《Village Daughter of a Potato Farmer, Until She Was Praised as a Sword God》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Admission I, Tremina, have long always been told that I was gentle. I was not aware of this initially, but I got used to it as people around me often told me. As a child, I loved fishing and drawing. When I got immersed in one or the other, the sun would normally have set before I noticed it. No, the word, immersion, was not the correct expression to use. I found it perfect to keep doing the same thing over and over again, and it made me feel calm. I was born and raised in a farming village at the northern end of the country of Cornelia. It is a major producer of potatoes and the village is surrounded by potato fields. It¡¯s one of the most peaceful places in the country, but this wasnt the environment that developed my character. Because there lived a very lively girl next door. Her name was Cepharis, and she was determined and athletic, and never lost, even in a fight with boys. She cared about me, who was a year younger than her, and we grew up like sisters. I was convinced that I would eventually have to take over my familys business and lead a normal life in this village. On the other hand, Cepharis always said that she wanted to become a knight. She said that she would fulfill her dreams, and that she would eventually become a hero. Her name was a nice match for that kind of life too; unlike Tremina, which was a good match for growing potatoes. However, something happened that I didn¡¯t expect. It all started when she was four years old at a knight training school. Cepharis had decided to go to Knight School and continue her training and had managed to persuade her parents. Five years later, her efforts had finally paid off and she was about to enter the school of her dreams. The night before her departure, Cepharis came to my room. After she enters the school walls, I wont be able to see her easily because of her boarding life, so I thought that she had come to say goodbye, but ¡°I can¡¯t stand not being able to see you from now on! But I can¡¯t give up on my dream of becoming a knight! So please, come with me, my sister.¡± She was a lot more dependent on me than I had expected. ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable. There¡¯s no way theyll let me in now.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, Tremina. You¡¯ve never been to the royal capital, have you? Think of it as sightseeing.¡± In the end, I thought it might not be a bad idea to see the castle once, so I decided to accompany her. The royal capital, Konefital, was naturally much larger than the village and there were many people who lived in the capital. There were many ingredients and gourmet food that I saw for the first time in the market. And among them was a French fries stall. They served freshly fried potatoes with your favorite sauce. It was quite popular with the city residents, so I bought one too. This must be our potato. I feel very proud to be doing my best for the city. Did you come all the way here for potatoes? Cepharis asked me with a smile. The training school was located in a suburb a little away from the royal capital. Surrounded by high walls, it looked like a fortress. Moreover, the wall was so tall that the top could hardly be seen. Even as Cepharis begged with all her strength, the result was as expected. ¡°Sorry, you have to follow the procedure properly¡­¡± A male knight, who stood at the gate, was replying to her with a sour face. At that time, a carriage had passed through the gate and gone inside. When it had passed us, our eyes had met with the white-haired girl who was riding inside. She was a beautiful girl with an air of elegance around her and looked to be about the same age as me. When Cepharis had continued to be persistent and refused to give up, another knight had suddenly appeared from inside with a panicked look. He whispered something to the knight who was standing at the gate. The knight suddenly stood up straight and said; ¡°We have accepted your application for admission. Please enter.¡± ¡°I did it! Oh, please put this girl in the same room as me.¡± Cepharis told the Knight. I was such a fool. Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Meeting the princess My intention was to go sightseeing, but I ended up enrolling in the academy with Cepharis. At the age of 9, it felt like I was watching my whole life plan collapse before my very eyes. Beyond the gate, there was an unbelievable sight. ¡°It¡¯s a city. There¡¯s a city within the walls and it¡¯s bigger than the royal capital.¡± I said joyfully to Cepharis. ¡°This is the fortress city of Konegarde, the guardian city of the kingdom. In addition to the academy, there are various things such as the knights¡¯ headquarters, lodgings, training facilities, and magic research institutes. Almost everything in the royal capital can also be found here. The only thing missing is the castle. Be it a student or a merchant, anyone who comes in and out of the city has a duty of confidentiality, so I¡¯ll explain later.¡± While listening to the guide, I thought to myself; I¡¯ve come to a difficult place. Kornegarde Academy was a four-year school and there were about a thousand students in each grade. Students came from all over the country. Ages varied and many of the first-year students were in their early teens. Cepharis and I were quite young. Students were paid the same salary as those who worked in government institutions. At the ages of 9 and 10, we earned 170,000 Noah a month. Noah is the unified currency of the world. The French fries I bought in the royal capital was 200 Noah. I had no choice but to say this to Cepharis, who had already ran off to do some shopping with her extra allowance. Onee-chan, you look like a nouveau riche. Classes at the school were roughly divided into four categories: Age-specific liberal arts classes, specialized classes to learn tactics and mana, various practical skills and alchemy practice. Alchemy is the art of manipulating mana, the source of life and power. We spent almost a year on it, since we were at the stage of recognizing mana. This was the hardest thing for the first year students. After all, it was just a form of meditation and most children fell asleep quite easily. ¡°Haa, if you don¡¯t take this seriously, you¡¯ll repeat it again next year.¡± The teacher said to me and this bothered me. More than that, it was more difficult for me to practice than to meditate. No matter what I did, I couldnt beat anyone. Whether it was a match using a wooden sword, a race or a long throw, I was completely outmatched by students of the same age, let alone the older ones. At first, I tried not to be conscious of it, but after a month or two, it became more and more unbearable. One night, I left my room with as much luggage as I could carry, which I expected not to be surprising to anyone. My classmates all aspired to be knights, so they were much more active than me and some of them had been training independently like my sister. In the first place, I didn¡¯t want to enter this school and I had no intention of becoming a knight even after graduating. Only excuses came to my mind, to deceive the feelings that I could not erase, which was regret. It was the first time I had felt it. I was supposed to be heading for the gate, but I got stuck thinking as I sat on one of the citys bench. