129 – Baurer’s Agony
“It’s hard to see your face these days, even if it’s a new friend…”
Miss Miz was speechless.
“Yes? A friend?”
“… No, it’s hard to see your face these days. Are you hiding a barrel of honey somewhere and eating it alone?”
“ah.”
It seemed that he was referring to the recent busy running around with things related to hounds.
“Ah! Did you get caught!?”
When I answered playfully, Ms. Miz raised her head again and looked up at me.
His eyes were expressionless and his mouth was wearing a mask, so I don’t know why, but he seemed to be smiling.
“The smell of honey made me vibrate.”
“Hey~ I’ll have to be a little more careful with this. It’s a very sweet and big honey container, so it’s difficult if someone else finds out. Thank you for your attention, Miss Miz.”
“If it’s that sweet and big, you might want to share it with me. I’m going to hide it thoroughly. It’s really like Bower.”
“hahahaha, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“…”
“…”
When the conversation was cut off, Miss Miz bowed her head again.
And so another awkward silence flows.
after a while
Miss Miz put her hand behind her back and pulled out something-
“Evie”
He looked up at me again and tossed it at me.
Like throwing something dirty.
“Huh?”
I did something and received it, and it was a brooch with a lotus flower pattern engraved on it.
“Kuk-kuk.”
When I received it, Miss Miz smiled ominously.
“I got it.”
“Ugh…! What is it!? No way, a cursed artifact!?”
“Hmm. It’s similar. In a way, it’s more sinister than a cursed artifact.”
I grabbed the brooch with my fingertips and pulled it as far away from me as possible.
“What, what the hell! Please don’t scare me and tell me!!!”
“I don’t like it. If it’s really bad, why don’t you throw it away?”
“yes?”
at that time.
Suddenly Miss Miz’s tone became emotionless.
He was usually emotionless, but now he was especially emotionless.
Should I say that I don’t feel even the slightest bit of playfulness in it?
“Oh, and I have one more thing to say.”
“Uh… tell me.”
“Please don’t pretend to know me from now on.”
“yes?”
“I’m tired of hanging out with you guys.”
With those words, Miss Miz turned her back and left the place.
“Miss Ms…?”
I couldn’t help but stare at Miss Mizu’s back as she walked away.
***
“This is enough.”
Parting with Ceylon, Miz nodded in satisfaction.
“…”
But that’s for a while.
That satisfied expression immediately frowned.
She recalled Ceylon’s embarrassed expression right before they parted.
‘wound. Did I get it?’
Soon after, she burst into laughter.
“what.”
I couldn’t have been hurt
On the contrary, I would feel relieved.
He’s terribly shady and mischievous, but-
A good guy by nature.
Didn’t he constantly hang out with people like himself just because they were in the same group in the entrance exam?
He was originally a person who had no reason to hang out with people like himself.
The reason why it’s hard to see his face these days is probably because he’s making new friends and hanging out.
Ceylon.
Aiden.
Both are the same.
The two of them were so nice to each other that they were hanging out with people like themselves.
forcibly.
“So you’ll be relieved.”
’cause I let it go
Miz remembered what had happened a few days ago.
***
“…”
Miz woke up in her dorm room, ready to go to the academy, sitting in a chair and staring at the door.
I was waiting for Aidrin, who came to my room every morning and invited me to go to school with her.
In my heart, I wanted to go first and recommend her without making Aidrin uncomfortable, but-
Thinking that it might be uncomfortable for Audrey, Miz chose to stand still in front of the door today and wait.
“…~”
Miz woke up relatively early and waited for her all the time, in case Aidrin would come early.
Average waiting time is around 30 minutes,
It was enough time to feel bored, but Miz’s expression didn’t show that.
Waiting for someone was unfamiliar to her, not boring, so it was quite enjoyable.
Miz sat down in her chair and opened the book, but her gaze lingered on the door longer than on the book.
Jump up.
Soon Miz got up from her chair.
Audrin’s characteristic footsteps came from the hallway of the dormitory building beyond the door.
– Cheo-eok
– Cheo-eok
Footsteps as weak as those of the undead.
It was definitely Aidrin’s weakness in the morning.
A faint smile appeared on Miz’s face.
‘Oh.’
mask, mask.
Putting on the mask she had forgotten, she stood in front of the door and waited for Aidrin’s knock.
“Ms. Teln~”
“Would you like to come with us?”
Then the sound of conversation outside the door.
A group met Aidrin in the hallway and invited her to school together.
“Yes? Ah, I have someone to go to school with~… hahahahaha.”
Aidrin politely declined their offer.
A voice was heard just as a smile was about to spread across Miz’s face once again.
“Huh? I just saw that Miss Bower went first?”
what?
Miz was more concerned about the voice than the content of the words.
this voice.
I think you’ve heard of it somewhere?
That thought did not last long.
“Huh? Really? Miz went first?”
It was belatedly that the content of the words came to my mind.
‘I didn’t go…?’
“Have you seen Miss Nabia?”
“I may have misunderstood… but I also thought the person walking down the stairs looked like Miss Bower.”
