Chapter 23
It seemed Blair had made friends during his first year, as quite a few students greeted him as he passed by. There were many people everywhere who showed goodwill toward the son of House Monetery, with his amiable personality and good looks. Of course, most of the faces weren’t recognizable to him. That was natural, since these weren’t relationships that had continued into his adulthood. But Blair’s core was thirty-three years old—old enough to wear a mask.
And not just thirty-three. Blair had navigated battlefields and the imperial palace’s political arena, which was no different from a demonic battlefield, for nearly ten years. Blair had accumulated considerable political experience. For someone like him, hiding his expressions and not showing surprise in front of sixteen-year-olds wasn’t particularly difficult.
An unfamiliar face approached Blair and spoke to him like they knew each other.
“Blair! Where are you going?”
Who was this? Though he couldn’t remember, Blair answered smoothly without showing any confusion.
“I have a swordsmanship class, so I’m heading to the training grounds.”
“I see. Have a good class!”
Blair nodded to the student who cheerfully greeted him, waved, and fluttered away.
Blair arrived at the swordsmanship training grounds. The Introduction to Swordsmanship class was essentially no different from basic physical training. They would probably make students build muscle by repeating basic movements about five thousand times while holding wooden swords or maintaining a horse-riding stance. And they would likely repeat that process throughout the semester. It was a crude and boring class, but it was efficient for physical training. The foundation of martial arts has always been repetition. Martial arts only truly become your own after countless repetitions and embodiment.
Blair was slightly dissatisfied with his current weak body, which differed greatly from his past self. Where had his former body gone—the one that wouldn’t even get out of breath after running uphill all day? This young body, plagued by growing pains, became tired and ached in the legs after walking just a little. Even now, his thighs were tight despite having only walked on level ground for about ten minutes. Since there was still quite some time before class, the training ground was completely empty. Blair sat down in a suitable spot and flipped through the new book he had bought.
Chapter 1, “Fundamentals of Swordsmanship,” caught his eye. Blair began reading with remarkable concentration. It had been a long time since he’d read an educational book, and it was quite engaging. As class time approached, students began arriving one after another, creating a commotion. A book dropped on the desk next to Blair.
Instinctively looking up, Blair made eye contact with the person who had put down the book. Recognizing Blair, the person grinned.
“Blair! It really is you!”
“Aaron?”
Blair looked up with round eyes as he greeted Aaron. He looked much younger and cuter than Blair remembered. Of course. Since we’ve returned to the past, you’d naturally be younger too. A gentle smile spread across Blair’s face. Aaron was two years older than Blair, so he would be a fourth-year student at the academy.
In the past, they had been inseparable like thread and needle, but this time Blair didn’t plan to be that close. Being close to Aaron would inevitably lead to entanglement with Kyle as well. Still, seeing the young Aaron made him very happy.
Aaron’s family, House Taklamakan, and House Monetery, both being count families, originally had friendly relations. Naturally, Aaron and Blair, being of similar ages, knew each other’s faces even before entering the academy. Blair’s older siblings, Clara and Theodore, were much older than the two of them. So Blair was the only one who could get along with Aaron. As a result, even in the past, the two had been on greeting terms before becoming close friends.
“Wow, I didn’t know you were taking this class. Mind if I sit next to you? I’m glad there’s a familiar face. I thought there was no one I knew.”
Blair nodded. He hadn’t expected book-loving Aaron, who hated physical activity to the point of death, to take this course. Introduction to Swordsmanship wasn’t a required basic course. Blair showed signs of confusion. Why would Aaron take this class? Nevertheless, Blair nodded.
“Of course.”
“Hey, Kyle! I found seats. Come over here quickly.”
Aaron raised his voice to call someone. At that call, Blair’s body flinched. He had just decided to distance himself from Aaron to avoid meeting Kyle, but his plan was in danger of collapsing from the start.
Damn, what’s going on? Kyle is taking this class too? Why on earth are these guys, being fourth-years, taking an introductory course? And a swordsmanship introduction at that!
Although he grumbled inwardly, there was no one to entertain Blair’s complaints. Aaron and Kyle, being the same age, had been close even before Blair grew up and joined their circle. That’s how Blair had become close to Kyle thanks to Aaron. This time, it was something he didn’t want to repeat.
Please sit somewhere else because it’s uncomfortable, Aaron. Blair pleaded internally.
No matter how much he wanted to distance himself from Kyle, it would be difficult with Aaron around. He couldn’t say, “Why are fourth-years taking lower-grade classes here?” They would interpret it as someone with a terrible personality picking a fight because something bothered them.
Should I just pick a fight once and forever remain strangers? Suddenly, an overwhelming temptation arose. It was impulsive, but certainly not a bad idea. If he came across as an arrogant, insolent, and irritating person who couldn’t even recognize a prince, he would never have to get involved with Kyle again. While Blair was continuing with this rather tempting train of thought, Kyle approached Aaron’s side and slightly bowed his head in greeting. His face was still captivating enough to steal one’s gaze.
