Over the next two months,
We enlisted the help of someone with professional knowledge for the setup.
As it turned out, one of the mercenaries fit the bill.
He'd been a merchant before and apparently even ran his own shop for a while.
Of course, he'd failed and lost everything...
Advice from someone who failed is often unreliable.
They don't truly understand why they failed, so there's a risk of repeating the same mistakes.
I can say that with confidence, given my own track record of repeating the same blunders.
But failure is an inevitable part of life.
The experience of someone who's stumbled many times is invaluable.
Besides, if you let failure end as just failure, you never grow.
It doesn't have to be a 100% success. Even hitting a 60% success rate and passing can change your world.
Success transforms people.
If I planted the seed of success in him, he'd surely become a remarkable person down the road.
That's what I told myself as I listened to his advice and set up the first shop.
A small warehouse on the outskirts of the artisan district.
We converted it into a shop that also served as inventory storage.
Opening a huge store right away would just create excess stock, so it was better to start small, narrow down the target audience, and build from there.
We hadn't sunk much capital into it, so some surplus inventory wasn't a big deal... but let's see how things go from here.
--- And then, the graduation ceremony at the
The ceremony took place in the main auditorium.
Among the rows of graduates sat
Zanoba was there too, further back.
Even though he'd dropped out, he'd asked if he could attend the graduation, and a special exception had been made for him.
He was a special student, and he'd barely taken any classes, after all.
It could be said that Genas, as vice-director, had made an elegant judgment on the matter.
Zanoba himself didn't seem particularly interested in the ceremony itself.
But still, these sorts of events carry meaning just by participating.
It was a carnival, after all.
The participants were the usual crowd.
Lined up alongside roughly 500 graduates were two to three hundred faculty members.
Maybe she'd gotten used to it.
Having one smaller figure among them didn't stand out at all.
If anything, it felt like she naturally belonged.
Only the student council was present from the current students.
When Ariel had been student council president, humans had made up the core.
When the head changes, the people who follow change too, I suppose.
I'd noticed it at last year's entrance ceremony as well, but Norn was especially popular among the demon race and beast race students.
Even among the general student body, I hadn't heard any bad rumors about her.
She wasn't idolized to the degree Ariel had been, but it was fair to say she was recognized as a reliable student council president.
As her brother, my chest swelled with pride.
Incidentally, I'd once again obtained permission from Genas to sit at the very end of the student council section.
My, my. No matter how many times I saw it, a graduation ceremony was a deeply moving thing.
"Graduate Valedictorian! Brooklyn von Elzaers!
I hereby bestow upon you a diploma and a Magic Guild D-rank certification!"
This time, the top graduate wasn't Cliff.
I'd never heard the valedictorian's first name, but his surname sounded familiar.
He was apparently royalty from the Neris Duchy, one of the three great magic nations.
Ranoa Magic University, despite carrying the Ranoa name, was funded jointly by the three great magic nations.
Prioritizing nobility and royalty from the three nations at ceremonies like this was probably one of the unwritten rules.
"Brooklyn von Elzaers. I humbly accept!"
"May the path of sorcery open before you!"
Cliff watched all of this with a listless expression.
The old Cliff would have thrown a fit: "Why am I not the valedictorian?!"
In fact, if you looked purely at grades, no one among the graduates should have surpassed him.
His final results were: four Advanced Attack Magic spells, Advanced Healing, Advanced Detoxification, Intermediate Barrier Magic, and Advanced Divine Strike.
On top of that, he had a research report on curse suppression.
He hadn't obtained a
Even in the university's history, there couldn't have been many like him.
To my knowledge, the only person of comparable greatness was Roxy.
As for me? I'd only studied healing and detoxification at the university, so I was completely out of the running.
Beyond the above, Cliff had also obtained his qualifications as a Millis priest.
Despite spending every night tangled up with
He'd obtained everything there was to obtain at school, growing into an adult both mentally and physically.
On top of that, he'd married a beautiful wife and even had a child.
The perfect picture of a winner in life.
Though, looking at that expression...
