Jealousy of the Three Former Disciples
Estel caught the eye of the three girls—Lilfrea, Maribel, and Clara—and envy flared in their gazes. They were as sharp and beautiful as ever. No, they were even more glamorous and refined now, thanks no doubt to the full backing of a massive guild. Their pride had soared accordingly, and the looks they shot me were laced with blatant contempt.
"Cut the fake familiarity."
I said it curtly. Exhaustion welled up in me first. No anger, no lingering attachment. Just annoyance at them slinking over to pester me when I was already swamped.
"Fake familiarity?"
Lilfrea crossed her arms leisurely and tilted her head. The smile playing on her lips was closer to a sneer.
"We're catching a fraud inside the competition hall, aren't we?"
Maribel narrowed her eyes.
"You're scheming to hook some green rookies and cash in, right?"
Clara chimed in with a snide edge.
"Teacher... are you really going to keep doing this...? It's never going to work..."
Before I could even open my mouth, Belldia cut in from the side.
"That's enough, you three."
She knew our history well and was acquainted with the girls. She'd once made most of their outfits, after all.
"Sis, long time no see? You look even prettier."
Their expressions softened considerably compared to when they looked at me.
"Still running the workshop?"
"Yeah, scraping by."
"What brings you here?"
"What do you think? I came with Seru."
"Huh? Why?"
At that moment, Estel poked her head in cautiously.
"Um... who are these people?"
Her face brimmed with curiosity as she blinked innocently. Pure, unfeigned interest in who they were.
In that instant, all three girls' eyes snapped to Estel standing beside me.
"Who's this girl? Part of your group?"
Belldia answered Maribel's question with a gentle tone laced with subtle mockery. She secretly found the trio infuriating too.
"Seru's new muse, Estel. Pretty, right?"
"...Huh?"
"What?"
"What did you say?"
All three stammered.
"M-Muse?"
"Seru's doing prelims with her today."
"He already had someone he was training?"
"Yup."
Belldia shrugged with a smile.
"Seru's been with her for a long time. He's not here scamming some fresh-faced kid."
A heavy silence fell. The girls scanned Estel from head to toe, inwardly stunned. They'd assumed I'd be alone, but here was a brand-new girl—young and pretty at that—right by my side. Their eyes wavered wildly.
"...You replaced us already?"
"How the hell did you meet her?"
"No way..."
Shock mingled with disbelief in their stares. And finally, visible jealousy flashed in all three pairs of eyes. Their faces hardened coldly. They were clearly on the verge of spitting venom, brows furrowed and glares sharpening viciously.
"You..."
Maribel, the ringleader, opened her mouth to speak.
Screw that. No way I'd let it slide.
I turned sharply and said firmly,
"Let's go. We're gonna be late."
I hurriedly nudged Belldia and Estel away to leave, but resistance tugged at my elbow.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Maribel grabbed my collar desperately. Lilfrea and Clara piled on right after, clinging pathetically like they were trying to drag me down.
"We aren't done talking."
"Where'd you find her? You knew her the whole time?"
I quickly whispered to Belldia,
"Take Estel and go ahead. I'll catch up."
She got it with a single glance and nodded.
"Hurry up. Estel, let's go."
"Uh... okay!"
Estel looked at me with innocent eyes.
"Master... isn't coming?"
I nodded briskly. I couldn't tell her everything. Not the tangled past between me and these three that I wanted to forget. What good would it do? I'd just end up feeling pathetic.
Soon, the two vanished into the crowd. I watched their backs for a moment, then turned back to the trio.
"What the hell do you want? We're done, aren't we?"
"Be honest. You met her behind our backs while you had us, right? How else could you raise her so fast? It took us three years."
"Yeah... the guy who slaved us for three years... suddenly showing up with her for prelims? Unbelievable."
"You must've been plotting something else even back then. You really thought we were idiots. Makes my blood boil."
Hah. Damn. What kind of delusional crap was this? Why fan the flames? My blood pressure spiked.
"Changing and doing makeup will take time. Let's hurry."
Belldia took Estel's hand and wove swiftly through the crowd. They'd scouted the prelim venue beforehand, but the throng made progress slow. Meanwhile, Estel barely cared about the prelims, constantly twisting back to search for me.
"Who were those people just now...? What's their deal with Master?"
"Doesn't matter."
Belldia cut her off curtly.
