Chapter 15: Interlude – Spring

The day after my sparring match with Professor Kane, I sat on a quiet bench along a secluded path rarely visited by cadets, thinking back on the duel.

He’s strong. That was my honest assessment, and it was just as I had expected.

Professor Kane possessed a level of skill far beyond that of the average cadets I had fought since my return to the past. Still, he wasn’t unbeatable. In fact, a part of me had even thought if that was all he amounted to.

It was kind of absurd, considering I had lost. However, the reason for my defeat wasn’t a lack of skill or experience; it was the overwhelming gap in our mana reserves.

Still, I managed to hold my own. That’s something.

I had forced Professor Kane to activate his blessing. That alone was a satisfying enough outcome. At the very least, it proved that all those years I had spent training alone in a ruined world weren’t for nothing.

However, I could not use most of my techniques. Naturally, the swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and magic that heroes used were designed considering the usage of mana. Without mana, I would just be mimicking them, like a model dish displayed outside a restaurant, visually similar but ultimately empty.

Right now, with my current mana, I can fully utilize only a few techniques.

At best, I could use Sky Flip, a technique that turned the enemy’s strength against them. Even that would’ve been far more powerful if I had the mana to back it up.

I clicked my tongue and let out a frustrated sigh. “So, it all comes down to mana again.”

Suddenly, a frightened voice rang behind me. “D-did I do something wrong?”

Oh, yes, I had almost forgotten he was here. While I was lost in thought, my “friend” had been diligently massaging my shoulders.

I turned to him. “Hey, your hands feel weaker than before.”

“I-I haven’t eased up at all,” he said.

“Oh? So, I imagined it?”

“N-no! That’s not what I meant!”

“Then what is it?” I asked.

Jules bent over with a panicked expression, clearly flustered. “S-sorry! My bad!”

I chuckled and gave him a pat on the back. “Haha. I’m just messing with you. Can’t a guy joke around with his friend a little?”

“Y-yeah.”

“By the way, it’s been almost a week, right? Did you get the money?”

Jules immediately flinched. His face showed he had gone through hell trying to gather that one million gold.

In a trembling voice, he said, “I-I think I can get it by tomorrow!”

“Think?”

“N-no! I will get it! I promise!”

“Good, good. Thanks, man. That couldn’t have been easy.”

“I-it’s for a friend, after all,” he said.

“Damn right!” I replied.

Gathering a million gold in under a week for a friend? That was heartwarming enough to bring a tear to my eye. Helping each other when times were tough, that was what real friends did.

This is what friendship’s all about, I thought with a smile.

Jules must have felt the same, judging by his watery red eyes.

“Anyway, shall we grab lunch?” I said.

“Y-yeah! Should I get your usual from the store?”

“Sure. But let’s make it special today. Grab one of those sausage buns. Gotta mark the occasion.”

“On it!” Jules quickly turned and sprinted toward the campus store.

Seeing how fast he moved, I could tell our bond of friendship was very deep. As I leaned back on the bench, relaxing and waiting for Jules, a soft chime rang out, followed by a holographic message.

Iris: Would you like to have lunch together if you’re free?

I didn’t hesitate for even a second before messaging her back.

Dale: Sounds great. Where are you?

Iris: The main building cafeteria.

That was the high-end dining area, mainly frequented by nobles and kids from elite conglomerate families. I had never been there in my previous life; the prices were jaw-droppingly high. Furthermore, I was about to blow through a million gold on research funding tomorrow. Though it was not my money, it was still a million gold.

Before I could respond, Iris messaged again, offering an explanation.

Iris: You prepared food for me during the last outdoor training, so I’ll cover lunch today.

Dale: On my way.

With that, I bolted off toward the main building, where my former lover was waiting.

God, she is already pretty and kind, and now she is offering to buy me lunch? As expected, our Saintess is the best!

Suddenly, I slowed down. “Wait a minute!”

It felt like I was forgetting something, but I brushed the thought aside and picked up the pace. Eh, it’s probably nothing important.

***

I arrived to find Iris and Camilla already seated, having saved me a spot at their table. They waved at me.

“Ah, over here, Dale!”

“This way.”

I looked around. “So, this is the main building cafeteria, huh?”

“Is this your first time here?” Iris asked.

“Yeah.”

I sat down and glanced around again. The place looked more like a hotel restaurant than a school cafeteria, with an elegant interior, ambient lighting, and fragrant candles on every table.

“It’s been a while since I’ve eaten here, too,” Iris said.

“Oh, right. Don’t you usually have meals prepared by the chef from the Holy Empire?” I replied.

“Yes.”

She turned down a professionally prepared meal just to eat here with me? I thought.

“Hmph. Consider yourself honored. It’s rare for Milady to invite someone to dine with her.” Camilla chimed in.

“Well, I’m truly honored to be part of this sacred banquet.” I stood and bowed exaggeratedly.

Iris flailed her hands in embarrassment and hurriedly said, “P-please don’t do that! And Camilla, stop saying weird stuff!”

“Haha. Still, thanks to you, I get to see this place.”

“Do you usually eat at the annex cafeteria, Dale?” Iris asked.

“Nah, I usually just grab something from the store.”

She frowned a little. “The store? I heard those store meals aren’t very healthy.”

“Yeah, but they’re cheap and quick.”

She didn’t look pleased. Arms crossed, brow furrowed, until suddenly, she said, “Then… why don’t you start having lunch with us from now on?”

Camilla’s expression twisted in shock. “M-Milady? That might not be such a good idea.”

“Why not? It’s just one more person.” Iris rebutted.

“T-that’s not the issue.”

