Becoming Friends Without Friendship
Becoming friends without friendship. — (2) In front of the Academy campus gate.
The small commercial district known as the “Market Street” was alive with festival energy in celebration of the Sun’s Sabbath. To the new students, it felt like a welcome party. The street was a riot of color. Banners painted with fruits and sun emblems hung from every corner where goods for cadets were sold. Street vendors who rarely appeared and even a band had arrived, filling the air with lively noise. Academy cadets strolled the streets with excited hearts. After the brutal start of the semester, they now gathered in small groups with classmates or seniors they had grown close to.
Among them were Lydia, Mave, Arty, and Aria.
Lydia walked ahead in silence, carrying a bag. The others followed behind. Their destination was the Academy branch of the Alchemy Guild. Though the route seemed a little roundabout, no one complained.
Arty and Aria looked around in wonder.
“Whoa! It really feels like a festival.”
“You can feel the energy everywhere… But why is everyone glancing at us?”
“Well, obviously…”
“Obviously?”
Mave shrugged. “The Saintess, the Princess, and the rumored Holy Sword bearer are walking together. Of course people stare.”
“It’s not a rumor, though. It’s real…”
“Country bumpkin, that doesn’t matter until the Theocracy makes an official announcement. Until then, you’re just a ‘rumor.’”
“Is that so…?”
Aria smiled wryly. “One day, everyone will know the truth, Hero.”
“Haha, it’s fine, really.”
“Really?”
“As long as the Saintess knows, I have nothing to feel bad about.”
“…Hehe.”
Mave ignored the pair and looked around. “Hmph. Compared to the dazzling Royal Capital, this is nothing. On the Sabbath in the capital, mountains of delicacies and fruits were piled high. After seeing that splendor, this modest festival doesn’t even catch my eye.”
But the reply came from the very front.
“This humble atmosphere suits me just fine.”
“Hmph. A humble yet excellent atmosphere. Full of lively spirit.”
Aria gave Mave a pitying look. “Mave, your convictions have grown awfully weak.”
“Shut up.”
“You idiot knight. Don’t tell me you were bragging about being from the capital in front of the Princess?”
“S-Shut it. At least I’m better than that country bumpkin.”
“What did I even do…?”
Still, the street was indeed brimming with energy, just as they said. Merchants had set up colorful stalls and called out to the new students. Glasses of fruit juice in every hue sparkled under the sunlight.
—Welcome! New students, is this your first time at the Market Street? The best restaurant here is “Rest by the Lake”!
—Look here! We have special fruit drinks you can only enjoy during the Sun’s Sabbath! Only two Liang coins per glass—! Try a drink for the price of two loaves of bread!
Even cadets from quiet territories or the countryside approached the stalls with curiosity, regardless of status. The stalls offered fruit juices from all across the fertile Gallia Kingdom.
“Oh, Campol fruit from northern Gallia? It’s been ages.”
“Senior, is this the yellow juice?”
“Of course. My family’s territory lives off this stuff.”
“What’s this blue one… It has a weirdly sharp scent. Is this even juice? Did someone just put alchemy reagents here?”
“Ugh, that’s Saint-Roy mint. Put it down. It’s bad for you.”
The cadets chattered noisily as they chose their drinks.
Arty looked around and spoke. “Wow… This really is another world compared to the village I came from. How could they gather so many fruits like this?”
“Hmph. You don’t even know that, country bumpkin?”
“What?”
“It’s obviously the result of a joint effort between the Alchemy Guild and the Western Gallia Merchant Alliance. Alchemists create potions that awaken fertile land, and the merchant alliance transports the goods along the roads. In the process, fruits and supplies move across the entire kingdom, boosting commerce.”
“Oh, really.”
Arty answered indifferently, and Mave’s eyes flared. Just as she was about to retort, Aria clapped her hands.
“That’s right! Mave is so knowledgeable. Thanks to Gallia’s fertile lands and trade networks, even the Holy Theocracy in the west can purchase plenty of food.”
“Really, Saintess?”
