Chapter 37
Sometimes in life, people hear things they shouldn't hear.
For example, overhearing your supposedly closest friend talking behind your back.
Or hearing witness accounts of your girlfriend meeting another man when she was supposed to be resting at home.
Things like that.
Yeah. Things like that.
"Sophia. Why do you keep hanging out with someone like him? Did we do something wrong? If we did, tell us!!"
"Hmm. Not really.."
"Then why are you doing this?! I kept thinking I did something wrong─!!"
You see, listening to this continuously seems to be giving me PTSD. Reminds me of school days? Ah. This is my second school life now.
"They're doing this right in front of the person involved. But I think I'd react the same way if my close female friend started hanging out with Seonghoon."
"Didn't you just say not to do it in front of the person? It hasn't even been 3 seconds? Not even 3 seconds since you said that?"
Ignoring the damn blonde making weird expressions while covering her ears saying she can't hear~ I'm watching Sophia with a troubled expression from about five steps away.
Of course I can hear everything, and occasionally they point at me while looking this way which kind of hurts. Too much. I'm still an intelligent life form you know.
I just called Sophia because I had something for her to do and this is the situation. We happened to meet her former close group while coming.
Yes. It's quite troublesome. Well, since I'm the cause. I wish they'd finish quickly.
"Nothing's more tiring than getting involved in others' love affairs. Looking at countries that perished in the past, it was usually due to love affairs?"
"Stop lying."
"Huh? I'm a living witness. They write false causes of death because they're embarrassed and stuff. I saw it. Saw it with my own two eyes!"
"Yeah. At least I now know you're a grandma over 1000 years old so please stop─ Please don't look at me like that, it's a bit scary."
Perhaps pleased by my quick apology, Raphael didn't pounce. I should be careful from now on. Found one landmine.
Wait a minute.
You lived that long but got bullied by fellow angels? I'm feeling a bit sympathetic. Even a few years of school life is hard, but hundreds of years?
"Do you really want to die?"
"No."
When I looked at her with sympathetic eyes, Raphael glared. I'll pass on that.
Anyway, after some pointless chatter like that, the conversation seemed to conclude and Sophia came over waving.
The guy who was speaking for the group behind her is glaring with incredible intensity and he's scary too.
"Why did you call me?"
"No. We'll talk about that later. Are you okay?"
"Huh? About what?"
When she asks "About what?" so innocently, it's rather disconcerting.
"Ah~ them? I'm fine. We weren't particularly close. They just misunderstood that we were close."
"Why am I getting angry? Seonghoon? Am I the only one?"
"I feel the same."
"Huh? Did I do something wrong?"
No. You didn't do anything wrong. Well, being a vampire, you probably prepared to leave anytime. But you know.
"Your actions can hurt someone."
Especially someone like me. It hurts too much. Reminds me of school days.
"??"
Since Sophia kept tilting her head like she wouldn't understand no matter how much it was explained, I gave up explaining. Let's just tell her why I called her.
Sophia has wide social connections. As a result of her efforts to adapt to human society, she has extremely broad networks.
What I mean is.
"Find me an opponent. Hmm. Conditions are rank 900~700, position is vanguard who doesn't use much magic. Don't care about weapon type as long as they're vanguard."
She knows about these things well. At my question, Sophia looked at the sky as if thinking and groaned, then hit her palm with her fist.
"Ah! I know someone!"
This quickly? I waited for Sophia's words with expectation of finding the perfect opponent.
However.
"Him! He hasn't left yet?"
Looking in the direction Sophia pointed, there was the man who was glaring at me earlier.
I misspoke. The man who is still glaring at me.
After making eye contact with him and automatically avoiding his gaze, I asked Sophia.
"Isn't there anyone else?"
***
At a fancy restaurant.
A restaurant that exists within Justitia for outside guests, usually not very crowded but today it was full.
In this packed restaurant, Ishia looked around waiting for someone.
Suppressing her pounding heart and trying to stay calm while waiting, a man in a neat suit walks over.
A person whose dignity emanates from his very walk, exuding class just by walking.
Ishia jumped up and waved as soon as she saw him.
"Father!!"
"Sit down."
But contrary to her, the man was expressionless. A face that seemed devoid of even a speck of emotion. He naturally sat down and crossed his legs.
A waiter approached as soon as he sat, and after casually finishing their order, Ishia spoke first.
"What brings you here?"
Well, he's a busy person. Someone who normally doesn't even show his face and only works came to watch her Ranking Battle.
She had a lot to say. About recent events at the academy, newly learned magic, newly made friends─ though she wasn't sure if she could call them that.
"Just came."
"Hehe. Not because you missed me?"
Ishia smiled at her father who shook his head. Then she started chattering like a baby bird, and he just listened expressionlessly.
