The Secret Room
Even though the semester had started, my daily routine hadn't changed much.
Since I couldn't skip workouts if I wanted to raise my Strength, Stamina, and Agility, I was out running first thing in the morning as usual.
But some things had definitely changed.
⚡ Strength has increased!
🛡 Stamina has increased!
💨 Agility has increased!
"Hmm."
One change was that my body was improving.
I didn't even need those hup-two cadence chants anymore. I'd been at this running routine long enough that the phase where my body was still adapting was already over.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
"Nothing much. You're really putting in the work, though. My routine can't be easy to keep up with."
"It's fine. It's more effective than working out alone."
Change number two.
A silver ponytail tied tight, a glimpse of pale nape beneath it. A casual T-shirt covering her small frame. The Knight Route protagonist, Isolet, had become my running mate.
How did this happen again?
It started with a trivial coincidence.
Since I ran the entire academy grounds, the Knight Department lecture halls were part of my route. One morning, while running, my eyes met Isolet's. And then she said:
"Senior. Do you run every day?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Then would it be all right if I joined you? I was wanting to exercise anyway."
"……?"
I didn't understand at first. What restriction could Isolet, a Knight Department cadet, possibly have when it came to working out? Of course, there was a reason.
"It's a bit awkward exercising with my classmates."
"Why?"
"I suppose you could say they keep their distance because I'm the top student. They find me hard to approach. Being the opposite gender doesn't help either."
"Ah."
Overwhelmingly superior performance compared to her peers. Plus being a different gender from the male cadets who made up most of the Knight Department. Those reasons combined meant Isolet ended up training alone.
"So you don't use the Knight Department gym at all?"
"Honestly, I don't particularly enjoy working out crowded in with other people either. I prefer solo weights."
"Then what am I?"
"You're… well, an exception, Senior."
The way she said it with a faint smile was like something out of a painting. Truly the beauty of a protagonist, I suppose. …Though she never did explain why I was the exception.
Anyway, for those reasons, Isolet and I had been running together for a while now. I'd originally wanted to refuse, since I was reluctant to get involved with the protagonist…
But knowing the progress is useful.
Song of Sword and Magic ran on a dual-protagonist system. In this world without even a male lead, it wasn't easy to tell who was pushing the story forward. So I gauged the story's progress by talking with Isolet.
For example, like this.
"How've things been lately? Anything interesting?"
"There was a bit of a commotion when the instructor's cat escaped its room. I had quite a hard time helping out in the middle of the night."
Act 1, Chapter 2 — Midnight Cat Chaos — cleared, it seemed.
"I heard some second-years in the Knight Department were hazing the underclassmen recently. Nothing happen to you?"
"If your skill is high enough that even the seniors can't mess with you, they tend to leave you alone. Being top student has its perks. …But how did you know, Senior? You're in the Mage Department."
Act 1, Chapter 3 — Enforcing Discipline — handled smoothly too.
No problems.
The flow through Act 1, Chapter 4 was continuing very naturally. This should be fine as is.
"Ah, come to think of it, there's a rumor that's been bothering me lately."
"What is it?"
"The secret room in the library. Have you heard of it?"
"Huh?"
Wait. A hidden piece — here?
The side story of Song of Sword and Magic: The Library's Martial Arts Manual.
Only available in the short window between Act 1 Chapters 3 and 4, this story handed out an overpowered hidden piece. Late-night library. Go to a secluded corner, push a bookshelf, and it opens into a secret room. Defeat the monsters there and a reward is yours.
You can even add a Unique trait.
A Unique trait that most characters never possessed. Acquiring one was no easy feat either. But this side story let you add a Unique trait through a skill book called a Martial Arts Manual. In the original, it was a hidden piece only the protagonist could obtain…
But I think I can pull it off.
I knew of one Martial Arts Manual sleeping in that room. Leftover data the developers had tossed in for fun — a Martial Arts Manual the protagonist couldn't use, lore-wise.
"I know it. The secret room where Martial Arts Manuals are hidden. You want to go there?"
"Yes. There might be some kind of fortuitous encounter. I'd at least like to go check."
"Hmm. Then just go? You don't need to ask me… Ah."
I'd wondered why she was telling me about a side story she could clear alone. Then I remembered the entry condition for The Library's Martial Arts Manual.
You have to be the male lead.
In the original, the male lead being the default was so obvious I'd forgotten. Isolet was the female lead, so she couldn't enter.
"You have to apply for cleaning duty to stay in the library late at night. But they only accept applications from men, so there was nothing I could do."
"I see. So you're asking me for a favor?"
"Yes. If possible. It would be nice to find the Martial Arts Manuals together."
She seemed pretty sincere, given she was going out of her way to ask me. And I had no reason to refuse.
A chance at a hidden piece? Of course I'm doing it.
Thank you, Isolet!
"All right. Then come to the library tonight… no, tomorrow night. I'll put in the volunteer application."
