[Backstory]

[Relic of the Pia Forest]Confidential Level: 5

In the Pia Forest, an ancient armored colossus had been hidden. The Hernan Empire established an Academy's Armored Infantry Research Lab to conceal this fact, allowing only a select few researchers to study the colossus.However, this information leaked to the Demons, and a spy from the Demons tried to steal the armored colossus, resulting in the core exploding.Thankfully, due to the Hernan Empire's barrier magic designed with the risk of core explosion in mind, there was no major damage to the surroundings. Still, several highly talented students and researchers, as well as the Demons' spy, lost their lives.Fortunately, that sort of event won't happen anymore.Because now, the heart of the armored colossus has been eaten by Skybird Whistle.

'Interesting. So this is how it works.'

Luca had gradually grown used to this pattern.Whenever he dug into some of the background details that were breezed over in the original work, he was gifted something.This also felt game-like, which was to his liking.

'Certainly, the god seems to focus on having me discover stories that weren't shown.'

What the god wished from Luca was threefold:To prevent the protagonist from making wrong choices, to find the whereabouts of characters who disappeared like MacGuffins, and to enjoy life in this world.

Of those, the god particularly seemed to favor uncovering hidden stories—stories the god hadn't been able to reveal.

'Just looking at the recent puzzle hints and this case, it's pretty obvious the god wants me to find stories yet unresolved.'

While Luca was lost in thought, Whistle spoke to him again.

"Anyway, since you seem to have grasped the gist of it, let me continue. Among the powers of the sky, lightning energy has the greatest destructive force, but that makes it highly difficult to control. No matter how hard you try, you can't manipulate it as much as you wish right now. If you try and force it, you'll only hurt your body."

"Is there a solution?"

"Of course! The best one is to fuse with me."

At Whistle's confident words, Luca was silent for a moment before his eyelids twitched.

"Fuse?"

"Yeah. If Master and I fuse, there's no need for Master to control the power of lightning at all. I'll do the controlling."

"I'd appreciate it if you explained exactly what this 'fusion' entails..."

Seeing Luca's slightly reluctant response, Whistle finally flapped his beak, as if realizing something.

"Fusion doesn't mean you and I literally become one. It's more like fully synchronizing our minds."

"So then what happens?"

"My spirit will become wings that protect you."

"Wings...!"

Immediately, Luca remembered the wings of Aeterna.

'Celestial Wings! If I can use those Celestial Wings that even the protagonist struggled against, there's nothing more I could want!'

He was bound to encounter the Demons again soon, and in those times the Celestial Wings would play a vital role.Suppressing his excitement, Luca spoke in a calm tone.

"Alright. How do we do it?"

"Uh... I don't remember exactly."

"...?"

His excitement cooled in an instant.Sensing the shift in his mood, Whistle hastily made excuses.

"I-I can't help it. I've lost my memory, remember?"

"Then why bring up fusion at all?"

"Because—I remembered that much."

Luca said nothing, and when Whistle felt his disappointment, she clicked her beak anxiously before suddenly seeming to recall something.

"Still, if I really put my mind to it, I can force it to activate in an emergency!"

"... Force it?"

"Yeah! But you'll have to pay the price for forced synchronization."

"The price?"

"Yeah. If you use it just briefly, you'll only be unable to move for a few days. But if you keep using it too long, you could become disabled. Before it comes to that, I'll sever the link."

Being able to use the power of the Celestial Wings, even if it put him out of commission for a few days, was quite an appealing prospect.

'But obviously, using it without penalties is best. I need to help Whistle recover her memory soon.'

According to the diary, he just needed to feed Whistle things with a strong life force.

'No need to go out of my way searching for something. If I keep hunting down MacGuffins as I have been, I'll find what I need.'

While he was at the Academy, Luca felt there was no need to force anything for Whistle's growth.

"And one more thing. There is something that helps control the power of lightning—no, the power of the sky."

"Why didn't you mention that first?"

"In my hazy memory, my previous masters didn't really like this method."

With that, Whistle pressed his beak against Luca's neck.

Bzzzt!

"?!"

In an instant, lightning energy coursed through his body. The sharp, tingling sensation made Luca flinch reflexively.

"Exchanging the power of the sky with me and feeling that energy is extremely useful for getting used to it. But apparently, channeling it with a human body comes with significant pain."

"... I see."

Luca had to agree that prior masters wouldn't like it. He himself definitely didn't want to try it immediately.It wasn't even in the same category as things like a low-frequency massage—this was a full-body jolt.

Even so, Luca grinned.The iron-willed resolve of Luca Traverse showed itself.With a path toward strength lying before him, Luca would never back down over mere pain.

"So how long do I need to do this?"

"Around 30 minutes a day. If you keep at it for a year, your ability to control the power of the sky will skyrocket. And as a bonus, your body will be much tougher."

"...30 minutes?"

The mention of 30 minutes made Luca's body twitch slightly.Even for iron-willed Luca, this was an amount of pain and shock that required some mental preparation.

