“……”
I can’t sleep. Well, even though I shouldn’t.
Athena on my left and Luna on my right were both sleeping peacefully.
I, on the other hand, was desperately fighting against my gaze being stolen by their chests moving up and down to the rhythm of their breathing.
…What the hell…!
I can turn neither left nor right…!
…Well, looking straight up it is, then.
I stared up at the dilapidated and barely-functional ceiling, endeavouring to empty my mind. Still, I couldn’t help but pay attention to the other two beings in the place, occasionally turning over in their sleep.
Not a big surprise, really. I wondered to myself whether I had ever even slept in the same room as a girl before.
…Now that I think of it, I did with sis, but… well, sis is sis.
Still, why do girls smell so nice? Is it something they get at birth… or as they grow up… wait, sugar?
I had reached enlightenment.
“…Hm?”
A shadow beckoned to me from the other side of the wall riddled with holes.
I grabbed the spear I had left leaning against the wall, and quietly made my way–
“–Where are you going?”
I gulped, then fearfully turned back to look at Luna.
“…I have something to take care of.” I said as Luna’s purple eyes followed me.
“…I see. Come back as quickly as you can.” she said, closing her eyes and turning over so that her back was turned towards me.
‘She really startled me. Did I wake her up…?’ I thought to myself as I stared at her.
Becoming self-conscious, I quickly made my way outside and immediately spotted Kraim, who was standing by the river and looking up at the full moon.
…That’s a handsome guy for you. All he was doing was staring at the moon, and I felt like I was seeing a painting.
“Sorry. Did I make you wait long?” I asked, and Kraim turned around with a gentle smile on his face.
“Not at all. I was… simply watching the moon…”
…Damn… how cool can a guy be…!
I put on a sorrowful expression and looked up at the moon like he had done.
“I see. Indeed… tonightsh mun”
I stopped.
“… Shall we go?”
I followed behind Kraim in silence.
We walked along the riverbank for a while until he stopped.
“Here should be fine.” Kraim said, walking a little further to distance the two of us.
“Can I go all-out?” Kraim glanced up at me as he readied his sword and got into a fighting stance.
“Sure, I don’t mind. How’s the winner decided?”
“Let me think… if you accept your defeat, you say so? That should be all right?”
…In other words, you wouldn’t lose unless you accepted your defeat.
I nodded and readied my spear.
Kraim drew out his sword, angling its silver blade shining in the moonlight towards me.
“……”
A cold wind blew across my cheeks.
There was no signal; the duel would start the moment one of us made a move.
Which is why before that could happen–
“…I’m strong, you know. Definitely stronger than anyone you’ve even seen up until now.”
I had decided to face him seriously.
I felt like something would change if I did.
“…That’s some amazing confidence. But for some reason… I’m strangely expectant now.” Kraim said, sending a sharp glance my way.
……It’s starting.
–Kraim moved.
He quickly accelerated towards me, his steps sure.
– But, he wouldn’t reach me like that.
“…!”
He stopped.
I quickly stopped my spear from stabbing him in the throat.
“…One.” I murmured.
His expression turned to rage for an instant as he moved again.
He turned away from the tip of the spear, crouching down as he stabbed his sword towards me–
–and stopped again.
Or rather, he had no choice but to stop.
My spear was, once again, pointed at his throat.
“Two.”
…But I knew that I hadn’t won yet.
It was quite obvious, given his fiery eyes.
I stepped back and lowered my posture, pointing my spear at him.
So far, all I had done was counter his attacks. I was now going to attack.
“…”
Kraim didn’t say anything.
He raised his sword up high, observing even my most minute of movements closely.
“You’re not going to use magic?” I asked, and he smiled bitterly in response.
“Well… I wonder.”
“…I see.” was all I said before I channelled my overflowing power into my legs and accelerated towards him.
“What the!?”
His sword cut through nothing.
