episode_0059

But what else can I do? I can’t think of a better way.

I had no intention of learning swordsmanship from now on. In fact, even if I were to start learning now, I don’t know how far I could progress.

…No, could I even reach a level that could be called ‘progress’?

In addition to the swordsmanship of a specific faction, there were also military swordsmanship techniques in the empire. Although firearms were starting to be used more than swords on the battlefield, there were still skilled individuals who wielded swords like monsters, and there were experts who were truly one in a hundred.

People like Lucas would run around the battlefield like crazy, effortlessly wielding their swords, so the significance of swordsmanship still existed.

But I can’t help but think that it would be better to deal with close threats with pistols or shotguns… Well, shooting at a detective who has infiltrated deeply into a place where soldiers are densely packed could also pose a risk to allies.

The scene itself was created in 3DCG, but since the motion wasn’t very smooth, it’s hard to say exactly how the fight went down. The game didn’t properly depict anti-aircraft fire in large-scale combat operation videos, so without seeing it firsthand, it’s impossible to know how the battle actually unfolded.

Still, I didn’t think that the battles depicted in the original work would be impossible here—

“Sylvia!”

—Yes. Especially because of those guys, I think Lucas would be able to perform well even on the battlefield.

I thought I had come out early in the morning, but there were others who had come out even earlier.

“Claire.”

I waved enthusiastically and replied to Claire, who was calling out to me.

“Leo.”

“Hello.”

After spending about three weeks seeing each other’s faces, Leo seemed to have learned that I’m not a threat, so his expression towards me was much softer. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t on guard at all.

Fortunately, Mia Crowfield seems to be keeping my secret well. If not, Leo would have had every reason to be wary of me.

In the original work, Leo was very friendly to those he had no reason to doubt. Well, he’s the protagonist of a harem story, so that’s the kind of personality he has.

“You were already out performing a request today.”

He probably didn’t come out until around three in the morning.

I didn’t know the details of this week’s request. Even though the academy is the backdrop, it’s impossible to depict every single day at the academy. There are episodes that just pass by without any separate stories.

Still, if I look at the request form, I should be able to find out the details and rewards…

“How was it? I think I’ve learned a bit about the surrounding geography now, so we took the optimal route for a spin!”

Claire said, her eyes sparkling.

As she said, there were six beasts piled up next to Claire and Leo. If we had encountered them on Earth, they could have been called monsters.

A large eagle with embers still lingering on its feathers, a giant vampire bat that could easily wrap its wings around a person and say “hug me,” a horned bull so huge that its horns were unbelievably large… and three other beasts.

They were all optimal opponents for extracting Marmaros.

…In the original work, weren’t there simpler tasks besides this kind of request? Just simple errands.

“Oh, and while we were at it, we also hunted a few dangerous beasts near the cave. They said they would reward us appropriately if we brought back evidence.”

Ah, I see.

In the original work, when you catch a monster, you would immediately receive a reward, but in reality, it’s not that easy. At the very least, you have to bring the carcass to receive the reward.

“Then, can’t we just bring a part of the beast as a reward?”

“Huh? But it wouldn’t look good if people see the carcass left behind, right?”

…

That’s true.

Whether you call it diligence or being a pushover.

It seems that the environment in which a person grows up is incredibly important. The one who used to only pick fights in the original work has grown up so well.

If growing up too well is a problem, then it’s a problem.

…

As I looked at Leo without saying a word, he shrugged and said, “It’s true. If we don’t clean up quickly, blood will start to flow from the beast carcass. The people who come later will have a hard time dealing with it.”

It’s not like they deliberately littered, but because of something they did to help people, the area around them got a little dirty. No one would say anything about it, but it seems to bother them.

“But, why is Sylvia out here at this time?”

I don’t think it’s that strange for me to be out at this time.

At least it’s a much more normal time than for you two. It’s eleven in the morning now.

…From their perspective, it’s been almost seven hours since I came out.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“Yeah. We brought lunch with Leo here.”

It doesn’t feel like a walk.

“…

Oh, just in case, we’re not like that.”

“Who said anything first?”

When Claire said that, Leo replied with a stern expression. It wasn’t a scene where they were snarling at each other like in games, comics, or animations, but a genuine expression of shock. It seems like the kind of expression that would appear if someone misunderstood the relationship between real siblings.

Well, in the original work, Claire isn’t a character you can conquer… or is she? She just didn’t have a final conquest because her death was predetermined.

“No one said anything like that, so you can rest assured.”

“If there was no misunderstanding, that’s good.”

“So, who said anything first?”

