Chapter 307: Bread and Dagger (5)
Chapter 307: Bread and Dagger (5)
I listened to Seria’s story in silence.
I could guess why she had been so reluctant to speak until now.
‘You’re nothing but a burden because you lack skill.’
That was the verdict Seria had received from the ‘me’ who came from the future. She had done her absolute best to overturn that evaluation, but she had failed.
It was a story she naturally wouldn't want to tell.
To speak of it would be to admit that the evaluation was correct.
That fact must have been incredibly painful and difficult for her. I empathized deeply with Seria’s feelings.
At one point, I too was nothing more than a low-mid rank student.
Self-derision and self-loathing were tasks I was all too familiar with.
That was why I didn't offer her hollow words of comfort. At this moment, a single misplaced word could leave a deep wound in Seria’s heart.
I needed to choose my words with the utmost care.
However, one question did spring to mind, so I voiced it.
“……Then what about Celine?”
“Ah, Miss Haster.”
Seria wore a bitter, troubled smile. Her head slumped forward once again.
“She suffered a lot because of me. I was so stubborn that Miss Haster ended up being targeted by that man as well… She wasn't beaten like I was, but he kept her all day for training.”
“Training?”
“He made her use a strange weapon instead of a sword. What was it… a Battle Axe?”
A Battle Axe.
It wasn't exactly a preferred weapon for a slender woman. It was a piece of equipment that even a muscular giant could barely handle with both hands.
Given the difference in physical conditions, it was naturally even harder for a woman to wield. One would need to reach a level where they could at least use Aura.
That was where the problem arose.
Being able to use Aura meant that the person already possessed a weapon they had mastered to a certain degree.
Even by Academy standards, it would be a weapon they had trained with for at least ten years. There was no reason to abandon a beloved weapon they were already accustomed to. Furthermore, a Battle Axe was even more difficult to train with because of its weight.
That was why women who used Battle Axes were so rare.
As far as I knew, there wasn't a single one in the Academy.
Perhaps because of that, Seria looked visibly apologetic toward Celine.
It was called ‘training,’ but in reality, it must have been closer to ‘torture.’ No matter how much mana one had, switching to a two-handed weapon involved a grueling process.
From basic physical strength to the very way one gripped and swung the weapon.
A Battle Axe was too different from a sword.
Since she had to start from a blank slate, the mental burden must have been immense.
Only then did I understand why Celine had stiffened when she saw me.
Though not as much as Seria, she too seemed to have been undergoing harsh training.
I eventually fell into deep thought, crossing my arms.
The ‘me’ from the future never moved without a reason.
If he had assaulted Seria and trained Celine, there had to be a significant cause.
Right now, there was only one likely possibility.
The enemy they were about to face was just that dangerous and powerful.
So much so that even Seria, who had reached the Expert level—let alone Celine—would be of no help.
Thus, I found myself in the midst of an internal conflict.
Part of me wanted to encourage Seria and tell her she could follow me as much as she wanted.
Self-doubt burrows into the mind like a worm eating away at a fruit.
If it would help her shake off those painful feelings, I was more than willing to take Seria with me.
But if lives were on the line, the story changed.
No matter how mentally difficult it was, it was better than losing one's life.
This was a judgment made by a cold-blooded man who seemed like he wouldn't bleed even if pricked. He was likely more accurate than I, who was always swayed by sentiment.
After agonizing over it, I finally spoke cautiously.
“……Seria, do you really need to come?”
At my words, Seria’s expression immediately darkened.
Watching her like that made my own heart ache.
But I couldn't help it.
If Seria were to lose her life, there would be no greater tragedy. I might never be able to forgive myself for the rest of my life.
That was the one thing I wanted to avoid.
Seria was a precious junior to me.
I didn't want to lose her so pointlessly.
I continued to persuade her, trying to soothe her.
“As you know, risking your life is no joke… There will be other opportunities. Actually, I don't even know where I'm supposed to go yet, so you could focus on your training in the meantime……”
“……Why is it only me who can’t go?”
