Victory was sweet, and growth was fulfilling.
But in front of my junior, who cherished this, I couldn’t bring myself to boast. So, I cleared my throat and composed my voice.
Now was the time to show a mature attitude as a senior.
An honest confession, free of pretense, escaped my lips.
“Well, I was just lucky…?”
That could only be described as luck.
I had unexpectedly received a letter from the future and, while rummaging through the memories of ‘me’ from the future, I had grown in a short period. To attribute it all solely to my efforts would have been unjust.
However, Seria seemed to take this as another form of humility, merely chuckling softly.
A lonely shadow fell over the downcast face of the girl.
“…At this rate, I can’t argue back. I still have a long way to go.”
It was the reaction I had anticipated.
Continuous defeats can extinguish even the fiercest will. I, who had once been just an ordinary talent, understood that feeling well.
Setting expectations aside and enjoying a life suited to the situation wasn’t bad, but I still needed Seria.
That was why I casually threw out a line.
“Hurry up and come.”
“…?”
Seria stared at me blankly. I couldn’t help but smile at the naïve expression of my junior that I hadn’t seen in a while.
“I’ll be waiting ahead, so come quickly. You can come once you master that technique.”
“Ah….”
Only then did Seria let out a faint gasp as if she had realized something.
We had talked about this before.
The ‘me’ from the future had overpowered Seria using only a specific technique, and I had said that I could only be of help after she had at least grasped that technique.
Conversely, it meant that she could come as soon as she mastered it.
It might have just been my subjective interpretation, but what could I do?
If she felt wronged, she wouldn’t have had to speak ambiguously in the first place.
The one who stirred up trouble was that man.
As clouds parted in the clear sky, Seria’s complexion began to brighten gradually.
“Is it really okay? If I end up being a burden to you…?”
“You’ve never been a burden to me.”
After taking a couple of steps, I stood before Seria. It was then that my hand rested on her shoulder.
“So come as soon as you can. Senior Delphine will be waiting for you too.”
Then, I took out the note I had received from Senior Delphine from my pocket.
Seria stared at the short phrase written there for quite some time. After a while, she nodded with resolute eyes.
“Yes, senior… I will definitely follow. For you and my sister.”
Those words were meant for the two people Seria respected the most.
Considering her overflowing talent, I thought it wouldn’t be long before Seria would catch up with me. Perhaps she’d be right on my tail within two weeks.
What an intimidating talent it was.
It was as if she were saying she would steal techniques she hadn’t even learned yet. Compared to receiving proper guidance, the difficulty was inevitably much higher.
Yet, Seria showed no sign of anxiety whatsoever.
In fact, I found it hard to imagine she would fail.
Seria would succeed.
As she always had.
Out of pride, I ruffled Seria’s hair.
It was a habit I often had with Celin and Liya.
In my heart, Seria held the position of a younger sister alongside them.
Of course, it was an inappropriate gesture to make toward a grown young woman. Realizing this belatedly, my hand trembled slightly.
I wondered if she felt uncomfortable.
No matter how close one was, it was rare for a woman to allow someone to mess with her hair. It would not only mess up her neatly arranged hair but also held more meaning between men and women.
Fortunately, Seria didn’t seem to mind.
In fact, she even closed her eyes and wore a happy expression. I couldn’t find out why, but if Seria was happy, then I was too.
My gentle caressing continued for a while.
However, Seria still seemed to have something to say to me.
Her blue eyes flickered as she glanced at me. It was then that a cautious question slipped from her lips.
“But, senior…”
“Yes?”
I looked at Seria with a face inviting her to ask anything.
Then, Seria showed signs of hesitance for a moment, then seemed to resolve herself, closing her eyes tightly as she asked.
“Where did you learn that Golden Lionsword?”
Where did I learn the Golden Lionsword?
I didn’t even know. It was just a technique I learned by peeking into the memories of my future self.
Now that I thought about it, it was a question worth pondering.
How did the ‘me’ from the future manage to master so many visions?
I couldn’t find a suitable answer to the question that suddenly arose, so I decided to subtly test Seria.
“…Why?”
It was pure curiosity.
Asking why she was casting such a question, a natural counterquestion.
With that single word, Seria began to hesitate again.
After a while, she stumbled over her words and finally opened her mouth.
“Uh, um… The Golden Lionsword is a vision of the Yuridina Clan, right?”
“That’s right.”
It was a fact I was well aware of.
Therefore, it was only natural for Seria to be curious about its origin. It was her right as a member of the Yuridina Clan.
