WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Academy's Turn-Based Swordsman ◈
Chapter 101: Did I See That Wrong?
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The ball was over.
I had no right to laugh at Aren Bright's dancing.
I was damn awful at it too.
I'd lost count of how many times I stepped on Cecilia's feet.
In the end, Cecilia practically had to lead me around until the ball was over.
Still.
"That was fun, Halibal."
For some reason, Cecilia looked thoroughly pleased.
"It was especially cute whenever you looked startled after stepping on my feet."
That was a little...
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Just then, Alicia approached us.
"Heh. It seems the two of you had quite an enjoyable time."
"Oh my, didn't Your Highness have a lovely time with Aren Bright as well?"
"Don't even mention it. Their steps kept getting tangled. Are all sword wielders like that?"
"I'm not."
Cecilia said it with a pout, but Alicia casually brushed it off.
"Well, in any case, good work. The banquet is nearly over, so enjoy the rest of your time without feeling pressured."
As she spoke, Alicia naturally passed by me.
Then she whispered in my ear.
"We lost them."
"...What?"
Lost them?
'They' must mean Climmud.
The fact that they'd escaped was surprising, but it was even more surprising that she'd done something behind the scenes in that short time.
"What happened?"
"After hearing your story, I sent Adeline and a capable mage after them."
'Adeline?'
"As you said, they used Black Flame, proof of their connection to the cult. They say they transformed into a monster, just as Eliver had. They are certainly a bishop."
What decisive action. I never imagined she'd deploy the Empire's Greatest Sword on an operation in the middle of a banquet.
But they escaped?
Something was strange. Climmud after Monsterization was roughly on the same level as Malias or Eliver.
Considering the adjustments based on when they appeared, there was no way Adeline should have let them escape.
"They drove Climmud to the brink of death, but while the attackers looked away for a moment, Climmud used a magic circle prepared in advance to flee. It was the same kind of magic circle as the one at the villa where Eliver was fought."
"...I see."
"For now, I intend to summon Lady Whiteusher tomorrow and conduct a rigorous investigation of that individual."
Fuck. This was worse than not attacking at all.
If we'd just let them go, Climmud wouldn't have been certain that either I or the Empire knew their identity.
But since an open fight had broken out, the cult would now be extremely wary of us.
As though she'd read my concern, Alicia patted my shoulder.
"Do not worry. They will not be able to move freely either."
"Why is that?"
"The mage I sent is quite capable. They cast a tracking spell just as Climmud was trying to escape. Climmud will need time to recover anyway, and now we can respond according to the cult's movements."
If Alicia called the mage capable, they were truly capable.
Certainly. That much could restrict Climmud's movements to some extent.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough to put me at ease.
"Thanks to you, we got through a major crisis."
"The opposite is true. Had it not been for you, we would not even have known that an enemy had infiltrated the heart of the Empire. I will remember this debt."
With that, Alicia disappeared into the crowd.
She had to wrap up the banquet as the Imperial Princess.
The moment Alicia was gone, Cecilia, who had been waiting with her arms crossed, stared directly at me.
"...What secret business was that this time?"
"Work."
"With Her Highness?"
"Academy business."
"You can't tell me?"
"I'll tell you everything later. Just not now."
"...Fine. I'll let it go this once. We'll be busy from now on."
As she said, the end of the ball did not mean the end of the banquet.
No, the real beginning was only now.
The official event was over, but the banquet's true purpose, socializing among nobles, was about to begin.
As soon as the ball ended, the sharp-witted commoner students began leaving one by one.
But as Cecilia's partner, I had to accompany her and show my face among the nobles.
The first people we met were nobles gathered with Regnar. In other words, the central figures of the Imperial faction.
"Oh, Lady Cecilia. It has been a long time. And this must be the Funeral Sword I've heard so much about."
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Halibal Velder."
"He's my partner. He's promised me his arm for the evening."
"Hahaha! Now I see why His Excellency holds him in such high regard. The two of you standing together make quite a picture."
Their gazes were blatant.
Every one of them was clearly examining not Halibal the Funeral Sword, but the prospective son-in-law chosen by the Ren House.
Their questions focused more on my personal history than dungeon conquests.
Of course, I had little to say. The Halibal Velder I knew had been an orphan.
Fortunately, Cecilia smiled off and blocked the questions I found difficult to answer.
After greeting the Imperial faction, we headed toward the members of the noble faction.
Eugene and Senia seemed to have already visited them, and among the group were students belonging to the noble faction and Richard.
"Count Reygal, Count Dane. I apologize for being late."
"Hoho, it is quite all right. It is an honor enough that the Ren House's Sword Princess has joined us."
Two middle-aged men welcomed us.
One had graying blond hair, hawkish eyes, and a striking mustache.
Yusra Reygal, head of House Reygal and leader of the noble faction.
