It goes without saying, but the emperor isn’t someone you can just go see. He doesn’t just meet with anyone.
One has to prove their worth.
If you’re a nobody, who doesn’t even have a title or a position in the court, you’re going to have to do something like save the life of the First Princess to meet the emperor.
Well, for me, it’s technically the second time.
So meeting the emperor should be a once-in-a-lifetime honor.
But, well…..
I’m not the kind of person who would consider it a lifelong honor.
I’m more worried than honored when the emperor asked to see me.
The Emperor knows many secrets that not many people would know, possible secrets that even Bertus and Charlotte don’t even know exists.
I could discuss the happenings of the Revolutionary forces without taking sides between Betrus and Charlotte, and I could ask questions about the Black Order and other magic societies.
I could also potentially gain access to information about countless magic spells and rituals that are considered highly classified.
Setting aside the possibility of whether the Emperor will trust the information I give him, or whether he will give me the information I want.
What kind of encounter will I have with the Emperor?
It could be a one time thing, or it could continue for a while. Though as long as my ability helps stabilize Charlotte’s condition, it will most likely be the latter.
The Emperor will summon me soon.
I do not know when, but I suspect it will be during the winter vacation after the festival.
Friday.
Final exams are finally over.
“Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! It’s over!”
As expected, everyone’s favorite Kono Lint rejoices in the fact that this tiresome second semester is over.
Next week is filled with nothing but festivities and then it’s off to winter break.
I haven’t gotten my grades yet, but I think I’ll be in the upper mid-range. Of course, I missed a lot of classes, so I won’t be at the top because of that.
I don’t really care because I never really paid attention to them in the first place.
Well, even though the exams are over, there are those who are just getting started.
Me at the First Year Tournament.
Ellen, competing for Miss Temple.
Cliffman, competing for Mister Temple.
And then there was Harriet, who was competing in the Open Tournament.
“Harriet, are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ve got it all figured out.”
Ellen’s participation in Miss Temple was a surprise, but it was Harriet’s participation in the Open Tournament that really shocked everyone. As if being a magic major wasn’t bad enough, she was only a freshman and yet she’s in the Open division.
Even worse, the qualifiers start tomorrow.Qualifiers on Saturday and Sunday will weed out the undeserving, and the main event will run from Monday through Wednesday.
Then, on Thursday, the Open tournament will officially begin.
The winners of the grade-level tournaments will qualify for the Open tournament, and it’s up to them to decide if they want to participate or not.
I haven’t decided if I’m going or not. But I think it wouldn’t hurt to go. Even if I don’t win the Open Tournament, it’s still good to try.
Though it’s kind of ridiculous that I’m thinking that the First Year Tournament is already in the bag. First grade tournament qualifiers start on Saturday.
And then the Miss and Mister Temple pageant.
After that, we’ll finally have a vacation, and I’ll be free to tackle my problems one by one.As excited as Kono Lint was, Liana was just as excited.
She grabbed Ellen and Cliffman’s hands, one for each, and began to drag them along.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes.”
“That… that… Do I really have to go? Ah, ah, ah, alright, alright! I’ll go! I’ll go!”
Cliffman started to say something, but when Liana gave him a killing glare, his face fell and he just nodded.
Liana’s tension is high in a different way than Harriet’s, and now I can see she’s completely excited.
I wonder if she’s ever put so much effort into anything before.
By the way….
About my vote for Miss Temple.
Who the hell am I supposed to vote for?
It’s a toss-up between benefit and reality, and this one was a pain in the ass to decide.
Since Cliffman and Ellen will be gone, there will be no one in the training room today. They’ll probably stay at Liana’s manor all weekend, and only return for the preliminaries. They’ve already received permission from Temple too.
Harriet had gone to the Magic Research Society Lab, and, for the first time in a while, the dorms felt empty.
Anyway, as of today, the second semester of my first year is over. There was only the festival left.
Even though it was winter and there was no one around the Royal Class dormitories, there was a festive atmosphere. Or maybe it’s just me, but even though it was cold, I felt a strange sense of excitement.
Instead of the main event, the competition between the Royal Class and the Orbis Class, the Student Council filled the day with numerous performances, recitals, and friendly athletic events instead.
All of Temple’s clubs and organizations, as well as its graduate students, contributed to the event, which was a bummer for those who were hoping for a showdown, but what can you do?
But I couldn’t take it easy.
Since the training room was empty, that was where Saviolin Turner decided to hold her next lesson. Of course, I wasn’t alone, Ludwig and Scarlett were also there.
Delphine and Erich didn’t come. Each with their own reasons.
Erich, the bastard, still seemed to be trying pretty hard these days, but it’s obvious that it’s not working out. He’s got talent, but he’d been playing around too much.
Still, he’s got the [Swordsmanship] talent.
I have an aptitude for swordsmanship, but no talent. But I’m still much better at it than Erich, who has a talent for it.
In the end, I realized how much Ellen’s presence had helped me improve.
It seems that I was in a situation where I was as good as talented at swordsmanship.
With an overly brilliant genius teaching me, it was inevitable that my progress would be much faster than that of a more talented swordsman.
In other words, Ellen was my drug.
