Chapter 76

I was feeling unwell and had to take a rest.

Hikaru realized that the techniques learned in the small sword lecture were properly reflected in his physical movements — this alone was a significant gain for him.

Hikaru became even more dedicated to the lectures, while Mirei looked increasingly annoyed.

There were also some changes in the small sword lecture.

Students from Roye and Jarakaz, as well as the League, began to show up.

Mirei, who is from Jarakaz, had a strong attitude towards the students of the great sword lecture, but Roye and the League are from Rumania, so they were more cautious.

"It's so hot..."

Today is a school holiday.

In Scalarzard, where winter is long, the summer school holidays are only two days a month, while winter breaks are a month long.

Hikaru and Ravia went out into the city.

They had already gathered some furniture, but there were still many things they needed.

"Hikaru... you've gotten quite tanned, haven't you?"

"Really?"

Every morning, Hikaru attends the small sword lecture, and in the afternoon, he does self-training to build up his basic physical strength.

Although the temperature doesn't rise much, the sunlight is quite intense. Hikaru's skin had become much healthier in color.

Ravia was wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Her hands and legs, which extended from her light green dress, were almost unburned.

"Ravia has been going to the library all the time, hasn't she?"

"The lighting system is well-designed. It's bright indirectly, not directly from the sun, so the reading desks are very bright but cool..."

Even indoors, the lighting relies heavily on sunlight.

However, the air conditioning and reflection seem to work well, so Ravia's skin remained white.

"I'm glad you like it so much."

"Yes. I want to see the small sword lecture too, but I have many books I want to read."

"Ah, yeah, well... it's kind of sweaty, so it might be better if you don't come?"

"Where are we going today?"

"Do you have anything specific you want to buy, Ravia?"

"No, just to pick up some custom-made clothes, I guess."

"Then let's start there."

They headed to the tailor's shop where they had ordered custom-made clothes.

The clothes were ready, and when Ravia tried them on, Hikaru couldn't help but exclaim.

"How do they look...?"

The skirt was a beautiful blue, the same color as her eyes.

The waist was cinched with a belt for ease of movement, and the long sleeves were kept simple with minimal decoration.

The appearance was modest, but the fabric, according to the seamstress, was "the kind that nobles would choose," making it extremely high-quality.

Anyone who knew would recognize the quality.

"They suit you well. ——Actually, I wanted to have a dress made too."

"A dress? I don't need one. I have no use for it."

Ravia answered with a shy smile, but the shop assistant said seriously,

"I understand why you would want to give such a beautiful young lady a dress."

The thought of buying it crossed his mind, but a calm part of him considered what to do when they left Scalarzard.

"But it would be too hot to wear at this time of year."

"It's for winter."

Ravia changed back into her original dress, looking a bit disappointed.

Hikaru ordered a few more sets of clothes for her to wear during the long winter.

The clothes would be delivered to their home later, and they went outside.

"Do you have anything you want to buy, Hikaru?"

"Yeah, but it's not much of a shopping trip for two... I want to get some weapons and armor."

The equipment Hikaru was using was bought in Pound. Now that he had some extra money, he wanted to get something better if possible.

"Wow... it's bigger than I thought."

There was only one store in Scalarzard that sold weapons and armor. There were several workshops, but the sales were centralized in one place.

The separation of manufacturing and sales began a few years ago.

The citizens of the Federation tended to buy only from their own country, so the stores were centralized, and the workshop names were hidden to eliminate bias.

This policy was initiated by the Chief Minister Zephir during her time as a bureaucrat and implemented after she became a minister.

Long swords and great swords lined the walls. The names were hidden, and only wooden tags with the material and price were displayed.

There were also bows and arrows on other shelves.

Throwing knives were available too.

Small swords — there were a few, but not many.

"They are more like secondary weapons."

Most were used in conjunction with long or great swords, and they were designed to be lightweight.

This made Hikaru worry about their durability.

"I want something that will last a long time..."

He noticed a corner marked "Used Items."

There were well-used items like great swords with chipped blades and maces with leather handles that had come off. The prices were very low.

"Hmm?"

His attention was drawn to something — more like his gaze was pulled.

"Hikaru, what's that? It has a rather unique design."

"..."

The small sword he picked up was a

"short sword."

The blade was about 50 centimeters long and curved.

The guard and handle resembled a Japanese katana, but there were subtle differences — the motifs were different. Instead of chrysanthemums or family crests, they were lions from this world.

The blade, when drawn from the scabbard, was slightly cloudy, having been neglected for a long time.

(...It has a faint magical aura.)

The "Magic Detection" spell reacted. Magical devices like Revolver also had a magical reaction. Could this short sword be a magical device?

"Hikaru!"

The voice came from the students of the great sword lecture.

Ravia, noticing Roye, quickly hid behind Hikaru.

"Ah... I'm sorry for that."

Roye also noticed Ravia and apologized first.

"What's going on? Roye, did you do something?"

"A, u..."

"It's a personal matter. Roye, it's all in the past. ——Ravia, these rough guys are students from the great sword lecture."

