The cat-girl raised her index finger in front of my lips.

“Keep your voice down. No yelling. Absolutely no yelling. I get it, okay?”

It seemed like all she wanted to say was that, under normal circumstances, my swordsmanship could kill a proper knight like Givry. How misleading.

But at least it was good news—he seemed to have survived. That pathetic excuse for a knight. Even now, just recalling him makes me want to drag him to hell.

“Tch. But how do you even know about that? That happened at the elementary division’s exam venue. The practical exams for the advanced division were on a different date.”

The cat-girl grinned mischievously and placed both hands on my shoulders. No, they didn’t stop at my shoulders—they slid around to the back of my neck.

Her forehead lightly bumped against mine. Her breath tickled.

Was she trying to seduce me? This brat?

Her lips moved, and her breath brushed against my skin.

“Come on, come on. You’re cute and strong. Why wouldn’t I want to team up with you?”

I ruthlessly grabbed her face and pushed her away.

“Hmph, I gain nothing from it.”

“Oh my? Someone’s true nature is showing. But you do stand to gain something. Because, you see, Eremia, there’s still a little secret you’re hiding, isn’t there?”

...

A chill ran down my spine.

The cat-girl leaned in close again and tilted her head sideways with a grin.

“It’s totally fine, you know? If you want to say no? But, but, but... you know what happens next, don’t you?”

There’s no way she could know I’m the reincarnation of the Sword Saint, Blythe. So it must be about my royal lineage—about being part of the Oldingham family.

How could such information leak? More importantly, how does this brat even know?

If my royal status were exposed, danger would follow almost certainly. I personally wouldn’t mind, but it could lead to incidents that would involve the entire academy. I have no intention of putting the students at risk.

Even without that, if the fact that I’m royalty becomes known, the instructors would have no choice but to favor me.

I came here to hone my swordsmanship under strict discipline and regain my former strength. Being given preferential treatment would defeat the purpose entirely. It’d be like being forced to play pretend fencing games at the palace, indulging in noble swordsmanship far removed from reality.

“Ugh, damn it! Fine! Fine, I’ll team up with you! That’s what you wanted, right?”

“Yep! Okay, then I’ll introduce myself properly. Sure, we had homeroom earlier, but there’s no way you remember me, right?”

“I don’t remember a single person.”

“I knew it! Same here! Hahaha! Oh, but I remembered you! You’re exactly my type!”

I held my forehead and lowered my gaze.

“Still, I’m a bit hurt. There aren’t many girls in the knight academy, you know. You could at least try to remember us. Only 20% of the class is female.”

With a class of twenty students, that meant only four girls.

“Unfortunately, I’m still a kid. I don’t care about those things yet.”

“Heh-heh, don’t you know? Kids don’t go around calling themselves kids. You sound just like a grown man.”

That tone of hers.

Surely, she couldn’t mean Blythe and not my royal lineage, could she?

This girl is a mystery. She’s starting to scare me.

With a sigh, I muttered my alias.

“Eremia Noy. Call me whatever you want.”

Even though my real name is Eremi Oldingham, there’s no way I could reveal that.

“I already knooow~. I’m Miku. Miku Orunkaim.”

Suddenly, a spark ran through my brain.

I had no memory of ever meeting this Miku before, but her family name—now that I recognized. It’s not a common one.

“Orunkaim?”

“Hmm? Oh, do you know it?”

Ah.

I pointed at the cat-girl.

“Is your grandfather Lord Mardo Orunkaim?!”

“Yup! That’s the Orunkaim. But he’s my dad, not my grandpa.”

Mardo Orunkaim. A frontier marquis who governs a fortress city near the border with the Republic of Egil.

He personally commands a fearsome knight order renowned for their strength honed in the mountains and unparalleled mobility, as well as an elusive mage corps. This formidable general has held the line against the Republic without yielding a single step.

So she’s his daughter!

Lord Orunkaim and I had a slight acquaintance in my past life, but if he’s still alive, he must be around seventy by now. Far older than Blythe. And yet he somehow managed to have such a young daughter. The man must have been overly vigorous in his old age.

“Eh-heh. I’ll call you Ere-tan, okay?”

But she looks nothing like him. Honestly, I’m surprised.

This Miku Orunkaim, a beautiful girl of average build, bore no resemblance to the giant Lord Orunkaim. The only shared feature was her hair color.

How could such a transformation occur from that source material? Humanity is full of wonders. If Blythe had fathered children in his past life, I wonder if I’d have had one like her.

Though the thought of having offspring older than me is unsettling.

“Hellooo, Ere-tan? Are you listening?”

“Yeah, yeah. Call me whatever you want. I said that already, didn’t I?”

Miku puffed out her cheeks in an exaggerated pout, her lips curving downward in mock irritation.

“Well theeen, how about I call you Puppy since you’re such a cute little doggy?”

Spare me. If I’m going to be stuck with a ridiculous nickname, I’d rather go by the “Beast” title from my past life. I certainly don’t deserve to be called a puppy by a kitten.

“...Fine, just Ere is okay.”

“Knew you’d see it my way! All right then, nice to meetcha!”

She extended her hand, and I shook it in return.

“Yeah.”

Still, this isn’t good. To have my secret discovered so quickly.

My school life is going to be an uphill battle.