WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 26: I'm Looking Forward to It

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Adeline looked at Halibal’s empty barracks.

“What’s he doing wandering around at this hour?”

A few days ago, she had heard the rumor that Halibal had served as a special examiner for Ruidel Academy’s entrance exam.

A kid who could barely look after himself had served as an examiner. It was beyond ridiculous.

When she confronted him, all he said was that he had submitted his application too late and had no choice.

She had warned him several times, yet he had forgotten in the end. Every time she saw him, he gave her more reason to worry.

Adeline entered the barracks and ran her hand over Halibal’s sleeping bag.

She had first met Halibal shortly after he had been transferred to the 2222nd Unit.

Her first impression of him had been that he was wooden and emotionally unresponsive.

A child who had closed off his heart because of past wounds and incidents, clinging only to chivalry and honor. That was probably why he had even punched the precious daughter of a ducal house in the face.

Yet after training with him, Halibal turned out to be nothing like she had expected.

‘He was actually quite expressive.’

He might have seemed stiff on the outside, but she could feel it whenever their swords crossed.

The boy wielded a swift blade freely, attacking so fast that even Adeline struggled to fend him off. His eyes were always filled with the desire to improve and the will to win.

That was why she worried even more.

A boy who placed the sword before people. Adeline saw fragments of her past self in him.

She was one of the Empire’s finest swordsmen, having unlocked even the secret techniques of Belhart Style, created by her ancestor, the Mercenary King Belhart Windsor.

She had even reinterpreted the greatsword-centered style and completed her own “Adeline-style Belhart Style.”

Then Halibal had altered it as he pleased and remade it into an independent Art called “Halibal Style.”

His talent was astonishing.

Still, Adeline knew that those whose talent bloomed early always paid a price for it.

The boy had suffered pain he never needed to suffer far too soon.

When he returned gravely injured on two separate occasions after facing elite demonic beasts, Adeline had felt as though the sky were falling.

That wasn’t all. He had even faced the boss of the Beast Dungeon alone without reporting it first. Adeline’s worries were far from small.

To her, Halibal could only seem like a child who knew nothing of the world and might run off in any direction.

That was why she wanted to teach him more.

Swordsmanship, and how to live in the world.

So far, she had only passed on the Second Form of Belhart Style.

Of course, Halibal had transformed even that into his own swordsmanship, but the real problem lay ahead.

Once he entered the academy, he would learn Ruidel’s school sword styles.

Adeline, a gifted swordsman herself, knew well that mixing another sword style into a path one had already honed was like poison to a swordsman.

It was like losing one’s way because irrelevant advice interrupted a path that had been going well.

And now, Adeline held an invitation sent by the Ruidel Academy board. They had long wanted to bring her in as an instructor.

Naturally, she had refused at first.

Adeline had already admitted to herself that she paid special attention to Halibal.

But she had the Gale Raid Party, comrades who had faced life and death with her for longer than Halibal had.

Leaving them behind to go to the academy for just one boy made no sense.

‘It would be unfair to both sides.’

At that moment, a familiar face entered the barracks.

“Captain, you’re here again?”

“Kruus.”

It was Kruus, the Gale Raid Party’s adjutant and a companion who had been with her since their academy days.

“I can’t tell whether this is Halibal’s barracks or yours anymore.”

“Funny. Have I moved into this brat’s barracks or something?”

“Of course not. You’re just ‘stopping by while passing through.’ Every day.”

Adeline narrowed her eyes at Kruus’s joke.

“You get more impertinent by the day.”

“I’ve been hearing that since our academy days. It’s too late to fix it now.”

As Adeline shrugged, Kruus’s gaze fell on the invitation in her hand.

She looked unusually startled and hid it behind her back.

“What are you hiding it for? Between us?”

“What kind of relationship do we have?”

“What kind? You’re my lifelong enemy for setting me up with that wife of mine who’s like a sworn enemy.”

“Hey, Bella was too good for you.”

They shared a brief laugh.

Adeline and Kruus had been friends since their school days, so whenever they were alone, they always spoke to each other without formality.

“If you want to go, why not go?”

“Go where?”

Kruus gestured toward the invitation with his chin.

“They send this every year. You know it came last year and the year before too.”

“I know. This is also the first year you haven’t thrown it away.”

Adeline scratched her head after he struck a nerve, and Kruus snickered.

“Do you think I don’t know how you’ve led the Raid Party as captain? You were always the one who took the most dangerous position alone. Are you worried we’ll resent you if you go to the academy now?”

“Kruus.”

“To be honest, I’d be happy. I wouldn’t have to clean up after you anymore. If Halibal leaves and you leave too, my work will be cut in half.”

