Burying One Scandal Under a Bigger One
They were adults, technically—but only just, and nowhere near finished growing up. University students still carrying a last fistful of childishness sometimes let it show the moment drink got involved.
As it happened, Arcadia Academy was an institution built very much like a university, and its students ran to the same pattern. Case in point: Ishilla, presently dead drunk in the middle of the stall.
"Kariel, you! Why are you always so mean to me?! I-it's embarrassing!"
"Ugh. You react like that to everything—how am I supposed to not mess with you? You've got to be a little wicked. In moderation!"
"Y-you—! Wicked?!"
Ishilla lurched up off her chair and grabbed Kariel by the shoulders. It wasn't a real brawl yet, but Kariel herself looked one spark away from going off.
"I-isn't that the princess...? And the one beside her..."
"The young lady of Silbaerin. My, what a passionate friendship. Perfect for a summer festival..."
And there were far too many eyes on them. Academy or not, with all its proud independence, one more step of this spectacle and the consequences could turn ugly.
"Hey, Jerry? Mind the grill for a minute? Think you can handle it?"
"Of course, boss."
I left the charcoal brazier with Jerry, a hand I'd borrowed from the Calius Merchant Guild, and moved in to peel the drunks apart.
That was when it hit.
BOOM. CRASH—!!
Ah, shit. Now what.
From the street in front of the stall came a sound that had nothing festive about it. Cold steel snarled and locked, and every gaze that had been glued to Ishilla and Kariel snapped away in an instant.
Exhaustion dropped over me like a wet sheet. I ran out front.
Arthur stood there, lightly armed in leather and a gambeson—quilted cloth armor—and opposite him a knight armed much the same, solid and bear-warm as a brown bear, the two of them already charging.
"Y-you bastard! Take my blade!"
"G-gyaaah! Too strong!"
The acting was so wretched it went past cringe and straight into mortal embarrassment.
Even on a day when everyone else is playing, eating, and resting, some people still have to work. The city watch, responsible for keeping the peace. Merchants who have to make their coin while the festival lasts. And the escort knights charged with guarding certain people who have come to enjoy it.
Arthur was one of them—armed in gambeson and leather against whatever a hot summer might throw at him, keeping a hidden watch at Ishilla's side.
Hot. So hot I might actually die.
Another bead of sweat rolled down the small of his back. More poured off his bangs like rain, but he couldn't abandon the mission for that.
Seeing Ishilla home was the main purpose of the trip, but the reason for the posting was escort duty all the same. And if that was the case, then an academy festival—crowds packed tight, threats coming from anywhere—demanded an escort without question. Duke Kailan had surely arranged it this way on purpose, sending him at precisely this time. A knight's duty was to be faithful to the task a knight had been given.
Even setting that aside, Arthur had a reason he couldn't cut corners.
That reason was right there.
Hot. So hot I can barely breathe.
In the roadside brush near Princess Kariel, a knight was crouched like a wild bear, keeping his own watch: Mervet Betz. Set aside the Sword Master who had vanished without a trace, and with a blade in hand this man could fairly be called the finest in the empire. A senior of seniors to Arthur—the princess's personal guard—and even he was out here working, sweat pouring off him in sheets. How was Arthur supposed to slack off in the face of that?
It was the first time he and Betz had crossed paths since the Expert sparring evaluation. There was no room to exchange greetings.
The moment either of them so much as looked like an escort, Kariel and Ishilla would be glaring. Both young ladies had always hated cumbersome things like bodyguards, and with the academy festival piled on top of that, they had pushed their escorts even farther back. They couldn't shake them off entirely, of course, so they had settled for the next best thing: a watch from the shadows.
Arthur and Betz held their breath, turned their heads just enough to meet each other's eyes, and traded a look.
Last time, I learned a great deal from you, Sir Betz. It was an honor.
I enjoyed crossing blades with young blood myself. If the chance comes, we'll spar again.
Call, and I'll come running whenever you wish.
