Chapter 20
Chapter 20
The red eyes trembled, as if they had awakened to the truth.
Eureka.
“Different colors! Different cuts! Different materials! Just changing the shirt-and-blouse combo gives you dozens of styles!”
“Ah.”
Iris let out a soft cry.
“So there was a way.”
“There was! Of course there was!”
Seria shook her head and hit her with a fact bomb.
“Sigh. You really do get weirdly stupid when it's not magic. That head of yours is just for decoration unless you're doing mana calculations, isn't it?”
That was why she called Iris a genius idiot.
Iris coughed awkwardly, her face flushed.
“But, Iris.”
“Yeah?”
“That disciple of yours... is pretty impressive, huh? You seem awfully concerned about them.”
“...Very.”
A strange smile spread across Iris's lips.
“In what way?”
“Huh?”
“What part of them is so impressive?”
“They're just a genius.”
“For something like that to come out of your mouth when you're judging other people, the world sure is a strange place.”
Then it happened.
Knock, knock.
'Again?'
Four times already. It seemed today was the day she'd have to clear out the lab.
“Looks like we have a guest. Anyway, we're done here, so I'll get going.”
“Sure.”
When Seria opened the door, Iris flinched.
Standing at the open door was a woman who had no reason to be here.
Dark skin, rough leather clothing.
The exact opposite of the cultured outfit Iris wanted to show Cassian.
It was the Viscountess Müller.
Viscountess Müller stepped aside to let Seria out, a deep smile on her lips.
“Professor Iris. Would you have a moment?”
Why had she come?
She couldn't even guess.
But Iris instinctively knew.
She should have cleared out the lab beforehand.
* * *
Evelyn's shoulders were trembling faintly.
Looks like she was seething because she had nothing to say.
'Serves you right for throwing the first punch.'
It was clearly a case of her starting the fight, then failing to get a win and acting like the victim.
Was the word 'persecution' really that shocking?
Evelyn stood there for a long while, then clenched her fist.
If I let her go like this, the aftertaste would be awful.
The moment she spun around and tried to leave.
“Hold it a second, Your Highness.”
“……”
Evelyn only turned her head slightly and glared at me.
Her eyes were so vicious I couldn't help thinking maybe she, not Elisia, was the villainess.
She looked like she'd behead me on the spot.
Ugh, seriously, I just want to leave her alone and bolt.
But wasn't I a max-level social veteran, the Farne family's survival king?
“You got too worked up. Calm down first.”
“What did you say?”
“You're someone who treasures pride, aren't you? Don't lose that lofty image.”
“...!”
Evelyn's eyes wavered.
She was a perfectionist—someone who treasured the royal duty to be elegant and composed at all times more than life itself.
“If you don't want to kick yourself later, you should take a deep breath. People are watching.”
Of course, the only ones watching were me, Lily, and the trio of jerky-devouring little beasts.
A brief silence fell.
Evelyn bit her lip hard, then slowly began to steady her breathing.
If I ended this after only humiliating her, I'd be the one screwed in the end.
In a world where status was everything, being branded as the man who humiliated the princess would do me no favors.
A little while later.
Evelyn spoke in a voice that had gone cold.
“...I was a little too harsh just now.”
Oh.
She's apologizing?
As expected, an educated person is different.
I nodded politely.
“I gratefully accept your apology.”
At times like this, you need to secure the moral high ground if you don't want trouble later.
But Evelyn's brow twitched again.
Why?
Did she perhaps want me to echo back, 'I was rude too'?
Nope. You were the one who was wrong.
Why would I apologize?
“...Then.”
As if she had nothing more to say, Evelyn turned and went back the way she came.
“Phew...”
So tiring. So tiring.
From morning until now, I'd been placating professors and doing emotional first aid for the princess.
Even ten of me wouldn't have been enough.
That was when it happened.
“Um... are you okay?”
A careful voice came from behind me.
Ah.
Right.
Only then did I realize.
That I'd just let the crown prince's little sister see me alone with someone.
“...”
I slowly turned to look at Lily.
She was looking up at me with a worried expression.
This is a bomb. A time bomb.
Lily seemed uneasy, since I still hadn't said anything, and her eyes darted around.
“Is something serious wrong?”
“What do you mean.”
“What you said to the princess...”
It was understandable that she'd worry.
Evelyn had been trembling, then lowering her head and disappearing.
For a normal noble, this was a situation where they'd have no comeback if someone said, 'How dare you speak to the princess? You're dead.'
'Of course I'm not okay.'
But that wasn't the real problem.
I just couldn't tell her that.
“No, not that. It's just... something. You know, grown-up business.”
“Grown-up business?”
“Yeah. So stop worrying about it and keep going. I'm busy too, so I'm heading out.”
If Evelyn ratted me out to her brother and said, 'That saint Lily? She was with some barbarian,' I'd be the only one who'd lose out.
So getting out of here was the top priority.
But then.
Tap, tap.
“...”
As I started walking, I heard footsteps following behind me.
If I stopped, she stopped. If I walked, she walked.
'Fuck, seriously.'
I whirled around.
“Why do you keep following me? Are you a stalker or what?”
“What? Ah, no!”
Lily flailed her hands in alarm.
“I'm on my way to class too.”
“To class?”
No way.
Surely not.
“What class?”
There are so many lectures in this huge academy. Why would they happen to overlap here of all places?
This path is just one of the two routes leading away from the incinerator.
“Intro to Tactics.”
Of course.
It was the same class as mine.
“Wait, why is a saint taking tactics? Does the temple even allow that?”
“W-well... it's just a required general-education course...”
