Episode 20

This is an unfamiliar ceiling.

“…Where am I?”

“Ah, you’re in the hospital room.”

Turning my head, I saw Sonia. She looked down at me, her hands demurely clasped together.

A sense of déjà vu washed over me.

Struggling to sit up, my body screamed in protest, feeling as if it were about to break apart. A dark bruise on my forearm caught my eye.

What happened?

I remember the sparring session with Rustila starting.

But everything after that is a blank.

It’s as if something flashed before my eyes…

“Young master, you were knocked out by a blow from Miss Rustila.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You’ve been unconscious for three hours since then.”

Sonia sighed, continuing her explanation.

I was told it was fortunate to have only a concussion, that there was concern about me not waking up, and that Rustila felt remorseful.

It seems Sonia remembered the temperament of Aidel before the transmigration, as she requested to generously forgive Rustila upon her arrival.

Click.

As the saying goes, speak of the tiger and it appears.

The door opened, and Ceti and Rustila entered, accompanied by Zermel and Donna.

Ceti and Rustila wore looks of astonishment.

“…Yah, are you okay?”

Ceti asked.

“It seems like you’re okay since you’ve woken up…”

The normally surly younger sibling was gone. The corners of their eyes drooped. Their face had relaxed. It was an expression I had never seen before.

I waved my arm and answered.

“As you can see, I’m full of energy.”

“Ah…”

Ceti let out an incomprehensible sigh. Then, with her arms crossed, she started to snicker.

“It would have been a huge win if you had kicked the bucket. I could’ve gotten the life insurance money.”

“…Sister?”

“What, why, what. What about it? I still have to pay for academy tuition, don’t I?”

The sharpness of her tasteless joke made me dizzy. It was a bigger hit than getting struck by Rustila.

“Miss, minors cannot sign up for life insurance.”

“Did you think I didn’t know that? It was a joke, a joke.”

Ceti glanced at me as she said that, seemingly gauging my reaction.

I didn’t have the energy to be angry, nor did I feel like it. I just sighed, propping my chin on my hand.

An uncomfortable atmosphere lingered.

Rustila, sweating profusely, didn’t know what to do. Eventually, she approached me with her head deeply bowed.

“So-sorry. It must have hurt a lot, right?”

She kept repeating her apologies like a broken record. Her eyes, as blue as the ocean, flickered like a candle in the wind.

I found it excessive and also pitiable.

“We also extend our apologies.”

Zermel and the other androids all bowed their heads at once.

“We will cover the medical expenses. If there’s anything else you need…”

“It’s okay.”

Zermel’s pupils dilated enormously.

“There’s no need for you to pay for such a minor injury. I can handle it with my own funds.”

I had planned to sell all the items in my room if I passed Stellarium. That would make up for it. There was nothing to lose.

“Eh? But…”

“It’s fine. Take a look at this.”

I rotated my arm lightly. It was painful but not fractured, so it was still functional. This was just on the level of muscle soreness.

“Young master, pardon my forwardness, but our lady abhors being in debt above all else. If you have any demands, please do not hesitate to make a claim…”

“Oh, really?”

After all, I should make a request even if I’m not upset.

However, it should be something that benefits both Rustila and me.

Looking at Rustila, I opened my mouth and said,

“Then, let’s have one more sparring match.”

Sword Saint.

The title Rustila earned after fending off the invasion of an S-class monster.

Receiving personal training from someone of such caliber is a rare experience. It would normally be impossible without paying a hefty sum.

Still.

Even so.

“…this doesn’t quite feel right.”

I flicked the practice sword with my finger, voicing my dissatisfaction.

“There’s nothing we can do about it. Just in case…”

Rustila also seemed incredulous, giving a bitter smile.

For safety reasons, we chose thundersticks.

Yes. Thundersticks. The kind that people hold in both hands and wave around at baseball games or concerts.

Whether Ceti didn’t want me to get hurt, or Rustila didn’t want to kill someone, Ceti had bought it from a nearby mall.

“Wow.”

She must think it looks ridiculous too.

Rustila and I took our stances and pointed our ‘swords’ (?) at each other. We could hear the chuckles of passersby. Rustila’s face turned as red as a beet.

“S-so, shall we begin…?”

The sparring was to assess my level of skill.

Although defeat was certain, it was a necessary step to receive personal guidance from Rustila.

“…Come at me.”

I muttered with confidence.

And then.

“Euk.”

As soon as Sonia’s hand signal dropped.

“Euk.”

I started to get beaten like a dog.

Bang, bang, bang. There were sounds of bubbles bursting all over my body. It wasn’t painful, but my reaction was delayed. I couldn’t see the sword strikes at all.

I was hit in the same spots repeatedly. Hit and hit again. My forearms and legs swelled and reddened.

“A-are you alright…?”

A burning sensation filled my entire body. When the sparring session ended, I laid down my sword and blankly stared up at the sky.

It was a good thing it was a balloon sword; with a real one, I would have been cubed steak by now.

Rustila scratched her head as she looked at me, now embodying the spirit of universal benevolence.

“I’m really sorry. I tried to swing it as gently as I could, but…”

Is this what you call gentle?

While I was sighing, Ceti handed me a towel and said,

“Didn’t I tell you? You can’t stand a chance against Rustila sis. Be thankful it was just a balloon you were hit with.”