Aside from the occasional conversation conducted entirely by eye, there was nothing to do but endure the hideous heat and the solitude. Still, nothing had happened. Constant vigilance was a virtue, but the best outcome was for nothing to happen in the first place. By that measure, today's escort work wasn't such a bad shift.
Or is it? The weather might actually be making it worse...
The thought surfaced, and Arthur shook it off. There was no need to swallow the red pill and open his eyes to an uncomfortable truth.
Ishilla and Kariel wandered here and there, and at last drifted toward the outskirts of the festival grounds. Arthur followed their steps and had a fair guess where they were headed. The place the northern duke's treasured daughter and the empire's crimson flower were bound for was none other than the stall where Kang Jinwoo had set up a special festival trade.
Arthur had heard about it beforehand, and he had eaten every one of those dishes himself. He saw nothing strange in Jinwoo opening a shop out on the fringe like this.
Ishilla and Kariel looked faintly puzzled—until they each tried a chicken skewer and a beer, and their eyes changed.
Ishilla drained a whole mug in terrifying gulps. Arthur, who knew that taste, and Betz, who didn't, but who was so miserably hot that cold liquid had become a matter of survival, both swallowed nothing but their own spit and watched the young ladies drink in broad daylight.
A crisp rustle came from the brush where Betz was hidden. Arthur looked over and found the older knight signaling with his eyes, asking to talk.
Do you know the owner of that stall?
Yes, sir. I do. Kang Jinwoo is from Silbaerin as well. I've known him quite a while.
Arthur never failed to use proper courtesy with Kang Jinwoo, but the man across from him was the princess's personal knight. Before the authority of the Imperial Knights, suppressing that courtesy was mandatory.
Her Highness seems fond of that cook's food. Looks like it suits her again this time.
Kang Jinwoo's cooking shatters common sense. I tried those dishes ahead of them, and the flavor was honestly absurd.
Heh. I'm envious. I'll have to seek him out on my own later.
Betz licked his bone-dry lips. Guard duty ran around the clock; there would be no gap in which to eat chicken skewers and drink beer. When he said he would seek the man out, he seemed to mean after the festival ended... but Kang Jinwoo was due to return to Silbaerin the moment it did, so that wish was never going to come true. Arthur, who knew as much, simply closed his eyes and said nothing.
How long the feast went on was anyone's guess.
"Kariel!! Hic—every time there's an opening, you tease me!! Just hold it in!"
"What? This is me holding it in! Want me to show you what happens when I don't?"
"Hieek... Hmph! You think, hic, talking like that is going to scare me?"
Ishilla and Kariel, who had knocked back beer without the faintest idea what they were doing, were now thoroughly drunk and making a noisy scene of it.
Oh no. What do I do?
This is bad...
From the brush some distance off, Arthur and Betz took in the commotion and immediately locked eyes. Leave this alone, and the duke's daughter and the princess would both take a stain on their honor that would never wash out. And yet the escorts themselves couldn't wedge into that tangle and break the fight up. The process itself would be far too ugly. Young ladies who had guzzled liquor without knowing their limit, reluctantly restrained by their own guards? Open the salons on that story and it would be gossip to gnaw for ten years.
Betz thought, hard and fast. Then he drew his beloved longsword.
The sudden draw startled Arthur, who stared at him.
S-Sir Betz? What are you doing?
Arthur. Are you a knight who understands honor?
Of course. I, Arthur, swore my loyalty to the Duke of Silbaerin. That heart will never change.
"Then stand up, and draw your sword."
Men who had reached that realm could read intent from the eyes alone. Betz deliberately severed that silent channel and spoke aloud. A moment later, Arthur understood. Betz was saying they should sacrifice themselves, and thereby protect the social lives of the masters to whom they had sworn loyalty.
There is no hesitation on the face of a man who has decided. Arthur drew with a terrible momentum. To stand against the man who was, in practice, the empire's strongest knight, he would have to give everything he had—even if the fight was only an act.
"Arthur of the Silbaerin Knights. I ask you to teach me."
"The princess's sword. Mervet Betz."
Both men poured aura into their blades to the limit. An honorable knights' battle needed nothing else.