Fuck.
Why the hell is Intro to Tactics a gen-ed requirement at this crazy academy?
I want to burn this school's curriculum to ashes.
I made up my mind.
I had to keep us from even walking together.
“Fine. We can't do anything about our classes overlapping.”
I drew a firm line.
“But let's go separately until we reach the lecture hall. Three meters... no, ten.”
“Huh?”
Lily's eyes went wide like a rabbit's.
“Why? If we go together, it won't be boring or anything...”
“It won't do. Not at all.”
“I-I don't mind if your bad reputation rubs off on me!”
Lily clenched her fist with a solemn expression.
“I can explain it! I can say Cassian is a good person!”
Good grief.
Such a sweet idiot.
Seriously, her clueless self-sacrifice was moving.
“I do mind.”
I said it flatly.
“Did you forget what I said earlier about not closing the distance?”
“Ah...”
“So go on ahead. I'll take my time.”
At my firm stance, Lily looked dejected.
“...All right.”
Lily trudged off in the lead.
With her shoulders slumped and her eyes fixed on the ground, she looked heartbreakingly pitiful.
Still, I hardened my resolve.
This was a necessary precaution for both my sake and hers.
But then.
Stealthily.
After about ten steps, Lily hesitated and stole a quick glance back at me.
'You're really not coming?'
The words were written all over her eyes.
“...”
I firmly waved her on, telling her to hurry up and go.
Seeing that, Lily started walking again.
Another ten steps.
Glance.
She looked back again.
'Disappointed' was written all over her face.
When I stubbornly waved her on again, telling her to go on without me, she continued with drooping shoulders and quick little steps.
That back view strangely poked at my conscience.
Whenever her pink hair fluttered in the wind, my heart fluttered with it.
'...Wow, I'm insane.'
I covered my face with one hand.
Dangerous.
This is seriously dangerous.
I want to just scoop her up, take her home, and stuff her full of delicious food.
If I tempted her with jerky, she really did seem like she'd come with me.
'I really want to kidnap her.'
If the temple found out I'd thought that, I'd be burned at the stake immediately for blasphemy.
But she's cute—what am I supposed to do?
I clicked my tongue and, only after confirming that enough distance had opened up between Lily and me, did I start walking again.
“Sigh, what a fate.”
Intro to Tactics, huh.
Please, just let this pass quietly.
* * *
Intro to Tactics lecture hall.
As always, I planted myself in my assigned seat—the window seat right by the back door.
I casually muted the murmurs around me.
After all, something else was the real source of my irritation.
It was Lily's gaze, seated a few rows over in the same line as me.
It was a tiered, circular lecture hall, so the so-called side seat was basically no different from sitting across from me.
Meaning.
Every time she glanced over, I could feel her eyes land right on target.
She looked as if she were facing the blackboard, on which nothing was written, but her eyes kept rolling my way at regular intervals.
“...Why does she keep staring? That's uncomfortable.”
Was it because I had completely pretended not to know her when we came in?
So she was disappointed?
No, when had I ever even acknowledged her?
With my chin in my hand, I looked out the window and thought.
“No matter how much this is a romance-fantasy world, human feelings aren't something that just open up over a few strips of jerky.”
This world might have a few screws loose.
But humans are still just humans.
That means they're not NPCs.
Which is why, until recently, I had assumed this was probably reincarnation.
Just look at my father—he wasn't normal either.
But Lily, a mass of trauma...
A girl who had been through every kind of storm in her previous life and even regressed—would she really loosen her guard just because I gave her some food?
What does she take me for?
That jumble of thoughts was starting to overlap with the earlier notion I had on the bench in the incinerator—that the story might be unfolding differently from the original.
Fatigue washed over me, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
'Dammit, I don't know.'
Stress, stop!
I'll just go home after class and sleep early.
* * *
For a moment, it felt as if the air in the lecture hall had gone still.
On the podium, the old professor with his white hair slicked straight back into pomade jabbed the air with his pointer.
“Cassian Del Farne. For this class, you're an A+.”
“...”
I stared at the professor, mouth hanging open.
'...No, fuck, why again?'
That was all I'd done—answered the question, 'Why would you need ordinary soldiers and supplies when you have knights and mages who can each stand against a hundred men?' with a completely half-assed answer.
This time I'd really tried to sound like I didn't care, because I didn't want to stand out.
No seriously, how is 'In the end, taking territory and planting flags is something large numbers of infantry do, and if you keep them fed, the sword-wielders won't get any funny ideas and will follow orders' an A+ answer?
How is that some kind of profound insight?
That's just common sense if you've been in the service.
And yet the professor's eyes were practically shooting hearts right now.
...It was all because of the bastards who answered right before me.
What?
'Because national defense is one of the sacred duties of imperial citizens'?
'Even if they can't contribute much, involving them in major state affairs is a great way to foster community spirit and patriotism'?
Why the hell are these desk-bound freaks laying out the red carpet again and making a scene?
“I can feel insight that has thoroughly combed through history and simulated war dozens of times in his head! Truly, the stuff of a general!”
Not me.
I just said what I felt from experience.
Unable to contain his excitement, the professor strode down from the podium.
“Now then, student Cassian. In your view, how were the previous students' answers? Critique them without holding back.”
“Huh? Do I really have to?”
“There are no sanctuaries in academic debate! Come now!”
Did he intend to make me an enemy of the academy?
I glanced toward the front row.
The bastard who'd just blurted, 'Congratulations on your military duty!'
and the bastard who'd gone on about 'fostering community spirit and patriotism!' had turned around and was glaring at me.