The Academy’s Hard-Headed Swordmaster

The next day.

Released from my cell, I stretched, loosening my stiff muscles.

With every movement, a chorus of ‘crack-pop-crackle’ echoed from my joints.

“Ugh… Couldn’t they at least give me a decent bed?”

Grumbling, I recalled last night’s events. Gawain’s apologetic expression.

An unprecedented terrorist attack at the Academy.

Someone had died, and the perpetrator’s identity and motive remained shrouded in mystery.

An investigation was necessary to confirm my innocence.

However, the chaos caused by the attack prevented them from following standard procedures, and everyone involved had been detained.

He promised to get me out as quickly as possible, asking me to bear with it for a short while.

‘He said ‘quickly,’ and I’m out the next morning.’

And Gawain had kept his word.

He’d even diverted funds meant for repairing the Academy’s damage and restoring order to expedite my release.

As I stepped out of the prison, Yuri and Arthur were waiting for me at the entrance.

“What are you two doing here?”

“Celebrating your release.”

“Gotta celebrate when a friend gets out of jail.”

I’d only been in for a day, but they looked ready to make my imprisonment a lifelong source of amusement.

Scratching my cheek, I looked at them. Yuri held out something in her hand.

Tilting my head, I examined it. To my surprise, it was tofu.

“You eat tofu when you get out of jail. Here.”

“Where did you even learn that?”

“It’s common knowledge…?”

I was about to argue about the existence of such “common knowledge” when I remembered that Yuri was a Princess from the North.

A frigid land where criminals served sentences instead of facing punishment.

Growing up in a place where criminals outnumbered ordinary people, she was bound to have a different sense of “common” than most.

I grabbed the tofu with my bare hands, chomped it down, and nodded.

“Tastes good.”

“…Why are you eating it with your hands?”

Looking at me like I was a barbarian, Yuri belatedly produced a fork.

My expression stiffened slightly.

Well, if you had that, you should have given it to me sooner.

The awkward silence was broken by Arthur’s laughter. He held out something in his hand.

“I guess I brought this for nothing…”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. My family sent some fruit… but it went bad, so…”

“Why did you bring rotten fruit…?”

“So, I put it in a jar and buried it.”

“……?”

Putting rotten fruit in a jar and burying it… I didn’t understand what Arthur was talking about at first—but it soon clicked, and my eyes widened.

“Wanna have a drink?”

Arthur had brought moonshine.

***

While nobles were known to indulge in all sorts of pleasures and debauchery—they couldn’t openly drink and chase women in their teens, at least not publicly.

Naturally, I’d never touched alcohol.

My first drink since being reincarnated.

My heart pounded with anticipation.

“Welcome, Young Master.”

I headed straight to my residence within the Academy grounds.

Even with our noble status, we couldn’t openly drink in the Academy dormitory.

Fortunately, my mansion had been spared during the attack, providing us with a private space.

I asked the butler, who greeted us at the entrance, to prepare some snacks.

“Butler, could you bring us some light refreshments?”

“I’ll bring them to your room, sir.”

“Thank you.”

The butler seemed to have guessed our intentions from my request to have the food brought to my room instead of the dining hall.

However, he probably thought it was better than causing trouble outside, so he simply nodded and headed towards the kitchen.

Leaving the butler behind, I went to my room with the other two.

We settled around a table and chairs, ready for our illicit drinking session, waiting for the butler to bring the snacks.

“This kind of thing is more fun with more people.”

“Anyone else you want to invite?”

“The problem is, I don’t.”

This kind of escapade is always more fun with a crowd.

The issue was the lack of suitable companions.

Yuri, my fiancée, was a must.

Arthur, who brought the alcohol, was also essential.

The only other people I could call friends were Aria and Bellion—but both were problematic choices.

I wasn’t close enough with Aria to drink with her, and Bellion was royalty.

‘How can I drink with a Prince…?’

Every action, every meal of a Prince was monitored.

If we snuck him out for a drink, news of our illicit gathering would spread within a day.

So, the three of us were the only viable drinking buddies.

“Young Master, I’ve brought the refreshments you requested.”

“Ah, come in.”

A moment later, the butler entered, bringing not only the snacks I’d requested but also three wine glasses.

As expected, he was perceptive.

After setting the food and tableware on the table, he bowed silently and left the room.

Once the butler was gone, I signaled to Arthur.

He pulled out the hidden bottle and began pouring the moonshine into the glasses.

“Alright then—cheers!”

“Cheers.”

“Uh, mm.”

Following the international rule of one-shot for the first drink, I downed the contents of my glass in one gulp.

I immediately regretted it.

“Ugh—!”

“Tastes awful.”

“Alcohol… tastes worse than I thought.”

