episode_0051

Lilith Tistina, once Mark Viserys’s childhood friend, is now a woman who has come to love a man named Ropel.

She is kind to everyone, regardless of their background, be they commoners or nobles, and never loses her bright smile.

She, who is the number one female student male students want as a girlfriend in the academy, and is also recognized by female students as a fun friend to be around.

Is glaring at a woman with a deep, deep expression of contempt and hatred she had never shown to anyone else.

Eligio Gremlina, despite having exceptionally quick wit and outstanding talent for alchemy within the lineage known as the scholar’s family, lacked social skills due to her uniquely gloomy personality and had no friends.

However, starting this year when she entered the academy, a man appeared whom she could call a friend, and perhaps their relationship might even develop into something more.

But she still couldn’t help but be cautious in her actions towards people she wasn’t very close to.

She always avoided revealing her feelings, adopting a passive attitude and being mindful of others.

Such a person was now openly displaying her emotions, which were contempt, with her eyes, without caring about anyone’s gaze.

The woman who was receiving all those gazes was Seraphina Serion, who was now lying in bed with Ropel, tightly embraced in his arms.

Intoxicated by the warmth and pleasure she felt in Ropel’s arms, she too was late in recognizing the situation.

And unlike her usual self, she remained frozen in a daze, unable to utter a single word for a while.

This was because, even thinking about it herself, her current appearance was too embarrassing.

Seeing her attitude, Lilith and Eligio looked at her as if looking at a criminal in court.

Of course, she might feel a little uncomfortable, but there was no reason for her to receive such contempt in the current situation.

It was highly likely that Ropel had blurted out nonsense while half-asleep, but this act was clearly something he had suggested first, and she had simply followed along.

Although she could have gotten up from that spot anytime if she exerted some strength, she didn’t, and that.

What was embarrassing was simply the sight of them being seen hugging each other tightly under a single bed with a man who concerned others, but she had done nothing that would make her feel guilty.

However, what about the perspective of Lilith and Eligio, the two women who had just entered the room and didn’t know the whole story of this act?

The sight of the man they adored, who was sitting soundly asleep on the hospital bed because his injury hadn’t fully healed.

Just seeing his face made their hearts flutter, but their expressions soon hardened when they shifted their gaze slightly.

This was because a certain she-cat was lying in the arms of the man they held so much love for that he appeared in their dreams every night.

Of course, they had seen Ropel embracing her in the dormitory before.

But back then, he had done so voluntarily out of his kind nature, but what about now?

From the perspective of the two women burning with jealousy, it seemed as though some beastly bitch had found the peacefully sleeping Ropel, vulgarly burrowed into the blanket on her own accord, and was nestled in his arms.

At this, both of their brows furrowed automatically, and their eyes seemed to gleam with anger.

“Wait… don’t misunderstand. This is, well… there’s… there are circumstances.”

It was Seraphina who spoke first.

She had noticed the strange atmosphere flowing between Lilith and Eligio and felt she needed to explain something.

“…Misunderstanding? What are you talking about?”

“Isn’t the way you’re looking at me somehow strange? Like you’re looking at a sex offender…”

“A sex offender? Hahaha, then what should we call someone who arbitrarily molests a person who is soundly asleep, if not a sex offender?”

“W-Without consent, t-taking advantage of someone b-being asleep and d-doing such a thing is wrong…!”

Eligio had intended to say that, but upon thinking about it, her own conscience pricked her so much it stung, and she soon lowered her head and closed her mouth.

“Isn’t it a m-misunderstanding! I… I was just invited by Ropel to sleep beside him because he said I looked tired…!”

“Don’t talk nonsense! He said you looked tired and suggested lying down together with someone of a different gender? Do you think our Ropel is some kind of gigolo?”

“B-But it’s the truth. You know his personality well, don’t you?”

“What kind of…!”

She was about to retort immediately, but in the end, it was hard to open her mouth.

Considering his usual behavior, which was oddly lacking in personal space, it was a strangely convincing statement.

“…Even if I concede a hundred times that Ropel did invite you to lie down together. What about immediately just lying down without refusing his words?”

Someone who is supposed to be a Duke’s daughter, where did she leave her concept of chastity?”

“That…!”