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I had heard from someone who had snuck up on me and stood next to me. When I looked up, there was the white-haired girl I had seen on my first day here. She sat next to me and started introducing herself to me. To my surprise, she said that she was the princess of this country and that she often came to Kornegarde. Then, before I could stop myself, I realized I was also telling her about myself and how I got here. Wait a minute.¡± The princess had said and left the place. Soon, she returned with something in hand. ¡°I bought French fries. Potatoes are mainly grown in your hometown, arent they?¡± I received it from her with a nod and stared at it dumbfounded. Surely, the princess had already given me the answer to my problems without knowing it. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. Ill work hard.¡± I said with renewed confidence. ¡°Huh? Yes, you can do it. The princess said with obvious confusion. I just wanted you to remember your hometown and rouse yourself. The princess seemed to be trying to swallow something by force, like she had wanted to tell me something important, but eventually, she recovered. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you one good thing. I¡¯m very sure you have a talent for alchemy. That I know.¡± ¡°I dont have any talent. I¡¯m easygoing in everything.¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what your talent is. If my judgment is correct, your mind is extraordinarily strong. That is very important in alchemy. The world around you will change completely in your second year. I know this. By the way, my name is Lizteles. See you sooner or later, Tremina-san.¡± With that, Princess Lizteles left. Will the world change? I asked myself. It was hard to believe¡­ but I wanted to believe it. I then decided to go back to the dormitory for the time being. I came home long past the curfew but the whole building was awfully noisy. A ferocious beast had entered the building and things were scattered and the windows were broken with glass shattered. The dormitory mothers shouts were heard over the running students; ¡°Someone do something about that beast!¡± Then, Cepharis kicked open the door next to me. As soon as she saw me, she hugged me with tears in her eyes. ¡°How can you leave your sister behind? Never again! Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes I do.¡± I replied to her. Her love and warmth gave me another reason to want to stay in the academy. Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Escape from the bottom, a story that is far from over It had been a few weeks since my meeting with the princess and the ferocious beast that attacked our building had been taken care of by the knights on duty. In order to catch up with my classmates, I had decided to run every night. I knew that advanced training was impossible for me, so I decided to run through the streets and parks of Kornegarde as my training. At the same time, I continued to practice alchemy. The words of the princess, about my talent, gave me more motivation than I had expected. I didn¡¯t quite believe it, but I continued to explore my inner mana with anticipation. **** About half a year had passed since I entered the school, when, I finally began to grasp the feeling of the mana within me. It was not very clear, but the feeling was unbelievable. Except for a few students who had already learnt it, I was getting a grasp of it considerably fast. First, gather mana in one place, and then send it to different parts of the body to check its properties and boost functions. I was saying to myself whilst practicing. Mana is life energy, and its usage is divided into inside and outside the body. On the inside, it¡¯s mainly about strengthening physical functions. It covered a wide range of things, including muscles, vision, hearing, dynamic vision and reflexes and even accelerates natural healing of the body. On the outside, it is used to make energy weapon constructs and armors. In the academy, we were taught that to wear mana meant to get the best of both inside and outside. So, whether or not we were awakened to mana made a big difference. Naturally, I had also thought that I would be able to use mana in practical skill class to make it easier. But; ¡°No, Tremina-san. Put away your mana.¡± I was stopped by Jill-sensei, who was in charge of practical skills and was also just twenty years old. In first grade classes, the use of mana was highly prohibited to maintain fairness. So in the end, I was still alone at the bottom of the class except for the endurance races. **** About two months after I had awakened to mana, Cepharis also awakened to hers. This was also relatively early. She sat in a Zen meditation on her bed and made a difficult face. What she was doing was training her mana with a method called Ren. Ren is the basis of alchemy and if it is repeated it day by day, the quality and quantity of your mana will improve. ¡°Puha, um¡­ An hour and half. That¡¯s a new record!¡± She said joyfully Congratulations. I replied her, clasping her hands Thank you, youre really good at it. She said back to me ¡°You¡¯re doing it right.¡± I said as I left the room with my sister looking happy. Mana kneading requires a lot of concentration, and it was to be quite tiring. But mine had always been completely different. First of all, I didnt really understand the act of concentrating, so I was somehow kneading mana all the time and therefore didnt feel tired at all. Whether it was in class, drawing or running, from the moment I wake up in the morning until the moment I go back to sleep at night, I was always able to knead mana. Maybe Im doing it wrong. I thought to myself, but my mana kept increasing every day. Ren is an important technique that could not be neglected. Therefore, various tips and tricks were described in detail our textbooks. I tried to protect the most emphasized sentence while doing my part. Continuity is more important than anything else. Fortunately, it was also my specialty. **** With the help of my daily training, I advanced to the second year. The use of mana was finally lifted in the practical skill class. I woke up earlier than everyone else, so I had a slight advantage. I wanted to get out of the bottom of the class. Eight male and female students lined up at the starting line for the 100-meter run and among them, I stood, with a faint wish in my heart. Run off at my signal. I moved my hands and feet while wearing mana. And go!! And at the signal, I found myself in a strange situation. No one was in front of me or beside me. When I turned around, the other seven were just passing the halfway point. My classmates stared at me with dumbfounded faces. They all simultaneously looked at the student holding the clock. ¡°¡­7 seconds. Tremina-san¡¯s time is in the 6-second range.