NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53
“Such humiliation…!”
Dwenna huffed as she dusted off the dirt clinging to her.
“But I was released without any trouble since you testified that it wasn’t me, right?”
“If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have been caught at all!”
“Gee, I don’t see how that’s my fault.”
“Ugh!!”
After suppressing her anger, she let out a deep sigh. It must have felt like a loss to be mad at me.
“Alright! So where to next?”
I asked with a deliberately bright smile. Initially, I had jokingly suggested exploring the festival with Dwenna, thinking it would be a fun way to pass the time as she always provided entertaining reactions every time we met.
But then…
– “This construction is a statue of the first Emperor, Aldeina. He established Polaris as a serious educational institution.”
– “This is…! The location where the first classroom of Polaris was implemented! You know Polaris has existed since before the founding of the Empire, right?”
– “This experience booth is quite popular, so you need to write your name on the reservation list. Don’t ask if you can skip it! You fool! What do you think you’re doing at a festival if you’re not experiencing anything!”
Wow, she was surprisingly informed about both knowledge and the festival.
“Surprising.”
“What’s surprising about it?”
“Your appearance and background. You seem quite distant from this kind of thing.”
“…Judging people by their looks is a bad habit.”
No, but still. It’s hard to imagine a burly person like her being interested in this stuff.
“I’ve always admired Polaris. Isn’t it natural to know at least this much?”
Dwenna rolled her small eyes around as she took in the festival scenery.
“The Star Festival is a celebration of Polaris’s beginning and symbolizes its heritage. Therefore, it’s the festival where you can feel the essence of Polaris the best!”
The history of Polaris is very deep. Even before the founding of the Empire. During the time of [Hell], people gathered to train against monsters, and that was the origin of Polaris.
Back then, it had more of a mercenary or knightly order feel than that of a school.
And it was Aldeina Marteus Rinzel who made Polaris into a proper educational facility.
Angela and Fernia’s far-off ancestor, the founding Emperor of the Empire.
The first and last transcendent swordsman who opened the era of humans in this harsh continent.
In Valdeon, he is a figure worshipped and respected by all.
“I want to be a woman like Emperor Aldeina someday!”
“To do that, you might want to stop being a bandit first, don’t you think?”
Dwenna belonged to the largest bandit confederation in the continent. Quite far from the position of a founding Emperor.
“Hmph, of course, you wouldn’t know anything about the bandit lifestyle.”
“…A bandit’s still just a bandit.”
“The Edgewood is not just any bandit! We charge protection fees and guard other villages and also teach a lesson to the wicked!”
“That’s just extortion and pillaging, isn’t it? You are a bandit, no question about it.”
“……”
Dwenna shut her mouth.
‘Well, still…’
It’s true that the Edgewood is different from typical bandits. If it were just a bunch of bandits getting big, the Empire would have uprooted them long ago.
The external justification of the Edgewood is ‘guardian of the mountains’.
They punish those who harm the mountains and protect nature, which gives them a positive image.
The reason they haven’t faced punishment until now is that they catch criminals or wanted individuals hiding in the mountains and hand them over to the royal family.
In that process, they overlook a bit of profit-making that happens.
‘They must think it’s beneficial to keep some alive.’
Although, the Edgewood will also become a hideout for villains who exploit good people in the later part of the story. But at least not now.
“The Edgewood will change! I’ve come here for that reason!”
“For someone wanting to change that, the behavior you showed in the waiting room during the entrance exam was more like a third-rate bandit.”
“That’s…! The leader said everyone would bow down if he did that! Honestly, I’m not interested in men at all!”
That’s a bit unexpected.
I thought all the women in this world were just crazy about men and lust, except for someone like Karen.
“Really?”
“Yeah! I don’t understand what’s fun about these guy games at all!”
“Oh….”
You’re the first to show such an attitude.
You’re starting to appeal to me in ways I didn’t anticipate.
“Sister, let’s get along well.”
“I don’t want to! If I’m with you, annoying things keep happening! And why am I your sister! We’re classmates!”
“Just. I’m used to calling you sister.”
“Yikes! Enough! I’ve introduced you to most of the festival, so I’m leaving!”
Dwenna shivered and rushed off into the streets.
As I licked my lips in slight disappointment, something fell from the ground where she had just been.
“Hmm?”
I bent down to pick up a small round object that looked like a bead.
“What is this?”
It seemed like it had fallen from Dwenna’s pocket.
“Black Lotus, do you know what this is?”
“Shh?”
