The Weight of Circulating Rumors
"I'm sorry."
I bowed my head toward Lana, who was healing me.
"Huh?" She blinked, clearly bewildered. "Why are you suddenly apologizing...?"
She seemed to have no idea why I would say such a thing. But after a moment, something must have clicked, because she offered an awkward smile.
"...Ah, if you're still worried about the treatment from before—"
"No, that's not it." I cut her off gently. It was true that I still felt guilty about what had happened that day, but this apology had nothing to do with it.
"Then...?" Lana tilted her head, her large eyes filled with confusion as she looked at me.
"It's just... there have been rumors going around lately, haven't there?"
"Ah......"
Only then did understanding dawn on her face, and her expression clouded over slightly.
"I feel like I've caused the Saintess unnecessary trouble because of me."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't my fault. But I was the cause. The rumors had spread precisely because I had received her help. That was why I felt genuinely sorry toward her.
However.
"No. This isn't your fault, Sir Kyle." Lana shook her head, firmly denying my words. "If anything, I should be the one apologizing. It must have affected you too."
Her eyes were heavy with guilt as she gazed at me. I quickly shook my head.
"That's not true. For me... nothing has really changed."
I had been thrust into the center of the rumors as well, but my daily life remained largely the same. Well, the stares directed at me had shifted somewhat, but that was the extent of it. My routine hadn't become any more troublesome. The number of people who looked at me with displeasure had certainly grown, yet almost none of them dared to confront me directly.
It was likely because of my recent sparring victory over Jerim. His strength ranked among the highest in the entire Academy. Defeating someone like that meant most people wouldn't even dream of picking a fight with me.
Of course, there might be those sharpening their knives in the shadows... but there was no way for me to know about them. In short, the rumors hadn't actually changed anything.
"That's a relief, then..." Lana's voice trailed off. "Still, I can't help but worry. I have Ann with me, and I'm confident I can handle whatever comes my way, but..."
She wasn't wrong. Lana wouldn't suffer any direct harm from this incident. The matter wasn't serious enough for that, and even if someone did intend to act, they wouldn't succeed. That much I could be certain of.
"I'm worried about you, Sir Kyle. What if this puts you in a difficult position?"
Instead, she seemed more concerned for me. It left me with complicated feelings, but... it wasn't strange. From Lana's perspective, I must have looked like someone with absolutely nothing to his name. Disowned by my family, lacking significant wealth, and without any remarkable strength. It was only natural that I would appear vulnerable to her.
One might argue that defeating Jerim proved my strength was exceptional, but even that wasn't quite accurate. Jerim was certainly talented, yet that assessment only held when comparing him to other students. When measured against all martial artists in the world, he wasn't at an extraordinary level. To Lana's eyes—eyes that had witnessed countless monsters within the Goddess Church—the Academy students, Jerim included, must all have seemed roughly the same. So her worrying about me made perfect sense. Background, wealth, strength—none of it would look impressive to her. If this rumor caused someone to harbor a grudge, she must have been anxious about whether I could handle it properly.
I agreed with that assessment. On the surface, I did appear to be in a rather precarious position.
'On the surface, that is.'
The reality, however, was slightly different. Had this been me from not long ago, the position would indeed have been dangerous. But things had changed.
After receiving treatment from Julia and then intensive care from Lana, my body's condition had improved beyond recognition. I no longer needed to move cautiously or constantly wrap myself in mana to brace against impacts. Furthermore, the root cause that had been devouring me from within—the traces—had been almost entirely erased. As a result, using mana had become incredibly smooth. Naturally, my strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
In my current state, I was confident I could overpower Jerim in an instant without needing to deflect or dodge his attacks. At this point, it was safe to say I had clearly surpassed the average level.
'Moreover.'
It didn't end there. An improved physical condition meant I now had a solid foundation for training this body and building real power. From here on, I could train properly and reach for the things I hadn't dared touch before—the items I knew from Elion that would be of great help to me.
Even after excluding the portions that rightfully belonged to Elion, there were still quite a few valuable things available. If I could secure them successfully, my strength would advance dramatically. It wouldn't take long before I approached the level I had possessed during my days as Gunter.
'No.'
