School Life Returns to Normal (3)
The mere thought of that bastard begging me to pull him out of the tower made my ears feel like they were ringing with noise. But what could we do about it? When the group you originally belong to falls into a chaotic situation, anyone who makes even one wrong move is bound to be beaten half to death as an example. If the circumstances had allowed, I would have liked to praise the guy who knocked Jaber down in my place. Still, he hadn’t chosen the right time or place, so it wasn’t all that strange that things had turned out this way.
‘Anyway, the fact that he’s strutting around like this is exactly the same as in the original story…’
I had no idea why he liked me so much. He should have shown some restraint. It was a shame, but we were children of the North. We had no connections in the capital, so the only thing we could offer him was deep sympathy.
“…It’s a complete mess, Yohan.”
“You can say that again.”
There was no way I could refute the heavy words the young lady had just uttered. Forget it. I was done thinking about it.
“…Since things have come to this, shall we have a cup of black tea and take another nap?”
“Where… in bed?”
“Was I lacking in some way?”
“…N-no. Not at all.”
As long as the young lady was there, everything was fine. Right now, enjoying this rest with her took priority.
“By the way, do you have any thoughts about the school closing?”
“I actually thought it was only natural. If I see it as time to reorganize, it doesn’t feel like a waste. So many bad things have happened until now… maybe this isn’t so terrible after all.”
I smiled as I looked at her disheveled hair. This might be the first time I’d seen her so defenseless.
“In that case, after a short nap, shall we go to the market in the city? I was thinking of buying ingredients for dinner.”
“…Shall we? To be honest, ever since I ate that Northern-style banquet at Professor Casacos’s house, I’ve been craving my hometown food.”
“I’m not very good at cooking, but I’ll do my best to assist you, my lady.”
“I told you not to call me ‘my lady’…”
She smiled brightly.
“…But if it’s you calling me that, I don’t mind anything.”
Going out into the streets was nice. Being able to spend such intimate time alone with the young lady was a luxury that would never have been permitted in the North.
However.
While walking through the streets… I couldn’t shake the unbearable itch at the back of my neck.
“Oh, it’s Sir Yohan…”
“The Grand Duke’s daughter is with him too…!”
Whether on the main road or at the stalls, it felt like gazes mixed with the wind were constantly sweeping over me. I almost wished they would at least hide it, or be blatantly obvious so I could at least admire their courage. The subtle glances from the students we passed were exquisitely uncomfortable. Surely they weren’t looking at us like that just because I was walking with the young lady.
It was probably because of the forest training. The students who had received my help or heard the rumors were clearly scrutinizing us. At this rate, the young lady must have noticed it too.
When I darkened my expression, she asked me,
“Yohan, is your stomach upset?”
“No, my lady… It’s nothing like that. It just seems like more people than usual are staring at us.”
“…What disgusting creatures. They ignored us and didn’t care before, but now they’re acting like this?”
I found those piercing, knife-like stares extremely unpleasant. Fighting would probably be more comfortable than this. Her words of comfort matched my thoughts exactly. Since when had they cared about us enough to send such looks?
But if I kept reacting like this, it would only make the young lady uncomfortable too. So I decided it was right to live as usual. I had to fully enjoy my daily life with her. Only then could I escape their subtle gazes.
“Isn’t it heavy…?”
“These muscles didn’t grow for nothing, my lady.”
Since Lady Karalin was strong, she could easily carry any amount of groceries in the basket. But as her servant—and more importantly, as a man—I wanted to do something gentlemanly, so I kept carrying the basket and following closely beside her.
And more than half of what was in that basket were things the young lady had insisted on buying. Since I wasn’t very good at cooking, I had no idea what to do with so many ingredients… but the young lady, who had excellent taste, knew exactly how to use every single one. She selected whatever she wanted like a triumphant general collecting tribute, with the happiest expression in the world.
“Oh! There’s a fruit stand…!”
Right now, as she chose the items, there was no sign of the heavy burden of being the spark of hope that would carry the North on her shoulders, nor the responsibility of a successor who must endure pain. All I could see was a tall, slender, innocent girl.
Lady Karalin must have truly dreamed of this kind of simple life. Perhaps even more than I had. Reflecting on the years I spent with her in the North and the time we’d shared at the academy, I felt we deserved moments like this. Even if the road ahead was still full of mountains.
“Yohan. Look at this, it’s kiwi berry.”
She turned her head and showed me the pale green fruit in her hand. I had no idea what it tasted like, so I couldn’t react.
“This is really delicious…?”
She grinned, saying it was one of her favorites.
“Then let’s buy it.”
