Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 13 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Graduation Day

NOT LONG AFTER Sara left the city of Sharia, winter began in earnest, and I turned eighteen. My research was coming along steadily, and I’d managed to complete my requirements for the year at the University. I’d be a fourth-year student soon. Everything was going well.

Elinalise, on the other hand, was going to have to repeat the year. Unlike me, she was a general student, and her six-month leave of absence had left her hopelessly behind. This didn’t seem to bother her at all, but I felt a little guilty about it. She’d been helping my family out, after all.

Incidentally, Sylphie also hadn’t met her attendance quota for the year. But her grades were still excellent, and they took her role as Princess Ariel’s bodyguard into consideration, so she ended up getting special permission to move forward. Sometimes it’s all about who you know.

Things were good at home as well. Lucie was growing fast. She’d already lost interest in breastfeeding; lately she’d been eating baby food instead of nursing. And just the other day, she’d spoken to me for the very first time! She’d looked right at me and said “Wudee.”

Apparently, I was “Rudy” to her, not “Dada” or “Papa” or “Mr. Bubbles.” But nobody in the house called me any of those things, so I couldn’t blame her. She was calling Sylphie “Mama,” but that was because Sylphie had deliberately taught the word to her. Perhaps I could do the same and change my name to “Papa.”

Nah, there’s no need to rush things.

She was still a baby. Once she got a little bigger, I’d teach her to call me “Father Dearest.” Anyway, wasn’t it a little crazy that she was talking already? Maybe we had a little genius on our hands!

I know, I know. It’s perfectly normal. Some kids start early, some take a little longer. Sylphie and Lilia had been speaking to her constantly, too. That probably had something to do with it.

But look…when you see your kid start to talk, it just feels amazing, okay?

There were some downsides, of course. Once she got even bigger, she might start saying stuff like “Don’t wash my underwear with Dad’s!”

Hmm, no. I was actually looking forward to that one, for some reason!

As our daughter was no longer nursing, Sylphie’s breasts had stopped producing milk. That was a real downer. I’d lost my chance to enjoy that sweet, exciting treat. They’d also returned to their normal, smaller size. I liked them just fine that way, of course, but…it felt a little like that moment when the timer runs out on the bonus stage.

On a different note, we’d also ended our contract with Suzanne, since we didn’t need a wet nurse anymore. Still, I was going to try to stay in touch with her. She’d taken good care of my baby, and she’d helped me out back in the day. I wanted to repay her kindness if I could. Maybe I could look out for her kids if they enrolled at the University. It did seem likely that I’d graduate before that happened, but I could always ask Norn to keep an eye on them for me.

Norn and Aisha were in good spirits lately as well. They were always checking in on Lucie and cooing about how cute she was. The kid probably felt more like a little sister to them than anything else.

At one point, I overhead them talking by the stairs. From the sound of things, they’d decided not to fight in front of Lucie. They seemed to have several other little plans worked out as well. They probably wanted her to look up to them.

Lately, I hadn’t seen them squabbling the way they used to. I guess some kids try to act more “grown-up” when they’ve got someone younger than them in the house. It was a nice, and unexpected, side effect of Lucie’s arrival.

Roxy’s first year as a faculty member seemed to be going smoothly, too.

I’d noticed a few general students looking at her in awe recently. Perhaps they were starting to understand her greatness, at least partially. My intention was to forcibly re-educate anyone who dared to mock her…but it sounded like the kids in her classes were listening respectfully. Hopefully it would stay that way.

Zenith’s routine was the same as always. When Norn was around, they’d eat meals together. And when Aisha was in the garden, they’d pull weeds together. Sometimes she’d squeeze Lucie’s fingers gently and smile at her.

That was the one big change—after Norn and Aisha’s birthday party, Zenith had started smiling on a regular basis. Her smiles were small and subtle, but everyone recognized them for what they were.

She still wasn’t speaking, and her facial expressions remained very limited. But I wanted to believe she was making progress toward a recovery.

***

Today was graduation day.

The University held its entrance ceremonies out on the campus, but the graduation ones were held inside. They installed a big stage in some massive auditorium I’d never set foot in before, where the seventh-year students would receive their diplomas one by one.

