Ryoka was in a hurry. And for once, it wasn’t about a woman.

That was unusual.

Scratching his head, Ryoka muttered, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“I just feel like I need to get stronger as soon as possible. We only have three years until graduation. We can’t afford to be standing still.”

“Why? You’re already plenty strong. There can’t be many students who could beat you at your age.”

Under certain conditions, he might even be stronger than me or Void right now.

For example, in an open space like the training grounds, in a one-on-one duel, I probably wouldn’t stand a chance against Ryoka. Not at this point. That’s why I wanted to cross swords with him—to steal his techniques through battle.

Of course, if we were in a dungeon, a forest, or a chaotic battlefield, the balance of power would likely shift. Even so, Ryoka was already an exceptional swordsman.

He gave me a wry smile.

“Thanks. But being strong at a student level isn’t enough. Even a full-fledged knight wouldn’t cut it. I need to be stronger—far stronger. Like the Sword Saint or the War Maiden.”

“Would you tell me why?”

Ryoka’s voice cracked slightly.

“…Ah. No. Damn it.”

This…

He wasn’t acting normally. I quickly spoke up.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to press you. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. I still have plenty of things I can’t talk about either. …Ah—wait, that was an unnecessary comment. Don’t pry into it, okay?”

Riona and Void were both looking at me with exasperated expressions.

For a while, silence stretched between us.

Then, as a gentle breeze blew past, Ryoka suddenly shook his head, as if shaking something off. His short black hair swayed, and with a look of determination, he began to speak.

“…Do you guys know about the ‘Sword Demon’ from my homeland, the island nation of Hinomoto in the Eastern Lands?”

Hinomoto.

We tend to refer to the lands across the eastern sea collectively as the Eastern Lands, but in reality, they are a collection of numerous small nations. Hinomoto was one of them.

That was about all I knew—besides the fact that they wielded a unique weapon called the katana and produced fearsome swordsmen known as ‘Sword Demons.’

I nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of them. They're like the ‘Sword Saints’ of Galliant Kingdom, right? The kind of warriors who could be surrounded by dozens of enemies and still cut them all down without taking a single scratch. Or at least, that’s the legend. I don’t know if it’s true.”

“It is true.”

“Seriously!?”

I’d always wanted to cross swords with one. That had been a dream of mine since my days as Blythe.
Of course, being reborn as a child meant that was a distant goal for now.

For the time being, my target was the War Maiden. Once I surpassed Lili, I would once again aim for the title of Sword Saint. That was something to look forward to.

But for that to happen, Kilpus had to stay on the throne for a long time. I couldn’t bear the thought of wielding my sword under Leon’s rule.

I turned to Ryoka.

“So, you’re aiming to become a ‘Sword Demon,’ huh? No need to be embarrassed about that. I won’t laugh at you. After all, I’m striving to become a Sword Saint—”

“Wrong!”

Ryoka shook his head again, this time a clear and firm rejection.

Then, spitting out his words, he declared,

“The Sword Demon isn’t someone like Sir Blythe! He’s not like Instructor Ituka either! He’s not someone to admire!”

“…Huh?”

His voice was filled with such uncontained rage that I was momentarily at a loss for words.

I had never seen Ryoka this agitated before.

Then, he said it.

“I crossed the sea to gain the power to cut down the Sword Demon. Because I can’t kill him using the same Karaburi Ittō-ryū he wields. That’s why—”

Ryoka let out a deep sigh and fell silent. His head dropped.

Riona and Void were staring at him, looking as if they had forgotten to breathe. I was the same.

Then, in a whisper, Ryoka added,

“I can’t afford to lose—not even to a homunculus. And yet…”

I heard the sound of his teeth grinding together.

“If it weren’t for Eremia, if it weren’t for Void, if Riona hadn’t helped, I would have died in a foreign land before I ever fulfilled my goal. I’m too weak. Far too weak.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. That opponent was simply too strong. Besides, I only managed to get by because you taught me how to cut through stone, and I stacked one desperate trick after another. You’re the one who saved me when my weapon was broken, Ryoka.”

Void, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

“Tch. That thing was ridiculous. I hate to admit it, but there was nothing I could do either, not with a cheap-ass weapon like that. The knight academy should invest in better gear.”

“Yeah, Ryoka-chan. If even one of us had been missing in that fight, I think we all would’ve ended up dead.”

Ryoka let out a small, defeated sigh.

“…I know. But that Sword Demon is far stronger than the homunculus.”

Far stronger than the homunculus, huh?
So, he’s on the level of a War Maiden or a Sword Saint.

To think Ryoka was training to kill someone like that…

It seemed that, like Void and Riona, he too carried something immense on his shoulders.

Our Class One, Team Three.
What a strange fate we all shared.

Ryoka eventually raised his head, his usual expression returning. With a brighter tone, he said,

“Sorry. I wasted our time with that pointless talk. Well, anyway, that’s the reason. —We don’t have much time. Let’s get back to discussing the curriculum before afternoon classes start.”

“Yeah.”

It didn’t seem like he was willing to say anything more.

All we could do was nod in agreement.