He was probably not lamenting the fact that he'd missed valedictorian.
It was a listless, troubled look.
Maybe he still hadn't been able to decide on what he'd said he'd decide on two months ago.
But if he was troubled, that was fine.
Not many things can be settled in just two months.
--- After the graduation ceremony, I first linked up with Zanoba.
Ginger and
No one else was doing anything like that.
Was it a tradition of the Shirone Kingdom?
"Zanoba, congratulations on graduating."
"Oh! Master! Thank you very much!"
Zanoba was wearing his Ranoa Magic University uniform.
The design was geared toward younger people, but it actually suited him far better than the Shirone Kingdom formal attire.
"It seems you went to considerable trouble on my behalf regarding my graduation... The other day, when I received a sudden letter from the university, I was quite taken aback."
"Don't worry about it. Taking part in these kinds of things is its own form of closure."
Ceremonies really were worth attending.
Still, Zanoba might view ceremonies as nothing more than a hassle.
He was royalty, after all.
"Or did you not want to come?"
"No, I initially thought it would be tedious, but upon attending, I found it surprisingly not bad..."
Zanoba said this while looking around.
Graduates surrounded by current students, exchanging greetings with teachers.
A heartwarming scene unfolded everywhere.
Oh, and there at the center of one of those crowds was Norn.
A demon-race boy was holding her hand, his face bright red.
Seeing Norn's troubled expression while the other student council members smirked nearby, it was probably a confession event.
Or perhaps more heartwarmingly, he was simply asking for a handshake from the admired student council president.
A Norn handshake event.
If we bundled a handshake coupon with a Norn figure onto the
No, this wasn't about making money, so I wouldn't do that...
Over there, surrounded by girls, was Roxy.
About five female students were bowing to Roxy with tears in their eyes.
Roxy smiled slightly and said something back to them, and the girl burst into loud tears of gratitude, hugging Roxy.
Roxy looked troubled as she patted the girl's back.
The surrounding female students started weeping sympathetically, and a full-on crying session broke out.
Elsewhere, various other graduation events were taking place.
The unique atmosphere of a graduation ceremony—slightly sentimental, yet somehow refreshing.
Nobody approached Zanoba or me, though.
Probably because I didn't have many acquaintances at the school, but it did feel a little lonely.
Oh well.
After this, I had a reservation at a tavern.
My family, Linia, and Pur셀ena— I was going to invite
Even if occasions like this felt lonely, I wasn't without companions.
All right, let's hurry home.
"Lord
Just as I was thinking that, a man approached me.
A young man around twenty years old with fluffy blonde hair.
He looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place him.
Who was he again?
"My name is Brooklyn von Elzaers. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Oh, the valedictorian!
I'd just seen him moments ago.
"Congratulations on graduating as valedictorian."
"Thank you."
When I bowed my head, he returned the gesture elegantly.
"However, graduating as valedictorian was solely thanks to my family's standing.
In terms of examination results, I was always second to Lord Cliff."
"Oh come now, you're too modest..."
I nearly broke out in a cold sweat.
I'd never said it out loud, but I'd been thinking the exact same thing.
I didn't know how large the gap between the two of their scores had been, but...
"But, despite my family's backing, in the very end, I surpassed Lord Cliff. I won... in a manner of speaking."
Looking at the results, he had indeed graduated as valedictorian, so technically he had won.
Though it probably wasn't the kind of win he could loudly boast about.
"Therefore, Lord Rudeus."
Brooklyn looked straight at me.
A sincere gaze.
What was this? Was he about to confess something?
He'd beaten Cliff, so now he was confessing?
How had that led here?
Stop it—I've got a wife and a wife and a wife and a child...
"I challenge you to a duel."
That wasn't it.
A duel, huh...
Ever since word had spread that I was working under Orsted, I'd been getting this kind of thing occasionally.
But why did beating Cliff lead to challenging me?
"Why is that?"
"Yes. I've long been curious about just how strong I am.
And over these past few years, I've come to realize that my abilities are far above the general standard."
Far above...
