Published at 20th of February 2020 3:27 pm

Volume 7, Chapter 84 – Fellow Student

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translated by: Reiji

The bar that was under the management of the elves was bustling with a lot of customers.

A small stage was prepared inside the bar where the performers exhibited their craft.

There were also elves coming out to perform their songs.

The live music of the elves were flowing inside the bar without pause. The bar felt really fun.

「Is it alright, for us to come here?」

Eva-san was eating food one after another.

「They greatly welcome customers. If you have a request then tell the staff. If you pay money then they will perform any art or song on the stage. ……It’s a bit expensive though.」

Shannon was watching the show of the elves with clenched hands and a serious face.

She only ate the food for a bit and then she didn’t even glance at them anymore.

I heard the cheers and applause of the customers. It seemed the show had reached a break and the performing elves were retiring to the stage’s wing.

When a gentle music was starting to flow inside the bar, a waiter came.

Looking closer, the waiter was a female elf wearing male clothes.

「Eva, you really eat a lot. Even if you’re a fellow elf we will still charge you the same okay?」

The female elf had short hair and she was a beauty, but she was a cool type and looked good even in a male outfit.

Eva-san wiped her mouth while ordering more food.

「It’s fine. Right now my wallet is fat. Even though I’m also bringing in good customers like his, is it alright that your attitude towards me is like that?」

「Oh, are they that rich? Then, how about requesting something? Today a popular singer is present you know?」

When the show was over, Shannon started to drink juice. Her eyes turned bright when she heard about making a request.

The Fourth said,

『Lyle.』

Hearing his voice, I thought that here they go again while asking for that person.

「How much?」

「It will be one gold coin. Well, there are also people with reasonable prices, so with one silver coin──」

The woman seemed to think that I wouldn’t be able to afford it. She was starting to introduce other elves.

When I took out one gold coin from my wallet, the woman’s attitude changed.

「Dear customer……how about switching from Eva to me? Even though I look like this I’m good at singing and dancing.」

「Don’t promote yourself. Do your work quickly.」

The woman reluctantly returned. After a while an elf came out.

The surrounding customers began to make noise.

「Oi, it’s Lilim.」

「Someone paid some big money.」

「Haa……she is beautiful no matter how many times I see her.」

The elf’s blonde hair almost reached the floor. She was wearing a dress. The woman had her eyes closed. Her long ears that were the characteristic of an elf were wearing earring. She was slender and had a good style.

She elegantly bowed and began to sing a song.

Her singing voice was really beautiful. It sounded clear, it really reached into the ear……even I clearly understood her difference compared to all the performers until now.

Shannon was also entranced by her voice.

Eva-san let out a mutter in response to the singing voice that grasped everyone’s heart.

「One day I’ll surpass her.」

I thought that Eva-san’s singing was also skilled but, apparently there were still people who surpassed her among the elves.

When the song was over and applause filled the bar, the woman faced this way and smiled while waving her hand. Shannon was responding by waving her hand energetically.

While the customers were rejoicing, a voice that put a damper on the excitement came from the Jewel.

『One gold coin for ten minutes is expensive. It would be better if the price is just one silver coin.』

……It was the Fourth.

Certainly it was expensive, but I felt glad that I listened to that singing voice.

「It’s amazing. I can’t say nothing else but that it’s amazing.」

Eva-san also agreed with my impression but……she didn’t look amused.

「She is a big veteran after all. The difference of a hundred years cannot be covered easily.」

Shannon asked back.

「Eh? A hundred years?」

Eva-san was chuckling.

「Elves have long lives. In addition their appearance is also youthful. Well, we ourselves will understand who is elderly just from looking though.」

It seemed that it wasn’t strange even if an elf was more than a hundred years old. Lilim-san just now was a big veteran more than a hundred years old. It seemed that she was an influential figure even among the elves.

Eva-san asserted to us.

「One day I’ll surpass that person and become number one. I’ll make it a reality without fail while Lyle and the others are still alive.」

「…..I, I’m cheering for you.」

I see. Even after we died, Eva-san alone would continue to live.

Shannon made a taken aback expression in realization.

