Chapter 78

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

---

Ravia began attending the small sword lectures. Mirei, with a despondent look, muttered, "To think that there would be more meticulous students than Hikaru..." The students who occasionally showed up for the great sword lectures, with a determined look, declared, "If they start showing affection even here, we'll show them what we're made of!" However, as usual, they couldn't land a single blow on Hikaru and ended up exhausted.

Ravia, for her part,

"......I, I'm......attending the lecture......properly......"

was lying flat on the ground, panting heavily. She had done two hours of basic training, mimicking Hikaru's movements.

"Ravia, you joining without building up your basic stamina was indeed reckless."

"I, I do have......stamina......"

On her Soul Board, she had only one point in "Stamina," which meant that was all she had. This training, which required repeated bursts of energy, was different from the long-distance walking or running she had done on her journey, and she was completely worn out.

"Ravia, can you walk? It's better to go home and rest."

"......I don't think I can......"

She tried to get up, but even a slight movement of her arms made it impossible for her to even roll over.

Seeing this, Hikaru went to her side,

"——What, what!?"

and picked her up in a princess carry.

"Let's go home."

"H, Hikaru, um, I......"

"Even if you say it's embarrassing, I can't leave you here. It's not far, so just bear with it a little."

"H, Hikaru is tired too......right?"

"Ravia is light."

"Ugh......"

Ravia buried her face in Hikaru's chest, blushing.

Seeing this, the students of the great sword lectures and Roye, who were also lying flat on the ground, exhausted, began to grumble.

"Damn it! Why here! Why do they get so close here!"

"They're finishing us off!"

"I've realized... I can't beat Hikaru..."

Ignoring them, Hikaru called out to Mirei.

"Excuse me."

"Ah, sure—see you at lunch!"

"It's not lunch, it's drinks..."

"Both! Food with drinks, drinks with food. Still, I wish someone would carry me like that..."

"I don't think that will happen for someone who calls food 'rice.'"

"Huh? Actually, there are a lot of people who like a blunt Mirei. Maybe you just can't see it, Hikaru?"

"Maybe. The students from Jalarazak seem to find Mirei attractive."

Without waiting for Hikaru to say more, the students of the great sword lectures, who were wobbling to their feet, started shouting, "Instructor! Come into my arms!" "No, mine!" "Mine!"

"If you manage to land a hit on Hikaru,"

Mirei added, needlessly egging them on. Hikaru, not interested in their banter, quickly left the scene.

"......Hikaru"

"Hmm?"

In his arms, Ravia asked,

"Why does Hikaru have so much stamina? Did you put points into 'Stamina' on your Soul Board?"

"No, my 'Stamina' is still at zero."

"Really?"

"I've been training on my own to build up my basic stamina, and I've also learned techniques that don't require much stamina."

At first, Hikaru had been using all his strength to dodge the great sword attacks. With a 'Burst' of 2 on his Soul Board, he could move quite fast. However, this method was very draining.

He learned to dodge attacks with minimal movement and to disrupt the opponent's balance. This is how he had been outmaneuvering the students in the great sword lectures.

"......Can I do that too?"

"Ravia, you don't need to learn that. When you need to escape, use all your strength. You're a spirit mage, after all. Focus on not being found."

Well, that's how I usually operate too, Hikaru added.

"Ravia, you should also consider a stealthy approach... Ravia?"

He realized she had fallen asleep.

"......You've been trying hard, even though you've been a shut-in for so long."

Looking at her sleeping face, Hikaru smiled. He would take her home and put her to bed, and leave a glass of water on the bedside table in case she woke up thirsty. If this training could make Ravia healthier, the small sword lectures might be quite useful.

"By the way—League wasn't at today's lecture, was he?"

Ravia was still asleep, so Hikaru put her to bed and went to "Cheers to Alcohol" alone for a meal. The students of the great sword lectures also came, looking worn out. When he asked Roye about League,

"......League is a green demon. I can't keep track of everything he does."

His tone suggested a hint of inferiority. Incidentally, the other red-haired youth from the adventurer guild was back at his family home in Romania. Roye didn't seem to get along well with the other Romanian students.

"What? Are you worried about League, Hikaru?"

"Yeah, League was walking with about six girls the other day."

Casually mentioning this, the students of the great sword lectures jumped up. However, Roye, with a matter-of-fact expression, said,

"Of course. He's from the leading clan in Romania. The girls come to him."

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......"

Hikaru and the students, looking dejected, sat down.

"Why are you sulking, Hikaru! You're the winner!"

"Right! Introduce us to some girls too!"

"That won't bring bad luck. In fact, why haven't you introduced us before? You're a jerk!"

"Jerk! Scum!"

"Right, scum!"

Hikaru was subjected to unwarranted criticism.

After lunch, Hikaru went to check on Ravia, but she was still asleep, so he went to the library alone. He would have preferred to have Ravia, who used the library daily, show him around, but he could do that another time. Students could enter freely.

First, he saw a large circular hall with reading desks. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a complex maze of bookshelves was built on the second floor, which was open to the sky.

"Wow... How are the books classified? Can I even find the ones I'm looking for?"

As Hikaru muttered, an elderly librarian approached.

"What book are you looking for?"

"Ah, um... I want to know about the relics of Tsubra."

"Hmm. Then this way."

Hikaru followed the librarian, who looked like a butler, up to the second floor and into the depths of the maze. Where the light from outside couldn't reach, magical lamps were lit. The shelves were filled with books of various sizes. There were ancient books made of parchment and books printed on plant paper. All were protected by leather covers, which seemed to be the standard for books in this world.

"These are the books related to the relics of Tsubra."

"......Wow."

In front of him was a bookshelf with ten rows. "Study of the Metal Box from Tsubra," "Distribution of Relic Discovery Sites," "Map of the Canarhand Ruins"—the topics were diverse and seemed to be unorganized.

"Um..."

"Yes?"

"Is there something like a 'catalog' of the relics? Where can I find it?"

"......I'm sorry, but could you show me your Soul Card or Guild Card?"

"Why do you need to see that?"

"The catalog of relics exists, but there are restrictions on viewing it."

"Restrictions? But the Romanian students can see it?"

"Perhaps that Romanian student is from a prominent clan?"

"I don't know if he's prominent or not. His name is Roye."

"Ah, one of the major clans."

It seemed Roye came from a good family.

"......I'm not from the Forestia Union."

"I see. In that case, I'm afraid I can't show it to you."

"Can't you make an exception?"

"I'm afraid not. It's a rule."

"Where is the book, then?"

"I can't tell you that either."

Hikaru inwardly sighed in frustration. If he knew where the book was, he could use "Stealth" to read it.

"Ugh......"

"Unfortunately, this is as far as I can guide you on the relics of Tsubra. If you have no other questions, I'll be on my way—"

"Wait a moment."

The voice was not Hikaru's. The librarian, surprised, turned around.

"Welcome... What brings you to such a place?"

Hikaru was also surprised.

"Please show this boy the catalog. I give you permission."

The speaker was the dean, who was from Tsubra. Before Hikaru could get to the "catalog" he was interested in, the dean appeared.