Chapter 66
Two facts had been uncovered.
One, they were safe.
Two, they were items from the era of Hero Ar’en.
In just thirty minutes, they’d accomplished what they’d come here for.
“….”
‘I can learn the rest gradually. I just need to meet Priest Adrian and verify it one last time.’
Lydia was convinced.
She quietly put the equipment back in the box. Mirian helped her, while Julien packed away his appraisal tools. The tent was filled with nothing but clattering sounds.
“….”
“….”
“….”
The three members of the Ember Knights each went about their own business.
They hadn’t even fought.
Yet a heavy silence hung over the tent.
“….”
“….”
“….”
Lydia liked this kind of atmosphere. It reminded her of working in a place full of men in her previous life. She preferred a workplace where everyone just got their work done and went home to one that was bright and warm.
‘Julien gets straight to the point. It’s comfortable.’
When she was tired of noble etiquette,
there was no better kind of healing conversation.
She looked at her large, brown-haired colleague.
Having finished his work,
Julien mechanically moved on to his next task. He reviewed the schedule for the Western Caravan’s next destination and checked the security routes around where the caravan was staying.
“….”
He never spoke carelessly. If he wasn’t certain, he didn’t speak. Unless something was an established fact, no speculation or prediction would ever come out of his mouth.
‘Beatrice is proactive, which is nice and warm in its own way, with all her guesses. But as a ‘colleague,’ Julien is far more comfortable.’
If Beatrice was like an older girl who was the neighborhood delinquent everyone knew,
Julien was the best coworker she could hope to meet at work.
‘He would’ve been good in the military.’
The ultimate ace in a male-dominated workplace.
Unfortunately, Julien already had a job. He was the caravan’s chief of security. In fact, he was probably the busiest member of the Knights.
Lydia spoke to Julien.
“Well then. I’ll be going.”
“Understood.”
Only Mirian, holding the box, gave a wry smile. The conversation had been so brief that she felt almost deflated.
“Sir Julien, thank you for your great help.”
“It was only natural.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?”
“No.”
“….”
An astonishingly terse reply.
But Jacques and Lydia liked Julien this way.
‘Maybe all three of us have similar temperaments…. Is it because we have something of soldiers about us?’
Mirian chuckled.
“Hehe, understood.”
“I appreciate the thought.”
“Think nothing of it. We’re comrades.”
Lydia and Mirian quickly finished what they had to do.
Then Lydia left Julien’s tent with Mirian, who was carrying the box. They stepped onto a road bustling with countless merchants, mages, and laborers.
-Come on, come take a look! A brand-new blue elixir is here!
-Hey! The road’s packed! Stop hawking your wares here!
The road was so crowded that even passersby failed to recognize Lydia. She moved through the throng like a shadow, gliding forward through the gaps that opened up here and there.
It wasn’t difficult. Still, she found herself thinking about the ‘Dark Merchant’ she’d met in the original story.
“….”
‘Unless he put some kind of curse or sinister trick into the ultimate equipment, what on earth was the Black Temple bigwig trying to accomplish by personally handing over such good gear?’
No….
She thought about it more broadly.
He hadn’t sold only equipment.
He’d also sold shady items for the heroines’ lewd scenes, which gradually unlocked starting in Year Two, as well as drugs that worked on monsters.
‘…There was even a potion that incited goblins.’
If it were a game, he’d simply be selling various bonus items for a huge amount of gold, but….
‘This world has all kinds of added malice and context beyond the game. Taking that into account, could it have been an attempt to lead Arti into all sorts of desires?’
If so, there was no need for a curse.
He would already be under the curse of ‘Greed.’
‘He’d have to abandon all sorts of things to make money.’
If the game’s story were followed as written, there would be very few ways to make money. The wealth they had now was something Lydia had gained by accelerating their growth.
“….”
Arti had now become Aria’s lover, a devout believer, and a Hero with a sense of responsibility. But in the game, he was just an eighteen-year-old boy who received no help from anyone.
If he got his hands on items like those,
he might well become consumed by all kinds of thoughts.
For money,
making money,
and in the process, his morality would steadily crumble.
In fact, if you went for a depraved playthrough,
you could even make him a Hero of Desire whose concept would shock even the Black Temple.
Was that the kind of ending the man wanted?
“….”
Well.
It was only speculation.
‘He’s dead. The evidence that could connect reality to the game’s text is gone forever.’
As she thought that,
she heard Mirian chuckle beside her. Mirian was looking in a certain direction with a gentle smile.
“Hehe….”
“?”
Lydia looked where Mirian was looking. Arti and the others were chatting in front of their assigned tent. It looked like a peaceful summer camp.
“….”
-So, back in my hometown….
-Really? The Kingdom of Gallia is unusual….
-Country bumpkin, that sounds like it’s only the place you live.
Arti was telling Aria something, and Aria smiled as she listened fondly. Mave occasionally glanced over while tending to her sword. Morgan flipped through a book in the corner without even looking their way.
Mirian murmured.
“Those innocent children might one day be the key to thwarting the Black Temple’s plans. I can hardly believe it. To my eyes, after going from one battlefield to another, it looks like something out of a fairy tale.”
“….”
Lydia thought,
‘…And they’re characters in an adult game. Depending on the player’s will, they can be corrupted and defiled in any number of ways.’
But she didn’t say it out loud.
“….”
It was only imagination, after all.
*
The group traveled by carriage the next day. Their destination was, of course, the academy. Thanks to Julien’s introduction, they were able to travel comfortably after joining a caravan headed for the shopping district.