「Eh, could it be, Eva is also really old?」

「Rude. I’m still 16 years old!」

It would be troubling if she said that she was 30 or 40 years old.

I didn’t know what kind of reaction I should make in that case.

Until now I interacted with her casually because I thought of her as someone the same age but──it would be impolite if she was actually far older than me.

After that, our additional food order was brought to us.

Eva-san talked about her dream.

「One day I’ll sing about a tale that is only known by me. Anyway I’ll travel throughout the continent to see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears, and then I’ll turn them into song. I’m also interested in the 【princess knight】 to the north. If we’re heading to Beim, I also want to meet with the 【saint】. The two 【war maidens】 are also famous. There should be a lot of heroes, too, whose names I don’t know yet!」

Shannon showed interest.

「Somehow there are a lot of amazing alias there!」

「Recently, there are especially many female heroes. Perhaps they’re standing out because their number is few but, I heard that there is also an amazing person to the south!」

Eva-san said that one day she wanted to meet with the heroes and hear their stories. Her eyes were shining bright while saying that.

The Sixth showed interest.

『Hou, female heroes, huh. If they’re beautiful then I want to try meeting them.』

The Seventh was exasperated.

『It’s common sense that kind of female hero is more burly than even men.』

We continued enjoying the food with the three of us like that before leaving the bar.

.

──Miranda was in the middle of returning to the inn.

She was going home after buying the necessary tools.

She stopped walking and turned around.

「Oh, so you finally made a move?」

Renard was there.

「Ojou-sama, there is something that I wish to tell you.」

「What? If you want to tell me to return then──」

「No, I hope that you will leave the capital immediately. Or else, please don’t go out at all and wait until the storm passes.」

Miranda guessed what Renard wanted to say. He was telling her to leave in this period where they couldn’t move, and then it was also strange for him to mention a “storm” during this season──

「So Celes is coming.」

「Yes. She arrived yesterday.」

The group of the Walt House that was traveling while snow was falling managed to enter the capital as though it was nothing at all.

「They were earlier than expected. I intended to tell Ojou-sama before they arrived but, please forgive me that I didn’t make it in time.」

Miranda wanted to tsked but she endured it.

(If possible I don’t want to meet her. Our only choice is to forcefully depart tomorrow or stay inside the inn.)

「I understand. Even so, why are they coming to the capital at this time?」

「……That’s」

When Renard said what he knew, Miranda was speechless from shock──

.

On our way home.

We were leaving the main street and walking on a street that was lined up with warehouses.

The shortcut to return to the inn was by passing through this warehouse district.

A river was flowing nearby. This location enabled the use of water transport.

Few people were passing through here.

「Aa~, it was fun. I want to go there again.」

The satisfied Shannon was walking while swinging around her arms.

「I want to go there with everyone before we leave. Lyle also had fun it seems, that’s great.」

「Eh, ah……yeah.」

Eva-san’s face became slightly red. And then before her smile, I spoke in affirmation. But, it was really fun.

I felt like a bit of tension had slightly left my shoulder.

「What kind of song should I listen to next time?」

Shannon was looking forward to the next time. When I smiled just a little bit seeing that, Eva-san nodded.

「As I thought a smile is the best. Lyle, you are cute when you’re smiling.」

「Cu, cute!?」

「Yep. Normally you are somewhat unreliable, but you’re cool when you get serious, and your smile is cute. This is praise from me you know?」

I was happy but, it was a bit embarrassing.

Shannon objected.

「Ee~, he is unreliable, an idiot, and his smile looks like he is making fun of other people. He is no good.」

「That’s only when I’m with you.」

When I talked back, Shannon approached me and tried to hit me. However, she slipped on the freezing ground before reaching me.

「Watch out, you’ll slip. If you aren’t care──ful」

I caught Shannon and helped her to stand up on her feet. It was then the figures of several people heading this way entered my sight.

My body couldn’t move for a moment. Eva-san seemed to think that I was acting strange and talked to me.

「Lyle?」

Ahead of my gaze was my senior apprentice from the same martial arts school, Alfred Virden. His silky black hair was fluttering while he walked.