If she said so, what choice did I have? I quietly placed it in the basket.
“Lady Karalin!”
…However.
Someone was bound to intrude on this peaceful daily life.
A sharp cry pierced my back. I stopped in my tracks. No—I had no choice but to stop. The young lady did the same. The footsteps rushing toward us from behind were ridiculously frivolous. Impatience, determination, and a strange sense of regret. They were openly carrying the subtle glances we’d been receiving lately in their stride.
The female voice spoke to us.
“Back then… during the forest training, thank you so much. We… our whole team survived. All of us. It’s all thanks to Lady Karalin and Sir Yohan…!”
“…You.”
Since I hadn’t been by her side the whole time, I had no idea what this person was talking about.
“What is it, my lady?”
“It’s nothing important. She’s the one who used to put thumbtacks in my shoes. During the forest training, I happened to see her being chased by the Steel Hawk and helped her.”
I see. ‘That son of a bitch…’
After hearing the explanation, I looked down at her with a deeply furrowed expression. She shrank back and said,
“Um… after that day, I changed my mind. My behavior was really rude… If I get the chance, I really want to…”
“That’s enough. We don’t need it, so don’t bother us.”
But Lady Karalin waved her hand dismissively, not even sparing her a glance, and continued on her way. Still seething, I glared at the girl until the end and simply followed the young lady.
However.
As we turned the corner of the alley, two more female students approached. This time, their business was with me.
“Sir Yohan…! Um… I’m sorry for approaching you out of nowhere, but could you possibly help me with training? I feel like I could learn so much from you. I can cook a little too. If you ever need anything…”
“Yohan doesn’t need that.”
The young lady lightly rejected the request. Her voice was still bright, but I could feel the strength in her fingertips.
“B-but…”
“I said he doesn’t need it.”
This was about to explode. The young lady stared at them with strangely dead eyes. As for me, I just found it burdensome, but she probably felt the same way I did when looking at the bitch who had tormented her earlier.
Intimidated by Lady Karalin’s demeanor, they fled as if running for their lives.
Damn it. Seriously.
“This is so exhausting, really…”
After confirming they were gone, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes, cupped both my cheeks in her hands, and said,
“Yohan.”
“Yes…?”
“If people like that come again, what will you do?”
“W-well, what should I do…?”
“You are precious to me. So to those hyena-like wenches, you must say: ‘No. I don’t want to. Don’t.’”
“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of following them at all.”
What on earth was she worrying about? I didn’t have even the slightest thought of that. So I explained.
“Those girls are just… saying they respect me because I saved them. Isn’t that actually rude? They treated us like nothing until we were on the verge of death, and now they come before us with stars in their eyes. I have no intention of accepting them.”
Only then did the young lady finally smile again.
“As expected of my servant. You have such upright and sharp thoughts. You’re like a cute squirrel.”
“A-are you calling me a squirrel?”
“You’ve always looked that way in my eyes.”
Was she just attaching whatever she wanted now…? Anyway. It felt like if one more person showed up, she might actually beat them up. Even though I tried to make things comfortable for her, it seemed it couldn’t be helped.
“Y-Yohan… right?”
But at that moment. Again! Someone else spoke to us!
‘Goddamn it!’
I couldn’t help but curse.
“……….”
It seemed Lady Karalin felt the same, because her eyes instantly turned sharp as she glared at the source of the voice. The small woman standing there, receiving our combined gaze, flinched for a moment before removing her hood. She tried to endure our stares with a straight, upright look in her eyes. Pure white platinum blonde hair and straight, pointed ears. Anyone could tell she was advertising: I am an elf.
“Oh, it’s Lumein Kelo.”
“You remember me after all. Or rather, since you knew my name from the first time we met, I suppose it’s only natural…”
During the forest training, I had helped her when she was fleeing with the blind girl, Baisa. She was the one with the excellent character who had shaped Jurchen’s tastes, and according to Baisa, she was a famous great noblewoman. I didn’t know why she was suddenly talking to me, but if she was just going to say thank you for that time, I’d rather not hear it. I was already tired.
Sigh—.
But the moment I recognized her, she let out a sigh of relief and suddenly bowed deeply to me.
THUD────!!!
Huh?
“Anyway! I’m really sorry for interrupting your intimate time together! This is shameless of me, but could you please listen to what I have to say?!”
“Hey, seriously. Why are you doing this all of a sudden…! Everyone’s watching, so please stand up…!”
“Please, this is the request of a lifetime…!!”
Watching her, the young lady and I could only exchange glances as if asking what the hell was going on. Just what was this girl up to?