Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Episode 52
Immediately after returning from guiding Oz to his dorm, the first thing Olivia saw was Arietta slumped listlessly over her desk in the Disciplinary Committee office.
“Saintess…?”
“Ah.”
Arietta jolted upright at Olivia’s call.
It was unusual for her, who constantly perceived her surroundings through divine power, to be so startled.
“Sigh…”
Olivia sighed, observing Arietta.
Arietta was troubled.
It wasn’t unusual. Arietta rarely expressed her worries or pain outwardly, preferring to suffer in silence like this.
“Are you alright?”
Arietta didn’t respond to Olivia’s question.
Olivia, not expecting an answer, quietly began preparing tea.
A refreshing aroma of herbal tea filled the office.
It was apple mint tea, Arietta’s favorite, brewed from the flower symbolizing virtue, befitting her status as the Saintess.
As Olivia placed the teacup in front of Arietta,
“…I’m not attractive, am I?”
Arietta slumped back down.
It was a signal that this was their private time.
“That’s not true, Saintess.”
Olivia immediately refuted Arietta's words.
This wasn't a new occurrence.
As the Saintess, the beacon of hope for others, Arietta couldn’t show weakness.
But she was still human.
So, Arietta only allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of Olivia, her closest confidante.
Simply put, Arietta was feeling down.
“Oz is probably popular, right?”
Olivia hesitated.
To be blunt, Oz was undeniably popular.
Even his arrogant behavior somehow suited him.
His looks aside, considering his talent and status, it would be strange if he wasn’t popular.
If Oz hadn’t distanced himself from others, he would have been surrounded by women.
‘Even now, he seems a bit too popular…’
She’d already seen three women around him. The troublemaker who always caused problems, the strange cat beastman, and even [Death King]’s daughter.
Thinking that far, Olivia closed her mouth.
“…Oz is popular, right?”
But Arietta was persistent.
Olivia didn’t want to answer, but seeing Arietta’s expression, she knew she couldn’t avoid it.
Olivia felt a wave of dizziness.
Arietta would probably repeat the same question until she got an answer.
And she couldn't lie in front of her.
That meant she had to tell her the painful truth…
As a member of the [Shield of Light], sworn to protect and revere the Saintess, it was a painful task.
“Ah…yes, he probably is.”
“I…I thought so. It’s just as I expected. Sniffle…”
Unable to lie, Olivia carefully used the word “probably.”
It was the best she could do, but it was enough to make Arietta tear up.
“I know the list the Headmaster gave me was a lie.”
“Yes, Saintess. But you know, don’t you? Prince Oz isn’t the type to…”
Before Olivia could finish, Arietta slumped onto her desk dejectedly.
“But there’s no smoke without fire.”
Olivia fell silent at Arietta’s surprisingly astute remark.
She hadn't noticed, even though it was a predictable follow-up question.
Olivia realized she had answered too hastily.
“Oz is smart, capable, and handsome, but I feel like I have nothing to offer.”
Olivia quietly shook her head at Arietta’s return to her original complaint.
“That’s not true, Saintess.”
There was no need to say more.
No further defense was necessary.
Arietta knew she wasn't worthless.
But in her weakened state, she couldn't help but belittle herself, as if she needed to voice these complaints to cope.
“I can’t even see…”
“But you can see many other things.”
“I’m weak…”
“But you have an unyielding will, no matter how tired you are.”
“And I can’t even get a boyfriend.”
“…”
“Why aren't you defending me on this one?”
Arietta muttered softly, seeing Olivia’s momentary silence at the unexpected question.
It was a subtle sign of sulking.
Olivia hurriedly explained.
“…If you wished, Saintess, I’m sure you could have a boyfriend anytime.”
“But I don’t want anyone but Oz.”
“…”
“I like Oz.”
Olivia was once again speechless at Arietta’s clear declaration.
Arietta had been vulnerable before, but she had never expressed her feelings so directly.
A chill ran down Olivia’s spine.
‘As I thought…’
Arietta was changing.
But change wasn't always for the better.
No one knew how this change would unfold.
Olivia had chosen to remain neutral regarding Oz’s answer, but she didn't think Arietta would last long like this.
“That’s all for today!”
“Ah…yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
Just as Olivia was about to become lost in thought, Arietta spoke cheerfully.
She always lightened the mood like this after venting her frustrations.
“Speaking of chimneys, there was a big chimney at the monastery I used to live in.”
“Is that so?”
Arietta continued with small talk, a gentle smile on her face.
The image of a benevolent Saintess, not a girl troubled by romance.
Olivia, knowing this was Arietta’s way of coping, responded wholeheartedly.
But as Arietta's self-proclaimed protector, she couldn’t help but worry.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I knew.
That reasoning with Eleanor and Baekyang was impossible.
“Ugh…”
So, I resorted to physical persuasion.
It didn't take long to subdue Baekyang, who had high defense, and then Eleanor, who tried to flee in panic.
I’d grown stronger since the days when I struggled to catch up to a fleeing Eleanor.
“Master, at least try to reason with me…” Eleanor muttered resentfully, pinned face down on the ground.
“I did reason with you.”
