The Next Realm

A vast demonic host charged toward Violet Blackgarden. She trembled in fear — and then a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠light-brown-haired man clad in magnificent, glittering armor appeared before her.

Her friend. Ron Hazley.

Every time Ron swung his sword, devastating slashes of mana tore across the field and reduced the battlefield to ruin. Countless demons perished in an instant.

Having won the battle with almost laughable ease, Ron held out his hand to Violet.

"I came to save you, Violet."

Overwhelmed, Violet took his hand. And then—

He pulled her into a fierce embrace.

Violet's eyes flew wide.

Her heart pounded. Swept up in the rush of feeling, she squeezed her eyes shut, wound her arms around his neck, and pressed herself even closer into his chest.

The corpses of the demons rose as one and burst into applause.

Clap clap clap clap clap!

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations!"

It was an exceedingly warm and beautiful scene. The sky poured brilliant sunlight down upon Ron and Violet alone, as if they stood in a spotlight. And as if blessing the two of them and every tomorrow that awaited them, a trumpet sounded from somewhere.

Ba-ba-ba-ba-bam, ba-ba-ra-ba-ba, ba-ba-bam...............!!!

"Hah...!"

The morning reveille of Griffin Knight Academy jolted Violet awake.

She slowly sat up. Her deep-violet hair, a tangled mess, fell across her vision. Violet stared blankly at the empty air beyond the strands.

The sensation of being held tight by Ron in the dream still lingered against her like an afterimage. An illusion, of course.

Then Violet scrubbed her face with both hands and let out a long, low wail.

"Why am I having a dream like thiiis..."

As if things weren't already strange enough after her relationship with Ron had undergone such a massive upheaval. If this kept up, she was only going to become more and more conscious of him...!

How was she even supposed to look at Ron today?

"Aaaah..."

Violet could do nothing but sink into endless torment.

I was in peak condition.

First good night's sleep I've had in a while.

Ever since I'd decided to become comrades with Violet Blackgarden, it felt like I'd downed a tall glass of ice-cold soda in one shot. Was it that the frustration I'd been carrying ever since recovering my previous life's memories had finally lifted? That the isolation that had quietly taken root had been driven back?

Just knowing I had one real ally on my side filled me with an enormous sense of relief and fullness.

Morning roll call, the mountain run, morning drills — I finished them all in high spirits. I wanted to see Violet already and greet her with a smile.

Still, I shouldn't look too excited.

Until recently, Violet had had more than enough on her plate. She must have been mentally exhausted. I needed to take that into account and be considerate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of her. Gotta treasure our Violet like crazy.

Now that I've recruited Violet too... I should add another branch to the plan.

I hunt the enemies. Violet puts the ones among them that can be turned undead to work.

Hell yeah.

Just imagining it, I could already see the sweetest cycle in the world.

Before I knew it, I'd arrived at the first-period training ground. The cadets were seated. Among them, a female cadet with cascading deep-violet hair adorned with skull-shaped hairpins caught my eye.

Violet Blackgarden.

A smile spread across my lips.

"Morning, Violet."

I went straight over and greeted her.

"Ah..."

"?"

What was that? Violet flinched, then let out a faint, breathy gasp. She slowly turned her head toward me.

I'd expected her to welcome me with her usual timid smile, but instead she just stared at me blankly, as if she'd been possessed.

"Violet?"

"......"

Even so, the corners of her mouth twitched.

"Hazley... good... morning."

Violet managed to murmur a greeting while avoiding my eyes. Her cheeks were flushed pink. She seemed glad to see me and awkward about it at the same time.

That's... a new reaction.

More precisely, she looked like she had no idea how to treat me.

Guess I should chalk this up to an adjustment period.

I understood. A reaction like this was only natural. I'd just match Violet's pace. For the time being, I'd have to stick by her side and endure the uncomfortable atmosphere.

I smiled kindly and sat down next to her. She stared at the ground with an unreadable expression, fidgeting with both hands in front of her stomach.

Morning combat instruction. I was in the middle of training, wrapping mana around a practice sword plastered with Magic Engineering Weights, when—

Ding!

Hm?

Oh?

There it is!

The corner of my mouth lifted on reflex.

So the next realm is right around the corner.

Now that I was on the verge of Sword Expert, just like in the original, this kind of display had started appearing. For the record, becoming a Swordmaster inside dungeons didn't satisfy the conditions. That wasn't a true realm.

It's been a long, long stretch of humiliation and persecution...

I could almost feel tears welling up. Until now, I'd been a Sword User — the rank that any mana awakener who could swing a weapon more or less qualified for. And every other cadet who'd been a Sword User besides me had either dropped out or been expelled, hadn't they? Loneliness had been inevitable.

