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Gilbert fidgeted with the innocent teacup placed before him. It was an uncharacteristically anxious demeanor for him, but even Gilbert couldn’t help but show such a side now.

“Hmm…”

Seeing Briana, who seemed uncomfortable and twitching her eyebrows, Gilbert inwardly sighed.

In a way, Gilbert’s current predicament was self-inflicted. The root of the problem was his decision to contact Seraphina directly to expedite matters.

He had deliberately omitted any mention of Brynhild to Briana, a professor at the Demia Empire Academy and his master. This could easily be seen as disregarding her authority.

While Briana was generally indifferent to such matters, strictly speaking, she was a person of high standing from a Marquis family and the Empire’s greatest swordsman, renowned for her skill with a single sword.

Considering her influence within the Empire alone, there were few who could afford to slight her, and Gilbert had done so without hesitation.

Of course, Briana’s anger wasn’t due to that reason. In fact, she didn’t particularly care about such things.

The reason for her anger was much simpler.

“Gilbert Lion Heart.”

Lately, it seemed like he was being called by his full name more often. Was it just his imagination?

Gilbert bowed his head at Briana’s sharp call. He was reluctant to meet her gaze.

“Your actions were deceitful towards your master. You understand that, right?”

“I do.”

“Of course, I understand the importance of the matter. And I also understand that going through Her Highness was the best way to resolve it. But still, you could have at least said something to me, couldn’t you?”

“You’re right.”

This was the reason for Briana’s anger and Gilbert’s current attitude.

She felt her authority as a master had been undermined.

While Briana had many disciples, she only had two personal disciples, including Seraphina.

And considering Seraphina’s status as the Princess, Gilbert was effectively her only true disciple.

Especially since Briana was sincere in her master-disciple relationship, Gilbert’s actions felt particularly hurtful.

She had even considered Gilbert a lifelong companion on the Path of the Sword, making the sense of betrayal indescribable.

At the very least, if he had given her a hint, Briana wouldn’t have felt so miserable.

While Gilbert didn’t fully grasp Briana’s feelings, he could clearly see that she was deeply upset by this incident.

It would have been strange if he hadn’t noticed. Normally, she would have let it slide, but the fact that she had summoned him like this spoke volumes.

“It was my shortcoming.”

“You usually have a knack for surprising people, but when it comes to this, it seems not so much. Fine, I’ll let it slide this once.”

Did he manage to get through it?

Gilbert couldn’t shake the feeling that he had escaped a pressure greater than any battle. It seemed that he couldn’t be forceful with someone who favored him, whether in the past or now.

“I’ve received a general report from Her Highness. The Grand Warrior Sigurd followed you here for a marriage alliance, is that correct?”

“That’s the surface reason.”

“Surface reason… Is that what you think?”

The pressure that had momentarily lifted began to creep back. Just when he thought he had relaxed, the pressure seemed to intensify, and it wasn’t just his imagination.

In a way, it showed how important his position had become. They were pressuring him in case he decided to leave for the Sigurd Tribe Union after marrying Brynhild.

But for Gilbert, who had no such intentions, it was an exhausting situation.

“There’s no need to beat around the bush. Even if you’re trying to pull me into the Sigurd Tribe Union, my loyalty will always lie with the Empire.”

“Hmm…”

The rising tension slowly subsided. It seemed he had given the right answer again.

After just a brief conversation, Gilbert felt utterly drained and longed to return to his lodgings and collapse onto his bed.

“Anyway, keep an eye out since we don’t know what hidden intentions they might have.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“And there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

“I’m listening.”

“An official announcement will be made soon, but an exchange meeting will be held shortly.”

So it’s finally here.

As Gilbert had anticipated, the main scenario this time was the exchange meeting part.

In academy stories, the exchange meeting is an essential event, and since Tactical Combat was modeled after academy stories, the exchange meeting part had become the main scenario.

To put it in realistic terms, it was the result of bringing national power struggles down to the academy level.

Since the appearance of Colossal Mechs, wars between nations had resulted in significant damage to both sides, regardless of the outcome.

The cost of operating Colossal Mechs and the damage from Colossal Mech battles were astronomical, making it too risky to wage war recklessly.

But the fundamental reason humans formed groups and created hierarchical societies was the desire to be superior to others. This basic instinct didn’t change even at the national level.

Thus, the exchange meeting was born under the guise of academic exchange for development, which naturally led to unseen tensions between nations.

In essence, the exchange meeting was a small-scale war between nations, albeit dressed up in diplomatic language.

“This exchange meeting will be held at the Demia Empire Academy for the first time in four years. As such, the Empire is putting a lot of effort into it.”

