The Commencement Ceremony

Benjamin, taken aback by Grizman's sudden question, simply looked up at me.

I couldn't figure out the meaning of the question either, so I asked back.

"What do you mean, what do you do?"

"I've been doing this since I was 14 years old, and I've met a lot of people. But I've never felt anything like this guy."

"A feeling?"

"Yes! A feeling! It's hard to put into words, but it's like being loved by the swords."

I swallowed hard at Grizman's words.

Clearly, he was no ordinary blacksmith.

I'd played him in the game, so I knew his traits from his status bar, but I hadn't expected him to tell me that just by touching him.

"You're here to buy a sword?"

"Yes."

"You can't give a guy like this an ordinary sword, follow me."

I followed Grisman for now as he led me in the direction of the forge.

I wondered if it was a Hidden Piece.

When I played Benjamin, I never had any connection to the Academy, so I never had any connection to Grisman.

He's got Rubens, so he's just wielding a magic sword in the game without a care in the world.

It's just that it didn't happen when I played Lewis.

'Maybe Benjamin's talent as a swordsman is better than Louis'.

Instead, Lewis has the gift of mana, so it's almost like they're even.

Grizman took us to a deeper corner of the forge.

He takes us to a warehouse-like area that's locked up with all sorts of padlocks.

"I've always been curious about this place in the game, and I never thought I'd see it here.

One by one, we unlocked the locks and finally opened the last one, which was enchanted, to reveal its contents.

"I've been collecting these things since my great-great-grandfather. They're like heirlooms!"

Unfortunately, they wouldn't let him inside.

Instead, he brought out a sword, which he pulled out of its scabbard to reveal a stark white blade.

"This was forged by my grandfather."

Grizman handed the sword to Benjamin.

Benjamin took it cautiously, his eyes mesmerized.

"It's called the White Nightmare, and I don't know if you know it, but it's made of a metal called white steel. It's a masterpiece, forged from the pommel."

White steel and one piece?

That's a lot of money for a sword.

My understanding is that it costs two or three times as much as gold of the same weight.

And now you're giving it to Benjamin, are you trying to sell it to him?

'Certainly not for sale for money.

I took a closer look at the sword, and the itemization immediately appeared.

[White Nightmare]

[Mana Conversion 110%]

'Very nice. Is this a famous sword?

Although it wasn't a Named item, the sword's performance was incredible for an ordinary sword due to the materials used.

It was hard to find anything with a mana conductivity of more than 80%, but this one was 110%, so no explanation was needed.

"My Galaxian is also only 73%, but that's before I unsealed it.

73% is also part of the Master Sword Axis, so I'm done talking.

Holding the white nightmare, Benjamin studied it as if mesmerized, then swung it lightly.

I could feel the depth of his swings, and I realized that he was truly gifted with the sword.

"I saw it right," he said, "This is the sword that never found its owner because no one liked it, and now my grandfather can rest in peace."

"May I have this?"

"Of course. Every great sword has a master. To be honest, I'm afraid I might not have enough swords for your talent."

Rubens the Magic Sword surpasses the White Nightmare in its abilities. It not only conducts high levels of mana, but also enhances the wielder's physical and mana abilities.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad he found his owner, too. Next time you have time, stop by again. Call me greedy, but next time I'd like to give him a sword of my own making."

That's warm.

But what's in it for me?

Alas, that was all Grizzman had to say, and he waved his hand as if his work was done.

As he walked out, the assistant behind the counter looked at Benjamin's white nightmare and held out his hand.

"Fifty-five million wills."

"Cuck."

Wasn't he supposed to just give it to me?

When you're happy you found the owner.

Of course, it was a lot cheaper than I'd expected.

Fifty-five million wouldn't even cover the cost of materials.

'For now, 12 months in installments....'

It was a hard sell, no matter what I thought.

* * *

It was still too chilly to call it spring, but the mood at the Academy was as excited as ever.

Today was the first day of the freshman class.

"Benjamin must be doing well.

Monas Academy had already held its entrance ceremony the day before.

From a distance, Benjamin seemed to be doing well without me, with a distinctly grown-up air about him.

I was relieved to see that he didn't seem as nervous as before, although he still stood out with the Rubens on his back and the white nightmare around his waist.

"Hey. Did you hear, the guy who just broke the Monas Academy's all-time senior record is coming in?"

"Of course, I heard. Who doesn't? But we're talking about the Knight Academy."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't have much to do with us, but a big deal is a big deal."

Arriving early at the auditorium where the new students would gather, I was surprised by the number of onlookers.

This was my first time attending commencement, and I hadn't expected such a large crowd.

"Everyone's talking about Lewis, by the way.

Lewis has been the talk of the town since he entered the school.

A character who literally hangs out with the main characters.

In fact, if I had to choose one playable character in the world, he'd be the one.

"The opposite of me.

I felt like I was standing in opposition.

Of course, it's just my own delusion, and he probably doesn't even know I exist.

Finally, the new students began to file into the Great Hall.

As it was the entrance ceremony, the new students from both the Knighting and Magic faculties came together, and I could see the tension in their faces.

'They're in full force.

Unlike the Magic Faculty, the Knight Faculty actually had a strange flag culture among the seniors and juniors.

In the game, I didn't care about that and acted as I pleased, but now that it was real, it seemed to have some effect on the playable guys.

