In truth, since there were no remaining scars, there would be no significant issue even if I were discharged immediately. I, who knew my body better than anyone else, also wished to be discharged without delay. However, due to the firm objections of the boss, friends, and the Academy along with the upper echelons of the city—who needed to investigate the incident of the demon invasion and calm public sentiment—I was forced to stay in the hospital room for a whole week without moving.
At least, I was given a private room, and thanks to the people who visited me every day during the week, I didn’t have to be bored. Still, there was no escaping the sluggishness that settled into my body. On top of that, no matter how prestigious the academy might be, the patient’s diet was tasteless—apparently, that was the same across the whole continent. In the past, I would’ve been satisfied eating such food, but after getting used to the academy cafeteria’s menu, this diet now felt like a form of torture.
Thus, now that I was discharged, I moved toward the training ground to loosen my body, which hadn’t moved for so long, feeling freer than ever.
And there, while I had originally planned to only warm up on my own, I found Selian waiting for me somehow, and we ended up training together.
The exercise with Selian involved a light warm-up, simple strength training, and then continued as usual with our sparring. Until that point, there hadn’t been any major issues—at least, not until just before the sparring began.
Sshh…
?
What exactly was happening? We had faced each other with swords as usual, and the bell signaling the start of the duel rang as it always did.
However, the moment the sparring began, the scene that followed was something completely unfamiliar to me. The sword exchanges with Selian—my own techniques were the same as before, but Selian’s had changed.
The fact that her sword ended up at my neck hadn’t changed, but the process to get there was entirely different from the norm. Her sword now wielded a skill I had never seen in her before.
I’ve experienced this kind of feeling before.
Sparring with the academy’s swordsmanship professors. It was the sword of an overwhelmingly superior force.
Selian’s swordsmanship had reached perfection, on par with the professors who were already called masters of the blade. This couldn’t have happened in just the week I was hospitalized. Her technique was clearly infused with an immense amount of experience that couldn’t be ignored.
It was then that I realized how much Selian had held back while sparring with me.
Of course, I already knew that Selian was stronger than me and had been adjusting her level to match mine. But this gap was much larger than I had ever imagined.
“Alright, let’s go again. Please raise your sword.”
Selian withdrew the sword that had been at my neck and walked back to the starting position with measured steps.
Unlike me, who stood there still confused about the situation, Selian was ready to start again anytime. She didn’t rush me. She simply waited quietly for me to take my stance.
Unable to just stand there, I raised my sword again to face Selian.
Almost instantaneously, the sparring started again.
This time, I was defeated even faster. In just five moves, my sword flew far off to the corner of the practice arena, and Selian’s sword was once again at my neck.
It might’ve been a coincidence the first time, but when it kept happening, it certainly wasn’t.
I could feel the overwhelming difference between Selian and me. And with that realization came a wave of emotion.
That emotion couldn’t be defined by a single word.
Unable to understand what I was feeling, Selian spoke softly.
“El. I will always be here to protect you. But from what I’ve seen of you, you would undoubtedly risk your own life to protect others, wouldn’t you?”
Having defeated me again, Selian showed no interest in the victory and returned to her original position as if nothing had happened.
“I can’t tolerate that. I can’t bear to see you collapse in front of me. So, become stronger, El. Strong enough that no one dares to covet what is yours, and anyone who dares to challenge what you seek to protect is utterly crushed.”
Then, turning back to face me,
“Go beyond simply catching up to me. Surpass me. Use me as your stepping stone.”
She aimed her sword at me again.
“That’s all I can give you.”
The emotion I felt toward Selian now wasn’t simply anger at being mocked, jealousy of her overwhelming talent and skill, or frustration at the insurmountable gap between us.
“If you dislike that, put your sword down now and leave. Leave it to me. You can just live an ordinary, simple life, like before.”
But I could confidently say that the strongest source of this feeling coursing through me wasn’t anything so lowly. It was anger at my own weakness, anticipation of how far I could climb in the future, and a strong drive to stand on the same level as Selian.
So, I responded to Selian, who was pressing me for an answer.
“Uh-uh. Not a chance.”
I grabbed the sword that lay discarded in the corner of the arena,
“Maybe I’m not much help to you now, but…”
And this time, I was the one who charged directly toward Selian.
Clang!
As expected, my attack was blocked, but I didn’t stop.
Much like when I faced Balikan, though I knew my every attack would be blocked, I continued moving my body relentlessly. When Selian counterattacked, I barely dodged, and when I couldn’t, I grinded my teeth and endured. This was possible only in a mock combat with wooden swords.
Clang!
Regardless of the bruises forming all over my body, I continued until my relentless sword finally managed to knock Selian’s weapon away and point my sword at her. It was reckless and obstinate, but that didn’t matter. It was my will and my sincerity.
“Because we become stronger together.”
Was it because my obstinate actions were amusing, or was she surprised by an unexpected counterattack, or was it because my answer was unexpected?
She stood there looking at me for a moment, then broke into a soft smile.
“Yes. That’s the El I know.”
It seemed Selian was somewhat satisfied with my answer. Then she walked to the corner of the arena, much like I had done earlier, picked up her sword that had been tossed aside, and pointed it at me again.
“Are you ready, then?”
“Of course.”
“And don’t expect any favors later, even if you complain.”
Selian’s sly grin.
…
After a long session of getting thoroughly thrashed, I finally finished my training.
*
As for personal training, well, personal training…
After being discharged, I attended my first class and learned an important fact.
About just how much my one-week hospital stay had impacted my grades.
On the surface, there was no big problem. Since my absence was due to the school’s fault, they had taken measures to ensure my attendance wouldn’t be affected. I was even granted some extensions on the few assignments that were due immediately, so there were no deductions in those areas. For the assignments that couldn’t be extended, I was given a basic passing grade.
The only issue was that while there were no penalties, there were no bonuses either.
My original plan was to maintain top-tier grades in the first semester so that I could receive scholarships in the second. Though I had already realized that reaching a full scholarship in my first year was unrealistic with Selian, the top scholarship candidate, dominating, I still aimed for some of the partial scholarships.
Naturally, I wasn’t the only one striving for those scholarships. There were students aiming simply for top-tier grades, and others like me, aiming for the partial scholarships.
And as a result of missing just a week of possible bonus points for each subject, I was now precariously close to falling short of even qualifying for partial scholarships. The students I had been competing with were already one step ahead. Moreover, I had to catch up on the lessons I had missed during the week.
The warning bells started ringing in my head.
This… If I keep this up, I’m doomed.
I’m not kidding; my second semester is really going to be screwed.
The only hope left at this point was how much compensation Presia, my boss, could negotiate for—not something I could rely on entirely, so I had to set that aside for now. There’s no room for false hope given my situation isn’t looking good.
There’s nothing to be done. Ironically, the answer in these situations is often quite simple.
Starting today, I’m going all-in on focused study.
