Five Years Later

Once he had turned twelve, Rio moved up into the sixth grade of the

primary division of the Royal Academy of Beltrum. Aside from a few core

classes, the senior years at the Academy were mostly comprised of electives,

which the students chose themselves and had to complete in order to acquire

the necessary credits to graduate.

Rio was currently attending one of his elective courses: swordcraft. The

senior students were gathered at the Academy's proving grounds.

"All right, I have an announcement to make before we begin today's

training. As you may know, a tournament is held annually with the knights of

our kingdom... And this year's tournament is coming up." The students began

to buzz at the instructor's words.

The tournament between the Academy students and the knights of the

kingdom was nearly a festival-like event. Spectators were welcomed from

outside the Academy to watch the grand matches between student

representatives from the swordcraft course and the cream of the crop from the

kingdom's military. The participating knights were all renowned elites that

the students stood no chance against under normal circumstances — but they

purposefully did not fight too seriously in the tournament, which allowed

balanced matches to take place every year.

Ultimately, the goal was to give the students confidence and experience

by letting them cross swords with the most skillful members of the military.

It was a great honor for the participating student representatives, and the

students who showed promise in the tournament could even be recruited early

by the knighthood.

"The primary school division representatives were selected from this

class. I will now announce their names — respond and step forward if you

hear your name. First are the sixth years: Alphonse Rodan, Damien Basque,

Jean Aaron—"

Rio watched on indifferently as the instructor listed off the names one

after another to the cheers of the selected students. But then—

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" —and Rio."

Rio's eyes widened with surprise when he realized his name had been

called. The students around him began stirring noisily.

"From the fifth years is Stewart Huguenot. That's all." The instructor

ignored the commotion among the students and wrapped up the

announcement.

"Wait a minute! I cannot accept this!" a voice suddenly protested. It was

Alphonse Rodan.

"What's wrong, Alphonse? Are you dissatisfied with the idea of

representing the class?" the instructor asked, looking at Alphonse.

"That's not it! S-Sir, I cannot accept that the commoner was selected as a

class representative. It would be an embarrassment to have him challenge the

knights as our representative. He's a dunce that can't even use magic!"

Alphonse blurted out, his words scornful about Rio.

"Magic ability is not part of the selection criteria. This choice was made

by prioritizing swordcraft ability."

"Swordcraft ability? Are you suggesting that the commoner has a decent

sword arm?" Alphonse asked with a sneer.

"That's right." The instructor nodded without hesitation. His reply made

the other students frown alongside Alphonse.

"...I'm afraid I find that hard to believe. He's a simpleton with no talent to

show for."

"That's not something for you to judge. The decision has already been

made — your objections are overruled."

"...Yes, sir." Alphonse nodded with a sullen expression at the instructor's

curt phrasing.

Entry into the swordcraft course meant that during martial arts class, the

instructor's words were final. The aim of this was to teach military discipline

— that the higher ranks were the ones that made decisions. Rio himself

wanted to object to his participation in the tournament as a representative of

the Academy, but the aforementioned military discipline prevented him from

speaking up.

"We shall now begin our training. Grab your weapons and march for five

clicks. Move it!"

At the instructor's orders, the class began for the day.

◇◇◇

"I heard the rumors... You're participating in the congenial tournament

with the kingdom knights?" Celia happily brought up the topic during their

tea party in the research lab one day after school.

"Yes, I was selected for some reason," Rio replied without much zeal.

"'For some reason'? Show a little more enthusiasm! If you do well in the

matches, you could be scouted by the knighthood before your graduation."

"Yeah, but I don't intend on becoming a knight anyway," Rio replied with

a wry smile.

"Really? I know they say the work is exhausting, but gaining the title of

'knight' will provide you with status and a stable income. It's not a bad deal."

"I'm not interested in those things. There's something else I want to do

after I graduate," Rio said. He took a sip of his tea in a refined manner. Celia

was impressed by how natural his movements had become.

"Oh, really?" Celia interjected with curiosity, briefly wondering whether

it was appropriate to dig deeper before deciding to ask him outright. "Your

graduation is less than a year away now. What do you want to do after that?"

"I'm thinking of going on a journey in the near future. There's a place

I've always wanted to visit."

