Do You Still Like Lilacs?
After hearing the school rules and taking a lap around the academy, half the day had already passed, and it was lunchtime. This damned Arcade Academy's campus was ridiculously vast. A normal academy's grounds were only about a quarter of this size, but the empire spared no expense on nurturing talent—from the sheer scale of the grounds to the privileges, it was absurdly over the top.
Plus, the numbers had dwindled, so it wrapped up in less than half a day. Normally, there were over a hundred people, and the lines kept breaking formation, wasting the entire day.
"Then spend the afternoon freely. Real academy life starts tomorrow. Got it?"
"Yes!"
Academy life officially began tomorrow, but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were already living here starting today.
"Fewer people than I expected."
"Of course."
As I took a sip of the coffee Rain had prepared, she blinked and listened closely.
"This academy's as big as the imperial capital. But the residents are just professors, students, and a few merchants, so it looks empty no matter what."
"That much?"
"Yeah."
This place was like a walking advertisement for pouring everything into talent cultivation, even without trying. Eating in such a wide-open space with almost no one around was the pinnacle of wasted potential.
"And this year's freshmen are especially few."
"Yes, particularly in the swordsmanship department. Probably because the entrance exam was held there—lots of mage students sniping from hiding. Including you and me, young master, there are only three S Grade swordsmanship students."
…That's me, Rain, and Minel.
"At this rate, it's practically private tutoring."
Come to think of it, A Grade probably has even more mages. Climbing up with a sword is tough enough, so it wouldn't be weird if A Grade was basically mage-exclusive.
"By the way, what's your deal with that Minel woman from earlier?"
"Hm…."
My relationship with Minel, huh. In this pre-war era, the best way to put it was exactly that.
"My fiancée's knight and my fiancée's rival."
"Sounds like the title of some romance novel."
Even I could admit our connection was a bit vague. Without Ceres, we never would've crossed paths to begin with. And outside of light chit-chat, we barely talked until the entrance exam last time. Only after the war did she become a comrade I could trust my back to—a survivor like me, bonding over that. So my inner feelings overflowed, but….
"Hm… beyond that, our relationship with Minel is…."
"Did someone call?"
Ugh, startled me!
The familiar voice from behind froze me solid, delaying my greeting, but Minel sat quietly beside me without a care.
Something felt off, though—way too empty.
"Where's Ceres?"
At this time… no, Minel was always glued to Ceres. Even in special cases like war, but in these peaceful days, they were like 'two halves of one whole.' Mostly Ceres's whining keeping Minel around, but Minel didn't mind… so why was she here alone?
"The lady said she was tired and returned to the dorms. She ordered me to act freely, so I came to chat with the few swordsmanship students."
Any complaints?
Her eyes seemed to say as much, but I kept a neutral face. Beside me, Lianne, who'd been staring blankly, bowed her head and offered Minel a cup and coffee.
"Thanks. By the way, is the Primal Duke's heir really a guy? Walking around with two maids… more of a playboy than I thought."
"Don't make me laugh. Lianne threw a fit about coming along, so I brought her. I only planned on Rain."
Crunch!
Something weird crunched nearby, but wild animals were common. Probably a squirrel munching an acorn somewhere.
"You always indulge that kind of tantrum?"
As Minel eyed Lianne, she lowered her gaze and quietly stepped back.
"Normally, no. But considering her past service, I made an exception."
Lies, actually. I'd thought I'd moved on from them, but the emotions were still raw from back then, so I gave in like in my past life. Now I regretted it. Should've just brought Rain. The thought hit every time I saw Lianne.
"Um…."
Suddenly, a voice called from far off. Familiar, but… who?
"Yeah? Who—"
"L-Lian."
Her hand landed on my shoulder, and I dropped the sandwich in my hand to the ground.
Time literally stopped.
Slap!
Ignoring that sensation, I slapped her hand off my shoulder hard and spat her name.
"Prin…?"
The white-haired saintess before me stared with trembling eyes.
"What brings you here, Saintess?"
Damn it all. I'd tried to play it naturally like we were strangers, but my voice dripped with sticky emotions, infecting everyone around.
