Chapter 6: Induction Ceremony

Part 1

It would be impossible for Ianna to participate in the Swordsmanship Competition.

There were fewer than twenty days before the preliminaries were to begin, but her left arm was just as injured as it was before, while the bones in her right arm would still supposedly take four weeks to completely heal. It would heal in less time than that thanks to her amazing recuperative abilities, but participating in the competition would be absolutely impossible if she considered the fact that she would still need to allow her arms to rest.

She had been told that she could be healed completely if she called forth the Spirit King of Earth, but she still needed to wait another month before she could. Additionally, Finn had shaken his head no when she had asked him if he could call an earth spirit. Which meant that she needed to call the Spirit King of Water again to ask it how to summon a spirit of earth.

Ianna decided not to regret the fact that she had to withdraw from the competition so her arms could recover. This gave her mind a measure of peace.

Clatter, clatter.

Ianna and Finn were sitting atop the many layers of cloth that had been laid over the wagon. Ianna had wanted to walk, like she had before she injured her arms, but people dissuaded her by saying that she absolutely must not push herself and forced her to rest.

“Yawn…….”

Ianna let out a big yawn. She knew that this was the best thing to do if she hoped for a speedy recovery, but it bored her terribly to simply sit there and stare at the unchanging trees.

Suddenly, Ianna recalled the small bottle hidden inside her bag. It was the mysterious bottle that the black-robed man had given her before he left. It was highly likely that it was some type of medicine, seeing that he had given it to someone who had injured her arms, but the thought of actually using it made her uneasy.

The liquid inside was a strange color. It seemed transparent at first, but it would occasionally give off a greyish light, like wastewater. It was like a wide variety of different colors had been washed into it.

She had asked the doctor if he knew what it was, but the doctor had looked puzzled as he shook his head no. The doctor offered to taste the liquid, but Ianna had refused. There wasn’t much of the liquid to begin with, and she couldn’t let someone try it when she didn’t even know whether it was medicine or poison.

‘Would Eiji know what this liquid is?’

It was possible, as he had called himself an informant. She stopped wondering about the bottle after deciding to ask Eiji about it once she had returned to the Institution.

‘But more importantly, who on earth was that man?’

Who was he that he had snuck up on her in the middle of the night like a thief, kissed her on every finger, and fled once he was caught but only after handing her the bottle?

Ianna had been too uncomfortable to sleep that night when the man had visited. She had collected her breathing and had pretended to be asleep when she suddenly felt someone’s presence from the entrance to the barracks.

The man had placed his hand on her right hand, brought her hand up, and kissed each and every finger. He had dared to sneak into a sleeping woman’s room and do something like that. She should have jumped up and censured him for being a despicable scoundrel, but Ianna could not find it in herself to shake him off and glare at him in contempt.

And so, she had tried stretching out her fingers instead.

The strong grip from which she felt a strong possessive desire. The minute shivers in which she felt a faint hint of fear…….

He had merely pressed his dry lips gently against her fingertips, but the sensation shook Ianna so much that she thought that their blood vessels had connected for a moment. It was almost comical how her displeasure had faded away at that moment only to be replaced with curiosity. But she only found it more unpleasant than she had initially been now that she thought over it carefully.

This was the first time she had left the Roberstein lands since she had returned to her past, and she had not done anything special for anyone in particular. Red eyes and hair weren’t common, but it was still possible that the man had mistaken her for someone else. She wanted to correct any misunderstandings if she ever met the man again. She did not want for him to aimlessly pour out his feelings to her because he had confused her with someone else.

“……The you in my arms right now —are you not an illusion?……”

Ianna immediately erased the absurd delusion that had popped into her mind. It wasn’t him. The man’s voice might have been so similar to his voice from her memories, and the man might have been of exceptional skill like he was, but there was no way that he would know of her at this point in time.

“Just when will this damn forest end?”

“We should be seeing the end soon…….”

People were gloomy, as if dark clouds were hanging over their hearts, because there had been many victims in the uproar from last night. A wagon at the end of the caravan carrying the dead wobbled along like fetters to their hearts. People looked behind and sniffled every now and again.

Those who travelled often saw countless casualties that arose from monster attacks or from bandits. But what had happened yesterday was a disaster that even those who travelled often had never seen before.

They had been attacked by twenty raging minotaurs. It was said that mid-level monsters only formed groups of three or four, but then this had happened.

The merchants were merciful and did not blame the mercenaries, who had been tasked with protecting the goods and escorting them through the forest, or Marquis Chaipan’s knight order. After all, there would have been many more casualties had it not been for the knight order.

People began walking faster as they grew impatient and wanted to leave the dangerous forest as quickly as possible.

“We can see the end of the forest!”

They eventually cleared the forest and saw the crossroads branching out like the branches of a tree. The caravan’s journey had concluded.

“Thank God.”

People began giving thanks to the God Laos and breathing sighs of relief as they saw the forest end. The wagons rattled to a stop when the knights at the lead gave the signal.

“Good work, everyone. You may go along your own ways now.”

Thud.

Ianna jumped lightly off the wagon when she heard Frederick announce the journey’s end.

She would have to bid goodbye to the Paella Company, as they were headed toward the Furtoon lands. Likewise, she would be parting ways with Marquis Chaipan’s knights, who were tasked with escorting people through the forest.

‘Can I start running now?’

Ianna jumped in place a few times before walking up to Mursi to say goodbye. But things didn’t work out as she had intended.

“I will be fine. Won’t you need to attend to company business?”

“I can leave that to Longstum. Finn told me that you’ll need to bring your luggage from the Roberstein lands back to your dorm at the Institution, but it will be difficult with your injured arms. Please let me take you there, Miss.”

Even Frederick had pitched in.

“I agree. I cannot allow an injured lady to depart on her own. I will send a few men to explain the situation to the marquis, and the rest of my knight order will escort you home.”

Ianna pondered over the decision. She knew that she was in no place to stubbornly insist that she be able to travel alone. But it wasn’t the danger that posed the problem. She could simply run away or fight back with her legs if an enemy appeared.

The problem was that she was going to the Roberstein lands to cast it away. She had planned to erase all traces of herself when she returned and leave on her own two feet with only her valuables. But she had injured her arms and was unable to carry anything heavy. Sarachè could decide it was too dangerous and force her to bring people with her, and it was also possible that Isphee or Karnitz would stubbornly insist on accompanying her. So, if she wanted to prevent that from happening…….

Ianna breathed out a sigh.

“In that case, I’ll be in your care.”

And that was how Ianna ended up travelling to the Roberstein lands with a colorful party consisting of the second knight order of Marquis Chaipan, who was renown as the sword of the king of Roanne, a militant nation, the owner of the Paella Company, which was reputed highly among collectors of rare goods, and an extremely rare half-elf child.

“Who goes there?”

Night was beginning to settle in, and stars were beginning to light the sky. A gatekeeper was guarding the tightly shut gates.

The gatekeeper looked at Ianna, who had returned to the lands for the first time in two months, with a faint light of disrespect in his eyes.

“I am Ianna Roberstein. Open the gates.”

“Ah, I see. And who are the people behind you?”

“They are the second knight order of Marquis Chaipan and the owner of the Paella Company and his entourage.”

The gatekeeper gasped and only then began quickly opening the gates.

“He lacks even the most basic of manners,”

Frederick muttered discontentedly. He continued,

“Now only did he, a guard, fail to recognize his own liege lord’s daughter and rudely ask for her identity, but he even doubts the people travelling with her? He ought to be punished.”

“He was doing that on purpose.”

“Pardon?”

“This is nothing compared to how I am usually treated in these lands, so please don’t pay him any heed.”

“What do you……?”

Frederick asked back in bewilderment, unable to understand what Ianna had meant, but Ianna did not reply and simply stepped forward when the gates opened with a creak.

‘How strange.’

Frederick and Mursi felt that something was off. They hadn’t noticed it earlier because Ianna was acting as if it was only natural, but her situation grew stranger the more they thought about it.

It was uncommon for noblewomen to seriously persue the art of the sword, but noble swordswomen did exist. It was entirely plausible that someone as incredibly talented as Ianna would be among their number. Still, that being said, it was strange for a count’s daughter to be travelling without a single knight to escort her, strange that she had been admitted into the Institution, which was mostly attended by commoners, and the gatekeeper’s attitude had been strange as well…….

Something felt wrong.

“I would prefer that not too many people came to the manor.”

Frederick and Mursi quickly returned to their senses and nodded.

“We will be staying out in town, not in the manor. We came here to assist you, my lady, not to cause you trouble.”

Then, Frederick gestured to the knights and said,

“One of you will come to the manor once you’ve secured lodgings. I will leave the manor as soon as I’ve greeted the count.”

Mursi asked him,

“Is it alright if my employees accompanied your men, Commander?”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

Mursi called one of his employees over and handed him some money once he had received Frederick’s consent.

“You can lodge wherever you’d like, and you can start eating before I get back. I’ll pay for the knights’ share too, so tell them that they don’t need to worry about the money.”

“Hmm, thank you. I’ll accept your offer without reserve.”

“It’s no problem at all. After all, money’s the one thing that a merchant is good for.”

Mursi picked up Finn, who had been sitting on the wagon, in his arms and he and Frederick followed Ianna beyond the gates. But just then.

“Kyaah!”

A woman, who had been going about her way with a pleasant smile on her face, suddenly screamed. Ianna walked past the woman, who had flattened herself against the wall of a building, without paying her any heed, but Frederick and Mursi stopped in bewilderment and looked between Ianna and the woman in turns.

The woman walked away from the wall with a sigh of relief as Ianna walked farther away, and Frederick and Mursi approached her cautiously.

“Excuse me. But why did you scream after seeing the liege lord’s daughter?”

“Eek! You scared me. Don’t just appear out of nowhere like that!”

“My apologies.”

The woman held down her chest as she gasped for breath. She clicked her tongue as if in pity at the two of them once she had calmed down.

“You must be strangers to these lands, seeing as you don’t know? It would be best if you didn’t get too close to that lady.”

“Why……?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? Not only did she murder her grandfather for his fortune, but she might have even murdered her own mother too! —though her mother was a damned whore herself. Goodness, I hadn’t seen her in a while, but now she’s back. My, how scary!”

The woman left after snapping at them. Frederick and Mursi froze stiff because of the shocking things she had said. Finn stared daggers at the woman as she walked away.

“I don’t like her.”

Ianna had walked on without waiting for them as Frederick and Mursi pondered over what the woman had said. They hurried to catch up to her when they realized she wasn’t there, and when they did, Ianna posed them a question without so much as turning around.

“Did you hear something about me?”

Ianna answered her own question in their stead when they did not reply.

“That I’m the dirty daughter of a lowly prostitute? Or……that I’m a murderer who broke my filial morals?”

“M-Miss?”

“It’s all true.”

Ianna stopped in her tracks. She turned around a little to look back at them as a queer smile alighted her lips. She continued,

“Do you see me differently now?”