¡± A roar of amazement proceeded after this. And this was still the first event. As it was the first day of the second year, we had to compete in a variety of competitions. It was kind of like a physical fitness test. Endurance run, long throw, high jump, long jump¡­ With my mana, I overwhelmed my classmates in all the events. What is this situation? I asked myself. No way, I¡¯m being carried by everyone¡­? I said in bewilderment But are you all using mana properly? Jill asked, interrupting the celebrations. Anyway, all that¡¯s left is to match you students. Lineup and begin to fill your body with mana She directed all of us. I tried to do as she directed, but suddenly my mana began to go awry ¡°Tremina-san, hold back your mana!¡± Jill screamed at me. But I couldnt stop it And suddenly I was stopped by Jill. And the words that came out of her mouth froze everyone in place. ¡°Are you trying to kill your classmate? Chapter 4 A few days had passed since the events that occurred during the first day of second year and I had finally learnt how to use Ren properly. ¡°But everyone¡¯s mana¡­ wasn¡¯t like mine?¡± I asked myself. Yes, it was an unexpected situation. I had always thought anyone could do this much if they used mana, but it was far from the truth. My mana amount was just outstanding. I thought about it a little. ¡®First of all, I assumed that my Ren and everyone else¡¯s Ren began at the same level. Well, I usually slept a total of eight hours a day.¡¯ Yeah, I slept that much. ¡®And for the remaining 16 hours, I continued to train my mana. On the other hand, the limits for the other students were two hours a day.¡¯ ¡°Huh? Wait a minute, then¡­ I am rising at eight times the normal speed?¡± This consideration may not have been far off the mark considering the fact that all the records I got in the physical fitness test were top of the grade. I overtook a thousand people in my grade and now, I am at the top. From the second year onwards, practical skills and alchemy training were integrated and most of the day was spent in this new class. It was a very painful time for the students who had not yet awakened to mana. Also, I had a new problem. My classmates didn¡¯t respond well to the match. Alignment is important. It is not only to hone your skills, but it¡¯s also essential for learning to perceive experiences. Experiential perception is the ability to roughly understand the strength of the person you face. It was due to the resonance of intuition and mana and it was necessary to have in actual battles. Jill-sensei was responsible for this, so she was the one who had to deal with it. She was a first-year student of the school and she had also served as a knight since she was a student. Since she was one of the most skilled teachers, the academy entrusted her with many of the practical skills classes. While teaching me the class, Jill-sensei lightly shifted to a new conversation; ¡°Do you know the chief knight of this country? She was a classmate of mine when I was at the academy. She was a stupid perverted mana monster, a lot like you, Tremina-san. Ah, that is the mana monster part. Now hurry up, let¡¯s begin your ¡®Chance¡¯ training.¡± Chance is a technique for controlling mana. As a subject, it is something that students of the academy start working on in earnest from the third grade. But I needed it to match my classmates. ¡°It takes time to learn.¡± ¡°You have more time than most people. Don¡¯t just train, also be prepared.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°And, of course, experiential perception is a must. If you don¡¯t learn it by the end of the school year, you¡¯ll be building a pile of corpses with your classmates¡¯ bodies.¡± ¡°Please stop. Because of you, I¡¯m already being seen as a monster.¡± There were some things that were a bit of a problem, but I was lucky to have had Jill-sensei take a look at it. She was always with me, even during the summer vacation. While sparring with her, somehow, I began to feel the changes in her mana. At that moment, it seemed that I had gradually begun to acquire experiential perception. Jill sensei changed the amount of mana she was wearing from time to time and we practiced accordingly with the changes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could finish it so quickly. Your greatest strength is that you continue to train diligently.¡± I wasn¡¯t so sure about that, but I felt happy because it was rare for a teacher to praise me. After summer vacation, I was allowed to begin training with my classmates again. I had to tightly adjust my mana to roughly the same amount as my opponent. But even with that, I still didn¡¯t lose to anyone. While everyone was dealing with their classmates, even during the summer vacation, I was single-mindedly arguing with Jill-sensei. I felt that I was one step ahead in terms of bat techniques. However, a sense of relief had spread throughout the class after the matches were plete. ¡°Tremina isn¡¯t that much of a monster as we had thought.¡± ¡°No, this is because we have improved ourselves and the gap has been covered.¡± ¡°The amazing record on the first day of the second year must have been a coincidence.¡± Jill-sensei had told me that a person is something you interpret as you see fit. But on the other hand, I was also relieved. I didn¡¯t want to run alone, either at the top or at the bottom. I was then absorbed by the top group, and the monster theories finally died down. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll continue to live a discreet and calm student life. Then, when I graduate, I will peacefully return to the village and continue on the potato farm.¡± I told Cepharis. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to bee a knight?¡± She asked. ¡°Knighting is a dangerous job. If you have a safe and stable job option, you choose it without hesitation. I¡¯d rather live as a potato farmer.¡± She smiled at me and replied; ¡°That dream will e true if you spend your time here quietly without any attention.¡± She then continued; ¡°You have truly gotten a lot stronger, Tremina, and now, we are very separate mountains. I¡¯ll do my best, so I can¡¯t lose to you. I hope to see you in the final.