I spoke her name as she appeared in the weapon shop.By default, my movement route is optimized to encounter key figures in the story.The result of factoring in each character’s spawn locations and frequencies, and ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ even probabilistic events, is reflected intact in my course registration.Even so, meeting Freya here and now was pure luck.The probability that she would show up at this forge today was, at most, five percent."Oh my, look who it is. Hard to catch a glimpse of you, isn’t it, Miss Freya.""How have you been. It’s been a while."Without giving me so much as a glance, Freya bowed politely to the dwarven master.It was the disciplined, refined posture befitting a paragon of knighthood."Well then, what is it you want?""No. I came to meet someone today."Only after finishing with the dwarf did Freya meet my eyes.She flicked her gaze toward the outside and whispered, small."……Let’s step out.""Sorry, but I need to buy a sword."When I pointed to the display of swords, Freya nodded as if to say she understood."Then I’ll help you choose."Freya swept her eyes over the shop’s swords, then pointed to a longsword hanging in a corner.The whole process took no more than a few seconds."Please take that sword down.""……Right."The dwarven master took down the sword she indicated and handed it to me."Grip it."I took the longsword from the master with one hand.A weighty sensation in my palm.It wasn’t so much physically heavy as it was burdened with the killing edge coiled in the gleaming blade—a life’s weight was heavy.Even though it was a practice sword."How does it feel?"At Freya’s question, I wanted to give it a few flashy swings like a swordsman in the media, but I didn’t dare for fear of wrecking my wrist.Instead, I opened my equipment window and checked the information of the sword I’d equipped.[Training Longsword]Category: One-Handed SwordGrade: CommonA work of Ironhand, dwarven blacksmith of the Academy Union. Though nothing outstanding, it is a training steel sword with good balance and uniform quality.[2/100]The final number meant it was the second-best among a batch of one hundred mass-produced pieces.After checking that, I asked Ironhand,"Good sword. But where’s the first?""……!"For an instant, Ironhand flinched. Confirming his reaction, I shrugged."If it’s already sold, that can’t be helped."After a brief pause, Ironhand spoke."Sorry, but that one’s not for sale.""Got it. Then I’ll take this.""I’ll buy it for you.""It’s fine."Despite my refusal, Freya whipped out a frog-shaped purse and paid in a flash.Jingle—."Much obliged. Come again."After paying for the sword in my stead, she stepped out of the forge with me.Having finished the purchase as quickly as beans roasting in lightning, we stood idle before the shop’s door.Evening had fallen dark.Amid the rowdy crowd streaming quickly down the street, I asked Freya a question."What business do you have with me."We were going to see each other in a swordsmanship class tomorrow anyway; I hadn’t expected Freya to come looking for me like this.Instead of answering, Freya bit her lower lip slightly and muttered,"……Is it always like that with you.""……?"Tilting my head for a moment, I pointed at a café along the main road."Let’s go inside somewhere and talk."As it was, I didn’t quite understand what she meant.Nor why she had come to find me and why she was angry like this.Let’s go into a café or something and hear her out."No. I don’t have that luxury. It was my mistake to expect even a moment from you."But Freya brusquely rejected my suggestion and bared hostility toward me."I hear you registered for our Ishtal’s swordsmanship lecture—prepare yourself.""I don’t know about ‘prepare,’ but I’ll make good use of the sword you bought me."When I ran a hand over the sword at my hip, Freya answered coldly."Yes. Please do. That sword is the last courtesy I will extend to you."With that, Freya abruptly left me.For some reason, her retreating figure looked lonely.***After the brief meeting with Freya.Back in the General Student Council President’s office, I slumped into the chair and closed my eyes.After tidying up my thoughts for a moment, I called someone."Ciel.""Yes, Lord Loen.""Do you know anything—anything at all—about Freya?""……."At my question, Ciel tilted her head, then raised a finger to her temple and wagged it."Have you come down with amnesia, perhaps?""Seems that way.""You never run out of tricks.""……."With a small sigh that said pathetic, Ciel began a kindly explanation."I don’t know if Lord Loen is aware, but Lady Freya’s House Gunhild and House de Valis were long-standing sworn allies."I knew about the relationship between the House of Gunhild and the House of de Valis.The western front—House de Valis. And the northern front—House Gunhild.These two houses were the great houses that guarded the continent from the armies of monsters.House de Valis held back the fierce monster hordes on the western front; House Gunhild held back the army of the Winter King slumbering in the north.Given such commonality, I’d heard they had steady exchanges since long ago."As such, marriage talks frequently passed between them.""……?"When I tilted my head, Ciel gave a small sigh and added,"In a word, Lady Freya was formerly your fiancée, Lord Loen. The engagement was broken after the former head passed away, however.""