14
The Academy had a so-called midterm break, a vacation granted after the midterm evaluation matches so students could recover. After all, the Academy's midterm evaluation was a clash where you poured out every ounce of combat strength you currently possessed. Inevitably, the wounded and severely injured came surging out in droves, and time was needed to treat the aftereffects of the death-prevention magic. However, in this evaluation, just as I'd promised Lulu, I finished the match safely without taking a single hit. Naturally, there was no need to trouble the Church during the rest period prepared for my recovery. I decided to spend my hard-won vacation somewhere more meaningful.
"Hello, Senior Lulu! I am Stella Arwen, a freshman who entered the Swordsmanship Department this semester!"
"O-oh, I see. So you're Stella…. I, I've heard Conrad talk about you a few times…."
It was the afternoon of the day after the evaluation match against Dyke. Taking this rare opportunity, I gathered Stella and Lulu in one place and introduced them. After all, in the future, we would belong to the same Demon God Subjugation Squad and live together for several years. I thought it would be nice if we got to talking and grew closer starting now. Unlike Stella, who had already forged her own sense of justice and displayed talent for the sword from a young age, one might find it strange that Lulu—who outwardly looked like just an ordinary student from the Technical Department—was also a member of the Demon God Subjugation Squad. But she too was an irreplaceable member, serving as both a scout and a rogue.
Truthfully, in my previous life, Lulu's first joining was simply to fill the lacking headcount temporarily. But after acting together several times, her absence was felt more and more keenly, so she became an official member of the Demon God Subjugation Squad. Because I still had those memories, I definitely wanted her to join this incarnation of the squad as well. So it was important to introduce Stella—who would be appointed as a Hero in the future—to her right now.
"Senior Lulu, are you a friend of Senior Conrad? Or is it a special relationship?"
"S-special…! No, we're just f-friends! Ordinary friends!"
Unlike Stella, who approached her normally, Lulu had quite a shy personality. Even though they were only exchanging introductions, I observed their conversation awkwardly stalling several times. Unable to watch anymore, I took the two to a restaurant where we could enjoy drinks with our meal to lighten the mood. A single mug of ale was enough to loosen the guard of Lulu, who was nervously tense like a fool.
"It was freaking awesome, I tell you?! Conrad slammed that mana bullet straight into the back of that mad dog's head…!"
Sure enough, barely half a glass of beer in, her voice naturally rose, thoroughly tipsy.
"It was truly amazing! They say even other seniors from the Swordsmanship Department had trouble blocking Senior Dyke's greatsword, yet you blocked it with a broadsword and even counter-stabbed!"
Stella too began to echo the now-energized Lulu's rhythm with even more energy.
"Seeing that mad dog unable to do anything and flustered was hilarious! He was just swinging around brute strength wildly because he didn't know anything else?"
"The way you completely overwhelmed Senior Dyke from start to finish was truly incredible! I never knew mages could fight in such a way up close!"
Even though the topic of conversation was embarrassing praise about me. Having only just met, the two of them had no common topic other than me, so I had no choice but to endure it.
"By the way, you never told me when you unlocked up to the 3rd Circle! If you had something that important, you should've told me beforehand, idiot!"
"Not to mention magic, but you essentially overwhelmed him in swordsmanship too, Senior Conrad? I didn't expect that much either!"
Before I knew it, the two of them had bonded over their buzz and were interrogating me about why I hadn't told them the hidden trump cards I'd used in the evaluation match.
"You never know. If Dyke had heard that I could wield a broadsword well or use 3rd Circle magic, things would've gotten annoying."
I gave a suitable answer, mentioning how that guy was thoroughly prepared despite his size. Because right up until the start of this evaluation, it had been much smoother for me if Dyke kept seeing me as a 1st Circle mage. Hiding the fact that I could wield a broadsword was for the same reason.
"By the way, that mad dog is completely finished now. If he lost that ugly even after using an Elixir, he's basically getting the lowest score, isn't he?"
"Probably."
I don't know if losing to a mage would also count as a demerit. Anyway, having suffered such a squalid defeat, he'd receive a score practically no different from forfeiting. Since so many people watched the evaluation match live, Professor Oliver couldn't manipulate the score through foul play either.
"I was shocked to see how you handled the broadsword. Could it be that you also learned the sword from our master, Senior Conrad?"
"Your master?"
"Ah, I mean my father! Professor McDowell!"
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Stella's slips of the tongue were coming out a bit more easily than usual. Fortunately, Lulu, who heard it too, was also tipsy, so she failed to notice the secret Stella had carelessly let slip.
"Not your father, but I learned from your father's disciple."
"I see. No wonder the movements seemed similar to the sword I learned from my father as a child."
"…Well, I suppose so."
Of course. Because I'd learned it from you.
"If the opportunity arises, I would very much like to meet the sword master who taught you as well, Senior Conrad!"
Though I already met him every morning in front of the mirror. Since it was a story she wouldn't understand even if I told her now, I resigned myself and quietly swallowed the words.
"Come to think of it, how did you get to know Stella?"
Once some time had passed and the atmosphere was flowing smoothly, Lulu asked about the relationship between Stella and me.
"Huh? Didn't I tell you?"
"You mentioned it before, but you glossed over it. You made it sound like nothing, so I thought it wasn't a big deal. But seeing you two talk today, it doesn't seem like that…."
"If you don't mind, may I tell her?"