“Then what is the issue?”

Camilla looked cornered by Iris’s question, unsure how to answer. It wasn’t that making an extra meal was difficult. The real issue was that the Saintess of the Holy Empire would be having lunch every day with an unknown male cadet.

Before they argued any further, I gently shook my head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll eat separately.”

Having lunch with Iris every day was tempting, sure, but right now, I had too much to do. Moreover, it wasn’t the right time yet. Even meals felt like a waste of time right now.

Iris proposed an alternative. “Hmm!Ah, then how about this? We eat together just once a week, on Mondays, after the Practical Combat Training class.”

“That… I think I can manage,” I said. A single lunch per week wasn’t too much to ask. There was no reason to refuse.

Iris expectantly turned to Camilla. “He says he can join us.”

Camilla reluctantly gave in, realizing there was no stopping it. “Fine. I’ll inform the chef.”

Iris looked at me. “So, Mondays it is?”

“Alright,” I replied.

“Woohoo! Sweet!”

“Hmm?” I looked at her.

“Ahem. I didn’t say anything,” Iris replied.

“No, you totally—”

“I said nothing. Got that?”

“Uh, okay,” I said. Sure, let’s just leave it at that.

I changed the topic. “Anyway, let’s eat.”

“Yes! Just follow me!”

The main building cafeteria was buffet-style, so we each grabbed a plate and headed toward the food stations. I was left amazed as I looked at the spread before me. Whoa! What is all this?

Every dish there looked mouthwatering.

“From here to there is the Holy Empire’s cuisine, that section is the Empire’s, and over there is Republic-style food,” Iris explained.

“Everything looks amazing. I don’t even know where to start,” I said.

“Want me to recommend some Holy Empire dishes?”

“Uh! I’ll pass.”

“W-what? Why?” Iris asked.

Come on. Everyone on the continent knows Holy Empire-style food is terrible, I thought.

As if she had read my thoughts, Iris said, “There are good ones too, you know!”

“Better than ramen?” I asked.

“T-that’s…” Iris looked away.

Even factory-made instant food won over their traditional cuisine. What kind of place was the Holy Empire?

Iris pointed to the food stations. “Anyway! Since you eat junk food from the store all the time, try something healthy today!”

“That’s harsh,” I replied.

As I was being dragged around, picking food for my plate, a crowd of female cadets had gathered at one end of the buffet, chattering.

Curious, I turned to look toward them. “Yuren?”

It wasn’t a popular dish they were crowding around; it was a person, a young man with golden hair that gleamed like sunlight. Golden hair, golden eyes, snow-white skin, and an effortlessly noble aura—the man looked so stunning and gorgeous that he could be mistaken for a woman.

This man was my former teacher, the man who had passed down the Sun Sword Style to me, and my closest friend—Yuren Helios.

I could hear the female cadets fawning over him.

“Ah, Sir Yuren! Going for Holy Empire-style food today?”

“Do you have a favorite dish? Our family recently hired a famous Republic chef.”

“I have some rare wine that would pair well with your meal. Would you like some?”

Yuren said nothing, ignoring the crowd as he quietly filled his plate.

Iris saw that I was staring at him and said, “Hmm? Oh, he’s the heir of House Helios. Do you know him, Dale?”

Do I know him, huh? I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. “I just heard of his name before.”

It was not the time to meet Yuren again. Before I stand in front of him once more, I have to be strong enough that I can hold my head high. Still, damn. He’s as popular as ever.

Unlike Jules, who only attracted clueless freshmen, Yuren enticed cadets who were clearly highborn, dripping with nobility.

Well, of course. He’s got the looks and the family background, and he’s topped every evaluation since admission. How could he not be popular? I thought.

Iris broke me out of my reverie. “Dale?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry.”

“What were you thinking about?” she asked.

“Just… Wow, he really is, as the rumor says, good-looking.”

Iris glanced over at Yuren, then let out a soft cough. “He is handsome, but not my type.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m not into those ‘sculpted by the gods’ types,” she said.

To hear that from someone who looked exactly like she had been sculpted by the gods, it was quite the irony.

“So, what’s your type then?” I asked.

“Someone more rough around the edges. Like a weed growing out of the sidewalk. Natural, with life in their eyes. Hmmm, for example…” She brushed a lock of her soft pink hair aside and glanced at me. “Someone like you, Dale.”

That made me do a double-take. Wait a minute!

“Did you just say I look like a weed?” I asked.

“No!” she replied.

“That’s kinda insulting, don’t you think?”

She tried to explain herself. “T-that’s not what I meant!”

However, I didn’t give her the chance. “Never thought I’d be called a weed in my life.”

“You jerk! That’s not what I meant at all!” Iris shouted, flustered and red in the face, while I laughed.

“Let’s just go eat already!” I followed her to the table, sneaking one last glance at Yuren.

Iris. Yuren. And somewhere in the academy, Berald and Senior Sophia, whom I have yet to meet. I’ve really come back, haven’t I? I wasn’t sure why that realization struck me now, over a week since my regression.

It was a March afternoon, and winter was finally ending. Soon, spring would come knocking.

***

Back at the empty bench, a golden-haired boy ran up, huffing furiously. He was soaked in sweat, clutching several loaves of bread. “D-Dale! I got the sausage bread, just like you asked!”

Jules looked around, calling for Dale, but there was no answer. “Did he go to the bathroom?”

Still holding all the bread, he sat down on the bench to wait. Thirty minutes, then one hour, and eventually, two hours passed. He waited until his stomach growled, and finally, he took a bite of the cold sausage bread. The taste, soaked in tears, was the bitter taste of life.

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