Table of Contents
Table of Contents Page
Chapter 543: The Bear Walks Around Yufaria
Chapter 544: The Bear Is Captured by the Girl
Chapter 545: The Bear Gets to Yufaria’s Academy
Chapter 546: The Bear Duels Seleiyu
Chapter 547: The Bear Wins the Duel
Chapter 548: The Bear Goes to Seleiyu’s House
Chapter 549: The Bear Takes a Bath
Chapter 550: The Bear Finds That Someone Figures Out She Likes Bears
Chapter 551: The Bear Reunites with Shia
Chapter 552: The Bear Goes to See the Magic Gathering
Chapter 553: The Bear Listens to Noa’s Request
Chapter 554: The Bear Cheers Shia On – Part 1
Chapter 555: The Bear Cheers Shia On – Part 2
Chapter 556: The Bear Cheers Shia On – Part 3
Chapter 557: The Bear and the Bears That Are Made
Chapter 558: The Bear Participates in the Gathering
Chapter 559: The Bear Protects the Last Flag
Chapter 560: The Bear Feels Agitated
Chapter 561: The Bear Picks Something Up from the Lake
Chapter 563: The Bear Hears Seleiyu’s Story
Chapter 564: The Bear Does as Asked
Chapter 565: The Bear Is Angry
Chapter 566: The Bear Finishes Prepping
Chapter 567: The Bear Saves Keith
Chapter 569: The Bear’s and Seleiyu’s Battles
Chapter 570: The Bear Heads to the Bear House
Chapter 571: The Bear Talks with Others
Chapter 572: The Bear Explains
Chapter 573: The Bear Makes a Mistake
Chapter 574: The Bear Goes to Talk at Seleiyu’s Manor
Chapter 575: The Bear Goes to a Birthday Party
Chapter 576: The Bear Goes Back to the Capital
Newsletter
Color Gallery
Copyrights and Credits
Yuna's Status
Characters
Chapter 543: The Bear Walks Around Yufaria
Chapter 543:
The Bear Walks Around Yufaria
AFTER FINDING OUT that Shia was going on amagic exchange trip for school, Noa and I decided to head to Yufaria. Once we got to the town, we checked into a bougie inn before preparing to go meet Shia. We polished off our breakfast and got ready to head out.
Okay, now what…
I wasn’t sure what to do. It’d been a while since I felt like this. Again, I repeat: I, Yuna, wasn’t sure what to do.
“Yuna, is something the matter? Do you not want to see Shia?” Noa asked, noticing my internal conflict brewing.
“No, I’m happy to go see her, but…”
“But…something is on your mind.”
“We’re supposed to meet Shia today in front of the campus, right?”
“Yes, and since we have some time, we were going to walk there.”
“Yeah, that’s right. But Shia actually asked me to wear a school uniform when I see her. She said it’d be easier to get into the school if I look like a student.”
Shia had mentioned this to me as I was going home. I doubted Yufaria’s academy would let me inside dressed as a bear anyway, so I agreed. I’d thought it would be fine, since I had worn a school uniform to the academy festival before, but now that I had to actually get changed, I was hesitating.
“Is that what you’re worried about?”
“Yeah.”
“I like your bear outfit, but I think you look nice in your uniform too,” Noa replied directly, without the slightest hint of embarrassment. “Remember, this isn’t Crimonia or the capital, so wearing a uniform might be better.”
She was right. People were definitely staring at me yesterday when we headed to the inn.
“If anything happened, we could ask Father for help in Crimonia or Mother for help in the capital, but here...”
I had to agree. We didn’t know anyone here. This wasn’t like back home or the elves’ village or even the Land of Wa. It wouldn’t be an issue if it were just me, but this time, Noa was here. If I attracted negative attention, Noa could get in trouble too. My bear onesie was the ultimate protective gear, but it wasn’t exactly subtle.
After brooding for a while, I decided to change into the school uniform, since I wasn’t the only one this would affect. Besides, as long as I had my bear shoes and bear gloves, I’d be able to handle everything but an ambush.
“Yuna, you look wonderful! Wait, you’re still wearing the bear shoes and gloves?”
Noa looked at my feet and hands. Well, of course, I can’t take those off.
“My gloves are my item bag, though.”
And I can’t summon Kumayuru and Kumakyu without them, I added silently.
“These shoes are magic items, so if anything happens, they’ll help me move faster and protect you, Noa.”
“We’re in town, so I don’t think anything dangerous will happen. We should be fine.”
“You can’t be sure. You’re cute—a creep might try to approach you or something.”
“I think they would be more likely to approach you than me, Yuna.”
Me? That seemed totally unbelievable. Not a single guy had ever approached me since I came to this world, or for that matter, even in my old world. To be fair, in my old world, I hadn’t even gone to school. I was a shut-in back then, and in this world, I dressed as a bear. Even putting all that aside, I doubted anybody would ever try to hit on me.
Honestly, they’d be more likely to try to start a fight and hit me than to hit on me.
After getting changed into the school uniform, Noa and I decided to go for a walk until we needed to meet with Shia.
I didn’t mind wearing the uniform, but my legs sure were cold. Especially my thighs. My bear onesie was always temperature controlled, so I didn’t really have to pay attention to the weather. Now that I had to deal with the wind on my thighs, I resolved not to take that for granted again.
Why was I so much more embarrassed by wearing a uniform than a bear onesie? The uniform was way more “normal.” I guess I just wasn’t used to these clothes. That must be the source of the embarrassment. Manga sometimes had scenes with a girl feeling embarrassed by wearing clothes she wasn’t used to—that was how I felt at the moment.
“Can’t I just change back into my usual clothes?”
“No. Let’s go, Yuna.”
Noa took my hand, and we started to walk.
“You don’t have to drag me.”
It wasn’t like I could be embarrassed forever, so I tried to let it go.
“So where’d you like to go?”
“I would like to see the lake. And I’d like to wander around the streets and see the shops too.”
Cliff had told Noa to explore the town. Apparently, that was also part of her education as an aristocrat.
“In that case, let’s head to the lake first.”
We could take a look around town on the way and stop by any stores that caught our eye.
“Good.”
We set off toward the lake.
“It’s not very much like Crimonia, is it?”
“Yeah, it’s really busy too.”
The road to the lake was wide, with many carriages passing by on it. A lot of the buildings along the road were big too. They were just as big as the buildings in the capital. Crimonia wasn’t such a small town itself, but Yufaria was just plain bigger.
“Yufaria got this big because it stands in the middle of several towns and villages. It’s become a center of commerce as well.”
“For a tourist, you sure know a lot about Yufaria,” I said.
“I’ve studied the important towns in the vicinity of the capital. Crimonia has been catching up lately, by the way. Thanks to the road connecting it to Mileela, a lot more people are coming to Crimonia…though Father’s been busy as a result.”
“I’m sorry.”
Okay so, officially, I was the one who’d “found” the tunnel connecting Mileela to Crimonia. But in actuality, I opened up trade by digging the tunnel myself, which meant more people and goods were going back and forth. Apparently, that had been occupying a lot of Cliff’s time.
“It’s not your fault, Yuna. And it’s been more manageable lately, so it’s all right. More people also means more money in the town. As the feudal lord, Father should thank you. You don’t need to apologize.”
When it came down to it, no matter how young she was, she was still the daughter of a feudal lord. She understood exactly what kinds of benefits the increased trade would bring Crimonia.
“Though he did mention that more people meant more bad people as well. But that is the feudal lord’s job—in other words, my father’s.”
Noa was positively glowing. I tried to remember what I was like as a ten-year-old. I only had memories of playing on my consoles and computer. That might have been when my grandfather started teaching me about stocks though.
We looked around the streets and did some window shopping.
Noa seemed to be enjoying herself. No one was paying me much attention, but I still just didn’t feel comfortable. I doubted anyone would attack me from behind, but without my usual defenses, I felt uneasy. I considered summoning Kumakyu or Kumayuru in their cub form, but I decided against it because it’d just attract attention. If I did that, it’d defeat the whole purpose of wearing a uniform.
“It’s the lake, Yuna. I can see the lake!”
Noa ran over. I walked over, following her.
“It’s so big, Yuna!”
Noa was right. It was huge. I saw an island at the middle of the lake with a large building on it, and a bridge connecting it to the mainland.
“That’s Yufaria’s academy.”
Shia had told me about the academy on the island in the middle of the lake too. Guess that was it. We had plans to meet up with Shia on the other side of the bridge, but we still had time before we needed to meet her.
“Want to stroll around the lake?”
“Yes!” Noa replied, running off energetically.
I was glad I’d brought Noa, since she seemed to be enjoying herself. Soon, we’d see Shia in action and make some great memories together.
Since I’d gone through the effort of changing into a uniform for her, Shia needed to put in her fair share of effort too. I decided to make sure to get her fired up once I saw her.
Chapter 544: The Bear Is Captured by the Girl
Chapter 544:
The Bear Is Captured by the Girl
NOA AND I WALKED TOGETHERwhile looking out over the lake. The weather was great, and so was the view. The lakeside was beautiful. Boats were out on the water, and it looked like you could even rent one yourself if you wanted. It seemed like a fun town. A lot of other people were looking out at the lake, just like us. No one even paid any attention to me.
I didn’t get stares when I wasn’t wearing the bear onesie. I was wearing my bear shoes and glove puppets, but no one paid much attention to that. So long as they didn’t get too close, my puppets probably just looked like black and white blobs I was holding. Nobody would expect them to have bear faces on them. And people barely looked at shoes in the first place, so no one would notice those either.
“What’s wrong, Yuna? Let’s hurry.”
While I was scanning our surroundings, Noa had pulled ahead of me. She turned back to talk to me.
“Noa, you should watch where you’re walking.”
“I’m all righ... Ah!”
The moment I warned her, Noa tripped She tried to regain her balance by planting her feet on the ground. I quickly reached out to steady her, but she fell backward, away from me.
“Careful!”
Just as Noa was about to fall to the ground, a girl in a school uniform appeared. I thought Noa was about to crash into her, but she caught Noa instead. Thanks to her, Noa was spared a rough landing.
“Walking without watching where you’re going is dangerous.”
“I’m sorry.”
Noa pulled away from the girl’s arms as she apologized. The girl who caught Noa was about the same age as me and Shia, though she wasn’t wearing the uniform of the capital academy. Maybe she was one of Yufaria’s students?
“It’s good that you’re spirited, but a young lady ought to be better mannered,” she said.
“I’m sorry.”
Noa shrunk down into herself. The girl looked her over.
“Have we...met before?”
Noa looked back at her. They both moved closer together until they were staring each other square in the face. Noa was the first one to speak.
“Lady Seleiyu?”
“It was Noir, wasn’t it?”
They both knew each other’s names. I guess they were acquainted, then.
“It’s been so long, Lady Seleiyu.”
“It has. Now, what are you doing in a place like this, Noir? Oh, did you come to support Shia?” Seleiyu had apparently answered her own question.
“Yes, I came here to support my sister in the magic exchange program between the academies. Oh, Yuna, let me introduce you. This is Lady Seleiyu of the Forinth family, the family which rules this town.”
Noa gave me some background on the girl. Apparently, she was the daughter of this town’s feudal lord. I guess nobles really did run in the same circles.
“I am Seleiyu.”
“I’m Yuna.”
We introduced ourselves.
“So you’re a student from the capital who came here for the magic gathering? I believe the others are practicing in the academy. What are you doing out by the lake? And why are you with Noir?”
“Uh, well...”
I wasn’t really sure what to say. Seleiyu had put me on the spot. Since I was wearing a capital school uniform, she must have thought that I was part of the exchange. For one, I wasn’t. I wasn’t even a student. But I couldn’t exactly come clean when I was clearly wearing a uniform, and I couldn’t really lie to her either, which left me tongue-tied. Luckily, Noa came to my rescue.
“Yuna is Shia’s friend. She won’t be participating in the meeting, but she wanted to support Shia, so she brought me too.”
“Do you mean you came here separately from Shia? Or did you come here with Lady Ellelaura?”
“No, Mother isn’t here. Yuna and I came here ourselves. Yuna is my escort—she is very capable.”
Seleiyu looked at me with surprise.
“Pardon me, but how old are you? Fourteen? Or perhaps thirteen?”
“I’m fifteen.”
“Fifteen?!”
She seemed even more surprised when I said that. I may have been shorter than the average fifteen-year-old, but that didn’t change my age.
“I’d like to confirm something. You truly are not participating in the magic gathering?”
“Um, that’s right.”
Seleiyu scowled and then looked at Noa. “So essentially, you have no aptitude with magic?” Her eyebrows were knitted as she told Noa off. “Noir, you must be more careful. You’re putting yourselves in danger by traveling with just her. Even though you are young, you’re still a noble. You must understand your position. Did Lady Ellelaura and Lord Cliff approve of you coming here with her as your only escort?”
“Yes. In fact, they gave their permission specifically because I was going with Yuna.”
“You’re not lying?”
“Shia knows too, so I think she can confirm what I’m saying right now.”
It was true, which was why Noa sounded so confident. To be fair, we hadn’t specifically gotten Ellelaura’s permission, but we had gotten Cliff’s.
Seleiyu looked at me quizzically.
“Either way, I can’t allow you to continue like this. Noir, come to my house and allow me to escort you. I cannot allow let you go on alone.”
Seleiyu started to decide things for us without even asking. It wasn’t like Noa was alone—she had me as a guard, after all. But apparently, I wasn’t a real guard in this girl’s eyes. I thought not being in my bear onesie would help, but it seemed people couldn’t take me seriously even when I was wearing a school uniform.
“Lady Seleiyu, thank you for your concern. However, I do not need a guard. Yuna is more powerful than anyone, and she can protect me better than anyone else could.”
Noa looked at me with trusting eyes. Of course I would protect her.
“I understand that you trust this girl, Noir. By the same token, please understand that I cannot. You are the Fochrosés’ daughter. I cannot fathom why Lady Ellelaura would entrust her own daughter to a student instead of a trained guard.”
Well, that was harsh. I wasn’t even dressed as a bear this time. To be fair, if I had been dressed in my usual outfit, she probably wouldn’t have trusted me either. She might have been even more brutal.
“I will need to discuss this with Shia.”
This was becoming a real pain. That said, I did see where this girl was coming from. A normal student wouldn’t exactly be powerful enough to be Noa’s guard here, especially since she was a noble. And that wasn’t even counting the trek here from the capital.
“Lady Seleiyu, Yuna is very powerful.”
“If Lady Ellelaura entrusted you to her care, I am sure she can handle herself. However, what if someone more powerful than her appears? What if you were attacked by monsters or bandits on the way from the capital? What would you have done then? Noa, you are in a position where you must think about your own well-being. I believe you should be able to travel back to the capital with Shia, but while you are here, please let me protect you.”
Seleiyu had clearly written me off, but Noa didn’t seem to understand that. She tilted her head.
“Someone stronger than Yuna? I don’t think a person like that exists. Even if we encounter monsters or bandits, I’m sure that Yuna will take care of it.”
Noa knew that I’d saved Misa during an orc attack, and that I’d also taken down bandits in the past. She also knew I’d fought the knight captain, what’s-his-name, for Shia during the academy festival, and that I’d defeated a black viper. She might have even heard about the kraken from Cliff.
Noa probably trusted that I could protect her, no matter who or what showed up.
Under her breath, so Seleiyu couldn’t hear, Noa added, “And we also have Kumakyu and Kumayuru with us.”
“If she really is as powerful as you say, Noir, then wouldn’t she have been chosen to be part of the gathering? If she is only here to support Shia, that’s obviously not the case.”
Right, but that was only because I wasn’t a student. That said, I was wearing a uniform, so I had no idea how to convince her otherwise.
I’d thought taking off my bear onesie would mean I wouldn’t attract trouble. Apparently, the plan had backfired.
“Well...”
Noa looked hesitant. She probably wasn’t sure how to explain everything.
“So if she isn’t good at magic, does she excel in sword fighting?”
At this rate, Noa was going to end up with a new escort. Both Cliff and Shia had asked me to take care of Noa, though, and Noa wouldn’t have fun if she were being protected by someone she didn’t even know. Most importantly, I didn’t want to let Noa down.
So I butted in to deny Seleiyu’s allegations.
“I know how to wield a sword and use magic, so I can protect Noa. She doesn’t need another guard.”
Seleiyu’s eyes went wide with surprise. She probably hadn’t expected me to counter her. She looked at me, then drew closer.
“Pardon me. Please let me see your arm.”
She grabbed my arm herself and pulled up my sleeve.
“Your arms are too pale, soft, and thin to wield a sword.”
Yeah, she had a point. I didn’t have any muscle, and they were kinda doughy.
“May I see your hands too? Please remove those strange gloves.”
“Strange gloves?” Excuse me, but they were clearly bear gloves.
I did as she asked. After pulling off my right black bear glove, I showed my hand to her. She prodded the soft palm of my hand.
“These are not the hands of someone who has practiced holding a sword,” she said decisively after letting go of my hand.
I’d practiced by learning how to use swords in video games. I couldn’t exactly build up muscles from playing video games, and I sure as heck didn’t have any calluses. The only reason I could even hold a sword in this world was because of my bear puppets. With my bear gear on, swords didn’t seem heavy to me, and I was protected from developing calluses.
“You were not chosen to participate in the magic gathering, and you do not seem to have ever held a sword in your life. I can’t accept you as a fitting guard for Noir.”
I could tell Seleiyu wasn’t a bad person. She truly was just worried for Noa. She was the type who tended to force her will on people, albeit with good intentions. In that case, I couldn’t submit. I needed to protect Noa’s freedom—and mine. Plus, if I were usurped here, I’d lose face with Cliff after he left Noa in my care.
“You’re very insistent on Noa having a guard, but you’re a noble too, and it doesn’t look like you have one.”
She was indeed all alone, a noble without a guard.
“I’m in no danger while in the town my father governs over, so I do not need one.”
“Then Noa should be safe while we’re in town too, right?” I tried to catch her in a contradiction.
“But something could happen to her. If anything were to happen to her while she’s in the town ruled over by my father, how could I possibly make it up to Lady Ellelaura or Lord Cliff?”
She wasn’t backing down.
“Then what about if something happens to you?”
“I’m strong enough to take care of myself. I have trained in swordplay since I was a child, and I have some skill in magic, so my abilities are not without merit. I was even selected to be part of the gathering. Please do not compare yourself to me.”
“Then if I win a match against you, you’ll accept me as Noa’s guard?”
“I very much doubt you could do that, but yes, I suppose so.”
“Well, in that case, let’s have a quick duel. If I win, will you stop?”
She looked surprised at first but only for a moment. Then she smiled.
“Ha ha. All right. I think this will be a good way to show you the true limits of your abilities. If I win, then I’ll assign Noir a guard.”
“Okay. But make sure to follow through on your promise if I win.”
So now I was going to duel Seleiyu. I’d gotten dragged into yet another mess…
Chapter 545: The Bear Gets to Yufaria’s Academy
Chapter 545:
The Bear Gets to Yufaria’s Academy
“HAAH...” I SIGHED.
I’d been wrong to think that I could avoid trouble by just not wearing my bear onesie. If I had been in my regular gear, I would have just written this off as normal. Maybe I was just fated to run into trouble from birth?
Still, I’d technically been the one to ask for this fight.
“So where should we hold the duel?”
It wasn’t like we could have it here, with this much pedestrian traffic.
“Oh, of course,” Seleiyu said. “As I would be the one assigning a guard to Noir, we could hold it at my house. But I would like to speak to Shia first, so let’s go to the academy instead. The campus is large, so we won’t inconvenience anyone.”
Seleiyu was acting like she’d already won. Well, I hadn’t been chosen as part of the magical delegation, and my biceps and palms were pretty soft and flabby. Her confidence was completely understandable.
Seleiyu started walking toward the academy. Noa and I followed after her.
“Are you certain about this, Yuna?” Noa looked a little worried. “I’m so very sorry you had to do this for me.”
“Don’t apologize, Noa. It’s not your fault. Plus, you already know I’m powerful enough.”
“Yeah.”
“It’ll be fine. I’m not going to let anyone else take my spot as your guard.”
“Yuna, thank you...”
Noa seemed happy to hear that. She grabbed my bear puppet hand and started to march forward.
I asked her, “So you’ve met?”
“Yes, a few times now. I saw her at His Majesty’s birthday festival, but she was wearing a beautiful dress then, so I didn’t recognize her at first.”
You could make a person unrecognizable just by changing their clothes or hairstyle. If I took off my bear onesie, for example, people I only interacted with occasionally wouldn’t recognize me at all.
“Actually, I remember that she enjoyed the pudding served at His Majesty’s banquet.”
So she’d had my cooking before. That was back when the king had asked me to make pudding out of nowhere, and I had to do all of it by myself. Wow, good times. Fina and Morin had watched, but they’d refused to help.
“Is she strong, then?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t really know. She’s older than me, and we haven’t seen each other much. I haven’t asked her directly. Shia would know, though.”
Noa looked really apologetic. They were pretty far apart in age, so I didn’t blame her for not knowing when they didn’t seem very close.
“That’s okay. When it comes down to it, I just need to win the duel.”
“Oh, you sure are confident. I have no intention to lose, either.”
Seleiyu, walking ahead, turned around to face us as she was. She radiated confidence too. If she was that sure of herself, then I could only assume it was because she’d started sword training while really young.
When I thought about how she’d have to face me, someone who’d been literally blessed by a god, I felt a teensy bit guilty. I decided I’d only use the kind of sword I’d played with in my game to fight. I couldn’t lift a heavy sword without my bear puppets, so I’d still be relying on the power of my gear, but it was better than taking advantage of magical abilities I normally wouldn’t have.
“Lady Seleiyu, why were you here in the first place? Do they not need you at the academy?”
“I finished my studies for today, so I was simply taking a walk. Then I ran into the two of you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry...”
“It’s all right. I got to see you again, after all.”
“But you were chosen to participate in the gathering, weren’t you? Don’t you need to practice?”
“We have opened the school grounds so the students from the capital may train. The Yufarian students are not practicing. It wouldn’t be fair of us to keep practicing up until the matches begin when we are already familiar with the campus grounds.”
Right. The home team always had an advantage no matter the sport. Thinking about it that way, it made sense to give up their campus for training.
“So Shia should be training right now?” Noa asked.
“Yes, I believe so.”
Ah, so that was why Shia had said she wouldn’t be able to see us right away. She couldn’t exactly slip out to meet us while everyone was practicing. It seemed like we were going to be reunited with her earlier than expected, though.
We arrived at the bridge, which stretched all the way over the lake to the island in the middle.
“It’s pretty long.”
The bridge was vast, marked by a massive building where it met the island. That must have been the academy.
“Is the academy the only thing on this island?”
“No. Part of the island is open for sightseeing, so there are other amenities,” Seleiyu answered frankly.
Noa must have really wanted to see her sister, since she started running for the bridge. It was dangerous for her to go on ahead without us... That was how she’d ended up tripping and running into Seleiyu, after all. Seleiyu and I followed closely after her.
The bridge really was long. It would have been a real pain to cross it without my bear shoes. I was impressed by all the students who had to walk across this thing every single day. It wasn’t sloped, at least, which made it a bit easier, and the breeze blowing on us was pretty nice. The walk was probably cold in the winter.
After we crossed the bridge and walked for a while, we arrived at the front of the academy. Size-wise, it was on par with the capital’s academy.
“It’s kind of cool that it’s in the middle of a lake.” It was like something straight out of a game or manga.
“When the academy was going to be built, all the areas on the lakeshore had already been occupied, leaving only the outskirts of the town available. That would have been too far for the students living on the other side of town, so the academy was built on the island in the lake instead. Four bridges were made so the students could enter from any direction to make travel to the academy easier.”
Seleiyu was giving us a crash course on the school’s creation. Maybe she wasn’t such a bad person after all. Noa didn’t seem upset by her, at least. She was just having a perfectly ordinary conversation with us.
Honestly, after talking with her, I couldn’t say I disliked her either. The problem was that she was just so serious. So tiring to deal with. Nothing like me at all—I took a pretty relaxed approach to life.
“First, let’s go find Shia. I’m sure you’re eager to see her, Noir.”
“Yes, I’d like to visit her.”
Noa seemed happy to get to see Shia for the first time in a long while. Wait, did that mean we’d have an audience for our duel? That would be bad. I couldn’t say anything, though, as we were already on our way to the training grounds where Shia and the other students were.
I saw about ten people in the same uniform as me practicing magic.
“There’s Shia.” Noa pointed at Shia, whose golden pigtails swished as she moved.
“I’m glad they were where I thought they’d be,” Seleiyu said.
“Lady Seleiyu, may I go to Shia?”
“I don’t want to interrupt the others, so let’s just call Shia over instead. One moment, please.”
Seleiyu had us wait as she headed over to Shia herself. They spoke briefly, then Shia looked over at us. After exchanging a few words with someone—presumably her teacher—Shia came over to join us.
“You brought Noa with you, Yuna,” she said. “Thank you.”
“No, Shia, thank you for inviting us!” Noa said.
“You should thank Yuna, if anyone. After all, she’s the one who agreed to take you.”
“Really? I thought you asked Yuna.”
“So why are you with Lady Seleiyu, Noa?”
“I had something I wanted to discuss with you, so I brought them with me,” Seleiyu said as she approached us from behind Shia. “Why would you allow your sister to be escorted from the capital by this student instead of a proper guard? Didn’t it occur to you that that was dangerous?”
“Yuna is her guard, Lady Seleiyu.”
Shia looked at me.
“Not you too! Why do you trust a student so much? It’s one thing to allow her to be an escort within town, but do you have any idea how far the capital is from Yufaria? What if they had been attacked by monsters or bandits?”
“Yuna would have done her job as her guard and protected her.”
Shia and Seleiyu seemed to have utterly contradictory opinions of me.
“So you trust her too then, Shia? Is she really powerful enough to deserve that much trust?”
“I don’t think I know anyone as powerful and trustworthy as Yuna.”
Shia was very clear about her feelings.
“Haah... All right. In that case, I’d like you to be a witness. We are having a duel. If I win, then I will be allowed to assign a guard to Noir while she stays in Yufaria. In addition, Noir will need to return home with you, Shia.”
“Um, wait. What’s this about?”
Shia had no idea what was going on, looking to me and Noa for an explanation. Noa and I gave her a quick rundown of what had happened.
“Ah, so she just won’t accept that Yuna is capable of guarding you.” She was finally up to speed.
“Shia, can’t you convince her or something?”
“I don’t think so…” Shia looked over at Seleiyu.
It was clear Seleiyu was too stubborn to reconsider. That was just the way she was. Guess my only option would be to go through with the duel.
“So, Yuna, was it? I’d like to see what you’re truly capable of. Would you like to use magic or fight with swords? I’ll allow you to choose.”
“Let’s use swords.”
I’d already decided on swords in advance. That way I’d feel less guilty when I won.
“All right, we’ll use swords. Do you have a practice sword? If not, then I will provide one for you. I will say, however, it would be better to use one you’re used to.”
A practice sword? I thought for a bit. What about that random branch I picked up off the ground when I first got to this world? I still had it in my bear storage, since I hadn’t bothered to throw it away. I also had that wooden sword that I’d used to teach some new adventurers a few things.
I pulled out the wooden sword.
“It’s made of wood?”
“It should be safer than a real sword,” I said.
Most practice swords were made from metal, but they were blunted. The downside was that they hurt a lot more than wood when you got hit. There was a real risk of injury.
“All right. If you have two, would you allow me to borrow one?”
I pulled a second sword from my bear storage and handed it to Seleiyu.
“Ah, so those strange gloves you wear with faces on them are actually item bags?”
“They’re bears,” I said.
I opened and closed the mouths of my bear puppets as I held them up toward Seleiyu.
“Your shoes are odd too. You’re a strange person.”
So she’d noticed those too.
“Let’s move to the side so we’re not in the way.”
“Are we going to do the duel here?”
“Is there an issue with that?”
Yeah, there was. Shia was one thing, but there were other students here.
“I was just thinking that if a noble like you loses, it’d affect your standing.”
“I am not worried about that. Even if I were to lose, that’s no reason to be embarrassed—but it’s not an issue, as I do not intend to lose.”
She sure was confident. I was going to have to figure out a way to win without attracting attention to myself.
Chapter 546: The Bear Duels Seleiyu
Chapter 546:
The Bear Duels Seleiyu
WE DECIDED TO SET UP our duel in a corner of the training grounds where Shia’s classmates were practicing. The students from the capital stopped practicing to watch us.
Uh, please don’t stare.
They couldn’t hear my mental plea, of course, so stare they did. Soon, I realized they were looking at Seleiyu in particular, almost like they were sizing her up. I really needed to make sure I didn’t win in a really memorable way, just like I’d decided at the start.
Seleiyu and I took up our stances, a short distance from each other.
“You may start at any time,” she said as she readied her wooden sword.
Okay, now what...
I didn’t know what to do. Winning would be easy, but I had to hold back. If I overpowered her while dressed in a uniform, with my face completely visible, it was going to cause me a lot of grief later. I needed to fight Seleiyu on an even footing and make it seem like a close match.
“If you won’t act, then I will.”
Since I wasn’t making a move, Seleiyu struck first. She approached, closing the distance between us, and brought her sword straight down toward me. I parried the blow lightly. Seleiyu looked surprised, but it was just a simple parry.
Scowling, she tried to attack me from the right, then the left. I matched her movements, smoothly blocking the blows. She had good technique, but I wasn’t sure I’d call it smooth. She didn’t let the sword control her as she swung it.
A heavy sword could take you with it when you brought it down. To put it simply, it was kind of like holding a gigantic hammer. Once you start swinging, it was hard to keep control. If someone as weak as me tried, I’d end up spinning right around with the hammer (don’t ask me how I know).
A wooden sword was lighter than a real one, but even wood could make you lose your balance, especially if someone was striking back in an effort to repel you. But Seleiyu never wavered. She was even able to strike again.
SELEIYU
I AM SELEIYU, daughter of the noble Forinth family.
When I was young, I had never touched a sword and was much too frightened of those who did to approach them. But after a certain incident, I changed.
My mother was killed. Her death made me resolve to become stronger. I learned how to wield a sword and protect myself. When I learned I had an aptitude for magic, I began to practice that as well. Naturally, I dedicated myself to my other studies and made sure I would honor the Forinth name as I matured into the lady of the house.
I was pleased to have been selected for the magic gathering. Though I wished to practice in order to avoid bringing shame to myself in the competition, the students from the capital were currently using the campus grounds, so the Yufarian students could not. Unable to practice, I decided to take a stroll. My mother loved this town, and so do I. The lake and townscape are both beautiful, and a source of pride for me. Taking strolls was one of my favorite pastimes.
As I walked, gazing out across the lake, I saw a girl walking backward. She hadn’t noticed me. The moment I pivoted to avoid running into her, she tripped and began to fall backward. I immediately caught her, stopping her fall.
The girl in my arms was cute, in her early teens, and wore a look of surprise on her face. She seemed familiar, although I did not immediately recognize her.
“Have we met before?” I asked, which prompted the girl to look more closely at me. I stared back at her.
...Oh, I remember now.
“Lady Seleiyu?”
“It was Noir, wasn’t it?”
We both said each other’s names at almost the same time.
Yes, she was the Fochrosés’ daughter, Noir. It seemed she had recalled who I was as well. We had only met a few times before; the last time had been at His Majesty’s banquet during his birthday festivities. Even then, we had only exchanged simple pleasantries. As we were far apart in age, I had spoken to Noir infrequently. I had spoken more often to her sister, Shia, who was closer in age to me. But why was Noir here?
I asked and found that she was visiting to support Shia. To my shock, Noir claimed she had come to Yufaria without a guard, despite the fact that she was a noble. Well, more precisely, she claimed that the student with her was her escort.
This girl’s name was Yuna. Though she was fifteen, Yuna was short for her age. She had long hair and seemed charming enough, but she did not appear capable of protecting Noir should they be attacked by monsters. At first, I considered that Noir’s family might not know how she had arrived here, but it seemed her parents, Lord Cliff and Lady Ellelaura, were aware of everything. I couldn’t believe it.
I proposed assigning Noir a guard while she sojourned in our town. Though the town was safe, if anything at all were to happen to the Fochrosés’ daughter, my father, the lord of the town, would lose face. Noir, however, claimed that the girl protecting her was sufficiently powerful to protect her. She refused my request.
It seemed Noir truly trusted the girl. However, despite being a student from the capital, she hadn’t been selected for the gathering. I considered that she may be a skilled swordfighter, but her palms were soft. It seemed she had not put long hours into studying the blade.
Guilty as I felt to countermand Noir, this girl simply could not be as powerful as she claimed.
“You were not chosen to participate in the magic gathering and you do not seem to have ever held a sword in your life. I can’t accept you as a fitting guard for Noir.”
After I said this, the girl began to argue with me. She first pointed out that I was walking around on my own, despite being a noble myself. This town was indeed safe, but I still wished to give Noir a guard on the chance something might happen. In addition, I was capable of defending myself with a blade. I had been selected for the upcoming magic gathering, after all.
When I said this, she proposed a duel. If she won, she said she wanted me to acknowledge her as Noir’s guard. It was a reasonable request.
As I could not withdraw now, I accepted her proposal. She had not been chosen for the gathering, meaning her magical abilities were lacking, and I doubted she had experience holding a sword. If I humored her, she would likely accept that she was not a satisfactory guard for Noir.
And now, the duel had begun.
I struck directly, attempting to be somewhat firm with her. I expected this would knock the wooden sword out of her hands. But she met my blow. This surprised me. When swords clash, even wooden practice swords, the impact is strong. Despite all that, the girl easily blocked my blow.
I backed away slightly and attempted to attack her from the left this time. However, she easily blocked me. I attempted to be faster and firmer with my next blow. This, too, was blocked. She hadn’t simply met my blow this time—she warded off my strike in order to dampen the impact.
When it came to offense versus defense, the offense had the advantage. The one attacking could decide where to bring their sword down, so blocking a strike that could come from any angle required considerably higher skill. It was no easy task for her to parry my blows like this.
In addition, the defender often cannot compel their body to move as they wish it to because they fear being struck. However, this girl did not so much as blink. Her beautiful eyes stared straight through me. It was as though she could predict everything I was doing.
I attempted to bring my sword down on her, but she evaded once more.
When my instructor had first attempted to strike at me, I had been too afraid to defend myself, while my instructor could block all my strikes. To fight this way, one had to read the minute details of their opponent’s movements, examining not only their opponent’s sword, but also their arms, hands, and gaze. In addition to looking above, looking down was crucial as well. One has to track their opponent’s step forward, and how much power they carry in it.
When my instructor had first told me this, I replied that it was impossible. My instructor said that I must observe my opponent in their entirety, and I simply couldn’t do it. I couldn’t help but look at my opponent’s sword as it approached me.
However, with practice, I was gradually able to improve.
The girl in front of me was putting into practice exactly what my instructor had described. She was observing me in my entirety. I could see it in her eyes. I attempted to strike again, but she easily blocked me. This was becoming interesting. I couldn’t help but smile. No other girl at the academy could exchange blows with me, and few of the boys were capable of doing so as well.
Normally, my opponents became flustered after exchanging so many blows, but she remained composed as she handled her blade. It was clear she was holding back. If she were using her full strength, she could have counterattacked. For some reason, she hadn’t. It seemed as though she was thinking something over. She was simply blocking all my attacks.
In that case, what about this? I attempted a feint and attacked her. But, of course, she blocked even that. The last time she blocked me, her sword flowed by to my right. I attempted to strike her side, where she was unguarded, but she immediately corrected her sword’s positioning and blocked me. It was impressive.
I took my distance, took in a light breath, then exhaled. Just as Noir had said, she was powerful. Somehow, despite her small hands that seemed like they had never held a blade before, she was clearly stronger than I was.
It occurred to me that this girl had talent. That said, there were some obstacles that even natural talent couldn’t overcome. I couldn’t allow myself to lose.
“I’m sorry. This may hurt, but we have an infirmary, so please don’t worry.”
I thrust at her with a move that was not allowed during practice. The only way to handle the move was to dodge it. It would be difficult to parry with a sword. Any attempt to repel it head-on would result in being hit.
I didn’t plan on actually striking her, however. If she really had all of this skill, she would be able to avoid it. If I thrust slightly to the right, she would dodge to the left. That was where my opportunity lay.
YUNA
IT MIGHT GO WITHOUT SAYING, but she wasn’t as powerful as the knight captain I fought at the academy festival (I still can’t remember his name and face). Blocking her strikes was easy.
I blocked another one as she brought her sword down. From an outside perspective, it would seem like I was solely focused on defense and couldn’t even get a blow in because of her assault. But I decided I’d counter soon and bring this duel to an end. My plan rested on the duel making it seem like I was just a tiny bit stronger than her.
But just as I thought that, Seleiyu paused for a moment and said, “I’m sorry. This may hurt, but we have an infirmary, so please don’t worry.”
Apparently, she was planning something. I’d just have to dodge it and end the duel.
Seleiyu thrust her sword at me. Her strikes were slower than when I’d fought against Jyubei in the Land of Wa. I dodged, but she’d expected that. Seleiyu flipped around.
Ohh! So that earlier thrust was a feint.
Because she’d spun around, her sword actually approached me from the opposite side. I reached out with my bear puppet and grabbed Seleiyu’s right arm, then used her momentum against her, snagged her leg, and took her to the ground. Next, I rested my wooden sword on her neck as she lay prone.
“Looks like I won.”
“Yes, I admit defeat.”
Seleiyu easily accepted the result.
Chapter 547: The Bear Wins the Duel
Chapter 547:
The Bear Wins the Duel
“I LOST.”
Seleiyu got to her feet after admitting she lost the duel. She wasn’t even a sore loser about it—I could see from her face that she had fully accepted my victory. She was a really good kid, just like I’d thought.
“You truly are just as powerful as Noir claimed.”
“You’re pretty good too,” I said.
“There’s no need to spare my feelings. I know there is a difference in skill between us that I can never hope to make up. That much is clear to me.”
“Aw, that’s not true. I couldn’t even attack you at first because I was so focused on defense.”
Seleiyu looked surprised at first, but then she smiled.
“Yuna, you’re an odd person.”
Was I? I wasn’t even dressed as a bear this time. I could understand her saying that if she saw me in my bear onesie but not dressed how I was now.
I was about to object, but Noa and Shia came over in that moment.
“Yuna, you were so very gallant.” Noa joyfully wrapped her arms around me.
“Noir, you have a great guard.”
“Yes, Yuna is very strong. She’s always there to help whenever I’m in trouble,” Noa said with a smile.
“You defeated Seleiyu so easily. It was amazing,” Shia said.
“Easily?”
I tilted my head. Seleiyu and Shia both were saying unexpected things about me. Shia knew that I was strong. Had it really looked like I’d “easily” won the duel? Or could other people intuit that it had been easy for me too?
“Normally, after exchanging that many blows, people would get flustered, not know what to do, or blindly go on the offensive. You were composed the entire time you were blocking Seleiyu’s strikes.”
“I wanted to at least make you flinch once, but no matter how I tried to strike you, I simply wasn’t capable of it.”
Wait, was that what it had looked like? I thought I’d successfully acted out a closely matched duel where I had focused solely on defense until turning the tables at the last moment. Apparently, that hadn’t worked out. I’d been so focused that I’d failed to realize I wasn’t actually acting out any emotions.
I guess any dreams of being a famous stage actor would have to wait.
“I attempted to stab at you, knowing that it might seem like an underhanded move, but you were able to dodge even that. I’m very sorry about that.”
