Chapter 34
The forest was quiet at dawn.
Unlike the forest south of the Academy, it was somewhat smaller in scale. Since it lay near the dormitories, countless students often visited it.
Their purposes varied.
The camping club sometimes chose it as a campsite, while students who did not want to be noticed came here to train. The forest offered endless things to do, from taking walks to whispering secret declarations of love.
My purpose in visiting the forest today was no different. I was heading toward a clearing in the forest with Seria to practice swordsmanship.
Emerging from between the stark white buildings of civilization and walking through nature gave me a romantic feeling.
Even if that nature had been tamed by countless visitors. I walked and walked along the well-trodden path winding between the trees.
The dawn air filled my lungs with a fresh scent. Its slightly damp touch tickled my throat. I had a good feeling about today.
Come to think of it, I had had far too much to deal with lately.
I had suddenly lost a week’s worth of memories, had a spar with the second-year class’s top student arranged, watched a friend of mine get attacked by a magical beast, and even hunted that beast during a lecture.
Even after that, I had rushed around trying to resolve Seria’s bullying immediately after being discharged. Surely I could enjoy a peaceful daily life for a while now.
There was still one problem I had not solved, however. I still did not know who had led the bullying against Seria.
But now that the rumor that Tean had been crushed by me had spread, it would be impossible for Seria’s tormentors to harass her so openly again. Inflicting one-sided violence might be enjoyable, but things changed if they thought it might come back at them.
Therefore, I could say that only one problem remained for me now.
‘The Hunting Festival,’ one of the Academy’s greatest festivals, was now only two weeks away.
The Academy held a festival every quarter. Each one symbolized spring, summer, autumn, or winter. The Hunting Festival was the one associated with summer.
Before the splendid harvest season arrived, the Academy’s students formed groups of four to hunt magical beasts and pray for a bountiful harvest using the beasts’ blood.
It was said to be a festival especially beloved by Aidallos, the Empire’s legendary conquering emperor and the man responsible for prefixing the Academy’s name with the epithet ‘Imperial.’
Naturally, it was an event of special significance to both the Empire and the Academy. Who could have imagined that a terrifying magical beast was lurking at the site of such an important festival?
If his schedule allowed, even the Emperor would personally come to watch. If such an incident occurred, it could damage not only the Empire’s pride but also the Academy’s authority.
Above all, it would be terribly unfortunate for the students who would fall victim to the magical beast.
I had to stop it. There could be no more victims like Emma. Even as I steeled myself to do so, I prayed that no other problems would arise.
I already had too heavy a burden on my shoulders. The thought of a named-class magical beast appearing was enough to make my knees go weak.
It was as I stepped into the forest clearing that was our destination, lost in my many thoughts.
Sharp sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, illuminating the clearing. A woman sat perched on a rock, quietly meditating.
Her dark-gray hair reflected the sunlight with an ashen sheen. Her skin was so translucent that her veins seemed visible, and her body traced alluring curves.
She was a beautiful woman. Even though dawn had only just broken, looking at her brought the moon to mind.
The moon that gave off a gentle light, yet on another day, when I looked up at it, swayed mournfully in the wind.
Afraid of disturbing her meditation, I walked while concealing my presence. Even so, I could not fool Seria’s keen senses.
Her eyes slowly opened. Her aquamarine eyes gradually filled with life, their vacant look fading.
And the moment I was reflected in her eyes.
“S-S-Senior I-Ian… Ugh… Senior Ian!”
Seria jolted in surprise and immediately sprang to her feet. It was more than someone like me, merely the second son of a rural viscount’s house, deserved.
Even though it had only been two days since she had last seen me, Seria seemed overjoyed to see me. A faint flush of color appeared on her usually impassive face.
It meant she was that fond of me.
We had grown much closer, and any senior would find a junior who looked up to them endearing.
I chuckled at her reaction and greeted her.
“Have you been well?”