¡± The final my sister spoke of was the final of the biggest event of the school year. The academy tournament. Chapter 5 Konegarde, a city hidden behind high walls and strong barriers, and within this city, there laid some facilities that were kept strictly confidential and the training ground was one of them. It¡¯s usually used by knights for training, but students are allowed to use it once a year. It is also the place where the academy tournaments are held. The results of this tournament had a big impact on our grades and, in turn, our salary. This tournament is used to clearly rank students, with bat ability being the main evaluation point and education being almost irrelevant. I¡¯ve been undefeated since summer, both in education and in petitions, and I was proud to be number one in my grade. At the age of eleven, I received a monthly salary of 470,000 Noah. I was also mentioned as one of the favorites to win the championship this year. With the tournament ing up the next day, Cepharis suggested that the two of us go out to town to celebrate the tournament¡¯s eve. We were getting paid more than adults, but I had no interest in shopping. So, I mainly saved my money, or once in a while, I spent a little on relatively fine dining. We decided that the celebration would be at a shop I often went to, but as soon as we entered the store, Cepharis immediately ran off because of something she wanted. She was a mass of material desires. Her ranking was eighth in our grade, and considering her age of twelve, she was in a surprising position. It may sound sarcastic when I say this, but all the other students in the top ten are over fifteen years old. At our current stage in the second year, there was not that much difference in our mana ability, so the upper rankings consisted mainly of older kids. Among them, Cepharis was in 8th place, so even if it sounds sarcastic when I say it, I really thought it was amazing what she had acplished. At any rate, I earn not much more than she does, and as I said earlier, she was a mass of materialistic desires, so she quickly indulged in her desires. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be going shopping for clothes and shoes today.¡± She said. ¡°That¡¯s fine. But I know you will not e back for a long time, so I¡¯ll go and start eating first.¡± I often came to this shop because it had my favorite meal on its menu. Omelette with potatoes. It is fluffy, delicious and melts easily in the mouth. It¡¯s a superb dish. ¡°The usual, with gnocchi and potato potage.¡± ¡°Almost always the same choice. It¡¯s not all about potatoes; I think you should consciously avoid potatoes.¡± The waiter said with a smile. ¡°If you ask me, I think you should unconsciously start eating more potatoes.¡± I replied. When I looked up, Cepharis had returned. She sat across the table. ¡°So what did you buy?¡± I asked, half excitedly. ¡°Fufufu, this is it.¡± Saying that, what she brought out was raw meat. ¡°¡­You bought meat?¡± This was truly unexpected. ¡°It¡¯s not just any meat. This is the meat of a divine beast!¡± In this world, there are beasts called gods. Unlike ordinary beasts, they are highly intelligent and terrifyingly strong. They had a deep relationship with humans, and high-ranking Divine Beasts were divided among the nations of the world. At the same time as being an object of faith, they were active as decisive weapons in war. There also existed some rare individuals who could pete on an equal footing with the divine beasts, even though they are humans. They were given the title ¡®Sword god.¡¯ Those who have surpassed human limitations and now possess powers parable to those of gods. They are mankind¡¯s greatest strength. But I had concluded that it had nothing to do with me, since my dream was to grow the best potatoes in the whole nation. Chapter 6 ¡°Is that really the meat of a divine beast?¡± To me, it looked like a normal beef. Divine beasts varied, and no one could say which was stronger than the other. There were quite a few low-ranking divine beasts that did not belong to any country and they attacked humans all over the world. They were called stray gods and were designated as subjugation targets in each country. My village was attacked by these stray gods several times. But even though they were called stray, they still had the moniker ¡®god¡¯. Therefore, knights must often band together to defeat them. Of course, some never returned. ¡®Being a knight is such a dangerous job.¡¯ I said to myself. ¡°It¡¯s definitely the meat of a stray god. I bought it for 50,000 Noah. Tremina, let¡¯s share it in half. If we eat this, we¡¯ll win tomorrow!¡± ¡°Only one of us can win.¡± I replied. It is said that if you eat the meat of a divine beast, you absorb its power. Your life force overflows, and your amount of mana also increases. For such an amazing piece of meat, the transaction price was rather low. ¡°Oh, you two eat here too?¡± When I turned around at the sudden sound of the voice, I saw Jill-sensei walking towards us from the entrance of the restaurant. And behind her was a beautiful girl with white hair. The last time I saw her was over a year ago. But I never forgot her face. She was Princess Lizteles. ¡°Wow, you are really pretty. Are you the Jill-sensei¡¯s sister?¡± Cepharis had asked while trying to hide her raw meat. ¡°This is Lizteles, the heir to the throne of this country.¡± As soon as Jill-sensei introduced her, Cepharis stiffened. ¡°I¡­I was being disrespectful¡­! Forgive me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not rude, calm down.¡± She replied with a joyful laugh. ¡°Yes, thank you. Why are you here today?¡± ¡°For food, of course. The omelettes here are exquisite.¡± The princess said, while sending a glance at Jill-sensei. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll have a meal too. By the way, Miss Cepharis, why did you hide that raw meat in a hurry just now?¡± Cepharis was too shocked to reply, so, I replied for her. ¡°Well, it seems to be the meat of a divine beast.¡± ¡°Huh? Cepharis-san, please show me again.¡± Drops of sweat began to form on my sister¡¯s forehead as she placed the raw meat on the table. ¡°This is just beef, and it¡¯s even a little spoiled.¡± ¡°Oh, I knew it!¡± After looking at the meat for a while, Princess Lizteles said, ¡°It¡¯s a malicious scam. Jill-san, please deal with it.¡± She instructed our teacher. ¡°I¡¯ll e with you.¡± Cepharis chimed in, with obvious anger. Cepharis and Jill-sensei immediately left the store to expose the unscrupulous merchants, leaving me alone with the princess. ¡°I¡¯m going to watch tomorrow¡¯s events. Good luck, Tremina-san.¡± The encouragement from the princess felt like a life changing event. It was something I needed, but I was also confident in myself. I have been training and preparing for tomorrow, so, I knew that I would definitely overe tomorrow without killing anyone and be the winner. By the way, more than a dozen people were recorded absent from the tournament. The cause was food poisoning. Chapter 7 And finally, the day of the end of year academy tournament had arrived. The locker room of the training ground was filled with a tense atmosphere, so much so, that it felt like sparks were being scattered among the students. During the tournament, the top ranking students in the grades were subjected to strict marking. Amidst my preparations, I suddenly became aware of someone watching me intently. Immediately turning in the direction that the off feeling was coming from, I saw Jill-sensei, beckoning me from the shadows. ¡°I want you to increase the amount of mana you use today.¡± She said. ¡°What do you mean? You have been teaching me to hold back all this time.¡± ¡°Everyone gets excited about a fight on such a big stage. And that increases the quality of their mana.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°I just need your assurance that you will not get too excited.¡± I nodded to her in confirmation. While I walked down the aisle, I began to ask myself a lot, like; ¡®What if the opposite happens and I end up being the one who is killed?