106. Preparing for the final exam (2)

Fortunately, there was no one on the rooftop of Endier Hall.

Cecilia, who had suddenly been snatched up, breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that it was me.

“Th-thank goodness. It was you, Oraboni.”

Then, realizing that I was in front of her, Cecilia hastily tidied her disheveled hair.

“I, I can’t be seen like this… not in front of Oraboni…”

Cecilia’s platinum blonde hair quickly became neat. Once she was done tidying up, Cecilia looked at me and lowered her face deeply.

“I’m alive thanks to Oraboni… I’m too embarrassed to stand in front of so many people…”

“What happened a little while ago?”

“Yes… that’s, a while ago, the Technical Order held a contest for a new Imperial Sword crafting method from various workshops in Endier Hall…”

The workshops in Endier Hall. There are workshops for individual students, but there are also research lab-style workshops directly run by professors.

However, competing with such large workshops, Cecilia’s Imperial Sword crafting method was selected.

“I thought there were some students who looked older. So, not only graduate students but also professors were listening to my crafting method lecture. You’re really amazing.”

“That’s true, but… it’s n-nothing special. Hehe.”

Even while saying that, the corners of Cecilia’s lips were raised high. Then, as if embarrassed, Cecilia lowered her head deeply, rubbing the index fingers of both hands together.

‘Is she wanting more praise?’

So, when I stroked Cecilia’s head, she made a very happy expression.

[More like a golden puppy than a golden dragon.]

Siertia, which I was wearing at my waist. Erti left such a comment. Then, playfully, she spoke to me and Cecilia.

[But you should be careful. This man you believe is your Oraboni is no different from a beast. No, he’s a Demon Dragon, so he’s a beast itself!]

Erti, having regained her true form as a Holy Sword, was now able to speak directly to those around her like this.

Cecilia was flustered upon hearing those words.

“O-Oraboni isn’t a beast! And… I’m a dragon like Oraboni, so even if Oraboni is a Demon Dragon… there’s no problem…”

[Hmph. No. There is a problem. This man has already laid his hands on your older sister, Tricia! So, he’s already planning to take the two of you to Essenmund and defile the sisters on the same bed… Euhik!?]

I filled my fingertip with magic power and flicked Siertia’s blade hard.

[T-to flick a Holy Sword on the forehead…]

“Don’t say such nonsense. Cecilia will misunderstand.”

However, Cecilia’s expression, having already heard those words, changed. She looked very flustered.

“Together with Tricia Onee-sama… are you really thinking of doing that, Oraboni?”

“That’s a misunderstanding, Cecilia. No matter how much of a Demon Dragon I am, I wouldn’t recklessly…”

“No! That’s a good idea!”

Cecilia held my hand tightly.

“Tricia Onee-sama is my older sister, so it’s not strange to be in bed together!”

I was taken aback by those words. What Erti had said wasn’t just about sleeping soundly in bed together.

But the words that followed made me even more flustered.

“If Tricia Onee-sama also carries Oraboni’s child with me… that would be a joyous thing for both of us!”

A moment of silence flowed. Even Erti, who was somewhat out of her mind, didn’t seem to have expected such an answer.

[……It seems that dragons, even if they aren’t Demon Dragons, have a slightly different way of thinking.]

[Still, can it compare to Erti? And I have something to discuss with Cecilia, so please be quiet.]

[Huh? Are you planning to bang her right here? Boldly enjoying outdoor play on the rooftop, as expected, dragons are all per…]

[Just shut up!]

In the end, I used the system’s function to block Erti’s words.

Then, looking at Cecilia, who was holding my hands tightly and looking at me with amber eyes, I cleared my throat.

“Ahem. Anyway, Cecilia. I came here because I have a request for you too.”

“A request? If it’s a request from Oraboni, anything…”

I hurriedly told her my business.

“I need an Imperial Sword with the same shape as Siertia. I can’t use Siertia in the final exam.”

“The final exam…? Ah, that’s right. Well, if it’s a Holy Sword like Siertia… it would be difficult for the Pantheon students to withstand even one strike.”

I nodded.

“And Mana Light alloy strengthening is impossible. Daren Instructor of the Combat Order set the condition that only swords made of pure iron can be used.”

On the other hand, the four students I was facing could use their swords as much as they wanted. So, it seemed like a very disadvantageous condition for me.

In reality, I had achieved a victory by decision in a sparring match against five High Knights of the Royal Knights.

Daren Instructor, who was from the Royal Knights and had participated in the resistance army, must have already heard that story. Rather, it was right to place more restrictions on me for an accurate evaluation.

“Then I’ll take you to your workshop.”

Just as I was about to pick Cecilia up again, Cecilia urgently stopped me.

“J-just a moment, Oraboni…”

“Huh? Is there a problem?”

Cecilia, her face flushed red, said.

“If we go back to the workshop… we don’t know when the students will come rushing in. It just so happens that there’s no one here, so…”

Saying that, Cecilia hesitated for a moment before finally opening her mouth again.

“I, I’ve been very lacking to Oraboni lately! So… I need… re… replenishment…”

Saying that, Cecilia hugged me.

A little while later. I held her beautiful horns tightly. I shared a sticky time with her on the rooftop.

---

The next day. Cecilia quickly made an Imperial Sword for me.

