Chapter 233
Chapter 233
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Fox Hunt (3)
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“This is the first breather I’ve had in ages—”
I tilted my head back and savored the blue sky.
Noston was usually a place plagued by overcast weather.
But today, it felt as warm and sunny as a southern city.
――――――.
I strolled around the square, munching on a baguette.
From the Northern Academy students fresh out of class,
to the street musicians busking on the corners.
I relished the rare time alone.
But then.
As if even the heavens envied my leisure, a minor mishap occurred.
The violin string of the street performer who’d been serenading my peaceful break snapped.
――――끼긱….
“Oh no….”
With no spare strings in sight, the violinist let out a deep sigh, looking utterly perplexed.
He didn’t seem flush enough to buy a new one either.
Frayed white shirt and a threadbare blazer over it.
Paired with trousers covered in pills.
His face was handsome enough, but his outfit was plain as could be.
“I’ve only played two pieces so far….”
The performer glanced down at his violin case.
It held just a coin or two.
“With this money, buying a new string is….”
He grimaced awkwardly before finally giving up and packing away the broken violin.
I watched him with pity, then prepared to head out myself.
“Guess I should get going too.”
I turned away from the unfortunate musician.
And tidied up my empty paper bag.
“Haah….”
The violinist picked up his case to leave as well.
But at that moment.
A group of burly men appeared before him.
“Wh-who are you…?”
Dark skin, black uniforms, red capes.
The young man gulped hard at the sight of their menacing arrival.
“You dare play such sloppy tunes in front of the one who will become Her Highness’s husband?”
“Right now, she needs perfect music for absolute tranquility.”
The rough Eastern knights grabbed the man’s shoulders.
Among them was Biju, Tau’s junior.
“If you want to keep performing, you’d better have the qualifications for it.”
The knights seized the violinist from both sides like they were arresting a criminal.
Then, covering his mouth, they dragged him into a dark alley.
“Ughph…!!”
No matter how he struggled, it was futile.
He vanished into the shadows like a rabbit snatched by beasts from the East.
“Whew—such a shame. The music was nice.”
I stretched languidly.
As I tossed the paper bag in a trash bin and turned to leave.
――――――.
I glanced back at the return of the beautiful melody.
“Huh, what’s this?”
The tune was far more refined and elegant than before.
I stopped in the square again, following the sound.
Then the young man reappeared—still in his shabby clothes and cheap violin.
No, now he sported a gleaming new instrument and a sharp suit.
“Huh, did he buy it with the money he’d saved up?”
I chuckled and rested my hands on my hips.
I watched him play with a happy expression, pleased as punch.
Soon, his good looks and the music drew a crowd of academy students.
Mostly girls.
“Oh my, isn’t that the guy who plays here every day?”
“Yeah—looks like he finally got a sponsor. Check out how sharp he looks now!”
They enjoyed the performance while ogling the spruced-up man.
But then….
A few girls seemed more interested in something else than the music.
They’d blended into the crowd like they were there for the tunes.
But their stares were fixed squarely on me, intensely so.
“What’s going on…?”
They clutched notepads and pens in both hands.
Scribbling away furiously.
‘No way—are these sent by the princesses…?’
I approached slowly to shoo the kids away.
But I didn’t need to.
Someone else lightly tugged my sleeve just as I noticed them.
“Hello?”
A clear, bright voice.
I turned toward it.
Silver hair caught my eye first—stunning and lustrous.
‘Irina…?’
I faced her, thinking of her.
Unlike the Second Imperial Princess, she had a softer, more youthful figure without much muscle.
“You’re Marquis Veil, right?”
She wore the Northern Academy uniform, attending school there.
With a crisp voice, she peppered me with questions.
“We’re from the Northern Academy’s journalism club. We came to interview you—”
The silver-haired girl flashed a beaming smile.
The girls who’d been jotting notes about me from afar trailed after her.
“Journalism club?”
“Yes—our club might sound casual, but we’re actually a pretty historic group.”
I knew a bit about the Northern Academy.
It was the most prestigious private school in the northern capital, with top employment rates.
And the crown jewel among its clubs was the journalism outfit ‘Mountain Doves.’
“Oh, I’ve heard of it. Someone I know graduated from there….”
Victor, the imperial reporter, was probably an alum too.