“No!”

Mursi refuted her immediately. Mursi, who had lived as a merchant for many years now and had met countless people along his travels, trusted his own eyes. He continued,

“You are a respectable person, Miss. ……So I am sure that you must have had your reasons.”

Frederick quickly nodded beside him. Ianna had an unfathomable look on her face before she turned back away from them.

“Who could say?”

She started walking again once she had said her mysterious words. Cherno and Sarachè, who had heard the news from the gatekeeper, were waiting for them by the main entrance.

Cherno stood back with a complicated look on his face, while Sarachè was restless and ran up to Ianna in welcome as soon as she saw the girl.

“Welcome ba……goodness! What happened to your arms?”

Sarachè’s cheer only lasted a moment as the blood drained from her face and she brought her hand to her mouth upon seeing the unsightly bandages wrapped tightly around Ianna’s arms. Ianna looked down at her arms and looked up again with a grin on her face.

“I made it into the Institution.”

“But your arms!”

“I sprained them a little by accident. They’ll be fully healed within a week.”

Frederick and Mursi looked shocked behind her. Sarachè, on the other hand, looked greatly relieved.

“You should still get it looked at by a doctor.”

“It’s all right. I do not wish to bother a doctor into coming all this way in the middle of the night for an injury that is bound to heal on its own.”

“……I see. Have you eaten? Shall I have something prepared?”

“I can take care of myself, so please stop worrying over me.”

Sarachè smiled wryly. Ianna’s firm denial hadn’t changed even though they hadn’t seen each other in two months.

“Are you all right?”

Cherno, who had been staring regretfully at Ianna’s white bandages, asked curtly, prompting Ianna to curtly reply,

“Yes.”

Cherno opened his mouth in want of saying something, but ultimately turned away without saying a word.

Frederick and Mursi found themselves at a loss. The mood was so stiff that they felt like a layer of frost had formed over the garden. Ianna pretended not to notice and began introducing them.

“To the left is Sir Frederick Holt, the commander of Marquis Chaipan’s second knight order.”

“It is my honor, Count Roberstein, Lady Roberstein. My name is Frederick Holt.”

Cherno and Sarachè opened their eyes wide in surprise at the unexpected introduction.

“Why are you here? And how do you know Ianna?”

“Sir.”

Frederick looked to Ianna when she called for him. She shook her head ever so slightly to signal that she did not want him to disclose anything in too much detail, and Frederick smiled awkwardly in acknowledgement. Frederick told the count what had happened, but he chose to gloss over the details.

“My knight order was tasked with protecting those who crossed the Allacamorah Forest because monsters had been sighted there, and that is how I met the lady. We chose to accompany her here because we could not allow an injured lady to travel alone. My knights are waiting outside in town.”

“Ah, I see.”

Ianna looked rather pitiful with her arms wrapped in white bandages, and the situation could be fully explained by saying that Marquis Chaipan’s righteous knights had assisted her after finding her injured while she was on her way back from the capital.

“Monsters……. Did Ianna get injured because of the monsters, by any chance?”

“No, I did not,”

Ianna cut in. She continued,

“And this is Mr. Mursi, the owner of the Paella Company.”

Ianna swiftly changed the topic when her arms were mentioned, leaving Cherno and Sarachè no room to ask any questions regarding her injury. They stole glances at Ianna’s arms before turning to Mursi, who had brought his hands together with a pleasant look on his face. Mursi courteously introduced himself.

“May the blessings of Laos be with you. I am Mursi, the owner of the Paella Company that has recently started working in the Kingdom of Roanne, though we are mostly active in the Kingdom of Toraca.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard of the Paella Company before —it’s a large and well-known business. What brings you here?”

“We ended up travelling with Miss Ianna because of the monsters, and she looked after my young rascal of a son during our travels. My son grew rather attached to her, and…….”

Finn ran up to Ianna had clung to her legs as the edges of Mursi’s eyes crinkled into a smile. He continued,

“I’ve decided to escort the Miss and assist her until she returns to the capital. She refused me at first, but I insisted because it weighed on my heart to send an injured lady off alone.”

“I see…….”

Sarachè mumbled while looking a little depressed.

Ianna was doing well on her own even without the help of House Roberstein. She had skillfully organized Horby’s massive wealth without their help, had been admitted into the Institution’s Swordsmanship Department, which was difficult to get into, without their help, and she had found people who were bending over backwards to assist her even if she didn’t want them to without their help…….

The doors to Ianna’s heart were shut tight. She only returned colorless responses no matter how kind Sarachè was to her. And Ianna, who had always solved her own problems by herself, had asserted that she wished to leave the household for good.

Sarachè’s husband was too afraid of confronting Ianna that he never even tried to talk to her. And the people around Sarachè only ever said that she was worrying too much over a dirty whore’s daughter, that she was being too kind, that all that was left to do was to drive Ianna out of the household and return things to normal now that Horby was dead and Lebony was missing.

Only Sarachè was trying otherwise.

Did she really have to continue like this and eventually cut all ties with Ianna? Was erasing her crimson existence from the blue, erasing the girl named Ianna from the Roberstein family, truly the right thing to do?

Sarachè grew so frustrated that she clenched her hands tight.

She felt like she was the only one crying out otherwise when everyone else was telling her that it was. Like she alone felt like nothing had been resolved when everyone else was commenting on how nicely things had fallen into place.

Sarachè felt like she was lost in a deep labyrinth she could not find her way out of.

“Oh, and I plan to pack my things today and leave first thing tomorrow morning. Sir Holt, Mr. Mursi. My apologies, but may I be excused?”

“But of course.”

Frederick and Mursi both bowed their heads and bid goodnight as things were beginning to wrap up.

“In that case, we will be off.”

“We can have the guest rooms prepared for you if you’d like.”

“No thank you. We were travelling with many others, and they had already secured lodgings for us. We only came to the manor to say hello.”

“Is that so…….”

“Yes. Well then, may the light of Laos always be with you. My Lady, we will see you in the morning.”

“Come along now, Finn.”

Finn, who was reading the situation by Ianna’s side, ran over to his father when Mursi beckoned to him. Frederick, Mursi, and Finn left after bidding goodbye, and silence fell over the three Robersteins who remained in the garden.

“Please head inside. My apologies for making you step outside in the middle of the night when I’m sure you must have been resting.”

But just as Ianna, who no longer felt the need to stay where she was, bowed her head and made to return to the annex.

“Your arms…….”

Cherno mumbled at first before he decided to be brave and continue.

“Make sure you get someone to examine them properly before you go. I know you said it would heal in a week……but I’m still worried. I’ll ask around for some medicine, so go back and rest and I’ll have it sent to you.”

“Oh, Cherno!”

Ianna froze stiff while Sarachè was busy being moved.

Worried?

Ianna had been indifferent to everything Cherno had done for her. But now, a deep sense of revulsion arose from within her upon knowing that he was sincerely worried for her.

……Who are you to be worried about me?

“It’s your fault. It’s your fault that Sarachè…….”

Cherno had continued keeping up appearances as a noble even after Sarachè’s death, but his fierce wrath, directedly solely at Ianna, occasionally slipped through.

Ashtrays filled with ash, teacups filled with hot tea, or books so thick that they could have been used as blunt weapons……things had come flying at Ianna that had cracked her skull, given her nosebleeds, bruised her, and ripped apart her skin. And if she fell over in pain, he would grab her up by the hair to hit her.

“Everything that happened to the household, the fact that I’m losing my mind —all of this is your fault!”

The violent abuse had hurt her heart more than her body.

“If only you were dead…….”

You of all people are worried for me?

Her hatred, which had taken root in her heart and had been lying dormant, seeped around her entire being like thorny vines. It stabbed at her whole being. The vines, which crawled all over her body, came up to her throat and made it difficult to breathe. And, as the vines began to crawl over her eyes and obscure her vision. She saw Sarachè in her line of sight.

Sarachè had not been poisoned to death, and she was standing right there looking moved because of her husband.

This is a contradiction.

Ianna returned to her senses.

Snap!

Ianna promptly cut away her hatred and knocked it aside. Her heart settled down immediately afterward.

Neither Sarachè nor Cherno had seen the change in her expression because her emotions had only run rampant for but a moment. She could not move her injured arms, so Ianna simply closed her eyes and let the sweat that had formed on her forehead simply run down.

It was ridiculous. To think that she would overlay the past that no longer existed with her current reality.

She liked the fact that Cherno hadn’t changed. She did not want him to change like Lebony had and make a mess of her past. She hoped that the worry he had shown her had merely been a momentary whim.

“There’s no need for that. In any event, I will see you again tomorrow morning.”

Ianna turned around and left before they could reply.

What is the point in worrying about me now after all this time? It won’t change my decision to cut ties with you. I’m only trying to leave quietly without killing you in this life like I did in my last because I pity you, so just be grateful and accept it.

Ianna’s lips curled into a dry smile.

“Just what on earth is going on?”

Mursi muttered worriedly once he had left the manor.

“How would I know? All I could tell was that their family situation is rather complicated.”

“Miss Ianna isn’t a bad person!”

“Yes, yes. But they say she committed parricide. Her……? Just what on earth could have happened?”

Ianna was charming enough that people would follow her just for existing, and Frederick and Mursi had come all the way here only because they were chasing after her light. They had no way of knowing about her circumstances.

“Over here.”

The knight that had come to meet them guided them back to an inn. The employees of the Paella Company had thrown a drinking party to wash away their weariness from travelling. The knights had stopped being so strict about themselves, since they weren’t on duty, and were drinking along with them.

An employee of the Paella Company saw Mursi, who looked stupefied, and gladly shook his hand.

“Hahaha, Mr. Mursi! You said you’d pay for everything, so please make sure you take responsibility for this!”

“I see you bastards planned this from the get go. Alright, fine, drink up! You should take a seat too, Commander.”

Mursi roared in laughter as he sat Finn down in an empty chair before sitting down himself. Frederick did not look reluctant as he took off his heavy armor and followed suit. The innkeeper slowly snuck up to them, realizing that they were the heads of the party.

“Welcome, good sirs. Where did you come from? I’m told that you have very generous pockets.”

“This gentleman over here is the one with the generous pockets. I’m just your everyday knight.”

“Goodness, duly noted. But seeing how shiny your armor is, I’m sure you’re not some ordinary knight either, Sir Knight…….”

Frederick pulled out ten silver coins from his pocket and threw it at the sycophantic innkeeper. The innkeeper brightened up as he snatched the coins away.

“Thank you! And no need to worry —you’ll be getting only our very best service, hahahaha! But what brings you here to our lands? Not many outsiders come here since it’s so close to the border…….”

Mursi, who had been cutting up vegetables into bite-sized pieces for Finn because the child was having a hard time eating his meat, thoughtlessly replied,

“We came here with Miss Ianna Roberstein…….”

“Goodness, Sir! The people who live in these lands don’t like to talk about her.”