I was forced to fall silent at Seria’s counter-question.
It was because I couldn't grasp the intent behind it.
My eyes turned toward Seria, filled with confusion.
Naturally, it wasn't just Seria I wasn't taking.
Celine was about to be excluded from the list as well, and I couldn't permit anyone else who lacked the skill to accompany me. Since we had to face a dangerous enemy, it was the logical course of action.
Seria couldn't possibly be unaware of this.
And yet, she voiced a complaint.
It meant there was still a fact I didn't know.
And the words Seria uttered next proved my suspicion without fail.
“Even though he went out of his way to find Her Highness the Princess and ask her to come along……”
‘Her Highness the Princess.’
Hearing that title, I felt my train of thought momentarily tangle.
Is he talking about that crybaby, clueless brat?
No matter if she was the top of the Magic Department, a first-year was still a first-year. Objectively speaking, the Princess’s skills were slightly lacking even compared to Seria’s.
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
“Her Highness the Princess? Did Her Highness Iris transfer schools without me knowing…?”
“I’m talking about Her Highness Cien.”
The words pierced my ears just as I was shaking my head.
At that clear assertion, I had no choice but to shut my mouth.
I looked at Seria with a gaze full of disbelief.
Seria emphasized it to me once more.
“That man requested Her Highness Cien to accompany him.”
It seemed I needed to hear the full story.
That day, the man’s eyes were filled with an immense weariness.
There was even a subtle sharpness in his stride. A sharp impression, as if one would be cut just by stepping near him.
There was no way anyone would dare approach him.
Even without that, the man’s notoriety within the Academy was unrivaled. After all, he was the person who had once struck a princess with a hand axe.
In fact, there were few in the Academy who didn't walk on eggshells around him.
It was always best to avoid a mad dog.
Furthermore, no one wanted to provoke him when he looked so visibly exhausted.
Only the sound of people whispering and speculating about his destination could be heard.
Regardless, the man simply kept walking.
It was as if the gaze of the crowd meant nothing to him.
His steady pace only came to a halt when his eyes met those of a certain girl.
A pure white cape revealed the girl’s year.
It meant she was a first-year, a freshman who had just entered the Academy.
She was a beauty with striking dark blue hair that resembled the night sky. Having just become an adult, she hadn't yet shed her youthful air, but her beauty would surely blossom as time passed.
At the very least, the man already knew that future.
The girl’s true identity was Cien, the 5th Princess of the Empire, and she was a woman he had once served under as a direct subordinate.
Of course, in this place, that was a future that had not yet arrived.
And it was also an event that must not happen.
As the man was sorting through the lingering traces of his fragmented emotions, the Princess, sensing his presence, hopped up and down in delight.
“……Ah, ahh! Sir Ian!”
The way she addressed him was the same then as it was now.
The man wore a bitter smile inwardly, thinking that perhaps there was at least one thing that remained unchanged even if the past was different.
Not that this was his world, anyway.
The Princess trotted over to the man.
“This is perfect timing! I was just practicing!”
To be honest, the man didn't particularly care what the Princess was practicing.
The ones he had loved were already gone.
The people remaining here were separate individuals. At the very least, the man held that belief firmly.
So, he intended to just deliver the main point and leave.
If not for the Princess’s next action.
“……Kraw-raw-raw-rawr!”
She shouted, mimicking claws with her two dainty hands.
No, could that even be called speech?
It was a sound closer to the cry of a beast.
The man fell silent for a moment, unable to understand her intent.
When his sunken golden eyes turned toward the girl, the Princess scratched her cheek sheepishly, her face flushing.
“Ehehe… My Royal Father told me that dragons don’t cry like ‘Roar!’ So, I’ve been practicing a new one so I can be Sir Ian’s pet dragon!”
Even after hearing that, the man said nothing for a long time.
He only opened his lips, then closed them again.
He merely let out a faint sigh and thought to himself:
Should I just kill myself?