To receive such an offer so soon after running into the limits of self-study?
Wouldn't the readers following this narration be shouting, 'Ah, this is an offer he absolutely has to accept!' at a developnt like this?
It's practically a situation where plausibility itself is pushing forward and telling to learn whip techniques from Skati.
If I'm willing to eat als with the original protagonist yet claim I can't learn whip techniques from one of the original work's supporting characters, wouldn't that be a contradiction?
More importantly, Skati is a professor.
Her ability to explain things is incomparable to Vigdís's, and she's accustod to teaching others.
'As expected, I have to accept.'
After finishing what could either be called organizing my thoughts or justifying myself, I arrived at that conclusion.
However, despite that, I didn't imdiately give Skati a positive answer.
Instead, I kept my mouth shut, wearing a sour expression and looking at her with a wary gaze.
What I need from her is only instruction.
Feelings such as favor or kindness must be rejected.
"Uh..., ummm~? Don't decliiine... I'm really grateful and sorry... Unng~, so I feel like my heart would be at ease if I could do sothing for yooou..."
The person who had been confidently rattling off self-promotional remarks just monts ago suddenly beca dispirited.
She timidly watched my reaction while fidgeting with her fingers, as though she had never been confident in the first place.
It was an expected reaction.
'Because Skati is soone who knows sha.'
The fact that she silently endured ostracism from her fellow professors and carried out her community service order, despite having the ability to escape the academy and live in hiding without anyone ever finding her, proves that.
Furthermore, she feels indebted to .
That ans even if I hesitate, she isn't in a position to play hard to get with a "Fine, then don't" attitude.
"Can I think of it as... a form of compensation?"
Resolving the bullying issue was sothing Skati accomplished herself, and since all I did was run my mouth, bringing up compensation is absurd.
Nevertheless, I downgraded the helping hand she was offering out of goodwill into re compensation.
I erased the wariness from my expression and showed just a hint of temptation.
"Ugh, y-yeaaah~. You can think of it that waaay~?"
As expected, instead of denying my words, she simply told to think whatever I liked.
I felt sorry for seemingly taking advantage of her sense of indebtedness, but it couldn't be helped.
Since I had absolutely no intention of becoming close to her or considering her a ntor, this was the best way to draw a line between us before beginning private lessons.
"Professor Skati? Why don't we sit down and talk first?"
Professor Radvisin suggested that Skati join us.
Probably because our conversation seed likely to drag on, and the employee carrying our food was standing behind her waiting.
"Is that okaaaay...?"
Since the novel this world was based on was written by a Korean author, even though it was a fantasy work set in a Western-style world, a Confucian spirit had seeped into the setting, creating an atmosphere where elders were generally respected.
Yet perhaps because the author valued character individuality?
As demonstrated by the conversation above, Skati didn't hesitate to speak informally even to elderly people and continued using her unique habit of dragging out the ends of her sentences.
The reason was that, given her background, she had never received a proper education in etiquette.
Even taking those circumstances into account, Professor Radvisin could easily have found her manner of speaking unpleasant.
The age gap between them was roughly double, and while he was a noble-born scholar, Skati was a criminal of common birth.
Nevertheless...
"Hohoho, of course."
"Thank yooou~!"
The elderly professor rely let out a hearty laugh that made him seem every bit the good-natured person he was.
At that, Skati abandoned her hesitation, smiled brightly, and quickly sat down.
When she moved out of the way, the employee placed the food on the table.
Professor Radvisin had standardized everyone's dinner order to vongole pasta, but a plate of steak openly occupied part of the table.
It was Skati's al.
Apparently, she had simply co to eat dinner and had ordered food as well.
"Don't mind us and speak freely."
At this point, readers might raise a question.
'Radvisin has essentially marked the protagonist as his research student, so why is he helping create opportunities for Skati instead of keeping her in check?'
For those people, here's a piece of information:
Combat professors do not take research students.
In the first place, what use would people who don't write papers and focus solely on becoming stronger have for research students?
'Occasionally, if they find a student they particularly like, they might personally train them and take them on as a favored disciple, but that's about it.'
Putting that aside and returning to the main point.
Professor Radvisin told not to mind him and the senior research students, but I absolutely couldn't do that.
Because the senior research students were alternating their gazes between Skati and with expressions full of curiosity.
I suspect Skati's remark about feeling grateful and sorry toward had piqued their interest.
'Still... since Skati made it sound as though she had wronged sohow, they probably won't find it strange even if I treat her sowhat coldly, nor will they suddenly start feeling distant toward .'
Should I call that a blessing in disguise?
The fact that I could learn whip techniques wasn't unfortunate in the slightest.
But the fact that the person who would teach was destined to die before long was unfortunate enough.
"When are you free during the week?"
Thinking it best to start discussing the lessons before unnecessary topics ca up, I asked Skati about her schedule.
Skati imdiately returned the question as though she intended to accommodate mine.
"Karvaldr, when are you freeee~?"
