Setelah Selina dan yang lainnya dengan sedih berpamitan kepada sejumlah murid dan kembali padaku, Fatima, Nell, Phenia, Christina, Lenia, dan Irina datang menemui kami.
Murid-murid sekitar dan orang tua mereka menatap kami dengan penasaran, melihat kami adalah orang-orang yang meraih kemenangan telak saat Magic Tournament.
Khususnya, sudah diumumkan secara resmi bahwa Christina akan menjadi baron baru Bern musim semi mendatang, dan entah bagus atau buruk, fakta bahwa dia adalah putri muda dari keluarga besar Almadia dan meninggalkan rumah keluarganya itu semakin menarik perhatian orang kepadanya.
Kakeknya mengurus pengembangan wilayah utara kerajaan, dan aku pernah mendengar desas-desus yang beredar di kantor gubernur jenderal Galois, bangsawan tetangga, dan pedagang berpengaruh di kota bahwa keluarga kerajaan akan melanjutkan kembali pengembangan beku di wilayah utara kerajaan.
Christina berasal dari garis keluarga bangsawan yang istimewa di negara ini, dan dekat dengan Putri Frau. Dan berkat wajahnya yang cantik serta kemampuannya yang dikatakan termasuk terbaik tidak hanya di sekolah, tetapi di seluruh kerajaan, banyak orang berebut tangannya untuk dinikahi.
Untuk menahan gerakan orang-orang semacam itu, Christina menggunakan tekanan tanpa kata melalui sesekali tatapan, dan karena dia mempertahankan akting melelahkan ini, dia terlihat sedikit kelelahan.
Adalah kebiasaan bahwa lulusan diberi salah satu kancing dari seragam murid kelas bawah sebagai tanda kasih sayang, tetapi Christina diberi begitu banyak kancing, kedua tangannya penuh, dan bahkan sakunya meluap, sampai dia terlihat muak dengan semuanya.
Meskipun ini tanda bahwa orang-orang menyukainya, jika sebanyak ini dipaksakan kepadanya, bahkan Christinapun akan kesulitan menahannya.
「Christina, kenapa kau tidak menyimpan itu dulu?」
Aku tidak tahan melihat Christina dalam kondisi menyedihkan seperti itu, jadi aku mengusulkan sambil menunjuk ke bayangannya.
Christina seharusnya sudah menguasai Shadow Box Magic, yang mengubah bayangan sendiri menjadi ruang penyimpanan di subruang berbeda, dan itu adalah sihir yang sering aku gunakan sendiri.
「Ya, itu keputusan yang bijaksana. Tapi milikku tidak seperti milik Dran, ukurannya hanya sebesar kotak kecil, jadi kupikir tidak akan muat semuanya」
「Seperti biasa, kau masih buruk di sihir non-tempur, ya?」
「Yah, aku lebih baik dari sebelumnya, tapi masih banyak yang harus kupelajari」
Christina memiliki kecocokan dan kecepatan belajar yang sangat baik untuk sihir yang memperkuat kemampuan fisik, tapi dia tidak diberkati bakat sebesar itu untuk sihir seperti Shadow Box, yang berguna dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.
Dia bisa menutupinya dengan Dreadnought, tapi Christina tidak suka terlalu bergantung pada alat.
Dreadnought sepertinya juga mengakui Christina sebagai tuannya, dan berharap Christina hanya memperlakukan Dreadnought sebagai alat seenaknya, tapi Christina bersikeras keras tentang ini dan tidak mau mengalah.
『Christina, kau tidak harus melakukan ini sendirian, aku bisa mengurus hal-hal sepele seperti itu sendiri』
Pemilik suara jernih berbunyi lonceng, yang terdengar seperti cowok sekaligus cewek, adalah Dreadnought, yang seharusnya sudah disimpan di kamar Christina.
Dreadnought tidak tergantung di pinggang Christina saat ini, sama seperti Elspada, tapi untuk pedang ini, warisan peradaban kuno, terhubung dengan pemiliknya lewat telekinesis adalah hal yang sangat mudah.
Tapi bagiku untuk mengatakan itu tentang pedang yang pernah menusuk jantungku, bukankah itu ironis?
