73 – By Viscount Ash 4
“It’s a joke. Just a joke! I won’t get hurt anywhere.”
It was supposed to be a joke not to worry about the minor injury, but it seemed to make her worry instead.
“Really, no injuries?”
Johanna held my unharmed hand tightly with both hands.
Perhaps because her usually indifferent eyes were reddened as if tears could fall at any moment. Or maybe because Johanna was close, holding my hand and looking up at me.
My heart was tingling.
I knew this wasn’t right, but the thought of crying overwhelmed me.
If I were to push away Johanna’s hand here and say, “The only one who hurt me is Johanna Senpai,” I could see Johanna shedding tears. But I didn’t say that.
I wasn’t trash enough to say such things just to see Johanna cry.
“Of course. Since Professor Elysia, one of the strongest, is going along, it should be difficult for anyone to get hurt, right?”
It’s not just Lord Ash, but also the Emperor’s shadow near the Marquis. Elysia, who is one of the strongest, is going as well.
“But…”
I said it to reassure her, but Johanna still seems worried. She didn’t let go of my hand.
“Senpai, if I get even a little hurt during the mission, I’ll definitely grant one wish for you.”
“………. Anything?”
“Anything. But if I come back without a scratch, how about granting me one wish?”
“Okay………..”
Now, the worry in Johanna’s voice has lessened, but she still holds onto my hand tightly.
“Senpai, could you please let go of my hand now?”
“Why? Don’t you like holding hands with me?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Honestly, I didn’t mind being held like this.
“But why?”
“Senpai, isn’t the class still going on?”
“Ah….”
Johanna seems to realize only now that she left in the middle of the class and sighs.
From Noble mtl dot com
If I get hurt and Johanna takes me to the infirmary and we are sitting on a bench right now, it means the class isn’t over yet.
“Since I’m also planning to explore more during the field trip, let’s go together.”
“Okay.”
So Hanna and I left the bench and walked to the outdoor training ground where Hanna was having her class.
As we arrived, all the students at the training ground stared at us intently.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
A woman with short brown hair rushed over to us as soon as she saw us.
It was Hanna’s close friend, Jena Soguro.
I thought she would talk to Hanna first, but Jena spoke to me first.
“Are you okay?”
It seemed like she was worried about me being hurt because of her sword.
“I’m fine. I’m actually more sorry for suddenly appearing like that.”
“No, if it wasn’t for you, Hanna would have been hurt badly. Thank you so much.”
Jena bowed her waist and thanked me.
When a sophomore bowed to a freshman, and a noble to a commoner, the other students murmured in surprise.
But Jena seemed unfazed, as if it was the most natural thing to do, despite the murmurs around her.
“You don’t have to do that. The priest said I’ll be fine in a day.”
As I reassured her, Jena finally straightened up and approached Hanna.
“Hanna! Why did you do that? Losing focus during training. Do you know how worried I was? If Rocky wasn’t there, you would have been badly hurt.”
She spoke to Hanna as if scolding her, in contrast to when she spoke to me.
But her voice was filled with concern.
“Sorry.”
Jena continued to scold Hanna after that.
Yohanna heard Jenna scolding quietly, possibly admitting her mistake.
Ten minutes later, when Jenna finished scolding Yohanna, Professor Gedra spoke up.
“The class isn’t over yet. Let’s continue the sparring.”
As Professor Gedra spoke, the second-year students resumed their sparring.
I watched the second-years spar until the end of the class.
They might be stronger than the first-years, but they were far behind the Special Class students.
Except for Yohanna, I could probably win without using my illusions.
* * * *
Loki was walking alone in the academy right now.
After class, Yohanna wanted to stay with Loki, but Jenna dragged her away, insisting there was still class left.
It was too vague for her.
“Should I go to the library?”
True to the continent’s best educational institution, the academy’s library was enormous.
The vast library was filled with an uncountable number of books, as if it contained all the world’s information.
While walking around the enormous library.
I spotted Clara sitting and looking at a book.
Her black hair and red eyes stood out against her fair skin.
Even if she furrowed her brow due to an unfamiliar problem, it only made her more beautiful.
“Miss Clara~!”
Loki waved and approached Clara.
“…. Quiet. We’re in the library.”
Upon seeing Loki, Clara furrowed her brows slightly, but she didn’t stop him from approaching.
“Since no one’s around, isn’t this fine?”
