Chapter 43: Second Week Weekend

“…In recognition of these achievements, the Central Knights Headquarters awards the Honorary Merit Medal to Cadet Gerard of the 888th Class of the Academy. Presented by Yamad Leonhardt, Commander of the Central Knights, on behalf of the Great Frey Central Knights Headquarters.”

“Thank you.”

As I saluted in knightly courtesy, Deputy Commander Eren Burke stepped down from the podium and stood before me.

“Well done, Gerard.”

He offered brief praise and pinned the medal to my chest.

A thunderous wave of applause and cheers erupted from behind.

Clap clap clap──!

One by one, Ivan and Yuria received their medals.

Rodrig, the personnel officer hosting the ceremony, proceeded to the next segment.

[Ahh. Next, we will have the awardees acceptance speeches. Awardees, please step forward.]

I stepped up first.

Step, step.

The auditorium was filled with cadets.

An event that was not just special but unprecedented.

Perhaps that was why.

From the 890th class to the 888th, and even the 887th class, busy preparing for graduation, all attended the ceremony, watching me.

I met their gazes, one by one.

Their varied emotions flew toward me.

Some looked at me with curiosity.

Others with admiration and respect.

Some with envy, and next to them, others with jealousy and resentment.

Among them were those who openly displayed hostility and distrust.

A thought suddenly struck me.

Would there ever come a moment when all of them acknowledged me?

“Greetings. I am Gerard of the 888th class.”

I didn’t know.

But until that moment came, I had to do my best.

“I…”

I delivered my prepared speech and stepped back, making way for Yuria.

After that, I did nothing.

I stood still at the back until the ceremony ended, moving like a robot only at Rodrig’s cues.

The medal around my neck felt stifling, and just as the tedious ceremony drew to a close, the real ordeal began.

Ivan, Yuria, and I had to bow repeatedly until our necks and backs ached.

Nobles from the VIP seats came to meet us.

Among them were knights from the Central Knights and mages from the Special Magic Corps.

They threw all sorts of questions at us with curiosity.

They lingered especially long with Yuria, and I caught the word “Magic Swordsman…” mentioned here and there.

It seemed rumors about yesterday’s exam had already spread.

Hmm.

I just wanted it to end quickly.

My neck was about to cramp.

And from smiling too much, the muscles around my mouth were trembling.

But what could I do?

With a face like mine, if I wanted to leave even a slightly good impression on people I’d see again, I had to smile hard.

I was exhausting myself for a future that wasn’t even guaranteed when, out of nowhere, Rodrig, the personnel officer, approached us.

He was accompanied by a man I’d never seen before.

“Greetings. I’m Luslo from Royal Dream.”

He was a journalist from Royal Dream, here to cover the villain’s intrusion and this award ceremony.

“Having heard of your renowned deeds, I was eager to meet you all. If it weren’t for the three of you, the Empire might have fallen into a perilous crisis due to the schemes of that faction. No, I firmly believe it would have.”

Renowned deeds? Hardly.

But he lavished praise on us as if his tongue were coated with gold dust.

Well, we were cadets who’d received the Honorary Merit Medal, after all.

Who knew what organizations we’d join later or what stories and sources we’d bring?

From Luslo’s perspective, building a connection with us could only be advantageous.

And, to be fair, we did save the Empire from a crisis.

“But I hear there are some intriguing rumors circulating within the Academy.”

It seemed his purpose wasn’t solely the ceremony.

“Something about a Magic Swordsman…”

As he spoke, Luslo kept glancing to my right.

Yuria was sitting there.

“Could we perhaps discuss that in detail as well?”

Now he was openly addressing Yuria.

I glanced at the personnel officer standing behind.

Her expression was neutral.

This had been arranged beforehand.

Given that the rumor was already spreading publicly, it made sense for the Academy to capitalize on it, tying it to the ceremony for an article.

It would benefit Yuria as well, of course.

“How can I assist you?”

Surprisingly, Yuria, who had been expressionless until now, nodded willingly.

Luslo’s face lit up with a wide smile.

“Haha! Thank you. I’ll just ask a few questions, and all you need to do is answer.”

“Alright.”

“Then, my first question. When did you, Yuria, start practicing magic…?”

And so, the day passed in a whirlwind.

The moment I woke up in the morning, I unfolded the newspaper.

[Frey Academy Reclaims Honorary Merit Medal After 17 Years]

The article roughly detailed how the Academy Trio defeated villains who infiltrated the campus, earning the Honorary Merit Medal from the Central Knights.

The next page was a solo feature on Yuria.

[One of the Trio and Recipient of the Honorary Merit Medal, She Is Actually the Heir of the Magic Sword!?]

