Chapter 70

"——What did you just do? Magic? No... it's too subtle to be magic, and I don't feel like you interfered with me. But I have a feeling that something was read."

"!"

It seems she noticed that I checked my Soul Board.

("Intuition" 2... it's really troublesome, this "Intuition.")

"I can't use magic."

"Then a magic tool?"

"No."

"What are you trying to do by groping my body?"

"...Don't say such inappropriate things. Why isn't 'doing nothing' an option, drunkard? Anyway, I want to attend the short sword lecture."

"Eh? Are you sane? You should stop... "

"Isn't it a student's right to attend lectures?"

"Refusing is the instructor's right."

"That's not true."

"Is it not?"

"It's not."

"..."

When Hikaru said this (of course, with no evidence), Mirei hung her head. Despite the makeup that made her look much older, her gesture seemed appropriate for a 22-year-old.

"Why do you hate it so much? If you didn't want to teach, you shouldn't have become an instructor."

"I took the job because I heard it would be easy without any students..."

Hikaru thought to himself, she's a complete failure as a woman.

"...But with so few students, my salary keeps decreasing, and I can't even afford a drink... What can I do? There's no one left to lend me money..."

Hikaru thought to himself, she's a complete failure as a woman.

"Still, you must be good with short swords, right?"

"No, I'm not."

"No, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"You're just saying that because you don't want to teach."

"Proof? Do you have any proof?"

(It's written on the Soul Board. "Short Sword" 3.)

"As an instructor recognized by the academy, that's proof enough. I have no knowledge of handling short swords or even the basics. I want to learn a lot about tactics and other things. I'm not asking you to do practical training. Please teach me."

"Hmm... No way!"

When she said "No way" after all his pleading, even Hikaru was taken aback.

"Then it's fine. I'll compile a report of everything and send it to the Dean and the Minister of Internal Affairs."

"...What? What are you saying!? The Minister of Internal Affairs... a mere student can't do that—"

"Sophira Van Hortens. From your name, I assume you're from the same hometown. What do you think she would say if I told her?"

"Stop it, stop it!"

"I hope the new short sword instructor is enthusiastic about lectures..."

"No way! If I get fired here... the debt collectors will come! The academy walls are barely keeping them at bay!"

Hikaru thought to himself, she's a complete failure as a woman. It seems the academy was a refuge for Mirei.

"Alright, alright! I'll teach you... Geez, are all the kids these days like this..."

Mirei muttered as she stood up.

"Alright, get into a stance. You have a short sword, right?"

"Is this good?"

Hikaru showed the "Strength Dagger" he had tucked into his belt. Technically, "Short Sword" is a higher category, and "Dagger" is a "single-edged short sword" within that category.

Mirei nodded casually, waving her hand. She was still sitting with her knees hugged, and her mini-skirt revealed her underwear.

(Such a lack of allure in her underwear is rare.)

While thinking this, Hikaru got into a stance, lowering his hips and pointing the tip of the dagger straight down.

"No, that's no good."

Suddenly, she criticized him.

"No good?"

"Completely no good. You look like a complete amateur. Why are you pointing the sword down?"

"To make it easier to throw."

"What are you going to do with your only weapon!?"

"What's the correct way?"

"The correct way is to hide the sword with the sheath where the opponent can't see it, and not draw it."

"..."

Mirei said this as if testing him.

"Think about the advantages of a short sword compared to other weapons. The most significant benefit is that it can make the opponent let their guard down when you appear unarmed. In terms of performance, a short sword can't compete with a long sword or a halberd."

Hikaru was genuinely impressed. She easily overturned the fixed notion that weapons must always be held and ready. Moreover, it was practical and logical, and it suited Hikaru's "stealth" style.

"Wow. You understand that much. Then it's fine. Today's lecture is over!"

"Ah—indeed, it's time to end the lecture. Most of the time, it was just Instructor Milk Crêpe pouting."

"If you call me that again, I'll kick you for real."

"Then use the short sword. —I want to train on my own. Do you have any forms or training methods for the sword?"

"Go for a run."

"Understood."

Hikaru bowed happily—thinking that Mirei's lecture was unexpectedly helpful—and left in front of her.

"...What's with that guy? I got involved with a weirdo..."

Mirei grumbled, yawned widely, and entered the building to go back to sleep.

After that, Hikaru returned home, changed his clothes, and started jogging. When he started running, he realized it was quite challenging.

"Huff, huff, huff... It's tough."

He thought his stamina had improved since coming to this world. However, he realized that walking for hours and jogging were entirely different.

The academy's field—more like a training ground—was a vast, open space. After running for a while, he took a break. Then, he tried sprinting for about 100 meters. Thanks to his "Explosive Power" 2, he reached an incredible speed, but his muscles quickly protested.

To control this backlash, he needed to build his physique. Increasing "Muscle Mass" was one option, but the amount of muscle and the flexibility of muscle fibers were different. By doing thorough stretching and relaxing his muscles, his "Explosive Power" 2 would be even more effective.

"Running... that drunkard said something useful after all."

While doing this, other students who were watching Hikaru from a distance had puzzled expressions.

"What's he doing?"

"He's making some weird poses... It's funny."

"What does he want by running around without even swinging a sword?"

While there were proper training regimens for swordsmanship, there was no concept of training for basic physical fitness—no sports science in this world. Rumors started spreading that there was a "crazy student."

"Hmm... It's rare for Hikaru to acknowledge someone else?"

That evening, Hikaru and Ravia cooked dinner together. The table was set with stir-fried vegetables, meat, bread, and cheese.

"It's not just studying; it seems interesting. I'll go again tomorrow."

"If it's that interesting, should I go too?"

"...Maybe you should hold off?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

Hikaru felt a bit resistant about showing her that lazy woman.

"Using short swords isn't valuable for someone who doesn't use them. What about you, Ravia?"

"I was surrounded by books..."

Ravia sighed dreamily. She had spent the whole day in the library, which had over 20,000 books, making it quite well-stocked in this world.

"Quite a lot... What kind of books are there?"

"Mostly research papers. There are no stories, but there are collections of local legends. There are also statistics."

"Statistics?"

"Public records from when the United Nations was established. The largest population at the time was in Romania, with 900,000 people. The smallest was in Tsabra, with 20,000."

"There's a big difference. It's surprising they could even call themselves a united nation in name."

"That's because... there were reasons. Romania, Kirihar, and Rudsan were known as the 'Three Northern Heroes' and were very prosperous—though they still couldn't match the Kingdom of Ponsonia alone."

The population of the Kingdom of Ponsonia exceeded 4 million.

"Even a small country like Tsabra... Yuraba excelled in magic research, and Kotoi in engraving techniques. These gave them presence. And Tsabra... thanks to artifacts from ruins."

"Artifacts?"

"From ancient civilizations, with unknown manufacturing methods. But they are very powerful weapons... yes."

"..."

"Hikaru, could this be..."

"I was probably thinking the same thing. 'Revolver.'"

An item that clearly doesn't fit in this world. If it was produced from ruins in Tsabra—

(Perhaps a reincarnated or transferred person was in Tsabra.)

"Hold on... But if they have such powerful weapons, why didn't Silvester take one to slay the lesser wyvern?"

"It seems they decided to make them the shared property of the United Nations when it was established. The artifacts used for defense are still in Tsabra."

"I see."

In exchange for treating them as equals, they had to provide weapons.

"I want to see Tsabra's artifacts."

If such things exist, there must be researchers. If they are from Earth's civilization, they might be able to explain the mechanism of the revolver.