Chapter 105:  One-Eyed Inspector (3)

"Yes, there's a student I'd like to meet first."

"Just tell me who it is. I’ll call them right away."

The Director of Academic Affairs, whose initial suspicion had already softened, responded kindly.

At that, I gave Ronie a pat on the shoulder and said,

“Sonia Fern, the girl in the same class as my younger brother.”

Sonia Fern.

At the mention of her name, Jerry Howard furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

As if hardly anyone had ever asked to meet her before.

“Sonia Fern... you mean the one with the bad eye?”

“Yes, that's her. Her father, Bishop Paul, asked me to check on her.”

The director no longer seemed surprised that I had ties to the Fern family too.

Just the fact that I had donated 500 million gold coins had already told him I possessed far more wealth than what the papers suggested.

“I understand. In that case, I’ll have her brought here right away.”

“No need. Just tell us where she is, and we’ll go to her.”

At the word “we,” Ronie’s eyes widened.

“Huh...? Me too?”

“Yes, you’re in the same class. Won’t she feel more at ease if you're there?”

My little brother quickly shook his head.

“I-I don’t know her that well...!! We both always focus on training, so we've never really talked.”

“Even better. That means you have similar temperaments.”

Without letting go, I lifted him by the shoulder.

Then, standing up from the reception room sofa, I addressed the director.

“Where should we go?”

“If it’s Sonia, she should be in the clearing behind the academy around now.”

A training maniac... in the clearing?

As I frowned in confusion, the director shook his head as if he'd caught on.

“No matter which family they’re from, when the training halls and arenas are full of people, she often practices alone in the clearing.”

That couldn’t be.

Back when I was attending, the noble students always occupied the training grounds with the latest facilities.

Especially someone from the Fern family—surely they had strong influence in the capital.

And yet, a girl from such a family was being pushed out to a vacant lot?

“Got it. Let’s go, Ronie.”

“Sigh...”

He followed me with a look of displeasure.

Still, he didn’t try to break away. Quietly, he took the lead and guided us toward the clearing.

――――――

The clearing was eerily quiet.

An open space, completely deserted—just as the name implied.

At first, I thought we’d come at the wrong time and Sonia simply wasn’t here.

But the moment we rounded the corner of the academy building,

we immediately realized that she came here without fail, every single day.

Clang!!

A training dummy, brought over from the arena.

It was already ragged from countless strikes.

The ground was littered with pitch-black ashes from shredded straw and fabric.

“Hoooh...”

The source of the spectacle, as expected, was a female student.

Her bright red hair, like flames, flowed down to her waist.

One of her eyes was hidden behind long bangs, while a crimson light of passion burned in the other.

Soon, she closed both eyes again to concentrate.

Then, she began to wrap her sword in blazing fire once more.

A Spirit Knight.

One of the four knight types in the Empire.

The first are the regular knights.

They rely solely on physical strength and mental fortitude — your typical warriors.

The second are elite knights who can wield mana.

By handling mana, they can strengthen their bodies beyond human limits.

The third are Magic Swordsmen.

Those who can use both magic and swordsmanship, allowing for diverse tactics.

And finally, there are the Spirit Knights.

As the name suggests, they can communicate with spirits and use both magic and sword techniques through their connection.

None of them are inherently rarer or more prestigious than the others.

Surprisingly, the ones who have risen to the rank of commander or achieved the most success have mostly been from the first or second categories.

Magic Swordsmen and Spirit Knights tend to shift toward the more comfortable path of becoming mages before they reach adulthood.

Which is why they’re usually treated like people who’ll be gone soon anyway.

“Huff...!!”

Sonia, seemingly unaware that we were watching, swung her sword with all her might.

Toward the training dummy that was already ragged from repeated strikes.

―――――!!

The moment her sword came down,

the flames coiled around the dummy like a snake.

Then, it crumbled into pitch-black ash and scattered across the ground.

“Haahh... No, the power still isn’t fully channeled into the blade...”

Sonia let out a rough breath.

Wiping the corner of her lone eye with the back of her hand, she murmured to herself.

Then, sensing our presence, she turned around sharply.

Before long, the bishop’s daughter found herself locking eyes with me, my hands clasped behind my back.

“When the sword doesn’t carry full power, it’s good to return to the basics.”

