Loss
Loss
"What a pity. I thought it was a trash can."
Renoa poured food over the head of the female student who had been badmouthing her.
Silence instantly fell over the cafeteria, which had been buzzing with students' chatter.
She finally caused trouble.
Irion closed his eyes tightly and let out a sigh.
The female student jumped up as if she had been spring-loaded.
"Gongnyeo-nim! What do you think you're doing right now?!"
"I mistook you for a trash can."
"Do you really think I'll fall for such an obvious lie? You're retaliating just because I made a few jokes!"
"...Jokes?"
At the student's protest, Renoa's eyes narrowed as she stared at her.
"Jokes, you say. I didn't quite hear what kind of jokes you were making, so would you mind doing it one more time? Loudly."
"Th-that's......."
The female student looked around, checking the reactions of those nearby. Everyone in the cafeteria was staring at them.
She was aware that she had crossed the line in the heat of the moment.
But she didn't have the courage to spit those words out again in front of everyone.
"Why aren't you speaking? Is it because you're embarrassed to say it again now?"
"......."
"It seems your family didn't teach you that if you can't say something in front of people, you shouldn't say it behind their backs either."
The female student avoided Renoa's gaze.
She thought Renoa would be like a flower in a greenhouse since she was a Gongnyeo, but she never imagined she would have such a psycho streak.
She had really messed with the wrong person.
Since the opponent was a Gongnyeo, the best course of action was to apologize appropriately and back off.
However, she was also the daughter of a Viscount.
If she bowed her head in front of people, especially commoners, it was certain that her honor would be tarnished.
If I hold out until the end, she'll get tired first and give up. With that thought, the female student remained consistently silent.
But if there was one thing she overlooked, it was that Renoa's temperament was on a completely different level from that of an ordinary Young Lady.
"You. Which family are you from?"
"......What do you intend to do with that information?"
"I thought it would be good to know. Perhaps we could establish a good relationship with the Ducal House."
It was a lie.
She was clearly planning to use this quarrel as an excuse to exercise the tyranny of a high-ranking noble.
"I don't want to tell you."
"Is that so?"
Renoa's gaze shifted to the female student sitting next to her, who had been chatting along. Meeting those cold green eyes, the student flinched.
"You. You know, don't you."
"Th-that is...."
"I'll give you a choice. If you tell me, I'll forgive you. But if you refuse, neither you nor your family will be safe."
Perhaps not as bold as the previous student, she was busy glancing between her friend and Renoa.
"Don't say it."
"I'm not forcing you. You don't have to if you don't want to. However."
Standing in front of the student, Renoa looked down at her with a chilling gaze.
"Just because you don't speak, don't think I won't be able to find out. I'm simply trying to give you an opportunity."
"Hic...!"
The student swallowed a sob.
"I told you not to say it! Don't you dare speak!"
"Is your relationship with her more important than your family and your house?"
Under the pouring pressure, the student hesitated for a long time, her lips trembling as she looked around.
"Vi-Viscount Bernan.... It's the House of Viscount Bernan......! So please, just spare our family......."
In the face of Renoa's bloodlust and the power of the Ducal House, their shallow friendship crumbled like a sandcastle.
"You, are you crazy?!"
The student covered in food screamed in horror, but her friend had already lowered her head with a tearful face.
"Bernan."
Renoa muttered the name under her breath.
"I recall it being a family barely managing a small rural estate, but the Viscount's daughter has a mouth quite large compared to the size of the territory."
"G-Gongnyeo-nim! This is entirely my own mistake, my father has nothing to do with...!"
"How can he have nothing to do with it?"
Renoa cut her off sharply.
"That knight you called lowly is a formal knight of Edelheid, knighted by the Duke himself. To recklessly belittle him and make him the subject of gossip is the same as insulting the Duke's discernment and the entire family."
"......!"
"Since a mere Viscount's house spat on a Ducal house, I'm very much looking forward to seeing how your father will take responsibility."
