– Kiieeeek…
“Was this the last of them?”
“Seems like it? There sure are a lot more of these things than I thought.”
As Gamifer from the Opposite Palace said, the Wyverns we caught must have been over dozens.
What the heck, how was I supposed to catch all of these alone?
“Haa~”
I let out a deep sigh filled with frustration, knowing full well I couldn’t even vent my anger properly. Then someone beside me spoke up in an awkward voice.
“We didn’t expect this either. When we observed before, there was only one nest…”
It was the battalion commander of the nearby troops that had been restricting people’s entry after the Wyverns appeared. He held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as expected.
“…Hmph.”
Looking at the middle-aged man glancing nervously at me made my heart soften. I forced a smile and replied.
“It’s fine. It was just a bit troublesome, but not particularly difficult.”
“That’s right. In the end, you caught them all by yourself, so there’s no problem, kid.”
True to what Gliese from the Thousand Gale Palace said, those two really did nothing. They just stood there with their arms crossed while I handled everything myself.
Though I knew they wouldn’t help even if I asked, it still irked me. All I could do was give a wry smile.
“Yes. So please don’t worry about it. I think we can lift the access restrictions now.”
“Thank you very much.”
“It’s just following orders, so you don’t need to thank me.”
“No, not at all. We’re thanking you as a hero who protects the Empire. As a fellow soldier, I’m proud of you.”
“… Yes. Let me know if any problems arise later.”
“Roger that. Be careful on your way back.”
“Roger that.”
After quickly returning the salute, I hurried down the mountain. Every time I encountered people calling me a hero, countless thoughts would flood my mind.
Do they even know the names of those guys?
This honor shouldn’t be mine alone to accept.
Just because I survived…
Of course, it’s not just about treating me specially; it’s respect for everyone who participated in the war. But such thoughts continued to fill my head. The more they came, the harder it became to define the emotions surging within me—sadness, regret, compassion, shame—all mingled together into something ambiguous.
“Geez, you’re fast. Aren’t you tired? You’ve been searching this vast mountain for Wyverns and caught them all in just 30 minutes.”
“Oh. Sorry. Just felt embarrassed.”
At Gamifer’s words, I smiled and made an excuse. There was no point in revealing such negative thoughts.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice and patted my shoulder lightly.
“I get it. Back when I first joined the Golden Way Zodiacs, I felt the same way. Recently, I’ve gotten used to it, though. Time will make it better.”
“Yes. I hope so.”
Even as I answered like that, I secretly hoped this feeling wouldn’t go away. At least not until I’ve fulfilled the dreams and futures of those guys. Even if they wouldn’t want it, even if they wouldn’t ask for it…
Because this is the path I wish to take.
If they complain, then they should come back alive.
***
Meanwhile, Ariane was blinking in surprise at an unexpected delivery.
“Are you Ariane Selene from Minerva Academy?”
“Yes… but why?”
“Please sign here.”
Without much thought, Ariane signed the form handed to her by the courier and took the package, then tilted her head in confusion.
“What on earth is this? Who would send me anything…”
“It looks long, like a sword maybe?”
“Could it be from the main house?”
Shaking her head at Amy and Senna’s guesses, Ariane replied.
“No, it doesn’t sound like anyone from the main house. Besides, they probably don’t even know I’m participating in the tournament. My family tends to leave me alone.”
Unlike Balkan, who came to watch his daughter’s match, there was no sign of anyone from her side.
Amy nodded at Ariane’s statement.
“That’s true. Apart from your birthday banquet, I’ve never seen them.”
All Amy remembered about Lady Selene was her cold demeanor while receiving gifts from nobles. She never showed up for important events like Ariane’s entrance ceremony or academy festivals.
Lux looked puzzled too.
“Really? I always thought they were just too busy to come…”
“It’s fine. I’m used to it. Honestly, I prefer it to Amy’s parents throwing a fuss every time.”
“…Why does our family keep coming up?”
Amy frowned but didn’t argue with her friend. Ariane shrugged and started tearing open the packaging.
“Let’s see… Oh, it really is a sword!”
Ariane’s eyes sparkled as she revealed the elegant blade beneath the wrapping. Her trained eye immediately recognized it as a fine sword, far superior to most she’d seen in her family’s armory.