"Just some people he used to know."
"I wanna know. Tell me."
"No. It'll just give you a headache."
"They're all girls... pretty ones... did Master... y'know, have something deep with them before...?"
Estel's voice trailed off smaller and smaller. Her gaze dropped to the floor, fingers fidgeting anxiously with her hem.
"I hate being the only one out of the loop... If you don't tell me, I don't think I can sing..."
Belldia stopped dead. She paused in thought, silent for a beat, then turned to face Estel.
"...You really wanna know?"
Estel nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Belldia let out a deep sigh. Then, calmly and concisely, she laid it all out. How Seru had once poured his heart into raising those girls. How a huge guild snatched them up the moment they bloomed into talented bards. How Seru ended up with nothing, scrambling to the Adventure Guild just to survive.
Estel's eyes went wide as saucers the instant she finished.
And then...
"WAAAAAAAAAH!!"
She burst into genuine, throat-rending sobs. Head thrown back to the sky, uvula visible, the kind that made onlookers cringe in secondhand embarrassment.
"That's why! That's why they were so cold to me back then!!"
"Stop crying. Everyone's staring."
"WAAAAAAAAH! He got abandoned by bards and got hurt! WAAAAAAAAH!"
"Quiet down. Crying's fine, but why's your performance so over-the-top?"
Belldia sighed as Estel bawled like a total kid.
"Anyone'd think someone died."
"I'll never leave you! Boo-hoo, Master, you're so pitiful!"
Belldia gently stroked Estel's hair.
"Seru's fine now. He's got you. He lives for you alone."
"...Really?"
"Really."
"Sniff, boo-hoo... It's 'cause of me he's okay, right?"
"Yeah. Definitely."
Estel wiped her tears with both hands and started walking again. The prelim building loomed ahead.
"We're here. Let's get you made up quick."
Belldia tugged her hand. Estel, still sniffling, followed obediently and asked,
"...Revenge."
"Huh?"
"If I win this tournament... that'd be awesome revenge, right?"
Belldia stared blankly for a second, then grinned brightly.
"The best revenge ever."
Estel's tear-streaked face hardened with resolve. Her expression was steely.
"Then I'll do it. Win. For Master."
"Sorry, I'm late, huh?"
"What took you so long?"
"Ah, got the building wrong on the way."
"Meeting them must've shaken you up."
"Nah."
I denied it flat-out and stood beside Belldia. This was inside the prelim building. I'd barely shaken off those three clingy pests and missed Estel's entire prep. They had their own prelims, so they couldn't hound me forever. They looked seriously pissed about Estel.
Did they think I'd stay single forever?
Estel was already changed and made up, standing in line at the corner. She craned her neck, searching for someone. Me, maybe? Oddly, she didn't seem tense. Nothing like her usual fretting about nerves.
"Makeup turned out gorgeous. Stunning."
"Of course. Who do you think did it?"
"You're the best, Belldia. I'd be screwed without you."
Estel spotted me and waved brightly from afar. I waved back. She pressed a hand to her chest, her face lighting up with relief.
The prelims were massive—700 entrants. Ten soundproof booths hosted simultaneous auditions, each with four judges. Five people stood ahead of Estel, one currently performing.
"I'm from Glamorten. I sing whatever gets me going. That's my fuel."
The middle-aged bard puffed his cigarette lazily as he spoke. Total rocker vibe. Stylish, but with that fringe uncle energy. Cocky attitude, but the judges just watched impassively.
"Go ahead."
He picked up his lyre, and the playing and singing began. Neighborhood festival level. Below average. He even threw in some dancing. Hmm, the moves were kinda watchable. But lewd. Thrusting at the air nonstop. It got progressively raunchier. Not a big deal for open prelims where anyone could enter. Figured there'd be types like him. Rejected anyway.
"Next."
The next was better. The one after handled it adequately. But the judges' faces stayed bland, impassive. No nods, no paused pens. No one was wowing them.
"Yes, that's it. You're done."
The last woman, who'd sung passionately, bowed and left.
Estel's turn at last.
"Next contestant, this way."
"Yes!"
Estel responded energetically, stepping forward with crisp determination. Moments later, as her song rang out, the judges' eyes widened in unison. Pens halted mid-scribble, slouched postures straightened, all focus on her. Not one or two—all four. The air shifted in an instant. To the playing and voice of the girl I'd raised.