3rd Year Graduation Ceremony (2)
Jeras Lindel. Ruina-senpai's father. His appearance wasn't particularly welcome.
I had no issue facing him myself, but the two of them were different. Their reactions made that clear.
“Ugh—.”
Rana's face twisted in disgust, looking like she might puke any second.
“…….”
Ruina-senpai trembled faintly without a word after her response.
At that moment, spotting his daughter's state, Jeras Lindel asked,
“Ruina, are you feeling unwell?”
“I'm fine, Dad….”
Her face had returned to its usual blankness, but her tone suggested otherwise. If anything, it had worsened.
“You seem unwell. If you have plans, wouldn't it be better to cancel and head home?”
He acted like a concerned father. His benevolent expression while saying that looked utterly repulsive.
I stepped forward, drawing a clear boundary.
“It's just fatigue from the graduation ceremony. She'll recover with some rest.”
“My apologies. It's been so long since I last saw my daughter.”
He smiled amiably. I returned the smile, pulling as much attention as possible toward myself.
He extended a hand in greeting.
“Pleased to meet you. I'm Jeras Lindel.”
“Kyle Arden.”
Jeras Lindel was a noble of the Parun Magic Kingdom. But he hadn't shown up during Monster Season, so we'd never crossed paths. Still, he seemed to know me well. That made sense—after that day, everyone on the continent knew my name. And since Kyle Arden had already been infamous as a wastrel, the rumors spread even faster.
We exchanged brief greetings and released our handshake.
He spoke first.
“More than that, I never imagined my daughter would have ties to the Saint. It's an honor.”
“It just happened by chance.”
“Maintaining that connection is another matter entirely, isn't it?”
He chuckled heartily.
The man drawing the most attention on the continent right now had a friendly relationship with his daughter.
“And the lady behind you is…?”
“Rana. She's not feeling well right now, so I'd appreciate your understanding.”
“The young lady of the Heytald family….”
“That's right.”
I quickly interjected, drawing another line. The more interest he showed, the worse it would be for Rana.
“You seem to be heading somewhere.”
“The three of us are going to the capital.”
“I wanted to spend time with my daughter after the graduation ceremony… such a shame.”
With that, Jeras Lindel stared at me intently.
“If it's not too much trouble, I'd be grateful if you could let me have some time with her.”
At that instant, I felt resistance from behind. Ruina-senpai, standing there, tugged at my clothes.
My stomach twisted, and I told him,
“We have a prior commitment from before, so that's not possible.”
“Wouldn't it be better for her to be alone with the Heytald young lady?”
“It's a promise involving all three of us.”
No matter what he said, I refused.
He eyed me strangely. I didn't avoid his gaze.
A moment later, he bowed slightly.
“Understood. If it's a prior engagement, I should yield. Besides, I can see my daughter anytime….”
His gaze shifted toward my torso, as if peering at Ruina-senpai hiding behind me.
“Then, please take good care of Ruina.”
“Yes.”
After the farewell, Jeras Lindel approached me. His reason? To make contact with Ruina-senpai.
As he drew near her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, with a gentle parent's face,
“Ruina.”
“Yes, Dad….”
“Your father always believes in you.”
“Yes….”
He patted her shoulder a few more times, then turned and walked away from us.
“Hoo….”
Once he was out of sight, I let out a sigh of relief.
I immediately checked on Rana and Ruina-senpai. Neither looked good.
I hurriedly led them to a quiet spot.
“Rana, you okay?”
“No… not okay….”
She seemed a bit better after separating from him, but not really. Her complexion was still dark.
“Kyle… let me stay like this just a bit….”
“Got it.”
Unable to hold back any longer, Rana burrowed into my arms. She was trying to cover that lingering stench with another scent. Knowing it was the surest way, I allowed it.
Next was Ruina-senpai. No improvement here either. Her body was rigid, her mind zoning out. But terror lingered in her eyes.
I snapped my fingers to snap her out of it.
“Senpai, senpai?”
“Ah, yeah….”
Only after dozens of snaps did she come to.
“You okay?”
“…No.”
Of course her mood wasn't good. Others might read nothing from her blank expression, but I could sense exactly how she felt.
Because of that, she stayed still for a long while. I asked her,
“You sure you're really okay? Want to rest?”
“I'm fine. I can go.”
She didn't look fine at all…. Her tone betrayed it. But her determination to push on was clear, so I couldn't force her.
