Jeiha Academy 3

“Since you seem alright, that’s good.”

Feeling unnecessarily conscious of Theodore’s gaze as he said this, Yuria habitually took a breath and asked:

“Just now, what was that reactive force?”

Yuria deliberately asked about the reactive force she had just experienced to forget her embarrassment. And since she was genuinely curious, she waited for Theodore’s answer.

“The reactive force just now is one of the techniques I developed to return an opponent’s attack. It’s a technique that involves imbuing the sword with a counter-force to return the opponent’s attack. It works by reflecting direct impacts or energy-based attacks, but if the opponent’s attack is too powerful, it can’t deflect it.”

“How do you do it?”

“I’ll show you the technique of energy flow.”

As a teacher, Theodore was surprisingly diligent. And as he patiently taught the technique while showing the flow of energy, Yuria felt it was easy to learn.

“This is unexpected.”

“What is?”

“I thought someone like you would show off and ask why I couldn’t do even this.”

Yuria judged that he was excellent and admirable as a teacher, at least, being more diligent in teaching than she had expected.

But she had to retract this thought in less than a minute when Theodore said:

“I’ve never overestimated you from the beginning. I didn’t expect you to be able to copy it just by seeing it once, so I had already thought of ways to teach according to your level.”

“…You really are annoying.”

Yuria glared at Theodore again for his way of speaking that immediately shattered any positive image she tried to form of him, but her eyes were less fierce than before.

“Still, thank you. Whatever your reasons, you’re teaching me like this.”

Yuria was aware that, regardless of the reason, she was currently receiving help from Theodore. Her thinking was that, whatever his reasons might be, he was helping her, and as the recipient of that help, she should be grateful to him.

“You want to go to the Britannia Empire and prove your abilities, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I see. You’re full of passion. But when you go to the Britannia Empire, there will probably be many things that will make you regret going.”

Yuria was perplexed by Theodore’s words, spoken with a strange certainty.

‘What kind of things will happen?’

The Theodore she knew wasn’t someone who would say such things without basis. Although he was annoying, if one excluded his provocative, annoying manner of speaking, he always spoke with clear evidence and didn’t make hasty assumptions.

“I can’t tell you what it is. Currently, only my family members and very few people in the imperial family know all of this.”

This meant it was a secret that was being kept confidential by the imperial family and House Skyroad, so he couldn’t tell her.

“I understand.”

Nodding at this fact, Yuria decided not to ask what it was.

If it was a secret known only to a few in the imperial family, she couldn’t be the first to know about a matter that even her father, the Duke of Arsein, might not know about.

“So, was your purpose in calling me out to confirm my determination?”

“That’s part of it. It’s also my duty as a fiancé. Besides, you do know that you can’t bring servants and maids to attend to you when going to the Britannia Empire, right?”

“…Of course I know.”

Yuria was going to the Britannia Empire as an exchange student.

Naturally, she couldn’t take servants and maids who worked for House Arsein with her, and she had to live in the academy’s dormitory.

If she were a student from the Britannia Empire, she could simply purchase a villa nearby and commute from there, but as a foreign exchange student, and moreover, a lady from another country, Yuria had to be carefully protected at the academy by the Britannia Empire.

If anything were to happen to her, it could immediately escalate into an international issue, and it would create an image that they couldn’t even properly protect a student.

For the sake of national prestige, they had no choice but to have her stay in the academy’s dormitory for her safe protection.

And for the safety of their own students, the Arcan Empire had already established such provisions with the Britannia Empire 100 years ago.

“After we transfer to the second year at Minst Academy, the place we’re going to, we’ll be able to meet easily since we’re engaged.”

“And?”

“I’ve taken responsibility for your safety and protection, so don’t worry. So you do as you please.”

At Theodore’s words, Yuria momentarily thought that he might be showing consideration for her. But interpreting his words, it was closer to an arrogant confidence saying, “With me around, you won’t have any problems.”

“I dislike… how you say such things so casually.”

“Sometimes I think you’re quite an interesting woman.”

With those words, Theodore turned away.

“Practice the technique of counter-force as I taught you. I’ll come back later to check.”

“Ah.”

Yuria stared blankly at the place Theodore had left for a moment, then sighed.

“Haah~ He’s really someone who does as he pleases.”

While expressing slight complaints about his self-centered behavior that irritated her and made her want to hit him every time she saw him, Yuria held her sword, took her stance, and thought:

‘After infusing energy into the sword… to give it counter-force…’

As Yuria was reviewing the technique Theodore had taught her, she suddenly remembered that she had been exempted from all second-year classes.

Since she was leaving for her studies abroad next week, she was exempted from all second-year classes this year.

What would be the point of attending just one week’s worth of classes when she wouldn’t attend any more classes for the year?

‘Ashley would have gone to class too… I’ll have to practice alone in the meantime.’

While Yuria was slightly concerned about being subjected to Ashley’s chatter after classes ended, she thought she would miss such chatter from her friend once she went abroad.

No, she would miss everything about Jeiha Academy for a year.

She also felt sad that she wouldn’t see her young sister, Lilia, at the Arsein mansion for a year.

‘Lilia will be sad too, won’t she?’

However, Lilia would probably be more upset about not seeing Theodore than her.

Her younger sister, who had fallen for Theodore’s thorough mask, treated whatever Yuria said as lies to protect her fiancé, and she would sometimes say things like “Sister, if you don’t like Lord Theodore, can you break off the engagement and switch the fiancée position with me?” while suffering from lovesickness thinking about Theodore.

“It’s really irritating. Enchanting people left and right…”

Saying this while nervously brushing back her long silver hair, Yuria decided to focus only on her sword to forget her distracting thoughts.

---

Theodore was walking around inside Jeiha Academy.

‘Only one more week of this scenery.’

He was the heir to House Skyroad, the foremost family in the Arcan Empire. And he had sworn to the Emperor to protect the Arcan Empire.

But he was born in the Britannia Empire, not the Arcan Empire.

“The Britannia Empire. No matter how much I think about it, there are no good memories at all.”

Theodore coldly sneered as he recalled the gathering place of foolish people full of those who were blind despite having eyes.

Everything was trivial and laughable.

But at the same time, he felt a sense of anticipation that it might be interesting.

He wondered what kind of reaction the Britannia Empire, which would learn all the truths, would show, and he hoped they would display behavior that defied his expectations.

Wouldn’t it be too boring if they moved exactly as he expected?

At Jeiha Academy, he had been the top student in all departments except the Divine Arts Department in his first year, and he had privately demonstrated skills that overwhelmed even fourth-year seniors countless times, becoming a legend at Jeiha Academy.

But Minst Academy wouldn’t immediately acknowledge that. And naturally, there would be numerous provocations, which was exactly what Theodore wanted.

‘House Artin…’

Recalling that name he hated, loathed, and despised, Theodore remembered his conversation with the Duke of Skyroad.

‘There’s no need to worry, father.’

That place full of foolish behavior where people who couldn’t even distinguish between real and fake were using an idiot for propaganda.

Even if they went crazy looking for a replacement, nothing would change.

Even if they were a nuisance to him, his path wouldn’t change.

‘I am Theodore Skyroad. And after a year of study abroad, the place I will return to is right here, Jeiha Academy.’