“Ah, hello.”
Blair unconsciously bowed his head in return to Kyle’s greeting. Kyle hesitated and nodded his head once more. Though it was unfamiliar to see Kyle not saying a word, Blair didn’t pay particular attention to it and turned his head away.
Kyle at this point didn’t know Blair, but Blair was actually someone who had built a nearly twenty-year relationship with Kyle. For Blair, who knew all of Kyle’s habits and mannerisms, Kyle’s seemingly shy behavior wasn’t much of an issue. In fact, the young Kyle had been practically socially maladjusted, a child who only paid attention to the moods of high nobles for survival.
Since it was Blair who initially wanted to keep his distance, Kyle’s behavior was something Blair would welcome with open arms.
After exchanging brief eye greetings, both opened their books. Aaron glanced at both sides in the somewhat awkward atmosphere, but soon the professor entered, and Aaron’s desperate struggle was quickly forgotten.
The professor in charge of this class was named Edward Plienta. Professor Plienta was a commoner but had received a knighthood for his swordsmanship skills alone. This made Professor Plienta especially popular among students from commoner backgrounds. He wasn’t an unfamiliar face to Blair either. There had been occasions when they’d encountered each other even after Blair graduated from the academy.
Professor Plienta took immense pride in his swordsmanship. His serious attitude and approach toward the sword had many aspects worth emulating, making him one of the professors Blair quite liked. In the past, during his time in the lower grades, Blair had taken several of Professor Plienta’s classes.
Professor Plienta considered fundamentals the most important. He firmly held to the theory that a knight’s strength comes from the lower body, no matter what. And Blair tended to agree with his theory. Probably this time too, they would start by training thigh muscles while standing in a horse-riding stance. That’s how it had been last time.
While looking at the professor’s face as he entered, Blair slightly turned his head, feeling a gaze on his left cheek.
“…?”
Why is he doing that? As soon as their eyes met, Kyle, who had been staring at Blair’s cheek, quickly turned his head away. It seemed he hadn’t even been aware that he was looking at Blair. Blair awkwardly touched his cheek where the gaze had landed.
In any case, even if he had decided not to like Kyle, he couldn’t deny that Kyle’s face was still excessively beautiful. Since he had merely returned to the past and Kyle’s face hadn’t drastically changed, Blair still very much liked Kyle’s face. No, Kyle’s face would be pleasing to anyone.
In truth, Blair didn’t have a firm preference for blond hair and blue eyes. Though some people apparently had fetishes for blond hair or blue eyes, Blair wasn’t like that. He didn’t particularly favor any specific hair or eye color. The problem was that Kyle was pretty enough to transcend such preferences.
Blair did acknowledge that there was an indescribable charisma to beautiful people with blond hair and blue eyes. Especially if they belonged to someone with unrealistically beautiful features. There probably wasn’t a person in this world who could look at such a beauty blushing and turning their head without feeling something. If there were, they would be either impotent or some kind of pervert with twisted tastes.
Of course, being neither impotent nor a pervert, Blair naturally responded properly to that beautiful sight. It was separate from feeling like it was a child’s jealousy. Either way, Kyle possessed excessively outstanding features, both then and now. Blair, feeling oddly ambivalent, fixed his gaze back on Professor Plienta. Though Kyle’s ears were red, Blair decided not to pay attention to it. He no longer wanted the aftermath that would come from showing interest.
“Pleased to meet you all, I am Edward Plienta, in charge of this basic swordsmanship course!”
Professor Plienta opened with a resonating voice. The swordsmanship training grounds rumbled with the professor’s voice.
“Since this is basically a class that combines theory, there will also be evaluation tests on the theory. Regarding this part, I’ll have you take a theory test at the end of the semester. We’ll cover very basic content, and the volume won’t be much, so it would be good if you make sure not to lose points in the theory section.”
“Yes.”
“Theory accounts for 20% of the grade, and the remaining 80% is solely for practical skills. Of that, basic physical fitness is 30%, and I’ll let you know about the remaining 50% as we proceed with the class. What you learn in this class forms the foundation of swordsmanship. Even students who are taking this course to train their physical strength should properly master this.”
After saying that, Plienta surveyed the students. At the beginning of the semester, the students were filled with determination.
“This year, there are more female students than usual. Different standards will be applied to basic physical fitness for female students, so don’t worry. It’s good for women to train their physical strength too. Isn’t physical strength the foundation of everything? Female students might have fewer opportunities for intense activities after graduating from the academy, so I hope you build up your physical strength diligently now.”
“Yes!”
Clear voices resonated throughout the classroom.
“Well then, since today is the first day, I’ll conduct a simple class. You won’t need books today. If theoretical lessons are needed, I’ll tell you beforehand so you can fetch your books, so from next time, you can leave your books behind. Everyone, please come forward and pick up the wooden swords prepared for you.”
[To be continued…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
