Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Open Class (End)

On my way back to the Colosseum after meeting the Sword Saint.

Perhaps everyone had gone to the Colosseum, because not a single person could be seen on the road.

“I will be waiting. I only hope you can come before I grow old and die.”

I suddenly recalled how the Sword Saint had said that to me right before I left the room, patting my shoulder and laughing heartily.

I remembered that even when the game reached its ending, the Sword Saint was alive and well, maintaining his position as Sword Saint, so there should still be a great deal of time before he died of old age.

What made me wonder was...

“...Master, there is one thing I am curious about.”

[ Mm, what is it? ]

Sierra, who had been going ahead, turned her head to look at me.

Perhaps because she had declared war on the Sword Saint, she looked triumphant.

“Master, why did you show ‘killing intent’ toward the Sword Saint? I wondered whether I was perhaps supposed to cut off the Sword Saint’s head. I am certain your duel with the Sword Saint was not a fight to the death.”

At my question, Sierra laughed.

[ Puhu, so that bothered you. Yes, it was not a deathmatch. Just as you said, the Sword Saint and the challenger do not fight to the death. Both sides should be outstanding swordsmen, invaluable talents to nations and humanity... so one cannot lose important resources over a single title. It is probably forbidden by law. Of course... I heard that in ancient times, there was an era when it was decided simply by who died and who lived. ]

“So why killing intent?”

Listening carefully to Sierra, I asked again.

[ Though it was not a deathmatch... both he and I fought as if we truly intended to kill each other. I do not know how others were, but at least we did. Perhaps it became a habit. ]

If they had dueled dozens of times in that way, I could understand killing intent pouring out the moment they met.

Especially when the one who lost had always been Sierra.

As Sierra continued speaking, her expression gradually darkened.

[ But not even once... Despite crossing swords dozens of times, I could not win even once... I had suffered from a chronic illness since childhood. I realized it. That not much time remained for me. And so, in order to create swordsmanship that could defeat him, I entered closed-door training... ]

Then Sierra swallowed the rest of her words.

I knew very well what came after that.

The one mad for the sword.

The one who lived a life knowing nothing but the sword.

Sierra too was the same.

The fact that she had not obtained the title of Sword Saint.

The fact that she had not become the foremost in the sword.

That regret had sunk so deep that she had become one of the dead, so I could guess how great it was.

[ Whenever I recall old memories, I cannot help thinking how fortunate it was that I could meet my disciple... ]

Soon, Sierra ran toward me and was softly embraced.

She came into my arms with a bright expression, but... for some reason, I could feel a slight trembling from her body.

Then her careful voice rang in my head.

[ So do not leave. No matter what happens... do not leave my side. ]

“You worry about the strangest things. There is no way I would...”

As I was patting her and speaking, Sierra cut me off.

[...I mean, do not die. ]

“...”

At her words, I smiled bitterly.

I could not answer separately.

It seemed the things that had happened recently had made Sierra worried.

“I have... done a lot of dangerous things.”

That was why I could not stop even more.

A happy ending.

Would it truly be possible, even if I sacrificed my life?

For Sierra, at least... perhaps it would be impossible.

“...Let us go now. We will be late at this rate.”

Soon, I changed the subject and slowly began walking while holding her.

Sierra remained in my arms for some time, showing no intention of pulling away.

***

Open class was currently in full swing in the Colosseum.

Sparring was taking place in a format where one student came out and named the opponent they would face.

Soon, the protective magic of one student fighting was shattered miserably.

—Waaaaaaaah!!!!!!

The cheers of the audience filled the Colosseum.

The important figures in the VIP seats were waiting for the students who had left a deep impression on them on the first day, wondering when they would come out.

Usually, in academy events where outsiders could observe, such as open class or the main exams, attention tended to focus on third-years nearing graduation. But in this year’s open class, all of their attention was gathered on the first-year students.

In a way, it was only natural.

This year, there were exceptionally many strong people among the first-years.

Starting with the continent’s four elemental families, and even new faces who displayed extraordinary talent.

Among those involved, the words “golden generation” were being mentioned by everyone.

Among them, the ones who stood out most were the emerging powerhouses, Eisel and Zeto.

However, those two names were not called easily.

From the students’ perspective as well, they could clearly picture themselves being miserably broken, so there was no need to call their names.

Time flowed and flowed, and by the time the sun was high in the sky, when the VIP seats had been discussing Zeto and Eisel for quite some time regardless of whether students were fighting or not...

A woman with snow-white hair fluttering behind her and wearing a pure-white dress without the slightest flaw entered the VIP seats.

Then one female knight wearing silver armor followed her.

Someone in the VIP seats, who sensed their presence and was first to set eyes on them, shouted.

“Saintess?!”

Following his shout, all eyes in the VIP seats focused on her.

Saintess Bernice had arrived at the academy.

Her pink eyes lightly swept over those in the VIP seats.