「Jika manusia bergantung pada alat hanya karena alat itu nyaman, kita hanya akan menjadi busuk sampai ke inti. Sayangnya bagimu, aku menganggap diriku orang biasa. Jika aku bergantung padamu sekali, sudah jelas bahwa kamu akan diam-diam terus membuatku bergantung padamu.
Jika itu terjadi, aku akan cepat menjadi manusia yang tidak layak menggenggammu. Meskipun aku minta maaf kepada orang-orang yang percaya padaku dan mengakui aku sebagai tuanmu」
『Aku menyimpulkan Christina bukan tipe manusia seperti itu, tapi jika tuanku sendiri benar-benar berpikir begitu, maka tidak bisa dibantu. Dreadnought, dengan terpaksa menerima bahwa kamu tidak akan memaksaku』
「Belakangan ini, kamu kurang sungkan padaku. Kupikir Nyx sudah membujukmu atau sesuatu. Apakah semua makhluk pendamping dan senjataku ditakdirkan menjadi seperti itu?」
『Itu hanya karena kamu tuan yang begitu ramah dan tidak membeda-bedakan kepada pelayanmu』
Astaga. Ternyata Dreadnought dan Christina sudah menjalin hubungan begitu akrab dan tidak formal sekarang.
Dibandingkan sebelumnya, saat Christina menceritakan pertemuan pertama mereka padaku, seolah Dreadnought sekarang adalah orang yang benar-benar berbeda. Yah, ini seharusnya membuat Christina dan Dreadnought lebih mudak membangun hubungan dari sekarang.
「Saat kita sampai di Desa Bern, aku berencana memintamu membantuku dengan pembukuan dan pekerjaan kantor」
『Itu bukan sesuatu yang harus kulakukan sebagai senjata, tapi jika itu membantu tuanku, maka tidak ada yang lebih membanggakan bagiku』
「Haha, yah, anggap saja begitu pikiranku. Kami mungkin akan kekurangan tenaga kerja di awal saja」
Fumu, bagiku yang akan bekerja untuk Christina, Dreadnought akan menjadi rekan kerjaku sekaligus senjata atasku. Ini benar-benar hubungan yang aneh, tapi di Desa Bern, yang penuh hal-hal aneh dan belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya, itu tidak akan terlalu janggal.
Situasi aneh di mana Christina berbicara dengan pedang panjang yang bahkan tidak ada di sana itu mengejutkan murid-murid sekitar yang tidak tahu situasinya, tapi tidak ada seorang pun di antara kami yang menganggapnya aneh.
Sementara Selina dan aku bepergian melintasi kekaisaran, Phenia, yang menghabiskan banyak waktu bersama Christina, membuka mulut untuk mengungkapkan kekagumannya pada seberapa terang-terangan Dreadnought sekarang berbicara kepada Christina.
「Christina, kau benar-benar punya pedang sihir yang luar biasa. Tapi melihat bahwa kau sekarang bisa bertukar kata tanpa sungkan, kupikir kau sedang membangun hubungan yang baik, sama seperti kalian berdua melakukan kerja sama terkoordinasi saat pertempuran latihan kami」
「Terima kasih untuk pujianmu, Phenia. Pada akhirnya, yang kami lakukan hanyalah pertempuran latihan sampai Dran kembali dari kekaisaran. Meskipun sudah terlambat sekarang, kupikir kami seharusnya pergi berbelanja atau bikin kelompok belajar bersama」
「Apa, kami kan pernah pesta teh bersama Fatima dan yang lain, kan? Kami bisa pergi menonton pertunjukan atau resital atau apa, tapi kau tidak pandai dengan hal-hal seperti itu, ya, Christina?」
「Kau terlalu mengenaiku, Phenia. Itu hanya bagian dari didikanku dan sifat asliku. Jika untuk pertemuan bisnis, aku bisa menghapus perasaan asliku dari wajahku, tapi jika kubawa bersama teman, kebosananku akan terlihat di wajahku, jadi maafkan aku untuk itu」
「Fufu, kupikir hal paling penting yang kupelajari tahun ini adalah kau sekarang bisa jujur mengatakan bahwa kami adalah teman. Hal terbaik berikutnya adalah lebih mengenal Dran, Nelneshia dan yang lainnya」
Dibandingkan saat pertama kali kami bertemu, atmosfer putus asa Phenia yang terus-menerus menginginkan perhatian Christina sudah hilang, dan sekarang dia bisa bertindak sangat alami, tanpa ketegangan tidak perlu di bahunya.