Mursi’s elated mood dropped like bricks at the innkeeper’s imprudent rejection.

“Excuse me?”

“It looks like you don’t know since you aren’t from around these parts —would you like me to tell you more? There was a lowly common wench who happened to have a lot of money. Then, the wench became our lord’s mistress through dirty, underhanded means. The wench even tried to poison our kindhearted lady to death once, because she’s wicked and was probably jealous.”

The innkeeper quickly jabbered on like a woodpecker pecking at a tree before either Frederick or Mursi could interject. He continued,

“Miss Ianna is that wench’s daughter. But the wench liked to sleep around before she got married, so no one really knows who Miss Ianna’s father actually is. Haha.”

Frederick and Mursi, who had accidentally learned of Ianna’s dark past and the dirty rumors surrounding her without meaning to, grew as stiff as stone as the innkeeper playfully recited the rumors that had spread throughout the lands.

But just as Frederick had grown angry enough to rebuke the innkeeper.

“Oh, and the Miss was said to have stabbed her own grandfather in the heart a few months ago.”

Frederick and Mursi opened their eyes wide in surprise at the words that had come out from the innkeeper’s mouth.

“I’ve heard about that. Why did that happen?”

“I don’t really know the details myself. But they say that the wench gave up on the lord and visited Miss Ianna with her father before leaving the manor for good. According to the rumors, the wench asked her father to kill the Miss, who was proof of her relationship with the lord…… She was just some crazy bitch no matter how hard you thought about it.”

Food slipped out from the grip of Mursi’s chopsticks.

“But the Miss, who had been training with the sword in secret, turned the tables and killed her grandfather instead, and her whore of a mother went missing. But it’s possible that she killed the wench too, and the lord imposed a gag order to keep rumors about the Miss’ great sins against heaven down low.”

“…….”

“Oh, and there are rumors like this, too. That the Miss murdered both her grandfather and mother to get her hands on their fortune. This rumor’s pretty credible. The Miss inherited all of Horby’s vast fortune, after all.”

Frederick’s, who was a knight who kept his dignity even when he was off duty, jaw dropped. The innkeeper continued,

“Regardless, it can’t be helped that people are frightened of Miss Ianna, who murdered her own kin on these peaceful lands, and want to avoid her by all costs. Well, not that anyone liked her for looking just as crimson as that despicable wench to begin with.”

Neither Frederick nor Mursi could find it in themselves to join the innkeeper in his merriment. Just what did the innkeeper find so funny that he was laughing so?

The gatekeeper, the woman who had screamed, and the innkeeper —Frederick and Mursi could easily tell how Ianna was treated in these lands just by seeing how the people they had chanced upon acted around her. They grew nauseous, as though they were looking at a throng of people who acted purely on emotion without a shred of rationality.

They could not condone murder, but they sympathized with Ianna nonetheless. Was it not her mother and the environment around her that had cornered her to the point where she had no choice but to do what she had done?

They shuddered as they recalled how unusually dignified Ianna was for a young girl of only sixteen. It was a miracle that she had grown up to be such a respectable person.

~~*~~

Isphee shook Ianna by the back of her neck, just as the latter had expected her to.

“My word! I’m so happy to see you again, but what on earth?!”

“I ran into an accident on my way here.”

“Do you think that brusque explanation of yours is enough? Goodness, you’ll be the death of me, Miss! What kind of accident was it?!”

Isphee waited on Ianna and helped her change even as she raged. Ianna wore a comfortable smile on her lips.

Ianna stretched out her stiff muscles once Ishpee had helped her change out of her dirt-covered clothes and into clothes made from softer cloth. She felt Isphee’s burning glare on the back of her head. And so, she smiled awkwardly and said,

“I took a little tumble while saving a little child.”

“I don’t know who this child is. But do you think that all is fine and dandy just because the child is safe and sound? Is your safety not important to you?”

Isphee was angry. She thought that Ianna had gotten herself hurt for no real reason. Ianna slowly waved her arms.

“I didn’t just stop him from getting hurt —I saved that child’s life. Suffering injuries to my arms that will heal in but a week is a small price to pay for saving an adorable child’s life, don’t you think?”

Isphee was unable to reply.

“And more importantly, Isphee, help me pack my things.”

“……You got into the Institution.”

“Of course I did. We will have to tidy up my entire room, as I will never be coming back here again after I leave.”

“You’re so cruel, Miss.”

Ianna sat at the edge of her bed as she listed out everything Isphee would need to help her pack. Ianna watched for a while, with her chin resting on her knees, as Isphee carefully packed her things even as she grumbled and complained.

“You must hate me for casting you aside so coldly, no? It was only a month ago that you cried such sorrowful tears for me.”

“Hate you? How could I ever hate you? You want to leave House Roberstein for good, Miss. It makes me sad, but……. But it’s only natural. If I were you, Miss, I would have wanted to leave this damned household as soon as possible too. In any case, I suppose I should leave the household as well. After all, I, your nanny, have no business being in the Roberstein manor once you’re gone.”

“Don’t think like that just for my sake.”

“I will do as I please. Hmph. I’m going to live my own life, just as you told me to, Miss. Of course I will. You ordered it of me, so what else can I do but shut up and do as I was told?!”

“I see you’re being defiant, but it’s a good idea nonetheless. Don’t be angry, Isphee. I’m only doing this because I worry for you.”

Ianna smiled gently. Isphee choked up for a moment when she saw, but she forced herself to turn away and continue packing Ianna’s things.

“Did you make some friends while you took the exams? It would be nice if you could start gathering good people around you.”

“I’ve met many people, and I think they’re all as good to me as you are.”

“As good to you as I am? No one could ever be as good to you as I am. No one will ever watch over you as carefully as I do. You will regret casting me aside like this, Miss.”

“Yes, I’m sure I will.”

“It’s Karnitz, my lady.”

Karnitz knocked on the door before stepping inside. He looked as brusque as ever. But he could not hide how glad he was to see Ianna again. Ianna, too, welcomed him gladly.

“Come in. Have you been well during the month I was away?”

“I was not well, but I believe I have adjusted to your absence to some extent.”

“What a mean-spirited knight you are.”

“Were you admitted into the Institution?”

“Yes.”

“I see. But of course. It was only natural that you succeeded, my lady.”

Karnitz congratulated her with composure. Ianna broke out into a smile before she could stop herself upon seeing how unchanged he was. Karnitz’s wavering gaze turned to her smile, but Ianna failed to see and the smile coldly left her countenance in but an instant.

“Once I leave, I will have no need to return to these lands until I’ve graduated from the Institution. That means you will be liberated from the cumbersome position of being my personal knight, Karnitz. Now you’ll be able to do as you please —isn’t that nice?”

Karnitz nodded with a serious look on his face.

“Yes. I am thinking of doing just that, since you will be doing the same, my lady.”

Ianna’s face stiffened. Both Isphee and Karnitz had been going on about doing what they wanted. But what exactly was it that they planned to do? Coolly, Ianna said,

“Isphee, Karnitz. You remember what I said before, yes?”

She would not allow them to follow her. She had coldly declared that she would sever their ties.

“Of course I remember.”

“But of course.”

Isphee and Karnitz immediately looked blue, but Ianna heartlessly chose not to console them.

“Thank you both for following me so sincerely until now. Isphee, could you open the bottom-most drawer to the right of the wardrobe?”

“……?”

Isphee tottered over and opened the drawer that Ianna had pointed out. There were two pouches inside.

“Take one each. This is the money that I’ve been saving up for both of you.”

“I have no need for it. Please use it for yourself, my lady.”

Karnitz shook his head before even looking at the pouch. Isphee, too, closed the drawer without another word.

“You won’t take it even if it’s my last order as your mistress and the last request I’m making of you because I like the both of you?”

Neither Isphee nor Karnitz could reply. Ianna let out a deep breath. She continued,

“I will simply throw it away if you won’t accept it. This is a gift I am giving you so you can better your lives, so make sure to take it if you ever change your minds once I leave.”

“…….”

“You and I are strangers now.”

~~*~~

Early the next morning, Ianna presented an itemized ledger and a sack of gold bullions and coins before the count, who wore a stiff look on his face.

“What is this?”

“A ledger containing the monetary value of all the support I’ve received from this house until now and more than enough money to cover for those expenses. Please stop concerning yourself with me from now on. I do not wish to receive any more support from the household.”

Once she had said her piece, she left the room and closed the door behind her before the count could reply.

Ianna only stayed in the Roberstein lands for a day. Or rather, she only stayed half a day —overnight from evening to morning. Ianna cleaned up after all traces of herself from the Roberstein lands in just that brief period of time.

Shhh……

And at the end of her time there, she stood alone at her place of refuge where the cool winds were blowing.

The wind rustled her crimson hair. Ianna closed her eyes and welcomed the refreshing sensation of the wind twisting around her.

This place, which had been a refuge for her alone both now and in the past.

But now it was time to say goodbye to this place.

Slowly, Ianna opened her eyes. Her crimson eyes, so unlike the green forest, took in her refuge one last time. And then she slowly erased it from her heart.

“Goodbye.”

Ianna gently tapped the tree trunk she was sitting on as she bid it farewell. Then, she turned her back to it and walked away without ever looking back or holding any lingering feelings of regret.

Shhh—

The wind blew again just a little while after Ianna had left. It carried the green leaves into a whirlwind as the place lost its crimson warmth.

~~*~~

Part 2

The carriages Mursi had prepared quickly took their party back to the capital. They were nervous as they passed through the Allacamorah Forest, but thankfully, no monsters appeared.

The stopped for a moment at Frederick’s request when they reached Marquis Chaipan’s lands. Frederick and his knights went into the castle, and Frederick came back out shortly with a sullen look on his face. He had wanted to introduce the marquis to Ianna, but the marquis had not returned to his lands yet.

Frederick tried to coax Ianna into staying by saying things like, “Won’t you please consider waiting a little while to meet the marquis?” and “The marquis is a good man. I am sure he will be of great help to you one day if you forge a connection with him,” but Ianna shook her head no and instead tried to leave Frederick behind by saying that the rest of they way back would pose no danger.

Ultimately, Frederick gave up on arranging a meeting but decided to accompany Ianna alone, without his knights, because “People are dangerous even if there are no monsters present.”

Ianna’s right arm moved normally even though it hadn’t even been two weeks yet since her injury. She could even wield a sword, however briefly. It was a feat made possible by both Ianna’s amazing recuperative prowess and the medicine that Mursi had arranged to be delivered to them at every territory they stopped by.

As for her left arm, Ianna was planning to see a skilled doctor once she returned to the capital and hope for a swift recovery.

Ultimately, she made it back the day before the swordsmanship competition preliminaries were scheduled to begin. The carriage stopped in front of the Institution, and Ianna’s things were unloaded by workers whom Mursi had hired. Mursi wanted to help Ianna carry her things back into her room, but Ianna refused, since she only had two bags to carry.

“Huff, huff.”

