The Swordsman Club
A few days later, after much deliberation, the cadets' exam scores were finally revealed. Dairos Academy made all test results public to heighten competition, ranking students strictly by performance. Crowds gathered before the massive scoreboard posted on the academy bulletin board, each person straining to locate their own name among the hundreds listed. Finding a single name in that sea of text was no easy task, yet I spotted mine almost immediately.
Knight Department Grade Report
1st — Kyle Meyer — 88 points
2nd — Hundread — 52 points
3rd — May Bell — 48 points
…………
“Oh, first place.”
I had known I would take the top spot, but I still let out an impressed exclamation as if it were a surprise. Acting like I had expected it would only earn me the label of an arrogant jerk. Even as a Master, humans cannot live alone. Farmers must till the fields, hunters must bring meat, tailors must weave silk and cloth, and blacksmiths are needed for proper equipment. This place was packed with heirs to those trades and the noble second sons who ruled over them. No point deliberately making enemies here.
‘—Yuri and Sera……’
After confirming my score, I quickly scanned the list for the two of them. Fortunately, their names appeared near the top as well, meaning their previous invalidation had been overturned. I let out a quiet sigh of relief and went to join Arthur, grinning.
“Arthur, where are you?”
“Eighth.”
“Not bad, huh?”
“Are you teasing me? You’re the top scorer.”
“Did it sound like that?”
I burst out laughing and was about to head to the next class with her when someone stepped into my path. If it had been a man I would have simply ignored them and walked past, but it was a woman. My knightly sense of courtesy toward ladies had grown considerably, so I smiled brightly and looked at the girl blocking my way.
“—Kyle Meyer, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“I’m May Bell. You know who I am, don’t you?”
“Of course. How could I not know our top female knight cadet?”
The one standing in front of me was May Bell, a fellow Knight Department student. Realizing I knew her name, she let out a long breath. After a moment of steadying herself, she looked up at me with determination and shouted.
“Would you like to join our Swordsman Club!?”
“Swordsman?”
“Yeah!”
“You’re a girl, though. Why Swordsman?”
“……Huh?”
May’s expression twisted as if something had gone terribly wrong. I shrugged, genuinely confused. Only Arthur, standing beside me, understood the issue and whispered carefully.
“……Kyle, Swordsman just means swordsman.”
“Ah.”
* * *
Among knights, there were always a few stubborn types who believed the sword was the only truly great weapon worth training with. Such people existed inside the academy as well, and they had formed a single club: the Swordsman Club. It was a traditional organization passed down from senior knights, essentially a student club.
“Our club has plenty of seniors, and they’ve left behind secret sword techniques they created themselves!”
May Bell began explaining the benefits of joining. Not only could members interact with the seniors, they could also learn the secret sword arts those seniors had left behind. Of course, she added, those techniques weren’t available right away—one had to prove loyalty to the club and rise to an executive position first.
After hearing everything, I let out an interested hum.
‘Secret sword techniques, huh.’
They no longer mattered much to me now that I had reached Master rank, but for anyone below Expert, a secret technique was a trump card that guaranteed superiority. Most had been left behind by Masters for their successors, and there was no way mere cadets who had yet to surpass Expert level could create anything comparable.
‘And they’re willing to teach them……’
My curiosity was piqued. I wondered what level of secret techniques cadets could produce, and what kind of place a club full of sword-obsessed people would be.
“Can I try it out first?”
“Of course! The seniors will be thrilled to see you, Kyle! And you’ll like them too!”
May said she would go inform the seniors and hurried off, telling me to come to the club after class. I watched her retreating figure, then turned to Arthur beside me. She was glaring at me with a sulky expression.
“What?”
“No…… Kyle, are you sure it’s okay to join?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“You’re…… you know. That. If you swing a sword carelessly there—”
“It’s fine. They won’t notice.”
Common sense was a surprisingly sturdy barrier. The idea that a mere teenager could have become an Aura Master was so far removed from reality that only madmen would entertain it. Unless I actually drew an Aura Blade in front of them, no one would suspect I was a Master no matter how skilled I appeared. From the perspective of someone who had become a Master through sheer swordsmanship, this was an excellent opportunity to see what level the juniors had reached.
