A month had passed since Trine was bitten by the monster.
Yuril visited his hospital room again that morning.
"How's your body?"
"...Yeah. I'm fine."
Yuril sat in the chair beside Trine's bed and said,
"They said if you do rehabilitation training, you'll regain some of the strength in your hand."
Without even looking at Yuril, Trine murmured softly, as if speaking to himself.
"I see."
"You can't hold a sword, but they said it won't cause much trouble in daily life."
"Right."
"There are plenty of ways to fight, even if it's not with a sword."
"Maybe."
...He had been like this for an entire month.
Was it because his five years of effort had gone to waste?
Or had he fallen into despair after seeing Yuril fight, convinced that he could never win?
No matter how much Yuril tried to soothe him, he could not regain his spirit.
In the end, when Yuril left the hospital room in resignation, the butler was waiting for her.
"If he cannot hold a sword, he will not be able to properly adjust even if he goes to the Academy."
"You said he has to leave tomorrow morning or he'll be late for the entrance ceremony, right?"
"That is true, but..."
Yuril gritted her teeth.
Then she soon continued calmly.
"Doesn't something feel strange? For that stubborn boy to be this dispirited?"
"His entire purpose in life was taken from him, after all."
"No, there must have been something about that monster."
Yuril headed straight for the study and began searching through every book she could get her hands on.
After knowing how much time had passed, Yuril finally managed to find a decisive clue.
"Crescent Tundra Wolves... I knew those wolf monsters were a subspecies."
Clinging to a faint hope, Yuril read the passage on the wolves' poison.
But Yuril's expression soon stiffened.
"What the hell is this?!"
It seemed Trine had lost his grip strength because of the poison, but that was only a secondary issue.
An overall weakening of physical ability.
A reduction in the amount and recovery of mana to one-tenth of their normal level.
And...
The loss of confidence and passion.
It was said to be so severe that it would not be strange for an ordinary person to take their own life.
"So he really did change because of the poison!"
Yuril felt relieved for only the briefest moment.
Then she quickly began looking for a method to detoxify it.
However, the book had only a single line written about detoxification.
'Because it is difficult enough to be called one of the three great unsolved problems of the world, no method of detoxification has yet been discovered.'
...By the time she left the study without a single gain, it was already three in the morning.
For now, she decided to return to her bedroom to rest for the day, only to run into Trine in the hallway.
When Trine showed signs of being rather flustered, Yuril narrowed her eyes and asked,
"What are you doing at this hour?"
"Huh? No, it's nothing."
He was wearing outdoor clothes and even carrying a large backpack.
He looked as though he were secretly trying to leave for somewhere far away.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm just going to the bathroom."
"Don't be ridiculous. You're not trying to go to the Academy, are you?"
At that question, Trine hesitated for a moment before slowly answering.
"I've started wanting to give up on saving you."
"...I see."
Yuril took one step back from Trine.
If that was his reason, Yuril had neither the reason nor the right to stop him.
Letting each other go now would surely be best for both of them.
"Take care of yourself when you go. Even if you can't hold a sword, you're still a wonderful person."
"Yeah. Thanks."
"And promise me just one thing."
"What?"
"Never die, and make sure you're happy."
Trine smiled quietly, nodded, then turned his steps toward the outside of the manor.
Yuril had no choice but to simply watch his back as he left, knowing this might be the last time.
...However,
Why was it?
Trine's steps were not the steps of someone who had given up everything.
Rather, they carried the tragic resolve of someone who had firmly made up his mind.
***
The next day, immediately after the Academy entrance ceremony.
The students gathered in their assigned classroom were somewhat tense.
The National Academy, the pride of the Altoria Kingdom.
The finest educational institution, boasting a brutal entrance exam competition rate of ten to one.
And among its departments, this was the classroom of the knight department, which selected only the top ten students each year.
At a glance, it was clear that only children from famous noble families had gathered here.
It was only natural for them to be wary of one another.
Before long, an instructor entered the classroom.
"Nice to meet you! I am Instructor Eloy, and I will be your homeroom instructor for the next three years."
The short-haired woman stood before the blackboard, planted both hands on the lectern, and looked around.
"As expected, a lot of students famous for their skills have entered this year!"
Then, when her eyes suddenly met the only commoner boy in the classroom, she smiled meaningfully and spoke to him.
"You're Trine, right? The one who caused a fuss this morning asking the headmaster to move him to the magic department."
The students' stinging gazes focused on Trine.
A commoner entering the knight department was already extremely unusual.
But entering after all that and then requesting a transfer to another department was even more absurd.
Thanks to that unnecessary attention, Trine sighed and replied,
"I was refused in the end, though."
"Why? Was it too much pressure being surrounded by nothing but nobles?"
"I didn't exactly come here to get ahead in life."
At those words, one female student could not hold herself back and spoke up.
"Instructor! Wouldn't it be better for the knight department if that commoner were transferred?"
Instructor Eloy scratched her head, looking somewhat troubled, and answered,
"That guy is the top student, so the headmaster wouldn't allow it."
