The Festival (Part 7)
The prowess Junon had displayed that afternoon was far above the level of any ordinary rabble. Yet for reasons unknown, he was a marked man, targeted by unseen enemies.
And only one person knew that secret: Ophelia.
She was, after all, the daughter of the Grand Duke and the president of the Student Council. How could she turn a blind eye when a citizen of the Principality—and an Academy student, no less—had his life threatened, even if she did not know the exact reasons why?
That was when she thought of the group that had just earned official recognition as a team earlier that day. Known as Team Tembris, they were individuals striving to clear away the dark, corrupt clouds cast by the noble coalition. If Junon joined their newly founded ranks, having reliable companions at his back would make him far safer. To her mind, there could be no better fit.
A capable new member for the team; guaranteed protection from the noble coalition for an endangered student. Since it satisfied both sides perfectly, Ophelia had earnestly recommended that Junon join them.
"It's a team founded just today called Tembris. Quite a few of them have real battlefield experience, and every one of them is formidable. If you're with them, I believe the danger surrounding you will be drastically reduced."
She went on to explain the purpose behind their founding: how they sought to reform the corrupt practices, archaic customs, and entrenched prejudices spreading through the Principality.
Yet Junon flatly refused.
"I have no desire to join a team."
Ophelia was visibly taken aback. It was an advantageous arrangement from every angle, and she had not doubted for a moment that he would accept.
"May I ask why you're refusing the offer?"
"...I'm afraid I cannot answer that."
"Let me remind you once more, I'm not interrogating you like last time. I'm simply trying to choose the best path forward for the sake of a student's safety."
Although Ophelia reiterated her good intentions, Junon already knew she was not cross-examining him. Even so, no matter how persuasively she argued, there were lines he could never cross, and pitfalls that only he knew about.
Joining any team carried inherent risks, but this was that team. The one she mentioned was Tembris—the very name Junon was desperate to avoid at all costs.
"To reiterate my own stance, I have no intention of joining. If anything, wouldn't being part of such a high-profile team only draw more unwanted attention?"
That should have been enough for Ophelia to get the message: whatever the circumstances, Junon intended to act alone.
"...Very well. For now, I will extend your loan period for the Belshuar Ark. However..."
"You don't need to worry about the risks; I will shoulder them myself. As you saw for yourself, My Lady, I have no intention of going down easily."
"..."
She could not deny it. What she had witnessed earlier today proved his strength—he could easily have taken on all thirteen assailants, one after another. Whatever unique magic he possessed, or whatever techniques he employed, those attackers had been utterly helpless against him.
In short, though his life was being targeted, his competence was undeniable. Which made him all the more regrettable a talent to leave unrecruited.
If Goden saw him, he'd drag him into the fold by any means necessary...
Whatever flaws her old friend had in personality, his eye for talent was impeccable. Goden would never let someone like Junon slip away. Yet the man himself refused to join, and there was nothing more Ophelia could do. Resolving to respect his choice, she decided to confirm one more detail.
"I assume you've completely abandoned the thought of dropping out of the Academy?"
"Yes. That idea is completely off the table."
"That is a relief, then."
She had worried that his refusal to join a team was a prelude to dropping out, so hearing that put her mind at ease. If he had changed his mindset and resolved to grow stronger at the Academy to face whatever threats came his way, then so be it.
"I had no intention of forcing you in the first place. The offer to join was merely a suggestion, so I hope you won't hold a grudge over this, as you did before."
"I'm not quite so narrow-minded, My Lady."
"Fufu, is that so? Then I suppose my business with you is concluded. I feel a bit guilty for holding up a busy man—is there anything else you need my help with?"
"How could someone like me dare impose upon the Lady of Ardelion?"
Was that lingering spite? He had just claimed he was not narrow-minded. Well, if he took that attitude, there was nothing more she could offer. This was the best she could do.
"Your secret will never reach anyone else's ears. On that, I swear upon my name as a daughter of Ardelion."
"...Thank you."
Junon answered as he braced his hands on his knees and rose from the sofa. Though a shadow still clung to him, keeping her vaguely uneasy, he did not seem like a man about to despair and give up.
Come to think of it...
Thinking of his shadowy side brought back a detail from earlier that she had momentarily forgotten.
"Pardon me, but may I ask one more personal question?"
"Well... go ahead."
Junon's guarded posture relaxed slightly. Ophelia had made it clear she had no intention of provoking him.
"What would you like to know?"
"Well... may I ask what kind of relationship you have with Renias?"
How on earth had he gotten so close to Renias, a girl who rarely opened her heart to anyone? How had he shattered the thick mask she wore—the one that produced the same polite, guarded reactions to everyone else? What kind of influence had this man had on her?
