episode_0206

Three weeks had passed since the emergency meeting to discuss the urgent plan to kill MacHart began.

It was a period that could be considered long if preparing for something, and short if not. One thing was certain, at least within the academy, those three weeks had passed in the blink of an eye.

While carrying out the assassination plan to kill MacHart, I had to diligently attend classes as usual, which was unavoidable. It was quite challenging to prepare for various things while attending the “Luminor Academy,” which was known for being strict with its students.

The most important thing was undoubtedly my own life, so I had no choice but to be relatively negligent in other subjects, and the most prominent example was Harold’s magic swordsmanship class.

-clang.

“Sigh, I… I lost… Ha, ha…”

“…Well done.”

In the final duel with Harold in the magic swordsmanship class, I ultimately failed to break through the vision shield with swordsmanship until the end.

Moreover, I had never won against the four 1st-year students, let alone in the final duel with Harold, so it was safe to say that I had achieved nothing in terms of swordsmanship this semester.

In reality, there was no real need for a mage to be proficient in swordsmanship. It was a wiser choice to focus on one powerful spell if there was a reliable vanguard.

Therefore, in this busy semester, I ended up focusing on my major subjects instead of swordsmanship, without any significant growth, and it was quite disheartening to end a class that I had attended for three hours every week so unfulfilled.

“Sigh…”

“Don’t be too disheartened, Rilis.”

“Professor Harold…”

“Growth doesn’t happen in a short time, so be patient.”

“Oh, okay…”

Harold’s comfort was quite delicate, but it didn’t really resonate with me.

This was mainly because one of the 1.5-year students who had been taking Harold’s magic swordsmanship class suddenly broke through the expert’s barrier and entered the ranks of the 1st-year students.

It was something that had never happened in the original story, so I was quite surprised. Judging by the fact that even his name didn’t ring a bell, he was probably a character who couldn’t even become a supporting role in a game.

Yet, that student unexpectedly rose to become the fifth 1st-year student after heroes like Yongsu, Ethan, Natalie, and Karam.

“Perhaps it was Harold’s class that caused this. Harold is specialized in providing tailored growth education, focusing on each student’s swordsmanship.”

Originally, Ethan, who used dual swords, had the skill to be ranked second in the swordsmanship department. If he could enter the swordsmanship department of the academy, he must have had some talent, so it wasn’t surprising that he improved his talent after taking Harold’s class.

However, witnessing this scene, it was inevitable for me, the main character of “Luminor Academy,” to feel disheartened.

Even though Rilis would have been much more advantageous in terms of innate abilities, some were growing to the point of following Ethan closely, while others couldn’t even break the vision shield with a sword.

Even though I had a favorable position to continue taking Harold’s swordsmanship class during the vacation, the fact that my growth was delayed was quite shocking.

“Rilis, what are your thoughts on taking the magic swordsmanship class next semester?”

“Huh?”

“I hope you can continue taking the class next semester if possible. Despite not majoring in swordsmanship, considering the progress you have made so far, you might achieve something significant with a sword soon.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Professor Harold, but you don’t have to comfort me that much.”

“It’s not just comforting, it’s what I truly think.”

“Okay….”

…Still, since it’s coming from the Sword Master, maybe I should believe it a bit more.

Honestly, I thought I had reached my limit in learning dagger skills and was not planning to delve further into swordsmanship. However, since magical swordsmanship classes were a common major with Edan, I was planning to take them next semester anyway. So, if I was going to take them next semester, it wouldn’t hurt to put in more effort until then.

After all, there was no harm in handling a self-defense weapon like a dagger well. In this world, one’s life could depend on whether they could handle a dagger in a life-threatening situation by chance.

“And, I don’t really care whether you excel in swordsmanship or magic as long as you get along with Edan. So, if that’s what’s bothering you, you don’t need to worry.”

“…What?”

“Keep a good relationship with Edan in the future. Even after graduating from the academy, if you want.”

Why is he suddenly talking about Edan? Maybe he means not to worry about such things and focus on my duties as a full-time maid.

Perhaps Harold is unaware that I am dating Edan, so it doesn’t seem like he made that comment with that in mind….

Listening to Harold’s incomprehensible words, I ended the first semester of magical swordsmanship class with a B grade.

Fortunately, most of the mandatory general courses in the magical department received good grades. Unlike the swordsmanship classes, I had no trouble understanding and excelling in this area from the start, so it was a natural achievement.

And, just like last year, it was time for the final evaluation of the first semester, the final evaluation battle.

As in the previous semester, the combat department would evaluate students through battles between students to determine the final scores for the final exam.

Even if the grades in this subject were a bit disappointing, excelling in this final evaluation battle could make up for it, making it the final exam that all students were preparing for. Therefore, it was inevitable that everyone would be curious about which outstanding students from each department had chosen as their opponents.

More accurately, it was more like the students ranked from 6th to 10th were silently praying, “Please don’t choose me.”

Currently, Agnes was undoubtedly holding the top position in the academy’s magical department.

Even though I had not been negligent in taking the magical department classes, I couldn’t keep up with her. Even last year, I unexpectedly received high scores in the evaluation battles and hunting tests, yet my grades were still high until the final evaluation.

She was the possessor of a deceptive brain that could easily score full marks on test questions if they were slightly easier. Despite showing a somewhat awkward and gloomy side in other areas not related to magic, at least in the field of magic, with the knowledge from my past life and the physical condition of Release, I couldn’t keep up with Agnes.

Although there was a slight gap between 1st and 2nd place, I was barely holding onto the second place in the magical department.

And based on Agnes’s personality as I had learned from the game, she would naturally use her authority as the top student to choose the second student as her opponent in the evaluation battle and showcase her magic freely. So, it was only natural that I would be Agnes’s opponent.

In fact, considering that possibility, I had even thought about adjusting my grades to around 3rd place instead of the second place as the academy’s vice-chair. I didn’t want to show off in the vice-chair position and end up being humiliated in the evaluation battle, dropping to around 10th place like last year’s Isolbe.

However, ultimately, the reason I am maintaining a cautious distance from Agnes without deliberately adjusting the intimacy level is that the dramatic restoration of our relationship, which I couldn’t have imagined last year, was the cause.

Agnes, who was already contemplating a spirit contract, became closer to me in an instant by allowing her to contract with the fire spirit she desired the most. Throughout the first semester, taking several major classes together, we have now become close enough to call each other best friends.

In other words, at some point, I have become an irreplaceable person in Agnes’s heart. Perhaps I have even secured the position of Agnes’s second best friend after Seraphine. It’s a bit embarrassing to say it out loud.

Unless Agnes specifically wanted to sour our relationship, it was only natural for her to challenge opponents ranked 3rd or lower in the Magic Department, rather than me, the second-ranked, in a duel.

…And it was this current situation that effortlessly defied everyone’s expectations.

“……”

“……”

Agnes and I, facing each other on the evaluation duel stage, glaring at each other.

Contrary to the expectations of many who thought that Agnes and I, who get along well, would not aggressively attack each other with swords and magic in the evaluation duel, my opponent for the end-of-semester evaluation duel turned out to be Agnes.

To explain the reason why our relationship has escalated to this point, we need to go back approximately a week from now.