episode_0072
by fnovelpiaThe sun rises. It did yesterday, and last week, and last month.
And it will be so in the future.
The last day of the Chaldea Imperial Academy’s annual duel has dawned.
“Wow… . Your Majesty! The stands are full!”
As Deacon Sophia said, the arena was packed with people. The previous competitions had many students and academy officials filling the stands, but it was never this crowded.
Professor Esther came and explained the reason.
“I heard that many students from the Brittany branch came.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I heard that the Brittany branch school closed today on their own. They said they did it so that the students of the main school could watch the sparring… .”
After hearing Professor Esther’s words, I glanced at the audience filled with noise.
By the way, the uniforms of the students seen in the audience were not the uniforms of the main school. The uniforms were white and blue, and the refreshing feeling from the colors matched well with the Brittany branch school near the sea. They also looked similar to the sailor uniforms worn by sailors on ships.
On the other hand, the uniform of the main school of Chaldea Imperial Academy is a bit dull. The uniform is close to black, and the tie is a different color for each grade. It is a uniform that gives an overall neat impression.
The overall design and structure of the two academy uniforms were similar, but the colors were so intensely different that it was very clear who was a student from which school.
“I guess it’s about to start.”
As soon as Professor Esther finished speaking, the lights in the training ground began to dim. The stadium-shaped training ground was slowly enveloped in darkness.
We waited silently in the darkness. And after a while, the lights that had been illuminating the training ground suddenly illuminated the center of the training ground.
– Bang!
A firmly packed dirt floor. A stepping stone to the top, already soaked with the blood and sweat of countless students. It has revealed itself.
– Hello everyone! Nice to meet you!
Professor Andres’ face began to appear on the monitor hanging from the ceiling in the center of the training hall, as large as a door. The eyes of all the students in the audience were focused on it.
– Chaldea Imperial Academy’s annual duel! The MC is Professor Andres!
Applause erupted from all directions. The main campus students of Chaldea Imperial Academy and the students of the Brittany branch campus mingled together, and the training hall was soon filled with loud applause.
The applause that had been so loud it made my ears numb gradually died down, and Professor Andres continued speaking.
– Today is finally the last day of the grade-level competition! I sincerely congratulate the students who have worked hard to hone their skills to get here!
A few students sitting in the audience nodded. They had done their best, and that was something to be respected.
Professor Andres’ microphone belched out a sound.
– Also, thank you to the academy professors who worked hard to ensure smooth progress of the grade-by-grade sparring! Please work a little harder! Hahaha!
This time, the professors nodded. I felt some of the students sitting near me glancing at me. Most of them were students that Sophia and I had healed.
– By the way, the stands are packed today! In order to show off your skills in front of this large crowd, the students scheduled to practice today will have to be a little nervous!
Yes. Now, there are eight students left in each grade. From the first to the third grade, out of a total of 960 students, 24 survived and made it to this point.
Among the surviving first-year students, there were seven students from Class A. One student from Class B was lucky enough to make it this far, but he probably won’t be able to go any further than this.
Suddenly, Chloe’s face from last night came to mind.
The reason I suddenly asked Chloe to go for a walk at night last night was because I saw myself in her, struggling to sleep.
I remembered my night walk with Father Peter. At that time, I could see myself wandering around the schoolyard in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. That was it.
I’m not very good at empathizing with other people’s troubles or comforting them, and I have no knowledge of the magical thing that worries Chloe…
– Anyway! Now, let’s start the real sparring! Students who are participating in the sparring, please stand up!
Still, I guess it’s okay since it made Chloe laugh in the end.
I thought to myself as I watched Chloe rise from the stands with a very nervous expression.
Do I believe in myself or not?
Because that was ultimately a problem that Chloe would have to solve herself.
I woke up from my thoughts and turned my gaze towards the training ground. Professor Andres shouted with his face red as if he was going to burst.
– Chaldea Imperial Academy’s annual duel! Let’s begin the final duel—!!
The final stage of the grade-by-grade competition was about to begin.
* * * * *
Eight students. And three grades.
The time limit for each duel was 10 minutes per duel, just like yesterday. It could be as long as it was long, or as short as it was short.
Of course, this was not a problem for Laura von Adelheid. Laura looked at the third-year seniors who were about to start their sparring for a moment, then turned around. She wanted to go to the waiting room in advance.
The waiting room in the passage leading to the training ground. Laura’s steps toward it were without hesitation. Laura continued walking, feeling nervous inside, without losing her dignity.
It wasn’t because she was about to have a duel. There was only one reason she was nervous.
‘Professor Antonelli… is probably in the infirmary?’
It was because of the existence of Professor Antonelli. Laura still remembered the compliments he had given her. No, it would be more accurate to say that she could not forget them.
