CH 68

Translated by: Tori

Performance Competition

In the second month of summer, the heat in the royal capital accelerated even further.

In contrast to Sheila’s declining spirits, the sun was gaining more and more momentum. There were days when she would be reprimanded by Claushezade for her lack of concentration during practice.

Less than two months before the competition, Sheila decided she couldn’t go on like this. The students were to be divided by grade and compete for points, so she couldn’t let them down. Of course, her goal was to win.

“Let’s definitely win this thing, guys!”

In the dormitory common room, Sheila raised her fist in the air. But no one else’s voice echoed with hers. Cody was laughing weakly, and Zechs was just giving her a lukewarm stare.

“…. Eh?”

“Calm down, Sheila. I don’t see why you’re getting so worked up.”

It was supposed to be a one-time event for the entire academy, so why was there such a difference in enthusiasm? Sheila furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips.

“I mean, Zechs said it before, right? The royal family and aristocrats will come to observe the event, so it’s a chance to show them our skills and be picked up.”

“That’s true only for individual events, such as the Imperial Matches. It doesn’t matter if you get serious in team competitions.”

Sheila had an increasingly dubious face at the languid Zechs, so she turned her attention to Cody. Though he wasn’t vocal about it, he never denied his friend.

“In sword dances, in particular, people say that it’s “to improve unity by practicing perfectly coordinated movements”, but in reality, it’s about pleasing the eyes of noblewomen.”

In addition to the main events, such as the Imperial Matches and sword dances, Sheila heard that there were competitions to liven up the event, such as pole toppling[1]. She was told that it was like a mock war in which the difference in strength could be overturned depending on the strategy, but she heard that these competitions also had their own peculiarities.

“It’s the same with pole toppling. They cheer when they see a man’s muscles. Some people faint every year.”

“And the scavenger hunts, too. I’ve heard that they are instructed only to take things that belong to the nobility because there is a possibility that they will serve them in the future.”

“Ehh….”

Wasn’t fainting simply due to overexcitement? Sheila didn’t really understand it.

“A young noble woman screaming? That’s quite surprising.”

“Most of the women who attend are married. Even if they’re unmarried daughters, they all come to support their fiancée.”

“Yes, that’s right. Noble women are normally supposed to stay home until they marry.”

“I think it’s a little misleading to say it that way.”

Cody laughed embarrassedly at Zechs’ offhanded comment.

Sheila felt pity for the inconvenience of noble women.

“Wow. I’m really glad I’m not a noble.”

“You’re not a woman to begin with, aren’t you?”

“Y-yes, that’s true…”

Sheila hurriedly covered up her true feelings that had just come out of her mouth. She quickly changed the subject.

“But that’s no reason not to try our best, right?”

If you’re going to go to the trouble to participate, you should aim for the championship, but not only Zechs and Cody, but also the other students around them clearly lacked motivation. Even Hyderion, who was sitting nearby, awkwardly averted his eyes.

Zechs sniffed as he leaned his arm on the backrest in a misbehaving manner.

“It’s because the sixth years always won the championship anyway, and the fourth years were in last place. The ranking doesn’t change every year.”

Bert, who had been listening to the conversation with his chin propped up, waved his hand lazily.

“Think about it. There is nothing we can do to beat the older students in terms of technique or physique, is there? Let’s just have fun this year and do our best next year.”

Bert, with his charming droopy eyes, was often outspoken. But within a month of not seeing him, Sheila got the impression that his body had grown a size larger. That wasn’t an impression she had of him alone, but of all the students in the general course.

As promised, Zechs must be getting stronger. He was joining the ranks of the lower nobles in friendly competition.

Sheila glanced at the other scholarship students from the other grades in the common room. They didn’t appear to have changed much in shape. Perhaps they had been training independently for some time, like Seiryuu――.

“…. No. We have weapons that the other grades don’t have.”

Sheila, who had been looking at the people around her, slowly raised her head. Far from giving up, there was a fearless smile on her face.

She looked at Zechs, whose eyes showed confusion and surprise due to the completely changed atmosphere.

“Didn’t you guys practice a lot while we were training? Nobles and commoners alike.”

“…. Well, we fought matches in our spare time. They invited us to join them since we were all staying together.”

Zechs and Bert nodded to each other, somehow exchanging glances.

Their swordsmanship was excellent. It wasn’t surprising since they were admitted for this reason, but it was a skill that had the potential to make them top-notch. Except for magic, their abilities were outstanding. Precisely because they knew that, the lower-class noble students probably invited them, who were commoners.

However, it was quite difficult to recognize the other party’s ability. Even more so if they looked down on them as being lower than themselves.

Sheila compared them with the upperclassmen students again.

Perhaps the upperclassmen scholarship students didn’t work together outside of class, even though they were part of the general course. This was evidenced by the fact that they didn’t have the same physique as the lower-class nobles of the same grade. That was a huge difference.

“The weapon that only we have――is our solidarity.”

Even when they gathered in the common room like this, Sheila didn’t feel alienated because she was a commoner. She was allowed to speak up. That was the advantage they had over the other grades.

Sheila, Zechs, and Bart. There were three scholarship students in the fourth grade. Four in the fifth grade. Two in the sixth grade. Considering the conflicts with the nobles so far, it would be fine for them to compete individually, but it would be difficult for them to compete as a team.

“It might be difficult in individual events. But in a team event, teamwork is necessary. We’re no slouches either, right? Is our chance of winning really that small?”

The students who had gathered now listened attentively to Sheila’s speech. She could see by their faces that they were thinking the same thing as her. They didn’t nod plainly, but some of the lower-class nobles looked at each other while they folded their arms. But one more push was needed.

Sheila made a mocking smile that she had learned during her training, the kind of smile that made fun of the other person. She was still envisioning Jornwerner.

“I’m pretty competitive to begin with, but aren’t we all?”

All of them were people who gathered at the academy to make a living out of fighting. It was impossible for them not to hate to lose.

With the cheap provocation――they were on board.

“…. I’m not going to keep quiet if even the little brat says that much.”

Zechs slowly stood up.

With his arms crossed, Hyderion quietly nodded.

“Certainly, if we combine our strengths to fight, we might be able to make it. I don’t like barbaric pole toppling, but I’m sure Zechs would be happy to go for it.”

“Hey, Hyderion! In an actual, muddy battlefield, such an excuse won’t work, you know?”

“Hmph. You common people are the muddy ones. I only have to supervise the battle, and then I can watch from afar.”

“Hahaha, don’t say that, both of you….”

Bert laughed leisurely at the quarrel between Zechs and Hyderion. He could take it easy because there was no malicious intent in their exchanges. Hyderion said “common people” instead of “commoner,” and Zechs, who had drawn the line at the nobility by never losing his courtesy, was talking back to him in a dignified manner.

It was clear that they were beginning to build a relationship that had never existed before.

Zechs had a ferocious look in his dark brown eyes. He grinned and slammed his fist wildly into his palm.

“All right! Let’s go for the championship!”

“Yes!”

Although Sheila was the only one to respond with a raised fist, the feelings of the fourth-year students gathered in the common room were undoubtedly united.