“Eh… I guess I’m a little late today…”
“It’s not too late for us~ Come with us~ Yes~?”
“You always hang out with Miss Miz~ Sometimes, hang out with us too~”
“If you’re the size of Miss Teln, you have an obligation to mingle with the various cadets!”
“That’s right~ That’s right~ How many people are just waiting for the opportunity to hang out with Miss Teln!”
“Ehehehe, is that tidy?”
“More than anything~ Wouldn’t it be good for Miss Teln to hang out with various people~?”
“Miss Teln knows how important it is to make connections with as many people as possible at the academy, right?”
“Is that so?”
The voices of the group faded away.
With Aedrin’s footsteps.
“…”
couldn’t get out
I’m afraid Aidrin will be in trouble.
Miz stood idly by the door, brooding over the conversation she had just inadvertently overheard.
-More than anything~ Wouldn’t it be good for Miss Teln to hang out with various people~?
-Miss Teln knows how important it is to build relationships with as many people as possible at the academy, right?
Miz nodded.
It was a fair statement.
Ain Academy is both a place of learning and a place of meeting.
As important as gaining learning and experience at Ain Academy, building a personal network is important.
Aidrin was the daughter of the Teln family, who enjoyed the greatest power in the East after the great family.
Not to mention all of the cadets from the east, many cadets were hoping to form a relationship with Aidrin.
And that was good for Aidrin as well.
They too are nobles with honorable names.
It was a relationship where each other helped each other.
Then what about me
Miz thought about it.
“I am…”
it’s bower
Originally, he was the closest to Harasin’s direct lineage, but gave up on becoming a direct lineage and pledged absolute loyalty to the Great Council.
Bower, who was given the opportunity of atonement by the Great Council to devote himself to peace on the continent.
Bower, who was awarded the title of nobility by the Great Council.
Yes.
Bower was clearly an aristocrat in form.
In terms of status, he was no different from the other cadets.
But other nobles thought differently.
It wasn’t a matter of ‘class’.
It is rooted in the god Hara, who is to be cursed.
From noble mtl dot com
Even Harasin betrayed the group he was in.
No one acknowledged Bower.
commoners too. nobles too,
Even Harasin, for some reason, left Bower alone, who had betrayed them.
As if it wasn’t even worth fighting for.
Nobility was an object of respect.
But Bower was an object of contempt.
“I am…”
If Aidrin had a relationship with herself, who was such a Bower.
Is it a relationship that helps each other?
‘no.’
It would be a relationship that would be more beneficial to Bower.
Not for Teln.
A relationship with me is of no benefit to Aidrin.
no
It’s okay if it just doesn’t do any good.
‘loss…’
If you invest the time to hang out with me elsewhere, it is possible to form relationships with other decent nobles.
Not only that, keeping me around could harm the reputations of Teln and Aedrin.
in other words.
A relationship with me is not only unprofitable for Aidrin, it is even harmful.
But why did Aidrin hang out with someone like me?
“good kid…”
That kid was too kind to discriminate against people simply because he was Bower.
It would be more appropriate to say that he is kind to the point of being stupid.
Because of that, he keeps something like himself by his side.
‘fool…’
It was the same story for him.
Although he was a commoner, he had a brighter future than most aristocrats.
Ranked top in the academy entrance exam.
He was receiving the attention of nobles from great families, including Drin.
He was monopolizing the attention of his instructor, Sinia.
A relationship with me brings no benefit to him.
Just hanging out with someone like me – it’ll only bring you a bad reputation.
“is it…”
Being in the same group as those kids made me feel very lucky.
That thought still doesn’t change.
just realized
It’s irreplaceable luck for you, but it’s irreparable misfortune for them.
Until now, I have been binding them with the yoke of the name Jeong.
Miz thus concluded his and their relationship.
“I see.”
That’s why I made a promise.
let them go
“Sorry.”
I’m sorry but I can’t help it.
If you cling to them just to be nice to yourself, isn’t it different from a parasite?
no.
Should I say it’s like Bower?
“Kuk-kuk.”
That was a very witty analogy.
Miz gave herself extra points and pulled out two boxes stored in the drawers of her desk.
When the box was opened, a brooch decorated in the shape of a lotus flower came out.
It was prepared immediately after the ‘Craft Tang Tang Token of Friendship’ incident.
one in a million!
To repay Aidrin and Ceylon when they give him something called a token of friendship.
“Am I stupid?”
Miz lifted one of the brooches and looked at it.
A lotus flower pattern adorned on the brooch.
It was none other than Bower’s pattern.
The brooch was a token that Bauer gave to a benefactor of the family or a precious relationship equivalent to it.
“You’re stupid.”
A gift prepared to repay your precious friends is a token of Bauer.
Who would be happy to receive something like this?
“…”
of course.
Those two might be happy.
Miz was worried.
Should I give them this one last time or not?
***
“By the way, you really did.”
After thinking about it, Miz called Ceylon and said goodbye.
“I really gave away that hideous thing.”
Miz suddenly wondered what Ceylon would do with Baurer’s mark.
‘Should I really throw it away…?’
