Experienced Ones Are Better - 3
The swordsmanship club's sparring grounds seemed free of any real trouble, so I headed for the magic club's arena instead. What I found there was pure madness.
"Luise! Luise! Luise!"
"Our future vice-master of the Tower! Flip the match!"
"Luiseeee! Show us the spell you used last year again!"
Magic students waved their staves at the sky and bellowed at the top of their lungs. A military morale show probably had roughly this atmosphere.
I was, of course, speechless. So was the principal. I had steeled myself as the restless energy grew louder the closer we got to the magic arena, but all I had imagined was a crowd gathering for Luise's match. I had not expected an idol concert.
I nearly blanked out for a second. When I looked around, even students from the other sparring grounds had stopped their own matches to cheer for Luise.
What the hell are you people doing?
Even the teachers who were supposed to keep those students in line were joining in.
Fine, students will be students—but shouldn't the teachers at least show some restraint? Maybe they had decided to be mages first and teachers second.
"...I guess there was no real need for us to come cheer after all?"
Ryutis finally managed to open his mouth amid the silence. The sight unfolding before us had been enough to shut even that loudmouth for a moment. It was that overwhelming.
"That's exactly why we should cheer harder. Without her club members here, how crushed would Lady Luise feel?"
Ainter, who had joined us on the way, answered Ryutis for me.
I agreed. Luise wasn't the type who starved for attention, and when every mage present went this wild, the odds of her shrinking into herself were high. If, on top of that, she couldn't even see the familiar faces of her club, she would almost certainly panic.
Worried, I looked toward the platform where Luise stood. She was gripping her staff with both hands and trembling. You would miss it if you weren't looking carefully—actually, you might miss it even if you were looking carefully—but she was definitely shaking. So our little capybara was the type who got scared when people fussed over her too much...
Thank god we came.
Just as Ainter said, without the club members here Luise would have been fighting a lonely battle—not against some villain, but against a mob of fanatical fans.
Now that I looked properly, her sparring partner was the same kid who had been thoroughly wrecked by the Magic Lord's unique magic last year. His face was bright; he seemed genuinely happy just to face Luise again this year. Anyone watching might think he was the one winning.
"Ah, Later's over there too. Looks like he finished early."
At Erich's words I almost turned on instinct, then forced myself not to. The guy was a mage himself, so he was only adding fuel to this madness. He was not going to help Luise's mental state one bit.
"Waaaaaah!"
"Three branches! Three branches!"
Not long after, the crowd erupted in another deafening roar. The Magic Lord's unique magic, activated again this year just like last. The moment it appeared, her opponent broke into a wide grin and took the full-body beating with pure joy.
Mages really were all insane. The sane ones were a tiny minority.
Nothing but magic in their heads.
No matter how I looked at it, the idea that mages were the symbol of reason was pure image manipulation. A truly rational person would never pour their entire life into a single discipline like that.
I had just conquered one more prejudice against mages.
After finishing her match with a win, Luise stepped down from the arena to a standing ovation from every mage present. Everyone could see her face had turned bright red, but the mad mages kept roaring without the slightest care. If her future husband hadn't been watching, they probably would have tossed her into the air.
"O-Oppa...!"
"You worked hard."
Luise half-ran over to us and looked up at me with damp eyes. I could read the severe mental damage in those eyes. Though to be fair, I would have felt the same.
"That was amazing, Luise. Sharper than last year."
From the middle of the crowd, Later quietly approached and offered a word of praise.
Now that the fever in his head had cooled, he seemed to realize just how pathetic he had looked. As a club member he should have been comforting her, yet he had joined the legion of lunatics instead.
"……."
Unfortunately, the realization came far too late. Nestled in my arms, Luise simply stared at Later without a word. For someone as mild as Luise, that silent gaze was the strongest resentment she could manage. Later must have understood, because he shut his mouth with an awkward look.
Carry this day in your heart and reflect on it forever, Blue Man.
"L-Luise? I don't know much about magic, but even to me you looked incredible!"
"Thank you..."
Fortunately, Luise's battered mental state was able to recover under Sera's comfort. Betrayal from one club member could be healed by another club member. Of course it could.
After the practical exams ended, we arrived at the club room for a little after-party. Luise put one of the macarons she had prepared beforehand into her mouth, but she could barely taste it.
Everything felt complicated. After watching Luise's match, a restless anxiety had begun rising from deep in my chest.
Everyone's grown.
At first Luise had shrunk under the weight of those mad cheers. But the Luise who swung her staff had been a proud, powerful mage. The madness had pressed down on her, yes—but she had still been that.
A friend's growth was something to celebrate. When that friend would become family in a few years, all the more so. Yes, it was definitely something to be happy about—
Am I the only one who's slow?
I couldn't help the negative thoughts. It wasn't just Luise who had pulled far ahead. I hadn't seen Ryutis and Later's matches myself, but from what they said afterward, both had finished with better results than last year. Luise had found a master in the Magic Lord; Ryutis and Later received elite education as royalty. All of them were advancing farther than I was.
Of course I was improving too. During the first semester I had been busy trailing after Luise and neglected my training, but after that I had given it everything. Even during winter break I had devoted myself to practice outside the time I spent meeting Sera. The results matched the effort. I had even reached the point where I felt confident I could beat anyone—except Ryutis.
Which, put the other way, meant I still had no confidence I could surpass Ryutis.
A master really does matter.
