Chapter 218: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (11)
Chapter 218: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (11)
Going to find Senior Elsie was an entirely impulsive decision.
When I opened my eyes to a throbbing headache, I found myself rolling around on the floor. It seemed I had fallen off the sofa while sleeping the night before.
Yawning, I stumbled to my feet.
Fortunately, I hadn't forgotten to fill my canteen last night. As I gulped down the cold water, my eyes drifted toward the bed.
Lupin was lying there, out cold as if he’d been knocked unconscious.
Looking at him, it seemed he’d stay that way for quite a while. At least he hadn't woken up to vomit in his sleep; that was a relief.
Strangely, my mind felt clear.
Every word of the long, rambling story Lupin had told me during our drinks the previous night came flooding back.
As those memories resurfaced, the water suddenly lost its taste.
I stopped pouring the water down my throat and let the arm holding the canteen go limp. The remnants of the alcohol still lingered like steam, flowing out with every breath I exhaled.
It was a miserable past.
If Lupin hadn't been completely wasted, he never would have told me the whole story. High-ranking noble families usually had at least one such shameful secret hidden away.
To them, a person’s worth was calculated on an abacus forged of flesh and blood rather than human emotion.
Senior Elsie had become quite close to me, yet she had never revealed that past.
And so, I became curious.
What were Senior Elsie’s true feelings, which I had so coldly rejected the day before?
Did she truly intend to seek revenge on me?
Or did she simply want to ask me to save her?
That she didn't want to go back.
That she didn't want to live according to the fate decided by her family anymore, so please, help her.
Was what I rejected that day not a request, but a scream?
My mind raced, and my thoughts became a tangled mess. A hangover accompanied by a sharp headache set in.
For a while, I sat in the silence of the early morning.
I agonized over it for a long time, but a sliver of hesitation remained.
My name was 'Ian Percus.' Not 'Ian Lainella.'
There wasn't a single reason for me to get involved with the Lainella family. In the first place, it was rare for a lower noble of the Empire to have any point of contact with a prestigious house like that of Count Lainella.
In other words, I was a clear outsider to the Lainella family.
Every action needs justification.
Without a proper pretext, it is difficult for any act to receive official recognition. Since this involved obstructing a marriage alliance of the Lainella family, the responsibility that followed would be immense.
Ultimately unable to reach a conclusion, I downed more cold water.
It was by chance that the letter caught my eye.
It was the fourth letter I had received. I usually kept it tucked in my shirt, but for some reason, it was sitting neatly on the table where I had been drinking last night.
Thinking I must have made a mistake while drunk, I snatched the stationery.
The sentence scribbled on the back seared itself into my vision.
‘Discard what must be discarded.’
It was a short, simple phrase. Nevertheless, I stared at that single line as if possessed.
Was Senior Elsie someone I should discard?
She wasn't.
Senior Elsie was a precious comrade. Had we not crossed numerous lines between life and death together? The surge of emotion that followed immediately became my driving force.
I grabbed my sword and axe and left the room.
After walking for some time, I found myself in front of the dormitory for high-ranking nobles where Senior Elsie was staying. Students who hadn't yet left the Academy were gathered in small groups.
They stared at me with wide eyes at my sudden appearance.
They were likely wondering why a celebrity of the Academy had shown up here so early in the morning.
Especially looking so haggard and clearly still hungover.
A wave of belated embarrassment washed over me, but regret is always too late, no matter how early it comes.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my mind.
Whatever I was about to do was bound to involve a significant amount of embarrassment anyway.
Fortunately, it seemed I wasn't too late.
Several people were emerging from the main gate of the dormitory.
Judging by their attire, they were undoubtedly knights of a powerful noble family. And among those sturdy men, a woman with a particularly small stature stood out.
It was a girl with her head slumped dejectedly.
Senior Elsie was wearing her usual pointed hat and Academy uniform.
It was as if her dressed-up appearance from yesterday had been a lie.
I was glad for that.
If not for that pointed hat, I might have missed her behind the wall of men.
I stepped forward and blocked the knights' path.
"…Stop."
At my single word, the knights came to a dead halt.
Senior Elsie, who had been radiating a gloomy aura with her head down, jerked her head up the moment she heard my voice.
