I Became the Second-in-Command in a Romance Fantasy Novel

For some possessed individuals, it would be common for a terror attack to happen at the academy.
However, for ordinary students, an academy terror attack was an unimaginable major event.
Therefore, while the terror was quickly suppressed, the incident that occurred at the academy could not help but shock many students.

What kind of place is the Imperial Academy?
It is an educational institution run by the imperial family, attracting talent from across the nation.
Although this year a sudden change in the wind caused an increase in foreign students, for ordinary students, the Imperial Academy was considered the future of the empire, and another heart of the empire.
This was something that the old emperor, who founded the academy, had said, and the current imperial family continued to uphold that will.
Such an academy was attacked. This was essentially a declaration of war against the empire.
The students who were aware of this began to worry, imagining what might happen next.
Even the students who were unaware of it could sense that something had started within the academy as the number of academy personnel slowly increased.
Thus, tension began to fill the academy.
Naturally, the students became more subdued, and most of the external activities came to a halt.
Clubs that were active outside also took short breaks or began to focus on internal academy activities.
As the students shrank back, activities ceased.
And as the activities ceased, the shrinking continued in a repeating cycle.

The reason why external activities during academy lessons increased under the pretext of practical training was not for no reason.
It was the result of efforts by the academy to change this atmosphere.
However, despite the academy's efforts, it was difficult to erase the students' anxiety.
"This is... possible?"
A swordsman and one of the professors exclaimed in admiration.
Despite all their best efforts, one student succeeded in changing the atmosphere that had been unmoving at the academy.

His name was Aslan.
He abandoned even his noble title and declared that he would become a great swordsman like his grandfather.
Before entering the academy, he was already famous across the continent under the nickname "Small Sword Master."
And now...
"Small Sword Master has been challenged again!"
From "Small Sword Master" to "Defeated Sword Master."
In other words, he had become the icon of defeat.

It had already been two weeks since Aslan challenged Prince Ellen.
Aslan challenged Prince Ellen every day according to his own will, and every day he experienced defeat.
Even...
"...That ended faster."
"...Indeed."
Violet and I, while chewing on popcorn we bought from the snack bar, commented on their duel.
I talked about their swordsmanship, and Violet talked about the gap between the original story and the present.
And the result was...

"Is this right?"
Violet squinted her eyes and looked at me.
It seemed like this was very different from the original.
"What's different?"
"Everything. I know the original got completely destroyed a long time ago."

Since Violet had also contributed to destroying the original, she couldn't help but express that look.
"I didn't expect to see it being completely destroyed in real time."
"Is it that much?"
"Yes, it is."
Unless it was a real fight, in battles with the strong, the weak could only gain so much.
Being stronger than yourself meant there was much to learn from that person.
And by managing to learn from them, one could improve their own abilities.
Thus, getting the opportunity to fight the strong was extremely difficult.
In the past life, as often seen in web novels, even in eSports, weak teams were often interviewed saying it was difficult to even get practice matches.

It was only natural.
The strong had no reason to train with someone who couldn't help them, and who might even become their enemy someday.
"Definitely, Aslan is growing faster than in the original."
But fortunately, Prince Ellen accepted Aslan's challenge with a happy heart.
It was partly because they were friends, but also because, aside from me, Aslan was the only one who could face Prince Ellen in a duel.
Thus, as the days passed, Aslan quickly grew stronger.
However...
"But, Prince Ellen is growing faster at defeating Aslan!"

That's right.
Aslan's growth speed had increased, but Prince Ellen was growing even faster at defeating him.
Therefore, to an outsider, it might seem like Aslan was not growing, but rather regressing.
Every day, Aslan was getting broken even more terribly!
"Now, it's so obvious that they're calling him 'Defeated Sword Master'..."
The master of the small sword had now become the master of the defeated sword.
It was a title Aslan had earned, one that even I, who had mastered the defeated sword, couldn't obtain.

"But, he's happy about it."
"...He wasn't like that."
You ruined it.
Violet looked at Aslan with that expression, and Aslan, who had just failed the 20th round of Prince Ellen's conquest, moved weakly toward the exit.
Then...
"Are you okay?"

Daisy, holding a wet towel, approached Aslan and asked.
Aslan, avoiding her gaze with a sullen expression, replied.
"Sorry, I lost again."
"No, it's fine. It looked like Prince Ellen was flustered earlier too."
It was true.
Aslan had been knocked to the ground by a pretty powerful blow, but it seemed like he was trying to explain that it was all part of his momentum as he kicked up dust and charged again.
When I thought of the Aslan who had fought calmly and uprightly when he first entered the academy, it was clear he had become someone completely different.

"Ugh. Look at all the dirt. The servants will have a hard time washing this."
"Sorry."
"Should I do it? Apologize to the servants later."
"Okay, I understand."
As Daisy scolded Aslan while wiping the dirt off his face, he just nodded with a slight blush on his face.

