Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: I Am Happy (1)
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A refreshing morning.
A clear blue sky.
But not my heart.
"Charlotte. If an unavoidable hardship comes crashing right in front of you, how would you deal with it?"
"Hmm... Well, they say if you can't avoid it, enjoy it."
"You might end up attending a funeral if you enjoy it too much."
Charlotte and I left Wisteria Dormitory and headed to school.
As we descended the endlessly steep stairs, unchanged as ever, a particularly heavy gloom weighed on my mind, refusing to lift.
'Promises must be kept.'
And the reason for that was the promise I'd made with Layla.
One week before the basic alchemy retake exam, the mysterious restaurant we were supposed to go to together in exchange for her help with studying.
According to Layla, it was 'the last restaurant we went to just the two of us.'
To be honest... I had no clue whatsoever. No bullshit.
For starters, I wasn't the real Leonard, and that Leonard was a useless personality whose memories didn't surface when needed.
Even sifting through the blurry, water-soaked paper-like memories, I couldn't recall any restaurant where we'd dined intimately alone.
The only vague thing that came to mind was that it was on Westford Street on the west side of the capital.
Nothing else—no restaurant name, no exact location.
In other words, I was screwed.
"It's daunting."
"Because of the comprehensive evaluation?"
"That's part of it, but not all."
There were other things bothering me besides that.
The first-semester comprehensive evaluation, now just under two months away, for one.
And if I had to pick another, it would be Amelia Hill, who'd been giving me intense stares ever since the retake exam two days ago.
"Charlotte. Are you close with Amelia Hill?"
"...I told you I have no friends."
"Sorry."
"Fried chicken crisps..."
I couldn't exactly approach her first and ask, 'What are you staring at?'
So over the past two days, I'd had no choice but to endure the burdensome pressure during classes, pretending to be nonchalant while my balls shrank in fear.
'What a mess.'
As Charlotte and I headed to the lecture hall, sighs kept leaking from my mouth.
"Huh?"
"...Oh."
And then, of all people, we ran smack into an unexpected figure.
'Celestina?'
Celestina, the Saintess of Compassion from the Genesis Church and a first-year A-Class Theology Department student.
She'd been hesitating in front of the lecture hall, and the moment our eyes met, she froze in place.
As if she'd been waiting for me.
There was still some time before class started, but we couldn't chat in front of the lecture hall where people constantly came and went.
I sent Charlotte into the classroom first and headed to the fountain square in front of the main building with Celestina alone.
Celestina, who had been wandering silently near the fountain, sat on a bench first.
She stared at me so openly that I sat beside her, keeping a polite distance, without a word.
"..."
We sat in silence for a while.
Why did she call me here?
"You won't face any repercussions from that incident last time..."
After an awkward silence, Celestina spoke first.
"That incident?"
"The one where you... beat up those classmates..."
"It wasn't a beating. It was loving discipline."
"...Right. The loving discipline you administered."
Who was that guy who picked a fight again?
Gideon Arthur Pembroke, son of Baron Pembroke, who managed the capital's second bank.
'He's been quiet lately.'
Even when we crossed paths in the lecture hall, he didn't start anything—just flinched and averted his eyes.
Not that I welcomed it.
My goal wasn't to win popularity with the students; it was to avoid dredging up memories of my bat-wielding days.
At least the subtle malice toward Charlotte seemed to have vanished, which was a plus.
"Anyway, what about it?"
"About that... I spoke well to the professors, so you won't be disciplined."
I turned to look at Celestina without thinking.
She startled at our eye contact and hurriedly looked away.
"You spoke well to the professors?"
"Y-yes."
"Didn't Gideon's gang protest?"
"Professor William handled it well, apparently."
"...Ah."
Come to think of it, Professor William had been unusually kind to me since that wordless bonding over the bat incident.
He must have framed it as corporal punishment during class.
In the Swordsmanship Department, teaching through physical correction was seen as necessary, even in noble houses that trained swordsmen.
In this romantic era, they might even complain, 'Hit my kid harder to knock some sense into him.'
Parents begging educators to beat their children more.
Teacher authority is like an unyielding ancient tree.
"Anyway, I spoke to the other professors too, so there shouldn't be any issues. That's why I came to tell you."