¡¯ There were 10 arenas where the matches were being held simultaneously, and if I win first, I will always use the 1st arena. When I entered the venue, according to the directions of the staff, the inside was more spacious than I had imagined. There was a huge fighting space, surrounded by bowl-shaped spectator seats. I looked around while bathing in the gaze of everyone. There were quite a lot of people. ¡°Ah, there is Princess Lizteles.¡± ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to see her here before the first games. I needed to push myself so that I can impress her. But, Jill-sensei said that I shouldn¡¯t get too excited. But what if I suddenly feel too excited, huh? What should I do then?¡¯ I continued asking myself. ¡®Well, whatever. I¡¯ll do my best.¡¯ I immediately became tensed, as the door on the opposite side of the arena began to open. My opponent was a male. He was in his mid-teens, but his physique was almost the same as that of an adult. I remember seeing him at school several times. I didn¡¯t even know his name. ¡®Ah, that¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t seen the combination table.¡¯ I slapped my head at my forgetfulness. But more than that, this person¡­ was visibly nervous and stiff. Furthermore, the mana he wore was also somewhat fragile. ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡± At the signal of the referee, announcing the start of the match, we ran at each other simultaneously. First, I tried to block the opponent¡¯s wooden sword with my shield, but, the quality of his mana kept declining. So I reduced my mana to respond properly to the decline of his. ¡®Just push him back with your shield.¡¯ I said to myself. And instead of using a wooden sword, I stunned him by punching him in the stomach with my bare hands. And with that, the match was won in an instant. And slowly, the applause began. ¡°Huh?¡± Even though they came all the way here just to see a fight that ended in an instant? Come to think of it, Jill-sensei said that the spectators are all practitioners of Alchemy, so the matches that the experts like will be highly evaluated. And suddenly, Princess Lizteles stood up and continued to applaud. And one after the other, the remaining spectators followed her lead and began to rise. And so, the five-second match received a standing ovation from the audience. Chapter 8 Chapter 8: Talent Monster After my fight was over, I went to see the matches being held in the second to tenth arenas. The number of spectators everywhere else was much smaller than in the first arena. After moving around for some time, I returned to the first arena and saw that the number of people in the audience had decreased. And, of course, the reason being that the princess had left. If the knights were here, they would have been busy trying to protect the princess and there were a lot of people who only wanted to see the first match. Since there was still more than an hour until the second round, I decided to fill my stomach with the potato salad I had bought earlier. The rest period gets shorter as the tournament progresses and now was the only time I could relax. While vacantly watching my classmates¡¯ matches, I continued to refine my mana. Sometimes, I collect my mana on my fingertips and then roll it up into tiny balls and float them in the air. These techniques were called Collection and Separation. They were the next stage after Chord, and I planned to work on them for the latter half of my third year. It seems that if and when an alchemist progresses to this point, it will be possible for them to learn offensive techniques, special moves that utilize mana. Starting with Cepharis, there were a lot of girls who looked up to me, but I didn¡¯t think they needed me. Potato farmers didn¡¯t need special moves. Mana itself was useful for work, so it is helpful in its base form. ¡®I¡¯m sure my waist will be straight no matter how many decades pass.¡¯¡¡As I was thinking about my old age, a crowd of people had surrounded me. A female knight then called out to me. ¡°I saw your match just now. Just as the rumors say, I knew right away that you were exceptional.¡± ¡°Eh, okay. Um, could it be that is why everyone is looking at me?¡± ¡°Of course it is. I couldn¡¯t help but check it out for myself when I heard that a ¡®mana monster¡¯ had been discovered by the princess.¡± ¡°¡­a monster?¡± ¡°Even Jill-sama went out of her way to enter the academy just to become your educator.¡± She then proceeded away from the crowd, saying; ¡°Well then, do your best next time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Wait a minute; I need to organize my thoughts. She was right about being found by a princess, and I¡¯ve heard of these mana monsters before. But why did Jill-sensei become a teacher for me? Why go that far? I have no doubt that she was instructed to do so.¡¯ The wall of people began to part at the middle and they all saluted at once. ¡°The second round is coming soon. I¡¯m looking forward to it, Tremina-san.¡± Princess Lizteles. For now, I decided to put those thoughts aside. If I didn¡¯t concentrate on the tournament now, my opponent would be in great danger. What was certain was that I had managed to attract a lot of attention. I felt sorry for my opponent. They¡¯ll end up fighting on a stage set up in a large gallery. It is impossible not to be nervous. As for me, of course I was conscious of being watched. But my body moved normally and the quality of my mana didn¡¯t change, so it didn¡¯t affect me much. But, I¡¯ve never been nervous before, so I wasn¡¯t sure. However, my opponents were not taken aback by the crowd. Since the matches with me were expected to be like this, the mana of my opponents for the second and third rounds was normal. I realized that the more I fought and won, the higher my fighting spirit. My opponent for the fourth round had an impression that was not so different from the matchups at school. And then my fifth round opponent was a very big man who stood at about 180 centimeters tall. His mana caught my eye even before his huge body. It had a positive growth. Experience perception is based on the resonance of mana, so you can somehow read the feelings of the other person and my opponent had ambitions of defeating the No. 1 in front of this big crowd and making a name for himself. It was fine, but I thought it was a little immature. I wasn¡¯t even 150 centimeters tall. The senior knights even looked like they were on the verge of pulling him back. But the gap between our actual abilities was wider than the physique difference. I quickly dodged his wooden longsword that he swung with incredible power and deftly moved around to his side. Following this up with a foot sweep that sent the huge frame into the air and, while still in the air, I immediately followed with a hit to his cervical plexus with my fist, knocking him out. Finally, I gently put my hand on his fainted head, protecting it from swelling. This series of movements took about five seconds, but I think it was still clearly visible to the discerning audience and I received another standing ovation and a storm of applause. ¡°What a masterpiece! Or a monster showcase!