“Dad, you can’t grab it so hard like that. You’ll mess up all my clothes inside. And Brother! Don’t you dare drop that! My makeup and expensive accessories are in there.”

Beside Ianna was a female student nagging at two men who were carrying incredibly large suitcases.

“Can it! And be honest with me. You’re going to school to get yourself a guy and not to study, right? Why do you have so much stuff!”

“My oh my, whatever are you talking about? All of this is necessary for any girl.”

“Yeah right, you orc. Do you really think that putting on a bit of makeup makes you look any more human? W-whoa, hey. I’ll drop this if you keep hitting me like that.”

The female student found herself at a loss as she stopped herself from kicking the man quipping at her in the shin, and the two men took the chance to walk ahead of her as she bristled up. The student followed suit soon afterward, though she was still grumbling along the way.

Ianna’s luggage was very simple in comparison to the female student who still had a load of makeup, accessories, and clothes to transport. Clothes took up the most space while packing, so Ianna had only brought two sets of comfortable training wear, her uniform, and underclothes with her. She had discarded the rest of her clothes, since she could always buy more in the capital if she needed to.

Otherwise, she had only brought skincare items —Isphee had begged her in tears to bring them—, a comb for her hair, the Holy Book of Laos, a notebook in which she organized any important events that had happened in her past life and everything that had happened to her in this one, stationary, and a whetstone and towel she used for maintaining her sword. There was no reason that Ianna’s luggage wouldn’t be light.

Ianna climbed down from the carriage and slung her two bags across her shoulders.

“Mr. Mursi, there’s a favor I’d like to ask.”

“Please ask away.”

Mursi bowed deeply to her from the waist. There were many students around, as they were at the entrance of the Institution, and they cast their curious gazes toward Ianna, who was on the receiving end of such a courteous bow. Ianna pressed at her furrowed brows with her right hand.

“I’ve told you multiple times now that there is no need for you to be so polite with me……. And regardless, I am asking you for a favor. So please don’t bow to me.”

“Oh, alright.”

Mursi straightened himself back out immediately when he felt the chill in her words.

“I know you might be busy travelling, but I’d like to see Finn at least once every month. Will this be possible?”

“Pardon?”

Mursi stared blankly for a moment before he beamed. It was hardly a favor at all. Rather, he had actually wanted to beg her for this himself.

“But of course it is. You won’t mind?”

Finn, who was clinging to Mursi’s pants and was dispirited about having to part ways from Ianna, ran up to her and hugged her leg in joy. Ianna lowered her head.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. We were planning to stay in Roanne’s capital for at least a few years to begin with, so please come visit us whenever you’d like.”

“Visit you…… Is there a way I can visit the Paella Company discreetly in the capital?”

“We’ve bought ourselves a building. Finn and I will be staying there so long as I don’t have to personally travel for business like this time…… Actually, allow me to draw you a simple map.”

Mursi quickly pulled out a sheet of paper and scribbled on it with a quill pen before handing it over. Ianna accepted it and looked it over. The building was located on a street in the middle of the capital near several famous shopping districts. Ianna nodded before folding up the map and stowing it away in her pocket.

“Please take this as well.”

Mursi pulled out something from his pocket and used both hands to hand it to Ianna. Ianna stared at Mursi, puzzled because she didn’t understand why he had given her a tag that looked expensive even at a first glance, before Mursi lowered his head once more.

“This is a tag our company only gives to our most valued customers. Miss Ianna, you are someone to whom I owe a great debt. I will do my best to repay as much of this debt as I can, so please don’t hesitant to knock on the Paella Company’s doors should you need any assistance or whenever you like.”

Ianna stared at the tag wordlessly before reaching out for it. It was likely that Mursi would continue feeling indebted to her if she refused to accept it. She thought it would be fine to consider the tag as a gift of gratitude, and not something that would put her in his debt.

And, as she accepted the tag, Mursi muttered to himself,

‘And also, I, Mursi, am certain of this. That I must not let go of this bond I’ve made with you, Miss.’

The golden tag was basically like a blank check that could be used to request anything from the Paella Company. The golden tag was something Mursi had given only to his closest friend and certain regular customers of high rank —it was not something he typically gave out to people whom he’d only known for a few weeks.

And yet, Mursi was certain. That the crimson girl accepting the tag would one day be of great help of some kind to him in the future. This is what his intuition as a merchant who had struck many deals over the course of his life told him.

Frederick pursed his lips in regret while Mursi was smiling delightedly at the bond he had been able to forge with Ianna.

“Well then, please take your leave now. Thank you for escorting me all the way here.”

“It was nothing —we were only doing what was only natural.”

“Hey, is that Little Ianna I see?”

Ianna heard a familiar cheery voice as she said her goodbyes. She turned around. She found none other than Eiji waving back gleefully at her.

“Urk.”

Eiji suddenly stopped in his tracks and paled as he was sauntering over to her. He had apparently seen the gruesome bandages wrapped around Ianna’s arms. Eiji ran over the rest of the way and scrutinized her arms.

“What happened to your arms?”

“I had an accident. I was attacked by monsters.”

“You were attacked by monsters?”

Eiji furrowed his brows, unable to comprehend what had happened. He continued,

“You were attacked by monsters so strong that you couldn’t face them with your swordplay?”

“Not quite. I was in a situation where I couldn’t easily use my sword.”

“What the hell happened? —it’s barely been ten days. I know the Roberstein lands are to the north, but there shouldn’t be any monsters along the…….”

Eiji stopped mid-sentence and stiffened up as he covered his mouth with a hand. Ianna tapped him gently because she didn’t understand what had caused his sudden change in behavior.

“What is it?”

“N-no, it’s nothing.”

Finn peered out from behind Ianna’s leg, which he was still hugging, as Eiji waved his hands.

“We’ll be going now, Miss.”

“Oh, all right. Goodbye, Finn. I’ll see you later.”

“Hmm?”

Eiji made a strange noise as he quickly looked over Finn’s face as the child smiled bashfully at Ianna.

“Do you know Finn?”

Eiji closed his eyes and smiled at Ianna’s question.

“Nah, it’s nothing. He was just too darn cute.”

“Where did that disgusting coquetry come from? I see you’ve grown weirder since the last time we met.”

Ianna saw Finn off after clicking her tongue at how Eiji had brushed her off. Eiji stared down at Finn with a strange light in his eyes as he saw how close the child was with Ianna. The smile had vanished from his face, and he was expressionless. Then, in a voice so quiet no one could hear, he mumbled,

“Huh……. I don’t want her to hate me, but what should I do now?”

Finn subconsciously looked up at Eiji, feeling the latter’s piercing gaze on him, and flinched. The small child shivered in fright because of the chilling blue eyes staring daggers at him and hid behind Ianna. Ianna followed Finn’s line of sight and witnessed Eiji’s penetrating stare.

“What are you doing?”

“……Ow. Ow ow ow! Ack!”

Ianna furrowed her brows as she tugged sharply at Eiji’s ear with her right hand. Eiji, who had been focused solely on Finn, yelped sharply in pain. Ianna pulled as strongly as she could as she rebuked him.

“Don’t start plotting about things while looking at a child. I’ll rip your ear off.”

“Ack, okay, I get it! You’re really gonna rip my ear off. Ahhh.”

“Miss, I’ll be going now! Bye! Daddy, let’s go, hurry!”

“Alright. Stay well, Miss.”

“I’ll be taking my leave as well, my Lady. I wish you the best of luck!”

Ianna finally let go of Eiji’s ear —he was still writhing in pain— once everyone had left. Eiji clutched at his red and swollen ear and whimpered for a while before he sulked and said,

“Hey, all I did was look at an adorable little child?”

“The look in your eyes was wicked and rude.”

“Wicked and rude, she says. People might misunderstand if they hear you. Ughhh. Are you sure you hurt your arms? It really hurts!”

“I did. I can move my right arm because I received treatment for it, but I don’t even want to try moving my left because it hurts.”

Eiji shut up as Ianna used her right hand to tap her prolongated left arm.

“How did you get hurt? Were you unable to avoid the monsters?”

“I made a mistake and broke both arms while saving that child from earlier. The doctor said there might be aftereffects, but I think otherwise.”

Ianna moved around her right hand as she continued,

“My right arm moves just fine and will be completely healed before long. My left arm will take a little longer, but it’ll recover completely too.”

“Shit.”

Eiji hung his head low. He continued,

“I’m sorry, Little Ianna.”

Ianna grew sour at his sudden apology.

“Why are you sorry?”

“I meant that I was sorry for looking at the kid wickedly after you broke both your arms saving him. Will you forgive me?”

“……Huh?”

Ianna scoffed, finding his apology absurd, but Eiji neither grew embarrassed nor did he lower his arms he had raised in apology. Ianna shook her head at Eiji’s insane antics.

“What the hell……? Enough —if you’re out here because you had nothing better to do, it’d be nice if you could at least help me carry my things.”

“Yes ma’am. Your wish is my command, Princess.”

It was only then that Eiji finally broke into a grin as he took Ianna’s bags and slung them across his own shoulders. He was slenderer than most men, but he was still considerably strong.

“Oh.”

Eiji called out to Ianna cautiously as she tested the mobility of her arms while they were walking toward the female dormitories after Ianna had received her room assignment from the reception desk.

“Can you still participate in the swordsmanship competition?”

“I’m not going to. I don’t think I should.”

Ianna made a fist with her right hand a few times before dropping her arm back down again. Eiji looked at her arm regretfully. She continued,

“I don’t want to push myself until I’ve completely recovered.”

“That’s true. So you’re withdrawing?”

“I think I’ll have to. Oh.”

Ianna thrust her hand into one of her bags that Eiji was carrying as she spoke. She rummaged around for a bit before pulling out the small glass bottle and holding it out to him. Eiji looked between Ianna and the bottle with an odd look in his eyes.

“Would you happen to know what this is?”

“I’ll take a closer look once we’ve put your things down. But don’t get your hopes up. I don’t deal with drugs.”

They finally arrived at the room Ianna had been assigned. Two people were assigned to each room in the dorms. Ianna’s roommate’s belongings were strewn about in a disorderly fashion on one side of the room. Scissors, scraps of cloth, thread…….

Judging by the pair of indoor slippers that were thrown around near the entrance, it looked like her roommate had stepped out. Ianna’s roommate, whom she hadn’t even met yet, lost major points with her due to how messy the room was.

“What’s this? Where’d you get this?”

Eiji took the bottle from Ianna after putting her bags down. Ianna, who had been surveying the room, sat down on her bed.

“Someone gave it to me.”

“And it’s not like I can just taste-test it or anything. Who gave it to you? I can figure out what this is if I know who it’s from. Tell me.”

“I don’t know anything about him.”

Eiji intoned in disapproval as Ianna shook her head.

“You shouldn’t accept things from strangers, Little Ianna. What were you going to do if this was poison?”

“I’m fairly certain it isn’t anything harmful.”

