Chapter 54
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: One Excused. Reason...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
One excused. Reason...
Cadets forced to spend the day outdoors—backs aching, forgetting the plush beds back at the dorms and mansions—stood lost in thought before the long row of wooden crates.
For today only, there was no abundant, tantalizing spread from the academy cafeteria.
The lunches assigned for the outdoor class ranged from jerky to dried fruits and nuts—foods that practically screamed "camping."
There were also simple ingredients provided for any cadets confident enough to cook for themselves.
Noble offspring accustomed to ordering servants around? As if they'd ever cooked with their own hands.
Even if any had, they'd be a tiny minority.
In the end, the Knight Department—packed with high-ranking nobles from prestigious houses—mostly grabbed the ready-to-eat, rough rations and trudged off grumbling.
The Swordsmanship Department, at least, had a fair number heading out boldly with cooking supplies. One such group was Rike's party.
'Make a big batch first... hand some out to the church priests, then naturally to oppa...'
If Robert had been blabbing mindlessly all over the place, she'd have just handed the food over openly.
But until she could gauge Robert's reaction—sprawled out in the tent like a dead rat—she judged it best to stick to the usual routine.
Minimizing the drama was the surest path.
A few cadets had apparently spotted him heading into the woods earlier. They glanced curiously at Rike upon seeing Robert lying corpse-still and silent, but nothing more came of it.
More than mere curiosity brewed among the women clustered around Robert.
They poured their raw displeasure straight at Rike through undisguised glares and expressions.
Recently, Robert had started brazenly shoving himself in front of other cadets, faces thick as iron plates. Even groups of female cadets she'd never met shot her those hostile looks.
'Step up and deny it? They won't listen... just latch onto words like "arrogant" and nitpick endlessly.'
Dealing with men who didn't hide their lechery or women desperately hunting for verbal slip-ups was utterly exhausting in itself.
What they really wanted wasn't Robert's true feelings—feelings she had zero interest in knowing.
No, they needed an excuse to sink their teeth into the girl drawing his attention.
That much was crystal clear without even looking.
An engagement to Robert?
Pledging marriage to a man she didn't love?
For Rike, whose values had flipped completely in a short time, it ranked among the top spots on her list of situations more despairing than death itself.
And yet, strangely enough...
Every time the thought crossed her mind, she felt the noble shell around her peeling away bit by bit.
And with it, she could face the happy reality she now held.
So her mood never plummeted over some vague, unimaginable future.
Those frank jealous stares? Compared to the men's slimy gazes, they weren't upsetting anymore—just amusing.
Completely tuning out the outside world, Rike moved her hands according to the recipes stacked in her head.
Piles of vegetables were chopped into chunks at rapid speed, stacking up before her eyes.
"Put just the ingredients from that first bowl in now."
"Ah, yes!"
Rike had started speaking more casually to Chloe during academy lunch hours, but Chloe still stuck to formal speech.
Truth be told, such trifles hardly mattered.
Right now, she had no bandwidth to care if Chloe cursed her out or spewed vulgarities.
'Oppa likes his carrots fully softened, but potatoes with a bit of bite to keep the texture... so just simmer them here a little...'
Her lover, spending the day in the forest and making do with light meals.
With these meager ingredients, Rike poured every ounce of focus and spirit into figuring out how to feed him as bountifully as possible.
'...'
Eclair stepped out of the tent and spotted Chloe amid the bustling crowd, smiling happily as she helped with the cooking.
Harmonious camaraderie.
Just seeing that scene made a stone in her chest dissolve. She was already content with her decision to hide her identity and join the class.
Lost in a daze, she noticed cadets' stares piling onto her excessively, so Eclair retreated back into the tent.
The adventurer lounged casually in his seat, one leg jiggling idly as he hummed a tune. No apparent plans to eat.
"Not having lunch separately? Even if there's no real difference, you should eat something."
"Ah~ She said to hang on a bit."
Hang on? Puzzled, she pondered it a moment when footsteps approached the tent.
A gait excited yet retaining elegance.
Swoosh—
The entry flap was pushed aside.
A woman entered smoothly, balancing two bowls on a flat wooden board. A cross-shaped scar marked her face.