He was tall and a saber was hanging at his waist.

His outfit was a slightly showy outfit often worn by nobles. He wore a coat that looked like a poncho. He was walking this way.

Behind him were the soldiers of the Walt House.

The soldiers received training and had full time occupation as soldiers──they weren’t part of the population who got conscripted.

They too also noticed me.

「That blue hair and eyes……I remember that. You, are Lyle huh.」

Alfred sent a cold gaze towards me.

I stepped forward to hide Shannon and Eva-san behind me. Then the Seventh’s low voice spoke to me.

『This brat from the Virden House, he dare call Lyle without honorific!』

The Third recalled something when he heard the Virden House being mentioned.

『The Virden House? Ah, come to think of it that’s the house who got entrusted with managing the gambling den in our territory. Hee, so they became a knight?』

The Fourth was surprised.

『……Eh? Please wait a second. I never heard anything like that.』

『I didn’t tell you after all. You know, there was a gambling den in our territory right? It was the Virden House that was managing it. Eh? You appointed them as a knight without knowing about that? There was income from the gambling den right?』

『I didn’t know, and there wasn’t any income like that in my era! Do you know just how much trouble it was not knowing who was managing the gambling den for so long!?』

The Fifth was enraged.

『Oi, wait. The one who created the troublesome organization inside our territory, don’t tell me──it was the Virden House?』

The Sixth was feeling indignation.

『So they didn’t have any hostility to harm us because their objective was to make use of us huh. That was why my Art didn’t react. These damn parasites!』

The Seventh was also speaking with a voice containing anger.

『I got outwitted no matter how many countermeasures I prepared. So it was because there was traitor on my side. Lyle, cut down this guy! Beat the hell out of him! We give you permission!』

I didn’t understand just what they were talking about. There the Fourth explained to me.

『A criminal organization exists in the territory of the Walt House. It’s an organization that does various things behind the scenes. No matter how many countermeasures we prepared, the information of our side would be leaked and they would escape. But, I can understand how that happened if the Virden House was involved.』

The Fifth who was showing his anger yelled angrily at the Third.

『Why didn’t you say anything!? Because of these guys’ clan, we were!』

『No, it’s troubling even if you say that to me. Because I──died in battle.』

Nobody could say anything back.

I heard the sound of the Fourth hitting the table.

『During the time of confusion when I just took over the family headship, the first ones to come to the mansion to help out with tidying up the mansion were the people of the Virden House. Thinking back now, they might have come to collect the proof in the mansion.』

The Third was making excuses.

『Someone had to be made to manage that business, and I also prepared a written contract between them and the Walt House. To think that they would hide it after my death and did various other things, I never thought they would do that.』

If the Lundberg House was a clan of loyal retainers, than the Virden House was a clan that was making use of the Walt House.

But, right now rather than talking about that…….

「As I thought. It’s the disgrace of the Walt House. You’ve guts to appear in front of us.」

Thinking that it would be better to not fight in this place, I tried to leave this place with the other two in tow.

However, their hands took out their weapons.

Alfred unsheathed his saber while the three soldiers behind him unsheathed short swords and surrounded us three.

Shannon was surprised.

「Eh, what!?」

Eva-san hugged Shannon to protect her. And then she stood back to back with me.

「Lyle, your acquaintance is seething with killing intent though! Just what had you done?」

「……I didn’t do anything.」

Alfred scowled hearing what I said.

「You didn’t do anything you say? Your existence itself is a stain towards Celes-sama! To meet you here today must be the guidance of the Goddess telling me to kill you.」

I understood that he was seriously trying to kill me.

『What’s with this guy? Saying things like stain or Goddess’s guidance……his head isn’t screwed right.』

The Third was utterly amazed, but the situation was bad.

The three soldiers surrounding us were trained soldiers.

I gritted my teeth and snapped my fingers.

A magic circle manifested on the ground and two sabers flew out from inside. I grabbed each of them with both hands.

Seeing that, Alfred was laughing condescendingly at me.

