that there was no need to antagonize Leonhardt had somehow vanished. Before I knew it, my mouth opened and words spilled out.
"Even so, since you've joined the class, you should concentrate."
It was a pointless argument, but I kept my voice steady and calmly admonished him so as not to get caught up in it. Leonhardt seemed to think I was trying to lecture him and furrowed his brow for a moment. But then, as if he'd had a good idea, he curled his lips again and spoke to me in a sarcastic tone.
"Well, unlike this body of mine who is the top student in the magic department, you can't even rank in the top ten, so I suppose you need to work hard on the basics."
It was a childish provocation, transparent to anyone. Realizing that, I let out a small scoff and slightly lowered my head as I replied to Leonhardt.
"To compare me with Your Highness, the famous disciple of the great archmage, I am truly honored."
"……"
Leonhardt's words and actions were irritating, but I suppressed my emotions as much as possible to avoid falling for them. I felt that if I let my guard down even for a moment, I would end up saying something about status and bloodline that I shouldn't.
"If you have no talent or connections like you, you'd better hold on tight to even this rotten lifeline."
"……Your Highness."
I gritted my teeth inwardly and tried to calm myself. The murky emotions that didn't feel like my own kept rising, and it was taking considerable effort to suppress them when—
"Hey! Be quiet during class!"
Having watched the prince's mood, Zelin apparently decided things had gone too far and raised his voice to separate us.
"Tch……"
Even Leonhardt couldn't talk back to the instructor during class. He clicked his tongue shortly, threw his sword to the ground, and left the training hall. Watching his retreating figure, I narrowed my eyes and stared after him.
……The second time.