Chapter 56
Should I kill her?
Jelros had stored his soul in the ruby necklace he'd given to Luna. Then, through his subordinate, he'd approached her and ordered the necklace containing him to be delivered.
It better not be some cheap knockoff... huh?
As expected, he'd suppressed Luna's consciousness, taken over her body, and boldly infiltrated the academy. If it had been his original body, the evil energy accumulated within it would have gotten him caught the moment he set foot inside. But now, with only his soul extracted and housed in the pure vessel of Luna's body, there was no risk of detection.
Of course, that came with its own risks, but Jelros was willing to bear them for the sake of revenge against Mars Noctus, who had inflicted such great humiliation upon him. Just imagining the precious connections dear to Mars dying before his eyes filled him with ecstasy.
...No. This isn't the time.
When he'd heard the info from his subordinate, he'd been skeptical, but he was genuinely surprised to learn that this ordinary commoner girl was serving as the Saintess's handmaiden. With the Saintess—who had escaped his control—right in front of him, Jelros wanted nothing more than to snap her neck on the spot. But for even greater amusement, he decided to shelve his rage for now.
"Luna, are you feeling tired? You don't look well today."
"Oh... it's nothing. Maybe it's just from adjusting to the academy."
Damn. I need to act more carefully. I have so little info on her since she's unrelated to me.
Stealing a person's body didn't grant their fundamental memories, so Jelros had to mimic Luna's behavior from life as closely as possible. The problem was her exceptional skill as a servant. Having never done household chores, anything Jelros did would look awkward in comparison.
He'd practiced servant mannerisms before possessing her, but he could never match someone whose habits were ingrained over years.
"If you feel seriously unwell, please tell me right away. Now that my holy power's back, there's no way you'd ever get sick!"
"Haha... got it..."
The thought of that repulsive holy power being poured into him made Jelros shudder. He wanted to tear apart the Saintess for so casually uttering such vile words, but the timing was off, and indiscriminate violence would expose him. So he opted for caution.
"Oh, by the way, Luna. I might be a bit late the day after tomorrow."
"Is... something going on?"
"Hm? Oh, you wouldn't know, would you, Luna? Our circle has a meeting. We do it once or twice a month, but it's the first since the second semester started."
From the Saintess's explanation, a circle seemed to be a casual club where students with shared interests pursued hobbies freely.
"Everyone there is someone you know, Luna. Lady Eos, the Second Princess, and the Mars and Polo brothers."
"!!"
What luck! A circle gathering all the people connected to Mars—the very man he'd come to revenge against. Convinced this was an opportunity arranged by Him for his sake, Jelros quickly pleaded with the Saintess.
"Saintess! Could I join too? I'm curious about what you all do... and being alone makes me feel a bit... l-lonely..."
"Oh! I didn't think of that! Of course you can come!"
The Saintess readily approved his participation. She'd had plenty of chances to meet the Lady and the Princess before, but her personality had kept her distant. After the incident, people seemed scary and suspicious, making it hard to open up. But with Mars's approval and Luna's unexpectedly kind care—despite her looks—she was just starting to warm up. Having her join the circle thrilled her.
"Then, may I prepare some tea? I found some nice leaves and wanted to share with everyone~"
"Oh, absolutely! I can't wait to show off your tea skills to the members!"
As Hertia imagined a refined tea time with the members, Jelros pondered his revenge on Mars.
Tea time, huh... Poison would be perfect. Taunt him by saving them with an antidote right in front of his eyes as they die... hahaha!
Jelros, who delighted in others' pain and despair, envisioned all sorts of cruel, twisted revenges. Naturally, this ruined dinner with the Saintess.
"Hm? Luna, the seasoning tonight tastes off. And the flavor's weird."
"It's... health food. Good things for the body don't taste great, right?"
"Hm... fair enough."
Nyam.
"Luna?"
"Yes! She's not officially academy staff, but she can participate, right?"
"Well, sure."
Luna wasn't a registered member, but she knew the ladies, and she was Polo's and my childhood friend. Our volunteer club was just us anyway, so adding her unilaterally wouldn't be an issue.
"So Luna's already at the clubroom?"
"Yes! She went ahead to prepare snacks and tea. So diligent, isn't she?"
"Diligent... yeah..."
Luna wasn't diligent; she was just efficient. While others took hours, she'd nap and finish in minutes. At her level, she could head a royal maid staff in no time.
"Luna's work ethic is impressive, that's for sure. I felt it over break—wanted to whisk her to the palace right then."
"She matches our house's longest-serving head maid. Why didn't you bring her sooner? The academy doesn't ban servants."
With so many high nobles attending, the academy had facilities and perks for servants. Many nobles, raised pampered, couldn't handle even basic tasks alone, so the academy accommodated them.
"I considered it, but she's from a baron's family. And crowded places might overwhelm her."
Plus, enrolling extra servants cost a fortune—separate from my tuition, covering their board and fees.
Chatting idly, we entered the building with the clubroom. Inside, a sweet cookie scent welcomed us.
"Ah, you've arrived."
Luna greeted us gracefully. Steam rose from the teapot she held, mid-brew.
"Luna, been good?"
"Yeah. I've been fine."
"...?"
What? Normally, Luna would...
"Luna, long time no see. Serving the Saintess isn't too tough?"
"No, it's fine. Thanks for your concern."
Something unspeakable nagged at me as she chatted warmly with the others.
"Sorry for barging in like this. I begged to join because I was curious about your circle. Hope I'm not intruding."
"No worries, Luna. Thanks for preparing snacks for us."
We sat, drawn to the tempting cookies and tea.
"Oh. Fleurry Mountain black tea?"
"Impressive eye, Princess. Please, enjoy before it cools."
As everyone lifted cups to savor...
"Heh... the girl who couldn't brew tea back in the day. You know, Luna used to cause all sorts of trouble. Hated servant training."
Hands paused; eyes turned to me, laced with curiosity, interest... and clear tension.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Once, she skipped training and fled to the back hills. Ran into a bear... I helped, but she was terrified."
Perfect people with wild pasts always captivate. Members set down cups, hooked on my tale.
"A bear? At that age?"
"Around when I started sword training with the count. I flailed, but folks came and chased it off."
I smiled faintly at Luna, recalling the day. She mirrored with a subtle, nostalgic expression.
"Man, thinking back still gives me chills—"
Thud!
Yep... you're not Luna.
"Man, thinking back still gives me chills—"
Thud!
"Gah...! Ack...!"
Before he could finish, a hand clamped his throat mid-reaction.
"Long time no see, right?"
"Mars!"
"What are you doing!!"
Shocked by Mars's overreach, everyone tried to stop him, but he tightened his grip slowly.
"One correction: it wasn't a bear, but a wild boar. Big as one, though."
"-Guhk!"
"And get this?"
Squeeze!
"Luna wouldn't greet like that. She'd snap, 'I did fine without you.'"
Throttled by Mars, speechless, Jelros could only watch him smirk.
"If you're gonna fool people, come prepared."
—Right, Jelros?