Chapter 26

On the day of the Academy’s combat training class, students had been bustling about since early morning.

The combat training ground was located in a spacious outdoor arena that stretched out south from the center of the Academy.

The arena was surrounded by a magical barrier, designed to simulate real combat while still ensuring safety.

A towering transparent dome-shaped magical shield enclosed the entire arena, and inside, there were patches of green grass, solid dirt floors, scattered rocks and obstacles, and a circular arena engraved with magic circles.

Tiered seating extended around the arena for spectators.

Professors and safety personnel moved busily, keeping students in order, while the freshmen who still had time before their turn gathered together, carrying a mix of excitement and nervousness as they waited.

The morning sunlight pierced through the transparent magical barrier and brightly illuminated the training ground.

Each student had dressed neatly in their uniform, checking their weapons and magical tools, or chatting casually with friends.

I was one of them.

Of course, I wasn’t the type to have many friends, but I was speaking with someone, so in that sense, I was just like the others.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you use magic.”

“That’s probably true.”

“Rumor has it you’ve got no talent. In magic, I mean.”

“……”

Ariel Prodenteia.

With her calm tone and gentle smile, she left me with nothing to say in return.

Meanwhile, combat training continued inside the arena.

Two students stood at the center of the arena.

One wielded a sword, and the other belonged to the group that used magic.

Ah, that one.

The main characters of this world were Aslan and Lumina, along with the so-called “losing heroines” like Leena, Lucia, and Ariel. But they weren’t the only ones.

From time to time, other students would pop up and make their presence known as supporting characters.

That student over there, the one using magic, was a prime example.

Was it York?

Aslan’s first male friend.

If memory served right, his role was mainly to act as a wingman, helping the protagonist out with various heroines.

Boom—!

His skills were impressive too.

While it was generally accepted that mages had an advantage over swordsmen, it wasn’t common to see someone dominate their opponent so thoroughly that they pinned them against a wall.

“Thank you! Thank you!”

Then he waved toward the student section.

A classic case of what you’d call an attention seeker.

Someone who seemed eager to redirect all the female attention meant for Aslan toward himself… something like that.

Murmurs from the students could be heard.

“He’s strong, seriously…”

“Never heard of him before though… Is he from a commoner background?”

“They said this year’s freshmen were not normal…”

But not every student was part of Aslan’s circle.

Most of them were just ordinary kids, appropriate for their age.

Unfortunately, such average and normal students often became the collateral damage of a few outrageously exceptional talents.

Eventually, a gust stirred up from the ongoing battle in the arena, and Ariel’s silver hair came loose, fluttering over her shoulders in the wind.

The atmosphere was still charged with the tension of combat and the buzzing voices of students.

And at that moment, the professor’s voice came through the loudspeaker, calling out the names of two more monsters.

[Ariel Prodenteia and Aslan. Please come up to the arena.]

Ariel Prodenteia.

Second overall among all freshmen, and first in the knight department.

Aslan.

At the moment, nothing special was happening.

The biggest point of interest had just appeared. The duel match lineup.

It was Ariel, right beside me.

As the daughter of a duke, second only to the imperial family in power, and the second-highest-ranked student overall, it was only natural that all eyes turned to her.

And because I was standing next to her, some of that attention spilled over to me.

Most of the looks said something like, “Who’s that, standing next to Lady Ariel?”

Anyway, what really mattered right now was the match between Ariel and Aslan.

Both were freshmen in the knight department.

However, as their rankings—first and almost dead last—clearly showed, the gap between them wasn’t something that could be bridged overnight.

Even so, Aslan would begin to close that gap little by little through this practice session.

During the sparring match against Ariel, though he would be thoroughly outclassed at first, in a single moment—

He would manage to nick the edge of her collar.

But in the end, Ariel would still be the victor.

However, the fact that Aslan had managed to leave a mark on her clothes would cause her to start seeing him differently… and that’s how a connection would slowly begin to form between them.

And then—

She’s probably already here.

The imperial princess, Lumina.

After witnessing this duel and the bond that would start forming between Ariel and Aslan, she would naturally insert herself between the two.

Anyway, that was more or less the outline of what was about to unfold.

