Chapter 18 – New Students are Busy

To put it simply, Deus and Nefertiti had missed the mark.

“Oh? Coffee? Ahaha. Thank you, Student Council President. And Deus-ssi. I’ll enjoy it.”

“But we already received quite a spread from Princess… ah, no, Luciel-ssi.”

“Coffee? Ah. We’re alright, so why don’t you bring some to the other teachers? Or you could head to the Repair Room. They’ll have their hands full with the Sealstones.”

Even while lying in a hospital bed, Luciel meticulously took care of those around her.

“As expected. Luciel-sunbae is so considerate.”

“Indeed. I hadn’t even thought of it.”

“Let’s think of it positively, sunbae. We’ll buy drinks for the other teachers. And bring coffee to the technicians in the Repair Room.”

Deus nodded in response to Nefertiti’s words.

Now all that remained on today’s schedule was visiting Luciel in the hospital.

“But, Mr. President.”

“Yes, *hoobae*-nim.”

“Luciel-*sunbae*-nim is a Radiant Adept, so why do you use a sword?”

The question that burned most in Deus’s mind, right after the sparring match had ended.

If one could not only spread light, but compress it too, then there were countless other paths available.

Why she stubbornly clung to the sword was beyond Deus’ comprehension.

“Huhu.”

Nepherti, with a fan veiling her lips, offered a smile.

“It’d be quicker to ask the person herself, wouldn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“Explaining it myself won’t necessarily make it easier to understand.”

Nepherti, having reached the sickroom, knocked and waited a moment.

And from within came a voice replying, “Come in.”

— *Click*

The door opens. A gust of wind rushes in, as the window was ajar.

And in that wind, the silver hair of the girl by the window shimmered like sunlight.

“Oh my, President. I didn’t expect you to visit in person.”

Luciel, seated on the bed and reading a book, greeted Nepherti.

“Hoh hoh hoh! Naturally, this *hoobae* would come directly— *Ugh!* “

*Thud* The Student Council President seemed used to it; she didn’t even look surprised.

Then, noticing Deus trailing behind, she shows a brief flicker of surprise.

“Deus-*hoobae*, too?”

“I came to see how you were feeling. A little late, perhaps.”

“Why bother coming? I only lost consciousness for a moment.”

Even as she spoke those words, she seemed genuinely grateful for the visit.

Luciel gestured for Nepherti and Deus to sit.

“Sit. It’s just a sickroom, so I’m sorry I don’t have much to offer.”

“Surely, we wouldn’t be upset by something like that. It’s alright, *sunbae*-nim.”

“I see.”

Luciel turned her head, gazing at Deus, who sat beside Nepherti.

“Deus-*hoobae*, are you alright?”

“Eh? Ah, yes, *sunbae*-nim. I’m perfectly fine.”

“That’s good. I was worried something might have happened to you.”

She was the one who was carried out, yet Luciel was more concerned for *him*.

Deus scratched the back of his head and finally parted his lips.

“So… How is your… body?”

He felt strangely awkward. He was the one who’d beaten her down, and now *he* was asking that?

Was this even right? But what could he do? He’d come to visit, so he had to say something.

“Pfth!”

“Huhu!”

The two girls burst into laughter at Deus’s hesitant demeanor.

That hulk, that man with the savage glint in his eyes, stammering like that.

A sight to induce some serious cognitive dissonance, wouldn’t you say?

“Like I said, I just lost consciousness from the impact. It’s nothing, really. Compared to the actual combat training I got from my master, this is manageable.”

Again, the two female students resumed their chatter, launching into the kind of gossiping women are known for.

Deus, stuck in the middle, could only sit there, feeling useless.

If he’d known it would be like this, he should have brought some dumbbells along.

“Ah. Just a moment, Senior. It seems something urgent has come up at the student council.”

Neferti said she’d be right back, and vanished out of the ward.

Of course, she didn’t forget to trip with a “Oof!” just before she left.

“…”

Hmm. Now it’s even more awkward. Heavens. Can a situation this uncomfortable even exist?

Alone with Luciel, Deus felt an even stronger yearning for his personal gym.

Where am I? Who am I? Shouldn’t I be working on leg day right now?

“That was a truly magnificent duel, Junior.”

Luciel, who had been silently watching Deus, spoke first.

“I never imagined I’d feel this kind of excitement from a junior… not even my master, or any of the seniors who graduated before me. Or the teachers, for that matter.”

“Well, I did my best.”

“Really?”

A peculiar smile played on the silver-haired beauty’s lips.

“Truly, you did your best? It didn’t quite seem that way to me?”

