Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: When Good Person Gets Angry (9)
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"...No one's following. Guess this is good for today?"
Karin figured staying in the dorm over the weekend would just invite trouble, so she'd slipped out at the crack of dawn, headed to a quiet street on the sly, and begun constructing her teleportation spell. It was her specialty. Even with her mana affinity specialized for it, this high-level magic demanded total focus.
Just as the ritual circle was finished and she was ready to go, an arm shot out from right behind her, clamping over her neck and mouth.
"Sorry about this. No matter how talented you are, you're still a rookie with zero combat experience—you never stood a chance."
She recognized Yumin's voice and desperately wanted to say something, but with his forearm locked around her throat, all that came out were choked gurgles.
When? Why? How?
She didn't even have time to sort out her questions before her consciousness started to fade. There on the ground lay the ritual circle she'd built with her mana, the destination clearly marked: Astraea in the Pallan Empire.
No. At least... I have to erase this.
In a final desperate bid, she tried to scatter her mana, but the instant she stirred it, something slammed into her temple. She blacked out.
"...Yumin-nim. Is this really okay?"
"Of course not."
"Wait, no, no—if that's the case, what about me?"
"I'll handle the excuses. The academy disciplinary committee knows full well you can't stand up to my pressure."
"Fine, I get that much. But why knock her out? And why do I have to decode her teleport circle?"
"You might end up seriously hurt if you knew."
"...Never mind, then."
The woman finished reinterpreting the coordinates to pinpoint the location, passed it along to Yumin, and started to leave.
"Hold on. I can't cast teleportation spells myself."
"Ugh, fine."
She began painstakingly recreating the ritual circle exactly as she'd decoded it. Even without any special talent, rebuilding a circle she'd already analyzed took a fair bit of time.
In this regard, Karin was undoubtedly in genius territory.
"...There. Done. This is exhausting. You've got two hours max after arriving in the Empire before it collapses."
"Got it. You look beat—take that girl back to the academy and get some rest."
"Sure. Ugh, doing bad stuff like this just sours my mood."
Yumin shot a sidelong glance at the female student hoisting the unconscious Karin over her shoulder and heading back to the academy, let out a heavy sigh, then activated the ritual.
His destination: the Empire's second heart. Labyrinth City Astraea.
"...Brother's holed up in a weird spot, huh."
**
"Espresso pulling—you're almost a master at it."
Liza's espresso tasted impressively consistent, with no off-flavors whatsoever. Truth be told, as long as the machine's working fine, there aren't many variables: water temperature control, bean grind coarseness, tamping skill, and extraction time.
Out of those, I'd preset the machine's buttons for water temp and grind size, so I didn't figure it'd take long to get the hang of. Tamping's where newbie part-timers usually screw up—even in my past life—but Liza's got killer eyesight and nimble hands, so she nailed it without a hitch.
Drip coffee's a tougher ask, so we'll skip that for now. Once she masters cold brew immersion and making the new drip bag product, she'll be part-time ready on the spot.
Cooking? Yeah, no.
"Heh heh. Told you my pick was great."
"Sure is. Sweet kid, sharp as a tack, and handy to boot."
"...My hands are shaking from how overpaid I feel compared to the work."
"Just think of it as seed money for your adventuring days."
"...Feels like I'm just mooching. You bailed me out in that labyrinth trap last time too, Cafe Manager."
"Pay me back when you make it big."
What I really meant was no need to pay back at all. Mina-noona wore a faint smile as she watched me teach Liza the ropes—product locations, handling special situations, all that.
"Whew. Call it a day?"
"Yeah."
Her bangs were damp with sweat, so I wiped her forehead with a handkerchief and whipped up a quick bite.
Dinner could wait for something proper. For now, shredded potato hash to fill the calories, with a quick tomato sauce sweetened lightly into makeshift ketchup for dipping.
Liza plopped down at a customer seat, sipping her "coffee"—four sugar cubes in it, unrecognizable as such to me—alongside the hash browns. It was downright cute, stirring up paternal instincts I didn't know I had.
