BXBX NOVEL Chapter 18 – Busy Freshman (2)
Chapter 18 – Busy Freshman (2)
Chapter 18 – Busy Freshman (2)
To cut to the chase, Deus and Neferti were a step behind.
“Huh? Coffee? Hahaha. Thank you, Student Council President and Student Deus. We’ll enjoy it.”
“But, we’ve already been treated to various things by the Princess… no, by Student Luciel.”
“Coffee? Ah. We’re fine, so why don’t you give it to the other teachers? Or you could take it to the repair room. The people there are going to have a hard time because of the Seal stone.”
Even while entering the hospital room, Luciel was considerate about these details.
“As expected. Senior Luciel is very considerate.”
“Indeed. I hadn’t even thought about it.”
“Let’s think positively. Junior. We’ve brought drinks for the other teachers. And we also gave coffee to the technicians in the repair room.”
Deus nodded at Neferti’s words. The only remaining task for today was to visit Luciel in the hospital.
“By the way, President.”
“Yes, Junior.”
“Senior Luciel has the ability to emit light. Why does she use a sword?”
Right after the friendly match, this was what Deus was most curious about.
Not only could she spread light, but if she could also compress it in the right way, there were endless possibilities. Deus found it hard to understand why she insisted on using a sword.
“Hoho.”
Neferti covered her mouth with a fan and smiled.
“It would be quicker to ask her directly.”
“Pardon?”
“It wouldn’t be easy to understand even if I explained.”
Neferti knocked on the hospital room door and waited. From inside, a voice responded, ‘Come in.’
― Click
The door opens. A gust of wind blew in, perhaps because the window was open.
The silver hair of the girl inside sparkles like sunlight.
“Oh my. President. I didn’t expect you to come in person.”
Luciel, who was sitting on the bed reading a book, greeted Neferti.
“Hahaha! Of course, this junior had to come—ugh!!”
She seems unfazed by the clumsiness of the Student Council President and isn’t particularly surprised. But she is slightly startled to see Deus following behind.
“Even Deus came?”
“We came to see how you are. Although we might be a bit late.”
“Why did you go through the trouble? I just fainted for a moment.”
Despite her words, she seems very grateful for their visit. Luciel personally offers seats to Neferti and Deus.
“Sit down. It’s a shame, there’s not much to offer in a hospital room.”
“As if we’d be upset about that. It’s fine, senior.”
“I see.”
Luciel turns her head to look at Deus sitting beside Neferti.
“Are you alright, Deus?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I’m fine, senior.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried you might have been hurt.”
Though she was the one brought in, Luciel worries about her opponent instead. Deus scratches the back of his head and finally manages to speak.
“Um… how… is your health?”
He felt a bit strange asking this, considering he had been the one who knocked her out. Was this right? But what could he do? He was there for a visit, so he decided to ask.
“Pfft!”
“Hahaha!”
Seeing the hesitant Deus, the two girls burst into laughter.
For such a big guy with such a fierce look to be stammering like that—it was almost comically incongruous.
“As I said, I just fainted from the shock. This is nothing compared to the real combat training I received from my master.”
The two girls then dive into their characteristic chatter and exchange stories. Meanwhile, Deus sits there with nothing to do. He wishes he had brought a dumbbell or something.
“Ah. Just a moment, senior. It looks like something urgent has come up with the Student Council.”
Neferti excuses herself and leaves the room, not forgetting to trip and exclaim “Ugh!” on her way out.
“…”
This was even more awkward. Who knew a situation could be this uncomfortable? Now alone with Luciel, Deus misses his personal gym even more.
“It was truly an impressive match, junior.”
Luciel, who had been quietly watching Deus, starts the conversation.
“I never imagined I’d feel such excitement from a junior, rather than from my master, the senior graduates, or the teachers.”
“I did my best.”
“Really?”
A mysterious smile plays on the silver-haired beauty’s lips.
“Did you really give it your all? Because it didn’t seem like it to me.”