Well, he was the valedictorian, after all.
I supposed it was fair to say he was a head or two above the rest.
"But, Lord Rudeus, you are above even that."
"...You think so?"
"I've wanted to challenge you for a long time.
Ever since you defeated the Demon King Badigadi with a single blow."
Brooklyn clenched his fist tightly as he spoke.
"My family is a martial house.
When I return to my homeland and inherit the family, I'll have subordinates and be in a position where I manage people.
Once that happens, there won't be any opportunities to test my strength."
"Once you're in a position of authority, you won't be able to do as you please."
"Yes. So please—allow me this final chance to challenge you!"
Brooklyn bowed his head vigorously.
I understood the situation.
Every young man wants to know how strong he is.
He'd figured out that he was above average.
He'd realized that there were those even stronger beyond that.
He'd probably lose, but I understood the desire to try.
There was one thing I still didn't quite get, though.
"Why is it that after beating Cliff, you—?"
"Huh?"
When I asked that, Brooklyn gave me a confused look.
"I've heard that to challenge Lord Rudeus, one must first defeat the Six Demon Swordsmen.
Lady Linia, Lady Per셀ena, Lady Fitz have all graduated, Lady Badigadi is gone...
Lord Zanoba, I've already defeated..."
"..."
The Six Demon Swordsmen...
Come to think of that, there had been something like that.
I didn't know who'd started it, but apparently you had to defeat all of them before you could challenge me.
And this guy had been faithfully following that rule...
"You beat Zanoba?"
"Yes. In simulated combat during class, I was able to defeat him multiple times."
"I see."
I glanced at Zanoba, and he looked away.
...Well, if it was a magic-only fight, Zanoba probably couldn't win either.
So he'd never been able to beat Cliff, and it had dragged on and on until now.
In the end, he probably didn't think he'd truly beaten Cliff, but once you graduated, the chance was completely gone, so here he was asking.
I see.
A graduation memento.
"Perhaps I still need to defeat those who've graduated as well..."
He probably meant it as a kind of keepsake.
A final closing gesture.
Like a desperate confession that had nothing to lose.
"No, it's fine. Let's do it."
Wanting to mark graduation day with something was the same in any world, wasn't it?
"...! Thank you!"
At my answer, Brooklyn bowed his head energetically.
"Sorry, Zanoba, but I need you to referee."
"Understood, Master."
I handed my jacket to Zanoba.
For a split second, the thought of my magic armor flickered through my mind... but no, it was better without it.
--- We moved to the school grounds, began the duel, and it took roughly three hours for everything to conclude.
The result, in short, was my victory.
It wasn't for nothing that I trained daily with a Sword Emperor and a Dragon God.
I won without any hint of struggle, crushing him as easily as snapping a baby's fingers.
I hadn't held back.
Brooklyn seemed to have known the outcome, and he offered me his thanks with a bright expression.
Up to that point, everything was fine.
After that, however, other graduates who'd been watching began challenging me one after another.
Using reasons that were probably made up—like how he'd beaten Zanoba in an eating contest, or beaten Cliff in a foot race.
A crowd of onlookers gathered in droves, and somehow I became the center of attention.
I had no particular reason to refuse, so I accepted all of them.
It was graduation, and after all, I hadn't been the one who started this whole Six Demon Swordsmen thing.
Even Norn, who was usually so vocal, said nothing today and used the student council members to manage the crowd of spectators.
She clearly didn't want me causing a scene, but it was graduation, so her expression said she understood.
Sorry, student council president.
"Phew."
And so, my duels with about twenty people came to an end.
Thanks to my regular training, I wasn't particularly tired.
Everyone seemed satisfied.
They left with contented expressions on their faces.
I hoped these memories would stay with those who were heading home.
Then, everyone was gone.
Norn had cleanup duty at the venue, so she'd excused herself ahead of time.
The only ones left were Zanoba and his two attendants.
"You really are popular, Master."
Zanoba looked exhausted from refereeing the whole time.
Say what you will about this guy, he had no stamina.