I nursed my own cup, fanning out the oil smell filling the shop, when the door opened.
"Welcome."
"...Julius-hyung. So this is where you've been hiding. No wonder the ducal house's searches turned up nothing."
"Hey, why'd you come here?"
"Not curious how I found out?"
"You probably squeezed it out of Karin somehow."
Following Dras's advice, I'd tuned up my twin swords once. Now I shifted into a stance ready to snap them up from their sheaths at my feet in an instant.
Yumin calls me "hyung," sure, but if shit got real, he wouldn't be an easy mark. At minimum, the fight's fallout would trash this building beyond repair.
"What if I came as a customer?"
"No. Go home. Get lost. Don't show your face around me."
"Karin Udette's fine, but not me?"
"Obviously. What makes you think you can just waltz in here?"
"What exactly have I done wrong by you?"
That shut me up. I rubbed my forehead and sighed.
Where to even start? The dumb shit this clueless bastard's pulled isn't one or two things.
"For starters, you still picking fights with Rias at eye contact? Trailing Ermina like a lost puppy? Cursing Namei Christe behind her back since you can't beat her? Sniping at that Christoph prick every chance? And this time, harassing barely-related Karin to track me down? How many headaches have you stirred up nosing around my circle?"
"It was all for you, hyung..."
"Bullshit. The biggest reason I ditched the academy was Rias—and you're part of that mess too. If you've got time to show up here, turn around and apologize to Karin. Right now. Get out. Go."
"Julius-hyung."
His face fell a bit at my words, eyes dropping as he spoke.
"You were Imir Kingdom's finest next-gen noble. People around you have to measure up, right?"
"Why're you deciding that? I keep people around for reasons that make sense to me."
"That silver-haired kid over there too?"
"Yeah. Compared to you, Rias, or Christoph, she's quick on the uptake and doesn't act like a rabid dog. Responsible. Ambitious."
Silence from him. A long one. Finally, a deep sigh.
"No plans to come back?"
"If I was, I wouldn't have come this far."
"For life, then."
"Yeah. Planning to take root here for good."
"Rias..."
He grimaced, like her face flashed in his mind, but pressed on with a resigned air.
Meanwhile, I nudged the tense Liza behind me and took her hand.
"She's been holed up in her dorm for ages, barely coming out. Rumors say she cried alone a lot—at least she's clearly dying to see you or talk."
"..."
"Ermina's health tanked too. Nearly a month of barely eating, puking what she does manage. Haven't seen her bright smile once. And—"
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"So what? You think I've got some obligation to them? Go back if they cry? Lend an ear if they wanna talk? Just scram. You're not needed. Not in my life."
"Never figured you'd say it like that."
"What, you surprised? Ever think how long I endured on obligation alone? Words don't even reach those idiots—how many years did I put up with 'em? Patience is ash; don't toss kindling. Get out. And stay gone."
"Should I tell them you'll never come back?"
"Do whatever."
"Hyung."
"What."
"Your little sister's worried sick. And... if you don't return, she's threatening to rip out Rias and Ermina's throats."
"Handle it yourself. Don't care."
"Just think it over once more."
I said nothing else, kicked up the scabbards, and gripped both swords.
Channeling sword aura into the blades I'd used up till a year ago—thanks to recent practice, the old feel rushed back near-perfect. Aura primed in seconds.
"Anyone shows after today, it won't end clean. Abandon thoughts of walking away alive."
"...Understood."
I sighed as Yumin bolted like a scared rabbit.
Ah, damn it. Just seeing his face spikes my stress.
Stuffing curses under my breath, I sheathed the swords and glanced at Mina-noona, bracing for apologies. She gave me an intensely awkward look.
"...Wasn't planning to see him."
"It's fine. Bound to happen eventually."
"Mad?"
"At him? I'm pissed 365 days a year. If he hadn't left, I'd have strung his corpse up as cafe decor."
"Now?"
"Cool now."
"Good."
Mina-noona approached and patted my shoulder.
A massage? Whatever. I accepted the gesture.
For a moment, only the soft tap-tap of her hand echoed through the cafe.