Adeline burst out laughing at Kruus’s shameless words.

“I’m not going. Where would I go, leaving guys like you behind?”

At that moment, Kruus drew the sword at his waist and thrust it straight at Adeline.

Adeline reflexively drew her own sword, and their blades clashed for the first time in a while.

“You’re drawing a sword over this? Don’t tell me you’re that desperate for a promotion.”

Kruus shook his head at Adeline’s joke.

“No. I wanted to tell you that your sword is faster than before.”

Adeline’s eyes widened at those words.

An opponent was better able to judge whether her swordsmanship had improved. She had long been called the Empire’s Greatest Sword and had remained stagnant for years.

At this point, the only people who could stand as walls before her were absolute powerhouses like Duke Ren, the commander of the Imperial Knights, or the old master of the Ultimate Divine Sword.

She rarely had a chance to cross swords with them, so until recently, Adeline had believed her growth had completely stopped.

Yet Kruus, whose swordsmanship was second only to Adeline’s in the Raid Party, had said it himself.

Her sword was faster than before.

Only one possibility came to mind.

‘Was it because of Halibal?’

She couldn’t be sure.

But if her swordsmanship had improved from fending off his swift attacks every day, it wasn’t impossible.

As Adeline sank into thought, Kruus spoke again.

This time, his face was more serious than ever.

“Don’t misunderstand, Adeline Windsor. Your place isn’t as the captain of the Gale Raid Party. You’re the unbreakable Empire’s Greatest Sword. That’s where you belong. You should strive for that. There’s no reason to stay here while holding back your own growth.”

“...”

“It’s time you started thinking about yourself too. Don’t you have enough reason? You always said it yourself. There is no end to the path of the sword. You’re taking your first steps again thanks to sparring with Halibal. If that’s the case, don’t force yourself to stay. Do whatever it takes to remain with that child.”

With those words, Kruus took a familiar object from inside his coat.

“So don’t worry about us. Go.”

“Hey, who told you to touch your superior’s things?”

“What? Aren’t you starting to feel strapped without this?”

What he held out was the Abyss Core that Adeline had entrusted to Kruus rather than use for her own growth.

His meaning was clear.

She could move forward again without the Abyss Core now, so there was no need for him to keep holding onto it.

Just as Adeline accepted the Abyss Core, a voice sounded from outside.

“I’m back.”

The barracks door opened, and Halibal returned.

He looked between the two of them, then bowed his head politely.

Kruus clicked his tongue as if displeased by the sight.

“You’re a soldier, yet you sure do wander around as you please.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Will your military service end once you go to the academy?”

Halibal tilted his head for a moment.

His expression plainly showed that he was thinking, ‘Isn’t it ending?’ Adeline let out a hollow laugh and asked,

“So where did you go this late at night?”

“Ah.”

Halibal took a leather pouch from inside his coat and showed it to them.

It was his Shard pouch, where he usually kept the Shards he did not use. It was empty.

Holding out the empty pouch, Halibal smiled with satisfaction.

“I made an investment for the future.”

“...?”

Adeline and Kruus both froze.

An investment? Halibal had nearly a hundred lower-tier Shards.

Did this kid even know how much a single lower-tier Shard cost?

What kind of investment could he have thrown all that away for?

In the end, they reached the same conclusion.

‘He got scammed.’

To them, Halibal was a child who had spent his whole life holding a sword. Naturally, he knew little about the world.

That was also why they had not refused when he said he wanted to go to the academy.

Adeline looked at Halibal, who was proudly smiling despite having been scammed, and let out a pitying sigh.

“...You expect me to send a kid like this off alone?”

“...Hmm.”

That was true.

Of course, Halibal paid them no mind as he straightened his clothes and prepared to wash up.

“May I talk to you after I wash up?”

“Go ahead.”

Once he left, only the two of them remained.

“So what are you going to do?”

“Haah... After seeing that, I can’t help but go.”

Adeline looked at Kruus apologetically.

If she left, the burden of the Gale Raid Party would obviously fall entirely on his shoulders.

Still, he wasn’t wrong. If going to the academy would help her grow, then she should go. And more than anything...

Adeline looked toward the door Halibal had disappeared through.

Kruus read the conflict in her eyes and drove the point home.

“Think of it positively. If it comes down to it, just say you’re going to find yourself a husband. Once you’re over thirty, you won’t be able to get married.”

“You crazy bastard. Do you know how big the age gap between me and that kid is? It’s more than ten years.”

Adeline glared at him, but Kruus gave her a meaningful smile.