“Jeez, there you go again with that baseless confidence of yours. Anyway, that means I need to figure out what this is with just the liquid alone…….”

Eiji tried shaking the bottle, held it under a light, and even opened it to take a whiff. He still had a puzzled look on his face before he tried running over the bottle carefully with his finger. He studied the pattern that had been engraved on the bottle before suddenly stiffening up like a corpse. Then, he immediately put the bottle back under the sunlight. A blackish light, which he had overlooked the first time around, glistened in the sun.

Ianna sensed the change in his behavior.

“Did you figure something out?”

“Where did you get this?”

“I told you that it was given to me by a stranger. Why?”

Ianna stared openly at Eiji. Eiji returned to his senses and shook his head.

“Well, it’s something that shouldn’t be here.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know how exactly it’s made, and I can’t tell you anything in detail, but…”

Eiji passed the bottle back to Ianna. He continued,

“This is a powerful medicine. You couldn’t buy this even with hundreds of gold buillons.”

“…….”

“It should be able to fuse the fractured bones in your right arm back together if you rub it on. Though I don’t think there’s enough of it to heal your left arm…….”

Ianna stared at the little bottle in her hand after hearing Eiji’s explanation before carefully picking it up.

“Incredible. It was a good thing I didn’t try tasting it, since there’s so little of it. But it seems like a waste to use this medicine on my arms when they’ll recover completely soon enough.”

Eiji turned to Ianna, who was staring gently down at the bottle. He pursed his lips like a mute who could not talk although he had something he wanted to say, and he covered his mouth a few times before finally deciding to speak.

“The person who gave this to you. How do you know him?”

Ianna stared at Eiji, who had a stiff expression on his face.

“Why are you asking?”

Eiji’s countenance darkened at Ianna’s question. It suggested that he held a considerable amount of goodwill toward this person, but, in turn, it seemed that it was his goodwill that made him worried. Eiji spoke out on impulse before he could stop himself.

“This is just my advice, but try not to get too close to him going forward.”

“Do you know him?”

“I don’t know much. Most of what I know are things that I can’t tell you. But this next thing is something I can tell you for certain.”

Ianna waited patiently for the next words that would come out of Eiji’s mouth. Eiji moved his lips and touched the edges of his suddenly parched mouth. And yet, he could not stop talking now that he had started.

“He’s someone who is enemies with the most terrifying person in the world, and, not only is he the most dangerous person in the world himself, but no one would question it if he suddenly died……no, he’s something who might die at any given moment.”

Ianna, who had lowered her gaze without a word, sloshed the liquid around the bottle. Eiji clenched his hands into tight fists.

“I would like it if you didn’t get close to him, Little Ianna.”

‘I used to hope that you would stand beside him, but I don’t think that anymore,’

Eiji muttered to himself.

“Why?”

Ianna asked without a single trace of unrest.

“I really can’t tell you any more than this.”

He could not tell her of the black secrets he held, which he would never stop spilling once he had started. But the girl sitting before him wasn’t the type of person to simply accept it and move on if he only vaguely told her it was dangerous.

Eiji was frustrated as he placed a hand on his forehead.

“Don’t be stubborn and just listen to me, okay? I can’t tell you why, but he’s really dangerous.”

“So like I asked earlier —why does that mean I shouldn’t get close to him?”

It was only then that Eiji had understood what Ianna had meant by “Why?” She had not been asking why the man was dangerous —she understood that he was dangerous, but she was asking why she needed to avoid him.

Because he’s dangerous and because you could get hurt —what other reason could there possibly be? Eiji found himself at a loss for words.

Ianna shrugged.

“Hmm, Eiji, I see that you still don’t fully understand my personality quite yet.”

Ianna placed her right hand over her heart. She continued,

“I don’t ever give up on something I’ve set my mind on no matter how dangerous it may be. This is true of my outlook on relationships as well. Let’s say, for example, that I decided that I really liked someone? Then, so long as they don’t cast me aside first, I will never cut my ties with them even if our relationship puts me in danger. Perhaps it’s a different story if someone else is put in danger because of me. But I don’t mind being in danger myself.”

Eiji listened to her quietly before he groaned in discontent and grabbed the chair that was next to him. He stood there in silence with his head down for a while before slowly turning to Ianna with his cerulean eyes that were so blue they felt cold.

“Are you really that fond of this stranger?”

“It’s too early to say —I’ve never seen his face and neither have we shared a proper conversation yet.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to cut ties with him before you really do grow close.”

Eiji’s voice eventually settled into something that was chilling as the winter winds. He continued,

“Don’t get close to him. It’s dangerous, you know? Do you want me to lay it out straight? I’m saying that you might die. I’m sure you don’t want to die, Little Ianna.”

He knew that Ianna’s skills were flawless, but it still wasn’t enough. This wasn’t a problem she could handle alone. Eiji was sincerely worried for her.

She had been at the top of the list of people he wanted to scout not too long ago, but now he wished she could live only in the light forever. He wanted to watch over her without dragging her into his matters.

“Look here, Eiji.”

“What?”

Eiji replied apathetically when Ianna called out to him. Eiji had warned her in his true personality, which most others found terrifying, but Ianna didn’t seem afraid at all.

“Only cowards give up in the face of danger without even trying. It’s my choice whether I decide to get close to someone or not, and I do not wish to be swayed by external factors.”

“Even if those external factors are dangerous —even if you could die?”

“But of course. None of that matters. And, there is no life more dangerous than an easy one.”

Eiji was amazed.

“Are you not afraid of death, Little Ianna? Are you saying that because you’re young and immature, because you’re simply willing to live each day as it plays out, or is it because you’re as familiar with the concept of life and death as an old crone whose time has come?”

Ianna carefully considered an answer when she heard his dejected question. It was probably because she had already died once. Death had been a more trivial experience than she had expected.

That didn’t mean that she was happy to die, of course. And neither did it mean that she was willing to throw her life away. She simply found it a waste to give up on something just because she was afraid of death, which she had already experienced once before she had been born again. Ianna wanted to live as her heart dictated and without being held back in this life.

No one would understand, much less believe, her if she told them about the resolution she had made after her rebirth. And so, she simply replied,

“I’m only trying to say that I can take care of myself. So don’t worry.”

She was still being sincere. After all, there was no way she would die at the hands of anyone other than Arhad.

Eiji saw how confident she was and grumbled,

“Well, I must certainly praise you for your confidence. So much talk from someone who broke both arms while fighting monsters.”

Ianna grinned and placed her hand over the sword that she always wore at her waist.

“I see, then would you like to have your arms broken by someone who talks big?”

“Sorry.”

Creak.

Eiji absentmindedly bowed in apology and accidentally dragged the chair out from under the desk as he straightened back up. Eiji slumped into the chair and hung his elbow from its back as he rested his chin on the palm on his hand. He looked rather dejected.

“Alright, alright. This is the stubborn and confident Little Ianna we all know and love.”

She would not even had made it to where she was today if she had been the type of girl to obediently listen to what others said and bent to their every whim like a straw. Eiji himself had flirted with her exactly because he had found that aspect of her charming.

Eiji let out a deep sigh as his mood died down. Even the thickest of trees could fall if they stood too straight. There was nothing he could do about it. Nothing, save for stepping out and trying to protect it even a little from the disastrous storm.

“Besides, you don’t even know what kind of person he is…….”

Eiji grumbled to himself before he suddenly found something strange and looked up at Ianna. She had already unfastened her sword from her waist and had taken out a towel from her bags and was wiping the blade down as carefully as though she was handling a baby.

“Wait, I know I’ve been running my mouth like I know this guy, but you don’t know anything about him at all, right? And now that I think about it, all you had to do was ask me who he was? Aren’t you curious?”

Ianna peered at Eiji for a moment before returning her gaze to her sword.

“I am curious, but as I said before —it is my principle to quell my curiosity and look the other way when someone I’ve taken a liking to is trying to hide something.”

As far as Ianna was concerned, Eiji was fine just the way he was, and so too was the robed man fine just the way he was. She would listen gladly if they told her their secrets voluntarily, but she did not intend to pry until they did. She might seem unconcerned and uninterested at a first glance, but this was Ianna’s way of being trusting and sincere. She continued,

“And besides, didn’t you say that either I would have to become one of you or one of us will have to die if I learned of your secrets?”

“Oh,”

Eiji exclaimed as if he had only just remembered what he had said.

“That’s why I don’t intend to pry no matter how ambiguous you are with me. I won’t ask about that man either, since it seems like he has to do with your secrets. I don’t wish to kill you, after all.”

“You’re always such fun, Little Ianna.”

Eiji chuckled while clutching at his stomach. It wasn’t just Ianna —he found himself comical too. The organization had stopped being the reason he couldn’t tell Ianna his secrets at some point. He could not tell her because he was afraid that harm might befall her if he did. Eiji’s lips stiffened and as he realized just how dangerous his current state of mind was.

“And, though you might think that I hold a lot of goodwill for this stranger, that’s actually not exactly the case.”

“What do you mean?”

“His identity isn’t important to me. I’m actually more curious…….”

Ianna put down her sword and crossed her arms with a troubled look on her face. She continued,

“…About the reasons behind his actions.”

“Why? Did he do something to you, Little Ianna?”

“…….”

“Wait? What? Tell me!”

Eiji urged her on, his serious mood from earlier completely gone now that his curiosity had taken hold.

“That man —he showered me with a tremendous amount of bloodlust when we first met.”

“What?”

“So at first I thought he was a murderer who wanted me dead.”

The curiosity that had been lingering at Eiji’s lips completely shattered away. He jumped up from his seat.

“Wasn’t that dangerous?”

“Next, he chased me down and hugged me from behind with ridiculous strength.”

Eiji’s mouth dropped open when he heard that the situation had completely turned on its head.

“Then, he followed me in secret and saved me from danger.”

“…….”

“And he kissed me on the fingers one by one while I pretended to be asleep. He even gave me that incredibly expensive medicine you told me about because he knew that I had injured my arms, and then he just left.”

“Wait, but he’s not that romantic nor is he a stalker of any sort —was it a completely different person?”

Eiji was being sincere. This was all too confusing. The man whom Eiji knew —the man that he had just gotten in a heated argument with Ianna over— was never someone who would do that.

Ianna tilted her head to the side.

“He’s not? I was uncomfortable because I thought he might have mistaken me for someone. Like a dead lover or something.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not it,”

Eiji immediately refuted. The black-colored man’s actions were lost in an ever-growing maze to him. Ianna furrowed her brows.

“Then what is?”

“The way I see it, that gruff man fell head over heels for you at first sight, Little Ianna.”

He had no other explanation for why that cold and cruel man had acted that way. Evidently, he was still just a man. Eiji clicked his tongue.

“No, that’s not it either,”

Ianna said as she immediately waved her hand. She continued,

“That wouldn’t explain his bloodlust from when we first met.”

“Oh yeah?”

