Ch.51Midterm Exam (1)

Having fled from the dueling grounds, Rustila arrived at a field-like open area.

Waiting for her there was a woman wearing a cosmic-colored epaulette.

Saaah-

Her platinum blonde hair, swaying in the artificial wind, absorbed the fresh Aether.

The aura of nobility was palpable.

She made eye contact with the sword-wielding woman. Her emerald eyes, refined to perfection, sparkled as if they had absorbed sunlight.

“Hello? You came early again today.”

“Yes.”

Naiere Clarke.

Guardian of the Eastern Front. One of only twelve ‘Great Omega’ class swordsmen in the Federation. Isaac Clarke’s wife.

There are many words to describe her, but right now only one matters.

Rustila’s swordsmanship instructor.

She had come to Stellarium at her husband’s request not long ago and had been teaching Rustila every day since.

“The early bird catches the worm, they say. Hehe, good posture. Taking time off work to teach you is proving worthwhile.”

Great Omegas are commonly known by the alias “Master” and are busy individuals, treated as the nation’s greatest military assets.

In fact, if Rustila hadn’t been a Stellarium student, or if she lacked talent in swordsmanship, or if there hadn’t been an emergency with a hole in the Aether Belt—

Naiere would have had no reason to come here.

“Well, no need for long explanations. Prepare for ionization. We’ll go straight into practical training.”

Nodding, Rustila channeled Aether into her sword, causing the ionized blade to howl fiercely as it spewed photons.

Matching her, Naiere drew a three-blade form sword.

Multi-stellar sword energy.

Heroes who contract with constellations rather than single stars are granted the ability to wield multiple sword techniques with a single blade.

Of course, not just anyone can draw out multi-stellar sword energy, even with the same skill level. Even if possible, it’s usually limited to fields similar to one’s original training.

Naiere is different.

She created what’s commonly called a “private wave” sword technique, allowing her to wield her sword like a brush as she desires.

While the sword path’s wild nature makes it vulnerable to psychological warfare, it has the advantage of being strong in improvisation.

It was exactly Rustila’s style.

“Try to block this.”

Naiere grinned as she heated her sword. She instantly drew three sword paths.

All were feints. Rustila’s eyes widened.

She maximized her Aether output. Rustila swung her sword in a wide arc.

The blade deflected, spewing sparks. The radiant heat from the electric discharge warmed her face.

She blocked much better than on the first day.

“Now block this too.”

Next came five paths. They came from the sides and from behind(!). In the blink of an eye, diffracted ion beams targeted the back of her head.

She ducked her head. Dodged. The back of her hair lifted slightly. Her expression grimaced at the burning sensation.

How long could the Aether shield hold?

Such concerns soon became reality.

Crack!

The Aether couldn’t withstand the ions. The precarious bubble-like barrier peeled away. The recoil knocked Rustila down.

“Ugh!”

Naiere withdrew her three-blade sword and approached, offering a water bottle.

“You’ve improved a lot since the beginning. But you’re still clumsy at controlling your emotions.”

“Emotions?”

“Yes, emotions. You and I are of the same kind. Though different in specifics, broadly speaking, we both use self-created sword techniques.”

Walking one’s own path is difficult. Because there’s no manual. Because there’s no one who could be called a master.

“You don’t need proper posture or to learn specific forms. Just swing your sword however it comes to you in the moment.”

In a word, it’s improvisational. And simultaneously emotional.

That’s why when fighting Zernya, a single cutting remark that heightens emotions leads to instant defeat.

“We can’t let our emotions fluctuate wildly. When angry, sword paths become simplistic; when depressed, hesitation emerges.”

Rustila touched the corner of her mouth and asked.

“Should I approach it with a blank expression?”

Naiere shook her head.

“That would help, but it’s not a fundamental solution.”

“Then what should I do?”

“In my case, I drive a wedge into my emotions. Something like love, for example.”

“Love?”

She was surprised by the word that seemed completely unrelated to fighting.

“Yes, love. Like, ‘I love my husband, for better or worse.’ I often fight as his pair, you see.”

Naiere’s face turned sullen as she thought of her husband’s face.

Fighting as a pair seemed to carry more than one meaning, but let’s move on.

“To match my husband’s rhythm, I get irritated. But because I like him, I synchronize my breathing with his.”

Love.

For seventeen-year-old Rustila, it’s both fresh and difficult emotion.

Until now, she hadn’t fallen in love with anyone due to her parents’ interference.

It’s not that there weren’t boys her age she considered close, but—

Rustila shook her head.

“No need to think too deeply about it. I only got the hang of it around when I graduated from college.”

Naiere patted Rustila’s shoulder and checked her watch.

“Oh my, it’s already time to go. See you tomorrow then.”

“Ah, you don’t need to come for the next three days.”

“Why?”

“It’s midterms.”

***

“Eidel, did you do well on your exam?”

“Yes, Professor.”

