'Haaaaaaaahhhh!
...hmmm...I guess I'm still naive.


　I catch Shelly's sword and easily pass it off. By the way, I'm using an ordinary broadsword instead of the Invisible Sword 《Invisible Blade》 right now.


''Huh........hah......what's wrong with that.......''
''Hmm. Something doesn't feel right, but I can't verbalize it... it's hard to...
''Well if even Yulia doesn't understand, it's no wonder.
'No, I'm kind of an amateur as a leader. My fighting style is a bit special too.


　I feel like I'm keeping up with Shelly's training now. The training is over and I'm tired, but she wants me to stay with her on the ground to train. I'm exhausted from being out in the danger zone almost every day, but I can't do her a favor.


　But things aren't looking good. Sherry and I match swords, but I can't really explain what to do about it. In the first place, my fighting style is mainly based on the Invisible Blade, the Invisible Blade. It's not only the advantage of being invisible, but also the high speed sword strikes that take advantage of the fact that the only mass is the knife, as well as the overwhelming amount of material that comes out of multiple starting points. It's not something that can be taught to an ordinary person by any means, nor can it be used as a reference. Even if it's basic bodywork, Shelly is already not in that area.


''Huh.......What should I do.......''
'Oh ... well ... I don't think the broadsword is ... right for you ...'
"What?!


　Guffawing, he turned around to face the voice. Then I saw a woman with scorching red hair standing there. Her eyes are higher than mine, and she's also slender. But as I recall, this person........somewhere........


''Ah........Yulia-kun.......it's been a while......''
'Oh!　Um, you're the second person in the pecking order!
''Ha ... yes ... well, my name is Bertina Wright, and I've been assigned to the Seventh Warded City, so ... You can call me Bell my name and I'm a colonel by the way and I'm 32 years old... ...and that's nice, okay?　Heh, heh........


　Come to think of it, I had heard that the Seventh Boundary City was going to have another special-grade anti-magician coming to the Seventh Boundary City, but I wasn't expecting someone from the second rank in the pecking order, so I'm a little surprised.


''It's nice to meet you too. Um, Belle-san...So why are you here?　It's almost bedtime now, but...
Well I just arrived a little while ago and I saw you two in training, so I thought I'd say hello and... ...and a bit of ...oh, and some advice ...oh, I hope you're not offended!　I'm sorry!
That's all right!　And it's nice to see someone who's second in the pecking order looking at you!　Hey, Shelly?
'Yes!　Of course it's okay!


　Me and Shelly follow Mr. Bell to the max. It's kind of hard to believe that I'm second in the pecking order, either because I'm not confident in myself or because I'm so humble. But it doesn't matter what his personality is. This person is second in the pecking order among the special class anti-magicians. Her opinion will surely be helpful. With that thought in mind, I decided to delve into the conversation I had just had.


''Well, Belle-san. What do you mean that the broadsword isn't right for Shelly?
'Well this is a bit of a sensation, but I think Sherry-san is better suited to the sword...' ...yes. He has long arms and a fast swing, so he's better at it than a broadsword. ....Sen.
A sword...a sword?


　There is a clear distinction between a sword and a sword. Swords are used to 'strike' with their weight, while swords are designed to be 'cut' with a sharp cutting edge. However, the slender nature of the sword makes it less durable and more prone to blade spills. Therefore, handling a sword requires considerable skill. Particularly when fighting a series of demons.

　In my case, the Invisible Sword 《Invisible Blade》 is rather using the nature of the sword, but since it can be activated many times, there is no problem with its durability and there is no need to think about blade spills. But normally, most people don't like that drawback and use a sword. But they say that the sword is suitable for Sherry. This would be an opinion that should be consulted. At the very least, it's not bad to practice with a sword.


''I see, a sword... a sword... what do you think Yulia?''
'I think it's good. I don't think it's a bad idea to try a new weapon.
Oh....would you like to see my sword dance?
'What?　Are you sure?!
Yes. I'm good..........


　If you think about it, Bell's weapon of the second place on the list is a tachi. It is a flexible curved curved curved sword, a tachi. The blade is over a meter long and very long. Then she pulls out the taiji hanging from her waist and traces the sword dance along the pattern.


''Amazing........''
Yeah, that's........second in the pecking order........


　I was just overwhelmed. Her every move, every step, is refined. From the way she moved her body to the way she swung her sword, it was clear that her movements were beyond the realm of ordinary people. And as we watch in stunned amazement, Belle's sword dance comes to an end.


The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it's not a good idea to have a good time.
'Great, great, great!　I've decided!　I'm going to be Mr. Bell's apprentice!
'Well you're my apprentice...?　But I'm not very good at talking to you and I'm not very good at talking to you and I'm not very good at talking to you. I don't know if I can teach ... well ... well ... I don't know...
Please!　I want to be strong!



　Shelly lifts her head without regard to the pretense. I'm sure he found something in the sword dance just now. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. That feeling is important. I also understood with my senses that the Invisible Blade was suitable for me, and I still think so.


　Thus, Shelly became the apprentice of Bertina Wright, the second in the pecking order.


　◇


Hmm. It was Belle who came.
'Yes. I ran into him last night.
So, Sherry as an apprentice I wonder if Belle can do it?
What do you mean?
'Cause I'm not a good talker, Belle. And I'm not very confident. I don't think I'm the kind of person who can teach people anything. I can be a bit of a jerk.
''Haha that's harsh but you're second in the pecking order, right?
Have you seen how serious Julia is about Belle?
No, we spoke for the first time yesterday.
Belle is terrific. I heard that she has about 10 special sword skills, especially the secret sword, but I was shaken. The first time I saw it.
Yeah, is that all right?


　Lunch break. Me and Eira-senpai were eating curry in the cafeteria, facing each other. It's not like Bell-san is just second in the pecking order.......no, I'm not doubting that, but it's hard to imagine that tremendous swordsmanship from that personality in any way.


''Probably the strongest in combat within a 3 meter radius. I can't imagine Belle losing at super close range 《Cross Range》 at all.
''Is it that much of a stretch for you, senior...?
'Is Julia okay with it?　I'm sure Bell's swordplay would be helpful to you.
'Hmm. I don't want to disturb Shelly right now. Because I'm sure she'll grow up to be more.
Hmm, sounds like a good time.
'Well I've met Shelly in a lot of special ways. I'd like to help her.
"...Oh no!　I'm ahead of you!

　Eira-senpai scraped the remaining curry in one go and then lowered the dishes as it was.

''Eh........did I do something?''


　I continued to eat my curry slowly, but in the end it remained a mystery as to why my senpai was in a bad mood.