……."I’d suspected as much—but to think it was actually true.In the game there was almost no information on Loen, but Freya’s side had a fair amount.And among that, there were a few crumbs related to Loen.'Depending on how you read it, it hinted at a former engagement.'Ciel said,"Of course, it wasn’t a formally concluded marriage talk. It was little more than a verbal promise.""I see."Leaning back comfortably in the chair, I organized my thoughts.If what Ciel said was true, Freya’s reaction was understandable to a point.But the engagement between Freya and Loen had been broken when they were very young.The former head of House de Valis, Keisel de Valis, departed this life before Loen was even ten; if the engagement broke then, it was nearly a decade ago.And yet to show this reaction now because of that?'That can’t be it.'If that were the sole reason, she wouldn’t have bothered to call me out and react so intensely.Clearly something had happened in between.'……It can’t be because I designated her as Vice President.'At the last presidents’ meeting, I had indeed used Freya to maintain my General Student Council President seat, but that, too, seemed far removed from the hostility she showed today.I tried recombining game info this way and that, but no conclusion leapt out as this is it.'Tricky stuff. This kind of thing.'If there’s a genre of games I, praised as a top gamer, can’t handle, it’s dating sims.I can mechanically pick choices and adjust schedules to build affection, but I don’t really grasp the underlying principles.Fortunately, that genre doesn’t determine superiority among gamers, so it never hurt my reputation.Anyway.'I’ll look into this slowly.'The gap between what I currently know and Freya’s reaction.Until I find the missing link bridging that gap, I shouldn’t rush to fix it.I do have swordsmanship class tomorrow, but there’s nothing dumber than brooding over an unsolvable problem.'For now, I’ll show how I’ve changed and act according to the situation as it comes.'Though she seems a little off-track compared to the other three, if I untangle it the right way, she could become the surest ally.After finishing my thoughts, I asked Ciel a simple question."Have you had dinner?""Yes. With classmates."Judging by the way she emphasized classmates, it sounded like she was asking, You don’t have any friends, do you?"……Got it."Dinner alone again tonight, then. I’m used to it, but to be eating alone even here.As I rose with a lonely face and headed for the dining district, Ciel stopped me."Lord Loen. I have a boxed meal I prepared. Would you care to make that your dinner?""A boxed meal?""Yes. I just came from a Practical Culinary Arts lecture."Ciel produced a bundle she’d hidden and spread it out on my table.A lavish bento set that was hard to believe had been made merely during class time.She may have the Sharptongue trait, but Ciel really is the best maid.Looking at the mountain and sea delicacies spread before me, I murmured low,"Whoever becomes your husband someday will live in luxury."***After a blissful dinner.I handled the remaining tasks and prepared to turn in.Tomorrow I have a physical swordsmanship class scheduled, and I also have a class in Saintea—crawling with priests—so I’ll need mental armor, too.'I’ll have to be in perfect condition, body and mind.'Before wrapping up the day, I stepped out of the General Student Council President’s office.A dark corridor.Moonlight was the only thing coming in through the windows; I didn’t sense any particular presence.It seemed no one had slipped a fake-information letter through the door like yesterday.Just as I was about to close the door again—'Maybe……'I stepped back into the corridor and checked the mailbox attached next to the General Student Council President’s office.Calling it a mailbox, its real use was more like for “letters of the heart,” a channel for receiving various student petitions.I opened it with my card key and looked inside.Sure enough, letters were piled high.I brought them in, spread them out on the table, and opened the most eye-catching red one.Its contents were—[Hey you son of a X. You……]"……."I closed that letter right away and let out a sigh.'Are the rest the same.'Just in case, I cracked open a few others, but the contents were broadly similar.[Petition for Loen’s Resignation.]From letters that started with straight profanity to documents gathering signatures demanding my removal from the General Student Council President position.There was even one that, like Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, enumerated my misdeeds one by one and set forth plans for remediation.They sure live diligently.This also proved just how great a notoriety Loen had piled up.I returned to my desk, turned on only the desk lamp with a warm low color temperature, and read their letters one by one.Most were filled with primary-color invective, but I didn’t particularly feel bad.'It wasn’t me who did it, anyway.'These people were cursing the past Loen. There was no need for me to take offense.No—if anything, these letters were a kind of intel that let me learn about Loen’s past conduct.For me, it was practically a grateful information-gathering route.'What’s written here won’t all be true, but it can’t hurt to know it.'I stored the intel in my head one by one, and carefully wrote down the truly essential things in a notebook so I wouldn’t forget.There wasn’t enough time tonight to read them all; I decided to read about half and turn in.After slotting my fountain pen back, I arranged the letters and placed them in a drawer.That was when—Rustle—.A letter slid out from the middle of the stack.I picked it up and examined the exterior this way and that. The addressee was me, of course, but the sender was a bit unusual.'Student Council of Izelin Academy?'I rifled through my mind’s files, then soon recalled an academy.'Izelin, huh……'It was the name of the academy that, having fallen behind in competitive matches, was the first to be consolidated and abolished within the Union.

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