「It seems you’ve gotten good in doing magic tricks. It makes me want to vomit when I think that you’re my fellow student but, I’ll personally take you on. You guys, you can do whatever you like with the two behind him.」

When Alfred stepped forward and closed the distance, the soldiers also started moving towards Eva-san and Shannon.

「──In this kind of place!」

My saber and Alfred’s saber clashed and scattered sparks around.

When Alfred’s coat fluttered from the impact, I could see the short sword hanging on his waist.

It was a short sword that I had seen before.

「Where did you get that short sword!?」

Alfred was surprised for a moment at my anger, even so he honestly answered.

「It’s a present from Celes-sama. Originally a trio of seedy adventurers had it. But, Celes-sama obtained it and gave it to me as a reward──」

「──What happened?」

「Aa?」

「What happened to those three!?」

The short sword Alfred carried belonged to Rondo-san, an adventurer I got acquainted with in Dalien. The short sword was a magic tool that was specially made.

It wasn’t something that he would let go easily.

Alfred slashed at me while,

「Aa, they died. Celes-sama killed them. Those three were lucky. Though I killed one of them.」

I pushed Alfred back and then slashed at him with my saber. I stepped forward deeply and attacked, but it only grazed Alfred’s cheek because he stepped back.

Alfred checked the scratch on his cheek and his face twisted.

I pointed the tip of the saber in my right hand.

「I absolutely won’t forgive you.」

.

──Miranda who hurriedly returned to the inn found Sophia at the first floor.

「Sophia, where is everyone?」

「Lyle-dono’s group and Aria haven’t returned back. Also, Lily-san came here. She wanted to talk with Lyle-dono no matter what, so she asked for him to come outside the wall.」

「Aria is alone?」

「Yes. But, she only went out to buy something nearby, she said that she will return quickly──」

The inn’s door opened and Aria appeared there.

「I’m back.」

「Aria, I have something to talk about so come here for a bit.」

Miranda called towards Aria. Aria spoke about the situation outside.

「More importantly listen to this. It seems there’s a fight happening outside. It’s near from here.」

Sophia went upstairs to call the other members.

「Fight?」

「I didn’t see it directly. But, it seems it’s a fight between adventurers and knights. People said it’s around the warehouse district. The people who saw it were scared.」

Miranda got a bad feeling.

「Hey, what is the characteristic of those people?」

「I didn’t hear until that much.」

Then Novem and the others came down to the first floor.

「What’s the matter?」

Miranda told Novem the information she heard from Renard.

「──Celes-sama is in the capital?」

「Yes. Let’s discuss it when Lyle returns. If possible, I want to leave immediately from this kind of place.」

Clara looked outside.

「Aren’t Lyle-san and the others late? It’s unthinkable that they’re walking outside until this late even though Shannon-chan is with them.」

Monica was also worried.

「Normally it won’t be strange for them to return already by this time.」

Miranda recalled Aria’s story.

(Don’t tell me Lyle and the others are?)

When she thought to go outside to check, the inn’s door opened and guests came in. The duo were talking with slight excitement.

「A fight between a knight and an adventurer isn’t something you can find that often.」

「Spare me from getting caught into it. It’ll be the end if the noble fixed their sight on you.」

Miranda approached the duo.

「Can I hear about that story a little bit more?」

「Ye, yes.」

「Did you see the adventurer who was in that fight?」

「I saw. He has blue hair. There was also an elf and a small girl──」

Right after that Monica dashed out of the inn. Aria yelled.

「Hey! Wait a second!」

Miranda immediately ran towards her room.

「Aria and Sophia take your weapons and go to the warehouse district. Clara, come with me. Novem──」

Clara pointed at the door.

「She went already.」

Miranda clicked her tongue──

.

──Lionel came to the warehouse district while wandering in the capital.

He was in a small gap that was created between the warehouses lining up.

He sat down to hide himself there in order to endure the cold.

But, there was no way he could endure with that. He was shivering.

「Cold.」

While shivering in such place, he heard the sound of metal clashing. He could hear people’s voices too, but Lionel was familiar with that metallic sound.

It was the sound that he heard on the battlefield.

「A fight?」

When he peeked out from the alley, there was Lyle there.