"Lian…?"
Rain quietly closed her eyes. Minel tilted her head, calling my name. And Prin's reaction exceeded my expectations.
Her amethyst eyes shook like an earthquake at my voice. Her mouth mumbled like a child caught wrong by her parents, failing to form words.
I'd planned to treat her like a total stranger this time….
"Lian, don't you remember me?"
"What are you talking about? This is the first time I've seen you, Saintess."
In my other life, we'd been together so much I was practically a saint myself, but those events were erased now. This was my first time seeing her in this life—and the last.
"If you have nothing to say, we'll be going. Lunch is about—"
"…Do you still like lilacs?"
Prin's words froze me in place.
What… did she just say?
"What?"
"Do you still like purple lilacs?"
Back when I was chosen as her saint and stayed by her side, we'd set a code. We couldn't openly declare our love as saint and saintess, so it was a metaphorical passphrase. Based on her purple eyes and the flower language of purple lilacs.
"You… remember?"
"Yes."
The flower language of first love—from her eyes uttering it, blood rushed to my head.
Her, the one who'd snapped and discarded that flower, now asking me if I still liked it. It was so ridiculous… so infuriating.
"You've finally lost it."
"Yes…."
She affirmed it—knowing full well how brazen this was.
Who could pull this off without that self-awareness?
"Puhahaha…."
"Young master?"
Even Rain panicked at my sudden laughter.
"You fucking bitch…."
"What!?"
Minel, who'd overheard, gawked at me and Prin alternately.
Normally, a saintess held near-royal status in the Holy Kingdom. No matter the Primal name or imperial duke title, no one would curse her.
But so what? I didn't give a damn right now.
"You remember, and you still spew that crap at me?"
"I'm sorry. But I wanted to apologize to you…."
"Don't make me laugh!!!"
Apologize? As if a hypocrite's empty words would fix anything.
My ends in those lives were always miserable. Burned at the stake, poisoned, assassinated—even buried alive, the feel of dirt and worms crawling into my lungs and nostrils too vile to recall.
"You dare fool around with other guys and then ask me about lilacs?!"
I'd meant to ignore her. But raging like this proved I still had lingering attachments. True severance needed indifference. Love's opposite is apathy—a truth I knew well… but after over a century loving her, each at least twenty years per life.
"If you remember that, you know how I died in that life… and you still say that shit?"
I'd planned to hold back with Minel and Rain nearby, but my head burned like a fire spell had ignited. My desperately surviving mind screamed to calm down, but a red-hot furnace doesn't cool from a splash of water.
"You killed me. Incited, betrayed, bewitched…."
I omitted the crucial 'me' as the object. Adding it might push things beyond repair.
"That was…."
Her reaction confirmed she remembered the second life too.
Brazen bitch.
"Hah, Rain. Let's go."
"Yes."
Rain naturally followed. Minel had apparently helped pack, handing the spread-out items to Lianne as she stood by me.
"…Thanks."
"It's only natural as your maid."
"If she's bowing like that, she's the one at fault. From what I've seen, you're trustworthy anyway."
I barely stifled a laugh at Minel's words. Trustworthy, huh. Even before we were close, she trusted me. They whispered love yet couldn't trust me, betrayed me—but you believed from the start.
The smile forming from their kindness froze at a voice from behind.
"Um, young master. What exactly is with the saintess…."
Right, forgot about her.
Rain clamped Lianne's mouth shut as she tried to continue, and Minel's glance made her back off.
Come to think of it, those four were terrible at reading the room… no, not oblivious—possessive. They needed to know my every move, a tyrannical monopoly that faded after a decade anyway.
Looking back now, flaws overshadowed merits. Back then, one or two good points made them perfect; now, objectively, it just annoyed me.
"Possessed or something?"
Shelving the thought of some pure-love soul inhabiting me, I parted from Minel and crashed onto my dorm bed.
"If the others' memories return too, it'll be a nightmare…."
Prin alone was manageable, but all four clinging? No thanks.
"Sigh."
Too much drama today. My head desperately craved rest.
"Yeah, sleep it off and…."
Ding~♪