KRAAANG—!!
They crashed together with a thunderous roar, spending every last scrap of strength they had. All of it, to protect their masters.
Steel screamed—clang, skitter, clash!
"Holy crap. That's the same species as me...?"
"I can't even see the swords move, but the noise never stops."
"But those knights... who are they? Why are they fighting?"
"No idea. It's fun, so isn't that enough?"
Right in front of the stall, Arthur was fighting a battle that bordered on the divine. I had no idea who his opponent was, but from the way Arthur was subtly losing ground, the man was clearly no pushover.
"The only thing running hot on you is your body, and it's useless!!"
"What? You're just a human cooling-pillow! Look—hold my hand, it's still cold!"
"I-I—! Hic! Grabbing me like that, over and over, is what's embarrassing...!"
Somewhere along the way, Kariel and Ishilla's eternal-snow-melting routine had been shoved into the background. I didn't fully follow it, but if I was going to stop them, now was the moment. Eilenna and I moved in together.
"Ishilla. How much did you drink? Here—water. Drink this and calm down."
"Uuuh, Master? Thanks..."
"Y-Your Highness. Please calm down... There are so many people watching."
"Ugh. Thanks..."
Eilenna clearly had no idea how one was supposed to address an imperial princess, and her attempt came out clumsy, but Kariel, well into her cups, didn't care.
Ishilla gulped down the cold water I'd handed her. With every swallow, the focus seemed to creep back into her eyes. Once she sobered up later and remembered all this, she was going to throw an absolute fit. Then again, the glacier those two had already melted looked big enough to fill a swimming pool, so the ice dormitory might end up looking mild by comparison.
"Phew. Dizzy. I'm sleepy, Master."
"God, you reek of alcohol. Can you walk? Go lie down in the staff room, at least."
"Okaaay..."
Cold water or not, she didn't snap back to her senses on the spot. Leave her like that and she'd plant her face on a table in no time, so I braced Ishilla's shoulder as she swayed along.
"Your Highness! Please keep your balance. Come on, easy."
"Nnngh, sorry... I'm a little dizzy."
Eilenna hauled Kariel along by the shoulder, straining with every step. Being dead drunk doesn't suddenly double a person's weight, but that peculiar boneless slack makes supporting them several times harder. Between us, we barely managed to lay both young ladies down in the break room and get back out.
"I always end up rooting for the weaker side. Silver hair, win!"
"Same, but... that opponent is a full-on bear. Bears tear people apart."
"That... is true."
Arthur's fight was still going. But while I'd been moving Ishilla, I'd felt it. Mid-combat, he kept stealing glances at me. The bear of a knight was doing the same, side-eyeing Eilenna as she carried Kariel.
The kitchen was open, but the counter was low enough to hide my hands. I ducked beneath it and used Mana Market. What came into my palm, at the cost of a thread of mana, was peach puree and a little milk. I mixed them to proportion and had a Milk Peach in moments.
"Jinwoo, why are you suddenly making Milk Peach?"
"Sir Arthur and that knight are suffering out there. The least I can do is give them something to drink."
"Huh??"
Eilenna tilted her head, plainly lost. And right on cue, their little WWE exhibition came to an end.
"Gyaaah! Too strong!"
"You weren't bad either. I'll let it slide this once. From now on, be careful not to bump shoulders with me."
"Th-thank you..."
"What? They fought like it was life or death, and then it just fizzles?"
"What, are you only satisfied if somebody dies? That's a dangerous man."
"No, that's not what I meant, it's just... it feels staged, doesn't it?"
The fight had ended like a dragon's head on a snake's tail, and the spectators deflated. There had been the sudden commotion, and on the first day our stock estimates had been shaky to begin with, so we were nearly sold through. At this point, closing up early looked perfectly fine. We'd moved almost ninety percent by late afternoon, and an early close might as well count as a sellout. Word would spread and tomorrow would bring even more customers; quitting now to prepare for that might actually be the smarter play. The real reason was protecting Ishilla and Kariel's image, but a good outcome is a good outcome.
