Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Pensilon Academy, Day 3
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Pensilon Academy, day three.
I was starting to get used to life here.
It reminded me of my college days, in a way.
Back in high academy or middle academy, the commute was so long that I never quite felt this sensation, but things were different here.
With a mere twenty-minute walk to school, it took me right back to those days of living in a cheap off-campus apartment and commuting to university.
Of course, unlike back then, I wasn't living alone now.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, Ymir was already up, smiling warmly as she helped me get ready.
By the time I got dressed and headed downstairs, Eonia had a thoughtful breakfast laid out.
Olaf came trudging into the dining room after me, yawning his head off, followed by Lisitea, drenched in sweat from her morning training.
Eonia fussed at her to go wash up, sparking a full-blown argument—it had all become part of the daily routine.
Olaf watched the scene with a hearty laugh.
“Haha, it's so lively. And the food is out of this world. I could mooch off you guys forever.”
“Meißen Roifir wouldn't like that, would he? A mansion full of women like this.”
“What are you talking about? My ties with that guy are already cut. He's just a close little brother now. Little brother.”
“A mere little brother who's ready to ditch his country and join us, staring only at you?”
“W-well, that's...”
“Don't ignore reality, Olaf. Or you might end up with a knife in your back.”
“Ha! Never thought I'd hear that from you.”
Just then, Ymir finished making the bed and came down to the dining room.
She took her seat quietly and began eating in silence. Watching her, I couldn't hold back a smile.
Olaf shook his head.
“The real fire's over there. It's awkward not knowing how to react when you two are all lovey-dovey all day.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“What do you think? Ask your heart.”
“Ahem!”
Ymir fumbled in embarrassment, her fork moving faster.
That's when I noticed something unexpected.
“...Ymir.”
“Yes? Is something wrong?”
“No, it's nothing big. You don't usually eat stuff like that, do you?”
It was greasy food. Normally, Ymir preferred vegetarian meals like the ones she made for me. She'd only eat lean meat, never touching anything heavy on seasonings or dripping with oil like this.
“Well...”
Ymir looked visibly flustered. It felt like she was hiding something.
Olaf chimed in with a joke.
“Haha, what if you're pregnant or something?”
He meant it as a gag, but Ymir just stammered, unable to respond.
I couldn't help but be shocked.
“Really!?”
Ymir nodded eventually, like a confession. She'd only found out recently herself.
She'd been agonizing over how to tell me.
The dining room erupted at the news of Ymir's pregnancy.
Olaf rounded up the other retainers instead of letting it slide. It was a bit over the top, but I appreciated the sentiment.
They all offered their congratulations in their own ways.
“Congrats. With you and Miss Ymir, it'll be a beastkin for sure, right? I hope the kid becomes a symbol of harmony between humans and beastkin.”
“Yeah, congrats. Hope you have a healthy delivery.”
From Olaf and Lisitea.
Then the master couple spoke up.
“We were just thinking it was a shame to throw out our kid's old clothes. Als, you can pass them on to your child.”
“What are you saying, Illya? Lord Als's child needs something far better. Hand-me-downs from Gawain? How rude...”
My boisterous master and Anton, who didn't know how to handle the enthusiasm.
Gaspar burst into jolly laughter.
“Kahahaha! We gotta drink up a storm today! Olaf, Aegert! I'm buying, so join in!”
“Heh, free booze? Count me in!”
“That's the spirit! Lutger, you in?”
Lutger shrugged.
“If I've got nothing else, sure. Congrats, Als. It'll be a healthy one for sure.”
Estelle, standing beside him, had her eyes sparkling.
Must be excited about my kid.
Eonia was the same. Though her gaze carried a hint of something more.
“You guys are all making way too big a deal out of this.”
Even as I said it, I felt like I was floating on air.
Part of me wanted to spend the whole day with Ymir, but that wasn't possible.
Having to go to class even now made me resent being a student all over again.
*
*
*
My mind wandered through the morning lecture, and Sophia called me out on it.
“What's up with you today? Your head's not in it.”