"Huh? You're going to leave the kingdom?" Rio's answer shocked Celia.

She hadn't even considered the possibility that he would leave the country.

"Well, it would be a bit difficult for me to stay in this country."

"That... might be true, but..."

Most of those problems could be resolved by becoming a knight. Not to

mention—

"...Hey, why don't you come work in my laboratory? I'm not sure I can

function without you here anymore," Celia said as she looked around the

room.

Five years had passed since Celia and Rio met.

At first, the mess of Celia's research lab had been an unbearable sight for

Rio, but after countless visits, he simply went about cleaning up the room on

his own. As a result, Celia was more than well aware of how refined Rio's

life skills were. These days, Rio not only managed the state of the room, but

helped out in everything from taking care of everyday necessities, to assisting

with her research. He had become an irreplaceable partner to Celia.

"You're a noble of age, Professor Celia. Shouldn't you have a marriage

proposal or two by now? You shouldn't have a commoner of unknown

origins in your research laboratory all the time."

"I don't have any intention of marrying for a while yet. My family has

been noisy about it, but I've been using my research as an excuse to reject all

talks of marriage," Celia uttered wearily at the mention of marriage. Seeing

her like that made Rio smile with a giggle.

"Well, the decision of when to marry is completely up to you, but..."

"Aah! You think I'll be past my prime if I wait, don't you?!"

"I said no such thing."

In this world, the ideal age range for a noblewoman to marry was between

their mid-teens to 20 years old. Celia was currently seventeen. While it

seemed way too young to Rio with his residual Japanese perceptions, Celia

had entered her ideal marriage years already.

That being said, someone of Celia's remarkable talent and extremely high

status would have no trouble finding a marriage partner well into their

twenties.

"Hmph! What's with that, anyway? All the men of this kingdom seem to

think I'll be past my prime once I'm in my twenties... Do they really like

younger girls that much?" Celia muttered bitterly. The topic of marriageable

age really seemed to bother her.

"Well, I personally think the ideal age for noblewoman is too early. And

you're young and cute in appearance, so I think you're fine."

"...Are you saying I look like a child?" With her tiny frame and short

stature, Celia still looked like she was in her early teens — not much different

as when Rio had first met her. Apparently, she was a little bothered by this

too.

"You're a very mature woman, Professor," Rio said with a soft smile.

Celia blushed furiously.

"Oh, you. Don't be silly..."

Smiling at the blushing Celia, Rio picked up the empty teapot and went

about preparing a new batch. He knew exactly how to make it the way Celia

liked; long years of hanging out with the tea-fussy noble had made his tea

preparation abilities on par with that of a butler, and he could proudly say that

any noble daughter would be satisfied with his abilities.

Just as Rio was considering what type of tea to pour next, Celia spoke up.

"B-By the way, where were you thinking of going?" she asked in an

attempt to cover up her embarrassment from earlier.

"My parents' homeland — the Yagumo region."

"...Huh? The Yagumo region? That's... beyond the Wilderness, isn't it?"

Celia eyes widened at the name of Rio's destination.

"Yes, that's right."

"I only know as much as what I've read in books, but that place doesn't

even have proper diplomatic relations! It's far, there are no roads, no maps,

and there are dangerous creatures... you'd be risking your life if you go."

Celia's words implicitly expressed her disbelief towards Rio's intentions

to go. That was how remote the Yagumo region was to the people of the

Strahl region.

East of the Strahl region was a vast expanse of land known as the

Wilderness — a neutral zone outside the control of humans. The Yagumo

region was located just beyond. Throughout history, ambassadors and

expedition teams had left Strahl for Yagumo through the Wilderness, but

most of them gave up midway and returned. The number of successful

instances where people reached Yagumo and returned could be counted on

one hand. Any rational person wouldn't even consider making the journey.

"Well, it's just a plan for now. I'd have to make the proper preparations

before heading out, of course. My parents were able to make it here, so the

trip itself can't be impossible," Rio said calmly.

"You... don't seem to be joking, but... Yagumo, huh..."

Perhaps the matter was too far in the future to consider, or the destination

was too unfamiliar to her, as Celia couldn't quite process the idea. In her

heart, she naively believed that Rio would either give up once he realized

how harsh the journey would be, or that he wasn't entirely serious about it.

