Chapter 58
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Lovesickness?!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Students had gathered in the Black Fox social club.
Sitting proudly at the center was Cecilia, her expression dignified.
The students seated in a line on either side of her continued the conversation.
"By the way, have you heard?"
One of them snapped open her fan with a flick and continued in a hushed voice.
"They say the student council president hasn't been seen for a whole week now?"
At her words, another young lady nodded.
"Oh my. I heard that too. Do you think she's unwell?"
"That could be."
At that moment, one of the young ladies who had been listening quietly spoke up.
"But I heard that's not the case..."
"Really?"
The young lady proceeded cautiously.
"One rumor says she's come down with lovesickness over a man."
"Oh!"
"Lovesickness!"
Though dismissed as mere rumor, they already wore expressions of utter belief.
The students' eyes sparkled as if handling an amusing new toy.
"What kind of man could it be? For the Imperial Princess to fall for him."
"Probably some dashing fellow."
"Ah! Could it be Sir Justin? He's renowned among the nobles for his striking looks and consideration, and he's student council vice president."
"Pfft, then it wouldn't be lovesickness!"
The club members eagerly pressed on with their chatter.
Cecilia's eyes narrowed as she overheard the conversation.
'Chloe hasn't left her room for over a week?'
Could it be because of what happened on the rooftop last time?
It was entirely plausible.
The words Tail had flung at her then had wounded her deeply as well.
It had hurt enough to ache in her heart.
Moreover, she hadn't expected him to be this shaken.
The moment she confirmed his feelings, Cecilia herself had crumbled.
Cecilia stared blankly at her teacup.
Gazing at the pale red tea, memories flooded back of every sunset they'd shared.
'I need to look into this.'
If Chloe was bedridden, the people monitoring her surroundings would spring into action.
Honestly, she didn't care what happened to Chloe.
But if it ended up harming Tail because of her...
'I won't let that slide.'
Her red eyes gleamed fiercely.
At that moment, the classroom was rowdy.
Bam! Bam!
Allen slammed the lectern twice, and in an instant, the students fell silent.
"Alright, settle down."
Allen continued in his deep, resonant voice.
Gripping the lectern firmly with his sturdy, muscular frame, he introduced himself.
"I am the captain of the Imperial First Knight Order."
He scanned the students one by one until his gaze met Tail's.
Locking eyes with Tail, Allen tugged the corner of his mouth into a crooked grin.
"Allen File."
To Tail, it looked like a muscular monster smirking, and for some reason, it terrified him.
At the same time, thunderous applause erupted from the students.
Commoners and nobles alike, their eyes sparkled.
Everyone was favorably inclined toward Allen.
"Well, of course. Whether it's his martial prowess or his character, Sir Allen is the textbook ideal that every knight aspires to emulate,"
Ethan remarked, as if he fully understood the students' reaction.
Ethan himself clearly had sparkling eyes.
This was something Tail knew as well.
After the war between Bellenuus and Tieren ended.
The knights who had guarded the palace post-war and those who returned from the battlefield couldn't integrate.
The one who became the unifying force was none other than
the captain of the Royal Guard's First Knight Order, Allen File.
"And lately, the story of him saving a commoner from being crushed by a carriage has been the talk everywhere."
Hmm.
Tail let out a short hum.
'Sir Allen is that exceptional a person.'
As he thought that, Allen continued.
"The class I'm in charge of is simple physical training. I'm here today for a brief orientation. Starting next week, it'll be a regular class, so we'll meet in the training hall."
With that, Allen's class came to an end.
A short while later.
Tail chased after Allen as he left the classroom.
"Sir Allen."
"Oh, Tail. How have you been?"
He flashed a bright smile, revealing his sharp canines.
"Looks like you're quite famous."
Tail let out a hollow laugh in response to Allen's words.
"Even the palace hears about me, huh."
"Of course. It's an academy established by the palace, after all."
Tail chuckled dryly at Allen's reply.
"So you pushed aside other duties to come here?"
At Tail's question, Allen blinked before bursting into hearty laughter.
"Naturally. It's a place for scouting talented individuals. If I can help, I have to come."
Tail chuckled inwardly.
'This guy's got another agenda.'
If nurturing talent was the goal from the start, he'd have come at the beginning of the semester.
But dropping everything now to train prospects out of the blue?
It didn't add up.
And from the way he phrased it, he couldn't say outright.