“You focus on yourself. That part's wrong, by the way.”
“Huh? W-where? Oh!”
Sophia panicked and fixed her mistake.
After the morning military studies class, I had to prep for the afternoon music lesson.
This one was especially important—I couldn't skip academy today.
For some reason, Saintess Alicia was scheduled to observe the music class.
Even the protagonist, Cassius Lloyd, was attending.
It was like the eye of the storm.
The pressure was intense for me too.
Because I had no ear for music.
‘If I have to sing or something...’
Just imagining the embarrassment was horrifying.
These days, there wasn't much I couldn't do.
Als and I covered each other's weaknesses to hit average at least.
If Als sucked at drawing but I was decent, we averaged out. Or if one of us was a chess prodigy like me, the other side didn't matter.
That's why we were a perfect pair.
Except when we became a nightmare duo.
Music was the prime example.
I had no sense of rhythm, and Als was tone-deaf.
The rhythm issue got fixed thanks to Als, but the tone-deafness created a negative synergy that left us hopeless.
I tried practicing singing recently as a test, and even Eonia couldn't force out praise. That said it all.
The silver lining? No problem handling instruments with fixed pitches.
Improvisation was out, but sight-reading sheet music worked fine.
My instrument was the violin.
I'd learned since childhood, but with no passion for music, my skill was mediocre.
So ahead of music class, I was getting crash tutoring.
“Nuh-uh. Wrong. Not even close.”
Melodiana shook her head.
“Music demands delicacy! Play like that, and you'll get dissonance!”
“Hey, didn't you say the other day that as long as you're satisfied, the result doesn't matter?”
“That's for art, sure. But music's different. It's for sharing with others, so it has to sound good to them first!”
As Melodiana tutored me, Estelle approached with her instrument.
She spotted me and jumped.
“D-Diana! Why is Lord Als here?”
Melodiana shrugged like it was no big deal.
“You and Als both wanted lessons, so I figured why not together? Problem?”
Estelle smacked her lips and asked,
“Diana, how do you know Lord Als?”
“Nothing much. My father introduced him as a potential match once.”
“A match!?”
“Well, neither of us wanted marriage, so we just exchanged letters and left it at that.”
“Oh!”
Estelle muttered like something clicked.
“I see... The person Lord Als was exchanging letters with... Yeah. Erina mentioned the match he traded proposals with...”
“What's up, Estelle?”
“N-nothing! So... what happened with the match?”
“Hahaha! It fizzled out, obviously.”
Melodiana puffed out her chest.
“My heart's set on one person only.”
She was an odd one, no doubt.
Her un-princess-like boldness was one thing, but her chosen fiancé was another. Apparently, she'd liked him since childhood.
I scoffed at her.
“Doesn't matter—Juras has zero interest in you.”
“Why say something so sad? My godfather will notice me someday. So Als, put in a good word for me.”
“Jeez.”
Her pure love aside.
Thanks to her intensive lessons, I headed into music class with confidence.
*
*
*
Music's evolution has always been tied to parties.
So much so that many say most music evolved from party tunes.
In this world, music had developed quite a bit for that reason.
Lighting magic enabled night parties, accelerating musical progress.
The music class in the academy ballroom had about 150 students.
Unlike art class, no bullying meant second-years weren't involved.
Still, tensions simmered.
Students clustered by nation, forming cliques. Natural enough.
Even the teachers seemed eager to compare national levels, assigning the same piece for everyone to play.
In the ensuing contest, Byullang shone brightest.
Along with the performance, protagonist Cassius sang impromptu, carrying the show.
As Byullang finished, applause erupted like everyone was mesmerized.
‘Worthy of an event, alright.’
The Saintess, moved by his voice, approaching Cassius—that was the Saintess encounter event.
Oddly, she wasn't here yet.
“The Marquis Lloyd's heir lives up to the hype.”
“Amazing...”
Even our side's students were in awe.
Ruan Chase, in the music class for some reason, swallowed hard.
He looked like he felt the gap in talent.