But Celia was unaware of Rio's motive for heading to the Yagumo region —

his past.

◇◇◇

Finally, the day of the tournament arrived.

"Hey, Rio. Don't you mess this up. If you fight pathetically in your match,

it'll reflect badly on us too. Honestly, this is such a drag."

"I agree. Why was such a weakling selected to compete? The instructor's

comorders may be absolute, but I still cannot comprehend it."

The students that were to participate in the tournament were gathered in a

waiting room, loudly expressing their disdain. The ones leading the barrage

of verbal abuse towards Rio were Alphonse Rodan, the sixth year student,

and Stewart Huguenot, the fifth year student. Both were sons of great lords

that represented the kingdom, making them very influential figures within the

Academy. Nothing could have been more irksome than having those two lead

the onslaught of insults. However, Rio was already used to their shrewd

tactics. He had endured more than enough insults in the years since his

enrollment to easily brush off the nobles.

"I am aware the role that has been bestowed upon me is unfitting for one

of my status. I will endeavor to avoid an unsightly match that would bring

shame upon everyone. Please, give me your mercy."

"Hmph. I haven't the slightest expectations for your performance — just

prepare yourself for the worst if you drag us through the mud. That's all."

"Of course," Rio agreed, completely unfazed by Alphonse's threat. Just

then, the door to the waiting room opened.

"It's time. You're up, Rio." The swordcraft instructor came in.

"Yes, sir." Rio immediately rose to his feet and placed a hand over his

chest, using the appropriate response etiquette.

The tournament format consisted of five matches that took place one after

another; it had been decided that Rio would go first. Huge crowds of

spectators and students were packed into the stands of the arena where the

tournament was being held, their gazes fixed on the center of the field. It was

there that Rio and his opponent faced each other to exchange a few brief

words before the first match unfolded. The knight took one look at Rio's face

and widened his eyes in a look of surprise — which quickly turned to an

expression of annoyance.

"Hmph. I knew you were enrolled into the Academy, but I never imagined

you'd be the one to face me."

"It's good to see you again." Despite being similarly surprised to see his

opponent, Rio still greeted him in a calm voice.

"Oho, so you remember me. It's been five years since our last encounter."

"Yes. Thank you for taking care of me back then, Lord Charles."

The knight's name was Charles Arbor — the man who tortured Rio in the

name of an interrogation five years ago.

"My apologies. My position at the time required me to use a harsher

method of investigation." Charles looked down at Rio with a sadistic sneer.

"It's fine, I've put it behind me. If I recall, you were terribly flustered at

the time — if anything, I'm the one who should express my apologies to you,

Lord Charles, for not being of more use to you," Rio said with a forced grin.

Despite his efforts, Charles had failed to redeem himself for Flora's

kidnapping case and was severely demoted in rank. He had recovered some

of his status in the past five years, but it didn't compare to when he had been

in line to be the next commander of the Royal Guard. There was no reason

for Charles to feel resentful toward Rio over what had happened, but it

wouldn't have been strange for Charles to unjustly pin his resentment on him,

considering the circumstances at the time.

Sure enough, Charles narrowed his eyes and glared at Rio with contempt.

His mood had been fouled by the scathing sarcasm behind Rio's words.

"...Let us have a good match today, then," Charles said in a frosty voice.

He made no move to shake hands.

"Yes, let's. I will fight you with everything I have."

"I accept your challenge. There's no need to feel intimidated by my rank

in the Royal Guard — being daunted by our differences in experience will

only lead to your demise," Charles informed him with a cold sneer.

"Yes, that is my intention," Rio answered in a voice so calm, it bordered

on daring. Charles' expression fell carefully blank.

"We will now begin the match. Both sides, draw your training swords."

Prompted by the referee standing between them, Rio and Charles drew the

swords hanging by their waists. Charles had a one-handed sword with a

shield, while Rio simply wielded a longsword.

"A bastard sword, huh. It suits you," Charles said with a provoking grin.

The longsword was a weapon that could be wielded as both a one-handed

sword or a two-handed one — at the cost of being more difficult and tiring to

use. Rio had opted for this sword because he didn't use shields.

