Oran Knight is out (2/3 chapters for today)
Victory Celebration (2): Lux, Revealed
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The main sweets we bought from Todd’s shop was the fruit tart. It’s the shop’s specialty, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that people line up just to buy this. The tart had a crisp crust with a not-too-sweet cream cheese on top, and various fruits on top of that. The quality of the fruit determined the number of tarts made that day. The tarts, waiting to be cut, gleamed under the sunlight.
We also bought an assortment of colorful cookies and other baked goods. The table spread with these treats looked as festive as a celebration.
When Rinkert-san brought out the drinks, the girls and Heinz moved to help. Heinz iwass really thoughtful in these situations. The rest of us, who were less attentive, hurriedly stood up to help with the preparations.
Once everything was ready, we took our seats again. Since it was a bit hot today, we had refreshing sparkling water. Rinkert-san slowly took her seat, and the four people meeting her for the first time exchanged brief greetings with her as the owner of the mansion.
“So, it’s quite a luxurious spread, but I assume today isn’t just about greetings?” (Rinkert)
Encouraged by Rinkert-san, Sonia informed her about our victory over the second-year students in the interclass competition, causing Rinkert-san to widen her eyes and cover her mouth with her hand.
“Oh my, you’re first-year students, aren’t you? That’s amazing!” (Rinert)
Praised by Rinkert-san, our excitement rose, and like chicks waiting for food, we all began to talk about our achievements at once. She listened with a smile for a while, then, she waited for the conversation to pause.
“Well, we can continue talking later, but since we’re here, let’s enjoy the sweets as well. First, let’s make a toast.” (Rinkert)
She said and picked up her glass and stood up.
Following her lead, we all stood up with our glasses.
“Now, someone should give a toast…”
As Rinkert-san looked around, Heinz spoke up.
“Lux, you should do it. You were the one who came up with the strategy, and it’s thanks to you that we get to enjoy these sweets.” (Heinz)
With everyone agreeing with Heinz’s words, I was pushed by their encouragement to search for words.
“Uh, well…” (Lux)
“This time, with Ratt-kun’s and Frank’s help, Hana skillfully guided the opponents, Sonia took down Zess, and before that, Maria, Heinz, and Rick-san turned my idea into a solid plan. So, I think we all won together. Everyone! Good job!” (Lux)
As I raised my glass high, the cheers of “Good job!!!” echoed back.
We then drank the contents of our glasses, with the sweetness and a bit of sourness flowing down our throats.
Yes, it’s summer.
Next, we cut and served the eagerly awaited tarts. At this moment, everyone was silent and focused on their plates of tart.
I took a piece of the tart, cutting off the tip of the triangle, and brought it to my mouth. The tart’s tangy fruit flavor, much more pronounced than expected, swiftly ran over my tongue, followed by the taste of happiness. The gentle sweetness of the cream and the rustic flavor of the crumbly base spread throughout my mouth.
Indeed, it’s no wonder people line up for this.
After eating the tart in silence for a while, we finally took a breather, and while picking at the cookies we also bought, the conversation turned back to the inter-school competition. We recounted our heroic deeds to Rinkert-san, who was surprised and laughed at each part of our story.
“So, Lux made the shell buried in the ground from the top of the forest trees explode, and chased the enemy Knight (Ritter) away!” (Sonia)
Sonia, who alone had been lying in the grass observing Zess and his team on the hill, conveyed this with gestures.
“It hit the enemy’s Raider (Commander) who lost balance due to the trap!” (Ratt)
Ratt-kun, who succeeded in his first direct shooting, spoke happily. As the lively conversation continued, everyone seemed satisfied when all the stories were told. Then Frank, in a truly straightforward manner, asked me a question.
“By the way, Lux. You could have easily sniped, so why didn’t you directly target the knight (Ritter)?” (Frank)
—
A refreshing breeze seemed to carry our words away, and after a brief moment of silence, Heinz was the one to speak.
“Frank, what are you saying? Lux was observing from the forest, right? He couldn’t have sniped Zess on the hill.” (Heinz)
Frank, pointed out by Heinz, shook his head.
“Yeah. Until I heard the story earlier, I thought the same thing.” (Frank)
“Earlier?” (Heinz)
Heinz tilted his head.
