Chapter 137.1: Part 1

Bonus chapter thanks to '@mwalcott' for subscription to 'Sword Lacquer' tier on Ko-fi.

Baltan's sudden appearance took me by surprise.

Why would he seek me out in this situation?

He approached with his characteristically refreshing smile and extended his hand.

He was asking for a handshake.

...I was a little hesitant.

However, he didn't seem to have any intention of causing trouble right now.

He didn't seem to be trying to talk to Fron either.

Judging it would be better to accept his gesture, I decided to shake his hand.

"It's been a while."

"Yeah, haven't seen you since we were choosing artifacts."

"That's right."

While conversing with Baltan as naturally as possible, I tried to figure out his purpose for coming here.

If he came to provoke Fron, the top student, I needed to intervene.

Fron was in a precarious state.

If she were to crumble again, there would be no turning back.

However, my worries were unfounded.

"There's a meeting for the class representatives. I heard senior students are coming too."

It seemed like they were gathering us for a meeting, just like during the invasion of the Human Realm.

The first time I actually saw senior students from Sytan was when I went to meet Tammy for the Familiar Exam.

Well, it would probably be different this time.

The seniors I would meet this time were the strongest representatives of each grade.

However...

'Well, even so, they wouldn't have mastered Fighting Spirit.'

It was highly likely that they wouldn't have mastered it.

Fighting Spirit could only be learned after reaching the level of a combat instructor.

Even if there were students who had learned it, there would only be one or two.

It meant that unless you were an exceptionally strong student, you wouldn't be able to learn it.

I figured they would be around the level of mastering Sword Lacquer at most.

If we were to face the senior students...

'There's a high probability that the freshmen will win.'

With Baltan and me present, it was safe to say there was no chance of losing.

Me, possessing the killing intent that mimicked Fighting Spirit.

And Baltan, who could maximize his Fighting Spirit.

No matter how strong the senior students were, it would be impossible for them to stop us.

So this time, I could confidently say that the top spot was mine.

This was because I had scored perfectly on the theoretical exam, which was the biggest obstacle, thanks to Samuel's help.

Well, that was also part of my ability.

Therefore.

I accepted Baltan's suggestion and took a step forward.

"Then let's go."

"Yeah, let's go."

We walked together towards the conference room.

Since only class representatives could attend this time, Fron couldn't participate.

Samuel, on the other hand, had no choice but to participate since he was residing within my body.

As we were walking...

"By the way, Adel, you seem to have gotten a little stronger? Well, maybe not just a little."

"...."

Baltan scanned my body from head to toe.

I couldn't help but stop in my tracks.

Was he trying to pick a fight right now?

But Baltan wasn't that stupid.

It wouldn't make sense to fight right before the meeting.

"Let's spar sometime."

"If the opportunity arises."

I nodded at Baltan's words, promising a future spar.

My answer seemed to surprise him, as he asked with his eyes shining,

"Really? You've been avoiding me all this time."

"There were circumstances back then."

My words were true.

I had been avoiding fighting Baltan because I was much weaker than him and there was nothing to gain from it.

But it was different now.

I had judged that I was now ready to fight him.

I had seen my killing intent cut through Ares' Fighting Spirit.

Of course, it didn't mean Baltan would be an easy opponent, but it would be a good opportunity to gauge my own skills.

"Good, I'm looking forward to it."

Baltan gave a seemingly pleased smile as I accepted his spar request.

He started grinning, seemingly delighted at the prospect of fighting me alongside the strong senior students.

From Baltan's perspective, he must have been thirsty for battle.

[You're asking for trouble. What good is there in fighting a lunatic like that?]

Samuel said in a pathetic tone about my decision.

At that moment, Baltan, who was walking ahead, spoke again.

"You were the Child of Gluttony, right?"

[...That's right.]

Baltan's gaze suddenly shifted to Samuel.

Samuel responded to Baltan with a displeased look. Baltan then spoke in a seemingly disinterested tone.

"I heard you lost to a human. So you're stuck being a parasite."

[You...]

"Adel, let's team up when we're in the same class next time. There's no point in hanging out with someone weak."

Baltan's words gave me a strange feeling.

He acknowledged me as 'strong'.

Strong enough to be considered his equal, no less.

However, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the way he was looking down on Samuel.

So I opened my mouth to address Baltan.

"Mr. Samuel is not as weak as you think."

"Oh yeah? From what I see..."

"Perhaps."

I cut Baltan off.

And continued speaking.

"He might even be stronger than you."

"Haha, you're kidding, right?"

"No. We won't know until we actually fight."

As I answered,

Shwk—.

Baltan's demeanor turned cold.

Was it because he was being compared to Samuel?

However, I had no intention of taking back what I said.

Samuel had actually jumped a level as a mage thanks to that mysterious book.

I didn't know exactly how much stronger he had gotten, but he must have achieved tremendous growth.

His innate talent for magic made it more than likely.

Click—.

At my answer, Baltan shrugged and opened his mouth.

"Then I guess I'll have to have a go at you too."

[...Good. I accept.]

Samuel, too, readily accepted the fight with Baltan, as if to show that he hadn't taken the insult lightly.

Just how strong was he now, to be accepting Baltan's challenge so readily?

I, too, became curious about how much Samuel had grown.

As we continued walking towards the conference room while conversing,

"Here it is."

Baltan stopped walking and pointed at the conference room.

It was a space I had been to before.

It was where the principal, Luzian, had sat during the meeting about the invasion of the Human Realm.

Shwk—.

I closed my eyes and focused on the energy I could feel within the room.

As before, there was someone with immense energy.

It was Luzian's energy.

And around her were several others with considerable power.

'...They must be the senior representatives.'

I was looking forward to seeing what the senior representatives were like.

I pulled open the door to the conference room.

"....."

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