“That seemed like a normal move to me?”
Stabbing was a normal thing to do with spears, rapiers, or swords. You could even do it with a knife, in battle. It was a regular offensive technique. Jyubei had folded a similar move into his normal repertoire.
“Thrusting like that is very dangerous during practice, so as a rule, we don’t. Of course, all offensive moves come with their own dangers, but we wear protective equipment when we practice jabs. Doing such a thing in uniform would be dangerous.”
Seleiyu looked at our clothes in turn.
Okay, now that she pointed it out, it did seem pretty dangerous. I wouldn’t have let her hurt me, but if she’d sneaked one in on me without my bear onesie, that wouldn’t have just been a run-of-the-mill injury. Maybe I was thinking about this like my game a little too much. In games, your life wasn’t actually in danger. Plus, my bear onesie had made me invincible since coming to this world. I really needed to be a tad more careful.
“That is why I called that jab underhanded. In my defense, I fully expected you to evade it. That was why I attempted that final maneuver, but even so, I suffered a clumsy defeat.”
She’d figured out that I was holding back and had bet the entire match on that last move, knowing I was likely to dodge it. That was why she’d spun around—because she’d expected me to dodge the jab. It made sense, considering how fast she’d moved right after that jab. She’d been planning it from the start.
In other words, she’d seen through my ruse, just like Shia had. Next time, I’d need to think this through a little more.
“You may have this back. Thank you very much.”
After Seleiyu handed back my sword, I put it away in my bear storage, along with the one I’d been using.
“So those gloves are not just an item bag. They also seem to protect your hands. I understand why your hands are so soft now. But why were your arms so soft too?”
Seleiyu started to feel up the flab on my upper arm, a clear result of my shut-in lifestyle and continuous lack of exercise. If she kept squeezing, I was going to have a mental breakdown. I fled from her, taking cover behind Shia.
“Sorry we interrupted your practice, Shia.”
“It’s no problem. We all got to see a spectacular show, after all!”
Shia looked to her right. A bunch of students from the capital were staring at us. I’d forgotten they were there. Had they noticed that I was holding back during the fight?
“Oh, good, then. But we didn’t duel using magic, so watching us won’t be helpful during the competition.”
“Even so, it was spectacular.”
“Though I did completely lose that match.”
“Anyone could tell that both your strikes and Yuna’s techniques as she blocked them were amazing.”
“Thank you. Hearing that from you is some consolation. Next time we duel, I hope that I can put up a less embarrassing show.”
Next time? There wasn’t going to be a next time. This was the last duel I wanted with her.
“Lady Seleiyu, you have no objections to Yuna being my guard then?”
“Yes, as promised.”
Looked like we didn’t need to worry about Noa getting another guard.
“Noa, what do you want to do now?”
We’d planned to meet Shia after a walk around town today. Since Seleiyu had caught us in the middle of our walk, we’d put a pause on that, but we still ended up seeing Shia early.
“You’re still practicing, Shia?” Noa asked.
“Yes. The gathering is the day after tomorrow, after all. I don’t think I’ll be able to spend time with you today.”
Noa looked a little disappointed. Shia placed a hand on her head.
“I need to practice today, but we could catch up tomorrow.”
“Do you mean it?!” Noa seemed ecstatic.
“Since it’ll be the day before the competition, both schools are taking a break,” Seleiyu told us. Apparently, she had been listening in.
“Let’s spend time together tomorrow, then. We’ll meet up at the bridge right at the front of the school.”
“All right. It was nice to see you today, and we don’t want to get in the way of your practice, anyway. Let’s head back.”
Noa was really excited about tomorrow’s plans. For now, we left the training grounds with Seleiyu so as not to get in the way of their practice. The students were gossiping behind us, but I decided not to worry about it.
“I didn’t expect to lose. I thought that I was rather powerful myself, but it seems there is always someone better.”
Seleiyu started to recap the duel as she walked beside us. I’d only won because of my bear gear increasing my abilities. Without my bear puppets, I couldn’t even hold a sword, much less block someone else’s. And without my bear shoes, I wouldn’t have the stamina to hold out.
The only thing that truly belonged to me was my skill in handling my sword. My offensive and defensive techniques were mine alone. No matter how much the bear gear powered me up, if I hadn’t been able to block attacks, I would’ve still lost. And if I couldn’t strike back, I’d never be able to win. I needed both.
“Who taught you how to fight with a sword, Yuna?”
A video game. Obviously, I couldn’t say that.
“Uh, well, I got training from a lot of people.”
There were the NPCs who taught me how to handle weapons in tutorials. I’d learned by watching other players fight, too. Honestly, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the internet had trained me too. I’d been hit a lot of times. In the worst cases, death had been a great teacher.
“I see. Even with others teaching you, it’s difficult to put that into action. Some people simply are not capable of implementing what they learn. If you learned that at your age, then you must have talent. I’m so jealous.”
I wished she’d stop praising me. It was making my heart seize up.
“Yuna was amazing, but so were you, Seleiyu. You fought, well, beautifully.”
Noa came to the rescue, redirecting the conversation.
“Ha ha. Thank you. But I was just doing as my instructor taught me, so I’d like to become stronger. I’ve been told I need to learn how to put the things I’ve learned to more practical use as well.”
“But if you know how to use magic, you should be able to improve by combining that with your sword fighting abilities.”
“Of course. I would like to have another duel with you Yuna, a magic duel this time.”
“I’m all dueled out.”
“That’s unfortunate. If only you had been part of the gathering, I could have defended my honor.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any plans to participate. More importantly, even though I was wearing a uniform, I wasn’t actually a student.
“By the way, Noir, when did you come to town?”
“Yesterday. I was planning to meet up with Shia today, so I was walking around town with Yuna until then.”
“Ah, so that was how you ran into me. If you arrived yesterday, where are you staying?”
“It’s an inn on the main road near the place where we ran into you. It has a bath in the room and the food was very good too.”
Noa had no reservations about giving away where we were staying.
“Ah, that inn. They’re well known for their quality.”
Seleiyu immediately recognized the inn.
I knew it was a nice place. They hadn’t even commented on my bear onesie. That said, it was probably just in case I was some well-to-do girl who could cause them potential trouble.
Seleiyu thought for a while.
“I have an idea. Noir, why don’t you and Yuna stay at my house while you are here?”
“Do you mean—”
“Oh, please don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t intend to assign a guard to Noir. I’d like to apologize for earlier by being your host.”
“Yuna...?”
Noa looked at me, not knowing what we should do.
“We’re grateful for the offer, but we’ve already paid for several days at the inn.”
I gently turned her down. I wouldn’t be able to relax at a stranger’s house. I really didn’t want to stay with her.
“Ah, so if you receive your money back, it would be all right? I know the person who runs the inn, so I can ask them for a refund on your behalf.”
She apparently hadn’t gotten my hint. It wasn’t about the money… I was turning her down in a roundabout way.
Chapter 548: The Bear Goes to Seleiyu’s House
Chapter 548:
The Bear Goes to Seleiyu’s House
IN THE END, I was unable to refuse Seleiyu’s invitation. If I were alone, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but Noa was with me, and she was a noble. The nobility probably had their own complicated relationships to consider, and I was just Noa’s “student” guard. Seleiyu was inviting Noa to stay, noble to noble. If I said the wrong thing, this could become a political scandal or something.
Well, what to do...
I thought for a while, then decided to leave it up to Noa’s judgment—her being a noble and all.
“What do you think, Noa?”
“Me?”
“I’m just here as your guard, after all. It’s your choice.”
“In that case, why not stay with Lady Seleiyu for one night?”
“You’re welcome to stay at my house until you leave, not just for one day.”
“We couldn’t possibly impose that much.”
“It’s no imposition at all.”
“We don’t want to seem ungrateful for your favor, so we’ll stay with you for one day. If you host us for too long, I won’t know whether to cheer for you or Shia during the competition.”
Noa gently suggested that she didn’t want to stay for long. Maybe she’d compromised after getting a sense of what both Seleiyu and I wanted, and had come up with the one-day proposal? Was this how nobles dealt with each other?
Even though she was young, she was a real noble too.
“All right. In that case, I will be happy to host you for the day.”
Seleiyu seemed to have accepted the compromise. I thought it was a pretty good middle ground to reach too.
“As I interrupted your walk through town, please allow me to show you around to make up for it.”
We started strolling through the streets, with Seleiyu as our guide. We peeked into stores and picked up snacks at stalls. Seleiyu paid for us. I wasn’t used to this feeling... Normally I was the one footing the bill for everything, so it felt new to be treated like this.
We told the inn we wouldn’t be back that night. Seleiyu was there, so the inn tried to return the money, but I asked for them to keep the money and add another night to our reservation. We’d only paid up until the day after the gathering was over, so I thought we could stay another day and relax after the gathering was over.
After we had our fill strolling around town with Seleiyu as our guide, the sun started to set so we headed to her house.
“I wish we could have seen more.”
“It’s too late to stay out.”
Noa looked at me with pleading eyes, but I had to agree with Seleiyu.
“We should turn in for the day.”
After that, Noa dropped the issue.
“She listens to you,” Seleiyu commented.
“If Yuna tells Mother or Father, then I won’t be allowed out again,” Noa said. The only thing she generally was stubborn about was bears.
Throwing Noa a bone, Seleiyu took us on a different path as we walked to her house.
Her family ruled over the town, so naturally her house was huge.
“You must be tired from all that walking. I will draw you a bath, so please rest in your room.”
Once we entered the manor, Seleiyu called over a servant to show us to our room. We left Seleiyu and followed the maid.
“It’s big.”
There were two large beds in the room. Noa had wanted to stay in the same room as me.
“I’m sorry, Yuna.”
“What’s for?”
“I knew you didn’t want to stay with Lady Seleiyu.”
“Don’t worry about it. I just felt a little stressed about staying over at someone’s house when I’ve barely met them.”
I’d never really had friends, so I didn’t know what it was like to have a sleepover at someone else’s house. I felt the most at home in my own place. When I was in my bear house, I was in my element.
“Yes, I feel the same. But I know how Lady Seleiyu feels too, which is why I asked just to stay for one night. It’s true that if Lady Seleiyu came to visit Crimonia, I would want her to stay at our manor rather than an inn.”
Yeah, that made sense. Of course, nobles would invite a visiting noble over to their own home turf.
Noa looked around the room and opened the window.
“Is that Lady Seleiyu?”
I headed over to the window and looked outside. Seleiyu was swinging her sword around.
SELEIYU
I LOST. I lost to a girl who was weaker and shorter than me.
After leaving Noir and Yuna in the care of the servant, I left to practice my swordplay in the garden. I had to do something.
I’d thought I was powerful. I had been convinced I couldn’t lose to another girl my age when it came to either magic or swordplay. But that was in the past. I had lost.
At first, I had been convinced that Noir and her student friend had traveled from the capital without a guard. But then Noir had said the student was her guard, and I couldn’t believe her. I quickly came to the conclusion that she might wind up finding herself in danger and asked to assign a guard to Noir myself.
However, she had insisted the girl in the uniform was strong enough to be her guard. And in order to prove it, the girl had challenged me to a duel.
I had thought I wouldn’t lose against the girl, irrespective of whether we fought with swords or magic. I had practiced enough to be sure of that, after all. But in the end, I had lost the match. And it had not been a close call. She was far more skilled than I was.
I needed to become more powerful. I didn’t have any time left. If what I saw in the past wasn’t a dream, that man would be coming for me again.
My mother was killed in front of me when I was only five years old. I hardly remember what had happened. All I know is that a man killed her. He had spoken to my mother about something or other before killing her, but I couldn’t remember what the conversation had been about. Only that my mother had been killed right in front of me.
She had begged the man to spare my life. Until her very last breath, she had told me to run, but I stayed by her side, clutching her body. I remember hearing the man say, “What a darling daughter. You seem like you’ll be just as beautiful as your mother someday.”
I had no idea what he meant by that. The only thing that stayed with me was the smile on his face.
“I’ll take you in exchange, for my revenge. I’ll come back for you when you’re sixteen. Until then, grow beautiful for me.”
Then, he had stroked my cheek. His hand was still stained in my dead mother’s blood. I was frozen to the spot in sheer terror, unable to move.
“But I need insurance. You have a younger brother, don’t you?”
I did. He and I were incredibly close. He would laugh whenever I laughed.
“Let’s keep this little conversation between the two of us. If you tell anyone else about this, your adorable little brother may end up just like your mother.”
He reached out and left a slick streak of blood on my cheek. Sometimes, I can still feel the sticky blood on my face in my dreams. I fainted as the man left, and when I regained consciousness, I was on a bed.
After, my emotions had been unstable. I would groan in my sleep, and I was terrified of being alone. The memory of what the man had done would send me into full-body shivers.
I told Father everything I could remember, even though Father had been sobbing at the time. Though he tried, he couldn’t find my mother’s killer. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that the man might come back once I turned sixteen. Though I was only a child, the thought of my younger brother bloodied and dead was enough of a deterrent that I dared not tell anyone.
Ten years had passed since that day. Even now, I couldn’t determine whether it all had been a dream, a false memory, or a terrible truth. My memories had grown hazier in the decade since. The man hadn’t returned yet, after all. I began to believe that he might never enter my life again. And yet, the thought of my mother’s murderer appearing before me on my sixteenth birthday...
I gripped my sword harder. This was the reason I had worked so hard. I had learned to handle a sword. I had studied magic. Once my sixteenth birthday arrived, for better or worse, I would be released from this curse that had held me down. I wondered whether I truly wanted him to appear or not...
I had no answer to that. All I could do was wait until I turned sixteen.
YUNA
AFTER WE SPOTTED SELEIYU, Noa and I headed outside. She hadn’t noticed that we had come to the garden to join her and kept swinging her sword around. I mulled over calling out to her, but she noticed us, so she stopped swinging her sword and turned our way.
“What are you two doing here?”
“We saw you from the window,” Noa explained. “Are you practicing, Lady Seleiyu?”
“I’m very sorry. I know I’ve been a poor host, but after the duel, I felt the need to practice my swordplay. I also wanted to exercise a bit before bathing.”
“Did we interrupt you?”
“No, please don’t worry about it.”
Seleiyu looked over at me.
“Yuna, would you be so kind as to spar with me for a bit? It won’t be another duel, of course. I promise I won’t jab you again or use any other unusual methods of attack. I’d just like to exchange some blows.”
Seleiyu looked very serious as she talked.
“Okay, but it’ll only be sparring. If it seems like you’re starting to fight for real, then I’m calling it off.”
“Thank you.”
Seleiyu handed me a practice sword. Unlike the swords we had used for the duel, these were iron. Without my bear puppets, it was clear that the sword would have been quite heavy and difficult to wield.
“I look forward to this sparring session.”
Seleiyu readied her sword and began to lightly swing at me. I blocked her. After she swung three times, Seleiyu backed away slightly.
“Please swing at me now, Yuna.”
I brought my sword down on her, just like she had asked. The sound of clashing metal rang out through the space. We continued to spar wordlessly.
After exchanging a few blows, Seleiyu lowered her sword.
“Thank you. You really are amazing, Yuna. I was actually swinging quite hard at you. Most normal girls would have dropped their weapon.”
“Well, I’ve trained up.”
“After seeing your arms, I’m not sure I believe that.”
Seleiyu approached me and poked my flabby arm.
“Hee hee. Now, let’s all go take a bath together. Noir, I’ll wash your hair for you.”
“You don’t need to do that, Lady Seleiyu.”
“I’ve always wanted a little sister like you, Noir.”
“You have a little brother though,” Noa replied.
“I adore him, of course, but a little sister would have been cuter. Plus, he’s started to be more willful lately. He’s become a bit of a handful.”
“I can be willful too,” Noa said.
“Well, I think it would be more forgivable coming from you, Noir. Just don’t tell my brother I said so.”
Seleiyu smiled and brought her finger to her lips.
Chapter 549: The Bear Takes a Bath
Chapter 549:
The Bear Takes a Bath
WE ALL DECIDED to take a bath together.
“You’re so dainty and pretty, Yuna. You have perfect skin.”
Seleiyu took a look at me once I was out of my uniform. I quickly hid myself. It was embarrassing having someone look at me that way, even if she was a girl too. Plus, unlike me, Seleiyu was fit, so I felt even more ashamed.
“You’re the one who’s pretty...Lady Seleiyu.”
For a second, I hesitated over what to call her. I’d been calling her Seleiyu in my mind, but this was probably my first time saying her name out loud. I wasn’t sure how to refer to her at first.
“Ha ha, just call me Seleiyu. You call Noir by her nickname, and you don’t use ‘lady’ with Shia, after all.”
“Are you sure? No one’s going to glare daggers at me or complain?”
“It should be fine. My friends at the academy call me by my first name too. And please don’t concern yourself with being overly polite to me. Let’s just chat normally.”
“Okay... Seleiyu.”
I did as she asked and went back to using my normal tone with her.
“Ah, by the way Lady Seleiyu, please call me Noa.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I would be happy if you did.”
“Then I will.”
“Thank you.”
Seleiyu seemed happy too.
“Yuna is so pretty, but you are too, Lady Seleiyu.”
“Thank you. That said, I do have some scrapes. It’s just that you can’t see them unless you look closely.”
Seleiyu showed us her arm. There really was a small scar right there on her pretty arm. Maybe she had gotten that while practicing swordplay? Noa studied Seleiyu’s arm.
“Well, it’s just a small nick, nothing major.”
When Seleiyu saw Noa’s expression, she smiled gently.
After that, we headed into the bath. Nobles really had huge baths, apparently. My bear house’s bath was pretty big, but this one was massive.
“Noa, please come over here and sit.”
Seleiyu indicated a small chair right in front of her. Noa seemed to understand what Seleiyu was thinking and sat down.
“I’m so jealous of Shia. It must be nice to have a little sister who would come all the way out here to cheer for her.”
“Honestly, I could only come here because Yuna escorted me. If she hadn’t been here, Father and Mother likely wouldn’t have given their permission.”
“Your parents must really trust her.” Seleiyu glanced at me while I started to wash myself off.
“Yes, they do,” Noa said. Her smile was blinding.
I was happy that they trusted me that much, but it was pretty embarrassing.
“Okay, I’ll start washing your hair now.”
Seleiyu seemed ecstatic as she started to lather up Noa’s long hair.
I was the one who usually washed her hair, so I felt a little left out.
“I’m going to start rinsing now.” Seleiyu started to dump hot water over Noa’s head. “Okay, I’ll do your back next.”
“You don’t have to,” Noa replied.
“I’m doing it because I want to, so don’t worry about it. I feel like now I finally found a little sister at the end. I’m really happy.”
“The end of what?”
“Ah, nothing at all. Please don’t worry about it.”
Seleiyu dodged the question as she finished up washing and rinsing Noa off.
“There, all clean. You can go and soak now.”
“Thank you.”
Noa and I headed off to soak in the bath first. It felt nice, but I might have been spoiled by the hot springs in the Land of Wa. Which didn’t mean I couldn’t still enjoy a regular old bath, of course.
“It’s so nice,” Noa said from beside me. She seemed very comfortable. Eventually, once I told Noa about my bear transport gates, I’d take her to the Land of Wa.
Seleiyu joined us once she was finished washing up and the three of us let the day’s fatigue wash away in the water. A lot of stuff had happened today. We’d walked around town, met Seleiyu, had a duel, and walked some more before we got to Seleiyu’s house.
Pondering everything that had happened today, Seleiyu wasn’t as bad as I had originally thought. At first, I’d thought she was a pain to deal with—well, she still kind of was, I guess. Seleiyu was way too serious and concerned about others, the type to follow rules blindly. Meanwhile, I was more laid back and did what I pleased. We were kind of opposites.
If we were ever roommates, it’d probably be like torture.
“There’s something I’d like to ask you, Noa, if I may? If you do not want to answer, you don’t need to.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“It’s about when Shia was saved from Lord Lutum.”
Lord Lutum? I had no idea who that was.
“I heard that Lord Lutum was attempting to force Shia into a marriage with his son.”
Wait, seriously? This was news to me.
“Oh, so you knew about that, Lady Seleiyu?”
“A portion of the nobility is aware of the incident. Count Lutum Roland forfeited his position as the knight captain and became an instructor at the academy. It seems His Majesty has sworn him to secrecy regarding the matter, and no one knows the details of what happened. However, based on your tone, it appears that you do, Noa.”
“Oh, um, yes.”
Noa nodded, then glanced at me. Huh?
“Lutum? Did something happen to Shia?”
“Yuna...”
Noa seemed exasperated. Why was she looking at me like that? Did I say something weird? I was just asking because I was curious.
“Ah, so you don’t know either then, Yuna? I’m not aware of all the details, but it seems that during the academy festival in the capital, Lord Lutum attempted to request His Majesty to approve the betrothal of his son and Shia.”
The academy festival? Shia’s betrothal? His Majesty?
“It all sounds so terrible. But then, as the rumors go, a girl gallantly showed up on the scene and, with His Majesty’s approval, requested to duel with Lord Lutum in order to stop the betrothal. Then she bested both Sir Figo, the vice knight captain, and Lord Lutum in a row.”
A duel with the vice knight captain and knight captain? The pieces started coming together. Even I remembered now.
“I can’t believe a student could win against the knight captain and his vice-captain. I thought that they might have gone easy on her, but Shia’s marriage was at stake. I couldn’t think of any reason they would hold back. There would be nothing to gain. In fact, Lord Lutum even lost his position and became a teacher.”
Wait, was this student she was talking about—the one who had fought the knight captain—actually me?
I pointed at myself while looking at Noa. She nodded subtly. That explained the exasperated look she gave me when I asked that question earlier. It’s not like I’d known the guy’s name was Lutum. All I knew was that I fought a middle-aged guy who was the knight captain.
“I’d like to know more about her. She’s a girl like me, but she defeated both Sir Figo and Lord Lutum. I tried asking Father about it, but His Majesty had sworn him to silence, so I haven’t been able to look into it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Father apparently attempted to look in to why Lord Lutum resigned as knight captain and became an academy teacher, but he stopped when he learned of His Majesty’s gag order.”
“As nobility, shouldn’t you be able to find out easily?”
“Of course I could. But knowing that His Majesty ordered it suppressed, if I attempted to continue looking into the matter, I can only imagine the punishment in store.”
“In that case...” Shouldn’t you just stop looking into it?
“What I would like to learn about isn’t Lord Lutum. I am interested in the girl who fought him. Do you know anything about her?”
“Uh, well...”
Noa avoided her gaze. It seemed like she was trying to hide that it was actually me.
“Why do you want to know about her?”
“It’s notable that a girl won against men, since women have a handicap compared to men in every aspect. Most ordinary girls cannot defeat a man without an extraordinary amount of effort. So how was that student so strong? I want to know why she wanted to become so powerful.”
“Do you need a reason to become strong?”
“I believe so. Even if she were trying to become a knight, a girl would need to pour all her blood, sweat, and tears into that goal, because the men are stronger. Why would she do that? She would be constantly reminded of the difference between herself and the men. To become that strong, she must have an equally powerful motive.”
It was as though she was trying to convince herself of what she was saying. Was there a reason Seleiyu was trying to become powerful, then? I had only gotten stronger because I wanted to have fun playing my game and I hated losing.
At the beginning of the game, everyone’s stats were equal. Of course, there were differences between classes, but men and women were equal. We all had the same starting point. And leveling up our stats was the same no matter what gender we were.
Anyone could build up muscle if they put their mind to it. The only difference was in technique. In that aspect, everyone really was different, regardless of their starting stats. But even so, it didn’t matter whether you were a guy or a girl—it mattered how much experience you had and how fast you could think. Those things varied from person to person.
“I’ve asked you something I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry for asking even when I knew about the gag order.”
“Lady Seleiyu...”
“I suppose we should be heading out soon.”
Noa called out to her, worried, but Seleiyu still left the bath.
Chapter 550: The Bear Finds That Someone Figures Out She Likes Bears
Chapter 550:
The Bear Finds That Someone Figures Out She Likes Bears
AFTER WE GOT OUT of the bath, Noa and I headed back to the room where we were staying. As we went our separate ways, I was worried about the look I’d seen on Seleiyu’s face, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.
“I didn’t expect her to mention what happened at the academy festival.”
“I was surprised you didn’t even react when Lord Lutum’s name was mentioned,” Noa said.
“I remembered that he was the knight captain, but his name didn’t really ring any bells.”
I’d only heard his name at the festival. Also, I hadn’t seen him since, so why would I remember his name anyway? It had already been deleted from my memory.
“Still, I didn’t think that Seleiyu would be aware of what happened back then.”
“Even with the gag order, it makes sense that word would spread that Lord Lutum dueled and was defeated by a student. Nobles have quite the grapevine when it comes to things like that.”
Right. If a knight captain who was also a noble lost to a student in a match, it’d be a popular topic for gossip.
“Oh, thanks for not telling Seleiyu it was me.”
“His Majesty was the one who issued the gag order, but Mother also warned me not to speak about it. I’m sure you don’t want others to know too. Isn’t that why you didn’t tell him your real name?”
“My real name? What do you mean?” I tilted my head to the side quizzically.
“You introduced yourself back then as Youna, didn’t you?” Noa asked.
Youna...?
The memories were starting to come back to me. I clapped my bear puppet hands together when I realized it. His Majesty had asked me my name, and I hadn’t wanted anyone to know, so I’d just elongated my name into You-na.
“Oh! Right, I kind of remember saying that. You have a good memory, Noa.”
I’d forgotten all about it.
“You just forget things too often, Yuna. I can’t believe you would forget Lord Lutum’s name after everything that happened.”
Uh. Not many people would remember the name of someone they’ve only met once, would they? Especially when I had no interest in him at all. It’s the same as not bothering to learn the names of the students in your class that you don’t care about. I couldn’t see any difference.
I felt guilty about it, but I’d only recently memorized the Fochrosé name too. I remembered how Cliff had told me off when he realized I’d never bothered learning it.
Since I was still toasty from the bath, I opened the window. It felt so nice to cool off a little bit. While we were relaxing, Seleiyu came to visit our room.
“Dinner is ready, so please make your way to the dining room.”
“I’ll just wait here as you eat, then,” I said.
“Whatever do you mean? You need to come too, Yuna.”
“But it’ll be with your family, won’t it? It’s not like I can eat with you and Noa when you’re nobles and I’m just Noa’s guard.”
Or wait, did she want me to stand behind Noa during the meal? You sometimes saw retainers standing guard at the end of the room that in manga and stuff.
“I will introduce you as Noa and Shia’s friend instead of as a guard, so you should be fine. And I believe I told you that I would like to host you both. You’re included in that as well, Yuna.”
Seleiyu offered me her hand.
“Let’s go, Yuna,” Noa said as she grabbed my hand.
I couldn’t turn them down, so I let them lead me out.
“Just so you know, I don’t know any proper dining etiquette.”
Honestly, I didn’t want to eat dinner with a noble family, but I couldn’t ignore Seleiyu’s hospitality.
“That should be fine, as long as you enjoy the food. Father isn’t particularly picky about these things. I think he’ll be happy to have dinner with such sweet kids.”
Would he really be that happy to have his dinner table full of kids?
We finished dinner and arrived back at the room.
“Yuna, the food was so very good,” Noa said.
“I was a little nervous…”
To skip straight to the end, Seleiyu’s dad was nice enough. He asked us about Shia, Cliff, and Ellelaura every once in a while, but I think that the meal went well overall. Seleiyu’s brother was there with us too. He was just a little older than Noa. He seemed surprised to see us eating with them, but he still greeted us cheerfully.
I hadn’t seen any sign of their mother, though. Maybe she was working at the castle like Ellelaura did. If Seleiyu’s mom did work in the castle, she might know about me in my bear suit, so I needed to be careful.
“It’s a little early, but should we get ready for bed soon?”
“Yes.”
Noa pulled her pajamas out of her item bag and started changing. She had a cute nightdress with white frills on it. Something like that would never look good on me.
“Are you going to change too, Yuna?”
By that, she meant whether I was going to change into that thing, didn’t she... Well, we were just going to sleep, anyway. It wasn’t like I’d be going out to see anyone after this, and I could just get changed again early in the morning.
I pulled my white bear onesie from my bear storage and got changed. I definitely felt a lot more at home in my bear clothes. As I realized I felt that way, it also occurred to me that that meant these clothes were definitely cursed.
“You look best like this, Yuna.”
“Noa, that’s not a compliment, just so you know.”
I looked at myself. I was fully dressed up as a white bear. All the commotion that day had tired me out, so I figured I’d use the white bear outfit to recharge.
“Ah, but I was trying to praise you. Maybe I’ll sleep in my bear outfit too,” Noa said as she unfurled some clothes from her item bag.
“Is that your uniform?”
Noa was indeed holding a bear uniform from the Bear’s Lounge. So she had one of those after all?
Back during Misa’s birthday party, Kumayuru and Kumakyu had paraded through the town. The townspeople had been scared of them, so Noa, Fina, Misa and I put on a performance to show they weren’t dangerous. The three girls had worn uniforms from my shop.
This must have been the same one she’d been wearing back then.
“Yes. I sometimes sleep in it. But Father and Lala scold me if I attempt to wear it during the day.”
Well, of course they would. I’d expect a telling off would be the minimum punishment for a daughter of the nobility dressing like a bear.
Noa pulled off her cute nightdress and started changing into the bear clothes.
“The colors are different, but we’re in matching bear outfits!”
Noa seemed very pleased.
“Yuna, what about Kumayuru and Kumakyu?”
I doubted we were in any danger here, but I couldn’t guarantee something wouldn’t happen again, like with Misa. Life was full of the unexpected, after all. Like powering on a video game and being sent off into a new world wearing a bear suit. Or a dragon showing up while we slept. Kumayuru and Kumakyu would tell me if anything dangerous turned up, as long as they were around. And if I recalled them in the morning, Seleiyu wouldn’t see them.
I summoned Kumayuru and Kumakyu in their cub forms. Noa happily latched on to Kumayuru. When I picked up Kumakyu, my bear let out a happy croon.
Right then, we heard a knock at the door. And it swung open.
“Pardon me, Noa and Yuna.”
It was Seleiyu. She had barged in before I could say anything.
“Yuna, what is that outfit? You as well, Noa? And are you both carrying bears in your arms?”
Seleiyu was in shock, staring at the bear cubs we were cuddling. It was all too late now...
“Um...”
Sometimes shock could steal the words right out of you. Seleiyu approached me and reached out to Kumakyu.
“I-it’s so cute. How did they get here? They weren’t here earlier, were they?”
Seleiyu patted Kumakyu’s head.
“These are bears, aren’t they? I’ve never seen a white bear before.”
She was all smiles as she patted Kumakyu’s head, then stole Kumayuru from Noa and squeezed it. Noa and I stared at her in awe as she did whatever she pleased with my bears.
“...”
“...”
“I’m very sorry. I love cute animals, and I acted rashly. Please forget I did that.”
Seleiyu looked a little embarrassed as she came back to her senses. She blushed.
“So can you explain this to me?”
She looked at my bears. Since they had already been seen, there was no point in hiding it. I explained to Seleiyu that they were summons I could call at any time. I figured it’d be a more trouble than it was worth to try and hide it now, so I also told her they could get bigger and that we had ridden them here from Crimonia.
“You rode here on bears...?”
“They’re very fast, and comfortable too” Noa said proudly.
I showed Seleiyu how the pair of them looked full-sized.
“They’re so adorable. If you had such amazing summons that could shrink and grow in size, you could have mentioned that from the start. Then I wouldn’t have...”
As Seleiyu talked, she looked at Kumakyu in my arms.
“So why have you summoned them?”
“Just to sleep together.”
I couldn’t exactly tell her it was a safeguard against danger. It wasn’t exactly a lie either, since I always summoned them at night.
“I understand the bears now, But what about those clothes?”
“Well...”
What to do? Should I tell her the truth? Or play it off like they were just pajamas?
“I’m wearing them because I like them. Yuna and I each love bears,” Noa helpfully said for me.
“You do, do you?”
My bears both crooned at us.
Seleiyu gave me a once-over. Kumayuru and Kumakyu looked at me with their round little eyes, like they were waiting for my answer too. Well, I’d come to like bears at this point, especially because of Kumayuru and Kumakyu. But I could already anticipate the mental damage I’d take telling Seleiyu, who I’d only just met that day, that I was wearing a bear suit because I was a bear otaku.
When I looked at Kumayuru and Kumakyu though, I couldn’t write it off as a joke. If I lied, it’d hurt my bears’ feelings. So there was only one way I could respond.
“I like bears...”
My bears crooned happily at me.
“Ah, so that’s why you wear the bear gloves too?”
Seleiyu seemed to have put it all together.
“I understand how you feel, Yuna. It’s my first time seeing bears up close. They’re simply adorable.”
Her face softened as she glanced at Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
“So you two like bears, and that is the reason you dress this way. However, other people may be shocked if they see this, so please change in the morning and recall your summons.”
I’d been planning on doing that anyway, but was the bear outfit really that outlandish? Maybe...part of me had been expecting to wear my bear onesie tomorrow. Definitely cursed, I tell you.
“So why did you come by, Seleiyu?”
“Oh yes. I wanted to speak to you about tomorrow. I have class, so I will be going to the academy. You both plan to go to the academy to see Shia as well, don’t you?”
Yep, we were going to meet her at the entrance to the academy.
“I simply came here to say we should all go together. Well, if you’ll excuse me. You should get to sleep soon too.”
“Yes, goodnight, Lady Seleiyu.”
Seleiyu headed to the door. But suddenly, as if she were remembering something, she turned around, patted each of my bears, and left the room without another word, looking like she was on cloud nine.
Chapter 551: The Bear Reunites with Shia
Chapter 551:
The Bear Reunites with Shia
I WOKE UP IN THE MORNING to something soft slap ping me in the face. I opened my eyes to see Kumakyu patting me awake. I looked over at the window and saw that it was bright out. Apparently, it was morning already. Kumakyu had been trying to wake me up.
I picked Kumakyu up and rolled out of bed. Lots of things had happened yesterday, but thanks to the white bear suit, I’d slept like a baby. I was fully refreshed and feeling great that morning.
I slipped out of bed without waking up Noa, who had been sleeping next to me with Kumayuru held tight in her arms. I didn’t know what to change into at first, so I figured I’d just change into the school uniform again. Kumakyu looked disappointed so I patted my bear’s head.
“It’s just while we’re here in this town,” I said.
Noa was still dozing away. She looked so comfortable sleeping while holding Kumayuru, but I needed to wake her up soon.
“Kumayuru, can you wake her up?”
Kumayuru slipped out of Noa’s arms and started to slap her in the face too. This was what it must have looked like when my bears woke me up in the morning. It was my first time ever seeing this for myself. I didn’t exactly have a mirror handy when they did it to me, after all.
“Ugh, please stop.” Noa tried to brush away Kumayuru’s paw.
“Look, Noa, you need to get up.”
“Just a bit longer please.”
Okay, I guess she was playing hardball. Well, two could play at that game. I gave Kumayuru the command.
“Kumayuru, GO!”
Kumayuru got on top of Noa and plopped down on her face, covering it completely. Little by little, it got harder and harder to breathe, until Noa woke up in a panic.
“I’m suffocating!”
Job well done, Kumayuru.
“You’re too mean, Yuna,” Noa said.
Kumayuru was the one who had done it. What was she getting angry at me for?
“It’s your own fault for not waking up right away.”
She should have been grateful that my bears hadn’t tried to dive at her instead. That would have been dangerous, though, so I hadn’t asked them to.
“I know, but I wish Kumayuru had woken me up gently instead.”
Noa looked over at Kumayuru.
“Uh, that’s what they tried to do at first.” That’s what those gentle slaps were.
“Really?”
Kumayuru crooned in the affirmative at Noa’s question.
“But you didn’t wake up, so we had to move to more unconventional methods.”
“So many things happened yesterday. I was completely exhausted. Please wake me up more gently next time.”
Kumayuru crooned in response.
“Well, now that you’re awake, you should go ahead and get changed.”
She couldn’t stay dressed as a bear forever, after all. She’d shock the maid if they came in to see her.
Noa pulled off her bear uniform and started to get changed. While she was changing, I recalled my bears. After Noa was dressed, Seleiyu eventually came in to meet us.
“Did you have a good rest?”
She looked around, clearly searching for something in the room.
“Yes, I slept very well.”
“Same.”
“The bears are gone?”
Oh, so she was looking for Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
“I recalled them,” I said.
“I see...”
Seleiyu looked slightly disappointed. Based on how she acted yesterday, she must have wanted to see them again today. Just to confirm my theory, I summoned Kumayuru in front of her, and Seleiyu immediately broke out into a smile. When I recalled my bear once again, her face fell.
She was a lot more expressive now than when we first met.
“Yuna, that was very mean.”
Noa told me off for toying with Seleiyu’s emotions. In apology, I kept my bears summoned so they could hang out with us until breakfast.
After eating breakfast, we all headed to the academy.
“Do you normally walk? You don’t take a carriage or anything?”
She was the daughter of nobility, after all. She could have taken a carriage over, but she was walking yesterday when we met her too.
“Yes, it’s nice to take a stroll in the morning, so I usually walk to the academy. I love this town.” Seleiyu smiled.
We chatted on our way to the academy. Once we arrived, we spotted Shia in her uniform.
“I’m sorry we kept you waiting, Shia.”
Noa happily ran over when she caught a glimpse of her sister. Seleiyu and I followed after her.
“Why are you hanging out with Seleiyu?”
Noa explained what had happened yesterday.
“She hosted us for the night.”
“I really wished they would stay with us the whole time they would be here instead, though.”
“Oh no, if you treat us as nicely as you did yesterday the entire time we’re here, I won’t know what to do if you and Shia have a match.”
Noa politely rejected her offer, essentially saying the same thing she had yesterday.
“That’s such a shame,” she replied.
For some reason Seleiyu looked at me instead of Noa. Did she want to see more of Kumayuru and Kumakyu or something?
Our plan was to tour the town with Shia after this.
“It’s too bad I can’t go with you, but I do hope you all enjoy the town.”
Seleiyu had her classes at the academy, but Shia was a student from the capital, so she didn’t have to attend classes while she was in town. The exchange students were allowed to practice for the gathering or use the remaining free time for themselves.
“Thank you, Seleiyu.”
“Lady Seleiyu, thank you very much.”
Seleiyu gave us a smile in response and headed off into the academy.
“Okay, then shall we head out too?”
We set out in the opposite direction, away from the academy.
“Okay, where to?”
“I’d like to buy some gifts for Mother and Father.”
“Then shouldn’t we have asked for Seleiyu’s recommendation yesterday?”
“No, I wanted to pick them out together with you, Shia.”
“Hee hee. Thank you, Noa. Okay, let’s go find something for our parents.”
“All right!”
Noa grabbed Shia’s hand. Shia glowed as she held her sister’s hand. For siblings, they got along very well.
In that case, maybe I should pick something out for Fina too?
“Won’t your stories from participating in the festival be the best gift you can bring back?”
Parents usually liked to hear about their kids’ exploits. To them, those were always the best kinds of stories.
“Of course. When I get home to Crimonia, I’ll tell Father all about everything Shia did.”
“Please don’t put that kind of pressure on me.”
We all laughed. I really hoped that Shia did well during the competition.
We went around to all kinds of shops looking for gifts for their parents, and we also picked up some snacks.
“That was so yummy.”
“The food I had with all the other students was so good, I wish you could have had some too, Noa.”