In total, there were only about five hundred people graduating today. The University had over ten thousand students, so that number seemed oddly low. This class had probably started about two thousand strong; most of them must have dropped out over the years.

It was easy to enroll at this school, but it wasn’t so simple to graduate. In particular, Advanced-tier spells and combined magic were challenging to master. For those with smaller mana capacities, they could even be impossible.

There were also plenty of people who had some talent, but decided that mastering the Beginner-tier spells was good enough for them. And then there were those who dropped out for various personal or financial reasons. Those of us in the Special Class had it easy, comparatively speaking.

While most of the stage was occupied with rows of graduating students, the entire faculty was lined up on the other side of it. There had to be two or three hundred of them in total.

I hadn’t realized just how many professors this place employed. That did explain why they had a whole separate building for the faculty offices, though.

It was easy to spot Roxy in the crowd—she was the single shortest faculty member. Even at a distance, I could see that her eyes were shining with excitement.

Incidentally, the general student body had today off. Kids in the other years weren’t obligated to show up for this event, or the entrance ceremony for the freshmen. In fact, they needed special permission to attend. Participating in these was supposed to be an honor that you had to earn.

I was sitting on the edge of the Student Council’s reserved seating area. All of the Council’s members were here—Ariel, Luke, the two royal attendants, and four other people whose faces I recognized. And Sylphie too, of course.

It was always nice seeing her in her “poised professional” mode. Not too long ago, she’d been indistinguishable from a boy in this outfit. But her hair was down to her shoulders now, and her body had grown subtly more feminine after her pregnancy. 

Somehow, she managed to be cute and cool at the same time. I had to fight the urge to brag to strangers about her being my wife.

On another note, though… For some reason, Norn was sitting in the last seat in the Student Council section. Was she a member now or something? I hadn’t heard anything about that. She hadn’t been working for them this year, but maybe she was joining up at the start of the new term.

I didn’t want to pry or anything, but hopefully she would tell me what the deal was before the year got underway.

“Representatives of the graduating class…Linia Dedoldia and Pursena Adoldia! Step forward to receive your diplomas, and your credentials as D-rank members of the Magic Guild!”

Linia and Pursena had been chosen as the representatives of their year. They’d run wild for a while, true, but they’d ended up achieving an impressive academic record here. Of course, they were also princesses of the Doldia tribe—rulers of the beastfolk. And it seemed like the University preferred to bestow this honor on students of noble birth. When they had a commoner and a noble with comparable records, they’d pick the noble as the representative. It was a way to curry favor with powerful people without causing any real problems.

I assumed things would go differently if a commoner were the best student of the year by far, but it was hard to say. Roxy had been an excellent student in her day, and they hadn’t given her this honor. I had no way of knowing just how skilled she was back then, but it sounded like she was already capable of using Saint-tier magic…and they still handed the role to someone else.

The University of Magic made a big deal about accepting anyone who wanted to enroll there, regardless of their background. But the people running it were only human, and they clearly had their biases.

“Thank you, Sir!”

“Thank you, Sir!”

“Congratulations. May you walk the path of magic all your days!”

Linia and Pursena received their diplomas with poise and dignity. It was really something seeing them stride up onto that stage. They’d declared their intention to find boyfriends during the mating season. But when their many suitors had surged forward, they beat them down and tossed them aside one by one. In the end, they’d stood together on top of a mountain of bodies, muttering “What the heck? We got too strong,” and “What a downer.” 

Those memories flashed back through my mind now. In those glorious moments, they were royalty—two Queens of the jungle, invincible and untouchable.

I also had some memories of them heading to a tavern afterward and shouting “Mrrow! I’m done with men forever!” and “Me too! Guys are fuckin’ losers!” in a drunken stupor. But I’d do my best to forget those.

***

After the graduation ceremony concluded, I stopped by Nanahoshi’s laboratory, where I found her wrapped up in something like a thick bathrobe, coughing and wheezing constantly.

“Did you catch another cold, Nanahoshi?”

“Cough, cough… I guess so.”

