28
Chapter 28
When the break started, the professor left, saying they needed to prepare for the next lesson.
An awkward silence settled over the classroom.
"Um, Seo-ha... would it be okay if I called you that? I haven't been properly introduced to you yet."
"Yes."
"Laevateinn was quite rude, wasn't she? I'm sorry."
She bowed her head, seemingly still bothered by Laevateinn's remarks.
"It's fine."
I had let her words go in one ear and out the other anyway.
Perhaps my personality had just softened over time.
"Have you decided what to do, Seo-ha? I'm still quite conflicted."
I looked at Minerva. In the original story, after realizing her aptitude for healing magic, she adopted a rather reckless strategy: leaving the attacking to Laevateinn while she charged forward, relying solely on her healing.
I wondered how things would play out this time. While it was unlikely that my intervention would affect her, so many things had already deviated from the original plot that I thought this might change too.
"I'm not sure. I just want Luna to follow the path she wants to take."
Rather than deciding her fate for her, I felt a stronger desire to support the path she chose for herself.
Because the chance to become who you want to be is harder than most people realize.
"The more I see you, the more I think you get along well with Spirits! Our Laevateinn speaks harshly, but she actually worries about me more than you'd think. Ouch!"
As she spoke, Minerva clutched her head.
"What are you talking about? When did I ever worry about you? I only do it because you're so frustrating."
"Wow, didn't the elder say she was going to sleep? I guess it's true that the elderly can't sleep long."
I smirked as I watched Laevateinn scowl at my words.
"Shall I show you that there's no set order for where you're headed, whether old or young?"
Laevateinn lightly sparked a flame in her palm.
"Are you sure about that? I believe you're still within the professor's range."
Laevateinn clicked her tongue at my words.
"Hehe, you two get along surprisingly well for your first time meeting."
At those words, Laevateinn and I both scowled in disgust.
"What do you mean, 'get along'? With a brat who's still wet behind the ears?"
"Saying I get along with a cranky old geezer who's lived for hundreds of years is practically an insult."
"Why you little...!"
Luna stepped in, blocking Laevateinn as she approached me.
"Don't steal my daddy!"
Laevateinn looked completely bewildered.
"I wouldn't take a cranky brat like him even if he were free!"
"My daddy is so kind and wonderful!"
"Sure, sure, your daddy is just great."
"I knew it! You were after my daddy!"
"What on earth are you even talking about, you brat!"
Laevateinn held her forehead and sighed, while Luna hissed and raised her arms.
The conversation was a bit chaotic, but she'd clearly picked this up from Nive. I'll have to give her a talking-to later.
"You... call him 'daddy'?"
"Ah, there are some circumstances."
"He took in Luna when she had nowhere to go!"
Do I really have to explain this to everyone I meet?
"I see."
However, Minerva looked as if she'd just thought of something even more interesting than my situation. She slowly approached the irritated Laevateinn.
"Mommy!"
She shouted and hugged Laevateinn from behind.
"W-What on earth are you talking about now?!"
Laevateinn's face flushed as red as her hair.
"Why? Aren't we similar?"
"Let go of me this instant!"
"Hmph!"
I watched the two of them bicker and squabble, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips.
I remember that Laevateinn had found Minerva abandoned in the Demonic Realm and raised her. I wonder how someone could grow up like that under someone with her personality.
Certainly, Minerva's actions aren't as aggressive as Laevateinn's words suggest. In fact, if Laevateinn had actually wanted to, she would have shaken her off long ago.
I looked at Luna, who had returned to my side, and fell into thought.
"Luna, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"I don't know!"
"True. You're still too young to worry about things like that."
Suddenly, an imaginary exclamation mark seemed to pop up over Luna's head, and her expression changed as if she'd had a great idea.
"A present!"
Luna poked me right in the left eye.
"Ow!"
"Oops, my bad."
I guess she didn't mean to poke me.
The pain was different from when I'd been blinded in the Ruins, but because that experience had been so intense, I didn't react too strongly.
When I rubbed my left eye and opened it again, I could see things that were previously invisible.
How should I describe it? It felt like I was wearing Smart Glasses from some sci-fi movie.
"Oh, a magic circle appeared in front of Seo-ha's eyes!"
"It's just a spell that shows simple illusions, why are you so surprised?"
Listening to Minerva and Laevateinn, it seemed like a spell had simply been cast upon my eye.
"What is this?"
I asked Luna.
"A present!"
Luna answered energetically.
"Alright, thank you."
I think I'll have to teach Luna how to explain things properly later.
I put our heads together with Minerva to figure out what this was, but we couldn't find the answer.
All we discovered was that there was a circle centered around a person.
Laevateinn, who had the most knowledge of magic, insisted it was nothing more than a simple Illusion Magic spell, which only left its true nature more mysterious.
"Did everyone enjoy their break?"
Professor Kim Hye-ra spoke as she emerged from the shadows without even opening the door.
"Preparations for the next lesson are complete."
"Oh, what's the next lesson?"
Perhaps because it concerned her own growth, Minerva asked with sparkling eyes.
"We are going to fight students from other departments."
"Students from the same cla—"
Before I could finish my reaction, we were sucked into the shadows.
***
When our vision returned, students from other departments came into view.
Excluding Minerva and myself, there were thirteen people wearing school uniforms.
Judging by the numbers, I suspected they had taken one person from each class of every department except Alchemy.
It probably wouldn't have been a problem.
It definitely wouldn't have been.
If only that smiling blonde guy over there wasn't here.
"Hiya, everyone!"
Yes, it's Estella.
A few students are absolutely thrilled to meet her.