* * *
After class, Kyle followed May’s guidance to the club. The club was located inside the academy, which meant it had received official academy approval.
“This is it!”
May, who had brought the big shot named Kyle, smiled brightly as she opened the door. Contrary to expectations of a place reeking of sweat, the interior carried an air of refined antiquity. Rather than brute-force swinging, it smelled of intellectual pursuit—refining the sword through long study and research.
“—Seniors!”
“May, you’re here. Then this must be……”
“Kyle Meyer.”
Kyle bowed politely to the second-year student wearing glasses. The second-year smiled and extended a hand.
“I’m Shu Gniel.”
After shaking hands, Kyle noticed the thick calluses on Shu’s palm and realized the other wasn’t just some bookworm who only studied at a desk. Hands like that couldn’t be built in a day or two. It took at least a decade—perhaps a lifetime—of swinging a sword.
‘So it’s not full of frauds.’
While Kyle’s suspicions about the Swordsman Club faded, Shu laughed awkwardly.
“The other members haven’t arrived yet. Right now it’s just me and the president.”
“The president?”
“Yeah. The club president. Want to meet her? —President!”
Shu shouted toward the second floor. A figure slowly descended, grumbling. Kyle’s eyes lit up when he saw the red hair tumbling messily over her shoulders. The president, still adjusting her clothes on the second floor, jumped straight down to the first.
Thud—!
She landed heavily, then slowly stood up. Through the gaps in her unbuttoned shirt, her ample chest swayed visibly. In that moment, Kyle found one very compelling reason to join the club.
“Who’s this……?”
“He’s the new applicant May mentioned, President.”
“Ah, the first-year who took first place?”
The president looked Kyle up and down with interest. Kyle, for his part, stared straight at her without bothering to scan her body. Realizing where his gaze was fixed, the president smirked and deliberately tugged her shirt open a little more.
“Like what you see?”
“Is there a man who doesn’t like breasts?”
“Most guys at least look away when they say stuff like that. You’re not ordinary, are you?”
The president laughed, buttoned her shirt back up, and pulled a practice sword from the wall. It looked and weighed exactly like a real sword but had no edge. Even so, its full weight meant one wrong swing could easily break something.
Whoosh—
She tossed the practice sword to Kyle and grinned, beckoning him forward.
“You said you wanted to join, right? This is the entrance test. Come at me.”
“No introductions or anything?”
“No point telling my name to someone who’s going to lose anyway.”
“Our president’s name is Ruby Alderica, Kyle.”
“Hey! If you just blurt it out like that—!”
Ruby shouted at Shu for revealing her name so casually, then sighed as if it didn’t matter right now and looked back at Kyle.
“Like I said, I don’t like people I haven’t acknowledged calling me by name. Don’t say it.”
“President Ruby.”
“—I told you not to call me that.”
Ruby immediately swung her sword without another word. Proving she hadn’t won her position through some gamble, she aimed straight for his vital points with frightening precision. Kyle blocked her strike and felt a spark of admiration. Her ability to strike weak points and create openings was extraordinary. If a Master gave such an evaluation, it meant her skill was absurdly high. With real combat experience, she could one day become a Master herself.
“Hup—!”
Smiling, Kyle continued parrying her swings until she thrust forward. He answered with an identical thrust. Surprised by the bizarre technique of blocking a thrust with another thrust, Ruby left an opening. Kyle immediately slashed across her chest. Though the practice sword left no wound, Ruby realized she had been overwhelmingly defeated in swordsmanship and stared at him in shock.
“Wait, you. This is—”
Ping—.
At that moment, one of the buttons on Ruby’s chest popped off and struck Kyle squarely in the face. Caught off guard, Kyle frowned and looked at her. Ruby scratched her cheek awkwardly, covering her chest.
“……Mm, w-well, you pass!”
She muttered as she welcomed Kyle into the club.