97 – Props
Thinking it was an amazing timing, Greeric glanced at the man in front of him.
Bel Denauer. The name is a man I’ve heard before.
As Grerick himself mentioned in a conversation with Professor Berman a while ago, he is a celebrity in his own right at the academy.
He made headlines by defeating a follower in the Wizard’s Forest incident.
Recently, it was later revealed that he was credited with noticing the intrusion of a follower that occurred at an exchange meeting.
Moreover, even though he belongs to Class E, he showed superior results in sparring against cadets from Class C and B, and it seems that he played a part in boosting the morale of Class E.
Anyway, this is the first time we’ve met in person.
To be precise, this is the first person I meet as a person called ‘Grerick Kirsland’.
‘Are you the child of the rumors that Phantom said?’
A very fleeting moment.
Greeric’s eyes were filled with hostility, along with the voice of a third person passing through his consciousness.
It was so fleeting that even Grerick, the owner of her ceremony, didn’t even notice it, but Bell noticed it.
‘As expected.’
With obvious hostility, Belle narrowed his eyes to meet Grerick’s stare, which was fixed on him.
I had my suspicions due to the flow of the story in the original work, but there was no confirmation yet that Grerick was attacked by a follower, so I could only speculate.
Considering the current effects of the magic on Grerick, this should be a normal reaction.
If he hadn’t been conscious, he wouldn’t have felt the strange death that passed by in that fleeting moment.
‘Damn it, if only I could have beaten him now.’
However, Bell had no choice but to let go of his resentment as it was still difficult for this side to harbor hostility and actively provoke.
In the first place, the consciousness of the person named Greerk is alive and well, and that magic skillfully manipulating that consciousness is the problem.
Unless we bring evidence that he has committed an evil deed or a reasonable solution, there is no point right now.
For now, I’ll just have to be content with the fact that Lone wasn’t harmed.
“Rone, let’s go. Late.”
“Ah, yes. I am coming.”
Hearing Bell’s frosty voice, Lone picked up the bag he had brought with him, feeling alert.
I don’t know why Bell’s mood is so low, but it looks like the conversation with Grerick should be postponed until later.
“You were a friend of Cadet Elua. I’m sorry for unintentionally worrying you.”
“No. Actually, she had a prior agreement with this guy today, but she suddenly stopped coming out without a word, so I came to punish her.”
Grerick nodded his head with his characteristic friendly smile toward Bell, who was spouting lies without spitting.
From noble mtl dot com
Trying to hold on to him for nothing here only raises suspicion.
Moreover, there is no need to rush, considering that the quality sacrifice of Rone Elua was taken over to some extent with just one word.
Anyway, sooner or later the first year’s exploration of the ruins will continue, so we just have to proceed accordingly.
Rather, in order not to arouse suspicion, it would be better to send it away quickly and approach it step by step.
Regardless of the fact that the plan went awry, the moment Grerick tried to get over the situation as calmly as possible.
“… By the way, the professor seems to like coffee too.”
Bell reacted with her eyes narrowed at the rich scent of coffee beans that filled the laboratory.
Evidence was also sufficient because there were coffee cups for two people on the table to drink with Lornet.
“Yes, unfortunately the car didn’t suit my taste. Thanks to that, I became a person who lives with coffee in my mouth.”
This kind of reaction from him was a little surprising to Grerick.
Although he had never met face-to-face, Greerick did not seem to have a kind and friendly personality enough to say such a thing to someone he had never met.
I wondered if it was because he felt that it was rude to visit someone else’s lab without thinking.
“You have the same taste as me. Then, by any chance, can I drink the leftover coffee over there and go? I ran to find this guy, but I was a bit thirsty.”
However, that doubt is short-lived.
Following Bell’s request, the blood flowing through Grerick’s body stopped for an instant.
Of course, one of the coffee cups on the table has sleeping pills in it.
Besides, in this situation, if Bell were to drink one of my cups of coffee, he would, of course, drink what my friend was drinking.
That situation should not be allowed.
“… The coffee is already cold, so let me bring you some cold water. Could you wait a minute?”
Let alone tableware, it is still steaming since it has been out for a while.
Spouting obvious lies casually, Grerick hurriedly arranged the coffee cup and handed the cup filled with cool water to Bell.
The eyes of the two exchanged while receiving the cup were very contrasting.
Gulp. Gulp.
With a smile of repentance, Bell shot the water in one shot in front of Greerick and returned the cup to him.
Considering the relationship between a professor and a cadet, it might seem like a pretty impolite behavior.
It was possible because what was in front of him was more like a professor than a professor.
It is a kind of provocation.
“Thank you, professor. It came suddenly and only bothered me.”
“No. Lungs like this. It will get dark soon, so be careful going back. Cadet Elua too.”
“Ah, yes…. Thank you.”
Lone, who couldn’t take his eyes off the strange tension between the two, belatedly bowed and greeted her.
Like that, the two left the building across the hallway, which had become quite dark before they knew it.
The moon was rising.
* * * *
On the way back to the dormitory.
Strolling through the darkened coniferous trees, Lorne was looking for something to say to her.