"Freshman class representative, please come forward."

I finally got a look at Louise.

I watched the brown-haired young man make his way up to the auditorium.

He had a clean-shaven face, a body fit for battle, and blue eyes.

I thought to myself, "The other payables are good-looking, but he's really good-looking in person."

Seeing Lewis brought back memories of playing him for a year.

It was a time of turmoil when the army forced me to leave the military and I felt unprepared and unable to repay the debts of my fallen comrades.

It was an escape from reality, but playing Lewis gave me the freedom to live in another world.

The game also gave me quests, just like the military, so it was like another reality for me.

"It's a different feeling.

To me, Lewis was more than a protagonist.

The sight of him standing in front of me, taking the oath, was somehow both familiar and awkward.

The game starts exactly at the beginning of the school year.

So a past I didn't know yet.

"We, the members of the freshman class of ..., do hereby present to you the honor of Rodlen."

Clink-clink.

After Lewis was sworn in as freshman class president, he made his way down the aisle.

He must have felt my gaze because he locked eyes with me.

I turned to where the Hogwarts students were gathered.

I was surprised to see him looking at me.

"I'll raise you somehow.

A smile spread across his face.

I felt like I was finally getting somewhere.

* * *

Next to the Maple Dormitory, the free dormitory of the Knight Faculty was a training center for students.

A few students were practicing in the enormous training area, which was meant for physical training.

And someone had just arrived.

'This is the gym....'

Lewis was now checking out the place where he would be living for the next five years.

He had already spent the afternoon being shown around the grounds of the Knight Academy, but he hadn't been introduced to the training center attached to the dormitory because of its proximity.

Unlike the training center near the lecture hall, I was pleased to see that it was equipped with full-fledged exercise equipment.

And they all looked expensive.

'It's Rodlen Academy.

As he was thinking about going to the gym to warm up, a familiar face caught his eye.

Lewis was delighted to see her and immediately approached the girl working on her upper body.

She was a lithe, athletic girl, her golden bob drenched in sweat as she worked out.

"Serena, you're eager on your first day, aren't you?"

Louis's greeting made Serena turn her head to look at him.

"Louis, you're still the same. You should take it easy on days like this, so I can catch up."

"Haha, sorry. I can't rest when I have a kid like you right behind me."

After a round of laughter, they realized they were rivals and teammates who had been together since their Monas Academy days.

The Monas Academy divine trio of senior Louis, junior Chris, and sophomore Serena.

If Louis and Serena had a healthy rivalry, Chris did not.

The son of the Marquis of Yunor, a renowned Auror Master of the Empire, Chris's aristocratic supremacy has always put him at odds with the commoner Louis.

Serena was also of noble birth, but as someone who prioritized her skills, his behavior only seemed pathetic.

Their good-natured rivalry led them to train together, and they forgot about their conversation for a while.

When it was time to take a break, Louis spoke up to replenish the water that had been lost.

"Oh, yeah. Serena."

"Why."

"Did you happen to see any of the Hogwarts seniors at the entrance ceremony earlier?"

"No. Why?"

"Because I saw a rather peculiar senior there."

Louis thought again of the man whose gaze he'd caught as he stepped down from the lecture hall after being sworn in as First Year Representative.

A man with shaggy black hair tinged with green.

It wasn't a good look, to be honest, but there was something about his eyes, his posture, and his expression.

And most of all....

"What was unusual?"

"He was wearing a sword. At first, I thought I was looking at the wrong person, but I realized I wasn't."

"A sword? Ah! I recognize him."

Serena said, clapping her hands.

She put her hand over her mouth as if to think, then spoke.

"I'm pretty sure it's Adrias Cromwell, because he's the only other senior in Hogwarts with a sword."

"Adrias Cromwell."

Louis echoed his name.

Seeing his reaction, Serena spoke up.

"He hit the jackpot this time. I'm sure you've heard of it, the Everlasting Potion."

"I've heard of it."

"He's the one who made it, but rumor has it that he gets up at dawn every day to train like a knighting student. Of course, it's an exaggerated rumor, but it's still funny to think of a wizard working out instead of studying."

"Serena."

Serena said, raising a question mark at the sudden seriousness of Louis calling her name.

"Why is he calling me by name all of a sudden?"

"You shouldn't make fun of him."

"What?"

"Maybe he's stronger than me."

Serena flashed him a toothy grin and punched him in the shoulder for being so off-base.

"What are you talking about, first day of school?"

"I'm not kidding."

Lewis said, his face becoming more serious.

"I sensed that the man himself was strong, and if we were to fight, whether he used magic or some other means, I'm not sure I'd win."

Louis sounded so serious, Serena looked at him with an annoyed expression before shaking her head.

"You need to get out of that habit. No matter how high your grade is, there's no way a wizarding senior is going to beat you, a first-year student, so let's just get on with the next set."

"Mmm. Okay."

I tried to focus on my workout, but it was hard to get the image of Adrias Cromwell out of my mind.

The way he breathed, the calm expression on his face, the way he stood.

Visions of Adrias wielding his sword calmly, even in extreme circumstances, flashed through Lewis's mind.

'What the hell am I doing....'

Adrias Cromwell is a wizard.

The fact that he wore a sword meant nothing more than that he was a bit unusual.

Serena was right, he had a lot on his mind, and he felt like he was on edge.