Day 1 of midterms. After finishing the written test, I came down to the planet where the college is located and was having tea with Professor Feynman.

Sonia tried to stop me, saying I was crazy, but fuck it, no one could stop me.

As the atmosphere warmed while drinking tea, I showed the Black Sphere and said.

“I picked up something like this before.”

“What is it?”

“It’s an object that a monster I encountered during the last reassignment test was carrying.”

I mixed in some lies. Actually, this is better for both of us.

“May I touch it?”

“If you have a constellation.”

“I have a contract, though it’s nothing special. If it’s alright, please show me.”

I handed the Black Sphere to Feynman and continued.

“I’ve read all the review papers on Material Chips, but there’s no such material. Since the physical properties are unknown, a physics approach is necessary.”

“First, we should run it through Elphes and SSM.”

My original purpose for coming here was to hand over the Black Sphere to Feynman. I prepared to withdraw as if my business was done.

“Eidel.”

Professor Feynman stopped me as I was about to get up.

“Would you like to write a paper with me on this subject?”

“Pardon?”

Crazy. What is he saying to a high school student, not even a college student?

“In my view, this is something significant. For your first paper, submitting to a journal with an IF above 20… what do you think?”

“I’d be more than grateful just to be mentioned in the acknowledgments.”

“Haha, what professor in the world would do such a bad thing? A student who personally brought the material should be at least the second author.”

My head was spinning.

Feynman patted my shoulder and said.

“Let’s have a meeting after your midterms are over.”

***

Second day of midterms.

The written tests were all done, and only the practical remained.

Honestly, the written tests were nothing special.

Just subjects like Korean, math, science. Since it’s still high school level, I finished comfortably.

The problem was the practical test.

“The duel is a simulated battle in virtual reality. Since it’s an exam, it will be conducted school-wide, so please take note.”

That’s right. I have to fight again.

Damn, I really have no confidence in fighting.

“All students should take five practical test cards. With these, you can freely fight whoever you want, so keep that in mind. The rules are posted on the blackboard, so refer to them. That’s all!”

As soon as the announcement ended, students flocked to the blackboard.

[Midterm Practical Evaluation Rules]

[1. All students receive five practical test cards.]

[2. One card is consumed each time a duel is requested.]

[3. All cards have binding force. That is, if someone presents you with a card, you must accept it unconditionally.]

[4. However, to fight the same person more than once, two cards must be consumed from then on.]

[5. All students must duel at least three times.]

[6. All five cards must be used.]

[7. Maximum battle time is 5 minutes. Students who leave the arena or have their Aether shield completely depleted lose.]

[8. Personal Plasma Swords may be used.]

As I was reading, a red-haired male student next to me clicked his tongue.

It was my classmate, Mathers Byteling.

“Ugh, why is there so much annoying detail?”

“It just says fight a lot and win.”

“Huh?”

Mathers looked at me and snorted.

“I’m sure the noble young master will be fine?”

“Honestly, I’ll probably get thrashed.”

“…What? That’s no fun.”

Mathers, like Senior Edward, comes from the frontier. Because of this, he greatly dislikes the wealthy children from inside the Gold Zone.

As a result, he was even more of an outsider in class than Zernya. His occasional provocations toward me were probably a reaction to that.

However, there hadn’t been any major conflicts so far. I knew how to yield appropriately.

This time seems difficult.

Mathers held out a card to me.

“Let’s fight.”

“……”

I know he’s quite skilled with a sword. It would be difficult to win using conventional methods.

I was inwardly sighing while about to accept the card when—

“Oh, Mathers?”

Another classmate, Welton Yusoford, appeared. Come to think of it, Welton and Mathers were on good terms in the original work.

“Didn’t you say I would be your first opponent for the practical?”

He removed his sunglasses and dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve.

“Sob, sob, I’m so sad. You said I would be your first…”

“What the hell is this crazy bastard saying?”

“Cheating on me with another man!”

Slash! A golden card flew at Mathers’ face.

“What kind of fucking concept are you going for today?!”

“The Heresset concept.”

Welton grinned and pointed behind him. Kristin, who was (coincidentally?) passing by, blushed and pulled out a card.

“I’ve never done such a concept, you know?!”

Slash! This time, Kristin’s card flew at Welton’s face.

“Wow! This looks fun…!”

Mezulen, Kristin’s best friend, seemed to enjoy it and threw a card at Mathers.

Is this a duel request or a game of Go-Stop?

“Hey, you guys! Who said to play cards like a gambling game? Hurry up and take the exam!”

The illegal gambling was busted by a police officer who happened to be patrolling nearby, and the game was thoroughly disrupted.

Anyway, since I received a card from Mathers, I had to fight him. However, I could tentatively adjust when to fight.

While fiddling with the received card, I sensed someone behind me.

“Hey.”

A voice that brought bad luck.

“Eat this.”

Zernya von und zu Trisha Adelbein, who approached in an instant, took out her card and placed it between my lips.