Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: A New Encounter (3)
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‘Heh heh, so this is the boy who makes my daughter nervous? The one and only Amy, of all people.’
The Carmis family was open-minded by nature, but Amy’s personality was exceptionally bold. It wasn’t just because she was a noble that she had been able to command a group of ruffians since she was a child.
Her brothers seemed to share the sentiment, staring intently at Shirone. The thought that their little sister, who never listened to a word they said, was now watching some other man’s every move even sparked a bit of jealousy.
“This is my second oldest brother, Ares. And what he does is…”
Amy turned the question back, as if she were genuinely curious herself.
“What is it you actually do, brother?”
“Hahaha! I’m an explorer. I excavate ruins or travel through uncharted territories making maps. The dragon’s nest in the Alphones Mountains and the crystal caves on the northern border of the Corona Kingdom are some of my masterpieces.”
“Oh, I see. I’ve heard of the Alphones Mountains.”
Known as the habitat for various dragons, the Alphones Mountains were a place so full of danger and adventure that they even appeared in works of literature.
Rian had once mentioned wanting to go there after reading a novel called *The Dragon Knight*.
“That’s incredible. I heard it’s an extremely dangerous place.”
“Adventure always courts danger. I’m satisfied with my work. The pay is decent when I succeed in making a map, too. Though Amy seems to hate it.”
“Just shave that beard, please. You’re not unemployed, but when you hole up at home, you don’t think about leaving for months.”
“Don’t be so hard on me. A new expedition is being formed, so I won’t be back for two years anyway. I’ve been waiting all this time just to see my beloved sister’s face.”
“Hmph…”
Amy turned her head away as if the notion was absurd. Shirone chuckled at the sight. Despite calling him a bum and whatnot, she was clearly worried about her explorer brother.
When he left on an adventure, he’d be gone for at least a year, and from the family’s perspective, unable to even confirm if he was alive or dead, it was only natural to be anxious.
“Still, I think it’s cool. I really want to go on an adventure like that someday.”
“Once you get a taste, you won’t be able to get out. You’ll get to do things most people will never experience in their lifetime until you’re sick of them. Come find me anytime after you graduate. I’ll give you a special spot on my expedition team.”
“Ugh, that’s enough! Stop putting ideas in his head. If the introductions are over, everyone get out.”
As Amy issued the order to leave, her family began to bombard them with questions as if a fire had been lit. How could they leave before the fun had even started?
“So, what is it about Amy that you like? Surely you haven’t crossed any adult lines, have you?”
“Huh? No, well, that’s…”
“Amy’s personality is something else. How did you approach her? Did you sweet-talk her? Or did you act like a man and just plant a kiss on her in a secluded spot…!”
Amy’s eyes blazed red.
“I said, get out.”
A flurry of sounds followed, and soon only Amy remained in the room. They had fled in such a hurry that the door was still rattling.
‘I can see what she’s like at home.’
The once-bustling room fell silent, and the contrast made the quiet feel even more profound.
Having missed his chance to speak, Shirone looked around the room awkwardly.
Amy also hid her face, pretending to sip her tea as she was lost in thought. The awkwardness was making her break out in a cold sweat.
‘Why the hell is he here, this punk?’
She had no idea what to say either. Even if he had important business, Shirone showing up at her house was completely unexpected.
“What is it? If you came here, then say something! You didn’t just come to hang out because you were bored, did you?”
Shirone tore his gaze from the scenery and looked at Amy.
“Ah, actually, I came to ask a favor. But now that I’m here, I realize it was rude of me to show up unannounced. My apologies to your family.”
“It’s fine. What’s the big deal about visiting a friend’s house? Anyway, what’s the favor?”
“If… you have time, would you like to go on a trip with me? To Galliante Island.”
Amy froze, teacup in hand. This was not only unexpected but something she had never even imagined. Shirone asking her to go on a trip. With a girl, no less. To an island, of all places.
“So, you’re saying you and I should go to an island?”
“Actually, I have a friend named Rian. He was the one who suggested it first. But he’s bringing a friend, so I need a friend to go with me, too. So it’ll be the four of us.”
“Oh? The friend Rian is bringing… is it a girl?”
“I think so. Huh? How did you know?”
Amy swallowed her tea without a word. The situation was rapidly clearing up in her mind.
‘In other words, it’s a couples’ trip. That Rian fellow is a sly one. Huh? Wait a minute, a couples’ trip?’
A cold sweat trickled down Amy’s back.
‘And he wants to take *me*? Why on earth?’
Even when they were in a fake relationship, Shirone had remained as unshakable as a stone statue. For him to suddenly propose a couples’ trip was baffling. If he simply needed to even out the numbers, he wouldn’t have asked her.
The final year was the last stage of competition at the magic academy, so it required intense study even during the vacation.
Shirone, who knew this better than anyone, must have had a special reason to come all the way to her house to ask a favor.
“Why do you want to take me? You have friends in the advanced class, don’t you? You know I’m in my final year, right? And how much the other final-year students train during the break. So why me, of all people?”
Even as she asked, Amy feared the answer. Surely it wasn’t what she was thinking.
But maybe, just maybe, it was. The hand bringing the teacup to her lips trembled faintly.
“Amy, no matter how much I think about it, you’re the only one.”
“Pffffft!”
Amy spat out every last drop of the tea she was drinking. Shirone, who took the full force of the spray, wore a dazed expression, as if he’d been caught in a sudden downpour.
“What are you suddenly talking about! You idiot! You fool!”
