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Reinhardt decided to take care of the aftermath of this incident.

In fact, he was already nearly done, and since Elena and I had only caught the bishop who tried to escape at the end, we left the conclusion of the matter to Reinhardt and promptly slipped away to the Academic Meeting Room.

Capturing the bishop of a heretical sect is no trivial matter, but neither Elena nor I wished to make a fuss about it. Originally, this incident was something Reinhardt intended to resolve, so it could be said that he deserved the credit for the cleanup.

“Then I’ll wrap this up, so you two should head back. Elena, don’t mention this to Father and Mother.”

“Even if you tell us that, it’s bound to reach Father’s ears eventually, isn’t it?”

“Well, you should talk to the Imperial Army guys properly. Just in case, tell your brother to speak to the Prince. Ask him not to report it. Right now, Orcus is in command of the military, so it might be more effective for your brother to talk directly to the Prince instead of me convincing those thugs.”

“Since I have to report anyway, I’ll mention it then.”

While it’s necessary to tell Orcus the truth as he is responsible for the current situation, it’s obvious he will reprimand me for running out without saying a word. However, he’s not the type to misinterpret my circumstances, so I figured he’d be able to sort it out well enough.

“Thanks, brother-in-law. By the way, I find the title ‘brother-in-law’ quite pleasing as I use it more and more. Oh, if it’s uncomfortable, feel free to say so. I might be too casual since we’re not that close yet, huh?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s better than before. You can call me however you like.”

“Brother, big brother…!”

Hearing my response, Reinhardt seemed pleased, mumbling to himself shyly as he smiled. While he easily called me brother-in-law, he seemed to be embarrassed by the term ‘brother.’ Maybe because he doesn’t have any male siblings?

However, by the reactions, Elena, who had been eavesdropping, was even more over the top. Upon seeing me call Reinhardt ‘big brother,’ she trembled and clung to me.

Did she think that I might dislike Reinhardt because of my actions the day before? I didn’t entirely grasp when she developed feelings for him, but I was happy to see her fondness.

“Hahaha… That, at the time, I was so busy and a bit all over the place… Sorry! If you have time tomorrow, brother-in-law, please do come to my research lab. I realize I haven’t paid much attention lately. I’ll show you something fun, so look forward to it!”

Reinhardt seemed to feel apologetic about that and made plans to meet me tomorrow. Unlike before, he seemed much more relaxed. Inviting someone to his research lab is a big deal, considering the head of the captured academic meeting was a full professor in Reinhardt’s department, which meant he’d be busy organizing things for a while.

Still, I kept this fact to myself, fearing that if I mentioned it, Reinhardt might go off the deep end again, so I zipped my lips. Call it a small revenge on my part. I felt no guilt.

“It’s late. Don’t get too excited and just head back. See you tomorrow.”

I wrapped up the conversation with Reinhardt rather quickly. I didn’t know when he would realize this fact, but at least it seemed fine until tomorrow.

Anyway, this hostage-like situation wrapped up just like that.

I had been worried about the butterfly effect, but everything was in Reinhardt and Elena’s hands—truly, those protagonists’ families are something else. It was a bit reassuring to realize that even the hardships of life applied to the heretics.

The current situation was good for us; if anything, it could only be beneficial. Am I just worrying too much? Since my initial blunders seem to have created only a gentle breeze rather than a storm, I find myself thinking the opposite now.

Am I placing too much emphasis on the original work?

Looking at Reinhardt, who would one day become the strongest swordsman on the continent before turning thirty, I thought that if Elena is someone who possesses talents that surpass him, she should, of course, be stronger than Reinhardt. I never imagined that such a level could be achieved by someone akin to a transcendent being.

What can I say? No matter what happens now, I feel like if Elena waves her hand, everything will be resolved.

Seeing her shoot a death beam from her hand today gave me a pretty good idea of how the monsters took a dive during the Hunting Tournament. That level ground we had right before heading to the forest was now filled with craters, thanks to Elena.

“So!! When the lady swings her hand, the monsters turn to dust and disappear, and with a kick, the ground cracks just like that!!”

When Robin explained it back then, no matter how many times he did, I struggled to envision it clearly—some things you just need to see with your own eyes.

Far from feeling disheartened, my previously cluttered thoughts started clarifying. There’s nothing to overthink. I had my path laid out before me.