Eiji saw that she had a point and grew puzzled. But, other than his bloodlust, the man’s actions matched the very definition of a man crazily in love. Though suddenly hugging a woman whom he had never met before in his life or seeking her out in secret in the middle of the night to kiss her fingers was a bit much.

“Besides, it seemed like he was familiar with my appearance.”

The words the man had muttered when he had embraced her from behind still remained fresh in Ianna’s memory. She continued,

“And lastly, I’m definitely not the kind of girl that men fall in love with.”

Ianna knew that she wasn’t the type of girl that men tended to like. The firm and fierce air she carried about her —so unlike the soft and amiable nature of most women— made men lose their nerve around her, and the fact that she was stronger than them tended to hurt their ego.

“That’s not true at all.”

“There’s no need to say things you don’t really mean. Besides, I even told him that I would kill him if I ever saw him again —he must be out of his mind if he was attracted to me after that.”

The blood drained form Eiji’s face.

“Wow, you even said that? That’s pretty harsh.”

“In any event, seeing that you don’t know everything about him either, it looks like my initial theory that I look like his dead lover might be true.”

“It’s true that I don’t know everything about his past either, but I’m pretty sure that isn’t the case.”

Even Eiji was beginning to get confused because of how adamant Ianna was in her denial. Then, Ianna hit the nail in the coffin.

“Rather, it’s your theory that can’t possibly be the case.”

The next day, on the first day of the swordsmanship competition preliminaries which also essentially served as orientation day, Ianna went to the Swordsmanship Department with her arms still wrapped in bandages.

She had ultimately decided against using the medicine on her arms. It had been over ten days since the stranger had given it to her. He had probably meant for her to use it immediately, but her arms were already returning to normal even without its help. It was too much of a waste to use a medicine that managed to astonish even Eiji.

Mursi was also sending her high-quality medicine on a regular basis, making Ianna even less inclined to use the medicine the stranger had given her. She planned to keep it safe and use it only in case of an emergency, or she could always return it to the stranger if she ever met him again.

“Oh, good morning.”

“When d’ya get here? Whoa. Yer arms.”

“Herrace, Taro. It’s been a while.”

Ianna met Herrace and Taro in the Swordsmanship Department building. They had met Eiji two days prior, and they greeted Ianna cheerfully before being shocked by the state of her arms.

Ianna told them what had happened. Herrrace gasped before he could stop himself when Ianna told them about how she had stopped a minotaur’s charge dead-on to save a child.

“Aren’t monsters creatures that belong to the Demon? I’ve heard about monsters and read about them in books, but I’ve never seen one in person……. Do they appear within the kingdom’s borders too?”

It was strange for Herrace, who had never encountered a monster before in his life, to hear that monsters had been sighted inside the kingdom. Ianna gave him a quick explanation.

“The kingdom has great public order and a strong military, so you wouldn’t generally see monsters unless you travelled close to the border.”

“Oh, I see. I’ve seen an illustrated book about monsters before. They were all hideous and scary-looking. But to think that you fought them and even sacrificed your arms to save a child…….”

Herrace was so moved that tears were swelling in his eyes. He knew that Ianna was strong because he had seen it with his own eyes, and he also knew that Ianna was righteous because of the vehement compliments Dante had regaled about how Ianna had saved Denma even in the face of the Black Fox’s notoriety. And now, she had even sacrificed her arms —which were essentially a swordsman’s life— to save a child.

Herrace, who had been born into a famous house of knights, had been taught ever since he was young that ‘a knight must always protect those who are weak but good from those who was strong but evil’ —it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had been indoctrinated into that way of thinking. And now, he saw someone before him who perfectly embodied those ideals.

Herrace wriggled around his fingers and stole glances at Ianna before he finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and ended up speaking his thoughts out loud.

“You’re amazing, Little Ianna……and you’re so cool.”

“I saved him simply because I was able to —there’s no need for you to go out of your way to compliment me that much.”

Herrace also thought it was cool how she calmly said that she had only done what was natural without a hint of prideful arrogance in her tone.

Ianna was a noble. And not only that, but she was the daughter of a high-ranking count. All the other nobles Herrace had ever met until then were always busy bragging about any and every good deed they might have done. So then, how did Ianna end up as the kind of noble that she was?

House Roberstein, which owned territory near the kingdom’s borders, was one of the Five Founding Houses. It was a house of excellent civil officials that had been loyal to the Roanne royal family ever since the kingdom’s founding.

Herrace started growing curious about Ianna’s household, House Roberstein, which he had never taken any particular interest in before. It was strange for a girl with superb martial prowess and knightly honor to have come from a house of civil officials.

Herrace stared at Ianna out of the side of his eye. She was upright as she stood, and her eyes faced not the ground but directly in front of her. Her pretty appearance and unique, militaristic manner of speech aside, she was still a noble and seemed to be exuding some sort of aura from her being even though she was wearing civilian clothing.

On the other hand, Herrace not only looked only vaguely noble, but he was also so overtly kind in personality that he was feeble. He knew this himself. No one had ever guessed that he was a noble on the occasions he had went out to the market in civilian clothing for a change of pace.

He wanted to be more like Ianna. It had been an amazing stroke of luck that he had met her.

But then, he began trembling as he suddenly grew terribly frightened. Ianna was truly so perfect and so flawless that she almost didn’t feel human. How could a human ever be so perfect?

That in and of itself was fine. But, what happened when a fault appeared in someone so perfect? Would Ianna fall apart too, like the way a smooth dish could shatter if even one crack appeared in it……?

Herrace slapped himself on the cheeks as the thought as much through. What kind of pointless delusion was he getting himself lost in? He shook his head furiously.

“Man, ya never saw a single monster before? Yer such a baby, Herrace.”

Taro’s reaction was on a completely different dimension than Herrace’s. He pat at Ianna’s shoulder with his large hand. He continued,

“The thing here about Lil’ Ianna, ya see… I’m pretty sure that she’s hidin’ the soul of a tiger behind those pretty looks of hers. I mean, how could a human girl be so violent otherwise, yeah?”

Herrace bristled.

“That’s not right at all, you know? Little Ianna’s just really cool.”

“C’mon, let’s just be honest here. It’s just weird that I don’t get embarrassed in front of Lil’ Ianna. I always get stiff as stone when I’m with womenfolk. As stone, yeah? So ain’t it just strange that I can talk just fine when I’m with Lil’ Ianna? —‘cept for that first time, of course. But then I heard this story today!”

Taro nodded repeatedly as he crossed his arms. He continued,

“Lil’ Ianna’s definitely a human female. I mean, how else would she have managed to break her arms just ‘cause a bunch of those cows came running at her? All ya gotta do is grab ‘em by the horns and send ‘em flyin’ or throw ‘em to the ground. And besides…….”

Taro wiped away the drool on his face as he cackled.

“They’re mighty tasty if ya grill their meat. It’s so good it’s scary.”

It was difficult to tell whether he was bragging or being completely serious. They knew that Taro was no weaker than any monster, but was he really strong enough to grab a charging minotaur by the horns? Or strong enough to throw around a minotaur that was three times the weight of a fully-grown man like a mere toy?

The others could not help but look sour because they could not imagine it.

Taro’s voice had been so loud that he had naturally drawn attention to them from their surroundings. Herrace, standing beside him, blushed as he grew embarrassed and cleared his throat.

Then, after making sure neither Taro nor Herrace could hear, Eiji whispered,

“What’s this now —you didn’t use the medicine?”

“I thought it was a waste to use on an injury that’ll heal in just a week or two.”

“That’s true. Then you could’ve just asked me. I can help you find other good medicine, though nothing comes close to that one.”

“Mr. Mursi is already sending me high-quality medicine on a regular basis. My arms are still like this even though I’ve been using them.”

“I see. Then, you’re really gonna give up on the swordsmanship competition?”

“I suppose I will.”

Taro, who had finally stopped laughing so loudly after Herrace had grabbed him by the arm and shaken him a little, looked regretfully at Ianna’s arms.

“That aside, it’s a shame yer arms are broken. Ya won’t be able to compete.”

“Are you sure you’re left arm is healing all right? It’s serious enough that you can’t even move it…….”

Herrace gave her a similar look of remorse. After all, he was sure that Ianna would place highly as a matter of course if she participated.

Ianna shrugged to tell them not to worry.

“The swordsmanship competition doesn’t really matter since it won’t affect our grades, and my left arm will make a complete recovery in time. My injury won’t get in the way of my everyday life either, so you don’t need to worry. I’ll be in the audience cheering you guys on.”

“It’s such a shame.”

They stopped talking about Ianna’s arms once they had each commented about how much of a shame it was. After all, they figured that Ianna was surely the one most upset by the ordeal even if she didn’t let it show. How vexed must be she about the fact that she had to withdraw despite being skilled enough that she could easily crush most of the other students?

But the truth was that Ianna was rather indifferent about the matter.

“Sir.”

Ianna walked up to Ryan, who was overseeing the competition and was giving out instructions to the other teaching assistants.

“Oh, look who’s here? If it isn’t the only woman in our entire depart……wait, what happened to your arms?”

Ryan, who had beamed when he first spotted Ianna, immediately grew serious as he saw Ianna’s arms.

“I injured them by accident.”

“Just what kind of accident was it that you hurt both your arms……? Is it serious?”

Ryan awkwardly touched her bandages. Ianna waved her right hand to show that she was all right.

“I can still wield a sword with my right arm, but it hasn’t completely healed yet, so I’d like to withdraw from the swordsmanship competition so I can focus on recovering.”

“Oh……. I suppose there’s no other way about it. There were others who were interested in seeing you even though they didn’t care too much about the freshmen because I bragged about you so much, Little Ianna. That’s a shame.”

“My apologies.”

“It’s nothing for you to apologize for. But withdrawing from the swordsmanship competition is essentially the same thing as placing last. People will look down at you for it all semester……. Will you be all right?”

Ryan was sincerely worried. He knew that she was one of the best swordsmen among the new students —no, among the entire student population— because he had been in charge of overseeing the exams.

She had shown an excellent display of skill all throughout the exams. The first exam with the dummy, which he had personally witnessed, was one thing, but she had also placed within the top five in the second exam, she had broken the machine in the third exam, and she had passed the fourth exam with ease. He had observed the fifth exam as well, and he could not help but be amazed as he watched Ianna finish off the other examinees.

But just because he knew about how strong she was, it didn’t mean that others knew as well. Most people wouldn’t believe him unless they saw her themselves.

Most of the students in the Swordsmanship Department aspired to become knights, and their main personal value was to use force to protect their liege and the weak. Even if they didn’t necessarily aspire to become knights, their idea of a woman was something dainty and delicate that needed protection.

Also, the Swordsmanship Department of the Valgenta Institution was not only famous for its students’ skills, but also their tenacity. They always wielded their swords until their bodies collapsed from fatigue —it was so bad that students from other departments were often astonished by them.

