Opportunity (3)
Even after receiving what wasn't quite a promise from Luna, time marched on. Weekends were already notorious for flying by, but holing up in my room made them vanish in the blink of an eye. During that time, I chatted idly with Lize or read books, making sure not to neglect broadening my horizons here and there.
In the middle, word came that my confinement was over, but it was already evening, so it didn't mean much.
'Will this just blow over without a fuss?'
The moment morning hit, I finished prepping for all my classes and headed straight to the lecture hall. The familiar scenery and routine were just as always. It was so peaceful that I almost doubted that incident had even happened.
Would Grace show up for class, though? Even if it ended without going all the way, the psychological shock wouldn't have been light. Skipping class would be perfectly understandable.
Plus, the fallout couldn't be ignored. Like it or not, Grace was the daughter of a high-ranking noble house. She'd be the star of the rumors, no doubt.
'That's gotta be pretty stressful.'
Becoming the unwilling center of nasty gossip would wear on anyone. In Soul World, Grace's mental fortitude wasn't anything special either—just average for a regular person. Sure, you could question how a duke's daughter had such ordinary resilience, but that was only regarding "politics." As a single "person," she was perfectly normal.
She could handle her name bouncing around in political scandals, but personal issues hit her hard.
'I hope she pulls herself together.'
At least once she bounced back, she stayed strong. Her mental fragility came with quick recovery, which was a silver lining. I'd just stick by her side as her guard until then.
She'd probably explain the bodyguard thing after classes ended today. Grace was too valuable a character to drop out like this. She played big roles in later events, after all.
Either way, her recovery was entirely up to her. Even if scars lingered, she'd endure with grit.
Dr-r-rk—
Lost in thoughts of Grace, I'd arrived at the lecture hall before I knew it. The moment I pushed open the door, the slightly rowdy class fell deathly silent in an instant. All eyes locked on me, of course.
It was the reaction I'd half-expected, so I ignored everyone. My gaze was fixed on one person only.
'Wonder what Kara's gonna say.'
It was Kara. The second she spotted me, she waved enthusiastically. She'd been resting her chin on her hand with a sulky expression, but apparently, she was glad to see me.
Honestly, aside from me and Luna, she didn't have many classmates to chat with. So my arrival probably cheered her up.
I waved back as I walked over. Eyes bored into me the whole way.
"What the—? Heard you got confined, but it's over already?"
"Yeah. Ended today."
"Must've been the Berche Duke's house pulling strings. There were rumors of suspension and stuff."
"Dunno."
I had no idea. Just baseless chatter, probably. With the weekend in the mix, it barely qualified as confinement. Whether it'd even leave a disciplinary mark was questionable.
I didn't care about demerit points either. Boosting them back up was a breeze by my standards now.
"And that Delphoi bastard's supposedly a eunuch now—is that true? Heard his teeth and jaw are wrecked for life; he'll be on mush forever."
"Uh... good for him?"
"Pfft."
Kara let out a soft chuckle at my "good for him." She liked the answer.
She gave my shoulder a light pat of approval.
"Well done. Guys like that deserve it. But violence isn't always the answer, so rein it in, got it?"
I stared at her. Never expected those words from her mouth. Normally, she'd say rude punks deserve to get beaten half to death. This was the kind of line that came after some mental growth.
"Why the face? Something on mine?"
Kara blinked her green eyes, puzzled. She hadn't picked up on my thoughts.
Her growth was genuinely good news. It left plenty of room to mend things with Hector.
Still, I had to answer. I stared hard at her face for a bit before speaking.
"Nah."
"Then why stare like that?"
"Just did."
"Boring."
She smirked and pinched my cheek lightly. Seemed like a sign of affection.
Soon after, the door opened again, revealing a familiar face. The girl with radiant blonde hair in a ponytail—Luna. She looked the same as ever, but something was off. Her posture was awkward, like she was hobbling from severe muscle pain.
"Nngh..."
She collapsed face-first onto her desk the moment she sat next to me. Similar to last week, but worse. Kara noticed too and asked, puzzled.
"You okay? Looks worse than before."
"..."
Luna slowly lifted her head at Kara's question, shooting me a resentful glare.
