14 – Club Activities (2)
Nell quietly looked at Kael.
Soon, her heart was pounding madly.
– Thump thump thump.
Honestly, she didn’t think she had the right to ask such a question.
However, she found herself asking it without knowing why.
Nell silently looked at Kael.
To her surprise, he was wearing a serious expression.
“Ah, I apologize. I shouldn’t have asked……”
“No, it’s fine. If you must know, there was someone. However, we don’t keep in touch anymore.”
“So it is……”
The following moment, an awkward silence rolled in between the two.
After hearing his words, Nell felt a sense of guilt inside.
‘He must’ve been talking about me……….’
Of course, there’s no guarantee it’s about her.
However, his expression from a while ago wasn’t very different from his usual.
Nevertheless, to her, it seemed somewhat bitter.
‘Come to think of it……….’
There were significant changes in his expression than before.
His facial expressions used to be diverse when they were younger, but there’s hardly any change recently.
‘Could it be because of me……….?’
Thinking this, Nell swiftly changed the topic.
“On another note, have you decided what kind of club activities you wanted to pursue?”
“Yes. The kids in our class have decided to form a separate club. I have become the advisor for it.”
“Pardon?”
Her eyes widened at the unexpected statement.
She never dreamt the students in grade S, of all places, would establish their own club.
To be honest, she assumed those students would never join any club.
“Did the princess also join the club?”
“Yes, I believe she helped create it.”
“Hmm…”
Nell looks rather surprised at this.
For the princess, who had little spare time, to spend her time in a student-made club was beyond Nell’s comprehension.
‘What is she thinking?’
Nell thought deeply, struggling to understand.
“Your meal has arrived.”
The server places the food on the table.
Steam rises from the plates.
Although it appears ordinary at first glance, a delicious smell wafts up to their noses.
“Shall we eat before we continue our discussion?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
With that, both of them put food into their mouths.
Nell certainly seemed to know good food.
When they first arrived, the place didn’t look too fancy, so she had assumed it would be average.
However, the dishes that were served melt gently in their mouths.
‘Now that I think about it, she mentioned having made a reservation, didn’t she?’
Carel quietly looked around.
Every seat was filled.
The sight made Carel realize immediately.
It must have taken some effort to secure a table here.
After swallowing every bit of food, Carel opened her mouth.
“You must have had a difficult time making this reservation.”
“Hmm?”
“Looking around, there isn’t a single empty seat.”
“Ah. Well, it’s peak time, so that’s natural.”
Even so, they must have had a hard time securing a reservation.
And it’s likely that the reservation cost quite a lot as well.
“Hmm, I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”
“Eh, really?”
At this unexpected offer, Nell’s eyes widen.
Kael nods in response to the question.
Then, Nell asks in a tentative voice.
“Then, will you be free during the festival?”
“You mean the festival?”
“Yes. There’s a festival in the royal castle coming soon. So if you’re available then……”
She fiddles with her fingers, her face shows signs of nervousness.
Kael silently checks his schedule.
After a moment, he speaks.
“I think I will have some free time.”
“Then, instead of having a meal on the last day of the festival, could we watch the fireworks?”
“Is there also a fireworks display on the last day?”
“Yes. The Grand Mage has prepared one at the tower this time.”
“·····”
Meria had asked for fireworks before.
But he really didn’t assume it was for this purpose.
Disbelieving, Kael finally responded.
“Understood. So, when should we meet on the last day?”
“I heard they typically do it towards the end, so how about we meet in the evening?”
She said and informs him of the time.
After hearing it, Kael nodded his head.
“Understood.”
With that, the two shared a meal, and reportedly returned to the academy.
The same moment.
A heroic party that was just finishing off the aftermath of killing the demon army commander.
Among them, the leader Jane von Lionel strikes down a demon with a single swing of her sword in front of her.
– With a swoosh!
A demon soldier struck in the chest by her sword.
He raises the corners of his mouth as he sees a hero before him.
“I didn’t expect the rumors to be true. The hero is a woman, huh.”