For the last year or so, the girl had been getting sick on a regular basis. It usually involved a hacking cough or sudden fever. I did clear them up for her with Detoxification spells whenever it happened, but they always came right back before too long.

“Have you considered taking slightly better care of yourself? You know, getting out a little?”

In general, Nanahoshi almost never left her rooms. She’d emerge when something major happened, but other than that she spent the entire year holed up in this place, only popping out for lunch. For breakfast and dinner, she relied on her stockpiles of preserved food.

The vast majority of her time was spent alone in these rooms where the sunlight couldn’t reach her. It was no surprise that her immune system wasn’t doing too well. I understood she had her priorities, but I felt like she needed to start taking her health more seriously.

“Why don’t you at least rest up until that nasty cough goes away?”

“I can’t stop working now. I’m making so much progress with the research lately…”

And with that, she turned back to her magic circles.

She wasn’t wrong—the research was coming along nicely. She’d completed the second phase of her plan several months ago, successfully summoning a cap that fit the bottle she’d obtained in phase one.

At the present, we were on phase three: summoning a living thing, like a plant or animal. That was a big, and exciting, step forward. We weren’t far from bringing vegetables from our old world into this one, and we were getting closer every day.

“We’re going to keep working on the stage three experiments today.”

“Shouldn’t we wait until Cliff and Zanoba are available?”

“I suppose. Why don’t you go find them, then?”

I shook my head. “Unfortunately, they’re not on campus today.”

“What, they’re both off? That’s unusual. Do you know why?”

“Today’s graduation day. No one has any classes.”

“Graduation day…? Ah. Is it that time of year already?”

Nanahoshi grimaced as she spoke the words. For her, they only signified the passing of a year—another year she’d spent trapped in this world.

“Yeah. Linia and Pursena got their diplomas and everything. It sounds like they’re heading back home, so I was thinking we could throw a farewell party soon. You’ll be there, right?”

“…I suppose, yes.”

I don’t know if Linia and Pursena qualified as friends to Nanahoshi, but it was nice to know she was willing to come say goodbye. The girl was still a shut-in by nature, but she’d grown slightly more social than she used to be.

“I guess they’ll be princesses again once they get back home… Weird, right?”

“They certainly don’t look the part.”

“Can’t disagree with that.”

I was a bit worried about the future of the Doldia tribe, to be perfectly honest. Hopefully they had enough competent people to keep things running if they ended up with a moron for a leader.

Just as I was pondering this, though, there was a knock at the door.

“Hm? Uh, come in.”

“Pardon me!”

“Comin’ in.”

Our new visitors were a spunky cat and a sleepy-eyed dog. The very ones we’d just been talking about, as it happened.

Linia and Pursena strode into the room, still wearing their school uniforms.

“We’ve been lookin’ all over for you, Boss.”

“Ya got some time?”

Something seemed a little different about them, but it was hard to put my finger on it. Was it the way Linia seemed a little bit on edge? Or maybe the fact that Pursena didn’t have a hunk of meat in her mouth? I thought I sensed something like hostility in the air. It reminded me of the day we’d first met. 

Normally, they would be saying something like “Meooow! The boss is hanging out in a single woman’s room again! Maybe I’ll tell Fitz or Roxy!” right about now, but this time they were all business.

Was it time for another duel, then? Did they want to settle the score before they left town?

“Please, Boss?”

“We need this, man.”

They weren’t saying much, but I could feel the weight behind their words. Their eyes were shining with determination.

Maybe they didn’t want to head back home as “losers.” They had their pride, after all.

Well, all right then. I don’t like fighting, but I’ll make an exception for you two. It wouldn’t feel right to turn tail now…

“Okay then. Sorry, Nanahoshi. Sounds like I’m needed elsewhere.”

“Excuse me? What about our experiments?”

Nanahoshi looked none too pleased about this turn of events. But before she could object further, Linia walked up and grabbed her by the arm.

“You come too. This here’s a special occasion.”

“Yeah, we’ll allow it.”

“Wha— Hey! What’s this all about?!”

It seemed they wanted Nanahoshi to serve as a witness to our duel or something. Not the best choice, considering she rarely talked to anyone… but these two weren’t the kind to think stuff through that thoroughly.