Dia telah menjadi wanita yang jauh lebih menarik sekarang dibandingkan sebelumnya saat pertemuan pertama kami. Bisa lebih dekat dengan wanita seperti itu, dan dia bahagia tentang hal itu, membuatku bahagia juga secara tulus.
Aku memutuskan untuk mengikuti hatiku, dan mengaku perasaanku dengan jujur. Aku
After Selina and the others had sadly said their goodbyes to a number of students and then returned to me, Fatima, Nell, Phenia, Christina, Lenia, and Irina all came by to see us.
The surrounding students and their parents looked at us curiously, seeing that we were the ones who had achieved overwhelming victory during the Magic Tournament.
In particular, it had already been officially announced that Christina would become the new baron of Bern in the spring, and for better or worse, the fact that she was the young daughter of the great Almadia family and she was leaving the family house, just brought more and more attention to her.
Her grandfather was in charge of the development in the northern part of the kingdom, and I’ve heard rumors going around among the governor-general’s office in Galois, the neighboring nobles, and the influential merchants in the city, that the royal family is going to recommence the frozen development of the northern part of the kingdom.
Christina is from a particularly noble family line in the country, and is close to Princess Frau. And thanks to her good looks, and her skill which is said to be among the best not only in the school, but in the whole kingdom, there are many people vying for her hand in marriage.
In order to keep the movements of such people in check, Christina has been using wordless pressure through the occasional glance, and since she has kept up this tiresome act, she looked a little tired.
It’s a custom for graduates to be given one of the buttons from the uniforms of their underclassmen as a token of affection, but Christina had been given so many buttons, both her hands were full, and even her pockets were overflowing, so much that she looked fed up with it all.
Although this was a sign that people liked her, if this much was forced upon her, even Christina would find it hard to bear.
「Christina, why don’t you put those away for now?」
I couldn’t bear to see Christina in such a miserable state, so I suggested that while pointing toward her shadow.
I’m sure Christina should have mastered Shadow Box Magic, which turns one’s own shadow into storage space in a different subspace, and it was a magic that I often used myself.
「Yes, it would be wise to do that. But unlike Dran’s, mine is only as big as a small box, so I don’t think it can fit everything」
「As always, you’re still bad at non-combat related magic, huh?」
「Well, I’m better than I was before, but I still have more to learn」
Christina has an excellent aptitude and learning speed for magic that strengthens her physical abilities, but she was not blessed with as much talent when it comes to magic like the Shadow Box, which is useful in everyday situations.
She could make up for it with Dreadnought, but Christina didn’t like relying too much on tools.
Dreadnought also seems to recognize Christina as its master, and wishes Christina would just use Dreadnought as a tool as much as she pleases, but Christina was firmly adamant about this and wouldn’t yield.
『Christina, you don’t have to do this on your own, I can take care of such trivial matters myself』
The owner of the clear, bell-like sounding voice, which sounded like both a boy and a girl, was Dreadnought, who was supposed to have been stored away in Christina’s room.
Dreadnought wasn’t hanging from Christina’s waist right now, just like Elspada, but for this sword, a legacy of an ancient civilization, connecting to its owner through telekinesis was a piece of cake.
But for me to say that about the sword that once pierced my heart, isn’t that ironic?
「If humans rely on tools simply because they are convenient, we will only become rotten to the core. Unfortunately for you, I think of myself as an ordinary person. If I rely on you once, it’s obvious that you will slyly continue to have me rely on you.
If that happens, I will quickly become a human that is not suited for wielding you. Though I am sorry to the people who believe in me and recognize me as your owner」
『I have concluded that Christina is not that kind of human, but if you, my master, truly thinks that way, then it can’t be helped. I, Dreadnought, shall reluctantly accept that you will not make use of me』
「Recently, you’ve been less reserved with me. I thought Nyx had gotten to you or something. Are all my familiars and weapons destined to become like that?」
『That is just because you’re such a friendly and undiscriminating master to your servants』
Oh, my. It seems Dreadnought and Christina have developed such a friendly and informal relationship now.