I choked on my breath as I read it.

“Cough! Cough! What? Magic Sword?”

The Magic Sword was the moniker for Sigaro Isaac, a Royal Knight.

Naturally, Yuria had no connection or ties to Sigaro.

Yet, they called her his heir.

“…Is this okay?”

How a journalist writes an article is their prerogative, so I had no right to complain.

But dragging a Royal Knight—especially someone like Sigaro Isaac—into this felt like crossing a line.

Hmm. He seemed like a decent guy, despite his appearance, with a nice gaze and voice.

Oh well, it’s not like anything major will come of it.

Regardless, the impact of a solo article would be significant.

Knights, mages, royalty, nobles.

Today, everyone would likely mention Yuria’s name at least once.

“Is she going to end up more famous than me?”

A chuckle escaped me.

If Yuria became famous, it would be good for me too.

If she drew attention, my name would inevitably come up.

That would boost my reputation as well.

And if I could hide behind that growing fame, I’d gradually slip further from suspicion as a thief.

“Nice. Not bad.”

If things kept going this way, it’d be great.

After finishing my usual dawn routine, I immediately prepared to head out.

There were no lectures since it was the weekend, but I had an appointment.

My appointment was with Yuria, the biggest beneficiary of today’s Royal Dream article.

“Hey. Over here.”

In front of the women’s dormitory gate.

I waved as I spotted Yuria coming out.

Seeing me, Yuria rushed over, her hair fluttering.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why? I could’ve come to you.”

“I realized that every time we do something, you’re always the one waiting for me first. So.”

“I do it because I want to.”

She said that, but the slight upturn of her lips showed she wasn’t displeased.

“Let’s go.”

We headed toward our destination.

As we walked, I stole a glance at Yuria’s profile.

Her usual expressionless face had a subtle flush on her cheeks.

Her steps were lighter than usual.

Maybe she had a good dream?

But then again, she had every reason to be in a good mood.

The day before yesterday, she was granted permission to study magic.

Yesterday, she received a medal at the ceremony.

Today, her name was in a major daily newspaper.

And now, she was on her way to select a Vision, to learn the magic she’d longed for.

On the path to the Vault.

Two people were waiting for us.

One was Chaser Idna, a martial arts professor.

The other was Ronica Jasmine, a psychology professor.

In Heroes of Frey, mentor professors didn’t teach classes but guided cadets’ training, offered advice, corrections, care, and counseling—a mix of a modern homeroom teacher and a drill instructor.

There were three per department.

Ronica Jasmine was the mentor professor for the elemental branch of the Psychology Department.

The moment she saw Yuria, her eyes sparkled, and she approached quickly.

“Wow! You’re Yuria, right? You’re really pretty!”

“Uh, thank you…”

“I saw your photo in Royal Dream, but you look so much better in person! So much. Like, waaay better!”

“…”

“Are you even human? No, don’t take it the wrong way—I just mean, how can a person look like this? You’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen! Heehee.”

I felt it.

Yuria’s body stiffening beside me.

That’s right.

Ronica Jasmine, who loved all things flashy.

Her over-the-top enthusiasm came without warning.

“I was so disappointed I couldn’t attend the verification or the ceremony because of a business trip! But I’m so glad to meet you like this.”

I looked at the scene with pity.

Well, I knew Ronica’s personality, so I’d vaguely anticipated this.

Maybe I should’ve warned Yuria.

But salvation came from an unexpected source.

“Goddamn, enough already. Enough.”

Ronica’s eyes flared as she turned around.

Chaser, the squinting professor, was standing there, smirking.

“What did you say?”

“I said enough. Can’t you see she’s uncomfortable?”

“Hah! The only thing that can’t see is your buttonhole-sized eyes!”

“W-What did you say?”

Flustered by Ronica’s sudden counter, Chaser faltered.

Soon, the two started bickering loudly, heedless of onlookers.

Who would think they were esteemed Academy professors?

They looked more like a couple masquerading as friends.

Which was why…

Ugh, what an eyesore.

Should we just go in ourselves? I glanced at Yuria.

“…”

Why was she looking at them with envy?

Shortly after, Ivan and his mentor, Asuka Raymond, arrived at the meeting point, finally putting an end to their lovers’ quarrel.

We all passed through the Vault’s main gate together.

The Secret Tome Yuria chose this time was [Freeze], a water-attribute magic.

Water-attribute magic generally excelled in utility compared to other attributes, with its effectiveness varying greatly depending on the caster.

That was why I strongly recommended [Freeze].