The Young Lady's face turned pale, and her legs trembled. Her stiff posture from earlier had long since crumbled away.
Renoa's voice didn't stop there.
"Lady Bernan. Your friend sold you out and is trying to slip away alone, don't you feel wronged?"
"......!"
"I'll give you a chance too. Which family is that girl from, the one who betrayed you? If you tell me the truth, I might be able to shift half of the responsibility the Bernan family has to bear over to that side."
It was a proposal like a devil's whisper.
Lady Bernan's pupils shook violently.
She glared at her friend with eyes full of deep resentment. It didn't take long for her mouth to open.
"Linus. It's the House of Baron Linus. She was the one who insulted the Ducal House first in the first place!"
"You, you bitch! When did I ever do that! You were the one who first suspected the knight-nim of being like a male prostitute!"
"What? I was just agreeing with you!"
In an instant, a mud-slinging fight broke out.
The noble Young Ladies who had been acting refined just moments ago were nowhere to be seen.
They were busy biting at each other as if they were about to grab each other's hair.
"Bernan, and Linus. I've heard you loud and clear. The heads of the families will decide for themselves whose sin is heavier."
Renoa turned around and returned to her seat. Her eyes met Irion's, who had been watching blankly.
"How long are you going to keep eating? Let's go if you're finished."
"Ah, yes."
"Aether-nim, we will take our leave first."
"Uh, yeah, sure."
After Renoa politely greeted Aether and left, Irion hurriedly followed behind her.
The three people left in the wake of the storm stared at each other blankly.
Elody trembled.
"G-Gongnyeo-nim was such a terrifying person.... It wasn't even my business, but I felt like I was the one being targeted."
"She was always scary, but she's become even scarier since I last saw her."
Helena, who had once faced Renoa's inorganic and murderous gaze head-on, felt a sense of trauma.
A chill suddenly ran down her spine, and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.
Meanwhile, the hallway outside the cafeteria was quite deserted.
Renoa's pace as she walked ahead was much faster and rougher than usual.
The exceptionally sharp sound of her heels echoed through the hallway.
Irion quickly caught up.
"Agassi."
"What."
"Didn't you overdo it a bit?"
"What did?"
"You humiliated noble daughters in front of everyone. Some people might not look upon it kindly."
This was the reason Irion hadn't stepped forward. It was because acting recklessly could cause harm to his master, Renoa.
But Renoa herself had escalated the situation. It was certain that those who disliked her hanging around with the Prince would gossip about it.
However, Renoa didn't care.
"It's the price for flapping their mouths recklessly."
"Even so, the cause and effect won't matter to the onlookers. They'll surely chew and tear it apart like gossip."
"It doesn't matter. The name of Edelheid isn't so light that it would be shaken by something like that."
"Still......"
Renoa stopped walking and whipped her head around.
"Stop with the useless worrying. And don't just stand there like a fool listening. Belittling you is the same as belittling me."
"Hmm...."
I knew it.
He thought she had stepped forward for him, but as expected, it was for Renoa herself.
Otherwise, there was no way that Renoa would take a risk and intervene in a mere slave's affairs.
"If this ever happens again, slap them or grab them by the hair so they can't speak recklessly."
"But wouldn't that cause a huge problem?"
If a slave were to grab a noble's hair, it was certain that a massive uproar would ensue.
"Rather than that, I know a very easy solution."
"What is it."
"What else could it be? Just manumit me. Then there will be no reason to be looked down upon as a slave."
It would be good for Irion because he'd be free.
And good for Renoa because she wouldn't get into fights.
"......I don't want to."
But Renoa refused in a small voice.
"No, why? It's a win-win for both of us. I told you I won't run away even if you free me."
"I don't trust you. And being a slave suits you perfectly. You're a slave by nature."
"How is that statement any different from what those Young Ladies were saying earlier?"
"Be quiet. Don't talk back."
As if she didn't want to talk anymore, Renoa cut him off firmly and started walking again.
Irion watched her back.
I really can't tell what she's thinking.