Then again, the name Silent Sevenstar was relatively well-known in the world at large. Her testimony would have some credibility, at least.

The four of us made our way to a spot midway between the dorms and Nanahoshi’s building. There was a forest on one side of the road, and piles of snow everywhere. It was unlikely we’d be spotted from a distance.

“Let’s do it here,” said Linia, coming to a halt.

“Really takes me back, man,” murmured Pursena with a nod.

This was the very spot where Zanoba and I had ambushed and kidnapped the two of them several years ago. It was the place where I’d fought them for the first time, in other words. Felt like an appropriate choice of venue.

Linia and Pursena were standing in front of me now.

They were facing each other, about ten paces apart. For some reason, they weren’t looking in my direction.

…Huh?

“Boss, Nanahoshi… We want the two of you to watch this carefully.”

“Uh…what are we watching?”

“Linia and I are gonna find out which of us is stronger.”

Oh. They were dueling each other?

“And why are you doing that?” Nanahoshi asked, a bit exasperated.

“The one who wins will be the next leader of the Dedoldia.”

“Is that really necessary? Don’t your people have two tribes—the Dedoldia and the Adoldia?”

The place I’d stayed at back in the day belonged to the Dedoldia, but I thought I remembered hearing something about an Adoldia village as well. Did they not have a second leader running that place?

Hmm. Maybe the leader of the Dedoldia was automatically the ruler of their entire tribe or something…

“Mew… We were planning to go back together at first, Boss.”

“Kinda reconsidered. It’s a big fuckin’ world out there, right? And there’s more ta life than bossin’ people around.”

“We’ve both got little sisters back home. One of us can just go back and teach ’em the stuff we learned here.”

“Whichever of us is stronger gets to go back to be th’ boss. The other gets to live the way they want.”

Interesting plan. And by “interesting,” I meant “ridiculous.”

They’d certainly changed their worldview, though. What happened to all that lust for power?

“We were gonna ending up dueling anyway if we both went back, mew.”

“And if we fought in th’ Great Forest, the loser would end up with a fuckin’ boring life. They’d make her marry the best warrior in the village or whatever.”

“We’re better off settling this here and now, then goin’ our separate ways.”

“Yeah. No hard feelings either way, ya know?”

Ah. Now it was starting to make more sense.

They both wanted to be number one in the Great Forest. But if they fell short of that goal, they’d rather live somewhere else entirely. Maybe they could make it to the top there, if not back home.

The plan had some holes in it, to say the least. I was dying to ask a few basic questions, such as: Do you guys really get to make this decision yourselves? Without talking to your folks back home? At the end of the day, though, it wasn’t my place to dissuade them. They’d clearly put a lot of thought into this, and I could understand their desire to control their own destinies.

“Okay, I get it. I won’t interfere or anything. Have it, girls.”

“What, you’re going to help them with their fight? Are you sure about this?” said Nanahoshi, her tone disapproving.

“It’s fine. They’re going to fight anyway, whether I’m watching or not.”

From what I could tell, Linia and Pursena were evenly matched. Unless they had someone to judge the outcome of the fight, there was a chance it might not produce a clear victor. Worse, they might overdo it and get themselves hurt. Our presence as spectators was a necessary precaution.

Also, though I wasn’t going to make a big deal about it, this was a duel, not a fight. They weren’t angry with each other—they were competing for supremacy.

“We appreciate it, mew.”

“Thanks, Boss.”

Linia and Pursena offered a few words of gratitude before returning their focus to the task at hand.

They took a few long, deep breaths…and then glared fiercely at each other.

“Hisss!”

“Grrrrrr!”

All of a sudden, they were emitting harsh sounds of a less-than-ladylike nature.

The air was thick with tension. It felt like the battle might begin at any moment.

I activated my Demon Eye, and noticed Nanahoshi slipping on one of the magic rings she used for self-defensive purposes. We were about to witness a deadly serious battle between two beastfolk, after all. There was no telling what might come flying our way.

“Pursena, there’s something I’ve meanin’ to tell you for a while. I’m sick of your crap, mew!”

