Chapter 17
I'm taller now.
I might even be taller than Isabel.
Because…….
“That's enough…!!”
Bonk.
Ow.
“I said that's enough!!”
Bonk.
Owwww.
The Extreme King's barrage of knuckle taps struck the exact same spot each time.
Thanks to that, I had three bumps on top of my head.
I rubbed my head and looked at the Extreme King.
She was clenching her tiny right hand, wearing an expression that clearly said she was very angry.
As expected, one of the Four Emperors was still one of the Four Emperors.
Of course, that didn't mean getting hit was okay.
This is blatant child abuse!
“Why are you doing this……?”
When I asked cautiously, the Extreme King placed both hands on her hips as though she'd been waiting for the question.
She was trying to strike the most imposing pose possible with her tiny body.
What is this? A red panda? She's cute.
No, I take that thought back.
She's the one who put three bumps on my head just now.
“I'm talking about the entrance exam! What do you mean, 0.1 seconds?!”
“Ahahaha…….”
I couldn't help laughing.
And then I got hit again.
Bonk.
“Ow.”
Ah, I should've managed the corners of my mouth better.
“Do you know what happens when a commoner with no backing sets a record like that?”
The Extreme King looked down at me with her arms crossed.
For the record, I was kneeling right now.
When did I kneel?
I don't know either.
By the time I opened my eyes, I was already in this position.
What is this, a bug?
“What happens……?”
When I asked cautiously, the Extreme King shouted as though she'd been waiting for it.
“People suspect you're a demon worshiper!!”
“……Gasp.”
For a moment, I was speechless.
It's unfair!
I'd only worked hard because I was afraid I'd fail the written exam.
But in this world, being too good seemed to be a problem too.
Grrr……. What a bunch of ordinary people jealous of the talented.
“Don't worry, though! I used my influence to take care of it specially!”
The Extreme King suddenly put on a confident expression.
Her expression changed so quickly that it was hard to believe she had been angry just moments ago.
“Oh. How did you do that?”
When I asked, the Extreme King shrugged as though she'd been waiting for the question.
“Heehee~ I spread the word that you're my disciple!”
“…….”
“If they hear you're a disciple of one of the Four Emperors, no one will say a word against you!”
The Extreme King spoke proudly with both hands on her hips.
She looked as though she'd accomplished the greatest deed in the world.
I looked at the Extreme King like that.
It wasn't exactly wrong.
One of the Four Emperors was, after all, supposed to be one of the strongest beings in the world, right?
If I were known as such a person's disciple, no one would dare mess with a commoner who had suddenly set an incredible record.
In fact, anyone who did would probably be the one who looked strange.
……The problem was.
She looked so incredibly pleased with herself.
To be honest, it annoyed me a little.
I vowed that someday, once I grew bigger, I would give the Extreme King one knuckle tap on the head.
Of course, I absolutely couldn't do that now.
“I see…… Then my range of activity will certainly become broader.”
“But you still have to control your strength!”
“Come on, of course. Extreme King, what do you take me for?”
When I said that with a smile, the Extreme King let out a sigh.
“Good grief. Good grief. Let's not talk about this anymore…….”
She pressed a tiny hand to her forehead.
Apparently, she thought she'd taken on the wrong disciple.
Not that I was her real disciple.
Then the Extreme King grew quiet, as if she had fallen into thought for a moment.
And opened her mouth again.
“……So why did you do it?”
“…….”
“Was it because of the demon worshipers?”
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned quiet.
I didn't say anything.
“…Was it to draw attention to yourself and protect everyone else? Is that it?”
Strictly speaking, I had no answer to give.
……Huh?
Hmm.
Was that it?
To be honest, my reason wasn't nearly that grandiose.
I just wanted to see Isabel's reaction, but how could I say that?
‘Actually, I was curious to see the surprised expression of the older sister who raised me in the village!!’
What if I said that?
The number of knuckle taps would probably triple compared to now.
I quietly kept my mouth shut.
The Extreme King seemed to take my silence as confirmation and let out a small sigh.
“You're such an idiot.”
“Pardon?”
I slightly raised my head.
The Extreme King was still looking at me with her arms crossed.
She wore neither her usual playful expression nor the look she'd had while angrily raining knuckle taps on me.
“Rowoon.”
The Extreme King spoke.
“You're still a child.”
“…….”
“No matter how much of a regressor you are, no matter how long you lived before regressing, you're still a child in your current form.”
I slightly averted my gaze.
My conscience pricked a little.
No, quite a lot.
She was worrying about me like this because she genuinely thought I was a regressor.
Of course, I did intend to deal with the demon worshipers for sure.
Eventually, no matter when.
“Don't try to shoulder everything alone from now on.”
Then the Extreme King returned to her usual expression.
She stuck out her chest and added, as though making some grand declaration,
“I'm here!”
“…….”
“A mature adult like me is here! I'll help you!”
I unconsciously looked at the Extreme King's outthrust chest.
-Nuuoong.
A mature adult.
Hmm…….
“Is that so…?”