Sonia looked startled, like a fox suddenly encountering someone deep in the mountains.

Her crimson eye, peeking through her red hair, widened.

“Most Magic Swordsmen and Spirit Knights get so focused on maintaining their magic that they often forget the fundamentals of swordsmanship.”

I gestured toward the charred training dummy.

Though she had clearly struck it with full force, there were only scorched marks left behind—no clean cut.

“In times like that, it’s best to stop using magic for a while. Start with basic slashes, and gradually reintroduce the magic step by step.”

“Who are you...?”

A calm, beautiful voice.

At the sound of it, Ronie, who had been lingering in the distance, flinched.

“Nice to meet you, Sonia. I’m Julius Roger, a friend of Bishop Paul.”

The wariness in her eyes eased a little at the mention of her father’s name.

But only a little.

Gripping her rapier tightly, she seemed ready to return to her training at any moment.

"Yes, hello. But may I ask why my father's acquaintance came to see me?"

"Nothing too serious. I was on my way to visit my younger brother Ronie, and your father asked me to check in on you. From the looks of it, you seem to be doing well."

I gave her the most harmless smile and lightly pointed toward the charred training dummy.

No wonder her body broke down the moment she passed the Imperial Knight exam.

Her fundamentals were solid, and her spirit arts were at an impressive level.

But Sonia’s face, as it appeared before me now—

Even to the naked eye, she looked utterly exhausted and worn out.

She certainly had that noble maiden’s natural grace and delicate charm.

But after pushing herself for so long, it looked like she might collapse like that dummy if someone so much as tapped her.

"Would you be able to spare a moment of your time?"

"Sure, but let’s talk after I finish my training. I just have 800 more swings left to complete today’s routine."

Eight hundred...?

She had been panting that heavily even when striking the dummy just now.

And now she was saying she’d go through that much more?

I was about to tell her to stop—for her own sake as the bishop’s daughter.

But I didn’t have to step in.

“If you keep training like that, you won’t be able to compete in the festival match.”

Ronie, who had been watching from a distance, suddenly tossed the comment with a hint of bluntness.

“What did you say?”

When Sonia looked his way, he quickly averted his gaze.

As if locking eyes with a girl his age was too much for him.

“Your breathing was really rough just now. Didn’t the professor say that when you’re in that state, training doesn’t really work?”

As expected of Ronie, who had a knack for swordsmanship.

He was cleverly presenting sound advice, borrowing the professor’s authority to make it more convincing.

“He said appropriate rest is better than faulty training.”

“...”

Sonia looked displeased at the two brothers interfering with her training.

Still, perhaps she didn’t think they were wrong, because she decided to set her pride aside.

“I suppose you're right…”

“If you don’t mind, would you let me treat you to some tea? I’ve heard there’s a well-known bakery here on campus.”

Sonia sheathed her rapier at her waist.

“You said my father sent you?”

“Yes, he’s been quite worried lately, since he hasn’t received any letters from you.”

“Understood. Let’s go.”

Sonia took the lead toward the entrance of the building.

With that, Ronie and I leisurely followed her to the café-bakery on the first floor.

“I already had coffee earlier, so I’ll go with tea. What about you two?”

“I’m not a fan of sweets, so I’m good.”

Sonia answered firmly, as if she'd rarely visited the bakery before.

Then, Ronie gave a sidelong glance at the red-haired knight’s slender wrist and casually spoke up.

“Try the new Haman sandwich. It’s not sweet.”

“Sandwich...?”

Lately, among young noble ladies, it had become trendy to visit Haman and take a big bite of a sandwich with both hands.

It seemed Sonia really did confine herself solely to the academy training grounds.

“It’s a food made with vegetables and ham between two slices of bread. It’s tasty—you should try it at least once.”

“Ah, then I’ll just…”

The murderous energy she’d had during training had completely dissipated as she fumbled around to take out her wallet.

I quickly stepped in before she could and placed the order myself, telling her it was fine.

And, true to the nature of a sandwich, the food came out incredibly fast.

In an instant, our table was set with tea and food.

“That was fast...!”

Sonia blinked her one visible eye like a startled wolf.

“Let’s talk while we eat.”

I handed her the freshly made bread.

Then, to demonstrate how to eat it, I picked up my sandwich with both hands and shrugged.

