I’m Just an Ordinary Clown at the Academy

38 – Bet 4

Alone in the training ground at an early hour, swinging a sword.

It was Johanna’s morning routine.

Well, it used to be, until recently.

Recently, Johanna’s morning routine involves secretly observing someone training rigorously rather than wielding a sword herself.

To witness this, Johanna, who already woke up several hours earlier than others, rose even earlier than her usual waking time.

“I wonder if he’ll arrive earlier than me again today.”

In an effort to find out how early Loki starts training, Johanna, who already woke up earlier than usual yesterday, went to the training ground. However, Loki was already running.

She, who usually went to the training ground at a chilly hour, now arrived even earlier, casually putting on a light coat as she headed to the training ground.

But for some reason, even though she approached the training ground closely, she heard no sound.

Normally, as she got closer to the training ground, she would hear the sound of Loki running.

“Could he really not be here?”

If Loki isn’t here, she thought… she would wield the sword alone.

Until she saw Loki, she continued to swing the sword alone, but for some reason, it felt unsatisfying.

Johanna’s steps toward the training ground, taken slightly faster, slowed down.

“I have something to say.”

Yesterday, when Loki challenged Rofri to a duel, Johanna wasn’t in the cafeteria.

So, Johanna learned about it after a member of the leadership team told her that Loki had challenged expulsion and requested a duel.

When she went to the special class after finding out, all the classes were already over, and there was no one there.

As there was no separate way to contact anyone without the communication network being connected.

“Sigh…”

Johanna sighed as she entered the training ground, unsure why she sighed.

“··· Huh?”

However, contrary to her expectations, Loki was in the training ground.

There were two ways Loki trained.

Running around the training ground.

Creating a clone with unique magic to correct posture.

But Loki was neither running nor creating a clone at the moment.

Loki was sitting in the middle of the training ground, meditating.

Even with that absurd mask on, he didn’t look funny at all.

‘Just like father.’

The head of the Freyja family, also known as the Imperial Swordmaster.

Her father.

When she was young, she watched him every time he swung his sword.

To witness the sword of the Imperial Swordmaster up close.

Thinking about it now, it was an incredible blessing that anyone, not just other swordsmen, would envy.

Her father meditated while swinging the sword.

When she was young and didn’t understand why he meditated, she asked him.

Why meditate at all?

‘Meditation may seem unnecessary and easy, but it’s crucial and challenging. It’s the moment when a swordsman puts down the sword, concentrates his mind, examines his inner self, and sharpens the sword of the mind.’

She couldn’t comprehend his words when she was young.

It just seemed like sitting and resting.

Meditation is something I found to be challenging after coming to the academy.

To be precise, I realized it by observing other students meditating.

Certainly, I sat with my eyes closed just like my father, but it was different from his meditation.

I couldn’t explain exactly what was different.

However, it was nothing more than sitting and resting, not meditation.

Since then, I tried meditating alone, but I could not understand the saying that it sharpens the sword of the mind.

Rocky, sitting in the middle of the training ground, seemed to overlap with my father meditating.

I had secretly watched Rocky train until now, but now I couldn’t bear it any longer.

.

.

.

.

“How do you do it?”

While closing my eyes and adjusting my emotions, a voice reached me.

I was startled and could only be more surprised when I opened my eyes.

It was because Johanna was right in front of me.

“Senior Johanna!”

Since I was sitting, Johanna crouched down to meet my eyes.

“How do you do it?”

I was bewildered by Johanna’s sudden question.

“What are you talking about?”

“About meditation.”

Am I meditating right now?

I asked myself, but I couldn’t find the answer.

“Am I meditating right now?”

When I asked Yo-hanna, she seemed like she wanted to say something, but then closed her mouth as if she didn’t know what to say.

And then she said something rather unexpected.

“You didn’t run today?”

Today, as in?

“Did you perhaps watch me training yesterday?”

