Kiraware Yūsha ni Tensei Shitanode Aisare Yūsha o Mezashimasu!

[Protagonist, Feeling Down]

Having arrived at the teachers’ room and delivered the assignments, I headed over to Mr. Walter’s desk to consult about the rematch with Raul, when—

“Oh! Barrett! You’ve come at the perfect time!” Mr. Walter beckoned me in a hurry upon discovering me.

“Is something the matter?” I asked.

“Well, you see…” Mr. Walter folded his arms and knitted his eyebrows—the very picture of someone having a problem. His usual stern face was now dejected, making him look like an abandoned kitten.

“It looks like… there’s some problem.”

“Yes. To tell the truth, it’s about the rematch with Raul you asked me before…”

But I’d come exactly for that… got a bad feeling about this.

“Raul… he… he refused to have a rematch.”

“Huh?!”

Raul, the Protagonist… refused to have a rematch?

“It appears the previous battle left a trauma in him.”

“T-that can’t be…”

I was shaken by Raul’s refusal to rematch, but I supposed a part of the blame laid on me—I mean, (former) Barrett.

Barrett terribly harassed Raul, robbing him of his confidence. The original Raul, nevertheless, continued training by himself in secret. When they advanced to the next grade, and the mock battle was held after class division, he fought Barrett with the intention to get payback.

However, the result was a disastrous defeat—but, the Holy Knight Klaus, who was watching the battle, took him in as a disciple, and people began to see Raul in a different light.

In other words, having Raul encounter the Holy Knight Klaus should be the first move to save him.

With Klaus’s nonattendance at our mock battle, however, he was now in a state of no salvation. To make matters worse, he, for an unknown reason, had gone berserk during the mock battle, causing his classmates—who originally should get a better opinion of him—to turn cold shoulders toward him.

It’d be bad if things kept going the way they were.

Raul was the protagonist in the original storyline, and the narrative mostly proceeded from Raul’s point of view.

So, I knew how hard Raul had worked.

He had pushed through all kinds of adversities to get here. He shouldn’t end up getting buried just like that—of that, I was sure.

“Sir… I will go persuade Raul.”

“Huh? Y-you will?”

“Yes.”

“…Very well. At this time, he should be—”

“On the rooftop of the West Academic Building, training by himself.”

“T-true.”

That was his daily routine in the original storyline, after all.

Afterward, I requested Mr. Walter to invite Holy Knight Klaus to watch the mock battle. He then told me that Holy Knight Klaus was, in fact, the one who had made the proposal for the order of knights to observe the mock battle, to begin with, so he’d likely come watch.

Now, all I had to do was persuade Raul.

◇◇◇

The rooftop of the West Academic Building was a little garden.

It was also managed by the Horticulture Committee, apparently.

In a corner of the garden was Raul’s training ground.

……That said, the space was only enough for someone to swing their sword.

Judging from the splitting sound of the air, it appeared that he was in the midst of practicing swinging.

“Raul, can I have a word with you?”

When I called out to him, Raul stopped swinging his sword, then slowly he turned around, his face pale. No, why the look of despair…

“L-Lord Barrett…”

“I was told you refused to have a rematch.”

“W-well…” Raul fell silent.

He looked hesitant, and somewhat forlorn.

Come to think of it, in the original storyline, the Holy Knight Klaus once told him, “What you lack most is self-confidence,” during one of his training. The incident this time seemed to have made him completely lose the little confidence he had in himself.

“The result is… obvious, anyway.”

“Raul…”

Raul’s eyes were beginning to lose light.

No, this wouldn’t do.

“Raul, let’s do it. This time, go at me with the intention of beating me black and blue.”

“Huh?” Raul leaked out a sound of confusion, staring at me.

“The mock battle will be held before Klaus. Let’s give it everything we have.”

“U-um, is it okay? …Even if I don’t lose. Even if I fight seriously.”

“Of cour—wait, whuh? What are you talking about?”

“Ah, uh, Lord Barrett, previously you told me to lose in all practical exercises such as mock battles.”

“…………”

(Former) Barrett, that bastard.

He… had told Raul to lose on purpose, huh.

It was never mentioned in the original storyline, but perhaps Holy Knight Klaus saw through that he lost on purpose against Barrett, leading him to take an interest in Raul’s true strength and make him a disciple.

Then, did it mean that if we fought seriously… I might lose?

No, I wasn’t gonna let that happen.

I must win.

For the reward from Tayte!

“You don’t need to worry about that anymore! Everything I’ve done… can’t be forgiven with just an apology. I’m painfully aware of that. But still, please let me apologize—I’m sorry.” I bowed deeply and apologized to Raul in all sincerity.

Raul was confused at first, but it seemed that my sincerity was conveyed, as after some time he eventually said, “…Please raise your head, Lord Barrett,” before continuing, “I understand. I will fight with everything I have in the next mock battle.”

“Thank you… ah, also.”

“Yes?”

“Just call me Barrett from now on. I forbid you from using an honorific with me.”

“Huh?!?!” Raul showed the biggest surprised reaction today.

Anyway, with this, I’d be having a rematch with Raul.

Now… I wondered how it would go.