Episode 114
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 114
They stood at a distance, their glares fixed on him as they watched his every move. And even in the midst of the chaotic, teeming crowd, she seemed to have sensed their negative stares. She was, after all, a woman dull to kindness but sharp to animosity.
“El, that’s only natural.”
“Why is it natural?”
“To the students from Alea and Lyne, I’m an enemy who fought against their two nations. And to the students from Löwe, I’m a traitor who fled the battlefield at a critical moment.”
Hearing this, Elysia shook her head as if that wasn’t enough and asked again.
“That was true before, too. Why are they bitching about it now?”
A little late for that, you bastards… Far from being bothered by Elysia’s muttering, he actually liked it.
He gently cupped the cheeks of Elysia, who was glancing around as if to protect him, and gave them a soft pinch as if to calm her down before answering.
“Before, I was pushed to the sidelines, so there was no need for them to be hostile.”
“Aha…”
She nodded as if she understood.
In short, a guy who used to keep his head down was starting to stand out, and it was getting on their nerves. With a cold expression, Elysia recalled the faces of the few groups who had shown hostility toward Evan.
Somehow, she had a bad feeling. She hoped it was just a feeling, but…
“Shall we go?”
His voice broke her out of her thoughts. Snapping back to reality, Elysia stared at the small, shabby door in front of her.
The man who, just a few months ago, had shielded her forehead when she almost hit her head on the low entrance was now holding her hand. With a creak, the door to the Prefect Office opened.
“Elysiaaa! Seniooor!!!”
The moment the door opened, the Prefect Office’s puppy shot out, looking even more excited than usual today. Elysia instinctively stepped back and hid behind Evan, dodging Adrian’s hug.
But Adrian managed to pull Elysia out from behind Evan’s back, his eyes sparkling.
“So, what are we?”
“We’re… people?”
“Not that!”
Grumbling, Adrian picked up the school newspaper, tapping the headline as he continued.
“They’ve decided on the theme for the start-of-term banquet. Halloween, apparently.”
“Halloween is still a month away.”
“It’s because it’ll be exam season then, so they’re doing it now to kill two birds with one stone.”
“When is it?”
Instead of waiting for an answer, Elysia took the newspaper from Adrian’s hand. After checking the article, she silently calculated the date.
September 31st, two days from now… Of all days, it was the day she was scheduled to meet the culprit alone. She scratched the side of her head with an uneasy expression.
It felt like something was being built up, like a precarious tower. She could faintly sense a sinister feeling, but not knowing its exact source was unsettling…
*
And upon hearing her words, Siene replied firmly.
“You’re just being paranoid.”
She gave her a look that said how pathetic. Since it was the first day of the term, all their classes had ended early, and they were relaxing at a tea house.
Siene’s fine, silver hair, worn down instead of tied up as usual, went well with the ornate dress that could have looked childish if worn incorrectly.
Elysia, who had just put a piece of tongue-numbingly sweet cake into her mouth, glared out the window. She’d had the feeling she was being followed ever since they left the school and walked into town.
“Even now, I’m telling you, I can feel a murderous aura.”
“Honestly, you’re just paranoid.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Ow, why’d you hit me!”
Siene, who had been yawning leisurely, looked sullenly at Elysia after she flicked her on the forehead. Elysia suddenly felt a sense of hopelessness.
‘What am I going to do with this girl?’
Ever since Evan got hurt, she’d been thinking she needed to pay more attention to the safety of those around her. But Siene was a walking liability. Her wrists and ankles were slender, and her frame was small.
The only saving grace was her stubborn streak… Elysia asked Siene, who was pouting from being hit out of the blue.
“You’ve… never been in a physical fight, have you.”
“My, why would I ever do something like that?”
It was amazing she could talk so rudely and never once had her hair pulled. It’s a good thing she was born a noble; otherwise, she would have inevitably learned how to fight.
Elysia sighed lightly and asked again.
“What’s your 100-meter dash time?”
“I’ve never run it, so I wouldn’t know?”
“Have you learned any self-defense?”
The silence was long. It was obvious she had no such experience, but her pride seemed to be a little hurt, and she looked like she was trying her best to recall something. The pink eyes, lost in thought, suddenly widened.
“Ah! In an emergency, a man’s crotch—”
“Hey, you think just anyone can kick there? You’d never be able to do it.”
A man’s instinct to protect that area is terrifying. If you try to kick, you’re more likely to get your ankle grabbed. That’s why it’s better to just run away fast instead of trying to fight back…
“Can’t I just kick it?”
“And what, you think the bastard is just going to spread his legs and say, ‘Please kick here~’? Is he a target?”
“W-well, I’ll just aim well and do it!”
This clueless little lamb… could she do it? No way. If there was a ranking for who would die first, she’d be number one. With a troubled expression, Elysia started searching her Inventory.
Item Description: Semi-automatic pistol. Recommended for women for self-defense. Damage (387)
A gun wasn’t bad, but a weapon that could take down an opponent was also dangerous for the user. What if she misfired, even slightly?
