I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 38

“Alright everyone, take a seat.”

At the top of the Magic Tower.

Arriving at the office of the sage, Charlotte Izolde, we followed her order and sat side by side on the sofa.

She plopped down on the chair across from us, crossing her legs while looking our way.

“My master said classes will resume next Monday, so we can head back around Saturday.”

Since today is Tuesday, that gives us about five days, or practically four days.

Whether short or long, it felt like a significant stretch of time.

“Uh, what are we supposed to do during those five days?”

“Well? I haven’t really thought about it yet.”

In response to Sophia’s question, Charlotte shrugged her shoulders.

It didn’t seem like she was lying.

I reflected on whether this was also the case in the original story…

Honestly, I couldn’t recall much.

This episode was undoubtedly important, but whether I remembered all the details was another story.

It might have had a similar flow.

“First, I need to gauge your skill levels. I know there’s talent, but I don’t know what your actual abilities are yet.”

Charlotte adjusted her chin thoughtfully and popped a macaron from the table into her mouth.

“First, it’s probably best for the two young ladies to learn directly from me. …As for you.”

With a snap of her fingers, the door swung open, and a maid in a servant’s outfit stepped inside.

“Did you call for me, my lady?”

“Um. Where’s Arvain right now?”

“I believe he is in his personal research lab.”

“Take this one to Arvain. He’ll understand if you mention it’s for the interrupted research.”

“Understood. Please follow me.”

The maid glanced at me and slightly bowed her head.

It seemed to be a gesture to follow.

“You won’t need me to explain much, right?”

“A little guidance would be appreciated.”

“Well? It’s hard for me to explain in words. To put it simply….”

As Charlotte responded, I slowly rose from my seat and followed the maid.

“You’ll probably feel like you’re in for an interesting experience.”

★

The maid brought me downstairs.

Since the higher floors of the magic tower were said to have stronger practitioners, it indicated that the person called Arvain held quite a high status even here.

True to that, the door to the room we entered was just as grand and exquisite as Charlotte’s office.

“Arvain, is it okay if we come in?”

“…Do as you please.”

A gruff male voice echoed from within the room upon the maid’s call.

Once granted permission, I entered the room first under the maid’s guidance, and waiting for me inside was a man clad in the magnificent robes of the Magic Tower.

With disheveled gray hair and glasses perched on his nose, he emanated an aura of sheer fatigue.

“And this one is?”

“I’ve heard he is a student from the Arcana brought by you, my lord. You just need to tell him to use it for that interrupted research.”

“…I see. You can leave now.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The maid who brought me here bowed her head slightly and exited the room.

Left in the room were only Arvain and I.

“Wait quietly as I finish what I was working on.”

“Understood.”

I approached the chair prepared in the corner and sat down.

What should I say?

To put it simply, the room was spacious and sturdy-looking.

As if it was designed to withstand anything.

“Frozen sky. Burning earth. Crumbling world. Everything is beneath your will. Miracles manifest here. Resound, bell of the giants.”

Arvain reached out toward the wall and quietly began chanting.

“….”

But nothing happened.

As if accustomed to this phenomenon, he brushed his right hand lightly and turned to face me, opening his mouth.

“What did you think I was doing just now?”

“Developing a new Attribute Magic?”

As far as I knew, there wasn’t Attribute Magic like that with such a chant.

“Correct.”

Arvain said that as he slowly removed his mantle.

“Let’s see if you have the basics down.”

He then grabbed something from the corner of the room.

“Assume your stance. I won’t go easy on you.”

What he pointed at me with was undoubtedly a single sword.

…Somehow, it felt like I had had this experience once before.

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

He’s strong.

After clashing swords with Arvain, I realized it for sure.

The sword that appeared slow yet aimed precisely at vital points was challenging to intercept due to its unique rhythm.

It was a swordsmanship style I had never faced before.

The only thing that came to mind was my father’s sword.

“Hah!”

I narrowly parried the sword aimed at my side.

Surely it wasn’t so fast that I couldn’t respond.

In contrast, the opponents I’d faced before—Helen, the Crown Prince, the Black Wolf, Rex—they were all definitely slower.

Yet for some reason, I was the one being pushed into a corner.

I was the one getting attacked unilaterally.

I couldn’t understand the reason.

“Guhh!”

As Arvain struck down precisely with the back of his sword, a tremendous shock coursed through my wrist.

And with that follow-up attack, I had no choice but to let Neia slip from my grasp.

But I still had…

“Did you plan that from the start?”

“Guh?!”

Arvain was unyielding to the very end.