A year is a long time, but it’s too short a time for an unknown to overwhelm a gifted one.
So naturally, I’m forced to reevaluate what I’ve been doing.
“That’s not how it’s supposed to be done.”
As I said that, I thought of Ellen when she started teaching me swordsmanship.
My efforts, which had started with Adriana, really took off when she got involved.
I wouldn’t have been able to do anything on my own.
I might still be a lesser man than someone like Erich.
-Smack!
“Well done, but it’s not perfect. If you use your full power, your control weakens.”
-Clack!
“Don’t get too excited, Reinhardt. What you should focus on is… .”
‘If I were to call it a flaw, you would be upset, wouldn’t you?’
I can see it in your face….
Stop playing favorites with me….
“Your Magic Body Strengthening is still quite unstable. Of course, it’s admirable that someone your age can do it now. Don’t take that as a criticism.”
Saviolin Turner was not only overseeing my training, but also Scarlett’s and Ludwig’s.
At first, Saviolin Turner seemed to hesitate around Ludwig’s excessive enthusiasm. To be precise, it seemed that she was bothered by it rather than disliking it.
I was being favored as usual, while Scarlett always enjoyed having her turn.
But Ludwig….
-Bam!
“All right, please let me do it again!”
-Bam!
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I can still do it!”
-Bang!
“How about now…?”
“No, Just one more time!”
I looked at Ludwig, who bounced back from being manhandled, and realized that her mood had changed.
‘What is this? Is he a human or a troll?’
‘I thought his talent was stamina….’
‘That’s weird….’
‘I wonder what he is….’
‘It’s scary….’
With the same vigor as when he started, Ludwig fearlessly asked Turner for a fight.
Ludwig is an overly pure character.
I don’t mean pure of character, but pure of conviction.
‘I may fall short. But I believe I can be better.’
‘I am weak. But I believe I can be stronger.’
‘I can be defeated. But I will grow from it.’
It’s the kind of attitude that was common in those comic books I used to read.
It’s clichéd and predictable.
But, when you meet such a person in real life, you feel somehow afraid.
Unbreakable.
Someone who can be defeated dozens of times and still try again.
-Bang!
“I’ll do it again!”
I thought I had become strong.
But as I watched Ludwig, gritting his teeth, grateful for the opportunity, smiling through every fall, every twist of his wrist, every blow, asking Saviolin Turner to do it again.
I realized, once again, that it’s those guys who are really the toughest.
He who endeavors never beats the one who enjoys.
“Scarlett, while he’s doing it, let’s have a go ourselves.”
“Ah, yes. Reinhardt.”
I was the one who put in effort.
“Hmph!”
-Bam!
But Ludwig was the one enjoying himself.
The protagonist.
Destined to save the world with his unbreakable spirit.
-Ka-gak!
I swung my sword diligently.
“Reinhardt.”
“Hey.”
After Saviolin Turner’s lessons, Ludwig called out to me.
“You’re entering the First Year Tournament, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Me and Scarlett are joining too. Did you know?”
“Oh, yeah.”
This didn’t surprise me, because of course you did. What was surprising was that Scarlett, who would have been Miss Temple in the original, was competing in the tournament.
Ludwig said, and pointed toward the training room.
“I’m going to practice some more. Though I doubt Lady Turner will train me again.”
He chuckles.
“If I lose too badly to you, that would be rude, wouldn’t it?”
Ludwig seems to be betting that he won’t be able to beat me.
But he’ll give it his best shot, because that’s who he is.
Let’s make an effort.
Let’s live a good life.
Let’s be honest.
He’s a weird guy, like a bunch of common phrases put together and made into a person.
“Bye, then! Good luck in qualifying tomorrow, I’ll be there!”
“Yeah.”
Ludwig is even stronger than the original. That’s the payoff for staying out of trouble.
But I find that getting into trouble gives me a strange advantage.
So, having gotten into a lot of trouble, I am definitely stronger than Ludwig now.
But will I still be stronger than Ludwig in the future?
With his unrealistic mentality, there are no limits. He must have some kind of heroic bloodline.
Saviolin Turner seemed to have realized that Ludwig is something else. She seemed a bit overwhelmed at first, but in the end, they have a good synergy.
Now that he’s met her, Ludwig will be stronger than ever before, and grow at a tremendous rate.
Saviolin Turner is holding these lessons to teach me, but it will also strengthen Ludwig rapidly.
He’ll probably spend the entirety of his vacation bothering Saviolin Turner to death. I don’t know what she thinks of it, but I don’t think she’s going to turn Ludwig away when he asks for help.
“Reinhardt.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Scarlett called from the hallway of the Class B dormitory.
“Do you want to eat?”
“Eat?”
I hadn’t eaten dinner because of the swordsmanship lesson, but it was still a bit surprising to hear Scarlett say this.
“The Princess asked me to join her if I had time.”
Oh, I see.
Somehow I felt I wasn’t going to get some practice in before the tournament.
Since Charlotte had returned to the dorm, we’d been cautious of each other, greeting each other when we saw each other but we haven’t even had any sort of conversation.
This would be the first time I get to talk to her since that day.
Please report to us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!