“Oh yeah? Well I’m fuckin’ sick of you. You used ta toddle after me like my baby sister, and now yer actin’ like some kinda big shot!”

“Mew?! I was practically your babysitter! Don’t you remember that time I covered for you when you wet the bed?! What happened to ‘An Adoldia never forgets those who help them out’, huh?!”

“I paid you back for that when I pulled you out of the river! How pathetic was that, anyway? So much for the Dedoldia tribe an’ their legendary swimming skills!”

“That whole thing was your fault to begin with! You dropped that toy Grandpa gave you in the water like a moron!”

“You’re the one who made me drop it!”

Well, this was interesting. I’d never heard an argument so fiery, but so completely lacking in real malice. They were getting themselves worked up well enough, but I didn’t hear the slightest hint of hatred in their words.

“You’re a big dopey doofus, Pursena!”

“You’re a stupid fuckin’ idiot, Linia!”

…And now they were resorting to childish insults.

“You’re a smelly jerk!”

“You’ve got stubby legs!”

“Wha— Well, you’re a fatty!”

“I am not!”

In the end, Pursena snapped first. That single word, “fatty,” had pushed her over the line.

“Grrrrah!”

She leapt forward at Linia, pulling back her fist to strike a mighty blow.

“Hissss!”

Linia reacted with all the agility of a panther, lashing out with her own fist…

“Guh…”

“Ngh…”

And they ended up hitting each other with a double cross-counter. 

The two of them staggered back… and then the duel began in earnest.

“Oh my! Pursena charges fiercely forward! But Linia sidesteps it cleanly! Pursena’s driving at her like a tank, but…she wards her off! Linia’s keeping up the hit-and-run tactics, folks. Pursena’s hot on her tail! Pursena has the edge in power, and her opponent’s just a little faster! If it comes down to a slugging match, Linia’s got no chance. But power isn’t the only thing that counts! You’ve got to catch her first, or your strength is useless!”

“Look at that footwork! A beautiful jab! And another! And a straight! Wow, Pursena just shrugs them off! Linia can’t get in close enough. She’s one step too far out! Ohhh my! What a brutal right straight from Pursena! Lord have mercy!

“Linia staggers back! She felt that one, ladies and gentlemen! And Pursena won’t let up! What now, Linia? Do you run for it? No! No, she stands her ground! A left jab! And another! Oh, that’s a sharp one! Pursena’s taking some hits here! Linia’s a tenacious boxer in her own right! She might not have Pursena’s power, but she’s done running!

“Pursena flinches back. And yet, her eyes are glimmering. She’s a bloodhound, folks, and she’s got her prey on the ropes! Linia lashes out with her right as Pursena steps forward…

“Oh my god! Will you look at all that blood?! Did Linia just slash her with a knife?!

“No! No, it was her claws! She extended her claws and scratched Pursena as that punch landed! It’s the deadly kitty-punch, honed to perfection! And it’s legal, folks. There’re no holds barred in this brawl!

“Linia punches and slashes! Punches and slashes! It’s a barrage from both sides! She’s got Pursena grimacing now! This is a whole new kind of pain, and she wasn’t expecting it! Good lord! Linia just tore a big rip in her uniform! We’re in wardrobe malfunction territory here! We might have to cut to commercial, folks!

“Oh my, Pursena’s going for it anyway! She doesn’t care! She’s a boxer now, not a bashful teenager! Bam! She slams a right hook into Linia’s body! You can see the agony on her face. Is this it? Is Pursena going to finish it?!”

“If this is no holds barred, why aren’t they using any magic?” Nanahoshi asked.

“Ah, good question. When Pursena turned this into a melee brawl at the very start, it made their magic all but irrelevant. They’re not giving each other the time they’d need to complete an incantation. Sylphie or I could still throw in a few silent spells in this situation, but these two are fighters by nature. And what with all this strenuous exercise, it would be hard for them to say a single word right now. Can a marathon runner hope to recite a poem as they jog along the road? No, it would be—”

“Okay, I get it. Sorry for interrupting you like that. You can keep going now.”