Imitating the butler Claude’s movements, I had appeared behind Kraim in the blink of an eye.
“And that’s three.”
Kraim glared at the spear pointing at the back of his neck.
…It was quite obvious.
He was very inferior to the butler of the Flame household.
He might not have had any wasted movements, but that was all he had going for him.
He wouldn’t even begin being a threat to me with those textbook movements of his.
I guess the reason I accepted his challenge was… perhaps… I was afraid of loneliness.
“…So this… is your true power… That speed… most definitely does not come from ‘Spear Arts’…” He said, dropping his sword with a metallic clang.
“…I’m satisfied now. Or rather, I’m now even more scared of Luna-sama for having found you.” he said, staring straight into my eyes.
“I lose. …You’re strong…”
His refreshed-looking smile made me feel a little bad.
“…You said you wouldn’t hide your power any more.”
I nodded, and he looked at me with a serious expression.
“…You should rethink that. I’ll say this clearly: your strength is way too extraordinary,” he said in a sincere voice, which is why I answered with my honest thoughts.
“…I know. I know that.”
And I did. I had known that for a long time.
That the power I had was… a strange one.
“…Which is why I’m thinking I’ll get a little serious.”
Anything I could do for Athena.
I didn’t care about appearing strong enough to be able to do them.
“…I see. Well, I’m sure you’ll be perfectly fine with that,” Kraim said, picking up his sword and putting it back in its scabbard, then turning to look at me again.
I stared back at him.
Time passed by… in silence.
What. This beating in my chest… N-no way! I–
“–You should join the student council,” he said, tearing through the silence.
“…The student council?”
Do we even have one?
“Yeah. Three people per grade are chosen. And two spots are already taken amongst the first-years.”
“Don’t tell me they’re…”
Two faces made their ways to the forefront of my mind.
Speaking of which, one of them was–
“Alice-san and me. The third person will be chosen during next month’s tournament.”
…The student council, huh. They’re probably the organisation in charge of the school’s public image or something. Still, joining it would have some large benefits.
“Thanks. I’ll try join this student council thing then.”
I had decided what to do. And with a tournament, I’d have the perfect chance to stand out too.
And if I did things well, it would also be possible for me to make Athena even more famous.
“So Kraim, this student council–”
Suddenly, a strong wind attacked us.
“What the!?”
Kraim instantly drew his sword, turning towards the forest, where the wind had come from.
I did the same, turning towards the forest from which wind was relentlessly blowing.
…It was eerie.
The trees themselves were swaying back and forth in the strong wind under the moonlight.
The feeling was familiar. It was like… with that goddess–
“–Yuuunoooo! Kraaaaaaaaaim!”
…Is that… Alice?
Alice ran up to us, her breathing ragged and her golden ponytail shaking in sync with her steps.
“What do you think you’re doing! Mr. Soleil told us to all head back!”
“Head back? But the training camp is still–”
“It’s a stampede!” Alice said with a frightened look on her face.
“A stampede!?” Kraim’s voice shook as his eyes widened.
“Yeah. Mr. Soleil said as much.”
“No way… you’ve got to be kidding me… a stampede in the Forest of the Divine Beast?”
“I couldn’t believe my ears either when I heard. A stampede… it felt so unreal when I first heard, my mind turned blank.”
And that was a perfect description of me at that moment.
Stamp? Ede?
Oh, right. That.
I know what those are, even though I feel like I forget sometimes.
Alice turned towards me.
“So that’s what’s happening. Got it?”
“’Course I do. It’s a stampede,” I said, going along with the flow, then following the other two as they sprinted off.
“……”
A peek at Alice’s face as we ran side by side revealed that her expression was stiff. Same for Kraim.
I revised my thoughts. …The situation was not good.
…Athena, Luna.
Instantly growing worried about the two, I sped up.
That was when I remembered.
–– Demon Army Stampede.
The name of what was said to be the worst of all disasters.
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