Once I climbed to the next realm, I'd finally be able to hold my head a little higher among the remaining cadets.

"Again! One! Two! Three! Again!"

Instructor Logan was walking the line, barking cadence. If I let my mind wander, I'd get caught in no time and end up doing punishment drills.

Think about it later.

I set the emotion aside for now and focused back on training.

Time passed, and training came to an end.

I'm dead...

With fewer cadets remaining, the intensity of the drills had only gone up. They'd weeded out the dead weight, after all. I stood in orderly formation among the other cadets, catching my breath.

"I'll now brief you on Exclusive Squires!"

Instructor Logan shouted in front of the cadets.

"Before long, some of you will receive offers to become Exclusive Squires! After that, you'll spend some time experiencing the role, and starting second semester, you'll enter the program in earnest!"

He pressed on.

"During the first-semester trial period, you can gain experience anywhere that extends you an offer! Then, come second semester, you choose the place you want! Of course, you're also free to decline!"

In short, a system whose purpose was go find a place that fits you.

"Did everyone get that!?"

"Yes, sir!!"

The cadets answered with crisp military discipline.

Act 7 of Chapter 1.

For Elise, Chapter 1, Act 7: the Exclusive Squire arc.

My gaze drifted toward a cadet with magenta hair tied in a half-up — Elise Lorendia. Unlike me, soaked in sweat and exhausted, Elise looked perfectly fine as she watched Instructor Logan.

I don't know how things will play out this time around...

But what I had to do hadn't changed. Protect Elise. Stop the bad-ending routes.

Then, suddenly, Elise turned her head and locked eyes with me. A surprise eye-contact ambush.

Look at her catching my gaze instantly.

Unbelievable. What kind of sensory domain was that.

Elise narrowed her eyes in a sultry way. If I borrowed her usual way of talking, it was like she was teasing, Why were you staring at me in secret, Ron Hazley?

I got so embarrassed I looked away.

I'll keep an eye on the Elise situation for now...

I needed to focus on the task sitting right in front of me first.

A few days later. Night. The 7th Training Ground.

Shiiing!

After swinging my sword relentlessly, I glanced toward the translucent notification window floating in the air.

Ever since this window had appeared, I'd been training even harder than usual.

Sword Expert... the realm where you awaken Aura.

Aura. You could call it reinforced mana. Depending on the person, it could even manifest unique properties. Aura was also said to be the true qualification of a knight.

The petal storm Elise unleashed, the fish-blade Lara wielded — all of it was Aura. What would mine be like? That question alone set my motivation blazing.

It's about time I stood at the true starting line as a knight.

Sword Expert, Ron Hazley.

Just thinking about it made my chest swell. What I had to do hadn't changed. Keep working my mana. Keep training.

"Working hard, Ron?"

"...Do I have to jump every time?"

A lively voice punched straight through my eardrums. I gathered my breathing and turned toward the sound.

Cascading magenta hair. The protagonist herself, Elise Lorendia, was leaning against the wall, watching me with a bright, beaming smile.

"I wasn't actually planning to startle you today."

"You've been coming to see me a lot lately, Elise."

"Someone might get the wrong idea hearing you say that. I just come here to practice, and you just happen to be here? If anything, who was it that wasn't paying attention to the instructor last time and kept shooting me those sneaky looks?"

Arms folded, Elise tapped a finger lightly against her cheek and tossed out the question with shameless innocence.

"That's..."

I had nothing.

Elise closed her eyes and said playfully,

"What am I gonna do~ If you fall for me, that's a thorny path for sure. Way too many rivals~"

"Give me a break. You're insufferable..."

"It's fine. I can stand to be a little insufferable."

"Why? Because you're that great?"

"Because I'm pretty."

Elise stated it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I answered with a hollow laugh.

She smiled sweetly, clasped her hands behind her back, and walked toward me. Then she leaned in toward my practice sword.

"Your mana's sparking pretty violently. Trying to awaken Aura?"

There was no point hiding anything from this girl's observational skills.

"Yeah, pretty much. I'm the only Sword User left among the first-years."

"So that's why you're getting impatient? Poor Ron~"

"It's not exactly like that..."

Elise stuck a finger up and grinned.

"Still, from a certain point of view, you could celebrate. Being the only Sword User left at this school is rare and impressive in its own way, right?"

Why would I celebrate that...

I half-lidded my eyes.

"You're making fun of me."

"Oops. Caught."

Elise giggled and took a stance.

"Want me to help you train? As an apology."

"Apology, my ass. Two-person drills just ended and you already miss my sword that much?"

