The place we were guided to was a Training Ground… or perhaps it would be better to call it an empty lot at the edge of the premises. We could see black, scorched areas on the ground, seemingly remnants of some experiment, but—

“Now, before we start, there are two things we need to confirm.”

Sofia and Hedda stood facing each other. Kuuza, Sylvie, and I stood beside them, watching the situation unfold.

“One is, what kind of technique will Lady Sofia create as a result of fusing Spirit’s Power?”

“What kind of technique?”

“How will she sublimate the fused power into a form… for example, will she condense Magic Power into Magic, or will she imbue her sword with power to create a technique?”

—For Sofia, the answer must already be decided.

“A technique. In this case, would it be called a Magic Sword Technique?”

“That’s right. In that case, you’d pour power into your sword, but that sword might be a bit unreliable.”

Hedda said, looking at Sofia’s sword. Well, it’s already decided that a new sword will be created to counter the Demon King eventually, so that can be dealt with.

“Alright, so the Magic Sword Technique is the final goal. Then, the second thing.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s decide on a name.”

Silence fell. I didn’t understand what she meant… a name?

“A name?”

“You’ll be using fused Spirit’s Power as a Magic Sword Technique, right? It’s better to have a name for the technique.”

“Is it necessary?”

To Sofia’s question, Hedda replied, “Of course.”

“Names are very important. For example, anyone here would understand ‘Holy Shot’ to mean Magic that creates a Light Bullet. By giving it a name, you can form an image of the technique or Magic. There’s even research that suggests when creating new techniques or Magic, giving them a name makes them easier to visualize, thus speeding up their completion.”

“Oh, really?”

“So, Lady Sofia. Decide on a name.”

Upon being told, she fell silent… well, it’s understandable. Being suddenly told to decide on a name would only lead to confusion.

Silence enveloped the surroundings. Sofia was slightly looking down and thinking about something, so it seemed she was desperately trying to come up with something after receiving the instruction.

“Names are quite important. Make sure it’s something you’re satisfied with.”

Hedda’s demeanor as she said that suggested something might have happened in the past… could it be from her own experience?

As for Sofia, with such an attitude, she had no choice but to think desperately… Oh, she started holding her head in distress.

“It’s unexpected to stumble before even starting.”

Sylvie said. Just as I inwardly agreed… Sofia suddenly turned to us.

“…Um.”

“No, I don’t have that kind of naming sense.”

“Me, well, I’m good with Magic, but techniques are, you know, not my specialty.”

Both of them skillfully evaded. Naturally, Sofia’s gaze turned to me.

“L-Lord Ruon, what do you think?”

It’s troubling to be looked at with such pleading eyes… I can’t come up with something on the spur of the moment either.

“In case you’re stuck, you could always borrow a technique name from a favorite story, for example.”

Hedda is telling us… wait a minute.

“If you name something too similarly, it can become embarrassing and turn out badly.”

“…Is that from personal experience?”

“Don’t ask.”

Hedda averted her gaze. Despite her title as a Professor, perhaps because she was once an Adventurer, she seems to have many memories.

However… even if we borrow from the Story, the names in the world of “Elder’s Sword” are naturally the same in reality, so it’s a problem before even borrowing them.

As I considered other options, an idea came to me.

“It seems you’ve thought of something.”

Hedda keenly pointed it out. As a result, I attracted the attention of Sofia and the other companions… and I had no choice but to speak.

But only one thing came to mind. It was the subtitle of “Elder’s Sword” in the game.

“…Spi…”

“Spi?”

“Spirit… World…”

Because it was a Continent where many Spirits lived, it was given that subtitle. In fact, the Protagonists are fighting by borrowing Spirit’s Power to varying degrees.

“Where did you pull that name from?”

To Sylvie’s question, I scratched my head and replied.

“…You know that Story I often talk about? It’s the subtitle of that.”

With those words, Sofia and the others seemed to understand, and Sylvie also exclaimed, “I see.”

Sofia also seemed to be convinced by it… and then Hedda stated.

“Yes, Sofia seems convinced, so I think it’s fine.”

Is that really okay? I don’t know if it’s because I brought it up, or if they were convinced because it’s the subtitle of a Story… but for now, it seems decided.

“Alright, with that said, we’ll begin the training for ‘Spirit World,’ formerly known as Magic Sword Technique.”

And once again… Sofia and the others’ training began.

Naturally, it wasn’t something that could be accomplished on the first day. Visually, it was a simple process of Sofia repeatedly imbuing her sword with Magic Power, and Hedda verifying it. Sylvie, having quickly grown bored, said she wanted to “look around the grounds,” and Kuuza accompanied her as a guide. By the way, about an hour passed before the two returned.

“Ruon, what’s the situation?”

“It looks exactly the same.”

To Sylvie’s question, I replied while sitting in the grass.

“Did you find anything new on your end?”

“No, the grounds were vast and it took time to explore, but there was nothing particularly interesting.”

“For Sylvie the Swordsman, it’s unavoidable, seeing as it’s a Research Institution.”

Kuuza said, then, looking at Sofia and the others training, he spoke to me.

“However… there’s one thing that concerns me.”

“What is it?”

“I feel like there are quite few people.”

“You mean there are few students?”

“Especially Professors; most are nowhere to be found. Many lectures seem to be canceled as well…”

“That’s to be expected.”

Hedda’s voice. I looked over to see her approaching us with Sofia.

“Let’s take a break for now… And, Kuuza. You’re right, there are few people here right now.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

To Kuuza’s question, Hedda fell silent for a moment. Just as I was wondering if it was something difficult to talk about, she said, with a glance at us,

“…Well, since there are Academia personnel here, I guess it’s fine. But could you not mention that I told you?”

It’s fine.

Actually, there’s a large-scale demon extermination coming up soon.

Not monsters, but the Demon Race… As I looked at her, Hedda continued.

The Nateria Kingdom has managed to avoid being invaded by the Demon Race until now. However, that doesn’t mean there have been zero attacks from the Demon Race. The Demon Race doesn’t just attack by leading their army; they also secretly infiltrate territories and create strongholds. It seems there’s a movement to gather a large number of monsters and launch a simultaneous attack within the King Nation’s territory.

It sounds like guerrilla warfare… If they also invaded from outside at the same time, it would be troublesome for the Nateria Kingdom.

So, that’s why the teachers are also being mobilized for this counter-strategy.

Oh, really?

Kuuza, who had nodded in agreement, looked at me. It was probably a confirmation of whether this story existed in the game.

However, I shook my head. While the fact that the Nateria Kingdom was fighting the Demon Race existed in the game, the specifics of how the battles unfolded were rarely mentioned.

During the Southern Invasion, the Nateria Kingdom was supposed to send a reinforcement army, mainly composed of Court Mages, at Kanan’s request… but there was no mention of them having made any significant contributions.

I put my hand to my mouth and thought… despite the fact that they are preventing a Demon Race invasion, they haven’t made any noticeable contributions in the game. Was it just a lack of description, or is there another reason?

“What’s wrong?”

Hedda asked. I replied, “Nothing at all,” but Kuuza looked somewhat grim, as if he had a bad feeling.