Tenkomori: The Homecoming Club Conquers Another World

Chapter 63. The First Year at the Academy – Water Attendant

When I went out to the backyard, I found Ted and Gemma hitting each other with wooden swords.

I forbid attacks to the head except in mock battles with me. Even a wooden sword can kill you instantly. If it hits you in the eye, you risk losing your sight.

Lily was sitting by the wall, cheering them on.

She stopped in place so she wasn't disturbing them and observed their movements.

Ted was talented. He was good with one-handed weapons and had a fast reaction time. He could also use a shield to a certain extent, so he could handle any style of weapon except heavy weapons. The rest depends on his qualities. No matter how fast he grows, he may suddenly hit a wall. The barrier of qualities is absolute.

Gemma, on the other hand, is more subtle. He is the tallest person, including me, and he has a good physique if he can build muscles. But perhaps because of this, his movements were awkward, and he often wielded his wooden sword with brute force. He also seemed to have very poor swordsmanship skills. He is not afraid of anything, so I think he is suitable to become a tank.

Whatever the case may be, the two of them have a long way to go.

They will have to try out different weapons and go through trial and error. They have their wishes, too.

Also, neither of them had any magical qualities, but I gave Lily a try and found that she had an aptitude for the earth attribute. She has made it clear that she will not become an adventurer, but she seems to find time to practice.

She looks away and up at the sky.

I think Lambert has no choice now.

I can't get myself in tune with the aristocracy's peculiar way of thinking. If they were raised as nobles, I was raised as a commoner from my previous life. Our roots are different.

My fathers thought of me as a slightly different son, but when I got to know the other nobles in-depth, our differences worsened.

If I'm reincarnated as a commoner, I'll feel more comfortable.

I like my family now, but I find the position of nobility disturbing.

"Have the guests left?"

Before I knew it, the mock battle was over and they were wiping their sweat with a cloth.

"They've gone home. Let's rest a bit and then we'll have a game."

"Ouh!"

Ted responded, swinging his wooden sword.

After filling their jugs with "SPure Water," the two immediately poured it into their wooden cups and drank it.

As usual, the order of pouring was Ted, Gemma.

After meeting with them several times, I found that Lily naturally stands up to Ted, as does Gemma. Although she doesn't seem to be aware of it, she seems to have subconsciously decided that Ted is their leader. Otherwise, she would not be in second place.

Gemma, by the way, was not a refugee in the purest sense of the word. He was a child born in a refugee town, and he met Ted and his family three years ago when they came to Selene.

After the rest, the game began immediately.

I go along with them because that's what they call it, but what's inside is my instructor's training.

Ted holds up a wooden sword and a wooden shield.

At first, he complained that the shield was in the way, but when I demonstrated it to him, though he was unfamiliar with it, he quickly understood its effectiveness. However, shields are fragile and poor adventurers cannot maintain them. This was in preparation for the time when he could afford it.

We hit it off a few times, and I told him the problems, and what was good about it.

Ted nods honestly, and then he moves back, swinging his head back.

"I'm next!"

Gemma pounces on him as if he's been waiting for him.

He swings as hard as ever, and soon after the exchange of strikes, Gemma's wooden sword breaks.

"Ah…"

I screamed sadly and looked at the sword's tip as it flew away.

Gemma often breaks wooden swords because he swings them like a cudgel, without the tip of the blade up.

"Sorry, I broke it again."

"Don't worry, wooden swords are easy to break. Ted, I have a spare in the storage on the first floor. There's also an oddly shaped one, so bring that one too."

These wooden swords and shields are my handiwork.

They are sold at armory stores at low prices for training purposes, but I decided to make them myself for dexterity training and as a rehearsal for learning blacksmithing skills. I have made more than a dozen so far, and they look pretty good now.

Ted said, "Isn't this the weirdest thing you've ever made?" He returned with one wooden sword and a wooden weapon, saying.

"Yeah, that's the right one."

