CH 99

Last Practice

They prepared their weapons and faced each other.

This time, Axe took the role of referee.

Sheila and Seiryuu had fought many times. And surely, this would be the last time they would be having a match in the academy.

“――Let the match begin!”

At the same time as when the signal started, they all took their distance. Sheila was wary of his slashing abilities, and Seiryuu anticipated his opponent’s speed.

Unexpectedly, the same development as the first time they fought each other in the competency test played out. Both of them smiled when they realized what was happening.

It was Sheila who made the first move. She ran quickly toward Seiryuu.

She made it look like she was going to leap at him, but instead, she slipped by his left side at full speed. At that moment, she quickly switched her sword to her opposite hand.

It was an irregular attack, but Seiryuu received it without difficulty. Sheila picked up her sword and counterattacked him.

From that point on, the two sides engaged in a dizzying exchange of blows.

Even though Sheila attacked him from every direction, Seiryuu was able to block them. In fact, he even had time to launch counterattacks in between.

In terms of the number of moves, Sheila had more, but Seiryuu had the upper hand by far.

Sheila boldly faced the formidable foe in front of her. This was the development that Sheila loved the most. She couldn’t suppress the excitement that made her blood boil.

Naturally, her lips curled into a smile. Seiryuu’s face in front of her was also smiling. It was as if two ferocious beasts were playing with each other.

Sheila shouted as if to roar.

“I’ll miss you!”

Seiryuu’s black eyes widened slightly. Axe, the referee, also raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Sheila’s breath became even more erratic, but she didn’t care, she just revealed her feelings.

“I’m going to miss you guys so much! I wish we could have met up more often! I wish we could have talked more! And lots of other stupid and silly things….!”

Her arms went numb. The languid fatigue had built up, and she could no longer lift her shoulders. There was no time to catch her breath because of the fierce battle. The limit of her physical strength was approaching.

‘It’s frustrating. I don’t want it to end yet.’

If Sheila had more stamina, she could have enjoyed this time forever. If she had more skill, she could take on the challenge again and again.

For the current Sheila, it was all she could do just to face them with all her strength. In fact, she was still not skilled enough to take on Axe and Seiryuu in succession.

The dripping sweat entered her right eye and stung. Tears oozed from there.

“I learned a lot…! You taught me how to face the sword and how to be proud!”

She flung her thin sword from her numb right hand.

It flew through the air and pierced the ground. She watched its trajectory very slowly.

The match was decided.

Sheila gritted her teeth and looked firmly forward at Seiryuu and Axe.

“…. Thank you so much! Keep up the great work! ――Congratulations on your graduation!”

Sheila was already smiling when she raised her head, which had been lowered as deeply as she could.

Both Seiryuu and Axe smiled along with her.

“The winner, Seiryuu! Hahaha, a complete victory for the seniors!”

“Both of you really won’t hold back in the slightest…”

Sheila complained dissatisfied, not caring about Axe, who for some reason took off his clothes at this point.

But Seiryuu and Axe never lost their smiles.

“You’re not so weak that you need to be taken easy on, are you?”

“It would have been rude for us to treat you like that in the first place. You did your best to beat us.”

Sheila wasn’t even able to respond to his point of view. If one were to put some effort into a serious match and be treated like that, it was certainly frustrating.

Sheila nodded and lay down on the ground.

Before she knew it, the stars had begun to shine in the sky, reminding her of how quickly time flies. Graduation day would arrive before she knew it.

“…. I’ll never forget the day I met the two of you. ――Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me.”

In front of Sheila, who was muttering, Axe held out a thick jacket to her, as if he had prepared it before.

If you left yourself sweating in this cold weather, you would definitely catch a cold. Sheila laughed and thanked him for his meticulous attention, despite his outward appearance.

“But wouldn’t that leave the dorm leader cold?”

“Don’t worry, there’s enough for everyone.”

“I see. Then I’ll be very grateful to borrow it.”

“….. Why is it embroidered with the words “Long Live Muscles” on the back….?”

Axe and Seiryuu sat down next to Sheila respectively, laughing together at her muttered question.

Sometimes Sheila seemed to forget that Axe was still an aristocrat. Despite this, he made no pretense of disliking the act of sitting directly on the ground.

For a moment, Sheila wondered, but then remembered that he was also familiar with the commoner’s culture thanks to the unusual rules of his family.

‘I see. If Cody is friends with these two, then, of course, the dorm leader and Seiryuu are friends, too.’

No wonder they seemed so close. Knowing that premise, Sheila could sense the bond that had been cultivated over the years, even in the way they tussled over the embroidery on her jacket.