Compared to before, when Christina had told me about their first encounter, it was as if Dreadnought was now a completely different person. Well, this should make it easier for Christina and Dreadnought to get along from now on.
「When we get to Bern Village, I plan on asking you to help me with bookkeeping and paperwork」
『It’s not something that I should be doing as a weapon, but if it’s helpful to my master, then there is nothing more rewarding to me』
「Haha, well, let’s just say that that’s what I’m thinking. We’ll probably have a labor shortage at first anyway」
Fumu, for me who will be working for Christina, Dreadnought will be both my coworker and my boss’s weapon. It’s a truly strange relationship, but in Bern Village, which is full of strange and unprecedented happenings, it wouldn’t be so weird.
This strange situation where Christina was conversing with a longsword that wasn’t even present, struck the surrounding students who didn’t know the situation as strange, but no one among us thought it was odd.
While Selina and I were traveling through the empire, Phenia, who had spent a lot of time with Christina, opened her mouth to express her amazement at how frankly Dreadnought was now speaking toward Christina.
「Christina, you sure have one hell of a magic sword. But seeing that you are now able to exchange words so unreservedly, I think you are building a good relationship, just like how you two had synchronized cooperation during our mock battle」
「Thanks for the compliment, Phenia. In the end, all we did was have mock battles until Dran returned from the empire. Although it’s too late now, I think we probably should have gone shopping or had study groups together」
「What, we did have the tea party with Fatima and the others, didn’t we? We could have gone to see a play or a recital or something, but you’re not very good with those things, are you, Christina?」
「You know me too well, Phenia. It’s just a part of my upbringing and natural personality. If it’s for a business meeting, I can wipe my true feelings from my face, but if I go with friends, my boredom would show on my face, so I’m sorry about that」
「Fufu, I think the most important thing I’ve gained in this past year is that you’re now able to honestly say that we are friends. The next best thing was getting to know Dran, Nelneshia and the others better」
Compared to when we first met, Phenia’s hopeless atmosphere of constantly wanting Christina’s attention had gone away, and now she is able to act very naturally, without any unneeded tension in her shoulders.
She’s become a far more attractive woman now than she was before during our first meeting. To have become closer to such a woman, and for her to be happy about that, made me honestly happy as well.
I decided to follow my heart, and confess my feelings honestly. I wonder, when did I ever learn in my previous life, that it is important to put one’s own thoughts into words and communicate them?
「It’s a bit too late to say it now, after we’ve gotten closer, but if I had known people like Phenia and Nell and the others were here, I would have wanted to enroll in the Magic Academy much earlier.
It’s just that if I had done that, then maybe my encounter with Selina and Diadora would have turned out differently, and that’s what I’d be worried about」
「Ohoho, I see Selina and Dramina are number one to you, Dran. It’s only natural you would treasure your lovers the most. I have no objections to that.
But if you had enrolled in the Magic Academy earlier, then not just last year, but the year before, and even further back, you could have had more victories, and had the shining honor of being the champion of the Magic Tournament three years in a row. I am filled with regrets when I think about that possibility」
With me, Phenia and Christina, I’m sure three consecutive wins would have been certain, so just as Phenia said, it would have been possible for me to be champion at the Magic Tournament three years in a row.
「Even if I did enroll earlier, I would have wanted to skip grades and graduate early anyway, so the only time we could have stood shoulder to shoulder and fought together in the Magic Tournament would have still been for only one year」
「Jeez, even though you’re usually such a gentleman, you can be really impulsive sometimes. You’re very sweet toward Selina and Dramina, but I guess that’s just the difference between being your lover and not being one.
Dran, even though polygamy and polyandry are legally and morally allowed in our country, you should not be so eager to add more new women to you life that you end up neglecting the wonderful women who are already by your side. I am warning you from my heart」
Phenia’s warning was something that many other people have told me before, with slight variations in wording.
After all, having feelings for more than one person of the opposite sex has its own problems. When I think about that, my mother, who had eight husbands, was really amazing. I wonder if there was any way I could ask her to teach me something about that.
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