She had many questions about how Bell had come all the way there, why she had been looking for her, but she couldn’t bear to open her mouth.
The moment she opens her mouth, Bell will also ask how she got there.
That’s a situation that Lorne doesn’t want even if he dies.
Her wish is that it would be better for time to pass without knowing anything about each other.
“… How is your preparation for the exam going?”
A stone that was rolling on the floor in silence so cold that you could feel the chill disappeared into the distance at Bell’s kick.
Attracted by the sound, the moment she lifted her head, Bell threw up a common subject.
I don’t think it’s something to say in this atmosphere, so Lorne was momentarily taken aback.
I thought it was better than the topic related to what happened earlier, so I opened my mouth while regaining my color.
“Ugh, yes. I don’t think it’s bad. What about Bell?”
“It’s me, what’s right? The theory side was really tough, but thanks to the help of the other guys today, I managed to get some into her head.”
“Other people…. Miss Lesty?”
Marie was the first person to come to mind when someone was familiar with the theory around Bell, so Lorne’s reaction was reasonable.
“Tina and Ardendo. Well, they didn’t tell me much.”
“Eh, then what did you go for?”
“That is what I mean. What are you here to do….”
Bell frowned at the thought of the two people who had come to the library and occupied a seat next to them.
She’s dying because she doesn’t have enough time to study.
At least Aden was a nobleman and Tina was the problem.
His snout didn’t have time to rest all day, so he threw up a random topic midway through, but when the other two reacted to it, it was an infinite loop.
“… Bell now has a lot of friends. I used to be the only one.”
Lorne, who was watching Belle’s side profile complaining about the three of them, spilled her words with her sentimental eyes.
It is rare to see children of that age in the neighborhood, so the two always stuck together.
Rivers and streams, there was no place we couldn’t go together, and we always supported each other.
However, Lorne has known her since she was very young.
The boy named Bel Dinauer is an attractive man, and the kindness that lies within that bluntness and the uprightness that others do not have will surely attract others.
As if to prove this, people gradually gathered around Bell after entering the academy.
As a friend of hers, this was something she should have welcomed, but with her honest feelings, Lorne couldn’t just smile with joy.
If she had been a girl who was more proud of herself, she might have been different.
If he was a human, not a monster, he would have thought that just like those people, he would just have to approach Bell.
But I couldn’t.
Even though she knew that someone would develop feelings for him, she didn’t think that she should approach The Bell first, but only her wrong mind came from a corner of her heart.
“You know, Bell.”
“Hmm?”
As she moved her steps, stepping on the broken leaves on the floor.
Lorne inadvertently called her childhood friend to stop her feeling of wealth rising in her heart again.
I know this is a very naive and stupid question.
But she still wanted to ask.
“If there are more people who are more important to Belle, where will I stand?”
Because the girl who doesn’t believe in herself and calls herself a monster can ask for an answer, because this man is the only one.
Pastel-toned sky-blue eyes glow softly in the full moonlight.
As if demanding a definitive answer, Bell stared silently at the determination in his eyes.
To be honest, he had no idea what kind of answer Lorne wanted.
A woman’s mind is a very complex thing, and even though I thought that this 18-year-old childhood friend’s heart was simple, I sometimes thought that it was the hardest to read.
So after much thought and repetition, Bell decided to just bring out the story as it was.
Just like Aden, who was the main character in the original work.
In order to follow in the footsteps of the main character, at this moment, with the main character’s heart.
But before that, there was something I had to do.
Kkong!
“Ouch!?”
First of all, it was to raise the spirit of this stupid childhood friend.
Lorne wrapped his hands around the area hit by the honey chestnut at the flames rising from his forehead and looked up at him with bewildered eyes.
“Dude, where is there one or two precious people in the world? As people live, they make friends, lovers, and families. Are you going to line them up one by one, keeping some by your side and others far away?”
“That, I don’t mean that, I….”
Rone hurriedly tried to open her mouth at Bell’s sudden scolding, but Bell’s words were a little faster.
“Besides, even if you keep it far away, you would keep it if you kept the other guys far away. 18 Years of friendship, 18 years of friendship for nothing?”
After repeating 18 years, 18 years, somehow the tone sounded like an insult, but Bell continued her words regardless.
Lorne, who had listened to her words silently, had a tantrum for no reason, and asked a question she would never have uttered if she had been.
“… Then Belle, will you stay by my side even if I’m a monster?”
Bell knew what that meant.
That’s why, even though I was surprised, I felt like I knew the level of anxiety Lorne reflected in me, so I involuntarily nodded her head with a bitter smile.
“There are cross-dressing women and dogs around, but it’s like a monster. It would be more fun if we could breathe fire like a dragon.”
“Go, puppy… ?”
Not knowing the truth about Tina, Lorne put on a puzzled expression at the answer, but Belle turned her back as if she had no intention of saying more.
It would be difficult for Lorne now to tell her the whole truth anyway.
Right now, it’s enough just to let her know that there’s at least one person who won’t let go of this girl no matter what.
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This kind of cheesy behavior doesn’t suit my temper, but it also means that Belle’s childhood friend Lone is precious to her.
Except for the fact that he is an important character in the original work.