“No, not when Senior Ian wasn’t here……”
Seria began to answer with a dark expression, but then seemed to notice something and hurriedly shook her head.
A blush rose on her cheeks. Seria was unusually expressive today.
“……Even when you weren’t here, of course, I’ve been well. H-how about you, Senior Ian?”
I felt puzzled when I saw her fidgeting with her fingers in embarrassment, but soon decided to let it go.
There was no need to pry into Seria’s embarrassment. She had probably been frequently hurt by the bullying lately, so I thought I should at least treat her kindly.
I answered in a calm voice, as if to tell her not to worry.
“I’ve been fine, so don’t worry too much.”
I added that because I thought she must have heard the rumors as well.
Even though Seria had no one close to her, this was still a matter concerning her. I had not heard in detail how Tean had responded, but I could tell from the whispers I heard when people looked at me.
He had handled himself fairly well.
Even so, he was still a man who had bullied Seria and made countless other victims. I did not particularly want to acknowledge that. Still, I thought he was not a stupid man.
He had avoided bringing his conflict with me into the open, moved according to my intentions, and preserved some of his gang’s prestige in the process.
It was conduct befitting someone from the Southern Kingdoms, a land filled with jungles and swamps. I had heard that the mindset of survival of the fittest and winner-take-all competition was widespread there.
And saying that Tean had ‘handled himself well’ also meant that the fact he had been crushed by me had spread far and wide. All because he had gone after Seria.
There was no way Seria had failed to hear it. She let out a small gasp and slightly lowered her head.
Her cheeks flushed once again. She fidgeted with her two index fingers pressed together as she spoke to me.
“Th-thank you……”
“You don’t need to.”
However, I cut her off before she could continue.
Flustered, Seria pressed her lips tightly shut as always. If she had been more socially adept, she would have protested and thanked me again, but there was no way Seria possessed such an ability.
That was precisely what I had been aiming for.
To be honest, I had done something worthy of thanks, but lately I had done far too much for Seria.
Seria was already unfamiliar with interpersonal relationships. She handed me a considerable sum of money simply because we had become ‘friends’; what would happen later if her sense of indebtedness continued to build?
It was frightening just to imagine. For the sake of maintaining a healthy relationship between us, it would be better to reduce her sense of indebtedness.
“I told you, didn’t I? I did it because I couldn’t stand it anymore. If you think about it, it made it look as though you were hiding behind me for no reason, so you don’t need to thank me for something I did out of my own stubbornness.”
“B-but still……”
Still, Seria apparently had enough sense to want to thank me once more. She seemed determined to do so.
So I decided to apply a technique I had learned from Leto. He had told me to do this when a woman wouldn’t listen to me.
My hand gripped Seria’s upper arm. Seria jolted and looked at me in surprise. At some point, her pupils had gone wide, and she was staring only at me.
Seria’s breath caught. In a firm voice, I said to her,
“Seria, you believe me, right?”
“……Y-yes.”
With her face flushed red enough to burst, Seria nodded as though hypnotized.
‘
Only then, satisfied, did I let her go. Leto’s advice had proven effective once again.
Perhaps it was because he belonged to the Department of Magic, but from now on, I decided to take the clever Leto’s advice to heart. In a pleased voice, I said,
“And we’re friends, aren’t we? Naturally, we should help each other when we’re in trouble.”
It was an utterly obvious thing to say. As always, it was the sort of polite remark one made to reaffirm a friendship.
But Seria’s reaction was a little strange.
“……Because we’re ‘friends,’ that’s why you’re helping me, Senior Ian.”
With her head lowered, Seria repeated those words. Her eyes looked somewhat hazy. Her muttering continued.
“If I’m in trouble… if I ever get in trouble, you mean……”
Seria kept repeating similar words, reminding me of a clergyman reciting a passage from the Bible. No, it felt even more cloying than that.
There was even a faint trace of madness in her voice.
I could not help but grow flustered.