However, I couldn’t understand why her question had to be so cautious.
Seria seemed hesitant to dig up a secret that perhaps she shouldn’t know.
I felt there must be some reason behind it.
It didn’t take long for that ‘reason’ to be revealed.
“But if my sister hasn’t mentioned anything, it means she recognizes you as a transmitter of the Golden Lionsword…”
In fact, that story had hidden details.
My relationship with Senior Delphine had not started well.
The ‘me’ from the future had literally turned Senior Delphine into a lump of meat.
During that process, terrified, Senior Delphine hadn’t dared to ask about the ‘Golden Lionsword.’ This remained the case afterward as well.
After going through numerous incidents, Senior Delphine had come to accept the existence of the Golden Lionsword as a matter of course. Given that context, there was no need for her to delve into its origin.
After all, Senior Delphine was in a position where she claimed to be my ‘slave.’
Thus, the secret regarding my ‘Golden Lionsword’ faded into obscurity.
At least until Seria raised the issue again today.
She was nervously continuing her clumsy deductions.
“Uh, so does that mean you’re suggesting that you would accept senior as a bloodline of the Yuridina Clan? And perhaps that you and my sister are engaged… if that’s the case, then…!”
It was then that I felt an indescribable chill run down my spine.
Each time Seria muttered alone, her eyes dimmed with an unsettling glow. Before I knew it, shadows crept across her aquamarine irises.
It was a heavy color, as if looking into the deep sea.
The moment I faced that frigid gaze, I had to press my lips tightly together.
“…Then, there’s no choice but to eliminate it.”
The question of whom began to rise in my throat, but I managed to suppress it.
I lacked the confidence to face the answer Seria would provide.
All I could do was silently resolve again.
I would never let Seria discover my relationship with Senior Delphine.
Never.
Regardless, Seria murmured in a gloomy tone, merely gazing down at the knife at her waist.
The personnel heading north were quickly decided.
First, the process of wooing the Lady Virgin Saint was straightforward. The moment she heard ‘socializing,’ the Lady Virgin Saint declared her participation as if she had been waiting.
She drew a cross over her ample bosom and said.
“I cannot stand by while a priest of the Heavenly Deity Sect leads socializing. Not to mention if it’s an issue entangled with the Dark Cult.”
Then, Senior Elsi’s companionship was also swiftly settled.
Before I could say a word, Senior Elsi gathered her belongings and came to find me.
With a puzzled look on my face, Senior Elsi flashed a sly smile.
“Where would I go without my master?”
In other words, it meant “Where would you go without me?”
Since the earlier confession, Senior Elsi had begun mixing casual and formal speech in a peculiar way. Accordingly, her attitude towards me had also somewhat changed.
Just observing how she subtly pressured me proved that.
Still, I didn’t feel the need to pull rank rigidly.
After all, the one who needed Senior Elsi’s assistance was me.
Finally, with the inclusion of the already discussed Imperial Princess and Emma, our party heading north was all set.
Celin, sadly, said she would remain at the Academy to train with Seria.
When I visited to say goodbye, Celin was struggling as she swung a battle axe that was nearly the size of her body.
The power she displayed was terrifying.
I even questioned if I could block a hit if Celin came at me with all her strength.
With a loud crash, shards of the shattered ground flew in all directions.
While I stood there with my mouth agape, Celin scratched her cheek sheepishly.
“U-uh, have I gotten a little used to it? Ahaha…”
No matter how I looked at it, she was far from just ‘a little’ accustomed.
She must have felt that her longstanding opportunity for growth was being interrupted.
I decided to respect her wishes.
I had no idea where Seria was hidden, training hard. She’d said she would follow soon, so I figured she would find us after we reached the north.
Thus, only a few weeks after arriving at the Academy, I had to pack my bags again.
The journey to the north was short.
Unlike the small rural village of Perkus Manor, the Yuridina territory was a major city in the north.
The warp gate connected directly, so there was no need to ride in a carriage.
However, even on that short stretch, there were a few scuffles.
Emma, who was traveling with me for the first time, was undeniably the center of interest in our party.
Feeling intimidated by the blatant scrutiny, Emma even hid behind me. I tried to chide her not to do that, but the party members were not ones to take instructions literally.
Senior Elsi, in particular, was troublesome.
She took advantage of my distracted moment to pick on Emma.
“Hey, commoner. What’s your deal?”
“Um, Lady Rainelle…?”
That was Emma’s first trial.
My eyes darted towards the two, silently, without anyone noticing.