Mave pulled back the carriage curtain and said,
“Oh, I can see White Lake now.”
“!”
Everyone looked out the carriage window.
Just as Mave had said, a vast lake glittering in the sunlight stretched across the horizon. It was practically the border of the academy’s neutral territory. They were returning a month after leaving for summer vacation.
Aria yawned and said,
“Phew…. We’ve only lived here for half a year, but somehow it feels like coming home. Saintroix and the Western Caravan were comfortable too, but it only feels like I’m back when I’m at the academy.”
“Oh, I feel the same way.”
Arti answered casually from the coachman’s seat,
“Maybe because it’s where we all first met?”
“No, I think it’s just because it’s somewhere we’ll keep coming back to.”
“You’re a fool of a knight. You have no romance.”
“I don’t want to hear that from a country bumpkin.”
“Hmm, I’ve decided I won’t save you if you run into a tentacle monster. I don’t show that kind of consideration to country bumpkins.”
“I still don’t understand why you’re so sure tentacle monsters won’t get you just because you’re a man. Maybe your mind will change after we go dungeon diving together and teach you a lesson.”
Arti and Mave bickered.
Aria watched them and laughed.
After everything they’d been through, their excitement at seeing the academy again was more obvious than usual. They had kept their innocence despite all the things they’d experienced.
Lydia and Morgan quietly looked at each other.
“….”
“….”
They were back.
To everyday life.
That was all.
That same matter-of-factness was in their eyes.
And that was why they could trust each other. Lydia and Morgan quietly returned to their own thoughts.
“….”
“….”
They passed through the Albus Estate checkpoint by White Lake.
The carriage and procession continued together as far as the shopping district in front of the academy. Then the merchants’ carriages scattered throughout the district. Amidst them, Lydia’s carriage continued on to the academy’s main gate.
Clip-clop!
At last, they had returned.
Arti jumped down from the coachman’s seat. The academy grounds had been filling his view for some time, but seeing the Ar’en Academy campus right in front of him put him at ease.
“Phew! We’re finally back.”
Aria and Mave got out of the carriage as well.
“Miss Mirian, thank you so much for all your hard work this past month.”
“I feel bad making you handle everything.”
Mirian bowed elegantly from the coachman’s seat and replied,
“Hehe, thank you. Helping Your Highness’s friends is no trouble at all. I hope you had an enjoyable journey.”
“!”
Aria, Mave, and Arti replied immediately.
“It was fun!”
“It was enjoyable.”
“It was, wasn’t it?”
Mirian nodded.
Lydia and Morgan had already gotten out of the carriage and were looking around. Though there were still a few days left in the break, cadets were already walking around the academy.
Morgan grumbled.
“What? I thought it’d be quiet. Did the ones who live far from home come back already?”
“Or maybe they never left in the first place.”
“Hmph….”
The group gathered in a circle in front of the carriage. It would’ve been nice to have dinner together, but now that they were back, they had things to do.
Aria said apologetically,
“I think I should go greet Priest Adrian first and report that nothing happened.”
Mave tilted her head.
“Did nothing happen…? It feels like a lot happened.”
“Yes, we haven’t seen anything like a ‘bunny party.’ We just finished our trip safely and came back.”
“….”
Apparently, she wanted to pretend it never happened.
Especially that ‘spectacular thing’ Lydia had done….
“!”
Arti flinched. At the word ‘bunny,’ he swallowed a little as he watched Aria’s back, but only Mirian and Lydia noticed.
Lydia smiled wryly to herself.
‘So you are a man after all…. You might get to see it next year, so be patient.’
With Aria leaving,
it felt a bit awkward to have dinner together now.
The group decided to split up here.
Arti and Mave headed for the commoners’ dormitory, waving. They greeted Lydia brightly.
“That was really fun, Lydia.”
“Lady Lydia, I look forward to tomorrow, too.”
“Mm, go on in, everyone.”
“Are we starting dawn training again?”
“Indeed. If you don’t show up tomorrow, I’ll come drag you out myself.”
“….”
“Arti, I was joking. You don’t have to look so serious.”
“…Hahaha.”
And so the two walked away.
Mirian also spoke politely to Lydia.
“Then I’ll put the carriage away and be on my way. Your Highness, you’ve had a long journey.”
“…Wasn’t Mirian the one who worked hard?”
“Hehe.”
And so, the ones left behind were,
Lydia and Morgan alone.
“….”
“….”
Morgan said casually,
“Shall we go back?”
“Mm.”
The two walked toward the royal dormitory.
There were many things they wanted to ask,
and many things they wanted to say.
But for now, they stayed quiet.
*
A few days later.
The second semester at Ar’en Academy began.
Since the first semester had been full of so many events,
the changes to various classes left everyone confused.
But….
What truly stirred up the academy cadets was the result of an unofficial poll. It was a lighthearted survey speculating about who would become the next student council president, since the current president was set to graduate the following year.
There were two leading candidates.
『Cadets Most Likely to Become the Next Student Council President』
1.Lydia de Gallia (First Year, Swordsmanship Department)
2.Carla Driagh (Second Year, Magic Department)
Murmur, murmur.
-Since she’s royalty, it’s only natural she should be president….
-She’s the standout genius of the Swordsmanship Department, so of course she’ll run, right?
The cadets from Gallia had no doubt Lydia would become the next student council president. In terms of status and influence, she was beyond reproach.
The problem was.
Lydia had no intention of running in the election.