The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 28
EP.28 First Impressions (3)
The students began murmuring in confusion, but I wasn’t particularly surprised. After all, this duel marked the first combat scene in the game. Whether you win or lose didn’t matter much; it was more of a tutorial.
Sure, the difficulty was a bit high for an early battle, but the real challenge came from the fact that the opponent you had to face in a one-on-one duel here was treated as a boss by the system, and a Bronze Medal was at stake. If you were aiming for the Platinum Medal, this was a fight you had to win.
Though the duel could be manageable if you knew the strategy and avoided any unreasonable setbacks, but the problem was that this was only applied when you played from Leo’s perspective, the protagonist. What I was experiencing now was not a turn-based JRPG where characters attacked in a set order depending on their speed; it was more like an ultra-realistic first-person shooter. No, scratch that—this wasn’t even a game anymore. It was real life.
To be honest, I had confidence in my own skills. Dodging basic attacks from amateurs swinging a sword clumsily would be easy. I was certain of that.
And why wouldn’t I be? I had dodged Lucas’ strikes countless times, and he would eventually surpass the Sword Saint in strength. At this point in time, the Sword Saint was still alive. He wouldn’t die until the second installment of The Chronicles of Aetherna, when Lucas killed him, so he had to be alive during the early events of the first game.
However, there wasn’t much time between the events of the first and second games—about a year, give or take. If Lucas went to challenge the Sword Saint for a duel now, I believed Lucas would win. Of course, that was just my speculation.
I watched the students carefully selecting their weapons with a blank expression.
They weren’t using personal weapons brought from home. Even though this academy focused on practical combat training, they weren’t going to make students shoot or cut each other for real. The weapons, whether swords or spears, were all made of wood and rubber. It would hurt if you got hit, but as long as you didn’t take a blow to the head, you wouldn’t die from a couple of hits.
There were also staffs for mages. These were adjusted to minimize the magic stones so that when a spell was cast, only light would come out. When mages cast spells, Instructor Jennifer would judge the range and effectiveness of the magic based on the student’s skill and tell them if they hit or missed. At least, that was how it was in the game.
There were also guns.
Because guns have more moving parts, they weren’t made out of rubber. In fact, they were real guns. Instead of creating model guns, it was easier to use actual firearms with a few modifications. The difference was that the barrel was a solid metal rod and there was no firing pin inside, so even if you loaded a round, it couldn’t fire. The bullets themselves were harmless metal slugs without any gunpowder.
That was why the Ergensen rifle I held was heavier than the real one I was used to, as was the revolver holstered under my arm. It wouldn’t cause any major issues during a brief sparring session, though.
“Alright, has everyone got their weapons!?”
Jennifer shouted, surveying the students.
Although no one answered, everyone had a weapon in hand. The variety of weapons among the students was striking, but there was not a single weapon left unused. This suggested that Jennifer had carefully considered each student’s strengths before the class.
“…”
As Jennifer’s gaze swept over the group, her eyes lingered on me for a brief moment. Was it just a coincidence?
“Facing off against a stranger on the first day might feel awkward. If there’s someone you’d prefer to spar with, ask for their consent and pair up. If anyone’s left without a partner, I’ll assign them one myself.”
…And, the one without a partner would end up duelling with Jennifer. That was the worst-case scenario. Maybe I could win if I kept resetting time and trying again, but I had no idea how many retries it would take.
Jennifer was a warrior of the battlefield. Though her time there was short, she made a fierce impression. She was a character who could use anything at hand as a weapon.
In the game, due to the limitations of a turn-based RPG, she was portrayed as a character who could freely mix firearms, swords, and magic. However, in some event scenes, she was depicted fighting with whatever was at hand—chairs, ladders, cups, water bottles, rocks, or even pens and pencils.
It seemed like an attempt to mimic a famous Hollywood character, but honestly, the motion and graphics were awkward, so it didn’t look that cool.
Clap!
Another clap echoed…
“Alright, you have one minute!”
Jennifer shouted.
I turned to look at Alice.
“…No thanks.”
The moment Alice’s eyes met mine, she recoiled in horror, stepping back immediately.
…That hurt a little.
“If I fight you, I’ll definitely lose. Why would I want to fight you? I’d rather lose to the instructor; it’s less embarrassing.”
Hmm.
Alice wasn’t exactly an easy opponent, but her swordsmanship was still far below Lucas’s level. If we fought, I’d win. After all, I had the ability to undo my mistakes.
“Oh my.”
Charlotte, who had been listening to the conversation, stepped in.
“Alice, would you care to spar with me instead? I may not look like it, but I’m quite confident in my swordsmanship.”
Unlike Alice’s wooden bastard sword, Charlotte held a rapier with a blade made of rubber. She gave it a few quick swings and then pouted slightly.
“Indeed, the material makes it different from a real sword. This feels more like a riding crop than a sword.”
“By that logic, this is just a club.”
Alice said, raising her wooden sword.
And as for me? I was holding a toy gun.
There was no one around us. No matter how skilled they were, no one wanted to risk fighting with the royal princesses. Who knew what kind of trouble that would cause?
“Ah! I know! I’ll pair with Sylvia!”
Whoa! That startled me.
Claire, who had somehow snuck up behind me, shouted, nearly making me jump.
If it weren’t for the past ten years of being attacked by Lucas whenever I let my guard down, I might have actually leaped in surprise.
“Huh?”
As Alice turned to face Claire who had spoken, Jennifer’s voice filled the room.
“Alright, listen up!”
The murmuring stopped, and everyone turned their attention to Jennifer.
“Those of you who’ve found a duelling partner, sit down!”
