149. Tell Me Your Wish (4)
149. Tell Me Your Wish (4)
"Elisa, did you do as I suggested yesterday?"
At the hour after lunch when a languid drowsiness settled over everyone, Martina naturally took the seat beside Elisa and pulled out her textbook. Over the past few days, this spot had become practically her designated seat.
Elisa hesitated at the question for a moment, then nodded.
"I-I-I asked..."
"And what did he say?"
As she asked, Martina recalled the target of Elisa's one-sided crush whom she'd encountered the day before. Whatever his original face had looked like, it was now covered in scars and burn marks. Especially beside Karina, his appearance had people calling him a beast.
Yet according to Martina's investigation, contrary to an appearance that suggested he was only good at fighting, he displayed enough intellectual competence to receive recruitment offers from guilds in all sorts of fields.
Combat prowess worthy of his position as the Saintess's Escort Knight.
Rumor had it that he had easily subdued the Squad 3 Captain, a scumbag who coasted on his family name but still possessed his house's secret techniques and considerable skill. Other rumors said he'd broken through a rift and returned with the students caught in it during the final exam, or that he was working on a project with Principal Merlin.
'There was no way all of it was true.'
Even if you poured the energy of the cosmos into someone, they wouldn't reach that level. That was the sensible judgment. Laperinne, hailed as a genius; Lewis, drawing attention for his exceptional swordsmanship; Shuri, highly regarded as the top student of the Magic Department—even they were ordinary or below average outside their own domains.
A swordsman could not wield magic,
and a Wizard could not possibly know how to swing a sword.
But one thing seemed certain.
'There seemed to be fewer things he couldn't do than things he could.'
Cooking, construction, metallurgy, tailoring, precision device fabrication, weapon arts, wilderness survival skills, fearsome resourcefulness.
A man so multitalented it was plausible he served as Escort Knight to the most exalted being in the world, the Saintess. It was understandable that he had many rivals.
'What kind of person received recruitment offers from more than ten guilds, not just one or two? Was he even human?'
The guilds were all from different fields. There was even a rumor that he held a Wizard license, so every time Martina gathered information about him, her head threatened to split.
Because it was so hard to tell what was real and what wasn't.
"I-I-It, um... Y-Yohan said... a woman he could f-feel at peace with..."
"A woman he could feel at peace with... you say?"
Martina's expression turned rather grave.
The difficulty was already high, and now it looked set to climb even higher. Martina had no choice but to take the matter seriously as she asked Elisa another question.
"Was there nothing more than that?"
"Y-yes..."
'I couldn't tell whether he'd brushed it off or genuinely thought that way.'
In truth, she couldn't even be sure he had any proper interest in women at all.
Wasn't he the man who walked on without a flicker of expression even when Millia—whose face alone could stand toe-to-toe with Elisa, even if her figure was a little lacking—made blatant advances? Trying to appeal to a man like that clearly wouldn't amount to a damn thing.
She desperately needed some way, any way, to break the deadlock.
'Lewis and Shuri had been easy because they already liked each other... This case was not simple at all.'
"For now, interact with Yohan as much as possible and gather more information. Find out what food he likes, what hobbies he has, and what interests him most..."
As the saying went, knowing yourself and your enemy meant you need not fear a hundred battles.
In the end, information was indispensable in any fight. Martina's mind worked busily as she organized her thoughts.
'For starters, the more often she competed directly, the more important it was to make an impression. I felt bad for Millia, but I was on Elisa's side here, so...'
"And shall we have a little 'lesson,' you and I?"
"A-A lesson?"
At the sudden remark, Elisa stared at her with bewildered eyes. Martina smiled gently at Elisa's endearing reaction and opened her mouth to explain the lesson's meaning.
That was when it happened.
"Martina, I'm sorry, but I'd like to discuss the assignment..."
At the abruptly interjecting voice, Martina's gaze shifted to the side. A female student with a rather striking appearance entered her field of vision.
"Bella, I'm in the middle of a conversation, so the assignment can wait..."
"Wouldn't the group project we have to do be more important than love counseling?"