I merely realized that I had been overly generous in my assessment of myself. After all, Elena would never think highly of me while suffering alone. I suppose that’s why she chose today to show me; it was a reminder not to struggle alone and to look around.

I managed to arrive at the Academic Meeting Room before the moon fell from the sky. I think I got back faster than I did on the way there; perhaps it was because I had run hard. Standing at the crossroads, Elena spoke to me.

“Sometimes, a night stroll like this wouldn’t be too bad, right?”

“As long as it’s not too late. Acting like today, I might sleep in tomorrow. But from now on, I’ll always let you know before I go out. So, Elena, please refrain from watching over me with your hawk-eyed gaze.”

“…..Does ‘refrain’ mean occasionally it’s okay?”

“I’ll head in now. Sleep well.”

“Ah, okay!! I won’t do it again next time!!!”

Regardless, privacy is important. I only poked fun at her once, and judging by her reaction, it seems like Elena has been keeping an eye on me more than just a couple of times. By the way, does watching me through that blue creature mean Elena sees things through its eyes? That’s a new revelation for me today.

Surely, Elena must not be monitoring my every move like Big Brother. Maybe she’s just flying it around now and then because she wants to see my face?

Hmm… perhaps?

Only Elena knows the truth, but she would certainly never tell me. Let’s just drop the subject here. Sometimes, ignorance can be bliss.

“Then from now on, when something happens, discuss it with me first, not Orcus. It’s a promise.”

“But that involves Orcus too…”

“Promise.”

“Promise…”

I wondered why Orcus’s name suddenly came up, only to realize I had been dealing with him about such things until now. Was she feeling jealous? I thought it unlikely, but it was understandable since Elena had a subtle possessiveness over even the smallest details.

After sending Elena back to the dormitory, I also moved to another location.

It was too clear-headed to head to bed yet. With a training sword in my hand, I knew where I needed to go.

*

Understanding often comes unexpectedly.

The catalyst can be dramatic or stem from very trivial actions. One doesn’t ascend to a higher plane just by constantly fighting. It’s not a standardized formula, and one can’t know until one arrives.

I don’t know if what happened with Elena today will become a catalyst, but instead of going to sleep, I chose to head to the Training Grounds. I had this sudden urge to swing my sword. Typically, when I felt like this, I followed my instincts and acted accordingly.

I didn’t add anything special—it was merely my usual training routine.

I looped around the Training Grounds and exercised my body exactly as I had set out to do. After finishing my physical training, I moved on to basic cuts like upward slashes and horizontal cuts, then practiced my family’s swordsmanship, executing all the techniques I had acquired, repeating them until satisfied.

It’s needless to say it was the same as always.

It felt as if I was slowly advancing step by step.

In short, there was no sudden elevation for me.

Nonetheless, should I be thankful that I am not stuck in place? I pondered this only to smack my head in frustration.

In truth, stagnation doesn’t exist.

Everyone has differing levels of talent, but training molds you into a stronger version of yourself than you were the previous day. While prodigies might achieve what others take a decade to accomplish within a year, even those who aren’t prodigies can achieve similar accomplishments with a decade of hard work. I had always engraved this in my mind, yet today something felt amiss. I had forgotten this obvious fact.

“Why am I like this…”

I had pretended to be fine in front of Elena, but being alone made me aware of my impatience.

The reason for this was certainly due to what Elena had shown me. The moment I thought it was a distant possibility, it came close, triggering my anxiety. Even though I didn’t need to rush, my goal was to stand beside her.

It was Reinhardt, who had always trained with me in the mornings, who showed up next. It was unexpected. He usually followed a strict schedule and was as diligent as they come.

Reinhardt looked quite surprised to find me sitting in the Training Grounds. It was still early enough that I should have been asleep, after all. Given he knew I adhered strictly to my sleep schedule, his astonishment was understandable. Before he could speak, I decided to initiate the conversation.

“It’s not even morning yet, why are you already out?”

“I always come out at this time to warm up. But Damien, do you have a reason for coming out early today? You’re usually someone who keeps to your sleep time.”

“I suddenly felt like swinging my sword. You know those moments don’t you?”

“I understand.”

Reinhardt nodded, and then he went about his own business. Our training wasn’t much different. Ultimately, we both went through repetitions of what we learned. I picked up my sword and stood back up, ready for action.

 

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