episode_0028

The students were in a state of confusion, and the murmurs of unrest could be heard, but I wasn’t particularly surprised.

It was to be expected, as this was the first battle in the game for these students. Whether they win or lose, it doesn’t really matter. It’s a kind of tutorial.

Thanks to that, the difficulty level of the battle was set somewhat high… But unfortunately, here I was, facing an opponent in a one-on-one fight who was treated as a boss in the system, with a bronze medal hanging on him. If I wanted to aim for a platinum medal, I had to win this battle.

It was a battle that could be managed as long as you knew the strategy, but the problem was that it was different from the perspective of the protagonist, Leo.

The game I was experiencing right now was not like a JRPG where characters take turns hitting and moving based on their speed, but rather a hyper-realistic FPS.

… In fact, it wasn’t even an FPS, it was just reality.

To be honest, I was confident in my personal skills. I could easily dodge the beginner sword swings that were being wielded by amateurs. This was because, at this point, I had dodged Lucas’s sword, which was stronger than the sword of the swordsman, several times.

The swordsman was still alive. Since he dies at the hands of Lucas in the second work of the Azerna Electric series, he must be alive now, at this point in the first work.

But the time background of the first and second works is not significantly different. It’s about a year, so honestly, I think Lucas could win against the swordsman if they were to fight now. It was just my prediction.

I watched the students carefully choosing their weapons.

The personal weapons they brought were not real. Even though it was oriented towards practical training, students were not allowed to actually shoot and injure other students.

Whether it was a sword or a spear, they were all made of wood and rubber. It might hurt a lot if you got hit, but as long as you didn’t get hit in the head, you wouldn’t die from one or two hits.

There were also staffs for wizards who used magic. Of course, these were items that minimized the magic stones so that only a light would come out when using magic. When wizards cast spells, the instructor, Jennifer, would judge the range of the spell based on the student’s skill level and tell them if they hit or missed. At least that’s how it was in the game.

Of course, there were also guns.

In the case of guns, there were quite a few moving parts, so they were not made of rubber. In fact, they were real guns. To implement the fact that bullets were loaded and casings were ejected, it was better to just use real guns rather than making a model gun. The only difference was that the gun barrel was made of solid iron and there were no bullets inside, so even if you loaded it, you couldn’t shoot.

The bullets inside were just solid iron without gunpowder.

… So, the Ergensen rifle I was holding was heavier than the real gun I usually used. The revolver I was carrying in my armpit was also heavy.

But it shouldn’t be a big problem for a short practice.

“Alright, does everyone have their weapons ready!?”

Jennifer looked around at the students and spoke. There was no answer, but each student was holding a weapon in their hand. The variety of weapons each student used was diverse, but it seemed that Jennifer had carefully observed all the students’ skills before the class, as each weapon fit perfectly in their hands.

“…”

As Jennifer’s gaze swept over the students, it paused on me for a brief moment. Was it a coincidence?

“If you end up facing a student you don’t know on the first day, it might be awkward. If you have a preferred opponent, ask for their consent and form a pair. If there are any remaining students, I will pair them up myself.”

… And the one person left must partner with Jennifer.

That was the worst situation. While it’s uncertain how many times we need to turn back time to win by fighting, there’s a glimmer of hope that we can somehow emerge victorious.

Jennifer is a warrior on the battlefield. In a short amount of time, she made a name for herself on the battlefield. Her character was designed to use everything she could get her hands on as a weapon.

In the game, she appeared as a character who freely mixed guns, swords, and magic in a turn-based RPG where skills were predetermined. However, based on the descriptions of event gods, she sometimes fought with a chair, ladder, cup, water bottle, rock, fountain pen, or pencil.

She seemed to be imitating characters from famous Hollywood movies in her own way, but honestly, her motions and graphics were awkward, so she didn’t look as cool as she intended.

Clap!

Another round of applause was heard, and Jennifer shouted, “Alright, then, let’s go for a minute!”

I looked towards Alice.

“…I don’t want to?”

And when Alice met my gaze, she immediately stepped back in fright.

…It was a bit hurtful.

“If we fight, I know I’ll definitely lose, so why bother fighting you? It would be less embarrassing to fight with the instructor over there.”

Hmm.

Alice is not an easy opponent. But Alice’s swordsmanship has not yet reached Lucas’s level.

So I’ll probably win if we fight. I can make no mistakes.

“Oh my.”

Charlotte, who was listening to Alice’s conversation, interjected, “Alice, would you like to spar with me? I’m confident in my swordsmanship, even though it may not seem like it.”

Unlike the wooden bastard sword Alice was holding, Charlotte was holding a sword with a blade made of iron and wood.

After twirling her wooden sword a few times, Charlotte slightly opened her mouth.

“If the material is different, the nature of the sword changes too. This is more like a riding crop than a sword.”

“In that case, this is more like a club.”

Alice raised the wooden sword in her hand and said.

And what I’m holding is a toy gun.

By the way, there was no one around us.

Even if someone is skilled, they probably wouldn’t dare to strike a princess or a noblewoman. We don’t know how it will turn out.

“Oh, me, me! I’ll spar with Sylvia!”

Oh, surprise!

I was startled when Claire suddenly appeared behind me, shouting.

If it weren’t for the ten years I spent being attacked by Lucas whenever I forgot, I would have really jumped.

“Huh?”

And just as Alice was about to say something to Claire, Jennifer shouted, “Attention!”

The buzzing noise stopped, and everyone turned to look at Jennifer.

“Those who have found a sparring partner, sit down!”

