It was about a month ago, when there was only a week left until the new semester at the academy began.

It was when he resumed the dawn exercise at the academy right after returning from the forest of the world tree, and talked with Stella, who had been reunited after a long time.

“Thank you, Senior Conrad.”

Stella, who is now completely used to being called a senior, said thank you while accepting a water bottle full of cold water.

I nodded at her answer and hydrated as well.

After passing the cool stream of water we just created over each of our throats to catch our breath.

I immediately talked about how I had been for a month with Stella, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.

“Then you are saying that you went to the World Tree Forest with Xian-senpai during summer vacation.”

After hearing about my whereabouts, who hadn’t been to the academy and hadn’t gone down to my hometown with Delphina, Stella nodded her head at my story.

“Thanks to Xian-senpai, I did some magic sensitivity training in the forest, and I raised my magic circle by two levels, so now I’m in 6th circle.”

“Wow, Circle 6… . Isn’t that about the level of a high-ranking mage?”

“It’s usually like that since the 7th circle and onwards are called archmages.”

Strictly speaking, thanks to the spirit’s eyes, the power itself was the 7th circle, but it’s a bit embarrassing to use the title of a great wizard with something like this.

Maybe by the time I graduate, I’ll be able to reach a high enough level, so I didn’t worry too much.

“I also thought I had grown a lot, but as expected, Senior Conrad always shows me more than I thought.”

Stella was delighted with the news that I had grown up, but carefully showed a smile as if she was missing something.

“It won’t be easy to stand next to senior Conrad on an equal footing.”

“What are you talking about. Then who the hell is the person next to me now?”

“I didn’t mean it in that sense. It meant that I wanted to become strong enough that senior Konrad would need me unconditionally.”

I am already in great need of it.

As I hadn’t envisioned a future in which someone other than Stella would become a hero, it was difficult for me to sympathize with her words.

“I never thought I didn’t need you, Stella.”

“Yeah?”

“Perhaps even after I graduate from the academy, I will probably continue to need you, Stella.”

“Yes Yes?!”

“That’s why you don’t have to worry about thinking strangely.”

As I vividly remember the last battle with Cardia, I remembered properly that she was the only one who could strike the final blow to his heart.

All of his comrades from the previous life were equally necessary, but among them, Stella was the one who had to be taken with him to this demon subjugation party.

There is no need to doubt yourself with strange thoughts.

“okay. Konrad-senpai thought of me that way… .”

Her face turned a little red, perhaps because she was glad that she had been recognized by me.

“But if Conrad senior thinks that way, then I have no choice but to prove my qualifications.”

“… Yes, then.”

Well, not compromising with herself was the driving force behind her growth.

Even if he seemed a bit stubborn, it was probably thanks to him that he was able to come this far.

“Come to think of it, I heard you reached the level of an expert not too long ago?”

“That’s right.”

“That is already great. By the time you graduate from the academy, won’t you become a sword master?”

“No matter how hard it is, it will be difficult to grow that far in such a short period of time. Thank you for your support.”

It’s not that it’s difficult, but I said it because I knew the future would actually happen.

Well, if I were to say more about this now, it would still be hard to believe.

Anyway, in two years, he would have reached the level of Master on his own, so there was no need to make Stella feel relaxed with pointless remarks.

“I… Senior Conrad.”

Along with the cautious tone, her face changed to a slightly hesitant expression.

As if I had something important to say.

“yes.”

“Do you still remember the story that I had something to tell you once I got the top of the grade?”

“Ah, I remember.”

Was it the story we shared when Professor Wolfin returned Stella’s grade adjustments to their original state?

“I saw you recaptured the senior position. Not as the senior of the year, but as the senior of the entire class.”

“It must be thanks to senior Konrad’s hard work.”

“All I did was correct the wrong.

The head of the entire swordsmanship department is not a dog’s name, and it is purely Stella’s skill that has won it.”

Edward Rumbelt, who was the cause of Stella’s inability to take the top spot, was expelled, so it was of course expected that she would take the top spot in the class as planned.

I would have thought he would have taken the position of the head of the entire swordsmanship department, overtaking Prince Antonio and Lady Hilla.

It was the moment when Stella in her previous life was also convinced that her grades were manipulated by the Rumbelt family.

“Anyway, congratulations on being number one in the grade. You promised to grant me a wish in return, right?”

“Well, not to that extent. If you hear what I have to say and think that senior Konrad is okay, then you just have to answer to the level of good or bad.”

“OK got it.”

As long as it’s the words that come out of Stella’s mouth anyway, he’ll listen to everything anyway.

Growth usually didn’t happen without a sense of purpose.

Her swordsmanship was bound to develop only when she had the right motivation to feel that she needed to become stronger.

Previously, the rigorous training she received from her adoptive father, Master McDowell, would have made Stella what she is today.

As my hair gradually grew thicker, it was also the time when my parents’ interference weakened.

In addition, it was a time when Stella could not listen to Professor McDowell’s lectures during this year, unfortunately.

It was necessary for me to make a reason for the effort that followed.

Aside from everything else, Stella has been my junior for a long time since my previous life, so I had the desire to take care of this and that more.

With that mindset, I was preparing to hear what Stella would say to me.

“… … .”

For some reason, Stella kept her mouth shut for a long time and was hesitant to speak up.

“stellar?”

“Yes, four!”

“What are you hesitating about? He said he had something to say.”

“Yes, yes.”

At most, it would only be a few words, but why was he taking so much time.

I couldn’t understand why she was showing such a hesitant attitude as I had always seen her full of confidence.