“That’s to be expected… but it seems there’s another reason.”

Rather than a guess, the scenario in Tactical Combat suggested there had to be a reason.

Gilbert’s question was to verify if that reason was true.

Unfortunately or fortunately, Briana slowly nodded.

“Correct. It seems that the heirs of the Four Seasons Weapon Techniques will all participate in this exchange meeting.”

Gilbert’s brow furrowed slightly.

His verification had proven true.

In Tactical Combat, there were four weapon techniques known as the Four Seasons Weapon Techniques.

Spring Shield for spring.

Summer Spear for summer.

Autumn Bow for autumn.

Winter Sword for winter.

The Winter Sword Gilbert had learned from Briana was one of these Four Seasons Weapon Techniques.

In Tactical Combat, when playing as Ian, there was an event triggered by learning one of these four weapon techniques.

Known as the Heirs of the Four Seasons event, it was a special event to determine the superiority of the heirs who had learned each weapon technique.

The success condition for the event wasn’t complicated. It was simply a matter of defeating the other heirs, making it a straightforward event.

However, being a special event, its difficulty was notorious among Tactical Combat players.

Considering the difficulty of becoming Briana’s direct disciple to learn the Winter Sword, facing the other heirs wouldn’t be easy.

So much so that many players chose to skip this event altogether.

“This is the first time in nearly a decade that all the heirs will participate in the exchange meeting. Do you understand what that means?”

For once, Briana’s eyes burned with intensity. Despite her usual calm demeanor, she couldn’t maintain her composure when it came to the heirs of the Four Seasons Weapon Techniques.

Gilbert, meeting her gaze, spoke without difficulty.

“It’s a simple matter.”

Strange difficulty?

High difficulty?

Gilbert inwardly scoffed.

Once again, he was a gamer who had cleared all achievements in Tactical Combat.

Naturally, that included the achievement for the Heirs of the Four Seasons Weapon Techniques.

***

As Briana watched her disciple return to his lodgings, she fell into deep thought.

The image of Gilbert, unshaken even by the news of the heirs participating in the exchange meeting, lingered in her mind.

She briefly worried if it was overconfidence, but it didn’t seem so.

He had simply stated it as if it were a matter of course.

Was it her excessive affection for her disciple clouding her judgment?

Briana shook her head.

Even if it was her own delusion, it was clear that this was a good opportunity for Gilbert.

While losing might bruise his pride as the heir of the Winter Sword, experiencing defeat wouldn’t be a bad thing for Gilbert, who had been on a smooth path until now.

After all, wasn’t the Winter Sword like an ice flower blooming in the harsh winter?

The trials would undoubtedly become nourishment for him to bloom even more brilliantly.

For his sake, she could accept his defeat in the battle of the heirs.

But perhaps the problem was her.

Briana’s delicate eyebrows furrowed.

Her thoughts had turned to the Grand Warrior of the Sigurd Tribe who had come to the Demia Empire Academy with Gilbert.

She couldn’t fathom what schemes were at play or why they had lured the naive Gilbert to the Demia Empire Academy.

Objectively speaking, Gilbert was an excellent candidate for a husband.

Despite his past reputation being at its worst, his current status made any flaws seem negligible.

With his innate talent for Colossal Mech Piloting, his 5th Grade Knight title, and being the eldest son of the Lion Heart Count Family, he was undoubtedly a top-tier husband candidate.

Of course, that was from the perspective of the Empire’s nobility. The standards might differ for the Sigurd Tribe.

But it was Gilbert who had single-handedly repelled the recent invasion by the Sigurd Tribe Union. For a tribe that valued strength above all, he was the perfect husband candidate.

What if that was their real goal?

Briana’s expression twisted.

She couldn’t help but worry that the occasionally clueless Gilbert might be lured into the Sigurd Tribe Union.

Even though he had just said it wouldn’t happen, people were unpredictable.

Wasn’t there a saying about the “one in a million” chance?

Unable to hide her growing anxiety, Briana abruptly stood up.

She looked as if she had just heard that Gilbert was leaving.

“*Sigh*…”

But Briana soon let out a long sigh and slumped back into her seat.

She realized she had been overthinking.

Despite priding herself on knowing Gilbert better than anyone, she felt a pang of guilt for not trusting him at this crucial moment.

“My mind must be getting lax.”

Briana shook her head.

She recalled Seraphina, who had recently come to her with deep thoughts.

She quickly left her office to find Seraphina.

When thoughts became tangled, there was nothing better than swinging a sword, a sentiment Briana agreed with.

 

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