[Once again, we announce: Ariel Prodenteia and Aslan, please make your way to the arena.]

As her name was called again, Ariel briefly brushed her hair back, then turned to me with a smile.

“…Um, hey.”

And then she gently grabbed my collar and spoke.

“Whenever I go into battle, I always tie up my hair.”

Well, of course she did.

Since the Knight department involved a lot of physical movement and sword swinging, not tying her hair would have meant it blowing in the wind and blocking her vision.

Then, she quietly held out a hair tie.

“Will you help me?”

I was briefly taken aback, but Ariel’s eyes held both mischief and trust.

I carefully accepted the hair tie she offered.

She quietly turned her body in front of me and swept her hair back.

Soon, all of her long hair was gathered in my hands.

I brought together her soft, silver hair and secured it firmly.

Her hair, brushing against my fingertips, glowed faintly in the sunlight.

With her head slightly lowered, Ariel quietly waited for my hands to finish.

Her cheek, visible from the side, was tinged with a rosy color.

Sensing that this situation wasn’t quite ordinary either, I quickly tied her hair tightly with the hair tie.

As I did, the sound of Ariel’s breathing mixed with the murmuring of students echoing around the arena.

When I finally secured the tie, Ariel gently lifted her head and smiled.

“Mhmm, thanks.”

“…You should get going. Everyone’s waiting.”

“…If I don’t want my hair to come undone, I’d better finish quickly.”

“Just… do what you always do.”

And with that, Ariel slowly walked down toward the arena.

Even as she walked, she kept adjusting her tied-up hair, as if it was still bothering her a little.

…Did I tie it wrong?

Maybe it was uncomfortable because I hadn’t tied it properly.

Even so, Ariel showed no sign of untying her hair to fix it again.

She simply raised her sword in silence and aimed it at Aslan.

[Both sides, exchange greetings.]

Thus, the two met for the first time.

Up to this point, everything unfolded just like in the novel.

Now, as usual, Ariel would probably exchange a few moves to gauge her opponent’s skill.

[Then, the duel will now begin…]

Boom!

Once she had roughly grasped his abilities, she would then show her true strength… Hm?

Ariel’s sharp strike landed cleanly on Aslan.

It happened in an instant.

In the brief moment it took to blink, Aslan was already sent flying and slammed into the distant wall.

***

Aslan had a dream.

He dreamed of one day becoming a knight, protecting the justice he believed in, and defending the empire.

However, for someone like Aslan who was born in the countryside the limits were clear.

His environment didn’t support him, and neither did his talent.

Even so, Aslan never stopped honing himself.

He swung his sword, again and again, and again.

No one cheered him on.

Except for one person.

Only his childhood friend Leena supported him.

But just as he had a dream, Leena came to have one as well.

While he was lost in his own dream, failing to look around him, Leena too had begun to chase a dream of her own.

And so, Leena left.

With a promise that when they met again one day, it would be as two people striving toward their respective dreams.

After that, Aslan continued to push himself relentlessly.

He barely managed to earn admission to the academy and scraped by in the practical exam with the narrowest of margins.

It felt almost as if the gods themselves were helping him.

When everything started falling into place, the belief that he could achieve his dream through hard work became even more firmly rooted.

And so, he stood here now.

His opponent was Ariel Prodenteia, the top student and a member of the knight department, just like himself.

She came from a prestigious and traditional family of knights, protectors of the Empire’s northernmost border from the demonic realm.

And she was the heir of that very family.

Naturally, the gap between him and her would be wider than the difference between heaven and earth.

However, if he could land just a single blow on that girl,

Even that alone would prove that his efforts hadn’t been in vain.

At first… she’ll probably try to gauge my skills.

He had spent countless sleepless nights analyzing Ariel Prodenteia.

He had gathered rumors about her and even studied the swordsmanship of the Prodenteia family.

The virtue of Prodenteia swordsmanship was “humility”.

It never underestimated opponents; it was a style that ensured victory only after fully grasping the enemy’s abilities.

So, that girl likely wouldn’t come out strong from the start but would gradually reveal her strength…

Or so he thought.

“Gah—!”

When he came to, Aslan realized he was embedded in the wall.