The Extreme King's face instantly turned red.
“W-where are you looking?!”
Ah.
You showed it to me!!!
***
The faculty office door closed.
I slowly walked down the hallway.
Phew.
It had been a grueling day.
Starting with the entrance ceremony, then orientation.
And on top of that, a one-on-one interview with the Extreme King?
Who would've thought I'd spend my very first day of school this productively?
I turned my gaze toward the windows.
Beyond the academy hallway, I could see the sky dyed red.
The sun was already setting.
Most of the students seemed to have returned to the dormitories, and the hallway that had been bustling just moments ago was now deserted.
The sunset shining through the windows stretched in long streaks across the floor.
Hmm.
It was probably about time for dinner.
What should I eat for dinner?
I rubbed my chin and pondered.
I had plenty of money thanks to the Extreme King.
I'd worked hard all day, so eating out didn't sound like a bad idea.
And there was one place that immediately came to mind.
The Saewoori Risotto restaurant that the protagonists often visited in the original story.
Even from the descriptions in the novel, it had looked incredibly delicious!
To be honest, I'd wanted to visit it at least once.
I'd come to the world of a novel I used to love reading.
I should be allowed to indulge in this much of a fantasy, right?
All right.
That's where I'm having dinner tonight.
Having made my decision, I lightly set off.
But at the end of the hallway.
Someone was standing there.
I stopped walking.
“……”
A beautiful girl with cherry-blossom-colored hair tinged with pink and yellow eyes that glowed softly in the sunset was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, looking this way.
That hair color was definitely familiar.
“Pinkie…….”
Ah.
No.
That was a mistake.
My sister.
It was Isabel.
And.
“……?”
Beside her was.
-Beaming brightly.
Someone gazing at me with the happiest expression in the world.
“……Lucia?”
What was going on?
Why were the two of them together?
It felt like there had been a collision between worlds.
Like the protagonists of a ninja manga and a pirate manga had suddenly appeared on the same screen……
No, it was a strange comparison, but that was really what it felt like.
They were in the same class, so there was technically nothing wrong with it, but still!
“Rowooooon!!!”
At that moment, Lucia spotted me first.
And she came running like an actual puppy.
-Flap flap.
……Why does it look like I can see ears and a tail?
Is this some kind of illusion magic?
“Lucia? What are you doing here?”
When I asked, Lucia smiled brightly.
“Hehe. Rowoon! Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
I remembered that I had only just come out of the faculty office.
“I just finished.”
“Theeen.”
Lucia leaned slightly forward.
Her eyes sparkled.
“Do you want to have dinner with me?”
…….
Right.
Lucia, my dear Lucia.
Thank you so much for asking whether I'd eaten and inviting me to eat together.
Seriously.
But, Lucia.
I slowly looked past Lucia.
“……”
For a while now.
Constantly….
Someone had been glaring at me as though they wanted to kill me!!!
Sorry, Lucia. I have to live.
“Sorry, Lucia.”
I said carefully.
“I have plans with someone…….”
“Ah…….”
Lucia's expression visibly darkened in an instant.
She looked as though her puppy ears and tail would have drooped if she really had them.
……No.
It really looks like I can see them.
“Instead.”
I hurriedly continued.
“Let's definitely eat together tomorrow.”
“Really?”
Lucia's eyes sparkled again.
“Yeah. I'll buy.”
“You promise?”
“Yeah.”
And just like that, the mood that had been drooping moments ago bounced right back.
Hmm, yes, our Lucia.
So you're the type who recovers instantly when promised food.
“Rowoon.”
A low voice came from behind me.
I slowly turned my head.
Isabel had approached without me noticing.
“Now you have time to spare for your only sister, don't you?”
“Ahaha…….”
I forced a smile.
“Of course, Sis.”
I nodded quickly.
“I'll explain everything.”
Just then, Lucia brightly raised her hand.
“Hello, big sister!”
“……?”
Isabel's gaze turned toward Lucia.
“I'm Rowoon's friend, Lucia Lumenhardt!”
“Ah…….”
Isabel thought for a moment, then nodded.
“I remember. You were definitely in the same S Class…….”
Then she tilted her head slightly.
“But.”
“Yes?”
“Big sister?”
Lucia smiled as though it were obvious.
“Yes!”
“If you're Rowoon's older sister, then you're my big sister too!”
And she added casually,
“We're the same age!”
“The same age……?”
Isabel's eyes widened slightly.
“Then, like Rowoon, you're ten years old…….”
“Ah.”
Wait, wait, wait!
“Sis!”
I instantly stepped in front of Isabel.
And covered her mouth.
“Aren't you hungry?”
“Mmph? M-mmph!!”
“Let's talk over dinner first.”
I smiled as naturally as I could.
“Lucia! Get home safely, and see you tomorrow!”
“Huh?”
Lucia looked a little confused, but.
She soon smiled brightly and waved.
“Okay! Rowoon-Rowoon! See you tomorrow!”
I waved to Lucia like that, then dragged Isabel out of the hallway in a hurry.