She wasn't the type to listen anyway.
Then Rana lifted her head from my chest. Her face was brighter than before.
“I'm good now, Kyle.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. No need to worry.”
Even if she said that, I still worried. There were so few people who elicited such a strong reaction from her.
Anyway, with Rana improved, we headed to the capital. Of course, the cheerfulness from earlier was gone.
I was fine, but for the two of them, at least, Jeras Lindel's appearance had been a huge shock.
The mood was a bit down. We grabbed a meal in the capital and returned to the academy.
“I'm heading out now. Got a promise.”
I asked senpai at those words. One worry lingered.
“Who're you meeting?”
“Professor. Scheduled for this afternoon.”
Her expression confirmed it. If it was her father, I'd have tried to stop her. But a professor? No reason to block that.
“Got it. So where you staying for a while?”
“Workshop. I'll be there ongoing.”
“I'll visit later.”
“Yeah.”
Senpai turned toward the Craft Department building. But she didn't leave right away—instead, she approached me.
Then, in a quite serious tone, she said,
“If Dad contacts you, don't reply. Got it?”
“Yes.”
I nodded. She didn't limit the warning to me.
“You too. Absolutely don't reply.”
“Worried about me now?”
“Not that… Ugh! Don't hug me.”
Ruina-senpai made an annoyed face and pulled away from Rana's cling. Regretting it, Rana smacked her lips.
“I'm off.”
“Take care.”
“I'll visit later!”
Ruina-senpai left. I watched her back until she vanished from sight, my expression darkening.
Rana was the same.
“Hey, Kyle.”
“Yeah.”
“There are so many bad people in the world. But not all bad people give off the same stench.”
Rana turned her head, meeting my eyes.
“Some give off an ambiguous stench. Others make you want to hurl. And Ruina-senpai's father… he's the latter.”
“Got a comparison?”
“Yeah. Worse than the Second Prince.”
Straightforward, no sugarcoating. If Rana felt it that strongly, he was a serious villain.
“Did you see Ruina-senpai earlier?”
“Yeah.”
“I've… never seen her that terrified before.”
Ruina Lindel rarely showed emotional changes or expressions. Even Rana usually struggled to read her mood. For her to notice immediately meant it had shown plainly on her face.
“Kyle. Ruina-senpai is a good person.”
“I know.”
“We can't leave that villain near her. I don't know why he hasn't been exposed to the world yet, but we have to separate them no matter what.”
At Rana's words, I asked,
“How?”
“…No idea.”
Rana seemed to ponder for a moment, then shook her head.
“The Lindel family isn't some ultra-famous house. But in magical artifacts, they're well-known. Top ten at least.”
I knew that too.
“So there's no way to touch them. To Parun Kingdom, Lindel is an important family. Even if Grandpa pressures them, the Magic Kingdom won't take major action.”
She was right. Lindel artifacts made up 15% of exports. The kingdom wouldn't forgo that massive tax revenue.
“Kyle… what do we do? I hate seeing Ruina-senpai suffer.”
Rana looked at me pleadingly. But I had no answer.
So I told her,
“Let's think slowly. Even if not right now, we'll find a way.”
“Yeah, Kyle.”
We headed back to the dorms.
Haa….
I sighed inwardly on the way. My chest felt tight.
But there was no helping it. The world couldn't always have happy endings.
I knew that all too well, so I just smiled bitterly.
After all, I'd spent my whole life wrapped in that reality.
“Haa….”
All I could do was sigh.
On the way to the Craft Department professor's office, Ruina recalled the earlier scene.
A memory that disgusted her just thinking about it. But she couldn't ignore it.
She couldn't overlook that gaze fixed on the tempting fruit.
She knew exactly what it meant.
Ruina made one resolution.
I have to protect him.
Kyle Arden. The kid making a name as the Saint now.
But before that, Kyle was her disciple.
Her first disciple, one she didn't want to yield to anyone, one she wanted to keep by her side forever.
She had to hide that kid from her father.
Otherwise, who knew what he'd do.
For the family's secrets, her dad would sell his soul.
Bang— Ruina flung open the professor's office door.
The professor who'd summoned her sat inside.
“Ruina. Have you decided?”
“Yes.”
“Then, may I hear your answer?”
At the professor's question, Ruina spoke.
“I'll do it. Professor.”
“Good choice.”
So she would protect him.
Her disciple from her father.
This was the way to do it.