Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Rumors and Revelations
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The duel with the Nordal Lady had ended successfully—no, easily, but the problem was that it didn't end there.
After all, it wasn't just anyone; I'd defeated Ivana Nordal without breaking a sweat.
"She beat the Nordal Lady in a duel...?"
"She must have gone easy on her, right?"
"There's no way the Nordal Lady would do that! She's such an impressive person, and she was the one who requested the duel—why would she throw it on purpose?"
"You're right..."
...Thanks to that, a new round of gossip was spreading among the other students, all because of the Nordal Lady.
There were rumors that Camellia Leonhardt was insanely strong, and others claiming I'd won through some shady trick or foul play... It was chaotic all over again.
What had I even done? All I'd done at the Academy was sit quietly and sleep.
Why did things always end up like this...?
"...Ella."
"Yes."
"...What do you think I've done?"
"Hmm... A lot?"
"...I don't see it that way."
"You aced the written Class Assignment Exam, you sleep through most classes when everyone else stays awake, and just recently, you lightly beat the Nordal Lady in a duel... Hmm..."
"...Hmm."
It was a bit hard to argue back. Everything Ella said was completely true; I'd done exactly that.
I really didn't know how to process the current situation.
"Haa..."
What was I supposed to do...?
"...Ella. Should we take a leave of absence from the Academy? If we did, I wouldn't have to deal with any of this exhausting stuff. Doesn't that sound genuinely good?"
"...Are you an idiot?"
"I'm seriously against it."
Forget getting attention or not—honestly, I hated how everyone was talking about me behind my back.
It wasn't even proper gossip; they were just spouting their wild assumptions without a care... It was annoying in every way.
Whenever Lize and I walked around the Academy campus and overheard people chattering about me...
"Haa..."
It was impossible not to worry.
If I'd just lost the duel easily and nothing had happened... No, something else would have cropped up for sure.
Everyone had seen the Nordal Lady challenge me, after all. It was inevitable.
Seriously... It was a no-win situation either way.
"Haa..."
And I still hadn't heard why the Nordal Lady had challenged me in the first place.
Why me, of all people?
I'd asked her while she was bound by magic, and the only answer I got was that Northern Region people were all that fast and strong.
Beyond that... I hadn't heard a thing, and for some reason, she hadn't approached me again.
On top of that, Grace had been avoiding me more and more lately...
"Ehew..."
How did things end up like this?
*
"Huaa..."
"A-are you okay...? Camellia, you look really tired..."
"I am really tired... Seriously... Haa..."
After school, I'd come to a dessert cafe with Karen and Lize. I wasn't one for studying anyway, and with nothing else to do after classes ended, it seemed fine.
Well, I hadn't ordered anything yet—just collapsed face-down on the table the moment we arrived.
"Um... Uuuum... What happened with the Nordal Lady?"
"Oh... That?"
"Everyone at the Academy's been talking about it nonstop lately..."
"Yeah... Why did it turn out like this?"
I should've just skipped the duel, claiming a headache. Of course, if I had, she probably would've kept following me around or demanded another match.
If I'd kept dodging her somehow... Maybe it wouldn't have blown up like this?
Who knows.
Either way, it was still a situation that left me sighing nonstop.
"Oh. But, sis, how've things been with your little sister lately?"
"Huh?"
"Um... Grace."
"Why Grace? Lately, it seems like she's been making friends at the Academy and hanging out with them... She hasn't spent much time with me since coming here."
"Really?"
That was a bit surprising.
From what Grace had said, it sounded like she'd been trailing Karen everywhere. But Karen was saying the opposite.
Based solely on what Grace told me, she seemed like a total siscon.
"Grace is just more sociable than I am... She's always gotten along well with other kids since she was little...?"
"I think you're pretty sociable too, sis. You're just a little shy."
"R-really...?"
"Yes."
Karen was definitely super shy and introverted, but I thought she had decent social skills.
