By Zephyria 
In beginner swordsmanship class, we listened to a lecture on the mindset required for safe sparring, and during alchemy and camping classes, we sat around with the children and practiced making various camping tools from ingredients found in the wild.
Whether it was because there were only a hundred and twenty students in the same grade, or because Edwin Kiadris harbored a particular animosity towards me, or perhaps because Marianne Philodendore had spread rumors everywhere, all the fellow students who entered the class knew that I had reconciled with Edwin.
Despite this, instead of showing interest and asking questions, their warm reception of “That’s good, well done” and their subsequent change of topic warmed my heart.
As I sat there weaving a versatile vine net with my hands, looking at the faces of the children busy with chatter, I felt a strange sensation, as if I had become a woman spinning thread.
It was then that I realized again that I lacked manual dexterity. My net looked twice as clumsy as the others’, filling me with embarrassment.
“No, Mikael. Why are you tying the knots so tightly? You have to tie them a bit loosely so that when you pull this part, it shapes up like this.”
“…I thought I was tying them loosely. It’s different from holding a sword.”
“What are you saying? Magic is different from this too, you know?”
“They don’t teach you how to weave vines in the law faculty either.”
“See, Demian is doing it so well!”
I couldn’t help but smile slightly at the playful scolding that hung in the air like a suspended laugh.
Ivan Holmes from the Business Department took what I was holding and loosened the tightly tied knots with a bit of slack.
I was accustomed to cutting and breaking things, but making and decorating felt entirely unfamiliar.
My job had always been to track down and kill evil-doers, notorious for tormenting the common folk while wrapped in flowing robes.
I knew that farmers sowed seeds to grow crops and fishermen cast nets to catch fish, but I had never paid attention to what kind of seeds were sown when, or how nets were made.
Would it have been different if I had been born the child of a farmer or a fisherman?
I divided the rough vine clinging to my fingertips into three strands and began to twist and weave them carefully.
Marianne, who had been scolding me for a while, finished her share of the vine net and started twisting cords to make traps.
She was a quick-witted, quick-handed, and sharp-eyed child.
“Time flies so fast. I can’t believe the exam period starts again next week.”
“Still, after going through the midterm exams, I feel relieved because I can see the general trend for each subject. Even when I looked at the predicted questions, I felt anxious before taking the test.”
“Wow, it seems the rumors that Demian is aiming for the top spot in the law faculty are true. You’re already full of confidence.”
“Haha. Everyone in the law faculty is aiming for the top spot. Since we all have the same goal, our grades tend to be similar… So please help me out. Grades in elective courses are also very important.”
“Of course. I heard Professor Cedric’s exams are always replaced with assignments on similar topics. You don’t need to worry at all because we’ll be prepared in advance this time.”
“I offer this honor to our meticulous hero, Jenny, and the strong rabbit, Mikael.”
“Huh?”
I looked up, having said nothing and suddenly hearing something out of the blue, and a burst of laughter erupted. Knowing it was an attempt to include me in the conversation, I just smiled.
Jenny, who had been writing down the methods and time required to make nets and traps, looked back at the children with a bright smile.
“Are you all taking the camping class next semester too? I like this group so much that I really want to take the second-semester class together.”
“That’s right. I heard the second-semester class is on Friday afternoons, so we get to go on actual camping trips over the weekend. It would be a shame to part ways when we’ve worked so well together.”
“It’s an honor. Though I feel like I’m just being carried.”
“What are you saying? Ivan worked so hard. I like it too!”
“I like it too.”
“Great, now that Mikael is joining, the risk of dying on the street has disappeared.”
As the children, who were on good terms with each other, made plans for the future with smiling faces, I quickly joined in.
I wasn’t the type to feel awkward with any particular child, but I wasn’t so indifferent as to seek out strangers when I had close friends with whom I had already worked consistently.
Demian Christopher, who quietly mediated between the children and smoothly led the conversation; Ivan Holmes, who silently did the hard and tedious work without seeking praise; Jenny, who remembered every detail of the lesson and shared it in beautiful handwriting; and Marianne Philodendore, who always reacted with energy and cheerfulness, causing laughter with her theatrics.
They were children of gentle disposition and upright conduct.
They were children whose presence I had come to recognize, to the point where I felt a welcome surge of recognition just by seeing the color of their hair from afar, despite my difficulty in remembering names.
It was natural to feel a desire to keep them close and observe them.
After talking about the next semester for a while, the topic suddenly shifted.
“What are you all doing this summer break? Do you have any plans?”
“Well, I have to participate in the summer ball starting this year, but I’m still just awkward about it. Having to find a romantic partner in front of all my fellow students, ugh…!”
“Ball?”
