CH 42

Fruitless Effort

The next day.

Sheila was feeling much better after a good night’s rest. Both her energy and stamina were full, and she woke up with a start.

As she raised herself vigorously, an unfamiliar blanket slipped off her body.

The windows were decorated with beautiful roses in pale colors. On the bedside, there was a bottle of fruit water and a basket full of fruit.

Sheila looked at them carefully and eventually smiled. For some reason, she felt like she could do anything.

After studying theology, the history of the Steitz Kingdom, and mathematics, it was time for lunch in the cafeteria.

Today’s menu was pot-au-feu and beef shank stewed in tomatoes. She slowly savored the flavor of the meat as she chewed it.

The special course would begin in the afternoon with swordsmanship practice. Today they were supposed to learn a sword dance in preparation for a technique performance competition in the fall.

“The technique competition is for students up to the third grade to showcase their skills, but there will also be a tournament held in the presence of His Majesty the King. Many nobles will also come to observe, and if their abilities are recognized there, they can be promoted.”

“For us commoners and low-ranking nobles, it’s a chance to show off our skills. This year we finally get to participate.”

Cody and Zechs took turns explaining, and Sheila nodded in agreement. She could really feel their enthusiasm.

“I thought it was strange to be talking about it when it’s only the second month of spring, but if the royal family and nobles are coming, it makes sense.”

“Special course students also have training in the summer, so if they don’t start practicing now, they won’t make it in time.”

The training course, which was only about a month away, was worrisome, but the technique showcase event was even more so.

Was it possible for Sheila, who was still treading in uncharted waters in the special course, to perform a harmonious sword dance?

‘Nope. Let’s not think of it as more worries, but more opportunities to get to know each other.’

She then went to class with a renewed spirit.

As Sheila clenched her fists, the two friends smiled and looked at each other secretly.

After lunch, they parted ways with Zechs in the cafeteria.

Sheila and Cody went straight to the training hall, but she temporarily left Cody in front of the staff building. It was a good opportunity to stop by the restroom under the guise of being asked by Clauschezade to carry teaching materials.

As usual, she casually stepped into the staff building. It was quiet again today, and the sound of her footsteps echoed loudly.

She recently learned that not many teachers used this building.

Teachers dispatched from the Academic Tower use the Academic Tower’s laboratories, and other teachers were said to be in the main staff room most of the time. Most of them saw the teacher’s office as a room for storing materials and teaching aids.

‘It’s convenient for me that there are so few people in there.’

Clauschezade disliked the large, congenial staff room, probably because it forced him to do his work, but Sheila thought that his unsociable nature was to blame. He was a hard worker, or rather, he seemed to be taking the initiative in choosing the path of unhappiness. He would be a little more expressive if he had more social interaction.

‘I guess he’s being distant from others because he has too little expression.’

Because of that, only weirdos like Jornwerner came close to him. It was too much of a vicious cycle.

Thinking of Claushezade’s bad luck, she hurriedly finished using the restroom. Then, she went to the teacher’s office just in case he really needed more help.

“Excuse me.”

She knocked on the door and got no answer, so she took the liberty of peeking in, but Claushezade wasn’t there. He must’ve already left for the training hall.

She unconsciously stepped into the room, which was a bad idea.

She felt the presence of several people outside, and when she turned around, the door had been slammed shut.

She had a terrible sense of déjà vu at the sound of the door slamming.

‘This pattern again…..’

She tried checking to make sure, but the door was still locked. Sheila hung her head in disappointment.

“――Don’t get too comfortable, you commoner!”

The cold voice sounded familiar, but Sheila’s memory failed to identify the individual.

Multiple footsteps receded into the distance, leaving behind a mocking laugh.

“….. Does repeating the same action meant that they’re done with the new harassment already?”

That was about the only positive thing that came to mind about this situation. However, unlike the last time in the equipment room, the saving grace was that there was a window.

Of course, the windows were locked from the inside, so they could be opened and closed. Sheila breathed a sigh of relief and opened the window.

Claushezade’s office was on the third floor. It was fairly tall. On top of that, she couldn’t use the spirit arts because she was currently wearing a bracelet that blocked her powers.

However, she wouldn’t just give up at this point.

She put her foot on the windowsill and leaned out the window

“――Yes. I can manage this much.”

Sheila nodded and leaped into the air without hesitation.

While falling, she kicked the wall with a light movement. Once she was a good distance from the outer wall, she spun around on her knees. Sheila landed gracefully on the third spin.

She slowly looked up, nodded her head once again, and ran to the training hall as if nothing had happened.

◇　◆　◇

At first, several people were involved in harassing Sheila Danau.

Her strength was remarkable, but she was just a commoner. It was one thing to attend the academy, but it was a different story if you entered the special course. It was a very prestigious place that had been reserved for the chosen ones in its long history.

They wanted to hurt her so badly that she would never dare to disobey them and kicked her out of the academy.

And yet, a few of their comrades left.

Their expressions at that time varied.

Some of them turned pale for some reason, and others became dazed as if they were dreaming. Among them, when Dilliam, who had been an enemy of Sheila, left with a mysterious look on his face, they felt a touch of uneasiness.

They wondered if they were dealing with something unthinkable.

That was even more so when they saw Sheila’s nonchalant attitude in the face of all the harassment.

Still, once they got this far, there was no going back. Since no new ideas came to mind, they decided to go ahead with the once-unsuccessful confinement operation.

They had been watching the situation in the shadows of the school building, thinking that they would make a laughingstock out of the sight of Sheila Danau crying out in shame after being locked in.

However, despite all that, Sheila Danau never reacted as they had hoped.

She suddenly looked out of the window and measured the distance from the ground. With a nod, she put her foot on the windowsill and flew out.

They hurriedly swallowed their startled screams.

Sheila Danau shifted her position beautifully in mid-air and landed with a light thud as if she weighed nothing. She then left as if nothing had happened.

They were stunned.

Although they would never say it out loud because it was so frustrating, they were definitely all in awe of the sight.

No taunts of “you wild mountain monkey” ever crossed their mind. Rather, with the sunshine and blue sky behind her, she looked like an angel―

“If we’re late, Claushezade-sensei will be furious with us.”

They only managed to come to their senses when they heard such murmurs from Sheila Danau, who was moving away from them.

Right. If they weren’t on time for the start of class, they would be noticed by the intimidating teacher. Even the cheeky Sheila Danau was still responsible for cleaning the bathroom all by herself because of that. They didn’t want that to happen. As if caught in the middle, they rushed out to run.

They made it to class just in time, but while they were gasping for breath, Sheila was unperturbed.

It was only natural that they felt a sense of inexpressible frustration.

Since then, the harassment of Sheila had ceased abruptly.