"Look over there, Seo-ha."
Beside me, Minerva is calling out to me with sparkling eyes.
"You're right. I never imagined this."
I really didn't. Why the hell is she here?
I approached Estella naturally, just like the others.
Given the recent dating rumors surrounding Estella, I shouldn't act like I know her right now.
Her way of speaking is the same whether she's talking to a stranger or an old acquaintance, so it wouldn't be obvious, but I'm a different story.
On the other hand, if I didn't approach her, someone might find it suspicious, since I'm the one who matches the silhouette and description in the rumors.
Anyway, not approaching her would only make me look more suspicious.
Estella gives a wide smirk, as if she expected me to come over. The other students, thinking she's smiling at them, are thrilled all over again.
"I never imagined you'd be here, Estella. I assumed you'd be sparring with the students from the Close Combat department."
'Hey, why are you here? Not sparring with your own classmates, which you love so much?'
"I already sparred with all the other students during the first period. I thought about visiting other departments to spar, but then Professor Kim Hye-ra approached me. She said she'd be bringing in students of various skill levels in rotation for today's training. Who knows, maybe there'll be some unexpected encounters?"
'I already did that. I was thinking of going elsewhere to cause some trouble, but she brought me here. I didn't really refuse because I figured you'd be dragged along too.'
"I thought you might be in a bad mood because of the commotion this morning, but it seems you aren't bothered by it."
'I'm freaking out because of the dating rumors, so why the hell did you bring me here?'
Estella nodded slightly.
"To be honest, I was surprised by what happened this morning. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Though, thanks to that, the number of people hitting on me has decreased."
'That's annoying, but it's better than the other annoying stuff, so I actually like it. I'll keep using you as a shield. Thanks!'
Hearing this, Minerva spoke up with sparkling eyes.
"Does that mean the news is true?!"
"Hehe, I'll leave that to your imagination."
Is this girl insane?
The people around us are also reacting strongly to her words.
"Everyone, isn't it a bit rude to talk like that right in front of her?"
I said this while glancing sideways at Estella.
"Oh, I'm sorry!"
Minerva was the first to bow and apologize. The others followed suit.
"It's fine, it's fine. I've been caught anyway. Just please, try not to talk about it!"
This crazy woman is really trying to milk this for all it's worth.
She knows damn well that saying it like that will only make the rumors spread more.
"Ha, hahaha. I have a friend I owe a favor to, but even if they ask, I'll never tell them."
'Hey, let's call part of that debt even with this.'
"I'm really grateful you said that!"
'Okay, deal.'
"Well, now that everyone has introduced themselves, let's begin."
Once our conversation wound down, the professor spoke to us.
"With one exception, I've brought students of similar levels. We will determine sparring partners by drawing lots, and Estella will control her strength, so there's no need to worry."
"As I mentioned while bringing you here, if you lose your match, another student from your class will take your place. Except for these two."
Perhaps because it had been explained during the transition, no one objected to the fact that Minerva and I wouldn't be replaced.
"Understood!"
"Yes."
Minerva and I answered.
Through that, I could easily deduce why Estella had been brought along.
She was the bait used to bring in the other students.
I'd sparred with her quite often, so I'd forgotten, but the chance to spar with her is rarer than one might think. Even if she loves it, she's only one person, so she probably can't keep up with the demand.
Or maybe not?
Come to think of it, she said she'd already beaten everyone else. Did she just come here because she was too shy to ask for a spar first?
I just hoped she didn't come here because she wanted to see my face.
"Now then, everyone, draw your lots."
The professor, who had somehow been holding a container of lots, thrust it toward us.
I drew mine as well.
The result was number 4.
I watched as the other students took their turns.
And then, the moment Estella drew hers.
I saw a thin white line.
A tiny white line visible beneath her clothes.
Focusing on it, I saw something others didn't.
A stick came out from there.
Stick number 4.
There's no way the professor didn't notice. I looked at her, but her expression remained unchanged.
"Oh, it's number 4! Who drew number 4?"
She naturally looked my way. Surprisingly, I hadn't mentioned my number.
"Ah, here you are!"
So that's how it is.
The professor sold me out.
People with matching numbers began to gather and move.
'Luna, was that line I just saw the gift you mentioned?'
'Yep!'
Looking at Estella ahead of me, I listened to Luna's explanation.
The gift was simple. Luna just showed me something in front of me.
It calculated and displayed the trajectory of an object's movement in real-time.
Immediate uses: calculating the target's effective range to figure out how to dodge, and compensating for my poor accuracy by calculating the arrow's trajectory.
'It's a present for Daddy, who's been resting for a week!'
Why even practice archery? One high-performance daughter is all I need for perfect accuracy.
Since we were in a spot where others couldn't hear, I spoke to Estella.
"You crazy woman, how could you come to me after all that happened?"
"You've benefited from me plenty, just accept it."
"Fine, you brat."
"Hmph."
"Cut the 'hmph' crap."
"Still, shall we see how much stronger you've become with an artifact and a spirit contract?"
"Sure, I'm curious too."
She'll probably go easy on me again. But even then, it'll be a tough fight.
Her sparring style is always the same.
The condition is to survive for three minutes.
And I have to land as many attacks as possible.
For every effective hit landed within those three minutes, the time limit is reduced by 30 seconds. She said she'd increase the difficulty if the time dropped below half, but since I've never even lasted a minute, I don't know what that entails.
She doesn't use Star Radiance or mana.
The penalties are absurdly in my favor.
Yet, I've never beaten her.
"So, I'm going to win today."
After warming up my hands, I drew my bow.