Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Traveling Together (3)
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⋯⋯Awkward.
Vespa felt this as she crossed through the forest interior alongside Carlyle.
On the surface, nothing seemed different from usual in how they treated each other, but the emotional distance she sensed deep down made it feel that way.
But unlike her, Carlyle was the same as always. He treated her with his usual kindly smile and gentle demeanor.
No, beyond that.
She could feel it in her bones—this man was going out of his way to accommodate her.
It wasn't necessary.
If anything, it was she who owed him and should be doing something in return.
‘⋯⋯I’m not an idiot.’
She had grasped right away, upon reading the exam guidelines, that she might get dragged into something extreme.
Yet Carlyle was doing everything in his power to keep her out of it.
He scanned their surroundings without a single blind spot, moved with utmost caution to avoid running into others, and always took point if danger loomed.
And every time she faced that kindness.
“⋯⋯.”
Her chest grew tight.
She forced herself not to show it, smiling and acting as usual, but that churning sensation inside refused to settle no matter what.
She didn’t dislike Carlyle. Absolutely not.
But somehow, facing him felt difficult.
“Then, shall I go gather some firewood, Vespa?”
“Ah. Would you?”
So perhaps that was why.
The moment Carlyle stepped away, Vespa did something she’d never normally do without a second thought.
“⋯⋯Hey. Hear me out.”
She murmured softly toward the blue mist hovering before her.
She knew it harbored some kind of will, but she also knew words wouldn’t get through.
She had no idea what she was even doing, but the frustration was too much to bear without saying something.
“Why is Mr. Carlyle so nice to me?”
No matter how guileless she might be, she still understood the basic workings of the world.
Everything in life was reaped as it was sown.
Carlyle treated her kindly without any strings attached, but she couldn’t fathom why.
She couldn’t recall ever giving him anything in return.
Perhaps that was the root of the discomfort she felt now.
It would’ve been better if she were the type to shamelessly soak up such favors without a care.
But she wasn’t brazen enough to accept kindness she couldn’t repay as if it were nothing.
If anything, she was hypersensitive to others’ goodwill—sensitive enough to drown in guilt.
From that perspective, the kindness Carlyle showed her was undoubtedly excessive.
“No matter how I think about it, I just don’t get it. He’s not the type with ulterior motives.”
Well.
The only other possibility she could come up with.
“Does he like me?”
Vespa muttered with a wry chuckle.
Even to her own ears, it sounded ridiculous.
Of course, she had more than enough reason to entertain the thought.
“⋯⋯With the lady right there, there’s no reason he’d be nice to someone like me.”
That was the truth.
Even Vespa could see that Gray was impressive.
She excelled at everything, always spoke her mind with confidence, and never backed down from anyone.
Above all, she was beautiful.
Didn’t all men like beautiful women?
Vespa didn’t consider herself unattractive, but next to Gray, that’s how she felt.
⋯⋯Sure, Gray had her personality quirks, but who didn’t? Right.
From any angle, any affection would go her way, not mine.
At least, that’s how Vespa saw it.
“He probably doesn’t even see someone like me as a woman.”
Even to her, her voice sounded terribly subdued as she said it.
The blue mist swayed gently around her as she wore a melancholic expression.
“He’s just a nice guy being nice. I’m probably reading too much into it?”
Hugging her knees, she rocked side to side while mumbling.
Well, saying it out loud wouldn’t solve anything. Still, venting her inner thoughts like she was confiding in someone made her feel a bit better—
“—Huh?”
Vespa blinked.
The blue mist before her had begun projecting an image into the air.
It was like a live feed from another location.
“Mr. Carlyle?”
Carlyle, sword drawn, faced off against someone.
“⋯⋯Wait, is this happening right now?”
The mist that had conjured the image swayed again, as if in affirmation.
Vespa blinked and stared at the screen.
This blue mist was acting like it understood her words. This was a first.
No, did it even have this kind of ability? The more she learned, the more astonishing it got.
But.
That astonishment faded in an instant.
Mostly because of what Carlyle said on the screen.
—What, is she your girlfriend or something?
—Not exactly. But she’s someone I want to protect.
—⋯⋯What’s that supposed to mean? You said she’s not your girlfriend.
—It doesn’t have to be that kind of relationship to feel that way. I just think she’s a good person.
‘⋯⋯Huh?’
Huh.
Eh?
What?
Her mind blanked, only fragmented thoughts surfacing.
Why would Mr. Carlyle say something like that?
More importantly, what did he just say?
“⋯⋯.”
In her jumbled thoughts, Carlyle’s words slowly sank in.
The moment she fully grasped their meaning.
“⋯⋯!”
Vespa buried her face between her knees, hands clamped over her burning cheeks.
Her ears were probably beet red too. The heat rising in her face was that intense.
‘Just now, just now⋯⋯’
He said he wanted to protect her.
He said he thought she was a good person.
The kind of words a man might use when quietly looking out for someone he likes—
‘⋯⋯Ah, no!’
Friends. He just sees her as a friend!
Nothing more, like seeing her as a woman or anything! Right!
Forcing that rationalization, she shot to her feet.
“L-Let’s go help! Looks like a fight’s about to break out—he must need backup!”
As she bolted up, the blue mist swirled around her.
Like it was urging her to follow.
