(Wh... why...?)
He hadn't expected her to appear so suddenly, without the slightest warning.
The figure who stood before him spoke with an air of absolute command to the gathered Knights, as if mocking Ren’s stunned silence.
"The rest of you, continue your training. That is, if you feel any chagrin at losing to a boy of such tender years."
With every step she took, her leather boots made a distinct, sharp click against the floor.
Ren watched her, dazed, as she walked right to the center of the training ground where he stood.
"Who are you?"
The sheer pressure she exerted felt like a physical weight pressing against him through her voice alone. Coupled with an aura that made his skin prickle, Ren nearly forgot to breathe.
"I am Ren Ashton."
"...Hmph. As I thought."
Ren did not flinch, even under her piercing, needle-like gaze.
"I am Estelle. The Director of this Lion Sanctum."
As Ren had suspected, she was indeed the head of the organization. Facing Estelle in person, he was gripped by a level of tension he hadn't experienced in a long time. The more he observed her, the more he was astonished by the overwhelming presence she radiated.
(I hadn't heard anything about a parade for the returning army. Well, I suppose they don't do one every single time.)
Ren was flustered, mostly because he had been completely out of the loop. Then, he glanced at a clock and let out a soft "Ah."
Having come here to swing his sword before heading to the Imperial Academy, the time for him to get ready was fast approaching. Realizing he had been far too absorbed in his practice, he felt like clutching his head in frustration. However, he first had to explain the situation to Estelle and apologize.
Even so, a natural doubt surfaced in his mind: was it really acceptable to walk away from such a prominent figure just because he had classes?
"Director, Ren-dono has Academy classes starting soon, so..."
When one of the Knights spoke up, Estelle’s expression shifted instantly.
"Mm." She turned back to Ren. "Ren, you are going to the Academy properly, yes?"
"Y-Yes! However, I felt I should pay my respects first, and I found it difficult to interrupt..."
"Umu. A commendable attitude. However, your classes are also important. Especially during this season."
To Ren’s surprise, Estelle let him off quite easily. He bowed his head in gratitude and hurriedly left the training ground.
As she watched his retreating figure, she chuckled.
"Not bad. Quite a man of resolve, isn't he?" She paused, then added with a smile, "Though not nearly as much as my husband."
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
"—And that’s what happened."
Ren recounted the encounter at the Lion Sanctum to Licia while they were in the classroom. Sera, who had come over to the seats where Ren and Licia sat side-by-side, let out a strained smile upon hearing the news.
"S-So that Director has finally returned..."
"I’ve never met her myself," Licia noted. "Sera, do you have some kind of bad memory of her?"
"It’s not me, exactly—it’s my father. Although I wouldn't call it a 'bad' memory, per se."
Apparently, some time before Ren and Licia had arrived in Erendil, the current Heroic Archduke Riohalde—Sera’s father—had crossed swords with Estelle. It hadn't been a hostile duel born of disagreement; they simply wanted to test each other’s skills.
"It was an utter defeat. A total crushing."
"Really?" Licia asked. "Even though your father is in the Sword Saint Class?"
"Yeah. Even watching from the side, I couldn't tell what was happening. Even my father, who actually fought her, said he lost before he even knew what hit him."
Besides, Sera continued, recalling the event.
"Licia, you probably know better than I do, right? A Sword Saint who uses Strong Sword Arts is on a completely different level than a Sword Saint of any other style. Besides, isn't Sword Saint the rank with the most significant internal skill gap?"
This was because Sword Saint was the rank directly below Sword King. Since nothing existed above it except for the five Sword Kings, the difference in strength within that rank was far more pronounced than in lower levels.
In short, because the Sword Kings were simply too powerful, it was difficult to measure the true strength of the Sword Saints below them. And if the opponent was a Sword Saint of the Strong Sword style, they were an even more formidable adversary.
"Ah! That reminds me, I had something I wanted to ask Licia!"
"Oh? What is it so suddenly?"
