Ch.77. Victory Banquet (2)

    Professor Jake’s voice lowered noticeably, and his expression hardened.

    Though he was usually a professor who acted playfully with students despite being forty-four, right now he was completely different.

    I know exactly when that face appears.

    -“Never think your capacity is small. I’ve watched you for years, and I guarantee it!! Junon, you’re more exceptional than anyone else here!!”

    It was the same resolute face he had shown when trying to help students escape from a desperate situation.

    However, there was no one who should know about my secret duel with Silvia. Even Michelle, who had been closest, wasn’t actually there.

    So I answered calmly… no, brazenly, as if nothing had happened.

    In response, Professor Jake maintained silence for a moment before expressing his concern, telling me not to push myself too hard.

    ‘He deliberately didn’t mention it when I was in the infirmary.’

    Though he waited for my body to recover before bringing up the subject, I couldn’t answer anything related to Silvia.

    For now, I don’t particularly want my name to become known in any way.

    The sun is setting, and darkness begins to fall. Perhaps because it’s winter, the sun seems to set especially quickly.

    I put my textbooks and writing materials in the hallway locker and headed to the physical training room again today.

    Until now, I thought I wouldn’t have any more connections with the Tembris members. But then…

    “Hello?”

    There she was—a person with a controlled expression that revealed nothing of her inner thoughts, yet with eyes that seemed to see right through others.

    Someone I barely knew in this life and coincidentally the number one person I didn’t want to encounter.

    Senia was standing right in front of me.

    A team basically consists of at least six people, with one person filling each position.

    Since humans have many disadvantages when facing magical beasts, it’s best to balance teamwork and appropriate role distribution.

    Anyway, whether forming a team or having that team designated as a named team to become a party, when multiple people gather, they often put their heads together.

    What happens when a team faces a magical beast and has to retreat or struggles?

    Differing opinions and disagreements are not just common but frequent. It’s a process that every team goes through at least once, without exception.

    However, in the Tembris party, such conflicts were almost non-existent.

    That’s because they had a close-combat vanguard who could analyze the characteristics and attack patterns of magical beasts and keenly identify their weaknesses.

    There’s nothing particularly wrong with someone following you and striking up a conversation, but the fact that Senia is following me and talking to me now is unsettling.

    If someone else were watching, I might figure out a way to brush it off, but with Senia, it’s different.

    ‘This is dangerous. Why is she…?’

    Few can match her insight. Even if we’re not talking about the Tembris party but the entire Kempriton continent.

    Given that Senia can guess what I’m hiding and anticipate future events from just one small action, the current situation is not good.

    If she catches even one loose thread, she’ll persistently dig into that clue and reach conclusions faster than anyone else.

    “I thought I only saw you visiting the magic training room. I didn’t expect you to change your approach to physical training.”

    Damn it. Even Professor Jake didn’t notice this right away. Senia has already finished her deduction just from seeing me visit the physical training room once.

    If it were someone else, they would first think it strange and at least ask why I did it… She’s a talent with different abilities from the start.

    I shouldn’t give her any more information. From the moment I met Senia, today’s training was already over.

    It would be better to go back to the dormitory and think about how to deal with her. However.

    “If you leave like this, you’ll only frustrate yourself.”

    As I turned to exit, Senia blocked my path with her scabbard, trying to continue the conversation.

    “I’d like to know how you defeated Silvia. You know as well as I do that she’s not someone you can simply overpower physically, right?”

    …Oh, for crying out loud.

    Of all things, she saw that?

    ***

    Humans are emotional creatures, so every human naturally has secrets or vulnerabilities that they’re sensitive about.

    ‘This is harder than I thought.’

    However, the wall Junon has built is so sturdy that it’s difficult to break through.

    The reason I ended up directly saying, “I saw you fighting Silvia,” was because of this.

    ‘But I have no choice.’

    With the semester-end evaluation and the beginning-of-semester evaluation coming up soon for next year’s class assignments, and the high possibility of dueling tests being included, I needed to find a way to overcome the barrier of Class C.

