Chapter 13. First Lecture (2)
As Ridipin fell, Reina whispered to me so that only I could hear.
“Are you really taking her as a team member?”
“Yeah. She’s a little clumsy, but she’s actually pretty decent.”
Ridipin was a direct descendant of the Lightzers family. However, because she couldn’t handle a sword properly, she was labeled the weirdo of the Lightzers and was treated as if she belonged to a branch family. This made her a rather timid person.
Anyone who knew about her reputation would avoid being on the same team as her.
But in truth, Ridipin was a key character in the game—someone with talent far beyond others.
“Based on the rumors, she’s not just a little clumsy…”
Even Reina, who was usually unbothered by gossip, looked reluctant this time.
Understandable—after all, the Lightzers had grown in prominence by destroying the Serenia family.
So, it was only natural for Reina to harbor resentment.
Still, I was sure Reina would come to like her.
“You’ll see. You’ll really like her.”
“Hmm…”
Reina seemed to consider it for a moment, then smiled as if she’d made up her mind and reached her hand out to Ridipin.
“You okay? Did you get hurt?”
“I-I’m fine… Thank you for your concern.”
As Ridipin took Reina’s hand, Reina’s eyes briefly widened in surprise. Then she helped her up with a big smile.
“I like this girl!”
I knew it.
“See? Told you.”
“U-Um… What are you two talking about…?”
I asked Ridipin directly.
“Do you already have a team?”
“Huh? N-No, not yet…”
“Perfect. Then join ours.”
I extended my hand to her, but she hesitated warily.
“I-I can’t even use a sword…”
“I know.”
“T-Then why…?”
“Because you’re Ridipin Lightzers.”
“B-Because I am…?”
She might be different from me, but like us, she doesn’t really fit in anywhere. She’s an outsider.
But I, at least, recognize her true worth.
I leaned in and whispered to her.
“As far as I know, no one handles a bow better than you.”
“H-How do you know that…?!”
The fact that she was good with a bow was a secret even within her own family.
It made sense she’d be startled that someone outside the family knew.
I took a step back and smiled, offering my hand again.
“If you join our team, I’ll explain everything you’re curious about.”
Her eyes trembled as she stared at my hand, as if caught in an earthquake.
But her hesitation didn’t last long. She soon clenched her jaw and took my hand firmly.
“I-I’ll join your team…”
“Good choice.”
“S-So…”
“So?”
Ridipin, teary-eyed, finally managed to speak.
“P-Please just let me live…”
…What in the world are you saying?
Before Professor Hazen stood Ban, Reina, and Ridipin.
“So the three of you are forming a team?”
“Yes, sir.”
He calmly looked over the three.
First, Reina Serenia.
“Despite the fall of her family, her swordsmanship is still top-tier. Entrance exam results don’t matter much, but since she cut the exam stone cleanly, she’s likely the strongest in her year.”
In Hazen’s mind, she was the most promising student for the Joint Tactical Studies class.
Next was Ridipin Lightzers.
“Despite being from a renowned swordsmanship family, her skill is lower than a commoner’s.”
She seemed like the student who would earn the lowest score in the same class.
Lastly, Ban Astraea.
The empire’s number-one troublemaker, known for all kinds of mischief.
His magical ability was poor too—how he hadn’t been disowned yet was a mystery.
However, unlike the rumors, he had the precision to pulverize only the inside of the exam stone—his magical control was remarkable.
“I don’t know why he’s teaming up with Ridipin Lightzers… but I’m curious to see what they’ll show me.”
With that, Hazen wrote up their registration.
“Alright. From now on, you’re Team 6. You have until 50 minutes past for your break.”
“Yes, sir!”
The three high-fived as they returned to their seats, clearly thrilled.
Well, Ban and Reina were thrilled. Ridipin, on the other hand, looked like a sheep being led to slaughter.
Hazen did his best to ignore her pitiful expression.
After team assignments, we moved to the academy outskirts.
Between the inner and outer walls of Iris Academy lies an artificial environment. The space is so large it takes an hour to cross, and it’s divided into four terrains:
Forests to the east, mountains to the west, ocean to the south, and tundra to the north.
These terrains serve both as class backdrops and as defensive measures against external invasion.
We arrived in the forest terrain to the east—a dense area that made movement hard and fire magic risky.
Professor Hazen explained the objective and safety rules of the practice session.
Our mission: eliminate the illusion-generated magical beasts and activate a magic stone within the forest terrain.
We had 15 minutes. If we got knocked out or ran out of time, a spell on our uniforms would teleport us back to the instructor.
These beasts couldn’t physically harm us, making the exercise safe.
As each team took turns entering, Team 6 gathered in a quiet area.
Ridipin finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked me.
“S-So, when are you going to explain…?”
Reina jumped in.
“Yeah! I want to know too. What did you say that made Ridipin agree right away?”
“Oh, that? I just told her I knew she used a bow.”
“Y-You’re just saying that out loud…!”
“It’s fine. Reina may seem all smiles, but she’s good at keeping secrets.”
“Hey. That was definitely an insult.”
“I said she’s bright and tight-lipped. That’s obviously a compliment.”
“How is that a compliment?!”
Ridipin looked flustered watching me and Reina bicker.
Reina then grabbed both of Ridipin’s hands, eyes sparkling.
“A bow user? That’s amazing!”
“Eep!”
Ridipin looked like she might cry at any moment. Social interaction was clearly not her strength.
I gently pulled Reina’s hands away.
“Look at her face. One more second and she really would’ve cried.”
“Oh… sorry.”
