episode_0029

Bad endings are hidden everywhere in the game of destruction.

Now that I was in the academy, it was like hell had just begun.

The only silver lining is that the achievement tells you that you’ve prevented the bad ending.

Plus, it’s designed like a game UI, so it even lets me know if I’ve missed anything.

There are circular achievement boxes in the square boxes, and each one has a ??? on it. You can see that the achievements I’ve gotten so far are 1 and 2, and I’m doing a good job of blocking them.

“This, I can’t do it without sticking with these two people.”

I think that if possible, we should stick together as a trio, including me, rather than just the two of us.

If you put just the two together and miss even one of them, you never know what kind of bad ending you’ll get.

Among the bad endings of destruction, most of them involve the destruction of the world, but sometimes there are endings where one of the main characters dies.

So, if possible, I would never wish for the death of either of the two people I already know.

Therefore, both the ending where the world is destroyed and the ending where one of the two dies must be prevented.

From now on, we have to start defending against bad endings.

No, actually, it’s already been started by force.

“By the way, Theo, did you receive the class assignment sheet?”

While waiting for the weapon to be made and chatting about this and that, Iris brought up the topic of class assignments.

“Yeah, I got it. It was class A.”

At the academy, class A is a class where only the most talented students can go.

There is an S class above that, but that is for the 4th year. So it is a class that only exists for the graduating class, so for us who are still freshmen, we can say that Class A is the highest class.

“I’m in class A too! We can spend time together at school too!”

I just laugh as I watch Iris talk excitedly.

Right, since you’re one of the main characters, you can’t be in class A.

Originally, the two main characters in the story were both great elites.

“I’m in class A too, Theo-nim. I don’t like being in the same class as Iris, but what can I do? Since I’m in the same class as Theo-nim, I guess I’ll just have to put up with it?”

Estelle’s words were so annoying that I felt annoyed for no reason, so I lightly hit her on the forehead.

“Oh, is that what friends say, Estelle?”

“Oh, uh… Okay, I’m sorry.”

“Haha, this is a complete failure!”

“Iris, would you do that if your friend got in trouble?”

“Sorry… I’m sorry… .”

I’m going to lightly scold them both, but I don’t think this will actually improve their relationship.

No, it’s not that they don’t get along, it’s just that those two are always like that.

In the game, Lina von Maria, who is mostly in the middle, often scolds the two like I do, but Iris and Estelle really fight and fight without getting tired.

I really don’t know how people like that end up falling in love, but whatever.

I think it’s something like that. You’re the first one to treat me like this…

“The sword was completed first. Would you like to come and check it out?”

While we were talking like that, we heard the voice of the shop owner calling us, as if the sword was finished.

“I’ll go and come back alone… ”

“I miss you!”

“Theo is a swordsman! I really want to see it…!”

I couldn’t bear to leave the two people who were reacting so violently, so I ended up going to the empty lot behind to look at the sword together.

“Here, if you have a sparring partner, you can more easily check the sword’s performance. How about Her Highness the Crown Princess being your sparring partner? I can lend you any sword you want from the ones sold in our shop.”

I also knew that Iris had been wanting to have a swordsmanship duel with me for a while now.

To begin with, while Estelle is a magician, Iris is a swordsman.

As if it was all a joke, the shop owner suggests a fight.

But… even though I’m strong, I think it would be hard for me to beat the main character.

“Oh, is that okay? Is, is Theo… okay… ”

Iris immediately asks for my opinion, and after thinking about it for a moment, I agree to the sparring.

Whether I win or lose, I’ll be honest and treat you with Iris in mind to some extent.

I couldn’t find any reason to turn it down as it was clearly going to be a great experience for me.

“This is my first time sparring with someone since Uncle Duncan, so I’m really nervous.”

Besides, considering that Uncle Duncan was a master who could be used in real combat right away and had always looked after me, I thought that a real duel would be difficult, so I asked Iris a favor.