"The rules are exactly as they were explained to you before. Magic is

forbidden — make sure to only fight with your swordcraft abilities."

"I understand."

"Understood."

Once Rio and Charles had both nodded in agreement, the referee raised

his right hand high into the air.

"Both sides, take your places."

Rio and Charles backed up until there was about 30 feet of space between

them, then readied their swords.

"Ready... begin!" The referee gave the signal and lowered his hand.

"Haaah!" Charles immediately took off charging towards Rio.

I guess he has no intention of sharing the glory. Fine by me. Rio's lips

curled into a cold smile as he sensed Charles' intensity, although Rio wasn't

exactly a saint. He held the same amount of fury as anyone else would over

the brutal and unjust treatment he received from Charles. Perhaps his fury

would have subsided with a proper apology, but their conversation just now

proved that wasn't happening. He hadn't had much enthusiasm for the

tournament to begin with, but now that he was here, Rio decided to bring

about as much humiliation for the knight as he could.

At that point, Charles had finished closing the distance between them,

whereas Rio had yet to move a single step. It probably appeared as though he

had been overwhelmed by Charles' intensity, causing him to react one step

too late. Perhaps Charles had thought the same, as he smiled as though his

victory was assured.

He truly had no intention of holding back at all.

Charles swung with all his might in a strike aimed to mow down Rio's

torso. No matter how effective healing magic was, the force behind his attack

would've done some serious damage if it made contact.

With a small sigh, Rio saw through the attack and took half a step back to

just barely evade Charles' sword. It slashed through empty space, exactly as

he had calculated.

In the next instant, Rio spotted an opening at Charles' right side and

stepped forward to his left, jabbing out his sword.

"!"

The shock was evident on Charles' face as he tried to use the momentum

of his first swing for a follow-up attack fueled by panic. But the point of the

sword in Rio's left hand reached its destination first — Charles' neck. The

blunt blade of the training sword stopped mere millimeters away from

digging into his skin.

The match had been decided in a single counterattack.

A silence fell over the arena. Everyone was completely dumbfounded by

the result no one had expected.

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"S-Stop there! The victor is the Academy representative, Rio!" The

referee announced in a high-pitched voice.

And yet—

"W-Wait! I wasn't ready just now! Let me do it in earnest!"

Unable to accept how easily his defeat had been decided, Charles raised a

flustered objection. He was so shocked, he spoke without even considering

what he would look like demanding a rematch against a young student

opponent he'd lost to. While the observers could clearly see his humiliating

loss, the damage would have been lessened if he had assumed the position of

giving the student the glory.

"Hey, this is some kind of mistake. This isn't right!"

"S-Sorry, a loss is a loss..." The referee seemed troubled by Charles'

deranged protests.

"You fool! A loss is a loss. An honorable Royal Knight would accept his

loss without dispute." Someone had suddenly stepped onto the field to scold

Charles.

"S-Sir Alfred... No, Commander Alfred." Charles gritted his teeth in a

sour expression at the sight of the voice's owner.

Alfred Emerle.

The man who had assumed the Commander position that should have

belonged to Charles through his connections, and Charles' superior. He was

also Vanessa's older brother.

"Your pride may have made you complacent, but for you to actually be

defeated so easily is pathetic. If you can feel the eyes of the spectators right

now, accept your defeat graciously and step down," Alfred said in a cold

voice.

With a gasp, Charles glanced around at his surroundings before flushing

red. He calmed down a bit as the shame of the situation rushed into him all at

once.

"I-It's my loss," Charles accepted his defeat in a squeaky voice and

bowed his head.

"Thank you very much," Rio returned the gesture.

Once their exchange was over, Charles turned on his heel and

immediately rushed off the field. The matches proceeded smoothly after that,

and the tournament ended without incident.

In the end, the only one that achieved a win against the knights was Rio.

The knights guided the students through the rhythm of their blade swings

to ensure that their matches were good and fair, but none of them were

willing to lose on purpose. While the number of wins and losses against the

knights were usually even every year, Charles' disgraceful behavior seemed

to have influenced their conduct. As a result of being the only student to earn

a victory against the knights, attention inescapably gathered on Rio.