“…Linia’s stopped moving entirely! It’s an in-fight now, folks! They’re trading blow for blow! Is all hope lost? Pursena’s punches have neutralized Linia’s speed! She can’t play the hit-and-run game anymore! Has the butterfly lost her wings? Has she fallen helplessly into the jaws of her foe?”

“No! It’s not over yet! She’s dodging the punches, folks! She’s actually dodging them! With her cat-like reflexes, she ducks and weaves! With her finely-honed technique, she slips and rolls! She hasn’t taken a solid hit yet! And now, the counter! A brutal kitty-punch! A spray of blood! She caught Pursena’s cheek and sent her leaping backward!

“Linia steps forward to press her advantage. Oh my, a Brazilian high kick! She wants to knock that girl out! Ohh! Pursena…Pursena lunges forward! She throws herself into the attack! My god, she bit Linia’s leg! She bit it as it swung toward her neck! She’s an attack dog, folks! She’s a beast! She’s a wolf! Her fists aren’t her only weapon!

“Pursena presses forward, and…drags her prey to the ground! Did Linia get too close?! But Pursena isn’t the only one with killer teeth! She’s biting right back! Just look at those chompers! It’s a wrestling match now, and it’s only going to get more vicious!””

“To be honest, it just looks like they’re tumbling around and smacking each other to me…”

“Well, yeah. You could put it that way, too.”

“Look, I hate to be a killjoy, but can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“They seem to be taking this fight very seriously. Why are you making it into a big joke?”

“…Sorry.”

The duel raged on for quite some time.

In a sense, it had begun with their exchange of insults, and then proceeded to the punching phase. At first this had resembled a high-level boxing match, but by the end it had devolved into something more like a nasty playground brawl—complete with scratching and biting.

For what felt like hours, the two of them rolled around in the snow, grappling with each other…but then, at long last, they came to a stop.

Only one of them rose to her feet.

“I fuckin’ did it…”

It was Pursena.

She was covered from head to toe in scratches, bites, and bruises. Her clothes were ragged, wet with snow, and stained with blood. Some of her injuries were still bleeding.

It was an awe-inspiring sight. 

This was a woman who’d fought for her life…and emerged triumphant.

“…”

Pursena glanced down at her fallen foe, and looked conflicted for a moment. But then she turned her face aside haughtily.

A moment later, she staggered her way over to us.

“I’m the winner, Boss.”

“Uh, yeah. Congratulations… Sit down for a second, all right? I’ll heal you up.”

I reached out to touch an open wound on her shoulder, but she slapped my hand away. “Thanks, but no thanks. These are scars of honor. I’d rather keep ’em.”

“Oh…right.”

Scars of honor, huh?

They really had been deadly serious about this. I felt a little ashamed for casually assuming nobody would get hurt here.

“I dunno if I’ll ever see Linia again, y’know? Least I’ll have these to remember her by.”

“Uh, well…aren’t you going to stick together until you leave town, at least?”

“Nope, we’re goin’ our separate ways right here and now. Got our bags all packed and everything.”

They must have agreed on that beforehand. This was where their paths would diverge, so it might as well be the place where they said goodbye. There was some poetry to that.

Seemed like I’d have to cancel my plans for a farewell party. It would ruin the whole thing.

“…Make sure you get someone to patch you up, all right? Even if it’s not a mage.”

“Yeah, I know.”

With that, Pursena staggered off in the direction of the dorms.

As I looked, Nanahoshi ran up to join her. She draped her jacket over Pursena’s shoulders, and they set off together with Pursena leaning on her for support. The girl did have a kind side.

Now then…

I walked over to where Linia was lying and studied her from above. “You alive?”

She wasn’t unconscious or anything—just staring up at the sky with an absentminded look on her face.

“Yeah,” she said after a moment. “I guess so.”

The girl looked just as bad as Pursena, if not worse. Her clothes were ripped and ragged; one of her shoulders was bleeding profusely, staining the snow red; and her face was swelling up from all the punches she’d taken. There was some blood trickling from her mouth as well. I felt like it was probably from a cut inside it, rather than any internal injuries.

“You don’t look so hot, you know.”

“Don’t feel too hot, either.”