At those words, the noble students were startled and began whispering among themselves.
"He's the only one who got perfect scores in every subject this year?"
"I heard he was the only one who got full marks on the swordsmanship exam."
"He must have bribed someone and gotten in through fraud. Obviously."
Instructor Eloy gathered the students' attention with a cough, then said,
"In any case, today we will choose the class representative!"
At those words, the students' eyes changed.
The class representative of the knight department was the highest honor in the Academy.
After graduation, success was practically guaranteed.
"The method will be a tournament duel! Whoever takes first place becomes the class representative! Easy to understand, right?"
Eloy immediately led the students to the training field.
"As you all know, only training weapons may be used inside the Academy."
Then she pointed to the weapon racks that had been set out in advance.
A fairly wide variety of weapons had been prepared, including wooden swords, staves, and bows.
"So choose whatever you like from there."
The students swarmed over and began taking their respective weapons.
Trine, too, reluctantly joined them after noticing the instructor's gaze.
After some deliberation, he picked up a nonlethal rubber-bullet pistol, and someone behind him sneered.
"You're using that kind of self-defense weapon? I guess commoners can't use proper weapons."
As Trine remained silent without answering, Instructor Eloy muttered with a slightly awkward expression.
"By the way, ten people is a little awkward. Eight would have been perfect for a tournament."
At that, a male student who looked like a delinquent stepped forward and said,
"My stomach hurts, so I will sit this out."
"Really? I thought Prince Sirean would naturally aim for the class representative position."
"The class representative is not a seat for royalty. It is a seat for a clown."
"Well, if you don't want it, I suppose it can't be helped."
Just then, another female student raised her hand and said,
"I'm also not feeling well today, so I'll sit this out."
"Really? Thanks to that, we have exactly eight."
Only then did Trine belatedly raise his hand and shout,
"I'll sit this out too!"
"No. It's already over."
Then she wrote the tournament bracket however she pleased on a huge sheet of paper and shouted,
"Now, the glorious first duel belongs to Trine and Jize! Both of you, step forward!"
Trine sighed and stepped out as instructed.
His opponent sneered with a triumphant expression.
"How lucky. I get to face a commoner who got in through fraud."
Judging by his slightly reddish skin and the small horns on his head, he seemed to be demonkin.
Trine had heard that demonkin had superior physical abilities compared to humans.
But Trine had no intention of winning anyway.
So he planned to forfeit as soon as the duel began, but...
"For reference, anyone who loses on purpose will run one hundred laps around the training field!"
...Well, he supposed he should at least pretend to fight moderately.
"Then begin!"
At Instructor Eloy's shout, the demonkin student charged with all his might.
In his hands was a strange weapon that combined a spear and an axe.
Trine stepped back to buy time.
But his opponent stuck close to him, wildly swinging his weapon.
"Become a sacrifice to my halberd!"
A flurry of slashes and thrusts poured out freely.
When Trine did nothing but dodge without even counterattacking, wearing a troubled expression, his opponent grew even more encouraged and shouted,
"Am I too fast for you to even counterattack?!"
...To be honest, the reason Trine looked troubled was a little different.
His opponent was too slow.
At this level, Trine could literally dodge with his eyes closed.
He even wondered whether the other boy was going easy on him on purpose.
'If I pretend to get hit now, they'll suspect me instead.'
In the end, after some thought, Trine simply decided to take him down.
He slipped slightly to the side of the halberd, closed in on his opponent, and fired the gun against his forehead.
In the end, his opponent collapsed limply on the spot.
Trine looked down at his opponent on the ground and muttered,
"Weren't you going a little too easy on me? ...What, he's unconscious?"
...At that moment, he felt something strange and looked around.
For some reason, everyone was staring at him in shock.
"A-Amazing!"
"That guy's insanely fast, isn't he?"
"He toyed with a demonkin that easily..."
Trine flinched in confusion.
'Why are they reacting like this?'
In truth, Trine did not have an objective grasp of his own skill.
After all, Yuril's butler had constantly scolded him for having no talent.
On top of that, due to the monster's poison, he was currently severely lacking in confidence.
That was why Trine firmly believed he had not won because he was strong.
'They just don't want to become class representatives either.'
...Not long after that, Trine's turn came again.
His second match was against Barbara, a female student holding a crossbow.
'This time, I'll definitely pretend to lose!'
As soon as the duel began, the female student shot her crossbow without warning.
Trine tried to pretend he could not react and let himself get hit by the arrow, but-
'If that hits me, I'm dead!'
At the warning from his instincts, Trine reflexively twisted his body and dodged.
The arrow that grazed past him soon exploded lightly behind his back.
"W-What the hell?!"
His opponent murmured with a slightly displeased expression.
"You dodged that? You really are impressive."
"That was dangerous! You're supposed to use training arrows!"
"They're arrows made from my mana, so it doesn't matter."
"No, that's such a ridiculous argument-"
"You sure do talk a lot!"
His opponent fired arrows in rapid succession once more.
"Damn it! What is wrong with her?!"