Of course, there was a bit of a misunderstanding at play since students who went to such lengths were actually few and far between, and most students only did what their tiger-like instructors forced them to, but it was still true that they pushed themselves until their muscles were screaming at them.

There was no way that a woman, who was biologically weaker and had less stamina than a man, could withstand a training regimen so brutal that even men who had trained all their lives grumbled about wanting to die rather than going through with them.

And that was why the martial arts departments, and the Swordsmanship Department, which boasted incredulous training regimens, in particular, were generally known to be departments consisting of only men.

Moreover, there were much fewer women interested in swordplay now that the kingdom wasn’t engaging in warfare as frequently. That was why there hadn’t been a single woman in the Swordsmanship Department in the last ten years.

And so, Ianna was the only woman in the Swordsmanship Department.

Prejudice would be showered upon her like a deluge. The swordsmanship competition would have been her chance to overthrow the stereotypes against her in front of the majority of the department students and faculty. It was only obvious what people would think of her if she withdrew after injuring her arms.

Ianna shrugged.

“I will simply prove my skills once I’ve recovered. Of course, my right arm moves well enough that I could participate if I really wanted to…….”

She tapped her left arm with her right hand as she continued,

“But my left arm will need to stay bandaged up. Not only will people be intimidated if I compete in bandages while on top of being a woman, but if I win, they’ll excuse themselves by saying that they couldn’t fight at their full strength against an injured woman.”

“…….”

“I would like to win a complete victory with my full strength. I do not wish to give them any grounds for an excuse.”

This was the biggest reason why Ianna had decided not to participate in the swordsmanship competition. It was because it was possible for her opponents to fail to recognize that they had been utterly defeated.

Ianna detested it when things were ambiguous. She liked to cut things off without hesitation and accept what she needed to accept with grace. In particular, she never stopped trampling and enemy underfoot in war until they declared their defeat. As a result, she didn’t care even if her opponent had put down their sword or even became disabled.

“When you defeat someone, you have to do it thoroughly so they never dare to even look up at you ever again. I understand your concerns, Sir, but that is exactly why I have no choice but to withdraw.”

Ryan nodded in wonder.

“That makes sense. All right, I’ll process your withdrawal then.”

Ianna found herself lost in thought as she returned to the dorms.

Arhad.

He was different from her. He had forced her to bend the knee not once but dozens, hundreds, of times. But he had never once injured her severely. He had always defeated her within a narrow margin, and yet with a huge difference in skill, so that she could always take up her sword and try again.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s possible that Arhad was being kind…….’

No, he was likely being stubborn, not kind. He had wanted her everything. He had simply been waiting for her to admit defeat and come under his banner.

‘But I only conceded total defeat in death.’

It was a little abrupt, but Ianna grew embarrassed at herself for having failed to admit defeat even when their difference in skill had been so obvious. Had he not killed her, she would have never been able to admit defeat and would have come after him again and again with her sword until the bitter end. It was possible that she would have died with regret if she had simply died of old age. Ianna was serene as she thought about how Arhad had given her a good death.

Part 3

It was registration period for all students at the Institution from February 24^th to the 26^th. Each department held its own induction ceremony before the registration period began where upperclassmen generally told new students about how it was like to live at the Institution.

Today was February 22^nd, the day of the Swordsmanship Department’s official orientation.

“To register for classes, you will need to fill out the application form found in your catalog with your name, department, and year up top, a list of the classes you wish to take, and the professor’s name and submit it to the department office located in the second building. Commencement will be held on March 1^st, and classes will officially start on the 2^nd.”

First, each new student was given a thick course catalog as they listened to how registration would be handled, what classes were like, what classes were required for the department, and so on.

“You must wear your uniforms outside of practice fields and training halls, and you should pay attention to anyone wearing a blue, not yellow, scarf because they are professors.”

General rules of the Institution came second.

“Martial Arts students are allowed to bear arms, but you are not permitted to draw your weapons because there is the possibility that other students may get injured at even the slightest provocation. You will face disciplinary action immediately should you draw your weapons in any event outside of an emergency, so please always keep this in mind.

“It is possible to hold an official duel if you have permission from both the department head and a professor, but unofficial duels are prohibited. Additionally, you will be severely punished for property damage or injuring another student.

“Next, the Swordsmanship Department hosts an ungraded swordsmanship competition once every semester, and the victor will win both a prize and a good share of money. It’s a rather popular event.”

Third was a general explanation of each department’s specific rules and events.

A time for new students to ask upperclassmen questions came next once the long explanations were over. Lastly, they would take a tour of the Institution before the induction ceremony came to an end.

Tap, tap tap.

Ryan was writing something on the blackboard in front of the eighty new Swordsmanship Department students.

Ianna and Eiji were sitting near the front, while Taro and Herrace were sitting toward the back. Taro had gone straight toward the back, said he was tired, and had fallen asleep as soon as he walked in because he had lost sleep while fighting a battle of psychological warfare with his extremely tidy roommate. Herrace was worried for him and sat next to him so he could wake Taro up if the teaching assistants should ever look their way. Ianna and Eiji had told him that Taro deserved to reap what he’d sown, but Herrace was too worried to heed their advice.

“Ugh, shit.”

Eiji, whose brows were heavily furrowed in displeasure, elbowed Ianna, who was sitting next to him, gently as she was busy writing things down.

“Doesn’t that piss you off, Little Ianna?”

“What do you mean?”

She had taken off the bandages on her right arm, since it was almost completely healed. She could move it freely as well. Ianna was still sitting back and scribbling down the information that Ryan was telling them with her right hand.

“They’re all staring at you so rudely without even knowing anything. I feel like they’re about to bore holes through the back of my head just for sitting next to you.”

Ianna, who had been looking down as she wrote, looked up and turn around. A few people immediately looked away as her emotionless red eyes met theirs.

It wasn’t because Ianna was the only woman in the Swordsmanship Department, a department of about four hundred students, that they were staring at her.

‘Is she just pretending to be hurt so she didn’t have to participate in the swordsmanship competition?’

Ianna had withdrawn from the swordsmanship competition because of her injuries. People were growing suspicious of her for taking off her bandages and using her arm to write with just a few days later.

And they had also seen how Ryan, her upperclassman by several years, had looked after her while she had been spectating the preliminaries. The other new students were displeased after they deluding themselves into thinking that she was receiving special privileges just for being a woman. Those who were extremely deluded had even managed to cook up the conspiracy……that Ianna and Ryan shared physical relations.

“This is seriously pissing me off.”

Eiji clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them. Then, he slowly and chillingly muttered,

“And it pisses me off even more that I’m pretty sure I know what they’re thinking. These s.o.b.’s should all just drop dead.”

Ianna put down her pen and looked to Eiji in aghast when his extreme words finally crossed the line.

“Don’t joke around like that unless you’re looking to get into a fight.”

“But I’m being serious?”

“There’s no need for you to get angry. I’m the one who should be getting angry. And it’s only natural for them to see me like that since things ended up being timed so delicately.”

Eiji lost his spite as he let out a heavy sigh.

“Do you not have feelings, Little Ianna? Or are you some kind of saint?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just keeping quiet because there’s no point in wasting my emotions over such senseless matters. I just need to prove myself with my abilities.”

“You’re still being way too calm about this. I can’t even imagine you getting worked up. They say that humans are creatures of emotion……but Little Ianna, I can’t tell if you’re just dense when it comes to stuff like this, if you’re just as thick-skinned as rock, or if you are a rock,”

Eiji grumbled before he exclaimed “Ah!” and held up a finger as he continued,

“Except when you’re holding a sword.”

“Stop being ridiculous and listen to what we’re being told.”

Ianna promptly cut Eiji off and resumed her efforts in writing.

Eiji took interest in her quickly moving pen and leaned in.

“You’re an incredibly fast writer. But what are you writing everything down for? We just need to listen and get the gist of it.”

Ianna had amazing athletic ability, but her brains were only average. She had been unable to understand her lectures quickly in her past life, and that was why she had focused on writing every little thing down during lectures and spent her nights memorizing what she had written until she finally understood the contents of her writing —even if it meant she that studied so hard she had given herself a bloody nose more than once.

Effort had never once betrayed her. As time had passed, her desperate studying and the experiences she had built up had increased her comprehension and application of theory to the point that her intelligence had soared.

She still retained the habit of writing everything down. Ianna had even written down her conversation with the spirit king from several weeks ago in a notebook and re-read it whenever she had the time.

“Huh. So you’re the hard-working type.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Ryan had finished explaining things as they whispered amongst each other.

“And that’s the end of my explanation. You’ll have thirty minutes to read through your course catalogs, so please read them carefully. Ask me anything if you have any questions. I’ll be answering questions after thirty minutes.”

Ianna opened up the thick catalog. There was a brief explanation of the Institution’s departments on the front page.

The Institution was divided into the School of Martial Arts, the School of Magic, the School of Civil Studies, the School of Technical Arts, the School of Medicine, and the School of Fine Arts. The School of Martial Arts was divided into the Swordsmanship, Archery, Spearmanship, and other departments, and the School of Magic was divided into the Magic and Artefact Creation departments. The School of Civil Studies was divided into the Political Science, Administration, and History departments and the like, and the School of Technical Arts was divided into the Culinary, Fashion, and Stewardship departments. The School of Medicine was divided into the Medical and Pharmaceutical departments, and the School of Fine Arts was divided into the Music departments, which included the Woodwind and Strings departments, and the Art Department.

Each department was further divided into majors.

Every class a student took in the Institution was either a class for their major or a liberal arts class. All first-year students majoring in the Swordsmanship Department had to take Introductory Mana Studies, Introductory Swordsmanship, Introductory Strategies and Tactics, Introductory Practical Swordsmanship, and Introductory Horse-riding, as well as a class on world history and a theology class on the Faith of Laos, which every student was required to take.

Students received a grade of A, B, C, D, E, or F based on a curve in classes that were related to their major, and they studied for their majors like their eyes had been set afire because they would fail a class if their average was below an E at the end of the semester and they would be expelled if they failed more than two classes.

Eiji tapped on Ianna.

“Take Professor Sean for world history and Professor Pianca for theology. A little birdie told me that they grade easy.”

“I think what the class is about is more important than how easy it is to get a good grade. I’m hoping to take world history and theology classes that are more discussion-based.”

“Then take Professor Illut for world history.”

Ianna peered through her catalog for the classes the teachers that Eiji had recommended were teaching and wrote them down in her application. Eiji knew about a lot of things since he worked with intelligence.

“What are you taking for your liberal arts electives?”

Students were allowed to take any number of liberal arts electives —classes from other majors, that is— as their schedule allowed. For example, students who wished to get ahead in life could take a class on noble affairs in the Political Science Department and pinpoint which nobles would be good to serve in the future, and anyone who wanted to try their hand at making nice accessories could take a class in the Fashion Department.

Liberal arts electives were graded on a pass or fail basis, and students only failed after five warnings from the professor, five instances or tardiness, or three absences. Students only took liberal arts electives that they were interested in, and the classes did not count toward their overall grade.