"There are still a full two weeks left until the group project deadline. And love counseling isn't a lengthy affair, either."
"It's not only the group project we have to deal with."
At Bella's prickly voice, Martina's eyebrows twitched.
Bella stared coldly at Martina, utterly indifferent to the sharp look directed her way. As the gazes of the two, little different from sworn enemies, clashed midair, Elisa—reduced to a third party—fidgeted anxiously, her eyes darting between them.
"D-Don't f-fight... please..."
"Elisa, we aren't fighting."
"That's right. As if we would fight."
Even as they spoke, neither withdrew her gaze. Their staring match had already become a battle of pride. From Martina's perspective, waging a war of nerves with Bella—who had clashed with her at every turn since the second semester started—was exhausting, but she couldn't afford to lose a contest of wills.
Because if she yielded once, she'd keep yielding from then on.
But Bella, as if finding such a staring match beneath her, turned her head and looked at Elisa. Elisa flinched at the sudden eye contact and tried to avert her gaze, but Bella addressed her regardless.
"Elisa, instead of spending time on romantic advice, how about practicing your magic some more?"
"Uh, I, well..."
"Oh my, is that something the third-ranked student should be saying to last semester's runner-up?"
At Martina's remark, fire ignited in Bella's eyes. Bella looked as though Martina had struck a sore spot, while Martina glared at her with her arms crossed. Faced with expressions that looked ready to erupt into a fight at any moment, Elisa shrank back in fear.
The sight stoked Martina's anger even further.
"Bella, apologize to Elisa this instant."
"I merely offered advice."
"...You'll regret going around with such prickly behavior. Bella Asher."
"Will I, now?"
Bella stared at Martina with a venomous face, then shifted her gaze to look at Elisa once more.
"As I said before, all I did was offer sincere advice. Not idle nonsense. You don't seem to be in a state for conversation, so I'll speak with you another time."
Bella gave Elisa one last glance and returned to her own seat. The students nearby who had been watching the situation with bated breath let out sighs of relief and looked at Martina. Martina's face was plainly displeased, but she didn't stop Bella.
It wasn't as if she'd listen anyway.
"Elisa, are you all right?"
"Y-yes..."
"Don't mind what Bella said. She's just being spiteful."
Elisa nodded with a darkened face.
----------------
"Lovely weather, isn't it?"
While I was watching Karina and the kids chatter away behind us, someone suddenly spoke to me.
I turned my head and met eyes with a face both unfamiliar and familiar at once.
Why the hell were you talking to me?
I stared at the nasty-looking student. Why on earth was she talking to me?
There was no way we had any connection, and she wasn't the kind of bitch who would approach me for no reason.
Whether I was baffled or not, the girl in question addressed me in a voice that oozed a strange allure.
"Your name was Yohan, wasn't it...?"
"...Right."
I shifted my gaze and stared vacantly at the back of Karina's head. I had no idea what this bitch's objective was, but I intended to feign total indifference.
I had no desire to get tangled up with a troublesome woman.
"I've heard a lot about you from Elisa. They say you're quite capable..."
"..."
"Oh my, are you ignoring me?"
"I'm on duty."
"Surely a moment wouldn't hurt? Who would possibly do the Saintess harm?"
Not exactly wrong, but not something I could just accept, either. Hadn't lunatics like that run rampant just a few months ago? And this world was only peaceful on the surface—rotten to the core underneath, a place that could shatter at any moment. It wouldn't be strange for a traitor to pop out from among the students.
Especially when it came from the girl standing in front of me, there was all the more reason to be suspicious.
"No."
"And yet when Elisa spoke to you, you answered her kindly..."
What did that have to do with anything?
A nasty-looking bitch acting just as nasty as she looked. I shot a sidelong glare at the jealousy filling her eyes as she casually brought up Elisa's name, then dismissed her once more.
"Leave."
"Hah... Fine."
Damn, she was vicious. I glared once at the back of Bella's head as she disappeared into the distance, then turned my attention back to Karina's pink hair beneath the veil.
The sight of that pink hair alone was enough to soothe my eyes, but the sudden variable made me furrow my brow.
...Why had the hidden mastermind contacted me?