I felt a pang of guilt. I'd been messing around to improve her flexibility—forcing her legs into splits and even pushing her back while she was like that. The aftereffects must've lingered till now.
Gotta apologize later.
"...It's Sivar's fault."
"Sivar? What'd he do?"
"Long story. Kid's a real prankster."
"What exactly?"
Kara still looked baffled and turned to me. No reason to beat around the bush, so I answered plainly.
"Exercise."
"Exercise?"
"Yeah. Built flexibility. Leg splits."
"Oh. Flexibility? Not a bad idea to—"
Kara paused mid-sentence upon hearing me. She furrowed her delicate brow, then asked in a slightly lowered tone.
"Wait, how'd you two end up alone anyway? Weren't you confined?"
"The Saint permitted it. I arranged personal training."
"Even so, is that allowed?"
"Apparently."
Luna answered crisply, as if to say what's the problem? Kara looked mildly displeased at the vibe and muttered under her breath.
"Coming at it like this..."
Whatever she was thinking, better to let it slide. I hated complications. Prying was rude anyway.
I pulled a candy from my pocket and popped it in my mouth. This one was grape flavor. Kara had given it to me, by the way.
Dr-r-rk—
As I savored it, the door opened again. Normally, I'd tune it out and zone, but something felt off. The atmosphere shifted.
My eyes flicked to the door instinctively. Then I understood why.
"Hey, look over there."
"Huh? She came?"
"No way it's fake, right?"
"Is she okay...?"
Long purple hair cascading down, her signature haughty expression bolstered by those sharp eyes. The star victim and center of attention—Grace—had arrived.
I'd figured she'd skip today at least. This was unexpected.
"..."
Grace strode in confidently, ignoring the hushed room. Even after nearly becoming a victim of that dangerous incident, her self-assurance hadn't dimmed a bit.
She sat naturally next to Luna and greeted her with a bright smile.
"Hello, Luna. How was your weekend?"
"Uh... fine. And you, Grace...?"
Luna started to reply politely but clamped her mouth shut. Her face screamed stepped on a landmine.
Grace didn't mind, keeping her smile as she replied.
"I was fine. Had some people who really helped me out."
"G-good to hear."
"By the way..."
Grace glanced at me next. Our eyes met.
In Soul World, it took her time to recover. But this was the Grace I knew—brimming with confidence, subtly overbearing.
What had buoyed her spirits?
As that question lingered, Grace flashed a deeper smile and addressed me.
"What did my knight... no, my bodyguard do over the weekend?"
"...Huh?"
"...Bodyguard?"
Kara and Luna reacted to Grace's words. Whispers rippled through the rest of the class too.
Apparently, news of me becoming Grace's bodyguard hadn't spread yet. Made sense—it was a private chat with Arthus.
"Oh? You haven't heard? Sivar's going to be my bodyguard for about a month. We've already settled the personal agreement."
"Sivar. That true?"
"Yeah."
I answered Kara's check plainly. No harm in honesty.
Everyone's faces turned weird. They couldn't process the situation.
"...For a bodyguard, couldn't your family just assign one? Why Sivar?"
Kara, grasping it quickest, asked. Her tone and expression screamed confusion.
She had a point—normally, the family dispatches their own knight. But Grace and the Berche house hadn't. They'd specifically named me.
It was miles from common sense. I'd agreed without thinking, but to others, it'd look odd.
"Circumstances. But we've coordinated with the Berche Duke's house."
"What coordination? You didn't let her blackmail you or anything, right?"
Was she worried I'd been threatened? Kara scowled fiercely, ready to step in herself.
Sweet, but off-base. Arthus had only shown good sense.
"Amusing idea. Let me ask instead—what kind of blackmail do you think would work on Sivar?"
"..."
"The Berche house and I proposed it to Sivar, and he accepted. He'll receive training as my bodyguard too."
First I'd heard of training. And it reeked of shady fine print, reason unknown.
I wasn't the only one sensing it. Kara confronted Grace incredulously.
"Even so, this is too much! Sivar doesn't know jack. You probably just asked nicely and he bit. Right?"
"It's also for my psychological stability. You know what happened to me, Kara."
"Well..."
"And Sivar saved me from that crisis. While he's guarding me, it'll stabilize my mind, and I'll compensate him."