However, while students were free to take any liberal arts electives they wished, they were expelled for bad faith if they failed more than three classes. It was the Institution’s policy not to tolerate any instances of bad faith toward the endless opportunity to learn that it gave it students.

It wasn’t that there weren’t any students who only took classes in their major. But they were only a very select minority, and most students took liberal arts electives in other fields that they took interest in.

“I……hmm, maybe I’ll take a political science class?”

Ianna grew confused as Eiji flipped through his catalog beside her. Her goal was to graduate in three years and meet Arhad at the Youth’s Swordsmanship Tournament, which meant that she would have to graduate early, as most students normally graduated in six years.

Which was why she had intended to take a few upper-level classes, but upper-level classes were only available to honors students, and there was a notice on the front page of the catalog that cautioned that this option wasn’t available at all to first-year students in their first semester.

‘Should I just train in swordplay during my extra time?’

Eiji spoke up as Ianna was pondering.

“You’re not only planning to take Swordsmanship classes, are you?”

“I was.”

“Jeez, you’re so boring. Don’t you have any hobbies, or anything you want to learn more about?”

“Sword training is my hobby, and I want to learn more advanced swordplay.”

Eiji put down his catalog and grabbed Ianna’s arm with a serious look on his face.

“What?”

“Little Ianna, I think you might need to take your brain off of swordplay ju—st a bit. I can hear it begging you to give it some rest.”

Eiji pulled Ianna’s catalog toward himself and began flipping through it when she didn’t reply. He continued,

“Pretend I managed to convince you and just try taking two liberal arts electives, okay? You get three chances until you’re expelled, so you can just not go to them if you don’t like them, alright? You won’t have many opportunities to learn like this for cheap once you’ve graduated.”

Ianna saw that he had a point. It was not a good idea to overtax her body with excessive training. She decided that it would be fine to take a break and learn something new.

She propped her head against the palm of her hand.

“I don’t know what to take. Recommend me something.”

“Hmm. What about music? I hate music because I’m tone-deaf, but a lot of people practice music as a hobby, so it might work out for you too? A lot of people like you who are good with their hands also tend to be talented in music. Especially when it comes to string instruments.”

“I’ll do that, then. I don’t dislike listening to music. But does that mean I have to decide on a specific instrument? I’m not very familiar with them.”

“Hmm. Most classes are offered for specific instruments only, but there’s also a class called Orchestra for Hobbyists. A class for trying out different types of string instruments to enjoy music with —or so it says? It doesn’t overlap with our major time-wise either.”

“Great, I’ll take that then.”

“And next…….”

Ianna wrote down ‘Orchestra for Hobbyists – Professor Langblot’ on her application as Eiji whistled and flipped the catalog pages one by one as he recommended her classes that he’d heard were okay.

Ianna shook her head no again and again, as none of his recommendations particularly intrigued her, and she read the class names on each page carefully as Eiji flipped the pages before she suddenly stopped him with a sparkle in her eyes.

“I’ll take this one.”

“What……? Cough.”

The class that Ianna was pointing to was titled, ‘History of Roanne and Bahamut’. She had learned the basics from Gerard, a historian, but he had gone over the history of every kingdom with her instead of focusing on just Roanne and Bahamut, so there wasn’t much that she actually knew about Bahamut.

‘I plan on becoming a citizen of Bahamut one day, so I should learn about it beforehand.’

Ianna decided to take this class.

“Cough. Hack.”

Eiji, however, continued coughing as though he had swallowed the wrong way. Ianna worried for him without giving too much thought about it.

“Did you swallow the wrong way? You’re an idiot. You should’ve had some water before coming here.”

“I’m good, cough, cough. But what made you want to take this class in particular?”

“I’m interested in Bahamut.”

“You are? ……Well, I guess it’s not a bad idea. It’s works out with your schedule, too.”

Ianna wrote down ‘History of Roanne and Bahamut – Professor Ellily’ on her application. Thirty minutes had quickly passed while they flipped through the thick catalogs, and the teaching assistants began answering questions.

“Do many people get expelled?”

“Those who think that getting into the Institution is everything and stop trying as soon as they do generally get expelled. It won’t matter no matter how much you cry about it later, so please make sure to work hard right from your first semester.”

“Are classes difficult?”

“That will depend on how much effort you put in. Still, even I, who got into the Institution with high scores on my exams, find classes difficult at times.”

“What can we do after graduating from the Swordsmanship Department?”

“You can become a skilled mercenary who takes on high-level requests, or you can become a knight if a noble takes a liking to you. You can also open up your own swordsmanship school in a village and become a teacher.”

“What does the Swordsmanship Department do for the school festival?”

“You mean the school festival in October, yes? We hold a swordsmanship tournament, of course. Doing well on the tournament will be good for you in many ways, you know?”

“Do you have a girlfriend, Department Head?”

“Haha, why do you ask? Are you planning to introduce me to someone? I don’t have one quite yet. I would gladly welcome any introduction to a beautiful girl.”

“Is it possible for someone to be illicitly admitted into the Swordsmanship Department?”

Ryan paused for a moment before answering with a smile.

“No, it’s not possible.”

“Then how did a girl get into the department?”

The question had been directed solely at Ianna.

Ianna simply continued to look straight ahead while Eiji shot a sly glare at the dark blond. Herrace’s and Taro’s, who had woken up at some point, eyes were also similarly sharp.

“I mean, she has to have gotten in illicitly, right? Isn’t everyone curious about her? She got in illicitly and she conveniently happened to injure herself and withdraw from the competition because she was afraid of getting found out.”

“The student who just asked that question.”

Ryan’s voice, which had only exuded of kindness until then, suddenly froze over. Even the male student in question stopped laughing as the atmosphere suddenly grew frigid. Ryan continued,

“What is your name?”

“I-it’s Charlot, Sir.”

“Charlot. The semifinalist who ranked 32^nd in the swordsmanship competition?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Little Charlot, Little Ianna was admitted into the Institution due to her exceptional abilities. Insult her again and I will consider it as slander questioning my oversight of the exams.”

Chalot nodded as the blood drained from his face.

“Y-yes, Sir. I understand.”

“And apologize to Little Ianna too.”

“……I-I’m sorry, Miss.”

He had bowed in apology to Ianna as well, but it didn’t look like he had been convinced. His had been a forced apology that was only made because of the pressure Ryan was giving off.

Ianna turned to look at Charlot without a word before simply turning back around. He flushed red with fury when he thought that Ianna was ignoring him.

And so, the amicable time for Q&A came to a close.

Ryan took his underclassmen on a tour of the Institution as he explained a variety of things to them. Herrace, Taro, and Eiji were glaring at Charlot the entire time.

“That bastard def—initely said he ranked 32^nd in the competition, yeah?”

Taro muttered frigidly. Eiji had given up part-way through, saying that fighting wasn’t really his thing, but Herrace and Taro had won match after match with their excellent swordsmanship and herculean brute strength respectively.

“I’ll snap his back right in two if I end up fightin’ him.”

“You should break his teeth so he stops sprouting nonsense too.”

“What should I do?”

Even Herrace, who wasn’t confident in himself despite his skills and was reluctant to hurt people, was gripping tightly to the hilt of his sword.

“Just win. And then say this.”

Eiji pointed his thumb down and continued,

“You’re running your mouth without a shred of skill to back it up. And then you just smirk at him.”

“Understood!”

Ianna, the actual person involved in the matter, watched over the trio silently as they worked themselves up.

“There’s no need for that. He’ll end up regretting his words later.”

“Later’s later —we’re talkin’ about now!”

“He’s right! This is truly vexing.”

“We’ll leave him half-dead to set an example.”

Ianna ended up breaking out a smile as she watched them rage to high heavens in her stead.

Unfortunately, Charlot ended up dropping out of the competition before either Herrace or Taro could have a go at him. Then, a few days later, Ianna ran into Charlot by chance as she was taking a stroll to familiarize herself with the buildings. Charlot paled and went, “Eek!” as soon as he saw her, turned tail, and quickly ran away. Ianna had no idea why.

~~*~~

It was soon the day of the induction ceremony. The blindingly bright sun shone down on a countless number of people from the azure skies with nary a cloud to be seen.

[Hello, everyone.]

A pleasant-looking elderly man with a white beard greeted the students with a sound amplifying artefact.

[My name is Heinrich, and I am the dean of the Valgenta Institution.]

Heinrich, who was better known as an archmage, laughed generously like someone’s rustic grandfather before the nervous crowd. People looked up to him as they gulped.

[I am glad to be able to meet you all here like this. Do you all agree?]

“Yes!”

[And I am sure you are proud of yourselves for being here.]

“Yes, sir!”

The new students replied loudly. As he’d said, they were all proud of themselves. They had faced and emerged victorious against countless rivals to get to where they were today, and the fact that they had won gave them no small amount of pleasure.

The spring air was gentle. The bitter winter winds, as sharp as shards of ice, were swallowed by the sunlight. A warm breeze wove its way through the crowd of new students and relieved them of their tension. One by one, they began breaking out in smiles.

Heinrich smiled as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

[I’ll keep this short. The Institution is a repository of knowledge that exists for your learning. Learn whatever you wish to learn while you are here. Challenge yourselves to your heart’s desire, if that is what you wish to do. The day you graduate from the Institution is the day you will step forth into the world as people who will make their marks on the history of this era. So long as you don’t give up on yourselves, the Institution will become your steadfast ally.]

The new students looked touched. They were so hooked on each and every word that came from Heinrich’s mouth that they waited for his next with bated breath. Heinrich reached out with one hand and waved. The students followed his hand with their eyes.

[The numerous people you see around you may be your rivals, but more importantly, you should never forget that they are your brothers and sisters who will motivate you to do better. I am certain that what bonds you forge with them during the course of your time here at the Institution, whether long or short, will become invaluable to you in your future.]

The new students looked around amongst each other and either shook hands or smiled bashfully. Heinrich broke out in applause as he looked down and watched the heartwarming spectacle.

[And that concludes the induction ceremony. It was short, wasn’t it? And once again, I welcome you all to Valgenta Institution!]

Bang! Bang!

The magics that had been earnestly prepared by the Magic Department exploded vibrantly in the air.

“Whoaaa.”

“It’s so pretty!”

There wasn’t anything physically in the air, of course. But there was a chorus of flowers made from light erupting in the heavens.

Just then, the wind blew against the cherry trees and the petals of their pink blossoms danced into the sky. The flowers of light mixed into the petals and created for an amazing sight as they fell around the new students. The spectacle was one that could not have been made possible if not for the use of high-leveled spells, and it was accompanied by a deafening cheer and a round of applause.

“…….”

And beneath it all, standing underneath the azure skies was the crimson Ianna.

Ianna quietly reached out and tapped a flower of light. The flower scattered into little sparks that wrapped themselves around her. It was almost as if it was telling her just how truly glad it was to have met her.

—“Induction Ceremony” End