Episode 75 – Knowledge (2)

Knowledge (2)

Edsilla, a city known for its affluent neighborhoods. A city of gold built on golden land. The ‘Berry Hills’, where even the average rich can’t hand out their business cards.

And here I am.

“Even the air smells expensive.”

As soon as I got out of the taxi, a luxurious scent hit me. Do the cars here use perfume instead of disinfectant?

“…”

I walked quietly, trying my best to not look like a country bumpkin.

Berry Hills was decorated like a castle from the entrance, and the streets were filled with fancy hotspots like restaurants, clubs, stadiums, high-end cafes, and even a Magic Spell shop ‘Adraca’ directly operated by the magic tower.

One place caught my eye.

A luxury boutique [Luxury Line]. I approached and opened the door.

“Welcome…”

The employee seemed surprised to see me. Probably because of my school uniform. I scanned the interior with a poker face. There were many luxury brands that I recognized just by name.

“Can I try this on?”

I chose a brand called ‘Lumiere’. An insane luxury item that asks for 10,000 Ren for a single jacket.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. We don’t allow fittings in our shop.”

“But there are three fitting rooms over there.”

“Well, there are already customers inside, and we operate on a membership system, so only members can try on clothes.”

“Oh my~ You look so pretty~”

Suddenly, the door of the fitting room opened, and a compliment echoed brightly.

I inadvertently turned to look.

“Oh, really? I wonder if this color suits me better~? Huh?!”

The customer, who had been flitting around the fitting room, also seemed to notice me, her eyes widening.

“…Shion. What are you doing here?”

It was Layla. What’s she doing here instead of practicing for the play?

“What are you doing here?”

“They didn’t give me the script, so I’m pissed. I’m not practicing, I’m shopping. I’m on strike today.”

Oh, I see.

The employee next to me looked surprised and alternately looked at us.

“Do you two know each other?”

“We’re in the same class.”

Layla, who answered first, walked over and did a full spin, as if showing off her blouse with the luxury logo patterned like a check on a sky-blue background.

“How is it~ Pretty, right~? Do you feel like showing me the script now~?”

I pointed to the Lumiere slacks, asking the employee.

“How much is this?”

“Hey. Are you ignoring me?”

Layla frowned.

“What’s going on? Someone else is here?”

Another voice came then. The door of the second fitting room opened.

It was another woman, and someone I knew.

Someone only I knew. She doesn’t know me yet.

“Layla. Who’s that?”

Tall, nearly 180cm in heels, slender, and beautiful, but somewhat intimidating. Her mysterious aura was amplified by her snow-white hair.

Her name is ‘Serena Sianna Aventher Lucy’.

She is a direct descendant of the former Chairman’s family, Aventher.

“Oh. He’s in our class. His name is Shion.”

At Layla’s words, Serena pursed her lips.

“…He’s also an Endex? But why does he look so shabby?”

“He may look like that, but he’s really good at Latinel!”

Serena is not an easy person to deal with. It’s best to avoid getting involved with her if possible.

I refocused on my shopping. Lumière slacks, t-shirts, jackets. If I buy these, it should be enough for a ‘killer outfit for formal occasions’.

“This dress is nice. Put it on my tab.”

Serena’s voice pierced my ear. What a bold credit purchase.

“Huh? Oh, I…”

The shop assistant seemed to have something to say but was hesitating. Serena frowned as she smoothed out the wrinkles on the dress.

“Why?”

“Well, the thing is… you have a lot of unpaid bills, so this time you need to pay before you leave…”

“What?”

For a moment, her right eye enlarged, and her left eye squinted.

Whether in the past or now, her expressions are quite rich. Her stubbornness, based on a sense of entitlement, remains the same.

“Ha! I can’t believe this.”

Of course, Serena’s family, the Aventher, is a prestigious one. But like all prestigious families who are overly concerned with tradition, the family rules are quite unique.

Their succession policy is ‘All or Nothing’.

Only one heir can inherit the family wealth, and the likely successors is the twin sibling, Shierik.

Here, Serena is on the brink of becoming penniless.

“What did you just say? Say it again.”

She has such a good lineage that there’s no need to worry. She’ll marry into another prestigious family or a conglomerate and regain her fortune in no time.

That’s what happened in her previous life.

She started with a startup, became a wealthy businessman, and spread her infamy as the ‘White Evil Lady’ across the continent, only to fall into disgrace due to an affair.

“I… I’m sorry. But could you at least pay for today’s items-”

“Ah~ So, you think I won’t pay? Are you afraid I’ll run off without paying for these?”

Serena swept back her pure white hair.

“No, that’s not what I-”

“That’s exactly it, isn’t it.”

She laughed lightly, then suddenly, like a wolf, she bulged her eyes and grabbed the shop assistant’s hair.

She certainly has the skill of someone who’s done this more than once or twice.

“Kyak!”

“Hey, you bitch. Do I look like I’d steal your measly money? Huh? Do you not know who I am? Huh? Answer me, you worthless wench.”

“I’m, I’m sorry─ Kyak!”

“Don’t apologize, answer me, you scar-faced beggar wench!”

Serena swung the shop assistant’s hair around, and the assistant flailed about like a paper balloon. I hesitated for a moment but let it go. She’s not someone I can stop.

“Uh, sis! Stop, stop it. I’ll, I’ll pay for today’s stuff!”

Instead, Layla quickly stepped forward and offered her card.

“Oh, you don’t have to.”

Immediately, Serena let go of the shop assistant’s hair. The assistant collapsed weakly.