"Ah, don't worry! You don't have to do the whole 30 minutes right away. Start with three 5-minute sessions and slowly increase the time and number of sets."

"... That's not bad."

Finally composing himself, Luca nudged Whistle on his shoulder.

"What are you waiting for? Let's begin."

Whistle, after twisting his tiny head, drew a gentle curve with his eyes.

"Brace yourself."

And as soon as his beak made contact—

Bzzzt!

"... Urgh, ugh!"

It was a hellish 15 minutes, to say the least.

* * *

'Morning definitely feels different.'

The next day, upon waking, Luca checked his physical state and was genuinely impressed.He had always been healthy, but now he felt bursting with vigor beyond even that.

"How is it? Worked well, right?"

Whistle spoke in a cocky tone, but Luca did not deny it.

"Not bad. But what will you do from here on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Unlike before, you can think for yourself now. Am I supposed to just leave you alone, like before?"

Normally, when one has a talking pet like this, they tend to stay together.But Whistle didn't seem interested in doing so.

"No need for that. I'll just show up when you need me, so don't worry."

"If that's the case."

With that, Whistle exited through the window.

'She doesn't seem too keen to get close, huh?'

Sensing the distance in Whistle's attitude, Luca felt a bit disappointed as he prepared for class.

He washed up, changed clothes, ate the meal prepared by Bella,Packed his bag, and headed to the classroom.

'No matter how many times I do this, it feels refreshing.'

This was something he often thought about when he was back on Earth, working at a company.

– How nice it would be to go to school again.

The same old days, the dry people, just growing older every day.Some people lived on past memories, but for someone like him, who had nothing to remember, the novels he read during breaks really were his whole life.He always wanted to experience firsthand the vivid student life stories that showed up in those novels.

But now, he was really living it. Of course, he couldn't help but feel moved.

"Luca! Are you feeling better?"

"Just like I said with my student handbook yesterday, I'm fine."

On the way, he ran into Ottbo and walked to the classroom with him. Ottbo had been worried, but seemed relieved upon seeing Luca was fine.

"Then, see you at lunch!"

"Yeah."

Meeting at lunch was as good as a promise by now.

"Now, starting today we'll be learning about Iron-Cutting. This is a rather advanced technique, but it's extremely important, so I strongly recommend mastering it. If you get the hang of it, it can be used in all sorts of ways, and the performance is outstanding."

Today was Kryphi's basic swordsmanship class.All the students at the Academy already knew the basics of swordsmanship, but most moved on to the next stage before truly mastering them—unlike Luca, who could execute them perfectly.That's why, under Kryphi's guidance, everyone was revisiting the basics.

"Luca and Isella, please guide the other students."

Luca and Isella, who had mastered the basics, were helping coach the other students like assistants.

"Hmph, what's so great about a count's second son and a commoner?"

"They just got the basics down. I bet I could win in an actual duel."

Despite seeing Luca and Isella's sparring on the first day, there were still some who were jealous and dismissive.Hence, Kryphi set things straight ahead of time.

"Ah, if anyone thinks these two are lacking, you're welcome to challenge them to a duel whenever you like. I'll be the witness, and if you defeat them, you can skip my class and I'll give you an A+ grade."

If you could beat Luca or Isella, you were exempt from class.And so far, nobody had ever received that privilege.

Clang!

"Urgh!"

"That was a very precise Iron-Cutting. But it was so precise, it was easy to read."

Once again, there were duels disguised as matches, but no one could beat Luca.After slicing away the blade of the last challenger, Luca casually dusted off his sword and sheathed it.

"That's it for today's class. Anyone who wants to practice this afternoon, please sign up now."

After class, Luca approached Kryphi.

"Kryphi... M-Master?"

"Please just call me professor, teacher, or whatever you like. Or just Kryphi."

"... Professor Kryphi. What about teaching me swordsmanship?"

Professor was still the least awkward.Kryphi chuckled softly and shook his head.

"I'd love to teach you right now, but swordsmanship isn't something that comes together overnight. Please just give it a little more time."

It had only been a week since he'd promised to help, so it'd be weirder if a new sword style came instantly.Luca nodded and walked over to Isella, who was holding other students' sign-up sheets for afternoon practice.

"Are you coming to the dining hall?"

"... No. The young lady has somewhere to go today."

"I see. Can't be helped."

Isella bit her lip as if she wanted to say something, then shook her head.She handed the sign-up sheets to Kryphi and was first to leave the training grounds.

Luca also left and headed straight for the dining hall, where Ottbo had arrived first and secured their seat.Spotting Luca, Ottbo beamed.

"Luca! Over here!"

"You're early."

"Milia has something to do today."

"Isella told me."

"I heard the cafeteria food is really good today. A pity."

At that moment, Luca didn't know.That this was the prelude to the beginning of the "Undying Princess" story.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=This is one of my favorite novels as of late...SKL...【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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