25 Return to school and the general war [1]





 After completing a month of training as mages, the three of us who had been suspended from school gathered in front of the chancellor's office.

 We knocked as usual, received permission to enter, and slowly opened the black door.

"Excuse me.

 In the event that you have any questions regarding where and the best way to get in touch with us, please do not hesitate to contact us.
 ...... It seems that the teacher had been working him hard for the past month.

I'm not sure what to say. ...... Oh, you three look a little firmer now, don't you?

 The teacher stared at the three of us, and let out such impressions.

The teacher looked at the three of us and said, "Ah, ha ha ....... We've been through quite a lot. ......

Yeah, ....... It was a lot of events. ......

It was very dense. ......

 When I think back on it calmly, I realize that the past month was quite dense. .......

 I'm not sure if it's accurate to say that my face has gotten tougher, but I've gotten older.

Hmmm. Well, I'll tell you about that later.

 The doctor smiled happily.

The teacher smiled happily and said, "All right, I'm going to lift your suspensions and allow you three to return to Class 1-A!

 He stamped the three documents in his hand with the chancellor's seal.

"Thank you very much.

Yay!

I'm finally back.

 Now I can finally participate in class.

(I'm looking forward to the soul-dressing class at ......!

 I'm looking forward to it!

 I've seen a lot of soul costumes in this short period of time.

 Leah's Fafnir, the primordial Dragon King.
 Cain's 'Hell Hundred'.
 Shidou's Vanalgand, the Lonely Ice Wolf.
 Dodriel's Shadow Ruler.
 Lise's Kare Sansui.

 All of them have incredibly powerful abilities.

(What kind of abilities does my soul suit have ......?

 To tell you the truth, I couldn't sleep much last night because I was thinking about it so much.

I'm sure you'll agree that it's a great idea. Hmm, it will start in about ten minutes, so I'll go with you.

 Then we headed to the first year A classroom with the teacher.

 I hadn't walked down the hallway in a month, and it felt a little nostalgic.

Here we are.

 The teacher took a step to the side without opening the classroom door.
 Apparently, I have to open this door.

"Hmm. ......

I'm a little ...... nervous.

It's been a month. ......

 Of course I was nervous because it had been a month, but I was also ...... more nervous because I felt uncomfortable meeting him.

(I've caused more than a little trouble for everyone. ......)

 I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

(If I hadn't been controlled by the spirit nucleus and had been able to control that power properly, ......)

 I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 I'm not sure what to make of this.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to try.

 They nodded their heads silently.
 It's a great way to get to know your classmates better.

"Allen, Leah, Rose! Congratulations on your return to school!

 A number of crackers went off and congratulations were sent out at the same time.

"......?

 The three of us opened our mouths to the completely unexpected situation.

"Hahahaha! What's with the face?

It was a surprise success!

Allen, Leah and Rose, thank you for all your hard work! You guys did a great job!

 I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand.

"No, I mean, aren't you ...... mad at me? 

 I said something that had been bothering me for a long time.

"No! I've been wondering about that for a while. And he was a nasty son of a b*tc*!

"Ah! I'm glad you beat him to a pulp!

That last one was a bit much, though!

 The last one was a bit too much, though!" They welcomed us warmly.

(......)

 I was a little ...... excited to see them.

 But I was too embarrassed to cry in front of so many people, so I secretly pinched my thighs with my fingers and forced the tears to recede.

 While I was doing this, the questions kept coming.

"Hey, you were a mage while you were suspended from school, weren't you? Tell me about it!

I'm sure you're not the only one. You can find a lot of people who are interested in this type of product.



"Oh yeah, I want to hear about that too! That incident at the Daido business festival! I saw Allen's name in the interview with Lise Dolarhein!

"Uh, let's see, .......

 As I was puzzled by the rain of questions.

"Gosh. Wait, wait, wait, you guys. You can talk about those souvenirs during recess. We're already in class.

 Ms. Leia said, pointing to the wall clock on the blackboard.

 She pointed to the wall clock on the blackboard. Three minutes had already passed since the start of first period.

"Oh, shit, I can't help it.

"Allen, Leah, Rose! I'd love to hear your stories later!

 And so everyone took their seats, grumbling and complaining.