After we’d finished eating, we found ourselves walking down one of the main eight streets. The streets looked similar, so it was pretty easy to get lost.
I saw a huge building with a guild sign on it.
“Is that the Adventurers’ Guild?”
“Do you still visit the guild, Shia?”
“Sometimes, with Maricks. But recently he’s been going with the other kids who want to become knights instead of with me.”
Oh, I hadn’t known. I wondered if the monsters in the area were similar to Crimonia’s. Maybe I’d see some new ones here? The Land of Wa had different monsters, after all. As an ex-gamer, I was kind of interested in filling out my codex.
“Shall we go in, Yuna?” Noa asked, seeing me staring at the guild.
“It’s all right. After all, I’m here as your guard and to cheer on Shia.”
“You’re an adventurer too, so it’s okay if you want to go in. You look like you really want to.”
Was it really that obvious? I touched my face with my bear puppet.
“We wouldn’t normally go to the Adventurers’ Guild here, so I’d like to pop in too.”
“What if an adventurer picks a fight with us?”
“Does that kind of thing really happen?”
“It did when I went to the guilds in Crimonia and the capital for the first time.”
I hadn’t even done anything to cause it.
“Isn’t that because...”
“Well...”
The two of them looked at me.
“What is it?”
“Are you sure it’s not because you were dressed as a bear?”
“Yeah, that was probably it,” Noa said.
Okay, they had a point that it might have been my bear outfit. In fact, there was no way it could be anything else. But I also got the sense the fact that I’m a young girl had something to do with it too.
“Well, you’re wearing a uniform today, so you should be all right.”
Really?
Shia tugged me along into the guild.
“I don’t see many people here,” Noa said.
She was right. It wasn’t like it was empty, but there were only a few people sitting in chairs in the corner.
“Do you think they’re at work?”
Based on the time, that’d make sense. But normally in Crimonia or the capital, there would be adventurers at the guild resting, looking for information, or trying to get their work for the next day settled. I didn’t see anyone around here who looked like they were doing any of that. The receptionist looked bored too.
“Do you have something you need from the guild?”
She greeted us as we made eye contact.
“Based on those uniforms, are you students from the capital?”
“Yes, we are. We’re here to participate in the magic gathering.”
“I see. So what brings students like yourselves to the guild?”
“Um, we came to take a look around.”
“Oh? Are you considering becoming adventurers in the future? I’m so happy such young people are considering adventuring as their potential career path.”
“Well, I’m registered with the guild already. We came here to see how your guild differs from the capital’s guild.”
“Oh, I see. Take a look around if you’d like. Please take your time.”
She was really upbeat. Maybe my bear outfit really had been the cause behind my many fights.
“Excuse me, but why aren’t there any adventurers around today?”
“I think there aren’t enough people around for them all to be working...”
Like I’d observed earlier, it was weird for there to be so few adventurers in a town as big as this.
“Oh, do you not know because you came from the capital? Around this time of year, there are fewer monsters in the vicinity. This means that the more skilled adventurers go to other towns. That’s why the guild isn’t that busy this season.”
In other words, the adventurers weren’t here because they were migrating seasonally for their work.
“Is that normal?” I asked Shia.
“Sometimes the types of monsters that tend to appear vary by season. Usually, they don’t vary in the warm season, though.”
“Yes, that was originally true. But the last few years or so, I think, have been different. During this season, we’ve been receiving fewer and fewer sightings. Sometimes monsters run away or disappear when stronger monsters appear, but as far as the adventurers can tell from looking into it, things simply seem to be uneventful. The monsters should return soon enough, but it’s still very odd.”
When strong monsters show up, sometimes the other monsters run away or migrate. That’s what happened with the black tiger. Maybe there was some sort of small but strong monster around?
“Ah, that explains why the adventurers are gone.”
“Yes. And because we have no adventurers, I’m just here twiddling my thumbs.”
That explained why she was so eager to make conversation.
We ended up keeping the receptionist company so she had something to do. I wanted to ask her more about this guild, but it seemed like she was really interested in knowing about the capital since she kept asking us questions. At this rate, we’d end up behind on our schedule, so I looked out for a good opportunity to wrap up the conversation.
“Welp, we should get ready to head out now.”
“Already? I wanted to hear more about the capital.”
“There’s someone who looks kind of angry behind you…”
She turned around and saw the man with a scary look on his face behind her.
“Guild master...”
“Stop slacking off and get to work!”
“I will! I was just getting information about the capital.”
As the receptionist made her excuses to the guild master, we left.
Chapter 552: The Bear Goes to See the Magic Gathering
Chapter 552:
The Bear Goes to See the Magic Gathering
THE MORNING OF THE GATHERING, I changed into my uniform once again. After the gathering, we’d go home, so I’d be freed from my dress code soon. This might be the last time I’d wear a uniform.
Noa also woke up and got changed. This time, she didn’t need the extreme asphyxiation wake-up call. After we finished breakfast, we headed to the academy.
“Ha ha, I’m so excited!”
Noa skipped as she walked ahead of me, her excitement propelling her forward. I was excited too, of course.
“Let’s scream our lungs out for her,” I said.
“Yes!”
We crossed the long bridge and arrived at the entrance of the academy, where we saw Shia. Wait a sec... I didn’t think we’d arranged to meet her there today.
Noa ran over to Shia.
“Shia, what’s wrong?”
“I just came to pick you up. I didn’t want you getting lost.”
Shia patted Noa’s head.
“We wouldn’t get lost,” Noa pouted.
“I’m kidding. I was worried that Yuna’d show up in her bear outfit, and that she wouldn’t be able to get inside.”
We talked as we strolled.
“C’mon, Shia. I’m wearing the uniform just like you told me to.”
I held out my arms and showed off that I was wearing a uniform.
“It looks good on you. But you seem to hate taking off your bear outfit. I was worried.”
“Oh, yes, that’s true. Yuna didn’t want to change into a dress for Misa’s birthday party either.”
Et tu, Noa?
“I hate fancy dresses.”
Normal clothes were different. If I had to choose between a fancy dress and a uniform, I’d pick the uniform, hands down. Fina hadn’t wanted to wear her dress either, by the way!
“That’s why I worried you might show up in your bear outfit. I was waiting here just in case.”
“I promised I would, so I’m wearing it. I wore it yesterday and the day before, after all.”
“It’s you we’re talking about, Yuna. I can never know for certain.”
I hadn’t wanted to wear a swimsuit either, so I couldn’t blame them for their lack of trust.
“I came here to cheer for you, Shia. Of course I’ll do what you want. But are you sure they won’t realize I’m not a student?”
“The academy is big, and I don’t think anyone knows everyone who goes to the entire school. It should be fine.”
She was right. There probably wasn’t a single person who had an encyclopedic knowledge of everyone enrolled in the academy. Sometimes that would happen in manga or anime, where a character would know everyone by name, but it didn’t seem believable.
It might be possible if someone had a list of students with photos, but in a world without cameras, it was basically impossible to memorize the names of a ton of people, especially when you needed to know what they looked like too.
“Oh, also, I forgot to mention this yesterday, but you kind of made a name for yourself from the duel with Seleiyu, so be careful.”
I guess Shia’s classmates really had been watching.
“Yuna, would you like us to call you Youna today?” Noa joked.
I could tell from her face she didn’t mean it seriously. But not everyone took it that way.
“You-na?”
It seemed like Shia had forgotten all about my alter ego. Noa explained what had happened during the academy festival.
“Oh, that’s right. You did that when you fought on my behalf. It’s much calmer now, but everyone was asking so many questions back then and it was so difficult to shake them off. But since Lady Teilia was there to help and Lord Lutum became a teacher, they stopped asking around.”
The name of the noble who’d tried to force Shia to marry his son was Lutum. They couldn’t tell anyone that I’d been the one to defeat him after he started working at the academy. Also, according to Noa, His Majesty had placed a gag order on the entire affair. Lutum was also a noble. If he found out the students were talking about him behind his back, he might’ve held a grudge. I was still surprised he was keeping my identity a secret.
Then again, the only reason I’d attracted attention in the first place was because of Lutum. That was close... I almost actually felt a little grateful for a second there. Still though, I couldn’t believe Lutum was actually a teacher. I couldn’t even imagine it.
“Should I introduce you as Youna to everyone?”
“No, no need to introduce me at all.”
I wasn’t going to go around being like, “Nice to meet you. I’m Youna, Shia’s friend.” I wanted to just watch from far away, so there wouldn’t be any need to introduce myself to anybody. I was just a perfectly ordinary student from the capital, here to watch the competition.
“So actually, what are you doing for the gathering? Do you fight or something?”
“Nothing so dangerous. We just aim for targets or compete in tests of power.”
Oh, right, right. Trying to throw magical spells at each other would be dangerous.
“Would you like to participate, Yuna?”
“I’m not a real student, so no thank you. Also, if I were to complete, then I’d win every contest on my own.”
I was joking.
“Of course. You defeated Lord Lutum, so you would definitely overpower everyone here,” Shia said.
I’d said it as a joke, but Shia took me seriously.
“I guess we do something similar to a sparring match at the end. Well, to you, it’s probably child’s play, but it’s exciting for us.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing it then,” I said.
We walked over to the campus grounds as we talked. The area was about as the size of a soccer field and slightly concave so that it would be easy for people to watch what was going on. At the center of the field, I saw students in capital and Yufarian uniforms.
“There are a lot of competitors.”
“It’s about twenty-five in total, girls and boys. We have around the same number of students from Yufaria too.”
I couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be an impressive amount or not.
“If the gathering is meant to help students improve their skills, then isn’t it kind of sad that the students from the capital can’t see it since it’s being held in Yufaria?”
If people couldn’t see the competitions for themselves, it’d be hard for them to improve. As I looked around, I saw that most of the other students who had come to watch were wearing the Yufarian uniform.
“Don’t worry, we switch locations every year. Next year we’ll hold it at the capital.”
Right, it’d be unfair to the capital’s students if they didn’t.
“Shia!”
We looked over in the direction of the shout and saw Seleiyu running over.
“And Yuna and Noa as well,” she said, as she saw us.
“Of course, we came to cheer Shia on.”
“Yes, that’s why we’re here,” Noa said.
Yep, we wouldn’t have made the trek from Crimonia otherwise.
“I’m so very jealous.”
“Your family is coming too, right, Seleiyu?”
“Yes. I cannot embarrass them.”
“That’s how I feel too.”
“I’m sorry, Shia, but even if we end up competing against each other, I won’t hold back.”
“Shia won’t either! She’ll win!”
Noa answered firmly in Shia’s place.
So I guess Seleiyu’s dad and little brother were going to be here to watch too. I’d need to cheer for Shia extra hard on Ellelaura and Cliff’s behalf.
“Hee hee, neither of us can lose to the other it seems, Shia.”
“It’s just like Noa said. I won’t lose.”
Shia seemed confident too. Well, that was a better sign than being timid about it. They say each match starts with your mindset beforehand. By the same token it wasn’t as though you could win a match through feelings alone. Like if your opponent was just on a way higher level, or you were going after an OP boss, you weren’t gonna get far. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve lost.
But if you were on the same playing field, then your attitude going into a match mattered a lot. Your mindset was what sustained you. Sometimes it could control the entire direction of a match.
While we were talking, someone called Seleiyu over from far away.
“Seems I must get going now. Shia, let’s both do the best we can.”
Seleiyu headed over to join the other students from Yufaria.
“She said her family was coming to cheer her on, but her mom wasn’t at their house. Does she work at the capital like Ellelaura?”
“...”
“...”
My casual question seemed to have put Noa and Shia on edge. Was I not supposed to ask?
“Lady Seleiyu’s mother is…no longer with us...” Noa hesitated slightly as she answered.
Ah, that explained it. I didn’t have parents in this world either. I guess they were still in my original world, but that was as good as them being gone. Fina had lost her dad, and the orphans didn’t have parents either. Seleiyu still had a loving father, and they seemed to be doing well enough as a household. I didn’t pity her or anything. I knew other people in this world had it way worse.
“She did pass away, as Noa has said, but I heard that she was murdered.”
“She was? I didn’t know that.”
Apparently, Noa wasn’t aware of the particulars.
“Well, it’s not the type of thing people would discuss. So don’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I won’t talk about it either.”
It’s not as if I had anyone to tell in the first place.
“Are you sure you should have told us that, Shia?” I asked.
“Noa is a noble too, so she should know, and I think it might put Seleiyu in an awkward position if you had asked her something like that directly, Yuna.”
She was right. I might have asked her about her mom casually. I was glad I hadn’t at dinner.
“I should get going too,” Shia said.
“Good luck, Shia,” Noa said.
“We’re rooting for you,” I told her.
Shia waved at us and jogged over to join the other students.
Chapter 553: The Bear Listens to Noa’s Request
Chapter 553:
The Bear Listens to Noa’s Request
NOA AND I STAKED OUT a spot where we’d have a clear view of Shia. I saw students from Yufaria and the capital around the grounds along with people who must have been their family. This was exactly like an away game from my old world. The Yufarian students and teachers had even set up chairs at the outskirts of the grounds. I really wanted Shia and the other capital students to do their best.
“They could have prepped enough seats for everyone…” I grumbled.
“They haven’t opened it up to the general public, so this was the best they could do. Plus, if they opened it to everyone, everyone would be cheering for Yufaria, so I think that’s why they haven’t.”
Right, of course. In my old world, the Olympics was always packed with people cheering for the host country. Traveling to a faraway country was hard.
“Well, if they don’t have chairs for us, might as well prep our own.”
I pulled two chairs out of my bear storage and invited Noa to sit.
“Thank you.”
As we sat and watched the grounds, an opening ceremony of sorts began. The teachers were all giving speeches to the students. Show off the abilities you have, learn from each other to become better people, and even if you lose because your skills weren’t good enough, there’s always next year. It was all so unnecessarily long.
Weren’t there people who are going to be graduating this year, or next year, who won’t be able to compete next year? Naturally, there were people here who were older than Shia. They must have been the upperclassmen. One was pretty well developed, and I couldn’t help but compare my body to hers.
Finally, the teachers finished their long speeches, and the event kicked off. One of the teachers headed to the middle of the grounds and used magic to create a pole out of the ground. Then they put a rectangular target on top of it.
“Ah, they’re going to aim their spells at that.”
It’d be convenient to make targets out of dirt using magic. Even after they were broken, more magic could be used to create them over and over again.
The teacher made targets at regular intervals and varied their distances and heights. Then, once the prep work was done, someone announced that they were going to start target practice using wind magic. They were competing to see how many targets they could hit and how far their spells could reach.
“This event is supposed to test how accurate and strong their magic is at a distance,” Noa explained.
The girls from Yufaria started first. It seemed as though they were conjuring wind blades as the targets started to break. A demure cheer rang out around them. A girl had hit the first and second targets and was performing pretty well until she missed the fifth. It seemed like they were allowed to keep going as long as they hadn’t run out of time, though, so she summoned up some more wind blades. But her spells’ accuracy and power really diminished at a distance. In the end, she only could hit five of the targets. The first target was about ten meters away, and the next one was two meters farther out. The girl from Yufaria maxed out at the target 18 meters away.
Next it was the capital girls’ turn. Apparently, they were alternating between the schools. A student from the capital nailed the sixth target before time ran out. She was ecstatic.
The teacher fixed up the broken targets, and then it was the boys’ turn.
“Aww, I want to learn how to use magic too,” Noa said, seeming very jealous of the students who were competing.
“Actually, aren’t you going to be doing that soon, Noa? You can learn once you turn ten, can’t you?”
I remembered finding that out at the academy festival. Since mana tended to stabilize around peoples’ tenth birthday in this world, that was when most kids learned magic. Supposedly it was because if someone tried to gather mana before they had stabilized or tried to use magic, in some cases it’d affect their ability to use magic later in life.
“Yes, I’d like to learn soon, but Father said I can’t start until I turn eleven. He wants to make sure that my mana is fully stabilized first.”
“In other words, the older you are, the more stabilized your mana is?”
“That’s right. You use magic, don’t you, Yuna? Shouldn’t you know that already?”
“Uh, well...”
Apparently, I was asking basic questions. And on top of that, basic questions I should know the answers to since I was already using magic.
“I learned magic on my own, so I don’t know anything about that stuff.”
“Really? Your mother and father didn’t teach you?”
“They’re not around. I didn’t have anyone to teach me magic.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. My parents really weren’t around in this world. Also, even if I had parents here or something, it wasn’t like they were the ones who taught me how to use magic. I learned from NPCs in the game I used to play.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you didn’t have parents.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I didn’t tell you, so you couldn’t have known.”
Noa looked sad, so I quickly reassured her. She’d misunderstood, but I couldn’t exactly tell her that my parents were alive and well in another world. I had to be vague.
“You’re amazing, Yuna. I can’t believe no one taught you.”
I felt a little guilty, but there was nothing for it. For the first time in a while, I was forced to use my secret technique: changing the subject.
“Actually, when’s your birthday, Noa?” I asked, which made Noa brighten up.
“It’s actually very soon.”
“Really?!”
“Yes, and I’m so looking forward to it.”
“Then I need to get a present ready for you. Do you want anything? Oh, but you can’t ask for anything that’s impossible to get. Like, don’t ask me for Kumayuru or Kumakyu.”
I couldn’t give her my bears, of course.
“I couldn’t do that. I would love to have Kumayuru and Kumakyu, of course, but if I asked for them, I know you would be upset with me.”
Noa puffed her cheeks up.
“Sorry, just joking.”
I was half serious though. I thought it was something Noa might have asked for.
“Well, since you offered, I do have something to ask for. Will you teach me magic?” Noa said after some thought.
“Magic?”
“Yes, though of course only if Father gives his permission. And it won’t need to be every day either. Just when you have spare time.”
Magic, huh? Well, I was already teaching it to a rookie adventurer. But already had some experience, so I was just teaching her how to become more powerful. She did seem to be happy with her improvement, so I assumed I was doing something right. But I didn’t know whether I could teach magic to a newbie from scratch. What if I taught her badly and Noa lost the ability to use magic? I wasn’t sure I could safely teach her when she hadn’t used magic before.
“Sorry. I don’t know if that’s a promise I can make.”
“I see.”
Noa’s face fell. She looked deflated.
“It’s not that I don’t want to teach you, I’m just not sure if I can. Setting that aside, is there anything else you’d like?”
“Uhh. In that case, I’d like giant Kumayuru and Kumakyu stuffed bears.”
“Like this big?”
I held my hands out slightly bigger than my bears in their cub size.
“No. I would like stuffed animals of Kumayuru and Kumakyu in their bear forms.”
Noa stretched her arms out and tried to use her whole body to show how big she meant.
So she wanted full, life-size recreations of my bears, then.
“Uh, that seems pretty big.”
It was huge, even in my imagination. I wondered how many times bigger they would have to be compared to Misa’s presents. A ton of fabric and cotton would be needed, and it would also probably be a pain to even have around at that size.
If she lived in a normal house, that might be a valid concern. But since Noa was a noble, her house was anything but normal. It was even bigger than the other noble estates because her family controlled the fief. Naturally, Noa’s room was big too. Noa’s room could hold two scale bears with room to spare.
“When I saw you give Misa bears stuffed animals for her birthday party, I knew I had to have large stuffed animals of them. If it costs too much, I’ll use my own allowance to help. Please?”
“An allowance? Nobles get allowances?”
I thought that nobles would just tell their parents what they wanted and have it bought for them.
“I’m to learn the price of the things sold in town, so I receive a set amount as an allowance with which to shop.”
Then she added in a whisper, “But lately the only thing I’ve bought is the breads at your shop...” Then she averted her eyes.
Right, she did like to visit on her own to eat bread. I guess she’d been using her allowance this whole time. Actually, that made sense now that she mentioned it. I’d seen her in town studying price tags before.
“So that’s why you were so interested in knowing the prices of things here.”
“Yes, because I will need to report back to Father about what I saw in Yufaria. If I don’t, he won’t let me travel like this again.”
I started to pat Noa’s head without even thinking about it.
“Wh-What are you doing?”
“I was just thinking about what a good kid you are.”
“I’m only doing it so I can go out with you and Fina.”
Even still, the praise was well-deserved.
“If money is a problem, please just say the word,” Noa said.
“Don’t worry about how much the stuffed animals cost. It’s more that the process of making them will be difficult.”
Especially for Sherry, since she’d be the one doing the work.
“Yes, right. Then I can help too!”
Noa thought for a bit, then something seemed to occur to her.
“If you help, it won’t be a present anymore.”
“That’s all right,” Noa insisted.
I needed to pump the brakes on this project. I couldn’t make the decision on my own. First, I needed to talk to Sherry. If she agreed to help make the stuffed animals, then it’d be a bonding experience. We would all make good memories making stuffed animals together. I saw no downsides. I decided to mark the stuffed animals as a legit possibility for Noa’s present.
Come to think of it, when was Fina’s birthday?
Chapter 554: The Bear Cheers Shia On – Part 1
Chapter 554:
The Bear Cheers Shia On
Part 1
WHILE WE WERE TALKINGabout Noa’s birthday, the target contest continued on. It wasn’t all wind blades, though, some students used air shot spells in order to hit the targets too. That was probably because each person’s imagination varied when they envisioned the spells.
Competitors needed to imagine that the blade of wind was sharp in order to slice through the target. If it wasn’t a blade, then the wind would just whip right past the target, leaving the door open for their opponents to take the lead.
The boy who was up next let loose an air shot that had been building around his hand. The air shot was an invaluable technique that allowed you to defeat an opponent without slicing them up.
At this point, the target practice continued without any differentiation between the male and female students. Men and women both had the same aptitude when it came to magic, the only difference was in their imagination. Since muscles didn’t factor in, girls could win against the boys.
You built your magic up into spells by imagining yourself collecting mana. To put it another way though, if you didn’t have enough mana in the first place, you couldn’t use magic. That was the only catch.
“There aren’t a lot of people using wands or staffs.”
Some people had them, and some didn’t. If you had something like that, it was easier to gather and use magic. Even though mages tended to set up behind the other adventurers in battle, many of them carried wands or staffs in order to ensure they could protect themselves. Some of them even chose a lighter accessory, like a knife or a ring.
Of course, these students could use magic without a medium. The only thing it would help with was to gather mana.
“It looks like many of them are using rings, bracelets, and pendants.”
I could barely make them out, but I did see some students wore accessories. I even saw some of them hold their pendants as they cast their spells.
By the way, I did try to use magic once without my bear gear using a wand, and I learned I couldn’t. I flapped the mouths of my bear puppets open and shut.
“Oh, there’s Lady Seleiyu.”
Noa pointed at Seleiyu, who had stood up to try the target practice. The moment she appeared, the crowd went wild. Apparently, she was popular. She was the daughter of the local lord, after all. Sure, she was a busybody, but she wasn’t unpleasant, and she didn’t bully anyone either. She wasn’t the type of noble to abuse her power. Maybe that was why she was so popular.
She was pretty too, unlike me. Seleiyu had a great figure. She had curves where it mattered. I wonder... I was the one describing her that way, so why was the whole thing depressing me?
Seleiyu waved lightly to the audience, and they cheered in response.
“Lady Seleiyu is very popular. I’m sure Shia would be just as popular in the capital, though.”
Shia was the daughter of a noble too, of course. She probably would be popular if the competition had been held in the capital. When I remembered Teilia at the academy festival though, I had a suspicion that she would take the cake. Teilia was very popular.
Seleiyu turned to the targets, looking utterly no-nonsense. She gathered her mana in the bracelet she was wearing and sliced through the target with precision. She had said she’d practiced, after all. The other students had been too, of course.
Seleiyu, who was the last person up for the wind magic portion, ended up getting the highest score.
That part of the competition ended, and they moved on to fire target practice.
“That’s it? What about the students who haven’t participated? Shia didn’t even get to try.”
Each school only had five or six people participating in the wind trial.
“Apparently, they split the students between wind, fire, water, and earth. Shia is most skilled with fire and earth magic, so I think she should be in one of those groups.”
I thought back to when I had first met Shia. I guess she had used fire magic, then.
“I knew she was good with fire, but I had no idea she was good with earth magic too.”
“You worked the flowerbed with Surilina, didn’t you? Shia helps there too. She even pitches in with maintenance. She told me in her letter that all that helped her become better at earth magic.”
Makes sense. The more magic you used, the better you would become at using it. After I started to use my bear magic, I’d gotten good at imagining bears too. If you didn’t put things into practice, you couldn’t get better. If she got better at earth magic by making flowerbeds, that was killing two birds with one stone.
“Is there any magic you can’t use, Yuna?”
No, I was good with all types of magic. Though I was probably the best at using bear magic.
“I can use all four types of magic. I don’t think I’m better or worse at using any of them.”
There was lightning and ice magic, too. Ice magic was an advanced version of water magic.
“Wow, Yuna. I’d like to be able to use lots of types of magic too.”
“It’s not a bad idea to focus on perfecting one type of magic the best you can.”
Average magical abilities spread across disciplines would always be inferior to one magic type that had been strengthened into its ultimate form. The advanced forms of a single magical type had been useful in my game too. If you were in PVP against someone who used flame magic, then the strongest form of water magic would counter it. On the other hand, wind magic wouldn’t be a good match, and it would be hard to get a win. Either way, using magic that was honed to its full potential was always more useful than half-baked magic.
“True, but if I have the opportunity, I’d still like to learn how to use lots of types of magic.”
I understood how Noa felt. I thought it was fun to use a variety of magic too. It wasn’t like I planned to go and defeat a demon lord or the ultimate boss of this world or anything, so why shouldn’t I enjoy casting?
“You should talk with Cliff and Ellelaura before deciding on anything. In the end, it’s your decision, so you need to make it for yourself.”
“Yes,” Noa responded.
The teacher made new targets and the fire round began.
Unlike with the wind magic, the crowd went wild for fire magic. You couldn’t see wind magic well from far away, but fire magic was much flashier. The flames were all different sizes. I saw some teeny fireballs and some huge ones. On top of that, even if the fireballs were the same size, some of them would disperse on contact with the target and others would keep burning even after hitting them.
That was probably a difference in how much mana the students had put into their magic. A small amount of magic would make the fire go out right away. A large amount of mana would result in the fireball burning even after it hit its target.
It was easier to tell the difference between the contestants’ aptitude, which made the spectators go wild. If I had used bear magic here, they really would have lost their heads.
As I watched, Shia’s name was called. Just like Noa had said, she was participating in the fire target practice.
“Looks like it’s Shia’s turn,” I said.
“Shia, you can do it!” Noa stood up and shouted.
Shia turned toward us, so I guess she’d heard her. She looked a little embarrassed, but she still waved at us. Spurred on by Noa’s cheering, Shia hit target after target. A roar erupted from the crowd. Her performance might have been enough to get her the top spot.
In the end, Shia reached the ninth target and sat at the top of the fire division. But another student from Yufaria hit nine targets, too, and was tied with Shia. Because the student hadn’t beat Shia’s record outright, the students cheering for Yufaria seemed unhappy. Honestly, I was kind of unhappy myself that they had tied with her. Shia was still in first, even if it was a shared first.
A student from the capital went up next but couldn’t beat either Shia or the Yufarian student’s record. There was probably only one more person left. At this rate, if they didn’t beat the score, Shia would end up in first place, even though they’d both gotten the same score.
The next person to step up was...
“Seleiyu? Wasn’t she in the wind magic part too?”
“Lady Seleiyu is participating in all the events,” someone from behind us replied. I turned around to see a girl in a Yufarian uniform.
“Really?” Noa said, completely unperturbed by the girl randomly cutting in on our conversation.
“Normally, students only participate in one type of magic in order to preserve their mana. But Lady Seleiyu has a lot of mana, and a high aptitude for all types of magic. That’s why she’s participating in all the events.”
“That’s amazing.”
“None of the other students complain about that?”
If Seleiyu hadn’t taken up so many spots, other students could have participated.
“Lady Seleiyu is always practicing, and she works harder than everyone. All the students in Yufaria know that. No one would complain about her taking their spot.”
The girl said all of this as though she was speaking from experience. I guess everyone recognized Seleiyu’s abilities because of her hard work, not just because she was a noble.
Noa thanked the girl, then left to get a closer spot in order to cheer on Seleiyu.
So Seleiyu wasn’t just training in swordplay. She also trained a lot in magic. But why was she working so hard? Considering she was a noble, she could have just gotten a guard to protect her.
Seleiyu beat Shia’s record and earned top place for the fire target practice too. It was too bad, but Shia had lost against her fair and square.
“That’s too bad,” I said out loud.
“Yes, but Lady Seleiyu was amazing.”
“Yeah, like the girl said, Seleiyu practiced a lot.”
Unlike me, she probably practiced every day. That said, when I used to play my video game, I used to put in the work using magic every day. Well, I was also just playing for fun though.
“It’s a shame Shia lost, but she still came in second place. That’s still amazing.”
I agreed. Second place wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about, especially when she was competing with upperclassmen too.
After the fire portion, they moved on to water. Seleiyu was participating in this one too. That made three events in a row.
“I wonder if Seleiyu is going to be fine, mana-wise?”
Thanks to my bear gear, I usually didn’t have that problem. But Seleiyu was just a regular person.
“I think she should be okay, since she’s probably rationing her mana. Her teachers wouldn’t have let her participate if they were worried about it.”
She was right. It’d be irresponsible for her teachers to give her permission to do this otherwise.
Soon, the water target practice ended. One student from each side outshone the other students. Seleiyu ended up third behind them, but third place was still amazing.
Then for the final round, we had earth. Shia participated in this one again, so Noa cheered her on. Unfortunately, even though Shia did a good job, she still lost against Seleiyu. It was too bad for Shia, but she’d done great even against students older than her. Plus, it kind of felt like Seleiyu was leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else.
Chapter 555: The Bear Cheers Shia On – Part 2
Chapter 555:
The Bear Cheers Shia On
Part 2
AFTER THE TARGET practice was over, the teachers made a crowd of dolls from earth. They then put white and black flags in each of the doll’s hands. There were more white flags than black. A teacher explained the rules. The combatants were supposed to avoid the white flags and only hit the black ones.
Ah, they couldn’t just try to hit as many as they could this time. They’d need to be precise. I remembered a shooting game that was like this. It was a game where you played as a policeman, who had to shoot at criminals. Sometimes regular people or hostages would show up, and you couldn’t shoot them.
Compared to something like that, it wasn’t like people would appear suddenly on the screen, so this should be a lot easier. But games and reality are different, after all. In the game, you’d just get a lower score for hitting a regular person, but in real life, you could really hurt or, worst case, kill them. Maybe this was the teachers’ way of showing the participating and spectating students that not being able to control your magic properly could be dangerous.
Soon, they started.
A lot more students started to use air shots for the wind portion this time. A wind blade would end up hitting any nearby dolls with white flags, so the participants swapped their strategies. Some students still hit a few of the dolls with white flags, but since they’d been specially selected for this, most of the shots hit the ones with black flags.
Over time, the difference in the students’ skills started to show. Some of them were careful and used their time to ready their aim. These were mainly the students who had used a scattershot tactic earlier in the first part of the competition. They had to finish within a certain amount of time, so the students who took longer fell behind.
Thinking about it, the target correction my bear gloves gave me was kind of like an aimbot cheat. If I even focused slightly, as long as the target wasn’t moving, I’d always hit it.
When Shia came up for the fire round, she hit the black flags while keeping to a nice tempo. She ended up losing to Seleiyu by one, but she was still a top ranker. She might have been able to get the highest score if Seleiyu weren’t here, which must have stung a bit.
Seleiyu scored amazingly in all four of the events, but she was still lower in rank in water because of the two prodigies from the capital and Yufaria who had beat her before.
The competition continued and next, the students had to hit earth clods the teachers threw into the air. It was kind of like shooting clay pigeons with rifles. I’d played a game like that before, but I hadn’t ever done it in real life.
I guess these were supposed to mimic flying monsters? I’d fought volkrows and wyverns before, so I knew it was really hard to defeat flying monsters with a sword. That was when you busted out your magic. Of course, you could also use a bow and arrows, but bows were hard to control. I’d heard that just pulling the string taut could be tough. So if you had mana, using magic was a lot easier.
The clay pigeon competition began. The students were a lot more accurate than I had expected. Whenever they hit one, the students all around would cheer. When they missed though, they’d all go “Aww” and sigh.
Some students shot at them one at a time, but others just released shots of magic in quick succession like they were shooting a machine gun. I guess their mana stores let them do that, but it was also a bit wasteful. This may go without saying, but hitting one at a time used a lot less mana. Maybe those students had gotten careless because they had a lot of mana on hand.
While I was watching the competition, my ex-gamer sensibilities took over and I started to get the itch to participate.
“Yuna, you don’t want to do that too, do you?”
It seemed like Noa had noticed. Was it that obvious? I rubbed my face with my bear puppets.
“I was just thinking it looks like fun.”
Honestly, since my bear puppets had target correction, it might actually not be much fun for me. But I had the heart of a gamer. I couldn’t help but want to try it out myself.
Soon, the clay pigeon event ended too.
“Shia and Seleiyu both did really well.”
They had both hit a lot of targets and had each ranked. But once again, it felt like Seleiyu was overall more polished than everyone else.
“I want to learn magic soon too, just like my sister,” Noa said.
“Maybe Cliff gave his permission for you to come here because he knows you’ll be learning magic soon.”
It was easier to learn things if you were already interested in them, after all. It was really common for people to have subjects they excelled in because they already liked them, but some people could just never get the hang of learning certain things no matter how passionate they were.
You could be bad at things you love, after all. But if you had to learn something anyway, it was better to like it than to not.
The morning events had ended, so we had a break to eat lunch. The students were served meals that the academy had prepared for them.
“Okay, how about we have lunch too?”
“Yes.”
I pulled some bread from my bear storage.
“I have tons, so eat as much as you want.”
“Thank you.”
While we were eating the bread that Morin had made, Shia came up to us.
“Great work!” I said.
“Shia, you did amazingly,” Noa said.
“Thank you. Even though you rooted for me, I still lost to Seleiyu though. I’m sorry.”
Noa shook her head.
“You don’t need to apologize. You were so impressive. I’m so proud that you’re my sister.”
“That’s right. You may have lost, but it was still a close match.”
Shia seemed happy to hear our reassurance.
“It means the world to hear that, but at the same time, Seleiyu is stretching herself thin by entering all the events.”
“You’re right. Looking at the overall standings, nobody’s going to be able to catch Seleiyu.”
“Lady Seleiyu is amazing, but if Yuna participated, I think she would win.”
“Yes, if Yuna entered, then no one else would have any hope of winning.”
“Well, I can’t simply ignore that, now, can I?”
We turned to see that Seleiyu had been eavesdropping on us.
“Lady Seleiyu?!”
Noa seemed very shocked to see her.
“Listen Noa, I lost to Yuna in sword fighting, but I wouldn’t lose to her in magic. Yuna wasn’t selected for this gathering anyway, so her magical abilities must not be as good as the other students.”
Noa seemed uncertain what to say to Seleiyu. It was a tricky situation, since I wasn’t a student. She could probably tell her I wasn’t a student in the capital though. I wasn’t sure if she realized that or if she hadn’t thought it through, but Shia butted in.
“Well, of course not. Yuna isn’t a capital student.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. Yuna is powerful, but she’s not a capital student, so she can’t participate.”
“So why is she wearing a capital uniform then?”
Seleiyu looked at me. Yup, I was wearing a capital uniform all right.
“I thought that she wouldn’t be able to get into the academy with her regular clothes. I asked her to wear the uniform.”
“Her regular clothes? No matter what clothes she was wearing, surely they would have allowed her in as your acquaintance?”
Yeah, that would have been true if I had been wearing normal clothes. Seleiyu didn’t seem to understand Shia’s deeper meaning.
“Well, that’s true. But, um, I just thought this would be the easiest way to get her inside without any trouble. This way we could avoid being asked questions or having to explain things.”
“Is her outfit so odd that she would be questioned and need to provide an explanation? Don’t tell me...she’s normally in the nude?!”
“No!” I shut her down immediately.
Why was she guessing that out of nowhere? What kind of person would walk around outside butt naked anyway? Only a pervert, that’s who. I didn’t think anyone could come up with something more embarrassing than my bear onesie.
“Um, Lady Seleiyu, Yuna wears her bear outfit outside.”
Noa had spilled the beans. Well, it wasn’t like I’d been hiding it anyway. Everyone in Crimonia knew, and I even walked around in my onesie around the capital. It was just that I didn’t want to give Shia a headache dealing with me and my onesie. I wore the uniform for her benefit.
But making all these excuses kind of implied that I really wanted to wear the bear onesie. Maybe the bear stuff had actually affected my mind for real?
“The other day, when we stayed at your manor, Yuna was wearing a bear outfit at night. That is how she usually dresses,” Noa said.
“You mean that adorable bear onesie? That’s your regular outfit?”
Seleiyu looked at me quizzically. I wished she wouldn’t look at me like that.
“You really must like bears, then.”
I couldn’t deny it. I just really wanted to tell her I wasn’t wearing the bear onesie for its aesthetics.
“I understand why you’re wearing a uniform now, but I’m surprised you’re not a student.”
“I’m actually something of an adventurer.”
Lately, I hadn’t been doing any real work for the guild…but I did do my part in the Land of Wa, so it was fine to claim I was still an adventurer, right?
“An adventurer? Ah, that explains why you are so powerful. While I’ve practiced in safety, you’ve had to take on life-threatening work at your young age. I think I understand how you’re so powerful now, Yuna.”
No, I just learned how to wield a sword in a game where I’d be revived even if I died. Besides, my bear gear kept me safe even while doing my adventurer work. Of course, I couldn’t tell her that.
“Now that I know this, I’d really like to see how powerful you are when it comes to magic, Yuna.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not a student, so I can’t participate.”
“What if we made a special exception?”
“Sorry, but I’m going to have to turn you down.”
“That’s unfortunate. Which type of magic are you good at, Yuna?”
“Well, I’m not bad at much. I can pretty much use all types of magic, just like you, Seleiyu.”
“That only makes me want a match with you even more.”
A competition sounded fun, but battling Seleiyu sounded like more trouble than what it was worth. No thank you.
Seleiyu looked disappointed as she left. What had she even come here for anyway?
“Hey, are you doing okay mana-wise, Shia?”
“That was nothing. I’m fine. I’m drinking an herbal tonic that helps with replenishing mana too.”
“Is that what the students have all been drinking?”
They’d been passing drinks to each other while they were eating.
“Well, we only get a little, so all it does is speed up our mana replenishment. We’re all drinking a bit during the break.”
“I had no idea that was a thing.” Then I remembered the sacred tree’s tea. “I have some tea that’s kind of similar. Want to try some? It’s supposed to replenish mana too.”
In fact, it could replenish both mana and stamina. Since I had my white bear onesie, I never had a real reason to try it.
“A tea that replenishes mana? I feel like anything you have would work wonders.”
“Apparently, it also relieves fatigue,” I added.
“Well, now I’m really interested, but I don’t think I can right now. If I replenished my mana more than all the other students, it would be unfair. I’d like to be on the same playing field as everyone else.”
Well, I couldn’t very well force her after she said something like that. Especially since I was essentially a walking talking cheat code. Honoring Shia’s wishes, I kept the tea in my inventory.
Chapter 556: The Bear Cheers Shia On – Part 3
Chapter 556:
The Bear Cheers Shia On
Part 3
THE COMPETITION RESTARTED in the afternoon. This time, the targets were scattered all over the grounds at different heights. According to the teacher, the students would have to hit the targets to the left and right of them while riding a horse. There were also targets in between the main ones that they weren’t allowed to hit. In other words, the students couldn’t use a wide-ranging magical attack to sweep the targets. On top of that, they were being timed, which meant they had to be precise. Just imagining it was frightening.
