A brief silence followed. He had brought it up because he wanted to express his gratitude in his own way, but when the other person simply stared at him without saying anything, it became awkward somehow.
“Hey.”
Just as Ruite wondered if he should simply ignore him and head up to the classroom, a low voice echoed between the stairs.
“You…”
“Hm?”
“…Don’t smile like that in front of me. It’s irritating.”
Leaving behind only those words, Chester steadily climbed the stairs.
No matter what, wasn’t it too much to complain just because someone smiled? Trying to match the protagonist’s mood was seriously difficult.
His mood had not been bad earlier when Harold mentioned the perfect score, either.
Ruite entered the classroom with slumped shoulders. But the moment he opened the door and stepped inside, the gazes of the entire class immediately focused on him.
“Ruite!”
As expected, everyone rushed toward him like hyenas waiting for prey. The impact of this incident had been so enormous that the news had spread not only through the Department of Magic but throughout the entire academy.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“No, but did a monster really evolve?”
“What was it like? How did it feel seeing it right in front of you?”
“No, more importantly, how did you subjugate it? How strong was it?”
Questions poured in from all directions. Perhaps they had been holding themselves back until now, because his classmates fired questions at him nonstop without hesitation. They had practically surrounded him and were interrogating him in place.
If they’re this curious, why don’t they just ask Chester too?
But it was hard to imagine everyone casually crowding around that Chester like this.
“So the thing evolved right in front of us and—”
“What?! Seriously?!”
“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
It felt like they were making a bigger fuss than the actual people involved. While feeling relieved that their classmate had returned alive, everyone was also completely absorbed in satisfying their curiosity. His ears felt like they might start bleeding, and his mind was growing hazy when Chester finally spoke.
“Class is about to start. Are you all going to keep this up?”
“Ah…”
At that single sentence, the entire classroom instantly fell silent as though rehearsed beforehand. Honestly, it was even more effective than when Harold told them to quiet down. The classmates awkwardly scattered back to their seats, and only then did Ruite finally escape question hell.
“Rui.”
Just when he thought he had barely escaped interrogation hell thanks to Chester’s irritation, Colin immediately turned around.
“I was really worried after hearing what happened. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just got a cut on my arm, but other than that I’m perfectly fine. Honestly, everyone worrying this much almost feels strange.”
“You cut your arm? Badly?”
It was hidden beneath his uniform, but Ruite’s right forearm was currently wrapped in bandages. Philia had treated it to prevent the wound from worsening. Colin naturally touched Ruite’s arm with a worried expression.
“Colin.”
And that was when Chester called out to him.
“The professor’s coming soon.”
Meaning he should stop turning around and face forward. Colin reluctantly turned back around. Ruite glanced at Chester, who seemed unusually irritable today, and unconsciously pressed the corners of his lips downward with his finger.
***
For one week after exams ended, shortened lectures were held. Classes only took place in the morning, and afternoons were left free. During this period, even the dormitory supervisor’s office quietly allowed students to go out.
Normally, leaving the academy without a truly special reason was impossible, but for this one week, students were allowed outside. Of course, that did not mean they could stay out all week long.
Because such an incident had occurred during the practical test this time, some professors argued that students’ outings should still be restricted even if exams were over. Fortunately, however, the opinion that students needed opportunities to relieve stress and anxiety at times like this won out instead.
Honestly, whether outings were prohibited or not did not really matter to Ruite. He had planned to spend the shortened hours resting in the dormitory anyway.
At least, he definitely had planned that.
“What? You want to go out?”
“Yeah.”
Dylan, whom he ran into in the dormitory lobby, suddenly made an unexpected suggestion.
“Do you know how shocked I was after hearing about the accident in the Department of Magic? My friend must’ve been under a lot of stress, so I got worried. Let’s go get some fresh air at the plaza or something.”
Ruite narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Dylan, whose eyebrows drooped dramatically as though he were worried sick.
“Dylan.”
“Hm?”
“Stop lying badly and just tell me your real goal.”
“…You’re annoyingly perceptive sometimes, you know that?”
“What is it? Why do you want to go out?”
“Well, actually…”
As Dylan dragged out his words in an overly clingy tone, Ruite shuddered and moved away from him.
“I want to stop by the Bellure Forge.”
If someone had to name the most prosperous forge located in the plaza, it would be the Bellure Forge. Ruite had heard many times before that Bellure, the forge’s master, was famous enough for his reputation to spread throughout the Empire.
And he also knew Dylan was obsessed with swords like a proper Department of Swordsmanship student.
“You can’t even buy swords as a student anyway.”
“Who said I was buying one? I just want to look around.”
Apparently, Bellure had been unable to work due to health issues for some time, but had recently returned. Dylan’s real goal was to go see the new swords he had made.
“Go by yourself. I’m going to sleep.”
“Ruite, you can sleep plenty after you die.”
“I’m sensitive about dying, so don’t joke about that.”
“And why do you think I asked you instead of one of my Department of Swordsmanship classmates?”
