Chapter 21: Abnormality

Translated by Hikaru

Edited by Mel

“I have some very exciting news for you today!” Said Sylphia-sensei, our morning homeroom teacher, with such high spirits that could not be imagined from her usual appearance.

“You all know the The Knights of the King’s Guard and The Knights of Orthodox, don’t you?

The students all nodded their heads.

It didn’t matter if they were from other countries, there is no one in the Kingdom of Terraria who does not know about the Knights. The Knights of the King’s Guard is an order that guards the royal family of the Kingdom of Terraria. Its headquarters is here, in the royal capital Maikoura. On the other hand, the Knights of Orthodox is a knightly order of the Duke of Telgande that emphasizes strength, and its headquarters is, of course, in the Telgande duchy. Both of them were famous as the knights who supported the heroes during the Great War.

“The Knights of Orthodox will soon be coming to the royal capital to hold a joint exercise with the The Knights of the King’s Guard. And the place chosen for the exercise is here, at the Bildarz Academy!”

After Sylphia-sensei announced this, the classroom was quiet for a moment, but soon those who understood what she was saying, gradually began to let out their voices of excitement. In no time at all, the classroom was filled with shouts of “Oh!” “Wow! or “Impressive!” The classroom was quickly filled with words of joy.

Is this the “big event” that Chris was talking about?

She had said that it would involve the school, but instead of involving it, we were almost a participant in it.

“The exercise is scheduled to take place in ten days. The purpose of this exercise is to let the students of the Bildarz Academy know about the knights. Therefore you are free to take a break from classes and observe as you wish.”

“Teacher! Does that mean we’ll have the opportunity to talk to the knights!?”

“Yes. Yes, it seems that they will prepare time for that as well.”

The student who asked the question clenched her fists in delight. During the Great War, knights were often celebrated like heroes as part of the propaganda. Because of this, the Knights have numerous fans.

In fact, the Knights of the King’s Guard and the Knights of Orthodox made a great contribution to the defeat of the Demon King. I have witnessed them in action many times on the battlefield, and I remembered that each and every one of their members were very talented. Many knights lost their lives in the Great War. Perhaps the reason why they hold joint practices at the academy was because they wanted to secure the next generation of knights while they still could. Only half a year had passed since the end of the Great War, but it was not too early to start thinking about it.

Now that the Demon King had been defeated, the spotlight was on the adventurers who would deal with the Demon King’s legacy. The number of young people who wanted to become knights was sure to continue to decline for a while. This joint exercise was an advertising campaign for knights to counter this.

“Are the Knights of Orthodox the only ones who will visit the royal capital?”

At that moment, Elysia raised her hand and asked a question.

“In addition to the Knights of Orthodox, the second son of the Duke of Telgande, Robert Telgande, will also be visiting. He will be observing the exercises on the day of the event, so we may be able to talk with him as well!”

The Hero Department students made a difficult “hmm” face at Sylphia-sensei explanation. Many students in the Hero Department are the sons and daughters of noble families. Even though he is the second son, Robert Telgande is a member of the ducal family. They may be thinking about whether they should take this opportunity to form a relationship with them…

“In order to conduct this joint exercise, we have decided to elect one member from each class to serve on the committee. Most of the difficult things will be done by the upperclassmen, so the work of the first-year students will be mostly chores. If you are chosen as a member of the committee, you will be able to watch the exercise of the Order more closely. Now, is there anyone who wants to volunteer?”

The class looked at each other. They wanted to raise their hands, but they were not sure if they could do it. After all, this was the first big event of the school year. Many of my classmates were still trying to grasp the nature of this event.

“I’ll do it.”

It was Elysia who announced this in a dignified voice. With her candidacy, the bustle in the classroom subsided.

I was sure Elysia would not face any problems. There was such an atmosphere in the classroom. It was well known that she had defeated a teacher in the entrance exam. In addition, even though she was in the Hero Department, she was well-liked by the Regular Department students because of her friendly attitude towards them.

“Then, I would like Elysia to join. There will be a committee meeting during lunch, so please come to the first conference room on the third floor of the school building when the time comes.”

“Understood.”

Elysia replied in a clear voice, but then I realized something.

Elysia’s eyes were colored with boiling hatred.

◆

Elysia’s appearance changed completely; It was already noticeably visible.

I had a strong impression that Elysia was an outstanding student. She had never missed a day of school and was always in her seat five minutes before class started. She was also the type of person who was not afraid to speak up in class when necessary. Such a student was suddenly absent from the school. For some reason, Elysia had started skipping classes and only attending committee meetings. On the rare occasion that she did attend class, she didn’t seem to be concentrating as much as she used to. She didn’t speak up at all, and was always distracted. When a teacher named her, she would say, “I wasn’t listening to you,” without giving offense.

Five days had passed since Elysia’s condition had changed drastically, and I started to notice that she was moving systematically. She always attended the practical skills classes and the special lectures of the Hero Department. It was as if she had abandoned classroom lectures and was trying to efficiently train her actual combat skills.

Eventually, everyone could sense that something was wrong with Elysia. She hadn’t spoken to anyone lately. She was refusing to talk. Even when her classmates noticed something strange and expressed their concern, she just said, “I’m fine.” While she was at the school, she was deep in thought by herself.

She looked like a maniac. It was not normal. With her fiery eyes, she was plotting something, but no one knew what it was. Of course, I had no way of knowing either.

When the joint exercise was only three days away, Elysia called out to me for the first time in a while.

“Hey, Tweight. Would you like to be my training partner?”

I raised my eyebrows at the question.

“I thought… we finished that conversation days ago.”

“Just for three days. A short time until the Knight’s joint exercises take place. Wouldn’t that be fine?”

I let out a sigh at Elysia’s words.

“I told you before, impatience is…”

“I need to be strong,” Elysia said enthusiastically. “I am running out of time. I can’t afford not to be hasty anymore. So I need your help.”

There was tremendous pressure in Elysia’s words. She was barely able to control her tone of voice, but her true intention must be not to negotiate, but to give orders. She was swallowing the words, “Shut up and cooperate.”

“Calm down.”

“I can’t calm down.”

“Then at least tell me what’s going on.”

When I said that, Elysia pretended to think for a while.

“I can’t explain…”

I let out a sigh at her reply.

“Sorry, but I don’t have a taste for stepping on visible landmines.”

When I answered, Elysia showed a moment of anger. She almost drew her sword from its sheath at her waist, but she stopped just in time.

“If I… try to fight you here, I’ll just get my ass kicked.”

She was going to fight me forcefully. When I stopped her, she took her hand off the sheath and walked away.

“Tweight, are you okay?”

Glan, who had been anxiously watching us, called out to me.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“I wonder what’s up with Elysia… She’s been acting really weird lately.”

“I’m curious too.”

Mize came closer and agreed with Glan’s remarks.

Elysia had always had a longing for strength, but lately, this tendency has escalated. In terms of time, it must have something to do with the Knights’ joint exercises. And also – I was curious about the conversation we had after the duel about the pros and cons of revenge.

Should I try to find out a little?

I left the classroom, thinking of a woman in my mind. Fortunately, she said, “If you need anything, you can always count on me.”

I took out a piece of『communication paper』from my pocket and contacted my former boss.