“…Lilith. How much have you gathered? If it’s only been four hours, isn’t it not enough?”
[The curse can be suppressed again, but… it’s true that there isn’t enough demonic power to help you with your task.]
“Then let’s just stay like this until morning.”
[Will you be okay? You must be quite exhausted from the curse. Wouldn’t it be better to do it right away?]
“I’m fine. It’s not like I can go back to sleep anyway. Just keep me company until morning, and while you’re at it, you can replenish more demonic power too.”
I tossed aside my damp clothes and stepped into the shower to wash up.
The tension that had been weighing on my body gradually melted away under the warm water.
I felt like a good amount of my fatigue had faded.
Creak.
“Hoo…”
Feeling refreshed both physically and mentally, I returned to my room, far more at ease than before.
Then I rummaged through my wardrobe and picked out one of the casual outfits stored there.
Before long, a loose nightgown draped over my once-bare body.
[…Child. Have you given up on covering yourself at this point? Even I feel embarrassed.]
“You said you could see everything anyway, didn’t you?”
[Well, that’s true, but…]
“You used to tease me about this before. Don’t tell me you’re getting shy now?”
Wasn’t she the Succubus Queen? Could she really feel embarrassed about something like this?
It was something I had always wondered about Lilith.
Aren’t succubi supposed to be experienced in these things?
[…Th-That’s just a ridiculous rumor humans made up! How many times have I told you that even dream demons value chastity?]
“Oh? Did you hear my thoughts? Eavesdropping isn’t a very good habit, you know.”
[We’re under contract! Of course I can hear them!]
“Aha~?”
[…How did I end up making a contract with such a black-bellied child…]
Lilith’s lamenting voice brought a small smile to my lips.
I walked over to the window, set my book down on the desk, and perched on the chair.
Then I silently gazed outside.
The moonlight shining through the window was breathtakingly beautiful.
Beautiful enough to make me forget my worries, if only for a moment.
But I quickly pulled myself together and turned my thoughts to the tasks ahead.
“Lilith. I told you before, didn’t I? The things I have to do once I enter the academy.”
[…Yes. The first episode… or the starting point? I still don’t quite understand the term you used, but I suppose there’s only about a week left now.]
“When the time comes, I’ll wake you up. After that… you know what to do, right?”
[I understand.]
“Thank you.”
Even though it was just a contract, I was grateful to her for helping me so sincerely.
Without her, I wouldn’t have even been able to attempt this madness in the first place.
Lilith’s presence was invaluable to me.
“Lilith.”
[Why are you calling me?]
“…I promise I’ll save your daughter. Just as you’ve been helping me.”
[……….]
She fell silent for a moment to choose her words carefully before finally speaking.
[…You really are a strange child.]
“So? Did my line just now sound cool? Did it make your heart race?”
[Honestly, it would have been better if you hadn’t said that.]
“…Haha.”
And just like that, as we exchanged lighthearted banter, the night passed by in the blink of an eye.
.
.
.
At last, morning arrived.
“…Mmh.”
[Daybreak has come. You look like you can’t hold on much longer, so let’s call it a day.]
“…Yes, please.”
[Take care, child.]
Thump!
With a heavy thud in my chest, something settled deep inside me.
At the same time, the drowsiness that had been weighing me down gradually faded.
I stretched, shook off the stiffness in my body, and stood up.
It was almost time for school.
***
When I arrived at class, I greeted Kiana.
“You’re here early.”
“Ain, good morn—huh?”
“….…?”
Kiana suddenly stared at my face as if trying to bore a hole through it.
What was that about? Did I have something on my face?
“What’s wrong?”
“…Nah, it’s just… your expression looks way brighter than it did yesterday. Something good happened?”
“Who knows? Maybe it’s because I got a good night’s sleep.”
“Hmm~ I see.”
It had only been four hours, but it was still the best sleep I’d had in two months.
If even she could notice the difference, I must have been in much better shape than usual.
…If only I could avoid those damn nightmares.
“Anyway, elective classes finally start today, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Ain, what’s your first class?”
“Basic Swordsmanship.”
If I had to pick the subjects where the most incidents happened in the game, swordsmanship and magic always topped the list.
Since it was a course packed with practical training, the game always bombarded me with an absurd number of choices during it.
…More importantly, this was the class Ren was taking.
After seeing something like that in my dream… now I’m about to meet her face-to-face.
Why could I already predict how she would react when we met…?
I couldn’t help but imagine the Holy Sword from my dream piercing straight through my stomach.
…There were other students around, so she wouldn’t just kill me outright, right?
A chill ran down my spine, and I reflexively touched my neck.
I could only hope my head would still be attached after our first class.
“Ain, do you know how to use a sword?”
“Well, I was an adventurer before coming here.”
“…Huh? You were an adventurer?!”
“Yeah? …Uh, yeah. Why?”
Her usually energetic expression turned even more excited.
“Whoa, damn! I’ve never met someone my age who’s an adventurer!”
“…? There are actually quite a few here at the academy, you know.”
“Dumbass, it’s only our second day! Before this, I was stuck at home the whole time!”
“Oh, right. That’s true.”
“I always wanted to try being an adventurer at least once! But my dad never let me. He kept saying it was too dangerous.”
If the young daughter of a noble family suddenly announced she wanted to be an adventurer, what kind of father would actually allow it…?
Besides, being an adventurer wasn’t all about grand adventures and romance. If anything, it was the complete opposite.
“It’s not exactly as great as it sounds.”
