Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Unexpected (5)
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To Ermina, this southern incident was truly important in many ways. It was a chance for her, who hadn't had many opportunities to shine within the academy, to prove her own worth. At the same time, it was an occasion to convey the words she wanted to say to Julius.
Of course, she hadn't said everything she wanted to tell Julius, nor had she done so directly. There were still parts that hurt her heart when she thought about them. If there was another chance to meet him, she wanted to rush to him right away.
Still, compared to just a short while ago when she had been wallowing in depression without any solutions, her mind felt much more at ease now. She was truly grateful to Namei for bringing her this opportunity.
She knew he was furious with her for driving Julius away, but maybe this chance could help them get along well.
It might be a naively optimistic thought, but she didn't see Namei as someone purely malicious, so she believed they could definitely make it work.
As for Karin, who was traveling with her, she was someone who got discouraged easily and scared quickly, but Ermina had no doubt that if she gained confidence and experience, she would become an even better person.
The only one she couldn't imagine getting close to was Justina.
With that in mind, after academy classes ended, she prepared various things and headed to the pastry and baking sorority room. But there was an unexpected person there.
"Oh."
"...What brings you here?"
"Well, I was going to give some gifts to Senior Namei. Why is Justina here?"
"We have something to discuss."
"Is it something I can't be around for?"
Turning her eyes to Namei, Ermina felt that Namei seemed a bit colder than before as she spoke decisively.
"Not right now. We'll talk later."
"Ah, okay."
Since they said they were in the middle of an important discussion, Ermina had no choice but to close the door. As far as she knew, the two didn't get along well. Whenever they ran into each other, they exchanged words that were half-insults. What could it be about?
No matter how she thought about it, the only common denominator was Julius.
But the reason they clashed was also because of Julius.
Rather than racking her brains over a problem that wouldn't yield answers just by thinking, she decided to find someone to share the snacks she'd brought as gifts.
She used to think she had a wide circle of acquaintances, but she'd realized some time ago that in reality, it was all backed by the interest from Julius or Christoph. Half the people approaching her were drawn to her because of the attention from high-ranking nobles. The other half were lured by the title of Sun Saintess.
In the end, when she looked back after everything, she had no true close friends, and there was no one who immediately came to mind in moments like this.
Guess there's no helping it.
In the end, she sat on a bench and popped a cookie into her mouth.
"Senior Ermina?"
"Ah. Karin... and Natalie and Sophia, right?"
"Yep."
"I didn't think you'd remember."
Maybe because Justina, who usually stuck to Karin, wasn't around, it had been a while since she'd seen the three of them together. Since she'd brought plenty of snacks for once, they moved to a table in the garden together.
Sophia with her somewhat rough vibe, the fairly serious and quiet Natalie, and the cautious Karin—their combination was amusing just to watch them talk. The dynamic was always Sophia making a fuss over Karin's actions, with Natalie chiming in.
"Honestly, I always imagined Senior Ermina as having a more mystical aura."
"That's not the case since I was born a commoner."
"Still, you give off this vibe of elegance that I just can't match."
Sophia waved her hands dramatically in the air as she spoke exaggeratedly. If she just kept her mouth shut, her pretty purple hair and refined look suited her perfectly, but the moment she opened it, you couldn't help but think it was a waste of her appearance.
Even Ermina, who rarely criticized others except for Prince Christoph, felt that way, so she could only imagine what others thought.
On the other hand, Natalie, who was quieter than most knight family kids, had almost no change in her doll-like expression.
It's an interesting trio.
"So, what's the reason for walking around with all these snacks all of a sudden?"
"Ah. I was going to give them as gifts to someone else, but they were busy today."
"Whoa, we lucked out."
"Sophia. Watch your language."
"No matter how weird my speech is, it's the truth, right? We got lucky and get to eat this? Honestly, it's so good I can't stop grabbing more?"
"Where on earth do you pick up that kind of talk?"
Ermina, who didn't have friends like this, felt a twinge of envy. If she'd had people she could relax and talk to freely, maybe things wouldn't have fallen apart so badly over the romance issue.
Karin, who had been silently devouring the snacks, spoke up.
"Senior, aren't you tired?"
"Better than I expected. I only heard about it secondhand, but they say if your mental state is good, it helps with physical exertion too."
"Hmm."
Hearing that, Karin made a troubled expression. Whenever she met Ermina, she always had that subtle look, but Ermina herself had no idea why.
Sophia and Natalie didn't seem to have any guesses either, as they just looked puzzled while munching on cookies.
After pondering something alone, Karin looked weary and shook her head, saying it was nothing.
"Um, it's just a rumor, though."
"Yes?"
"Knight families share information. If you go on assignments beyond your capabilities, you're likely to die."
"Is there something dangerous going on?"
"Yes. It's still just rumors, but they're avoiding the Lebedev side, which has traditionally been strong against demons, and there's some unrest among the demons at the border. Nothing's happened for sure yet, but if it's related to the Demon King or Demon Gods, you'll probably have to head out a lot."
Natalie said there was no solid info, but she must have mentioned it because there was some credibility to it. The Carsis incident was indeed caused by some demons, and it wasn't impossible for related events to follow.
And avoiding the Lebedevs made perfect sense. The current Duke Lebedev was infamous for his hardline military stance, the type who would march in with troops if things went south with the demons.
"It'll probably reach Duke Lebedev in about a week, but still, be careful."
"Yes. Thank you."
"No, I'm glad I had the chance to tell you."
"This girl, trying to score points with the senior."
"You should at least think about scoring points with other people."
As Ermina watched their banter with a smile, Karin jotted something down. It piqued her curiosity when she suddenly started writing during the conversation, but asking felt rude, so she just observed quietly.
"Hey, hey, what are you writing so seriously instead of hanging out with us?"
"No, just a little. Hehe."
"What, another guy? A guy? Did some letter phrase for a crush suddenly pop into your head and you're scribbling it down?!"
Sophia flailed around trying to snatch the paper from Karin, but since both were mages, it was just awkward struggling—no one successfully grabbed or defended it.
In the end, Natalie, who was best at physical stuff, grabbed Sophia and forced her to sit down.
"Leave it. She's busy lately, probably got dragged into something weird again. Like tasks from her seniors or whatever."
"Still curious though~"
"Bear with it."
"Hng~"
When the law is far and the fist is near, Sophia, who was sure she'd pass out in one hit from Natalie's close-range punch, obediently sat and started munching cookies again.
Natalie sighed at Karin, who was awkwardly smiling with her hands behind her back, then grabbed a cookie herself and spoke with a slightly muffled voice.
"Instead, tell us quickly if something happens. We'll help."
"...Yeah. Got it."
"'Yeah' what."
Even so, it was a bit upsetting that she wouldn't share, so Natalie's last words came out a tad curt.
She looked sorry as she folded the paper away, so it probably wasn't malicious, but if she was hiding it even from friends to send info to someone...
"Is that... for Senior Namei maybe?"
"Pardon? No."
She didn't even look flustered, so it wasn't for Namei or Justina. But as far as Ermina knew, Karin didn't have close ties to anyone else.
Unable to figure it out no matter how much she thought, she pondered for a while until a slightly suspicious idea formed.
What if. Just what if.
What if Karin had a constant way to contact Julius and had been secretly relaying academy news to him without Namei, herself, or Justina knowing.
And while she was conveying her words through the southern elves, he was essentially mocking her.
What should she do then?
"Senior Ermina?"
"Ah, yes?"
Carrying that small budding doubt in her heart, Ermina rejoined the conversation with a smile.