Chapter 34: If You Can Become Stronger with Every Tear
“I’m sorry, I need to use the restroom for a moment.”
I told the three of them to go ahead and made my way back to the school building, rushing into the nearby boys’ restroom. Once inside a stall, I locked the door and pulled out a hand mirror from my uniform’s chest pocket.
“Now then, what kind of Skill should I choose…?”
Since it’s a duel, it would likely be a match involving swords.
I’ve received basic swordsmanship training from my father, but that’s all it was—just the fundamentals. My father isn’t exactly a master swordsman, and I’ve never won a match against him.
To defeat Idiot, acquiring a Skill is essential. Using Firekinesis would be too powerful and could easily incinerate Idiot, so I need to switch to a different Skill.
The first one that came to mind was Ninja, but that leaves me uneasy about facing him head-on. If I disappear from sight, it would be obvious that my Skill has changed. A Skill that purely enhances my swordsmanship would be better.
In that case, perhaps a simple Skill like Swordsmanship would suffice… No, Idiot’s Skill is Chevalier. It’s likely a Job Skill, so it’s better to assume he possesses the power of multiple Skills.
Would just Swordsmanship be enough to overcome the difference in Skill performance…? Swordmaster, Sword Saint… No, I know of a Skill that sounds even stronger.
Using this Skill in front of Alissa might be too high-risk, but since we’re close, I want to believe it would be somewhat acceptable.
“Skill: Brainwashing—Hugh Pnosis. Your Skill is Sword Saint.”
Hugh Pnosis
Skill: Sword Saint Lv.Max… Activates when wielding a weapon categorized as a sword. It grants the ability to wield the sword with power beyond that of a human, allowing for the execution of sword techniques from all schools throughout history.
“Is this… too strong?”
Anxiety washed over me as I read the description displayed in my status. Come to think of it, the Skills rewritten with Brainwashing become Lv.Max.
It says I possess power beyond that of a human, which would definitely raise suspicions—not just from Alissa, but from all my classmates.
“Hugh Pnosis. Your Skill is Swordsmanship.”
Skill: Swordsmanship Lv.Max… Activates when wielding a weapon categorized as a sword. It allows for the free manipulation of the sword and the execution of sword techniques from all schools throughout history.
As expected of Lv.Max. This alone is strong enough.
However, compared to Sword Saint, it might just barely be within acceptable limits. The power of Idiot’s Chevalier is still unknown, but I can’t think of a better-balanced Skill… I guess I’ll just have to leave it to chance and figure something out.
Steeling myself, I exited the restroom only to find Lily waiting with her arms crossed in front of the wall.
“What are you doing here?”
“I signaled earlier that I wanted to talk, but you didn’t notice?”
“Signal? …Oh, that.”
I recalled Lily mumbling something just before we headed to the school cafeteria.
“Let’s change locations. Follow me.”
Prompted by Lily, I followed her around to the back of the school building, where she stopped in a spot hidden between two structures.
“Hugh, I thought I should tell you this, just you.”
“Just me? Is it something you can’t tell Rouge or Lecty?”
“…No. It’s just that they don’t need to know right now.”
It’s not that she can’t say it, but rather that it’s difficult for her. It’s almost certainly related to her engagement with Duke Lecherie.
“In five days, a large evening gathering will be held at Duke Lecherie’s mansion, where Prince Slay and the nobles supporting him will gather. At that event, my engagement with Duke Lecherie will be announced, and he will officially declare his support for Prince Slay as the next king.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“…If Prince Slay becomes king, Prince Lucas will undoubtedly be killed. Lucretia won’t be safe either. Lecty, who possesses the Skill of a Holy Maiden, could also be exploited… So you need to take Lucretia and Lecty and escape while you can. It should take some time before they search Pnosis Territory, so you should be able to escape easily. There are plenty of places to hide them there, right?”
“Well, hiding them isn’t too difficult.”
In the vast wilderness of Pnosis Territory, there are countless places where one or two people could live in hiding. Natural caves, dungeons, abandoned ancient fortresses—there’s no shortage of options.
“But do you think Rouge and Lecty would want that?”
“…It’s not about whether they want it or not. It’s about what needs to be done to protect their lives.”
“That’s out of the question. It’s a waste of time to even think about it.”
“Wha—!?”
Lily was left speechless as I dismissed her proposal outright.
“Don’t you want to protect Lucretia and Lecty…!?”
“Of course I do.”
I’d do anything to protect Rouge, and I want to safeguard Lecty as much as possible.
…That’s precisely why I can’t accept Lily’s plan.
The happiness I seek, the peace I desire, the leisurely life I long for, cannot be built upon the sacrifices of those I hold dear.
“I’m not just trying to protect the two of them. I want to protect you too, Lily.”
“…! What can you do? A poor noble from the countryside like you can’t help me!”
“If that’s what you want.”
“How would you do it!?”
There is a way.
Now, it’s just a matter of whether I can muster the resolve.
Whether I can trust Lily.
Ten years ago, at the farewell with the girl I met in the forest, what did I say to her? Now, I can’t seem to recall.
But surely, I must have said something like this.
I thought to myself that this girl was someone who couldn’t cry even if she wanted to.
So someday, if I could meet her again…
—I will do my best to become someone you can cry comfortably around.
I steeled my resolve. To save Lily, I would accept the risks. If this choice backfires, then so be it; I would resign myself to that. Even if it comes to that, I still want to be there for Lily.
“Lily… I can rewrite my Skills freely.”
“…Huh?”
“You can’t believe it, can you? I still don’t fully understand this Skill myself… But I believe this power can save you.”
“…What is that? Trying to encourage me with such nonsense…”
Lily clenched her fists tightly and bit her lip.
She really isn’t going to believe me easily. I could switch my Skills right here, but revealing that I possess the Brainwashing Skill is too frightening. I want her to recognize it as a Skill that allows me to rewrite my Skills freely.
Fortunately, an opportunity to prove that I can rewrite my Skills is just around the corner.
“I’ll prove it in the duel with Idiot. I’ll use the Swordsmanship Skill instead of Firekinesis to defeat him. Then you’ll have to believe me, right?”
“…Idiot is a formidable opponent. His Chevalier Skill includes not only Swordsmanship and Shield Techniques but also Physical Enhancement. He might have even more powers…”
“So, you’re saying that normally, he would be an opponent I can’t defeat?”
“…Yes. I thought you must have some chance of winning to accept the duel, but if what you say is true, then it might not be impossible to win…”
“Then it’s settled.”
“…But even if you defeat Idiot, that doesn’t mean my mind will change. My engagement is tied to the fate of House Puridi. Even if you can freely change your Skills, this matter is…”
“I might be able to handle that. I consulted about it yesterday.”
“…Huh?”
“I should get a response as early as today. We can think about it after that.”
If my prediction is correct, the resolution of this issue will depend on his judgment. I turned to Lily, who looked taken aback, and said, “It’s time to head back,” before turning on my heel.
“W-Wait a moment!”
Lily hurriedly chased after me, bombarding me with questions, but I deflected them casually.
First, I need to defeat Idiot and earn Lily’s trust.
From there, we’ll see what happens.