Sharing a Table
'To ask me to kill her out of the blue.'
In the first place, killing Libero was never my intention. If anything, I had wanted to save him. It was just that the situation back then had left me with no other choice.
'He just went and got satisfied all on his own.'
If he wanted to save the Reim Kingdom, he should have done it with his own hands. Instead, he dumped that burden onto me and departed. Unaware of any of this, Freira had babbled those words. And what was worse...
'I don't even know what her own goal was.'
When she asked me to kill her, I had first demanded to know what her purpose was. Although players had thoroughly analyzed Freira's character profile, nothing had ever been revealed about her ultimate goal. And soon, I found out why.
"A goal? I don't have anything like that. Can't you just kill me right now?"
She simply didn't have one to begin with. Naturally, without knowing her purpose, there was no way she could die with a peaceful smile like Libero did, even if I were to kill her. Besides, I hadn't sought her out to end her life; I had sought her out because I needed her.
'Because I needed to transfer into her class.'
In any case, I wasn't in desperate need of SP right this second. Moreover, killing Freira was a matter that required careful consideration. Unlike the Holy Church, which was crawling with spies from the Demon King's faction, she was the only spy the Church had managed to plant within the Demon King's ranks.
'Still, I'm glad we managed to reach some sort of understanding.'
I couldn't kill her right now. So, I gave her a task: to first find something she could call her own purpose. On top of that, I mentioned myself, Yoo Seora, and a few other students we could try to trade for. For now, things had wrapped up reasonably well. All that was left was to wait for the trade results.
With those thoughts in mind, I set my tray down on the table. Mealtime, which came twice a day. While it couldn't compare to Mr. Weiss's cooking, it was easily the next best thing. It was a rare moment of healing amidst a hectic academy life.
'Come to think of it, I can't even use the excuse of eating alone anymore.'
By now, I had grown reasonably close to the new people I'd met.
'Not that it really bothers me.'
I already had too many things on my mind. My schedule was so packed that even finding time to practice archery was a struggle. Because of that, I wanted to be left alone, at least while I was eating.
'I can use this time to map out my future plans too...'
But it seemed today was not my day. A tray was casually set down right in front of me. I looked up to identify the culprit.
'Wilhelm?'
He was someone who, like me, always ate alone. Yet, for some reason, he had walked over and seated himself right across from me.
'What's this about all of a sudden?'
After taking a few awkward bites, he finally spoke.
"Thanks."
What? I tried to think of anything I had done to deserve his gratitude. The only thing that came to mind was our recent conversation, which was barely even worth calling a counseling session.
'And even then, I cut it short and rushed off to save Yoo Seora.'
Still, that was the only possibility. He wasn't the type of guy to seek me out and say thank you just because I occasionally handed him a bottle of water during archery class.
"Is this about our talk the other day?"
Wilhelm nodded. I knew it. But...
"But I barely did anything. I only said I'd look into the cause."
And I still hadn't found that cause. All I had gathered was that it fell under the jurisdiction of the God of Chains, and that he had carried out some sort of task related to it. If anything, I only had more questions now.
"Did you manage to get back in touch with your Constellation?"
"No, not that."
A part of me had hoped, so it was a bit disappointing. Then what on earth was he thanking me for?
"We haven't reconnected, but when I thought about it, I realized that bastard of a Constellation wouldn't want me moping around either."
"And that has to do with our talk?"
"Talking things out is surprisingly effective. Just voicing my worries to someone else helped clear my head."
I still wasn't sure if that warranted a personal thank-you. I had merely listened; he was the one who had sorted out his own thoughts. If anything, I was the one who wanted to thank him.
'Because of him, I was able to save Yoo Seora.'
If Wilhelm hadn't approached me that day, would I have realized in time that the connections with the Constellations had been severed? The chances were extremely slim. I had saved Yoo Seora by the skin of my teeth. In that case, it was only fair that I expressed my gratitude as well.
"Actually, I should be the one..."
Just then, someone set a tray down next to Wilhelm. My mouth froze mid-sentence. It was Yoo Seora.
"Well, look at this. The Class 2 archer duo."
She smiled brightly at Wilhelm and me. Come to think of it, she used to have such a stiff, cold impression until recently, but she seemed to have brightened up quite a bit after that incident. It made sense, considering her biggest worry had finally been lifted.
Still, that didn't make this sudden closeness any less awkward. Besides, this was the first time she had ever joined me for a meal. She probably felt comfortable sitting down because Wilhelm was already here.
"Were you about to say something?"
"No, it's nothing."
Yoo Seora tilted her head, studying me. I casually stuffed some food into my mouth.
"By the way, didn't you two always eat alone? Don't you have any friends?"
"Pfft...!"
