Chapter 32: The Princess and the Academy City (1)

Whew.

By the time he opened his eyes the next day, the aftereffects of mana exhaustion had vanished.

Even the sticky, damp feeling he was worried would linger, had disappeared.

Whether it was due to the bluish IV fluids they gave him at the infirmary, or the most satisfying meal he’d had since arriving in Academy City,

Either way, he felt he should express his gratitude to Juyeon again for whichever factor contributed.

I should be able to exercise properly.

Rohan slowly sat up in bed.

He still felt drowsy, but this much was fine.

After some light preparations, he opened the dormitory door to head to the Orion Academy training room.

Stepping outside, Rohan looked up at the sky as he walked.

The weather seems to be getting warmer, doesn’t it?

The early morning chill he felt every day seemed to be losing its bite.

And the scent of spring was subtly wafting through Academy City Elysium.

The moment Rohan arrived at the training room and put down his bag,

Ichinose, who had just arrived, spoke from behind.

Seeing the girl wearing short sleeves, unlike usual, made him realize that the weather had indeed changed.

“I didn’t expect you to come today. Aren’t you pushing yourself?”

“I woke up feeling fine.”

“Hmm… Your recovery is amazing.”

He had briefly contacted Ichinose yesterday.

After all, she was the first to message him to ask if he was okay.

“The only thing I’m kinda worried about is the theory class. I couldn’t concentrate enough to review what we learned.”

“Well, it’s hard to even hold a pen when you have mana exhaustion. I’ve experienced it personally, so I understand.”

After making small talk while stretching, Rohan and Ichinose headed to the treadmills together.

It could even be considered a semi-fixed routine now.

“Rohan, shall I tell you something interesting?”

“What is it?”

“Noa started studying yesterday.”

“…!”

To think she would start on the very day they promised to work on theory…

She was such an honest girl and that was also what made her admirable.

Noa Frozenheart, sitting at a desk and studying.

He had never seen that, not even in the flood of fan art that testified to her considerable popularity.

It meant that the situation felt equally foreign to Rohan, who used to enjoy Abyss City.

“The Instructor will be pleased.”

“That’s right, isn’t it? So, I told her to ask the Instructor if she had any questions, instead of just asking me.”

“Oh… If this continues, I might end up coming last in class.”

Sensing the rare tension in Rohan’s voice,

Ichinose asked with a quiet smile.

“How has it been lately? Are you finding studying a little enjoyable now?”

“Thanks to someone who taught me well.”

“Hee hee.”

Rohan and Ichinose continued their conversation as they ran on the steadily accelerating machines.

After finishing their workout for the day, they headed straight to the Academy.

And waiting to greet Rohan as he opened the door to Class 1 was Gilbert’s fierce face.

“Rohaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!!!”

“Ah! You almost gave me a heart attack, you crazy bastard.”

He was so startled, that his heart actually ached a little, and even his ears were ringing from the loud greeting.

“What! You were startled by this… Is it really the aftereffect of mana exhaustion?”

Among the other cadets passing by, one even stumbled and fell, seemingly from the shock.

Rohan apologized to the cadet he’d never seen before and helped him up, then walked towards Gilbert again.

This guy really has a set of lungs.

It also felt like nothing he said would convince him.

Honestly, it could even be considered a unique trait.

“I’m fine. Just move aside so I can come in.”

“Hmph!!!”

Watching Gilbert step aside was like watching a pillar shifting.

Rohan put his bag down, greeted his friends including Dick, who was sitting in the back, and sat down with a long sigh.

Thinking about how he wasn’t able to do anything properly yesterday, he felt like he’d overdone his morning training.

“Haa.”

At the sound of Rohan’s sigh, Gilbert, the sigh-detecting dog, approached him with gleaming eyes.

“A sigh!? As expected, you’re pretending to be fine, but the aftereffects of mana exhaustion are…!”

“No, they’re not. And why are you making such a fuss?”

“Go──!!! Rohan, go get a self-diagnosis done right now! You’re not being careless, relying on the shield of youth, are you?!”

“This is crazy.”

The surprising thing was that even with all this commotion he was creating, the Class 1 cadets had gotten used to it.

Most of them either watched indifferently or went about their own business.

“The fact is, Rohan wasn’t the only one who collapsed from mana exhaustion yesterday. Before that, Rohan carried someone who collapsed after running around with a shield.”

