Chapter 230
"Close your eyes again."
As Callios said, I closed my eyes again. Then, before my breathing could even stabilize, Callios threw a stone.
Whoosh—
Reacting to the sound of the wind being cut, my facial muscles twitched slightly without me realizing it.
Callios lets out a low sigh.
"We'll have to cover your eyes and ears. There's nothing wrong with having keen senses, but it's only getting in the way of your training right now."
"..."
Just then, something other than us rustled in the nearby bushes.
Since this was the first time something had come to interrupt our training, my attention immediately turned to where the sound came from.
As I reached for my sapling sword, Callios signaled with his hand to stay still.
The Forbidden Forest where we were located was an area completely devoid of magic creatures. If so, it could be narrowed down to someone related to the labyrinth. If not that, then...
"Oh, here you are!"
The one who came out of the bushes was none other than Trisha.
"Well, well."
"Ah, Grandpa?"
"If it isn't the Disaster Collector Azelis!"
"Eek! Grandpa!"
Trisha came running, hopping. Then she greeted Callios happily.
What? They knew each other?
"Ho ho, the little miss has grown so much in such a short time. Ho ho."
"Grandpa, please burn that for me. The seagull!"
"No, you can't. Now that you've become a lady, you need to learn to play more quietly."
"Ah, that's right. I'm a complete lady now!"
"By the way, what brings the young miss all the way here?"
"I came to see my friend! That idiot over there!"
Callios glanced at me and then turned back to Trisha.
Trisha had even removed her disguise and had long white hair. This was the first time I had seen an outsider who knew her real name and appearance. It seemed Callios had known Trisha since she was young, but they didn't appear to be blood-related.
Is he one of Trisha's many teachers?
With Trisha here, I couldn't concentrate at all. If nothing else, it was certainly disrupting my meditation. I worried that she might make some mistake or cause trouble.
It felt like leaving a child near a cliff.
"Little miss, come over here for a moment."
Callios and Trisha move away from me and start chatting. When Callios said something, Trisha laughed brightly. I thought I heard my name mentioned.
What on earth are they doing?
"Grandpa, I'll be going now! Please take good care of my friend!"
Trisha left just a few minutes after arriving.
Why did she even come here?
Callios came back and suddenly started scolding me, "You foolish fellow!"
"Did she say something bad about me?"
"No, that little one only said good things about you. Are you that suspicious?"
"Then why are you like this?"
"Have you properly looked at that child's eyes recently?"
Trisha was someone I had to see every day, what was he trying to say?
"What do you mean?"
"She likes you! How dense can you be to make her come all the way here like this? Look at this foolish fellow."
She likes me? He can tell just by looking at her eyes? Is he some kind of mind reader?
The sudden announcement felt like I'd been hit on the back of the head.
"...I don't understand what you're saying."
"How closed off must you be living to not even feel that? Do you know how precious that pure heart is?"
"..."
"Today's training ends here. Go back."
"We've barely started, why are we ending already?"
"Tomorrow, go on a date with that little one."
"What is this…?"
"You're asking if this is training too? Yes, this is part of the training, so go on a date and satisfy that little one. I'm not joking, so listen seriously. Next time I'll ask her directly, and if she's not satisfied, I'll keep sending you until she is, understand?"
What nonsense is this? Suddenly ordering me to go on a date.
"But before that, mages can't love..."
"I said she likes you, when did I say she loves you? And that child is not a mage. She's beyond that."
"..."
What on earth is a being higher than a mage? An archmage? A god? From what I can see, Trisha is a friend who lacks too much to be called by such grand titles.
"Did I tell you to get engaged? It's just one date, so don't get ahead of yourself. Ah, and make sure to ask her out properly. If you say I told you to do it, it's invalid."
The swordsmanship I really wanted to learn had never been taught, and things were flowing in a direction I never expected.
There was one lesson I learned while training as an apprentice in the workshop in the past. When learning, one had to kill one's ego.
If one questioned and doubted everything one by one, growth slowed down and sometimes one went down the wrong path. For now, I had to accept it.
***
"Alright, class is over, those who want to draw more can stay. Ah, Lilith, could you help water the plants?"
"Yes."
With Professor Georgia's words, the class ended.
I stayed in the greenhouse to reinforce my painting as I had time left.
Most of the seniors and classmates left for their next class.