 The three of us also went to our seats, the three empty seats by the window.

 Then the teacher stood on the podium and said something strange (・・・・).

"Well, then, today we will begin our soul-dressing class (・・・・・)!

"Yes, yes! I've been waiting for you!

It's been a tough month at .......

"Huh, my psychic core is buzzing!

 At the same time, my classmates cheered, "We've been waiting for you! I looked at Leah and Rose.

 I looked at Leah and Rose.

I looked at Leah and Rose. "Sir, ......? What do you mean 'from today'?

"Hmm? ...... Oh, I didn't tell you yet. One month from the time you were suspended until you return to school. At the request of all the students in Class A, we've been doing nothing but strength training. They want to take a soul-dressing class at the same time as the three of you.

I'm not sure what to say.

 It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm sure you'll be very happy to learn that you can learn to dress like a soul with the rest of us. ......

 It's nice to learn with Leah and Rose, but it's probably more fun to learn soul gear with the whole class.

(But wasting everyone's precious month on that is ...... different.)

 I felt more sorry than happy.

 Then, as if reading my thoughts, the teacher smiled fearlessly.

Don't get me wrong. These guys haven't wasted a single minute or second.

"What do you mean?

Huh. After all, it's me! I've been working on them for a month straight! Take a good look. You can see that all of them have improved considerably, don't you think?

 ...... Indeed.

 If you look closely, you can see that everyone's body is much better than it was a month ago.

(Not that they've become like Paula or Bones, but ......)

 (Not that I'm like Paula or Bonds, but ) The boys have grown a size.
 (Not that I'm like Paula or Bones, but ) The boys' bodies have grown a size larger, and the girls, as far as I can see, have had the fat around their legs replaced by fine muscles.  

 Muscular strength is the basis of all swordsmanship.
 To take an extreme example, if a five-year-old boy who is a genius in swordsmanship and a muscular amateur were to have a serious fight with a sword, the amateur would win without a doubt.

 That's how important the base of 'muscle power' is.

"Heh, Allen? I can keep up with your moves now!

After a month of hell, Zantetsu-ryu has shown further development and is different from the past.

You're going to have to join me for a fight.

 The three men who fought me before smiled confidently.

"......! Yes, of course! Let's do a mock fight!

 It seems that I was completely overthinking things earlier.

 The people here are far more talented than I am.
 There was no way they were going to waste a month of my time.

All right, then, let's get this class started! First, let's move to the classroom - follow me!

 And so we followed Leia-sensei to a basement called the "Soul Dressing Room".

All right. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

 The teacher said, and before I knew it, he blew the whistle that was hanging around his neck. Before I knew it, I was blowing the whistle around my neck.
 It was a scene that gave me a sense of déjà vu.

Allen, let's go!

This way.

Yeah, yeah.

 Leah and Rose took me by the hand and we headed for the preparation room.

 It's a sword made of a rare ore called Reishou.

 I've heard that it's mainly used in soul-dressing classes.
 It is said to bring to the surface the 'soul' that lies deep within the heart of the holder.

"The Spiritual Sword ...... is the one!

...... is beautiful.



 The two of them quickly pulled out a large array of spirit swords.

 I followed suit and grabbed one of them.

(...... is surprisingly heavy.)

 It looks like clear blue glass, but .......
 It is indeed a mineral, and much heavier than an ordinary sword.

 The back of the room was stuck, so we each grabbed a spirit sword and left the preparation room.

 That's when a good idea popped into my head.

(......That's it! It's a good way to get a good workout!

 If you swing with this much weight, the effect will be doubled or tripled.
 The effect on your shoulders, core, abs, and back muscles will be amazing.

 So, after a couple of light swings to get used to the shoulders.

"Let me tell you, spirit swords are very expensive. Each one is worth a million golds, so please handle them with care.

 The teacher said this loud enough for all the students to hear.

The teacher said loud enough for all the students to hear.

 The amount of money that popped out of his eyes made him exclaim and he immediately stopped swinging.

(This one sword costs a million golds? ......!

 You'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this sort of thing.

 There are more than ...... thirty of them that I can count quickly.
 --In other words, there are 30 million golds in all.
 This is enough money to live on for at least ten years.