“Do you know how to ride a horse, Noa?”
“A horse? I’m not very good at it, but I can ride. I need to know just in case of emergency.”
Yup, she was the daughter of nobility all right.
“But I’m much better at riding on Kumayuru and Kumakyu. Sometimes I feel I might fall off of a horse, but I don’t feel that way with them.”
Yeah, that was because of their special abilities. I probably wouldn’t be able to ride on them either if it weren’t for that. Even if I could somehow climb on them initially, I’d probably fall.
As I was talking with Noa, event setup completed, and everyone looked over at the grounds.
The students rode in on their horses and shot at the targets, turning back and forth to the left and right to take aim as they rode. Most mages use their dominant hand to cast. I tended to use my right, dominant hand too. Holding chopsticks, throwing a ball, punching, holding a weapon...most things were just easier to do with my dominant hand. The same held true for magic.
The targets had been set up to make aiming with one hand harder. Hitting some of the targets also required using both hands. The teachers probably set things up that way on purpose. It was kind of annoying but made for an entertaining watch.
The first student only got the targets on their dominant side. The second student used a wand. They waved it back and forth to hit the targets, and it ended up being a lot more effective than I expected. I couldn’t tell if the student was just that good or if it was the wand that helped, but they still performed pretty well.
I guess the students had been practicing riding horses since they were pretty good at it. I wondered if they’d brought the horses in from the capital. If the horses were all prepared by the Yufarian academy, those students would be at an advantage. Animals had quirks and personality differences, after all, which meant you’d change how you rode based on what you knew. It kind of seemed like the academies had each prepared their own horses.
The students made their attempts one after another until it was Shia’s turn.
“Shia’s up. You can do it, Shia!”
Shia gripped the reins of the horse she rode. Wow, she looked so cool. Maybe I was biased, but she looked pretty gallant on horseback.
Shia took the starting position, then took off at the teacher’s signal. The horse galloped forward as Shia used her earth magic to hit the targets.
“Shia’s really good on horseback,” I said.
“She was always very good rider, even when she was still in Crimonia,” Noa told me.
Shia was still precise, even when she had to use both her hands to aim at the targets.
“She’s good.”
Shia had taken a commanding lead for the horseback challenge. Her only slip-up was that she hit one target she wasn’t supposed to. If she hadn’t, she would have had a perfect score.
After that, it was Seleiyu’s turn. Once again, she was really good too, she scored in the top ranks.
The competition continued, with the crowd cheering whenever anyone hit a target and sighing when the students missed. Soon, the last student finished, and the horseback competition was over.
That was it for the competitions, so they started to give commendations for the people who had gotten the top three combined scores in each division. Seleiyu got first place in wind and fire magic, but she was second in earth, and third in water. She was the only student to place in all the categories. She was also the only one to have participated in all of them.
“Shia did well too.”
“Yes.”
She had earned second in fire and third in earth. More of the capital students had ended up placing in the combined scores. Then both schools celebrated their winners.
“I wonder what would have happened if you had participated.”
With my bear gear, I definitely would have placed well. The issue was the horseback-riding competition. Since I’d never ridden a horse before, I probably wouldn’t have been able to hit the targets.
“I can’t ride a horse, so I’m not sure how well I’d do. I think I could win everything else though.”
If they let me ride Kumayuru and Kumakyu, I would’ve definitely gotten first place in everything, though.
“Yes, horseback riding is difficult. I still wish I could have seen you compete though.”
I wanted to participate too, but I was already cheating with my mana recovery, and I had target correction too. If I won, then I’d feel guilty for all the students who were competing legit.
After she celebrated with the capital students, Shia came over to us.
“Congrats, Shia,” I told her.
“Congratulations!” Noa said.
“Thank you. But I still lost to Seleiyu. I’ll work harder so I can come in first next year.”
Next year, the competition would be in the capital, so it’d be nice to bring Fina along.
“I heard there was supposed to be a match or something at the end.”
We hadn’t seen anything like that today.
“That’s tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes, tomorrow.”
“The competition goes on for another day?”
“Yes. Didn’t anyone mention it?” Shia asked. I looked over at Noa beside me.
“Did you know, Noa?”
“Yes, it was in the letter.”
Apparently, I was the only one out of the loop. I guess the first day was individual competition and the second day would be something else.
Shia had to go to a wrap-up meeting and prep for tomorrow, so she left and Seleiyu came by in her place.
“So Shia headed back already. I was a little too slow.”
Seleiyu had gotten commended, so the students had mobbed her. She hadn’t been able to get away.
“Congratulations,” I said to her.
“Congratulations, Lady Seleiyu.”
“Thank you. But I did lose some of the competitions. It’s very difficult to win against people who specialize in one type of magic.”
It must be hard to get first place in every discipline. Even I would have trouble riding a horse, so I wouldn’t have won that unless they let me ride my bears. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses. It was going to be hard to win against someone who threw everything they had into the one thing they were good at. Maybe the lesson was that it was better to focus on improving one singular thing instead of trying to be good at everything all around.
“I want Shia to win, of course, but I hope you work hard next year too, Lady Seleiyu.”
“Next year...yes. I’ll need to practice even more for next year.”
Seleiyu looked like she was lost in thought for a bit, but then she smiled at Noa.
“Is something the matter?”
“No, nothing. I’m going to do my best to earn a clean sweep next year,” Seleiyu declared.
“I need to go now too. I hope you’ll come back to watch us again tomorrow.”
Seleiyu rejoined the Yufarian students. The spectators had started to leave, so we decided to head to the inn as well.
“That was fun.”
“Yes, I learned a lot from seeing all the kinds of magic being used.”
There sure were a lot of forms of magic, which made sense since you had to cast magic using the method that most easily came to you in your imagination. If you didn’t, the magic wouldn’t have any impact. That rookie adventurer I knew struggled with that too.
Soon, it was the next day of the competition. Once again, I had to don the uniform I thought I’d never wear again and head over to the academy. At the entrance, we met up with Shia and Seleiyu.
“Good morning,” Seleiyu greeted us.
“Morning,” Shia also said.
“Shia, Lady Seleiyu, good morning.”
“You two were waiting for us?” I asked.
“I forgot to tell you that the competition is held at a different location today, so I came here to get you.”
“I saw Shia heading over, so I decided to wait with her,” Seleiyu said.
Apparently, they were going to compete on the border of the lake of the school grounds today.
“What are you going to be doing on the lake?”
“Fabrication magic.”
“What’s that?”
“To put it simply, we’ll be creating things using magic while everyone watches.”
“So then does someone judge the things to decide who wins?”
“No, there’s no ranking this time. We’ll just make things and try to entertain the people who are watching us.”
Ah, so this time it wasn’t a competition. Today was going to be more like a presentation, then.
“What are you going to make, Shia?”
“You’ll just have to wait to find out, won’t you?”
We weren’t the only ones heading to the lake. The students and spectators were headed there too. We passed by yesterday’s competition grounds and made our way to the lakeside.
“Okay, time for us to get going. I hope you enjoy it.”
Shia and Seleiyu went back to join their classmates. We headed over to the spectator’s area, scouted out a spot, and set up our chairs.
Soon, a teacher started to explain what everybody would be doing. It was exactly as Shia and Seleiyu had described. Essentially, the students were going to make whatever they wanted using magic.
There was a little pier on the lake, and we saw one of the students headed that way. That student used water magic to conjure something up from the lake. You could always just convert your mana into water, but that would be taxing. If you just used some water that was close by, you could retain more of your mana. The same held true for earth magic. Building up a wall of earth made from actual soil was completely different from making the earth from scratch through your own mana.
The student made the water float up and started to sculpt it. The water changed shape and started to take on an animal-like form. People started to clap.
“Um, is that a wolf?”
Noa looked at the animal-shaped water. It did kind of look like a wolf. Magic was cast through the imagination, after all. To create a sharp shape, the person’s imagination needed to be strong. The student who had made the wolf bowed their head and got off the pier. Then the second and third students also showed off their water creations.
If I were ranking these, I’d judge based on size first. This was obvious, but the more water the sculpture contained, the more mana was needed to sculpt it. Next, I’d judge based on the level of detail in order to evaluate each person’s imaginative abilities and their skill at manipulating magic. If someone could do both at once, then they’d make for a great mage.
One student made a human shape, another one made the water move like a snake, then there was a student who made a school of fish that shot up into the air. That one was kind of pretty. But why fish? I thought birds would be better.
“It’s water, so I think fish work great.”
Well, I guess fish were more strongly connected with the water than birds were. But in my mind, I thought birds when I saw anything fly.
Then the students started a sort of water magic performance.
“It was captivating to see the water wind back and forth. Oh, I wish I could start learning magic soon. Then I’d be able to make bears just like you, Yuna.”
I gathered mana in my bear puppet, created a small orb of water, and formed it into a bear shape.
“Hee hee. It’s so cute.”
Noa touched the bear. Her fingertip poked into the water. After I stopped feeding it mana, the bear turned to regular water and splattered to the ground.
“Aw, it’s back to being water.”
Without mana, the water couldn’t retain its shape and returned to its natural state.
While I was goofing around, the students had continued with their fabrication magic as well. Now, it was Seleiyu’s turn. I watched her, wondering what she would make. She turned her back to us, then held her hand up to the lake and magically lifted some of the water. The water started to take shape, blooming over the lake’s surface.
“Pretty...”
Seleiyu had made a gigantic flower. The petals were detailed and beautifully reflected the sunlight. The audience clapped, and then the flower fell away back into the water.
It had only lasted about a half-minute, but the memory lingered.
Chapter 557: The Bear and the Bears That Are Made
WChapter 557:
The Bear and the Bears That Are Made
THE WATER PRESENTATIONS were all finished. Next, they started on the wind presentations.
Unlike water magic, wind magic wasn’t visible on its own. So instead, the students would slice the lake with wind blades. This would cut a clear line through the surface of the water. They’d do that two or three times. The more skilled students could make a circle or a small whirlpool. Some could even draw on the water like it was a canvas.
“I think this would be better viewed from behind.”
The ground was higher behind the students, so it was easier to see the lake’s surface. Other people had already moved there, so we followed them over.
“They’re so talented.”
If they weren’t fast, the line they drew would disappear, so they had to be able to cast their magic quickly. A lot of students were drawing general shapes on the lake’s surface, since drawing complex things would probably be impossible. After they released a blade, they couldn’t really change the direction it went. But depending on how they twisted the air blade as it was released, they could set it on a curving path. By doing that, they could draw circles. They couldn’t do it all in one move, of course, so they would cast using both of their arms to make one half circle each. That would then become a perfect circle and finally create a huge splash in the water when the two blades met. That part of the performance was really pretty to watch.
The students kept drawing their shapes and making art on the water’s canvas. They could have done this on the field they used yesterday, but it was prettier on the water’s surface. It must have been annoying for any of the animals living in the water, though. That is, if any of the fish survived all the magic that was used here today.
The students from Yufaria could practice because the lake was nearby, but I wondered what the capital students had done. Had they practiced on a pool?
The final person to go up was Seleiyu. She carved a pretty flower pattern into the water.
“She’s amazing,” I said.
“The flower she made with wind magic is beautiful, just like the one she made with water magic.”
Making all those flowers was pretty feminine. If I had done it, everything probably would have ended up as bears.
With the wind part finished, they moved along to fire magic next. Since making shapes with fire was hard, a lot of the students struggled. It made sense—not many people could imagine forming flame into a shape.
I gathered mana in my bear puppet and made a bear-shaped flame.
“A bear!” Noa said in surprise as she looked on. “Is it hard to make?”
“I’m just manipulating the mana with my imagination,” I told her.
“Your imagination...”
Noa looked at her own hand.
“It’s easiest to make something that’s easy for you to picture. Since you have the opportunity to be here, you should watch what they’re doing for reference later on.”
“Of course.”
Noa looked over at the lake. All the students were using their imaginations to form the flames into shapes.
“They’re so spectacular.”
Someone made a wolf from flames, and a cheer broke out. I guess you could call that a fire wolf. Visualizing something like that would be pretty hard. Trying to make one while in the midst of combat would be too difficult, but honing your imagination could help.
Soon Seleiyu, always the star of the show, stepped forward. She created a cloud of flames in the shape of birds and sent them flying off, which caused the crowd to erupt in applause.
The fire birds flew, free in the sky, circling around. Everyone was mesmerized. Finally, the birds disappeared and Seleiyu bowed, finishing her act. Seleiyu really was amazing.
“Shia didn’t participate this time,” Noa said.
“No, but maybe she’ll enter for some other type of magic?”
Shia hadn’t performed for the fire magic portion, but she hadn’t told us she wouldn’t be part of the fabrication magic either. I figured she’d be part of the next portion, which was earth magic.
Soon, the final part of the performance began. I wondered how they would organize the earth magic portion. It was going to be held in front of the lake. Apparently, this was the main act, since all the students lined up to the side. Shia and Seleiyu were among them.
“There’s Shia.”
Each of the students started to create whatever they wanted using earth magic. Since they all started at the same time, everyone started to stir excitedly around them.
“Oh! Shia is making a bear!”
She was. Among all the students making things from earth magic, Shia was making a bear statue. It wasn’t a real bear, either. It looked just like one of the cute bears I liked to make.
“Ugh. That’s no fair. I wanted to make a bear,” Noa said.
After pointing out that she wanted to use magic to make bears minutes earlier, Noa seemed upset that her sister beat her to the punch. She pouted.
As each student finished making their statues, the audience clapped. Shia’s bear seemed strangely popular, and a large crowd gathered in front of it. Seleiyu hadn’t participated in this event—she must have wanted to preserve her mana.
But then finally, all the pieces crumbled, and people let out disappointed groans. The fabrication magic event was over, so we headed from the lake back to the field. As we were walking, Shia came up to us.
“How could you, Shia! Why did you make a bear first?!” Noa asked her.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
Shia had no idea what Noa was talking about, so I filled her in.
“Noa said that she wanted to make a bear once she learned how to use magic, but you beat her to it.”
“It’s not fair!”
“Why did you make a bear, anyway?” I asked.
“I’ve actually been practicing ever since you made that one at the academy festival.”
It was true, I’d made a bear as a sort of mascot to bring more customers to her booth when she was selling cotton candy.
“I only made it because I thought you’d like it, Noa. I’m sorry.”
Shia patted Noa’s head. I guess it was supposed to be a surprise for her.
“Well, I can’t be upset now, can I? That bear you made was very cute.”
“I guess you two have a lot in common,” I said.
“I think we were both just influenced by you, Yuna.”
I didn’t know what to say in response. I couldn’t deny that I was the reason for both Noa’s love of bears and Shia’s creation of one.
I tried to change the subject.
“So what’s next?”
“We’re doing a team competition. Everyone from the academies will gather for it.”
Ah, this was what she had been talking about yesterday, then. Supposedly, this was to be the last event.
According to Shia, there’d be a flag set up in each team’s territory, and the opposing team had to try to bring it down by using magic to burn it, cut it down, knock stuff into it or whatever else they could think of. The teams would also use magic to try to protect their own flag.
Shia explained the rules to us as we headed to the field grounds. I saw six flags on each side of the field. They were spaced apart and had white circles drawn around them. Apparently, one person could stand within the circle to protect each flag from the opponents.
“Wait—if all the students on offense attack each one at a time, they’d have the advantage,” I said.
“There are rules against that. The team on offense can only send one person to attack a flag at a time. They can’t pair up—with one exception.”
If anyone on the offensive side took down a flag, they had to leave the competition. In addition, the student on protection duty would join the offense, so they could attack one flag in a pair with someone else. If the two students were able to take down a flag though, then they would both need to leave the game.
In other words, as each team took down flags, they would lose players. If they put their best players on offense, then their defense would become weaker. But if they did the opposite, their offense would be weak, and they wouldn’t be able to take down any flags at all.
The fact that scoring teams would lose players was what made this tricky. If a student who was good at attacking tried to go up against a student who was weaker, they could lose a strong player.
I remembered a similar sort of mechanic in one of my games. What decided the outcome was whether you could win when there was only a slight difference in each player’s skill. They had really thought this game through. When a flag is taken, the outcome of the whole match could change depending on who the student moved from defense to offense paired with.
It seemed like it would be an interesting competition, appropriate for the last event for the gathering.
After Shia finished explaining the rules, she headed over to join the other students. Noa and I went to stake out a spot to watch from.
“They’re actually doing some fighting then,” I said.
“Does this count as fighting?”
“The students protecting the flag are the guards, and the ones on offense are sort of attacking the leaders of their enemies.”
“You’re right, thinking about it that way.”
Noa and I set up our chairs so that we could see the entire field. The students from each academy were all talking with each other down there. It looked a little like they were arguing. Or not arguing so much as trying to figure out the strategy of what to do.
“I wonder what’s happened?”
We couldn’t overhear what they were talking about from here. A teacher headed over to the group of girls that Shia was with and started talking with them. Then Shia and the teacher headed a short distance away from the other students. Shia glanced at us as she talked to the teacher. The teacher looked over too.
I wonder why?
“Shia is looking over at us,” Noa said.
Yeah, she was all right. After that, the two of them started to walk over to us.
“Um, Yuna... Would you mind participating in the competition?”
“Me...?”
“Yes.”
The groups were divided into boys and girls. They were supposed to do the competition with twelve girls on each side. Six would be on offense and six on defense to make a total of twelve per team. But one of the girls had used too much mana during the fabrication magic event and couldn’t participate anymore.
The discussion apparently involved them trying to figure out what to do about their missing person. They were discussing whether to sit a competitor to match the capital’s number of people or to continue the match with the missing person. The Yufarian side wouldn’t want fewer players, because that’d mean they would have to leave out someone who was supposed to be part of the event. They wanted to avoid that. But by the same token, it would be unfair to the capital’s side to be down one person.
“So we were wondering if you could participate?”
Shia seemed apologetic.
“Don’t you have other students who can compete?” I asked.
“The other students figured they were done, so they used the last of their mana already.”
“But they could still participate, couldn’t they?”
“To put it frankly, I think none of them want to feel like they could be the reason we lost.”
If someone took the missing player’s place and was a liability to the team, who knew what others would say behind their backs. They’d need to tell their family and friends about what had happened at the match too. No one wanted to say they were the reason their team lost.
“This was the only way I could think of making it work. It’s okay if you don’t want to go all out.”
Well, now she was putting me on the spot. If I did end up participating, I would obviously have to put in an effort. As an ex-gamer, I liked situations like these. I’d been wanting to participate since yesterday, after all. If I did join in, I could see myself getting hardcore about it. My spirit for competition wouldn’t let me do anything other than go all-out.
“I’m not a student, though. Wouldn’t they notice right away?”
That was the biggest problem.
“That shouldn’t be an issue. The academy has lots of students. No one knows all the students’ names and faces. Also, Mr. Shoog is our team leader, and he already knows about you.”
“Mr. Shoog?”
I had no memory of this person.
“You’ve met him before, Yuna.”
Apparently, I met him while guarding Shia and her classmates during their practical test. I looked over at the man on the field and realized that, yeah, he did look a little familiar.
“Mother said to ask him for advice if you did anything.”
“Ellelaura...”
Apparently, she thought I’d do something that would require damage control. I was grateful she wanted to help me, but what, did she think I was some sort of troublemaker?
“Mr. Shoog already knows about you, so it should be fine.”
“But then doesn’t that mean he definitely knows I’m not a student?”
I’d introduced myself as an adventurer.
“It’s okay. He knows, and he gave his permission.”
That must have been why she talked to him earlier.
“But...”
My powers were unfair. Could I really participate against a bunch of students who had practiced so hard to get here the legit way?
“Yuna, I want to see you competing with Shia and doing the very best you can to win,” Noa said.
Well, I’d wanted to participate since yesterday...
“Please, Yuna?”
Shia clasped her hands together. It would be easy to say no. But I also felt like I had to make sure Shia and her classmates got good closure for this gathering.
“Okay, okay. But I don’t know how to hold back, so put me on the side protecting the flags. It would be bad if I used a spell that’s too powerful on the offensive side.”
Since I’d just be protecting the flag, I could just match my opponent’s energy. If I was on the offense, I might get competitive and overdo it if someone managed to block my magic.
“Yuna, thank you so much.”
Shia seemed happy.
“So, Yuna, what name do you want to go by?”
“Huh?”
“Do you want to be Youna again like at the academy festival? The teacher knows your name, but the students don’t.”
She was right. But hearing it again, that fake name definitely wasn’t fooling anyone. I know I came up with it on the spot, but still. It was really bad.
“Right. Then while I’m in my school uniform, let’s go with Youna.”
“All right. Well, Youna, shall we go, Youna?”
“Shia, can I come closer to watch?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
All three of us headed toward the field.
Chapter 558: The Bear Participates in the Gathering
Chapter 558:
The Bear Participates in the Gathering
WE PARTED WAYS WITH NOA at the edge of the field As Shia took me over to where I needed to go.
“Mr. Shoog, I’ve brought Yuna. She said she would participate.”
We were in front of the teacher. Seeing him from up close, I finally recognized him. He really was the same teacher I’d met when I was consulted about guarding Shia’s group.
“Thank you. You’re a life saver.”
After thanking me and looking me in the face, his eyes wandered to my hands and feet.
“So you really are the girl who was in the bear outfit back then.”
“Please keep that a secret,” I said.
I didn’t want anyone else knowing I normally wore a bear suit.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to participate, though?”
“We’ll get permission from the Yufarian teachers, so I think it should be fine. We wouldn’t approve of this if you didn’t look like you were younger than the rest of the students.”
Hey, it wasn’t my fault I was short. I’m a growing girl, okay? I would definitely fill out soon—and not just in height.
“Remember, this is a magic exchange gathering. It’s not just about winning, we’re trying to show off our techniques to each other in order to improve both sides. That’s the real goal. You’ll be a wonderful example for the other students since they’re the same age as you, and I think it’ll help them improve.”
Help them improve, huh? Yeah, that was the goal of this whole thing, I guess.
“Also the Yufarian side has Lady Seleiyu as it is.”
“Basically, you want us to win against her?”
“I can’t say that I don’t. Since you were able to defeat a black tiger, if you enter, the competition should be interesting. It’s team-based too, so even if we have one powerful person on our team, that won’t determine the outcome of the match.”
Right, the rules made sure that just having one strong person wouldn’t guarantee you’d win.
“I’ll check in with the other side’s teacher, so please wait here.”
He headed over to the Yufarian side, chatted for a bit, then came right back.
“We have their okay.”
Apparently, it had been a simple negotiation.
“I told them you’re a strong mage who’s about the same age as the students with the approval of the Fochrosé family, and they said it was no issue. It seems they really are confident in themselves.”
Well, they had Seleiyu, after all. Not to mention, a lot of other students who were good at magic.
“Shia, introduce her to the other students and summarize the rules quickly for Yuna please.”
“May I tell everyone that Yuna is a student, sir?”
“Ah, yes. That would cause the least commotion, so that’ll do.”
I was wearing a uniform anyway, and explaining the truth would definitely be more complicated. We couldn’t cause confusion among the students before the competition even started. Like we discussed, I was going to be joining as one of Shia’s student friends.
“Oh, sir, I’m going to introduce her as Youna, so please follow along too if you could.”
“‘You-nah’?” He looked confused.
Shia and I told him about my fake name.
“It’s not much of a fake name...”
No arguments here.
“Well, all right then,” he said. “I’m looking forward to having you on our team, Youna.”
Shia and I headed over to join the other students. The ten girls in uniforms all looked at me, and I felt a little nervous.
“Shia, can you introduce us? You’re the girl who had a match with Lady Seleiyu the other day, aren’t you?”
“Um, so this is Yu-Youna.”
Shia introduced me.
“Hi, I’m Youna. I’m Shia’s friend. I came here to cheer on Shia, but it looks like I’m going to be participating with you guys now.”
Since we were meeting for the first time, I tried to be polite.
“I saw your match the other day. You must be amazing if you could win against Lady Seleiyu.”
“I had no idea we had a girl as powerful as you at the academy.”
The girls all started to mob me. Geez, personal space, guys. I was used to being surrounded by little kids, but not by girls my own age. It threw me off.
“Okay, everyone. Give her some space. We have a match to focus on. So, Youna, was it? What kind of magic are you good at?”
An older girl, seemingly the captain, made the other girls back off.
“I’m essentially an all-arounder,” I said. “Shia wants me to focus on protecting a flag.”
I figured there was no harm in saying Shia had asked me to play defense, instead of it being my idea.
“Right, the girl we lost was going to protect a flag, so it should work just fine if you slot in to replace her.”
“No biggie if your flag goes down. We’ll work hard to pick up the slack.”
Everyone was way more open to me joining the team than I had expected. I thought that someone like me joining up out of nowhere would bring out at least one naysayer. Maybe it was because Shia was around and she was a noble?
They all recapped the rules Shia had taught me one more time.
“The real issue is Lady Seleiyu. What should I do if she comes after my flag?”
“We’d be lucky if she targeted our weakest player.”
“Urgh. You’re so mean.”
Everyone laughed. It wasn’t said in a meanspirited way, so the girl who had been poked fun at laughed too.
“Lady Seleiyu is going to go for Rouge, I think.”
When I asked for clarification, it turned out Rouge was their best defender.
“I think that there’s a chance she might go after Youna too, in order to try to get a rematch.”
“You’re right. That seems likely.”
“But magic and sword fighting are separate skills.”
“No offense, Youna, but Lady Seleiyu would be ousted from the game early if she goes after you, which would work in our favor.”
Apparently, they weren’t counting me as an asset to the team. I mean, they probably thought I wasn’t good enough to be chosen for the gathering even though I was going to their academy, so no wonder.
“I think Lady Seleiyu will probably watch and see what happens for a while at the start of the match.”
After hearing more of the rules, I learned that the offense could switch targets whenever they wanted. As long as the flags weren’t brought down, two students on offense could trade which flags they were going after. In other words, if someone didn’t like their matchup, they could switch out with someone more suited to the opponent. Apparently, this is why the stronger participants tended to size everybody up first.
“One more thing. You’re not allowed to surround the flag with earth magic.”
Ah, of course. If someone surrounded the flag with a dome or something, then the other student would need to use a really powerful spell. That could be dangerous in a lot of ways, plus it simply wouldn’t be fun to watch.
“Oh, right. Shia, are you on offense or defense?”
“I’m on defense too. Let’s work together to defend our flags.”
All of us gathered on the field and greeted each other. Seleiyu looked at me like she wanted to say something. We finished our greetings, and each moved to our standby positions. While I was walking back, Seleiyu stopped me.
“I didn’t expect you to participate, Yuna.”
“I didn’t either, but is everyone actually okay with this?”
“They didn’t see anything wrong with having a girl the same age as everyone else participate. Everyone thinks they’re stronger than the average student.”
Well, they’d all been selected for this. Of course, they thought they were the best of the best.
“I’m happy that I’ll be able to have a second match with you. I’ll win this time.”
“I don’t intend to lose either.”
I really wanted to do my best for the team.
After saying her piece, Seleiyu left. I headed over to join Shia.
“Which flag should I guard, Shia?”
“Please cover that one, Youna.”
She pointed to the flag in the farthest corner.
“Youna, um, put in whatever effort seems appropriate.”
“Since I’m here, I’m going to put my best foot forward.”
Seleiyu had said she wasn’t going to hold back, so I was going to work hard too. Enjoying the clash was the best thing about competitions.
I headed over to the flag I needed to protect and found that it was taller than me. I could barely touch it if I lifted my hand all the way up into the air. This was the thing it was my job to. Since I wasn’t really a good team player, maybe this was the perfect role for me? I looked over at Shia and saw she was a distance away at her flag. When our eyes met, she waved at me.
Soon, all of the students got to their positions and one of the teachers gave the signal to start. The students didn’t sprint away. Instead, they slowly walked over to the flags they would be attacking. I thought Seleiyu would come over to me, but a different student came over instead. Seleiyu stayed a distance away, eyes locked on me, unmoving.
“Why are you looking over there? I’m going to take that flag.”
A girl from Yufaria with shoulder-length hair was talking to me.
“I heard that you weren’t part of the original contingent of students. Lady Seleiyu asked to face off with you, but we can’t waste her on a student who wasn’t even chosen to come here.”
“So you’re the weakest then?”
“Unfortunately, I am. So I’m the one who’s supposed to take your flag.”
She didn’t seem upset that I’d called her the weakest. I had a good feeling about her, since at least she knew what her role was.
“Okay, let’s start!”
She gathered mana in her hands and unleashed some wind magic. I used wind magic too to cancel it.
“Are you also a wind magic adept, like me?”
“Well…” I said.
The girl circled around the white line. I ran after her, keeping my back to the flag. She let loose another wind attack, but I canceled it again. Things were getting good.
We exchanged blows for a while. She fired an air shot, trying to blow me away, but I defended it well. The girl’s strategy was to try and hit the flag between attacks directed at me. But I kept on canceling out everything she did. She didn’t give up and kept going, though, but I didn’t give her any openings.
“Huff, huff...”
She was out of breath after a while. The running was taking a toll on her since she needed to take several steps for every one I took.
She stopped.
“You’re good,” she said.
“I can’t just let you take the flag, you know.”
“I guess I’ll just blow you and the flag away together. If that doesn’t do it, then I’ll throw in the towel.”
Then she brought her hands together and conjured up a gust of wind between her hands. This was the strongest bit of magic she’d used so far.
“Here goes!” she cried, as she held her arms out in front of her. The gust of wind blew right at me. I created a triangle wall out of earth magic and let the wind disperse to either side.
“So you can use earth magic too, then.”
“I never said I couldn’t.”
“Looks like I won’t be able to get your flag on my own, then.”
After saying that, she backed down. It looked like she was going to withdraw to talk strategy with another student.
I looked over at Seleiyu, but she hadn’t moved, her eyes laser-focused on me.
Chapter 559: The Bear Protects the Last Flag
Chapter 559: The Bear Protects the Last Flag
I LOOKED AROUND AND SAW that things had progressed while I was protecting my flag. Two flags on each side had gone down. I saw Shia was still there, though. Looked like things were still okay on her end. She had either beat her opponents back, or none had appeared yet. She didn’t have anyone she was up against right now at least.
I looked ahead. I wondered whether someone stronger than the last girl would come. Or would I get two opponents? Would Seleiyu challenge me? I could think of lots of possibilities.
A different girl came by. Yeah, of course. It’d be bad strategy to send Seleiyu in or come in a pair. If they took down my flag, they would lose those players. It was a normal tactic to slowly increase the level of competition.
The girl from Yufaria stood in front of me.
“I heard you can use wind and earth magic.”
“Well...” I said the exact same thing I had to the other girl.
The girl held a wand aloft and gathered her magic to create six floating golf-ball-sized spheres of water in front of her. She waved her wand and shot the balls toward me. It was a feint to target the flag behind me. If I dodged, they’d hit the flag, so I didn’t evade them.
I decided to cut them off with air shots. It seemed like she saw this coming, and she already was running around the perimeter of the line around the flag. I flipped around to make sure I was facing her. As she ran, she waved her wand from side to side and shot more spheres of water at me. The water was arcing above my head and between my feet. If they got through me, they’d hit the flag or the pole from below. My only recourse was to block everything, so I smacked the water globes down.
“You’re pretty good, but how are you going to deal with this?”
As she said that, water appeared from her wand. It came out in a long and thin trail, wriggling like a snake. I cut through it with my wind magic, but the water recovered immediately and reformed into the same shape.
“Even if you cut through it, you won’t be able to fully destroy it.”
With a wave of her wand, the water snake started wriggling and writhing, trying to skirt around me. I lobbed an air shot to destroy the thing, but then the girl supplemented it with more mana, reforming it and growing it even longer this time. This was becoming a real pain.
I went into thought as I chipped away at the growing water snake. Maybe that would work? I conjured some water from my bear puppet, then I copied the girl and created a long, thin current of water. The girl seemed shocked.
“Even if you can use water magic too, it still doesn’t mean you can win against me. I specialize in water magic.”
Her water snake went on the move. I copied her and made my stream move like a snake too. They collided with each other, but her snake found an opening through mine and headed toward the flag behind me. My snake caught up and I smacked it down.
“Ugh, okay, then I’ll do this!”
The girl made a second snake that she also started to manipulate. But it wasn’t as nimble as before, and both her snakes started to make rough, choppy movements. It was difficult to think about two things at once, so her magic had gotten sloppy. Because of her split attention, I was able to slip past her snakes and smack her wand out of her hand.
“No way...”
The wand fell to the ground and her conjured snakes disappeared too.
“So what now? Have you finally had enough?”
She picked up her wand and shook her head.
“I’m frustrated by the outcome, but it looks like I’m not capable of winning against you.”
After saying that, she left. Still, the girl had surprised me. No wonder she’d been selected for the gathering.
While I was protecting my flag, other flags had also been toppled. Two more flags had been taken from each side, so we both only had two flags left. Shia had disappeared too, which meant her flag had been taken. I looked over at the Yufarian flags and saw that Shia had paired up with another girl to attack one of the flags. The other flags were being fought for too.
“Looks like it’s almost over.”
Seleiyu approached. I could almost hear a final boss theme playing.
“I really wanted to fight you while you were at your full strength, but the rest of the team wouldn’t let me go after you.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. I wasn’t even part of the contingent of students who should have been participating.”
“Now, I’ll finally get a match with you. If too much time passes, someone will try to come to help me, so I’ll finish this before then.”
Seleiyu started to run around the perimeter of the white line. She shot off some wind magic blasts. I used my own wind magic to cancel it out. She was faster than the first student who had used wind magic against me, but I could still block it easy enough. The wind magic from Mr. Jyubei’s blade was way faster. On top of that, she was prevented from crossing the white line, so she couldn’t fire at me from close range. As long as I paid close enough attention, I could block everything.
Seleiyu conjured up a sphere of water and sent it flying off toward me. I thought that was all it would be, so I sliced through it using wind magic, but the sphere of water curved around and dodged my wind blade. It passed right by my side and swerved around. She was controlling the orb from far away.
Marina and Elle had taught me about this when we were slaying the moles, they had mentioned that it was really hard to manipulate water that was far away. Apparently, Seleiyu could do it though, and she was doing a pretty good job of it right now. The sphere turned again and took aim for the flag. I had to create an earth wall to block it.
“You did a good job countering that. What will you do about this?”
Three spheres of water appeared in front of Seleiyu. She unleashed them on me all at once. I summoned three water spheres myself and aimed them at Seleiyu’s. Her spheres dodged. She was able to control all three of them at once, but I made my spheres pursue hers.
“You’re not serious?”
My spheres collided with hers and they splashed down onto the ground. That was close. If I had been a little slower, she might have gotten to the flag. I thought she was supposed to be bad at water magic? That said, it looked like she needed to work on precisely controlling all her spheres.
We kept clashing like that for a while. We mostly used wind and water magic, but we also used the occasional earth or fire spell. Since she used lots of different magic, it was hard for me to keep swapping to counter.
As I was defending against Seleiyu’s attacks, I heard a loud cheer. We both looked around us. Another capital flag had been brought down. Mine was the only one left.
The student who had lost their flag glanced at me, then ran off to join the offense. But that wasn’t all. Yufaria’s second-to-last flag had fallen too. That meant the student who had been protecting the other flag would be coming by.
“It seems that this is the end of our duel.”
The other student who had been defending the second Yufarian flag came over to join Seleiyu.
“I’m sorry, Lady Seleiyu.”
“It’s all right. I really wanted to take the flag on my own, but will you help me?”
“Yes!”
“There isn’t any time left. Let’s do it.”
They both started attacking me at once. At this point, it was a race to see who could take the other’s flag first. Out of all the outcomes, I had ended up as the last one standing. But for the first time in a while, this wasn’t a real fight, and I could enjoy it like I enjoyed my games.
“Elisa, just like during practice.”
“Got it!”
Seleiyu and Elisa took off running. The two of them ran at an angle, attacking as they sprinted. Elisa shot a clod of dirt at me. I blocked that and watched Seleiyu to try and counter her too. She created three water spheres that she shot off. As they hurtled toward me, they changed their trajectory.
I had to use my left hand to block Elisa as I used my right to block Seleiyu. I could use both my hands to cast spells just fine, but my head couldn’t follow everything that was happening. I couldn’t see both of them at the same time. They kept a good distance away from me to make sure of that. I could tell that they’d gotten here through practice.
Wow. This was fun. I actually had to think. I had to move. I’d been attacked by more than one enemy in my game before multiple times. I’d died in some cases, and I was able to protect myself in others. I’d had multiple battles where I’d just barely survived.
I moved nimbly, shooting off defensive spells. Instead of tracking Seleiyu and Elisa’s attacks with my eyes, I used my whole body to feel them. Sometimes I was able to do this in the game too. My body would move before I could think. This was a key skill for surviving situations like these.
I moved right, left, up, sending magic flying and guarding the flag as I moved. Right as I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to keep going, a loud whistle pierced the air and a teacher called the end of the match. Just then, the loudest cheer by far erupted.
“It’s done?”
“It seems so.”
Seleiyu stopped and looked over at her teammates.
“Unfortunately, it seems we lost. I didn’t expect that we would fail to take the flag as a pair.”
“I would’ve been in the danger zone if you kept up for a little longer.”
“I feel bad for the girl who protected the last flag for so long.”
She looked over at the defender. She had also protected her flag until the very end. It might have been a paper-thin difference between whether I gave out first or she did. Protecting something was more exhausting than I anticipated.
“I’m still not a student from the capital,” I said.
“We all knew that and accepted your participation anyway. It was a great match, Yuna.”
Seleiyu smiled and walked over to where the other Yufarian students were gathered. The capital students came over to take her place.
“Yuna!”
Shia ran over and hugged me.
“It’s Youna,” I said.
“Ah, of course. But we still won the match!”
Shia was beaming.
“Thank you, Youna.”
“You were amazing out there, Youna.”
“You did a great job. Thanks.”
Everyone was congratulating me.
“You’re amazing, Youna. Why didn’t they pick you to come with all the other students for the gathering?” The girl tilted her head at me.
Well, that’s because I’m not a student.
It was time for me and Shia to tell them the truth.
“Wow, really? So you’re not actually a student of the capital academy, then?”
“Why don’t you just enroll?”
“But if you’re not a student, then what does that mean for the results?”
“I’m still happy we won, either way.”
As everyone was talking, the teacher came by.
“This is a magic exchange gathering. We’re here to show each other our skills and improve. Ranking your performances is important, but don’t forget what matters most of all.”
“So what about the match?”
“Since we won, the match will be declared a tie.”
“A tie?”
“Yes, because Youna isn’t a student from the capital. Without her, you wouldn’t have won, so the match is a draw.”
“You’re right. We would have lost without Youna.”
I didn’t know if declaring this a draw was exactly fair, but it seemed better than saying the capital had won. Not to mention that chalking the match up as a loss even though we’d won would have been embarrassing for both schools. A draw seemed like the most acceptable compromise.
“Let’s finish this up later and clear the field for now. The boys need to have their match next. Please be sure to cheer them on to keep them motivated!”
After the teachers said their piece, we headed off the field to cheer the boys on.
Chapter 560: The Bear Feels Agitated
Chapter 560:
The Bear Feels Agitated
THE GIRLS’ MATCH WAS OVER, so the boys were up next. We had all headed off the field to let them do their thing. Shia and I left the ring of girls to go back to Noa.