She soon became engrossed in examining the weapon, leaving Lux to check the sender details instead.
“The Capital Defense Force…?”
“What? Really?”
Surprisingly, Senna leaned in closer to confirm.
“Really! It says Capital Defense Force!”
“Do you know anyone in the army?”
Amy’s question left Ariane shaking her head without looking away from the sword. Even Amy, who had known Ariane for almost her entire life, couldn’t recall any connections to the military.
“Then who could it be? Why would the army send me a gift? Did they send it to the wrong person?”
“Not unless it says ‘Ariane Selene’ on it, which it does.”
“This is weird… Aren’t you curious?”
Ariane, completely absorbed in admiring her new sword, responded nonchalantly.
“So what? It’s addressed to me, isn’t it?”
“…That’s true, but…”
Lux, watching the exchange silently, spoke up.
“Who among the people we know has ties to the military?”
One name immediately came to everyone’s mind.
“Professor Allen!”
“Allen?”
“Did Professor send this?”
“It’s not certain, but… it’s not unrelated, right?”
Indeed, everyone agreed that Allen was capable of such a gesture. He had always shown great care for his students, despite making their training hell in the process.
“Well, then it’s settled. We just need to ask Professor Allen, right?”
At Ariane’s suggestion, Senna was the first to move.
“Let’s go ask him right away!”
Her energetic attitude prompted the others to follow suit hastily.
“Come on!”
***
However, contrary to their expectations of meeting Allen immediately, he wasn’t in his office.
“Huh? He’s not here? Why not? Where did he go?”
“Beats me. That’s his private business, isn’t it?”
Angela, the head of the magic department, gave an awkward smile in response to Senna’s relentless questioning. While she knew he had left due to some event-related matters, it wasn’t appropriate to share that information with students. And she herself didn’t know why he hadn’t returned after quite some time.
“…But…”
Senna hesitated, aware Angela was right but also remembering that Allen rarely disappeared without telling anyone recently.
“You can go now. I’ll let him know you stopped by. You should focus on preparing for the finals anyway.”
Since they had already passed the preliminary rounds, they had ample time to prepare for the main event. Still, ignoring Angela’s advice wasn’t an option.
“Alright. Come on, Senna. He’ll be back soon.”
“Yeah. Guess we have no choice.”
With no other options, Senna reluctantly allowed herself to be led away by Amy.
“Where could he have gone?”
While walking through the hotel corridor, Senna pouted.
“It’s fine. Clearly, Professor Allen had something to do with this. Even if not, it doesn’t matter. After all, I got a great sword.”
Such a fine blade was rare even in her family’s collection. Currently, Ariane was only thinking about how she could crush Carlos from Don Quixote during the preliminaries using this sword.
Amy shook her head, fully aware of her childhood friend’s thoughts.
“Don’t get cocky and embarrass yourself. Your opponents in the finals will be well-prepared too.”
“Pfft. No way I’m losing. Last time was because of the sword.”
“Yeah… sure thing.”
“Hehe… Hm?”
As she watched her friends chatting animatedly, Senna suddenly felt a strange sensation. Turning her head toward the window, she spotted the familiar face she had been hoping to see.
“It’s Professor!”
“Eh?”
Everyone rushed to the window at Senna’s shout. They saw Allen stepping out of a carriage right outside.
“Seriously? Do you have a Professor Allen sensor or something?”
“Haha.”
“Rather, who are the two people with him? They look familiar…”
“They’re from the Thousand Gale Palace and the Opposite Palace,” Lux calmly replied.
“Golden Way Zodiacs?!”
“Why are those two with Professor Allen?”
The sight of two rarely seen members of the Golden Way Zodiacs accompanying Allen shocked everyone except Lux, who maintained a calm expression as if it were perfectly normal.
“Well… might as well ask them directly!”
Once again, Senna was the first to act. They all began running toward Allen.
“Hmm? What brings you here…”
Cain blinked in surprise as he stepped out of the elevator and saw students sprinting down the hallway. This floor was meant for professors only.
“Hello, Professor Cain!”
“We’re in a hurry!”
“Oh… okay…”
In the blink of an eye, the students disappeared into the elevator, leaving Cain scratching the back of his head in confusion.
“I wonder what’s going on…”
