Chapter 48
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: What Does It Matter?
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(2)
4.
The morning schedule had wrapped up.
While the arena was being prepared for the main tournament matches, students headed to the cafeteria in small groups of twos and threes.
Was it the lunchtime rush?
The cafeteria was swarming with people.
A space bursting at the seams, with hardly any empty seats to be seen. But there was one exception.
Right in the center of the student cafeteria.
This one spot felt eerily deserted. The reason? A man and a woman occupying the table there.
"Hey, check that out."
"Huh? That's an odd pairing."
"First time seeing those two together."
"Were they always acquaintances?"
A few students' eyes lit up.
Gazes filled with all sorts of questions. They were fixed on Ullan and Dilia.
Ullan, radiating an intimidating presence.
Dilia, with her cold and refined aura.
Because of these traits, no ordinary students dared approach them.
Meanwhile, around that time.
Ullan, waiting for his order, stared blankly at the empty seat across from him.
'We were supposed to eat together.'
But that hadn't worked out.
After the main bracket was revealed, Noa had suddenly claimed she had business and skipped lunch. Ivela had abruptly said she had an errand and left too.
'So I figured I'd just grab something quick alone...'
He'd run into Dilia by chance.
They were both alone anyway, so they decided to eat together. That was how they ended up sitting by themselves like this.
Though their seating was a bit unusual.
Unlike other students facing each other, they were sitting side by side.
Ullan didn't think much of it, but the students sneaking glances thought otherwise.
"They kinda look close, don't they?"
"Yeah, surprisingly."
"You think they're dating or something?"
"Nah, no way."
"Right? What would the princess of Arpen lack to date a barbarian like that?"
She could hear everything. It was all audible.
Dilia's pointed ears twitched. Then she tilted her head.
'Don't friends sit like this?'
She'd seen a scene like it in a recent book.
A man and woman who became friends on the premise of dating, sitting side by side to eat. She'd just copied that. What was so weird about it?
'And...'
So what if they were dating?
There was no law against it.
Dilia pouted. Just as she was about to show her displeasure...
"Your orders are here!"
Their food arrived.
On the plate in front of Ullan was a mountain of massive meat chunks.
"Still... an insane amount."
Well, with his size, it made sense.
As Dilia convinced herself of that, Ullan immediately dug in.
Munch munch! Slurp slurp!
No utensils needed.
He simply grabbed the bone by hand and tore into the meat voraciously. It looked just like a predator devouring its kill after a hunt.
A complete lack of manners.
A few students frowned and turned away, as if they'd witnessed something unpleasant.
Dilia, however, was the exception.
'He definitely lacks refinement...'
But somehow, it suited him.
Probably because it was Ullan.
As she watched him tear into the meat with fondness, Dilia picked up her spoon.
A little time passed.
Suddenly, Ullan stared right at her.
"That's a strange dish you have too."
In front of Dilia was a soup.
But the color was peculiar—like ripe grapes, swirling with purple. And it wasn't just the color. The contents were the issue too.
Plump, well-fed spiders.
She popped a spider body into her mouth, her face lighting up with bliss.
"It's my personal favorite."
"Tasty?"
"Yeah. Want to try?"
"If you're offering, I won't say no."
With that reply.
Dilia placed a few spiders on Ullan's plate. Without hesitation, he dumped them all into his mouth.
Crunch crunch! Crack crackle!
A bizarre sound rang out.
Dilia asked tensely.
"...How is it?"
"Sticks to the teeth."
"No, you have to remove the legs first."
She'd assumed it was common sense and hadn't mentioned it.
After showing him how to detach the legs, Ullan crunched into more spiders.
"Much better."
Stewed thoroughly in the soup, they lacked the usual bitter, fishy spider taste.
Compared to the cave spiders he'd eaten for survival in his past life, these were far superior.
He ate without a second thought, and before he knew it, the spiders were nearly gone. That's when he felt Dilia's gaze.
"Why are you staring like that?"
"It's just... amazing."
"What is?"
"Everyone hates bug dishes."
In fact, bug-based cuisine was familiar to those from Arpen. The kingdom had long been famous for farming all sorts of edible insects.
But among non-natives, she'd never seen anyone who liked bug food.
"Really? That's odd."
Ullan was different.
Not content with the remaining spiders, he straight-up drank Dilia's entire soup.
"It's so good."
"Hehe, right?"
Even though her food had been hijacked, Dilia grinned ear to ear. It was the first time since leaving the kingdom that she'd found someone with matching tastes.
Then, a certain person popped into her mind.
'That's right. Now that I think about it...'
There was another who liked bug food.
The uninvited guest from three days ago who'd visited the special room with Ullan. Dilia recalled her name.
