He rushed at me at an inhumane speed; my eyes barely registered the approaching sword thrust. I stepped aside, grabbed his wrist, and threw him over my shoulder with everything I had.
He twisted his body mid-air and landed on his feet, then threw a punch at me that I blocked with my arm guard.
A loud Thuuud resounded as a result of the block. The force of the punch flung my hands back. Understanding the gap in strength between us, I took advantage of the momentum, created a distance between us, and got ready to use my magic—Astrum Cordis and my elemental magics.
"I think that is quite enough, isn't it, Hermes?"
But before we could start fighting each other again, a voice echoed. I turned to see a man—no, a god—standing there. Goddess-like beauty, despite being a male god. Blond hair and smooth white skin. He was slender in a way I've never seen before, which only adds to his delicate beauty. He wore a long, sacred vestment, leaving his right shoulder and arm bare. On his head was a crown of...mistletoe?
I wasn't able to see his eyes. They were hidden behind his eyelids.
And yet, he was clearly able to see us.
As I observed his appearance, Hermes and Lydia turned off the Hades Head and removed the mask, revealing his smiling face.
"Yo! Balder, been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has. Though I would've appreciated it if you revealed your identity sooner and not let Professor Leon fight for no reason." He—no—God Balder chided Hermes.
So, he really is the knight of knights. I thought as I looked back at him. He was wearing black clothes that almost looked like formal wear—the uniform of a teacher. A golden spade emblem adorned his left sleeve, his left leather shoe, and the left leg of his slacks. In the holster at his right hip were multiple sticks of chalk and a wand-like, thin teacher's cane.
Hermes let out a light-hearted laugh. "Oh, but it's not every day I get to see something so interesting," he said, with an unapologetic tone.
God Balder let out a sigh. "You never change, do you? …Anyways, come inside, I am sure we have a lot to talk about."
Hermes and Lydia followed after him with a smile, leaving the Knight of Knights—Leon—and me behind. Leon sheathed his long sword, gave a polite smile, and extended his hand. His eyes, which were sharp enough to cut steel, had softened.
"My apologies for attacking you like that. I thought it was just some adventurers trespassing on the school grounds like always. …You are not hurt too much, are you?"
I shook his hand back. "No, we should be the ones apologizing. After all, you aren't wrong—I am an adventurer, and we did trespass on the place." Controlling my stinging left hand that had blocked his attack earlier, I continued, "And no, I am not hurt." Not too much, at least. I let the last part remain unsaid.
There was no doubt he was strong. Stronger than anyone I had ever crossed blades with.
Hearing my words, he let out a relieved sigh. "I am glad. I didn't want to use too much force, but you were just too strong for me to hold back. But I guess I should have expected that much from the famous Astralis."
"You know me?" I asked, not surprised but curious.
Leon laughed heartily. "Of course, I know you. There are a lot of students who look up to you."
Just as we were conversing, Lydia stuck her head out of the room. "Hey, both of you, are you not coming?"
Leon and I stopped our talk and entered the room as well. The room was wide, with large windows along the wall, providing a view of the great ocean, and several thick white pillars supported the roof. In the middle of the room was a round table with intricately decorated chairs. Lydia, Hermes, and Balder were sitting on them.
Seeing us enter, Balder got up from his chair and shook my hand. "Balder is my name. And you are Arin Kael. It seems we've gotten the order slightly mixed up, but it is nice to meet you, Orario's newest hope."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. And I am sorry for barging into your place like this," I said, returning the handshake.
But Balder shook his head. "No, you don't need to apologize. After all, you were forced to do that by Hermes."
He is such a kind god. I was extra grateful for his words, because if the girls found out about me sneaking in like that, I wouldn't see the light of day.
He turned to face Hermes again. "If you had just left a note, I could have made accommodations for a meeting. Every time...you really do push your way in like the wind."
"What else can I do? If I send a note the official way, it just keeps getting pushed back, and the Guild will say it'll be a month before we can meet. That's just how busy the School District is around this time...and all the more so for the headmaster. But now, with Arin's help, in addition to trying to scout some students, I can have a private discussion with my friend Balder here. Talk about a godsend!"
Balder sighed. "My oh my...you're always like that when it's convenient to you."
I didn't know much about their relationship, but from their exchange, it seemed they were quite close friends.
"Lord Hermes, I would still request you to please use the official channels next time," Leon said gently but firmly.
Hermes only spun the hat on his head and raised a brow at him. "Oh, c'mon, my friend. Surely you can understand the thrill of sneaking into places. I thought we were kindred spirits, with your history of sneaking into the Zeus and Hera Familia expeditions!"
Leon fell silent as his troubled past was revealed. "I am ashamed of my past self, and I want to believe I have grown from before," he said.
Hermes laughed. "Oh, you definitely have. But that doesn't mean I will forget that."
"Hermes, I am sure you just didn't come to make fun of my staff. So why don't we get to the point?"
Hermes leaned back in his chair. "…So then, what do you think, Balder? Are you willing to listen to my proposal from before?"
"I am," Balder replied, and all of them stared at me.
Am I getting involved in something again?
____________________________________________________________________________
After our little adventure of sneaking into the School District, I came back home. It was almost evening. Usually, I spend this time at the workshop with Asfi, but once a week, all of the girls gather together, and we spend our time together.
Today was one such day. We were inside the Twilight Library, sitting around the round table. I was a little worried that Ryuu wouldn't come today, but it seemed she had calmed down quite a lot, as she had already arrived by the time I came back and was greeted with quite a bit of cheerfulness.
Riveria was preparing tea, while Asfi and Ryuu served the snacks. Ais was sitting beside me, already munching on the snack placed before her. But something was quite weird, as I noticed them glancing at my face a few times, and their eyes would travel to my lips before they glanced away.
I could only tilt my head in confusion. But my mind was more focused on the conversation I had with Balder and the others.
Riveria served tea for me and took her seat along with the others. I picked up my cup, but before I could take a sip of it, Asfi spoke up.
"So? How was the School District?"
My hand paused, and my expression froze. My neck creaked like an old machine as I slowly looked up. Asfi, Riveria, Ryuu, and even Ais—who had stopped eating her snacks—were all staring at me.
"…How…did you…know?" I asked, the first doubt that had crept up in my mind.
"Lydia was quite excited when she got back home and told me everything. Like how you helped them trespass into the School District, and how you even fought with the Knights of the Round Table. She didn't tell me anything about what was discussed, but I could take a guess."
Damn that little shit!
Riveria tapped her finger on the table, bringing my attention back. "So what exactly happened there?"
I took a deep breath and decided to be honest.
But… Considering what happened there—
Where do I even start?