Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Han Cheon-seong, Glacia, and Leonhardt
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***
When I turned my head at David's words, I saw her.
A woman with blue hair, the focus of everyone's attention, staring right at me.
Her uniform, a mix of white and gold characteristic of Class A, was elegant and luxurious, standing out starkly against the blue and black of the surrounding Class C uniforms.
"Glacia?"
As I blankly called her name, wondering why she had come to find me, Glacia simply watched me without a word.
Her eyes, an even deeper blue than her hair, just met mine. For a moment, I was dumbfounded.
Seriously, if you come looking for someone, you should say something.
After a moment of meeting her gaze, Glacia finally spoke.
"Han Cheon-seong. Do you have a moment?"
"Time... No, before that, what's this about?"
"You'll find out if you come with me."
Her cryptic words made me frown.
I'd felt it when we first met, but Glacia's way of speaking was truly bizarre.
It was as if everything she said was completely self-centered. She had no consideration for the person she was talking to.
If she had clearly stated her purpose and asked me to come along, I would have understood and agreed, but she seemed to assume I would naturally accept when she just said I'd find out if I went with her.
...For a moment, I considered refusing, but that didn't feel right.
It would be rude to Glacia.
I couldn't do that.
I needed to befriend Glacia one way or another, and despite appearances, I was the one in a hurry in our relationship.
'Did something happen?'
I figured there must be some reason for her to seek me out like this. For now, I had to turn to David with an awkward smile.
"David. I'm really sorry... but I don't think I can look around the academy with you. Let's do it next time."
"Oh, uh. Yeah... okay. Han Cheon-seong."
David, though not understanding the situation, tactfully stepped aside at my words. I then approached Glacia and nodded.
"I have time. Glacia, more than anything, I think we should change locations."
The number of stares pouring in from all around was immense.
Class A students were usually far removed from this area, so her presence alone was drawing a great deal of attention.
A Class A student had suddenly appeared among those from Classes B and C; it would have been stranger if she *hadn't* drawn any stares.
"Glacia, there are too many people watching inside. How about we go outside to talk?"
"Alright."
Glacia replied calmly and began to lead the way. Walking in step with her, I felt a strange mix of emotions.
'What on earth does she want?'
I certainly considered my connection with Glacia to be a significant and important matter.
She was an essential figure in my academy life, someone with whom I needed to build a good relationship.
Still, this situation, walking with her now, felt completely random. The way she had looked at me during the entrance ceremony was one thing, but I never imagined Glacia would interrupt me just as I thought I'd had the good fortune to make a proper friend.
...And most importantly, my current circumstances weren't ideal for attracting the attention of so many people.
*Step.*
*Rustle...*
Even now, as I walked alongside Glacia, I could feel the gazes of those around us. Far too many eyes were on us.
Passing Class B and Class C students were all sneaking glances, showing their interest. While Glacia might not have minded, I found the attention burdensome.
'It'd be one thing if I had an outstanding trait like Leonhardt's Legendary, or even a Unique one...'
In reality, I only had a Common trait.
If it became known that I was involved with a student as exceptional as Glacia, I would only receive unnecessary attention.
'...It'll be a problem if people start having expectations of me or if my name becomes well-known.'
Just having a connection with a Class A student was enough to make me stand out.
And the academy life I wanted was one where I could be like air—present but unnoticed—while still securing everything I needed.
But now.
Glacia's approach had completely shattered that plan.
—!
At that moment, my thoughts came to a halt.
Suddenly, I felt an intense gaze on the back of my head.
A sharp, icy stare that felt like it was piercing me.
Once my Spearmanship reached level 3 and I could wield mana, my senses had surpassed the limits of an ordinary person.
Considering Spearmanship emphasized agility and made one sensitive to the gazes of others, this feeling was no mere illusion.
Slowly turning my head, I saw a person in the distance staring intently at me.
A blond man, surrounded by several others. Tall, and, as someone had said, handsome to an irritating degree.
It was the protagonist of this world, Leonhardt Rorient. He was looking at me.
'Why is he looking at me so menacingly?'
There was no way I knew the protagonist, which meant he couldn't possibly know me.
Yet he was staring at me with a sharp gaze that was anything but friendly, and it felt strange.
"Han Cheon-seong. I think the Class C uniform is prettier."
The sound of her voice made me turn my head blankly.
"Huh?"
"The Class C uniform. I said it's pretty."
Meeting Glacia's eyes as she said something so out of the blue, I just nodded numbly.
