Chapter 134: The Lord is With Us (55)
Chapter 134: The Lord is With Us (55)
"……Master!"
The moment Elsie cried out those words while burrowing into the man's embrace, the temperature of Central Avenue turned icy cold.
Even without that, the eyes of every passerby were already fixed on Ian. Perhaps because rumors had already begun to spread, the sound of whispering had been tickling his ears for some time.
It was impressive enough that an Academy student had slaughtered dozens of demonic beasts, but he had even taken down a Fiend—the first to appear in years.
It would have been stranger if he wasn't the talk of the town. It was inevitable that all eyes would be drawn to Ian.
And in the middle of that, Elsie had dropped a bombshell.
The whispering stopped instantly. Only dozens of pairs of wide-open eyes conveyed the sheer shock they were feeling.
After all, who was Elsie Lainella?
She was a woman whose prickly nature and foul personality were second to none. She had led a gang to bully dozens of students and was prone to spewing verbal abuse at the slightest annoyance.
Despite her doll-like, adorable appearance, her behavior was no different from a common street thug. Wasn't that why she had earned the nickname 'Little Villain'?
There were countless people within the Academy who held a grudge against her. Some still ground their teeth at the mere mention of her name.
So, on the day Elsie was defeated by Ian, the prevailing sentiment within the Academy was that she had finally gotten what she deserved.
She was a woman with a mountain of karma. There were plenty of people ready to tear her apart the moment an excuse presented itself.
She didn't even have the moral high ground. A group of seniors trying to intimidate a junior, only to be humiliated by that very junior? It was pathetic.
Rumors that Elsie had sobbed and begged for her life spread like wildfire. As the rumors grew more exaggerated, Elsie was eventually painted as a coward who had been so terrified of her junior that she had even wet herself.
They were malicious rumors, but they weren't entirely false.
In other words, it meant Elsie had no choice but to be hypersensitive.
Anyone reacts aggressively when their hidden inner self is exposed. This was especially true for Elsie, whose cruelty had long been recognized. Her retaliation grew more violent by the day.
The person who had finally put the brakes on Elsie’s rampage was Ian.
Ever since Ian had drafted Elsie for the Hunting Festival, she had become somewhat docile, like a dog on a leash.
If she got into a useless scuffle and Ian caught her, he would likely expose her being threatened by a hand axe to the entire world. For the sake of her pride, Elsie had no choice but to keep a low profile.
After winning the Hunting Festival, Elsie had become even more arrogant, yet she rarely resorted to violence. It was because she was still constantly mindful of Ian.
Until then, the current students of the Academy had simply snickered and mocked the situation.
To think that the great Elsie Lainella would grovel before a junior after a single defeat—her fall from grace was as dramatic as her notoriety was high.
But Elsie’s behavior today was far beyond their imagination.
It had only been two weeks. In that short time, whatever whim had struck her, Elsie had become dramatically well-behaved.
Occasionally, she would wear a dazed expression as if thinking of someone, only to let out a wistful sigh.
Some, noticing this, would snicker and gossip that spring had finally come for Elsie Lainella.
It was a shocking discovery.
That the 'Little Villain,' a girl defined by cruelty and arrogance, could actually love someone—this was a topic of debate among the Magic Department students for quite some time.
Elsie had shown such dramatic changes. Nevertheless, no one in the Academy could have predicted the scene unfolding now.
Elsie was rubbing her face against Ian’s chest while being held in his arms. If she had a tail, it would surely be wagging back and forth.
Her face was full of bliss, and her voice was laced with aegyo.
The pedestrians walking along Central Avenue were hit with a wave of cognitive dissonance.
Trembling pupils and gaping mouths.
Though their individual reactions varied, their expressions were all seized by a single emotion.
Pure shock.
Even more so, the man holding Elsie was letting out a sigh as if this were a common occurrence.
"Senior Elsie, everyone is watching……."
As if suddenly snapping back to her senses at those words, Elsie flinched and hurriedly stumbled backward.
She glanced around at her surroundings, then, as usual, scowled deeply and let out a threatening shout.
"What are you looking at, you shits! Is this a show? You want Elsie Lainella to personally squeeze the ink out of your eyeballs, huh?"
Only at Elsie’s threat did the pedestrians finally regain their senses.
They still looked dazed, but Elsie’s usual behavior made the scene they had just witnessed feel like an illusion.
Hearing Elsie’s coarse language, they finally looked relieved and began to move along.
There was no way that Elsie Lainella would act all cute and call a junior 'Master.' It was impossible. They decided to take the easy way out and judge based on their past experiences.
However, the moment the pedestrians looked away, Elsie looked up at Ian with eyes full of affection.
She looked exactly like a puppy waiting for praise.
"I-Is that enough?"
Instead of answering, Ian slapped a hand onto his forehead. He soon grabbed Elsie by the wrist and led her into an alleyway.
As she was dragged along, Elsie simply tilted her head as if wondering what was wrong.
In the deserted alley, Ian asked Elsie with an exasperated look.
"……Senior Elsie, I can understand 'Ian-nim,' but what’s with 'Master'?"
"H-Huh? Th-That?"
Whether she had blurted it out unconsciously or not, Elsie’s face turned beet-red with embarrassment. She fanned herself frantically with her hands, but it was nowhere near enough to cool her flush.
She stammered out an excuse.
"M-Maybe because I got into that weird competition with that bitch Delphine last time, it stayed in my subconscious? Ahaha… D-Don't worry about it!"
"No, if you call me that in front of other people……."