Loki spoke as he sat across from Clara.
Perhaps due to class hours, there was no one else left in the library.
However, going outside with a book would immediately expose them.
“Why are you here?”
“I wanted to see Clara, and I thought about reading a book.”
Well, technically, he came because he was bored.
“I’ve already seen your face, so if you’re going to read, read quietly.”
“Then I’ll bring a book; please wait here.”
Loki went to find a book, and about 20 minutes later.
Loki appeared with two thick books in hand.
During those 20 minutes, Loki’s uniform had gathered dust, indicating some activity.
“What were you up to?”
“Oh, well~ The books were hiding, so it took some time to find them.”
Clara ignored him and continued reading the book.
After another 10 minutes of reading, Clara glanced at Loki.
The thick books Loki brought had only been flipped through a single page.
“Sigh….”
It was clear to anyone that Loki was sleeping, as his head kept nodding up and down.
Clara placed her hand on Loki’s shoulder and gently shook him.
“If you’re going to sleep, go somewhere where you can’t be seen. It’s distracting to see you nodding off like that.”
“Ughhh~ Do I have to?”
I really don’t understand why he came to the library in the first place.
Loki stretched once and then walked out of the library.
… Just like that?
“Put the books away before you leave!”
“We’re friends, so Clara can do it for me~~.”
Loki waved his hand and walked out of the library.
“Ugh….”
A sigh escaped involuntarily.
The reason she didn’t stop him despite his attitude was probably because he wasn’t approaching her based on her background or appearance.
“Tsk.”
Clara remembered the guy who had spoken to her during the break just now.
He claimed to be in the third year, but he was talking about all sorts of magic, which she had learned five years ago. She knew he wasn’t talking to her to discuss magic, so she told the noisy guy to shut up.
Clara looked at the thick book Loki had brought.
It was a book she hadn’t seen before.
“The title isn’t written?”
There was no title, and the book seemed old and worn.
Clara closed the book she was reading and opened the one Rocky had brought.
“…………”
– Sarak.
Clara quietly turned the page.
– Sarak.
Next.
– Sarak.
Next.
– Sarak.
Next.
– Sarak. Sarak. Sarak. Sarak. Sarak. Sarak. Sarak.
In the library, only the sound of Clara flipping pages quietly flowed.
Clara unknowingly read the entire book, lost in time.
She wanted to take the book with her, but it was impossible for now.
“Ha!”
Clara, who had planned to borrow it during lunchtime, checked the note at the back of the book and burst into a bitter laugh.
[This book is not registered in the library, so feel free to take it.]
She couldn’t recognize the owner’s handwriting, but a rough sketch of a mask was drawn at the end of the note.
If she hadn’t read this book, this note would never have been found.
As Clara left the library, she was carrying two old books in her hand.
.
.
.
Ashford Manor.
“Madam, is it okay for the special class students to come tomorrow?”
“Darn it! I wasn’t supposed to receive that!”
Upon hearing the butler’s words, Lord Ashford flared up like a fire.
If only he could distribute drugs and make money out of it.
He could have become a central noble, not a noble on the fringes!
“We don’t have much money left. Soon, we won’t even have money to give to the servants.”
“Just give it to those lowly ones later! The problem is that we won’t have money to give to him.”
He gave him a huge sum of money on the condition of receiving drugs.
Moreover, he was required to pay tribute regularly.
“If the Cardinal accuses me of stealing drugs…”
“Ha! Who would believe the words of a thief?”
“But can the special class catch the Cardinal?”
“How many high-ranking nobles are there! Even the crown prince is a member of the special class. Even if they can’t catch him, who knows if they’ll help if we pretend to be pitiful?”
Originally, he was planning to hire mercenaries, but he didn’t have any money left to hire mercenaries to catch the Cardinal.
The viscount ran his hand over his stomach.
The day the cardinal appeared at the mansion. The cardinal, who had only been running away, kicked his stomach just before disappearing from the mansion.
“Cardinal!!!!!!”
.
.
The next day.
After the special forces arrived at the mansion.
When pretending to be pitiful in front of the prince and the nobles as much as possible.
“I can’t even begin to imagine how great the sorrow of losing the goblet must be. I will definitely catch that wicked villain!”
One of the lunatics in the special forces, wearing a mask, confidently grabbed his hand and said.
“But what exactly is the goblet that Cardinal stole?”