The commotion in the deepest reaches of the dungeon eventually concluded without further incident.
Neither Alicia nor Mariana had suffered any physical injuries from the aftermath of the battle, but I was still concerned about Alicia. Her trauma had been deeply triggered.
Neither Mariana nor I knew the exact details of what had happened during her past duel. Was there a connection between that magical fire and the burn scar on her left eye?
In my opinion, there was no way the two were unrelated.
Patricia, who had usurped Mariana’s role as the heroine, would eventually need that pendant—one of the Holy Artifacts—to clear the story. That much I knew.
To be honest, I wanted to do something about her trauma, but psychological scars can only be truly overcome by the person carrying them. In the end, all I could do was stay by her side.
I felt a twinge of frustration, but I believed in Alicia. I believed she could overcome it. And if she absolutely couldn't, I would just make her forget it all during the Brave-style bootcamp I had planned for summer vacation. I’d give her an experience so shocking she wouldn't have the mental capacity to remember anything else.
Now then, despite my concerns about Alicia’s trauma, I had secured the necessary Holy Artifact, and things seemed to be going well overall—or so I thought until I was faced with one major problem.
"Ragna-san, aren't you going to swim? We're at the pool, after all!"
"Maybe later. I'll wait until Alicia gets here."
As I sat on a bench by the poolside, Mariana appeared before me in an academy-issue competitive swimsuit. Her bottle-bottom glasses only added to her dowdy appearance, but as expected of the former protagonist, her proportions were outstanding.
Her status as a commoner and the Sage's Disciple was being threatened in various ways by the presence of Patricia, who was currently the center of attention. However, because Mariana was diligent about her social standing, she didn't attract much active hostility. On the contrary, there were several people in the class who had noticed her hidden charms. They simply couldn't approach her out of consideration for the other nobles, leaving her with a significant number of secret fans.
"Why is that guy from the Abandoned Land here...? There’s no reason to associate with someone like him."
"Hey, don't spread weird rumors or you'll get cursed."
"Haven't you heard what happened to the guys who kept harassing him?"
"Wasn't that all just a string of accidents? A rumor is just a rumor, right?"
Because I had started talking to Mariana more often in class, the other guys' resentment was now directed squarely at me. Unlike Alicia, making friends was a distant dream for me.
"I wonder when Alicia-sama will arrive?"
"If she doesn't show up, it might be for the best. It’s pretty intense over there right now."
"Well, you have a point..."
Knowing the full context of the situation, the two of us gazed toward the crowded pool with distant eyes.
"Patricia! You said you couldn't swim, didn't you? In that case, I shall teach you!"
"Prince Edward... but I’m really not good with water..."
"It’s alright, I’m with you. Here, try dipping into the water slowly."
"Your Highness. I was the one who taught you how to swim, remember? Therefore, you should leave the swimming and water magic to me, Russell Gran Cascade."
"Heh, aren't swimming and magic two different things?"
"What are you saying? In order to cultivate water-attribute magic, immersing oneself in the water like this to truly know the element is of the utmost importance. In a sense, you could say I am one with the water."
The pool lessons were held for everyone at once, much like the dungeon practicum. In the context of the game world, this was basically an event. It was a golden opportunity for the heroine—who was usually in a different class—to interact with the Capture Target characters. Furthermore, it was the ultimate stage to see handsome men in swimsuits. Since it took place right after the dungeon battle, it felt like a "reward event."
Because of that, the academy’s massive pool was currently buzzing with activity centered around the reverse harem group.
Why were there even pool lessons? I had no idea.
Historically, the Ancient Sage was said to have mastered water-attribute magic through Water Discipline, and the tradition of these pool lessons remained as a result. Personally, I suspected the world was built this way just to provide an excuse for poolside illustrations of handsome men, but that was the official lore.
Since they actually held basic water magic lectures before the pool session, they were being surprisingly thorough.
As for me, I was just happy to get a glimpse of Alicia in a swimsuit. Even if, for some reason, it was a competitive one. I suppose some staff member decided that a tight-fitting competitive swimsuit was better than something flashy or patterned.
