Chapter 17
Cecilia dragged me all the way into a corner without a word, then let go of my hand.
Then she shoved me against the wall and slammed her palm against it.
The spot where Cecilia's hand struck crumbled, and a thin crack appeared in the wall.
I'll set aside the question of how a girl knows how to pull off such a murderous wall slam for now.
Judging by her reaction, the paper I'd slipped her back then seems to have worked better than expected.
Seeing her react so intensely makes me feel quite rewarded for telling her.
"How do you... No, how do you know that name?"
"What name?"
"The name on the paper you gave me back then."
"I'm not sure what you mean. Did I give you a piece of paper?"
"Don't play dumb. Depending on whether you're telling the truth, I might take your life right here."
"Haha, you're an impatient one. You go straight to pointing a sword at me."
As the longsword, radiating a chilling aura, drew close to my neck, I caught a certain smell.
That sharp, pungent smell.
The smell of blood.
She must have already taken care of them. She's unbelievably fast. They couldn't have been easy opponents.
Even the Academy's guards had a hard time with them.
For reference, the Academy's guards are strong enough to subdue five cadets without even using their talents.
That's how strong you have to be to work as a guard here.
With my current abilities, I couldn't beat them, so it was impossible for me to deal with them myself.
That's why this was such an effective way to borrow Cecilia's strength while also drawing her attention.
"The name... You mean the name of the man you've been looking for?"
"No one knows that name. I should be the only one who knows it. How could you..."
"Let's put the sword away first. It may not matter since I've already been cut, though."
Click-
The sword slid back into its sheath with terrifying speed, and only then did the sweat running down my back stop.
Honestly, ever since coming to this world, I've felt this far too often.
This sticky, unpleasant sensation of murderous intent.
"I apologize for drawing my sword on you first. But I need an explanation."
"Hmm, where should I start?"
What I'd written on the paper for her was the name of a man called 'Douglas' and the location of an incident being planned under his direction.
Douglas was a villain among villains, an enemy Cecilia had to kill early on after countless regressions, and someone who posed countless threats to the protagonist's group.
She hated him so much that nothing could make her angrier than hearing his name.
Douglas was the scum of the human realm: a human trafficker who sold people into slavery and even treated beastfolk as slaves.
The incident I'd told her about was a meeting place where Douglas's subordinates were discussing an attack on the Academy.
Even if I hadn't told her, it was a place she already knew. But in the world Cecilia knew right now, I was the only one who knew about it.
Well, I say I was the only one, but someone at the Academy already knew about it, too.
"I need to know how you found out about that place and how you learned that man's name."
"To start with, I don't really know, either. I only remember bits and pieces from time to time. But there's one thing I know for certain: this isn't the first time I've met you."
"You don't mean..."
Countless thoughts must have been racing through Cecilia's mind.
Who was I, how did I know those things, and how much did I know? And so on...
There were too many things to consider for her to think straight.
"First, there's one thing I want to tell you. I oppose what you're about to do."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you when there's a chance. Well, goodbye."
"Wait. You still haven't answered how you found out that man's name."
"Let's just say I couldn't help knowing, since he's someone I hate, too."
Taking advantage of the brief moment her attention was elsewhere, I got away from there as quickly as I could.
I couldn't give her any more information, and if I made a mistake, I might even draw his attention.
That being probably wouldn't interfere with someone from outside the novel, but you never knew, so I had to be careful.
Next time I met Cecilia in private, we'd probably have to meet somewhere darker.
"For now, let's go back and sleep. I'm tired."
***
Lately, something has felt strange. I can tell something has gone wrong, but when I look, nothing seems to have changed.
Was it all just my imagination?
The flow I sense in the world, and the behavior of those people, both seem somehow off.
Humans are gradually slipping out of my control, and the Beast King and Demon King are now beyond even my ability to control.
This is too much to dismiss as my imagination. Events that should have happened aren't happening.
I'm sure of it. Something has gone badly awry somewhere. It means something is happening beyond my sight.
"I suppose I need to be more careful. At this rate, I won't be able to create the ideal world I want."
***
The Kingdom of Kellan, on the Katran Continent.
"So what happened?"
"I don't know, either. At least, it feels like something has begun."
"Or do you just want to fight?"
"Maybe."
"I've always told you: if you want to fight, get my permission first."
"Got it, Little Witch."
"Shut up!"
It's not unusual for this guy to want to fight, but this is the first time he's ever been this wary.
The state of the continent has been strange lately, and there have been a lot of odd occurrences at the Academy, too.
Like the man with the Spear God's Blessing and the one known as the Sword God's disciple.
I suppose I'd better raise the level of the magic and sorcery woven throughout this city.
So that not even a single rat can get in.
I don't want to see my adorable puppy get hurt.
"Are you feeling better now? Then I'd like you to stop playing with my hair."
"Not yet. Keep lying down."
"Good grief. What's so nice about stroking my hair?"
Soft.
As expected, whenever I stroke this guy, it feels like all my worries disappear.
I'll have to put off casting the spell for later.
It shouldn't be a problem if I sleep for a little while.
***
"Then from now on, we'll take the time to properly learn how to use our weapons."
The next day's class began with instruction on the proper use and weaknesses of each weapon they'd chosen, along with a test to see whether it truly suited them.
"Pair up in twos and spar. Since this isn't a real battle, we've prepared practice weapons."
"What happens if I can't find a partner?"
"Then you can spar with me."
The lucky cadet who got to spar with the instructor was Rael... or so I wished.
By a truly strange coincidence, I didn't have a partner, so in the end, that instructor became my sparring opponent.
"An axe, huh? I'll fight unarmed. Show me everything you've got."
Her way of speaking was similar, but unlike yesterday's instructor, this one was a woman.
But it was hard to call this instructor an ordinary woman. Her physique was practically that of a bodybuilder.
Her entire body was so muscular, I could believe she was made entirely of muscle.
"Hup!"
The moment the sparring began, the instructor closed the distance and brought her fist down at me, but I barely dodged by twisting my body aside.
Dust rose from the spot where her fist struck the floor, and even as my eyes shifted toward it, a flurry of blows rained down on me.
Just from the sound, my whole body could tell I absolutely couldn't afford to get hit.
'Is this really a sparring match?'
"Dodging alone won't get you anywhere!"
The instructor kept telling me not to dodge, but how could I just stand there and take it?
But she wasn't wrong, either. I had to counterattack.
Bellias Style, Third Form: Deflection.
"What?"
"It's my turn now."
I redirected her attack, and my sudden counter made the instructor's fist punch through empty air.
Taking advantage of the opening, I brought my axe down, but she dodged it with a relaxed expression.
It was a pretty good hit, too.
"...That was a very good strike. Now, again!"
If she was this strong without even seeming to use her talent, I couldn't imagine how strong the people at the top of this Academy were.
Even now, all I could do was focus on blocking.
"Look at that. She's just dodging the instructor's attacks like a frog!"
"For a commoner with that lousy talent, it's amazing she can even dodge."
"That's true. Hehehe."
I could hear the others mocking me, but it had no effect on me in this situation.
This instructor didn't seem like she planned to stop until she landed a hit on me.
"You sure are good at dodging."
"Huff... huff... I'm at my limit now."
"That's enough sparring for today. We have class this afternoon, so take a short break."
Only after an intense fight had left my uniform in tatters did the sparring end, and I thought I could finally enjoy a precious break...
If only that bastard hadn't given me such a shitty order.
"Come outside."
"....Yes."
The guy who gave me that order as he passed by made me go outside without even a moment to rest.
I couldn't justify building up the force to resist over an order this trivial.