Rushing after it, Vespa rubbed her cheeks furiously.
Her heart was racing. Her pulse thundered.
“⋯⋯.”
⋯⋯This.
Must be from running so hard.
Definitely.
It had to be.
◆
Whether fortunate or unfortunate.
By the time they arrived, Vespa had no spare mental bandwidth to parse the source of her pounding heart.
⋯⋯She just wasn’t used to this much exercise.
It wasn’t far, but a few minutes of sprinting left her drenched in sweat.
“—Mr. Carlyle!”
She gasped out, utterly winded.
“Vespa?”
Carlyle’s eyes widened at the sight of her.
He clearly hadn’t expected her to show up.
“How did you—?”
“Came to help!”
She flashed a bright smile.
Carlyle flinched, but Letty and Goriba—locked in confrontation with him—nodded as if it were only natural.
“Yeah, that’s more like it. Now things feel balanced. The lady’s got manners.”
“Y-Yeah, not sure about manners! But I won’t stand by if anyone lays a hand on Mr. Carlyle!”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Letty’s eyes coldly swept over Vespa and Carlyle, analyzing them.
Those eyes soon latched onto the blue mist coiling around Vespa.
She didn’t know what it was, but the mana radiating from it was unmistakable. Which meant.
“I’m not after that side.”
“—Huh?”
Letty’s wand flashed toward Vespa’s bewildered response.
A sound tactical choice. Mages always took priority suppression, no matter the situation.
‘Take this!’
She had solid confidence in her magic.
The Ingram family was a venerable scholarly lineage steeped in magical research for generations, and Letty was a direct descendant.
Already named a top prospect by the Mage Tower, she naturally stood out among freshmen.
Mana gathered at the wand’s tip, coalescing into a bundle of lightning that shot forth.
No chant meant reduced power, but it was more than enough to neutralize a mage—and above all, fast.
The lightning streaked out in an instant, surpassing the speed of a typical arrow. Even a seasoned knight would struggle to react.
But the next moment.
—⋯⋯
Letty’s body froze solid.
Not because the blue mist enveloping Vespa had surged forward to block the lightning.
Auto-defense spells were common among mages. Getting stopped wasn’t unusual.
No.
Because she had stared straight into that blue mist.
“⋯⋯Huh?”
How to describe it.
Nothing had actually happened to her.
But.
As a seasoned mage attuned to mana’s presence, she could perceive certain things.
Because she had pierced the veil concealing its ‘form’ within the mist.
—⋯⋯
—⋯⋯
—⋯⋯!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The ‘will’ lurking inside that blue mist was seething with rage.
That rage took on form, hurtling straight at her.
Her surroundings plunged into pitch black in an instant.
And in that black void, a massive eye materialized, glaring at her.
Not just one—dozens of enormous eyes emerged, surrounding her from every direction.
Eyes.
Dozens of colossal eyes boring into her.
Brimming with killing intent fierce enough to burst her body apart.
As if she had dared to threaten something it ‘protected’ without realizing.
“⋯⋯!”
Letty staggered and collapsed backward.
Snapping her eyes shut in terror before opening them again, the vision had vanished like a mirage.
But her next move was clear.
“—Goriba, stop!”
With a voice cracked from strain, she halted her bodyguard knight mid-charge.
Ignoring Goriba’s stunned pause, Letty glared at Vespa, teeth chattering.
“⋯⋯What the hell. You trying to kill us during the exam? What was that?”
“H-Huh? What?”
Vespa merely rolled her eyes in confusion.
She seemed utterly clueless about what had just transpired.
If it was an act, she could headline as the capital’s finest actress.
“—”
Letty stared at Vespa in disbelief.
This woman truly had no idea what had happened.
Worse yet.
She hadn’t the faintest clue how utterly ‘anomalous’ the blue mist around her was.
“⋯⋯What’s your name.”
“Vespa⋯⋯ Luciana. Uh, why⋯⋯?”
“After the exam ends, come find me. No matter what.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯Huh?”
“I’m not joking. For your own sake, please. I swear on the Ingram family honor—I won’t harm you.”
Letty’s gaze shifted to the blue mist still drifting near Vespa.
“⋯⋯You can’t just leave that thing alone.”
If.
If.
If ‘that’ was what she suspected.
This Vespa Luciana would go down in history.
For better or worse.
With that, she rose to her feet.
Her legs still trembled, but she could move well enough.
“If you wanna fight, we’ll forfeit. I’ve got zero confidence, even if the heavens split.”
“No. I don’t really want to⋯⋯”
“Then we’ll just head out.”
Letty caught her breath.
“Don’t forget what I said.”
Vespa blinked vacantly as Letty and Goriba departed.
“⋯⋯Mr. Carlyle? What was that about?”
“Who knows.”
Carlyle scratched his head.
Well, he didn’t know precisely himself.
“⋯⋯But they don’t seem like bad people.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah.”
Carlyle nodded.
-System Message
▶ ‘Quest: Ingram Family's Long-cherished Wish’ has been unlocked.
▶ Clear: Target ‘Vespa Luciana’s abilities will develop rapidly!
▶ Clear: Target ‘Vespa Luciana’ will gain a ‘Protecting Spirit’!
▶ ‘Protecting Spirit’ can interact with the Holy Sword!
⋯⋯This notification alone made that much clear.