7. There Is a Reason for Everything
7. There Is a Reason for Everything
My mind grew a bit complicated.
Don't tell me Professor Sylvie ended up like this because of me?
In the game, Sylvie Nord was definitely a swordsmanship professor on the verge of being fired.
Her swordsmanship was top-tier, countable on one hand in the Brond Empire where the academy was located, but as a typical genius who couldn't teach others, her classes were constantly cancelled every semester due to low enrollment.
As a result, her position as a professor was precariously hanging by a thread—that was her setting. Even so, during the game, her class was never cancelled, nor was she ever fired from her professorship.
Because it was merely a 'setting' that it was precarious.
But I wondered if that setting had broken just now because I changed my course registration.
In the game, there wasn't even an option to change classes in the first place, so I didn't expect such a variable to occur either.
Of course, thanks to that, I even got to witness the precious sight of Professor Sylvie, whose self-esteem was low for various reasons, holding the hand of a student she was meeting for the first time and about to cry.
Which is to say, just like Estel, Sylvie Nord was breathtakingly beautiful when it came to her face alone.
A situation where such a beauty was holding my hand, tearing up.
If I hadn't been vaccinated to some extent by Estel, I would probably be trembling all over right now and losing my mind.
'However, now that I have overcome Estel's horrific chest, Professor Sylvie's flat one will hardly seduce me.'
Aside from that, if I got needlessly involved with her, Professor Sylvie would inevitably end up gaining affection for me.
With that thought, just as I opened my mouth to decline first—
"H-Heung..."
"...Pardon?"
"Really, if it gets cancelled again this time... at my age, if I get fired from the academy and become unemployed, I'm seriously screwed... Hueeeeng..."
Sylvie Nord, officially a twenty-nine-year-old virgin according to the developer. She began to cry openly like a child, tears streaming down her face.
"Please, pleasepleasepleaseplease I beg you... Please take my class, hueeeeeng..."
"......."
Unemployed, huh? It didn't feel like someone else's problem. I, too, was originally an unemployed bum who had been resting for several months.
I let out a sigh and eventually nodded. It was definitely not just because Professor Sylvie looked cute while crying.
"...Alright. I'll take just the afternoon class instead. Is that fine then? Excuse me, sorry, I'll keep the afternoon one as it is."
"R-Really?!"
With a deeply moved expression, Professor Sylvie shook my hand up and down wildly.
"Thank you, thank you so much! What's your name?"
"It's Edmon Blake."
"Edmon, Edmon! Ah, even your name sounds perfect for wielding a sword! Very good!"
As I was momentarily bewildered by her overly excited reaction, Professor Sylvie suddenly clapped her hands.
"You haven't had lunch yet, right? Let me buy you lunch!"
"Uh, no. I—"
There was no time to refuse. Where did such strength come from in that slender body? In an instant, she snatched my wrist and dragged me along almost as if slinging me over one hand.
Unlike the student cafeteria located on the 1st floor of the Main Building, the faculty restaurant was on the top floor, the 3rd floor.
Even the interior decor was different. Although it was probably included in tuition fees, unlike the free student cafeteria, here you had to pay for your food.
Every table was covered with a white cloth, and in the center stood a napkin folded into a triangle.
The central lawn could be seen out the window, and unlike the boisterous student cafeteria, it was quiet.
"Eat as much as you want, as much as you want! You can order anything you want!!"
Despite Professor Sylvie's generous words, I tactfully picked the cheapest menu item. After all, I couldn't be so clueless as to order something expensive.
"Are you really okay with just meat soup and rice? You can order something more expensive."
"...I'm fine."
Yet Professor Sylvie herself also ordered the cheapest meat soup and rice.
As I sat across from her and casually glanced around, I saw quite a few students who had come with professors, just like me.
But for some reason, every single one of them had dark circles far deeper than Lucia's and looked completely slumped over. I could even sense a weird killing intent in their eyes.
"So, Edmon-gun, which department are you in?"
"Ah, I am in the Magic Department."
"Oh my, oh my!"
Professor Sylvie's gray eyes sparkled.
"Lots of students from the Magic Department take Basic Swordsmanship! After all, even mages need a means of close combat! Especially these days when interdisciplinary talent is needed, so you won't regret taking a swordsmanship class."
The professor babbled boisterously, mixing in gestures.
Although she clearly had a cool appearance on the outside, the way her tone and actions felt completely like a meddlesome, clumsy neighbor noona was part of Sylvie's charm.
Since we're in a professor-student dynamic, should I try playing along with some social etiquette?
I thought that for a moment, but recalling that this person was also one of the heroines completely wiped away any desire to do so.
Estel alone was enough to give me more than enough worries; there was no need to build up affection points with a new person here as well.
So I replied as indifferently as possible, with short answers only.
"I see."
But the problem was that Professor Sylvie was not daunted by such short answers at all.
"Right, right! So have you held a sword before? No, wait, since you're a freshman, it must be your first time! Or are you perhaps from a family that learns martial arts generation after generation? Or just a commoner family? There aren't many families like that these days. Ah, just so you don't misunderstand, I'm also from a commoner background. But surprisingly, there are kids who have both magic talent and swordsmanship talent together. Isn't that fascinating?"
"......."