Laura’s magic teacher, professors of the magic department at Chaldea Imperial Academy… .
And then there’s her father, the great wizard Maximilian von Adelheid, who commands the respect and admiration of the people.
No one thought of Laura as a genius, expected more of her, and gave her high expectations, but not a single person acknowledged the results she produced.
When Laura succeeded at something, people would just nod as if it was natural to see the label of genius following her.
Laura had been blocked by a wall until recently. Her father had been pushing her away in a frustrated manner, seeing Laura in that unknown wall.
– Laura. Approach magic a little more slowly and leisurely. Aren’t you Adelheid?
In reality, the one who should be feeling frustrated is Laura herself.
The one who broke down that wall between her and me was none other than Professor Antonelli.
His theology classes were surprising, mysterious, and yet deeply enlightening. They were completely different from the theology classes Laura had previously taken as liberal arts, and Professor Antonelli, who taught the classes, was also a completely different person from the one her father had told her about.
– Laura. Be careful with the new theology professor who just arrived. He is not in a very good mental state. I wonder why President Damien chose someone like that… .
‘What do you know…?’
Laura remembered what her father had said, snorted, and walked away. Before she knew it, she had walked right up to the waiting room.
The infirmary next to it. And in front of it, a familiar back figure caught Laura’s eye. Laura saw it and smiled brightly without realizing it, and tried to approach.
“… Huh?”
He stopped walking when he saw a group of students standing next to him and chattering away.
The first thing that caught Laura’s eye were the familiar faces of the two second-year seniors she had noticed in yesterday’s training. One was a boy named Daniel, and the other was the daughter of the Countess of Balueger.
They were people Laura had become acquainted with because of the finger incident that had occurred at the beginning of the semester. Laura’s gaze, which had been watching the two for a moment, turned around.
Pink hair. Pink eyes. And a uselessly large chest.
The student whose eyes met hers was Chloe, who had also shown her face during the finger incident. Laura stared blankly at her.
Chloe stands awkwardly and hesitantly next to Professor Antonelli. Professor Antonelli looks at her silently, then nods.
Then, Chloe started to bend her waist repeatedly with a very embarrassed expression. Every time she did that, her chest would shake so much that Laura couldn’t help but frown.
‘How shallow… .’
And then, suddenly, she felt something strange. An unknown emotion began to faintly rise up inside her.
‘This is….’
The moment Laura, who felt that subtle emotion and made a strange expression, was about to take a step towards Professor Antonelli.
“Laura.”
A voice she never thought she would hear here reached Laura’s ears.
Laura’s body froze. Her slightly open mouth was trembling slightly, and her panicked eyes began to wander around, lost in thought.
Gulp—.
Laura swallowed dryly and slowly turned her head towards where the voice had come from.
“Ah, Father…?!”
A neat and tidy suit, a cane in his right hand, pure white hair and beard just like Laura, and glowing red eyes.
Where her gaze landed. At the end of it… .
The head of the Adelheid Duke family and a man praised as a war hero of the last great war.
“Congratulations in advance on your win. I’m proud of you.”
Maximilian von Adelheid. He was standing before Laura’s eyes.
* * * * *
It was not long after the third-year students’ training began that the members of the Occult Research Club came to see me.
“Professor! We’re here!”
“Hello, Professor Antonelli.”
Daniel and Vivian were the first to greet me. I lightly responded to their greetings and glanced at Elin and Chloe who were following behind.
Elin greeted me with an indifferent expression, but Chloe seemed somewhat hesitant and hesitated to approach me.
Feeling a little playful, I called out Chloe’s name.
“Chloe Student.”
“Uh, what?!”
“Please use clean handkerchiefs from now on.”
“Ah… !”
Chloe’s eyes shook back and forth as if there was an earthquake, then she lowered her head and began to apologize.
“I’m sorry…! I’ll somehow compensate you for the handkerchief…!”
Professor Esther, Deacon Sophia, and the other students of the Occult Research Department seemed not to understand our conversation. I held back a laughter that was about to escape and calmed Chloe down.
“Chloe student. I was joking. It’s okay.”
“But… .”
“It’s really okay.”
“Ugh… !”
Chloe seemed reluctant, but I eventually convinced her.
“Ah, father… ?”
At that moment, a familiar voice was heard from somewhere. I unconsciously turned my head toward the source of the sound.
But I shouldn’t have done that.
Where my gaze falls. There… .
“Congratulations in advance on your win. I’m proud of you.”
There, there was a man who looked exactly like Laura.
The man I hate the most, who hasn’t changed since the last time I saw him… .
“Maximilian von Adelheid… .”
Because he was smiling kindly and standing with a cane.
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in one side of my chest.
Really, excruciatingly painful pain.
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