He takes the wooden weapon and hands it to Gemma.

A dejected Gemma stared at the weapon he handed her.

"Is this a cudgel?"

"It's supposed to be a mace, in case you were wondering. I'm going, to be honest with you, Gemma is not cut out for swords."

"That may be true, but… I don't think he's cut out for the cudgel."

"That's why it's mace. Besides, a striking weapon is superior. You don't have to worry about the direction of the blade. So you can counterattack from any position. It is also effective against monsters with hard armor and hides. The C-rank adventurer I met the other day loved using a mace."

"A C-rank?"

"Adventurers value practicality. That's how easy it is to use a bashing weapon, and how powerful it is."

Although I don't talk about it, those weapons have their weaknesses. Except for the head, they are less lethal and wounds heal quickly. If you're dealing with leather armor or soft-skinned demons, a sword is more effective than bashing weapons.

"Also, I think Gemma would be better as a shield."

"Shield?"

"A tank role. You'll be on the front lines, drawing the enemy away and protecting your friends. The heart of the party."

Gemma cheered.

"All right, then use your shield too. Let's continue the game, shall we?"

"Ouh!"

And the match with Gemma resumed, and I immediately noticed that he was moving better.

He was bad with the use of his sword. But although he had the qualities of a bashing weapon, he was not aware of the most powerful tip. For the time being, a weapon like a mace seems to be the way to go.

Gemma attacks wielding a wooden mace and shield.

It would be interesting to "Hit the shield hard" with a spiked shield.

Well, for now, let's let him learn how to use the shield.

I speed up a little and increase the number of attacks.

Gemma attacks without care and my wooden swords hit him one after another.

"What are you doing? Have you forgotten your role as a shield? Don't neglect your defense, or your friends will suffer."

Gemma takes up his shield and somehow manages to block my attacks.

Gemma was even more attack-oriented than Ted. It might be just as well.

I continued to attack, trying to be as receptive as possible.

At that time, I suddenly felt a strange gaze.

It was Ted who was looking at me.

His eyes were shaking as if he wanted to say something.

Did he notice?

I glanced at him and nodded my head with my eyes.

He doesn't seem to be a dangerous guy, so I'll leave it to him.

Ted gave a small nod and quietly got up and walked out of the backyard into the alleyway of the building.

The other side hasn't noticed yet.

"Who are you!"

In one breath, Ted pounces.

There was a short scream and the prowler was subdued.

I knew it was only a matter of time before a thief got in – just a boy.

And this presence, I faintly remember. I don't recognize it, though.

"What, a thief!"

Gemma also rushes to his aid, but the boy's arm is already twisted, and he can't move.

Gemma rushes over to him, cudgel raised, and he looks like he's about to cry.

I don't want him to cry, so I restrain Gemma and sit beside the boy.

"Who are you?"

The boy shivered and responded only, "Nails."

Even though he didn't say his name. I guess I was asking the wrong question.

He tells Ted to let him go and stands Nails up.

"Sorry for being rough. I thought you might be suspicious. So, you wanted to see me?"

He starts to blurt out, frightened.

This Nails was my neighbor.

No wonder I vaguely remembered him. I bumped into a woman around thirty when I was leaving my house. At that time, I also felt a presence in the back of the house, and it seemed to be him.

And what he was doing, to sum it up roughly, he wanted to join us.

Ted, who had the temperament of a kid general, found out about it.

"Well, let's play!"

And he pulls him along.

Instantly, Nails turns pale.

He's playing for training, but how could he possibly know?

"Ted, Gemma. Let's try something a little irregular."

"Irregular–what?"

"No attacking at all, only defending."

"What? What are you talking about? That's no way to play the game!"

"Isn't it fun to act like a maniac? You guys are much stronger, aren't you?"

The two men look as if they are not satisfied.

"You win when Nails runs out of energy, and you lose if you get hit once. "We can afford it, right?"

"Of course! Okay, come at me!"