"I'm tired, but... how about you, Master? Aren't you exhausted?"
"No, I'm fine. We've both gotten pretty dirty, though. We should probably change before the banquet."
"Hmm... indeed."
Zanoba looked down at his own clothes.
Mud splattered by the shockwaves of magic and sand had caked onto them.
Naturally, I was in the same state, having been in the thick of every fight.
"Let's head home first then. What about your sister?"
"Norn said she'd join and I've told her the venue, so she should come on her own."
"I see, then..."
At that moment, Zanoba's gaze drifted away from me.
It was directed behind me, slightly upward.
I turned around and followed his line of sight.
There.
I spotted them immediately.
Short, dark brown hair was peeking out from the rooftop.
Beside it, golden vertical curls swayed in the wind.
"Julie. Ginger."
"Yes."
"Sorry, but could you head back first and prepare our change of clothes?"
"Understood."
The two nodded and left the scene.
Even though we'd decided we weren't master and servant anymore, they were clearly still master and servant.
It wouldn't change overnight.
"Shall we head in, then, Master?"
"Yeah."
I nodded at Zanoba's words and entered the school building.
--- "I saw everything. You're strong, Rudeus."
When we reached the rooftop, Cliff greeted me with a tired expression.
Elinalise was beside him.
I'd known she would come to the graduation ceremony.
I'd asked her in advance to look after Clive-kid at our place.
Though I hadn't expected her to show up in uniform after dropping out.
I wouldn't ask what she'd been doing in uniform.
After all, today was graduation day.
Anything could happen anywhere.
"I suppose this is what they mean by 'the Dragon God's Right Hand,' huh?"
"Don't joke about that. I could've done something like that even before my battle with Lord Orsted."
"Right."
Cliff said this and leaned against the rooftop railing.
"Cliff-senpai, why are you up here?"
"No particular reason. I just felt like climbing somewhere high."
Cliff said this while gazing up at the sky.
Just felt like climbing somewhere high, huh.
There were times like that.
I wasn't great with heights myself, so I only really went up high when visiting
"Anyway, Cliff-senpai. Congratulations on graduating."
"Thanks."
I walked over to Cliff and leaned against the railing beside him, just as he had.
I didn't think Cliff was going to jump or anything, but still.
Zanoba moved to Cliff's other side.
Elinalise stood a little distance away, watching over the three of us.
Ah, this composition felt kind of youthful.
Come to think of it, Cliff was probably right in the thick of his youth.
Twenty-two years old.
A graduation with a child in tow.
He had a lot on his mind.
No, no—enough with the sappy thoughts. I should at least ask about tonight's banquet.
I'd heard he was coming, and since he was one of the guests of honor, it'd be a problem if he bailed.
"Cliff-senpai, what are your plans after this?"
When would he show up?
Would he come to the banquet with us, or would he and Elinalise have another round at home before joining?
That was what I wanted to ask.
"..."
Cliff answered my question with silence.
Was it hard to say?
So he was planning to enjoy some more uniform play with Elinalise.
"...I talked it over with Rise, and I've thought about it."
Cliff finally spoke a few seconds later.
"One year. I need you to wait."
For a moment, I had no idea what he was talking about.
The tavern reservation was for today.
There was no way I could wait a year.
"Hmm, until the child has grown a bit more, perhaps?"
At Zanoba's words, I snapped back to my senses.
Two months ago, Cliff had said he'd give his answer at the graduation ceremony.
He was about to deliver that answer now.
It wasn't that I'd forgotten. Today was graduation and a banquet, so I'd thought it would be fine to ask afterward.
"That's right. Clive is still small, so at the very least, I want to watch over him until he's weaned."
Cliff gazed down at the magic city of Sharia with a serious expression.
From here, the townscape was clearly visible.
The green rooftops made my house stand out...
Come to think of it, when I'd first enrolled at the university, this building hadn't had a rooftop.
Before the expansion, around third year, there'd been a survey asking if there was anything the students needed, and someone had answered "a rooftop," which was apparently added without anyone really noticing—but I'd never once come up here.