"You think so...? The black and blue design is nice. But still, isn't the uniform you're wearing much better, Glacia?"
As I answered, my gaze naturally fell on the uniform Glacia was wearing.
A uniform with a subtle grace that anyone would recognize as high-quality.
If someone didn't know it was an academy uniform, they might mistake it for a fine formal suit for a banquet. It was that splendid.
It was incomparable to the drab uniform I was wearing.
"Really? I'm not so sure."
Then Glacia abruptly turned her head away.
...What was with that attitude?
Realizing Glacia had a knack for cutting off conversations, I decided to just let it go.
I glanced back again, but Leonhardt, who had been glaring at me moments before, was no longer looking my way.
He was smiling brightly at the crowd of Class A students, laughing and chatting with them... The sight made me tilt my head, but I still felt a sense of unease.
The reason Leonhardt had been looking at me.
Circumstantially, there could only be one.
Because of Glacia, who was walking so nonchalantly beside me.
'Is he unhappy that Glacia is with me right now?'
There was no other reason for Leonhardt to glare at me like that, so I could guess the reason, but I couldn't be certain.
In truth, I was also confused about what was happening.
Originally, Leonhardt, the protagonist of this world, had no particular connection with Glacia.
His relationships were already complex enough with the people he encountered in his own class, so he didn't have a very wide social circle.
The situation had changed and was now flowing in a very strange direction. It left a bad taste in my mouth.
'Wait. Isn't this a huge problem?'
It was a feeling—no, an intuition—that the future I knew had changed.
Glacia, Leonhardt, and even Luna and Millia from my class—so many things were different from the world in the novel I knew.
Did that mean the few advantages I could use might all change as well?
A great worry bloomed inside me, but I tried to think.
'...Stay calm.'
For now, I needed to focus on why Glacia wanted to see me in the first place.
…
After leaving the grand hall with Glacia, we reached a secluded area on the vast academy grounds.
*Thud.*
Glacia stopped walking, and I stopped with her.
*Swish.*
A cool breeze blew, gently rustling her blue hair. Glacia turned to face me.
I calmly met her gaze and gave a small nod.
"......"
It was truly amazing.
Glacia said nothing.
It was as if Glacia was waiting for me to speak first. Or perhaps she wanted me to ask the first question; either way, she just stared.
It was... so absurd that, in the end, I was the one to speak first.
"Glacia, so what's the reason you suddenly came to find me?"
At my words, Glacia glanced around and hesitated, as if she was struggling to get the words out. Her expression made me tense up.
What on earth did Glacia want to say that she sought me out for a private conversation like this?
The more I thought about it, the stranger it all seemed.
'Could there be some serious issue I don't know about?'
Or maybe something related to Leonhardt. As I unknowingly grew more tense, Glacia's lips finally parted.
"...Just because."
"Huh?"
"Just because," she repeated.
She kindly answered again in case I hadn't heard, but the content was so ridiculous I could only blink.
I stared blankly at Glacia for a moment before letting out a small sigh and speaking.
"Glacia. So you're saying you called me... just because?"
"Yeah."
Seriously, I wish she'd stop giving one-word answers.
The way you're talking is making me want to tear my hair out...
Of course, I only thought that to myself as a dry laugh escaped my lips. *Haha.*
What in the world...
What kind of woman was this Glacia?
As I thought this, I found myself speaking again.
"So, just because. You just wanted to talk to me?"
If I didn't ask.
This woman...
She seemed like she wouldn't say another word.
***
"..."
After Glacia left, Leonhardt's mood in the grand hall was indescribably strange.
It was the first time.
The first time he'd met a woman who didn't react at all to what he said.
Seeing the student sitting next to him by chance, he had found himself striking up a conversation.
Elegant and graceful.
A woman who possessed a sophisticated beauty.
He'd taken a liking to her at first sight.
Enough to make him initiate the conversation.
But the response he received was complete silence.
Or, a string of one-word answers like "Yeah" or "No"...
"...Leonhardt!?"
"Huh?"
"We're going to look around the academy now. You should come with us!"
He managed an awkward smile for Yumia, who spoke to him in a friendly tone.
"Sure. Let's go together."
As he started to walk with them... the image kept flashing before his eyes.
The sight of Glacia approaching a man who looked to be from Class C and speaking to him directly.
The more he thought about it, the stranger Glacia seemed.
A type of woman he had never encountered before.
'And who was that man, anyway?'