Now, until the end of the first semester, I had two things to do. Helping Lilia’s Saintess manifestation and sword training.

Sword training for the four-person sparring match. No matter how much my current skills surpassed the level of a student. Prior training was necessary.

‘It’s not that I can’t use Mana at all, but…’

Instead, I couldn’t use Aura. On the other hand, the other four were different.

Lucia, who had already surpassed the 5th Circle with the Lucia-style Fusion Acceleration Method. She could already use Aura proficiently.

Similarly, Fabian, Reef, and Eric, who were outstanding students of Pantheon, had now reached the point of emitting Aura.

‘Completely suppressing the four people without the use of Aura… won’t be easy.’

What was fortunate was that the teamwork between Lucia and the other three wouldn’t be perfect. In the first place, Lucia, who wasn’t close to the male students, decided to prepare for the final sparring match separately.

But a bit of a problem arose.

Lucia, who was ostracized in Pantheon and even in the Combat Order. She didn’t have a suitable sparring partner other than me.

If she had connections in the Swordsmanship Guild like Fabian or Reef, it would be different, but if it wasn’t me, she would have to practice alone.

‘It would be good to practice with me, but that’s impossible because of the conditions of this quest.’

---

• If there is cheating on the final exam. It will not be recognized as a prerequisite for the quest.

---

Lucia was my competitor in the final exam. Sparring with her before the final exam could be recognized as cheating through the system.

That being said, if Lucia couldn’t demonstrate her skills because she was practicing alone like this. It would be a loss for me as well.

The final sparring match in a place where all the students of Pantheon were watching. Considering the name of the final main quest, my opponent had to be the most skilled opponent in Pantheon.

---

“Formal Student of the Pantheon of the Holy Academy”

• Final Main Quest “Most Outstanding Student of the Pantheon of the Holy Academy”

---

In other words, as the name written in the system. The achievement I had to achieve at that end-of-semester ceremony was to become the most outstanding student of Pantheon.

To become the most outstanding student representing the six orders, surpassing the student representative of the order. A match where everyone in Pantheon would acknowledge me had to unfold there.

So, to put it bluntly. I also needed a proper sparring partner.

‘Well, I’ve already thought about it.’

I was now in Pantheon. The place I was heading to was Roia Hall. The sound of students clashing swords was constantly heard from the training grounds of that place, the main building of the Combat Order.

‘Fabian’s group is there too.’

Fabian, Reef, and Eric. I heard from Eric’s older brother, Hans, that those three were very united.

Those three had been working together steadily since the Mana Training Battle. They were not lacking as final sparring match opponents.

However, if I ran into those guys. Especially Fabian, he would definitely come up to me and flatter me for a long time.

‘I shouldn’t interfere.’

And I also had a purpose for being here. I couldn’t be disturbed. I carefully bypassed the training grounds so as not to be noticed by them and headed to the back garden of the main building.

The place where the Saintess statue of my mother, Great Saintess Agnes, was located.

That place, which was used as a resting place for the Combat Order students, was empty, unlike usual.

Everyone was gathered at the training grounds preparing for the final exam sparring match. And that was better for me.

A little while later, the person I had arranged to meet in front of that Saintess statue arrived.

“I’m sorry for being late! Yulian-nim!”

A female student with pink hair wearing combat attire. It was Lucia. It was fortunate that there were no other students in the back garden, as she and I were too conspicuous.

“You’re not late. I came earlier than the promised time.”

“Still… I made Yulian-nim wait.”

Perhaps Lucia was a little late because she was avoiding people’s eyes to come here. Then, Lucia, realizing that only the two of us were in the back garden, avoided my gaze.

‘Is she embarrassed?’

This back garden was also a place mainly used by Combat Order students for campus romance.

“I heard that if you swear your love in front of your mother’s statue. There’s a rumor that it leads to marriage.”

“Yes? Is, is that so? Now that you mention it, I think I’ve vaguely heard that said too…”

Lucia couldn’t make eye contact anymore when I said that. As I always felt. Lucia was the worst at hiding and showing her feelings for me among the heroines.

‘Well, that’s Lucia’s charm, though.’

For a moment, I felt the urge to hide behind the statue and do something lewd with her. But even if I was a Demon Dragon, I couldn’t do such a thing behind my mother’s statue.

Above all, the purpose of calling her here wasn’t a secret meeting. It was for sparring.

“Then I’ll go in right away. Take my hand.”

“Y-yes! Yulian-nim!”

Even though they had already shared sticky affection, Lucia was flustered by just holding hands once.

But soon the two left the back garden and entered another space. The hidden other side of Pantheon. It was the underground Six Shrines.

A place full of the grandeur of an ancient shrine. But the interior was like a training hall or training grounds. A wide space was prepared so that swordsmen could train.

“I could have called you to my mansion. But the place we’ve entered now is the other side of Roia Hall. So, it’s the Shrine of Roia.”

“I see. If it’s the other side of Istia Hall, I’ve been there to head to the primeval forest, but…”

This would be her first time here. The reason I chose this place as the sparring location was simple.

‘The place that used to be the Shrine of Roia, the God of Combat. The place I entered for the trial.’

I obtained Erti in that trial.

And, that Erti was the sparring partner for Lucia. Of course, a sparring partner for me was also prepared. I said to Lucia.

“Then I’ll summon Erti and Leister.”

Soon Siertia emitted light.