“Hehe… yeah, that happens. We often get our top talents scouted.”
The silver-haired girl casually extended her palm to me.
Offering a handshake.
“I’m the club president, Silverlane. Senior year at Northern Academy.”
“Oh… uh, nice to meet you. Veil Mikhail.”
Caught off guard, I shook hands with the 19-year-old girl.
Her assistants—one with black hair covering her bangs—diligently noted even that.
“Mountain Doves president Silverlane… dramatic encounter with the Empire’s Guardian, Marquis Veil Mikhail…”
“Meeting of black and silver hair. Perfect match… natural skinship from the first moment…”
Her two assistants had wildly different styles.
One stuck to the facts, relatively speaking.
The other exaggerated wildly.
“Mind if we do a quick interview? It’s such an honor to meet the Empire’s Guardian.”
I hesitated, sensing trouble.
But realizing their interview notes tied to grades, I graciously obliged.
“Sure, why not. What do you want to know?”
“Thank you so much! Just a sec—”
Silverlane’s lips curled slyly at my consent.
That mature smile didn’t suit a simple schoolgirl—not a good sign.
Like she was about to make an outrageous demand.
“Alright, questions time—”
She signaled her assistants.
The black-haired one with bangs pulled out a paper crammed with sample questions for the president.
“You were the first to face multiple opponents alone in the Empire’s Greatest Sword Tournament—what were your thoughts?”
At first, the questions were pretty standard.
I answered smoothly.
“From the former captains to Lady Lyn on active duty—they were all incredibly strong. Great experience for me.”
“Hmm… I see.”
But.
The questions grew more devious as they went on.
“But at the end, when you beat Senior Lyn and offered your hand—how did Captain Lyn look at you?”
“Huh…?”
As I faltered, the silver-haired aspiring reporter smiled innocently.
Like a fox begging for prey in the wild.
“Wasn’t it perhaps… longing?”
Her crescent-moon eyes sparkled with blue irises.
‘Well, well…?’
“No idea about that. Besides, for an accurate answer, Captain Lyn would need to be here too.”
“Hmm… fair point. It’s a shame we can’t get her side since she’s the only witness—”
Silverlane clasped her hands dramatically.
But she signaled her assistants on the sly.
They twisted my words craftily in their notes.
“Marquis Veil regrets the handshake with Captain Lyn in this tournament. Curious about her true feelings…”
‘What the hell, these kids…?’
The ones before me now.
No mere aspiring reporters.
They were ace journalists-in-training, pros at incitement and fabrication.
「….」
Two masked female students watched from afar.
Glaring murderously at the reporters.
“Next question. After your win, the princesses gathered around you.”
I’d thought they were just cute kids.
Turned out they were freshly minted wild beasts.
“Which one made you happiest when she came over—?”
“…!!”
Amid the barrage of awkward questions, the scariest landed.
Cold sweat beaded on my forehead.
‘No, Victor—where the hell did you graduate from…?!’
“Hang on, girls… these questions are way too direct.”
“Ehh? Are they? We were just innocently curious, but it must’ve been a real burden for you, Marquis.”
Silverlane pressed a finger to her lips, playing coy.
Sure enough, her assistants fabricated away.
“Marquis Veil Mikhail thinks deeply about the princesses…”
“Marquis Veil Mikhail in happy dilemma. Seems to be appraising which princess to choose…”
Even the masked students in the distance perked up at that one, curious.
“The First Imperial Princess is famed for her noble beauty men worship. The Second Imperial Princess for her flower-like purity. The Third Imperial Princess for her cute yet spunky charm you want to protect—”
Silverlane rocked her head smugly, hands behind her back.
I wanted to drag the cheeky girl straight to the principal’s office.
“Hang on… these questions are giving me a headache…”
I pressed my forehead, feigning pain.
I staggered dizzily, turning away from her.
At that instant.
The focus vanished from the eyes of the two masked students waiting for my answer.
Their lethal glares shifted to the overeager young foxes fresh to the wild.
Like predators eyeing rivals who dared covet their prey.
“Can I run to the bathroom first and answer after?”
“Of course—take your time—”
The silver-haired girl clasped her hands politely.
Her assistants kept scribbling.
“Marquis Veil suddenly excuses himself to the bathroom to dodge the question…”
I slipped around the corner to the restroom, evading the girls.