"Come on!"

I love simple kids.

Nails was reserved at first, but when he realized they weren't going to attack him, he gradually began to move aggressively. Ted and Gemma run around, sometimes using swords and shields to defend themselves.

I suggested this might be a good idea. They are both too aggressive.

Suddenly I looked at Lily and saw that she had started training in earth magic, perhaps inspired.

She is concentrating on putting magic into the sand at hand and trying to make it react. She is serious, so she will eventually train to the limit of her qualities. After that, how high is her limit?

I can't say for sure, but I have a feeling it's not very high. Usually, qualities also affect the speed of acquisition. If she can't learn life magic after all this practice, I think beginner level is the best she can do.

Should I look into it formally once?

At the Cartilard Academy of Advanced Studies and the Adventurers' Guild, there was a grimoire for testing magical qualities. The official name of this magical tool is Denetree Sea Calytes, but the meaning is difficult to convey, so it is called a tool for testing magical qualities or a tool for investigation. The guild charges a fee of two silver coins for its use, and the academy only allows students to use it.

If I wanted to check it out, it would be at the Adventurers' Guild – and it made no sense for me to pay for it. Lily is not an aspiring adventurer, nor does she seem to want to know. It seems to have taken over a year, but they are scraping together three silver coins, Cartilard's examination fee. If they feel the need, they will discuss it with Ted and the others and see what they can do about it.

I look over them at the loud noise.

"What the hell, are we done?"

Ted looks down at the fallen Nails.

He doesn't seem to have the strength to argue, let alone get up. Nails remained slumped over, not moving a muscle.

Gemma poked him in the side with her mace.

"You're not going to make it.

"You're out of it, man," he says. "Let's play, Gemma."

"Oh!"

After pulling Nails toward us, Ted and Gemma begin a mock battle.

I guess kids are energetic.

I look next to me and see a breathless Nails lying on the floor.

I brought a cup from my room, poured some water into it, and placed it in front of him.

After a moment, Nails gets up and drinks it down as if he were gorging himself.

"Don't worry about it."

When I spoke to him, Nails turned to me with a scowl.

He pointed with his chin at the two men, who were flailing about energetically.

"Those guys have been working out for over a year. If it's just physical strength. They're better than normal kids."

"I see, one year ……. And her?"

Nails moves his gaze to Lily.

She was immersed in practicing her earth magic from earlier. To the casual observer, it looks like she is playing with sand.

The sand moves in the palm of her hand.

"What? Now, the sand is–"

"Lily is practicing magic. She's not even a novice yet, though."

Nails stared at Lily's palm.

That's quite a bite. So you're more interested in magic than swords?

"Shall we find out? Can you use magic or not?"

"Please!"

As it turned out, Nails had an aptitude for water magic.

Ted and Gemma were even happier than he was to learn this. Outside the walls, water is difficult to secure. They understood well the importance of water.

"We've got a water attendant for our party!"

And they were excited to have Nails around.

It's a terrible thing to say, and he hasn't said he's going to be an adventurer, but he seems happy, so we'll take it as a good thing.

Lily watched her brothers in such a good mood with a smile.

But why is she practicing magic?

She said, "It's a good opportunity." but she was very enthusiastic about it.

When I asked her what she was thinking, she opened her mouth, looking a little sad.

"My brother and I were farmers. I know I can't go back to my old life. But I still want to grow a lot of my favorite crops on my farm someday. I hope that earth magic will be of some help then."

Did you have such a dream?

Then, if your qualities were not earth magic, you would not have practiced diligently.

A thought occurred to me, and I asked Lily.

"By the way, is it limited to the field to grow?"

"Yes, not really, but ……. I like growing flowers, too. Oh, I also like the smell of soil."

"I see."

I stood up.

"I'm going out for a bit. If you're coming home late, you can go straight home. And drink your tea if you like."

"Oh, yes."

I told Ted and the others that I was going out and left the house.

Well, I hope you can stay.