“Yes! The temple where the Hero received his education as a child was also run by priests dispatched as part of this exchange.”
“Whoa! I didn’t know that! That’s amazing!”
Mave fumed at the sight. “You lowly country bumpkin! Why is your reaction so different from mine?”
“Because she’s the Saintess.”
“You…!”
Aria chuckled at their bickering. But her laughter didn’t last long. Lydia, who had been leading the way, suddenly stopped. The group turned to her at once.
“Lydia?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Lady Lydia?”
Lydia spoke while looking ahead. “…It seems someone has business with us.”
“?”
“?”
“?”
The group looked forward—and saw a group of twenty cadets approaching with imposing presence. They were second- and third-year students from the Swordsmanship Department. Their backgrounds were illustrious. The Swordsmanship Department was already the domain of Gallia’s noble faction, but these cadets came from the highest-ranking noble houses. Promising knights from various orders were among them.
Arty paled. “H-Huh?! Aren’t those seniors from the Swordsmanship Department? Why are they coming this way?!”
Mave sighed quietly. “Why do you think?”
“?”
“It’s begun. The territorial struggle between those who wield swords.”
“!”
“They’re here to decide whether you’ll join their group or quietly submit.”
“No, why so suddenly?”
“If anything, they’re late. Considering how long we’ve been keeping our distance.”
“But there’s royalty and the Saintess here, and you’re from the knight order too?”
Even as he spoke, Arty subtly pulled Aria behind his back. Mave watched and said, “I’m a commoner too, so I’m not part of the mainstream. Skill has nothing to do with it. That’s exactly why they’re picking a fight.”
“?”
“They’re saying a commoner shouldn’t monopolize the royalty and the Saintess.”
“What…?!”
“For the record, most of those seniors have reached the Flow stage. They must have awakened after enduring Instructor Jacques’ training. And the one leading them, Senior Lucian, is the only one who has reached the brink of Ignition.”
“…!”
Arty looked ahead again. Now that they were close, he could see clearly. The massive blond youth leading them—Senior Lucian—radiated an aura like a towering mountain range.
‘With so many of them together, their presence alone makes the mana ripple…’
They walked without meeting anyone’s eyes, yet the path before them naturally cleared. An eerie silence and tension began to settle over the Market Street, which had been peacefully festive moments ago. Countless gazes wavered as they watched the two figures drawing nearer.
The Princess of Gallia, the “Discarded Gold” freshman Lydia.
The eldest son of Count Montrang, the “Golden Sword” third-year Lucian.
The two faced each other.
“….”
“….”
Lucian was the first to salute, placing a hand over his chest in the knight’s formal greeting. The others behind him followed in perfect unison.
Click!
“It is an honor to meet Her Highness, the ‘Golden Princess’ of the Gallian royal family, Lady Lydia.”
“It is an honor.”
“It is an honor.”
“It is an honor.”
Lydia spoke calmly. “You forgot the ‘Discarded’ part.”
“….”
“The eldest son of Count Montrang, one of the families guarding Gallia’s borders and standing alongside Count Belpen in the east. What business does the Golden Sword, Sir Lucian de Montrang, have with me? There is no royal more disconnected from the noble faction than I.”
“…Because you are royalty.”
Their words carried hidden meaning.
—If you intend to use me as your mascot, give up.
—Wouldn’t it be better than hanging around commoners?
“I am currently an Academy cadet. I am also your junior. And someone’s teacher.”
“A teacher?”
“Even a discarded gold can illuminate the letters on the Academy’s books without difficulty.”
“…Gold is too precious in the Academy. Even when forged into a sword, it must bear the weight of many people’s deeds.”
“It doesn’t matter. A discarded gold is no different from a pebble. Perhaps that suits some people better.”
“….”
—I am raising them. With my knowledge. So take your group and leave.
—We cannot ignore it.
—Nothing will change anyway. And you’ve already benefited from it, haven’t you?
At Lydia’s words, Lucian fell silent. Then his gaze shifted to Arty, who was shielding Aria.
Lucian spoke. “Commoner.”
“….”
