Chapter 59: Raising the Main Character (2)

Under the moonlight melting into the darkness, two figures clashed their swords, continuing their fierce battle.

“How did you…”

“You were wiggling your toes before coming in. Of course, I caught you, you idiot.”

“Huff!”

“You thought I’d just take the hit—oh? That was actually pretty clever.”

On the fourth day of the Project to Raise the Protagonist, Ian had already achieved tremendous growth in just a few days.

‘This is ridiculous.’

Drakan had practically cursed me to death before I finally succeeded.

Yet this guy pulled it off in mere days.

‘At this rate, there won’t be much left for me to teach him.’

When it came to magic, that was Ian’s domain, thanks to his bloodline.

So, I didn’t have much to advise him on in that regard.

What he had been lacking were practical combat experience and some useful tips.

Even those were just things I had picked up from Drakan.

But for Ian, they turned out to be valuable nourishment.

“Phew, let’s stop here for today.”

“I can still keep going.”

“No way, man. I’m about to drop dead.”

Ian had superior stamina from the beginning.

Two months of pure physical training alone had brought him to this level.

If anything, the gap must have been even bigger before.

‘Damn, it’s hot even at night now.’

I wiped off the sweat pouring down like a waterfall with my sleeve and plopped down onto the ground.

“…Aren’t you resting?”

“I’m reviewing what I learned from today’s match.”

So this is how a true prodigy works.

Not only was he naturally gifted, but he put in relentless effort on top of it.

‘Damn, the world really isn’t fair.’

Not that I came away empty-handed from today’s training.

I had found a clue about the path my swordsmanship should take.

A path that had felt vague before.

‘Even though I’ve never learned or used it before, it feels strangely familiar.’

That bizarre dream I had after using the Fragment of Chaos and passing out…

Ever since then, my body has been moving on its own.

It was clearly a type of swordsmanship.

But I had no idea what it truly was.

‘Even others don’t seem to recognize it.’

Sylvia and Gray had both seen it before.

Neither of them were amateurs when it came to evaluating combat skills.

‘And there was no mention of such a mysterious sword art in the original story either.’

It was slow yet fast.

Light yet heavy.

Swordsmanship, at its core, is always developed for the purpose of killing.

Unless it’s a ritual dance for religious ceremonies, all styles are born from the act of shedding blood.

But this one felt different.

Instead of being meant to kill, it felt like it was meant to cut through the essence of things.

‘The very foundation of it is different, and I have no idea what to do with it.’

Just in case, I had checked the EXP shop.

I flipped through the pages until my eyes were about to pop out, but…

No luck.

“Say something if you’ve got a question. You’re practically burning a hole in the back of my head.”

Ian, who was practicing his swings in a corner while reviewing the match, had been staring at me the whole time.

I had planned to ignore him, but the pressure from his gaze was too intense to overlook.

“…Why are you helping me?”

When I turned to face him, Ian tilted his head, looking genuinely confused.

‘Why? Because you’re the protagonist of this world, of course… but I can’t say that out loud.’

What should I say?

After briefly lowering my head in thought, I finally replied.

“If you’re that curious, figure it out yourself.”

He didn’t need to know the details.

Even if I told him the truth, he wouldn’t believe it anyway.

So there was no need for unnecessary explanations.

‘Ahem, it’s definitely not because I couldn’t think of a better excuse.’

Yeah, that’s right. That’s totally it.

“Alright, I’m heading out.”

Leaving Ian behind with a question mark practically written on his forehead, I waved a hand and leisurely walked out of the training grounds.

“Ugh… summer break is almost here.”

Just a few more weeks, and the break would finally arrive.

Though it was only about a month long, many students eagerly counted down the days.

‘Because it’s the time they can return to their families.’

For commoners, life at Arcane Academy was more comfortable and convenient.

But for nobles, it was a hassle to live alone without their attendants.

That’s why most of them went back home during the break.

“I should probably head to the Isbal region.”

Training to reach the Sixth Tier was important, but before that, I should probably look for the retired professor who had recommended me to Arcane Academy.

According to Theonar’s memories, that professor had just handed over a letter of recommendation and disappeared.

I was curious about why he had done that, and why he had retired in the first place.

‘I wasn’t even that exceptional to begin with, so why go through the trouble of getting me in?’

This has been one of my biggest questions ever since I got reincarnated as Theonar.

Since I had access to his memories, I knew exactly what his talents were.

And the truth was… he had none.