“Oh, that was exactly what I was about to ask.”
“The forge is my main reason, but it’s true that I was worried about you too.”
Pushed along by Dylan, who insisted they should go clear his mind after everything that happened, Ruite eventually left a special outing application record at the dormitory supervisor’s office.
***
In Tehira Plaza, the grand plaza located in the capital of the Tehira Empire, there existed a very special street. People often called it Millblue Street.
This place was filled with shops selling various magical tools, forges crafting weapons, and workshops. In other words, it would not be an exaggeration to call it a district meant for mages and knights.
“So? Feels good getting out, doesn’t it?”
And standing in the middle of that street with Dylan, Ruite looked at his friend with an indifferent expression.
“Is it just me, or do you look happier than I do?”
“Forget that and let’s hurry to Bellure.”
Still, since he had already come all the way out here, he figured he might as well get some fresh air like Dylan said. Those awful exams were finally over, after all. Days like this happened sometimes.
The Bellure Forge was located slightly farther inside the street. Even while walking there, Dylan continuously rambled beside him with endless affection for swords. As expected, Ruite listened with one ear and let it flow out the other while absentmindedly looking around.
There were not many people, but his gaze occasionally landed on some passersby. They wore a particular uniform, and pinned to their chests were brooches engraved with a bird-like symbol diving upward.
It was the Ferwyn Knight Order, one of the organizations regarded as protectors of the Empire. It was also the dream profession of many mages.
Perhaps because only individuals with proven abilities could enter the knight order, they radiated a strange sense of dignity even just passing by.
“Ruite, we’re here. Stop spacing out and get inside already.”
At Dylan’s urging, Ruite stepped into the Bellure Forge, which they had finally reached. Since Dylan’s love for swords was extraordinary, he apparently knew the blacksmiths working there quite well, greeting them familiarly the moment he entered.
“Oh, Dylan. You came.”
And Bellure himself, the forge’s master whom Ruite had seen several times in newspapers, smiled warmly while patting Dylan’s head.
“You brought a friend I haven’t seen before today?”
“Hello. I’m Ruite, a student in the Department of Magic at the same academy as Dylan.”
“Oh, a Department of Magic student? Our forge handles magic swords too, so feel free to look around comfortably.”
After that, Dylan busily followed Bellure around, admiring the swords he had made. Watching his friend enjoy himself with sparkling eyes, Ruite honestly wondered if Dylan might have been a sword in his previous life.
Even though he had practically been dragged here against his will by Dylan, his eyes kept drifting toward the magic swords being crafted throughout the forge. Perhaps because it truly was such a famous forge, even someone like him who knew little about weapons could tell the quality of the swords was exceptional.
After looking around for a while, it gradually became time for them to return to Witmore.
“When you two become excellent knights and mages someday, I hope you’ll buy swords made by this old man.”
“Of course! We definitely will!”
Before they left the forge, Bellure did not forget to offer warm encouragement to the young students. Beside Dylan, who loudly declared his ambitions, Ruite also politely bowed his head before stepping back out onto the street.
“As expected, this place really does make the best swords.”
“If that’s how you feel, why don’t you change your career path and become a blacksmith too? Transfer to the Production Department.”
“Hm? Well… it’s not like I never considered it when I first enrolled, but I like using well-made swords more than making them myself.”
Come to think of it, he felt like he had heard that same thing back in first year too. Dylan was the friend Ruite had become close with immediately after entering the academy.
There was nothing particularly special about how they became friends. They started talking after Ruite helped Dylan, who had been unable to find his room on the first day in the dormitory. Afterward, they became meal companions who regularly ate together in the cafeteria, and their friendship had continued ever since.
“Let’s come look around together again sometime.”
“Again?”
Ruite made a visibly reluctant expression. Dylan immediately grinned mischievously.
“Come on, why not? You’re coming with me next time too.”
Dylan suddenly wrapped an arm around Ruite’s neck and pulled him close in a near headlock.
“Hey, I can’t breathe. Let go already.”
“I’ll let go if you promise. Say you’ll come again next time. Hurry.”
Dylan continued fooling around while practically hugging Ruite from behind. Just as Ruite gathered strength in his arm and prepared to jab Dylan in the side, someone familiar stepped out of a magical tool shop in the distance.
The moment Ruite recognized him as Chester, he naturally stopped walking.
And Chester did the same.
Their eyes collided in midair, and Chester stared fixedly at Ruite, who was practically being clung to by Dylan.
“Isn’t that Chester?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, it is.”
Ruite wondered briefly if he should at least greet him lightly, but then he remembered Chester snapping at him the other day and telling him not to smile in front of him.
Come to think of it, he still felt sorry for dragging Chester into the monster evolution incident. And besides, he figured it would probably be better not to show Dylan the two of them talking unnecessarily.
Ruite tried to simply walk past Chester while dragging Dylan, who was still hanging onto him from behind, but suddenly a shadow fell over him.
“……”
When he lifted his head, Chester was there.
For some reason, Chester abruptly stepped in front of him and blocked his path.