Killing the Prince (2)

Three weeks had passed since the day we began the emergency strategy meeting to kill Machart.

A period that could be considered both long and short for preparing something. One thing was certain-within the academy at least, those three weeks had flown by in the blink of an eye.

While progressing with the assassination plan to kill Machart, I still had to diligently attend my academy classes as usual, so it was inevitable. Preparing various things while attending the notoriously rigorous 『Luminor Academy』 was quite challenging.

The most important thing was, of course, my life, so I had no choice but to be somewhat lax in other subjects. The most representative example was Harold’s Magic Swordsmanship class.

-Clang.

“Haa, ha… I-I lost, haa…”

“…Good effort.”

In the final sparring match of the Magic Swordsmanship class against Harold, I ultimately failed to reach the level where I could break through an Arcane Shield with swordsmanship until the very end.

On top of that, I hadn’t managed to win even once against the four students from the 1st Division, and in the final evaluation match against Harold, I was easily defeated. It was safe to say that this semester had been a complete failure in terms of swordsmanship achievements.

To be fair, a mage didn’t necessarily need to be proficient in swordsmanship. If you had reliable frontliners, it was obviously wiser to focus solely on mastering magic.

So, during this particularly busy semester, I had prioritized my major subjects over swordsmanship, ending up with no real growth. The emptiness of concluding a three-hour weekly class so anticlimactically was quite profound.

“Haaa…”

“Don’t be too disheartened, Lilith.”

“Professor… Harold…”

“Growth isn’t something that happens overnight. Keep a relaxed mindset and be patient.”

“Ah, yes…”

For Harold, it was an unusually delicate consolation, but it didn’t resonate much with me.

That was because, among the 1.5 Division students attending Harold’s Magic Swordsmanship class, one had suddenly broken through the Expert barrier and joined the ranks of the 1st Division not long ago.

This was something that never happened in the original story, so I was quite taken aback. Given that even their name didn’t ring a bell, they were probably just an extra who didn’t even make it as a supporting character in the game.

Yet, that student had abruptly risen to become the fifth member of the 1st Division, following the Hero, Ethan, Natalie, and Karaham.

‘Harold’s class must be the reason. Harold specializes not only in tailoring swordsmanship training to each student but also in personalized growth education.’

After all, he was the one who had trained Ethan, a dual-sword wielder, to become the vice-president of the Swordsmanship Department. Anyone who made it into the academy’s Swordsmanship Department must have had innate talent, so it wasn’t surprising for someone to blossom under Harold’s instruction.

But seeing that, it was only natural for me, the main character of 『Luminor Academy』, to feel a sense of emptiness.

Even if our majors were different, purely in terms of innate abilities, Lilith should have had a significant advantage. Yet, while someone else was growing rapidly enough to closely trail Ethan, I still couldn’t even tear through an Arcane Shield with a sword.

Worse, despite having the advantage of being able to attend Harold’s swordsmanship classes even during vacations, my growth had slowed down, making the relative shock even greater.

“Lilith, what are your plans for next semester’s Magic Swordsmanship class?”

“Huh?”

“I’d like you to attend next semester’s class if possible. Even though swordsmanship isn’t your major, given the level you’ve achieved so far, I believe you’ll accomplish something significant with the sword soon.”

“…Thank you for saying that, Professor Harold, but you don’t need to console me like this.”

“It’s not consolation. I genuinely mean it.”

“I see…”

…Well, if a Sword Master says so, maybe I should believe it just this once.

Honestly, I had thought this was as far as I could go with daggers and was considering giving up on further swordsmanship training.

But since Magic Swordsmanship was a shared major with Ethan, I planned to take it again next semester anyway. If I was going to attend regardless, I might as well put in more effort until then.

After all, being skilled with a dagger as a self-defense weapon wouldn’t hurt. In a world like this, life and death could hinge on whether or not you could handle a dagger in a dire situation.

“And personally, I don’t care whether you’re good at swordsmanship or magic. As long as you get along well with Ethan, that’s all that matters. So if that’s what’s bothering you, don’t worry about it.”

“……Huh?”

“Keep maintaining a good relationship with Ethan. Even after graduating from the academy, if you wish.”

Why was he suddenly bringing up Ethan? Was he just telling me to focus on my duties as an exclusive maid instead of worrying about this?

Harold probably didn’t know Ethan and I were dating, so he likely didn’t mean anything by it…

With Harold’s cryptic words, the first semester’s Magic Swordsmanship class concluded with a B grade.

At least the silver lining was that I had achieved good grades in most of the Magic Department’s required courses. Unlike swordsmanship, I had no trouble understanding these subjects, so it was only natural.

And then, the final evaluation of the first semester-the midterm evaluation matches-returned this year, just like last year.

As before, at the end of the first semester, the combat departments would determine final grades through evaluation matches between students.

Even if my performance in this subject was slightly disappointing, doing well in this final evaluation match alone could make up for it. Naturally, all students prepared earnestly for this exam, and everyone was curious about which opponents the top students from each department had chosen.

To be precise, it was closer to students ranked outside the top five praying, “Please don’t pick me.”

Currently, the undisputed top-ranked student in the academy’s Magic Department was, of course, Agnes.

Even though I hadn’t been negligent in my Magic Department classes, this gap was impossible to bridge. Despite scoring surprisingly well in last year’s evaluation matches and hunting festival, which boosted my final grades.

Agnes was the kind of genius who could ace every exam if the questions were even slightly easy.

Though she often seemed oddly clumsy outside of magic, in the field of magic alone, even with my past-life knowledge and Lilith’s physical gifts, I couldn’t keep up with her.

The gap between 1st and 2nd place had widened slightly, but I was barely holding onto the vice-president position in the Magic Department.

And given Agnes’s personality as depicted in the game, she would naturally use her position as the top student to challenge the vice-president-me-under the pretext of an evaluation match, unleashing her magic to her heart’s content.

I had even considered adjusting my grades to rank around 3rd place to avoid this. The memory of last year’s Isolbe, who flaunted his position as vice-president only to get crushed in the evaluation match and plummet to around 10th place, was still fresh.

But in the end, there was no longer any reason for me to avoid Agnes by manipulating my grades, so I maintained my position as vice-president. This was, of course, due to the dramatic reconciliation between Agnes and me-something I hadn’t anticipated last year.

Agnes, who had been struggling with spirit contracts, was able to contract the Flame Spirit she most desired thanks to me, instantly bringing us closer. After attending several major classes together throughout the semester, we had grown close enough to be called best friends.

In other words, at some point, I had become irreplaceable in Agnes’s heart. I had probably secured the position of her second closest friend after Seraphine. …Though it was a bit embarrassing to say that myself.

Unless Agnes wanted to ruin our relationship, it made sense for her, even as the top student, to challenge someone ranked 3rd or below for the evaluation match rather than me, the vice-president.

…And what defied everyone’s expectations was the current situation.

“……”

“……”

Standing on the evaluation match platform, Agnes and I glared at each other.

Contrary to the expectations of many who thought Agnes and I, being on good terms, wouldn’t point swords and magic at each other in an evaluation match, my opponent for the first-semester midterm evaluation match turned out to be Agnes.

To explain how things reached this point, we must rewind time to about a week ago.