I asked it playfully on purpose, the same way she'd been teasing me. But Elise rolled her teal-green eyes upward and went, "Hmmm..." looking genuinely thoughtful. What?

"I don't particularly miss it... No. Maybe I do."

"Huh?"

I hadn't expected an honest answer. It threw me.

"Sharp one, aren't you, Ron Hazley?"

"......"

I took my stance and snorted a laugh.

"You've gone Ron-struck."

"Huuuh? I have no idea what that's supposed to mean...?"

Elise smiled awkwardly, apparently not getting the joke.

I had a pretty good idea of what she was after. She'd gained insight from my sword too, hadn't she? In other words, there was something in it for her, so missing our training sessions made sense.

That's probably why she's been seeking me out so often. Fine by me.

Sparring with Elise did a lot for my combat sense. Like how you improve faster the more you play against someone better than you.

"Well then~ I guess I'll have to help you until you awaken Aura. You're welcome to thank me, Ron."

Elise said it with deliberate swagger and started closing in.

Whoosh. Rustle.

A crimson wind rose along Elise's practice sword, and petals of mana scattered through the air. The academy's practice swords were specially processed so they could harmonize with mana. That was why the blade stayed intact even when it received Elise's Aura.

"Did you know? The fastest way to awaken Aura is to clash your own mana against someone else's Aura over and over."

"First I've heard of it. Where'd you get that?"

"Rumor? Like a folk remedy. I'm not certain, but I've felt it a bit myself."

"Unbelievable... Elise."

"What, Ron?"

"Take responsibility for what you just said. I'm not letting you leave early tonight."

"Oh, feeling bold? I'll look forward to it."

Elise licked her lips with a flush of crimson tongue.

Good. Time to squeeze every last drop of value out of Elise.

"Here I come."

Burning with motivation, I charged at her.

...Five minutes later.

I was sprawled helplessly on the ground, staring blankly up at the bright ceiling.

Heavens above...

Please forgive me for getting cocky again...

This is actually insane.

I couldn't handle a sword charged with Elise's Aura at all. Even just parrying the light little "Yap" swings she made with a smile... my practice sword would rebound violently, my whole body would thrum, and my muscles would scream. And it was obvious she'd only used the tiniest trickle of Aura. Hers was just that powerful.

No wonder she's on track to become one of the strongest in the entire setting...

Swagger was not something you showed in front of Elise. I couldn't even begin to imagine how pathetic I must have looked to her.

With the ceiling lights at her back, Elise tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and leaned over me.

"You okay, Ron?"

"......"

Elise narrowed her eyes and smiled mischievously.

"Can I tease you?"

"No..."

I'm feeling pretty crushed right now, so maybe show a little mercy...

"Okay."

Elise snorted a laugh, then tucked her legs together, crouched down, and rested her chin in her hands, staring at me. Smiling, as if lost in thought.

"What are you looking at? Something on your mind?"

"Ron."

"What."

"I think... I find you interesting."

...And here I thought she was about to say something.

"Yeah, right..."

She just dropped that like she'd had some kind of epiphany? This girl, I swear, the second she gets an opening she tries to mess with me... wait?

She finds me interesting?

A flicker of dissonance hit me. In For Elise, Elise had never closed the distance and shown interest in anyone like this.

"I don't wanna go back already~ Won't you get up and keep me company, Ron~"

Elise drawled the words with shameless ease.

Romantic interest? No... more like...

Looking back over everything that had happened between us, it seemed more like she wanted me to grow. I was enough of an oddity that it made sense she'd feel that way...

Eh... whatever.

It wasn't a bad situation, so I decided to take it at face value and move on.

That said, I guess she wasn't just blowing smoke.

It had already gone up three percent. This was information I never could have gotten from the game. An unexpected blessing.

Motivation surged again.

"Yeah... it's not every day you get a chance like this. And honestly, it does feel like it's helping, just like you said."

Gritting my teeth against the muscle pain, I barely managed to get up. I wanted to awaken Aura. I wanted to reach the realm of Sword Expert. Aura on Elise's level was basically a miracle drug for me at this school. Even if it hurt like hell.

"I'm gonna need more from you, Elise."

Time to die properly tonight.

"Mm. Love the energy, Ron."

Elise smiled brightly, stood up, and raised her sword again.

And the next morning.

"Guhhhhhh... I'm dying..."

I staggered out to morning roll call like a zombie, one hand on the wall. A sense of accomplishment, sure — but also horrific muscle pain and a whole lot of regret...

"I'll announce the Exclusive Squire candidates for the White Wing Knights."

One day, in the large lecture hall. With the first-year cadets holding their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠breath, Instructor Rachel looked at the official document she'd lifted with telekinesis and spoke.