"Ah, it's working...!"
A large mana sphere rose above Elody's hand. The sphere, about the size of a watermelon, sparkled with multicolored light.
It was Iskalon's mana manipulation class, continuing from last time. She had finally succeeded in creating a perfect sphere.
"I did it too."
Aether's was much smaller than Elody's, but it was clearly a sphere.
[Ho-oh. To show this much achievement in just four days.... You are truly exceptional children.]
Iskalon was inwardly impressed. Even for a talented mage, it was a high-difficulty task that would take at least a week.
Not only Elody, but the talent of Aether, a member of the Imperial family, was also far from ordinary.
"Are we really exceptional? Irion did it from the first day."
But Aether couldn't take Iskalon's praise at face value.
That was because there was a comparison group named Irion.
Irion had already achieved results beyond Iskalon's teachings from the very first day.
Because his progress alone was too fast, he had been waiting for the other three for several days.
The fact that he was lagging behind a knight, who wasn't even a mage, hurt his pride quite a bit.
[That fellow is an outlier, so you don't need to mind him. He is the strange one.]
Irion let out a short chuckle.
"I'm not the strange one, you guys are. Everyone, is magic a joke to you? If you're going to be that half-hearted, just quit and go farm."
"...Shall we fight?"
"I'll help too. Gongnyeo-nim, you too......"
Elody was about to say something but stopped abruptly.
Being able to engage in trivial arguments was a privilege enjoyed only by those who possessed at least the minimum qualifications.
While everyone else achieved their respective results, Renoa couldn't even make a small sphere.
Far from maintaining a shape, she couldn't even compress the mana properly.
Because of that, those who were chatting noticed Renoa and fell silent all at once.
Renoa frowned and glared at the fluctuating mana, but nothing changed.
This time too, it failed to maintain its shape and scattered helplessly.
"Haa, haa......."
Renoa's face, having poured in all her concentration, was drenched in sweat.
[Hmm, strange. Considering your talent, you should have completed the sphere by now.]
"......."
[You don't need to be too impatient. With your talent, you'll be able to do it before long.]
The class ended there. Irion's group left the classroom.
"Gongnyeo-nim, don't worry too much. You're much more amazing than someone like me, so you'll be able to do it soon."
"Right. You're an Edelheid, aren't you? You're surely just building up your strength."
Elody and Aether cheered Renoa on enthusiastically by her side, telling her not to lose heart.
On the other hand, Renoa showed no reaction, as if she were barely listening. Her hazy gaze seemed to be spacing out. Occasionally, she rubbed her eyes with her hand.
"Are you tired?"
"......."
Irion tried to talk to her, but there was no response. It seemed that failing to create the sphere was quite a shock to her.
Because of that, Irion also became anxious.
Magic was everything to Renoa, yet she was the only one lagging behind. He was deeply concerned that she might throw a tantrum or something.
The group passed through the hallway and arrived at the stairs. They were about to head down to the first floor.
Renoa, who was walking blankly, suddenly stepped into thin air.
"G-Gongnyeo-nim!"
It was before Elody could even reach out her hand in horror.
Irion quickly caught Renoa as she tumbled helplessly down the stairs.
Holding Renoa firmly in his arms, he rotated in the air and landed lightly at the bottom of the stairs.
In a dizzying moment where she could have been seriously injured, Irion let out a short sigh.
"Where is your mind wandering? You have to look at your feet when you go down the stairs."
"......."
No answer came from Renoa's mouth.
Cradled in Irion's arms, she was trembling slightly. What was most strange were her eyes.
Her two green eyes couldn't stay still for a moment and rolled around the air anxiously.
"Agassi?"
Renoa fumbled in the air with trembling hands and grabbed Irion's collar.
She was looking at Irion, but her gaze was strangely misaligned.
"Ri, Irion."
"Yes, I'm listening."
"I......."
From between her pale lips, which had lost all color, a trembling voice flowed out.
"I can't see....... I can't see anything."