"..."
And from not far away, Prince Ellen watched them with a distant gaze.
His figure looked pitiable, but since he had won so overwhelmingly, there was not a trace of sweat, let alone dust, so he couldn't receive Daisy's care.
Sorry, Ellen. But I'm not changing my mind.
Once you go back to the kingdom, I'll set you up with a pretty young lady through the royal family, so just forget about Daisy. Please.

"Damn, using Daisy's maternal instincts..."
Violet's murmured voice, supporting the prince, was low enough that it didn't matter, so I ignored it.
After parting ways with Daisy, I ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) headed toward the usual training hall corner, where I always met Aslan.
"Are you here?"

There, not the "Small Sword Master," no, the "Defeated Sword Master" who now heard that title, was waiting for me.
"...Master?"
The true sword master was waiting for me.

The swordsmanship and chief professor, Master Aren.
Honestly, I couldn't bring myself to like this person.
On a smaller scale, he had given some teachings to our former king and the leader, which led the king to respect Master Aren so much that he named his son similarly to him, causing confusion.
On a larger scale, the reason I had come all the way to this foreign land and ended up working in the middle of this fantasy world was because Master Aren had taken the position of chief professor at the Imperial Academy.
But, even though I couldn’t like him, I didn’t hate him.
Master Aren was an idol to all swordsmen, and was the epitome of a knight as the public imagined knights to be.
Of course, if you dig deeper, you would find that Master Aren was never affiliated with a knight order, nor had he ever actually been a knight.
But the stories of Master Aren had shaped the public image of knights, and those stories were heroic.

Naturally, the public's image of knights was positive, and the indirect effect of that was evident in Leon, the country known for its knights.
So, despite all of this, I had no particular feelings about Master Aren.
He had once suddenly called me to join the academy's club... no, the flower arrangement club, and when I declined, he didn’t just let it go, right?
We were just professor and student. That distance was enough.
So why...
"I've been waiting."

Why the sudden one-on-one meeting?
Feelings like this couldn't help but arise.
"I've heard a lot from my grandson."
Damn, Aslan. Was it you who did this?
I feel so hurt.

I did my best to help you with your love life, and just a while ago, you were messing around with Daisy, and now you repay my kindness with betrayal?
"Is that the magic sword?"
It seemed he had even spoken about the magic sword.

"Yes, it is."
"Can I try using it?"
The magic sword?
I almost blurted that out, but if I had, I would have become the one who made my grandson use it.
So, I handed over the magic sword to Master Aren, confidently pretending it wasn’t dangerous.
"Hmm."

Master Aren took out the magic sword, examined it, and swung it once before chuckling and handing it back to me.
"It's an interesting thing."
"Right?"
"It's useless to me, though."
That meant he could freely handle all his powers.
It might sound arrogant, but since he was Master Aren, he was probably just stating the fact.

"If I handle it a little more, I think I could use it in swordsmanship lessons."
"I believe it’s being researched at the Empire, so maybe you should inquire about it?"
"Is that so?"
"Should I connect you with the person in charge?"
I quickly planned to sell out old Aren.
Since he had betrayed me twice with his weak heart, I didn’t mind betraying him a few times in return.
"That's fine. As a professor, I should do that."

It felt like next year’s academy classes were already decided.
Maybe the course would be called "Understanding Your Limits with the Magic Sword"? That could be interesting.
"The conversation has veered off track. The reason I’m here is to make a suggestion to you."
"I will never join the flower arrangement club."
It was sincere.
This thought was more firm than when Master Aren first suggested it.

"Not that."
It seemed like I had jumped to conclusions.
"Thanks to you, I’ve seen my grandson change a lot."
"Uh, well..."

I momentarily lost my words.
This guy, just like last time, was springing surprises on me again.
"Right?"
Aslan might be happy because he was spending more time with Daisy, but from a third-person perspective, it just seemed like he was losing fame every day through defeat.
He had been praised as the Small Sword Master, the reason behind the title, and now he was mocked as the Defeated Sword Master.
As his grandfather, who had given him that title, it might have seemed like I was the one who had ruined him.

"That's good."
"Eh?"
But Master Aren’s response was completely different from what I expected.
What is this? Is there family discord?
I had heard rumors that when Aslan's father received the imperial title, there was friction with Master Aren, but he didn’t seem like the type to hold grudges.
"A swordsman’s defeat is natural. I too suffered many defeats when I was young."

But what followed was a warm smile.
Looking into his nostalgic eyes, it felt like we were in a novel where past memories were about to emerge.
"The more familiar you become with defeat, the better. Some may point fingers at it, but if you don’t challenge yourself, you can never avoid defeat."
In other words, he had lost because he had dared to challenge.

"My grandson experienced defeat, and though he was broken, he got back up. That’s all that matters."
Instead of a swordsman or a professor praising a growing student, it was a grandfather lovingly watching his grandson, smiling as he looked at him.
So, the old man smiled with a pleasant expression and made a suggestion to his grandson's friend.
"How about learning swordsmanship from me?"

It was an opportunity.
...Right? This isn’t the grad student route, is it?