[Reberu] ga Arunara Agerudesho? Mobukyara ni Tensei Shita Ore wa Gēmu Chishiki o Ikashi, Hitasura Reberu o Age Tsudzukeru

[A Prayer Veiled as an Expectation]

“Well, Baldasare-kun had pointed out the main issue.
But his voice sure is loud as ever.” (Julia)

Saying that, Julia took her eyes off the plaza and leaned against the wall of the building.

As if to follow her, Sakurai pushed aside Luisina, who had gotten on his back, and sat down with his back against the wall.

Although the way Luisina had recited the story about Amanai Hayato to her was exaggerated, Julia was glad that there were some truths to her story.

While the base of his battle style was a martial art called ‘Virtuous Priest Fighting School’ that was learned by priest warriors who were often dispatched to rural areas, he was able to overwhelm Baldasare without using any skills.

The military academy had no age limit, and Baldasare, who would turn 20 this year, was one of the five strongest knight apprentices of the military academy as a spear user.

On the other hand, considering his young age of 15 years old, Amanai Hayato had innate talents, and there was no doubt that he had made efforts to match up to it.

“That is exactly why it’s such a shame.” (Julia)

Exactly because his body and skills had been refined that the weakness of his heart could be seen.
And it was reflected in the way he fought.

“The killing power of bare hands is lower than using a weapon.
Especially when dealing with a wide variety of monsters, unlike humans with clear weak points, you will have to attack them over and over again in order to kill them.
That is why the attack of typical bare-handed fighters is fierce and violent like a storm.” (Julia)

On the other hand, how did Amanai fight?

His blows were unmatched in accuracy, and they hit weak points as if they were sucked into the small openings.

However, in Julia’s eyes, he showed some ‘softness’ whenever he was closing in on his opponent or placing his body weight behind his fist to attack.

She could immediately understand that he unconsciously pulled back his punches because of his mental readiness, or rather the lack of thereof.

“To put it simply… right.
There’s not enough resolution in his fist, and he’s just punching for the sake of it, I guess?” (Julia)

His fist struck Baldasare accurately at his weak point, but did not reach to the point of knocking him down.

“That’s exactly the reason why Baldasare-kun didn’t fall.
With his will of steel, he was able to ignore his injuries… that’s how I see it.” (Julia)

“So, you’re saying Amanai doesn’t have enough fighting spirit?” (Sakurai)

“Ain’t he just unable to deceive himself due to his sloppy acting skill?” (Luisina)

“Acting?” (Julia)

In response to Sakurai’s words, Luisina said so uninterestedly.

Without responding to the gazes directed her, she looked at the bit mark on the apple candy that she had bitten, and spun her words in a plain tone.

“His respond and movements are half a beat late.
It’s like he moves after thinking about what kind of expression and how he should act when receiving external stimulus with the role he played in mind.
It’s what an actor who can’t make the role he played as his does.
I don’t know what sort of thing a fighting spirit is, but your body’s movement will naturally become bad if you continue to act sloppily.” (Luisina)

Saying that, Luisina silently started eating the apple candy.

Her opinion, spoken from the perspective of a performer rather than a fighter, was fresh to Julia; she even wanted to praise herself for forcing her to go out with her after the contest even though she refused.

But Julia didn’t intend to put together the information she had gotten in her mind.

If she analyzed the information that she and Luisina obtained from the observation, coupled with her experience, she most likely could accurately grasp the humanity of ‘Amanai Hayato’ and use it in battles and negotiations with him in the future.

But she did not want to do that.
Because Julia held expectation of Amanai.

She had seen many people with excellent talents and had been actively trying to deepen exchanges with them.

As she repeatedly approached them with expectation, they ‘couldn’t keep up’ and kept their distance from her.

It wasn’t that they shunned her; they simply couldn’t keep up with Julia, who was more superior than them in terms of talents.

The education of the military academy placed emphasized on ‘group’, unlike the adventurer academy.

Their education did not emphasize on developing the strengths of their students and produce excellent individuals, but on eliminating their weaknesses and thickening their averageness, that was their seam.

The knights are mainly responsible for humans-related problems that cropped up inside the nation.

That was why, compared to adventurers who had a large difference in ability between the top-tier and bottom-tier, thanks to their standardized ability, they were able to deal with many problems reasonably well, and even if they quit due to injury or retirement, the hole they opened would be able to be filled immediately.

To put it in game terms, the military academy was a facility that emphasized mass production of level 20 units.

And suddenly appearing there was an individual called Julia von Knaust, who now had exceeded level 60.

From the beginning of her enrollment at the military academy, no one could keep up with her, who grew at conspicuous rate, and because the nature of their education, no such person could ever be born there.

If she had knock on the door of the academy adventurer instead— some might wonder.

However, that was not permissible given her status as a royalty.

A king’s relative becoming an adventurer who worked outside the walls would create too many problems.

In the end, the fault lied in the fact that Julia’s upbringing and environment did not mesh with her personal talents.

It was no wonder she fell into a state of being isolated mentally within the group.

That was why Julia held an expectation, for the talented person (Amanai) who might be able to stand next her.

That was why Julia did not think, she didn’t want to know the bottom of the person (Amanai) she held expectation for.

She wanted him to follow her, she wanted him to stand next to her, she wanted him to be her equal or better.

She wanted to keep thinking “If it’s him, this time for sure,” to keep herself from recalling the people who had kept their distance from her and shake off the fear of being alone.

However, contrary to that feeling that was similar to an appeal, Amanai, who was fighting in the plaza, began to expose his bottom that was the immaturity of his ‘heart’.

She could look away had she only wanted to.

She could have left that place, or she could have intervened by mediating between them and close Baldasare’s mouth.

But the reason why Julia still continued to watch the progress of the battle was because she thought that if it’s Amanai who was the most talented among the people she had ever seen, he might be able to turn it into a nourishment to grow.

Even calling Sakurai who came midway and dragging him to join her was because she wanted to share with him the joy and excitement of watching the moment Amanai grew together.

Sakurai, who was cooperator on Amanai’s side in the match he proposed, left her a strong impression in the fourth race where he openly turned not just her, but all participants into enemies.

She didn’t think that he was that strong, but she expected that if it’s him, who was the first disciple of that ‘Sword Master’, he would have the same opinion as herself, and in fact he came to the same conclusion as her watching Amanai’s battle.

After that, she saw Amanai got provoked by Baldasare’s words and threw him a blow emotionally like admitting to what he said, but… the result was as she could see.

Although the battle itself ended in Amanai’s victory, mentally he was defeated without being able to give a single word back to Baldasare.

Exactly because she kept her eyes on him, unlike Akano and Ethel, Julia did not miss the fist Amanai kept clenching.

(At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to have a battle with the perfect Amanai-kun.
He might even start avoiding battle.)

So, she decided to clearly inform Sakurai, Amanai’s cooperator, of his shortcoming.

Of course, Sakurai, who had the same opinion as herself, should have noticed it.
But Julia told him just in case.

Julia thought that there should be a reason, they must have some sort of aligned interest for Sakurai, whom she found out to be a problem child who caused trouble every other day at the adventurer academy with just a little investigation, to act as Amanai’s cooperator.

In that case, he would probably be troubled if Amanai lost to her, and if Amanai were to avoid battle because he was mentally defeated this time, he would take some measures to help him— or so she thought.

(Eh~… that Amanai, he’s weakened just because of such a problem…?)

Sakurai, on the other hand, had begun to consider whether to cast Amanai away.