「Tha, that guy! ……Hm?」

Lyle was protecting someone and couldn’t fight fully.

The body of Lyle who was facing four people was covered with cut wounds.

Lionel made an ugly smile and watched the fight──

.

When I deflected Alfred’s thrust with my saber, next the soldiers showed a feign of them attacking Eva-san and Shannon.

When I turned my focus there, Alfred quickly slashed at me again.

It was really hard to fight. Eva-san was unarmed. Naturally, Shannon didn’t carry any weapon either.

Alfred was grinning at me.

He was fighting in a way to harass me.

「Shit-!」

Eva-san called out to me who couldn’t fight satisfactorily.

「Lyle, even I can at least use magic. Anyway, I’ll crush the soldiers first.」

The soldiers were smirking.

「This is one strong-willed elf.」

「Magic huh. It will also depend on the level but──」

「Come on, just try it!」

Eva-san faced the self-assured soldiers and fired her magic.

Wind blew roughly to the surrounding and attacked the soldiers.

Then, one soldier stepped forward and took a defensive stance. With one person blocking the magic, the other two circled around to attack Eva-san.

「──No way!」

「That magic isn’t really lethal! Don’t think that you will get us with just that much!」

The soldier moved to stab Eva-san with his short sword, so I cut in and kicked one soldier flying.

I deflected the other one’s short sword with a saber.

But, while I was doing that Alfred’s saber grazed my shoulder.

「Doing that again!」

The soldier I kicked away immediately stood up while the other one recovered the short sword he let go and took a stance right away. Their movement was different from the bandits and adventurers I had faced until now.

I heard a conflicted impression from the Jewel.

『Good grief, they’re reliable but it’s troublesome when they turn into an enemy.』

The Fifth expressed his impression. Rather than asking for advice I was more bothered by the short sword Alfred had.

Eva-san hugged Shannon.

「These guys aren’t right in the head. It’s crazy that they leaped in front of magic.」

It seemed that the soldiers of the Walt House were trained well.

I took a deep breath.

Alfred gave instruction to the soldiers.

「Do it.」

The soldiers headed this way.

「……Thunder Clap.」

I lifted my saber and made lightning fall with magic. It produced intense light and sound. The snow piled up on the ground was blown away.

Snow whirled up and blocked the sight. During that time I carried Eva-san and Shannon on my shoulders and dashed away.

Shannon who was being shouldered looked at Alfred and yelled.

「Lyle, dodge!」

Something approached my back.

「What?」

The something that I felt with my Art’s power was a big arm.

I quickly leaped to the right and dodged, then a shape of a hand was created at the place where we were standing. It was a big hand shape created on the snow.

The visibility was rapidly clearing up.

Alfred was smiling.

The soldiers were covering their ears. They were groveling on that place and couldn’t move.

Alfred clicked his tongue seeing the soldiers like that.

「You guys, you call yourself soldiers of the Walt House like that? But, the magic just now was surprising. Looks like all that sword and magic training you did like an idiot isn’t a total waste. Even so, you aren’t able to match even a single finger of Celes-sama.」

I put down Shannon and Eva-san. While I fixed my grip on my saber, Shannon pinched my clothes with her fingers and pulled.

「Lyle, that guy is strange. There is a person with only an upper body around him.」

「Person?」

There was no change to Alfred. But, my Art was also detecting something around him.

Mana was making the shape of a person that was protecting Alfred.

「……An Art huh.」

Alfred scowled.

「That’s no good. I need to dispose off a bad girl who blabbed about another person’s Art here.」

Alfred licked his lips. Eva-san said 「Disgusting」 seeing that.

Right after that, the unseen giant behind Alfred reached out its hand.

「Die!」

I lowered my body and placed the saber higher than my shoulder──I altered the stance of the secret technique and then stepped forward like that before slashing the unseen arm while rotating midair.

「──Wha-!」

I approached while Alfred was shocked. He thrust with his saber so I deflected it. Alfred kicked so I intentionally got hit by it and was sent flying. Then I rolled on the snow right away while standing up.

I grinned in front of Alfred.