Though it seemed like a one-sided conversation, his occasional "Hmm" and "Mm" reactions and nodding head showed their conversation was connecting.
Ishia was excitedly talking when she suddenly felt his gaze and tilted her head.
"Do you have something to say?"
"I do."
"Ah. I got too excited talking. What is it?"
"Have you resolved the maid situation?"
Ah. Ishia unconsciously let out a sigh. Well, she hadn't resolved it. Besides Lee Seonghoon being strong, being a maid wasn't that bad. With Maid No. 2 and 3 joining, her work decreased, and how could she stab someone in the back when her debt to Lee Seonghoon kept growing?
"Th-that~ Not yet. Not yet. But I'll do it soon!!"
"...Really?"
"Yes!"
Though Ishia spoke confidently, she wasn't confident. Perhaps knowing this, her father's response was rather unsatisfactory.
"Well. What kind of person is this Lee Seonghoon?"
"Ah. That~"
Though flustered by the sudden question, Ishia blurted out what came to mind. She wanted to change the topic somehow, so she thought to just say it quickly.
"At first I thought he was trash. He wouldn't help people getting bullied by thugs, spoke rudely to me, so I really thought he was a bad person."
However, when people talk, they unconsciously say what they want to say. That's why unnecessary words get added.
"But that turned out not to be true. He definitely does what needs to be done. He helps wholeheartedly when there's real danger, and though his words are harsh, he's someone with stronger responsibility than anyone. Maybe that's why I can't really hate him. Ah. This doesn't mean I'll keep being a maid─!!"
Though she waved her arms and tried to take back her words, surprised at what she herself had said, her father had already heard everything.
Here's something else to know. Ishia's father is daughter-obsessed. Not just obsessed but. Extremely obsessed.
Even when she was first kidnapped, he abandoned his work and attacked the half-demon, paralyzing half their body, or rushing over using the Ranking Battle as an excuse after hearing she fought a wraith.
Being that daughter-obsessed, his ears naturally have a filter.
The filter's function is quite simple. It filters out anything harmful to his daughter.
What this means is, half of what Ishia just said didn't even register, and only negative words like trash, thug, rude words, bad person stuck in his ears and echoed.
What happens after that is one thing. The conclusion that this Lee Seonghoon's existence is only harmful to his daughter.
"Hmm~ So in the end he seems like a good person!! Even though he's so harsh, he has many people around him~"
While letting his daughter's words go in one ear and out the other, he sends a fire communication somewhere. Contact between magicians. Meaning, giving a 'mission'.
Only he knows where that fire communication connects to.
***
"It's quite a sight."
"If only there weren't so many people."
"Half of these are scouts, right? What should I do if people line up for my beauty and skill? This is troublesome."
"That won't happen so don't count your chickens."
"It might? Someone like Raphael would have lines forming."
Hey. If you say that, Raphael will─ I couldn't bring myself to turn my gaze to the side. All I'd see is that damn blonde's smug expression anyway.
Without turning my gaze, I looked around. I really could see people walking around with "I'm a scout" written obviously.
People in black suits and sunglasses constantly writing something. Besides them, the stadium seats were packed with families, pot-bellied uncles, and various students.
"Will I fight in front of all these people too?"
Just thinking about it gives me chills. Such attention focused on a weakling like me─
"Are you stupid, Seonghoon? This match has so many people because it's rank 1 vs 2? Nobody watches a fight between rank 1028 and late 900s?"
That's true. Nobody would watch. Ah, my shoulders feel lighter, that's good.
"I'll watch."
"That's very kind of you. But aren't you going to fight?"
"I'll only do defense battles. Not particularly interested in ranking."
Makes sense. With an ambiguous ranking she probably won't have many defense battles either, so does that mean she'll play around for a week? I'm dying of envy.
"You must be envious since you can't do defense battles, Seonghoon."
Not at all. Having no defense battles is sweet. I'm planning to just do nothing and raise my ranking with a challenge on the last day.
Well, if I eat early I might have to do defense battles.
I, being weak, really hate that.
Yes therefore I will also play around for a week─ As if mocking such thoughts. My phone alarm rang.
Like a proper 21st-century civilized person, I naturally turned on my phone and froze as soon as I saw the screen.
Beside me, Raphael came running saying what is it? What's going on?
"Hm? What is this? Notice. Challenger appeared..... What?"
Raphael rubbed her eyes as if she saw wrong and looked at the screen again.
Then after staring for a while not understanding, she screamed.
"Eeeeeeh????"
"What is it? Challenger appeared. Please prepare within 30 minutes?"
Sophia also muttered as if she couldn't believe it.
Who in the world would challenge the lowest ranked person.
"This can't be."
The world is absurd.
That was my life philosophy as I was naturally dragged to the arena 30 minutes later.