At Jennifer’s command, the students began to sit down one by one. Despite their noble status, many felt slightly uneasy, but none of them dared to challenge the experienced instructor. After all, it was only the first day.
Alice and Charlotte sat down.
“Sylvia, hurry!”
Claire, who had plopped down as soon as Jennifer shouted, tugged at my sleeve with sparkling eyes.
“…”
Across the room, Leo was glaring in my direction with a look full of resentment. Still, it was better to spar with Claire than face Jennifer, so I quickly sat down beside her. Sorry, Leo. I won’t forget this debt, though I have no intention of repaying it.
As Class A consisted of nobles with connections to one another, many of the students had already taken their seats.
“Good, now you two pair up.”
Jennifer said, matching up the last two remaining girls. Then, turning her attention to Leo Grace, who was left alone, she smiled.
“Oh? You’re the eldest son of Baron Grace, correct? How is the Baron doing these days?”
“Y-yes? Oh, yes, yes! He’s doing well!”
Leo stammered, immediately snapping to attention with a salute.
“Good. Your voice is loud and clear. Alright, you’ll be sparring with me. Now, sit down.”
Jennifer didn’t bat an eye as Leo’s face turned pale. After Leo sat down, the instructor surveyed the group of students again.
“Alright, then…”
She pulled a pocket watch from her coat, checked the time, and continued.
“We don’t have nearly enough time to spar one team at a time. Alright. We’ll do three teams at once. Don’t worry. I can watch all of you and judge who wins.”
Actually, no one was worried about that. What we were concerned about was her insane pace, though none of us dared to say it out loud.
“Then, first, hmm. Alright, let’s start with the future pillars of this country.”
Jennifer pointed at me and Alice with a smile.
“You two, bring your chosen partners and come forward. And you two, come forward as well. These three teams will go first.”
“…”
Although everyone exchanged glances, hesitant to stand, they eventually began to rise one by one. Except for one person, whose eyes sparkled with excitement.
“So, you’re a Grace too.”
Jennifer said, looking at Claire.
“Good eyes. I hope you keep that spark in whatever you do.”
“Yes!”
Claire responded enthusiastically.
They surprisingly got along well.
Though, honestly, Claire didn’t seem like someone suited for the military… but that wasn’t really relevant right now.
Jennifer’s gaze lingered on me for a moment. And at that moment, I knew for sure—this wasn’t just my imagination or a coincidence.
Why? Was it because I was one of the Emperor’s children? Maybe she thought the Emperor was behind the death of Count Crowfield from Winterfield? Well, the Duke’s family probably all suspected that anyway.
…Did I somehow get marked on the first day of class?
“Alright, don’t just stand there, come forward!”
“…”
At Jennifer’s command, we stepped forward.
Alice and I stood with our backs to each other, maintaining a little distance.
In front of me, Claire stood tall, gripping a large sword with both hands, her posture incredibly upright. Her eyes sparkled, and the corners of her lips twitched, as if she was thrilled at the prospect of sparring with me.
…
Well, it’s nice to see her so excited, but I had no idea what to expect from her skill. Unlike the somewhat unconventional fighting style she’d learned in the game, Claire now probably practiced a straightforward swordsmanship, just like the protagonist, Leo.
Would she be easier to deal with?
I had seen her use a practice sword before. Indeed, it would be much better than dealing with her unconventional style.
Alright.
I pulled back the bolt of the rifle and loaded the first round into the chamber.
I held the rifle to my shoulder, leaned slightly forward as if I was a soldier on the battlefield, and spread my legs slightly to prepare for quick movement—
—Wait, is it really okay to put someone like me, a basic foot soldier, right in front of someone with a sword?
“Okay, let’s start!”
Before I could even voice my objection, Jennifer shouted the start of the match.
…Well, of course, someone like her would probably say something like, ‘In war, you must be ready to fight and win under any circumstances!’—
“I’m coming!”
Before I could finish that thought, Claire shouted and charged toward me!
It was like in kendo when someone was shouting while lunging forward, except she took a big step with her left foot, running straight at me, both arms raised high above her head.
In a game, this move would probably be labeled an ‘overhead slash.’
Simple, but incredibly fast.
I threw myself to the side with all my strength, barely managing to avoid falling over. My shoes scraped against the sandy ground, making a rough sound as dust flew up around me.
The long rifle wasn’t easy to handle. Even though I was ready to shoot, there wasn’t enough time to aim with Claire closing in so quickly. She was too close to line up a proper shot with such a lengthy weapon.
Alright.
Next time, I should prepare a shorter rifle.
Click.
Even though I pulled the trigger, Claire had already anticipated it and dodged forward, evading the muzzle.
“Missed!”
I only heard Jennifer’s voice shouting out the obvious.
I quickly leapt back, releasing my grip with my right hand while reaching under my left armpit.
“Hiya!”
Claire let out a shout, and I immediately pulled my body back.
Claire, who had swung her sword down, quickly changed the direction of her sword towards me. If I had stayed in that spot a moment longer, I would have been hit—
“Ugh!?”
Half a beat later, I felt the shock on my right arm and fell to the left as if I was flying.
What? What just happened?
I hurriedly scrambled to my feet, realizing all eyes were on me.
“Sister?”
Claire looked at me with a very confused expression.
My arm throbbed. At first, I hadn’t even felt the pain where I’d been struck, but now it was starting to register, and my brain screamed in protest.
Claire’s sword was glowing with a faint blue light.
…Sword energy. Claire had enveloped her wooden practice sword with sword energy.
And that energy had followed her swing, trailing slightly behind her sword like a whip.
…A whip sword!
Wasn’t using sword energy on a wooden practice sword basically cheating?!
“Again!”
Feeling an odd sense of injustice, I shouted it with all my might.