***
‘Rowoon. Rowoon.’
‘What is it, sir? What is it, sir?’
‘Boy…… Ha. Never mind. Anyway, just remember one thing.’
‘……?’
‘When a woman is angry! Always! Always feed her first until she's full! This is a really useful tip, Rowoon!’
‘But where am I supposed to find a woman, sir?’
‘Once you leave the tower, you'll meet one, you punk. You don't think a face like yours can attract one?’
‘…….’
Thank you.
Sir.
Your teachings.
I will remember them for the rest of my life.
-Nom.
-Nom nom.
-Nom nom nom.
And that great teaching proved astonishingly effective.
“……”
Now, the person devouring food at tremendous speed in front of me was.
None other than my sister, Isabel.
“……Sis.”
“Yes.”
“Were you really that hungry?”
“……Yes.”
It was an incredibly honest answer.
“If you were hungry, you should've said so.”
“I didn't know I was hungry either…….”
Isabel answered with a dejected expression.
……So it really was true.
She must have been waiting for me in the hallway for quite a while.
I let out a small sigh.
As expected, you had to feed people even when they were angry.
It was the truth.
-Swish.
Isabel finished every last bite, then picked up her napkin.
And, as though she hadn't just been wolfing down her food, she elegantly wiped the corners of her mouth.
She neatly folded the napkin and set it down on the table.
……As expected.
Noble education was terrifying.
“……So.”
Isabel looked at me.
“What is it?”
“Yes?”
“How did you get here?”
And.
“Who is that girl?”
…….
Why.
Why did she seem to put extra emphasis on the word girl?
Was it just my imagination?
“To explain from the beginning…….”
I slowly opened my mouth.
Of course, I couldn't tell her the truth as it was.
So I made up a reasonably plausible story.
“I actually had an incredible talent for combat.”
Isabel's eyes widened slightly.
“And?”
“After you left…… someone who happened to be passing through the village came by. She was the Extreme King.”
Of course, it had been an incredible coincidence.
“She recognized my talent.”
Another coincidence.
“And took me on as her disciple.”
And yet another coincidence.
“When she became a professor at the academy…… I came along with her.”
A roughly plausible story, complete!
Of course, it was quite different from the truth, but still.
It was much better than telling her that the demon worshipers might attack, right?
Though I wasn't entirely sure about that either…….
When I finished explaining, Isabel stared at me for a moment.
And then.
“Really?”
“Hmm?”
“Wow…….”
Her eyes sparkled.
“Rowoon, you've really made it big! You're the Extreme King's disciple!”
“……Huh?”
That was a completely unexpected reaction.
The sharp tension that had been there moments ago was gone, replaced by the same Isabel I'd known in the village.
She looked genuinely happy.
“By the way.”
Isabel suddenly asked,
“You told Dad before you left, right?”
“Of course, Sis.”
I said confidently,
“Do I look that reckless to you?”
“Yes.”
An immediate answer.
“……”
This pink-haired menace.
“Anyway.”
Isabel continued calmly,
“So.”
“Yes?”
“Who is that person?”
“……?”
“That girl.”
A brief silence.
And then.
“Your girlfriend?”
-Pfft.
I nearly sprayed the water I was drinking right onto the table.
Fortunately, I avoided the catastrophe of getting it on Isabel's face.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“No…… What's this about a girlfriend?!”
I hurriedly waved my hands.
“She's a friend I met for the first time today.”
That was ridiculous.
A girlfriend?
She's fifteen years old!
My mental age is twenty-three!
I'd really get arrested for this!
“You can enter the academy starting at fifteen in the first place.”
I added quietly.
“Everyone else thinks I'm fifteen.”
“……Ah.”
Isabel slowly nodded.
“I see.”
“So.”
I lowered my voice.
“Only you and the Extreme King know, so…… you have to keep your mouth shut.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Isabel nodded.
Then.
“But.”
“Hmm?”
“Isn't it a little strange?”
“What is?”
“I'm fifteen too.”
Isabel said seriously,
“Can I really be fooled that easily?”
“Yes.”
I answered without hesitation.
“Because you're Lucia.”
“…….”
Isabel was speechless for a moment.
And then.
“Is it all right for you to judge a noble like that, Rowoon……?”
She chuckled softly while pressing her fingers to the space between her brows.
Well.
So what?
Our Lucia is innocent, so it's fine.
……Probably.
“Still.”
Isabel looked at me again.
“I'm glad we met again at the academy like this.”
I paused slightly.
“I never imagined we'd be staying in the same place.”
Isabel smiled gently.
Then she placed her pale, slender hand on top of my head.
“Let's do our best together in academy life from now on, okay?”
As she said that, she slowly stroked my hair.
It was a familiar touch.
She had always treated me this way back in the village too.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
It had been a long time.
Since I'd sat facing my sister like this,
talking without a single worry.
“Yeah.”
I answered briefly.
“Count on me, Sis.”
And so, on my first day at the academy.
My reunion with my sister was the worst—
No, no. It was the best.