“…I sort of did my best.”

Alright. He *did* do his best. Though, if that was 100 percent of his power, then no, not really.

A friendly match and a fight for life couldn’t proceed in the same manner, could they? That was all it was.

“You should have gotten a letter of recommendation from Tiamat-sensei. She’s a bit childish, but she has a lot of support from the other teachers and would have joined in helping you.”

“As I mentioned, I believe I can achieve this through my own power, even without a recommendation.”

“Of course, you probably can. What I’m regretting is that I wanted to try working with you in the Dispatch Team starting this year, instead of waiting until next year.”

Right. Come to think of it, that woman was the leader of the Dispatch Team.

“I have a question about the Dispatch Team.”

“Go ahead.”

“Is it really possible to enter the Gates if you join the Dispatch Team?”

“Yes. Though, of course, there’s the condition that it’s only when the Dispatch Team is called out.”

He couldn’t stay cooped up in the Cradle for four years. He wanted to truly be active.

Sure, there were monster hunts during the practical training, but those were always conducted under the supervision of the teachers.

Deus didn’t want that; he wanted to clash with truly strong beings, for real.

“Hmm.”

Luciel tilted her head for a moment before continuing.

“Don’t be too impatient. Perhaps you’ll encounter a Gate sooner than you think.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You know that the Seal Stone was damaged because you and I clashed a bit too intensely, right?”

—Nod, nod.

“Thanks to you, there’s now a possibility of a Gate manifesting in the Cradle. Maybe the instructors will even have a meeting about using it to give the students practical experience.”

“It could be dangerous, though.”

“Which is why the opportunity will be given to only the ‘verified’ students. Nurturing all those with latent abilities is important, but discerning the exceptional prospects among them is one of the Cradle’s crucial tasks, too.”

In short, if the circumstances aligned, an opportunity might arrive sooner than expected.

Deus, having roughly understood, replied that he hoped so.

“Um. And. Just one more question, if you wouldn’t mind. Senior.”

“Anything.”

“This might… sound a little impudent.”

Luciel waved her hand as if to say it was fine, and Deus cleared his throat before continuing.

“Why do you insist on the sword?”

“Hmm?”

“Senior, you’re of the Radiance affinity, not the Weaponry one.”

Luciel nodded, confirming this.

“As far as I know, Radiance excels at scattering and dispersing light energy. But Senior, you’re also capable of focusing and compressing it into a single point.”

“…”

“Beyond concentration, you can even compress it. If that’s the case, there would be more effective, more useful forms it could take. Why restrict it solely to a sword? That question has been on my mind ever since that day.”

Was he too excited? Now that he’d said it, his voice sounded a bit rough.

She was a senior. A fourth-year. A daunting gap from a freshman’s perspective.

And on top of that, she was a princess, no less. He felt like he’d overstepped.

“…Deus, junior.”

Luciel’s voice was slightly subdued. She held out her hand.

A strand of light gathered there, only to shatter in a brittle *snap!* and scatter.

“As you said, junior. There’s no inherent reason to be tied to a sword. I heard that a lot at first, too.”

“…”

“But. I chose this path. I don’t regret it, and I won’t in the future. Do you know why?”

In that instant, Deus felt his heart begin to pound.

“Romance.”

“…!!”

“Why wield the sword? Why walk the path of the swordsman? That, right there, is my romance.”

Romance. Foolish, perhaps, yet nevertheless. An irresistibly magnificent word.

The reason why any man would nod his head, no matter what it entailed.

‘Ha.’

He barely managed to stifle the laughter threatening to burst forth.

Lest it be perceived as mockery. Lest he mar that romance in even the slightest way.

“That’s… admirable.”

“Is it? Thank you.”

One who chases romance. Leaving efficiency and strength behind.

Walking the path illuminated by the starlight they envisioned.

He wanted to help. He wanted to assist her. Somehow, by any means necessary.

“If, by any chance… if you ever need my assistance, please, come find me anytime.”

“I might not possess remarkable talent, but at least I can clear a path when one is blocked.

Be it by external forces, or something rooted within.”

The silver-haired woman smiled, nodding at the Avatar’s proposition.

“I never expected you to understand so readily. Others just looked at me, perplexed.”

“Because you are beautiful.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Blindingly so. Beautiful, Luciel-sunbae.”

Romance. What a romantic. Really, a properly magnificent sunbae.

Admiration spills out. No, beyond that, a sense of reverence.

Deus wore the brightest smile he had ever mustered.

“Th-Thank… you?”

Because of that, he missed the faint blush creeping across Luciel’s face.