"Well... thanks. I'll repay you later."
"I didn't do it expecting repayment."
"Then what did you expect by helping me?"
"Well..."
Celestina seemed at a loss for words, glancing at me sidelong and fidgeting her lips.
"N-not everything good is done for a reward."
"Hm."
"I just did what I thought was right."
That was her point.
Though to me, it seemed like there was more to it.
Should I just play along?
"Still, it helped me, so I won't hold back on saying thanks."
"Ugh... That's not what I meant...!"
"I get it."
An awkward silence hung over us again.
Celestina fidgeted with her fingers silently, stealing glances at me, while I blankly watched the fountain spouting water.
'What was for lunch today?'
Meat, I think.
"Um, Blackmere brother."
As I unconsciously smacked my lips, Celestina broke the silence again.
"I'm listening, Celestina."
"...After your suspension, did something happen?"
At that moment, my fingertips turned ice-cold.
It felt like all the blood drained from my body.
'Does she know I possessed this body?'
The thought flashed instinctively, but I quickly regained composure, realizing it was impossible.
Unless she could see the essence of souls or something, which was nonsense.
If so, she'd have known I wasn't the real me long ago.
She was just asking because I'd suddenly changed.
"Did something happen..."
What should I say?
'Actually, I'm a being that possessed Leonard's body'—before any exorcism, I'd be lucky not to be called insane.
Saying 'I snapped out of it overnight and decided to change' wouldn't be believed and would only raise more suspicion.
If people changed overnight, criminals wouldn't go to prison.
They'd just meditate a day and be done.
After hesitating and weighing responses, I finally spoke slowly.
"Family matters."
"...Pardon?"
"Because of family matters... anyway, that's what happened."
Hm, family issues, huh.
'Please think of it that way.'
It wasn't entirely wrong, honestly.
The reason I hadn't dropped out of the academy immediately, the reason I was desperately raising my grades to stay in A-Class.
It was all to avoid being kicked out of the family and quietly forced into seppuku like a rat or bird unnoticed.
In other words, it was because of family matters.
So my words weren't wrong.
Not a lie, so no trembling hands or shaky voice.
Just calmly stating facts.
Celestina frowned, mulling over my answer.
"Blackmere brother. Could it be..."
She started to ask something but trailed off and clamped her mouth shut.
'What? What is it?'
Why stop mid-sentence, Celestina?
Don't hide your true feelings while saying 'it's nothing.'
"...No. It's nothing."
Damn it.
"Class is starting soon. I'll head in first."
"Uh... y-yeah."
"And... if you're ever going through something tough, feel free to talk to me. Blackmere brother."
With that cryptic remark to the end, Celestina left.
What the hell was that?
Family matters.
Because of family matters.
'What exactly are these family matters?'
Even after parting with Leonard and returning to the lecture hall, Celestina couldn't focus on class, lost in thought.
'Family matters... the Blackmere Earl Family's matters.'
Leonard had attributed his overnight personality shift to 'family matters.'
What circumstances could make someone change so drastically in such a short time at the family level?
Celestina suddenly recalled Leonard's actions so far.
At the start of the semester, he was a scoundrel like no other.
But right after his suspension, he changed in an instant.
The time he volunteered more diligently than anyone, chatting casually with commoner students and cleaning together.
Even when she tested his character by pointing out his volunteer work, he just silently picked up trash as she said.
'You can torment me. It's my karma.'
And the sincere conversation right after the Gideon incident.
It was fine if Gideon's gang bullied him, but he couldn't tolerate them touching Charlotte.
His selfless attitude prioritizing others, and the bitter smile mentioning his own karma.
'What secret are you hiding, Blackmere brother?'
Truthfully, a thug like Leonard meant nothing to Celestina.
But that bitter smile kept lingering in her mind.
As if screaming, 'You can't just leave him like this.'
'Still... I get the gist of the reason.'
Leonard Percival Blackmere.
The man who became the academy's top thug in just two weeks after enrollment changed overnight due to some circumstance tied to the Blackmere Earl Family.
Whether it involved Leonard himself or purely personal family issues.
Celestina had found a clue.
Now it was time to dig deeper.