Ophelia wanted to know.
"Oof—!"
A single long stretch sent pops cracking through my joints. It had been an eventful day, but seeing it wrap up smoothly brought a quiet sense of satisfaction. I had braced myself for more trouble when Lady Ophelia pulled me aside, but it hadn't turned out that way at all. If anything, I had come away with a decent prize: an extension on the Belshuar Ark.
With an artifact that allowed me to borrow external mana, my operational radius outside the campus would widen considerably. Naturally, I would still have to take great care not to broadcast my location.
"Ah, Senior! Are you all done?"
The moment I stepped out of the building, Renias, who had been leaning against a pillar by the entrance, scampered over to greet me. Her eyes were practically glittering, her face brimming with anticipation over whatever food I was about to introduce to her.
"Yeah. It's all done, so let's go eat."
"I've been waiting forever! Heheh."
It looked like I wouldn't be spending this festival alone after all. Ordinarily, I would have grabbed a quick bite, headed straight back to the dorms, and crashed into bed. But thanks to this bouncy rabbit of a girl, the exhaustion weighing down my mind and body seemed to ease a little.
The streets of downtown Revrant were pulsing with life. For tonight at least, every soul in sight seemed determined to forget the trials of the world. Rather than strained, polite smiles, people wore wide, unrestrained grins, letting the festive tide carry them away.
"Woooow—!"
Her eyes darted eagerly across the night market, shining just as brightly as her silver hair.
"Haven't you been to festivals like this plenty of times?"
"I've never been to one like this! What's so fun about stiff, boring banquets where only nobles mingle?"
Well, I couldn't argue with that, but she was treating every little stall like an ancient wonder. At this rate, she was going to get lost in the crowd. I had invited her out for a meal, not to spend the evening hunting down a stray rabbit. Missing-pet quests were always far more grueling than they looked.
"Huh? Senior?"
"Hold on tight and stay close. What are you going to do if you get lost?"
"B-But... do we really need to hold hands...?"
"Grin and bear it. If you get swallowed by this crowd, I won't even be able to spot you."
"N-No! It's not that I'm complaining! L-Let's just keep going..."
Once I took her hand, she followed along meekly enough. But strangely, the lively chatterbox went dead silent. By the time the crowd began to thin and I let go to point out our destination, Renias moved stiffly, her arms and legs swinging on the same side like a malfunctioning automaton.
She must be starving.
I had seen firsthand just a few hours ago how weird people got when running on empty, yet I hadn't factored that in. I really should have bought her a quick snack as an appetizer.
The moment we stepped inside the restaurant, I placed our dinner order straight away.
"Sorry, Renias. It took longer than expected because of me. It must have been tough holding out."
"What? Oh, no... that's not..."
"I'm treating you to a feast to make up for it, so forgive me, all right?"
"Well... uh... okay, fine."
A lavish meal usually bought forgiveness for an empty stomach, so I threw in a generous spread of side dishes. Even after ordering, I felt a lingering sense of guilt, so I stole a glance across the table—only to lock eyes with her.
"What is it, Senior? Why are you avoiding my eyes?"
"Uh... I'm not."
"You totally are. You're looking away right now. Don't worry, I'm not mad at you just because I was hungry."
Renias let out a soft chuckle. She wasn't the type to throw a tantrum over something like that anyway, which helped me relax.
"More importantly, Senior, have you decided which lectures you're taking this term?"
"Uh... no?"
Come to think of it, course registration was right around the corner, but with everything else on my plate, I hadn't given it a single thought.
"I guess it really is time to pick."
"Right? That's why I asked. I figured you might not know what courses are available."
Having been stuck in the lower classes, limited to a narrow curriculum, it was only natural that I was out of the loop. Courses were supposed to be chosen based on aptitude and future career paths, but since I had never had the luxury of planning ahead, the whole process felt foreign.
Seeing my hesitation, Renias kindly began running through the available options. Most of the long-standing courses sounded entirely unfamiliar, and even if I wanted to take them, they were either useless to me or tailored specifically for high-ranking nobles. That left the newly established lectures.
Among those, the only one that seemed worthwhile was...
"Maybe... Alchemy."
It was a newly added course taught by Professor Dahlia, who had recently accepted a faculty position after coming over from the Empire. If there was any lecture that could actually benefit me, that was probably it.
"Mhm, mhm. What else?"
"Well, I should probably stick to what I know: Close-Quarters Combat, Mana Circulation Theory, Applied Spellcraft..."