“Yeah. Earlier, Sonia said Lux detonated the trap he had set up directly from within the forest.” (Frank)
“Yeah… she did.” (Heinz)
“Listen. The Spearman (Lancer)’s shell is considerably larger compared to a regular bullet, but it’s still about the size of a fist. Moreover, I also put them in a tube and buried it so that it was a little above the ground so that it would explode as spectacularly as possible.” (Frank)
Everyone listened silently to Frank’s explanation.
“Still not getting it? The tube buried in the ground is naturally camouflaged to avoid detection. To make the shell inside the tube explode, you have to hit the very top of the exposed bullet precisely. I thought Lux would target a closer trap, so I couldn’t quite believe this story. At best, if he was lucky and accidentally hit the trap with a single shot, he might have intended to shoot several times to hit it. Even with multiple shots, it seems unlikely he could hit it from that distance… However, considering only one trap was set off, it’s not completely out of the question, but two traps were triggered. I’ll assert it. It’s impossible to make something like that explode from the forest. If you could do that, it would be much easier to target the Knight (Ritter) directly.” (Frank)
As I was contemplating how to start, Rick-san was the first to speak up, saying “Ah,” while touching his beard.
“I have a faint recollection too. There was a time when Lux shot down a fruit that was at an unbelievable height from the spot.” (Rick)
With that, Maria also said, “Actually, I have a thought too,” and began to accurately recount the time she repelled someone who was bullying a cat.
“…Lux, maybe you should talk about your promise with Rita-san?” (Sonia)
Hearing Sonia’s suggestion, Heinz looked surprised by the series of comments from everyone.
I sighed a little and began to explain what had happened.
“Actually, I had a promise with Rita…” (Lux)
—
After everyone listened to my story, it was their turn to sigh.
“Honestly, I can’t believe it, but are you really that good at sniping?” (Heinz)
Heinz asked, and I tilted my head.
“Well, I don’t know because I’ve never compared myself.” (Lux)
“But, you could have mentioned it, degozaru.” (Hana)
Hana said.
“I wasn’t trying to hide it, but on the contrary, let me ask you, could you say, ‘I’m better at shooting than everyone else, and Rita has set restrictions on me, so please be understanding’? If it turned out not to be a big deal, that would be quite embarrassing.” (Lux)
I responded, and Hana stumbled over her words.
“Ugh, indeed…” (Hana)
“Well, if Rita-san really did have concerns about your abilities, I understand her feelings. It might be fine while we’re in school, but it would be difficult on the battlefield if our team became too reliant on you.” (Rick)
Rick said.
Regardless of my abilities, that’s true. I don’t think there’s any benefit to making things easy during school.
“Hmm, but I still find it hard to believe. From what you’ve said, Lux would be at the level of Lamie-senpai.” (Ratt)
I was a bit surprised his words.
Is Lamie-senpai really that amazing? I thought she was just a gun enthusiast.
“There’s no doubt she’s amazing. I’ve seen it myself.” (Sonia)
Sonia passionately explained to Heinz and Ratt. Being told she was this amazing made me feel a bit embarrassed.
“So, will you be aiming at Knight (Ritter) in the next inter-school competition in six months?” (Frank)
Frank asked, and I was somewhat at a loss for an answer.
“Actually, I’m a bit troubled. I’m still not clear about my own abilities, and honestly, I don’t think I’m that great. But, it’s true that I was able to target Zess in the last interschool competition. However, like Rick-san said earlier, I don’t want to hinder everyone else’s growth.” (Lux)
When I expressed my honest feelings, Maria responded.
“In that case, why don’t you set some restrictions for yourself? For example, don’t aim at Knight (Ritter) unless absolutely necessary, or limit the number of targets you can snipe during matches… Of course, only if you and everyone are okay with it.” (Maria)
As everyone seemed to agree, Rinkert-san clapped her hands.
“Well, well, everyone looks so serious at this wonderful victory celebration. Why don’t we put that discussion aside and enjoy ourselves today?” (Rinkert)
With those words, the discussion was temporarily ended. We decided to switch our focus and enjoy the sweets and carbonated water.
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