“…”

Sonia cautiously followed suit, holding the sandwich with both hands.

And the moment she took a small bite and began to chew,

her crimson eyebrows lifted in surprise at the simple yet hearty flavor she had never experienced before.

“I heard from your father. He said you’ve been working very hard at the academy. You’re going to be in the final match at the founding festival this year, aren’t you?”

“Yes. You can speak casually, by the way.”

Maybe the taste suited her palate—she gave me permission to drop the formal speech.

As expected, people who offer good food are always seen as kind.

“But, if I’m being honest, I heard that final match is usually reserved for the strongest knights in the school. Typically, it’s between a graduating senior and the top-ranked junior in the intermediate class.”

Most of those matches had ended in victory for the graduating seniors.

Though sometimes, a prodigy would appear and turn the tables.

But the girl in front of me wasn’t a prodigy.

She did have notable talent, yes—but not enough to overcome her seniors.

The school must have known that too, so why were they placing her in a match that was essentially a public execution?

Someone must really be envious of this girl.

“You’re right. Honestly, I’m not the kind of student who deserves that spot. I know I still have a long way to go.”

Ronie, who had been quietly listening beside us, raised one finger.

Then he began to share his own theory.

“I think they’re jealous because Sonia works too hard.”

“Because I work too hard…?”

The red-haired girl turned her head to look at my younger brother.

Ronie, startled, cleared his throat and glanced toward me instead.

“This is the Imperial Academy, right? So there are a lot of royal students here. Most of them are born strong because they’re descendants of the Emperor or generals.”

I looked at my little brother’s jet-black eyes with quiet satisfaction.

Eyes like black pearls, sparkling without the slightest blemish—so different from mine.

“So even if they slack off and only practice a little, they can still land in the top ranks.”

“…”

Sonia looked troubled—she didn’t want to admit it, but it was clearly true.

“On the other hand, commoner kids usually don’t have natural talent, so they always push themselves to the brink.”

Ronie's gaze turned a little bleak, as if he was talking about himself.

Taking a sip of my cooling hot chocolate, I continued.

“It's understandable for us—we’re at the bottom of the ladder in this academy. But you, as a member of the Fern family, are different.”

My brother, as if gathering his courage, looked steadily at Sonia.

Then, in a serious tone, he spoke.

“You're from one of the Three Great Houses, and yet you train like your life depends on it. That became a huge inspiration to the other students.”

Nobles usually had the image of flaunting their innate talent thanks to their bloodline.

Sonia was the one who shattered that image.

“Thanks to you, a culture of hard work began to take root at the academy. Even the professors started paying more attention to the students.”

“So, I suppose the royals who just want to coast their way to graduation aren't too pleased about that,” I added calmly.

Ronie nodded.

“The Emperor’s direct descendants try to maintain their dignity, but the distant relatives? They flaunt their power and swagger around the school like they own it.”

Of course.

Those who bear no responsibility but hold power often end up rotten.

Even if they preserve their so-called ‘dignity’ here, there’s no imperial throne waiting for them anyway.

“Those royals hate you, Sonia. And this is their chance to make a point.”

“No matter how desperately you struggle to rise up, you’ll never surpass them.”

I delivered the final line for him, my gaze cold and sharp.

Sonia exhaled shortly, as if trying to swallow her frustration.

“Sonia, what do you want to do?”

I looked at the girl standing at the very center of this great maelstrom within the academy.

“If you want, I can speak to them and get you out of the match.”

“…”

The young lady from one of the Three Great Houses fell silent.

The reason she pushed herself this hard—

was because of her father, who worried that she might come to resent the mother who had passed down her disability.

To succeed proudly as a knight.

To ease the burden on her father, the bishop.

To show him that she was doing just fine—healthy, strong, and capable.

That was why she had been driving herself so mercilessly.

“No, I have to be in that match.”

I looked at Sonia, full of resolve, with a calm gaze.

Because the strength in her eyes reminded me of someone.

A woman who had risen to the position of Commander of the Northern Knights solely through effort, in a brutal ducal household.

The Grand Duke’s daughter of the North.

“Very well. Then I’ll help you.”

I rose first from the café table.

Then, with the pitch-black eyes of my former days as Chief Secretary, I looked through the two young students before me.

“I’ll make sure that dream comes true.”

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