Amy shouted, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Her face as red as a ripe persimmon, she dashed from her seat, grabbed a towel, and returned.
“Wipe it off with this, quickly! So disgusting, honestly!”
“…You’re the one who spat on my face. Anyway, to continue our conversation, do you happen to remember the person I mentioned before, Miro?”
“Huh? Miro? You mean the first president of the Paranormal Research Society? You said you met her during the Immortal Function.”
“That’s right. It’s a recent hypothesis of mine, but I think the Immortal Function is related to superluminal speed. So I wanted to learn more about her. The headmaster gave me permission, saying it was fine as long as I was just investigating the Kergo Ruins, so when Rian suggested it, I thought I’d give it a go.”
Only then did Amy’s peace of mind return. The Kergo Ruins were famous ruins and a tourist destination on Galliante Island, weren’t they?
“Aha, so you want to investigate the place together, is that it?”
“Of course, I don’t think it will be dangerous. But from what the headmaster said, it doesn’t seem like a simple tourist spot either. If you came with me, I think I’d feel more at ease.”
Since Rian had proposed a couples’ trip, his partner had to be a girl. But even setting that condition aside, Amy was the strongest friend Shirone knew.
Her Red Eyes specialty was a huge advantage, but her skills, which had secured her a mid-tier rank in the final year through daily competition with the strong, meant she could navigate any danger alongside him.
“Hmph! Of course! The kids from that Paranormal whatever club and I are on a different level.”
“No, that’s not what I meant, but anyway.”
Shirone trailed off with an awkward smile. In truth, Amy knew it too. It wasn’t in his nature to drag a friend into something just because they were strong.
Shirone had saved Amy when she fell from a cliff. That brief, extraordinary event had strengthened the trust between them.
That was why he could ask. Asking her to accompany him despite knowing the danger was possible because they had a relationship where they had trusted each other with their lives.
“I see, so that’s what this is about…”
Amy walked to the window, lost in thought. Since it wasn’t a trip for just the two of them, she didn’t feel pressured. No, in fact, that was why she wanted to go.
She stood to gain a lot from this trip, but more than that, the idea of doing something with Shirone sounded fun.
‘The kid’s got good taste. Fine, I owe him one anyway, so I’ll help him out this time.’
Amy slowly turned around. A small smile escaped her lips when she saw Shirone waiting for her answer with a tense expression.
Whatever the purpose of the trip, on the surface, it was a man taking a woman on an overnight trip. He should be trying to sweet-talk her into it, but he was so stiff he looked like he was planning something sinister. No woman would follow a man who looked like that.
‘He hasn’t changed a bit from when he was twelve.’
When would this boy ever grow up? Perhaps all his growth energy had been focused on magic.
Amy nodded readily.
“Alright, let’s go to the island.”
* * *
“Good day! I am Rian’s friend, Eljain Tess!”
Tess, who had come to the Ogent family estate, bowed respectfully. Beside her, Rian stood with an anxious look on his face.
The reason Rian had been holed up at Shirone’s house until now was because he had devised a strategy to storm his own home using Tess as a shield.
No parent would readily let their son, who had returned after ranking last at the sword academy, go on a vacation.
But if he brought a friend, it was a different story. Especially if that friend was the top-ranked model student of the sword academy, he calculated it would be effective enough.
“Hmm, I’ve heard much of your reputation, Eljain. Is your father well?”
“Yes. Even while stationed in the occupied territories, he continues to train with his sword every single day.”
In truth, Eljain had no idea how her father was doing. Nor did she have any desire to know.
But Rian’s father, Bischoff, nodded as if that was only to be expected.
“As expected from a man who built a legacy with the sword. I shall make an effort to visit him when I have the chance.”
Tess’s father, Eljain Veron, was a master of the sword known by the moniker ‘Flash.’
If the Ogent style of swordsmanship was hegemonic, the Eljain style was chillingly sharp.
Whose skill was superior depended on the wielder, but their pride in upholding the orthodoxy of the sword was second to none.
“Rian, it’s not like you to befriend such a fine young lady.”
“We’re not dating. We’re just friends.”
Tess shot a sharp glare at Rian. But what could she do? As the saying goes, the thirsty one digs the well. If she wanted to go on a trip with Rian, she had no choice but to endure.
“So, you want to go on vacation to Galliante Island?”
“Yeah. I was dead tired at the sword academy. I need time to recover my mind and body. Oh, Shirone will be here later, too. We’re planning to leave from here. Can I go?”
“Going is fine, but did you really work hard? The kid who wouldn’t listen even with a private tutor is saying this, so I can’t exactly trust you.”
“Haha! I figured you’d say that, so I brought this. I finally opened my Schema!”
Rian pulled out his trump card. Reina had taken his report card, but he still had the certificate for passing the strength enhancement test.
Now that it had been revealed as a placebo effect, it was a completely useless piece of paper, but Bischoff, who didn’t know the full story, had no choice but to believe it.
“Hmm, you really passed. Congratulations.”
True to his nature, Bischoff didn’t show his emotions. But his voice was trembling slightly.
Every parent has a soft spot for their underachieving child. To see him succeed at opening his Schema, something he had struggled with for so long, must have made him want to pump his fists in triumph internally.
“Alright, now keep your promise. The sword Grandpa said he’d give me when I mastered my Schema, I can take that now, right?”
“Of course. Now that you’ve opened your Schema, you’ll have to start learning the Ogent style of swordsmanship. But where is your report card? Seeing how confident you are, it must be pretty good.”