The Wolf Commotion (1)
[You have upheld knightly honor for another.]
[A reward for the Knightly Oath is granted.]
I should have refused. Swept up in the atmosphere, I’d somehow ended up inducting her into the club. I wasn't even sure if this was the right thing to do. But I couldn't help it. When I saw Isabella’s face, when I heard her desperate cry, I was reminded of Dante’s face from the 29th loop, standing there amidst the ashes.
The face of a Dante who had lost everything, even after I’d killed the ruin by walking the path of my own choosing. The voyeurs watching me seemed satisfied with my answer. I just hope that through this, Isabella finds her own answer as well.
Still, one thing was certain: this place didn't flow like a game. My choices, which I thought were right, could end up stealing away the choices others wanted to make. I had simply acted as I did in the game, choosing the faster path because it was there. I’d taken that route just to make things easier for myself, to reap the benefits. I wasn't the protagonist, and I had no intention of becoming one. Being a knight was just a means to get stronger so I could survive in the future, a way to avoid the penalties.
The duel with Kyle had been accidental, but I’d acted like a knight because I thought it would make things easier if he reformed sooner. But that choice had resulted in stripping Isabella of her destination.
……It’s difficult. The same thing will happen in future events. What choice should I make then? The best path would be to not intervene in the story at all and leave it to the protagonists. But the stars above wouldn't allow that. The moment I tried to back out, they’d immediately test me.
What on earth is chivalry? What do they even want from me? Why did I possess Ian? What is the ending I’ll reach while performing these idiotic acts of chivalry? I still couldn't see a thing.
"So, what’s your relationship with Ian?"
When Ian, Angelica, and Dolnesia had all left the clubroom, leaving only Eileen and Isabella behind, Eileen looked at Isabella with a curious expression.
"We have no relationship whatsoever."
Isabella replied curtly. Perhaps it was that reaction that triggered Eileen’s playful side.
"No relationship? Your eyes were practically dripping with honey."
Eileen’s lips curled upward. Seeing that, Isabella sighed, as if to say, here we go again.
"I’m going to get angry."
"Ooh, how scary."
She brushed off Isabella’s growl and left the clubroom with a laugh. Once Eileen was gone, the room was empty. Isabella, standing there alone, tried to leave as well, but—
'What’s your relationship with Ian?'
The single line Eileen had thrown out made her stop in her tracks.
Indeed. What kind of relationship was it?
In the empty clubroom, Isabella chewed over the words the Imperial Princess had said to her. At their first meeting, she’d wondered what kind of person he was. He was a vulgar man who had been hiding behind a pillar, eavesdropping on her fight with Kyle. He was a madman who had grabbed Kyle’s wrist just as he was about to slap her, then tossed his glove in Kyle’s face. Then, he’d blathered on about a duel called a Logic Duel, and with just that, he’d stripped away Kyle’s mask—a strange man indeed. He hadn't worried about her, nor had he demanded anything. As soon as he heard her words of gratitude, he’d simply vanished, as if he’d finished his job.
He was different from the men she’d met until now. He didn't speak as if he were doing her a favor, he didn't proudly emphasize that he’d saved her, and he didn't try to elevate himself to win her favor. Every man she’d met until now had acted exactly like that….
And then, he’d looked at her with eyes that seemed so familiar, as if he’d been watching her for a long time…. That was when she’d become interested in the man named Ian. Because he was the second man to treat her differently from the others.
If the damn Kyle had ignored her, this cheeky man hadn't ignored her, but he hadn't elevated her either. He hadn't emphasized that she was an Aeterna. He hadn't praised her beauty. He hadn't tried to win her favor, but he hadn't ignored her, either. He had simply treated her as if he were dealing with a person named Isabella. With eyes that seemed to see her not as the flower of Aeterna, but just as Isabella.
'That’s narcissism, My Lady.'
Truly.
'We will help you. So that woman can find the right path.'
Cheeky. His attitude toward her. That gaze that seemed to know everything. The way he’d barged into her world and started tearing it apart—it was all so cheeky. Did he think he was some real knight…? Even while being intoxicated by that strange thing called chivalry. Even while looking like some barbarian from the North.
She covered her mouth, turning her eyes to the side, looking at the spot where he had sat.
"Really… he’s so cheeky."
The empty clubroom echoed with the woman’s small murmur. And Isabella’s white cheeks were flushed, just like her eyes.
I sprawled out on my back and checked the status window. I’d leveled up by one again. There were only 8 points left until I hit 30. I needed to climb faster.
If I assumed I gained 1 level for every sparring session, I’d have to do this bullshit for at least 8 days. I wondered if the system would hand out something like a Dreamland Ticket again. I hadn't gotten a ticket from my first sparring with Angelica, nor from the reward I’d received for the Knightly Oath earlier. I didn't even know when the shop would open. Was it because this was reality, so things like that didn't exist?