“You’ll see? This is my first time sparring with someone properly.”

“Um, well. If I let you see it, I think I’ll be completely broken.”

“Hey, that’s ridiculous.”

Iris has already mastered Aura at this point and is one of the strongest warriors in the Imperial Knights.

The fact that the two entered the academy was literally for the sake of a peace treaty between the two countries, not because they needed someone to teach them.

If I let it go and ask them to spar with that kind of person, they’ll end up broken and battered… Even if I’m a strong person, that’s ridiculous.

“Anyway, I’ll ask you something!”

After the duel is concluded, the old man hands over a sword.

“What is this made of?”

It feels quite light, as if it’s not made of iron or a common ore, and it feels really good in the hand.

A high-quality sword that is so sharp that it feels like it could cut down most trees with just one swing.

“Do you know about Baektanseok? I used that.”

“You used white carbonite…?!”

White carbonite is one of the minerals that exists only in the world of destruction, and it is an extremely expensive mineral.

That’s because this agate is light, easy to sharpen, and boasts elasticity that doesn’t break easily, making it one of the most expensive minerals used to make swords.

“Yes. The chairman is providing it anyway, and he said that it is okay to use it whenever there is a suitable student, so don’t worry.”

Even so, I never dreamed that at this point I would have a sword made of white carbonite.

Iris uses a sword made of white carbonite, but that happens quite a bit later in the game.

Of course, she didn’t buy it at the academy’s shop or anything, but rather, she made it using the white coal that she obtained while going to the dungeon for preliminary training at the academy.

“A sword made of white carbonite. I’m looking forward to this.”

Iris’s eyes changed.

His eyes, which were usually very calm, were now burning with the desire to practice.

Yeah, that’s right. In the game, there was a description that Iris never avoided sparring with people.

“I’m jealous. When the staff is finished, please spar with me, Theo-nim.”

“Why can’t you guys beat me and get so upset?”

“Hey, I’m not trying to win, I’m just trying to learn a trick.”

I let out a deep sigh and answer Estelle, who is smiling as if she is sincere.

“No matter how strong I am, I’m only that strong among the commoners. How can I defeat you guys?”

After lightly patting his head, he decides to practice anyway, so he takes his sword and sits down in an empty space.

“Let’s give it a try!”

***

“No matter how strong I am, I’m only that strong among the commoners. How can I defeat you guys?”

Estelle stared at Theo as he stroked her head and said that before going off to practice swordsmanship with Iris.

‘Why do you think so? Theo-nim is much stronger.’

It was a bit odd to call it a magic duel right before the exam, and when Estelle simply challenged him, her hands were still shaking from the ice magic she had been subjected to, so it seemed likely that Theo did not fully understand his own strength.

‘Of course, if you had the skills at the time, I might have been able to win if we sparred.’

At that time, we hadn’t sparred, and I didn’t feel like Theo was as strong as he is now.

But the problem is that it wasn’t a few years ago, or a few months ago.

The problem was that it was only a few weeks ago.

‘What cycle do you follow to become stronger? If you had divine powers, you would definitely be called a saint.’

Unfortunately, however, divine power is something that is innate from birth, and Theo was not born with divine power.

‘I guess I should say that it’s fortunate.’

If not, she would not have been a saint.

‘Or should I say it’s a pity?’

As someone who had never been particularly fond of the title of saint, Estelle’s feelings were quite complicated.

Of course, there was nothing more inefficient than imagining something that could never happen.

‘Anyway, it is highly likely that your swordsmanship is also one level higher than Iris’s.’

Although I hadn’t personally trained with her and hadn’t seen Iris’ swordsmanship with my own eyes, I had heard a bit about it, so I had a rough idea of her skill level.

Of course he could have gotten stronger than that, but Theo was weird. Usually, it took a long time for people to get stronger.

‘My heart is pounding.’

Whatever it was, it was incredibly exciting to be able to watch Theo do what he did and see him grow up.