"Ah, I see. You are ——no need to say more."

Before the Jarakaz student could say anything, Ravia linked her arm with Hikaru's.

"Hikaru, you're not one to be overlooked! You're taking such a sexy instructor's lecture."

"Sexy...?"

Hikaru wanted to deny it strongly, but the arm linked with his felt like it was squeezing him, making him catch his breath.

"Ravia...?"

"By the way, I haven't heard much about the small sword lecture... Is the instructor a young woman?"

"Freezing cold voice."

"Yes, but that woman has no charm at all ——"

"I will attend the lectures. I will start from tomorrow."

"Ravia...?"

"I will attend."

She glared at the students, who seemed to be saying something unnecessary.

"Mirei is quite sexy, isn't she?"

"Oh, those thighs are something else."

"Even in Jarakaz, it's hard to find a woman like that."

They were saying whatever they wanted.

Notice it. Notice the frozen air.

He wanted to say something, but the atmosphere didn't allow it.

"Hikaru, are you going to buy that weapon?"

Roye changed the topic completely.

"Ah, yeah... I'm just a bit interested."

"It's a unique design, but can you handle it?"

"Being single-edged and focusing more on cutting rather than thrusting compared to other small swords, I think I need to be careful. According to my knowledge... the strength should be excellent."

"Hmm. The small swords in this store are quite thin."

"You know a lot, Roye."

When Hikaru expressed genuine admiration,

"This guy, after being beaten by Hikaru's small sword, did a lot of research. He even visited this store to study the weapons. But he kept complaining that 'none of the small swords are like the one Hikaru has'..."

"Hey, don't say that!"

Roye turned red and denied it.

"What? Are you a fan of mine?"

"Wh-What!? No way! What are you thinking!?"

Roye was fuming.

(A tsundere guy... no, that's not it.)

Hikaru nodded, and

"Hey, this is a copy of something excavated from Tsabra. I'm sure of it."

Roye said.

"Copy? Do they make such weapons in Tsabra?"

"Not exactly. It's from an excavation. There are Tsabra workshops in Scalarzard, but you won't find weapons like this among the new items. I once saw a catalog of artifacts excavated from Tsabra, and there was a weapon with this shape."

"Is there a possibility that this short sword is the real artifact?"

"Probably not. The country would manage it strictly."

"Hmm."

Hikaru drew the short sword again.

The hamon was clearly visible. Could a mere copy be this good?

(The forging techniques of Japanese swords are supposed to be special and advanced. If a reincarnated person made it, that's almost certain, but why did the technique become obsolete? ...I don't know.)

Hikaru stopped thinking about it for now.

There should be a cause and effect, but sometimes you can't figure it out no matter how much you speculate, and sometimes the cause turns out to be something trivial.

"Let's buy it for now."

Hikaru decided to buy it and paid 10,000 Gil.

"Ravia, do you want to buy anything?"

"...I'll buy a small sword too."

"You might want to reconsider."

"I'll buy one."

"...Okay."

He chose a lighter one that Ravia could handle. The new ones were more expensive than the short sword, with the cheapest one costing 30,000 Gil. The one he bought for Ravia, which was 45,000 Gil, was lighter and more suitable for her.

When they left the store, the sun was high in the sky, and the Jarakaz students approached.

"I'm hungry. Hikaru, where are we eating?"

"...Why does it feel like we're going to eat together?"

"Of course we'll eat together. We always eat at the same tavern, don't we?"

"That's only because you guys follow me —"

"Don't say that!"

They put their arms around him.

It was too hot, so he tried to push them away, but another Jarakaz student came from the opposite side.

"Let's go! It's better to eat together!"

"Right, right!"

"...Are you guys just trying to interfere with our shopping?"

"Of course!"

They answered in unison with rough voices.

"In that case, Ravia, you can rest assured. We'll keep an eye on Hikaru, so he won't cheat on you."

"!? I, I'm not...!"

"As I've been saying, Mirei has no charm at all. There's no way he would cheat."

"Got it, got it. Then let's go to the usual 'Cheers'?"

When Hikaru tried to say, "Not really,"

"...Hikaru, you've been going to different places for lunch every day, haven't you?"

"What do I do! Ravia is angry again!"

"It's a fact, so there's nothing I can do..."

"Don't try to run away!"

The students, in sync, moved away from Hikaru, or rather from Ravia.

Their teamwork was impressive.

After that, despite Hikaru's suggestion to reconsider, Ravia insisted, and they ended up having lunch at "Cheers" (open all year).

There, Mirei (drunk) and Ravia met for the first time. When Hikaru snapped at the drunk Mirei, she retorted, "It's a holiday, isn't it!" Hikaru sighed and said, "There's no charm at all..." but Mirei, for some reason, became more interested in Hikaru.

After lunch, Hikaru and Ravia used "Group Block" to shake off the pursuers. They could hear voices of resentment: "Damn, where did they go!?", "I'll call the country's people to search!", "We won't let them escape, especially not Hikaru!", "Rumania will