"Hm? Is there a reason it has to be tomorrow?"
"There's someone I think would be good to bring along."
Of course, I should keep the protagonist balance in mind too.
After finishing all my lectures, I came to the Mage Department first-year lecture building. Perhaps because a second-year senior had suddenly appeared, the underclassmen blinked and watched from a distance.
"Who's that senior?"
"Dunno. Why's he here?"
"He's kind of handsome, though. Looks like he's in decent shape too…"
"Right? Think he's here looking for a girl?"
Judging by the lack of anyone badmouthing me, they didn't know about my reputation. Convenient — no annoying hassles.
I stood in front of the classroom door marked 1-B3. Inside, cadets who hadn't left yet were gathered in small groups chatting. But my target wasn't those extras.
A woman with bright red hair tied in twin tails, shoulders bare. That one.
"Hey. Irina."
"……?"
Silence fell over the classroom for a moment. A man they'd never seen was clearly calling out one specific girl. Naturally, the freshmen's gazes turned toward the person who'd been named.
"……Uh. Wh-what?"
Irina looked around with a dazed expression, meeting dozens of pairs of eyes staring at her. Then she looked at my face.
"Come out. I need to talk to you."
"Wh-what?"
Leaving her mumbling in a daze, I stepped aside. No point taking up more time in a place where underclassmen hung out. I leaned against the wall in a nearby hallway so she could find me easily, and excited voices rang out from the classroom.
"What the — Irina. Who's that senior?"
"You know him? He was pretty handsome."
"Congrats. You already got yourself a guy without us even knowing?"
"N-nooo…!"
Kids.
At that age, all they cared about was romance talk. But comparing Irina, the clear first-year top student, to me, a second-year reserve student? Tsk tsk. Poor Irina.
Bang! Clack, clack, clack. Irina flung the door open roughly and came running at me.
"A-are you crazy?!"
A voice thick with anger, tears welling in her eyes. Her classmates must have teased her pretty hard.
"What were you thinking! Calling me out like that — what does that make me look like!"
"Sorry. I forgot kids that age are still stuck on love talk."
"Grr…"
She pounded her chest in frustration. Looked soft — not sure why she'd hit something that wouldn't help.
"……So, why?"
"Want to do a job with me?"
"What kind of job."
"Just free up your night. Then I can give you something good."
"N-night? Something good?"
Whoosh — whatever she was thinking, her face went bright red.
"Are you insane? Calling a girl out at night, you—"
"Stop with the adolescent fantasies. Nothing like that. And why do you keep talking down to me?"
"……Never mind, then. Sir."
Ahem! The little cough she gave was thoroughly annoying. I had no idea what girls this age thought about.
"So what's the good thing? Sir?"
"Well, hard to explain clearly. Just think of it as a way to gain powerful strength."
"Powerful strength…"
"You'll be in the inter-year exchange tournament soon, right? It'll definitely be useful then."
"……."
Irina's green eyes grew still. She'd be running all kinds of calculations inside. I'd wait patiently. She was a smart one — she'd weigh things carefully.
"……I see. So that's your scheme. Sir."
But the conclusion Irina reached was the opposite of what I'd expected.
"Giving power to me, the first-year top student. That means teaching me magic, doesn't it. You want to take on a disciple that only someone of your caliber — comparable to the Headmaster — could teach."
"What?"
"Yes. If I can learn from an outstanding mage like you, I'll become stronger. Calling me at night… well, if that's the purpose, I can look the other way. Sir."
What nonsense. I was so dumbfounded a hollow laugh escaped. Irina was already immersed in her own conclusion, never losing her confident smile. Snap! She pointed a finger at me and declared:
"However — I, Irina, the rightful heir of the Magic Tower, am nowhere near weak enough to need your teachings."
"……."
"I will become strong by my own power. And I will defeat you. Sir."
What is this girl even saying?
Teachings? Me teaching Irina?
I was so flabbergasted I could die. If anything, Irina would be teaching me — never the other way around. Besides, I had Magic Insensitivity. How could I possibly teach Irina?
"Heh heh. Struck the nail on the head and got nothing to say, have you?"
Whatever way Irina interpreted my expression, she puffed out her chest with a haughty smile. She looked genuinely stupid.
"You can go now. I'll just take the thought for what it was. Sir."
"Fine."
Anyway, that meant rejection. I'd have to clear The Library's Martial Arts Manual with just Isolet.
Having reached that conclusion, I left the first-year lecture building… but the questions filling my head wouldn't go away.
You want to take on a disciple that only someone of your caliber — comparable to the Headmaster — could teach.
Yes, if I can learn from an outstanding mage like you, I'll become stronger.
Has Irina lost her mind?
Magic Insensitivity, Heracle Leonhardt. Somehow, without me knowing, I'd become a mage comparable to the Headmaster.
…Just why?