As if he’d already noticed, he flicked away Diana that I had drawn from my waist instantly.

Before I knew it, Arvain’s sword was precisely aimed at my neck.

“….”

To think he’d respond so quickly after just meeting me today.

I slowly raised my hands in defeat.

“I concede.”

I thought I had failed the exam set by Arvain.

It was only natural.

After all, I hadn’t succeeded in landing a single proper attack.

But after the sparring ended, he spoke words that surprised me.

“Not bad.”

“Is it satisfactory?”

“Of course. You exceeded my expectations. I thought you’d go down in less than five minutes, but you held out for a full eight minutes and fifty-one seconds.”

“But you are a mage of the Magic Tower, Arvain. I’m just an aspiring knight. The difference is….”

“hm?”

Arvain furrowed his brow as if puzzled.

“Do you not know who I am at all?”

“…It’s embarrassing to admit, but I really don’t.”

“It’s alright. It’s been ten years anyway.”

Arvain continued as he draped the mantle he had hung over a chair back over his shoulders.

“I thought I couldn’t lose to a young junior, so I was trying hard, but I misjudged the situation.”

“Eh?”

“I was a High-Class Knight actively involved at the Frontline until ten years ago.”

It’s inevitable that you’d lose.

Arvain certainly said so.

His claim of being part of the Knight Order until ten years ago was no lie.

Because his mantle bore the golden insignia of a High-Class Knight.

“I’m Aike Akses, the second son of the Akses House.”

Only then did I comprehend why it felt somewhat similar to my father’s sword.

Basically, when one joins the Knight Order, they learn a new form of swordsmanship.

While the swords practiced by aspirants to the Order were honed to fight people, from then on, they trained solely to kill Magical Beasts.

Because knights, except for a few like the Central Knight Order, were primarily trained to slay Magical Beasts.

And if he was a High-Class Knight who had fought at the Frontline, it was only natural that I couldn’t win.

Objectively speaking, my skill level was probably that of a Low-Class Knight at best.

“That’s certainly sufficient for conducting research.”

“Can I know what that research is? All I’ve heard is that it pertains to Physical Enhancement Magic.”

“…Let’s take a short break, and I’ll explain it simply.”

Arvain flopped down onto a chair and slowly opened his mouth.

“Physical Enhancement Magic. A spell that spreads magical power throughout the body, literally enhancing the physique. It’s simple but vital and powerful magic. But there’s a clear downside. You understand that, right?”

“Yes. It’s the type of magic that consumes magical power continuously, making you tire over time.”

“Correct. That’s why the method used to compensate for that drawback is the circulation of magical power. By circulating magical power before it’s expelled, you reduce consumption, and once your body gets used to that flow, you can outperform typical Physical Enhancement Magic. Of course, it’s usually an unnecessary method.”

Naturally, I already knew all of this.

And if this research implied a next phase, I had to know it without fail.

It was already clear that the future wouldn’t flow as it did in the original story.

In the original, Aike’s role was that of a perfect background character.

But if Rex was indeed targeting me, I couldn’t afford to relax just because I was a background character.

I had to get stronger, even just a bit.

“The circulation of magical power. It sounds easy when spoken about, but it’s definitely not simple. You forcibly alter the movement of magical power that was about to be expelled, and you have to maintain that flow. No matter how accustomed you become, there will inevitably be a lapse now and then.”

Arvain’s words were on point.

Initially, I could only maintain the flow while in a fixed stance.

And even now, after becoming accustomed, I sometimes lost that flow.

Of course, it wouldn’t break the Physical Enhancement Magic, so it was hardly a critical problem.

“Just now, you probably thought there wouldn’t be any significant problems since the Physical Enhancement Magic wouldn’t break.”

At Arvain’s assertion, I widened my eyes in shock.

“…How did you know that?”

“I often thought the same way before becoming part of the Knight Order and working at the Frontline.”

With the corner of his mouth lifted, Arvain wore a smirk.

“But when you start battling the monsters known as Magical Beasts at the Frontline, you realize how foolish that thinking was. A single moment of carelessness can cost the lives of your comrades.”

I had no retort.

Though I had brushed with death in my own way, it likely was not as severe as what Arvain had experienced.

“In most situations, your thoughts are correct. Even if you’re fighting Magical Beasts, it’s rare to die from something like that. That’s what being a knight means. But sometimes, just occasionally, those moments do occur.”

“Perhaps, are you?”

“Yes. My research is aimed at finding a way to eliminate even that slight opening.”

With Arvain’s continued words,

“I finally have someone I can test the results on.”

I felt a cold sweat trickle down my back.