“…yeah. But, is it even possible to be that fast?”

I couldn’t see a thing. Where the attacks were coming from, where I needed to block.

I thought I had sparred enough with Sonia, but none of that was visible.

“Rustila sis has a contract with a Constellation. That’s why her movement speed is different from the rest.”

“Ah…”

Now that I think about it, the phrase ‘the sword strike exceeded the speed of sound’ appeared frequently in the novel. It was a recurring description to depict Rustila’s rapid swordsmanship.

It wasn’t just a metaphor, it was the truth.

We hastily set down the balloons and picked up the wooden swords once more.

“…Then, I will now point out your deficiencies.”

Rustila, saying this, was smiling subtly like a flower about to bloom.

“Swordsmanship is fundamentally about focusing the mind. If your mind is unstable, your swordplay will be too. You must clear away any distracting thoughts.”

“Distracting thoughts…”

“Were you perhaps thinking about something else?”

“I wasn’t… not really.”

Even during the sparring, I was incessantly thinking about various things.

About what I should specifically do after enrollment.

About the types of Outer Gods that appear according to the timeline.

About which monster needs to be addressed first.

About what elements are necessary for the development of Graviton Bullets, and so on.

I was somehow navigating through thoughts that would be daunting for several people to contemplate together, all with a brain that felt primitive in comparison to the capabilities I now possessed.

“Yes, it’s hard at first. But if you focus your gaze unconsciously, you’ll gradually start to see my sword. Shall we try getting into the stance?”

Rustila began teaching me the basics of how to hold a sword.

If Sonia was improvisational, Rustila was by the book. The stance she recommended was difficult to maintain but was impeccably structured.

“Your calves are weak. Now, bend your knees a little more. Yes, like that. Lower your center of gravity, and keep your back straight…”

“Ughh.”

Truly, physical exertion is my Achilles’ heel.

Over several days, I received instruction from Rustila. Thanks to her, my posture improved significantly, and my mind became more serene when wielding the sword.

I didn’t learn many techniques. She said those are just shortcuts. What’s important is understanding why you swing a strike, even if it’s only one.

And, the ability to subdue an enemy.

As for whether I passed the first round, of course, I did.

I passed, and so did Rustila and Ceti. In particular, as soon as the results were announced, the two of them embraced each other and wept.

And in my case, there was a significant reaction of surprise.

Ceti was surprised, Donna was surprised, and Zermel was surprised as well. Only Rustila gave a slight smile as if she had known I would pass.

“Cheer up,”

Rustila said.

“You’ve gained three more days than expected, right? You’ve practiced a lot during this time, so you’ll do well.”

For some reason, the academy announced the written test results three days later than the scheduled date.

Well, it seems there was some sort of system error.

I shook off my thoughts and focused ahead. The proctor, a man with thick hair, tapped the microphone before speaking.

“Let me remind you of the procedure once again. This year’s practical evaluation theme is a mock battle against a golem modeled after a monster.”

He continued with the explanation.

“The plasma swords are placed on the rack to your right. You must use only the swords provided there. They are equipped with safety devices, so use them without concern. If any issues arise, we will address them immediately.”

His explanation rambled on about the evaluation criteria and warnings against cheating.

To put it simply, it assesses overall physical abilities and crisis management skills.

“Now, let me introduce the monster that will assist you with your practical test.”

“No, that is…”

“It is a Class C monster called ‘Cluster’. It’s a common biotype fiend found in ‘Darwin Legion’. As you can see, it is characterized by having three pairs of arms and legs.”

It resembles a doll with segmented joints. Its size is nearly 2m. The arms and legs are segmented into three parts. The face is smooth like an egg.

The creature was holding implements like axes and saw blades in each of its arms.

Although they are artificially made imitations, they are still intimidating.

The examinees murmured and stepped back at the shocking visual.

“There is no need to worry. They only look impressive. You are not expected to get hurt.”

The supervisor assured them confidently. Only then did a few students breathe a sigh of relief.

“Students who are called, please bring your swords. In our section, groups of ten will enter the designated room to take the test at a time.”

Soon, the first group of ten students’ names were called. Neither I, Ceti, nor Rustila were included.

“That’s a shame. It would have been better to go first.”

“What? Are you crazy? What if you make a mistake without being mentally prepared?”

“It’s better to take the hit first, as they say.”

Ceti frowned, seemingly displeased with my comment. She took several deep breaths in succession.

“Unnecessarily nervous, especially on test day.”

“Shut up.”

Ceti and I were bickering like this when it happened.

The giant monitor installed on the ceiling turned on with a pop, splitting into ten sections. Each horizontally elongated section showed a view of a room with a monster model on standby.

“For a transparent and fair evaluation, all practical assessment processes will be open to the public. Please bear this in mind…”

Wow.

It would be really embarrassing if I don’t do it right.

The evaluation started before long.

The time limit is 10 minutes. During that time, either knocking down the monster model or inflicting meaningful damage would earn high scores. On the other hand, taking a hit would lead to a significant reduction in points.

With curious eyes, I watched the relay monitor. The monster model started to move, and each candidate confronted it in their own way. Some fought on equal footing with the model, while others were at a disadvantage.

The evaluation seemed to be proceeding smoothly, in any case.

… that was until the arm of the boy who entered Room 5 was severed.