"Strong Sword Arts! How is it? I heard you’ve been going to the Lion Sanctum to polish your skills, too. Tell me how strong you’ve become."
"You mean you want to know my rank?"
"Exactly!"
It wasn't surprising that Sera was curious. After all, Licia was a girl whose talent and sword skills had been legendary since she was a child. As a rival who used that strength as a benchmark, Sera was dying to know where Licia stood.
"Since I became able to use Expert Swordsman Class Arts toward the end of last year, I’ve been aiming for the Master Swordsman Class."
Sera’s smile froze at the casual reply.
"—I... I shouldn't have asked..."
By a simple conversion, that would put Licia at the level of a Master Swordsman in other styles in terms of general ability. Moreover, since she had reached that point by the end of last year, Sera was utterly awestruck.
Sera slumped onto Licia's desk, her legs kicking frantically beneath it in frustration. She was clearly feeling the weight of the realization that the gap between her and Licia had widened yet again.
"...Licia-sama."
"Don't worry about it, Ren. Sera is more resilient than she looks."
"What do you mean 'looks'! Are you saying I look fragile?"
"Physically, yes. Your waist is so thin, Sera."
"That sounds like nothing but sarcasm coming from you. I don't want to hear that from someone even thinner than I am!"
The two exchanged jokes and smiled at each other. Just as Licia leaned her cheek on her hand with a wry smile, Ren spoke up.
"Oh? Come to think of it, Vane isn't here."
At those words, a sudden tension shot through the group. Ren was left stunned primarily because of the abrupt change in Sera's attitude.
"Who’s that? I don't know anyone by that name."
"...Eh?"
As Ren stood dazed by Sera’s icy tone, she turned toward the window with a huffy pout. Immediately, Licia leaned in and whispered into Ren’s ear. For a moment, a sweet fragrance tickled Ren’s nose.
"He was apparently called away by a senior. A second-year student from an Archduke family—and a very beautiful woman, apparently."
"Ah... I think I've heard rumors about that."
"In other words, that's why Sera is in a bad mood."
"I see. It seems I touched upon a subject I should have avoided."
Licia gave a wry smile. "I don't think you need to worry about it too much." She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "...Ren, do you want to meet that senior too?"
"No, not at all."
Licia was taken aback by his immediate, unwavering response.
Beside her, Ren thought to himself.
(Now that they mention it, I remember an event like that from the game.)
Shortly after entering the Academy, while Vane deepened his friendships with the Archduke houses, he was also supposed to meet a second-year girl who served as a sub-heroine. Like Sera, she was a beautiful girl who drew a lot of attention. That said, it wasn't as if Vane was being led astray; it was usually a request for a small favor that would have been awkward to refuse.
Furthermore, there were other students from Archduke houses in this class besides Sera. Since they weren't in sight, they likely hadn't arrived at school yet. Ren had not exchanged a single word with them so far, and he didn't mind if it stayed that way until graduation.
(Come to think of it, Lady Riohalde was also in a bad mood like this in the original story.)
In essence, Ren was witnessing the "behind the scenes" of a game event. He reminded himself that it was foolish to conflate the game with reality, but whenever such parallels occurred, it gave him plenty to think about.
Sera, desperate to refresh her spirits, abruptly changed the subject.
"It’s this afternoon, right! The start of the classes we'll be participating in!"
She was referring to the Imperial Swordsmanship Class she had been looking forward to most of all. General classes like Swordsmanship weren't limited to the Special Merit Class; students from the General Class often joined as well. The three of them had selected this day's session, so they would be attending together.
"Yes. But Sera, I’ve told you before, I wouldn't mind training with you outside of the Academy, you know?"
"Of course I remember, but I wanted to wait for the day we could cross swords here. It's a matter of pride."
"...Is there some special meaning to that?"
"It’s a feeling. I want you to see me on this grand stage, now that I’ve grown stronger than when I suffered that crushing defeat at the Knights' Guardhouse."