At Jennifer’s words, one by one, people started sitting on the ground. They all had noble backgrounds, so it was a bit awkward, but no one dared to defy the goddess of the battlefield. After all, it was the first day.

Alice and Charlotte sat down, and as soon as Jennifer shouted, “Sylvia, hurry!”

Claire, who had plopped down in her seat, grabbed my sleeve with a glint in her eye.

“…”

No, Leo over there is looking at us with a very complicated expression.

But still, it seemed much better to sit with Claire than to face off against Jennifer, so I quickly sat down with her.

Sorry, Leo. I won’t forget this debt. I have no intention of repaying it, though.

It seemed that A class was a gathering place for noble children with some kind of connection, as most of the children sat down.

“Alright, then, you two, pair up and face each other.”

After pairing up the remaining female students, Jennifer smiled at the lone Leo Gray.

“Wow. Is he the eldest son of Marquis Grace? Marquis, are you well?”

“Yes? Oh, yes, yes! Hello!”

Leo exclaimed, straightening up at Jennifer’s words.

“Your voice is loud and clear. Good, you will spar with me. Take a seat.”

Even though Leo’s face turned slightly pale at the end, Jennifer didn’t bat an eye.

As Leo finally took his seat, Jennifer scanned the students once.

“Alright, so…”

And after checking the time with a pocket watch she took out from her pocket,

“It seems we don’t have enough time to spar one team at a time. Alright, we’ll do it in groups of three. Don’t worry. I’ll be able to judge who wins among you all.”

No, nobody was worried.

If there’s any worry, it’s about your insane drive. Of course, I don’t have the guts to say that to your face.

“Well then, um. Alright, let’s see who will be the pillars of this country first.”

Jennifer smiled and pointed at Alice and me.

“Both of you, bring your designated opponents forward. And you two. Come forward as well. This will be the first match with three teams.”

“….”

At Jennifer’s words, everyone hesitantly got up from their seats, glancing around.

No, one person’s eyes sparkled brightly.

“You’re also from the Grace family.”

Jennifer said, looking at Claire.

“Good eyes. I hope you can maintain that gaze in whatever you do in the future.”

“Yes!”

It’s strangely fitting.

Claire seems like she wouldn’t fit in the military… Well, that’s irrelevant now.

Jennifer’s gaze lingered on me for a moment.

And I was certain. This wasn’t just a coincidence or mood swing.

Why? Is it because I’m one of the Emperor’s children? Is it because Winterfield might have something to do with the death of Crowfield Viscount? Ah, well, if you’re a noble, you must all be speculating.

…Did I get marked from the first day of the semester?

“Alright, stop standing there and come forward!”

“….”

We stepped forward at Jennifer’s urging.

Alice and I stood facing each other at a distance.

And in front of me, standing tall with a large sword in both hands and a very upright posture, was Claire.

Her eyes sparkled, and her lips curled up as if she was delighted to spar with me like this.

…

Well, it’s nice to see her in such a good mood.

I can’t gauge her skill level. Unlike the game where she learned a somewhat unique combat style instead of traditional swordsmanship, Claire now probably has a straightforward swordsmanship like Leo, the protagonist.

Would it be easier to face her?

I’ve seen her use a practice sword before. It’s definitely much better than facing a playful sword.

Alright.

I pulled the bolt of the rifle and loaded the first round into the chamber.

And like a soldier holding a gun in a combat zone, I placed the buttstock on my shoulder, slightly leaned forward, legs slightly apart to make it easier to move—

—Wait, but, is it okay to stand here like this in front of someone holding a sword, who is nothing but a mere infantryman?

“Alright, let’s start!”

And before I could raise an objection, Jennifer shouted like that.

…Yes, if that person can say, ‘In any situation on the battlefield, you must be able to fight to win!’

“Alright, here I go!”

—Before I could finish my thought, Claire shouted and rushed towards me!

Just like shouting ‘head!’ in kendo, she ran towards me, extending her left foot forward and raising both arms high.

In this game, it might be called ‘one-letter slash’ instead of ‘head strike.’

It’s a simple but incredibly fast movement.

I ran as fast as I could to the side, barely managing to avoid falling. The soles of my shoes made a rough sound as they rubbed against the sandy ground.

The dry sand of the exercise field bounced up wildly, sending dust flying.

The rifle was long, and even though there was little time to aim, there wasn’t enough time to align the barrel. I was already in a shooting position, but Claire was too close for me to aim with the long rifle.

Alright.

Let’s prepare a shorter gun. For next time.

Tick.

Nevertheless, I pulled the trigger, but Claire seemed to have anticipated that and quickly moved her body forward, dodging the barrel.

“Missed!”

Jennifer’s shout was the only thing I could hear.

I leaped backward.

Releasing my right hand from the handle, I brought my left hand under my armpit and said, “Hiya!”

Hearing Claire shout like that, I immediately moved my body back.

As Claire swung the knife downward, she quickly changed its direction inward. If I had stayed in the same spot a moment ago, I would have been hit—

“Ouch!?”

Slightly delayed, I felt the impact on my right arm and was thrown to the left.

Huh? What’s going on?

I quickly got up. All eyes were on me.

“Sister?”

Claire looked at me with a puzzled expression.

My arm was throbbing. At first, I didn’t feel any pain in the area where I was hit, but gradually the sensation returned, and my brain screamed in agony.

Claire’s knife was gleaming blue.

… A blue blade. Claire was twirling the blade around the hilt of the knife.

And that blade, following slightly behind Claire’s swing, moved along with the knife.

Like a whip.

… Is that a rapier!

Twirling the blade around the hilt of a knife is cheating!

“Again!”

Feeling unjust, I shouted vigorously.