◇◇◇

At Duke Arbor's residence in the capital, Charles drank with another man

in his personal quarters.

"Damn those infuriating Huguenot men. Making a fool out of me!"

Charles cursed as he took a swig of his liquor, his red face making him seem

intoxicated already. He was in a bad mood after the humiliation and shame he

had suffered in the tournament that day.

"Heheh. Please calm your wrath, my lord." The man sitting across from

Charles gave him a serene smile. He looked to be in his mid-thirties.

"...Mr. Reiss. My apologies for behaving in such an unsightly manner,"

Charles said, a little ashamed of himself.

"I can imagine how you must be feeling. It is fairly normal to give the

students the glory in matches like these... You must be frustrated to hear

others say what they please."

"T-That's right! It's a virtue not to be fixated on winning or losing in

exhibition matches. Yet those weak-kneed nobles that know nothing of

swordcraft were all swayed by the words of that Huguenot..." Charles started

to speak rapidly, spurred on by Reiss' sympathy.

"They are simply envious of your ability, Lord Charles. Let them say

what they wish. Now is not the time to draw attention to yourself." Reiss'

words appeared to have touched upon Charles' ego, as his expression relaxed

slightly.

"But now the Huguenot family has built momentum. Not even His

Majesty can ignore their opinions anymore." Charles looked at Reiss

inquisitively.

"Yes, it would be unfavorable for our kingdom to have Duke Huguenot

continue gathering strength like this. These last five years have proved his

capabilities to be exceptional. However, he must have a weakness

somewhere."

"Five years, huh..." Charles' expression twisted in displeasure, seemingly

able to recall bad memories during that time.

"Come to think of it, Duke Huguenot came into power after the incident

five years ago. Weren't you deeply involved with that case too, Lord

Charles?"

"...I suppose you could say that. Actually, the student I faced today was

the one suspected for being involved in Her Highness' kidnapping. I was the

one who interrogated him back then."

"Oho, so he's the one..." There was an interested gleam in Reiss' eye.

"And he was quite a stubborn brat back then too. No matter how much

pain I inflicted, he refused to confess. There were some suspicious parts of

his testimony that didn't match up with the situation at the time, so I thought

he'd crack with some... forceful encouragement."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He hung around the gang of thugs that kidnapped the princess, yet he

was the only one alive when they were murdered. He testified that the thugs

were killed by an assassin of unknown origins, yet he also claimed that the

one who defeated the assassin was none other than himself."

"I see. That is indeed suspicious."

"The investigation was terminated after he was declared Her Highness'

savior. If only I had made that brat confess..." Charles' face twisted even

more as the irritation from that time resurfaced. He refilled his metal glass

with liquor and gulped it down.

"It sounds like you and that boy are fated rivals."

"Haha! If today's tournament had been a real battle, I would have cut him

down without a thought." The alcohol seemed to be taking its effect on him,

making Charles boast cheerfully. Reiss turned up his lips in a faintly joyous

smile.

"That is impressive indeed. Let us use that spirit to turn the tides against

Duke Huguenot," he said as he exchanged a toast with Charles.

◇◇◇

The day after the tournament, Celia had prepared special tea and snacks to

celebrate Rio's victory after class. As she was making her way from a middle

school class back to the research lab, she spotted Rio in a connecting hallway

and opened her mouth to call out to him.

"Oh! Rio..."

Her words trailed off when she realized he was walking next to a female

student.

It wouldn't have been an exaggeration to say that Rio was at the very

bottom of the Academy food chain. That was why he was very rarely seen

with other students — if he was, then it was usually because he had been

dragged into some kind of predicament. It was even rarer for him to be seen

with a female student.

Her encounter with such an unexpected scene made Celia's thoughts

cease for a few seconds; in that time, Rio and the female student walked off

together. They seemed to be moving to somewhere more isolated.

W-What should I do... He hasn't been dragged into something weird

again, has he? Celia glanced around nervously. Once she had confirmed that

there was no one else around, she quietly snuck off after the two.

They had relocated behind the library tower. Rio and the female student

stopped walking once they arrived at the deserted area.

"U-Um! P... Please read this!" The female student suddenly took out a

letter and awkwardly offered it to Rio.

"...Sure, I can do that. What's in it?"