Trine dodged the arrows with movements bordering on acrobatics.
At the same time, he pulled the pistol's trigger repeatedly.
But the bullet speed was overwhelmingly slower, so the female student dodged them easily as well.
"Stop dodging and stay still!"
"Then lower the power a little!"
The bizarre battle of shooting and dodging each other's shots seemed likely to continue for quite some time.
But soon, Trine's pistol ran out of bullets and only made a clicking sound.
When he hurriedly tried to change the magazine, he ended up dropping it.
"I win!"
Certain of her victory, the female student charged at Trine.
Then, from a distance close enough that he could not dodge, she tried to fire her crossbow, but-
Suddenly, the pistol flew toward the female student's face.
"Kyaaak!"
In the end, the pistol struck the female student on the forehead, and she sank down to the ground.
In truth, Trine had dropped the magazine on purpose.
Since he could not hit her by firing the gun anyway, he had quickly used his head to create an opening.
...Trine approached and reached out a hand, intending to help her up.
"Are you all right?"
The female student glared at Trine for a moment.
Then, as if resigning herself to it, she took his hand, stood up, and said,
"I lost."
"What? Ah, no, that just slipped out of my hand-"
"Shut up. Don't you know that kind of consideration just makes it more miserable?"
In the end, Trine missed his chance to lose on purpose again.
'In the next duel, for sure!'
However, the third duel ended with a single statement from his opponent before it even began.
"I used up all my mana in the second duel, so I surrender."
At that, Instructor Eloy grinned and said,
"Really? Congratulations on advancing to the finals, Trine."
"Instructor, I used up all my mana too, so I'll forfeit!"
"Hahaha. What a funny joke."
Trine sighed deeply enough to sink into the ground.
'How did it come to this...? Well, it'll be fine if I lose in the finals.'
Besides, among the students, there was one person who looked noticeably motivated.
Sure enough, that student won proudly in the semifinal match.
"As expected of the daughter of Duke Lizbette!"
"Such skill, worthy of the strongest swordsmanship family."
"She is the one who suits being class representative of the knight department, not some commoner."
...In the end, Trine stood in the final match together with Lizbette.
Long, vivid red hair.
An expression that seemed humble yet brimming with confidence.
And a wooden greatsword that looked even larger than her own body.
As Trine observed her for a moment, Lizbette smiled softly and spoke to him.
"I watched your duels so far. Your skill is excellent."
"You're the impressive one, Lady Duke."
"I have a request. Could you speak casually to me?"
"No! How could a mere commoner dare?"
"It's fine. Noble or commoner, we're fellow students, aren't we?"
"Even so, there are rules that should be kept."
"I said it's fine, so you can speak casually."
"I respectfully decline."
Lizbette walked up to Trine.
Then she suddenly grabbed him by the collar and stared at him with a serious face.
"I told you to speak casually while I'm still asking nicely."
Intimidated by her force, Trine answered without realizing it.
"O-Okay."
Only then did Lizbette smile gently again and step back.
"But why aren't you holding a sword?"
"I'm a commoner, so I've never learned the sword."
"There were rumors that you used a sword during the entrance exam."
"I never did."
"Liar."
Lizbette snatched Trine's hand and stared intently at it.
"Having calluses in this shape on your hand means you've trained with the sword quite a lot, doesn't it?"
In the end, Trine resigned himself and answered,
"I injured my hand, so I can't hold a sword anymore."
At those words, Lizbette eyed Trine suspiciously for a moment.
Then she soon gave up, let go of his hand, and returned to her place.
After a brief pause, Instructor Eloy shouted,
"Then we will now begin the final match for the class representative position! Ready, be-gin!"
Trine drew his pistol and pretended to take a stance.
But for some reason, Lizbette opened her mouth while standing completely defenseless.
"I'll apologize first. I want to fight you seriously."
"What?"
"What did you swing your sword for?"
At those words, Trine lowered his head slightly and replied,
"...There was a girl I wanted to save."
"Really? Since you injured your hand, that must be impossible now."
When Trine's expression twisted, Lizbette continued even more harshly.
"You're something else too. Devoting yourself to swordsmanship just because of one girl? You're no different from an obsessive stalker."
"Don't run your mouth when you know nothing."
"Just give up on that girl. She's nothing special anyway, is she?"
For an instant, Trine felt a terrible rage.
But he calmly took a deep breath and replied,
"You used provocation magic on me just now, didn't you?"
"Not bad. But knowing won't let you stop it."
"...If you want to fight that badly."
Trine threw the pistol to the ground and murmured quietly,
"...Though the flesh may decay, chivalry shall be eternal."
"Why are you suddenly saying something cool?"
"Sword of the dead, answer my will!"
When Trine shouted, a single translucent, bluish sword appeared in his hand.
"Come at me."
Lizbette swallowed dryly at the sudden change in Trine's atmosphere.
But soon, she lifted her greatsword with an expression that looked somehow delighted.
"Now then, shall we have a proper fight as fellow walkers of the sword's path?"