Damn Academy chapter 125

125 – Ghost of the Guardian Tree (4)

“How long are you going to stand in front of this?”

The inner conflict is revealed through facial expressions. Since I came after being invited by my teacher, I can’t kick him out, and I’m reluctant to let him in.

If you’re a guest and ask for a grand dinner, they’ll probably bring a cleaver and fight.

She reluctantly let me in.

“… Come in.”

I entered the mansion and checked inside. It’s luxurious, but it’s located in the center of Rigbed, so it didn’t have a big, cool feeling like a rural mansion. Oddly enough, the furniture is barely visible. The exterior of the building looks like it should have antique paintings or ornaments, but the inside is bland as if no one lives there.

She put her hands behind her back and led me down her hallway.

“Why did you bring the sword?”

I ask again if he expects you to fight him. Unfortunately, I am a discerning person.

“For self-defense.”

She sat me down in front of a table for six in the dining room and lit a candle. There are no carpets, no flower pots, no chandeliers, no ornaments to be seen. There is also no user. It feels as if the owner has moved and is occupying the remaining empty house.

“….”

“….”

Then we were silent because we didn’t know what to do with each other. What should I do with this awkwardness?

“Did you have dinner?”

She replied coldly.

“… I will do it now.”

I really don’t want to do it, but since it’s Master’s guest, it looks like he’s forced to treat it. It seems that this situation itself that greeted me is hurting my pride.

She went to the room next to her and after a while took a large basket and placed it on her table.

The basket was full of identically shaped bread. It’s the stone-like rye bread Shion used to eat every day in her dorm hall.

I didn’t expect anything like cheese or stew, but there’s even no milk or water. It’s a composition that makes your throat clog just by looking at it.

Yeah, I didn’t expect that.

Then Zion sat across from me, took a piece of bread, and said,

“Eat.”

“… ….”

She took a big bite first, puffed out one side of her cheek like a squirrel, and mumbled. Even so, she did not forget to keep a watchful eye on me.

I also reluctantly took a piece of bread and tore it lightly. Then he lifted the mask and put it in his mouth.

This silence. And a terribly bland taste. Eating oatmeal porridge reminds me of the orphanage where I lived. I’m so salty that all my tears will come out.

Is there no such thing as joy in life? Even after being humiliated by my seniors, the only thing I do when I come home is to eat some tasteless bread alone in silence.

As I put the bread down and sighed, she glared at me like a child complaining about food.

“Why don’t you eat?”

“I have no appetite.”

“… Did you grow up in a noble family? It has poor taste.”

Shion gets a perfect score for one of her sword skills, but all others fail. I’m not that sociable either, but I’m not as serious as this girl.

I wanted to tell you how lowly I was from a family, but it wasn’t a history to be proud of, so I held back.

I now completely understand why her teacher sent me here. It must have been very uncomfortable to leave such a poor disciple alone. Wouldn’t it be similar to how she felt when she left Tricia alone at her house and went far away?

Since there were no other students who seemed capable enough to handle Zion, they must have pointed to me.

It is no different from such an indirect solicitation. If you’ve noticed, you can’t know what he’s entrusting you with.

I stood up from the dining table. Since he had even a large amount of money in his hands, he could not go beyond Eoyeongbuyeong.

Shion stopped eating bread and looked up at me.

“What are you doing?”

“To get out.”

“Goodbye.”

As if she had no intention of seeing her off, she sat still and took a bite of the bread.

“No, come with me too.”

“… Why me?”

“You have the responsibility to treat the guests invited by Master himself. Would you have treated me like this if it were another guest?”

Shion said as if she disapproved.

“… If it had been another guest, I would have sent it back without taking it home.”

“….”

She pondered for a while about what she meant.

I mean, if it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t have even given me bread, so giving them stone-like bread and giving them a sickle is a special treatment for Zion, right?

“I think I understand why Sword Master invited me, so follow me.”

“… How do you determine that?”

“Then you know?”

“….”

She wondered if Shion was at her speechless, and then she reluctantly stood up from her seat.

She then says she’ll see how well she does.

“Guide me. I’ll check how well you understand Master’s intentions.”

***

The first thing she did was exchange bills for gold coins at the exchange office. The employee who has loaded up the gold coins swallows his saliva and holds it out to the window. It’s an excessive amount to see as the cost of a one night dinner.

My goal was to spend all of this money within today. It wasn’t the money I gave her to eat, so I had no intention of using it for my own self-interest.

When I came out with a lot of gold coins, I was greeted by Zion, who was standing still with a blank face.

“Why are you here?”

“Don’t worry, I don’t owe you anything.”

That’s how I led Zion and left Rigbed Square.

The place I was looking for was a restaurant. High-end restaurants have strict qualifications like social circles, so people dressed suspiciously like me couldn’t enter.

The first goal is to take travelers and hawkers to a place where they can stay and have a moderately good meal.

It won’t be enough to spend all the gold coins, but after that, think while filling your stomach.

Shion followed behind me and couldn’t erase his doubtful expression.

Then he stopped abruptly and said.

“Where are you going?”

“Nice place.”

“I’m sure it won’t work.”

“… ?”

“Just stick with me. And finish Master will want that too.”

Does everything in this woman boil down to sword fighting? I can’t. She just can’t let this fight crazy woman.

“Yeah, just say you won the fight. So stop talking nonsense and just follow me.”

“… !”

Shion’s eyes become round like coins, as if asking how he could say such a thing so easily.

As children, there were children who could not carelessly throw away or touch even a statue the size of a chess piece if it was in the shape of the goddess Acates. Strictly speaking, it had nothing to do with the goddess and was just an object, but it gave meaning to it.