"Monday and Friday afternoons."
"Wow, perfect~? I just happen to have no lectures scheduled at those tiiis~! Which of those two days do you prefeeer~?"
As readers know, Skati is destined to leave this academy at the end of the sester, just like Reisir.
And the ti remaining until then is barely less than two months.
Yet only once a week?
At the very least, isn't that too little?
I'm afraid of becoming attached if we spend too much ti together, but if you ask whether that's more frightening than dying, the answer is obviously no.
Although I tried not to, a note of regret naturally slipped into my voice.
"I have to... choose only one day...?"
"Uuung~? ...Ah! Co to think of it, didn't you say you wanted to participate in the tournant, but couldn't apply this ti because your skills weren't good enough~?!"
At my reaction, Skati tilted her head in confusion before suddenly brightening as though she had been enlightened.
Even though I have no regrets about missing this Martial Arts Tournant.
If I weren't in a position where I needed to accumulate combat experience to prepare for survival, I wouldn't want to enter tournants in the future either.
"Monday and Friday afternoons. From after lunch until right before dinner, I'll teach you with all my effooort~! So let's enter the tournaeent~?"
"...Pardon?"
"I'll properly plan out your training curriculum too, so just leave # Nоvеlight # it to ee~!!"
So this developnt...
Is this one of those situations where I have to enter the tournant in order to learn whip techniques from Skati in a short amount of ti?
"Aim for at least the Round of 16~! Go, gooo~!!"
"...Isn't that goal a little too ambitious?"
"Nooope~! Considering the movents you showed during the midterm exam, I think it's completely possibllle~. Plus, the whip is a weapon with a strong elent of surprise, isn't iiit?"
Indeed, among the students planning to participate in the tournant, how many had ever fought soone who used a whip as a weapon?
Furthermore, this body belongs to the son of a duke.
Most students would hesitate at the decisive mont out of concern for injuring .
So might even intentionally throw the match.
'If I get lucky with the bracket, I might really make it to the Round of 16...'
Although a victory handed to by soone else in a re tournant would have no real aning.
Still, the tournant itself wasn't important.
It was only a pretext.
Learning the fundantals of practical whip techniques and as many advanced applications as possible from Skati within a short period of ti—that was my real goal.
If Skati intended to train with expectations beyond the Round of 16, then that was sothing to welco.
"I understand. Let's give it a try and aim for at least the Round of 16..."
"Yeah, yeaah~! That's the spirit~! The bigger the goal, the betteeer~!"
This was the mont the reason the chapter subtitle was 「Tournant Preparation」 was finally revealed, despite my declaration at the beginning of the chapter that I wouldn't be entering the tournant.
"Karvaldr, you said you weren't entering the tournant, but you applied anyway?"
"How do you know that?"
"The participant list was posted on the notice board on the first floor of the Academy Main Building. Yesterday was the application deadline."
After breakfast earlier that morning.
Instead of heading directly to the Martial Arts classroom, Reisir had stepped away, saying he had sowhere to stop by first, and I had wondered where he was going.
He must have gone to check the participant list.
Unless soone knew the students well enough to gauge their abilities from nas alone, looking at the list wasn't particularly aningful.
Still, it was useful for at least determining the number of participants.
Moreover, didn't I possess a directory containing information on the key students?
'I should go check the list later too.'
Learning about the existence of the list was certainly a good thing, but...
There was also a problem I couldn't simply overlook.
"More importantly, Vigdís should clearly be my sparring partner, so why are you standing in front of , Reisir?"
Instead of assigning sparring partners according to skill level, the Martial Arts professor had irresponsibly told everyone to pair up with whoever they wanted and start sparring.
That had happened last week, and naturally I had chosen Vigdís.
I needed to maintain distance from Reisir, and sparring with Ríolíkin wasn't possible because he wouldn't even dare consider throwing a punch at .
Thus, Reisir had been paired with Ríolíkin.
But...
"You didn't see what happened when I sparred with Ríolíkin last week...? No, can that even be called sparring? Anyway."
Of course I hadn't seen it.
I had been far too busy blocking and dodging Vigdís's attacks.
If I'd had enough spare attention to watch other people, I would have landed at least one counterattack.
"Ríolíkin was so afraid of that he curled up and couldn't do anything. So I asked Vigdís to switch with . Vigdís hasn't been training for very long, and since she's slender, she looks weak, so I thought things might be a little different..."
As he spoke, Reisir turned his gaze elsewhere with an extrely sour expression.
I followed his gaze and couldn't help making a similar face.
Because instead of raising his guard, Ríolíkin was trembling as though desperately pleading, "Please don't hit !"
And standing in front of him, Vigdís was clenching her fists and stomping her feet, unable to do anything.
If I had to choose which of them was more pitiful, I would choose Vigdís without hesitation.
After all, she was the one wasting precious sparring ti.
"It seems it wasn't because the person facing him was ..."
Only now did Reisir realize his mistake, and he sent Vigdís an apologetic look.
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