In particular, her gaze lingered a little longer on the Sword Saint, who was sitting over there and staring at her.

“That person must be the Sword Saint. So he is the one who took interest in Zeto.”

Soon, she stopped glancing at the Sword Saint, placed a hand on her chest, and politely lowered her head slightly.

Then Bernice raised her head and opened her mouth.

“Matters delayed my attendance. I am Bernice, the ‘Saintess of Innocence.’”

Juliut, who had already heard from Eclin, vice-captain of the Silver Wings Knights, that the Saintess would come, opened his mouth.

“Not at all, Saintess. I am simply grateful that you have come. Might it be all right to announce within the Colosseum that the Saintess has attended?”

Then Bernice sat down and answered him.

“Yes, as much as you like. But could you do it in a way that does not disturb the students? The ones who should be receiving attention here are not me, but them. I already feel troubled that I am late, so I do not wish to steal even their chance to be noticed.”

“Haha, of course. As it happens, break time is coming soon, so once break time ends, I will announce that the Saintess has arrived.”

“Thank you.”

Bernice smiled faintly.

Soon, Eclin, who stood behind Bernice together with Ines, brought her face to Bernice’s ear.

“It seems the Sword Saint has contacted Student Zeto.”

“...Has it already come to that?”

“The Sword Saint’s expression does not look good, so perhaps... we may already be too late... There is a rumor that he became the Sword Saint’s disciple. I apologize. I should have contacted you sooner...”

Eclin said that and squeezed her eyes shut.

At the rumor that Zeto had become the Sword Saint’s disciple, those who had wanted to make good offers to Zeto had given up early.

The Sword Saint did not wish to belong to the Round, nor any knight order, nor even any nation.

So how could his disciple be any different?

Even when the war broke out ten years ago, he had participated quietly.

Of course, during the war, Chris had obediently followed the Allied Forces’ orders, blocking an entire northern plain all by himself and accomplishing an astonishing feat.

“It is all right. Speaking with him will be enough. For now.”

Bernice whispered that to Eclin.

Nothing had yet been confirmed—whether he was the Acupuncturist called the Blind Saint, or whether he had anything to do with the demon corpse found in the theater with its horn left intact.

“It will not be too late to think about what comes after then.”

Bernice then turned her eyes toward the Colosseum.

At the center of the Colosseum stood one male student.

As she had heard from Ines, it seemed he was about to spar.

Behind Bernice, Ines was staring intently at the Sword Saint.

“To think he would come to the academy, after not replying to dozens of letters...”

Though she had continued sending proposals asking him to join the “Round,” the Sword Saint had not sent even a single reply.

Entrusting letters to the information guild “Black Hand” cost no small amount. She was spending her salary, as soon as she received it, on writing letters to the Sword Saint.

Chris felt Ines’s burdensome gaze.

He remembered Ines.

No, it would be more accurate to say he could not help remembering her.

She was one of the people included in Chris’s mental “extremely troublesome person list.”

“Was she one of the Knights of the Round Table?”

For him, the title of Sword Saint was enough to represent his position, and he had little interest in something as troublesome as maintaining the order of the continent.

When the Saintess appeared and a strange current flowed through the VIP seats, the student at the center of the Colosseum loudly called out his opponent.

“I! Will face Student Zeto of first-year Class A!”

At last, the name everyone had been waiting for was mentioned, and the Colosseum began to stir.

Zeras, sitting beside the Saintess, spoke to her in a friendly manner.

“Saintess, it is an honor to meet you. I am Zeras Clementine.”

It was the first time Bernice and Zeras Clementine had spoken, but they knew who each other was.

At this, Bernice smiled.

“...Lord Clementine. It is good to meet you. I am able to see the heads of the four elemental families like this.”

“Haha, not at all. How could we compare to the Saintess? More importantly... Saintess, it seems you are lucky. To be able to watch Student Zeto the moment you arrive...”

“I heard about Student Zeto from our vice-captain. They said that despite being blind, he handles a sword extremely well. But who is the student who called him out?”

That was right.

The Colosseum was stirring not because of Zeto alone, but also because they were wondering who the opponent who called him out was.

As it happened, Zeras, who came from the same Kingdom of Therasia, knew him.

Although his presence was buried now because this year’s first-years were so outstanding, until last year, he could be considered a promising student with a bright future.

“He is the son of someone you know as well, Saintess. His name is Kip Ocentia. He is a student who becomes a third-year this year.”

“Ah, Sir Terlos’s son?”

“Yes. He too can be considered fairly skilled, but...”

Zeras said that and swallowed the expression, “He is overflowing with arrogance, like his father.”

Zeras did not like Terlos.

In his eyes, Terlos Ocentia was not only incompetent, but carried far too much filth behind him.

Not only that, but the Ocentia family itself repeatedly engaged in dirty and ugly acts.

