After exchanging brief greetings in the cafe, our group of five decided to have dinner together.
The dinner venue was a Western restaurant near the Hero Department.
It was chosen not for its taste, but for its private rooms, and Amy had made the reservation.
Soon after, the food was served, and everyone began to eat.
...
Everyone ate in silence.
Only the sound of utensils and chewing resonated in the room.
Being in a private room isolated from other customers, the silence seemed even more profound.
'It's been quiet since earlier.'
Alphs and Irene aside, Seria and Alice are not usually the silent types.
Yet, since the cafe, they've been as silent as if their mouths were sealed with honey.
Occasional glances at Alphs suggested that something had happened──
──but I decided to leave it be.
It wouldn't be hard to find out what happened, but seeing Alphs' expression, it didn't seem necessary to intervene.
She's not good at hiding her true feelings.
Any strong emotion is immediately evident on her face.
Right now, she seemed slightly anxious.
Coddling her too much wouldn't be good.
A reasonable level of stress that she can handle will help strengthen her mental fortitude.
...Speaking of 'mental fortitude', something comes to mind.
"Alphs, you're not wearing the artifacts I gave you."
"I, actually... I only wore them briefly on the first day. I haven't been wearing them since then. Wearing them makes me feel... like I'm not myself... I'm, I'm sorry."
Alphs spoke hesitantly.
Feeling like she's not herself.
It must be due to one of the set effects of [Mercy of Renimid], which enhances mental strength.
I thought it would be natural for Alphs, who has a weak mental fortitude, to wear them daily, but it seems the change was too abrupt for her.
However, she needs to adapt.
You can't just say "hold on~" and start putting them on in the middle of a standoff with an enemy.
"[Mercy of Renimid] is from the Order of Light, so it will be beneficial for your body in the long run. Wear it at all times, except when bathing or sleeping."
"Yes, yes... I understand, Theo."
Alphs nodded repeatedly.
After that.
Clatter, clatter──
Nibble, nibble.
Just when silence was about to settle back in the private room.
"Theo, is the perfume you're wearing today... Lilien Pour Homme?"
Alice spoke up.
I nodded.
"Yes. Like before, you have a wide knowledge of perfumes."
"Oh, I'm quite interested in them. I'll try to guess next time too... Oh?"
Alice chuckled.
Her effort to lighten the subdued atmosphere was apparent.
I smiled gently at her and said,
"It won't be easy. I use more than ten different perfumes."
"You can look forward to it. I consider myself an expert in perfumes, at least in my own right."
Alice also smiled gently back at me.
Perhaps due to Alice's efforts, they slowly began to open up.
Of course, Seria's expression was awkward throughout.
After dinner was finished, Theo's team decided to check each other's primary abilities.
Theo judged that knowing each other's abilities would enhance team chemistry and might inspire new ways to utilize abilities that they were not aware of.
On the way to the Hero Department's training ground, Irene spoke up.
"Theo. Isn't entry with four companions only allowed from the second year?"
"I've already obtained permission."
Theo showed the permit he had received from Mari and continued.
"Also, soon, entry with four companions will be allowed without a permit. It's going to be announced next week."
"Oh? How did you know?"
"Professor Mari told me."
"Hmm, I see."
Irene nodded nonchalantly, but Alice and Alphs were surprised.
Theo's words meant he had received internal information from a professor about the department.
After about five minutes of walking, Theo's team arrived at the Hero Department's training ground.
Creeeak──
Upon entering, they saw many familiar faces.
Neike, Piel, Jang Woohee, Noctar and the orcs, Shagarod and the lizardmen.
A gathering of famous students from the academy.
Alice and Alphs were wide-eyed at how familiarly these students greeted Theo.
After acknowledging their greetings, Theo approached Noctar, who had just finished a sparring session.
"Hey, Noctar."
"Welcome, Theo."
Noctar looked towards Theo and strode over, his molars slightly trembling as if he was deep in thought.
"Oh ho, lots of new faces. Did you get yourself more girlfriends?"