“Of course, I get that! But my mom used to be an adventurer, so I grew up hearing all kinds of heroic tales! Just thinking about it gets me so damn excited!”
Kiana Edenweiss’s mother… Wasn’t her name Philua Edenweiss?
If I remembered the game’s lore correctly, she had been an A-rank adventurer.
The top 0.01%. No, even higher than that.
Hearing the stories of such a powerful adventurer firsthand… No wonder she was so curious.
“Aside from my mom, I barely knew anyone involved in adventuring. And the knights I did know were all too busy to even talk to me…”
“So?”
“So! That means you have to answer all my questions!”
“…And if I refuse?”
“Shut up! Refusing isn’t an option! I even bought you food yesterday!”
…Threatening me with food? How underhanded.
Still, the food she bought me was delicious, so I had no choice but to agree.
“…If I answer, will you buy me food today too?”
“Of course!”
Well, then I guess I couldn’t refuse.
***
After the tedious Q&A session with Kiana,
The morning’s regular theory class with Professor Hallen also came to an end.
Now, it was time to move to my elective class.
By the way… why does Kiana keep asking such weird questions?
– I heard there are a lot of brothels near the inns; is that true?
– My mom said adventurers tend to, you know, relieve their sexual desires in places like that. Do you do that too, Ain?
– When collecting monster loot… do you see their genitals too? Do you collect stuff like that as loot?
– Ugh… damn, that’s so gross.
Somehow, the questions I received were oddly focused on “that kind of stuff”.
…Kiana’s mom, what exactly did you teach your daughter?
I shook my head, trying to shake off the throbbing headache, and decided to forget about what had just happened.
From now on, a much more important meeting awaited me.
Is this the place?
Following the map, I arrived at a space that was incomparably larger than a regular classroom.
And there, I saw a crowd of students gathered.
Well, it made sense. Swords were one of the most widely recognized weapons.
The number of students enrolled in this course was beyond imagination.
Of course, many of them would likely struggle even in the beginner’s class.
That’s why subjects like this often see a lot of dropouts early on.
Especially since, among the weapons instructors, swordsmanship professors were notorious for being particularly ruthless.
I carefully slipped through the crowd of people.
Because there were so many people, finding her among the crowd was no easy task.
…There she is.
Someone standing alone amidst the crowd.
Her ash-gray ponytail stood out more than anything else.
Her sharp eyes and expressionless face were exactly as I remembered from the game.
The memory of her sorrowful expression from my dream suddenly surfaced, making me flinch as a shiver ran down my spine.
…Did I still have PTSD from getting stabbed?
Careful not to accidentally meet her gaze, I continued watching her from a distance.
Maybe it was because of the lingering memories from my dream, but I found it hard to look away from her.
Thankfully, a voice broke my focus and pulled me back to reality.
“Hya~ There really are a lot of new students, huh?”
A tall woman with a familiar face approached us, her voice loud and confident.
A scar ran across her left eye. Her solid muscles and the longsword at her waist only added to her commanding presence.
With every step she took, a wave of scorching aura radiated from her, filling the space with heat.
She’s making one hell of a first impression.
“Alright, alright! Class has already started, so let’s cut the chatter~”
Clap clap.
With the sound of her applause, all attention turned to her.
The murmuring students instantly fell silent.
It was no surprise. Her reputation was so widespread that both nobles and commoners alike knew exactly who she was.
“Hmm… Well, I guess I should start with an introduction. Nice to meet you all. From today onward, I’ll be the one teaching you how to handle a sword. The name’s Chen xi.”
Chen Xi.
A commoner, and primarily an adventurer by trade.
…And a monster of the rare few to achieve the S-rank adventurer title.
A hero who single-handedly defended the southern border from being devastated by a massive monster wave.
The tale of how she single-handedly slaughtered all 100,000 undead that had spread across the continent due to a lich was legendary throughout the empire.
She was a proven warrior who had ascended to the ranks of Master and a professor with both immense skill and a strong reputation within the academy.
Naturally, she was the role model for the majority of the students here, and even now, they were all gazing at her with eyes full of admiration.
“Whew, no matter how many times I get this kind of reaction, I never quite get used to it. …Anyway! Just because it’s the first day doesn’t mean I’m going to take it easy. We’re diving straight into the lesson. But before that—”
She extended her arm and pointed to the side.
The spacious training area contained multiple sparring arenas.
And they were all quite large.
“As you all know, the course you enrolled in is the Basic Swordsmanship Class. But I also know something; you’re not all complete beginners. Some of you are already fairly skilled.”
Even as she spoke, her gaze remained locked on someone.
Naturally, that person was Ren.
The undisputed top student, acknowledged by all. And a hero.
“So, if anyone wants to skip ahead to the next class, step forward. Those who do will spar against each other, and if I’m impressed, I’ll move you straight to the Intermediate Class.”
Her words stirred a commotion among the freshmen.
However, no one stepped forward right away.
The reason was obvious—
“I’ll do it.”
“…Yeah, I figured you would.”
As expected, Ren was the first to raise her hand.
Everyone knew what this meant. The next person to step forward would have to face the top student in a duel.
In other words, this was a golden opportunity for me.
Whoosh!
“I’ll do it too.”
“…Oh~? I was just thinking I might have to step in myself, but looks like we’ve got someone with guts.”
At the professor’s remark of admiration, I stepped out from the crowd.
And then—
“…….?!“
“…It’s been a while.”
I came face-to-face with her.
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