If things went well, I might not only regain my former strength but surpass it. If that happened, the future would become much easier. I wouldn't need to concern myself with trivial matters anymore. Any annoying problems could be solved with force.
So there was no need to worry too much. From now on, I would grow stronger at a rapid pace and establish my foundation just as quickly.
And...
'What could possibly go wrong?'
After all, it was just a rumor. The truth hadn't been revealed to the world yet, and even if it were exposed, the matter wasn't serious enough to cause real trouble. We were simply meeting periodically for treatment, nothing more. It might spark jealousy or envy, but it wasn't the kind of issue that would make someone sharpen their blades in earnest.
Therefore, nothing major would happen.
That's how lightly I thought of it.
"Ah, it's Sir Sebastian!"
The blue-haired handsome youth, Sebastian Ebenros, drew every eye as usual. It didn't matter whether they were men or women. Everyone along the path he walked turned their gaze toward him. And every single one of those gazes was filled with goodwill.
It was only natural. Sebastian Ebenros was a truly perfect and kind man. Born as the eldest son of the Empire's great noble house of Ebenros and designated as the next patriarch, he possessed both lofty status and genuine ability. A gentleman who treated everyone with kindness—there was simply no one who could dislike him.
Everyone admired Sebastian. Everyone looked at him with envy. Today was no different.
However.
"...Hey, doesn't Sir Sebastian seem a little different lately?"
"Yeah. How should I describe it... it feels like I've been seeing him lost in thought a lot these days."
A few of the students watching him were murmuring exactly that. The recent Sebastian carried an atmosphere that felt somehow different from before.
"......"
And they were right. The Sebastian of late was indeed a little strange. He was clearly not his usual self. Just as the girls had said, he had been falling into thought at the oddest moments.
It was the same now. Even as his legs moved steadily forward, his eyes weren't focused on what lay ahead. In his mind, he kept replaying a single scene.
The moment he had first seen her.
The gently curling green hair. The soft green eyes that seemed to capture the essence of a lush spring forest. The perfect features that looked as though a god had personally sculpted them. And on that flawless face, the gentle smile that seemed capable of embracing the entire world.
Lately, the image of Saintess Lana had not left Sebastian's mind for even a moment.
At first, he had been quite flustered. This was a completely new experience for him. He couldn't understand why he was acting this way, why the saintess never left his thoughts, or why his heart refused to listen whenever he pictured her.
But with time, he had come to realize what it was. This feeling was love. He had fallen for Saintess Lana.
At first, he couldn't accept it. He hadn't wanted to accept it. But now, he had no choice but to acknowledge it—this emotion, the fact that he had fallen in love.
'I thought such feelings had nothing to do with me...'
Sebastian was a rational man. From childhood, he had never been swayed by emotion. He had read countless stories about love until he grew sick of them, yet he had never actually felt it himself. No beautiful woman, no exceptionally talented woman, had ever shaken his heart.
So he had believed he might live his entire life without ever experiencing the emotion called love.
But that had been a mistake. Because now he felt it so vividly.
However, acknowledging the feeling didn't mean everything was resolved. The problem was her status. A saintess—the most exalted figure in the Goddess Church, someone even the emperor could not treat lightly. If their relationship went awry, even the house of Ebenros could suffer a devastating blow. She was someone he could neither reach for easily nor should reach for.
Sebastian had two choices: to quietly bury this emotion, or to surrender himself to it.
From a rational standpoint, the former was correct. The risk of giving in to a fleeting feeling was far too great, and the burdens he carried were far too heavy. Giving up the emotion was the sensible decision.
However.
"......"
Sebastian could not do it. The emotion of love he had experienced firsthand possessed a destructive power that could shake even his ironclad reason. Emotion had pushed reason aside. He didn't want to let go of this feeling. It felt as if the world itself had changed. The world before realizing love now seemed utterly colorless.
He wanted to grow closer to her. He wanted to approach her. His heart, his very chest, was crying out for her.
In the end...
'...I'll try.'
Sebastian reached his conclusion. He would stay true to this emotion. Even knowing the danger, he would try to approach her.
His heart pounded. He felt both anxiety and anticipation. He worried she might reject him, yet the thought of drawing closer to her made his chest flutter with excitement.
And right after he made that resolution, he heard the rumor.
The rumor that the saintess had grown close to Kyle Berwen.