Chapter 262: Old Habits

The Knight Department had apparently developed a sudden interest in Ilya Belozersky.

This was rather surprising, considering that most of its students had spent the previous year pretending he didn’t exist.

Word of his recent accomplishments had spread throughout Holy Trinity Academy, particularly his repeated engagements against Tristan Amaury de Bellacourt.

A First Circle wizard competing against one of the Magic Department’s most talented Third Circle students was unusual enough, but the fact that this particular wizard had once been considered a failure by the Knight Department made the story considerably more entertaining.

"Someone actually called you the Knight Department’s greatest loss," Garen announced during their morning break.

Ilya continued reviewing his lecture notes.

"That’s generous. Last year, they would’ve paid someone to take me."

Ma?lle laughed, while Wolfram pointed out that the phrase probably originated among students who hadn’t known Ilya during his earlier years.

That sounded about right.

Ilya had little interest in revisiting those days. His transfer had given him opportunities he once believed were permanently beyond his reach, and he was satisfied with the direction his life had taken.

Nevertheless, there was something amusing about watching public opinion reverse itself.

A year ago, his inability to manifest Aura had overshadowed everything he accomplished with a sword. Now, some of those same students were wondering whether his swordsmanship might give the Magic Department an advantage during the upcoming interdepartmental demonstrations.

Apparently, one’s achievements became more impressive when viewed from a different department.

After lunch, Ilya headed toward the western training grounds, where the faculty had requested the attendance of several students selected for the demonstrations.

The gathering included participants from both the Knight and Magic Departments, along with supervising instructors responsible for organizing the event.

Elise was already present, discussing something with several classmates. Tristan stood nearby, examining a document while an instructor explained the preliminary arrangements.

Among the knights, Ilya recognized numerous familiar faces.

Some had attended his old classes. Others had participated in the examinations that once determined whether he would be permitted to remain enrolled.

Their reactions upon noticing him were predictably mixed.

A few offered polite greetings, while others appeared uncertain whether approaching him would be appropriate.

Ilya returned the greetings without dwelling on the matter.

He had spent enough time worrying about what people thought of him.

Besides, most of those students had their own concerns. The upcoming demonstrations would be observed by representatives from the Imperial Army, and students hoping to pursue military careers had good reason to take the event seriously.

For ambitious young knights, attracting the attention of an Imperial officer could lead to opportunities that ordinary academic accomplishments might never provide.

Ilya understood that better than most.

House Belozersky maintained one of the Empire’s most formidable military traditions, and he had grown up surrounded by people who treated martial achievement as the foundation of a nobleman’s worth.

He’d simply taken an unexpectedly different path.

Professor Eklund eventually called the students together.

The older instructor had taught several of Ilya’s swordsmanship courses during his time in the Knight Department. Although their relationship had never been especially close, Eklund had consistently acknowledged his technical ability, even when his declining physical condition prevented him from competing effectively.

The professor explained that the demonstrations would emphasize cooperation between knights and wizards, with several exercises designed to illustrate how the two disciplines complemented one another.

There would be defensive engagements, coordinated offensives, and battlefield scenarios requiring participants to adapt to unfamiliar conditions.

More importantly, the instructors had already reviewed the students’ recent assessment records.

Another qualification examination would therefore be unnecessary.

Ilya welcomed that decision.

He had endured enough practical assessments recently to develop an unreasonable dislike for the word itself.

Instead, the participants would be organized into mixed groups and given time to prepare before the demonstrations.

The assignments were announced shortly afterward.

Ilya found himself grouped with Elise and two students from the Knight Department. One was a defensive specialist whose assessment results demonstrated excellent formation discipline, while the other possessed stronger offensive capabilities and experience in coordinated engagements.

He recognized both from his previous year, although they had never been particularly close.

Their abilities complemented one another reasonably well.

Elise possessed considerable offensive power through her lightning magic, while Ilya’s freezing techniques provided mobility, terrain control, and opportunities to interrupt enemy movements.

The knights could establish a defensive perimeter or engage opponents directly, depending on their assigned objective.

However, their success would depend on how effectively they coordinated.

Once the gathering dispersed, the four found an empty section of the training grounds to discuss their preparations.

The offensive knight initially suggested a conventional formation, with both knights occupying the forward positions while Elise provided magical support from behind.

It was a reasonable starting point, although Ilya identified a potential weakness.

"If both of you advance together, anyone who gets around your formation will have a clear path toward Elise. We’d have to waste time correcting our positions."

The defensive specialist agreed.

Maintaining a stable formation required someone capable of holding the center, particularly when facing opponents who could exploit openings.

Ilya proposed assigning the defensive knight responsibility for maintaining their primary position while the other handled interception.

Elise would provide ranged support, using her lightning magic to suppress dangerous opponents or prevent them from approaching.

That left Ilya with a more flexible role.

Rather than occupying a permanent position, he would move between the others whenever the situation required intervention.

His limited mana reserves made sustained spellcasting unfavorable, but short bursts of freezing wind allowed him to cover considerable distances before an opponent could react.