¡± Of course, Princess Lizteles was also clapping her hands with satisfaction. Chapter 9 Chapter 9: Finals (Second grade) 1 The end-of-year tournament had finally reached the last stage. I somehow managed to make it this far without killing anyone. The semifinals were held in the first arena and I was able to watch all the matches, so I was able to predict who would come up from the other side of the stage. And it was her. Her mana was particularly high, and as I already knew, she was the one who stood on the stage with me for the finals. The door to the opponent¡¯s side opened and a slightly taller girl walked out. She had sun-orange hair and bright green eyes. It was a familiar appearance, of course. We lived in the same room. ¡°I knew it would come to this, sister! I¡¯m going to go all out!¡± Her mana shone brightly and Cepharis stood before me. She was probably the most enthusiastic of all the participants. That¡¯s right, this was enthusiasm. Cepharis and I were in different classes at school, but we had many sparring matches. And I always won. But Cepharis always gave me a tough battle. ¡°Sister, you ready to lose again?¡± ¡°Actually, sister, I always lose on purpose¡­ But today, I¡¯m serious! So, Tremina, come at me with everything!¡± ¡®I absolutely can¡¯t do that. Oh well, I¡¯ll put on a little more than usual and show it off. Is that okay?¡¯ I sent a glance at Jill-sensei standing beside me after I had finished my thought process. The judge for the finals was Jill-sensei. This was also proof that she was the most skilled teacher, even though she is only twenty years old. She was respected by the other knights and I wondered what kind of person she really was. I was sure she was the princess¡¯s favorite. Why would someone like this come to our school for my sake¡­? I wondered whether she would tell me if I asked her. ¡°Tremina, please concentrate on the match. You¡¯ll end up getting hurt.¡± ¡°Do you mean me getting ¡®hurt¡¯ or me doing the hurting? But yes, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Nodding her head, Jill-sensei raised her right hand. ¡°Then, we will now proceed with the final match. Both parties, are you ready?¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Cepharis blocked the way and faced me head-on. ¡°You said you were going to be serious! My sister, you know I can tell when you¡¯re lying.¡± She started saying something annoying. I had thought I was hiding my mana well, but maybe I underestimated her because we have lived together for so long. Onee-san had a good sense of animalistic intuition. There were four main types of Mana manifestation: ¡°All¡± ¨C Releasing mana at full power. The limit was about five to ten minutes. ¡°Fight¡± ¨C Releasing mana for combat. The amount released can last for about an hour. ¡°Normal¡± ¨C Releasing mana for everyday life. The amount released and recovered are equal. ¡°Hidden¡± ¨C Suppressing mana and hiding one¡¯s presence. The amount released is minimal or zero. The rate of mana recovery is proportional to the total amount, so, anytime I was in ¡°Normal¡± mode, I stood out in school. To prevent this, I usually keep myself between ¡°Normal¡± and ¡°Hidden¡±. Recently, I have been more careful with it because my classmates have started to acquire experiential perception. ¡°Jill-sensei, can I fight in ¡®Fight¡¯ mode?¡± ¡°Of course not. That would be a disaster.¡± Right, of course. But Cepharis was really a hassle when she was like this. Cepharis dropped to the ground with a thud. You see, Onee-san¡¯s mental age was about half of her actual age (Six years old). It wasn¡¯t something to be proud of, but she was really innocent and pure. She was too strong and hardly understood her strength, so she was often careless and reckless. Jill-sensei brushed her silver hair and sighed. She turned her gaze towards the audience. In the distance, I could see Princess Lizteles nodding. ¡°Understood. Tremina, I will specially allow it this time.¡± ¡°Oh, is that okay?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see, Cepharis will also understand. Release it gradually.¡± And, I did. I was actually a little happy. Basically, the only time I could release my mana fully was when it was just me and Jill-sensei. Otherwise, I do it secretly during runs in a less populated place at night or other things like that. I spent most of the day suppressing my mana and it was quite annoying. To give an example; it¡¯s like having one nostril blocked. That can be quite annoying even if subtle. ¡®Well then, since permission was granted, I won¡¯t hold back.¡¯ I could see my classmates in the spectator seats, but they were quite far away, so it was okay. I planned to apologize to Cepharis later. ¡®Okay, gradually¡­¡¯ I increased the amount of mana surrounding my body. ¡®Ahh, finally, I can breathe.¡¯ The knights were startled. It looked like the seniors sensed it too. On the other hand, Cepharis stood up with shaky legs. ¡°So, as expected of my sister. Well then, let¡¯s have the match.¡± ¡°Wait. This is still Tremina¡¯s ¡®Normal¡¯ mode.¡± ¡°¡­ Eh? This is ¡®Normal¡¯?¡± ¡°Tremina has been fighting between ¡®Normal¡¯ and ¡®Hidden¡¯ mode all day. From now on, she will be on ¡®Fight¡¯ mode.¡± Immediately, Cephalis¡¯ mana suddenly became weak. About Characters Appearances. Tremina = Hair is a chestnut brown cut short. Eyes are black. Lizteles = Hair is white (bleached) and long. Eyes also seem to have no pigment. Jill = Hair is silver and tied up in the back. Eyes are blue. Wears glasses. Cepharis = As mentioned above. Hair is semi-long, I believe. Chapter 10 Chapter 10: Finals (Second Grade) 2 Slowly drawing out my mana from within my body, I covered my entire body with it. ¡®This should do it. ¡°Fight¡± mode complete.¡¯ ¡®Hmm? The stands are unusually lively¡­¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s going on, Jill-sensei?¡± ¡°I¡¯m amazed by the amount of mana you have. I never would have thought it was more than ours. Even if you are a mana monster, you¡¯re still only a second-year student.¡± ¡°Wait a minute¡­ I have more mana than the knights?¡± ¡°Yes, most knights have less mana than Cepharis. Everyone gathered here is a graduate of the academy. Try calculating it.¡± ¡°Let me see¡­ I¡¯m a sixth generation and a second-year student, so for a first generation student, training in the Ren discipline would have taken about seven years. On the other hand, I¡¯ve been practicing the Ren discipline for a year and a half, with a x8 speed boost. Oh, I¡¯ve slightly exceeded¡­¡± ¡°They also eat the meat of divine beasts they hunt on missions, but it¡¯s nothing compared to your abnormal growth rate. It¡¯s quite noisy, isn¡¯t it?¡± The knights were saying things like ¡°Unbelievable!¡± and ¡°Impossible!¡± while my classmates looked at them with shocked expressions. ¡°This is bad. Senior knights, please calm down.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s already too late.¡± My mana amount had become known throughout the whole school. My plan to quietly live a student life had completely collapsed at this point. But, for now, I would like to go home. Cepharis had probably lost the will to fight as well. ¡°T-that¡¯s why you¡¯re my sister! Come on! Let¡¯s get started!