Chapter 6

A few days had passed since Allen heard about the recommendation for admission.

Today and tomorrow are holidays at the academy, so he decided to go to his mother's place in Goza Village right away.

He had already finished getting ready in the morning and had breakfast. All that was left was to grab his luggage and set off.

"Alright—see you later."

When he said this at the dormitory entrance, Pauline, who was in the cafeteria, turned to face him.

"Did you forget anything? You have the souvenirs you bought, right?"

"Yes, I’ve got everything."

The senbei and okaki he bought from a street stall yesterday were carefully wrapped in a furoshiki he borrowed from Pauline.

"That’s good. Then be careful on your way! See you later!"

"Yes!"

He bowed his head slightly and left the dormitory.

By the way, the entrance of the dormitory proudly displayed the trophy from the Sword Festival victory... which was a bit embarrassing.

After leaving the dormitory, he walked down the long, long animal trail to Goza Village, heading south.

After one hour, two hours, three hours of walking, Goza Village finally came into view.

Thatched-roof houses were scattered at regular intervals, surrounded by vast pastures and fields. The total population was probably less than a hundred, a very, very small village.

"It’s been a while since I’ve been back here..."

Even if you subtract the billions of years he spent in that other world, it had been three years since he last came back to this village.

Immersed in nostalgia, he heard a voice from behind, with a southern accent.

"Hey! Aren’t you Allen!?"

Turning around, he saw the old man, Bamboo Grandpa, who used to play with him using bamboo stilts and handmade menko cards.

"Bamboo Grandpa! It’s been a while!"

"Oh, you’ve grown so much since I last saw you!"

The village of Goza, located in the southern part of the continent, has a strong southern accent.

"Haha, that’s because I’m in my growth period."

After chatting a bit with him about old times,

"Hey! Instead of talking to me, you should go see Roadel-san right away! She hasn’t been the same since you left."

"Got it. See you later, Bamboo Grandpa."

"Sure. Come by my place later, okay?"

"Of course!"

After parting ways with Bamboo Grandpa, he walked down a path that smelled of livestock and finally found his house.

"Wow... it’s been a while."

It hadn’t changed at all since the last time he saw it three years ago. It was exactly the same as it was back then.

He opened the old, sliding door, which wasn’t locked, with a creak.

"Mom, I’m home."

He called out in a slightly louder voice, and the sound of someone running from the back of the house could be heard.

Then,

"Ah, Allen!?"

His mother, holding a pot lid, appeared with sparkling eyes. She must have been preparing dinner.

"Yeah, I’m home, Mom."

"Oh... you’ve grown so much!"

She opened her arms wide and hugged him tightly.

"It’s been such a long time! Are you doing well?"

"Yeah, I’m doing fine."

"That’s great! Well, let’s not stand here talking. Come in quickly."

"Sure."

He sat down at the round table and talked with his mother, who was preparing dinner. When she had a moment to spare after putting the lid on the pot, he decided to get to the main topic.

"Hey, Mom. I have something important to talk about. Can I tell you?"

"What is it? You sound so serious all of a sudden."

"Yeah, well—"

He then consulted with his mother about the career path he was currently struggling with.

He explained that he was a third-year student and was having trouble deciding on his future path. The options were to become a Holy Knight, a Magic Swordsman, or to attend the Thousand Blades Academy. He also explained the pros and cons of each choice.

After explaining the situation, his mother shrugged her shoulders in a way that suggested she was a bit disappointed.

"What’s this...? I thought it was something really important, but... it’s just a simple decision, isn’t it...?"

"No, it’s not that simple—"

"—You want to go to the Thousand Blades Academy, don’t you?"

"How... how did you know?"

Before he could even express his hopes or thoughts, she hit the nail right on the head.

"You shouldn’t underestimate your parents. Allen, you’ve liked swinging swords since you were little. I knew you wanted to go to the Thousand Blades Academy."

He remained silent, and his mother spoke gently, as if trying to reassure him.

"Don’t worry about me. Live your own life. I’ll always support you from the shadows. But—don’t die before me, even by a second. That’s the best way to show filial piety, okay?"

"...Got it. Thanks, Mom."

When he thanked her, she smiled.

"Alright, now that we’re done talking, let’s have dinner! I made a lot of your favorite stew today!"

She poured the freshly made stew into a wooden plate.

The stew, with large potatoes, was a special dish in their household, usually only served on his birthday.

"Delicious... so delicious..."

The stew his mother made after billions of years was indescribably delicious.

"That’s good, that’s good! There’s plenty for seconds, so don’t hold back and eat as much as you want!"