An Aura Master’s body analyzed every nuance of flavor.

Which meant the wretched taste of cheap, poorly made moonshine assaulted my palate with full force.

The bitterness of rotten fruit, the underdeveloped sweetness, and the sharp sting of alcohol all registered separately, making it feel like I’d swallowed vomit instead of liquor.

I hastily grabbed some snacks, desperately trying to mask the taste.

Only then did the nausea subside.

“I heard that adding ice to alcohol makes it less bitter…”

At Arthur’s words, Yuri immediately started creating ice with her magic and adding it to her glass.

Unsure whether magically conjured ice was safe to consume, I nonetheless pushed my glass towards her, requesting some.

Only after the ice had diluted the alcohol did it become somewhat palatable.

It still tasted like garbage, though.

Thus, fueled by snacks and ice, we emptied nearly half the bottle.

“……Hic! Why do adults even drink this stuff?”

“I think you’re already drunk.”

“Whaaat…? Hic! N-not drunk…”

Looking at Yuri’s flushed face and hiccups, I chuckled.

So, Yuri was a lightweight.

If this were the modern world instead of a fantasy one, she’d probably be easy prey for guys looking to take advantage.

After a few more drinks, Arthur casually brought up yesterday’s incident.

“By the way, Kyle, that was amazing. When did you become a Master?”

“—Hey, that’s a secret-.”

“Master?”

Suddenly, Yuri, who had been swaying drunkenly, spoke sharply.

I turned to her, my expression stiffening.

Her gaze was unexpectedly cold, belying her intoxicated state.

“What do you mean?”

“…Ah, Kyle. You didn’t know?”

“…Of course not, you said it was a secret.”

“But, I thought you’d tell me since I’m your fiancée…”

“—What are you two whispering about?”

‘Crack’—A fissure appeared on Yuri’s glass.

Magic, reacting to her emotions, was freezing everything she touched.

I quickly tried to appease her.

“I was going to tell you, but my father-in-law told me to keep it a secret.”

“…My father?”

“Yes, the Duke.”

Hearing the Duke’s name, Yuri seemed to regain some composure, rationally assessing the situation.

“Still—it makes no sense that you told your friend before me, your fiancée.”

“Hey, he found out while I was trying to save him.”

“Was there any reason for you, a Master, to reveal your identity?”

“Uh, the other guy was a Master too.”

As soon as the words left my mouth—I realized my mistake.

I thought I wasn’t drunk, but my body clearly disagreed.

Yuri’s eyes widened at my confession of fighting another Master.

She trembled, then downed the rest of her drink in one gulp.

“…I’m leaving.”

She stood up abruptly and stumbled.

I rushed to her side, catching her before she fell.

Scooping her up in a princess carry, I said to Arthur,

“I’ll put her to bed. Wait here for a bit.”

“Uh, mm. Take your time…”

“What do you think I’m going to do?”

I smirked and carried Yuri to her room. Clinging to me, she mumbled,

“…Kyle.”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“…Dizzy.”

“Haha, that’s what happens when you drink.”

“Liar, you’re fine…”

I laid her down on the bed, her words slurring. She still clung to my hand, refusing to let go.

“Kyyle…”

“Yes, yes.”

“…Don’t die. If you die, I’ll learn necromancy and bring you back…”

“Oh, wow.”

A remarkably realistic threat.

I tucked her in and quietly left the room.

Returning, I found Arthur drinking alone, looking at me questioningly.

“What? Why are you drinking by yourself?”

“Uh, uh? Weren’t you going to… you know… with your fiancée?”

“We’re still minors. We’re not like that.”

Arthur turned slightly, hunching over.

Curious about his behavior, I approached him and noticed two large bulges under his shirt.

“What’s that?”

“Wh-what?”

“That in your chest. Did you steal something? No, there’s nothing worth stealing here.”

“W-wait a minute!”

Ignoring Arthur’s attempts to hide his swollen chest, I reached out and felt something… squishy. Like slime.

It wasn’t anything that belonged in this room.

Puzzled, I lifted his shirt—and a pair of ample breasts sprung forth.

“……Huh?”

I recalled the time I went to the bathhouse with Arthur.

He had a flat chest, and though small, he definitely had male genitalia.

He was definitely a boy then.

But now, before my eyes, were breasts larger than those of most women.

“You… were a girl?”

‘Nod’.

Tears welling in her eyes, Arthur shyly nodded.

I was so stunned I couldn’t take my hands off her chest.

“……Um, Kyle?”

“Yeah, what?”

“Could you stop touching me now…?”

“Oh, sorry.”

Only at her words did I realize I was still groping her.

I’m such a blockhead, I didn’t even realize I was touching her breasts.

Seriously.