"..."
Her explanation was airtight. Kara couldn't protest further after hearing "psychological stability." As a fellow woman nearly subjected to horror, she'd empathize.
Pushing more would prick her conscience. Plus, she knew the lingering trauma all too well.
"...Fine. A month should be okay. Just don't eat into his personal time."
"No worries there. I can manage it."
Grace probably knew too—turning me into a real bodyguard was impossible. I was more a shield for her peace of mind.
No major events till finals anyway. I'd get permission for demon-trace hunts, or Luna could handle them.
"Um..."
As chatter swirled about my new role, the sidelined Luna timidly spoke up.
All eyes turned to her instantly.
"D-does Sivar have to stay by your side?"
Luna's out-of-left-field question blindsided everyone. Grace looked puzzled but explained kindly.
"Luna, he's my bodyguard. Means he'll stick by me for the time being."
"B-but I have a promise with Sivar too..."
"What promise?"
Luna glanced at me with a what now? look at Grace's question.
But that expression wouldn't change anything—I had no clue what she was thinking.
In the end, unlike Grace's poise, Luna looked uneasy as she revealed the truth.
"We promised to learn about each other?"
"..."
Not just a bomb—this was napalm. How did she drop it like that?
Luna wasn't lying, of course. If anything, she was brutally straightforward.
"Th-that... I-I didn't see that coming..."
It rocked Grace too. Her confident facade crumbled—purple eyes quaking like in an earthquake, face drained pale. Pitiful, even.
"...Luna."
"Y-yes?"
"That. Explain. In detail. Learn about each other? When?"
Kara was seething too, face taut like a bomb about to blow. One wrong word, and fists might fly.
Luna's eyes spun in panic, confusion mounting.
Her mouth's the real problem.
She was getting all the irrational hate. From now on, she'd need to watch her words—or risk wrecking things with Grace and Kara.
I couldn't intervene. Clearing it up would spill our secret indirectly; ignoring it spelled trouble.
What would Luna say? I watched silently as she opened her mouth.
Faith has risen!
Ignore the god munching popcorn like crazy.
How much time passed in that weird tension? Then Luna blurted desperately.
"P-parents!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"We decided to help Sivar find his parents!"
Luna suddenly dragged my parents into it. Mine were probably living fine back on Earth.
Others mirrored my confusion—what the hell?
"S-Sivar survived alone in the wild, but he must have parents...! When we first met, there were no traces of any...!"
"So you agreed to find them? And learn about Sivar along the way?"
"Y-yes!"
"Hmm."
Kara eyed Luna suspiciously at her excuse-that-wasn't. Checking if she was lying, probably.
It wasn't the full truth, but not a lie either. Solid improv.
"Fine. I'll buy it for now."
"Well, it makes sense. I was curious about Sivar's origins too."
"Phew..."
As things seemed to settle, Luna sighed in relief. Suspicions weren't fully dropped—they'd watch her for a bit.
Bit of an overreaction, though.
One step back, and I'd be fine. Getting tangled promised headaches.
"Sivar."
"?"
Grace called me then. I turned, question in my eyes.
She extended her index finger, pleading.
"As you saw, no double-dealing. It breaks trust and leads to messes. In civilized society, promises—especially contracts—are sacred."
"She's right. Good time to tell ya. Loose contracts can get you pierced through the nose."
Kara chimed in next, grinning as she slung an arm over my shoulder. She leaned in close, voice affectionate.
"Like I said before—if you get scammed later, tell your big sis. I'll give 'em hell."
"Scam?"
"Yeah. Scam. Tricking or deceiving you."
Just beat 'em up.
As that thought crossed my mind—
"Don't think about beating them. Scams don't fix with punches—you just hurt your hands."
"How'd you know?"
"Ways to tell."
Kara smirked at my surprise, pinching my cheek again. Always a refreshing smile.
"Kara, for scams, we can handle it first."
"Interfering in personal stuff? He needs to stand on his own."
"The Berche Duke's house named him directly. If so..."
Arguing again. I spectated quietly as they clashed from opposite ends. Luna... was face-down on her desk.
Physically and mentally drained.
"Wanna go home..."
She looked wrecked, so I patted her back.