It seems that Shion gave the act of ‘dueling’ a sacred meaning similar to that of her goddess statue.

Yes, if she hadn’t been for this kind of personality, she wouldn’t have been there.

“If you don’t believe me, I will at least write a certificate for you, so let’s go.”

***

We took a seat at an inn that doubles as a restaurant. Around us, handymen, sailors, traders, and tourists who carried goods in the port drank beer after work and chatted.

All they talk about is the big astrologer who came to Rigbed.

“The dumb eldest son of the Dalton family rushed over to get a fortune teller.”

“It’s all about money.”

“Damn things. If you give me money, I can come up with a more plausible story.”

Occasionally, a few glanced at us, but there was no malice in their gaze, so we weren’t too wary. I’ve heard that it rarely happens to touch an Eternian student in Rigbed.

Zion sat across from me stiffly with his hands on his lap.

“What is this doing?”

“Don’t you know when you see it? It’s for dinner.”

“Do you eat casually knowing what might have been on your food?”

Where did he live? Have you lived your whole life suffering in a place where crime takes place like breathing?

“Did you live only with suffering? How did you eat the bread?”

“Because the material is transparent. Water, salt and aged sourdough. Because that’s the end. And I hate crowded places.”

Soon after, the food we ordered was brought to the table. Roasted duck, beef stew, boiled potatoes, fresh fruit juice and steamed fish. The sight of the food softened his suspicious gaze.

I pushed expensive food in front of Zion. I had a lot of trouble eating because of the mask.

“I will survive without eating, so eat. Even if you take medicine, I can protect you.”

“… ….”

Shion seemed to have been persuaded by my words and began to eat little by little.

I watched her from her side. My body didn’t relax, as if I was wary of other people’s gazes. It must be said that it is like a wild animal with an extremely developed sense of survival.

Fortunately, I eat well. I’m a little starving, but I’m a little proud that a kid who used to eat only pieces of bread or beef jerky is eating so well. In fact, I would be lying if I said I didn’t pay any attention to it after the welcome ceremony.

I was curious and asked.

“Is this your first time visiting a place like this?”

“No. I just can’t believe it, so I’m not coming.”

“You are so wary, do you casually steal other people’s jerky during practice?”

“Because the medicines in beef jerky can be identified by their smell.”

“….”

You must have a sensitive sense of smell. There are really no wild beasts.

She didn’t even ask me to pick up some clothes, and she ate it all by herself.

***

After eating, we walked along the riverbank next to the marina.

Holding on to Shion that he would go home now that it was over, I hurriedly looked for a way to spend the money.

There are too many gold coins left.

“What is the purpose of holding me… ?”

He didn’t even say hello that he ate well, he started with suspicion. Fortunately, the wariness of me has lessened than before.

“Just follow me.”

I led her into a jewelry store near her and ran out after seeing her prices.

I couldn’t stand the bubbles in the price of handicrafts, perhaps because of an occupational disease.

Then I entered another jewelry store and looked for accessories to buy for Shion.

I used the magnifying glass provided in the store to carefully examine the material mix and finish.

She gave me a strange look.

“What… Are you doing?”

“Wait.”

I put one of the necklaces lightly around her neck.

“I don’t know what kind of trick it is, but the necklace will wear an enchanted artifact later. And what would you do if I bought something like this…”

“Really?”

I cut her off and immediately left her necklace and replaced it with her bracelet.

“Bracelets get in the way of swinging a sword.”

“…”

Girls her age invest generously in taking care of themselves, and that is natural. What kind of beliefs does this girl live by?

I held a round silver earring like a full moon and examined it for a long time with a magnifying glass.

When I applied it to her face once, the decoration distracted my gaze, moderately neutralizing the impression of a fresh and cold look.

“Hmm.”

“…???”

I was very dissatisfied with the frothy price, but I couldn’t find anything else that fit, so I ended up buying the earrings.

After that, when I came out of the store, the evening sunset was burning red.

I handed the earring box to Shion. After receiving the box, she asked me.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s yours.”

She frowned and shot a suspicious gaze.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“Try it on.”

“I don’t like it. Even if I die, I won’t have anything to do with it.”

“Sorry.”

I didn’t expect that my tightly closed heart would be released overnight. Maybe it’s because I don’t like it.

The request that the Sword Master gave me is to play hard with Shion, and I just carry out the task to the best of my ability. Even if my method is immature, if I did my best, that’s it.

I turned around and started walking.

And now, I didn’t tell them to follow me, but Zion followed behind me.

“….”

“….”

There is still plenty of money left over, and the evening isn’t over. The next destination has not been decided. Maybe ending it now is not a bad choice.

But something was missing. It feels like it’s not finished.

And then, a thought came to my mind and I opened my mouth.

“Do you believe in fate?”

***

The plan, which started off as an improvisation, didn’t work out as intended.

“Where can I make a reservation?”

“There is no such thing. Just eagerly waiting.”

I heard that the soothsayer, the ‘Stone Prophet’, could only read fortunes at night, and in the plaza of Rigbed, hundreds of people were sitting in front of his quarters, waiting for the sun to set.

A rough estimate of the people who would be willing to pay more than I had seemed to exceed the majority.

“There is no choice with that money. If you could see it with money, why would those well-to-do people be waiting at the door?”

There were too many people waiting.

In the central plaza of Rigbed, where many customers were concentrated, young astrologers were camped out and touting customers in anticipation of falling water.

“You can look deeper with the seed shop!”

“No astrologer can beat me when it comes to marriage.”

“The predictive power of phrenology has already been academically proven”

There was no mess.

Once I realized that there was no profit, I began to regret wasting time on fortune-telling.

Moreover, when he returned home after finishing the solicitation, Shion was arguing with a fortuneteller on a stall.