After enjoying his mother’s homemade stew, he soaked in the familiar bath.

Still...

"Mom... you’ve aged..."

When he saw his mother after a long time, she looked much older.

(Considering she’s turning fifty this year, it might just be normal aging...)

Her wrinkles and white hair had increased, and she seemed to have shrunk a bit.

"...I need to train hard at the Thousand Blades Academy and become a great swordsman as soon as possible."

I need to earn a lot of money and give my mother a comfortable life.

With this renewed determination, he washed away his fatigue in the bath.

■

Right after Allen left for the bath, a hoarse old man’s voice echoed in the dining room, where only his mother, Daria Roadel, was supposed to be.

"Ho ho ho! This stew is quite delicious!"

There, an old man with a bent back, the Sage of Time, was sitting.

He had a plate of stew and a spoon in his hands, which he must have prepared at some point.

"...I thought it might be you because the seal was weakening, but it’s really your doing, isn’t it, Sage of Time?"

The southern accent disappeared, and she spoke fluent standard language—Daria Roadel herself.

"Well, you did hide it quite well... It took me a lot of effort to find it."

"Then—why don’t you break a few more bones?"

Daria appeared behind the Sage of Time in an instant and swung her fist at his head.

However, the Sage of Time easily avoided the attack by turning himself invisible.

Daria’s fist cut through the air and shattered the wooden chair into pieces.

"Ho ho! Oh, scary, scary!"

The Sage of Time, who was completely at ease, took a big bite of a potato.

"Ho ho ho! It’s been a long time since I had such a delicious meal. Well, I’ll see you again sometime."

With that, he disappeared like a mist.

"...Damn, he got away."

Daria spat out a large sigh of frustration at that moment.

"Hey, was that presence just now the Sage of Time!?"

The front door of the Roadel house opened, and Bamboo Grandpa appeared, also speaking fluent standard language.

"You’re late. The Sage of Time had already escaped long ago."

"Damn... so it’s true...?"

"Yeah... It seems the Billion-Year Button has been used..."

"Damn... what a mess..."

A heavy silence fell between them.

"Daria... how did the Sage of Time manage to capture Allen? The seal was supposed to be perfect, right?"

"...Maybe something happened that strongly shook Allen’s emotions. I was relieved because he wrote in his letters that he was having a good time at the academy..."

Allen never told Daria about being bullied at the academy. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust her, but because he didn’t want to worry her.

"Anyway, the Sage of Time seems determined to interfere with us..."

Daria clenched her fists tightly and gritted her teeth.

"But this time, I won’t let him have his way..."

After that, Bamboo Grandpa returned to his house, and Daria took the broken chair to the garbage dump.

■

After returning to his hometown, Goza Village, and consulting with his mother, Allen decided to accept the recommendation for admission to the Thousand Blades Academy.

However, there was one unexpected thing.

He thought that once he accepted the recommendation, he would automatically be admitted, but it turned out that wasn’t the case.

While the written and practical exams for admission were waived, he still had to undergo an interview as a qualification test.

He was quite anxious for a moment, but the principal and vice-principal assured him, "No one has ever been rejected in an interview," which made him feel a bit better.

Today was the day of the interview at the Thousand Blades Academy.

There were no dress code requirements, so he decided to wear the uniform of the Grand Sword Academy.

"Still... there are so many people..."

Today was the first time Allen set foot in the capital of this country, Aurest.

Despite being dazzled by the bustling crowds and advanced buildings, he managed to reach the main gate of the Thousand Blades Academy.

"Phew... finally made it."

It was fifteen minutes before the scheduled interview time. Just the right time.

He showed his examination ticket to the guard at the main gate and was allowed to enter the academy.

The interview room was in the reception room at the back of the third floor of the third building.

(The third building... this one, right?)

He entered the target building, climbed the stairs to the third floor, and took a step back when he arrived.

(No way...!)

There were many examinees there.

They were probably not the recommendation candidates but the general admission candidates.

He was surprised to find out that the interviews were being held on the same day.

After waiting until his name was called,

"Examinee number 1723, Allen Roadel, please enter the room immediately. I repeat, examinee number 1723, Allen Roadel—"

The announcement echoed through the building.

He stood up immediately, moved to the reception room at the end of the corridor, knocked on the door, and entered.

"—Excuse me."

Three interviewers were seated in the room, and a single round chair was placed opposite them.

He sat down, and the interview began immediately.

"We will now begin the interview. Please state your examination number and name."

"Examination number 1723, Allen Roadel."

As soon as he answered, another interviewer asked a question.