Besides, Siene was a stubborn artist who would rather die than injure her hands. So she couldn’t give her something this dangerous.
<Baseball Bat>
Item Description: It's primitive, but nothing delivers a satisfying headshot quite like this. Damage (64)
Oh, this is one of my favorites. But it’s too big for Siene. Rejected.
<Collapsible Baton>
Item Description: Flick it to extend it, then strike! Damage (41)
Not bad, but for someone like Siene, it would be on the heavier side for a self-defense tool. It was easy to imagine the result of giving this to her. She might swing it and fall over herself…
Just as she sighed, an item she didn’t even know she had caught her eye.
“…Hmm.”
<Wasabi Pepper Mala Spray>
Item Description: Aim for the eyes and spray. That's it. On hit, target is incapacitated and immobilized for 30 seconds.
Fits in one hand, pass. So light you’d barely notice you’re holding it, also a pass. This is it.
Seeing as it was a weapon she, who always settled things with her fists, had no use for, she must have unknowingly shoved it into her Inventory when she raided the weapon shop.
Elysia held out the spray to Siene, who was happily eating her dessert.
“Carry this with you from now on.”
“What’s this? Perfume?”
“Hey, hey!!! Don’t open it now!”
Elysia hurriedly stopped Siene, who was about to casually open the cap, and said with a determined look.
“Listen carefully. If someone attacks you, just remember this one thing.”
“What?”
“Your combat ability is worse than a slug’s.”
“…”
“So, instead of balling up your fists and trying to act tough, your best bet is to run first, got it?”
“You’re so annoying,” Siene muttered, then gestured with her eyes for Elysia to continue. Elysia placed the spray in Siene’s hand and pointed to the nozzle.
“Take it out, open the cap, and check the wind direction. Stand with the wind at your back, roughly aim for the opponent’s eyes, and press.”
“I’m not you. How am I supposed to aim in an instant…?”
“If you hit them in the eyes, that’s great. But it doesn’t matter if you miss. Their skin will sting like crazy, so they’ll let go of you for a moment. That’s when you run for your life and scream as loud as you can. Got it?”
“Hmm…”
Siene stared down at the spray in her hand and moved as if reenacting Elysia’s words.
“Open the cap, check the wind direction… But what does ‘stand with the wind at your back’ mean?”
It really felt like leaving a child by the water’s edge. Elysia squeezed her eyes shut and sighed.
*
Beneath a magnificent chandelier, students sat in various groups, chatting amongst themselves. The male students talking loudly about investments, conscious of the female students’ gazes, were the sons of families profiting from the prolonged war.
By the window, a few people were playing chess. Since all the decisions about the start-of-term banquet had been made, the student council members were busy resting or playing.
“Is Evan Sylvester planning to marry that woman or something?”
Cain, who was chalking the tip of his cue stick in front of the pool table, looked up at the remark. Excited that the usually indifferent Cain was showing interest, they began to chatter loudly.
“House Sylvester has some nerve. Taking back a son who fled the battlefield.”
An invisible thread of tension tightened between the people of the three nations. Although Evan Sylvester’s end had been disgraceful, he had once been a hero who brought many victories to Löwe.
For students from Alea and Lyne to be badmouthing such a person created a rather delicate situation.
At Minerva, where students of various nationalities gathered, war was a topic just like this. Normally, they would laugh and chat together, but the moment the war was mentioned, a chilly tension would fill the campus.
Finally, a student from Löwe spoke up.
“It seems the defeat you suffered back then still stings. To show such strong hostility to someone who has long since retired from the front lines.”
“And here you are, defending the guy who stabbed you in the back.”
“Stabbed in the back? Ah, are you talking about the surprise attack on Alea?”
“That’s enough.”
“It seems you’ve forgotten who started it first.”
The war had gone on for so long it had become a part of daily life, and while everyone was used to it and didn’t get worked up over every little thing, a war was still a war. The students from Löwe, suddenly united, glared at the other students, who glared right back.
At that moment, Cain noticed a figure in his line of sight and narrowed his eyes with interest. Edgar Harvey, a freshman from a family considered quite wealthy in Löwe, but who was rated as merely average here.
His looks were average, his academic rank was middle-of-the-pack. To put it nicely, he was ordinary; to put it bluntly, he was unnoticeable and lacked presence.
As he listened to Evan being slandered, his face was strangely distorted. Behind the stiff, blank expression he seemed to have adopted to blend in, there was a clear sense of ecstasy.
Unaware of Cain listening to their conversation with interest, the students continued to talk.
“Anyway, it seems getting kicked out of his family for a while lowered his standards. To think he’s with Elysia Hemming, that hooligan.”
“She’s not bad-looking, though. A personality like that can be fun to tame. A woman like that, at night, is probably quite…”
Just as the mocking words about Elysia were about to spill out, a sound like thunder echoed through the hall. Everyone, no matter what they were doing, froze and stared at the source of the noise.
Pool balls scattered across the floor with a crash. In the silence that fell as if on cue, a man spoke with a smile.
“My mistake.”