Claire ignored Leo’s growling.

…Well.

“It’s nice to see you two getting along.”

“What?”

“Me?”

Claire and Leo almost simultaneously said that.

“Him?”

“Her?”

It was a reaction that could come out of a real comic, so I had to try really hard to hold back my laughter.

But still, it’s nice to be able to see this kind of scene up close.

Both of them were characters I liked.

*

Not only Leo and Claire, but most of the main characters in this game are diligent.

Even Jake, who looks lazy on the outside, was like that. He may look lazy on the outside, but in reality, he works hard and studies diligently. Especially in this world, where he is still in the process of loving a foreign race. He had to know how to properly refute those who belittle the race. In that sense, am I not the laziest one?

If there’s time to rest, I would go back in time and rest as much as I could.

Of course, resting during that time wouldn’t alleviate the fatigue that had accumulated. When you turn back time, the fatigue that was originally there comes rushing back.

But still, it was good for using chances like “just five more minutes.”

Once I have an hour to rest, I rest for an hour.

And turning back time only goes back 30 minutes. I always wanted to rest sincerely, so it wasn’t that difficult to do so.

No matter how difficult things may be, taking a 30-minute break can help your body recover somewhat. That’s the case unless you’ve suffered a serious injury.

So, the idea is to extend your break time by repeating the state of being significantly improved for 30 minutes multiple times.

Although your body can only recover in about an hour of rest, at least during that time, your mind can continue to clear up, giving you some time to prepare mentally.

And during that time, you might even be able to handle any urgent tasks that come up.

“….”

I felt the same way now. Under the determination not to face the upcoming Monday, I replayed the fifth hour.

Even when stretched out to this extent on the bed, as I quietly pondered about the upcoming events, some ideas suddenly came to mind.

Most of the fleeting thoughts in my head were brief, but when combined, they led to a reasonable conclusion.

For example, the ideas that came to my mind were like this.

I already received the schedule for the 1st semester at the academy.

Thanks to that, I know what events are happening at the academy from the 2nd week of May. The event is an overseas training.

The overseas training will take place over four days, from Thursday to Sunday.

The destination is Winterfield. It’s quite a distance away from the battlefield.

Up to this point, it was the information I had about the academy, and from then on, it was the information I had about the original game.

Winterfield is located in the northernmost part of the Empire. It’s called Winterfield because it always snows there.

Perhaps it’s because of that image, or maybe it’s due to the fixed concept of the existing fantasy world, but people from the Empire are usually from there.

Even if it’s not called Winterfield.

And among the names that immediately come to mind, there are some very important figures in terms of setting and content.

One of them is the famous swordsman from Winterfield.

“….Huh?”

In a moment of clarity, I sat up abruptly from my position and raised my hand to my chin, deeply lost in thought.

The swordsman, he hasn’t died in the story yet. If I were to appear and cause a significant change, who knows if Lucas would go to see the swordsman first.

The reason Lucas went to see the swordsman was that at that point, he was confident in his abilities. He went to see him thinking he could definitely win a fight. In fact, according to the developers’ stories, at this point, Lucas was stronger than the swordsman, but Lucas only gained confidence and determination in the second work of this world.

The swordsman was a bit older, but he was still alive and kicking.

If I set my mind to it, it wouldn’t be impossible to meet the swordsman next week.

If I were to meet the swordsman before Leona Claire, could I learn various training methods on my own? Like a meditation method that allows me to train while turning back time… Well, every time I turn back time, my physical abilities will just reset.

“….Ah.”

Oh, no.

It’s not impossible.

I know the location of the swordsman, but… it’s on the mountainside.

The swordsman cut off ties with the world, so in the game, you can’t meet him in the usual way. However, among the closed quests, there was a quest where you could meet the swordsman.

“But you have to climb the mountain.”

I pinched my nose with my index and thumb.

Just as the game and reality are somewhat different, the appearance of the mountain will surely not be exactly the same as in the game. Climbing a mountain is not an easy task to begin with.

Isn’t that right? Just climbing Mount Seorak alone takes several hours and continues to climb, but Mount Seorak, where the swordsman is, is much more treacherous.

“….No, wait.”

I thought of the two people who were happily laughing this morning, stacking up six animal carcasses.

Even if I don’t think about wanting to go up, won’t these two eventually find their way up to search for the sword?

They seemed to have an incredible passion for swordsmanship, after all.

And probably, Alice and Charlotte will be there by their side.

…If Alice is there, then I must be there too.

“….”

Perhaps, if someone were looking at my face right now, they would be surprised to see my face pale with shock.