“Shia, Yuna, you did great! Shia, t was too bad that your flag was taken, but you looked so amazing when you switched to offense. And you looked amazing protecting your flag, Yuna,” Noa gushed.
“Thank you,” Shia and I responded simultaneously.
According to Noa, Shia had made a reputation for herself around the academy, so she’d been matched up with a really skilled student. At first, she was just barely keeping up, but when another person joined, the pair overwhelmed her and took the flag. Once Shia had lost her flag, though, she switched tactics to go on the offensive and defeated her opponent, earning one flag.
Noa filled me in on all the match details I’d missed. Then after the new flags were set up and the gouges in the field were tidied, the boys’ match started. The girls started cheering them on right away. Shouts erupted all around us. Since the girls from both academies were cheering on the boys, they tried to show off for us, and the match hit a fever pitch.
Ah, youth... This was all too much for a shut-in like me.
“Get ’em! Look out! Oh no, their flag got taken down. That was an amazing display of magic. They did it! They took a flag.”
Noa was getting worked up. Maybe this is how she’d been cheering on our match too?
The game continued, and while we saw some strategizing in the beginning, once they got to the endgame, it was an all-out sprint. They’d taken down each other’s flags, so only one remained on each team. Both the boys who had lost their flags ran to position so that they could go after the final flags in pairs. Both the offense and defense were actively repositioning as spells flew back and forth. They took aim at the flag. They protected the flag. They volleyed back and forth for a while.
But in any battle of two against one, the pair had the advantage. The offense steadily inched forward. The cheers of encouragement became more strained. The final flag that the Yufarian students were protecting went down. At first, I thought that the capital had won—but it looked like the capital’s flag had gone down at the same time.
Who won?
All the students stared at the teachers, who served as the referees. We watched with bated breath. The teachers talked among themselves, then announced their decision.
“Because both flags went down at the same time, it’s a draw.”
“Oh.”
“Just a little bit faster...” I started hearing people murmur around me.
I guess the boys’ match was also a tie. It wasn’t like we had instant replay to figure out who scored first, so this seemed like the right decision.
At the end of the day, both matches ended in a draw. But since I’d participated in the first match, maybe that meant the capital was lagging behind, overall?
Now that the boys’ match was wrapped up, the gathering came to a close. Apparently, they were going to bring food to the field so everyone could eat together. I thought about slipping off back to the inn, but Noa was having such a fun time talking to Shia that I couldn’t just ditch. I tried to stay at the outer edges of the gathering to avoid attracting attention, but the girls surrounded me once again, preventing my escape.
“Do you live in Crimonia, Youna?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“And you’re friends with Shia?”
“Yeah.”
“Won’t you join the academy?”
“Do you have any plans to?”
The girls had completely cut off my escape route. I tried to signal for Noa’s or Shia’s help, but neither of them were nearby.
“Really? If you come to our school, we’ll definitely beat Yufaria.”
“But then you won’t make it in next year.”
“The upperclassmen will graduate, so I’ll do just fine.”
“There might be even better students coming in next year.”
The girls laughed. I just nodded along randomly, trying to think up an escape strategy, but then the Yufarian students came by. They were the girls I’d fought against.
“Well, we lost this time.”
“I’m disappointed, but you were so good!”
“I’m surprised you use this cute thing as your medium.”
The first girl I’d fought grabbed me by the bear puppet.
“I was floored when I saw your magic was coming from these bears. They’re so soft, so nice to touch.”
The girl who faced off with me using water magic piped up.
“Maybe I’ll switch from a wand to something like this too.”
I wouldn’t mind it, but she’d have to choose some other animal, not bears.
“I’d like to battle you next year too. So wait, you weren’t a student?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why don’t you join Yufaria’s academy? We’ll be able to win against the capital next year for sure.”
What is this, a rerun?
“No way. Youna is joining the capital’s academy.”
“She’s allowed to choose where she wants to go.”
“She’s Shia’s friend, so she’ll go to the capital, of course.”
“Competing against a friend could be fun too.”
The girls started to argue with each other. If I were more of a normie, I would’ve said something like, “Just let it go, guys,” but I wasn’t that socially savvy.
I slowly edged away to make my escape.
“Haah...”
I got away from everyone and took a deep, deep breath. I was exhausted after being surrounded by all the students. It was a totally different kind of tired than when I was surrounded by little kids.
“What are you doing alone in a place like this, Yuna?”
“Seleiyu?!”
For a sec, I had no idea who had come up to me.
“I don’t like rowdy crowds,” I said.
As a former shut-in, I was anything but an extrovert. Especially when I was the center of attention. I didn’t know how to handle it. If someone was picking a fight with me, I’d take them on, but if they weren’t, I had no idea how to respond.
“Should you even be here after you worked so hard at the gathering, Seleiyu?”
“Ha ha. I don’t like loud spaces either, like you, so I ran away. That’s when I saw you.”
Apparently, that was why she came over to talk to me.
“I lost again, Yuna. I never thought that I’d lose against you in magic.”
“It was a close one,” I told her.
“It didn’t seem like it from my end. Even when we fought as a pair, we couldn’t take your flag.”
“It really was,” I said.
Truly, I was doing about as good as I could while still following the rules. Since using dangerous magic wasn’t allowed, I was barely holding on. The same could be said about Seleiyu and the rest of the offensive duo, though, so maybe it was all the same.
“I’d like to have a real match with you after all of that,” Seleiyu said.
“It’d probably end up a fight to the death.”
“Oh, yes. You’re right. A real match would end up that way.” Seleiyu smiled. “You’re an adventurer, aren’t you, Yuna?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you ever killed a person?”
“A person? I’ve injured people really badly before, but I’ve never killed anyone.”
Actually, I’d injured people pretty badly a few times. There were the adventurers I’d had a run in with at the start, the bandits who tried to attack us on the way to the capital, the merchants who tried to attack Morin and her daughter, the bandits on the road to Mileela, the guy in black clothes who kidnapped Misa, and a couple others. I’d left them half-dead—but I’d never killed anyone for real.
“Why do you ask?”
“No reason. Since you’re so powerful, I thought that maybe you had. I’m sorry if it was a rude question.” Seleiyu bobbed her head slightly in apology. “I was just wondering what kinds of emotions might lead one person to kill another.”
“That’s hard to say.”
I could beat people to a pulp, sure, but I could never make myself land the finishing blow. There was a big difference between beating someone to the brink of death and actually killing them.
“Seleiyu, what’s gotten into you?” I said. “Why would you ask something like that?”
I wanted to say it wasn’t like her, but I’d only met her a few days ago, so I couldn’t tell. I just felt like something was off.
“No reason. Please forget I asked.”
Seleiyu turned her back on me and left, as if trying to escape the conversation. I watched her as she walked away.
What was that about?
Once the feasting was done, we all headed our separate ways. Noa didn’t want to leave Shia, so we ended up heading over to where she was staying. Shia and the rest of the students were set up at a building on campus.
“Shia...” Noa started talking in her sleep.
I guess that the cheering had tuckered her out. She’d fallen asleep at some point while we were hanging out.
“Ha ha. Thank you for bringing Noa over, Yuna. I think I worked a lot harder thanks to her cheering.”
“It was fun for me too.”
The final match was super exciting to watch.
“We won the last one thanks to you.”
“I mean, it ended up a tie though.”
“That tie was the same as winning. I think we would have lost with anyone else on our team. I wish we could have won without needing to rely on your abilities, though.”
I got how she felt. This was a match between Yufaria and the capital academies, and an outsider had participated. It was kind of like cheating.
“The teacher also said that this would be good motivation for us.”
In that case, I was glad I participated.
The conversation turned to tomorrow. Apparently, everyone was going to use fabrication magic to make a pier so all the students could have fun swimming. Come to think of it, she’d told me to bring my swimsuit in case there was time to swim in the lake. I wasn’t going to dive in, but Noa seemed excited, so I’d tag along with her. There were other girls my age who were way more developed in certain areas, so there was no way I was going to change into a swimsuit and get in the water with them.
“All right. I’m going home,” I said.
The sun set while we were talking in Shia’s room, so I left the sleeping Noa to Shia and decided to head back to the inn.
“You could stay too if you’d like?”
“I’ll head back. I don’t want to worry the inn’s staff.”
We hadn’t checked in with the inn since leaving for the competition. They might worry about what had happened to us.
“But it’s already dark out. And you’re a girl.”
“I’m fine. You know I can look after myself.”
“That’s true, but...”
Shia still seemed worried.
“Remember, I have a pair of excellent guards to protect me. You don’t have to worry.”
I summoned Kumayuru and Kumakyu in cub form. If I ran into any danger, they’d alert me.
“They’re pretty cute, for bodyguards.”
Shia patted Kumayuru and Kumakyu on their heads.
“Since I’m here as Noa’s guard, I’ll leave Kumayuru here at least. Take care of Noa, okay?”
“Cwoon.”
Kumayuru crooned at me and curled up by Noa to watch over her. I held Kumakyu close.
“Well, I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”
“Okay. Please be careful on your way back though,” Shia said, the worry audible in her voice.
I nodded, then left.
Chapter 561: The Bear Picks Something Up from the Lake
Chapter 561:
The Bear Picks Something Up from the Lake
I LEFT THE BUILDING Shia had been staying in. It was dark outside, the streets lit only by the mana gems along the way.
I carried the cub-form Kumakyu around the edge of the lake. The lake was dark too, lit only by the moonlight. The hot spring lake in the Land of Wa was pretty, but the lake here was beautiful too. A pleasant breeze drifted by. My hair fluttered in the wind. I was normally in my bear gear, so I hadn’t felt the wind through my hair in a while.
“Kumakyu, let’s take a short walk before heading back.”
“Cwoon.”
We decided to stroll around the lake a bit. Since it was night, I didn’t see anyone around. I guess people didn’t really come out for fun when it was this dark. If anyone was out, it’d probably be a couple or some drunk.
While I was looking out onto the water, I thought back to the Land of Wa. I really missed soaking in a hot spring. Once I was back at the inn, maybe I could use the transport gate to take a quick trip to one. That said, if I left out Kumayuru, they’d probably sulk for a while. We could all go together after we got back to Crimonia.
“Cwoon.”
While I was lost in hot springs fantasies, Kumakyu cried out in my arms.
“What is it? We’ll go to the hot spring with Kumayuru, okay?”
“Cwoon.”
Kumakyu shook their head and stretched out their right arm as far as it could reach. I looked out to where Kumakyu pointed.
A person?
I thought about hiding Kumakyu at first but then stopped. The outfit the person was wearing looked off. They were wearing a hood over their head to hide their face even though it was hot outside. I wasn’t really one to talk when I normally went out in a bear onesie, today I was in a school uniform. Let’s be direct here: This guy was sus...
I thought about how to prevent the worst-case scenario and decided it’d be best if Kumakyu were with me. If I kept walking forward, I’d end up closer to the suspicious hooded person. Hmm, what to do. Would it be better to ignore it and keep going, or to turn around and end my walk?
While I was thinking, the person pulled something out of who knows where. Whatever it was caught the glint of the moonlight, then they stretched their hand over toward the lake. Their hood fluttered. Was that wind magic?
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, the thing in their hand seemed to fly of its own accord into the lake. I followed the object with my eyes. It flew far away, catching the moonlight once again as it went, then fell into the lake with a splash. What in the world was it?
I looked over at the person again, but they’d already disappeared. What was that? It didn’t look like the person was a litterbug. They’d used wind magic to send that thing flying off into the lake on purpose.
It was official: I was curious. Even if I pretended I hadn’t seen anything and headed back to the inn, I’d probably stay up all night wondering what that thing was.
“Haah...”
Well, it couldn’t be helped. It’d be bad if I lost sleep because of this, after all.
So I checked my surroundings, set Kumakyu down, and pulled my bear onesie out of my bear storage. It felt a little awkward, but I pulled the onesie over my uniform. It felt pretty weird with the two layers on.
Since I wanted to get this over with quick, I carried Kumakyu with me and used my bear walking on water skill to walk out onto the lake. Then I headed to the location where I thought I’d seen the object drop. It was around here, I think?
Of course, it was too dark to see down to the lake bottom, even after I used light magic. It was pitch black down there at the bottom. It was good timing that I had learned the bear underwater swimming skill after defeating the orochi in the Land of Wa so recently, so I used that. The skill did just what it said on the box, allowing me to freely dive underwater, but I hadn’t had a lot of opportunities to use it yet.
After I activated the skill, I slowly sunk down into the water. Once under, I was surrounded by an air bubble. Okay, fine, it was a bear-shaped air bubble. I thought at first that this would end up setting off another event or something, so I hadn’t tried using it for a while, but my curiosity as an ex-gamer got the better of me. If I needed to use the skill on the spot, something might backfire, so I’d already tried out the skill once just so I knew how to use it.
When I first tried it out, I hadn’t noticed because I was inside the bubble, but when I looked closely, I realized it was bear-shaped. I could see the ears up above and there was even a little round tail behind me. Did this really needed to be bear themed too?
I landed at the lake’s bottom with Kumakyu in my arms. So where was this thing? It must be around here somewhere. I tried shining my bear light around to search for the spot where I thought the object would be.
“Cwoon.”
Kumakyu cried out in my arms and reached out with their right paw. I whipped my bear light over in that direction. Something glinted in the light. I headed over to it slowly.
“A mana gem?”
Yep, there it was, right at the bottom of the lake. A pretty big one too.
“Uh, it’s just on the ground here, so I can take it, right?”
I grabbed it. It was about as big as the one I got from the kraken.
“It’s okay, right?”
I mean, the person threw it away. They obviously didn’t want it.
“Cwoon.”
Kumakyu’s croon was non-committal.
“Either way, now you’re an accomplice.”
“Cwoon.”
No one was around to see, considering I was at the bottom of a lake, but I felt a tad guilty. After putting the gem away in my bear storage, I made sure the coast was clear and surfaced quickly to make my escape.
Then I got rid of the bear light, took off my bear clothes, and headed right to the inn.
In front of the inn, I recalled Kumakyu before heading inside. The innkeeper seemed worried to see me arrive so late, but after I explained what had happened with Noa, things were fine.
Well, I guess this was mine now...
I put the mana gem on the table. Under the ceiling light I found out it was green.
“Hm?”
I saw a magic circle on the gem’s surface, but I didn’t really know anything about them. Hoping that I’d be able to find something out, I changed into my bear onesie and used my bear observation skill, but it was just labeled as a normal mana gem. I guess it couldn’t tell me about magic circles.
At times like this, I really wished I had a magic circle reading and writing skill or something, but whining wouldn’t benefit anyone.
Okay, so I’d taken this gem, but like...it wasn’t important to the town or anything, yeah? The person in the hood had been throwing it away…right?
Honestly, it worried me so much I couldn’t really sleep anyway. Maybe the gem was needed for the lake or something, so I decided to ask Seleiyu about it when I woke up. Since she was the feudal lord’s daughter, she’d probably know about any mana gems important to the town. If she didn’t, then I would have her ask her dad. That’s what I told myself, at least.
I put the mana gem away in my bear storage and summoned Kumakyu again, so we could take a bath together. After all, I wasn’t in my bear onesie, so I didn’t have constant A/C built into my clothes. I’d really worked up a sweat.
After I got out of the bath, I changed into my white bear onesie to sleep in after the day’s fatigue. Kumakyu seemed happy with my choice.
“We’re always matching when we sleep,” I said.
“Cwoon.”
I hugged my bear and headed to bed.
“Night, Kumakyu. Wake me up when it’s morning.”
“Cwoon.”
I was still stressed about the mana gem, but either because I was tired from the gathering or because of my white bear onesie, or even because Kumakyu felt nice in my arms, I slept like a log.
The next day, Kumakyu woke me up and I put on my uniform to go see Shia and Noa at the academy. I was kinda getting used to the uniform by now.
I crossed the long bridge and got to the academy, where I met up with Noa and Shia.
“Good morning, Yuna.”
“I’m so sorry I fell asleep yesterday.”
“You must have been tired after all that cheering. Conking out early means you did a good job at it. So what are you two doing here?”
“I thought it’d be bad if everyone saw Kumayuru, so we left early to wait for you.”
That was considerate of them.
“Thank you, Kumayuru.”
Noa gave my bear back to me.
“Thanks for watching over Noa, Kumayuru.”
“Cwoon.”
I gave Kumayuru a pat on the head to show I was grateful. Then I recalled them. Noa looked a little disappointed, but she knew better than to complain.
“Okay, let’s get ready to hang out by the lake.”
“Okay!” Noa had fully regained her cheer.
We headed to the lake. Some of the students were already in bathing suits having fun.
“We’ll go get changed there.”
I saw a small building where Shia was indicating. Was that a changing room?
“I’m good. You two have fun without me.”
“You’re not going to hang out with us?!”
“I need to talk to Seleiyu, so I might not have time. You two sisters have some bonding time for once. You won’t be able to see each other when we go back to Crimonia, after all.”
“Okay, fine... But after you’re done talking to Seleiyu, you have to spend time with us.”
Noa and Shia headed to the building to get changed. I just watched the students playing until Seleiyu arrived. Rulina had mentioned this before, but I guess this world really did have bathing suits. Some were simple, but some were actually pretty cute.
Were these students really around the same age as me though? Some of them seemed big...in certain areas. Maybe they stuffed or something? Yeah. Definitely. That must be it.
Regardless, everyone was having fun together. You wouldn’t have been able to tell they’d spent two days locked in bitter conflict. I did wish they’d stop using magic while playing in the water though.
There was no sign of Seleiyu, though. Was she not going to join us? I guess I could just go to her manor, but she could also be somewhere in the academy. I didn’t know what to do.
While I was thinking it over, the girl who’d used wind magic in our battle yesterday came up to me.
“You’re not going to go play in the lake?”
She was completely drenched, even her hair was dripping.
“I had something I needed to talk to Sel... Lady Seleiyu about. I’m waiting for her.”
She seemed to respect Seleiyu a lot. I didn’t want to get a scolding, so I made sure to use Seleiyu’s title.
“Lady Seleiyu? Oh, I haven’t seen her today actually. This isn’t really her thing, but she should show up at least. Maybe she’s busy? Did you need something from her?”
“Yeah, kinda.”
I couldn’t talk about the mana gem, so I just agreed ambiguously.
“Just a sec. I’ll ask if anyone knows where she’s at,” the girl said. She ran off to the lake, where all the girls were playing. After she talked to them, she came right back.
“No one’s seen her,” she said, out of breath.
“Thank you. I guess I’ll just stop by her house really quick. If she does show up, can you tell her I had something I needed to talk with her about?”
“Sure.”
After that, I told Shia and Noa I’d be going to Seleiyu’s house.
“Once I’m done there, I’ll come right back, so don’t leave Shia’s side, Noa.”
“Come play with us when you come back, Yuna.”
“Sure, if there’s time.”
It was a rejection, but it was a roundabout one.
“Okay, I’ll be waiting.”
Noa was so pure that my rejection it didn’t get through to her. In times like these, I felt like I needed a shower, but on the inside.
I headed off to Seleiyu’s place on my own. When I caught sight of her manor, a horse was racing out of it.
“Seleiyu?”
She was riding on the horse, completely oblivious to me as she galloped away. I only caught a glimpse of her face, but it seemed like she was tense or in pain or something.
Without even thinking, I sped away after her.
Chapter 562: Seleiyu Runs Off
Chapter 562:
Seleiyu Runs Off
THE MAGIC EXCHANGE gathering between Yufaria’s and the royal capital’s academies had come to a close. Normally, I would be excited about how I placed, but a girl named Yuna, made me realize how inadequate I was.
She was so much stronger than her girlish exterior let on. I lost to her in sword fighting and even in a magical duel. Something was fundamentally different between the two of us. I hadn’t believed her when she said she was an adventurer, but our duels had proven her skill.
Her strength was due to her experience in real fights. In contrast, I had never risked my life in a fight before.
Yuna was an adventurer, so I believed that fighting deadly monsters was a normal occurrence for her. Compared to someone like that, I had practiced in tepid safety. Even though we were the same age, our experiences had created a difference in our abilities.
At the same time, I could not deny the person I had forged myself into. From the day my mother had passed on until now, I had done all I could to strengthen myself.
Yuna was Yuna. And I was me.
She must have worked hard to become a powerful adventurer too. She had gone through her own travails, ones different from mine. It wasn’t as though I was attempting to become the best at everything, after all.
The only thing I needed to be able to do was defeat my mother’s murderer if he appeared before me. That was the only reason I had learned to wield a sword and use magic. It didn’t matter if I lost to Yuna. I simply needed to defeat the man who had killed my mother. I repeated that mantra to myself, trying to convince myself of its truth.
In two days, it would be my sixteenth birthday. If I hadn’t dreamed it up, the man who murdered my mother would be paying me a visit. Everything I had worked so hard for would be finished on my birthday. But if the man who killed my mother did not appear, what would happen to me then? My life would have no purpose anymore. The thought chilled me to the core.
Part of me wanted the man who killed my mother to appear so that I could face him, but my wish for a peaceful life clashed with my other feelings. Which did I truly want, then? As my birthday got closer and closer, I only felt even more confused.
The fatigue of the gathering overtook me as I fell onto my bed and quickly fell asleep.
The next day, the sunlight streaming through my window woke me up. Today, we were supposed to spend the day at the lake to deepen the bonds between the students who participated in the gathering.
I didn’t like loud and gaudy events, but this was another part of the gathering. I needed to participate. This would also be a good time to ask Yuna for a rematch. She didn’t like crowds either, so I thought it might be a good opportunity. Perhaps I could ask her the key to her strength. I wanted to know why Yuna had become an adventurer at her age and how she had become so powerful.
As I changed into my uniform, I heard a knock at the door. Once I gave my permission, the maid, Collete, entered.
“Lady Seleiyu, good morning.”
“Good morning.”
Collete looked around the room.
“Is Master Keith about?”
She was asking about my younger brother.
“Not in my room. Is something the matter?”
“No, I just haven’t found him yet, so I thought he might be here.”
He was missing, then.
“Is he going for a stroll in the garden?”
Occasionally, I would see him out there in the mornings.
“I did think of that. I searched for him, but I couldn’t find him there either.”
Then perhaps he was in the restroom or somewhere of the sort. The estate was large, so it was easy to miss each other.
“I will check his room again and if he isn’t there, I will search the entire estate.”
Collete bowed her head, then left the room.
I fixed my hair in front of the mirror and went to the dining room. Father was not there, but we often ate separately. I finished my morning meal alone and went through the hallway to my room only to find the servants still searching for Keith. It seemed they had yet to find him.
He would sometimes hide, but he would always show up when called. We never had trouble finding him before. Most importantly, Keith wasn’t the type to create trouble like this. I guess there was that one time he had hidden after wetting the bed, but I doubted that was the reason he was missing.
I went to his room. No one else was there. The bed-wetting theory was indeed a bust. I wondered where he could have possibly gone.
“Master Keith? Is he here?”
Collete entered the room. But when she saw me, she looked despondent.
“Oh, it was only you, Lady Seleiyu.”
“You still haven’t found him?”
“No, though we have split up to search for him.”
“Did he change?”
“It does not seem so.”
That made things even stranger if he hadn’t gotten changed.
“Where is Father?”
“I informed him we couldn’t find the young master and he commanded all of us servants to search for him.”
So that was why everyone was on the hunt. I started to feel more and more anxious.
“You did search the garden?”
“Yes.”
“Do you believe he may have gone out?”
“I find it doubtful, as he would still be in his sleeping clothes. We have split up to search the manor.”
If he hadn’t changed, then it was unlikely he had gone into town.
Had he been kidnapped? That word played through my mind. I began to shiver even though I had thought of it myself.
“I will help you find him.”
“But what about the academy?”
“The academy can wait. We don’t know where Keith is. It would be fine if he is only hiding somewhere, but he might be in danger. Please tell the others to pay particular attention to anything that seems unusual.”
“Yes, I will.”
The search for Keith began. We searched each room, the garden, the tops of the trees, the storage house, the horse stalls, and all sorts of other places after splitting up. As the time continued to pass, I grew more worried. No matter where we looked, we could not find Keith. Father began to panic as well.
It did not seem that he had left the manor. In the first place, I doubted he would leave in his nightwear. Yet he was nowhere to be seen within the manor either. If he was not in the house, he could only be outside.
Father instructed the search to extend beyond the estate. I returned to my room, then left to search outdoors.
“Where could he have gone?”
I noticed a piece of paper on my desk. I did not remember putting anything there, so I picked it up. It was blank, but as I turned it over, my hand froze.
I have taken custody of your younger brother, Master Keith. I will be at the eastern border of Yufaria. Come alone, Lady Seleiyu. Should you tell anyone, Master Keith will not return alive.
Sincerely,
The man who killed your mother.
My entire body broke out into shivers. I took deep breaths to calm myself. He had come. It hadn’t been a dream at all. The man who had killed my mother had resurfaced. He had even kidnapped my brother.
I remembered the words I had heard back then, when he had killed my mother.
“If you tell anyone else about this, your adorable little brother may end up just like your mother.”
Those were indeed the words of my mother’s murderer. It had not been an idle threat, The fact that he had actually killed her made that crystal clear. I remembered the sensation of my mother’s blood on his hands. I shivered. I slapped my own cheek.
I couldn’t run. This is what I had worked for until now. I kept repeating it to myself. I only had a few choices. If I told anyone about this, Keith would be killed, but I had prepared to face the man who had killed my mother alone. Even if I were to lose, I was fine with being the only one to die. Keith’s kidnapping complicated matters.
I saw his face in my mind. My dear younger brother. It was simple. I just needed to save him.
I took a book from my shelf and set it on the desk. Inside was a letter to my father. I had prepared it in advance for when this time came. I had made arrangements, because I could die at any moment. If I did not return, I was sure that Collete would notice the book I had left out.
I checked the inside of my item bag. I had my sword. It was not a practice sword this time, it was one with a sharpened, lethal edge. I had never killed a person before, but that was what I was tasked with now. If I was to be prepared to take a life, I needed to be prepared to be the one killed instead. If Father knew, he would likely scold me for keeping this a secret. If I came back alive, I would take the scolding, but I just hoped he would forgive me in time.
I clutched the paper and left the room. I pretended I was going to search for Keith and ran through the hall and out of the manor. I headed straight to the stables to mount a horse. After checking that no one was present, I left the stable and galloped out of the gate.
I ran the horse through town. We hurtled down the main street all the way to the gate. The guard looked surprised upon seeing me. I smiled, ensuring he would suspect nothing.
Once I left the town, I took my horse to the east, as directed in the paper.
Chapter 563: The Bear Hears Seleiyu’s Story
Chapter 563:
The Bear Hears Seleiyu’s Story
I WAS WORRIED about the look on Seleiyu’s face, so I followed after her. She galloped out of town and continued on. I left town to go after her, summoning Kumayuru so that I could keep up.
“Kumayuru, follow Seleiyu.”
“Cwoon.”
Kumayuru crooned at me in answer and ran after Seleiyu. I was the one following her, but I wondered what had happened. Should I call out to her? Or should I just silently follow after her? I was getting anxious about Seleiyu’s expression.
Seleiyu didn’t stop, she kept galloping away. Kumayuru could catch up easily, but when I saw her tense back, I couldn’t bring myself to shout to her. Hadn’t she asked me if I had killed anyone before? Seleiyu hadn’t killed someone, had she? She couldn’t be running away from a murder scene…right? Honestly, it actually looked more like she was on her way to one. Either way, the look on her face was nothing like the Seleiyu I knew.
As I was trying to figure out what to do, Kumayuru crooned.
“What is it?”
“Cwoon,” Kumayuru crooned again.
Wait, was Kumayuru saying there was a monster around?!
I tried to use my detection skill, but I realized I couldn’t. Oh, right. I didn’t have my bear powers right now. I was in a school uniform. If I wasn’t in my bear clothes, I couldn’t use my bear detection skill.
I felt a bead of sweat dripping down my face. I’d fought against people without my bear gear on but never a monster. During the academy festival and the gathering, there had been rules, not to mention people around watching. In a fight against a monster, things were different. Monsters attacked people with the intent to kill on sight. There wasn’t a referee or anything to stop the fight just because it was dangerous.
Since I had my bear gloves and bear shoes on, I could win if I fought like normal, but there was a chance I would be attacked from a blind spot. If I had my bear onesie, I’d come out unscathed even if I were attacked. Without my bear gear, I could get hurt, and worst case, I could even die. The thoughts were racing through my head.
The fact that I wasn’t wearing my bear onesie had put me in real danger. I thought of stopping to change, but by the time I had thrown it on, Seleiyu could have gotten away on her horse. Maybe it would be better to stop her first, and then change?
I started to agonize over whether to call out to her or not. If I was this conflicted, maybe it was better to just do it. At this rate, we would both be in danger.
“Kumayuru, get closer to her.”
“Cwoon.”
After responding, Kumayuru upped their speed and caught up with Seleiyu’s horse.
“Seleiyu!”
Seleiyu turned to me in surprise, hearing my shout.
“Yuna?!”
Seleiyu rushed to stop her horse. Apparently, she hadn’t noticed me until I caught up to her.
“What are you doing here?”
“You looked so serious when you rode out with your horse, so I followed you.”
“Did I seem that upset?”
“It was like you were going out to kill someone,” I said, joking.
But Seleiyu didn’t laugh. She raised both of her hands and slapped her face hard. The noise of the slaps rang out. It was deafening.
“It seems I worried you. I’m sorry. You don’t need to worry about me, so please go back to town. And if you could, please don’t tell anyone I was here.”
“I can’t do that. I don’t know where you’re headed, but it seems like there are monsters up ahead.”
“Monsters...”
“You’re not off to slay them or something, are you?”
“No, I’m not. You know for certain that there are monsters ahead?”
“My bear tells me if there are any nearby.”
I gave Kumayuru a pat on the head.
“You can understand bear language?”
“Yeah. Kumayuru and Kumakyu are my beloved family.”
“Beloved family...I see. Yuna, could I ask you a question?” Seleiyu’s face relaxed as she talked to me. “Would you be able to risk your life for your family?”
I glanced over at Kumayuru. My beloved family. If either Kumayuru or Kumakyu were in danger, I’d do anything to save them.
“Would you face danger for the sake of your family?” Seleiyu gave me a serious look.
Into danger... With my bear gear, I could go into danger without any risk. But that’s not what Seleiyu was saying. She meant actual danger. The kind where I didn’t have my bear gear. The kind where I would be powerless. She was asking if I would risk my life.
“I think I would. But...”
If I had my bear gear on, I’d go straight into danger, no issue. But without my bear gear on, I couldn’t be sure. I couldn’t know until I was actually in that kind of situation.
I realized once again that without the bear gear, I really was powerless.
“I’m sorry I’m asking you such odd questions.”
“No, it’s fine. Um, did something happen to your family?”
“Well...”
Seleiyu turned her eyes away and went silent. She was trying to avoid my question.
“Please go back to the town, Yuna.”
She was trying to duck me again. But I couldn’t leave her alone like this.
“If I go back, I’m taking you with me. If you’re going on ahead, you need a guard. It’ll be too dangerous. You said that to Noa yourself, remember? You’re a noble, so you need to understand your position. If you’re going somewhere with monsters on your own, then do you really understand your position as a daughter of nobility?”
I tried to flip her own reasoning back on her. Seleiyu was breaking her own rules. She gritted her teeth, as if conflicted.
“I was being presumptuous when I said that. Both what I said and what you’re saying is true. But I am not only a daughter of nobility. I am also a sister. I need to go.”
Seleiyu looked ahead, toward where she had been headed. It looked like she wasn’t planning to return. I didn’t know what had happened, but I knew something was up. I couldn’t go back now.
“Then I’ll be your guard,” I told her.
“Yuna?”
“Nobles need guards, don’t they?”
If I changed into my bear onesie, I’d be able to do something even if we ran into danger. I felt embarrassed changing in front of Seleiyu, but this wasn’t the time to be concerned with something like that. Plus, she’d already seen the onesie once, did it really matter now when I normally wore it on a daily basis?
“Yes, but...”
“You do know how powerful I am, don’t you?”
“I understand all too well—it’s to the point that I’m jealous.”
“Then there shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“Yuna, thank you. I’m so happy that you offered,” Seleiyu said. She did seem genuinely happy. But the next moment, her expression changed, and she shook her head.
“But you can’t. I need to go on my own.”
So something had definitely happened to her family. Her mom had passed away, so was it her dad? Or her brother? Or maybe her grandparents or a more distant relative?
“Seleiyu, please tell me what’s going on. I’ll help you.”
She stared right at me as she spoke. Apparently, her brother had been kidnapped. The person who had taken him had left a letter that told Seleiyu to go alone.
“You understand why I need you to go back.”
“Well, after hearing all that, I can’t let you go alone now.”
I’d shared a meal with her brother, and now he’d been kidnapped. We hadn’t talked much, but we had been acquainted. I think his name was Keith. He looked embarrassed when he saw me and Noa. I wouldn’t feel right if anything happened to him. It wasn’t like I could let Seleiyu go alone to her brother’s kidnapper either. If something happened to both of them, I’d regret it. I’d feel horrible.
“Um, the man who kidnapped my brother also killed my mother. I cannot guarantee your safety. It’ll be dangerous. Once again, please go back to the town.”
Shia had said that Seleiyu’s mother had been killed. Apparently, the murderer had also taken her brother. This wasn’t a question of danger. It was active peril at this point. That must have been why she’d asked me those questions about how far I’d go for my family.
“The letter said to come alone. I’m not sure what will happen to my brother if I don’t. I’m glad for your concern Yuna, but that is all I can accept. Thank you for worrying about me.”
Seleiyu turned me down again. Right as I wondered if I needed to follow after her in secret, Kumayuru crooned. I looked behind Seleiyu.
“Looks like it’s too late.”
“I thought you were taking your sweet time, so I came to get you. Lady Seleiyu, this isn’t what we arranged.”
I realized that as I had been talking with Seleiyu, I’d lost my chance to change into my bear onesie.
A suspicious person in a hood jumped down from a tree.
Chapter 564: The Bear Does as Asked
Chapter 564:
The Bear Does as Asked
THE MAN IN THE HOOD walked over to us. Based on what he said to Seleiyu and the direction he had come from, he could be the man who had kidnapped her brother.
I could tell it was a guy based on his voice, but I felt like he looked familiar with that hood. Where had I seen him before? He was ringing all sorts of bells, but I just couldn’t remember.
“So who is this young lady with the bear? I believe I had asked you to come alone in my letter. This isn’t part of our agreement.”
The man looked at me.
“Well...”
Seleiyu looked at me like she had no idea what to do.
“I suppose this means I don’t have to hold up my end of the bargain.”
The man laughed. Seleiyu seemed like she was about to object, but she stopped herself. So I answered the man in her place.
“I’m Seleiyu’s friend. I saw her rush out of town alone, so I followed her. I had no idea why she left alone or came here, or that she was going to meet someone. She didn’t break your agreement.”
It wasn’t a lie. I hadn’t known anything when I left town. I’d just found out what was actually going on a few seconds ago.
“I guess it can’t be helped. Another student shouldn’t change things. It’s been a whole decade since we last saw each other, Seleiyu. As a token of how much I missed you, I’ll forgive you.”
He was wearing the hood, but I could see that he was smiling. It wasn’t just us two—Kumayuru was here too—but I decided not to bring that up.
“Ten years. Then you really are my mother’s murderer.”
Seleiyu seemed like she could hardly get the words out.
“Yes, I am the man who killed your mother,” the man said, pulling off his hood as he spoke. He was in his mid-thirties. His face was gaunt. “You likely don’t remember what I look like, considering how young you were.”
“I don’t remember your face, but I remember that grin. I remember the terrible sensation of you touching me as your hands were covered in the blood of my own mother.”
“Ha ha. I’m honored you remember me.”
The man smiled in the face of Seleiyu’s indignation. I could see Seleiyu’s hand clench.
“Is Keith safe?”
“He is alive for now. What happens next will depend on you.” The man laughed.
I could sucker punch him, hold him down, and force him to tell us where Keith was, but we couldn’t be sure he didn’t have cronies. If we acted rashly, it could endanger Keith. Seleiyu seemed to understand this too. She was restraining herself. It was obvious from her face and from her clenched fists.
“Where is Keith? I came just as you asked. Please give him back.”
“As I asked, hmm...?”
The man looked over at me.
“You said she wasn’t an issue.”
“I kid. Of course, I’ll take you to your brother now so I can return him to you. But the young lady will need to come too.”
If he would have let me go, I would’ve changed into my bear onesie and cut them off, but now that plan was a no-go. If I had the acting chops, I could have cried and started saying stuff like, “Please spare me!” “I’m not part of this.” “I won’t tell anyone! Please let me go back!”
Unfortunately, I was no actor, and besides, I didn’t really want to say stuff that made me seem so weak. It would be embarrassing.
“She’s not involved in this! You just need me, don’t you?!”
She was trying to protect me.
“Unfortunately, the young miss became involved the moment she came here. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. If she reports back to the town, then I’ll have all sorts of trouble on my hands. Or would you abandon Seleiyu and run? Friend of Seleiyu?”
The man emphasized the words “abandon” and “friend” as he turned his unpleasant smile toward me. By now, I felt like I’d figured out what was going on. The man who had killed Seleiyu’s mother had reappeared, kidnapped Keith, and called Seleiyu here. The one missing piece was why he wanted Seleiyu.
Based on what Seleiyu had said, it seemed like she had been present during her mom’s murder. She would have been a young girl ten years ago. I doubted she’d done anything to make the man to hold a decade-long grudge against her at such a young age. Why had he waited ten years to do this? I didn’t have enough information.
Either way, it didn’t change what I needed to do. Regardless of the reason, I’d protect Seleiyu, pummel this guy, and rescue Keith. That was all there was to it. At the same time, making the man angry now wasn’t a good move.
“Okay, okay. I’ll go with you.”
“Yuna?!” Seleiyu was shocked.
I had Kumayuru and Kumakyu, so if I wanted to escape, I could. But if I did, I’d be leaving Seleiyu and Keith to this creep’s mercy. It was better to stick with them. Once we knew where Keith was, we could figure the rest out. The one thing on my mind was that I didn’t have my bear onesie on.
I guess if things really got dicey, I could pull it on whenever I needed to.
“You’re a very smart young lady. That’s good.”
“Yuna...”
“Don’t worry about it, Seleiyu. I’ll come with you. We don’t know what he’ll do to Keith if we run, right?”
If he was going to let me tag along, then I would.
“Yes. I’m very glad you understand the situation—it makes things easy. If you try to run away, I’ll have no choice but to kill the little boy.”
He talked about killing so casually. If he were Seleiyu’s mother’s murderer, it made sense. But if the man was telling the truth, Keith was still alive. If he was only slightly injured, we could heal him. As long as he was alive, there was a chance we could save him. So long as we weren’t in danger, I’d do as the man told us.
“So where is Keith?”
“A short distance from here. As I said earlier, he is safe for now, but depending on what you do, who knows what could happen to him...” The unpleasant smile crept across the man’s face once again.
Gosh, I just really wanted to punch his lights out. The way he was smiling while toying with us irked me, not to mention his attitude. He was clearly acting this way because he knew he held the advantage.
I wanted to punch him, but I needed to hold back. People are infinitely capable of patience. I balled my hands into fists to try to keep myself calm.
“Though I’m quite impressed you have a bear with you, young lady.”
He was staring in curiosity at Kumayuru by my side. I was probably the only one who rode bears like a horse.