"Where is your hometown? I'm originally from a southern rural village, but it's probably so rural you haven't heard of it. Do you have siblings? How is freshman life treating you? Heeya, in my day, the seniors bullied us so much! Ah, right. I'm an academy graduate too."
Before I knew it, even if they were short answers, I had already babbled out everything—my hometown, family relations, age, and freshman life.
Even in the game, Professor Sylvie was a chatterbox who possessed an overwhelming amount of script lines all by herself.
However, unlike the in-game situation where dialogue and choices were fixed, encountering Sylvie's chatter in person was the type that bounced around in all directions, completely stealing one's focus.
I couldn't match her rhythm at all, so without realizing it, I just ended up getting swept along by the flow.
"So, speaking of which..."
Professor Sylvie suddenly lowered her voice, her eyes narrowing as she smiled.
"Our Edmon-gun, you're a freshman, but aren't you dating?"
"......."
"Hehehe, don't a lot of people date right at the beginning of the semester like this?"
...A brilliant idea came to mind.
If I could just firmly set boundaries right now, it would solve one worry.
"...Well, to be honest, there's a childhood friend who enrolled with me that I'm a bit bothered by. Meeting again after a long time, I suddenly started seeing her as a member of the opposite sex."
I didn't reveal who it was.
"In return, you can't tell anyone about this anywhere. If rumors spread, I will cancel my course registration again."
"Ohoho!!"
Professor Sylvie clapped her hands with glittering eyes.
"Ah, youth! Youth!"
"Ahaha... Is that so?"
"As for me, well, at my age, listening to other people's stories like this is much more fun than dating myself. Don't worry, my lips are pretty tight."
Since I had drawn the line this clearly, a development like falling in love with her own student as in the game wouldn't happen now.
After eating lunch, before I could even get drowsy, the afternoon Basic Swordsmanship class began immediately.
Behind the Swordsmanship Department building, the outdoor training ground was a spacious open lot of packed dirt.
The students gathered there numbered just four, including myself. No wonder the professor was worried.
"Alright, everyone look here!!"
With her slender rapier buckled at her waist, Professor Sylvie stood in front of the students and told us to take basic stances first.
Her skin-tight black top and white pants, revealing the curves of her hips and thighs, fully displayed Professor Sylvie's firmly trained body.
Most of the other students seemed to be holding a sword for the first time, drawing shortswords with awkward gestures. Of course, since they were for training, they weren't sharpened.
Drawing my blade, I thought to myself.
Why Edmon from the Magic Department applied for Basic Swordsmanship in both the morning and afternoon, and why Sylvie, a swordsmanship professor, was a heroine of this game. Looking at this alone, there seemed to be no point of contact at all.
...But if you knew the game's story, everything had a reason.
For now, my goal was to avoid catching Sylvie's eye as much as possible.
I released as much tension as possible from every muscle and joint in my body. As if a child playing a prank, I clumsily raised the sword.
Matching Sylvie's count, shaking my legs like a newborn foal trembling on its legs, I swung the sword as sloppily as possible.
"...Phew."
With this, I must definitely look like a total novice with zero talent.
However, while walking slowly among the students to check their form, Sylvie's eyes suddenly turned toward me.
I tried hard to swing the sword even more strangely, even more clumsily.
Even so, without looking directly at her, I could feel Sylvie's gaze pinned squarely on me.
Outwardly, perhaps due to a professor's authority, she maintained a stern expression with effort, but she couldn't hide her gaze alone.
Even if she wanted to hide it, could she not?
I quietly lamented inside.
Edmon Blake, this guy was born with a body that had quite a knack for swordsmanship too. A student from the Magic Department suddenly taking unpopular Professor Sylvie's swordsmanship class was also a contrived device to highlight the typical protagonist's genius.
But no matter how hard I struggled to look incompetent, it seemed this damn genius couldn't be hidden at all.
"Edmon Blake-gun. Your form is quite good. You said it was your first time holding a sword, right?"
And the reason why I didn't want to catch Professor Sylvie's eye during class, and the reason why her class was always on the verge of cancellation:
"Since Edmon-gun seems to have talent, how about practicing your swinging stance just a thousand times today before leaving? It'd be a waste to rot such talent, wouldn't it?"
...Because if someone seemed even slightly competent, she would make them do absurd practice like that.
"O-One thousand times?"
"Yep, any problem? You're much younger, so you should at least do this much for your skills to improve."
Professor Sylvie pulled out her rapier and demonstrated the posture I was taking.
And in a single instant.
The tip of her blade was swung five times along the exact same path.
Another student let out a small gasp of admiration.
"Woah, three times like that..."
"Huhuh, doing it like this makes it quick, so don't worry too much."
Professor Sylvie approached my side and whispered in my ear so only I could hear.
"Edmon-gun, but you saw all five times, didn't you?"
...If I say I didn't see it, will she not make me do it?
As if reading my mind, Professor Sylvie said with a smiling eye glance:
"I saw your pupils moving along with the sword strikes, so don't even think about making excuses."
Professor Sylvie buckled her rapier back onto her waist and said:
"And the rest of you students, stop resting, and let me see everyone take swinging stances for just five hundred reps before leaving. Sounds good? If you lack talent, you can just make up for it with hard work."
"......."
...Sigh, the problem is me for falling for those tears.