"Y-You were really cool in your match yesterday!" At Rio's inquiry to

the contents of the letter, the female student blushed and blurted out her

words in a rush.

"Oh, right. Thank you very much." In the end, he still had no idea what

the letter was about, but Rio thanked the girl in confusion anyway.

"T-The rest is written in the letter. Bye!" Unable to bear the awkwardness

between them, the girl rushed off without waiting for Rio's reply.

"Huh? W-Wait!" Rio called after her in a hurry, but she made no attempt

to stop.

"Okay then..." Rio muttered with a troubled face.

The envelope in his hand felt strangely heavy. Perhaps it was a love letter

after all, considering the circumstances... Would he have to read it and write a

reply? The thought of having more stress pushed onto him made him feel

slightly weighed down.

"Umm. Hey, Rio..." Just then, Celia appeared out of nowhere.

"Professor... Were you watching that just now?"

"A-Ahaha. I knew it was a bad thing to do, but I thought maybe you were

being dragged into more trouble... I-I'm sorry!" Celia admitted, bowing her

head deeply in apology. She could have gotten away with it if she had quietly

left the scene, but the guilt of eavesdropping had made her reveal herself.

Rio gave a small forced laugh. "Please raise your head. You were worried

about me, weren't you?"

Celia hesitantly raised her head at Rio's words. "Y-Yeah. And... I actually

wanted to celebrate your victory..."

"...Huh? Oh, wow... you shouldn't have." Rio responded with reserved

gratitude, his eyes widened at little at Celia's hesitant words.

"N-Nonsense, just participating in the tournament was an honorable feat...

Anyone would celebrate such a thing, so you have to as well, Rio. Moreso

since you won — now, come on!" Celia said. She grabbed Rio's hand on the

spur of the moment and started to briskly walk away.

"W-Wait, Professor—" Rio was pulled along into walking with her. They

continued to hold hands.

Celia's pace was faster than usual, and she seemed to be acting a bit odd.

Her hand was also kind of sweaty — maybe because she was nervous. A

silence fell over them for a while as Rio curiously observed Celia's face from

his position diagonally behind her. He noticed that her cheeks were slightly

red.

"Do you have a fever, Professor?" Rio asked her worriedly.

"Huh? N-Not that I know of, why?"

"Your face seems kind of red. And your hand is a bit warm," Rio said,

squeezing her hand gently.

"Ah! Umm, sorry! You probably don't like that, right?" Celia pulled her

hand away, flustered.

"That's not true. I just don't want you pushing yourself too hard." With a

faint look of surprise, Rio smiled softly and shook his head.

"R-Right. Thank you. But I'm fine, really."

"If you're not feeling well, you should rest."

"I-I'm fine! Come on, let's go." Celia hastily walked off again.

Her steps were even faster than before, and the side view of her face was

redder too.

The two of them eventually arrived at Celia's research lab, and Rio went

about his usual motions to prepare the tea. There was a simple kitchen in

Celia's lab, and with the tea set, she was able to drink tea any time.

"I'll prepare the tea you chose for today, then."

"Yes, please. It's Amur tea."

"That's quite the high quality item you prepared for today, Professor."

Amur was a place famous for producing tea; the tea leaves made there

were regarded as the highest class of leaves possible.

"Of course. We're going to toast to your victory in the tournament, after

all. I also prepared some cookies to go with the tea, so that's something to

look forward to!" Celia said in a lively voice.

She seemed to be back to her usual self. Rio beamed with a huff of

laughter, and continued to work silently for a while. Once the tea was done,

he placed the teapot and heated teacups onto a tray and carried it to the desk

in the center of the room. Just as he sat down, Celia spoke.

"Thank you for always doing this."

"No problem. More importantly—" Rio stared at Celia intently.

"W-What is it?" Celia asked in a high-pitched voice after a few seconds of

their stare-off.

"You're looking a lot better now."

"...Huh? O-Oh, right. Yeah. Maybe." Celia blinked blankly for a moment

before reaching up to pat at her cheeks in a fluster. "I-It was nothing, really.

I'm not even sure what came over me... I was just lost in my thoughts. Don't

worry about it." Celia gestured wildly in her denial.

"Is that so... All right, then." Rio tilted his head and watched her.