'...Noa Darshen.'
The girl from the same tribe as Ullan.
And her opponent in the upcoming main tournament. A moment later, she tapped Ullan's arm.
"I have a question."
"What?"
"Noa Darshen."
Her golden eyes were calm.
A piercing gaze that seemed to read everything shot toward Ullan's face.
"What's your exact relationship with her?"
"Like I said back then, we're from the same clan."
"I heard that already. Not what I meant."
She wanted something more concrete.
Dilia pressed on interrogatively.
"How long have you known each other?"
"Not that long."
"So, how long exactly?"
"Hmm... We met the day I left the plains, so by strict count, less than three months."
Less than three months.
Dilia's eyes widened. It was far shorter than she'd imagined.
"Really? You didn't know her back in the tribe?"
"Didn't even know she existed."
Ullan nodded.
It was the truth. Once all the answers were out, Dilia's lips twitched.
'What? So they're not close at all?'
Less than three months wasn't much different from her own time with him. No, if anything, she was closer to Ullan.
'Ullan and I are special friends.'
The kind based on the premise of dating.
A smile bloomed on Dilia's lips. A relaxed, victor's smile. Meanwhile, Ullan seemed to have a late realization.
"Ah, your next opponent is Noa, right?"
"That's right."
Dilia nodded.
With a smiling face, she said,
"Tell that girl I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to win."
A response brimming with certainty. And it was well-founded.
She'd never lost to a mage or shaman before.
'Once the opponent starts chanting...'
Dilia reads the flow of mana.
She observes it to instantly discern the spell and counter accordingly.
In chess terms, it's like knowing their next move in advance.
'On top of that, Noa is a shaman.'
Shamans have slow activations.
Which actually made them easier opponents than mages.
So Dilia was certain.
She wouldn't lose.
"What about you?"
"Hm?"
"Who's your opponent?"
"Some guy I don't know."
Of course it would be a stranger.
The semester had barely started.
"Don't remember his name?"
"His name..."
He trailed off, rummaging through his memory.
"Pretty sure it was Hime-something."
"Himmel, maybe?"
"Ah, yeah. Himmel."
Himmel Deorg.
A familiar name to Dilia. Her eyes narrowed, and Ullan asked right away.
"You know him?"
"Yeah. Never talked to him."
But she was aware of him.
If Dilia represented the allied kingdoms' talents, Himmel was the empire's.
He probably knew of her for the same reason.
"They say he's a sword genius."
Recalling what she'd vaguely heard.
Dilia turned to Ullan, her eyes tinged with worry.
"So be careful. Don't get hurt."
"Got it. You too."
"Yeah."
Dilia gave a faint smile with her eyes.
A satisfied smile.
And with that, their lunch came to an end.
5.
Meanwhile.
In a forest a short distance from the military department's training grounds.
On a secluded forest path rarely trodden by people stood a man and a woman.
The girl with light blonde hair, Ivela Elead.
Her face was rigid as stone as she stared at the young man before her.
Brown curly hair and impassive eyes.
The youth with an equally stony expression was Himmel Deorg, the empire's sword genius—and her half-brother.
'He called me out here suddenly...'
What now?
Ivela looked anxious. Himmel despised and loathed her. He almost never summoned her like this.
Unless it was something special.
As an inexplicable sense of foreboding crept in...
"Ivela."
Himmel suddenly spoke.
And her unease turned real.
"No long talk. Forfeit."
"...What?"
Ivela blankly repeated.
Himmel continued in a dry tone.
"If you make top 10 and enter the mock battles, it'll cause all sorts of trouble."
"What are you even..."
"Tch. Still as dim as ever. Can't understand even after all that."
He clicked his tongue low.
His eyes grew icy.
"Listen well. Entering the mock battles means exposing info to nobles from each country."
The purpose of the mock battles was to showcase promising talents early and attract noble investments.
In other words, they were like products.
High-end goods with potential to gain massive value in the future. And such goods naturally came with detailed information.
"We won't reveal anything sensitive, of course, but I've heard nobles sometimes do background checks on their own."
If Ivela made top 10.
It meant there was a chance of a background check.
"In other words, our family's bastard child could get exposed."
"..."
"You get it now?"
"Ha, but that's...!"
"Shut your mouth. I didn't ask for your opinion."
Himmel's eyes flashed sharply.
A wave of intense killing intent poured out.
The full pressure from someone who'd surpassed mid-tier knight into advanced. Her breath caught, and Ivela clamped her mouth shut.
"This is an order. No choice. You haven't forgotten where your mother is, have you?"
A petty, blatant threat.
Ivela bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Watching her, Himmel suddenly added a condition, as if it had just occurred to him.