Even after confirming it was me, she blinked several times.
She looked utterly bewildered.
Regardless, I continued.
"Take your hands off Senior Elsie."
It was a plain, straightforward demand.
Even those ignorant of the Lainella family's circumstances could understand its meaning.
Whispers already began to break out.
The students in front of the dormitory had formed a circle around the knights and me. They watched me with eyes sparkling with interest.
Their gazes were filled with anticipation, wondering what kind of trouble I was going to cause this time.
I felt a pang of sorrow for my lot in life, having to live up to such expectations.
One of the knights escorting Elsie snorted. He looked at me with a contemptuous expression, seemingly not yet recognizing who I was.
He spoke with a voice laced with irritation.
"What's with this drunkard…?"
"Well, sir."
But that lasted only a moment. As soon as a subordinate knight whispered in his ear, his attitude shifted completely.
He cleared his throat and subtly avoided my gaze.
No matter how proud a knight of the Lainella family might be, they couldn't ignore my reputation.
The Dark Cult was the enemy of humanity, and I was the hero who had rescued hundreds of orphans and the Princess.
Nevertheless, the knight kept his head held high and stiff.
"Ah, Young Master Percus? Your words are so sudden that I'm a bit flustered. May I ask with what intention you say this?"
"Exactly as it sounds."
Letting out a faint sigh, I spoke in a firm tone.
"Leave Senior Elsie here and go. She has somewhere to go with me."
"…Hmm, an appointment?"
The knight's eyes flicked toward Senior Elsie, asking for an explanation.
However, Senior Elsie had done nothing but look confused since my appearance.
Her eyes, resembling blue sapphires, were fixed on me. So, I decided to say the words I should have said much sooner.
"We decided to go somewhere, just the two of us. And while we're at it, she needs to change her clothes."
It was a statement meant to remind her of yesterday.
There was no way Senior Elsie wouldn't understand.
A faint moisture began to gather in those blue eyes. She rubbed her eyes and looked at me again and again.
Yet, I was still me.
That fact would never change.
I took a step forward.
"So, I'd like you to head back… I'll be the one taking Senior Elsie."
The knights exchanged blank stares.
Their only 'sins' were failing to notice Senior Elsie's troubled memories and receiving orders from the Head of the Family to bring her back at any cost.
There was no way they could have anticipated a rising star of the Academy suddenly blocking their path.
One knight, looking troubled, stepped in front of me.
Thud. A hand as large as a pot lid landed on my shoulder.
"Young Master Percus, it seems there's a misunderstanding. We are currently performing a mission for a grave matter of the Lainella family, so…?"
But the man couldn't even finish his sentence.
Slip. The hand that had been resting on my shoulder slid right off.
The knight, who thought he had a firm grip on me, was left dazed.
Only an afterimage, as if space itself had been distorted, remained where his hand had been.
He wouldn't be able to understand it.
I had shown that skill precisely for that reason. I continued walking toward Senior Elsie.
Finally, unable to contain himself, another knight spread his arms to block me.
"Young Master Percus! No matter how close you are, it is far too rude for an outsider to interfere in a family event—"
Whoosh! The massive man in iron plate armor was hoisted into the air.
It was because I had delivered a full-power kick to his shin.
My physical strength, having recently reached the level of an Expert, was incomparable to that of an ordinary knight. Without even realizing what had happened, he spun halfway in the air and hit the ground with a heavy thud.
"K-Kugh…?!"
It was just a single kick to the leg.
To a trained knight, it should have been a pain that didn't even qualify as an injury. Yet, the knight just sat there with a vacant look in his eyes.
It was because I was acting so recklessly.
As he said, I was merely an outsider to the Lainella family. I had no right to interfere when they were deciding a grave family matter.
The remaining knights seemed to take my actions as an insult.
Shouts of anger erupted.
"Young Master Percus! If you keep this up, we'll have to—"
"Stop talking and just come at me."
The knight who had been shouting flinched at my confident attitude.
My eyes, glaring at him, were incredibly calm.
"Or, leave Senior Elsie and go."
"There's a limit to how much you can insult us…!"
Finally losing his temper, a knight lunged forward.
Three knights remained.
A few seconds would be enough to deal with them.