"Naturally."
Unlike me, who had choked on his food, Wilhelm answered with absolute composure. I felt a sudden wave of respect for him.
"Anyway, why don't we eat together like this from now on? You know, as Class 2 classmates."
Honestly, I wanted to decline. But just as I was trying to figure out a polite way to refuse—
"Count me out."
Wilhelm stood up. He had definitely sat down after me, yet his plate was already completely empty.
"I don't have enough time to train."
'Dude, you spend literally all day at the archery range. How can you not have enough time...'
Regardless, Wilhelm was a real man's man, far exceeding my expectations. Yoo Seora, who was sitting next to him, also stared blankly at his retreating figure as he casually walked away.
'Should... should I reject her coolly like that too?'
Just then, Yoo Seora muttered something.
"This is actually better."
Did I hear that right? I was pretty sure that's what she said, but I couldn't be certain.
"What did you just say?"
"Huh? I didn't say anything."
She smiled at me.
"Well, since it can't be helped, let's just eat together, the two of us."
This was definitely uncomfortable. At the same time, a strange sense of foreboding began to creep over me. Just as I felt my stomach churn and tried to stand up—
Grip.
Someone placed a hand on my shoulder. It was a petite hand, but it gripped me with considerable force. For some reason, goosebumps broke out across my back. The bizarre sense of dread I had been feeling ever since my swordsmanship bet with Yoo Seora had arrived right beside me.
"Oh? You still have quite a bit of food left."
I carefully turned my head to check the person standing next to me.
"Elsie...?"
She was smiling, but for some reason, her eyes weren't. She set her tray down in the seat next to mine. Seeing this, Yoo Seora's expression soured instantly.
'I'm screwed.'
Up until now, it had just been a nagging feeling that things might go south, but this time, I was truly screwed. The two girls, who had become practically mortal enemies since the last mock battle, had just crossed paths. I needed to escape this place as quickly as possible.
'Ugh...'
But the force with which Elsie was pinning down my shoulder was stronger than I expected. The physical strength derived from her stats as a playable character possessed a destructive power that completely contradicted her slender arms. Realizing I had given up on standing, she immediately slid into the seat beside me.
"Do you mind if I join you as well?"
I had at least considered rejecting Yoo Seora. But Elsie was a different story. I quickly nodded in agreement.
"Of course."
My fate had been sealed the moment my escape failed. The only option left was to shovel the rest of the food down my throat. Just as I was hurriedly stuffing my mouth—
"Actually, yes, I do mind. This table is for Class 2, Team A. Why don't you find somewhere else to sit?"
"Ack..."
I choked again. It hurt even more to see Elsie looking down at me as if I got exactly what I deserved.
"Right, Sung Yu-rang?"
I gave a tentative nod. At that, Elsie tilted her head and asked.
"Oh? When did the two of you start speaking so casually to each other?"
"We're on the same team, so of course we do."
"That's strange. You two seemed quite awkward around each other during the mock battle just the other day."
It didn't seem like Elsie had come here to eat in the first place. The aura radiating from her was identical to the madness I had felt during the mock battle. However, Yoo Seora, who had been overwhelmed by that aura back then, refused to back down this time.
"Either way, please leave."
"What are you talking about? Aren't the teams changing today anyway because of the trade event?"
"That's..."
I desperately signaled Yoo Seora, who was about to argue back. I had told her that I would somehow negotiate with Professor Freira. But if she brought that up here, things would get incredibly complicated.
"Do you have something to say?"
"..."
Fortunately, Yoo Seora caught on to my signal. Instead, she changed the subject.
"By the way, what exactly is your relationship with Sung Yu-rang? You two seem to know each other."
At that, Elsie looked at me and said.
"Why don't you answer that, Sung Yu-rang?"
Honestly, I couldn't understand why Elsie was so obsessed with me in the first place. It had made me suspect whether she had figured out my true identity, but that didn't seem to be the case either. So, how was I supposed to answer?
"Well, I'll be going first."
Conveniently, I had finished my food. I hurriedly stood up from my seat. I could see the disappointment clear as day on both Yoo Seora's and Elsie's faces. But for my own survival, this was the only choice.
'Please let the trade go well...'
I had begged Freira to do everything she could to transfer Elsie to another class. My reasoning was that since Elsie had performed exceptionally well in the mock battle, plenty of other professors would be eager to take her. And though I had suspected it before, today confirmed it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
'I must never, under any circumstances, let Yoo Seora and Elsie stay together.'
Afternoon arrived. The moment I saw the trade results, I bolted straight to Freira's office.
"Why is Elsie still here?!"
Freira gave a helpless smile and replied.
"Ah, for some reason, everyone was reluctant to take her. They said she was too difficult to control."