There were many ways to reason with someone, and I chose the most efficient one.
“Noah, do you remember what was on the menu at the cafeteria today?”
“Master, judging by the fact that I haven't thrown up yet, can’t you guess?”
“You’re hungry.”
The cafeteria food must have been bad.
So, we had to eat out, as usual…
“Alright, then good luck…and try not to break anything today.”
Eleanor had a habit of destroying things.
“Master, isn’t it customary to invite me to lunch in a situation like this? I just told you I’m hungry.”
But Eleanor didn't seem to care.
Her excessive friendliness was…
“…Technically, I said that, not you.”
“Anyway, let’s go get lunch since we’re already here.”
Having lunch together wasn't a problem.
The problem was the person.
“Noah, you’ll behave yourself at the restaurant, right?”
“…Master, you sometimes treat me like a child.”
“If you were a child, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.”
To be precise, Eleanor wasn’t a child, but a terrorist.
This girl caused trouble in ways I couldn’t even imagine.
“Ah!”
“What?”
Eleanor, who was dragging a reluctant Baekyang along, suddenly exclaimed as if she’d just remembered something.
As always, it was abrupt.
“Come to think of it, Master, what did you do with Lucia last night?”
“…”
I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe.
What? What did Eleanor know?
Did she see something? No, if she had, she wouldn't have asked like this.
“Neither of you went back to your dorms last night, right?”
“N-No…that’s not true.”
I answered, trying to keep my voice steady, despite the sharp, piercing question.
“I don’t know about Lucia, but I went back to my dorm last night…”
“Actually, I saw you the moment your magic went off last night, Master.”
A chill, like encountering an assassin, ran down my spine.
“That dazzling performance…you didn’t think I’d be interested, did you?”
“…”
“I was so impressed by your performance last night that I went to where your dorm used to be.”
Silence.
The surroundings felt unusually quiet.
“Your dorm…it was gone.”
“…I actually moved dorms.”
“That was just now, right? I heard about it when I met Olivia earlier.”
“Right, I was keeping it a secret for the sake of my reputation, but I actually slept outside last night. This is a secret, okay?”
Perfect. Channeling Oz’s focus, I answered without a single pause between sentences.
It must have sounded like a natural response, not an excuse.
“Aha.”
But a suffocating feeling, like being entangled in something, washed over me.
This unease was too much to ignore.
Where did I go wrong?
“Master, I’m the most popular student in my class, and I have five especially close friends.”
Leaving aside her impressive self-esteem, I couldn't help but be interested in those five friends.
She was the protagonist, after all.
The five people she considered close friends were likely to be heavily involved in the storyline.
“One of them is you, Master. And this includes students from other classes, so you should be proud.”
“…Right.”
I had guessed that I was one of them, but I couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.
This meant I couldn’t escape her fate, didn't it?
I had already prepared myself for this, but hearing it out loud felt strange.
“And another one is Baekyang.”
“…If she’s one of your ‘especially close friends,’ perhaps you shouldn’t drag her around like that.”
“I couldn't leave her behind, she's a close friend.”
“Then carry her on your back.”
When I suggested the obvious solution, Eleanor looked at me as if I was being ridiculous.
“I don’t like those unnecessarily large and bothersome lumps touching my back.”
“That’s mean.”
I glanced at Baekyang, who was still whining and dragging her feet.
Hmm, I understood. It seemed like a valid reason.
“Master, where are you looking? We’re talking, you know?”
“R-Right. I was listening. Keep talking.”
Eleanor glared at me with narrowed eyes, but I remained defiant.
No, I had to be defiant. If I wasn't, I would become the guilty one.
“And another one is Ulla.”
“Ulla?”
I’d heard the name before, but I didn’t remember meeting her.
Then she must be a game character. Who was she?
“She’s an owl beastman. She’s Lucia’s friend, and we’ve become close.”
“…”
An owl beastman and Lucia’s friend…she must be from Tenebris.
Sharp eyesight, keen senses, and Tenebris?
She was definitely the one who sniped me twice.
I should use that incident as an excuse to extort something from her later.
It was always good to have leverage.
“And the remaining two are Lucia and Marie. Lucia is even my roommate.”
Something…something was wrong.
The suffocating feeling from earlier intensified.
It was getting hard to breathe.
“So, Master, where do you think Lucia is right now?”
“…”
“Actually, I heard everything from Lucia when she came back this morning.”
I finally understood.
All my excuses were useless. I shouldn't have done that.
I had made a fatal miscalculation.
“You said you ran into Lucia and borrowed a place to stay, right?”
When dealing with someone who already knew the truth, I should have mixed lies with the truth instead of making excuses.
“I trust you, Master. And I trust Lucia. So, I believed that nothing happened.”
Lucia had already explained the situation to Eleanor, twisting the facts.
And Eleanor, despite her doubts, must have believed her-
“But…if what Lucia said is true, is that really something worth hiding?”
“…”
–Until she heard me making excuse after excuse.
I was screwed.
I should have shown hesitation or bewilderment.
Since I’d given my excuses so readily, it must have seemed like a rehearsed response.
“What exactly happened between the two of you last night?” Eleanor asked, smiling brightly.