“They’re my precious family.”
“Well, you’ll be bidding your family a fond goodbye here.”
“You’re not going to kill them?”
I glared at the man.
“I am a gentleman. I wouldn’t do something so terrible in front of you. Not yet...”
The insinuation was clear.
“It will be a problem if you get on that bear and try to escape, so we’ll proceed on foot from here. You may tie your horse and the bear to a tree around here if you would like. If you refuse, then we’ll have to deal with them here.”
The man created some fire in his right hand using magic. Kumayuru would be fine, but not Seleiyu’s horse.
“All right,” I said.
“I’m so sorry, Yuna,” Seleiyu apologized, even though none of this was her fault.
She hitched her horse to a tree so it couldn’t escape, and I did something similar with Kumayuru. Or at least, I pretended to.
“Kumayuru, I’m sorry, it’ll just be for a bit.”
“Cwoon.”
Kumayuru gave a sad cry in response, but we really would be back soon.
“Is this okay?”
“What a very well-behaved bear. If only I had more time, I would research it, but we have a schedule to keep. Well, I’ll take you to your brother, so come with me.”
The man seemed satisfied. He turned his back to us and started to walk.
“Oh, and please don’t attack me from behind. If anything happens to me, you won’t find your brother alive.”
“We understand, please just bring us over to him.”
Seleiyu seemed chagrined, but she still followed the man. I followed behind them both, and I recalled Kumayuru instantly as if nothing had happened. Since it happened so fast, the two in front of me didn’t notice and just kept walking.
Well, what to do... If I used my detection skill, I could figure out Keith’s location, but I couldn’t do that in my school uniform. There was always a chance monsters were nearby too, so we had to be careful.
This really made me appreciate my bear onesie and bear summons. But let me reiterate: Why did my skills have to be tied to those clothes? If they weren’t, this would be much easier.
I made sure not to do anything suspicious so that we could make sure Keith remained safe.
Chapter 565: The Bear Is Angry
Chapter 565:
The Bear Is Angry
SOON, WE CAME UPON a gentle slope.
“I’m sorry, Yuna. I can’t believe I roped you into this.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. It’s his.”
He was the one who had kidnapped Keith and killed her mother. The man walking in front of us was obviously at fault, no matter how you thought about it.
“That is true, but...”
“I can protect myself, so you just worry about yourself and your brother.”
“I know you’re powerful, but it’s still my fault for bringing you into this matter. I should have paid more attention to my surroundings when I left town.”
Seleiyu felt a strong sense of responsibility for my involvement here, and to make matters worse, her brother had been kidnapped. I couldn’t very well tell her to remain calm. That would be terrible.
“Even if I have to give up my own life, I’ll make sure you and Keith get home to safety. Don’t worry.”
Seleiyu was willing to protect us, even if it meant sacrificing herself. I wasn’t going to let that happen, obviously. Even if I could save myself through Seleiyu’s sacrifice, I’d have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life. No thanks.
“Feel free to chat, but please stay close to me. If you seem like you’re trying to run, I don’t need to explain what’ll happen, do I?”
He didn’t even bother to turn around. Was he really that unconcerned with us?
“Don’t you feel cautious at all? We might attack you from behind.”
“I don’t know about you, but Seleiyu wouldn’t try something like that because of her brother. Even if you went for it, I’m sure she’d stop you.”
He said it as though he knew everything about Seleiyu.
“What if I don’t listen to her?”
“Ah, so you don’t care what happens to her little brother. Seleiyu, you should really choose your friends more carefully.”
His tone was really starting to annoy me.
“I won’t let Yuna do anything, so please don’t worry.”
“Ha ha. It looks like Seleiyu understands the situation better than you do.”
Maybe, but I’m the only one here who understands what’s in store for you.
“We won’t attack you or run, but I’d prefer not to walk in silence. May I ask you a few questions?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“You claim to be my mother’s murderer. In that case, why did you kill her? Did she do something wrong? Did something happen between the two of you?!”
“I’d known your mother since we were both students. She was kind to everyone, and beautiful too. She charmed me completely. I confessed my feelings once we graduated, but she wouldn’t accept them. Even though I’d loved her all along, she trampled my heart and married a man just for his money.”
The man gesticulated dramatically as he told his story.
“You killed her for something that petty?!”
Seleiyu gritted her teeth. Her hand trembled. She must have been mortified.
“It’s reason enough. She rejected me and trampled all over my love, but I was a kind man, so I waited a few years and told her how I felt once again. She responded the same way, so I killed her. I gave her a final chance, but she refused it. Can’t you see how cruel she was?”
The man turned around, looking to us for sympathy. His expression said he didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
Sorry, but I couldn’t agree. It was her choice, and any regular woman would choose Seleiyu’s dad over this guy. Seleiyu’s dad was a noble, had money, and seemed like a pretty nice guy. He’d be a real catch for any lady. Trying to compare the guy in front of us to him was ludicrous.
If Seleiyu’s dad had had a face like a toad or was as unpleasant as the noble who kidnapped Misa, then maybe I’d believe Seleiyu’s mom married him for money. But that wasn’t the case. This was all just jealousy and misdirected rage.
Even so, I could see that the man before us truly thought he had been betrayed and had held this slight against her. I didn’t know anybody this twisted. He was an even worse of person than I’d expected.
I know it’s weird of me to say this when I have no romantic experience whatsoever, but who kills someone for being rejected? I guess stalkers who were obsessed with the object of their affection existed in this world too. And apparently, rejecting that type of person’s love was enough to make them go off their rocker and commit murder. I’d seen news reports about that kind of stuff happening in my old world too.
If they had the time to get that obsessed, why not just use their boredom to play a fun video game or something instead? There were tons of fun things in this world to focus on too. Romance wasn’t the only thing you could enjoy, and for that matter, if your first love rejected you, you could just find a new one. I’d never been in love, so maybe that was why it seemed so easy to me. I guess the only person who really knows what it felt like was the one who had been rejected. Still, that didn’t justify killing anyone or chaining them down.
“You’re not in your right mind. How could you kill my mother just because she rejected you?”
After hearing the man’s story, Seleiyu could barely choked the words out. Now that she knew why her mother had been killed, she seemed even more unsettled. She glared at the man, hatred blazing in her eyes, but he had Keith, so she couldn’t do anything more.
“Okay, you killed her mother for rejecting you, but how does Seleiyu factor into this? Are you planning to kill her too?”
“Kill her? Of course not.” The man laughed at me. “I have no reason to kill her. She’s matured beautifully. She reminds me of my school days. We’re to be married.”
“Married...”
“It’s finally time for us to be bonded together.”
The man laughed. He really was out of his mind.
Wait, had this guy killed Seleiyu’s mom and then waited for her to grow up? Just imagining it grossed me out. Seleiyu, now the object of his misguided affections, seemed even more disgusted than me.
“I’m not my mother. I am Seleiyu.”
“No, you look the spitting image of her. And not just on the outside. Even your mental fortitude is the same as hers. Your kindness and inability to be cruel is just like your mother too.”
“I don’t intend to marry you. I would rather join my mother in death.”
“Would you have brother join you?”
“?!”
Ah, that was why he’d taken Keith hostage.
“You’re a coward.”
“I prefer to think of myself as a careful planner,” The man laughed. “And haven’t we thought about each other every day? Haven’t we lived for each other? Isn’t that love with each other?”
“I only did that to get my revenge for my mother if you ever appeared again.”
“But you still thought of me. Since your mother died when you were young, you’ve trained in the sword and in magic with me in mind. Even if it was out of hatred, you were always thinking of me. I couldn’t be happier just to know you had me in their thoughts.”
The man was giddy. It was disgusting just hearing him talk. He really was out of his mind. If he’d been spying on her this past decade...well, just the thought of it made me want to puke.
Seleiyu had known since she was a young girl that her mom’s murderer would come back, and that was why she polished her sword fighting skills and learned magic. It was such a long time that I couldn’t even imagine the amount of effort she’d gone through.
“Did you kidnap Keith in order to blackmail Seleiyu into marrying you?”
“Don’t make me sound so villainous. I took custody of Keith so he can live with us. That says, who knows what could happen if she rejects me.”
Hey buddy, that’s the exact definition of blackmail. This guy was getting on my last nerve, plus he was gross. It was all making me feel awful. I really wanted to rescue Keith asap and punch this guy’s lights out. I wouldn’t feel better until I did.
I balled my hand up into a fist and clenched it. When I looked over at Seleiyu, I saw that she was biting her lip to try to stop herself from doing anything rash.
“Are you okay, Seleiyu?”
“Oh, yes. I’m fine.”
She sure didn’t look fine. She was starting to look pale.
“I’ve never felt so uncomfortable in my life. I’m disgusted, angry, and saddened by the ridiculous reason my mother had to die. I feel like I can’t sort out all the emotions inside of me.”
Well, of course she’d feel that way. If a man tried to direct the same feelings at me, I would’ve knocked him out right away. Just thinking about Tiermina being murdered and Fina being kidnapped made me seethe with rage. I’d probably explode.
As I worried about Seleiyu, the man stopped.
“We’re here.”
“Where is Keith?!”
We didn’t see him anywhere.
I tried to use my detection skill, but I realized the screen wasn’t coming up. Right, right, I still couldn’t use it. I just couldn’t get out of the habit. Anytime I wanted more information, I’d just bring up the detection skill and map. I felt like I finally understood how much I relied on the bear gear.
“He’s over there.”
The man pointed ahead. Seleiyu ran over and I followed after her. We came across an unbelievable sight. We’d walked up a gentle slope, so we were pretty high up now.
“Monsters...”
A hilly landscape spread out before us, and we saw wolves and all kinds of monsters down below. It was probably over one thousand.
A boy was asleep in the middle of those monsters.
“Keith!” Seleiyu shouted.
Chapter 566: The Bear Finishes Prepping
Chapter 566:
The Bear Finishes Prepping
SELEIYU CALLED HER BROTHER’S NAME. But he was so far away, and he seemed unconscious. He didn’t respond.
“Is Keith alive?!”
“Yes, for now. After all, if he dies, I couldn’t hold up my end of the bargain.”
If I’d been able to use my detection skill, I could have confirmed what he was saying, but as of now, there wasn’t anything I could do. What a pain.
“What do you think? Isn’t it a spectacular view?”
The man threw out his arms, as if he was showing off the horde of monsters. From what I could see, there were wolves, tiger wolves, goblins, and even orcs. But why weren’t they attacking Keith?
“How did you gather so many of them?”
The man seemed giddy to hear Seleiyu asking the question. He started to explain.
“Oh, yes. After your mother was so cruel to me, I came across a certain individual. He claimed to be a monster tamer from the castle, but the king threw him out. In order to plan his revenge, he started to ramp up his research. Since we both wanted revenge, we started to collaborate. Soon, we found a way to control monsters.”
Revenge on the king? Monster taming? Those phrases rang a bell.
“It’s impossible to control monsters.”
Unfortunately, I knew that wasn’t true. I’d never met the guy, but he’d found a way to bring together a bunch of monsters like this too.
“You think so? You can see right there that your brother is in the middle of a monster horde and hasn’t been attacked. That is because I’ve commanded the monsters to leave him alone.”
He was right. Even though he was surrounded, the monsters were just walking around Keith, not attacking him. It wasn’t like they’d suddenly grown fond of Keith or anything—I could tell from here that they were still itching to attack him. They were like beasts waiting for their meal.
“If you truly don’t believe I can control them, would you like me to prove it by having them attack your brother? One arm should be enough.”
The man laughed as Seleiyu questioned him.
“I-I believe you, please don’t.”
Keith’s life was on the line, so she couldn’t call his bluff.
“Why did you even gather all these monsters in the first place? If you wanted to blackmail me, just having Keith is enough, isn’t it?”
He didn’t have a reason to gather such a large group. He had already killed Seleiyu’s mom, and she was the one he wanted revenge on. Technically, his revenge had already been carried out.
“You mean you want to know the role the monsters will play here? I’m going to use them to raze the town of the man who stole her from me.”
He was after Seleiyu’s father, then. Right—to him, Seleiyu’s father was the one who had stolen Seleiyu’s mother from him, so he hated them both.
“That’s not the deal we made. The townspeople are innocent.”
“I only promised to spare your brother’s life. I never agreed to leave the townspeople unscathed.”
Well, that sure was convenient of him. He just hadn’t even mentioned the townspeople, so he hadn’t promised to let them live.
“Without the adventurers around, I wonder how many of the townspeople might perish.”
“The adventurers are gone?” Seleiyu asked.
“Ha ha, you didn’t know? Most of the adventurers have left.”
“Seleiyu, the monsters around town had disappeared, so the adventurers traveled away.”
“So it’s true?!”
Seleiyu was shocked. Apparently, she hadn’t known.
“I heard it from the guild.”
Apparently, the monsters had been disappearing around this time of year for the last few years, so the adventurers had gone to other towns in order to make their money.
“It seems the young lady there understands. While the adventurers are gone, it will be easy to create many casualties in the town. The town has very few people doing voluntary patrols, and fewer soldiers. I should have more than enough monsters here.”
“Are you the reason why the monsters were disappearing at this time of year? It was because you were controlling them?”
“For someone so young, you’re a quick thinker. That’s right. In order to conduct my research, I lived far from the town. Sometimes I would visit, but when Seleiyu’s birthday would approach, I would go to visit her. During those times, I would practice controlling the monsters.”
“So that’s why the monsters would disappear every year around this time period.”
“Yes, it was a natural by-product of my plan. It may have been God’s will to bring Seleiyu and I together.”
Yeah, I was pretty sure there wasn’t a god around that’d do something like that. This world’s god was actually a pervert who loved toying with a weak girl by making her wear bear clothes. Ask me how I know.
“The town has a castle wall, so the wolves and goblins can’t get in there.”
Monsters couldn’t easily scale any fortifications. That was what the wall was for. A long as the monsters couldn’t fly, they wouldn’t be able to simply invade the town.
When I asked that, the man looked up, amused.
“Ha ha, look up.”
We did.
“Wyverns...”
I saw three wyverns circling in the air.
“If the wyverns break through the gate, the town is toast.”
That was what they’d been trying to do to the capital. I’d seen wyverns then too. Those ones were sleeping when I saw them, so killing them was easy. Since then, I’d already slayed plenty more wyverns while on Talgwei and in the Land of Wa. This kind of felt like a rerun.
Plus, there were only three of them. Or maybe this guy had a secret weapon up his sleeve like that wyrm in the capital attack? Even if he did, I’d just use my legion of flame bears to bake it from the inside out.
“Can I ask a question?”
“What is it, young lady?”
He answered with a smile. I guess he was in a good mood.
“What happened to the man who tried to take revenge on the capital?”
“Ha ha...ha ha ha...” He laughed. “He failed. He used his mana and life energy to gather ten thousand monsters, but he still failed spectacularly. From my research, his monsters were decimated by an A-rank party of adventurers, and he was killed by the king. Unlike me, he was unlucky.”
He was saying this all like it was a letdown, but he kept smiling the entire time. I really wanted to tell him, “Your luck turned against you the moment I showed up.”
Instead, I asked, “Wasn’t he your research buddy though? Weren’t you close?”
“We only cooperated with each other because the methods we were using to achieve our goals were aligned. We were never ‘buddies.’ We had entirely different goals, after all, so we decided not to interfere in each other’s business.”
If they were both doing the same research, there was still one thing that didn’t add up.
“You said that it took him a bunch of mana and even his life force to control his monsters. It doesn’t look like you’re using much.”
I hadn’t been all that interested in knowing at the time so I didn’t remember the details, but the king had said the same thing, that the other guy had used up all his mana and his own life energy in order to control the monsters.
“I’m not so driven to revenge that I’d kill myself. I mean, if I die, I couldn’t be with Seleiyu.”
He looked at me like I’d suggested something ridiculous.
“Then how are you controlling all these monsters?”
That was the part I didn’t get. He was kind of haggard, but he was still lively. Or maybe he just had tons of mana?
“Ah, that’s simple. I’m controlling the bare minimum of monsters and keeping the commands eassy. If I run a tight ship, I just need to supplement my mana with outside sources. You understand now, young lady?”
Okay, I got the first two points. But what about this other mana source? Was he using other people’s mana...or a mana gem? Suddenly, the puzzle pieces snapped into place.
“The mana gem...”
“Yes, how astute of you.”
The man seemed surprised.
“It was indeed a mana gem. I drew a magic circle on the gem so I could invoke simple commands.”
As he said that, the man suddenly pulled up his robe.
“You embedded a mana gem into your body?”
There was a gem in his chest, right around where his heart would be.
“If you kill me, the command will be canceled and the little brother will be attacked by the monsters. Call it insurance.”
So that was why he’d been monologuing like that. He knew that once he explained everything, we wouldn’t be able to attack him.
“By the way, there’s another mana gem hidden in Yufaria that matches this one. If I die, or a few hours after the sun rises, the monsters will march toward the other mana gem in Yufaria.”
“…?!”
“If you come with me, Seleiyu, then I’ll tell the young lady where the other gem is hidden and let her collect it.”
Seleiyu gritted her teeth as she thought.
“If you want revenge on my father, aren’t you being too generous? I don’t think there’s any benefit to you if you tell us where the gem is.”
“No, I’ll tell you. I really will. So what will you choose? Come with me, or die with all the others?”
Seleiyu looked over the horde of monsters. “I’ll go with you, so please tell us where the gem is hidden in the town.”
“Seleiyu?!”
“Yuna, once you know, you must tell Father.”
“You can’t be sure that this man will tell the truth.”
“Either way, you’ll be able to still leave, Yuna.”
“Ha ha, I do like a clever girl. Now, why don’t you start by removing your clothes?”
“Huh?! Why do you want me to do that?!”
“I can’t have you carrying around hidden weapons. Once you are finished undressing, put this around your neck.”
The man produced something from his item bag and threw it toward Seleiyu. Something that looked a whole lot like a collar fell to the ground.
“I know you can use magic. This magical device will suppress your mana.”
Seleiyu started to reach toward the collar, her hand trembling.
“Seleiyu, don’t pick that up.”
“What do you mean by that, young lady?”
“Exactly what I said. He’s not going to tell us where the mana gem is.”
“That isn’t true at all. I will tell you.”
“You’re talking about the one in the lake, right?”
“…?!”
That perked him right up. Now I was sure. I didn’t need any other information from this guy.
It must have been the same mana gem I’d picked up at the lake yesterday. This guy was the one who’d thrown it in there. The suspicious guy in the hood—it was him. That where I’d seen him before.
Now that I’d cleared all that up, I pulled my bear onesie out of my storage. Since this was an emergency, I pulled it on over the uniform.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Yuna?”
Uh, legs in first… Oof, my skirt was riding up inside the onesie. But that didn’t matter right now. If my onesie were see-through, everyone would have seen my bear panties. Luckily, it wasn’t.
“I’ll repeat myself. What do you think you’re doing?”
One arm in. Ugh, the uniform was getting in the way.
“Is this a practical joke?!”
“It’s not a joke...”
This was really uncomfortable with the uniform on.
Yick...
Finally, I pulled up the bear hood.
“What are you wearing?!”
“They’re bear clothes,” I said.
Okay, I was finally whole again. I was safe, no matter what happened.
“What could have compelled you to dress as a bear now, of all times?”
“Because now I can smack you around, slay all the monsters, and save Keith and Seleiyu.”
I pointed my bear puppet at the man.
Chapter 567: The Bear Saves Keith
Chapter 567:
The Bear Saves Keith
“YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT me and the monsters? What, was your plan to find an opening by making me laugh with that ridiculous bear getup?”
The man didn’t look annoyed or anything. It was an honest laugh when he saw my outfit. I knew putting on a bear outfit didn’t really make me seem very intimidating in such a serious situation, but it was annoying in a different way when he laughed right in front of me before.
“I don’t understand why you suddenly put on bear clothes, Yuna, but I don’t think you should rile him up.”
Seleiyu seemed utterly flabbergasted as she looked at me.
I get it. Her brother had been taken hostage, and now more monsters than we could count were about to attack the town. On top of that, the guy had told her to take off her clothes and put on a mana sealing collar. And while all of that was happening, the person next to her had thrown on a bear costume out of nowhere. I’d probably react the same way too.
Unfortunately, I really needed this to fight. I let out a little sigh to clear my mind and pointed right at the guy with my bear puppet again.
“I’m not joking around right now. Just like I said, I’m going to beat you up, defeat those monsters, and save Seleiyu and Keith.”
“Ha ha, okay, enough jokes. Seleiyu. Clothes off, now. Get that collar on and come to me.”
The man ignored me and held his hand out to Seleiyu. She started to bring her hands to her uniform. In order to stall, I started talking to the man again:
“Ah, so you don’t care about this, then?”
I pulled the mana gem from the lake out of my bear storage, making sure to show off the magic circle on it. The moment he saw it, the smile disappeared from his face.
“That gem...”
“It’s the same one you left in town, isn’t it? I knew you were going to tell us it was ‘in the lake’ or something once Seleiyu undressed. Then I would’ve scoured the lake for hours while you had a big laugh at my expense.”
It seemed like something an imp would come up with. The man never planned to tell us the exact location of the gem.
“Is that true?”
Seleiyu looked at the gem in my hands, then at the man.
“Girl, it’s rude to lie. I threw my gem into the lake last night. How could you have gotten your hands on it?! It must be a fake.”
He wasn’t calling me a young lady anymore, and his tone had changed. Not to mention that he’d just revealed that he threw the gem into the lake.
“You think a ‘girl’ like me would just be walking around with a mana gem this big? Or are you such an idiot that you forgot what your own magic circle looks like?”
I showed off the magic circle engraved in the gem again.
“Girl, if that’s real, then how in the world did you get it? I threw it into the lake. How could you retrieve it from the bottom of that deep lake? I threw it there just last night!” the man yelled.
That creepy grin had finally been wiped from his face, anger bubbling up to replace it. This expression looked way better on him.
“I was taking a walk in the lake last night, and lucky me! I just happened to pick it up.”
“Do you take me for a fool?”
“I do. That said, I really was walking near the lake that night.”
It really was by chance that I picked up the gem. After seeing a random hooded figure throw something into the lake, curiosity had gotten the better of me and I’d tracked it down. I was really glad I hadn’t just gone straight home.
“So what now? Are you going to throw your life away, like that other guy who tried to control monsters to get revenge on the king?”
I punctuated my taunt with a mocking laugh.
“Girl, you’re getting ahead of yourself!”
He lobbed some fire magic at me. I created a wall of water to block it.
“You said the monsters will come over to this mana gem, right? In other words, if I break this thing...”
I squeezed my bear puppet’s mouth over the gem.
“Stop! Do you know how much time it took to create that?!”
“No clue.”
It was a giant mana gem. Sure, it was a waste to break it, but if it attracted monsters, it was dangerous. I didn’t know how magic circles worked, but there was always a chance it’d attract other monsters, not just the ones currently here. If that happened, monsters would approach me wherever I was, even from inside the bear storage. It’d put Crimonia in danger. I’d thought about leaving it on Talgwei, but I didn’t need it, and I didn’t want to give it away to anyone.
I gathered mana in my black bear puppet, which held the mana gem, then released a spark of electricity. The gem cracked apart and fell to the ground.
“Girl...”
“So what’s plan B? You can still use your own mana and life force to control the monsters, can’t you? Ooh, but then you won’t be able to be with Seleiyu.”
I smiled. He’d laughed at us plenty—I could return the favor.
“Yuna, you...”
“Seleiyu, you don’t have to listen to him anymore.”
“But Keith...”
She looked over at her brother, who was in the middle of the crowd of monsters.
“That’s right. I still have him. If I stop issuing my commands, the monsters will attack your brother in an instant. With any luck, facing this many monsters will kill you as well. If you don’t do as I say, everyone here will die, including him.”
The moment he remembered that he had Keith, the man thought he was still at an advantage. He was giddy.
“Was that meant to be a threat? You don’t seem to understand your position.”
“What do you mean?”
I turned from the man to Seleiyu, then took her hand.
“Seleiyu, you must have worked so hard to prepare for this moment. I really want to be the one to make that guy eat dirt, but you’ve earned the honor.”
“Yuna?”
“I’ll go and save Keith, so you go and give that man a good beating with your own two hands.”
“What are you talking about? You’re going to save her little brother? But he’s in the middle of my group of monsters. Your jokes are getting old,” the man said. He’d looked like he was trying to stifle a laugh the entire time we were talking.
I hadn’t planned on telling him anything, but I wanted to reassure Seleiyu. I did also want to prove him wrong.
“Oh hey, I must have forgotten to tell you. That guy who tried to get revenge on the king or whatever? The ‘A-rank adventurers’ who defeated his monsters were actually just me.”
“What are you talking about...”
“This is nothing compared to how many he had back then. Are you sure you really wanted revenge? If you’re going to devote yourself to it, you need to be willing to risk your life for it.”
Honestly, it didn’t seem like a great life to me. Even that guy who wanted revenge on the king had been a great monster tamer once, before he headed toward the dark side. If he had made better decisions, he could have been an irreplaceable asset to the capital.
It was true with Seleiyu too. She was the daughter of a noble, beautiful and charming. She had spent her precious childhood dedicating her life to trying to avenge her mother. I wasn’t trying to deny the resentment she felt. If Fina and the others had been killed, I might have also tried to get revenge on the murderer. Actually, there was no might, I would have. But at some point, the cycle had to stop.
This man, on the other hand, had killed Seleiyu’s mother merely because she had rejected him, and now he was trying to get to her daughter too. He had taken a hostage and taken control of monsters to exact his revenge. He wasn’t even bothering to dedicate his life to his cause, but he still wanted to have it all. I could understand Seleiyu’s resolve, since her mom had been murdered. But who holds a grudge like this after being shot down?
“Seleiyu, I’d be really happy if you could trust me.”
I looked at Seleiyu with utter seriousness while dressed in my bear onesie. I knew I wasn’t convincing in this outfit. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again.
“Ha ha.” Seleiyu laughed this time. “All right. I’ll believe in you, Yuna. I’ll defeat this man, so please save Keith.”
Seleiyu bowed her head to me.
“What are you two chitchatting about? You’re still planning to save her little brother? You’re heading into the crowd of monsters?”
“So what if I am? Like I said earlier, you don’t have enough monsters to stop me.”
“Impudent little girl!”
His tone did a 180 again. He seemed to have a low tolerance for banter.
“Seleiyu, I’m leaving Kumayuru here with you. If you don’t think you can beat him, then you get out of here. I’ll mop him up.”
To the shock of both the man and Seleiyu, I summoned Kumayuru.
“The black bear from earlier.”
“But wasn’t Kumayuru back there?”
“They’re summons. I just recalled my bear when you two headed out ahead of me. You were both looking ahead, so it was easy. Kumayuru, protect Seleiyu.”
“Cwoon.”
That was Kumayuru’s way of saying, “Leave it to me.”
I also summoned Kumakyu.
“Okay, time to save Keith. Kumakyu, let’s go!”
“Cwoon.”
I jumped onto Kumakyu and we sprinted off in Keith’s direction. The man watched me go, which meant I needed to ensure Keith was safe before he could cancel his command to the monsters. It was a race against time.
I took a straight path to Keith. I guess because of their command, the monsters didn’t try to attack me yet, but that only lasted for a short time. Soon, they started to growl and stir. Soon, they attacked us. It looked like the command had been released, but it was too late. Keith was already right in front of me.
“Kumakyu, full speed.”
“Cwoon.”
My bear found a new gear as I fired off magic bursts to slay the monsters around us. They were starting to approach Keith, but from where I was now, I’d make it with some time to spare.
I used wind magic to blow away any monsters in Keith’s vicinity. Then I rode over to Keith where he was lying asleep on the ground. I hopped off Kumakyu and picked the boy up. He was still alive—he really had just been sleeping. It occurred to me that he might have been drugged. Either way, I was relieved.
After I made sure he was fine, I shouted, making sure Seleiyu heard me. “Keith is alive! Don’t worry about him!”
Next, I needed to get him to a safe place. I pulled my bear house out of my bear storage, took Keith inside, and laid him on the first-floor sofa to sleep. He’d be safe here.
I’d considered having Kumakyu protect him instead, but there were too many monsters. It’d be dangerous to have Kumakyu protect Keith out in the open while I was fighting. That meant the safest option was to move him with the transport gate, but I couldn’t just use that out of nowhere, so I settled on the bear house. This was safe enough.
I left Keith to quietly snooze in the bear house and headed outside. Now all I had to do was clean up all this trash.
Chapter 568: Seleiyu Fights
Chapter 568:
Seleiyu Fights
“OKAY, TIME TO SAVE KEITH. Kumakyu, let’s go!”
“Cwoon.”
After Yuna said this, she mounted her white bear Kumakyu and dashed off before I could say a word to stop her.
We were so high up.
“Yuna!” I shouted.
Somehow, Yuna and Kumakyu easily landed on the ground and dashed straight for Keith. She was charging straight into a horde of monsters.
“She’s charging straight toward death. What a stupid little girl. But I can’t let her continue. What a shame.”
After saying this, the mana gem under the man’s clothes glowed.
“What did you do?!”
“I only canceled my command. Now the monsters will attack the girl and your brother. I’m sure their deaths will be quite gruesome.”
I looked back at Yuna. All the monsters that had been surrounding Keith began attacking Yuna all at once. But Yuna was able to use her magic to defeat them as she plunged forward. Before long, she blasted through the monsters surrounding Keith and reached him. As she took Keith into her arms, she yelled:
“Keith is alive! Don’t worry about him!”
I was so relieved. Keith was alive.
“Oh, impressive. Guess she isn’t all talk. Well, she did brag about defeating the monsters that were going to attack the capital. Unfortunately for her, she’s surrounded by one thousand monsters and wyverns in the sky. No matter how powerful she is, she’ll have trouble fighting the monsters while protecting your little brother.”
That was true. No matter how strong someone was, trying to protect a defenseless person while fighting would prove difficult. Your movements were limited, and you would always be distracted. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t escape because she was surrounded. Yuna, Keith, and Kumakyu were all in great danger.
Well, that’s what I thought, but Yuna seemed to have a plan. A large object appeared before her.
“A bear?”
The object was gigantic and bear-shaped. It had a bear’s face and body, and it was actually quite adorable. It seemed entirely out of place in the middle of the swarming monsters. Yuna carried Keith into that adorable bear house. My mind went blank for a moment. It seemed the man was also shocked beyond words.
Soon, Yuna came back out of the house.
“Seleiyu! Keith should be safe in here, so don’t worry about him!”
“Ha ha...ha ha ha...”
It was all too much. I started to laugh uncontrollably.
Yuna was so entirely unpredictable that I couldn’t help it. First, she changed into a bear costume, then she revealed she had the very mana gem that the man had hidden in town to attract the monsters, summoned Kumayuru from nowhere, saved Keith, and conjured up a strangely shaped bear house from nothing. And now she was saying that Keith would be safe in there.
“I’m losing my patience with these jokes! Who is that little girl?! She dresses like a clown, and now this ridiculous building has shown up?!”
While I was trying to stifle my laughter, the man started to fume. He yelled and placed his hand on the mana gem at his chest. The gem glowed and the man looked like he was in pain.
“I’ll kill her. I’ll kill that ridiculously dressed whelp.”
When I looked over at Yuna, I saw more monsters had gathered around her and her bear. No matter how powerful Yuna was, this would be dangerous.
Now was my chance. I attacked the man using wind magic. The man matched me by using wind magic to block.
“I will defeat you,” I said.
“Cwoon.”
At my side, Kumayuru responded as well. What a smart bear.
I produced my sword from my item bag. I had worked so hard ever since my mother’s murder for this moment. Yuna had given me this opportunity. Thanks to her, the town was no longer in danger of a monster attack. Thanks to her, Keith was safe.
If I could defeat this man, the monsters attacking Yuna might stop.
“You’re all in my way! Why won’t any of you do as I say?!”
The man’s face had hardly showed any semblance of his true attitude until now. Before, he had been smiling, but now he was furious.
Ha ha. Seeing how upset he had become had made me very, very happy.
“Oh, that’s easy. You are utterly devoid of charisma.”
“If you’re so insistent about joining your mother, allow me to assist!”
Fire began to swell in his hand. I dashed to the side.
“Kumayuru, please protect yourself.”
“Cwoon.”
We both dodged the flames. Then I gathered my mana to create a fireball. I fired it at the man, but he blocked it all too easily.
“You think that’s enough to defeat me?!”
“I’m not done yet! I mastered both the sword and magic in order to defeat you!”
“A girl who hasn’t even experienced a real fight? Don’t make me laugh.”
Just as the man said, I did not have combat experience. But I had practiced until I shed blood, sweat, and tears. Yuna had given me this opportunity, and I refused to let it go to waste.
The man and I began our true fight. We were relatively evenly matched. He was slower than I had expected. He had ordered his monsters to kill Yuna, which must have consumed his mana. He looked short of breath.
“If I were at my full potential, I could swat you like an ant,” he said.
“Is that an excuse for when you lose?”
I couldn’t defeat him in close quarters combat, though. While we were at a distance, all we could do was exchange magical blows. I knew the man was avoiding close combat. Each time I attempted to approach him, he would attempt to thwart me with magic.
He was a mage. I doubted he could wield a sword. If we were closer, I would have the advantage. My plan was to turn the tides and close the distance. Besides, a magic battle would become a battle of attrition, and that would take time. The longer the battle persisted, the more Yuna would be in danger.
I blocked the man’s attacks as I searched for the right time to close the distance between us.
“Are you sure you should be using so much magic in quick succession?” I spoke to him, drawing his attention.
“Don’t worry. Not all of the monsters are under my command anymore. Monsters just attack anything within their vicinity on instinct. They don’t need my commands anymore. Once they kill the girl, I’ll capture you and can gather the monsters as many times as I need. I will admit though, it was a heavy blow to lose that mana gem the girl broke.”
The gem Yuna had carried was quite large. It couldn’t have been easy to obtain by any means, but that also meant that I needed to defeat the man here and now, or he could recover and try again.
“That said, I think I could call a few monsters over.”
As the man laughed, Kumayuru cried out. Several wolves appeared behind us. Swiftly, Kumayuru defeated them all.
“Thank you, Kumayuru.”
What an amazing bear. When he saw the wolves that he’d prepared in advance so easily defeated, irritation crept across the man’s brow once more.
“I am going to kill that girl in the bear getup, this bear, and every single bear in existence!”
“Whatever are you talking about? Bears are so adorable. If you can’t understand, we would be the most incompatible match in the world. I don’t want to be with a bear killer.”
“Cwoon,” Kumayuru happily crooned.
“Then you can watch as the wyverns kill that bear.”
I looked up in a panic. The wyverns were gone. But where?! My nerves were running high, but I couldn’t find them.
“Where are they?! Hurry and get over here!” the man yelled.
“Cwoon.”
Kumayuru crooned, then looked over to where Yuna was fighting. I turned to look too. There she was, surrounded by slain wyvern.
“It looks like Yuna took care of them already.”
I could only laugh. Yuna, just how strong are you?
“What is that little girl?!”
“I told you. She’s my friend.”
“I know all about you. If you were close to anyone, I could have kidnapped them. If she were your friend, I would know her.”
“Ah, that explains it. I only met her a few days ago.”
Thinking about it, Yuna and I had a difficult relationship to summarize. At first, I had only thought of Yuna as a student who had come with Noir as her guard. Then after our match, I had seen her as someone to look up to and envy. When she stayed at the manor, she was Noir’s friend.
She likely hadn’t truly been my friend at that juncture. That changed when Yuna had followed me out of concern. And though I was deeply jealous of her, when she had told the man we were friends, it had made me happy.
She had saved Keith for me and was fighting monsters on my behalf. If I couldn’t call her a friend after that, then who else could I call a friend? If Yuna ever ran into her own trouble, I would do all in my power to help her out.
“You’re saying a ‘friend’ you made only a few days ago would go to these lengths for you?!”
“Isn’t she the best friend one could ask for?”
I would defeat this man and return home with Yuna. I charged at him. He shot flames at me, but I dodged and continued to approach him. Kumayuru also rushed at the man as though to protect me.
“Get out of the way, bear!”
The man unleashed a fireball on Kumayuru.
“Watch out!”
“Cwoon.”
Kumayuru pawed at the air with their right foot and the flames seemed to disappear.
“How? You’re just a bear!”
The man tried to attack Kumayuru again. Oh no, Kumayuru!
I stepped forward and closed the distance between me and the man, thrusting my sword forward. This was probably the fastest I’d thrust my sword in my entire life. I stabbed him in the right shoulder, and he was sent flying back. I was able to interrupt his spell.
“Haah... Haah... I won.”
“No, now no one wins.”
He used his left hand to touch the mana gem in his chest.
“What are you doing?”
“I guess we’ll go to join your mother together.”
Though he was in pain, the man cackled.
As I was about to force him to explain, the earth trembled.
Chapter 569: The Bear’s and Seleiyu’s Battles
Chapter 569:
The Bear’s and Seleiyu’s Battles
I LET SELEIYU TAKE CARE of the man since she’d been focused on fighting him for so many years. Whether he was captured or killed, he needed to be handled by Seleiyu herself. If I defeated the man, Seleiyu would never fully be at peace. What I could do though was help her out.
I was still worried about her even after leaving her with Kumayuru, though. I wanted to slay all the monsters as fast as I could and get right back to her.
“Kumakyu, you handle the monsters that come near the bear house, please. I’ll slay the others.”
“Cwoon.”
That was Kumakyu’s way of telling me things were handled. I was really glad to have my bears’ help.
“Don’t be a hero though, okay?”
If any strong monsters appeared, I’d fight them myself.
The monsters either were really hungry from waiting so long to eat, thought we had stolen their meal, or that we were on the menu. They drooled as they attacked me and Kumakyu. But we weren’t even tasty!
In order to show them how dangerous I was to attack, I unleashed a blade of wind at the monsters around the bear house that killed several goblins.
“I won’t go after you if you run. But if you attack, I’m going to show no mercy,” I said to the remaining monsters, but it wasn’t like they understood me. They stepped over the carcasses of their brethren and attacked me and Kumakyu.
I defeated one monster after another as they continued their assault. There were a lot of them, but they weren’t strong. I could slay them easily using my magic.
As I was steadily picking off the monsters, Kumakyu called out to me from behind.
“Thanks, Kumakyu. I know, so don’t worry.”
The tricky monsters were the wyverns. As I was picking off the goblins, wolves, and orcs, I kept tabs on the wyverns above us. They just glided overhead.
I’d fought plenty of those guys before. I was used to how they moved. I’d just wait until they dove to attack and slash at them with an aerial bear claw. That’d slice right into them.
I slayed the wyverns in succession as they swooped to attack me. This was much easier than the first time I’d fought one, I guess experience really was the best teacher. The rest of the monsters had fled as soon as the wyvern came swooping toward me. It seemed that they were more scared of the wyverns than they were of me.
The monsters around the bear house were long gone too. I wasn’t going to go after the monsters that had run away. That wasn’t my role here. I was here to protect Keith and slay any monsters that attacked. They weren’t being controlled anymore, and I’d already broken the mana gem, so they wouldn’t try to approach the town either. No need to go out of my way to slay them.
Finally, all the monsters that had been coming after us were gone. There was just one really big one left. While I was trying to figure out what to do about it, the ground started to shake, then swell. It looked like I wouldn’t need to dig the big fella out, then.
Finally, the wyrm surfaced from underground. I’d already seen it with my detection skill, so it wasn’t a surprise to me. Honestly, this was just a total rehash of the capital attack. And it was a dollar-store version.