I'd told her not to go around blabbing about what happened that day. But it was already a story famous enough, so it probably didn't matter much now.
"Sure, you can tell her, Stella."
"When I was still a prospective freshman…"
With my permission, Stella began explaining the day she first met me to Lulu in an oddly excited voice. Though she spiced it up with a slightly cringeworthy hero's tale, it was by and large the unvarnished truth without distortion.
"…And so Senior Conrad subdued the last one with his staff and sent all the other seniors to the Church!"
Having heard the whole story, Lulu looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"So that story about teaching that Oliver gang a lesson was you?"
"Seems like it."
"Last time you said you didn't know who did it?"
"I didn't say anything. You just jumped to conclusions on your own and moved on."
"……."
Lulu made an expression that seemed both hollowed-out and thoroughly relieved.
"Ah, come on. Then I worried for nothing. If you could take down seven people, Dyke would've been easy."
"You were worried?"
"J-just the kind of worry you have when a friend might go around getting hit. Nothing weird about it…."
Worrying about a friend was natural. What else could you call a weird meaning?
"Senior Lulu, you said you're from the Technical Department, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then how did you become close with Senior Conrad?"
"U-um?"
Stella also seemed curious as to why Lulu and I, from different departments, were friends. Since I had already asked Stella the same question earlier, Lulu couldn't exactly avoid answering her.
"He just… saved me."
"He saved you?"
"Ah, s-saved is a bit of a strong word. Helped is more like it…?"
As she said that, Lulu glanced at me, then gave me a subtle look as if asking me to speak for her.
"Do you know about the massive monster raid near the Academy last year?"
"Ah, I heard about it from my father. The incident where thousands of monsters suddenly attacked the Academy grounds."
"Lulu almost fell victim to the monsters too. I happened to be passing by and helped her. That's about all there is to it."
Subjectively, it was a memory from nearly eight or nine years ago, but even so, the events of that day were still vivid. The moment I discovered Lulu surrounded by several monsters that had burst out near the Academy's guild, flustered and unable to do anything. I figured I should do what I could, so I started unleashing magic at the monsters. Even then, the only magic I could use was 1st Circle magic, but with enough casting time, I could at least take down low-ranked monsters. Fortunately, she only suffered minor injuries and survived the monsters. The Technical Department doesn't learn combat techniques in the first year, so even such trivial help must have been desperate for her.
"I told her it was no big deal and not to worry about it, but she said she couldn't live while indebted and kept clinging to me."
"It might have been nothing to you, but I really thought I was going to die."
"That's how we got close. That's the kind of bond it was."
"I see. As expected of you, Senior Conrad."
"Anyway, this cloak I'm wearing now is what I received as thanks back then."
It was the first gift from the first friend I'd made at the Academy, given for my birthday. In many ways, it was an item that held special meaning for me.
"So that's why you always wear only that cloak."
"To be honest, I didn't expect much when I gave it to you. Knowing your stingy personality, I figured you definitely wouldn't wear it at all until your old cloak wore out completely."
"…Don't tell me that's why you gave it."
Seeing how accurately she predicted my behavior from the previous life, she was definitely a friend who knew me deeply in many ways.
"If I am to repay the favor, should I give you something as well?"
"There's no need. Why are you taking it so seriously?"
"But it feels wrong to simply accept help shamelessly and move on."
"Shameless… Ah, right. This."
Since I'd remembered, I decided to hand it over, so I took out the broadsword I'd used yesterday from inside my cloak and showed it.
"I used it well. Thanks to it, I handled Dyke easily too."
"I-I see. I'm glad it was helpful."
"Since I used it, I'll return it. This is an item you hold some affection for, isn't it, Stella?"
"Huh?"
I was simply trying to return borrowed property to its owner. But Stella looked at me with a rather puzzled expression.
"Weren't you going to keep using it?"
"I told you from the start I was borrowing it."
"You didn't mention anything about a deadline, though."
"I only borrowed it because I needed it right away. It also feels wrong to hold onto it longer."
"If you return it like that, will you go back to living without a secondary weapon, Senior Conrad?"
"Not necessarily. I'd have to buy a new one."
The midterm evaluation was over, but there were still things left to do. For that, I still needed a secondary weapon. I'd probably have to acquire something new that could serve a similar purpose.
"Th-then instead of going through the trouble of buying a new one, please continue to use my sword from now on!"
"Huh? But this is something you've used since childhood, Stella…."
"Anyway, it's not a weapon that suits me even if I keep it! And the sword itself would be happier to have you as its new master, Senior Conrad."
"……."
"It might not be enough on its own, but please accept it as repayment for saving me before."
I hadn't intended to demand repayment for that incident, but Stella's words were quite appealing. Because this sword I'd borrowed from Stella was the very broadsword I'd used in my previous life. It was certainly far more useful than acquiring a new sword and getting used to it again. Moreover, purchasing a good sword wouldn't be a trivial expense.
"Then I'll gratefully accept it. I had something I needed to use it for anyway."
"O-on the contrary, I'm the one more grateful!"
"Then I'll use it with even more gratitude."
I never thought I'd get this sword back in my hands through such circumstances. The initial cause was handling a troublesome matter, but the result turned out to be quite good. I'd gotten much closer to Stella than before, and wrapped up the midterm evaluation with a good score. On top of that, I'd introduced two people who originally wouldn't have crossed paths until graduation. It had been a midterm evaluation from which I'd gained quite a lot in the process of sorting out annoying affairs.