There are limits to advancing alone. The house knights had washed their hands of me, saying they had nothing left to teach. Asking the head of the family was difficult; he spent more time in the Assembly than at home.
Without a guiding teacher, I couldn't be sure I was on the right path, or that this pace was correct. The Academy gave instruction, yes—but only three years of it, and it was general teaching for the many, not training optimized for House Crassius.
"—rich."
What should I do? Should I look for a private tutor? That person might not know Crassius swordsmanship either, but at least it would be one-on-one instruction rather than lessons for a crowd.
"Erich."
"Huh?"
The feel of a hand patting my shoulder finally pulled me back to myself.
"Why are you sitting there like that by yourself? Something wrong?"
Following the voice, I lifted my head a little and saw my brother holding a cookie.
Embarrassing. If big brother had felt the need to speak up, my expression must have been pretty bad.
"No, just... thinking about something..."
I started to answer, then trailed off as a late realization hit me. Did I really need to search for a master far away?
Someone who could give instruction worthy of House Crassius. Someone who could teach one-on-one. Someone skilled enough to show the way forward.
Big brother?
It was exactly him. The one walking the same path as me, the one who had already reached a height I couldn't even imagine. The ideal I would ultimately arrive at.
I had forgotten such a simple answer. To be fair, I had never even seen him carry a blade, let alone a sword, so it was easy to forget.
"Hey, Brother."
"What."
The reply came a little curt, but that was just how he always spoke. If anything, the more distance a relationship required, the more polite he became. Living with him at the Academy for a year had taught me that much.
So I gathered my courage and continued. If it worked, great; if not, so be it. He wasn't the type to beat his little brother for making an insolent request.
"Could you... teach me a little?"
And if he did hit me, that would be fine in its own way. I would get to learn what kind of techniques he had with my own body.
At Erich's sudden request I couldn't help frowning. Teach him? Me? With what qualifications?
"Ohhh, Advisor! Taking on a disciple now?"
Unfortunately Erich's voice was not particularly quiet, so he immediately pulled every club member's aggro—especially a certain red-haired maniac obsessed with swords.
Ryutis's voice instinctively dragged up memories from last year. The inter-class tournament where I had failed to control my strength and made him cough blood; the hospital visit where, instead of accepting an apology, he had asked for more lessons like a complete lunatic. Of course he would react when the word "teaching" came up in front of someone like that. Persistent bastard.
"I've never taught anyone."
I answered firmly enough for both Erich and Ryutis to hear.
Yes, I was stronger than Erich. But being strong and being able to teach were completely different things. If strong people automatically taught well, why would education officers even exist? You could just have the strong ones do it.
"And if I meddle for no reason you might trip on a path you were walking just fine. You've been doing well on your own so far."
I meant that sincerely. Leaving aside whether I had any talent for teaching, Erich was objectively growing well. Ranking at the very top of an Academy packed with nobles meant his future as a major figure was already locked in.
Ryutis as an opponent made it a little awkward, but the fact that comparison with a prince of a knight kingdom—someone receiving the most lavish support imaginable—was even possible meant Erich's talent was monstrous.
"I've just been lucky so far. There's no guarantee it'll keep going well."
But looking at Erich speaking so gloomily, I understood a little.
"Spear? No, what is a swordsman doing with a spear. If you keep bouncing between main weapons you'll end up good at neither, you know?"
I had felt something similar myself.
When I had been sent north with nothing but a single sword, when I had been rolled and battered through real combat. Anxious that I might not be doing things properly, I had gone around learning every technique I could find. Looking back now, it had been exactly the kind of half-baked mess Gerard had warned me about.
"From now on every bottle of booze they issue me goes to you."
"The spear suits you better than the sword. I guarantee it."
And then he had immediately taught me. There were crazy people, and then there was that crazy person.
"...Still no. If someone who can't teach meddles, it only gets tangled for sure."
My heart had wavered for a moment, but I shook my head again. I understood, but I couldn't help him.
I had suffered enough learning the half-assed way from that bastard Gerard. I couldn't make Erich walk the same road. If the older brother had walked a path of fire, the younger one was supposed to walk a path of flowers.
"Then, Advisor, what about at least sparring with Erich?"
"Sparring?"
While Erich was left speechless by my firm refusal, Ryutis attempted to assassinate him.
Was he insane? The guy who had coughed blood after facing me was now shoving someone else into the same death trap.
"A martial artist can gain enlightenment just from watching a master's blade path. If direct teaching is hard, having Erich figure it out for himself would still be good."
Surprisingly, though, Ryutis's words made sense.
"Besides, you and Erich are brothers, aren't you? If Erich keeps walking the right path he'll end up like you, Advisor. Once he knows what the destination looks like, he'll manage just fine on his own."
What followed made even more sense.
When I turned my gaze from Ryutis back to Erich, Erich was staring at him with sparkling eyes. He looked moved by the unexpected support.
Hmmmmm.
"Just showing him is enough, right?"
I asked Erich casually.
"Y-Yeah!"
"Come on."
I jerked my chin at Erich, who was nodding hurriedly. It felt a bit like telling someone to follow me up to the rooftop, but things like this were best handled the moment they came to mind.
Sparring itself was out of the question. If I failed to control my strength with Erich the way I had with Ryutis, I would never be able to face Mother. An older brother beating his younger brother until he bled was the definition of a broken household.
Ah.
A good method had just occurred to me.