When Ian showed signs of distress, Elsie wilted and hung her head low. Fidgeting and stealing glances at Ian, she looked somewhat pitiful.
In the end, Ian had no choice but to let out a resigned sigh.
His eyes drifted toward his waist.
If he used his hand axe, he might be able to force a correction, but he had somehow grown fond of Senior Elsie. At least enough that he felt reluctant to threaten her.
If it were a situation where a threat was absolutely necessary, that would be one thing, but it wasn't.
After a moment of deliberation, the man placed his hand on the head of the girl who had begun to tremble the moment she felt his gaze move toward his waist.
He followed it with a gentle stroke.
The trembling in Elsie’s body gradually subsided. A moment later, she was grinning with a dazed expression.
She looked exactly like a puppy receiving a reward.
Ian leaned down slightly and whispered to Elsie.
"Senior Elsie, you're going to keep listening to me, right?"
"Ye-Yes… Hehe……."
"Then, don't call me Master from now on. It makes things difficult. For me, but especially for you, Senior."
No matter what Ian said, Elsie simply nodded loyally. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the sensation of her head being petted.
The man’s gaze became skeptical. He tried to recall how things had ended up like this, but he didn't think he had done anything particularly wrong.
At most, since she had tried to intimidate him with numbers, hadn't he just roughed her up a bit with his hand axe?
The world truly was an unpredictable place.
Ian said with a bitter smile.
"You were born with such a pretty face; there's no need to ruin your reputation. If you follow a random man around like that, your family won't like it either."
It was a polite remark. At the very least, to Ian, it was nothing more than a casual compliment given without much thought.
However, upon hearing those words, Elsie’s eyes flew open in surprise.
It was the first time in a while that she hadn't worn a lovestruck expression while being petted.
"……H-Huh? You… you think I'm pretty?"
At her flustered, stammering voice, Ian looked at Elsie with a puzzled gaze.
"You are pretty, objectively speaking… Why?"
At that, Elsie’s cheeks flushed again, and she hesitated with her head bowed.
Her fidgeting fingers spoke volumes of the turmoil in her heart. After staying like that for a long time, Elsie soon began to back away.
"I-I see… I'm pretty… Th-Then, I'll be going now!"
Watching Elsie walk away with an awkward gait, Ian tilted his head.
He thought to himself that she was a senior whose motivations remained entirely incomprehensible.
After meeting one acquaintance after another, it was already night by the time my steps led me to Senior Delphine’s room.
There was only one reason I was looking for Senior Delphine.
It was because she was the only one who hadn't come to find me. Since there were several matters to discuss, including the sword I had thrown at the Flesh Nest that day, I came here to meet her.
Idalos Hall.
It was a dormitory bestowed with the name of the great Conqueror Emperor.
To live in this magnificent building, one needed wealth, power, and skill.
While it was difficult to possess even one of those, sometimes people appeared in the world who possessed them all.
Senior Delphine was exactly that kind of person.
As the successor of the prestigious Yurdina family, she held wealth and power in her grasp, and even in the Academy, which gathered the most brilliant talents of the continent, she was a standout powerhouse.
She was more than qualified to reside in Idalos Hall.
For me, it was already my second visit. I had come here once before to meet Senior Delphine.
Just like then, a servant was standing at the entrance of Idalos Hall.
When I stated my business—that I had come to see Senior Delphine—the servant wore a troubled expression.
"Um, Lady Yurdina is currently refusing all visitors."
It seemed something was going on again.
After rubbing my chin in thought for a moment, I gave a relaxed smile as if I already knew.
"It's fine. Just guide me to her door for now."
The servant looked troubled, but after I pushed a few more times, he had no choice but to lead the way with a resigned face.
Recently, my reputation within the Academy had been skyrocketing.
Not only had I won the Hunting Festival, but after a desperate struggle, I had succeeded in slaying a Fiend and hunting a monster out of myth.
And in the Academy, skill was everything.
In other words, no matter how much of a servant of Idalos Hall he was, he couldn't ignore my words.
Until about two months ago, such treatment would have been unimaginable. In many ways, it felt surreal.
As I walked with those thoughts, I soon arrived in front of Senior Delphine’s room.
The servant still looked somewhat uneasy.
I nodded to him to signal that there was no need for that. My hand knocked on the door—knock, knock—and my lips released a low voice.
"Senior Delphine, it's me. I'm coming in."
However, no answer came from inside the room for a long time.
The only voice that finally drifted out after a long wait was a faint word of refusal.
"……I want to be alone."
It was a small voice, but clear enough to be understood from beyond the door.
The servant’s cold gaze turned toward me.
It was a look that said, I told you so. It also held a hint of reproach for making him guide me here for nothing.
But I simply gave a slight smile again, as if telling him not to worry.
And in the next moment.
CRACK!
The sound of a hand axe being drawn like a lightning bolt and smashing through the door echoed through the hallway.
The door, having lost the strength to hold its handle, began to creak open. It was a high-speed sequence of actions that left no room for interference.
The servant’s eyes bulged. His mouth hung open.
He looked like he had something he wanted to say.
But before he could utter a word, I cut him off with a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, Senior Delphine and I are close… and Senior Delphine will pay for the repairs, so you don't need to concern yourself. Probably."
With that, I gave a wink in lieu of a greeting.
The servant, watching me as I prepared to step straight into Senior Delphine’s room, well.
He looked at me like I was the craziest bastard he had ever seen.
Sadly, it was a look I had grown quite used to by now.