I Became the Academy's Turn-Based Swordsman - Chapter 63

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 63: Eating Only Cake Makes Me Choke

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When was the last time I came here?

It had been before I enrolled at Ruidel, so it had been nearly two months.

Once again, I had been dragged here without any warning, just like last time.

‘There must be some kind of trigger.’

I thought back on what last time and now had in common.

‘Last time, I was receiving holy power treatment, and this time, Mine's holy power was still in my body.’

That was the only similarity worth mentioning.

I didn't know why, but the trigger that brought me here seemed to be holy power, or perhaps Mine herself.

That still didn't explain what had happened when Varhatan killed me.

Then Renee's voice rang out in my head.

『It's not anything new, is it? Our meetings have always been sudden.』

She spoke as she petted the sheep at her feet.

『I didn't know these children would end up here either. But isn't eight a little too many?』

Even with her joke, my mind remained a tangled mess.

『What am I supposed to do with all of them?』

This space was still full of mysteries.

Who was Renee, and where exactly was this place?

More importantly, why had those sheep suddenly appeared?

As I looked around for even a little information, I noticed something different from last time.

‘It's warm.’

The chill from before was nowhere to be found. Instead, warmth filled the place, as though someone had just begun living in a space that had once stood empty.

Looking closer, I found an old bookshelf beside the throne that hadn't been there before.

One familiar book caught my eye.

[Alain's Journal]

Its contents were identical to what I had seen in the Doll Dungeon.

I was certain the original had been submitted to the Imperial Family through Adeline, so why was it here?

Pushing that question aside, I picked up another book beside it.

As I flipped through the pages, my gaze stopped at one entry.

[March 3, 21:12]

Halibal Velder was struck by [Hundred Knives] during his battle against [Boss] Clown, Maliaas Geren, and died.

My brow furrowed.

What was written in the book was none other than my death log.

It was even a record from the timeline that had vanished through Renee's power.

Renee poked her head out from where she had been buried in wool and added,

『Ah, I personally find that one rather entertaining to read.』

The other pages contained detailed records of my battles against Varhatan, Alain, and Rose and Lilian as well.

‘Why the hell is something like this here?’

I shoved the book back onto the shelf, confused.

There was another difference.

Behind the throne, beside Varhatan's statue, stood a new statue shaped like two women dancing.

They were probably Rose and Lilian.

I remembered what Renee had told me last time.

『When we meet again... I hope something will fill that spot too. When that happens... perhaps I'll have more to tell you.』

The condition had been met.

Besides, no matter how hard I racked my brain, I wouldn't uncover this space's secrets on my own.

So I asked her directly.

“So... do you have more to tell me?”

Only then did Renee stop petting the sheep.

『The memories that have returned are still incomplete, but it might be enough to give you a satisfying answer for now.』

As she fluttered her angelic wings, the sheep bleated as though responding to them.

『What does this place look like to you?』

“A temple.”

The answer came immediately.

With its altar and throne, no other word suited this place as well as temple.

『A temple... that's not wrong. But I think there's a better way to describe it. Can't you think of anything else?』

‘It's not a temple?’

Then several spaces shaped like temples, yet not temples, flashed through my mind.

Could it be?

“A dungeon...?”

『That's right. This is a dungeon that exists within your mindscape. If we had to give it a name, would it be the Halibal Dungeon?』

Renee spread her arms, gesturing toward the strange space.

Following her gesture, I looked around again.

There was no entrance or exit.

No monsters or demonic energy, either.

There was nothing a dungeon ought to have.

『Don't look at it like that. There are all kinds of dungeons in the world. If you looked hard enough, wouldn't you find at least one dungeon like this?』

“What does it mean that it exists in my mindscape?”

『Exactly what it sounds like. This place is within your mindscape, which means everything here is connected to it.』

Renee snapped her fingers, and a small cheesecake appeared in midair.

It was the cake I had eaten at Café de Amande.

Renee took a bite, then smiled in satisfaction.

『Mm-hm. This really is delicious. Out of everything in here, I like this the most.』

‘It was good.’

『It seems the things that leave a strong impression on your mind gather here one by one, like this.』

If her explanation was right, I could guess what the books and sheep were.

The books recorded the “settings different from the original work” and “my deaths” that I had strongly recognized.

The sheep were the ones I had desperately counted before falling asleep.

Did that mean anything I imagined would appear here?

Would final-tier equipment appear if I thought of it?

It would be useful to try it out beforehand and get my body used to it.

『It probably doesn't work that conveniently. You can't take things from here outside in the first place.』

“Probably? Does that mean you don't know either?”

『I told you, didn't I? Not all my memories have returned yet. I'm only piecing together the fragments that have vaguely resurfaced because you filled that spot for me.』

Her answer didn't resolve my doubts.

Fine.

Even if I conceded a hundred times over that this place was inside my mindscape...

What was the purpose of this space?

It only existed in my mindscape, after all.

Perhaps noticing my question, Renee walked toward Varhatan's statue.

“Baaah!”

All eight sheep followed her.

Did they see her white wings and think she was their mother?

Renee placed a hand on the statue and spoke.

