Field Trip(4)

After being shocked by Aria’s tremendous impulse buying and remaining frozen for a few minutes, Arin, who had been standing still in place, came to her senses at Aria’s voice heard again.

“Meiyel, take all of these.”

“Okay… Leave it to me…”

She passes all 300 weapons she just bought in full to Meiyel.

And Meiyel, of course, lightly lifted them with magic and walked out.

Yujia, Kama, Isolde, and Morgan followed after her, and soon Aria, left alone, plopped down on a chair placed at the entrance, crossing her legs.

That scene was so natural and unbelievable that the jaw of the Kraken employee, who had been gaping since calculating the weapons just now, looked like it was about to fall off completely.

A natural sense of empathy with such an employee.

But since Arin had seen Aria every day and knew her aspects that differed from others, she returned to her senses faster than the employee and walked towards Aria, whom she had originally intended to find.

Thud── Thud──

“Um… Professor Aria.”

“Hm, what is it? Are you back already? I’m sure I gave you an hour?”

Aria opened her eyes wide at Arin approaching her, perhaps because only 25 minutes had passed.

Aria seemed to have thought that the children would still be choosing weapons even after the time was up.

Certainly, if Arin hadn’t found the Sun Sword, she would have wasted time looking for the sword she wanted until time ran out.

Therefore, to Aria asking why she came back early, Arin carefully showed her the Sun Sword she was hugging to her chest.

“Well, I already chose a sword. But I wanted to get an evaluation to see if it’s okay.”

“Oh? This is Solid. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen it.”

As she revealed the sword with a click, Aria stroked her chin as if she knew something. It seemed that coming to show the sword to Aria was indeed the right answer.

“Do, do you know something?!”

“Yes, of course.”

The tone of her voice naturally rising due to Aria’s reaction.

And to Arin’s excited question, Aria nodded and said:

“Sun Sword Solid. It’s the sister sword of the Sunset Sword Carnia you currently have, Arin. To be more precise, it’s an upgraded version.”

“So it really was a sister sword to the Sunset Sword?!”

Arin felt her excitement heighten even more at her prediction being correct.

However, knowing that it would be quite inconsiderate to keep shouting excitedly at the entrance of Kraken where people were always passing by, Arin barely calmed her inner excitement and asked Aria:

“But what do you mean by an upgraded version…?”

“Exactly what I said. Its performance is twice as good as Carnia in every aspect. The Carnia you’re using now could fully draw out its abilities even with your skill level from a month and a half ago, but that Sun Sword requires skill beyond Carnia.”

“Then does that mean I might not be able to draw out all of this sword’s abilities…?”

If so, that would be the worst. Even if it’s an upgraded version of the Sunset Sword, to think that her skill level wasn’t enough to even draw out its abilities.

Because it was a shame to the life of Arin, who had built up effort as a person before being a swordsman, Arin frowned, but her expression brightened again at Aria’s words that followed:

“What are you talking about? You’ve become stronger by following my classes and receiving special training separately. There’s no way you can’t draw out the abilities of a mere Sun Sword.”

“Th-Then that means…!”

“You’ve chosen quite a good sword. It’s just right for you now.”

A sword just right for her current self.

She couldn’t help but smile brightly at Aria’s words. How could she not smile when told that the sword she chose was the most suitable for her?

Because of that, Arin tried to somehow stop the smile that was naturally spreading across her face and muttered quietly for Aria to hear:

“So I’ve become stronger too…”

“Yes, you’ve definitely become stronger. To the point where I don’t think of you as that naive kid I saw in the tent back then.”

“Ugh…”

Arin groaned and clutched her aching chest at Aria’s words that dug up unpleasant memories.

The memory of that time, the memory in the tent where she first met Aria, was not a memory that was pleasantly recalled.

After all, she had rudely spoken informally to Aria whom she now respected so much, and had struggled over a mere mithril and tried to draw out Carnia with force alone.

It was a memory that remained as a dark history, especially because now Arin was confident that she could split mithril in half and draw out the sword like Aria did that day.

Therefore, as Arin was twisting her body, cringing and letting out a low groan at the sudden recall of unpleasant memories, Aria burst out laughing, snatched the Sun Sword Arin was holding, and walked towards the counter.

“I’ll calculate this in advance. Hey, please calculate this.”

“Ah, ah… Huh?! Oh, yes! One Solid is 3.5 million gold!”

The employee, who finally came to his senses at Aria’s words, looked at the sword and answered, and Aria slightly jerked her chin and said:

“Add this to the temple check I gave you when calculating the 300 swords earlier. I’ll be calculating other students’ weapons soon, so please add those too.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Although Aria’s chin gesture might have seemed a bit arrogant, perhaps because she was a generous customer after a long time, the employee straightened his back briskly and answered, and Aria thanked him with a short nod.