"The wooden sword broke again."
Angelica approached me as I lay there and showed me the wooden sword, now devoid of its blade. Mine was the same. Damn it. I’d managed to get by yesterday, but since this was the second time, I wouldn't be able to avoid a demerit. Demerits affected my grades. Of course, I didn't care a damn about my ranking, but the problem was that too many demerits placed restrictions on school life. For example, restrictions on going out or staying out overnight.
Going out or staying out meant literally leaving the academy. The setting was that most students used this to go out for a meal, or those short on tuition would take on simple requests to earn some pocket money. I remembered that in the game, going out allowed you to raise the favorability of the male lead accompanying you, or you could accept requests to gain experience points or money. If I wanted to gain experience properly, I had to go out…. Because the ways to gain experience inside the academy were too limited.
Spending 8 days on sparring was a waste, and I didn't know when a club event might trigger. There were 8 wooden swords scheduled to be shattered in the future….
"Who was on duty today…."
"Professor Silves, like yesterday."
I’m screwed. This time, it was definitely a demerit. As I sighed, she spoke.
"By the way, Ian. When you use Orlando’s Frenzy, aren't you following me too closely?"
Huh? Angelica spoke to me while swinging the broken wooden sword.
"Orlando’s Frenzy is closer to a combat style than a fixed form of swordsmanship, so the form changes depending on the user. I use it as a swordsmanship that fits my body. But Ian, it feels like you aren't using Orlando’s Frenzy, but rather just copying the Orlando’s Frenzy I use."
Well…. Angelica was right. The Orlando’s Frenzy that my Insight Eye had copied wasn't so much the technique itself, but closer to a Ctrl+C of Angelica using it, and a Ctrl+V into my own body. So… it was like knowing the answer but not the process of how to solve it.
"If you force yourself to match me too much, it’ll be hard for that technique to get any stronger."
Did Angelica’s words mean I had to find my own Orlando’s Frenzy to get stronger from here…?
"I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you."
"It’s nothing. You need to get stronger quickly so… um, never mind."
Her eyes seemed to have changed just now. By the way, it was fascinating. If other people saw Angelica right now, they’d be shocked. The usual Angelica was the incarnation of laziness, answering in short sentences and acting as if everything was a bother. Yet, strangely, she became talkative only when sparring with me. It was the first time I’d shown her Orlando’s Frenzy today, but she reacted as if it were natural that I was using it, and even gave me advice.
Was this the effect of the title, Rival of the Sword Demon?
"Ian?"
Just then, a voice came from the direction of the sparring room door. A man with short black hair and grey-tinged eyes. It was my roommate, Dante de Astoria.
"Dante?"
"Yeah. I came to stretch a bit…."
He looked around the room and scratched his head. It was a natural reaction. The sparring room must have been a mess due to the collision of two Orlando’s Frenzy techniques.
"Looks like you had quite a go at it?"
"It’s a disaster right now. Forgive my rudeness for having to lie down and look at your face."
If I moved now, I’d die. Dante chuckled at my state.
"Sure, I’ll forgive you."
With that, Dante grabbed a wooden sword from the storage room and swung it. The sword cut through the air with a whoosh. It was a very clean downward strike. As the protagonist of the DLC, Dante was a magic swordsman who harmoniously used magic and swordsmanship. He was in the Magic Department now, but I remembered he had such a natural talent for swordsmanship that he’d double-major in the Swordsmanship Department starting in his second year.
He lived a busy life. But suddenly—
"Ian, can’t you move now? Can’t we spar?"
Angelica poked my cheek and asked.
"The wooden sword is broken."
"There are still plenty in the storage."
Forget it. If I broke another one here, I didn't think I’d get away with just a demerit.
"Go play with Dante. That guy is strong, too."
"Haha, I’m not that strong…."
He refused, as if it weren't true. Like hell you aren't. You’re probably the strongest among the cadets after Angelica. If Angelica had met you before me, the Rival title would have gone to you.
Angelica, who had glanced at him at my words, said,
"Not interested."
She turned her gaze back to me. Dante, seeing that, must have misunderstood something. He smiled at me and gave me a thumbs-up.
Dante, that’s not it. Put that finger down before I break it, quickly.
I sighed and closed my eyes.
"By the way, Ian, did you hear the news?"
Dante asked as he continued to swing the wooden sword.
"What news?"
"They say that appeared inside the academy."
Dante stopped swinging his sword and paused for a moment. Was it such a serious problem that he had to pause like that? What on earth had appeared?
He caught his breath and said,
"They say a huge wolf appeared."
……Right. Not a werewolf, not a magical beast, just a huge wolf? A huge wolf would be scary enough. Had one escaped from a zoo somewhere?