Did I say it too harshly at the end?
A belated regret came.
‘…no.’
Let’s not regret it.
let’s get this right
That nice guy won’t understand unless you say this.
‘Because you said it so coldly…’
The fool will no longer be interested in himself.
He’ll probably take care of the brooch as well.
Miz could only hope.
that fool-
No, let Ceylon at least not throw away the brooch and sell it somewhere for its price.
Even if it had a hideous pattern engraved on it, it was a pretty precious item.
***
“All that’s left is…”
Back in her dorm room, Miz put the last box out on the desk and moved it around with her fingers.
“Lady Teln…”
Having said goodbye to Ceylon, all that was left was Aidrin.
“…”
In fact, Miz had intended to say goodbye to Aidrin before Ceylon.
It was much easier to meet because it was the same dormitory building.
But since that incident that happened a few days ago.
– Miz? Miz~? Hey, did you go first today too…? Why is the kid so diligent?
Miz was intentionally avoiding Aidrin.
He even skipped classes that overlapped with Aidrin.
-Ehehehe, that tidyer?
At that time, I remembered the voice of Aidrin, who was talking happily with the group, and I couldn’t dare to face it.
know.
Adrin did nothing wrong.
Even though I knew it, it was so strange that it was a human heart.
-Ah~ I finally got out of here~ Thank you~
I remember seeing her say those cruel things, even though I know Aidrin isn’t like that.
Just like ‘that person’ did in the past.
‘Come to think of it…’
That person also entered the academy this time, right?
“ah.”
While the accident had progressed up to that point, Miz’s mouth opened stunned.
-what? I just saw that Miss Bower went first?
Come to think of it, that voice at that time.
I was wondering where did you hear it…
‘no way…’
Miz recalled a bad memory.
Thanks to that, I couldn’t say goodbye to Aidrin that day either.
***
smart smart
-Miz~?
This morning Aidrin came to Miz’s room again.
‘error.’
I was going to leave the dormitory first before Adrin came, but it was probably because I had a lot of thoughts last night and couldn’t sleep.
I woke up later than planned.
Miz got as far from the door as she could, anxiously waiting for Aidrin to leave.
-uh!? Miss Aedrin!
At that moment, the familiar voice of courtesy came from beyond the door.
“…!”
It is certainly.
this voice. It is ‘that person’.
“Punesie…”
– Miss Aedrin~ Come with us today~
Funesy called Aidrin by name in a friendly way.
Miz endured.
-yes? but…
-See, Miss Bower went earlier today too?
-Oh yeah?
I couldn’t stand it this time.
rattle!
Miz slammed open the door and appeared in front of them.
A friendly, outgoing woman talking to Aidrin.
The ‘human’ that Miz remembers, Funesi, was correct.
“Am I here?”
Miz looked at Funesi and shot him.
“Huh? Miss Funnessy just…”
“…”
Aidrin was embarrassed, and Funesi was even more embarrassed than that.
“Let’s go, Aidrin.”
Miz took Aidrin’s hand and left.
As I recall, Funesi was the most brazen of people, but he was so flustered that he never came to his senses.
Miz enjoyed the exhilaration.
***
Miz was regretting it.
‘What am I doing…’
He intervened in Adrin’s human relationships.
‘It’s a presumptuous act…’
Harem, the family of Funesi, was a high-ranking family whose status in the west was comparable to that of Teln in the east.
In terms of family, the relationship with Funesi would be of great benefit to Aidrin.
‘but…’
The Funesi Miz knew was not the right person for Aidrin.
Miz feared that Funesy would hurt Aidrin the way she had done to her.
And beyond that.
He was afraid that Aidrin would become closer to Funesi than he was.
‘What do we do…’
For Aidrin’s sake, this happened as soon as he vowed to cut ties with her.
“Miz?”
Miz hadn’t said anything since holding Aidrin’s hand and leaving the dormitory.
Aidrin waited and waited for Miz to speak first, and finally spoke first.
“You don’t have to tell me if it’s uncomfortable, but is there something wrong?”
“…”
Miz fiddled with the brooch in her arms.
“Huh? Uh! Stupid~”
At that time, Aidrin waved happily.
Far away, I found Ceylon standing at the point where the female dormitory building and the male dormitory building met.
“…!”
It was only yesterday that I bade farewell to Ceylon.
Miz, who hadn’t yet thought about what kind of face or attitude he would have to face if he saw him again, hurriedly left the place.
“uh…?”
I tried to get away, but the moment I saw Ceylon’s unintentional appearance, the movement was frozen.
“Ha ha ha~ Good morning everyone. I wondered why the weather was so nice today, and there were three suns up~”
It puts it to shame that Miz ruthlessly beat Ceylon yesterday.
Ceylon looked at Miz and waved in his usual bewildered manner.
A lotus flower was in full bloom on his chest, the most visible part of his school uniform jacket.
It was a brooch, the badge of Bower.
“Aren’t you crazy…?”
The Miz was appalled at the social suicide of Ceylon wearing the badge of Baurer.
Don’t underestimate your friends Miz 😏