On closer examination, I realized that Linia’s clothing was no longer adequately hiding certain parts of her anatomy. I took off my coat and placed it over her. Didn’t want myself getting distracted here. It was a bit chilly out here without it. Hopefully Nanahoshi wasn’t going to make her cold worse.

“Thanks, Boss.”

Linia slowly, shakily moved her arms upward and joined her hands behind her head. She crossed her legs, as well. It almost looked like she was lounging on a sofa, instead of a dirty pile of snow.

“Man…guess I lost, mew.”

Her words floated up into the air as a cloud of vapor, then dissipated.

“It was a hell of a fight, though,” I offered.

“Gimme a break, Boss. I heard yer whole running commentary. Sounded like you were really enjoyin’ yourself.”

Fair enough. Maybe I hadn’t taken this too seriously.

Still, their match was exciting to watch. It was kind of like…a really vicious catfight, maybe? Or a passionate struggle between two desperate title contenders?

Uh, let’s try to avoid the boxing metaphors, actually. It would probably just piss her off…

“At least I gave ya some laughs to remember me by, huh?”

“Sorry. I feel kind of bad now.”

“It’s fine. I’m sure it just looked like a crazy brawl from the sidelines, yeah? And havin’ fun is what life’s all about.”

As she spoke those words, Linia grimaced. She turned to lick at a nasty cut on her arm.

“You want to pass on the healing magic too?” I asked cautiously.

“Well, I don’t like carryin’ around reminders of my defeats, to be honest…but yeah, I guess I’ll make an exception fer these. Maybe I’ll be able to brag about ’em a couple years down the line.”

I’d left a few scars on beastfolk warriors myself over the years. I wondered if any of them showed those off proudly.

“…”

Linia fell silent and stared up at the sky.

I looked up as well. It was a grey one today—a typical Northern Territories sky. We’d be getting more snow tonight, no doubt.

“What are you planning to do with yourself now, Linia?”

“Hmm. Whaddaya mean?”

“Well, you said something about living the way you want to. Do you have something in mind?”

“Yeah, sure. Figure I’ll travel around fer a while, then start up my own store.”

It was…very hard to imagine Linia running a small business successfully. I could see her as an adventurer, maybe, but…

“I hope you have an actual plan worked out.”

“’Course I do!”

Well, she sounded confident, at least. Maybe she’d be okay if she had a plan?

I still wasn’t feeling too reassured. I had this gut feeling she was going to blunder along with a bunch of half-assed ideas and land herself in deep trouble.

“Way I figure, I’ll be rollin’ in money in five years or so.”

“…Hmm. Well, okay. You can always come to me for help if you need to, just so you know.”

“Myahaha. Once I hit it big, I’ll let ya borrow money from me!”

Despite the fact that she’d just lost the most important duel of her life, Linia didn’t seem too depressed. Maybe she was happy to be free of her responsibilities to the Doldia tribe, at least for now. Or maybe she was just putting on a brave face on things. 

Either way, it looked she’d accepted that one chapter of her life had reached its end.

Linia and Pursena didn’t say their farewells to the others.

They headed straight back to their dorm after the duel, one a bit later than the other. There, they disinfected and bandaged their wounds, grabbed their bags, and left the campus at different times.

I saw Linia off, and Nanahoshi did the same for Pursena.

Neither of them were particularly chatty. They asked us to say goodbye to Zanoba and Cliff for them, but that was about it. Our friends would probably be a bit sad that they’d missed their chance to return the favor.

Pursena was presumably headed straight back to the Great Forest, where she’d train thoroughly to assume the leadership of the tribe. Linia’s future was more uncertain, but I wanted to believe she’d find our own path forward.

It seemed like they were resigned to never see each other again. That was a real shame, considering how close they’d been. Still, I couldn’t help admiring their resolve and determination.

Bit of a digression here, but: That same evening, I happened to overhear someone talking in the street.

To quote: “Yeah, so I saw these two beastfolk women covered in bandages arguing about something in the back of a passenger carriage.”

They’d probably neglected to check the timetables for the carriages out of town, and ended up stuck on the same one.

So much for their dramatic parting of ways.

 Legends of the University #11: The Boss always settles his scores.