Given Yuria’s talent in both magic and swordsmanship, she’d likely integrate [Freeze] into her swordplay in her own unique way.

Chaser and Ronica didn’t object to my suggestion.

Well, there was a small fuss when Ronica suggested another Vision, [Echoes of Memory].

But,

“Freeze.”

“No, Yuria, hear me out. Freeze is great. It’s good! But ‘Echoes of Memory’ shortens the process of casting spells, making it ideal for use with swordsmanship…”

“No. I’ll go with Freeze.”

Ronica raised the white flag at Yuria’s firmness.

Soon, the Vault building appeared before us after passing through the forest.

A librarian was waiting at the entrance, and following his guidance, we each retrieved our Visions.

As discussed in the Vice-Dean’s office, I took [Lion Sword], Ivan took [Royal Swordsmanship, Latter Half], and Yuria took [Freeze].

After selecting our Visions, we saw off the two mentor professors who had completed their duties.

“What’s Professor Chaser doing after this?”

“Sorry, I’ve got a prior engagement. Let’s eat later, Ronica.”

“Hah! I was just asking. Why would I eat with you? Ridiculous.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The two professors bickered even as they parted ways.

Ivan left with Asuka Raymond for training, and the same went for us.

We ate and trained.

And somehow, the long second week came to an end.

“Ugh. I’m exhausted.”

I collapsed onto the bed, slowly reflecting on the past two weeks.

Looking back, there were regrets and moments where I wondered if I could’ve done things differently.

By reviewing, I devised a few contingency plans for similar situations in the future.

Then I looked in the mirror.

It had been a while.

No, I looked in the mirror every day.

But closely examining the reflection, the person staring back, felt like it had been a long time.

Name: Gerard

Age: 30

Occupation: Thief / Cadet of Frey Academy, 888th Class

Level: 38

Strength: 42

Agility: 65

Stamina: 39

Mental Fortitude: 53

Traits ─ Versatile / Instinct / Endurance / Memory and Understanding / Coolheadedness / Sharp Perception / Gaius’s Insight

My level had risen significantly.

A whopping four levels.

From the Cemetery hunting spree to completing missions and the one-on-one battle with the Head Collector, Cave.

I had a feeling that one more mission would push me to the next level.

Next week was already the third week…

“…If things follow the original story, those events will unfold.”

Then I didn’t need to prepare separately for growth.

With that sorted, I moved on to reviewing my Visions.

In the past few days, the number of Visions I could wield had grown.

When I acquired the intermediate thievery skill [Dagger Shift], I brought back ten Secret Tomes.

I could’ve taken more, and thanks to my [Versatile] trait, I could learn and use them all.

But since I’d only frequently use a select few in operations or combat, I carefully chose ten practical and exceptional ones.

“If I need more, I can always go back and get them.”

The Vault had become like a snack box I could dip into whenever I felt like it.

Anyway.

Let’s list the Visions I currently possessed──

Among attribute-based magic, fire-attribute magic, unrivaled in offensive power, included [Spatial Explosion], [Flame Surge], and [Ignition], totaling three.

Lightning-attribute magic, destructive and fast, included [Thunderbolt] and [Lightning Slash], totaling two.

For defense, earth-attribute magic, unmatched in its category, included [Tectonic Shift] and [Rock’s Protection], totaling two.

Water-attribute magic, unparalleled in utility, included [Water Prison] and [Freeze], totaling two.

The last was wind-attribute magic, strong in quick casting, with [Gust].

Additionally, lifestyle magic [Telekinesis], martial art [Backstep], swordsmanship [Royal Swordsmanship] (both parts), and [Lion Sword].

Plus five lesser thievery skills and the intermediate thievery skill [Dagger Shift].

Honestly, in terms of Vision count, I could rival a mage-level magician.

“This should keep me from falling behind anywhere.”

Good.

With the cult’s terrorism starting in the third week, I didn’t need to worry about leveling.

If I could maintain this momentum, not only could I overcome death flags, but surviving between the cult and the Academy didn’t seem impossible.

…For exactly seven hours.

The next morning, I received shocking news from Luis.

[What’s the mission?]

[Terrorism.]

[No, I mean, the target. Who’s the target?]

[It’s you, Gerard.]

I stared at Luis with a dumbfounded expression.

And asked again.

[Gerard?]

[Yes.]

[As in, the Gerard from the 888th class?]

[Yes.]

[The one who just received the Honorary Merit Medal?]

[Yes.]

[…So, me?]

Luis nodded with a heavy expression.

I let out a dry laugh and rubbed my face.

So, what he’s saying is…

They’re telling me to terrorize myself.

“Of all things.”

This is insane, really.

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