I'm not sure what to make of it.

 I'm not sure what to make of that.

 You can find a lot of people who are looking for the best way to get the most out of their life. ...... They're probably all very rich.

 Well, that's not surprising.
 All of the people here are elite, having graduated from famous swordsmanship academies, and none of them are from the countryside like myself.

 And then.

"......

A ......

 It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

"I'm sorry, Allen! I'm sorry I sounded so weird. ......

My body feels kind of weird. ......

 It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not sure what to say.

 I'm not sure how weird it is at all,........

 If you look closely, you can see that both of their cheeks are a little flushed.
 Maybe they have a fever.

(Shouldn't they go to the infirmary? ......?)

 (Shouldn't I go to the infirmary?) While I was thinking about this, the whistle sounded again. The whistle sounded again.

The teacher looked at all of us and said, "Well, do we all have our spirit swords?

 The teacher looked at all of us briefly.
 We nodded our heads.

As you probably already know, the spirit sword is a special sword used only for learning the soul armor. Just holding it gives you a sense of wonder, doesn't it?

 The students around me nodded in unison at the teacher's question.

(Strange, huh? .......) Yeah, I don't ...... get that feeling at all.

 It seems I'm the only one who doesn't feel anything at all.

I'm not sure what to make of this. This is a sign that the spiritual core that lies within is rising. The amount of tingling varies greatly from person to person,......, but it is generally said that women are more sensitive than men.

 Apparently, this tingling is largely due to talent.

(Talent, or ......)

 There is no other explanation that makes more sense. .......

"From now on, you are going to start a dialogue with the 'spiritual core' that lives in your soul. You will discuss, fight, negotiate, etc., and share your power with them. The power that you share with them is the embodiment of a part of the spiritual core, which is the 'soul suit'!

 ...... I see.

 This is a feeling of systematization and cohesion of knowledge that I've only vaguely known until now.
 I felt as if the dots were connected by a line, and it was very pleasant.

The teacher lowered his voice and said, "Well, I'll warn you one thing first: don't get drunk.

 The doctor lowered his voice and warned me clearly.

"The psychic core is basically your protector. You can think of it as almost a friend. But in rare cases, there are those with strong egos who try to take over the body. As you all know, Allen's psychic core is an example.

 Everyone's eyes focused on me.

But Allen's is a special case, an abnormal case--the rarest of the rare. You don't need to worry too much about it, because this kind of thing doesn't happen very often.

 ...... In other words, I need to be very worried about taking this class.

 I don't know, I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed. .......

And if you do get swallowed by a psychic nucleus, you don't have to worry about it at all. --I'll subdue it by force.

 The doctor then snapped the fingers of his right hand.

(...... is reassuring.)

 You can't rely on me for many things in normal work, but I'm unusually reassuring when it comes to heavy lifting (like this).

I'm not sure what to make of it. --The use of the Spirit Sword is simple and straightforward! First, close your eyes quietly and concentrate your mind. First, close your eyes and concentrate your mind. Then, slowly let your consciousness sink inward into your soul. Then, slowly sink your consciousness inward into your soul, and before you know it, you'll have a spiritual core in front of you.



 Inward and outward: .......
 It was a very abstract and sensual explanation.

"Well, a picture is worth a thousand words. Just try it.

 Then the teacher clapped his hands and said, "Let's begin! Then the teacher clapped his hands and said, "Start!
 After that, everyone closed their eyes and began to concentrate their minds.

(I'll try ...... too.)

 To be honest, I was a little scared.

 I was a little bit scared, to be honest. I was afraid that he would take over my body again and rampage around as much as he could.

(......, but this time, that Leia-sensei has said that she'll subdue me by force.

 She'll be able to take care of me even if I go out of control.

"Phew, .......

 I exhaled loudly and let my consciousness sink inward, into my soul.

 One minute, two minutes, three minutes, time passes slowly.

 Then I suddenly found ...... in front of me.

"Hey, it's been a while since .......

 Long white hair floating softly in the air.
 Long white hair floating in the air. Kuro patterns on his face.
 A face so fierce it looks like it's about to eat a man.

 And most of all--there was a guy who looked just like me.