¡± Her legs were still stiff and she looked shaken, but still, she held up her wooden sword and shield towards me. ¡°Onee-chan, don¡¯t overdo it. Let¡¯s go home together, okay?¡± ¡°I hate it! Ah, as an older sister! I can¡¯t afford to lose to my younger sister!¡± ¡°Please help me stop her, sensei.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Everything will be cleared up in one hit. Cepharis-san, use ¡®All¡¯.¡± ¡°But ¡®All¡¯ should be prohibited¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll allow it¡­.Haa. If you don¡¯t want to die, hurry up!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Jill-sensei also seemed to be troubled. In this tournament, everyone was told to fight with ¡°Fight¡±. ¡°All¡±, which emits full power, has an unmatched amount of mana, so you can¡¯t cheat or deceive with it. After confirming Cepharis¡¯ ¡°All¡±, Jill-sensei placed her hand on her chin as if thinking. ¡°Then hold up your shield with both hands. You don¡¯t need to use the sword, so you can throw it away. It hurts that you haven¡¯t mastered ¡°Armor¡± or ¡°Collection¡±, but it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Equipment¡± is the technique of covering weapons and armor with mana. Sharpness and strength would be greatly improved. And ¡°Gather¡± is a technique that collects mana in one place. If a skilled person uses these two together, the branch of a tree will be harder than an iron bar. ¡°Tremina-san, hit this part with your sword. Never remove it.¡± Jill-sensei pointed to the central part of the shield, where the iron was pasted. Our shields were also made of wood, and only the center had steel plate reinforcement. ¡°Don¡¯t hit any other part of the shield. If you do, it will be a disaster.¡± As the Jill-sensei repeatedly cautioned me, she went behind Cepharis. I stood ready with my sword as the whole arena went silent as they watched. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Swing.¡± SFX:Thud! The shield shattered into pieces as if it had been filled with explosives. The impact sent Cepharis flying. Jill-sensei, who had been waiting, caught her firmly. ¡°Hmm, success. Just like that, Cepharis-san has lost consciousness. So the final match is over. Tremina-san is the winner.¡± ¡­It was no longer a game or anything. But one thing was certain. My classmates would never spar with me again. Even if they defend with all their might, their shield will just shatter to pieces. Chapter 11 Chapter 11: Re-entry ¡°Onee-chan, please open the door.¡± ¡°Leave me alone!¡± Cepharis had locked herself inside her room in the dormitory, but the main problem was, this was also my room. There were students in the school who would let me stay with them if I asked, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about where to sleep. ¡°Let¡¯s go running.¡± For a long time, Cepharis had always protected me in some way. Whether it was a mischievous boy or a fierce wild dog, my sister should always have thought she had to be stronger than me. The final match today must have been an unacceptable reality. I hope we could somehow overcome it. ¡°Hang in there, Onee-chan.¡± I whispered as I left to run. **** While running through the city at night, I remembered what happened after the final match. After Jill-sensei declared me the victor, Princess Lizteles came down to where we were. ¡°Congratulations on your victory, Tremina-san. The final match was also wonderful.¡± ¡°I think the final match was the worst.¡± While returning the greeting, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the woman standing next to the princess. This person had an incredible amount of mana. I could tell that she was trying to keep it hidden; still, I could feel something extraordinary from the mana that leaked out slightly. It was on a different level from the other knights. She was about twenty years old. She had purple eyes and a shoulder-length golden hair. Something unusual could be felt from the depths of her eyes. As I continued to stare, she immediately focused her attention on me. ¡°You can tell my power? Kid, you¡¯re something else.¡± I was caught searching for resonance. Then, Princess Lizteles chuckled. ¡°Let me introduce you. She is the leader of the Cornell Knights, Commander Lezeille.¡± ¡®So this person is the original monster after all. Jill-Sensei has much more mana than I do, but I bet she¡¯s far above that.¡¯ ¡°By the way, Sensei, didn¡¯t you call Commander Lezeille a pervert? ¡°Yes, without a doubt, Lezeille is a pervert.¡± ¡®Oh, another mana resonance. It was a special ability for people in this class. But is it okay to say something so clearly in front of the person herself? Commander Lezeille might get angry¡­ Wait, what? She¡¯s not here.¡¯ Commander Lezeille, who should have been next to the princess, was now in front of Jill-sensei. ¡®Did she use high-speed movement with mana? Is there any point in using it here?¡¯ ¡°You are terrible, Jill-chan. Are we not friends who devoured a divine beast together?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say things that might cause misunderstandings. I and the other knights bring them back and cook them. Only a fool like you would eat them raw on the spot¡­ *sighs*. Tremina-san, you¡¯ll understand eventually too. How perverted this woman is.¡± ¡®No, I think I understand enough now.¡¯ ¡°Both of you, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s honor Tremina-san¡¯s glory here.¡± Princess Lizteres, who had walked over steadily, smiled as she looked at my face. I had a really bad feeling about it. It might be better to wrap things up early. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything worthy of being honored. I just knocked out my older sister. I¡¯ll take this and go home then. Thanks for everything.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. Don¡¯t you think the matches today were a bit unsatisfactory for Tremina-san?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case. Every match was a fierce battle for more than five seconds.¡± ¡°Well, I have a proposal. How about participating in the fourth year division¡¯s tournament to be held the day after tomorrow?¡± ¡°¡­ I decline.¡± ¡°All fourth year students are skilled in combat, and there are also many talented people. So it would be difficult for even you to win. What do you think, Lezeille?¡± ¡°I agree. After all, those who will become knights next month are in this year, but I¡¯m sure you could do it if you tried, Tremina-san.