Yo-hanna nodded quietly.

“Uh, I’m embarrassed.”

I thought no one saw me as I left the training ground before anyone else got up.

It wasn’t particularly cool training, so I felt embarrassed.

“It was cool.”

Yo-hanna lightly tapped my head as if praising me for doing well.

I didn’t feel bad, so I accepted the gesture.

Honestly, it felt quite nice.

“You challenged a duel risking expulsion, didn’t you?”

Yo-hanna spoke without removing her hand from my head.

I, too, didn’t say that I would stand by and do nothing.

“Well, things just turned out that way!”

In reality, it was according to the plan from the beginning.

The only thing that changed from the initial plan was that the duel happened sooner than expected.

Even if the troublemaker hadn’t picked a fight, I would have found a way to get rid of them.

“Do you have a reason to go to such lengths?”

The reason I am going to such lengths to get rid of the troublemaker.

“Of course, there’s a reason.”

“What’s the reason?”

I said after pressing my index finger against my lips.

I couldn’t see my own expression, but it was probably hardened.

At times like this, wearing a mask was better. It could hide my expression.

“That’s a secret.”

How could I tell the truth?

That someday, because of that troublemaker’s trolling, you will die.

That I spent 10 years trying to prevent that.

That even after 10 years, I couldn’t save you.

Even though it was just a game back then, I sincerely mourned.

I simply couldn’t say it.

Of course, the troublemaker wouldn’t directly kill Johanna.

From the start, the buzzard doesn’t possess such talent.

However, the fact that the buzzard was involved in Johann’s death remains unchanged.

To prevent such incidents, we must either kill the buzzard or drive it out of the academy.

“Then why didn’t you run today?”

Since it seemed like it would annoy him if I said it was a secret again, I decided to give him a small hint.

“The important thing now is not stamina.”

The reason I didn’t run and didn’t train my unique magic but meditated.

Of course, it’s true that I lack stamina.

But now, emotional control is a priority over stamina.

My original personality, which I couldn’t control in the cafeteria, surfaced.

If my original personality were to come out during a duel, I could really kill that buzzard.

Whether the buzzard dies or not, it doesn’t matter to me.

I still have a lot to do at the academy.

“If you win, I’ll help you become a knight of the Freya family.”

To avoid any misunderstandings, Johann specifically mentioned that I would become a knight of the family, just like last time.

By the way, Johann still hasn’t removed his hand from my head.

Rather, he was gently stroking my head.

“I won’t lose, so there’s no chance of becoming a senior knight.”

By the way, Johann said that Erica, the Imperial Guard, will collect me.

A position that others struggle to achieve even after graduating from the academy.

I easily obtained it when I dropped out.

Wouldn’t people want to tear me apart if they found out?

When I said there was no chance of me becoming a knight of the Johann family, Johanna didn’t look happy for some reason.

Of course, my hand hasn’t left my head yet. But the hand stroking me has become stronger than before.

“Senior, your coat is pretty.”

“······Ah.”

I said to relieve Johanna’s mood, but she seemed to think of something when she heard my words and put her hand in the coat pocket.

The hand that wasn’t in the pocket was still stroking my head.

“Take this.”

Johanna rummaged through her coat pocket and handed me a communication device.

“What’s this?”

“A communication device.”

I asked what it meant to give me this communication device, but it seems that Johanna thinks I didn’t recognize the communication device.

Well, how many commoners have seen a communication device?

“I’ll be going now.”

Johanna, who handed me the communication device, left with a slightly reddened face.

“S-Senior.”

I urgently called Johanna because I had something to say, but whether she didn’t hear or ignored me, Johanna didn’t stop and went out of the training ground.

“I have a communication device.”

My words, having lost their owner, echoed in the training ground.

I took out the communication device I received from Erika in the extradimensional space.

Thus, in my left hand was the communication device from Erika, and in my right hand was the one from Johanna.