Zeras too wondered how such a Terlos Ocentia had been able to become captain of the “Golden Lion Knights,” and why the king had chosen him...

But Zeras only guessed that this was connected to the First Prince.

Bernice also knew “Terlos Ocentia” fairly well, so she roughly understood from Zeras trailing off.

Soon, Bernice nodded and answered.

“...So you think it would be difficult even for him. Thank you for the kind explanation, Lord Clementine.”

“Not at all. One must know the cast to enjoy the viewing more.”

Zeras smiled with his eyes and nodded slightly.

At last, Zeto entered the Colosseum, and the audience let out loud cheers.

Listening to this, Bernice felt a question.

“...Is Student Zeto quite popular with women?”

Because among the cheers, the “kyaaah” cries of admiration from young women were especially loud.

“I heard from my daughter, who is acquainted with him, that he has the power to make people feel at ease... but even without that, perhaps his outstanding appearance, which even bandages cannot hide, plays a part.”

“Mm...”

Bernice let out a low hum and thought.

“Why is Zeras praising him with such a bright smile as though he were his own son-in-law?”

She knew Zeras Clementine as someone with a somewhat weightier personality.

Could it be that he too desired Zeto?

In any case... Bernice was finally able to set eyes on that “Zeto.”

“An outstanding appearance that even bandages cannot hide...”

Appearance was not important to her, but certainly, even from her brief distant view, his visuals naturally called to mind words such as beautiful boy or beautiful young man.

Soon, Zeto slowly approached the center of the Colosseum.

In Bernice’s eyes, as she watched him, something strange was caught.

A woman wearing clothes one might see in the East was approaching the VIP seats.

The problem was that she was floating in the air.

Literally drifting through the air.

That was right.

Bernice had discovered Sierra.

Sierra had simply approached the VIP seats because the distance had grown closer, and she was curious about the Sword Saint’s reaction as he watched her disciple. But she had not yet noticed the Saintess’s presence.

Sierra was not showing killing intent toward the Sword Saint.

There was no need.

The Sword Saint had coveted him.

But he had failed to make Zeto his disciple.

The Zeto he coveted was her disciple.

This could be called Sierra’s first victory over the Sword Saint.

Of course, this was Sierra’s personal opinion.

And so she had come to look at the face of the Sword Saint, who must have grown dark.

[ Hmph... ]

As Sierra recalled what Zeto had said to the Sword Saint, laughter naturally slipped from her lips.

“That Zeto... to think he said his one and only master...”

Thinking this, Sierra drew close to the VIP seats and checked the Sword Saint’s face.

The Sword Saint’s face was dark, just as she had expected.

However, the Sword Saint, who had maintained a smile until Zeto entered the Colosseum...

“Now that I think about it, our Kaen’s beauty would mean nothing to him...”

...was deep in complicated thought for another reason.

Meanwhile, Bernice, who was intently watching that Sierra, grasped what kind of existence she was.

“Why is the soul of a dead one here?”

Bernice could see souls, spiritual bodies.

Bernice was the Saintess.

The nearly infinite divine power she possessed as Saintess allowed her to cross the boundary between life and death.

Moreover, not only could she see them, she could hear their voices as well.

They would sometimes be seen in places that seemed to have stories attached.

Whenever Bernice saw them, she would mourn them, purify them, and let them “pass on.”

However, this was her first time seeing a spiritual body maintaining such a clear form.

“Could this be what I have heard of...”

...a ghost, Bernice thought.

Unlike ordinary souls, they carried evil energy because of their grudges.

She could feel such energy from the Eastern woman she saw now as well.

At last.

Sierra, who had turned her head away from the Sword Saint with a satisfied smile, met Bernice’s eyes.

Bernice quietly stared at Sierra.

“Since she may cause trouble, should I purify her...?”

Sierra gazed back at Bernice with a doubtful expression.

“Who is that white woman, that she seems to be looking at me...?”

Soon, Ines, who stood behind Bernice, spoke to the Saintess.

“Saintess, is something the matter?”

She was puzzled because Bernice, though Zeto, whom she had looked forward to meeting, had finally appeared, was looking into empty air where there was nothing.

Saintess.

Hearing that word, Sierra finally murmured.

[ If she is the Saintess... did Daidros say she might be able to see souls...? ]

Her soft murmur should originally have rung only inside Zeto’s head, but it was also heard by Bernice, who was the Saintess.

At this, Bernice, who had been staring at her, nodded faintly and answered.

Only then grasping the situation, Sierra covered her mouth with both hands, plunged below the wall of the VIP seats, and hurriedly hid herself.

Because if she returned to Zeto’s side right away, Bernice would realize that Zeto was connected to her.

Sierra could not let her disciple be subjected to something like an heresy interrogation by the Saintess.

At that time, at the center of the Colosseum...

...Zeto, preparing for battle with Kip Ocentia, heard Sierra’s voice and grew doubtful.

“The Saintess?”