Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Flower of the North Sea (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was a sudden trip, but there wasn't much luggage to pack.
If he went with Darling, she'd handle the expenses, and since they weren't heading into the wilderness, they could easily procure food en route.
It was quite different from the old days. These days, long-distance travel by relay carriage had become the norm, rather than leisurely journeys trudging through the wilds with bundles on one's back.
So, in the morning, he handed the canteen keys to Liv, who had stopped by, and simply asked her to mind the shop.
With the weekend approaching, there wouldn't be many customers at the canteen, and the bread delivered from the bakery could just be cleared off the shelves.
'This amount... It won't all sell out over the weekend.'
He had even factored in the cafe's consumption, but it seemed like he'd ordered too much. A considerable amount of bread was still left on display.
After just brushing the dust off an overcoat from inside the house, evening had already arrived.
As the canteen grew quiet, it was time for customers to start arriving at the cafe next door, separated by a thin wall.
He opened the door and stepped behind the counter, where a familiar, welcoming face awaited today as well.
"Piy—!"
"Louis, come here for a sec."
And an unwelcome face was there too.
For some reason, Erzebet had shown up right at opening time. As Penheim's princess with her busy schedule, her attendants came by often, but she herself visited maybe once a week at most.
Perfect timing. He needed to ask her to keep an eye on Adella while he was away.
He was still anxious about when she might cause trouble next. Liv would be around, but the two weren't close enough to intrude on each other's spaces—they never had.
"Hurry up and hide over here."
"Pardon?"
But before he could even speak, Erzebet strode over, grabbed his arm, and pulled him.
She pointed to a table beyond the counter.
"Look over there."
Where Erzebet pointed, Adella was taking an order from a tall, blond man.
Handing her a letter with a soft smile—it somehow looked suspicious.
He looked exactly like some sleazy gigolo.
"That's Sir William from the Clove Earl family. He's a third-year this year, with excellent grades and a great reputation among his peers."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. It's a knightly house that's served the Penheim royal family for generations, and they're solid financially too. Running a knight order costs a fortune, but their territory produces high-quality wool."
"No wonder. He looks just like a shepherd boy."
Adella was flustered after receiving the invitation from him. Erzebet looked relieved at last, her expression relaxed.
"It's probably an invitation to a ball. Earls usually make initial contact via letter, so he must really like Adella to come in person."
"......"
"It's a bit informal, but he's more than suitable as a match for Roshiar. Now I can finally relax."
What peculiar taste that guy has.
Erzebet patted his shoulder, saying he'd been through a lot, and headed over to them without giving him a chance to ask her to watch Adella.
—Congratulations, Adella. Looks like you can finally make your debut.
—Princess!? No, this is......!
Adella, startled and averting her gaze, met his eyes. She hastily stuffed the letter she'd just received into her pocket and bowed her head deeply.
What should he say? She had come to the academy aiming for marriage from the start, after all.
For some reason, it left a bitter taste.
"Sigh, whatever. She'll Liv her own life."
He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and went outside to light it.
As white smoke rose into the night sky, memories with Adella flashed through his mind one by one.
The time she got caught stealing bread and rubbed her hands pleadingly.
The time she couldn't resist Ansen's threats and cleared out the display shelf, munching away.
The time she nearly burned down the canteen trying to show off her magic.
The time her magic went berserk during the match, nearly drowning her.
Even the time Ansen returned from hell and she tried to stab him in the back after getting beaten.
'William, you've just fucked up your life, buddy.'
His mood suddenly lifted, and a smile formed naturally.
Come to think of it, whether Adella got married or not had nothing to do with him.
No, it was better that way.
She seemed normal now, but peel back the shell, and the inside would be something else entirely.
Peel back the shell... peel it... peeling it would be amazi...
'No, damn it...! Snap out of it!'
His inner metronome swung wildly back and forth, fraying his nerves.
As he stood there blankly, piling up cigarette butts on the ground, a voice called from behind.
"Teacher......"
It was Adella.
Has time passed this quickly already?
No wonder his head felt fuzzy. Looking down, quite a few butts that had passed through his lungs stood stiffly, ready for revolution.
After lightly stamping out the small, ignorant rebels, he glanced around.