The Black Lotus licked her tongue and examined the bead. If it was something valuable like a potion, she would react.
“Shhee….,”
She shook her head, as if she didn’t know either.
“I don’t know what it is, but…”
I guess I’ll just pass it on to Dwenna when I see her again.
*
Thanks to that, I had a quick and fulfilling time enjoying the festival; I made my way toward the area with the Training Hall.
I had seen everything worth seeing and done everything worth doing, so there was no reason to stick around any longer.
“I feel like I can breathe now.”
“Shh~!”
As the noisy atmosphere settled, a calm peace returned.
Indeed, there was no one here.
Which was to be expected. Nobody trains during the festival period.
“I thought so…!”
“Professor.”
“…Ran?”
Reina, who had been focused on swinging her sword, looked at me with wide eyes.
“You’re also training, Professor?”
“If you’re in a teaching position, you need to exert several times the effort compared to your students.”
Reina wiped the sweat that had gathered on her chin.
‘By the way…’
She was wearing a different outfit than usual.
Judging that there wouldn’t be anyone around, she casually tied her hair up and wore light training clothes.
It looked quite different from the casual clothes she wore the weekend before.
“Oh….”
This style works for her…
“I-I hope you’re not staring at me too much…!”
“Ah, sorry.”
Reina flinched and cleared her throat.
“…Shh!”
The Black Lotus playfully slapped the back of my neck, as a bonus.
“B-but anyway. What are you doing here? The festival should be in full swing now.”
“I enjoyed everything there was to enjoy. I thought I’d train with the leftover time.”
“Diligent.”
Reina smiled softly.
“Still, it’s good to enjoy the festival. It’s a privilege you can only have while you’re a student.”
“I never expected you to say something like that.”
“That’s what a professor would say.”
Protecting the youth of the young ones is also the duty of an adult.
She said that as she picked up her sword.
“Were you training your swordsmanship?”
“Indeed.”
The ice and snow scattered around the Training Hall were proof that Reina had been practicing her sword style here.
“…Are you interested?”
“If I said I wasn’t, that would be a lie.”
Winterga’s vision sword style, “Frostbite Style.”
It’s a sword style that creates and unleashes snowflakes and icy spikes to freeze and shatter the enemy.
“There’s no swordsman uninterested in the Frostbite Style, right?”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“It’s not just beautiful; the quality of the sword style is also very high. Thanks to its characteristics that capture the northern environment, its utility is also high.”
“Really? That’s what they say. But I wouldn’t know….”
“The characteristics are clear, so it also has the advantage of adapting to combat situations. This style is the finest swordsmanship you can’t ignore. Ah~ I wanted to learn it too~.”
“Ugh….”
I can see it.
The corners of her mouth twitching upwards from earlier trying to rise.
“If you say that much, I see no reason not to show you.”
“Really?”
Instead of answering, she chose to wield her sword.
Reina stood in the Training Hall, pointing the blade straight ahead and calming her breathing.
“Sssss…”
As her breath left her mouth, the surrounding temperature dropped slightly.
A faint light enveloped Reina’s body.
“Fwoosh-!”
Soon, energy gathered on the sword’s surface like ice.
“Swish!”
The blade cut through the air.
“Frostbite Style.”
Reina unfurled the northern swordsmanship.
The cold energy rapidly froze the surroundings.
“Shsss!“
The shards of flying ice swarmed.
Snowflakes imbued with chilling energy flew like petals and launched a widespread attack.
“Wow….”
The immediate impression I felt was:
‘Beautiful.’
A sword style of ice and snow.
Even with the harsh energy that could instantly necrotize skin upon touching it, the “Frostbite Style” was revealing its stillness and noble beauty.
“How was that?”
“…It’s beautiful. Really lovely.”
“Heh… this is the pride of Winterga….”
“Professor, can you show it one more time?”
“Hmm?”
“Actually, can you show it maybe three more times…!”
I couldn’t contain my excitement and stepped closer to Reina.
“Why are you coming so close…! Ca-Calm down!”
“If you promise to show me four more times.”
“Don’t add more to it!”
Thud!
Reina grabbed my shoulder and pushed me away.
“Don’t come too close. I might smell unpleasant since I just sweated…”
Though, she smelled more of refreshing mint than sweat.
“If you show me five times, I’ll do that.”
“What a cheeky little….”
Reina bit her lower lip, then nodded slightly.
“Okay. But it’s a secret from Karen.”
“Of course.”
And so, another secret with Reina was born.