“Oh, now that you mention it, Mikael hasn’t made your social debut yet… It’s a bit of a shame. You’ll be hard to see during the break.”
“Do you all see each other during the break?”
“Hmm, I suppose so…? Honestly, during the semester, we’re too busy studying and doing assignments to have much time for romance. Usually, young masters and ladies who want to find a fated encounter attend the balls diligently during the break.”
“What does a fated encounter mean?”
“Well, you know. Like bumping shoulders, ‘Oh my,’ stepping on a hem, ‘Oops,’ that sort of thing…?”
I couldn’t quite grasp what ‘Oh my’ and ‘Oops’ meant, but Marianne’s act of bumping Ivan’s shoulder and then acting coyly was amusing, so I laughed.
Jenny, speaking primly, asked Demian to introduce her if he knew any suitable companions, and Ivan silently listed the names of his companions.
Somehow, I succeeded in completing the vine net during class, and I was very happy.
❖ ❖ ❖
During advanced swordsmanship class, I asked Rubel and Lucilla about the summer ball and learned more details.
In the Sierran Empire, balls are held for fifteen days each in the summer and winter.
Children from all noble families listed in the Nobility Yearbook can receive invitations to social balls after the age of fifteen.
Rubel, Lucilla, and Matt Nico are all sixteen now and have participated in both the summer and winter balls once. Rubel and Lucilla, in particular, had to show their faces every day for the entire fifteen days due to their royal blood, which they found quite arduous.
I also learned that none of them had yet decided on a spouse or were seeing anyone.
When I suddenly thought of my father and mother and asked if they were considering arranged marriages, they shook their heads and said that both Rubel and Lucilla preferred younger partners, which left me momentarily stunned.
“…You mean you like children?”
“No! That’s not what I mean, no, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but absolutely not.”
“It means we’re looking for a new partner among those who will participate because we haven’t met our fated partners at the balls so far. Who are you calling a pedophile…?”
“Ah.”
Indeed, it wasn’t strange if they weren’t looking for someone with a significantly large age gap.
Rubel laughed with a choked voice when I apologized sincerely.
Matt Nico, standing beside him, added with a smirk that he preferred older partners, so I shouldn’t worry.
Listening carefully, I learned that the main activities involved gathering people between the ages of Geomancy and Irip, eating, drinking, talking, and dancing.
Hearing that, it was rather fortunate that I didn’t need to participate immediately.
I moved to the Mana and Aura class with Benjamin.
The people here in Sierran showed considerable enthusiasm for finding partners. I found that quite peculiar.
Was it because it was a good land to live in, leading to a strong desire for descendants, or because they had ample hearts to share?
As I pondered, a natural curiosity arose.
“Young Master Benjamin Claudian, do you believe in fated love?”
“Me?”
“Yes. Somehow, I thought Young Master Claudian… would be more interested in martial arts than love.”
“Well… that’s true for now.”
“For now?”
“I don’t intend to live alone my entire life. So, I don’t know how to put this…”
“I’ll wait.”
It was my reply, telling him to take his time and think. Benjamin, as always, glanced at Ikyun with a quiet, steady gaze before resuming his walk.
The tall young man had a habit of matching his stride with those around him, so he walked slowly. His slow pace didn’t feel frustrating.
After greeting Professor Douglas Mustang, I couldn’t continue our conversation once the class began.
As I had discussed before, I practiced channeling external mana directly into my sword, but it didn’t go well, and I struggled. When I handled magic, my internal energy in my lower Dantian, which had been calm, suddenly surged as if trying to push out the aura channeled into the sword.
It wasn’t to the point of Cultivation Deviation, but I had to sweat profusely to calm my internal energy step by step.
We agreed with Douglas Mustang that blindly drawing out aura wouldn’t help, so I practiced Breathing and regulating energy to control my Qi and blood.
Therefore, when Benjamin suddenly spoke after class, the conversation we had before class had already been erased from my mind. I was a bit lost, not knowing what topic he had suddenly brought up.
“I will probably live a long life.”
“Hmm…? Well, if your body is strong and you’re training your aura, unless something major happens…”
“I consistently think that I want someone with whom I can spend my long future life until the end, so I plan to look for a spouse over a long period. It would be even better if they were someone with whom I could discuss swordsmanship. If they have no knowledge of swordsmanship, then someone who embodies an exemplary attitude towards life.”
“…What?”
“And, I think I tend to be attracted to strong people. I want to become strong for the person I will meet later.”
“…Hmm, I see.”
After pondering the sudden revelation of his ideal type for a long time, I barely managed to recall the conversation we had before class.
It was truly fascinating that this quiet, demure boy, who seemed solely focused on martial arts, was also yearning for a lifelong companion.