“…For now, could you please let go of this dangerous hand?”
I forcibly remove Arcelia’s hand, which was gripping my jaw.
It was then that I noticed how thin Arcelia’s arm was.
As thin as a withered branch.
If I gripped it even a little harder, it seemed like it would snap.
“…How long are you planning to keep holding my hand?”
“Oh, sorry about that.”
At Arcelia’s voice, I snapped back to reality and quickly let go.
No matter how crazy Arcelia might be, she’s still a woman.
Moreover, a marquis’ daughter.
It’s probably not a good idea to be grabbing her arm like this, even if it’s a little too late to realize that.
“Now then, putting aside the fact that you’re following me…”
I still have about a year left at the academy.
During that time, I’ll assess things, and if it seems impossible, I can make a run for it at night.
In my previous life as an adventurer, I traveled all over the continent, so I have the upper hand when it comes to local knowledge and geography.
I was confident I could escape.
“Are you perhaps thinking that you’ll just run away if it comes down to it?”
“No, no…”
“Relax. Even if you go to the ends of the earth, I’ll chase after you.”
Arcelia smiled, as if to say she wouldn’t let me get away, no matter what.
I take back what I said.
I no longer had confidence that I could escape.
But… continuing this conversation felt like it would only corner me, so I decided to move on.
“So, during the school year, are you planning to hole up in the library?”
Arcelia noticed I had deliberately changed the subject and gave a small laugh before sitting on the bedding.
“Yes… I’ll mostly be in the library. But…”
Arcelia put a hand to her chin and thought for a moment.
“Before the practical exams, I’d like to dive into a labyrinth a few times.”
“Hmm… You want to gain some practical experience?”
“Yes. Because of that pig, I couldn’t do any monster-slaying… I have no experience. Besides, I’d like to get used to the labyrinth as well.”
It was surprising that someone as skilled as Arcelia had no experience in monster-slaying.
But on reflection, Arcelia is the daughter of Marquis Oriondoll… someone the pig wouldn’t want to lose.
No matter how skilled Arcelia is at magic, monster-slaying comes with inherent risks.
To that pig, Arcelia was a tool to be used for his own benefit.
That’s likely why he didn’t let her do anything dangerous, like slaying monsters.
“I see. Well, do as you like. Oh, but if you’re going to slay monsters or dive into labyrinths, it might be a good idea to register as an adventurer.”
“Why’s that?”
Arcelia tilted her head at my suggestion.
“Well, as students of the academy, there’s no real issue, but… it’s more efficient that way.”
You can’t enter labyrinths unless you have some sort of confirmed status, like being an adventurer or a student of the academy.
So there was no absolute need for us to register as adventurers right now.
But I still thought it was better to do so.
“One reason is… you can make money. Even if you’re not an adventurer, you can still sell things, but adventurers get better prices for what they bring in.”
The Adventurer’s Guild is where you take monster corpses.
Naturally, adventurers are given priority.
Moreover, if you’ve taken on a request and slay the same monster, the reward will be higher compared to slaying one without a request.
In the long run, this difference can’t be ignored.
“The other reason is… once you graduate from the academy and start working as a full-time adventurer, you can begin with a higher rank.”
Adventurer ranks go from the lowest, tenth rank, to the highest, first rank.
The requests available to tenth or ninth-rank adventurers aren’t exactly impressive.
“With the two of us, individually, we’d start at fifth rank. Together, we’d be fourth rank.”
“Oh… that’s lower than I expected. I thought we’d be around third rank.”
Arcelia widened her eyes a bit, seemingly surprised.
Some might think she was being overconfident, but she simply didn’t know.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Third rank… Third-rank monsters… are on a whole different level…”
In my previous life, I was a sixth-rank adventurer.
That was my limit.
For an ordinary guy like me, I think I did pretty well.
Against a sixth-rank monster, I could kill it, though I might get injured.
Against a fifth-rank monster, it would be a fifty-fifty chance—kill or be killed.
Against a fourth-rank monster, I might manage to kill it if I threw my life on the line.
But a third-rank… that’s impossible.
No matter how much I struggled, I could only see a future where I’d be killed.
In fact, I was killed by a third-rank monster in my previous life.
“Monsters at fourth rank and below are within the realm of common sense. If we make up our minds, we could probably take down a fourth-rank monster. But third rank… is out of the question.”
“They’re that strong?”
“…Yeah. If we went up against a third-rank monster, we wouldn’t even be able to scratch it before getting killed.”
“…”
I’m definitely stronger than I was in my past life.
But even so, I still didn’t feel like I could beat the monster that killed me back then.
“Hmm… how interesting.”
Arcelia flashed a curious smile.
That expression put me at ease.
“Good, good. I’m glad you’re not scared.”
“Why should I be scared? Isn’t it wonderful that there are opponents even we can’t kill?”
Arcelia looked genuinely puzzled.
Ah, that’s right.
That’s just the kind of person Arcelia is.
“No, it’s just that ordinary people would be terrified. I’m glad you’re not one of them.”
“Glad? Why?”
“My dream is to fight ridiculously strong monsters. And when I do, it would be boring to do it alone. I’m relieved you’re not the kind to flinch.”
It’s not that I’m afraid of third-rank monsters.
Nor have I given up on challenging them.
I just realistically know that, as things stand, I wouldn’t be able to face them.
I’m still drawn to the sword, still obsessed with it, still willing to dedicate myself to it.
“That’s why I’m going to get even stronger over this next year. I don’t want to lose to you.”
Normally, I don’t compare myself to others, but Arcelia is an exception.
A strange sense of rivalry rises within me.
Right now, I’m equivalent to a fifth-rank adventurer.
By the time I graduate from the academy, I want to at least be at fourth rank.
“I see… So what you’re saying is, you want to stay with me.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head at Arcelia’s sudden remark.
Did I make a serious mistake…?
“After all, you’ve been talking as if we’re going to be adventurers together.”
“Oh.”
“I dislike forcing things on others. So it’s great that we’re on the same page.”
I can’t help but think I’m a hopeless idiot.
But when I imagine the future, I can’t help but picture Arcelia by my side.
Not to mention, out of all the people I’ve seen, she has the most talent as a mage.
So, this is fine, I guess.
Not that I’d ever say it aloud.
“So, our plans for this year are… first, we register as adventurers. Then, you’ll bury yourself in the library for magical study, slay monsters, and explore labyrinths. I’ll… keep getting stronger by slaying monsters.”
“…I’d also like to spar with you regularly.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea. Let’s do that.”
Though I won in the magic combat competition, the truth is our abilities are evenly matched.
In fact, Arcelia might even be stronger than me.
Sparring will benefit both of us.
“Alright, let’s go register as adventurers tomorrow.”
“Yes…”
The inn was quiet, far from the hustle and bustle.
Even the inside of the room had fallen into silence.
“Right, I’ll head back to my room.”
We’d talked about everything we needed to.
I stood up from the chair and opened the door.
“By the way… why are you so knowledgeable about monsters?”
Just as I was about to leave, Arcelia threw a question at my back.
Why am I so knowledgeable about monsters?
I suppose I did get a bit too specific, talking about how third-rank monsters are on a different level and all.
But I have no intention of talking about my past life.
“It’s just something I heard. Nothing more, nothing less.”
I spoke with my back still turned to Arcelia.
Then, I closed the door.
My previous life has nothing to do with her.
…Now, time to take care of my sword.