Dick Wikitree’s sudden interjection made Gilbert’s head swivel with a creak.

Just as Rohan had a hunch that their noisy back-and-forth was about to start,

Gilbert and Dick shut their mouths.

““….””

Juyeon was approaching with the click-clack of her footsteps for morning assembly.

··

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Juyeon’s classes were as easy as ever to focus on. And time flew by quickly.

If he had to pick something special about today, it would be that Noa started racking her brains during the theory class.

And while the practical class went on as usual, there was news that the frequency of sparring would gradually increase as the proficiency in formation training improved.

Having diligently finished his day at the Academy, Rohan had an inexpensive meal at the cafeteria before heading to The Flower Bookstore as usual.

He continued pondering as he walked.

I need to get stronger faster.

Once he had enough money to buy a decent sword, he would start exploring outside the city.

He had already made up his mind for the sake of earning Points.

If I manage to find monsters whose parts are worth money, I might be able to earn some money on the side as well.

With his finances tight, his thoughts naturally went there.

He wasn’t in a situation where he could comfortably focus solely on earning Points.

“Manager, I’m here.”

“Ah, Rohan’s here.”

Lost in thought, he arrived at his workplace in no time.

Rohan placed his bag in the corner and put on his apron.

“That on the table over there.”

“Yes, I see them.”

“They’re cookies we received as a gift, so feel free to eat them while you work. The old lady and I can’t eat hard things because of our teeth.”

“Thank you! I’ll enjoy them!”

As Rohan bowed his head, the manager began moving his wrinkled hands as he prepared to leave.

“Well then, work hard.”

“Have a good evening!”

After the manager left, Rohan stood at The Flower Bookstore’s counter, and after some time, Clara entered the bookstore later than usual.

As always, it was during a time when there were no customers.

Still remembering her shivering form, Rohan gently asked the girl whose eyes met his.

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

“…Y-yes.”

Still remembering the embarrassing display she had shown yesterday, Clara averted her eyes and gave a small nod.

Anticipating what the mumbling girl would say, Rohan spoke first.

“Let’s not mention any apologies. You already did it through messages.”

“Ah!”

Left speechless, Clara fidgeted and disappeared between the bookshelves.

Bzzzt──!!!

His phone vibrated almost immediately.

He pulled it out to find a message from Clara.

He looked up and saw Clara staring at him.

“D-did you clear the Weekly Boss stage 5?”

“I’m still lacking in levels, so I’ve only gone up to stage 3. Well, I plan to keep leveling up this week and attempt stage 4 on Sunday.”

“Mmm… Is that so?”

“My characters’ specs are lacking even with one support, so it’s a bit overwhelming.”

The girl nodded and disappeared again.

From Rohan’s perspective, he wasn’t sure if that was a satisfactory answer for Clara.

Bzzzt──!!!

Thinking it might be Clara again, he looked at his phone.

However, it was a call from an unknown number. Just in case, Rohan answered immediately.

“Hello?”

─ Hmm….

He recognized the voice instantly.

The Princess!

Rohan turned away from the counter and lowered his voice as much as possible.

“I was wondering when you’d get in touch with me.”

─I’m currently in Academy City. Just tell me the time and place.

“It’ll take about two hours. It should be fine if you’re near District 2.”

─Good.

“Do you have a place where you can wait?”

─That doesn’t matter. I’ll call you back in two hours.

The call ended with the click of a public phone receiver being hung up.

Rohan stared at the screen for a moment before putting his phone back in his apron.

I need to think about how much I should tell her.

He racked his brain while checking the list of books that had arrived today.

As Rohan finished ringing up a customer buying a magazine and left the counter to organize the shelves,

“E-excuse me…”

“Yes?”

Clara, who had approached him silently, spoke to him again.

Rohan stopped what he was doing, straightened up, and met Clara’s gaze.

“Um…”

“Please, speak comfortably.”

Neatly arranging the books that had popped out, Rohan waited patiently without rushing her.

Having finally made up her mind, the girl sat down in the corner of the bookstore and spoke.

“T-today! After you finish work, would you… like to clear Weekly Boss together?”

At Clara’s offer, Rohan’s eyes widened.

What a joyous development.

However,

“Um… I have another appointment today, so it will be difficult.”

“…!”

What extensive human relations.

Clara’s jaw dropped at the unexpected turn of events.