He knew it in his bones too: Cassius's martial prowess was beyond imagination. Far stronger than that Fisher Partibo.
‘Protagonist really is a cheat character.’
In the game, he could do anything.
To me, aside from his justice-freak side, he was flawless.
That justice streak could charm some people too. Plenty fell for his heroics.
Cassius had been absorbing people around him since enrollment, building his faction.
Meanwhile, no one approached me—we were polar opposites.
Once all nations performed, tension eased into a free-practice vibe.
Cassius seized the moment, mingling with other countries' students.
Unlike a loner like me, he was a natural social butterfly.
He wielded his stunning looks without hesitation.
Flashing smiles like he planned it, stealing girls' hearts left and right.
‘Classic male-lead protagonist!’
Soon, he headed our way—Crossing side. He even hit on Melodiana and Estelle for joint practice.
I could feel her inner jealousy bubbling, so apparently even she felt envious.
I got annoyed and moved to intervene, but Estelle beat me.
“Sorry. Not interested.”
Estelle coldly rejected the protagonist. So icy that even he flinched.
He gave an awkward smile and glanced my way last.
I never expected him to come over here.
‘Even with me around?’
And it seemed aimed at me.
As he approached, Illya master and Anton burst from hiding, flanking me protectively.
The couple's entrance drew a roar of “Ooooh!”
Anton glared murderously at the protagonist. Cassius hesitated at the palpable aura but raised both hands, signaling no fight.
“Just here to pass a message.”
He met my eyes squarely.
“Wade, last battle, you told me war has no justice or grand cause.”
“...And?”
“I think you were right. The cause we claimed was fake. Even if we invaders preached righteousness, it must've sounded ridiculous to you.”
I couldn't predict his intent.
‘Apologizing?’
The vibe felt too hostile for that.
“So I've accepted it. My grudge against you isn't about justice or causes. It's for Lina, Liser, and even Mr. Crans. I'll strike you down for their revenge.”
“...Ha, give it a shot if you can. What can one student do?”
“Things'll change soon. Let's see if you say that then.”
The air warped with rage. His killing intent seeped everywhere. Without Anton and Illya master, even I'd feel pressured.
“Just came to tell you that.”
A declaration of war, basically.
Cassius spun and left.
Anton looked ready to stab him in the back on my order, but that'd endanger him too, so we held back.
“Cassius Lloyd threatened Wade!”
“Going after Wade, of all people!”
The ballroom buzzed at the protagonist's challenge.
Unable to stand the chaos, I headed to the window for air.
The ballroom had plenty of space by the windows.
‘Things'll change soon? What does that mean?’
If it meant no longer just a student, maybe becoming a general? But Byullang had non-aggression pacts with all nations—no deploying troops anywhere.
To come at me, he'd need to ditch Byullang.
‘Using the West, maybe?’
Or just bluffing to rattle me.
I decided not to overthink it.
With good news today, I didn't want gloomy thoughts.
Then, rustling—Estelle appeared. She'd followed me.
“...Why? Worried?”
“Y-yeah... that too. But I have a question, Lord Als. What's your deal with that Cassius Lloyd?”
“Enemies.”
I gave a light rundown of past events.
Estelle nodded and spoke.
“He's weird.”
“Weird how?”
“M-might be my imagination, but... I don't think he was genuinely angry at you.”
“...What?”
After that killing intent?
Estelle explained carefully.
“I've been sick a lot, so I'm sensitive to people's auras and true feelings. That's why I sensed it. That Cassius Lloyd... had nothing there.”
“Nothing...?”
“Acting mad on the outside, but no real emotion inside... No, more like faint goodwill toward you.”
Cassius feeling goodwill toward me?
There was a route for that, but no way.
My skepticism must've shown—Estelle hurriedly added,
“H-ha, guess I said something silly. Don't mind it.”
But I couldn't brush it off.
Something nagged at me.
Like all the puzzle pieces were there, but wouldn't fit right—unsettling.
I tried forcing them together, but then—
The ballroom murmured.
Saintess Alicia had arrived.