    In the midst of this, I witnessed Junon from Class E defeating Silvia from Class C. It was a jaw-dropping result.

    The unfortunate part is that I didn’t see the entire battle process, so Senia decided that asking the person directly would be most effective.

    “…I don’t know. I guess it was just luck.”

    “Hmm~ Is that your excuse?”

    Even though Junon is still playing dumb like this.

    “Why are you being like this? I think you know better than anyone that Silvia isn’t an opponent you can dismiss as mere luck.”

    “Maybe that’s why she let her guard down? You seem to be making quite a leap in logic.”

    “If it were nobles dueling among themselves, that might be possible. But if she lost to a commoner or a student from Class D or E, wouldn’t that be a problem in itself?”

    Senia logically refuted each of Junon’s claims.

    No matter what excuses he makes to deflect the questions, Senia doesn’t waver and keeps returning to the main point.

    Junon realizes this isn’t going to work.

    ‘No matter what excuse I make now, it won’t work anymore.’

    Predicting that continuing this way would lead to unfavorable results, Junon had no choice but to close his mouth and start running.

    “Huh…? Hey, HEY!!! Oh, come on…!!”

    Junon suddenly cut off the conversation and ran away.

    Even Senia was visibly flustered by this unexpected turn of events.

    She had been waiting for an answer, thinking he was about to confess, but now she found herself running after him in confusion.

    However, perhaps Junon’s physical training over the past few days had been effective. Senia couldn’t catch up to him.

    “What the heck…?”

    Dumbfounded, Senia caught her breath while staring blankly at the end of the corridor where Junon had disappeared, muttering with regret.

    “Hah… I thought I almost had him.”

    ***

    Good. I seem to have managed to put enough distance between us to shake off Senia.

    Now that she’s no longer in sight, I can finally sit down in a corner and catch my breath.

    I thought this place was empty, but of all times, Senia happened to be watching then.

    Still, maybe it’s fortunate? I don’t think Senia saw everything from beginning to end.

    I avoided Michelle only to run into Senia.

    ‘I really don’t want to encounter any of you if possible.’

    Do they even need me, honestly?

    Even without me, each person has their defined role, making them a complete named party.

    Then there’s no need for me to join and become a party member that others might resent.

    If I were to rejoin Tembris in their eyes, conflicts would arise among party members again.

    Even good-natured kids like Michelle and Senia had strongly opposed those who wanted to drive me out…

    If the inevitable end of that conflict is a decrease in party members friendly to me, including Michelle and Senia, I’ll end up going through the same procedure again.

    So I have no choice but to avoid them. If I don’t want to return to that party, if I don’t want to die at the hands of those who don’t welcome me.

    “…It’s hard, so hard.”

    “What’s hard?”

    “What’s hard? Living as a person is…”

    Wait, wasn’t I alone here?

    While muttering complaints to myself, I turned my head toward the voice, wondering if Senia had caught up, only to find a beautiful young girl standing with her hands behind her back.

    “Ah, is it because of the semester-end evaluation?”

    Though I’m hearing this clear voice for the first time, I know who this girl is.

    This girl, who clapped her hands as if in understanding, is the object of admiration for people of all ages and genders at Levrant Academy.

    -‘Even at night, if you look from a distance, you can see a soft glow, so she’s probably visible just walking around?’

    -‘Night? Even during the day, if she goes somewhere slightly dark, you can see it all. I heard her mana circulation rate has reached its limit, so even her hair emits light.’

    -‘Probably most men consider Lady Renias their ideal type. Silver hair and eyes as dark as the night sky! Isn’t she too beautiful?’

    -‘I saw her directly, and when she smiled at us saying to hang in there, both men and women might fall for her. She’s that beautiful.’

    Her appearance matched what I’d only heard in rumors.

    Even in the shade, her silver hair displayed a fresh radiance, and her features accentuated her fair skin and pure face.

    “I’ll work hard so I don’t worry you, so please don’t worry!”

    Finally, the formal speech that most nobles or upper-class students don’t use with commoners or lower-class students.

    This was Renias, the idol of Levrant Academy.


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