"It takes nearly two years to travel from here to the Millis Holy Land.
But Rudeus, if you'd let me use your teleportation circle, I could cut the travel time down.
I don't know by how much, but at minimum, I should have a one-year grace period."
Cliff apparently considered returning within two years of graduation to be his obligation.
That was diligent of him.
"You'll let me use the teleportation circle, right?"
"Of course, you're welcome to use it."
"Thank you."
The teleportation circle was a taboo artifact.
Using it not for emergencies but for personal reasons might have put the brakes on Cliff's conscience.
"And Rudeus. About the matter of joining your group..."
"Yes."
Cliff looked like he was having trouble saying it.
Was this going to be a rejection?
I wanted to at least hear the reason and try to convince him if I could...
"I need you to wait for that as well."
"Wait?"
"Yes. I'm sure that with the Dragon God Orsted backing me, I could rise to a high position within the Millis faith."
He probably could.
Orsted should have intimate knowledge of the Millis faith's internal affairs.
In his long loops, he likely knew the weak points of the church leaders during this era.
"But that doesn't feel right."
"..."
"I want to test for myself how far my own strength—everything I've worked for up to now—can take me within the Millis faith... but I don't want to sit in a chair that someone else prepared for me."
Cliff said this with clenched fists.
I understood. It was the same impulse as the guys who'd challenged me to duels earlier.
A test of strength.
It was the manly part of Cliff.
"And if, as a result, I rise high within the Millis faith on my own merits, then I'll become your ally."
Hmm.
It would be great if Cliff could rise that high, but there was always the possibility he couldn't.
If he merely fell from grace, that would be one thing.
The Millis faith could be approached from a different angle, and Cliff could become Orsted's exclusive helmet craftsman instead.
But if he ended up being assassinated, that was something I couldn't accept.
I didn't want my friend to die.
Or perhaps—was I supposed to accept it if it was the result of Cliff's own choice?
"So, Lord Cliff. Are you planning to go alone a year from now? What about your family?"
Zanoba asked in my stead.
Right—what was he going to do about Elinalise and Clive?
Cliff wore a pained expression.
Troubled, perhaps even apologetic.
But there was resolve in his eyes.
"I'll leave them behind."
"...For how long?"
"At least until I've become someone who can stand on his own."
Until he'd become someone who could stand on his own.
Which meant, in other words, that he didn't know how long that would take.
I looked at Elinalise. She stood with her arms crossed over her stomach, eyes closed.
So she'd accepted this arrangement.
But was that really okay?
Wouldn't Elinalise also want to be close to Cliff, watching over him and supporting him if she could?
Even if his curse could be eased by Cliff's magical device, it wouldn't last forever.
No—that wasn't something I should be weighing in on.
Cliff and Elinalise had discussed this and decided together.
This was, for Cliff, a turning point.
"I understand."
Respecting Cliff's decision came with risks.
If Cliff died somewhere beyond my sight, I would lose my connection to the Millis Holy Land.
There would be no one left to research curses.
But there was also a return.
Being forged by adversity, Cliff would grow not just one size but two.
A grown Cliff would be even more dependable as an ally.
I didn't know if the risk was worth the return, but there was a return to be had.
If I could justify it through logic, then there was no problem.
Cliff had made his decision, and Elinalise had consented.
Then I would respect that decision.
"Then for the next year, I'm counting on you."
"Yes. Likewise."
Cliff extended his hand.
I shook it firmly and nodded.
Still, thinking about Cliff becoming someone who could stand on his own, it would be over three years before he actually joined.
So let's set Cliff aside and focus on other things.
Right... first, I should reach out to Ariel.
Zanoba's doll shop had only just launched, and the mercenary corps needed to grow.
I wanted to push into the
For the coming year, I'd focus my efforts on the Asura front.
It was going to be busy.
...But before all that.
Today, we should celebrate the graduation together.
"All right, Cliff-senpai. Enough heavy talk. Let's have some fun tonight!"
"...Yeah!"
And so, Zanoba and Cliff's graduation ceremony came to an end.