Leaving only Northern Academy students in the square.
“A scoop like this doesn’t come every day—we can’t let him slip away. Right, girls?”
“Yeah, President. We know all the restroom routes here. If he doesn’t come out, we chase him down.”
Reporters needed quick feet and shortcuts for scoops.
So they were utterly relaxed sending the interviewee off.
“With this, we boost our records and sell to the imperial press—we’ll get hired as real reporters. Hehe…”
Silverlane stretched her lithe waist languidly.
“Once I’m in, I’ll pull you all in next year—”
She spoke magnanimously to her members, waiting for my reply.
But no response came.
“Why no answer?”
Silverlane turned.
That moment.
“Huh…?!”
Eastern knights closed in on her two assistants in a flash—her face went ghost white.
“P-President… run…!!”
The one who’d written mildly was long caught by two Eastern men.
Leaving only Silverlane and the exaggerator.
“Pippy, the escape route from our manual!!”
Silverlane and the remaining assistant bolted.
They weaved expertly through students in identical uniforms toward the back alleys.
“…!!”
The hulking Eastern knights couldn’t pursue the fox-quick pair easily.
They risked hurting other students if they sped up.
“Run all you want, little reporter pups.”
I watched from afar, hands behind my back.
Chuckling as I trusted the two who’d been watching me.
“Life’s about real battles.”
――――――.
“No way—the Eastern Knights are involved? This is a total scoop?!”
“Yeah, Senior. Nail this, and we’re fast-tracked to the imperial press!!”
The two girls raced through Noston’s back alleys at top speed.
No one could stop these route-savvy trainee reporters.
But.
“Huh…? Senior, someone’s standing way over there?”
“Where?”
At the far end of the passage.
A lone female student stood tall.
“Pfft… just another student.”
Silverlane relaxed at her uniform up close.
But soon sensed something off.
“Student…? That figure…?”
The closer they got, the clearer the girl became.
Far too mature for an immature teen.
Like facing the pride lioness.
“Wait, something’s wrong—kyaa!!”
As the girl reached out, the running assistant’s body floated up—whoosh.
Powerful mana swirled around her.
“A mage…?!”
Silverlane recoiled at the rare sight.
She veered hastily toward a dim corner.
“Sorry, Pippy!!”
“Run, Senior…!!”
Beautiful loyalty between senior and junior.
But rounding the corner, another figure blocked Silverlane.
“Hey.”
A silhouette shorter than her.
But as they closed in while running.
“Hngh…?!”
The petite girl subdued the taller trainee with swift hands.
Slamming her against the wall.
Thud―――!!
Back-searing pain made her flinch.
Yet she clung to her president’s composure, trying to flee again.
But then.
“Where do you think you’re going.”
A petite girl with black hair in twin tails.
She brazenly snapped a high kick right by Silverlane’s face.
With signature Eastern martial arts.
“Daring to bother the boy who’ll be my husband…?”
Red eyes gleamed leopard-like in the shadows.
The cheeky club president froze at the unprecedented killer glare.
“Don’t go too hard on them. They’re still students.”
A queenly clack of single-soled shoes echoed from afar.
Followed by a sensually curved figure impossible for a student.
Casually twirling a magic wand.
“Ugh… President…”
The assistant floated at the wand’s tip.
Blushing furiously, she clutched her flapping skirt.
“Of course, in war, you kill scouts first.”
Lea snatched the documents from the assistant and Silverlane like a victorious soldier.
Acquiring intel on me and juicy Noston tidbits.
“Let’s see what dirt these scouts have.”
The First Imperial Princess skimmed their papers.
Mostly vapid gossip, but some breaking news caught her eye.
“How to read a heart… how to cast hypnosis…”
One was a ‘hypnosis orb.’
That could make someone act as you wished….
“Hic… Senior, what happens to us now…?”
“I dunno… did our academy have people like this…?”
The reporters gulped at the princesses’ menace.
They bowed side by side under the Eastern knights’ aura trailing behind.
“Interesting spoils.”
Lea zeroed in on the hypnosis orb.
Lydia too.
Their lips curved at the bizarre item that could control others.
They slyly pocketed the papers—without me knowing.
“Since we helped out of a jam, we can claim the reward, right?”