If one were to name the Empire's three great sword styles, they would be the Belhart Style, the Ren Sword Style, and the Reygal Noble Sword.
As the head of the house that had created one of those sword styles, Yusra's actual martial prowess did not fall far behind Regnar's.
In the original story, he appeared as a mid-boss in the noble route.
Unlike Regnar, whom players never even had a chance to face, Yusra was a classic humanoid boss with deliberately awkward timing and unfair mechanics, making him more troublesome than most other bosses.
At this point in time, he did not seem to be considering civil war yet.
Beside him stood a green-haired man who looked like a toady.
It was Colin Dane, head of the House of Count Dane.
His ambitions exceeded his abilities. He was the classic sucker character, a second-in-command jealous of the leader while also serving as a figurehead.
"So this is the Funeral Sword."
Yusra looked me over.
"Indeed. You are no ordinary man."
His gaze was different from those of the Imperial faction.
It was not hostile, but it clearly drew a line.
Yusra asked a few formal questions, and after I finished answering them...
"Excellent."
With that hollow praise, he changed the subject.
Count Dane, on the other hand, was different.
"I heard from Richard that you are friends."
'Friends?'
When I looked at Richard, he flinched in surprise and became flustered.
I considered him a friend, but I hadn't expected him to think of me that way too.
"...I never said that..."
"Be quiet. I am speaking to Sir Halibal."
"That's right."
"...Hey! Who said we're friends?!"
Richard outwardly flew into a rage, but from where I stood, I could clearly see the corners of his mouth trying to turn upward.
He liked it.
"Haha! I thought so. Richard rarely praises anyone else, you see."
Colin smiled amiably and stepped forward.
"What do you say? The Ren House's support may be excellent, but the assistance our noble faction can offer someone as talented as you is on another level. Is that side not too rigid to contain someone of your caliber?"
It was an overt recruitment offer.
As the noble faction's second-in-command, he was always looking for a chance to surpass Yusra, the leader.
In the original story, he did force Yusra out and take the top position midway through.
Of course, it had all been Yusra and Viktor Grace's scheme, and he was ultimately discarded once he had served his purpose.
"F-Father! Halibal isn't like that...! Isn't he already Lady Ren's partner?!"
"Quiet, Richard!"
Colin sharply rebuked Richard.
"Is that why Eugene always surpasses you? Even with such talent standing before you, all you can say is such lukewarm nonsense! Watch and learn properly!"
Richard fell silent under Colin's scolding.
'Now I understand why Richard in the original story turned out the way he did.'
Cecilia and I were standing right in front of him, yet he was openly putting down his own son for being inferior to Eugene.
He wasn't even praising us.
Cecilia was hearing everything Colin said. He was openly proposing that Halibal cut ties with her house and join hands with them?
'This is why he can never escape being second-in-command.'
Even Cecilia could not simply let that rude proposal pass. Just as her hand tensed...
"That is enough."
Yusra intervened.
"Even if it is for the Empire's future, that is not something to say in front of a young lady of the Ren House."
"Haha, I merely wished to offer this promising young man a broader path..."
"If Duke Ren is supporting him, that already means he is not on a narrow path."
Colin's smile disappeared at those words.
Yusra never uttered the words "noble faction."
He only spoke of the Empire.
Everyone in the Empire knew he led the noble faction, but he did not make the mistake of mentioning factions at an official gathering.
"I have heard much of the Funeral Sword's accomplishments. Just know that the Empire will always welcome talent such as yourself. And... I owe you an apology as well."
The last apology was directed at Cecilia.
"It is all right. Please do not concern yourself with it."
After saying that, Yusra quietly closed his eyes.
Even before Cecilia nudged me in the side, I instinctively understood it as his own way of telling us to leave.
Colin's face was bright red.
I couldn't believe he was so openly showing how angry he was.
Richard pretended to glare at us with a hardened expression, but beyond it, I caught a flash of apology.
'No matter how I look at it, Richard is the better one.'
Cecilia and I gave a silent bow and left.
After that, we also met Academy faculty and Imperial officials.
They asked me a few questions about the dungeon conquest, but Cecilia politely cut them off, saying we had come to enjoy the banquet today and that they should discuss difficult matters at the Academy.
By making our way around the banquet hall, we impressed one fact upon everyone present.
Halibal Velder was Cecilia Ren's partner.
Only then could Cecilia and I sit at a table and have a proper meal.
"...It's chaotic."
"Is it? Actually, this is fairly tame. At least His Highness the Prince didn't come."
Come to think of it, I had heard that no one from that faction had attended except Killien.
'It would have been a disaster if they were here too.'
Just as I felt relieved and brought some food from my plate toward my mouth...
"Come to think of it, Duke Grace was absent too."
'You're right. Why didn't I see Viktor Grace?'