¡± And so it seems that it was already decided. My end of year tournament begins again. Chapter 12 Chapter 12: Jill-Sensei It was the day after the end-of-year tournament (for second-year students). My classmates felt relieved and free from the intense competition, and according to them, the feeling was exhilarating. I wasn¡¯t really sure how that felt, my heart didn¡¯t feel particularly heavy or light. All I thought about was why I had to participate in the tournament again. Anyway, I¡¯ve been entered into the tournament for fourth-year students that will be held tomorrow, so I might as well take it easy today. Cepharis says that I am always laid-back, but that wasn¡¯t true. After learning how to use mana, I¡¯ve become much faster. Speaking of my sister, she still hasn¡¯t left her room. She seems to be unable to get into a good mood either. For now, I¡¯ll try to resolve the question that¡¯s been on my mind while taking it easy. I went to the training grounds and asked Jill-Sensei for some of her time. Today was the tournament for third-year students, so Jill-Sensei was very busy, just like yesterday. But she said she could spare some time for me during her lunch break. I had expected Jill-Sensei and I to have had lunch at a stylish cafe. But we ended up eating croquettes in the park for some reason. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you like croquettes?¡± Jill-Sensei asked. ¡°No, I like them. It¡¯s just that they¡¯re not quite what I had in mind¡­¡± ¡°In your mind, am I some sort of high-class young lady?¡± ¡°Well, yeah¡­ Don¡¯t read my mind with empathy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct in that I come from an old and noble family. My family has been hunting divine beasts for generations. I traveled all over the world as a child because of our nomadic lifestyle. At the same time, I learned various types of combat skills, including sword fighting and magic. I¡¯m not a typical noble lady.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re stronger than other knights. Why did you tell me this?¡± ¡°You wanted to know what kind of person I am, right? I am answering your questions.¡± The moment I turn around to see if that was the case, a croquette hit my mouth. Jill-Sensei gave me some tea to accompany it. ¡°Take the croquette.¡± Jill-Sensei, even though she was thin, ate a lot. I wondered what we¡¯d do with all the croquettes, but she ate them all up. ¡®Was it a hunter¡¯s habit?¡¯ ¡°Oh, the continuation of the story.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I and the princess have a master-servant relationship, but we are also partners. Tremina-san, you are the existence we have been waiting for.¡± ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m just a potato farmer¡¯s daughter.¡± She glanced at her pocket watch and quickly stood up. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s time. Tremina-san, do you still eat croquettes?¡± ¡°No, two are enough.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll do away with the rest. Anyway, there¡¯s no need for you to pry any more. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not devoting everything to you. While working as a teacher, I¡¯m also properly performing the duties of the deputy commander. Otherwise, who knows what stupid things idiots like Lezeille will do.¡± Jill-Sensei started walking at a brisk pace. She then turned around. ¡°Tremina-san should be more focused on tomorrow than anything else. As the princess said, the fourth year is not an opponent you can easily beat.¡± ¡°First of all, I don¡¯t know how to concentrate. Also, I don¡¯t want to participate tomorrow.¡± *A few hours later* ¡®Ah! Since when was Jill-sensei the deputy commander of the Knights?¡¯ Chapter 13 Chapter 13: Year-end Tournament Reopening The day of the end-of-year tournament (for fourth-year students) had finally reached. I was waiting for Jill-Sensei at the entrance to the practice field. She seemed to have various things she wanted to confirm and wanted to tell me. Naturally, there were many fourth-year students participating today. They will become knights next month and they all looked like adults. Then, I noticed that I was being watched very closely. ¡®Why? There are other children here, including lower-year students here to watch. Oh, Jill-Sensei is here now. I¡¯ll ask her.¡¯ ¡°You are becoming a subject of rumors, you know. You were allowed to participate under special circumstances as a second-year student. It¡¯s natural that you would be noticed.¡± ¡°Please stop saying it like I begged you to let me participate.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s the same once the match starts. Don¡¯t worry about it. You wouldn¡¯t worry about it even if I didn¡¯t say anything, would you? Now, let¡¯s start with a health check¡­ Hm, there are no abnormalities in your mana. Is your physical condition also normal?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the same as always.¡± ¡°Alright then¡­ What do you want, Miss Eleora?¡± A brown-haired woman was standing there, looking at us intently. She was about 170 cm tall. She had slightly slanted eyes and her hair was in a ponytail. She gave off the aura of a thug hanging out in back alleys. ¡®Why is a thug in a place like this?¡¯ But in reality, it was not like that. This person was actually quite skilled. ¡°Jill-Sensei, who is this?¡± ¡°This is Eleora-san, the winner of the third-year division of the tournament held yesterday.¡± She took another step forward, as if trying to press us. ¡°Jill-Sensei! I can¡¯t accept this! Why is a child like this participating in the upper tournament! It¡¯s strange, right?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not strange. Tremina-san was allowed to participate.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! For a child like this?! I can¡¯t accept it! Can you please tell me the reason?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t reveal the details. It¡¯s a special situation.¡± ¡°Special situation! What kind of special situation! I won¡¯t accept it unless I know the reason!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You are quite troublesome too¡­¡± Jill-Sensei had said ¡°too¡±. She understood that Cepharis was more troublesome. After thinking for a while, Jill-Sensei looked at me and Eleora alternately and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s do it this way. You two, fight here, right now. The winner will participate in the tournament.¡± Eleora protested, saying; ¡°To fight against such a small child?! That¡¯s impossible.¡± Despite her tough appearance, Eleora had good sense. ¡°She is the winner of the second-year division. Don¡¯t worry. Alright, Tremina-san, you also prepare. Use ¡®Fight¡¯.¡± ¡°¡®Fight¡¯, right?¡± ¡°¡®Fight¡¯. Eleora-san will understand soon enough.¡± I understood this was normal. ¨C¡°Fight¡± The whole entrance became quiet. Suddenly, it became loud, as if a dam had burst. Everyone should have heard about it through rumors, but this reaction was unexpected. As for Eleora, she froze with her mouth open. ¡°Sorry I made you wait. Well, shall we fight?¡± Eleora grudgingly said, ¡°Hey! Okay! Stop! ¡­ Tremina, right? Good luck in the match.¡± It was good that had good intuition or rather, was this now a normal reaction? I wondered, ¡®Is Cepharis really¡­¡¯ And then I heard a loud voice, ¡°Hey, thug! Stay away from my little sister!¡± Suddenly, there was a loud ¡°Bam!¡± as Cepharis, who had come running at full speed, hit Eleora¡¯s side with all her momentum. ¡°Leave this thug to me! Tremina-san has a match coming up!¡± I was relieved that Cepharis was back to normal but I had to ask, ¡°What are you doing?¡±