And Aria returning to Arin again.

Aria walked back holding the calculated Sun Sword and bent her waist in front of Arin, grabbing her belt.

“Pro-Professor?”

“Stay still. I’ll put it on for you specially this time.”

Arin blinked and asked as Aria suddenly undid her belt lock, but Aria cut off those words and simply attached the Sun Sword to the loosened belt, and only straightened her bent waist after confirming it was firmly fixed.

And then Aria facing Arin with her mouth closed for a moment.

Eventually, Aria smiled slightly and patted Arin’s head.

“Congratulations on getting a new weapon, Arin. You’ve grown splendidly.”

“…!”

Like a mother patting her daughter’s head. Aria’s hand lightly touching and leaving her head repeatedly.

At the warmth felt from that, Arin looked up at Aria blankly for a moment.

Aria smiling as if she was truly happy that Arin had grown. Come to think of it, Aria had always been smiling whenever they grew stronger.

Always, every time, as if she was happy that they were growing.

Perhaps it’s natural as a professor teaching students, but the smile Aria made was somehow different.

A smile that seemed somewhat detached, sometimes inorganic, but clearly happy and warm.

It was a smile that made her feel strange every time she received it, but it wasn’t particularly unpleasant.

And perhaps because she received such a smile right in front of her face.

Arin spoke before thinking about what she was going to say.

“Professor… how did you become so strong…?”

“Hm?”

Oops, only after speaking did Arin realize that she had just opened her mouth arbitrarily.

It seemed that the newly acquired weapon gave her confidence and being praised so close up made her lose her mind for a moment without realizing it.

But words that have already been uttered don’t come back. Therefore, Arin rather removed the hand covering her mouth and asked again:

“If I follow the path you walked all the way, can I become as strong as you, Professor?”

It was a question she had always been curious about but kept only in her heart.

Where does Aria’s strength come from?

No matter how much effort she accumulates, even if she swings a sword for a lifetime, she feels like she won’t reach her realm.

Because she saw such an overwhelming realm through her, Aria was an object of respect and somewhat fearful awe to Arin.

But because Aria was a monster worthy of awe, Arin wanted to become as strong as her even if it didn’t suit her station, and Arin’s hypothesis about such a wish was one:

If she follows the path Aria has walked so far, matching her steps to her footprints, wouldn’t she become as strong as her?

Even if taking one step is as painful as tearing her body apart.

Although she didn’t know how much time it would take to reach Aria’s side standing at the end of the endless footprints, it was the only method Arin could think of.

Therefore, she asked her that question she had only kept in her heart, swept up in the atmosphere.

And even though she might not get an answer since she had already asked, Arin looked up at Aria, who had closed her eyes at her question, hoping to at least get a clue, and after some time had passed, Aria slowly opened her closed eyes.

“…Ah.”

The first thing seen in her eyes when Aria opened them was regret.

She didn’t know what she was regretting, but it was a bitterly intense feeling of regret.

From there, Arin knew something was wrong. Therefore, Arin tried to stop her from speaking, but before that, Aria opened her closed mouth.

“I… I hope you don’t walk the path I’ve walked.”

Aria said that much and then looked up at the empty air for a moment.

As if recalling something.

The next moment, Aria slightly frowned and removed her hand that was on Arin’s head.

“The path I’ve walked is terribly awful. It’s fine to think of it as just being like a doll.”

“A doll…”

“Yes, it was a life like a doll. That’s why I’m teaching you all like this now. To prevent you from walking the same path as me.”

A life like a doll.

Aria smiled bitterly as she described the life she had lived, the path she had walked, as such.

At that sight, Arin tried to open her mouth to somehow alleviate her pain, realizing she had asked a question that dug into her past, but before that, Aria turned her feet towards the chair she had been sitting on and said:

“Let’s rest for a while until the other students come. There’s still a lot of time left, after all.”

“…Yes.”

Aria, who turned around saying that, was wearing the same bright smile as earlier.

A fake smile that even a fool could recognize.

---

I wiped away cold sweat secretly from Arin as I turned my body towards the sofa.

I had forgotten, but Arin made me remember again.

Entering the dungeon with the best experience efficiency every day at 12 o’clock and repeatedly hunting 500 monsters until energy ran out that day.

The memory of running the dungeon for 3 hours in the middle of the night, which was truly the best method for raising levels, flashes by like a kaleidoscope.

“Ugh, my head…”

My head hurts quite a bit.

No, let me correct that.

Remembering it made my head hurt terribly.