Since Sera had her own reasons, both Ren and Licia respected them. To their eyes, her constant effort to catch up to Licia was truly commendable.
When Vane finally returned to the classroom, Sera greeted him with a sharp, huffy expression. Ren watched Vane’s confused back and let out a secret smile. Good luck, Vane.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
After lunch, before heading to the training ground, Sera was in the dressing room, even more high-spirited than she had been in the morning.
"Finally, I get to cross swords with Licia. I have to do my warm-up exercises thoroughly."
"Yes, yes. Just don't use up all your stamina before we even start."
"I know that! Hehe... I'm going to show you exactly how much I've improved since our last bout."
The two changed from their school uniforms into their training gear. Since the Imperial Academy didn't have a designated sportswear set, the students wore whatever was easy to move in.
Once they finished changing, they headed toward the training ground. The facility looked like a miniature coliseum, far exceeding what one would expect from a school. It even had spectator seating surrounding the entire area. Everything about the Imperial Academy was built on such an extravagant scale.
Inside the training ground, about ten other male and female students had already gathered. Vane was among them, but Ren was nowhere to be seen.
"Ren doesn't seem to be here yet," Sera remarked.
"Ren will be coming late," Licia replied. "He has work for the Lion King Grand Festival Executive Committee, so he’ll be joining the afternoon class halfway through."
"Is that okay? Shouldn't you have to go as well then, Licia?"
"Normally, yes."
"What do you mean by 'normally'?"
"Don't worry about it. It’s a private arrangement."
The work Ren was doing wasn't particularly heavy—mostly just paperwork. Ren had felt it would be unfair to drag Licia along and make Sera wait even longer, considering how much she had been looking forward to this class.
Licia brushed off the details and began her warm-up exercises. As she was loosening up, Vane approached and called out to them.
"Ren said he’d be coming late."
"We know," Licia said. "If it's for the committee, it can't be helped. We should be grateful to him for handling it."
"True. So, uh... today you're with Clausel-san, Sera?"
"Yes. Obviously."
As they talked and warmed up, the instructor arrived. The male teacher in charge of the class entered the training ground and addressed the gathered students, who numbered about twenty.
"Gentlemen and ladies, welcome to the Imperial Swordsmanship Class."
At this Academy, one could also choose classes for Holy Sword Arts and other styles. As long as one took the fundamental Imperial Swordsmanship class, they would satisfy their swordsmanship credits.
"In Leomel, Imperial Swordsmanship is established as the fundamental style. However, those in the Special Merit Class, and even those who entered the General Class, should already have some mastery of the blade."
The students nodded silently.
"First, I will assess your current level."
He explained that the first half of the class would be dedicated to that assessment, with technical instruction beginning in the second half. As the teacher noted, most of the students here were far more proficient than their peers outside the Academy.
"I will be walking around to observe. Everyone, find a partner and begin. Any style is fine. However, do not use combat Arts—Begin!"
Though the instruction was abrupt, the students followed orders. As they paired up, the pair that drew the most attention was Licia and Sera. Beyond their extraordinary beauty, they were both known for their exceptional skills. Naturally, the teacher was curious to see how they compared.
The two headed toward the center of the training ground, which the other students had unconsciously left open. Without minding the attention, they took up their stances with their Training Swords. Licia, who regularly sparred against Ren or the elite knights, stood with a natural, effortless grace.
"...I'm going to show the results of all my hard work. This is no time to be nervous," Sera whispered to herself.
She appeared slightly tense, but Vane’s voice reached her from nearby.
"...Sera!"
Vane gave her a firm nod and a thumbs-up. Sera slapped her own cheeks to psych herself up, and the stiffness left her body. Emboldened by his encouragement, her usual spirited expression returned.
"Are you ready now?" Licia asked softly.
"Yes. Sorry to keep you waiting."
Licia’s voice was gentle. Having waited for Sera to find her focus, she prepared to meet her friend's strike, and Sera smiled somewhat bashfully as she raised her sword.