Episode 93
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 93
Chapter 7: SUMMER EVENT: Do You Yearn for Salvation?
After fully recovering at the Sylvester mansion, Elysia returned to school with a healthy glow. The dark circles that had always shadowed her eyes were gone, making her look much more human.
She was sitting in the classroom reading a book before Adrian arrived—an extremely rare sight. When Adrian finally stood before her with a wide grin, she snapped.
“What took you so long?”
“I heard you were injured. How are you feeling?”
“Never better.”
“That’s great. You got plenty of rest, right?”
This is making me nervous. Just as she was about to complain about a sudden headache, Adrian piled a mountain of books on the desk in front of her, still grinning.
“We’re pulling all-nighters starting today.”
“What?! Why!?”
“Because the end-of-semester exams are in two weeks, and your head is a blank slate, sis.”
The smile that had always seemed so innocent now looked downright wicked. Stunned, Elysia stared at the books, then glanced at Adrian’s menacing aura and instinctively shrank back.
“You can’t fail, sis.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“From today on, no distractions. You are going to do nothing but study.”
Save me… Noticing the horrified look on Elysia’s face, which seemed to scream just that, he began to run his hands through his hair in frustration and lash out.
“Are you trying to get suspended and fail? If you get expelled on top of that, you’ll have the perfect resume for a gangster! You’ll get scouted by some gang leader!”
“Who said I wasn’t going to do it?! Hey, I’ll do it! I said I’ll do it! I’ll handle it myself, so—”
“But you don’t handle it yourself, do you?”
His sly remark left her speechless, her mouth hanging open. Adrian glared, pointing a finger at her.
“This time, you’re going to do it right! Why don’t you use that brilliant head of yours?!”
“What was that?”
“You have a great memory and a knack for applying what you learn, so why do you live like this? Ugh, it breaks my heart.”
She was suddenly being treated like trash. What’s wrong with how I live? Elysia scowled, about to snap, but then she saw the boy—who was like a younger brother to her—thumping his chest as if he were genuinely heartbroken. A laugh escaped her lips.
“What in the… Pfft, hahaha!”
“Ah, seriously, just for two weeks. Let’s just focus for two weeks. Please?”
“What can you possibly do in two weeks?”
“The way I see it, with a brain like yours, two weeks of focus will at least get you average grades.”
Is he underestimating me or overestimating me? Elysia pondered, looking at Adrian’s desperate expression. Failing… that would be a bit much, wouldn’t it? Noticing the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, he jumped up and down.
“Right? Even you think this can’t go on, right?”
“Ah… well, you’re not wrong, but…”
“Then we start today, okay?”
“Uh, yeah, sure…”
Having inadvertently agreed to Adrian’s proposal, Elysia casually swept her hair back, lost in thought.
One case just ended, so another one won’t pop up right away, will it? The crime rate can’t be that high. And I do need to be a decent student… Studying can’t hurt.
Besides, how much could he possibly make me do?
“You’re so screwed.”
It didn’t take long for that naive thought to be shattered.
While having lunch with Siene, Elysia choked and spat out a piece of bread. The two were sitting together in the vast garden between the Art Hall and Minerva, enjoying sandwiches.
The moment Siene heard that Elysia had agreed to study with Adrian, she clicked her tongue. Elysia’s eyes widened as she looked up, asking what she meant. As if welcoming her to the hell she had just walked into, Siene spoke.
“Do you even know what that senior’s nickname is?”
“Hmm…? He’s famous enough to have a nickname?”
“Everyone in the Prefect Office is famous, for better or for worse. Even if they choose an unpopular major and an unpopular club, they’re all people who stand out, aren’t they?”
So what’s the damn nickname? As if reading her mind, Siene answered.
“The Grinder.”
“…Huh?”
Elysia looked confused, trying to reconcile the Adrian she knew with the nickname ‘The Grinder.’ All she could picture was the pathetic guy who followed her around calling her “sis” only to get smacked around a few times. She couldn’t imagine him having a shred of grit.
Seeing the disbelief in her eyes, Siene shrugged.
“They say he’s relentless. Seriously. Since he’s a commoner, he was looked down on a lot when he first enrolled. He might be rich, but he doesn’t have a title, so it was especially bad in the departments with a lot of nobles.”
Without realizing it, Elysia slammed her hand on the table and ground her teeth.
“How dare those bastards mess with my puppy—”
“You’re just repeating yourself. Anyway, he enrolled in all of those departments and swept the top student position in every single one of them during the end-of-semester exams. They say he only slept for two days during that whole month.”
“…What?”
He’s not a puppy, he’s a viper! The color drained from Elysia’s face as she wondered if it could possibly be true. Siene’s calm gaze swept over her once.
Clicking her tongue lightly, Siene took a sip from her teacup to wet her throat, then continued with a faint smile.
“You’re in for it.”
“Should I try to back out now?”
“Dream on. You think that’s possible?”
Siene let out a short, derisive laugh as if the idea was absurd and set her teacup down with an elegant gesture. Noticing the gap between her graceful movements and her rough speech, Elysia narrowed her eyes.
“Your way of talking has gotten a little strange.”
“Whose fault do you think that is?”
Siene flashed an innocent smile and picked up a sketchbook that was leaning against her chair. Elysia naturally pushed the dishes on the table to one side and asked.