Are you trying to make an embarrassing request of a kind that cannot be easily answered?

“Maybe Konrad-senpai thinks it strange that I say this, but… .”

Stella, as if my careful imagination had been right, seemed to be hesitant to speak up first, even blushing faintly.

When I vaguely expected that if I did something wrong, I might be told that the party relationship would be awkward.

Stella spat out her request as if she had managed to squeeze it out.

“Stella, sleep… .”

“This, in the midterm match coming back this second semester, please allow me to have a decisive battle with Konrad-senpai!”

thank god. Stella gave me courage before I said anything.

At least I could have been in a shameful situation alone.

“… … .”

I calmed down my pounding emotions for a moment and pondered over the request she had given me.

So, obviously, you said you wanted to have a decisive battle with me in the midterm, right?

“stellar.”

“Yes, Senior Conrad!”

“Have I hurt your feelings lately?

Either it offended me, or it caused a nuisance… .”

“Yes Yes?!”

Common sense wouldn’t have said he wanted to beat me in public for no reason.

Naturally, it made sense for her to judge that there was something accumulated in me.

It was the role of the party leader to end the feud between party members as quickly as possible.

Especially if it is dissatisfaction with the leader.

“If I have done anything wrong, let me know. Don’t even think about spreading the word about your teammates’ discord in a public place.”

“Yeah?! What are you talking about, senpai!”

“If by any chance you get angry enough that you shouldn’t talk about it, I’ll greet you at the training ground until the anger goes away… .”

“Oh no! I never said that in that sense, so please don’t misunderstand me, Konrad-senpai!”

huh? no?

I was asking for forgiveness for Stella’s comments about beating me up in public.

Immediately, the statement that it was a misunderstanding came back from her mouth.

“What I said meant that I wanted to compete with senior Conrad with all my might in the evaluation match as senior versus senior, just like when senior Xian and senior Conrad faced each other!”

“… That’s what you meant.”

what else do i say At least I thought I had done something wrong to Stella.

Come to think of it, there’s no way Stella would ask me to fight in the evaluation match for that reason.

In the first place, of course, he had a kind heart that would forgive most of his mistakes.

Even if she had committed a really big mistake, it wasn’t her personality to resort to violence first and foremost.

Although it was only for a moment, I internally scolded myself for misunderstanding Stella’s personality.

“Anyway, so suddenly?”

“Conrad-senpai might think it was sudden, but it was definitely a long-cherished wish for me.”

“yes?”

“Since Xian-senpai faced off against Conrad-senpai a year ago, I’ve always had the desire to face Conrad-senpai directly in my heart.”

“Well, you did say that at the time.”

When she brought up the story of wanting to fight seriously and risk her life in the evaluation match.

I vaguely remembered that we had a conversation saying that we would deal with Stella if there was a chance someday.

That must have been a year ago

“Even though I was a freshman at the time, and like Conrad, I was a one-day puppy who couldn’t even get to the top of the grade.

I think I’ve grown enough to be formally acknowledged by senior Konrad.”

“There was never a time when I didn’t acknowledge you, Stella.”

“Conrad-senpai always told me that. For a prosecutor, there are things you can’t understand unless you run into them yourself.”

It seemed that Stella’s determination was already quite firm, and she sincerely hoped for a formal match with me.

If I refuse, I’ll probably come back with a big disappointment.

“I’m just saying it just in case. If I lose to you, Stella, in the evaluation match, are you thinking of leaving the party, saying you can’t tolerate a weak person being the leader?”

“It doesn’t matter! I only ask for this sparring because I want to know my skills. It is absolutely not a proposal made because I want to beat Conrad!

Above all, besides pure force, Conrad-senpai is far more qualified as a party leader than I am. I don’t want to part with people like senior Xian, senior Lulu, and Lady Claire, whom I’ve become friends with after a long time!”

Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like it’s telling me to prove it by beating me with sincerity like when I was senior Xian.

To my careful concern, Stella reciprocated with a stubborn denial.

“Okay, if that’s the case, I’ll accept it.”

Then there would be no reason to hesitate any longer.

I didn’t accept it because I was certain that I could win.

First of all, she was also a hero in her previous life, and she had risen to the level of a sword expert not too long ago, so she was going to be a formidable opponent.

Even though it was a battle where victory was uncertain, the reason I accepted it was because I wanted to personally see her growth.

It would be nice if I could only act as a motivation for her growth by being around Stella.

Conversely, I sometimes wondered if I might have deprived her of the opportunity to grow on her own.

The fact that I killed the apostle wearing Hermia-san’s mask at Cherryfield Nursery School instead.

At the last hunting festival, the Orc Road was captured without difficulty according to the planned operation.

In the original world, all of those things were Stella’s opportunities to grow, and it would have been an opportunity to bring out her potential by pushing herself to the limit.

By solving it for her, she lost several chances to fight for her life.

Of course, I didn’t think it was wrong that I killed them instead of Stella.

No matter how important Stella’s growth was, it couldn’t be traded for the lives of children at the nursery school or academy students.

However, apart from that, if Stella had become weak compared to her previous life, it was necessary to think of a new way to deal with it.

It was a decision I made after a reasonable judgment in my own way.

“Is that true?!”

“I’m not going to say anything like this. Instead, you submit the Dalian application on your own, Stella.”

“All right! Thank you very much, Senior Conrad!”

Could there be another young lady in the world who would run around so happily just because she accepted the challenge?

Watching Stella run around without being able to control her happy feelings, I calmed down in my heart.

I will never be able to face this evaluation match with a shallow mindset.