She was speechless because it was true that she could have escaped from his arms at any moment but hadn’t, and was comfortably nestled there.

“See! In the end, you were just taking advantage of the sleeping Ropel for your own desires. To satisfy your vulgar lust, that is. To do such a thing to someone who is unconscious, it’s truly utterly hideous. Am I wrong?”

Lilith was clearly spewing venom at Seraphina, but for some reason, Eligio, who was beside her, had her head bowed low.

In fact, Eligio had also tried to piggyback on Lilith’s words and say something, but she felt that no matter what she said, it wouldn’t be acceptable in this situation, so she could only remain silent.

Anyway, the bickering between the women continued until the sleeping Ropel woke up, unable to bear the noise, and offered Seraphina’s explanation.

Afterward, it was an added bonus that Ropel received a lengthy lecture from Lilith on healthy relationships between men and women and the concept of chastity.

. . .

Seraphina Serion was swinging her greatsword ceaselessly in the air by herself.

Her movements were sharp and precise, perfectly showcasing the Serion swordsmanship, which was called a technique for geniuses only.

However, even while training like that, she couldn’t hide her discomfort.

This was because her skills were far too insufficient.

The blows of the greatsword she was swinging became more intense, and the lines of the trajectories she drew also became more refined.

Compared to before, she herself could notice that her skills had grown significantly in a short period.

However, she was still absurdly weak to defeat Mark in the sparring test that might happen in a few days.

In the academy’s sparring test, opponents can only be designated on the first day; after that, participants compete with winners from the previous spars.

At the very least, if you don’t notify beforehand, it means you cannot decide the sparring opponent for any subsequent matches.

Since the duel between herself and Ropel was naturally not notified in advance before the start of the test, they likely wouldn’t be able to meet until the final match on the last day.

Considering Mark’s skill, he would naturally advance, and she probably would be able to as well.

This was because she herself was confident she wouldn’t lose to anyone other than Mark or Ropel.

In fact, Isabella Kshatri, a first-year student in the Magic Department who entered this year, was also a person to watch out for.

But for some reason, she, a genius of magic, refused to participate in this sparring test.

Furthermore, she unilaterally notified her refusal the day before the test started, without giving any reason.

Ropel and Seraphina didn’t know because they were focused on training, but it seemed there was quite a commotion then.

Especially in the Magic Department, due to the nature of the 1-on-1 sparring test, it had been difficult to defeat students from the Knight Department.

However, Isabella Kshatri, the Magic Tower Lord’s only daughter and also highly skilled, was someone they had heavily relied on to avenge past defeats, and because of that situation, the reaction was said to be particularly intense.

For a while, the Magic Department was so noisy that malicious rumors even spread saying Isabella Kshatri had taken bribes from the Knight Department.

Returning to Seraphina’s story, she was currently understandably anxious.

She had challenged him again in the previous sparring arena but still couldn’t win.

Even if she were to challenge him right now, she completely lacked the confidence to defeat him.

As there wasn’t much time left until her duel with him, she couldn’t help but feel restless.

She didn’t want to waste the opportunity she had gained thanks to Ropel, that man’s life-risking action, after finally getting it.

What she was aiming for right now was none other than Ropel Teufel.

That single strike she witnessed in her eyes at the final moment he intruded into the sparring arena.

Although it was only for a moment, she wanted to imitate that technique which had more than overwhelmed Mark Viserys, even if just a little.

Although it was a technique used with a piece of scrap metal in a pathetic state that could barely be called a mace, not a greatsword, having been steeped in the Serion family for a long time, she knew instinctively.

That technique was what the Serion family had pursued and longed for until now, truly what could be called the complete form of Serion swordsmanship.

If she couldn’t reach that level, she would never be able to defeat Mark.

But no matter how much she recalled Ropel’s movements and tried to follow them, she couldn’t achieve the same power as that moment.

Especially, this wasn’t because of a lack of her talent or insufficient training.

Rather than those things, it felt like something more fundamental, one single thing, was missing.

She couldn’t grasp any clue as to the identity of that something, and so, she could only swing her greatsword in the air right now.

If it’s not talent, and not effort, then what on earth does she need right now?

As she continued training tirelessly amidst all sorts of questions, a figure appeared before her.