『If this space has a purpose, perhaps it's this.』

The moment she finished speaking, Varhatan, formed from black shadow, appeared behind me.

It didn't move, but its presence resembled the creature from the past.

“This is...”

As I stared at it, caught between awe and confusion, Renee clapped her hands.

Varhatan began to roar.

Kuaaaaaaah!!

I immediately tried to draw my sword, but there was no sword at my waist.

Did that mean I didn't value my sword as much as I thought?

Kwahhh!

Just as I was about to roll aside to avoid the mace crashing down at me, Renee clapped again.

Varhatan turned into a shadow and vanished.

Breathing heavily, I looked at the statue.

『Do you understand now?』

Yeah. I understood the meaning of this space.

In the original work, once the Dungeons of the Evil God had been cleared, you could never enter them again.

“So I can fight the bosses I've defeated again.”

『Of course, they aren't the real ones. They're only recreations based on the power and memories of those recorded here.』

I remembered running simulations in my head during physical training class.

Could I make those simulations feel more real?

“Are there any conditions for summoning bosses?”

『Who knows? Perhaps your will is the condition itself. As long as you want to, you'll probably be able to summon them again and again.』

“And what do I gain from it?”

『You can't take anything material with you. But experiences engraved upon the soul are another matter.』

Experience. That one word was enough.

Defeating bosses here wouldn't raise my level, but the practical experience carved into my body and mind could still be considered growth.

That made this place, for all intents and purposes, somewhere I could gain unlimited experience.

I looked at Varhatan's statue once more.

The despair I had felt when I first faced it, and the narrow victory I had earned after dying twice.

How much stronger was I now compared to then?

There was no better stage for trying new strategies and testing my body's limits.

The problem was that I couldn't enter this space whenever I wanted.

“Is there any way I can come here when I want?”

『Well, from what I can see, you've always opened the door and entered with a key.』

Did that mean I had entered on my own?

For some reason, the word key made me think of Mine. She was the only one called a “key” in this world.

“Then what about the first time I came here?”

『The Imperial Saintess isn't the only one called a key, is she?』

She was talking about me.

Come to think of it, I had once been called the second key too.

According to Renee, it seemed I could enter this place by fulfilling certain conditions even without Mine's help.

『This place is within your mindscape anyway. If it comes down to it, why not try making an entrance that leads here?』

“...I should.”

『What do you think? Has that been enough of an answer to your questions? I don't know how this place came to be either. But perhaps that too...』

Renee pointed to the empty space beside the statue of Rose and Lilian.

『...when something else is placed there, I think I'll be able to tell you.』

I nodded.

What else could I do if that was what she said?

This was more than enough.

Still, one final question remained.

If this was a dungeon within my mindscape, there was one being whose reason for being here I didn't understand.

“One last thing... Renee. What are you?”

Her eyes widened slightly at my question.

“If this is a dungeon in my mindscape, and things that leave a strong impression on me appear here... why were you here from the beginning?”

She gave a bitter smile and clapped her hands.

In an instant, the figure of a familiar woman appeared beside her.

“...If it's inside my mindscape, can it do this too?”

It was Cecilia.

She stood frozen with a serious expression, one empty hand stretched toward me.

This was clearly the moment when we had used a Dual Art together. She was frozen in that exact pose like a mannequin.

Apparently, this scene was the memory of Cecilia most deeply imprinted in my mindscape.

『Like I said, my memories aren't complete either. So I can only give you a very limited answer to that question.』

“...”

『But one thing is certain. I'm not here of my own will. I don't know why, but... I think someone made me remain here.』

Her smile looked somehow lonely.

I thought of the core of Cecilia's nursemaid, Renee, that Cecilia had given me and asked.

She had always seemed able to read my mind, so even that much should have conveyed what I meant.

“Are you connected to that nursemaid?”

『Ah, that much is a coincidence. Cecilia Ren's nursemaid and I simply share the same name. We have no direct connection.』

“Then...”

『Still... from what I know, people put a great deal of thought into naming their children. They pray for luck and blessings to accompany that child.』

‘They put luck and blessings into a name...’

After saying that, Renee fell silent.

It didn't seem like I could press her any further.

She appeared to have told me everything she knew.

The rest would be for me to uncover from now on.

Then, just like last time, my vision began to shake violently.

It was time to wake up.

『It seems this meeting ends here.』

Renee's figure faded, and the entire temple of jewels faded to white like morning sunlight.

Her lonely smile had disappeared by then, and she spoke in a gentle voice.

『But don't worry too much. If you keep moving forward, you'll see the path someday. Well then, I had fun for the first time in a while, Halibal Velder.』

At that moment, for reasons I couldn't explain, a question slipped from my lips.

“Is there any food you want to eat?”

Renee's eyes went wide, as though she had never imagined I would ask something like that.

After staring blankly for a moment, she let out a small laugh and slowly answered.

“...Eating only cake makes me choke.”

This time, her voice clearly came from her lips.

“Got it.”

Amid the pouring light, I returned the same words she had once given me.

“May the blessings of time fill your new choice.”

My consciousness faded too quickly for me to see her expression.

⁎⁎⁎

When I opened my eyes, early morning sunlight was streaming through the window.