Presumed close friend of Chloe... and the adventurer smirking from behind...
"I accidentally made too much food... I already handed some out to the priests before coming."
Her apologetic tone and voice were aimed straight at her, but her gaze never quite met Eclair's.
'This is surprising...'
Glancing back, the woman's expression bloomed into a radiant smile.
Not just because her beauty made even the facial scar unmarred.
The aura and emotions this young lady exuded without restraint were so nakedly vivid, they almost embarrassed the onlooker.
A few hours ago, she'd seemed utterly incapable of smiling so brightly.
Whatever emotion—too hesitant to name aloud—could transform a person like that? Eclair couldn't say.
"Ooh— I was starving!"
The man peeled himself from the chair like melting wax and bounded over.
"This bowl's seasoned a bit stronger, like usual—"
"Mm-hmm."
Standing there invisible as a ghost, Eclair took in both their faces at a glance.
No need to hide from her, apparently. Their expressions were oddly captivating.
Roman's face, listening to the explanation, shed its usual unpredictable smirk or carefree grin for something transparently emotional.
'I should make myself scarce.'
Such feelings had no tie to her, so shifting her interest was swift.
Watching made her skin crawl; she sat, averted her eyes, and shut her ears.
A moment later, the talk ended. He returned and set a bowl before her.
Tomato stew, made maximizing the academy's provided ingredients.
No meat, but perfect for camping—always warming the body.
Lunchtime wasn't long, yet somehow it looked thoroughly simmered.
"Chloe helped out a ton, too."
"...".
Even if Chloe hadn't made it from start to finish.
A dish infused with her little sister's care and time? She'd never tasted one, never dreamed she'd get the chance.
Eclair unclasped her armor, rolled up the loose robe sleeves, and took up her spoon.
Slurp—
Slightly mild, yet the subtle vegetable sweetness danced on her tongue, urging another sip.
"Cuisine beyond my station..."
"Lunchtime's over. Fall in!"
As the cadets assembled, one female cadet always glued to Robert raised her hand.
I nodded toward her.
"Speak."
"...Knight Department cadet Robert Bolt is in poor condition and unable to participate in class."
A peek at the tent: still sprawled in the same pose as when I'd returned.
Not dead yet—his shoulders and back rose and fell with each breath.
A pile of assorted foods nearby, but he'd skipped the lunches the women brought.
"You informed the priests?"
"Yes..."
Mental wounds don't heal with spells, huh?
I nodded acknowledgment and shifted my gaze to the cadets' center.
"Until dinner, we'll pair duels with terrain training like usual practicals. We'll use the nearby forest."
A minority lit up with excitement.
About half nodded knowingly, as expected.
The rest recoiled visibly.
"I'll handle the Swordsmanship Department as planned, but Knight Department cadets can opt to train under this knight here. Swordsmanship cadets welcome to join if interested."
"This knight's skills and renown—unrevealed thus far—are ones I personally vouch for."
Cadets' eyes swiveled en masse to the armored figure.
Some startled by the fiercely gleaming gaze and looked away.
"A knight's sword is best learned from a knight. But sparring an unorthodox adventurer could hone your adaptability—might make choosing the instructor wiser."
Same for the reverse.
Cadets who'd been eager for practicals now pondered carefully.
Such weighty choices needed time, sure.
I glanced up at the sun blazing fiercely overhead.
Light so vigorous, night seemed impossible today.
-Hmm...
Seeing cadets still groaning but fired with zeal, I wondered if forcing a choice was necessary.
Was my educator's mindset too shallow?
"No, wait... From now till dinner's way longer than usual class. We'll just do both."
-Ooh—!!
-Ah...
Some sighed in sorrow at my words; others cheered approval.
Not knowing Eclair or not, learning from a powerhouse without death risk was sheer luck. Spoiled brats...
Robert missing this chance flat on his back? His loss.
'Not bad.'
For an impromptu fix from a blockhead like me, it was pretty solid.
This way, Rike meets Eclair naturally—no need to drag Chloe into scheming.
And it'll give Rike practice against a future Enoch Skadi-level foe.