Chapter 17 — Growth [1]
When 4 p.m. came around, the swordsmanship class ended.
After watching the students spar for about three hours—and even dueling a few of them himself—Lucas looked quite satisfied.
"This year's going to be fun, I think."
With that, Lucas dismissed the students.
I was about to leave the gym like everyone else when Lucas suddenly called me back.
"You use quite the unusual swordsmanship. It's extremely defensive in nature. Could I ask who taught you that style?"
"I didn't learn it from anyone. I taught myself."
"Taught yourself…?"
"Yes."
Honestly, I had no way of knowing whether that was true or not. I didn't know what this body had done or where it had been before I possessed it.
Still, saying I'd learned it on my own seemed better.
If I said I'd learned it from someone, I'd have to make up stories about a master who didn't exist.
"For something you claim to have self-taught, your swordsmanship looked quite refined. Did you at least reference another style?"
"I took inspiration from a swordsmanship mentioned in some old records."
"Old records?"
"Yes. Apparently, it was a sword style once used by a noble family that no longer exists."
I made something up on the spot, and Lucas looked at me with a somewhat doubtful expression.
"A family that existed long ago… Well, that makes sense. I've never seen a sword style like that before, after all."
He nodded slightly, murmuring to himself.
"You've self-taught yourself quite an interesting swordsmanship. I don't know about the others, but teaching you should be fun."
"I'll look forward to it."
I answered with a smile, and Lucas smiled back.
Then, as if remembering something, he glanced toward the gym's entrance.
"Anyway, Sara still hasn't come back."
"Oh, now that you mention it…"
"Cedric hasn't returned either, so he's probably busy trying to calm her down."
Lucas gave a wry laugh and sighed.
"Sara's as consistent as ever. Still, since she lost to you, maybe this will change her a bit. It was her first complete defeat in an otherwise undefeated life."
"…She's never lost before?"
"At least not to anyone of comparable skill. That's why your existence will mean a lot to her from now on."
"To be honest, I'm not sure if having Lady Sara's attention is a good thing."
"Yeah, it probably isn't. Knowing her personality, you might find yourself quite bothered for a while."
Lucas chuckled lightly.
"But don't worry. I'll make sure you don't suffer any disadvantage because of today's duel."
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. Still… today's match between you and Sara—word's going to spread fast. Even if she doesn't bother you, others might."
"I suppose so."
"You defeated the daughter of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family. Beating someone from that family with a sword carries a lot of weight."
"You're right."
Honestly, when the duel started, I never imagined I'd beat Sara—but somehow, I did.
And I was sure this victory would bring a huge aftereffect.
This wasn't a game anymore—it was reality.
I needed to think and act more realistically.
'Still, maybe it's not all bad…?'
What was the term—noise marketing?
If I promoted my name like this early on, as I'd mentioned in my future article, it might actually help later.
Of course, I had to be aware that it could also backfire.
"Anyway, you should head in. You've done well today."
While I was lost in thought, Lucas spoke up again.
"And if we ever get the chance, I'd like to spar with you myself. I'd really like to see that swordsmanship of yours up close."
"I'd be glad to, whenever the opportunity arises."
I answered with a faint smile.
---
"It's not easy… really not easy."
After leaving the gym, I sighed and walked through the academy grounds.
'Stuff like this is way too much for a shut-in like me.'
No matter what anyone said, talking to people face-to-face was still exhausting.
Especially in a society full of nobles—choosing my words so I didn't offend them was even harder.
Fortunately, I had a bit of real-world social experience, and I also knew how the people in this game world spoke.
Thanks to those two things, I could at least improvise well enough to hold a conversation.
"…Guess I'll have to get used to it."
It felt like I was going to be living in this world for a long time, so adapting quickly seemed like the smart choice.
Well, that aside—
'The dorm curfew was around midnight, right?'
Considering that classes usually ended at 4 p.m., that gave me about eight hours of free time every day.
And on weekends, I had the entire day to myself.
From now on, making the most of that time would be important.
'Not like there's much to enjoy in this world anyway. I should just focus on getting stronger.'
Getting stronger.
The first step toward that was weapon enhancement.
As the saying went—strike while the iron's hot. I planned to start tonight.
'I'll grab dinner first, then head out to gather weapon enhancement materials.'
I could've gone right away, but it seemed better to fill my stomach first.
So, I decided to leave the academy after dinner.
'Dinner starts at 5:30, so I've got some time left.'
That gave me about an hour to spare.
Wondering what to do, I decided to just look around the academy.
If I really had to live in this world until graduation, I'd be seeing this place for at least three more years.
Getting familiar with the scenery early on didn't sound like a bad idea.
'Might as well memorize the layout. I should know where everything is.'
Lysquare Academy was enormous.
It was practically a castle in itself…
'Actually, now that I think about it—it is a castle.'
There were castle walls, and everything within them—the vast land, buildings, courtyards—all belonged to the academy.
It was as large as a small town.
To avoid getting lost later, it would be best to memorize the routes now.
'The library should be over there… That building's for faculty housing, and that one with the glass roof is the greenhouse for herb cultivation…'
The layout was vast and complicated, but I'd spent years exploring this place in the game.
Of course, walking around without a minimap still felt confusing and awkward, but thanks to years of experience, I could roughly remember the paths and navigate without much trouble.
'Should I check out the spire too? The view there was really nice.'
I strolled through the academy, taking in the scenery.
Then, something caught my eye.
[To be Continue]