“…I did my best, in my own way.”
Yes, he did his best. Although it wasn’t 100% of his power, it was still a friendly match not a fight to the death.
“You should have taken that recommendation letter from Teacher Tiamat. Though she’s a bit childish, she has a lot of support from the other teachers, so they would have supported you too.”
“As I said, I believe I can achieve it on my own without a recommendation.”
“Of course you can. What I’m regretting is that I won’t get to work with you in the dispatch team this year.”
That was right. Now that he thought about it, she mentioned she was the leader of the dispatch team.
“I have a question about the dispatch team.”
“Go ahead.”
“Is it true that if I join the dispatch team, I can access the Gate?”
“Yes, but only when the dispatch team is summoned.”
He couldn’t stay in the cradle for all four years. He wanted to take real action. Although they had monster hunting practices, they were always conducted under the supervision of teachers. Deus wanted to face truly strong opponents, not just practice monsters.
“Hmm.”
Luciel tilted her head slightly before continuing.
“Don’t be too impatient. You might encounter the Gate sooner than you think.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know that our intense clash caused the Seal stone to break, right?”
―Nodding
“Because of that, there’s now a possibility of a Gate appearing in the cradle. The teachers might even hold a meeting to consider using it to give students practical experience.”
“But it could be dangerous.”
“That’s why they’ll provide opportunities to the ‘verified’ students. While it’s important to train all ability users, it’s also crucial for the Cradle to identify and nurture the exceptionally promising ones.”
In other words, if things go well, opportunities might come sooner than expected. Deus, understanding roughly, replied that it would be great if that happened.
“Also, can I ask one more question, senior?”
“Anything.”
“It might sound a bit rude, but…”
Luciel waved her hand as if to say it was alright, so Deus cleared his throat and continued.
“Why do you insist on using a sword?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re in the Luminous category, not the Weaponry category, right?”
Luciel nodded in agreement.
“As far as I know, the Luminous category excels at scattering light. You can also focus and compress it.”
“…”
“If you can focus and compress it, there must be more effective and useful forms. Why limit it to a sword? I’ve been wondering about this since that day.”
Perhaps he had gotten too excited. He had realized that his voice could have been a bit rough. She was a senior, in her fourth year. From the perspective of a freshman, there was a vast difference. Moreover, she was a princess, not merely another student. He had the feeling that he might have overstepped his bounds.
“Deus, junior.”
Luciel’s voice was somewhat subdued. She opened her hand and a beam of light gathered in it, then quickly dispersed.
“As you said, there’s no reason to limit it to a sword. I heard that a lot when I started.”
“…”
“But I chose this path. I have no regrets and I never will. Do you know why?”
The next moment, Deus felt his heart pound.
“Love.”
“…!!”
“Why do I wield a sword? Why walk the path of a swordsman? That’s my love towards Swordsmanship.”
Love. It sounds foolish, yet it was an incredibly captivating word. Any man would nod in understanding, regardless of what it pertains to.
‘Ha.’
I managed to hold back the laughter, fearing it might be misinterpreted as mockery or tarnish that love.
“That’s impressive.”
“Do you think so? Thank you.”
A person chasing love. Putting efficiency and strength aside, walking the path guided only by the starlight they draw.
He wanted to help. He wants to lend a hand. By any means necessary.
“If you ever need my help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
While he may not have that much talent he could at least clear a blocked path, whether it was external or internal.
The silver-haired woman smiles at Deus’s offer, nodding her head.
“I didn’t expect you to understand so readily. Others seemed puzzled.”
“Because it was beautiful.”
“…What?”
“It was dazzlingly beautiful. Senior Luciel.”
Love. True romance. What an incredibly impressive senior. Deus’ admiration went up. No, it went beyond that to sheer reverence.
Deus lets out laughter, brighter and warmer than any he’d ever done before.
“Th-thank you…”
He didn’t notice the subtle blush on Luciel’s face.