The sky had already darkened, and all the customers had left the empty shop. Pretending nonchalance, he turned to her.
"Oh, yeah. What's up?"
"Yesterday......"
"Right. You said you had something to say? What is it? Want a raise? Or... uh, need meal money? You can eat up to three breads a day if you want. I know you work hard, so that's fine......"
"Teacher."
Adella stepped right up to him.
Close enough to see her long eyelashes trembling over her bright eyes.
Close enough for the cigarette smoke from his mouth to reach her nose.
And she asked him a question. The same one from before, one she'd asked once in the past.
"Teacher Louis. You really don't have any title at all?"
"......I told you I don't."
"Then... don't you want to go to the North Sea, beat up some demons, and get one?"
Sigh. A deep sigh welled up from his gut.
She needed to make sense. Titles weren't prizes handed out like raffle tickets.
The war was over. Little remained on the continent reduced to ashes.
The Penheim royals had already compensated the survivors and fallen heroes as much as possible—they had no desire to increase the nobility further.
Besides, a baron's title might be one thing, but she was clearly talking about an earldom.
A commoner wasting away at a canteen becoming an earl? The only way was creating one's own unique magic path.
She knew her demand was childish whining. His head throbbed; he craved a strong smoke.
"If you're done, head back to the dorm. I've got to go somewhere for a bit."
"Somewhere else?"
"Yeah. I won't be here for a few days."
The night air was chilly. As he tried to leave, Adella grabbed him again.
"Teacher."
"What now."
"Let's... go somewhere else together? Not here, just... anywhere far away."
That too—a wish he absolutely couldn't grant.
His heart grew heavy, like a safe sunk in the sea.
"I can't leave this place."
"Why not?"
"That's none of your business."
"Do you hate me, Teacher?"
Adella was spilling her emotions, nearly in tears.
What made her so desperate? Ignorant of nobility as he was, he couldn't understand.
"Is it because I'm stupid...? Or because I'm always causing trouble? I do good work now, and my pronunciation is... sniffl... clear now, and and and......"
As he opened his mouth to reply, a carriage approached from afar.
Red curtains with an iron cross—the Luhillen family crest.
"Adella. We'll talk about the rest later. I've gotta go."
"No. Stay with me."
"......"
"Wh-Whenever I think of you, Teacher, it hurts here all the time. Since our first kiss. I can't breathe, my head goes blank, and I can't think."
"That's arrhythmia. I'll pick up some medicine on the way."
"No! This is, this is......!!"
As she cried out, he noticed the invitation from William peeking from her skirt pocket.
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
The ceaseless inner turmoil halted abruptly at the sight.
"Adella."
The flower of the North Sea.
"I'll be back before the weekend's over, so watch the canteen."
Not something his bloodstained hands should hold.
"If you steal bread while I'm gone, you're dead later."
So he didn't hear her out to the end.
Instead, he boarded the carriage, leaving only the words he always said to her.
"Sob, sniffl......"
As the carriage carrying Louis passed through the academy's main gate and vanished, Adella finally burst into tears.
She knew it too. Louis getting a title was a pipe dream, and he wasn't interested anyway.
Still, she'd hoped he'd indulge her once. Even a lie saying they'd leave together.
"Teacher, Teacherrr....... Sniffl......!"
He knew nothing. About Roshiar. About her.
She'd tried to change for him, but failed to hold on in the end.
It wasn't that he hated the foolish girl—it was just that she was worthless. Adella quietly crumbled.
Then, on impulse, she pulled out the letter from her pocket.
An invitation from some earl whose name she couldn't even remember.
'If... even like this, I could stay by Teacher's side......'
Marriage to the earl. Her only way to escape Roshiar.
If so, could she at least stay at the academy until graduation? By Louis's side, pretending ignorance and smiling like before.
—Tomorrow evening, there's a ball at the Dehatan Salon in the southern district.
—Would you be my dance partner there?
Her chest ached terribly. Could she really fill this pain with someone else?
Even so, even then—
Adella staggered to her feet. She gazed at the northern sky where Louis had departed.
The inter-academy tournament had ended nearly a month ago. Time was running out, and she had only two choices.
A piercing cold wind slipped through the branches.