“I meant you should try seducing the instructors.”

Adeline’s face instantly flushed red.

Her golden hair barely hid her embarrassment, but she could not avoid the gaze of an old friend.

“You, don’t tell me...”

Thwack!

“Argh!”

Adeline’s fist slammed straight into Kruus’s face.

Leaving him crumpled on the ground in a ridiculous heap, Adeline looked down at the invitation in her hand.

For a long time.

⁎⁎⁎

‘Did I overdo it?’

Judging by how he brought up Valhilar at the entrance ceremony, it seemed Elia was still traumatized by it.

That was why I had been wondering how to coax him into letting me slip some free items onto him after he ran away from me at the ceremony.

So, after the entrance ceremony, I came up with a few strategies on my way to the Work Workshop in Nevil.

I could approach him naturally under the pretext of having Renee inspected, or pretend to stumble upon the Shard Converter by chance and casually leave some Shards with him.

But things ended up going more easily than I expected.

“Halibal Velder. You’re... Red Scales’ sword, aren’t you?”

“...?”

Elia mistook me for Alicia’s spy.

I had no idea how he reached that conclusion, but it wasn’t a bad thing either way.

Even in the original story, Elia was supposed to be bad at reading the room. More precisely, he had the mindset of an engineer and was the type to consider every possible case for no reason.

Thanks to that, I kept my mouth shut, and Elia led me to the unfinished Shard Converter on his own.

Elia started listing the Shard Converter’s history and effects. I already knew it all, so I only half-listened.

After finishing his explanation, which went on for quite a while, he looked at me with a tense expression.

“...This is an invention for humanity. Could you tell Her Highness about it?”

Tell her about it? I had only come here because I needed it.

Still, this misunderstanding wasn’t bad. I thought I could even use it, so I went for it.

“Her Highness is always watching over you.”

“...As expected!”

Elia’s expression froze, then his eyes widened as if he had realized something.

“Wait. Then does that mean... the Imperial Family will approve its production?”

“Of course. Her Highness also recognizes this machine’s value.”

That was completely untrue.

In the original story, Alicia did not even know the Shard Converter existed until Chapter 4, no, even Chapter 5.

That was why, even when students gradually started equipping higher-tier Shards, she only reacted with something like, ‘Wow, that’s interesting.’ It was only after learning about this that she hurriedly began making Shards herself.

Still, in my position, borrowing Alicia’s name gave me a free pass for anything. It couldn’t have been better.

I immediately began unloading the Shards on Elia.

“This is a gift from Her Highness.”

“Th-this is...?”

Elia’s eyes widened at the Shards that poured from my pocket.

Nearly a hundred lower-tier Shards spilled onto the floor, and he sucked in a breath.

If I remembered correctly, sixteen Shards of each color were needed to activate the Shard Converter.

I had brought the exact amount.

“Are you saying I can use all of these as I please?”

I nodded instead of answering. Elia counted the Shards, then looked at me with determined eyes.

“...There must be a price. What do you want?”

“I want to install this at the academy by the start of the semester. Can you complete it by then?”

“...Inside the academy? Is that also Her Highness’s intention?”

Of course not.

I was just tired of having to visit the Work Workshop every time I wanted to make or combine Shards.

It would also be better if students could use it.

Naturally, I only nodded again.

Elia’s eyes sparkled as he spoke. For the first time since we met, there was a smile on his lips.

“With the Shards you gave me, I can finish it as soon as tomorrow if I stay up all night.”

There was no need to stay up all night.

Still, I confirmed that it could be done.

That settled the first thing I needed to take care of.

“Thank you, Halibal Velder.”

“It is all Her Highness’s grace.”

“Right. Please tell Her Highness that I’m grateful too. I’ll see you at the academy.”

Well, Alicia would probably be the one thanking me later.

When I returned straight to the barracks, I found Adeline and her adjutant, Kruus.

Why were these people casually inside someone else’s barracks? Did they have no respect for privacy?

‘Ah, this was the military.’

Right.

It seemed I had already slipped into student mode.

After talking with them for a bit, I headed to the washroom. My steps felt strangely light.

‘In a week, I’ll be saying goodbye to this place too.’

I had spent quite a long time here as a soldier after falling into this world.

I fought, narrowly escaped death, and endured. Before I knew it, I had climbed to a fairly high position.

But the stage would be different from now on. The true stage of Academy of the End, Ruidel Academy. There, I would have to survive not as a soldier, but as a student.

It would have been normal for worry to come first, but the words that left my mouth were the complete opposite.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

When I reached the washroom, I splashed water on myself and muttered those words.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Footnotes:

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