“How much is it? For mine and my sister’s. Please calculate it.”

When Layla asked, the shop assistant, with her hair all messed up, answered.

“It’s 40,000 Ren… ”

“Ah, okay. Here’s my card…”

“I’ll pay you next month~ I didn’t bring my card~”

Again, the crazy woman, smiling calmly, put her hand on Layla’s shoulder.

“Hey~ you don’t have to… pay later, sis.”

“You just said I don’t have to pay?”

“…Yes?”

Layla, she’s an ass.

“Then, Shion, I’ll be off~”

“…Alright.”

Layla left with Serena, and I handed my card to the staff.

“Here. Three sets of Lumière, please.”

______________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, at a small theater where rehearsals for 「The Bard」 were in full swing.

Elise was almost directing, checking the actors’ movements while looking at the storyboard, directing the script, discussing concepts, and so on.

It wasn’t that hard. The storyboard was so excellent that all she had to do was follow it.

Ding-

Suddenly, a payment alert popped up on her smartphone.

[Saerto Centurion Black Card Approved]

[25,000 Ren in a lump sum]

[03/26 3:13]

“……”

Shion Ascal had swiped 25,000 Ren.

It was a reasonable price.

He wasn’t the type to care about others’ opinions. He was a person without any courtesy or consideration.

Ding-

This time, a text message came.

[Trash: Hey, can I also buy some food?]

Elise sent a reply.

[Do as you please]

Ding- Ding- Ding- Ding-

Then, payment messages flew in dozens of times, incessantly. Was he trying to set up a household? Was he thinking of buying a house?

“What’s with these message sounds~ Elise, you… got a boyfriend!”

College student Shasha raised her eyebrows teasingly. Elise’s face turned pale for a moment. Her eyes, nose, and mouth seemed to pop out like needles.

“……Sorry.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Shasha quickly ran away, and Elise glanced at Miller, who was studying the script.

“Mr. Miller?”

“Huh? Oh, what is it.”

Miller turned to look at her.

“Can you tell me now?”

“About what?”

“The setting of Duke.”

“Ah……”

Miller must have received it from Shion Ascal.

There is a secret to the Duke in the play. She understood that it was also part of the twist, but why hide it from the protagonist herself?

“He said he’ll tell you just before the play.”

Elise narrowed her eyes.

“……Really. But it won’t matter much to your acting, so don’t worry.”

Miller said so, and Elise turned around, biting her lip.

Is this how Layla, who didn’t receive the script, feel? It’s annoying for no reason.

Ding- Ding- Ding-

Even amidst all this, the messages on her smartphone, no, what the hell is this crazy guy buying so much of?

______________________________________________________________________

At the lakeside of the old building.

As soon as I finished shopping and returned, I was fiddling with the Ascal sword, facing the wind.

From now on, I plan to polish my swordsmanship on Tuesdays. Thanks to absorbing the mana nucleus, I have plenty of magic power and capacity, so I can do it with a very amazing swordsmanship teacher.

Who is it?

It’s someone only I know, and I can see them when I close my eyes.

The tuition fee is mana.

The time is in seconds.

It’s someone who can currently recite about 30 seconds at best.

“I don’t know the basics. I’ve forgotten them all. So, I can’t teach you.”

The familiar tone and voice of Soliette from a different future. I learn by watching her. Of course, she didn’t teach me swordsmanship, but if I could just watch and follow, there would be no better teacher than her.

“It’s hard to explain.”

She defeated her father at an age far from thirty. She completely broke down Egeris, who is considered a monster in the history of the continent.

“I… just see it. Their sword path. What kind of sword they will swing, how they will swing it. Therefore, I naturally think of the way to break it.”

The time allowed for my recollection is just about 30 seconds. My mana capacity is only that much, and just following her sword a little bit will make me sick all day.

It doesn’t matter.

Even if my body breaks down to learn just 1, if I can only follow you.

“When killing an opponent, I first named it a ‘Traversing Sword’.”

I held the Ascal sword.

After ‘Unsheathing’ comes ‘Traverse’.

The explanation itself is simple. It’s a sword that doesn’t resist. Her Traversing Sword, already unsheathed, is wielded as if it is about to strike.

Never ‘pull’. Because the act of ‘pulling’ and spitting out the sword is a regressive action.

Therefore, her Traversing Sword only pushes.

It’s strange.

Most swordsmen, when they cut something, pull the sword and then swing it. From bottom to top, or from top to bottom.

Not Soliette.

Her Traversing Sword shoots out like a bullet.

A sword that seems to skip part of the action of ‘slashing’, ignoring the laws of physics of the world quite a bit.

That’s why it’s a ‘Severing Sword’.

Swish─!

“……Ugh!”

I almost dislocated my shoulder with one push. My shoulder was sucked into the sword. Nearly half of the magic power of the Mana Heart was consumed.

I sat down clutching my shoulder.

There was no time for that.

Thud……

“What the…”

The tree hit by the sword I swung as a test. That thick guy is falling over.

I quickly backed off a few steps.

Crash───!

The tree split in half and fell into the lake.

“……”

I blankly watched the spectacle of the tree bending like a fishing rod.

I opened Notepad out of habit.

[110 / 135]

Capacity history within the last 24 hours: +10

The first stroke of the Severing Sword, ‘Unsheathing’, no longer consumes capacity after repeated Attunement, but this Traversing Sword consumed a whopping ’10’ capacity from the beginning.

“Is the cost-effectiveness… good?”