He chuckles by himself as if he hasn’t fully lost his breath yet.
At that moment, just as she was about to take his last breath.
“With this level of skill, you won’t be a big threat to our Demon king. Actually, the grand sorcerer is more threatening.”
– Sharp intake of air.
An unexpected remark jumped out of the demon’s mouth.
Then, her sword swing paused for a moment.
Jane, biting her lower lip tightly.
Just then.
“Cough!”
An arrow exactly hit the demon’s body.
When she looked around to see who did it, it was Seria, the ranger of the party.
Seria, who cut off the demon’s breath, wipes off the blood smeared on her cheek.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re doing just fine.”
“Eh…”
“Leave the rest to us and take a break. Livia and I will take care of the rest.”
Jane nodded her head and returned to the temporary shelter.
Then, she saw her reflection in the mirror.
‘When did I start making such a face?’
At some point, her expression began to grow dark.
There was never a time she made such a face, even when she first renounced her sovereignty and set out.
She had always overcome, even in times of crisis.
But, at some point, her expression never brightened.
At that time.
-At this point, he wouldn’t pose much of a threat to the Demon King. Rather, the Grand Magician seems to be a bigger threat.
The Grand Magician.
They’re hailed as the pinnacle of humanity’s magic-users.
Their face and name have never been revealed, but everyone praises them.
Even more so than herself, a hero.
‘I don’t care about that.’
Truthfully, she doesn’t pay much attention to the praises given to the Grand Magician.
She may not know who exactly he is, but didn’t he certainly provide a great deal of help to many people?
However, for some reason, the Grand Magician hasn’t been seen on the front lines recently.
She would certainly like to invite him to the party, but supposedly, he doesn’t appear on the front lines anymore.
As she thinks about the Grand Magician, a man’s face flits across her mind.
‘I shouldn’t have banished him back then.’
The reason her expression abruptly darkened can be roughly guessed.
‘It’s been since we drove Kaele away.’
The party has not been the same since then.
Initially, she thought that he wasn’t helpful.
So, it was only right to drive him away without any other choice.
She thought that was best for him and for the party.
However, she was wrong.
The party became significantly disturbed after the departure of the person whom she had considered unhelpful up until that point.
From his magic to the miscellaneous tasks he usually helped with.
Even his belongings which resulted in a comfortable life wherever they went.
When he disappeared, all of this completely vanished.
She now realized how remarkably helpful Kaele had been.
Although she would like to bring him back …
“Huh. Even with a thick face, that’s not right.”
No matter how shameless she might be, rehiring him would be a conscienceless act.
– Are you okay? Jane?
A picture of him surfaced in her head for no reason.
Kael, who always worried about me whenever I was hurt.
He, more than anyone, took care of the party members.
He was not the same as the party members who had entered in his place so far.
‘Most of them were bastards who joined us for fame or to target us.’
Anyway, this shouldn’t be the case.
Jane shakes her head and slaps herself on the cheeks with both hands.
“Huff. I shouldn’t be like this. We need to keep moving forward.”
Saying so, she narrowed her eyes.
‘I guess I’ll have to save a mage this time.’
We did catch the legion commander this time, but we have to admit that we were lucky.
The fact that the legion commander underestimated us at first and that the situation was not in his favor.
If either of these two wasn’t the case, the people who would have been done for would have been us.
‘Come to think of it, the king is also preparing for an arena competition…’
From the arena competition, many mages will likely participate.
So, we should recruit a good mage from here.
“Yes. Let’s let go of regrets now.”
Saying so, Jane quietly wiped the blood on her face.
Not even aware of the regretful expression on her face.
***
And so the festival began.
From Noble mtl dot com
I wore a mask and looked around.
-Wowww!!
A huge cheer echoed from the audience.
And all the participants began to warm up.
I exhaled a shallow breath at the current situation.
“Sigh. How did I end up participating in this kind of competition.”
Saying so, I glanced at the brave party stationed in the VIP room and Princess Elly, the third princess.
To explain this situation, we need to go back a few hours.