Or so I thought, until my eyes caught Renias clutching something in her hands—which she suddenly snapped behind her back the moment our gazes met.
"...Renias?"
"Yes?! Ah! I-It's just that I have my own course schedule to worry about! Yeah! That's all it is!"
...I hadn't even said anything yet. Whatever she was hiding clearly had something to do with courses. A girl so fundamentally removed from wrongdoing probably had never told a convincing lie in her entire life. Her eyes darted wildly, guilt practically radiating from her as she desperately avoided looking at me.
"You're not planning another strange prank like earlier, are you?"
"Of course not! This is an entirely upright and honorable act with not a single shred of—hup!"
"...Really?"
Apparently she realized she had said too much. Renias slapped both hands over her mouth like a startled rabbit and shrank back into her seat. Whatever she was hiding, as long as it wasn't a malicious prank or something dangerous, I didn't particularly care. She had been worrying over my curriculum alongside me, after all.
Before long, the food arrived. The hunger that had been quieted by our academic chatter reared its head with a vengeance, and for the duration of the meal, neither of us said another word, completely absorbed in eating.
"If it's that good and you want more, just say so. Why sit there agonizing over it?"
"B-But... it's embarrassing. Eating this much, I mean."
"What's embarrassing about wanting seconds of good food?"
Watching her nibble bashfully on her spoon, looking thoroughly flustered, I went ahead and ordered another bowl. She had praised the dish, yet her face had been practically screaming with lingering regret; the moment the extra bowl hit the table, her eyes lit up like lanterns.
It made sense. She was using her physical body far more than she ever had before.
"You switched from purely mana-based training to intense physical exertion, so your appetite is naturally going to increase. Don't feel ashamed about it."
"Is that how it works? Hmm..."
"I went through the exact same thing when I started. I even used to wolf down several skewers for dessert afterward, and they went down like nothing. Even then, I still felt empty."
"I see. Heheh... here I was, worrying over nothing."
She had mentioned how, at social salons, she had to sit on pins and needles listening to dull gossip, unable to touch a single bite of the delicacies laid out before her. Now, with her stomach finally full, she looked completely content.
To think this girl, who shows so many different expressions, is supposedly emotionless?
My final conversation with Ophelia in the Student Council office had been about Renias. The Lady had claimed that Renias wore a mask, showing the exact same unreadable face to everyone around her. But that didn't match the girl sitting across from me at all.
When she was hungry, her mouth hung open as if she were about to drool.
When she got a cramp in the training hall, she wailed in pain with a tearful pout.
When she was genuinely angry, her expression turned cold enough to chill the room.
When she teased someone or pulled off a breakthrough, she flashed a brilliant, beaming grin, showing off her white teeth.
On top of that, she pumped her fists in triumph whenever justice prevailed, and wept bitterly over other people's misfortunes as if they were her own. She wore an entire kaleidoscope of emotions right on her sleeve.
"Phew... I feel alive again..."
Even right now, watching her bask in post-meal bliss, the idea of her wearing a mask felt utterly absurd. I couldn't help thinking that Ophelia had simply misunderstood her cousin. And yet...
Those parting words refused to leave my mind.
"Since you paid for dinner, Senior, snacks are on me! What do you say?"
"Snacks, huh?"
Looking at the hour, it was too awkward to head straight back. It was usually my training time, but my body wasn't in any condition for that tonight anyway. Since Ophelia must have had her reasons for saying what she did, spending a bit more time with Renias to understand her better didn't sound like a bad idea.
"You'll have to lead the way to the good snack spots. I don't know any."
"Of course! Leave it to me!"
She seemed thrilled at the prospect of dessert, but just as she turned to lead the way, she froze in her tracks. Then, glancing nervously back at me with a sheepish look, she piped up:
"Um... Senior? Do you mind if I get an order to go, too...? I feel like I'll be craving it again once we get back..."
She really must have loved the place I brought her to. Going out of her way to ask so timidly over something so small was endearing enough that I couldn't stop the corner of my mouth from tugging upward.
"I'll be getting some fresh air outside. Don't worry about me—order whatever you want."
"Ahaha, okay!"
The night air had grown brisk, but it was remarkably refreshing. In the gentle breeze, the dry chill of winter was nowhere to be found. The warmth of spring had settled deep into the soil, and even that was beginning to give way to the faint humidity of approaching summer.
Summer is almost here.
For me, summer had once marked the beginning of my happiest days. Starting from the day Tembris was officially promoted to a full team, it was the first season I had spent alongside them as a true comrade.
Looking up at the night sky, I lost myself in the memories of that era. A time of bliss, but also a cruel, agonizing past that I could never, ever allow to repeat.