The only thing he was remotely good at was hunting wild animals, something he had picked up while following the adults in his rural village.

His magic aptitude was terrible.

His physical abilities weren’t great either.

No matter how I looked at it, there was no logical reason why someone would think of him as a promising talent.

“Well, I’ll figure it out when I meet him.”

At most, it was a question I wanted to satisfy my curiosity about.

It wasn’t something that would drastically change my plans.

If I couldn’t find him, I’d just treat it as a short vacation.

***

As usual, after classes ended, I stepped outside—

And immediately noticed someone lingering in the hallway.

“Theo.”

“…Sylvia? You just arrived today?”

“Yeah.”

She grabbed my sleeve tightly and started pulling me along.

“Let’s go get your sword made, Theo.”

“Sword?”

“Yeah. Helena has recovered.”

She was dragging me along with a firm grip, her movements rough yet somewhat clumsy.

‘Her ears are as red as a tomato.’

I had planned to tell her that we needed to get an exit permit before leaving Arcane Academy.

But as I watched Sylvia’s back as she walked ahead without even turning around, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

I figured I’d just go along with her and hear what she had to say.

Then—

“…Wait, how is this even possible?”

The moment we reached Arcane Academy’s front gate, Sylvia handed me an exit permit.

I must have underestimated the power of a Duke’s authority.

“Come on, hurry up.”

She had already prepared a carriage, and the coachman waved at me in greeting.

Before I knew it, I was already sitting inside the carriage.

I gazed out the window for a moment, then suddenly realized something.

Helena was supposed to be in the capital.

She had been staying at the Duke’s estate for recovery.

“…But Helena is in the capital, right? Didn’t you say she was staying at your house?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh?”

Sylvia responded confidently.

“…Wait, what? Then why did you say we were going to get my sword made?”

“That was a lie.”

“…Why?”

I turned to her in disbelief.

She hesitated for a moment before mumbling in a small voice.

“…I just… wanted to spend time with you, Theo.”

Her fingers fidgeted as she stole glances at me.

“Haa…”

I let out a sigh.

Sylvia, lying?

And for such a trivial reason?

“That— That said, it’ll be fun! I did a lot of research on places to visit!”

“…We’re literally just outside Arcane Academy. What’s there to research?”

Her actions brought up many thoughts in my mind.

I had already suspected it for a while.

But I still didn’t fully understand why.

“…Are you mad?”

I must have furrowed my brows without realizing it because Sylvia was now fidgeting nervously.

Well, it made sense.

She had dragged me out here without any explanation, after all.

‘But… one day off wouldn’t be so bad.’

I waved a hand dismissively.

“No, I’m not mad.”

Then, as we chatted about nothing in particular, we headed toward the heart of Heroin City.

.

.

.

.

.

“Theo! Look at this!”

“Oh, cotton candy.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a candy made of ultra-thin strands of sugar, all fluffed up like a cloud.”

We wandered through the streets, buying street food and sitting on benches to enjoy the scenery.

Sylvia must have had a long list of places she wanted to visit because she dragged me around with an excited smile the whole time.

At first, I was indifferent.

But after a while, I found myself genuinely enjoying it.

It had been a long time since I had a day without any worries.

‘Maybe I should let myself relax every now and then.’

My constant anxiety has been my driving force.

It was what kept me pushing forward, making sure I wasn’t swallowed up by this unfamiliar world.

So, I had always kept my guard up.

But letting go just this once didn’t seem so bad.

Because in just half a day, I already felt a significant amount of stress melting away.

“Theo.”

“Hm?”

“How was today?”

“It was fun.”

“Hehe, I’m glad.”

Sylvia, who usually kept a neutral expression, showed me a completely unguarded smile.

Her voice, her expression, her actions—

Everything about her pointed to one undeniable truth.

‘I’ve been avoiding it, but it’s time to face it.’

In the original story, the heroines all fell for the protagonist and developed deep relationships with him.

But that didn’t mean things had to play out the same way here.

What mattered in the end wasn’t whether they loved the protagonist.

It was their power.

The ability they possessed to stop the Demon God.

As long as I could make sure they fought on the right side, their personal relationships didn’t matter.

If I could become stronger and ensure their cooperation, then…

‘It’s time to admit it.’

There was no denying it anymore.

I had tried to brush it off and ignore it.

But they were making it too obvious.

That’s right.

All the heroines of Throbbing Heart: Arcane Academy!

Every single one of them—

Had developed romantic feelings for me.

For reasons I still didn’t understand.