Combined with his swordsmanship experience, that mobility made him useful wherever the formation began to weaken.

Elise understood the arrangement immediately.

"You’ll conserve your mana until one of us needs support."

"More or less. If you can defeat something with one spell, there’s no reason for me to spend five."

The others accepted the reasoning.

Their discussion then turned toward communication.

The Knight Department employed standardized signals for formation changes, while wizards frequently relied on verbal instructions or magical indicators.

A group that used different methods could easily become confused during a difficult engagement.

They consequently agreed on several simple signals and established basic responsibilities for protecting one another.

Ilya was satisfied with the arrangement.

There was little point developing an elaborate strategy before learning their actual assignment. They needed enough structure to cooperate effectively, with sufficient flexibility to respond when circumstances changed.

After another half hour, the knights departed to attend their regular training.

That left Ilya and Elise near the practice grounds.

She had been watching him throughout much of their discussion, occasionally smiling whenever he explained something related to swordsmanship.

It reminded her of their childhood.

Back then, Ilya had spent countless hours studying military tactics and sword techniques, often becoming so absorbed in a particular subject that he forgot about everything else.

Elise had frequently accompanied him during those afternoons, sometimes listening to his explanations even when she understood very little of what he was discussing.

She remembered how enthusiastic he had been.

How certain he was that he would eventually become a great knight.

Those memories had become painful after his abilities began deteriorating.

Yet watching him discuss their preparations now, Elise realized that the enthusiasm she’d admired hadn’t disappeared.

He had simply found something else worth pursuing.

"You haven’t changed as much as you think," she remarked.

Ilya glanced toward her.

"Should I be worried?"

Elise laughed.

"I mean the way you approach things. You always wanted to understand why something worked before you tried it yourself."

"Well, memorizing instructions is only useful until someone does something unexpected."

He had learned that lesson early.

Even the finest swordsmanship techniques became unreliable when applied without understanding the circumstances they were intended to address.

Magic was much the same.

Although Ilya possessed an unusual fighting style, he hadn’t developed it by abandoning everything he knew. His experience with swordsmanship had taught him how to recognize openings, anticipate movements, and control the distance between himself and an opponent.

He had merely discovered different tools for accomplishing those things.

Elise found herself smiling again.

For a while, they watched several students practicing in the adjacent arena.

Their conversation gradually moved away from the demonstrations and toward more ordinary matters, including coursework and their recent outing in the capital.

Elise admitted that she’d enjoyed spending time with him outside the academy.

Ilya agreed.

Their friendship had improved considerably over the past several months, but they still spent most of their time together attending lectures or discussing academic responsibilities.

There was no reason they couldn’t enjoy themselves occasionally.

"We should go somewhere again," he suggested.

Elise appeared pleased.

"I’d like that."

They began discussing several possibilities, although neither was particularly concerned about deciding immediately.

The important thing was that they had opportunities to spend time together again.

Elise had missed that familiarity more than she cared to admit.

Their conversation was interrupted when Tristan approached from the direction of the main arena.

The southern nobleman carried a document containing the preliminary arrangements for the demonstrations.

"I thought you might find this interesting."

Ilya accepted the paper.

The final event would involve two mixed groups competing to secure a designated objective while preventing their opponents from accomplishing the same task.

Unlike their ordinary duels, participants would be permitted to coordinate freely with their teammates.

Several names had already been proposed.

Ilya’s group appeared on one side.

Tristan’s appeared on the other.

He understood immediately why the southern nobleman seemed so pleased.

Apparently, the instructors had decided that their repeated draws would provide an entertaining rivalry for the audience.

Tristan regarded him with obvious anticipation.

"I assume you won’t object."

"Why would I? It’s a good opportunity."

The answer seemed to satisfy Tristan, although Ilya suspected that his rival had already begun planning how to defeat him.

That was perfectly reasonable.

Ilya intended to do the same.

However, this engagement would require a different approach from their previous matches.

Tristan possessed greater mana reserves and superior conventional spellcasting abilities, but their previous encounters had demonstrated that neither could easily overwhelm the other.

With additional participants involved, the outcome would depend on much more than their individual strength.

Ilya examined the document again, paying particular attention to the proposed conditions.

The exact rules had yet to be finalized, and the faculty reserved the right to modify the objective before the event.

That meant preparing specifically to counter Tristan would be a mistake.

Their opponents would have their own strengths, and neglecting the broader exercise for the sake of an individual victory would accomplish little.

Elise appeared to reach a similar conclusion.

"We should focus on coordinating with our teammates first. We can worry about Tristan once the instructors confirm the rules."

Ilya agreed.

Tristan, meanwhile, seemed somewhat disappointed that neither of them appeared particularly interested in discussing another personal duel.

Still, he couldn’t reasonably object.

The three continued reviewing the arrangements as they walked toward the department buildings, with Ilya asking several questions about the proposed objectives and the limitations imposed on participating students.

Their next engagement would be different from anything he and Tristan had attempted before.

And this time, Ilya intended to make certain that his teammates had just as much reason to enjoy the result as he did.