"We're out of stock, so no more orders!! Thank you! Tomorrow I'll have twice as much ready, so please come back!"
I called the last order, and not long after, business was done. I carried the Milk Peach into the staff room.
"Sir Arthur, and this gentleman is... ah. Well, first, both of you, take a glass."
"Thank you, Mr. Jinwoo. This is Sir Mervet Betz. He is Princess Kariel's escort knight."
"Good to meet you. I've heard the rumors well enough. I've no idea what this is, but I'll drink it gladly. My thanks."
Arthur and Betz finished the brief introductions and immediately knocked the Milk Peach back in one go.
"Haaah. That soaks right in. Sweet peach sliding down—feels like my strength's already back."
"You both worked hard. You picked that fight on purpose, didn't you?"
"Hrk. You noticed. Thank you."
Arthur was moved nearly to tears, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. They'd put on a performance that stiff and obvious—it would have been stranger if I hadn't caught on.
"I'm late with the introduction. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Kang Jinwoo. I just cook a little, nothing much."
"Haha! In all the Aethernia Empire, you may be the only cook who can call it 'nothing much' after capturing the imperial princess's palate. Kang Jinwoo."
I talked this and that with Betz, whom I was meeting for the first time. He was Kariel's personal guard, and he said he had been waiting outside even back when Ishilla and Kariel melted a glacier over tteokbokki. On top of that, they bought toast, tteokbokki, and Milk Peach nearly every day, so it seemed he'd taken a natural interest in me.
"By the way, what do we do about Her Highness and Ishilla? Leave them like that and they'll sleep here until tomorrow."
"Don't worry about that. The watch in the shadows isn't only the two of us."
Ishilla and Kariel were asleep on the cots so deeply you could have carried them off and they wouldn't have known. When I showed my concern, Betz declared it with perfect confidence and snapped his fingers.
And from under those cots... people wrapped head to toe in black came crawling out.
"Holy—shit!"
"Don't be too startled. Silent, swift movement is their specialty."
"R-right..."
The black-clad figures, ninja-like as they were, hoisted Ishilla and Kariel onto their backs with remarkable steadiness. Then, without so much as a footfall, they vanished into the dark of the fallen sun.
Arthur and Betz made ready to follow.
"We've imposed on you in many ways today, Mr. Jinwoo. Until next time."
"Yeah. I'll see you at the manor."
"Ah, Kang Jinwoo. Do you happen to do formal banquet cuisine as well?"
Betz, in the middle of checking his gear, asked about banquet fare out of nowhere. Banquet cuisine, banquet cuisine... He probably meant court cooking, or food with proper ceremony behind it. The word itself carried the sense of a coursed meal, but more broadly it also meant cuisine prepared with due form. I'd learned plenty of Western technique, but I'd never actually squared up and produced fine dining.
"W-well? I know the method, but honestly, it's not a format I'm used to."
"Mm. Meaning you'll do it if you try. Understood!"
"How did you get that out of what I just said?"
"I'm not trying to burden you, but your reputation has climbed to some rather high places. That's why I asked."
This old man only ever said exactly what he felt like saying. But high places? How high, that he'd go out of his way to ask about banquet cuisine?
"High places—where, exactly?"
"Whoops. I really ought to be going. Grateful for today!"
"I truly must go as well, Mr. Jinwoo! Thank you for your hard work today!"
"At least tell me where—"
I hadn't even finished the sentence before Arthur and Betz bolted, gone in a streak. I understood that they couldn't stay away long in the middle of an escort... but still.
You cut it off there, how is a man supposed to live with that?
I had no idea how good Betz actually was with a sword, but his character was vicious beyond belief. Otherwise he could never have unleashed a demonic art of cutting people off like that.
"Haa..."
"Jinwoo, you tired? Want a hug?"
"Wh— I'm fine, Eilenna. Do that when we get home..."
"Eek..."
There were other people around. Skinship could wait.
Anyway, even once everything at the Academy was over... I had the distinct feeling that something else annoying was about to show up.