"Oh, and while you're at it forfeiting, take that filthy barbarian with you. He'll listen if it's you saying it."
Ullan's name dropped out of nowhere.
She denied it instantly.
"...He's got nothing to do with me."
"Really? Unexpected. You two are always glued together; I figured you'd at least bedded him by now."
He spat a crude sneer.
Then turned away brusquely. No reason to linger now that business was done.
"Anyway, that's all. Forfeit quietly. Then nothing happens."
With those warning-laced words.
Himmel headed toward the training grounds. His presence faded into the distance. Ivela glared at his back, her fists trembling.
If glares could kill, he'd be long dead by now.
But staring was all she could do. Realistically, she was far inferior to him.
"Haa."
A sigh heavy with frustration.
Ivela slumped onto a nearby rock.
Her face dazed. Was it the stifling feeling? Now alone, she let out sigh after sigh.
Or rather, correct that.
Strictly speaking, she wasn't alone.
In the forest where Ivela and Himmel had been, there was one person who'd held their breath and eavesdropped on the whole conversation.
Wide blue eyes.
A girl covering her mouth with both hands.
It was Noa.
'Wh-what do I do?!'
She hadn't meant to eavesdrop.
Quite the opposite. Noa had arrived in the forest first. She had preparations to make ahead of her finals match against Dilia.
'But...'
She'd ended up hearing it all by accident.
As long as she wasn't caught, it'd be fine. Still, hearing something like that left her flustered.
But there was an unexpected gain too.
Listening to their talk had jogged a memory she'd forgotten.
'Himmel Deorg.'
The young man who'd just been with her. Ivela's half-brother Himmel hated and despised her—and was genuinely jealous.
The reason for his jealousy was simple.
During the academy's aptitude exam, he'd realized her sword talent surpassed his own.
'That's why he picks fights constantly.'
Today's incident was just the beginning.
Himmel wouldn't hesitate to escalate with bolder threats and warnings. All to drive Ivela out of Arsen Academy.
'And in the end...'
First year, second semester fall.
Ivela falls for Himmel's scheme, takes blame for an incident, and quits the academy.
Afterward, as a mercenary wandering battlefields, she's swept into countless events. She barely survives death multiple times before finally passing her trials and becoming a hero.
That was the original scenario.
The Sword Princess's origin story.
Right after recalling that far.
Noa hesitated.
'What should I do?'
The simplest choice was to ignore it.
Just erase it from memory.
Whether Ivela got bullied or not, pretend she didn't see. Then she'd quit the academy, and the Sword Princess's fate stayed unchanged.
Yes, that was the safest path.
The only thing Noa could truly trust in this world was the fixed future.
So she turned to leave. Tried to.
But for some reason, her feet wouldn't budge.
A nagging reluctance. Why? As the question arose, Noa's eyes suddenly widened huge.
'That's...'
The scene reflected in her sky-blue eyes.
Ivela was quietly sobbing.
Biting her lip in frustration, her shoulders shook intermittently.
The moment she witnessed it.
Noa's eyes quivered faintly.
It wasn't just the crying. Ivela's figure reminded her of a familiar face.
Her own past.
Specifically, her middle school self. The image of the thoroughly isolated 'Yumina.' And in that instant, Noa finally understood.
'I get it.'
Why she couldn't move.
A ridiculously simple reason. Ivela's current plight was eerily similar to what she'd endured back then.
The purposes differed, but the facts of bullying and leaving school were the same.
The moment she realized that.
Noa let out a short breath. Soon after, she lifted her head, her eyes shining resolutely.
Like someone who'd made up their mind.
'...As a gamer, this might disqualify me.'
It was a path that looped around the fixed future.
Maybe stepping on an obvious landmine. In novel terms, it'd draw floods of 'forced angst' comments.
But even so—
'I can't just leave her like that.'
She didn't want to stand by.
If she ignored Ivela to protect the fixed future, she'd be no different from the bullies and bystanders from her middle school days.
So Noa stepped forward.
Toward Ivela, to comfort her. To wrap those trembling shoulders and tackle the future troubles together.
But only for a moment.
She halted!
Her steps stopped again.
'But... what do I even say...?'
Noa had no friends.
She'd never been through something like this, had no idea what words to offer.
But one thing she knew: half-baked comfort could turn into poison.
'Ugh, what now?'
Back to square one.
But the worry didn't last. A person who could handle this came to mind.
'Right, I'll tell Ullan!'
Noa was bad at comforting.
Ullan was different. He was honest with his feelings. He'd surely offer genuine solace.
'And...'
For some reason, she had that hunch.
A conviction that Ullan could somehow resolve Ivela's issue.
Decision made, Noa turned around.
To leave the forest and find Ullan.