While painting, my head hurt from trying to figure out how to ask Trisha out on a date.
After about two hours passed, Haley, the Art Club President, entered the greenhouse.
"First-year, you're still here?"
"You're here?"
Haley came behind me, rested her chin on the top of my head, and looked at the painting on the easel.
"What are you drawing? It looks familiar."
"I was copying a Rotulek painting."
"Your painting is improving. More importantly, are you ready to go to Claridium? The schedule should be coming out soon."
"Don't I just need to go with my body?"
"No, you need a lot of money to properly enjoy it. You need to think about how to entertain the seniors you like, and right after we come back, it's the final evaluation, and after that, there's the exchange competition preliminaries, it's really going to be busy at the end of the semester."
As for the final evaluation, I didn't have much to worry about. The Combat Department focused on basic physical fitness and monster studies, so it wasn't very difficult, and I already knew everything about the elective alchemy and material studies I was taking separately.
"Have you finished preparing, Senior?"
"Yes. Oh, right. Your friend, that blonde from the Drama Club."
"Yes. Do you mean Luna?"
"Yes. The blonde less pretty than mine."
"..."
Haley pinched my cheek and said, "Say 'yes'."
"Yes."
"I saw her lingering near the greenhouse with a basket. Did you call her?"
"No. Is she still there?"
"I just saw her?"
"...I'll be right back."
I went out of the greenhouse and walked around the area. And indeed, I saw Luna with her head bowed, holding a basket while sticking close to the building wall.
I approached her.
"Luna?"
Luna immediately reacted and raised her head. But her eyes were red. And her body was shaking slightly. She had been crying.
"What's wrong?"
As I approached, she stepped back as much as I came closer. It was as if she had gone back to the old days when she was afraid of me.
That sight was quite shocking to me. Since we dealt with the black spirit, we had only grown closer, never once growing apart.
"Luna, did something happen?"
"..."
What on earth happened to make her like this?
She looked at me with eyes full of sorrow. It seemed like she might burst into tears if I just touched her. Luna silently put down the basket and turned around to run away.
I checked the contents of the basket.
It contained the outer clothes and underwear that Cecil had worn yesterday. I didn't know how Luna got hold of these, but she clearly misunderstood something.
She wouldn't be disappointed that Cecil stayed at my place for one night. If that was going to be a problem, she wouldn't have tolerated me living in the same building as Trisha in the first place.
Haley slowly approached me belatedly.
"First-year, I unintentionally saw the two of you."
"..."
"Did you two fight?"
"No... To be honest, I can't figure out why she's like this. She's never like this normally."
"It happens sometimes. Women naturally have times when they become sensitive periodically. Emotions explode, appetite goes wild, and abilities drop in various ways."
"..."
"At times like that, it's right to silently accept it and talk again after the rain has stopped."
"Senior..."
"Tsk, if you had put the effort you pour into that blonde into Zenia, you would have already stamped the marriage certificate and more."
"..."
I should have explained something to Luna, but the problem was that I had a date scheduled with Trisha for this afternoon.
I was worried that the unresolved misunderstanding and emotional gap might deepen.
***
"Hmm hmm hmm~"
Trisha hummed happily in the running carriage.
Since there were watchful eyes in Eternia, I first took Trisha out of the campus.
Trisha unconditionally liked going out to play, so she accepted my proposal without much emotional struggle.
"Damian!"
"Yes."
"Why are you suddenly doing something so nice? Have you made up your mind?"
"Made up my mind about what?"
"To serve me!"
"No, not yet."
"Opportunities like this are rare! When I become a really important person, it'll be too late even if you beg!"
"I'll think about it then."
"Tch."
Trisha snorted and turned her gaze to the window. She kept humming to herself and looking at the scenery outside, then said, "Damian, do you control anything other than Ppiyak?"
"No? Why?"
"Outside, there are so many white crows. But they keep following our carriage. I thought they might be our friends."
"Really?"
I checked outside the window too.
But I couldn't see any of the white crows Trisha mentioned.
"I can't see them."
"There, they're clearly visible?"
Trisha pointed to a spot with her hand. But in that direction, there was nothing but blue sky.
"I still can't see them."
If I couldn't see it and Trisha could... it might be spirits.
Trisha's eyes suddenly widened as she looked out the window.
"There are more now. Why are there so many? There must be dozens!"