Until the Theocracy made its announcement, the fact that Arty possessed the Holy Sword remained merely a “rumor.”
“Yes, Senior.”
So Arty answered as an Academy junior. It was the greatest act of defiance he could manage right now.
Lucian paid it no mind. “Under the Sun God, speak only the truth.”
“Yes.”
“Was it truly you who defeated the Skeleton Rider and saved my younger brother… Dominic?”
“….”
The question mixed truth and exaggeration. So Arty spoke only the truth.
“I was the one who defeated the Skeleton Rider.”
“…I see. Then I owe you a debt. I will remember it.”
“…?”
Lucian nodded quietly. Then he saluted Lydia once more.
“Before the most certain grace of blood, there are times when even a family’s fate must be set aside. My apologies, Your Highness. I will take my leave.”
“There is no need for such formality.”
Lydia spoke expressionlessly. “…Senior Lucian.”
“….”
—Let us not bring politics into the Academy.
Lucian’s eyes wavered for a moment, but he soon accepted it. He also bowed to Aria, who stood behind Arty.
“I have been discourteous to the Saintess as well. There were many among my comrades who were concerned.”
“It’s all right. Thank you for your concern.”
“…Then I will be going.”
Lucian withdrew politely, followed by the crowd of cadets. At the same time, the suffocating silence lifted, replaced by sighs of relief and curious glances.
Arty and Mave could only stare in bewilderment.
“…?”
“…?”
“Wait, if they were going to leave anyway, why pick a fight? Idiot knight, don’t you know anything?”
“W-Well. I don’t really know either.”
Lydia resumed walking. “Sometimes, nobles must take the long way around just to ask what they truly wish to know. They too are bound by duties not of their own will. They must keep friends without friendship and even watch the benefactor of their beloved family with caution.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
Lydia looked back. She was smiling faintly.
“If I must interpret it… At least within the Swordsmanship Department, you are now ‘my people.’ That was decided just now.”
“!”
“!”
“!”
The group’s reactions varied.
“Hehe, how am I supposed to explain this to my brothers in the Theocracy…”
“W-Wait?! Lydia, what do you mean—?!”
“Whoa, I’m Lady Lydia’s person—?!”
Lydia chuckled and lifted her bag. It was filled with red herbs.
“Now that this has happened, no one will question this group for a while… Let’s go sell these freely.”
“Huh?”
“Did you think I took the long way because I’m a fool? Things like this must happen ‘by chance’ to feel natural.”
“D-Don’t tell me you deliberately took the detour? To run into the seniors?”
“The timing was perfect because of the Sabbath festival. This is the nobles’ ‘art of politics.’ Arty, you may need to use it someday, so keep it in mind.”
“Sigh…”
The group headed straight for the Alchemy Guild.
When the clerk checked the herb bag, her eyes widened. She was a short-term contract worker dispatched from the Academy’s Magic Department and still struggled with emotional control.
“T-This?! You’re selling such high-quality red herbs? Wow, they’ve already been completely processed for necromantic energy and poison. I’ll have to pay far more than the usual price!”
“Is that so? How fortunate.”
“Yes! We’ve completely run out of red herb stock… We’ve only been selling to upperclassmen at a premium. I heard some new students couldn’t even get their hands on any.”
“Oh my, there are such ‘pitiful cadets’?”
“Yes, apparently one from a powerful family in the Republic…”
Her name was Morgan Driach. The illegitimate daughter of a powerful family. And abandoned by that family.
Hearing this, Arty, Aria, and Mave all wore sympathetic expressions.
“Status really is terrifying no matter where you go…”
“I hope that sister receives help as well.”
“Tsk. It doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem.”
And Lydia quietly nodded.
‘Now I have a public justification to intervene with her. A reason that even Arty’s group won’t suspect if I suddenly bring her in as a companion…’
Regardless of knowing the original story, Lydia had no justification to help Morgan while knowing her circumstances. Game knowledge and real-world connections were separate matters. But now, she had a publicly acceptable reason to approach Morgan in earnest.
“….”
Now it begins.