'Probably something related to the princess.'
He'd always quietly supported Chloe among the two imperial heirs.
Tail was genuinely glad to see him, but a nagging unease in the corner of his mind felt ominous.
'I was going to ask if the princess was okay...'
Having come straight from the palace to the academy, Allen would have surely visited Chloe first.
But his instincts warned him.
To be cautious.
Something was lurking behind him, on the palace side.
As that thought crossed his mind, someone came dashing toward them from afar—tatata!
"Senior!!!!"
A booming voice echoed through the hallway.
Even from a distance, her pink hair fluttered conspicuously, topped with white ears and a swishing tail behind.
It was Titina Larry.
"Senior, it's been so long!!!!!!"
Tatata!
Students nearby flinched and dodged as Titina barreled toward them at tremendous speed.
Then, in one leap, she launched herself at Allen.
Whoosh!
A dark shadow loomed over Tail and Allen.
Tail's mouth gaped wide open.
But.
With incredible speed, Allen grabbed Tail and dodged.
Thanks to that, Titina crashed to the floor.
Or rather, landed safely.
Like a tiger alighting gracefully.
Titina puffed out her cheeks.
"What gives, Senior? Why didn't you catch me?"
"Titina, how long do I have to keep catching you? I'm getting old."
Titina grinned and asked,
"How old are you, Senior?"
"Thirty."
"Titina's fifty! I'm older!"
You're a tiger, lady.
Not just any tiger, but one of the pinnacle tiger beastkin, boasting steel-like stamina and a robust body that held strong even with age.
Allen sighed at Titina's words.
"Sigh. Titina, this isn't a battlefield. The students are watching—act with some decorum."
"Eh? But I don't wanna..."
Blinking innocently, Titina looked utterly pure.
Tail, seeing their close camaraderie, asked,
"You two know each other?"
At Tail's question, they exchanged glances before speaking.
"Ah, the students probably don't know."
"We kept rumors about our beastkin exploits to a minimum, so maybe not."
Allen slowly explained.
Before coming to the monastery as Chloe's guard knight.
Allen had been on the battlefield.
That was around the time beastkin were first integrated.
Full of distrust toward humans, and with their immense strength and stamina, few could handle them.
Plus, at the time, beastkin were strongly seen as slaves, so no one wanted to lead them.
That's when Allen File was drafted.
Thus, the 'Beast Knight Order' was formed, with Allen as its captain.
After that, he passed the captaincy to Titina and returned to the palace, evacuating to the monastery with Chloe.
"Ah, the Beast Knight Order!"
Tail had heard of the famous knight order.
He knew it was mainly composed of beastkin, and that Titina was its captain.
"Sir Allen was the first captain?"
"That's right. Sigh... Thinking back, it feels like it halved my lifespan."
Fair enough. A knight order made entirely of beastkin must have been hard to control.
"And Titina was the top troublemaker among them."
Titina nodded at his words.
"Yup. I caused the most incidents. Allen always cleaned up after me."
Allen clutched his head again at Titina's frank admission.
"Sigh. You idiot, that's not something to brag about."
"True. Not a brag. Just facts. Admit. Admit."
Titina bobbed her head up and down vigorously, making her claimed age of fifty hard to believe.
'Well, if they're happy, that's what matters.'
Tail chuckled, watching their bickering.
After parting with Tail and Titina, Allen headed somewhere immediately.
Slowly, but not leisurely.
He arrived before a large door.
The soldier standing guard recognized him.
"A-Allen, sir!"
The soldier's eyes sparkled like he was beholding an idol.
"Is the Imperial Princess here, by any chance?"
"Yes, sir. She's been inside for a week straight."
Yesterday, he'd stopped by the student council room but heard from Justin that the princess hadn't left her room in a week after meeting him.
Having come here, he had to pay his respects, so Allen ended up at her door.
'Is she unwell?'
Or really because of Tail?
Either way, it wasn't good news.
Her illness was troubling enough, but he didn't want to see Tail dealt with by the prime minister because of it.
'Please snap out of it, Your Highness.'
Reality wasn't a fairy tale.
With that thought, Allen knocked.
Knock knock knock.
Chloe's behavior, having seemingly forgotten Tail for a while.
And Tail's expression upon reuniting.
All differed from Allen's expectations.
-Come in.
Feeling that things here might get complicated going forward,
Allen gripped the doorknob upon hearing Chloe's voice from beyond.