Even at our first meeting, it was Karen who'd spoken to me first, not the other way around.
Though her introverted nature hid it a lot, of course.
Still, Grace had made it sound like they spent tons of time together normally... But Karen was saying otherwise.
How was I supposed to take that...?
"Young Lady, maybe it's time to order... The shop owner’s been glaring at us since earlier."
"Oh, right."
I was tired, and I'd been focused on chatting with Karen, so I'd forgotten.
Our table was completely empty—no menus, no drinks. Yeah, that was definitely on us.
I placed the order first, then picked up the conversation with Karen again.
"Um, soon... They'll probably do the Academy club introduction for the first-years."
"Clubs?"
"Yes. It's not mandatory, but they encourage most students to join. It helps with Academy evaluations and gives extra credit, so pretty much everyone joins one..."
"Ooh..."
I hadn't heard about it from anyone yet—it was all new to me—but it sounded intriguing.
At least way more interesting than Academy classes... Clubs, huh.
"What kinds are there? I haven't heard anything about that stuff yet."
"Hmm... Aside from a few exceptions, most clubs are made by students themselves."
"That's okay?"
"They actually encourage it. Better for students to make clubs they want rather than show no interest at all... Yes."
"Hmm..."
Got it.
I could kind of picture it.
I hadn't been at the Academy long, but classes definitely ended early.
Around 2 or 3 p.m., regular lessons wrapped up. Probably to keep students from wasting time afterward.
"The official ones run by the Academy are... swordsmanship, magic, academics... Um... The rest probably aren't Camellia's thing."
"Hmm... What about student-made ones?"
"Those are super varied. There's a dessert club, a manga-drawing club, even one that just studies in a classroom... Really all over the place."
"The Academy really loves students joining clubs, huh."
Otherwise, they'd never allow dessert or manga clubs.
Anyway, it piqued my interest. Lately, I had nothing going on at the Academy—just sleeping through classes till dismissal... It was boring as hell.
Compared to that lifestyle, clubs sounded fun.
"What club did you join, sis?"
"I haven't joined any yet..."
"..."
"Hehe..."
Yeah.
That sounded just like Karen.
The idea of her being super outgoing, bustling around in clubs... It didn't fit at all.
"How about we make our own club?"
"Sh-should we?"
"I don't want to hang out with strangers or join some random club on purpose."
"Heh... That does sound fun...!"
It really did.
Just Karen, Ella... and me—only three people—but it still seemed like it could be enjoyable.
"This strawberry cake is delicious. The whipped cream too... I like it a lot."
"Young Lady, have some drink with it."
"It's not that dry...?"
"Still, it's important to sip drinks often, just in case."
"Fine, fine. More importantly, Lize—what do you think about starting a club at the Academy?"
"I think it's a good idea. Better than you just lounging around all the time... Yes."
"..."
Yeah, I'd been slacking a lot lately.
Really, undeniably... Just messing around, doing nothing with my time.
Even I couldn't argue with Lize on that one.
"But the Academy classes are seriously no fun...? I've already learned everything they teach, and the assignments aren't that hard..."
I leaned back fully in my chair, venting to Lize.
No, but seriously—how was it my fault they were boring?
It wasn't me; it was the boring classes' fault.
"Uwaaaah..."
Leaning back, I just let out meaningless groans.
"Uwaaa... Huh?"
As I kept making weird noises by myself, I spotted something in the corner booth a little away from our table.
Hair... that looked really familiar.
Why was a girl with the same hair as Karen—who was sitting right here with me—over there...?
I noticed it and was a bit flustered... but the situation also seemed kinda funny, and another idea popped into my head.
"...Hmm."
What would be the most fun way to handle this?
I had a few ideas swirling in my mind, but I held back the grin threatening to show.
I'd be back at the Academy tomorrow anyway, and the count's lady over there probably had no idea I'd spotted her.
Teasing her about this situation... Yeah, that could be pretty entertaining.