“S-Sorry. I’m just not good with people…”
Even after I calmed things down, Reina was still excited.
“I’ve seen people use spears or axes, but never a bow!”
In Spell Breaker, bow users were rare.
Once a knight reached a certain level, even magic could be cut down, so bows were seen as weak and quickly hit their limits.
But among those rare archers, Ridipin was absolutely broken. If she went all out, she could solo the entire first-year class.
That, and if you didn’t build enough affinity with her in time, she’d join the enemy and become a brutal late-game boss…
Unaware of her dark future, Ridipin asked timidly.
“S-So how did you know I use a bow…?”
I knew from the game.
—But I obviously couldn’t say that.
So I pointed to her hands and said,
“You’ve got a lot of calluses on your hands.”
Reina lit up again.
“Right?! The moment I held her hand, I could feel all the effort and passion she put in!”
Ridipin blushed and looked down shyly.
“Th-Thank you. B-But can you really tell I’m an archer just from that…?”
A good question.
“Yeah. Just having calluses doesn’t prove anything.”
If that were the case, Reina had more than Ridipin.
“But what matters is where the calluses are.”
Hers were concentrated between the index and thumb of her left hand, and the tips of her index and middle fingers on the right.
“Left hand from gripping the arrowhead. Right hand from pulling the bowstring. Right?”
Ridipin, after listening carefully, finally nodded.
“Y-You’re… surprisingly sharp, unlike the rumors.”
“What rumors…?”
“T-They said you once threw away a gift from the Archbishop of the Lumen Order without realizing what it was…”
…Seriously, Ban. Why are all your stories like this?
You threw away a gift from one of the empire’s four major powers.
Well, I guess that’s still better than blowing up part of the Mage Tower…
I forced a smile.
“Rumors tend to exaggerate the truth.”
“Th-That’s true…”
But she hesitated, then lowered her head and spoke quietly.
“B-But I… I can’t shoot a bow anymore…”
Because of the trauma from “that duel,” she couldn’t.
“I already know.”
“H-How…?”
“Because it was that duel that buried your archery skills.”
“…Ah.”
Getting her to overcome that trauma takes a maxed-out affinity and careful persuasion through key dialogue options.
But now that I’ve become part of this world, there’s no restriction—I can just say what I want.
Just as I was about to start persuading her, Reina suddenly jumped in.
“So what, you’re never going to shoot a bow again?”
“T-That’s…”
“Is archery just some hobby you can toss aside?”
“…”
“It’s not. Your hands are covered in calluses and scars. You worked for it.”
Reina was a hard worker—so much so that she was almost called obsessed.
But she never belittled the efforts of others—she respected them more than her own.
That’s probably why she couldn’t just watch Ridipin give up.
This is why I like Reina.
And Ridipin seemed shaken. Her usually timid gaze was now quietly burning with resolve.
She had things she wanted to say. She probably wanted more than anyone to pick up the bow again.
“You don’t know what it’s like. Would you say the same if you were me?”
Still, Reina’s words were firm yet warm. And Ridipin couldn’t bring herself to say any of it aloud—her eyes spoke for her.
My original plan was off, but the result was better than expected.
Now it was my turn to push her the rest of the way.
“If you can’t be confident yourself, I’ll be confident for you. Once you start shooting, people will see you differently—in more ways than one.”
Being born into a swordsmanship family and succeeding with something else can be seen as rejecting your lineage.
But so what?
It’s not like sticking to swordsmanship will make the world treat her any better.
“But no one will be able to deny how talented you are.”
Once Ridipin picks up the bow, the game’s difficulty basically crashes.
Her skill isn’t something that grows—it’s something she regains. So she’s already strong.
“So if you can’t believe in yourself, then believe in me.”
Even if she didn’t change today, I’d keep persuading her as long as it took.
But Ridipin didn’t avoid my eyes. She looked straight at me.
Seems I wouldn’t need to wait long.
She nodded with determination.
“A-Alright. I’ll… try shooting again!”
“Woohoo!”
Reina jumped with joy like it was her own victory. Then she stopped suddenly.
“Can I… hug you just once?”
“Uh, s-sure…”
“Yay~!”
Reina hugged Ridipin and even spun her around once.
…So jealous.
After spinning, Reina giggled.
“Wait, we never introduced ourselves properly.”
“We already know each other’s names. We’re all kind of famous.”
“Sure, but formally introducing yourself is symbolic. A ritual of sorts—where you acknowledge each other.”
Reina cleared her throat and said,
“I’m Reina of the Serenia family. My specialty is swordsmanship!”
“I’m Ban of the Astraea family. I specialize in magic, but I know a bit of swordsmanship too.”
Lastly, Ridipin spoke.
“I-I’m Ridipin of the Lightzers family! M-My specialty is… archery…!”
Just as Reina said—it finally felt like we were a team.
Seeing Ridipin smile proudly after managing to speak up, Reina hugged her again. She looked embarrassed but didn’t resist. Just shy.
“Don’t use honorifics—just speak comfortably!”
“I-I’m more comfortable with formal speech…”
“Then how about just calling us by name? Is that okay?”
“T-That’s… probably okay…”
“Great! Then try it now!”
“U-Um… Nice to meet you, Reina!”
“Nice to meet you too, Ridipin!”
Ridipin then turned to me, hesitating.
“N-Nice to meet you too, Ban…”
“Yeah. Same here.”
With the distance between us closing so suddenly, old memories resurfaced.
Of playing with a cheerful but sometimes shy child.
While I was savoring the nostalgia, Professor Hazen called out.
“Next is Team 6. Get ready.”