“Did you finish it?”
“I tried drawing it based on what you said, but…”
Elysia saw that the page of the proffered sketchbook was blank and tilted her head with a confused “Huh?” The artist, who was clearly in a foul mood, tapped her fingers on the table.
“I didn’t like it, so I tore it up.”
“…What? Hey, tape it back together and bring it here.”
“I burned it. I couldn’t stand the sight of it.”
Her goddamn artistic temperament was getting in the way. Elysia thumped her chest in frustration and rubbed a hand over her face, dumbfounded.
“Seriously, it’s not like you’re creating a masterpiece… I just need to be able to recognize the face.”
“How can I show you something I’m not satisfied with? Besides, the composition you requested is so tacky. A face just staring straight ahead, devoid of any emotion? You think my pride would allow that? I’d rather die!”
“Fine… Just die, then.”
Siene, who was more than used to Elysia’s sighs, just snorted and propped her chin on her hand, muttering.
“This isn’t even my specialty, to begin with. Drawing something exactly as it is, without any interpretation.”
“Is there anything you’re not good at?”
“Who said I’m not good at it?! I’m just saying it’s not a field where I’m exceptionally better than everyone else!”
Having snapped back without thinking, Siene’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, as if trying to regain her composure, she cleared her throat with a “harrumph” and casually waved at a man walking toward them in the distance.
She watched Elysia’s profile as she turned to look, then said.
“So I called someone who is.”
Lucian naturally took a seat next to Siene and gave a slight nod in greeting. Elysia’s mouth fell open as she watched Siene hold out her hand to him without any hesitation. When did they get so close?
Lucian hesitated, then spoke in a small voice.
“Do I really… have to show it?”
“I have to see it to verify your skills.”
“No, it’s just…”
“What’s wrong with you? You’re usually so confident. Give it to me, quickly!”
Finally giving in to Siene, who was glaring at him as if she were about to scold him, Lucian handed over his sketchbook with the face of a man being led to the slaughter. Siene flipped it open as if it were her own and chattered excitedly.
“Look at this. It’s a perfect likeness, isn’t it?”
Elysia stared blankly at the numerous sketches on the sketchbook pages. A face lost in concentration, a smile with eyes glancing slightly upward to the right, a view from behind with hair scattering in the wind, gazing silently into the distance…
Seeing the pages filled with Siene’s face, Elysia couldn’t help but let out a sound.
“Yikes.”
It was a sound that meant, ‘No matter how I look at this…,’ but Siene interpreted it in her own favor and simply beamed.
“Right? Lucian is really, really good at realistic depictions. Look at this line work. The way he blurs the edges to make it look real… isn’t it genius? I get jealous sometimes. Well, it’s not my field, so I’m not that jealous, but still…”
Unable to stand Siene’s endless stream of praise, Elysia rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fingers and said.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“And you were nagging me about not having a sense of crisis?”
Even she, who knew nothing about art, was sure of one thing. These sketches were practically dripping with affection. She was amazed by the sheer obsessiveness of it, how he had perfectly depicted even the fine baby hairs along Siene’s hairline.
I can’t let this guy do it, no matter what. Her face hardened, and she was about to launch into a lecture when Siene’s reply left her speechless.
“I know what you’re misunderstanding, but it’s not like that.”
“Are you completely clueless? If it’s not like that, why would he draw these?”
Siene’s impassive face blinked once before she answered as if stating the obvious.
“Well, because I’m beautiful, aren’t I?”
“Well, that’s true… wait, what?”
“Lucian is an artist who pursues beauty. So of course he couldn’t resist drawing me. It’s only natural. I used to draw my own face before I met you.”
“You crazy…”
Wow, I’m speechless. Elysia barely managed to swallow the torrent of curses that threatened to spill out. Siene stood up, her eyes curving into a smile, and tucked her sketchbook under her arm.
Elysia spotted Lucian staring blankly at the sway of Siene’s silver ponytail and stomped on his foot under the table. Siene, barely noticing Lucian’s stifled groan, looked down at her with a haughty expression.
“Anyway, I’ll ask Lucian to handle the montage… Oh! I’m also starting on my end-of-semester project today, and I’ll be working on it until the break. If I get tired of painting, I’ll stop by the Prefect Office, so wait for me, okay?”
“Why don’t you just build a nest there while you’re at it…”
“You’re always hanging out with that senior. Don’t make me jealous. Hang out with me sometimes, too. Got it?”
With a light huff, Siene walked away from them with graceful steps. Elysia, who had been staring blankly at her retreating back, pointed a finger at that slender figure and asked Lucian, who still couldn’t lift his head.
“Is that really the reason you haven’t been found out?”
“…Yeah.”
There was only one thing Elysia could say in this situation.
“Man, you poor bastard.”
♥ SYSTEM: ‘Lucian Violante’ has changed to an ‘Unconquerable’ state.
Oh, you just can’t give up? Then why not purchase the ‘Love Triangle’ event! >_0
Purchase? Yes | No ♥
Shaking her head, Elysia selected ‘No’ and muttered to herself.
No thanks. First of all, he’s not my type, and second, it seems only right that this poor guy gets picked up by that narcissistic, crazy artist.