"Hawa-wa... I thought I’d be able to practice my water magic, but it doesn't look like I'll be able to get anything done in this crowd..."
"Isn't it dangerous to practice in a pool anyway?"
"It’s not like I’m going to practice anything offensive. I just want to immerse myself and use water-clad magic to get a sense of the visualization... Wait, with your strength, Ragna-san, haven't you done this kind of practice before?"
"Our place is a bit special."
We never neglected survival training, but our magic training was strictly centered on practical application. Since we were always on the razor's edge of life or death, we didn't rely on props to help us visualize. We were taught to think for ourselves and find the optimal solution.
It was barbaric enough that I couldn't complain when people called us savages or monkeys, but no matter how much you practiced, you would never be able to utilize even half your true ability in a real fight. The only difference was whether you died sooner or later.
"I’m really curious about what kind of practice you do, Ragna-san!"
As I was soaking in the "mob character" atmosphere by the poolside with Mariana, a water ball the size of a soccer ball suddenly came flying at us.
"Oh my, my hand slipped! I hope you don't mind dodging that!"
It was Ekaterina's voice.
I was about to deploy a barrier in front of her to stop her nonsense, but a fireball of the same size collided with the water ball first, evaporating it instantly.
"Chanting offensive magic is not permitted during this lesson."
I looked over and saw Gelasis Gran Ignite, one of the Capture Target characters, standing there. A handsome youth with red hair, wearing a black hoodie with red lines over the academy-issue swimsuit, he stared straight at Ekaterina with eyes that revealed nothing of his true thoughts.
"Oh, my apologies. My aim was simply off."
"If it wasn't intentional, then it doesn't matter."
What did she mean, her aim was off? He told her not to chant in the first place. It was clearly intentional.
Ekaterina, who had approached the area with her followers, spoke while casting a sideways glance toward the reverse harem pool.
"His Highness should simply leave that commoner who can't even swim alone, shouldn't he? Because of a commoner who refuses to consider her surroundings, the rest of us can hardly practice properly."
That much was true. But it wasn't the fault of "commoners" in general; it was Patricia's fault specifically.
"If she remains unable to swim, she won't be able to practice properly either."
"Can commoners not even swim, then?"
"You should stop referring to them as commoners."
"It is a fact."
"Edward is following the academy rules. You are the ones disturbing the peace."
"That is nothing but idealism. Outside this academy, there are commoners and there are nobles. What I am doing is not discrimination, but distinction. If they do not learn to know their place, it is the commoners who will suffer for it later, you know?"
"Even so, this is the academy."
"Tch... and you say this despite being nothing more than the child of a concubine who will never inherit your family’s headship. You speak of idealism, but what the Prince and the others are doing is nothing but excessive favoritism. If that isn't discrimination, I would love for you to teach me the definition of the word."
Leaving those parting words, Ekaterina walked away with her followers.
The difference between discrimination and excessive favoritism, huh? I could see her point. Looking at it from a mob’s perspective, that reverse harem space really did look like an abnormal sight. I could understand why the other nobles felt resentful. Not that it justified harassment, of course.
By the way, how was Mariana—who was terrible with high-ranking nobles—handling the fact that two of them were right in front of her?
"Awa-wa... m-my glasses, my glasses..."
She had been so startled that she fell on her rear, and the impact had pushed her glasses up like a headband. She had been searching for them ever since.
"W-w-w-where did my glasses goooo!"
She hadn't heard a single word of the conversation between Ekaterina and Gelasis. Honestly, watching her, it felt like a miracle.
"You have it rough too."
The sight was so amusing that I intentionally didn't tell her she was already wearing them. As I left her to her search, Gelasis, who was still standing in front of me, suddenly spoke.
"...Are you not going to join the group over there?"
"I’m not good with water."
We had never spoken once since arriving at the academy. I wondered why he was approaching me now. In a small way, this was my first actual conversation with one of the Capture Target characters.