"Please tell us about your strengths."

"My strength... is probably my perseverance."

This was the first thing that came to mind as his strength.

"Perseverance, you say. To what extent?"

"Well... I can keep swinging a sword for billions of years."

"Billions of years...? That’s... incredible..."

"Yes, it was an incredible experience."

It was an incredible experience. If asked if he would do it again, it would be a difficult question.

"Then, what about your weaknesses?"

"Weaknesses... I tend to be reckless. If I had been a bit more calm at that time... no, that’s just a what-if. I don’t regret what I did then."

That’s right, it was because he pressed the Billion-Year Button without thinking that he is who he is today. It’s both a strength and a weakness.

"Ah, at that time...?"

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

The interviewers fell silent for a moment, as if thinking about the next question.

"Um, well... then, please tell us about the school of swordsmanship you belong to. If possible, demonstrate one of your skills on the scarecrow behind you."

"The school of swordsmanship... well, to be honest, I’m self-taught. However, I have many techniques, so I’ll demonstrate one of them."

He stood up, drew his sword, and said,

"Eight Swords—Yatagarasu!"

He successfully cut the scarecrow into eight pieces.

This wasn’t necessarily his best technique, but he chose it because it looked impressive.

"Wha—!?"

"The slash split into eight...!?"

"Moreover... what a clean cut...!?"

The interviewers reacted in different ways, but overall, it seemed to be well-received.

(Good choice, Yatagarasu.)

After sheathing his sword and sitting back down,

"Thank you. The interview is now over. We will send you the results in a few days. Please check the envelope. Have a safe trip home."

The interview was successfully completed.

"Thank you."

He bowed once and left the reception room, then left the Thousand Blades Academy.

"Phew..."

He was a bit nervous, but he managed to give appropriate answers throughout.

He didn’t make any major mistakes.

And the final demonstration felt quite good.

(For now, I should be fine.)

With a sense of accomplishment, he returned to the dormitory where Pauline was waiting.

■

After Allen left the interview room, a somewhat awkward atmosphere lingered.

"...That was a strange student. I didn’t understand a word he said. Is it really okay to admit him, even with a recommendation?"

"Indeed, I didn’t understand a word he said... However, he is a student whom the principal personally recommended... We can’t just reject him on our own judgment..."

"Hmm, he’s self-taught... If he had a proper teacher, he might turn out to be quite something. ...Honestly, I didn’t understand a word he said."

The interviewers were in complete agreement that they didn’t understand what Allen was saying.

■

A few days after the interview, a letter from the Thousand Blades Academy arrived.

Given the timing, it was undoubtedly about the admission results.

Would he be accepted? His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst.

"Phew..."

He took a few deep breaths, then carefully opened the envelope without tearing it. Inside was a large piece of paper with two large characters written on it.

"...Accepted"

Yes, he was accepted.

"—Yes!"

Of course, he was supposed to be accepted with a recommendation, but he was still very happy.

(To think I would actually be attending the prestigious Thousand Blades Academy... it’s like a dream!)

Just a month ago, he was being mocked as a failed swordsman—life is full of surprises.

And a few days later, the time to say goodbye finally arrived.

He packed all his belongings and bowed deeply to Pauline, who had come to see him off at the entrance.

"Pauline, thank you so much for everything over the past three years."

That’s right.

He was saying goodbye to Pauline and the dormitory where he had lived for three years.

It would be too much of a hassle to commute from the dormitory to the Thousand Blades Academy every day.

Besides, the Thousand Blades Academy was a boarding school, and students were not allowed to live outside unless there was a special reason.

"You’re being too dramatic, you know. It’s not like we’re never going to see each other again. You can be a bit more casual."

Pauline said this, but he wanted to express his gratitude properly.

"Really, I can’t thank you enough, Pauline. You let me stay even though I had almost no money, woke me up every morning, made delicious meals, listened to my problems, and told me so many fun stories—thank you for all the wonderful times..."

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh, I’m getting emotional... I guess I’m just getting old..."

She rubbed her eyes with both hands.

"—Well, if you get hungry, come by anytime! I’ll feed you as much as you want!"

"Yes! I’ll definitely come back to eat!"

Her cooking was amazing.

He would never forget her bold and flavorful dishes.

"Then, I’ll be going now."

"Whether it’s the Thousand Blades Academy or the Ten Thousand Blades Academy—go for the top!"

"Yes!"

Thus, Allen Roadel, the failed swordsman of the Grand Sword Academy, successfully graduated and would become Allen Roadel, a swordsman of one of the five academies, the Thousand Blades Academy, from tomorrow.