I showed the short sword my left hand was holding.

「My bad. I’ll take this back.」

The saber in my left hand was stabbed into Alfred’s thigh.

I stabbed it when getting kicked while taking back the short sword.

The Sixth laughed.

『Lyle, you’re pretty dexterous! Now then, what to do about these guys──』

The kneeling Alfred scowled and glared at me.

「This worthless trash!」

Shannon yelled.

「Hih! The hands increased! Lyle, it got big!」

I also felt it. The giant protecting Alfred became bigger and its hands increased to four. Alfred picked up the deflected saber and pulled out my saber that stabbed him while feeling pained.

「I’ll tear you to pieces.」

After he said that, three hands of the giant made from his Art reached out towards me. One arm picked a saber to stab me with it.

From a glance, it looked like a saber was floating in the air and approaching me but──

If it could be seen then it wasn’t a big deal.

I leaped over the arm trying to capture me and dashed towards Alfred. And then I punched him flying with my right hand that was gripping a saber.

With my body that was strengthened by Art, Alfred was sent flying far away and rolled on the snow.

I couldn’t exert all my strength before this because I was worried about the two, but now I could fight. I was anxious wondering if the soldiers got killed by my magic, but it seemed they were fine.

「……Stand up. You’re the enemy of Rondo-san and the others. Don’t think it will be over just with this.」

The Fifth told me to be calm.

『Lyle, withdraw from here. You’ve taken back what should be taken. Take the two and run away.』

I ignored the Fifth’s opinion and stepped forward to approach Alfred. When I stepped on the snow that was dyed with blood, Alfred was laughing.

「Fool. You’re seriously a naïve brat.」

「What?」

「You’ve never killed a human huh. That’s why you didn’t cut me down at that time. If you cut me there, then you’ll still have hope right now.」

What was he saying?

The moment I thought that, a really extravagant horse carriage arrived to this place.

There were horse mounted knights around it, and there were also soldiers with them.

「……The Walt House’s family crest.」

The crest of the Walt House was drawn on the carriage.

Alfred who was bleeding from his nose looked at me and laughed.

「It’s over for you.」

The one who showed herself from the carriage was……Celes who I couldn’t possibly forget.

She was wearing a white fur coat and a hat. She got down on the snow and looked around.

The onlookers who were gathering to this place without me noticing gulped.

It was like a special air was enveloping Celes’s surrounding only.

My little sister who was annoyingly picturesque was carrying a sheathed rapier in her left hand.

While I couldn’t move, Alfred was crawling on the snow to Celes’s feet.

「Celes-sama, I found him. Lyle is──」

In the next moment, Celes unsheathed her rapier.

Celes looked down at Alfred.

「A knight of the Walt House losing against that trash. Don’t you think that’s impossible?」

「──Eh?」

While Alfred was dumbfounded, the surrounding knights and soldiers were agreeing with Celes. They hurled insults at the man who was their comrade until now without any hesitation.

「He’s a disgrace of a knight.」

「I think that the Walt House doesn’t need that kind of knight.」

「If I’m in his position then I’d kill myself in this place.」

Alfred was unable to say anything back.

Shannon was crying.

「…..That person, is hopeless already. He is already cut.」

Eva-san hugged Shannon and calmed her down.

「What’s wrong? Just what are you──」

Celes began walking this way. When she was apart from Alfred, there was the sound of something dripping down. Blood was spreading on the snow around Alfred, turning it red.

The Third was shocked.

『……When did she cut?』

The Sixth was recalling Shannon’s words even while in shock.

『When Shannon said that he was cut, he was already……』

The Seventh was flustered.

『Who. Who the hell is that?』

The Fourth held doubt towards the Seventh’s reaction.

『That girl is Celes isn’t she?』

I nodded slightly.

However, the Seventh strongly denied it.

『It’s like she’s different! Even though she looks the same, her atmosphere is different! Celes wasn’t that kind of child!』

The Fifth said to me.

『……Lyle, run. Take the two of them and run, now!』

Celes looked at me and her mouth widened into a grin that looked like a crescent moon.

「Fo~und you.」

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