I had definitely seen him with Regnar just before the speech earlier.
Yet while we greeted the noble faction, and afterward as well, he had been nowhere to be seen.
At some point, he had vanished without a trace.
Even if he was the hidden mastermind in the original story, was he some kind of assassin?
Wasn't this the perfect situation for him to make contact with me?
Of course, it was not something I could find an answer to by thinking about it now. It would be stranger for a hidden mastermind to do something openly.
I had not deliberately avoided him, and he had disappeared on his own. There was no reason for me to seek him out just to greet him.
I shook off my complicated thoughts and turned my gaze out the window.
As the night deepened, the uproar in the banquet hall had settled considerably.
Beyond the hall's windows lay the garden.
It had a peaceful, cozy atmosphere.
'Right. That's enough for today.'
Even at a banquet, I was doing this shit.
At this point, wasn't it an occupational hazard?
Climmud's appearance and escape.
The absence of important figures.
Of course, they mattered.
They mattered, but...
'What matters to me right now is this.'
I looked at Cecilia, who sat across from me.
Then our eyes met.
She had been looking at me too.
No, perhaps she had been watching me all along, from the moment we sat at this table.
"Here."
She held out her glass.
I lifted mine too and lightly clinked it against hers.
Clink!
She tipped her glass and smiled happily.
Seeing her like that made me happy too.
Over glasses passed back and forth and ordinary conversation, I was able to set down all the burdens that had weighed on me for so long and enjoy the moment.
As the mood deepened, I happened to look out the window again.
'Hm?'
Beyond the dark garden, I saw what seemed to be a faint afterimage of purple flames flickering.
'Did I see that wrong?'
I rubbed my eyes and looked there again.
There was nothing.
"What's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing."
The night of the banquet drew to a close.
⁎⁎⁎
In the Imperial Palace garden, beyond the reach of the banquet hall's lights.
A girl stood there, dressed in clothing unsuited to a banquet.
Luna Grace.
In the past, she had never once imagined herself wearing such dull clothes.
'I... failed.'
Luna reviewed the battle from moments ago.
Cornered, the bishop had become a monster.
More than ten pairs of skeletal arms had sprouted from their back.
Their combat power was as tremendous as their grotesque appearance.
But they could not overcome Adeline's power.
Every time she swung her sword, a flash of sunlight was carved into their body.
Luna's Purple Flame burned away every trace of their regeneration, which seemed as though it would continue endlessly.
Soon, they had seized an overwhelming victory.
The finishing blow was up to Luna.
But.
'Damn it...! I understand the Empire's Greatest Sword, but who the hell are you, bitch?! Are you Halibal Velder's woman or something?!'
Those words made Luna waver for just a moment.
The bishop did not miss that fleeting instant. Without hesitation, they used the magic circle they had prepared and escaped.
The victory that had nearly been in her grasp slipped through her fingers like sand.
At the last moment, Luna desperately branded the bishop's body with a Flame Mark, but that was all.
'How stupid.'
Luna covered her face with cold hands.
When she looked up at the banquet hall, it felt as though his faint laughter was carried to her on the wind.
But that wasn't the 'him' she knew.
She remembered it. The countless days when she had sat across from him in that banquet hall.
The days when she had sat where Cecilia Ren was sitting now.
Perhaps it would have been possible this time too. If, at the beginning of the semester, she had taken his outstretched hand once more.
But she did not look at him.
No, she could not.
Why she hid in the shadows.
Why she became the Imperial Princess's dog and took on dangerous missions.
It was all because, this time, she did not want to lose him.
She left in order to protect him.
What a contradiction.
Luna looked at the banquet hall once more.
At Cecilia Ren, smiling beside him.
If she had been in that place, could she truly have smiled so happily?
'No.'
Luna shook her head.
She knew.
The future that was coming.
The trials that would befall him.
Cecilia Ren did not know.
How fleeting that smile was.
How precariously that peace stood upon unstable ground.
That was why the one who knew had to go into the shadows.
In darkness that no one could see, she had to thoroughly cut down every blade that threatened him.
Today's failure hurt bitterly.
'Are you Halibal Velder's woman or something?!'
At that one remark, it felt as though her heart had stopped.
The mere sound of that name coming from a filthy monster's mouth filled her with unbearable rage. At the same time, she despaired because those words were not true.
That momentary wavering had caused her mistake.
'...I will never make this mistake again.'
Though she had lost them, the Flame Mark she had engraved would not disappear.
No matter where the bishop fled or what they did, she would now be able to track them.
Luna cast one last look toward the banquet hall. Through the window, his happy smile shimmered before her eyes.
To protect that smile, she would willingly wear these dull clothes and walk through the shadows of the world.
As she turned, purple flames wrapped around her body.
Soon, no one remained in the garden after the flames disappeared.
"Luna."
Except Viktor Grace.
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