Sheila jerked herself up.

“The embroidery is, well, all right….”

“…. You’re very mature to be able to end this with ‘It’s all right’….”

Seiryuu muttered in anguish, but he proceeded with the story regardless.

“So, what will happen with your career paths?”

After the two exchanged glances, Seiryuu opened his mouth first.

“I’m going to be a member of the Patrol Corps, as I’ve already been told. That doesn’t mean I’ve been confirmed as the next commander, though.”

He shrugged his shoulders in a playful manner, showing no sign of self-consciousness. But in his relaxed smile, you could see a sense of dependability.

Sheila had a feeling that he would earn the trust of his comrades in the Patrol Corps with sincerity and humility. And one day, he would establish a firm position.

Sheila could see the image of a strong and gentle commander, and naturally smiled.

“…. Seiryuu, I wish you the best of luck. If I can’t become a knight, I’ll be happy if you abuse your authority and pick me up.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic. I mean, it’s quite a tall order to expect me to be in a key position by the time you graduate.”

Seiryuu retorted tiredly but suddenly smiled serenely. He stroked Sheila’s head while gently narrowing his obsidian eyes.

“…. Since I’m staying in the royal capital, it doesn’t mean I’ll never see you again. I haven’t even fulfilled my promise to invite you to the Mifune house yet. If you see me when I’m doing my rounds, I’d appreciate it if you’d stop by and say hello.”

“――Yes!”

She was happy to hear that it wasn’t a farewell, and she was glad that he felt that way. Feeling the comfort of his hand stirring her hair, Sheila nodded, almost crying.

“…. Something about talking to Seiryuu reminds me of Cody.”

“I guess it’s because Cody and I were always holding back Zechs and Axe from doing something stupid.”

“But you’re much more manly and cooler than Cody.”

“Eh.”

It was fun to envision the boys playing together so well. Cody and Seiryuu were probably the ones to stop Zechs and Axed from playing pranks all the time.

“I bet you’re cool because you’re so mature. I wonder if Cody will be cool in a few years.”

“What, is that what you meant….?”

Ignoring Seiryuu, who was trying to suppress his palpitations, Axe opened his mouth after putting his clothes back on, though it took him two tries to do so.

“I’m going to be assigned to the Border Patrol.”

“Border Patrol? Since your brother, Isaac-san, is in the Patrol Corps, I was wondering if the dorm leader would be too.”

“The job of protecting the royal capital would also be very rewarding, though. I was hesitant about it, but in the end, I chose to do it.”

It was very rare to have a normal conversation with Axe. Sheila blinked her eyes in confusion but kept her mouth shut when she saw his proud profile.

“Only a strong and patient man can guard the border. I’m happy to be a pillar of the country’s defense.”

“….”

His noble stance made her skin tingle. She remembered herself shivering when she saw Clauschezade as a child.

A knight wasn’t the name of a position. Whether it was a Patrol Corps or a Border Patrol, pride was what makes a knight.

Sheila, seeing Axe shining with radiance, broached another subject.

“…. Which border are you going to?”

Axe answered.

“East. It’s right along the border with the Faril Holy Kingdom, so it’s going to be a relatively tough place.”

The border was pretty far away. She would probably see very little of him from now on. Still, Sheila was finally able to laugh heartily.

“…. I’ve been fretting about the sixth graders graduating for a while.”

She thrust her fist up and smiled like a child.

“I think it’s best for me to get moving after all. I killed two birds with one stone!”

Hearing Sheila’s words, Seiryuu and Axe paused for a beat before bursting into laughter.

Sheila caught the inaudible word, “Successor of the Muscular League,” but even if she tried to deny it, they were still laughing about it. No matter what she said, they won’t hear it.

Why were they laughing at her? With a slightly irrational feeling, Sheila decided to wait for her upperclassmen to calm down. She looked up and saw that the sky above her was already full of stars.

“…. Eh? Starry sky?”

It was hard to tell because of the light magic tool, but it was already dark. What time was it now?

“――Aah, the cafeteria!?”

At Sheila’s shout, the laughter subsided.

That’s right, the cafeteria was open from 6:00 to 8:00. It would be a matter of life and death for these growing young people to miss a meal.

As soon as she came to her senses, her hunger increased. Sheila held her stomach, which rumbled pitifully.

“Oh no! We have to hurry!”

With Axe’s voice as their command, the three of them returned at full speed and finished their dinner as if they were shoveling it in, much to the dismay of the ladies in the cafeteria.