"......They're aides. And I've never had a girlfriend."
Theo countered Noctar's comment with a serious expression.
Regardless, Noctar's molars continued to tremble rapidly.
"Really? Guys, what do you think about what Theo says?"
He shrugged and asked the other orcs.
"Uuuu~ He said he's making a team, but he made a harem!"
"It's so sad, how can we live like this? Uuuu~"
"Are we abandoned?! Are we abandoned?!"
"Theo is an individualist."
The orcs reacted vehemently.
The faces of Theo's team members, except for Seria, turned bright red.
They buried their heads in their hands, unable to look up.
Theo sighed deeply and glared at the orcs.
"Shut up, you orc bastards."
"Uuuu~ Uuuu~"
"······Anyway, I came to ask for a favor."
Noctar tilted his head in curiosity.
"What favor? I'm always open for love advice."
"......It's not that. I was wondering if you could spar with my aides."
Orcs, even in sparring, don't hold back.
Theo believes in practical experience.
What's the use of doing well in practice?
There are countless cases where those who do well in practice end up failing miserably in real situations.
Noctar nodded his head.
"Of course. Who wants to fight Theo's girlfriends? Raise your hand."
All the orcs raised their hands.
"I'll take on Theo's fiancée! I've had my eye on her since the martial arts competition."
"Then I'll take on the mage! Even if she's Theo's girlfriend, I won't go easy on a mage!"
"Shut up, I've had my eye on the mage for a while now!"
The orcs got into a heated argument over who would fight whom.
They eventually decided the order with rock-paper-scissors, following Noctar's suggestion to settle it amicably.
Noctar spoke to Theo.
"We've decided the order. Are we going to do it right here?"
"Let's do that. This place is small but similar to an arena."
Despite the presence of many students in the training ground, Theo chose not to move elsewhere.
Theo is a believer in practical experience.
Being unable to perform due to the presence of an audience was unacceptable to him.
'It won't be easy.'
He had imparted some breathing techniques to the orcs, albeit briefly.
Of course, orcs, being less capable learners, wouldn't utilize it as quickly as humans, but they would have become stronger than before.
Realizing that something interesting was about to happen, students stopped their training and naturally gathered in the spectator seats.
Thus, the sparring between Theo's team and the Hero Department's orc team began.
'Hmm, they did quite well.'
Irene, Alice, Alphs.
That was my impression after observing the three matches.
Only Irene had won, but Alice and Alphs had put up a good fight.
'For only two days of training, that's impressive. They could have won in a real fight.'
Even as a believer in practical experience, one couldn't use an artifact bow and sharp arrows in a sparring match.
Therefore, Alice used a practice bow similar in shape to [Sharp Shooting].
Of course, she lost, but she could have won in a real battle.
On a battlefield where your initial position is exposed, a warrior is naturally the archer's nemesis.
As for Alphs, I hadn't expected much from her.
It was enough if she could use even a part of Renimid's second commandment in front of many people.
─Uh, uhuhuhuh. ······That's it! It, it works?
However, she successfully used a part of Renimid's third commandment.
Although it was just a part.
Of course, it was thanks to the set effect of [Mercy of Renimid], but considering that the first-year students of [Order of Light] could only showcase a part of the third commandment of Renimid at this stage, it was a significant improvement.
She also managed to block the fierce attacks of an elite orc from the Hero Department for a while, indicating she had been practicing the swordsmanship and shield techniques I taught her.
I patted Alphs' shoulder, who was coming down from the arena with various bruises.
"You did well, Alphs. You've been working hard."
"Th-thank you, Theo."
"Drink this."
I pulled out a potion from my [Subspace Bag] and handed it to Alphs.
Then, I immediately turned my attention to the arena.
It was Seria's turn for the last duel.
"Hehe."
Seria, with an utterly relaxed expression, lightly stepped onto the arena.
"Everyone, please watch carefully. I'm going to use a spell that I've been diligently developing recently."
She said this, casting a glance at the other aides.
The mischievous glint in her eyes... was it just my imagination?
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