“Kumakyu, get back!”
“Cwoon.”
As soon as the wyrm came out of the ground, it opened its giant gross mouth and checked out its surroundings. When it detected me, it opened wide and plunged my way. As it did, its main weakness was exposed in full view. Was it asking me to attack?
I created some flame bears and sent them charging right into the wyrm’s mouth. My bears sparked inside of the wyrm and baked it from the inside out. The wyrm crashed down, obviously in terrible pain.
“Eating everything you see is dangerous, you know.”
Well, that was it for all the monsters that had surrounded us. Even the monsters that had been watching the bear house from afar seemed to have made a break for it on instinct when the wyrm appeared.
With that, my job was done. Now I just needed to check on Seleiyu. I left Keith and the bear house in Kumakyu’s capable paws and headed over to Seleiyu. If she hadn’t already taken care of the guy, I wanted to get a hit or two in myself.
SELEIYU
A wyrm appeared from below the ground. Based on its monolithic size, I knew this foe would not be easy to defeat. They rarely appeared, and few had witnessed them in person.
The wyrm towered over Yuna’s small bear-shaped form.
“Yuna!” I shouted.
She had to run. The wyrm opened its gigantic maw and fell upon Yuna. However, Yuna showed no sign of retreat.
“Ha ha. Bet you regret making a fool of me now. Die!”
The moment I thought Yuna would be eaten...had she used fire magic? It had been red in color, so I assumed it was a spell. I saw her send the flames into the wyrm’s mouth, then the monster started to writhe in pain. After swerving back and forth a number of times, it fell, never to move again. I had no idea what had happened, except that Yuna had defeated the wyrm.
The man stared at Yuna as if he had witnessed the impossible. Then a maniacal smile appeared on his face.
“Ha ha! Ah ha ha! A small girl…dressed as a bear…singlehandedly destroyed a decade’s worth of work.”
I couldn’t believe what Yuna had done either. Had the man not been here, I likely would have run up to her in joy.
“It’s all over. It’s time to pay for your crimes.”
I pointed my sword at the man. Then Kumayuru came up to me.
“Cwoon.”
Kumayuru held the collar out with their mouth. The man had said this device could seal one’s mana.
“Thank you, Kumayuru. I’m going to have you wear this collar.”
I took the collar from Kumayuru.
“You’re not going to kill me? I’ve spent all my mana and my life force controlling the wyrm. I don’t have long to live. If you want to deal the finishing blow, you’ll need to do it now.”
Sweat formed on his brow, and he seemed to struggle even to talk. I pointed the tip of my sword at him, but he didn’t move. He closed his eyes, ready to die. If I killed him here and now, everything would finally be over, but... I wasn’t the only one who had cared for my mother.
“I won’t kill you yet. I’ll take you to Father.”
Father was always filled with grief whenever the anniversary of my mother’s death came. He needed to see the man for himself to find closure for Mother’s death.
“I cannot have you using more mana and hastening your death, so you’ll need to wear the collar to seal your magic.”
“I’ll pass.”
The man attempted to stand, despite clearly being in pain—then touched his chest pocket and pulled something from within. As soon as I realized it was a knife, I acted without thinking and ran him through with my sword.
Blood splattered from his mouth.
“Ha ha. I don’t want to see your father’s face. If I’m going to die, I’d rather it be by your hands.”
He laughed even as he faced death.
“I killed the woman I loved and have been killed by you, the one dear to me. Nothing could make me happier. It’s only too bad that I couldn’t be with you.”
“You’re a fool. Mother wasn’t the only woman in the world.”
“But she was the only one for me. And as I saw you grow, I was drawn to you as well. I needed to have you for myself by any means necessary.”
“Everything you did, you took the wrong approach.”
“It was the only approach I knew.”
I had no response. Father loved Mother. Mother loved Father. No one could have come between them. I couldn’t tell him he should have tried harder.
“In the end, I’ll rejoin your mother, Shulia, before he can.”
As he laughed, blood spluttered from his mouth, and he collapsed to the ground.
Until I met the man who had murdered my mother, I had wanted to avenge her. Even when he appeared before me, I had resented him, hated him, and wanted to murder him. Now, he was dead.
Serenity returned to me, and I began to weep.
I had been relieved of the heavy weight that I had been carrying since my mother’s passing. It felt as though I had lost something.
The strength left my hands, and my sword fell from my grasp. Finally, it was all over.
“Cwoon.”
Kumayuru shuffled toward me, as though to show their concern.
“I’m all right. Thank you for worrying about me.”
Kumayuru’s call had brought me back to reality. In that moment, I remembered that Yuna had been fighting all the monsters on her own.
“That’s right. Where’s Yuna?”
“Me?”
I heard Yuna calling from behind me, so I turned around and saw her in her bear costume.
“Yuna! Are you all right? You weren’t hurt?!”
I ran to her and looked her over. My only observation was that she was very much still a bear.
“I’m fine. Looks like you did your part too.”
I was flabbergasted, as she truly seemed to be no worse for wear. When I saw her in her bear costume, this whole thing felt like a dream.
“Yes.”
I felt regret that I could not bring the man to face Father, but either way, it was all over.
“Is he dead?”
“Yes, I attempted to capture him, but he had a knife. I slew him before I knew it.”
I told her everything that had come to pass.
“It’s too bad, but your life is more important.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Had I not acted, I would have been stabbed instead.
“But it’s all over now.”
“I have no idea how to thank you, Yuna.”
A simple thank you was not enough to convey how much Yuna had done for me. Had Yuna not been here, I would have been powerless. The man would have captured me, attacked the town with his monsters, and I never would have known what became of Keith.
“A long as you and Keith are safe, that’s enough. It was all that man’s fault to begin with.”
“That’s right. Where is Keith?”
I had almost forgotten about my little brother.
“He’s asleep in the house. He’s fine. The monsters can’t attack him in there and Kumakyu is watching him.”
That was a relief. Thanks to this curious girl in a bear costume, everything had come to a close.
Chapter 570: The Bear Heads to the Bear House
Chapter 570:
The Bear Heads to the Bear House
APPARENTLY, SELEIYU HAD WANTED to capture that man to take him to her father, but the man had forced her hand.
“Let’s go check on Keith.”
Seleiyu acted composed, but because it was her first time ever having killed anyone, her mind was elsewhere.
“Seleiyu, your sword.”
I picked up her sword from the ground and offered it to her.
“Th-Thank you.”
Seleiyu’s hand trembled as she took it.
“Ha ha. How embarrassing. My hands are shaking.”
None of this was embarrassing. It was a way more human response than being happy about killing a person.
Seleiyu smiled as she took the sword, then she wiped it down and tried to sheathe it, but she was having trouble. I gave her as long as she needed.
Once she was done, Seleiyu exhaled.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I am,” she said. “I’m sorry that I’m acting so pathetically.”
I hadn’t killed anyone before, even though I’d beat a lot of people within an inch of their lives, but I was used to blood from fighting monsters. Seleiyu probably didn’t have any experience in that regard either.
Plus, killing a monster was different from killing a person, even if that person was a true villain. Only the person who had done the killing truly knew what it felt like.
“What should we do about him?”
I looked over at the man, face down on the ground.
“We couldn’t take him in alive, but I would still like to take him to Father. We can put him on my horse later.”
That would be double the effort, then. That said, I wasn’t going to ask Kumayuru to carry a corpse on their back. Since he was lying face down, I didn’t know how bloody he was, but judging from Seleiyu’s sword, it probably was pretty bad.
In that case, maybe I could do something else...
“I’ll carry him to the horse,” I said.
“But...”
Seleiyu looked over at Kumayuru.
“No, no way. I’m not going to have Kumayuru carry him.”
I used earth magic to lift the ground he was on and created something that looked kind of like a casket on wheels. I even gave it a lid, so you didn’t have to see inside. It was pretty unpleasant to see a corpse, after all.
Finally, I made a mini bear golem that could pull it like a wagon.
“You truly are full of surprises, Yuna.”
We used a clear path so that the casket on wheels could safely travel down to the bear house where Keith was. Seleiyu walked ahead of me—probably because she was really eager to see her brother. I thought about riding on Kumayuru and looked over to find my bear had something in their mouth.
“Kumayuru, what have you got there?”
Kumayuru spat it out for me. It was the collar that could suppress mana—the one the man had wanted to put on Seleiyu. At some point, Kumayuru had picked it up. I didn’t want to toss it, so I stashed it in my bear storage.
I mounted Kumayuru and maneuvered the casket on wheels over to the bear house after Seleiyu. Seleiyu looked at all the fallen monsters as she walked, her eyes lingering on the wyrm.
“Yuna, how did you defeat that wyrm? I thought I saw you send fire magic down its throat. I didn’t think that could be enough to defeat it.”
“After I throw my bear fire into the wyrm’s mouth, the bears march around inside it.”
I created a bear flame to illustrate.
“Wouldn’t the wyrm’s internal bodily fluids smother the fire?”
“The bear fire burns stronger than regular flames. Since they can’t be smothered, they bake the wyrm from the inside out.”
My bear magic was stronger than normal magic. Even though I couldn’t do this stuff with regular magic, I could when it was bear shaped.
“That sounds ridiculous, but after seeing it with my own eyes, I can only accept it as the truth. You’re extraordinary in every way, Yuna. I feel silly for ever thinking I could defeat you. But I’m past that now.”
She said the last part very quietly, but I still heard it. She’d already avenged her mom and the man was dead. Seleiyu didn’t need to be strong anymore.
“I still can’t believe you would make even your flame magic bear shaped. You truly love bears, Yuna.”
As she said that, I noticed that she had the prettiest smile.
“Cwoon.”
Before I could reply, Kumayuru crooned happily in response.
“I was shocked when you started to change into your bear clothes. Is there a reason why you did so?”
I explained it away using my usual spiel.
“I’ve got the bear’s blessing, so my magic gets stronger when I dress as a bear.”
“You’ve been blessed by bears? Is there really such a thing?”
Well, no. But I couldn’t say that, so I committed. By now, I knew the script front-to-back.
“Kumayuru and Kumakyu being my summons is proof of that. They love me, don’t they?”
“I suppose they do.”
Seleiyu looked over at Kumayuru, who I had been riding.
“Is that why you have gloves with bear faces?”
“Yeah, basically. It’s much easier to use than a wand to gather magic.”
Okay, that was an outright lie. I couldn’t even use magic with a wand.
“So in exchange for power, you need to dress as a bear...”
Seleiyu stared at me seeming conflicted.
“Didn’t you say you don’t need to be strong anymore?” I said.
“You heard that?” She seemed embarrassed. “It’s true. I no longer have a reason to become stronger, but I do admire the power you have. You need power like that in order to protect the people important to you.”
The downside was I had to look like a bear while doing it. My power came from being dressed in bear stuff.
“You’re a noble, so I don’t think you need to be powerful on your own. You’re the person who’s supposed to give orders to strong people.”
“I suppose that’s true, but...”
“It’s the good thing about having authority.”
“My nobility not something I earned for myself.”
“No one can choose the circumstances of their birth. I think since you were born as a noble, it falls to you to use that power justly.”
Some people were arrogant just because they’d been born into the nobility, and I didn’t want Seleiyu to become someone like that.
“Of course. That’s one thing I can do.”
Seleiyu looked over the dead monsters again. They were scattered all over the place after I’d killed them. It was kind of too late, but I still felt pretty bad for them since they were just being controlled by that guy. That said, they’d still attacked me after being released, so I still had to slay them.
I couldn’t just leave them here. I’d need to clean them up later. Most of them had escaped, but I’d still taken down a ton of monsters.
“It looks like there are fewer monsters now compared to the start?”
“They all ran when the wyverns and wyrm came out. Some of the monsters might try to flee close to town or the roads, so you should call the adventurers back in and patrol the surrounding area.”
I didn’t know where the monsters had gone, but honestly, that wasn’t my job anyway.
“All right. I’ll inform Father once I return home.”
“Now we know why the monsters kept disappearing around this time, so they’ll probably start showing up again next year. You should be careful of that too.”
“I will have to inform Father of a great many things, then.”
Once we got to the bear house, Kumakyu returned to us. They had been guarding the house this whole time.
“Thank you, Kumakyu.”
“Cwoon.”
I patted Kumakyu’s head. Then Kumayuru and Kumakyu nuzzled each other to make sure they were both unharmed.
“They’re so close.”
“Well, even though they get along, if I only use one of them, the other one sulks. It’s a tough balance.”
“Ha ha. That just shows how much they care for you as their owner.”
It’s true, I did kind of like it.
“So, Yuna, this bear is really a house, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. I use it whenever I travel. As long as I’m in here, wolves and goblins and other low-level monsters can’t get me, so it’s secure.”
Wyverns had never attacked it to be fair, so I didn’t know if it could withstand that kind of assault.
“You’re such a curious girl, Yuna.”
I asked my bears to stand watch as we headed into the house. Seleiyu looked around in wonder behind me. Then she saw Keith on the sofa and ran over.
“Keith!”
“He’s fine. He’s just sleeping.”
“I’m so glad.”
“I’m not sure if it’s medication or an enchantment, but we should probably let him sleep whatever it is off.”
I stopped Seleiyu from waking him. If he woke up now, I’d have to explain the bear house to him too. And also Kumakyu and Kumayuru. And the monsters. And the wyrm carcass outside. That was a lot of work I didn’t want, so I hoped that Keith wouldn’t wake up for a while.
“Of course. We don’t need to wake him now. If we return him home like this, he won’t even know he was kidnapped. Fears from childhood are difficult to shake. It would be better not to tell him what he doesn’t need to know.”
Since Seleiyu had seen her mom killed right before her eyes, I trusted her judgment here. I couldn’t even imagine what that could have been like. If Fina or Noa were killed in front of me, I’m sure it would have stayed with me forever.
If he didn’t know he had been kidnapped, it was better to not tell him.
Chapter 571: The Bear Talks with Others
Chapter 571:
The Bear Talks with Others
“SO, SELEIYU, ABOUT ALL THIS. I’d like you to keep quiet about me.”
“About what, specifically?”
“About this house and the fact that I defeated the monsters.”
“I can keep quiet about this place, but the monsters too? If you told the guild, you would likely receive a monetary reward. They might not believe it of course, but I can put in a good word for you. I would like to tell Father you saved the town. He will want to thank you too.”
“I don’t need a reward or a thank-you from your dad,” I said.
“Wait, but then I wouldn’t be able to thank you either.”
“Like I said, I don’t need you to thank me. You and Keith were safe and that’s enough for me.”
I hadn’t saved them for money or gratitude. I just didn’t want someone I knew to die because I stood idly by. If I hadn’t known Seleiyu, I probably wouldn’t have cared after seeing her go by on her horse like she had. I wouldn’t have followed her, first of all. I probably wouldn’t have cared much if I had heard she died.
But then I talked to Seleiyu and got to know her as a person. I wanted to help her, but it wasn’t her job to thank me. I did this for myself.
“Yuna...if you were a boy, I think I could fall in love.”
Okay, I may be flat chested, but I was still a girl.
“Actually, Keith is the heir, so even if you are a girl...”
I thought I heard her say something in a whisper. It was just my imagination, right?
“But if we don’t tell anybody, then no one will know what you’ve done, Yuna.”
“I don’t want people making a big deal out of me. Plus, even if I told people I defeated those monsters, they wouldn’t believe me. If you hadn’t seen it yourself, would you believe it?”
“Well...”
“Exactly. We don’t need to tell anyone about it. Other people would start looking at you funny too.”
“But you saved me and Keith! You saved the town! How can we keep that a secret? Plus, there are the monsters outside. That’ll serve as proof to anyone who doesn’t believe us.”
People would still look at me funny and rumors would start, though. Most importantly, it sounded like a pain.
“I must report back about the monsters you killed. You’ll lose the right to the spoils.”
“No need to worry about that. I’ll put the things I need in my item bag and clean up the other monsters. If the monsters aren’t here, you can say you saved Keith from the man all on your own.”
That was the best way to clean up this mess. Seleiyu thought it over.
“All right. If that’s what you want, then I won’t force you. However, can we please just tell people that we saved Keith from the man together? I can’t budge on that.”
“All right,” I said.
I compromised on that one bit too. Honestly, it’d make things a lot easier to explain if I was present there too.
After we found a compromise that we both agreed on, we finished recapping what had happened. The only thing left was to clean up the monsters outside. Maybe I’d take off my bear onesie first? My skirt was all flipped up inside the onesie and it felt weird. It was kind of hot wearing my uniform under the onesie too. But maybe it would be better to take care of the monsters outside first? There was a chance the other monsters might come back.
I wanted to change, but I decided to stay in my bear onesie for a little longer.
“What are you going to do now, Seleiyu?”
“What about you?”
“Like I said before, I’ll clean up the monsters and then go home. It’ll be a whole thing if I leave them here.”
I felt bad for the goblins and orcs, but I didn’t need their mana gems, so I’d just bury them.
“In that case, I’ll help too.”
“Are you sure? Won’t your family worry about you?”
“Well...”
Seleiyu looked at Keith, who was asleep still.
“It’s okay,” I said.
“No, I think Father might scold me, but you saved me and now I’m even making you clean up. I don’t know how I’ll ever face you after all you’ve done for me.”
Seleiyu shook her head.
“You really don’t need to worry about it.”
She was being really stubborn about it. Having an argument here wouldn’t help anyone, so I decided to clean up fast and get back to town quickly. That would be faster. Arguments sure were a pain.
“In that case, can you take care of the goblins and orcs? I don’t need the mana gems, so it’ll help if you dispose of them.”
If you didn’t dispose of the monster bodies, then they could attract other monsters or become vectors for disease. We had to burn them or bury them.
“Yes, I can do that.”
Seleiyu and I went outside.
“What about the wyrm? You’re not going to harvest its parts here?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll just put it away in my item bag for now.”
As I spoke, I did just that.
“Oh, yes. You also pulled this house from there, I take it? You always continue to shock and amaze, Yuna.”
Next, I put away the big wyverns and soon there were only wolves left. My bear storage sure was useful.
As I was trying to store the wolves, Kumayuru and Kumakyu came over to me.
“What is it?”
They both crooned. They were looking in a certain direction. I wonder... Had more monsters come?
I used my detection skill, and it alerted me that several people were on their way here.
“Did something happen with Kumayuru and Kumakyu?” Seleiyu asked, as she took care of a nearby goblin.
“It looks like someone’s on their way. This is bad. We need to do something.”
The wyverns and wyrm were gone, but the wolves, goblins, and orcs were still all over the place. And the bear house. Oh, and I hadn’t changed yet. Well, I normally dressed as a bear, so I guess that part wasn’t a big deal.
“Seleiyu, you take Keith.”
If Keith was still in the bear house, I couldn’t put it away into my storage.
“Keith?”
The people were approaching fast. They must have been on horses.
“No, you won’t make it in time.”
I saw the people were almost here. We were too late.
“Right, Seleiyu, let’s make up a story.”
“What?!”
“Please just follow my lead?”
“All right. I’ll try.”
If they were adventurers, we could just lie. Like, we could say that an adventurer we didn’t recognize had slain them. The biggest issue would be how to explain the bear house.
While I was thinking over what to do, Seleiyu said something I hadn’t expected.
“That’s Father.”
We finally got a good look at the people coming in. It was true. Seleiyu’s father was riding over. So were the people with him guards? As he looked at all the slain monsters, he made his way directly to us.
“What do we do, Yuna?!”
“Don’t ask me!”
Seleiyu was flustered.
“You were going to report to your father anyway, weren’t you?”
“Yes, but I’m not mentally prepared yet.”
Well, I wasn’t either. But Seleiyu’s dad didn’t seem to care about any of that.
“Seleiyu!”
He dismounted his horse.
“Father, what are you doing here?”
“I saw your letter. And once I learned you had left town, I followed you here.”
Seleiyu looked at me, at a complete loss. I didn’t know what to do ether. What DO we do?
Seleiyu’s dad looked around, then looked at her again.
“You’re not hurt?”
“No, I’m all right,” she said.
“I have many questions. First, is Keith safe?”
“Yes, he’s unscathed. He’s inside the house resting.”
Seleiyu’s dad looked at the bear house with suspicion. Well, his son had just been kidnapped. If you told someone their son was safe in a bear-shaped house after that, of course they’d react like that.
“I see. So he’s safe. What is going on with these monsters?”
Seleiyu’s father looked around. Wolves and goblin corpses dotted the landscape. We had to explain, but at least the wyrm and wyverns were already in my storage.
“We shouldn’t talk here, so shall we go into the house?”
I thought it’d probably take a while to explain everything. I wanted to go back to town first, but it didn’t seem like the right time to suggest something like that. Either way, we needed to check on Keith, so we went inside.
Hearing my proposal, Seleiyu’s dad gave another dubious look at my bear house.
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
It seemed he didn’t recognize me in my bear clothes.
“Father, this is Yuna, she came to our manor with Noa.”
“I see... Noa’s friend... But why are you dressed as a bear?”
“Father, is now the best time?”
Before I could answer him, Seleiyu came to my rescue.
“You’re right. For now, just tell me what happened.”
The guards stayed outside with my bears to keep watch. The guards looked dubious when I told them my bears weren’t dangerous, but they nodded. Then we headed inside.
Seleiyu’s dad gawped in wonder at the interior. Then, as soon as he saw Keith on the sofa, he ran over like Seleiyu had.
“Father, he’s fine. He’s only sleeping.”
She told him the same thing I had told her.
I brewed some tea for everybody and set it on the table.
“Please have some tea while you talk. I’ll leave you to it.”
“No, please stay, Yuna.”
My escape had been cut off, so Seleiyu and I sat down across from Seleiyu’s dad. He looked at her, but Seleiyu averted her eyes.
“Well, I’m waiting.”
Seleiyu slowly began.
Chapter 572: The Bear Explains
Chapter 572:
The Bear Explains
SELEIYU STARTED TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING that had happened over the last decade. She began with the night her mom had been killed and her hazy memory of the man. She told her father about how there was a chance the man would appear again on her sixteenth birthday, and that the man had threatened her brother’s life if she told anyone. She told him how, in order to protect herself and avenge her mother, she had taken up the sword and learned magic.
Soon, she got to today. She explained how her brother had been kidnapped and the letter she had found in her room. She said she came here alone, just like the letter said to. That’s when I cut in to tell him how I had seen her leave and followed her because something felt off. Her father listened in silence as Seleiyu talked about everything she had felt until now.
“I’m sorry. I thought that you wanted to become strong because your mother was killed in front of you. I had no idea that you were doing this in case the man who killed Shulia might return.”
“Well, I told you that it was for my own self-defense, Father.”
“When I read your letter, it seemed as though you were prepared to die. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing both you and Keith, so I came as quickly as I could.”
“Father...”
“I’m sorry you were in such pain.”
“It’s not your fault, Father. Mother’s death was like a nightmare. It was all too real, but I couldn’t comprehend what was happening at the time. Even though I was young, I knew that if there was even a chance what the man had said was real, there was no way I could tell anyone. All I could do was prepare for my sixteenth birthday by learning how to fight with a sword and use magic.”
It was a long time, even just imagining it. I think I would’ve started to lose my mind. But now, after years of carrying that burden, she could finally let it go. Seleiyu was only sixteen. She was finally able to start her life.
“Now, that man is...”
Seleiyu gulped and looked straight at her father before she began to speak.
“I killed him.”
Seleiyu’s father stood from his chair and slowly walked over to her. She froze. But then he gently hugged her.
“I am truly sorry,” he said.
“Father...”
Seleiyu’s eyes teared up. I was glad, genuinely glad. But I kind of felt like having a girl dressed in a bear suit next to them kind of spoiled the idyllic family moment.
After that, Seleiyu and I told the (heavily redacted) story of what had happened here.
“He controlled the monsters...and she defeated them all on her own...?”
In the end, we couldn’t hide the monster corpses outside, so we had to tell him that I’d defeated them. At first, he couldn’t believe it, since he had seen the monsters himself, but he accepted it after Seleiyu explained and he saw my rank C guild card.
Of course, we didn’t tell him about the wyrm or wyverns. The monster controlling was already unbelievable enough, so we didn’t need to pile on.
“Actually, Yuna, the man said he threw the mana gem into the lake, but how did you find it?” Seleiyu asked the question as though she’d just remembered. I couldn’t explain that, of course.
“You can’t ask a lady to reveal her secrets.”
“A ‘lady’...?”
Hey, even in a bear suit, I was still a young lady, darn it.
Seleiyu looked unconvinced, but she didn’t press. Maybe she sensed I didn’t want to talk about it.
We put a bow on the conversation with that. It seemed like Seleiyu’s dad didn’t really believe all of it yet, but Seleiyu and Keith were safe, so he didn’t push us for more.
“Yuna, was it? Thank you for saving my daughter.”
He bowed his head to me.
“I’m glad Seleiyu and Keith were safe.”
That was the most important thing. But now we had to talk about what to do next. Especially regarding the monsters outside the bear house. I offered to dispose them, but Seleiyu’s dad shook his head.
“You both must be exhausted. I’ll leave my two guards here, and we’ll ask the Adventurers’ Guild to handle the monster disposal.”
“Father, I heard something from Yuna. Around this time of year, because the man was practicing his monster controlling powers, the monsters always disappeared and the adventurers stopped coming.”
“Yes, I received a report to that effect. We should be able to ask the guild staff to handle it. There should be enough to dispose of the monsters.”
Right, the guild staff in Crimonia helped with monster harvesting too. They were twiddling their thumbs right now, so they’d probably be ecstatic to have something to do. Though if I were in their shoes, I’d rather have a break.
“But how will we explain all this? I’ve promised Yuna I would keep her involvement secret.”
I really didn’t want to deal with all this, so I’d asked her not to tell anyone.
“If the person who slayed the monsters doesn’t come forward, then whoever finds the monsters may claim them. We can keep silent about her. And if I order it, nobody will ask further questions.”
Well, he was the feudal lord, after all. People probably wouldn’t push him for answers. He went on to say that they could convert the disposed-of monsters to a financial award and give it to me. Well, more money was always useful, so I’d be happy to take it.
Finally, we headed home.
“I’ve gotta go change, so can you wait outside for a bit?”
Seleiyu’s dad understood and left carrying Keith on his back. Seleiyu left after him. Once I confirmed they were both gone, I started to pull off my bear onesie.
“Haaah...”
It was good to cool off. Wearing a uniform under the onesie really was a bad choice. I was sweating. I’d have to take a bath later.
I put my onesie into my bear storage and left my bear house. Then Seleiyu came by again.
“I’m sorry, Yuna, but could you show the man’s face to Father?”
Apparently, he wanted to see it before they headed back. The casket lid was pretty firmly set in place so it wouldn’t fall off.
I turned my back to Seleiyu and walked over to the casket. But then Kumakyu, Kumayuru, and Seleiyu all cried out.
“Cwoon!”
“Yuna!”
I turned around.
“What?! Is it a monster?!”
“No! Your skirt! Your skirt is flipped up!”
Kumayuru and Kumakyu surrounded me from behind as Seleiyu ran over and fixed my skirt for me.
“Wait, did you see it?!”
“No! I didn’t see the bear!”
“?!”
Then she had! I instantly turned red. I fled into the bear house to get away. Seleiyu had seen my bear panties.
“Yuna, it’s okay. Only me and Kumayuru and Kumakyu saw them. Father and the others weren’t in a place where they could see you.”
I heard her trying her best to explain.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. They were all looking at the casket. And when you turned around, only the three of us were behind you. Kumayuru and Kumakyu both protected you when they noticed too. Nobody else saw your bear panties.”
That was the finishing blow. She had indeed seen them. It wasn’t like I could stay in my bear house forever, so I tried to take it in stride—but when I looked at everyone, I could tell they were all averting their eyes. Right. After hearing Seleiyu freak out about my underwear, of course nobody could meet my eye.
Trying to keep my cool, I opened the casket lid again. It was as if I wasn’t even there as Seleiyu’s dad checked the man’s face.
“I don’t recognize him. But based on what you said, he might have been Shulia’s classmate.”
Seleiyu’s dad had apparently been three grades above her.
One of the guards ended up pulling the casket with his horse. Since we hadn’t explained the mini bear golems, they’d been confused when they saw them. The golems were no longer necessary to move the casket, so I cleaned them up, then put my bear house away in my bear storage. Everyone was surprised when I did that, of course.
“I was so shocked when it appeared, but it’s just as surprising to see it go back into your item bag.”
“Keep it a secret.”
Seleiyu’s dad left two of his four guards here and had the other two return to the town to ask the guild to dispose of the monsters. He had Keith on his back as he got on his horse. Keith was still asleep—I guess he really had been drugged. I hoped he would stay asleep until they got home.
Seleiyu mounted Kumayuru and I rode on Kumakyu. Then we headed off to where Seleiyu’s horse was hitched.
“Thanks, Kumayuru.”
“Cwoon.”
After Seleiyu got off Kumayuru, she approached her own horse. She patted its neck gently before getting on. The horse seemed happy that Seleiyu was back too.
We arrived back at the town without incident, save for the gate guard staring at me riding Kumakyu for a while. I guess anyone would be shocked to see a girl riding a white bear. Seleiyu’s dad had talked to him for us, so we had no trouble getting in. That was a feudal lord for you.
“I should head back to Noa now,” I said.
“Thank you so much, Yuna, truly. I’d like to thank you properly tomorrow, so you must come by.”
I’d already said I didn’t want a thank-you, but now that Seleiyu’s dad was saying it too, I couldn’t say no. A lot of stuff had happened and Seleiyu was exhausted, so we decided to save things for tomorrow.
Most importantly, Seleiyu was tired in both mind and body.
“Make sure you rest really well.”
“I should be the one to say that to you, Yuna. How many monsters did you slay?”
Seleiyu was worried, but I wasn’t all that tired. I had my bear shoes on, after all, so I wouldn’t get tired even if I ran around.
I took my leave and headed to the academy. Now the question was whether Noa would be upset.
Chapter 573: The Bear Makes a Mistake
Chapter 573:
The Bear Makes a Mistake
AFTER LEAVING SELEIYU, I headed over to the lake where Shia and Noa would be.
I figured things would be okay, but I was also a little worried. I was only supposed to be out at Seleiyu’s house for a short time, but I’d ended up leaving the town to go battle monsters. I never could have guessed all that would happen.
I headed into the academy and arrived at the lake, but I had no reason to worry. Things looked completely identical to the way they had before I’d headed to Seleiyu’s house. I heard the students shouting in excitement as they were prepping what looked like a barbeque. It smelled great.
If I’d made even a slight mistake, this would have all been destroyed. I was glad I’d stopped that man’s plan. A lot of suffering would have been created by one man’s unrequited love. The guy really had been a nuisance. He had a talent for magic, so if he could have just used it for good, there was no reason he couldn’t have lived happily ever after with some other lady.
Anyway, where was Noa?
“Oh, Yuna!”
Noa spotted me first, as I was searching for her. She came up to me, now wearing her swimsuit.
“You took such a long time, Yuna. Did you get to see Lady Seleiyu?”
“I did. We got to talking and it took longer than I thought. Sorry.”
“I’m just glad that nothing happened to you, Yuna. It was taking a while, so I thought something might have come up.”
She was sharp.
“You’re not in your bear outfit today, so I figured it would be okay. I did still worry, though.”
Yeah, my bear onesie did get me into a lot of trouble, but not this time. So if I got into trouble even without the bear onesie, did that mean I was just prone to getting pulled into these types of things naturally?
“Did you finish everything you needed to with Lady Seleiyu?”
“Yeah,” I said.
Seleiyu and her family said they would look into the man and take care of all the other stuff, so I was sure my job was done.
“Then would you like to play with me? You should hurry and change into your swimsuit.”
Noa grabbed my bear puppet.
“Uh. I’m okay.”
“But you promised to once you got back.”
Right, I might have done something like that. So many things had happened that I’d forgotten all about it.
“So let’s go!”
Noa seemed to be having the time of her life pulling me by the hand as she dashed off. In the end, I couldn’t escape, and I had to change into a swimsuit to hang out with Noa and Shia.
I didn’t mind, but I couldn’t keep up with these kids, and I quickly ended up out of commission, of course. Playing with the energetic young child was just too hard for me as an ex-shut-in.
I had put away my bear gear in my bear storage, so I was only wearing my white bear puppet at this point.
“So you’re all leaving tomorrow, Shia?”
“Yes. Would you like to come with us? You’ll stop by the capital, won’t you?”
“I will, but I’m supposed to go to Seleiyu’s tomorrow, so I don’t think we can go back with you.”
Since we were heading home on Kumayuru and Kumakyu, the other students would end up seeing my bears. That seemed like it’d be a pain to deal with, so I didn’t want to go back with them.
“What do you want to do, Noa? Want to go home with Shia to the capital? Or would you like to go home with me?”
I was here as Noa’s guard, but if she as with Shia and the other students, she’d be safe.
“I’ll go home with you of course, Yuna.”
Noa didn’t even hesitate.
“Are you sure? It might be a while until I head back.”
“Yes, I doubt Father would be upset if I stay for a few more days. In addition, if I go back with Shia and the others, they might think you didn’t follow through with your job. I would explain to Mother and Father and they would likely understand, of course, but I don’t want to create unnecessary trouble.”
Right. Ellelaura would find out if Noa left for the capital first. And then Cliff might find out. It wouldn’t be a big deal if we explained, but it would be a pain.
“In addition, I can’t let the opportunity to ride home on Kumayuru and Kumakyu slip me by.”
Noa was firm with her response.
“Choosing bears over your own sister?” Shia pretended to look sad.
“Please don’t look at me like that, Shia. I already promised to spend the night with you today. I’ll visit the capital too, so we’ll see each other again.”
It seemed Noa was going to be staying in Shia’s room tonight again, after tuckering herself out and doing the same thing yesterday.
“Yuna, I know I didn’t ask you earlier, but may I stay in Shia’s room tonight?”
“Yeah. You’ve finally gotten the chance to see Shia, so you might as well take advantage of it.”
It was great that they were so close.
After that, Shia accompanied us to go souvenir shopping until it got dark.
“Let’s meet in front of the academy tomorrow, like we did this morning.”
“All right.”
Since Kumayuru was Noa’s guard yesterday, Kumakyu was her guard today. I was having them take turns.
“Kumakyu, take good care of Noa, okay?”
“Cwoon.”
Noa carried the cub-form Kumakyu off to Shia’s room.
Once I got back to the inn, I collapsed into my bed.
“I’m beat!”
I finished dinner, so all I needed to do before bed was to take a bath. Since I wasn’t wearing my bear gear, I was also physically exhausted, and interacting with all those energetic, cheerful youths had sapped me of my mental stamina.
Being young sure was amazing. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a little voice was reminding me I was still only fifteen…but details, details.
It was ten times more tiring playing with Noa and the others at the lake than it was slaying all those monsters. Walking around without my bear shoes really was exhausting. Especially since the water slowed you down. That was way harder on the muscles. It was good exercise, but I really was exhausted. I remembered pool class during elementary school and how it always tired me out and made me groggy.
I really wanted to head to the Land of Wa so I could recharge from today by sitting in a hot spring.
“I want to go to a hot spring,” I said out loud.
Once I thought about it, I couldn’t stop. I felt bad for Kumakyu, who was guarding Noa, but I ended up deciding to take a little excursion to the Land of Wa with Kumayuru.
I pulled out my bear gate and transported off. The room was pitch-black, so I created a light bear. This is obvious, but if you were never in a room, then the lights would never be on. The only room that probably had a light on was Ms. Kagari’s.
I decided I’d head to the hot spring after I said hello to Ms. Kagari.
As I approached her room, I saw her inside by the open window, enjoying some kind of alcoholic beverage. Based on the way her tail waved back and forth, she seemed like she was in a good mood.
Also, she was still in her little girl form.
“Good evening, Ms. Kagari.”
“I thought it was you. The hot spring, is it?”
Ms. Kagari could apparently feel my presence. Maybe because she was a fox?
“Yep. I came here to recharge, since I’m a little tired.”
“Is that the reason for your strange garb? I almost didn’t recognize you.”
I was still in my school uniform. I had to change after the hot spring anyway, so I just came in my uniform. But “strange garb”? I guess from the perspective of the Land of Wa, it would be.
“No comment on the clothes,” I said. “Well, I’ll be off if that’s okay with you.”
“’Tis your abode. You needn’t ask my permission.”
“Well, you are managing it, so.”
It was just etiquette, and I didn’t want Ms. Kagari to feel weirded out by me going to use the hot spring without checking in. That was why I made sure to talk to her whenever I came in. After that, I headed to the spring.
While I was in the changing room, I summoned Kumayuru in cub form. Then I pulled off my uniform and headed into the hot spring with my bear. Even though I wanted to get into the hot spring as soon as possible, I washed Kumayuru first as a thank-you for protecting Seleiyu. Kumayuru seemed pretty happy. I’d need to go with Kumakyu next time I stopped by.
At the time, I thought I could just reward Kumakyu later. I never could have expected what came after...
Once I finished washing Kumayuru, I washed myself and got in the hot spring.
“Ahh.”
It was a little too hot, but the water really soaked into my muscles. It felt so nice. I started to massage my thighs and upper arms to make sure I wouldn’t be sore later.
I really needed to do some exercise without my bear gear on. How many times had I had that thought? I could never stick to it though. I mean, working out is just so tiring. Such a pain.
After I let the day’s fatigue melt away, I got out, dried Kumayuru off, and brushed them. Then once I got back to Yufaria, I collapsed right into bed with Kumayuru, and we fell asleep.
The next day, Kumayuru woke me up and I headed to the academy. Once I got in front of the school gates, I saw Noa and Shia waiting like yesterday.
“Morning, you two.”
Noa dashed over to me. “Yuna, something terrible has happened.”
“What is it? Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure, but when I woke up this morning, Kumakyu was acting like this.”
Noa showed me Kumakyu, who she was holding in her arms. Kumakyu looked devastated.
“What’s wrong, Kumakyu?”
Kumakyu let out a forlorn croon from in her arms. Wait, were they sulking? Was this because I went to the Land of Wa hot spring with Kumayuru?
Yeah, they had definitely found out. I wasn’t going to hide it. They were definitely sulking over not being taken to the hot spring.
“What do we do, Yuna? What did I do wrong?”
Noa looked worried.
“It’s not your fault, Noa. It’s mine.”
“It is?”
“I went out last night with Kumayuru. Kumakyu’s sulking because they felt left behind.”
I took Kumakyu from Noa and held my bear.
“Sorry, Kumakyu. I wasn’t trying to leave you out. We’ll go together next time. I’ll even wash you and we can sleep together too.”
“Cwoon.”
Kumakyu turned to look away from me. It looked like I needed to spend some time with my bear. Apparently, even if I was tired, I couldn’t go with just one bear to the hot spring.
Chapter 574: The Bear Goes to Talk at Seleiyu’s Manor
Chapter 574:
The Bear Goes to Talk at Seleiyu’s Manor
AS I CARRIED MY SULKING bear around, I gently stroked them. Kumakyu hugged me back, begging for more attention.
“Kumakyu, did you know that Yuna left you behind and went somewhere? They were so sad in the morning when I woke up that I thought I had done something wrong.” Noa patted Kumakyu’s head. “Yuna, you can’t leave Kumakyu behind and go off alone anymore,” she scolded me.
I was just so tired yesterday that the hot spring won out. But I vowed never again to leave my bears behind without saying anything.
After that, Noa said she wanted to see Shia and the other students from the capital off.