"So about that girl just now — did she confess to you?"

"Yes, probably... I guess. I was given a letter, but..." Rio seemed rather

bashful about the sudden change in topic.

"Good for you! That means girls are paying attention to you, no matter

what everyone else is saying about you. Are you going to start off as

friends?" Celia asked, glancing at Rio's face to gauge his reaction.

Underneath her words, she could feel a dull, prickling pain stab into her

chest.

However...

"No, I don't believe it's a good idea to form those kinds of relationships."

"H-Huh? Why not?" Celia was taken aback by how plainly Rio answered.

"Any girls that get close to me would end up ostracized by the others."

With a bitter smile, Rio picked up the teapot and poured the tea. Soon, the

steaming cups lined side-by-side were releasing a fragrant scent into the air,

tickling at their noses.

"Here you go."

"...Thank you." Celia thanked him and took a sip of her tea before

continuing to speak. "...But don't you think that she might have wanted to be

your friend anyway? Wasn't that why she wrote the letter?" she asked with

an earnest gaze.

"There's no way our surroundings would allow that." A troubled smile

played at Rio's lips. His decision was rational and realistic... Celia had a

worried look on her face.

"Well, I guess... but still. Aren't you curious at all? You've reached that

age where boys want to get closer to girls. And there are lots of cute girls in

this academy."

"That kind of thing is difficult for me — I'm just not interested." Rio

smiled bitterly, shaking his head without hesitation.

Based on his reaction, Celia could see he was truly uninterested.

Nevertheless, it shouldn't have been that easy to cut off all interest in the

opposite sex, especially at Rio's age. Even Celia would sometimes find

herself daydreaming about her ideal love, just like any other person... Yet the

boy in front of her seemed so sure of himself.

Puzzled, Celia wondered why. Was he really just apathetic? Or did he

have someone else on his mind that turned him off from every other girl?

Does Rio have someone he likes? The thought suddenly came across

Celia's thoughts, but she couldn't think of anyone who would fit that bill. Rio

didn't even have friends at the academy.

The only one he talks to is me, after all.

Right, Rio didn't have anyone other than Celia to talk to. Her focus on her

research meant that the reverse applied to Celia too — but she shelved that

thought away for now.

When Rio wasn't in class, eating, or sleeping, he was either in the library

or practicing with his sword outside. He was alone every time she saw him.

There were no signs of other girls around him besides Celia, which was why

she couldn't imagine Rio having an interest in someone. She didn't even

consider it a plausible possibility.

Rio wasn't the type to speak up for himself, however, so it was hard to tell

what he was thinking. Was he oblivious to the kindness of others, or had the

negativity from his surroundings caused him to lose trust in people? Either

way, Celia thought it was a very sad thing to bear. While it wasn't her place

to interfere, Celia was the only one who knew how hard Rio had worked

these last five years.

That was why she wanted him to be happy.

The reason she had been so shaken earlier was because of... protective

maternal feelings rising up.

Yes, that had to be it.

Celia told herself this as her chest fluttered uneasily. She sipped at her tea

and took deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Come to think of it, it's almost the season for the outdoor drill. What

kind of drill will you be doing this year?" she casually changed the topic.

The outdoor drill was a practical exam designed to test the prowess of

their military training at the Academy. The drill and location of the exam

varied each year, but the team battle system remained constant. The fifth and

sixth years formed several squads focused around the sixth years and would

undergo the exam together.

The lands outside of the humans' jurisdiction were overrun with monsters,

bandits, and other savage creatures, making safety the utmost concern, as

most of the participants were royalty and nobility. Prior to the exam, the test

zone would be scoured in advance to drive out all of the dangerous entities.

Off-duty knights would then guard the border during the exam.

"We're going to march through the mountain forest."

"Eww. The mountain forest... That's impossible for me. I have enough

trouble walking to class from here." Celia slumped across the desk as if the

thought alone was enough to wear her out.

"You need to exercise more, Professor Celia," Rio said with a dry smile.

Celia rarely left her research lab outside of her classes. Even for a noble

daughter, her lack of exercise was alarming.

"Ahaha. Maybe once my research settles down." Celia evaded the

suggestion with a forced laugh.