Noa had gotten to be good friends with the other students in the last few days. Yesterday, when I was out of commission on the lake, she played with them all day. I had a nice time with my teammates from the game I’d been part of, so I wanted to say my goodbyes to them too, at the very least. I recalled Kumakyu for the time being, but I’d bring them out in the evening for a bath and to sleep together, as promised.
The Yufarian students were here to see the students off too, so everybody was talking about next year. Seleiyu was there too. She was smiling, but I could tell she was still exhausted. Everything had only happened yesterday. It wasn’t surprising that she hadn’t recovered yet. She came over to me.
“You’re here too, Yuna?”
“Are you okay, Seleiyu? You could have rested instead. They’re just heading out.”
“Father said the same. But I did get some rest, so I’m fine. I would have thought you would be more tired than me, Yuna.”
“I took a bath and had some great sleep, so I’m fine.”
I thought that she could rest today at least, but she still had her position as a noble and the daughter of the feudal lord to think about, along with a lot of other things.
“Yuna, I’ll see you later.”
Apparently, she still needed to say her goodbyes.
Seleiyu left and mingled with the teachers and students from the capital. She had her position to think about, but I thought she also felt a sense of duty to the town. That was why all the students loved her, no matter what class year they were. People were always around Seleiyu.
I headed over to Noa.
“Okay, Noa, I’m going to the capital now. Make sure you listen to everything Yuna tells you.”
“I will. Please get home safely, Shia.”
“Yuna, please take care of Noa.”
“I’ll make sure she gets home safe.”
“Youna, Noir, you’re not coming to the capital with us?”
One of the capital students talked to us too.
“Noa and I are going to stay in town a little longer.”
“Oh, I see. I was hoping we could chat. That’s too bad.”
The students all got on their carriages and headed off for the capital. Noa waved as they left.
“Shia’s gone.”
“You’ll see her once we get to the capital.”
“Yes, of course.”
The Yufarian students had class, so they headed back to their classrooms. As students, it was their job to study, so that was that. But Seleiyu stayed behind and came up to me.
“I’m sorry for the wait, Yuna. Shall we go to my house?”
“What about the academy?”
“I requested a day off for family matters.”
Well, I’d say a kidnapping was a pretty good reason to play hooky.
We rode to Seleiyu’s manor in a carriage she had prepared. Seleiyu told me that her dad made sure she took one for her own health.
“Why did you need to go to Lady Seleiyu’s house, Yuna?” Noa asked, not knowing what had happened yesterday.
“So you haven’t told her.”
“Well, it’s not exactly something that should be spread around.”
“Thank you.”
“Did something happen?” Noa asked, sensing something amiss.
“I can’t disclose specifics, but Yuna saved my life yesterday. I called her to my home to thank her.”
“Your life...” Noa’s voice grew small, sensing the gravity of the situation.
“Had Yuna not been there, I would have surely perished. Even if I had survived, I would not be here now. I cannot even begin to thank Yuna.”
If I hadn’t bulldozed my way over, Seleiyu probably would have offered herself up for her brother’s and the town’s sake. I’d saved her only by chance. If I had been late to act, I never would have seen Seleiyu. If I hadn’t been curious about the object the man had thrown in the lake or picked up the mana gem, then I wouldn’t have tried to talk to her.
This all happened because Noa wanted to hang out with Shia until late. Thanks to that, I had found the mana gem.
“I see. So that’s what happened yesterday.”
Noa had a dark look on her face.
“That must have been why you were so tired when you returned to the lake. But I forced you to play...”
Noa looked sad, remembering yesterday.
No, that was just because I wasn’t wearing my bear gear. I just normally didn’t have much stamina. It wasn’t because I fought monsters.
“Don’t you worry about it, Noa. I had fun hanging out with you too.”
“Yuna...”
I gently patted Noa’s head.
“Are you sure I should come too if you’re talking about something so important? I can wait at the inn.”
Noa was trying to be polite.
“No, there is no issue if you tag along. But the details are confidential, so we may need you to go to another room.”
I had no idea what she was going to talk with me about, but if it was about what happened yesterday, then I didn’t want Noa knowing. If we talked about Keith’s kidnapping, it could trigger memories of Misa’s. She would probably be sad to hear about why Seleiyu’s mother had passed away too.
Noa didn’t have anything to do with those things, so I didn’t want to hurt her unnecessarily.
“I’m a daughter of the nobility too, so I believe I understand. I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear anything about your life being saved. I know you only told me about that in order to be polite, Lady Seleiyu. Please, don’t be concerned.”
Noa acted the part of a young aristocrat. I knew she was probably desperate to know all the details, but she knew better than to ask deeper questions. I thought that was really mature of her.
Normally she was so childish, but in times like this, she really did act like a true noble.
“Thank you, Noa.”
The carriage arrived at Seleiyu’s manor and we headed inside, then stopped in front of a doorway.
“Please wait in this room, Noa. I’ll have some amazing sweets brought out for you.”
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
We watched Noa disappear into the room, then Seleiyu and I headed to another one. We walked until we came to a door, which Seleiyu knocked on before opening.
“Father, I’m back.”
Seleiyu’s father was there. He told us to take a seat, so I plopped down across from him and Seleiyu sat next to him.
“Thank you for coming.”
Seleiyu’s father bowed his head slightly.
First, I asked something that I couldn’t in front of Noa.
“Was your little brother fine? Did he wake up?”
He might have been magically put under an eternal slumber. That would have been a huge deal.
“He woke yesterday evening.”
The worst-case scenario hadn’t happened, then. I felt relieved to hear that.
“He was surprised to find it was so late when he awoke. It seems he doesn’t remember anything about being kidnapped.”
Seleiyu’s dad looked relieved.
“You were hugging him so much. He didn’t understand at all, Father.”
“I’m sure you did the same.”
“Well, a sister always has her brother in her thoughts.”
“And a father always treasures his children, of course.”
They had both been worried sick.
The family was just too dazzling for me. Maybe if I had a family like this, I never would have ended up in this other world? At the same time, I had done a lot of important things since coming here. I was glad I’d come.
Seleiyu’s dad seemed a little embarrassed, so he changed the topic.
“First, please take this. It’s the money for the monster slayings.”
He offered a bag full of money to me.
“That looks like too much.”
“I’ve included a bit extra to thank you for saving my daughter and son. Please take it.”
“Like I told Seleiyu, I just was helping a friend in need. I don’t need any thanks.”
“This is me showing my gratitude as their father. Even though you are my daughter’s friend, that’s no reason to hold back my gratitude.”
I couldn’t say no now that he had said that, so I just took the sack. After that, they told me they were still looking into the man. Well, only one day had passed. A full investigation would take a while, especially since they were also going to report this back to the king.
“I do not think he will believe it, however.”
Seleiyu’s dad seemed unsure.
“No, he will.”
Since the king knew about the monsters that had been gathered in the capital before, it wouldn’t be hard for him to believe what had happened here.
“If he doesn’t believe it, then you can just tell him my name.”
“Your name, Yuna?”
“If you do, I think he’ll believe it all.”
It’d be such a pain if he didn’t believe all this.
“Just who are you, Yuna?”
“I happen to be an acquaintance of His Majesty.”
The skeptical looks on their faces told me that neither of them believed me. I mean, I was more convincing now than when I was in the bear suit, right?
Chapter 575: The Bear Goes to a Birthday Party
Chapter 575:
The Bear Goes to a Birthday Party
WE FINISHED THE RECAP from yesterday.
“Well, I’ll head out now.”
“Yuna, please wait.”
Seleiyu stopped me as I was about to stand up from my seat.
“Actually, I turned sixteen today.”
“Really? Congrats, Seleiyu!”
That’s right, the man had mentioned something about coming to get her when she was sixteen.
“Thank you. I know all those terrible things happened yesterday, but we’re celebrating my birthday with a party today. I thought of cancelling, but everything had already been planned, so Father said we couldn’t call it off...”
Seleiyu glanced at her dad.
“We have also prepared food,” he said. “If we cancelled it, I think the servants would worry. Most importantly, I believe my late wife, Shulia, would not have wanted it cancelled.”
“I feel terribly for combining my birthday with showing our gratitude to you, but I wondered if you might be interested in attending?”
Seleiyu gave me a serious look. Normally I would say no, but Seleiyu’s eyes made it hard to refuse.
“Who else is attending?”
“Just our family. I was worried about what might happen, so I asked Father for a private party just for us since there was a possibility I might not be present.”
She said this part a little awkwardly since her dad was next to her. That was how prepared she had been for the worst.
“We actually already asked the servants to prepare some extra food for you and Noa.”
“I would also like to extend my own invitation. Please do attend,” Seleiyu’s dad replied.
I wasn’t a decision I could make on my own, though.
“Could I talk to Noa first?”
“Yes, of course.”
Seleiyu and I headed to the room where Noa was waiting and told her about the party.
“Lady Seleiyu’s birthday party?”
“Yes, and we would like you to come if you would like.”
“I don’t have a present for you, though.”
“I don’t need a present. Instead, I would be so happy if you could tell me more things you know about Yuna.”
“In that case, yes, I will attend. I can tell you all about her.”
“Ha ha, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Are you two done joking?”
They smiled when I said that. I wasn’t kidding though, for real. It was a matter of privacy.
A present though... If we were celebrating a birthday, I knew just the thing.
“Noa, what would you think of making a cake for Seleiyu?”
“A cake?”
“We have time, so I think we should be able to do it.”
“That’s a wonderful idea, Yuna,” Noa said.
Noa was on board. I had cake in my bear storage, but it would be a better present if we made one from scratch. That way Noa could make her a present too. Since she would have a present from Noa, that meant Noa wouldn’t have to tell stories about me, right?
“So, Seleiyu, could we borrow your kitch...?”
I was about to ask about their kitchen, but I realized we couldn’t be in the way when the staff would already be busy making meals.
We didn’t have a spot to make the cake. In a pinch, we could set up the bear house in their garden, but that would cause a commotion. The staff and neighbors would probably be in for a shock.
“A kitchen?”
“We’d like to make you some good food, but we can’t be in the kitchen when your staff are already busy using it, can we?”
Seleiyu thought for a bit.
“We have a kitchen in the annex, so I think you could use that. You are our guests though. I think it would be better if you didn’t have to work.”
“Lady Seleiyu, Yuna’s cakes are so, so very delicious. I’d like you to try one. We couldn’t prepare you a present, so won’t you let us make one for you?” Noa begged.
“All right. Please feel free to use the annex’s kitchen as you please. I’ll wait with great anticipation.”
“Yes, please do.”
We headed right over to the kitchen. It was small, but well-equipped. More than suitable for cake-baking.
“Okay, shall we?”
“Yes!”
I pulled out utensils and ingredients from my bear storage and we started baking.
“For Misa’s birthday party, we couldn’t make the cake together, but we get to this time,” Noa said. I hadn’t been able to include Noa in the baking then, so she had been pouty about it.
“You’re a natural, Noa.”
“Thank you. I’m so happy to hear that from you, Yuna. I do actually sometimes help with the cooking.”
“I’m surprised you cook, even as a noble.”
“Until I met you, I hadn’t done much. But then I saw you and Fina making things and wanted to try it myself. I had ever so much fun baking bear bread with Fina.”
If the bear bread helped unlock Noa’s love of cooking, then I was glad, even if it was embarrassing.
Noa was a little shaky about the process, but she followed my instructions as she assisted me, so we got the sponge cake done. Then we needed to slather it in the whipped cream, give it some strawberry flourishes and write a happy birthday message for Seleiyu. I left the writing to Noa.
“Are you sure I should write it?”
“Fina wrote it for me on Misa’s birthday cake too.”
“In that case, I can’t let Fina beat me.”
I had no idea what they were competing in, but Noa was all fired up, and she slowly drew the letters on the cake using strawberry whipped cream.
“There.”
She had finished the message, and finallythe cake was an actual birthday cake.
“Seleiyu will love it.”
“Yes!”
We headed out to tell Seleiyu the cake was done.
“Already?”
“Yup,” I said.
“It looks very good,” Noa said.
I told her I wanted to serve the cake last, after the meal.
“Ha ha, all right, then. I’m looking forward to seeing it at the end. We have finished our preparations as well, so please come this way.”
What preparations? We followed after Seleiyu. After walking down a long hallway, we stopped in front of a room.
“It’s in here.”
As Seleiyu said that, she opened the door and stepped inside. Noa and I followed her in. The moment I set foot inside, I froze.
“Since it’s a special occasion, I’ve prepared dresses.”
Several dresses hung around the room.
“Wow! They’re so pretty.”
“I think that the ones I wore as a child might fit you, Noa. Please choose something you like. Yuna, please choose from these.”
Of course I had to wear one too. I still had a dress that Noa had given me in my bear storage.
I compared my physique to Seleiyu’s. I wondered when she’d worn the dresses that were here today. Or were these dresses that were currently in her rotation? I was conflicted for a bit. Maybe it would be better to wear the dress Noa had got me? Or maybe I could convince her to let me pass, since I didn’t look good in dresses.
No, the latter was definitely not an option. Noa and Seleiyu would gang up on me to force me to wear one.
In that case…
“I have a dress that Noa got me, so I’ll just wear that.”
I might have looked a little conflicted even as I spoke. After some internal conflict, I decided to go with that one. I mean, if I tried on Seleiyu’s dresses and found myself lacking in a certain very noticeable area, I’d probably cry myself to sleep. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t think you were so petite,” she might say. Or “We’re the same age, right?” I wouldn’t know how to recover after that.
In order to avoid fatal psychological damage, I chose the dress Noa had given me.
“You kept it?!”
“It’s just in my item bag,” I said.
I brought out the dress, which made Noa very pleased.
“All right, then shall we pick yours out, Noa?”
“Yes.”
Noa and Seleiyu started going through the hangers together.
“Haah...”
I could only sigh. Unlike the two of them, I wasn’t used to wearing fancy dresses. I really wanted to scream that out loud.
Noa chose a bright blue dress and changed into it. Seleiyu put hers on, so I reluctantly did so too. This was even worse than the uniform.
After we were dressed, the maid fixed up our hair.
“I thought you were cute, but in a dress, you look beautiful.”
“Yuna is both cute and pretty,” Noa said.
“You two are the cute, pretty ones,” I said.
Noa was cute and Seleiyu was pretty. Since there was a stark contrast, something was obvious... Then I looked down. I looked at Seleiyu’s chest. Yeah, I was pretty happy with my decision not to try on any of her dresses. I should stop comparing—it was just going to make me sad.
Even though the party hadn’t even started, I already wished it was over.
“I’m so happy you’re wearing the dress I got you.”
I was glad Noa was happy, at least.
“Well, shall we? Father and Keith are waiting.”
We headed to the dining room and Seleiyu’s dad and Keith were both there, looking very chipper. Seeing them both so happy made me glad I had been there to save Keith.
I felt like Keith was paying a lot of attention to Noa. Well, he was at that age, and a boy. So of course he’d be interested. She was even cuter in her dress.
Seleiyu’s dad started complimenting us on our outfits, then we all sat down. The food started to come out shortly after. Everything looked great. Seleiyu gave a quick toast, then we started to eat. After that, we talked all about the gathering between the academies. We chatted about the individual events and the final group game.
“You were so good, Yuna. Without you, Yufaria would have won.”
“Did you lose, Seleiyu?” Keith asked.
“Unfortunately, yes. Yuna was just too much for us. She’s much more skilled than me, or anyone else, for that matter.”
“In that case, I’ll avenge you.”
“Oh, yes, please do.”
Keith seemed kind of peeved that I’d beat his sister. Well, it wasn’t like he was about to challenge me to a duel or anything, so that was fine.
“I’m going to become really strong so I can protect my sister.”
“That’s right. I don’t need to be strong anymore, so you can take over for me, Keith.”
“Did something happen, Seleiyu?”
It seemed he’d noticed something about her had changed.
“It’s nothing at all. But you can’t just focus on strength, all right? A man must be studious, and it’s important to be considerate to others too. Yes, like Yuna. It would be lovely if you could be like her.”
Me? I hated doing work and I only could fight thanks to the bear gear that was handed to me.
“Seleiyu, I don’t think I’m the best role model...” I tried to deny it, but a voice from next to me agreed.
“I think so too. Yuna is strong, nice, and wonderful.”
“Noa, I don’t deserve that much praise.”
“No, you do. You saved the orphans, my father, and even my sister. And not only that, Yuna also...”
“Okay, okay. That’s enough.”
I needed to stop Noa before she kept going.
“I was just going to talk more about how amazing you are.”
“You really don’t need to.”
“Ha ha, she must really love you, Yuna.”
“I do! I love Yuna.”
“Noa, that’s embarrassing.”
“How so?”
Please don’t look at me with those innocent eyes…
Chapter 576: The Bear Goes Back to the Capital
Chapter 576:
The Bear Goes Back to the Capital
AFTER THE MAIN MEAL ENDED, Noa and I set the strawberry shortcake we made in front of Seleiyu to finish things off.
“Is this the cake you made for me?”
“I hope you like it.”
“Look, there’s even writing on it too.”
Noa had written “Happy Birthday” on it.
“Noa did that just for you,” I said.
“Thank you, Noa.”
Noa seemed giddy.
“I guess I’ll cut it now.”
“It’s too bad it’ll ruin the writing.”
“Well, it’s meant to be eaten, after all. Just engrave it in your heart so you remember it forever. That’ll make us happy.”
“Yes. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Seleiyu said.
What I had said was kind of cheesy, but Seleiyu rolled with it and even agreed.
“‘Engrave it in your heart.’ I like the sound of that,” Noa chimed in too. Okay, but I wasn’t going to make a habit of being that cheesy.
I took the knife and cut up the shortcake. I served each slice on a small plate and placed each one in front of the attendees.
“Thank you.”
Seleiyu picked up her fork and ate a tiny piece of cake very daintily, just like the noble she was.
“It’s delicious.”
Seleiyu’s dad and brother dug in too, hearing her say that.
“It’s so good, Seleiyu,” Keith said.
He was all smiles as he ate. It wasn’t just the two of them. Seleiyu’s dad seemed pretty pleased too. I was glad. All three of them seemed to be enjoying our cake. I took a bite. Yup, we had nailed it.
As we were eating, Seleiyu suddenly stopped.
“Yuna, Noa, thank you. And thank you too, Father and Keith. I’ve never had such an enjoyable birthday. Every year, I felt anxious about my sixteenth birthday approaching. While everyone else was celebrating, I felt cold inside. But today, I’m genuinely happy.”
Seleiyu had a smile on her face, but she started to tear up.
“Seleiyu...”
“Sister?!”
Seleiyu’s dad looked worried, and Keith started to panic as Seleiyu cried.
“Oh, that’s odd. I’m so happy, so why am I crying? I can’t seem to stop.”
Seleiyu attempted to wipe her tears away, but the waterworks had started, and they weren’t going to stop.
“Seleiyu.”
“Please don’t cry,” Keith said.
Seleiyu’s dad stood up and hugged her. Keith worriedly held her hand.
Maybe she’d been putting on a brave face, but her sixteenth birthday actually coming had made the tension in her snap. For a long time, she had carried a burden alone, one she could never talk about. Now, her suffering had finally ended, and she could finally talk to her dad about it.
Maybe, to reiterate what she had said earlier, she hadn’t thought she’d be able to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. Maybe she finally felt like she could accept the congratulations her family was giving her. It wasn’t all that odd that she would cry after all of that.
Seleiyu’s dad hugged her again. Only Seleiyu’s quiet weeping disturbed the silence in the room.
“Noa.”
I said Noa’s name quietly, then glanced at the door. She seemed to understand, nodding slightly. We stood up and silently left the room. This was a moment meant for family.
Noa and I headed back to our room.
“Lady Seleiyu must have been hurting a lot,” Noa said.
“I can’t tell you everything, but there was a chance her life would be in danger on her sixteenth birthday. Seleiyu learned how to wield a sword and cast magic to avoid that. And now she’s finally free.”
“Is that what you saved her from?”
“I just happened to be there when Seleiyu was in danger. Seleiyu was the one who had to carry everything until now. But now she’s free, so nothing is holding her down. She can finally enjoy herself.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
She was only sixteen. She was only just starting life. Nothing was holding her down anymore. She could enjoy her school life or hang out with her friends. Sure, she had some duties as a noble, but she could live her life as freely as Noa had been.
“What is it?”
Noa looked at me quizzically because I had been staring at her.
“It’s nothing.”
I stroked her hair.
“No really, what is it?!”
Noa pouted, realizing I wouldn’t tell her why I was acting so weird.
We got back to the room and rested for a bit. I was debating whether to change out of my dress when Seleiyu came to the room.
“Yuna, Noa, I’m so sorry for the awkwardness earlier, and for making you feel you needed to leave us to ourselves.”
She seemed a little embarrassed. Her eyes were still a little red.
“We didn’t think any of that at all. You’ve been working so hard until now. I think you have the right to cry. If anyone thinks you’re silly for crying, tell them they’ll have to deal with me.”
“I’m not sure what happened, but I know that you suffered greatly, Lady Seleiyu. I don’t think that your tears were unseemly whatsoever.”
“Thank you both.” Seleiyu smiled.
“You’re so strong, Seleiyu.”
“I think you’re stronger, Yuna.”
I shook my head.
“No, I mean your heart is stronger. You’ve had to carry such a heavy burden since you were young, one that you’ve had to shoulder all on your own. I think most people would have broken under the strain.”
Some people might take out their frustrations on others or abuse their power as a noble. I could have easily seen her faltering. But she hadn’t let any of that beat her down. She’d grown into an honest person.
“No, I’m really not that...”
“I can tell just seeing how the students in Yufaria interact with you. They all look up to you.”
“You think they do? Even with the way I am...? I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I feel to hear that.”
“You’re finally free, so you should enjoy living your life.”
That was what life was for. The one who enjoyed life most won.
“Of course. I think I’ll stop practicing magic and sword fighting for a while. I neglected some other aspects of life until now. It isn’t exactly what you said, but I’ll try to find something I enjoy. Something I couldn’t do until now.”
“You’ve got this!”
“Yes, I think I do.”
Seleiyu smiled wide.
It seemed like I didn’t need to worry about her anymore.
Seleiyu had us spend the night at her manor. She offered to handle stuff at the inn, so we accepted the offer. We didn’t have any luggage there, so all we needed to do was check out.
It wasn’t a hot spring, but I used Seleiyu’s bath to wash Kumakyu before sleeping with my bear. And we matched, of course, since I wore my white bear onesie. Kumakyu seemed happy about that.
“Well, in that case I’ll sleep with Kumayuru” Noa said. “Kumayuru might sulk, so I’ll take care of it today.”
She took Kumayuru in her arms. She must have been worried because of what happened that morning. Well, she seemed happy now, and Kumayuru did too. I already had Kumayuru’s permission to spend time with Kumakyu today.
It seemed Kumayuru understood. They didn’t sulk, at least. We turned off the lights and got into bed.
“Goodnight, Kumakyu.”
“Cwoon.”
“Kumayuru, goodnight.”
“Cwoon.”
Then we slept.
The next morning, we were headed back to the capital. Since I was Noa’s guard, I changed into my black bear onesie in the morning, of course. Seleiyu and her dad had very interesting looks on their faces when they saw me.
“You’re going home in that outfit, Yuna?”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t comment on it,” I said.
I’d already mentioned the bear’s blessing stuff, so I think Seleiyu understood. The most important thing was that I felt back at home in my bear outfit—and safer too.
“You really do look best in that bear outfit, Yuna.”
Noa, that’s not a compliment. Yeah, I was wearing it by choice, but I still couldn’t accept it when other people commented on it like that.
Seleiyu’s dad arranged a carriage to take us to the town’s gate. Seleiyu rode along with us.
Finally, we arrived at Yufaria’s gate.
“Yuna, Noa, I would be happy to just see you, so if you come to Yufaria again, please visit my house. I’d like to show you some hospitality when you do.”
“You don’t need to go to any trouble, but we’ll stop by when we’re here.”
“Yes, please do come say hello.”
“I promise.”
Seleiyu had a word with the guard, and they let us out of the town without much questioning. When I looked back, Seleiyu was watching us leave from within the town.
“See you later, Seleiyu!”
I summoned my bears. Noa got on Kumayuru, and I got on Kumakyu (who by now was in a much better mood), then we headed off to the capital.
Extra Story: Seleiyu After
Extra Story:
Seleiyu After
IT WAS FINALLY OVER. I couldn’t sleep after Yuna and Noa returned home that evening, so I opened the window and looked up at the sky. Since my mother had passed, I had done everything in my power to protect my brother and survive myself.
I looked at my hands, seeing the scars from the many blisters that had formed and broken on them. This was proof of every time I had swung my sword. Every day, I had woken up early to practice my magic and train with my sword…but now I had no reason to.
I had done this for so many years. After today, I didn’t know what to do. It was like there was a gaping hole in my heart. Without my sword or magic, I didn’t know what I had left. There was nothing else.
“Mother, what should I do?” I asked. I felt as if my mother was watching me from the sky, though she did not respond, of course.
Knock knock.
There was a knock at the door while I gazed at the sky. Who would visit at this time of night?
“Yes?” I asked.
“It’s me.”
That was my father’s voice.
“May I come in?”
“Yes, of course.”
My father entered my room.
“What are you doing up so late?” I asked him.
“I was heading back to my room after wrapping up some work and noticed you looking out your window.”
I suppose he was worried about me and had come to check in. I felt terribly for worrying him.
“You couldn’t sleep?”
“No. I don’t know what I should do from now on,” I replied honestly. “I practiced my swordplay and magic, waiting for the man who killed mother to return. But that’s unnecessary now.”
The man was dead. He would never appear before me again.
“You’re still only sixteen. You can try or do anything you want to.”
Anything I want to...
“When you said you wanted to train with a sword, I allowed it. When you wanted to learn magic, I hired you a tutor. You can do anything you wish. I am a noble, and I have the power to give you anything you would like.”
“Ha ha. Father, please don’t abuse your position.”
“I’m not using it to do anything wicked. What’s so bad with using my privilege to please my beloved daughter?”
Father was always watching over me. I realized, again, that he had always been supporting me.
“What would you do if I did something wicked?”
“Are you going to?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, it’s a parent’s job to get their children back on the right path if they stray. So do whatever you desire, but if you continue with swordplay and magic, do it on your own terms.”
“On my own terms...”
I could choose to do what I wanted. What a wonderful thing. Many people didn’t have that chance. It was a luxury to have a problem like this.
“There’s nothing to hold you down anymore. If you were so inclined, you could study how to govern the territory.”
“But Keith is the heir.”
“You can settle down with someone here and support him. Even if you were to marry into another fief’s family, your studies wouldn’t go to waste.”
I had never thought about marriage before. My friends would sometimes speak of boys, but it never seemed relevant to me, so I rarely listened. I thought it would never apply to me. But now that everything was over, I suddenly had a future. I could do anything I wanted, including courtship and marriage. That didn’t change the fact that I had no idea what I was doing when it came to romance.
“Father, freedom is so difficult.”
Everything seemed awkward to me. I didn’t even know what girls my age liked.
“That’s right. With freedom, you must take ownership of your own thoughts and behavior. Some things may turn out to be a waste of time, while others may become things you regret not doing earlier. It’s all your responsibility.”
“My responsibility...”
“Do you regret practicing your swordplay and magic for these past ten years?”
Regret? Working on my swordplay and magic meant I hadn’t been able to spend much time with my friends. Thinking about it, I couldn’t come up with an answer.
“I’m not sure.”
The thought that my mother’s killer might appear had been the sole force that had driven me forward. If I hadn’t worked so hard on my sword and magic, I wouldn’t be the person I am now. If that was taken from me, what would remain?
“I’m sorry. That was an unfair question to ask. But just remember this. There may have been some things you missed while working so hard for this past ten years. Either way, your hard work did not go to waste.”
If I hadn’t worked so hard, I wouldn’t have been able to face that man. I would have been a frightened, trembling coward. I wouldn’t have been able to avenge my mother. My little brother might have been killed. I might have been forced to obey him. Practicing swordplay and magic had given me the strength to face my fears.
I also owed my thanks to the girl who had fought beside me.
“I wonder who Yuna really is. She claimed to be an adventurer.”
I would be dead if Yuna hadn’t saved me. And it wasn’t just me. My brother would have been killed too, and f that horde of monsters had fallen on the town, many of the residents would have been lost. Yuna had defeated all of them on her own.
“I confirmed that she wasn’t a student and was instead a real adventurer. She’s even C rank. It’s amazing for someone her age, but when you see her ability for yourself, it’s obvious.”
I heard from Noa and Shia that Yuna was an adventurer, but I had thought she was one in name only and challenged her to a duel only to be thoroughly trounced. I hadn’t thought Yuna could be that strong.
Everything had been resolved, thanks to that curious girl. Because of her, I was saved and woke up from my nightmare.
She was ever so odd.
And quite cute, too.
The next morning, I overslept for the first time in my life. My late-night chat with Father likely contributed. He had also instructed the servants not to wake me.
I didn’t go running, practice my swordplay, or drill my magic. It had been a long time since I had such an uneventful morning. I had a tiny, nagging feeling that I was doing something wrong.
I greeted my father, had breakfast, and headed off to the academy. My father had told me I could rest for a while, but I couldn’t simply stay home with nothing to do. When I arrived at the academy, a classmate addressed me.
“Lady Seleiyu, good morning.”
“Yes, good morning.”
People gathered around my seat, chatting about the exchange gathering. They were discussing that year’s matches and how they’d work harder for next year’s. Then the conversation turned to Yuna.
“Lady Seleiyu, did Youna go home?”
“She left yesterday.”
Everyone seemed disappointed. She had only participated in the final event, yet she had made an impression on everyone. I was still the only one who knew her true abilities, though. For whatever reason, it made me slightly giddy.
That day I went out with my classmates. They seemed a bit shocked but happily welcomed me along, nonetheless.
That night I went to my father’s room.
“You’re going to the capital, Father?”
“That’s right. I must report what happened to His Majesty.”
There existed a mana gem that could attract monsters. The gem was dangerous. Had Yuna not retrieved it from the lake, the town would have been in dire straits. If the monsters had attacked, many would have died.
Yuna had slain the monsters that had gathered, but many of them had fled. As such, Father posted quests at the Adventurers’ Guild to slay the remnants and bolster surveillance of the area, but the larger issue was that we had few adventurers left in town. He said that he had instructed the adventurer’s guild to call back abroad adventurers at once.
“Is it really true that Yuna knows the king even though she’s not a noble?”
I was a noble, but I did not know the king. When I attended parties, I could only look on from afar, or at times greet him with my father. I could not claim to even be the king’s acquaintance.
From the way Yuna spoke though, it almost sounded like they were close.
“I cannot know without speaking to His Majesty. I’ll first make my written report, then afterwards, I can seek an audience.”
“Ha ha. It seems you have your work cut out for you.”
“True, but it’s better than having a horde of monsters attacking the town.”
Such a thing would have indeed been catastrophic. It was all thanks to Yuna that we could have this leisurely conversation about it now.
“As you and Yuna put an end to the matter, it is my job as the feudal lord to tidy up what remains.”
He smiled gently. Then, after finishing his work for the fief, my father departed for the royal capital.
Extra Story: Young Seleiyu
Extra Story:
Young Seleiyu
I COULD NEVER FORGET the smile on the face of my mother’s murderer as he said those words to me.
He said he would come for me once I turned sixteen.
To this day, I still do not know whether it was real. Yet I would have dreams about him occasionally, as if to remind me of his smile and his threat. It was happening a lot more as of late.
Maybe that was because my sixteenth birthday was drawing near.
At the time when I was still young, I asked my father for permission to learn how to use a sword. He then assigned an instructor to me.
I couldn’t even swing a sword back then. I began training by running about our estate to build stamina. I was told that if I didn’t have the strength to run, I wouldn’t be able to wield a sword. My father and instructor had both believed I would give up at this stage.
At the start I could only run a single lap. I gasped for breath and my legs trembled. I was hardly running properly by the end of the trek. But I never gave up. I ran through the heat and in the rain, every single day.
As I continued to run every day, I gradually built my stamina and could run two, even three laps. Increased physical strength came with this, and I was allowed to wield a wooden sword the size of a knife. After that I continued to run to build strength and was instructed in how to handle the knife. My father seemed to have given up, so he didn’t try to stop me as long as I did not do anything reckless.
Around the time I turned nine, I was stronger and larger, so I graduated from a knife to a small sword.
When I was done with my own daily training, I would go and watch the knights. Their swords clashed against each other, not the small swords that I had been training with, but large ones. I worried whether I could wield one of them before the man showed up. There was still time before I turned sixteen. I still had time to grow.
Unless I built muscle, my blows would be parried. I wasn’t strong yet. All I could do for now was continue onward, one step at a time.
As I faced my own future, I watched the knights train and noticed a certain one in particular. Rather than directly blocking his opponent’s blows, he would parry them and dodge. I thought it could be a model for how I should fight. I came back day after day to watch that knight train.
“Young miss, you’ve done nothing but stare at me,” he said.
“The way you fight is perfect for someone weak, like me.”
“I’m not strong enough to block a sword, so all I can do is evade the blows.”
I wasn’t strong either. So if I could parry my opponent’s sword and dodge just like this knight...
“Could I do that?”
“Well...”
The knight looked troubled. Someone else approached us.
“This man would indeed be a perfect role model for such a bright young lady.” The man addressing us was the captain. “He’s smart and has a good eye.”
One must have a quick eye to keep track of the quick movements of a sword. They could move in all sorts of ways. If you did not keep track of them, mounting a defense or avoiding a blow was impossible.
“I understand why one needs good eyesight, but how is intelligence relevant to sword fighting?”
“You must be smart to win a fight. Of course, there are some whose bodies move faster than their brains…but generally speaking, knights can’t win without a good head on their shoulders.”
“Can’t they still win through sheer force?”
I had been running every single day to build up my strength.
“That’s a factor, young lady. But think about it. If two people of equal strength, power, and technique fought, who do you think would win?”
“If they’re the same, wouldn’t it come down to luck?”
The knight captain shook his head. “It’s who is smarter that really matters.”
“Really?”
“That’s right. No one can swing a sword forever. You understand, right?”
I nodded. When I swung my wooden sword over and over, my arms would become heavier and heavier, until I couldn’t continue.
“A smart knight uses his head when he fights. They swing with less force. Then, as their opponent puts all their strength into a strike, the smart one dodges instead of blocking. In this way, they fight using their head, sapping an opponent’s strength while their own on the way to a win.”
Of course, if all other factors were the same, the person who fought smarter would win.
“This is complicated.”
“Strength and stamina are necessary to grow stronger. But I think smarts are more important for winning a fight. This man is exceptional in that regard.”
The captain looked at the knight.
“That’s right. This guy fights indirectly, like a coward. Really gets on your nerves.”
Another knight came up and lightly rapped on the guy’s head.
“Yeah, no matter what I throw at him, he always dodges. Wish you’d try to block every once in a while.”
“Is that really what you all think of me?” the knight asked.
“It’s good to practice against knights who have different fighting styles.”
I could see from watching their training that not all of the knights fought the same way. That was why I felt that this knight’s fighting style would suit me, and I focused in on him.
“Young lady, don’t just passively observe but imagine taking his place when you watch.”
“Taking his place?” I repeated.
“Yeah. When his opponent strikes, imagine in your mind how you would dodge. If you do that, I think you’ll be able to learn his fighting style.”
When I didn’t reply, he kept speaking.
“And that’s not the only thing. As you observe his opponent, you’ll gradually be able to tell if they’re putting their full strength into a blow or preparing a feint.”
“I can do that just by watching?”
“No one knows. If it were easy we wouldn’t still be practicing it. The more skilled you become, the better you get at feints, at tricking your opponent.”
“That seems difficult.”
“It’s not dissimilar from building up your physique. You have to do it with steady work. If you don’t, you won’t be able to grow. Only a handful of geniuses can do that without hard work.”
“Are there really people like that?”
“There are. No matter what attacks gets thrown at them, they dodge or block. It’s like they can read your mind.”
“That’s amazing.”
“There aren’t that many of them, though.”
“Are there any here?”
I looked at the knights, yet everyone averted their gaze.
“Unfortunately, none of us are geniuses here. Everyone has to put in the hard work.”
I wasn’t a genius either, so I had to put in effort like everyone else. I felt as if I had found my path.
From that day on, I watched them more closely. To my delight, I found I had good eyes. I could follow my opponent’s movements. It may have been because I had watched the knights train from such a young age.
I also worked on my decision making. In the ideal scenario, I would learn to think with all I had so that I could predict every move my opponent would make in order to counter. That was something learned only through experience.
I crossed swords with many people. They went easy on me, of course, as I lacked even the skill of a new recruit. I simply had to keep moving forward one step at a time.
Once I turned ten, I started practicing magic. My father gave me permission, albeit reluctantly, even though it was standard for nobles with magical ability to study magic for self-defense.
My father seemed to be worried I would try something dangerous. He gave me his permission, but there were conditions. I must also study etiquette for a young noblewoman, subjects that would encompass table manners, how to walk, how to greet people, common courtesies, dancing, and tea parties. I would study all of that as I was learning magic.
There are two general methods of magical studies. The first was to study the elemental magic you had a natural affinity for and nothing else. The advantage of this is that you could focus all your time on one element, making that magic much stronger. The downside was that if your magic was ineffective against an opponent, there wasn’t anything you could do about it.
The other method was to study all types of magic equally. The benefit was that you could become versatile. If your strongest magic was ineffective, you could use a different type instead. The downside was that, since you spread your study time, you wouldn’t be as strong as someone who was more focused.
The amount of magic you could use in a single day was fixed. If you spent your mana practicing fire magic for a day, your ability to handle fire magic would improve. But if you practiced the basics of fire, water, wind, and earth magic, then your fire magic would only improve by a quarter compared to someone who only focused on fire.
I decided to focus on versatility. I thought it would be better if I could respond using any type of magic when the man who murdered my mother appeared before me.
As I studied to become a proper lady, I never neglected practicing magic and swordplay to ensure I remained in top form. From time to time, I would even join the knights in their training without getting in their way.
Soon, I grew to be fifteen.
Only one more year remained.
I didn’t know if that man would actually appear, but either way, it would all be over one year from now. The days ticked by as I attended the academy.
Afterword
Afterword
I’M KUMANANO.Thank you for picking up Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear’s twenty-first volume.
This one is about the magic exchange gathering between the capital’s academy and another academy in a town called Yufaria. In the gathering, the students test their magical abilities and try to make each other stronger.
In an earlier version of the plot, I had Yuna go to the gathering at Ellelaura’s request to participate as a student. But when I started writing, I realized Yuna’s bear gear was so OP that it seemed like it would get in the way of the students growing, so I had her only participate a little in the end and made sure to connect that to the students’ growth.
But behind the scenes of the gathering, another story is brewing. That one involves the daughter of Yufaria’s feudal lord, Seleiyu.
When Seleiyu is young, her mom is killed by a murderer who promises to come back on her sixteenth birthday. In order to protect her family and herself, Seleiyu had trained to become stronger ever since she was a child.
I hope that you enjoy the story between Seleiyu and Yuna.
Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who worked to get this book out.
Thank you for drawing such wonderful illustrations, 029.
I’m always relying on my editor as well. And also, to the many people who were involved in the publishing of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Volume 21, thank you.
I’m grateful for the readers who have read along thus far.
Well, I hope we can meet again in the twenty-second volume.
KUMANANO—ON A DAY IN FEBRUARY 2025