3. Dragon’s Eye, Human Mind (37)
It didn’t take long for the princess to whisper to the man that only the two of them could hear.
The princess warned in a cool, subdued voice.
“… … There is no turning back now.”
Despite the terrifying prophecy, the man’s reaction was tepid.
The emotions captured in the princess’ eyes were also similar. If there were emotions that could be colored at least, it was sympathy and pity, just like a while ago.
Shien couldn’t stand it.
Sympathy and compassion were the rights of the strong. Therefore, it was inevitable that those emotions were directed towards the weak.
In other words, it meant that Ian was looking at the princess as his subordinate.
What was even more infuriating was that Shien, deep down, felt that the evaluation was not wrong.
Ian Perkus was strong.
Whether it was his skills or mental strength, it was the same in every way. He remained unconcerned amid the enmity of countless people, and was proud even under the shadow of the power of the imperial family.
If it hadn’t been for her childhood memories, the princess might have clearly admitted defeat.
Unfortunately, however, the princess could not escape the nightmare of childhood.
It was for this reason that her trembling voice announced an irreversible future.
“If I say one word, your sister’s caravan will be ruined. And the same goes for the Percus Territory… So get on your knees right now and ask for my forgiveness.”
A few words continued after that, but the intention was one.
It meant that this was the last chance.
The man listened to the princess’ plan in silence for a long time.
There was even a sense of urgency in the princess’s voice enumerating the specific means to use to destroy the Percus family.
However, Ian’s reaction after hearing all the stories was plain and simple.
“… … Her Highness the Princess.”
A calm voice and light gray eyes with faint expectations turned to Ian.
He was holding a bitter smile.
“You increased the escort. Well done.”
That was the end.
Ian walked away from the princess without adding anything else.
It was sincere. Ian felt only relief.
The princess, who confirmed this, was dumbfounded and had no choice but to stand there blankly for a while.
How can you be so calm?
It might have meant that he looked down on Shien that much. The shoulders of the princess with her head bowed trembled.
The only person who could appease the resentful Shien was the maid.
She cautiously approached and gave advice to the princess in a hesitant tone.
“Me, Her Highness the Princess? something suspicious Maybe the execution of the plan should be delayed a little… … .”
“… … Start right away.”
The head maid, who was thinking of trying to dissuade Shien one more time, let out a deep sigh as soon as she heard that voice.
The sound of his breath heated with heat, his trembling fists, and his eyes shining with hatred.
There was no sign of reversing the decision at all.
“Take it down now, now!”
With that shout, one of the escort knights lowered his head and left.
In the pupils of Shien, who was grinding his teeth, blue raw poison was coming out.
I will pay for it, for sure.
Because I don’t want to look shallow.
Shien, who was filled with such a single thought, couldn’t bear to notice some of the abnormal signs that Ian showed.
So I couldn’t even know.
To think that that decision would remain as a lifelong regret for Shien.
The procession of the homecoming festival has begun.
**
The procession of the homecoming ceremony was splendid.
The heads of each department lead the way, followed by grades. But as the procession goes on, the procession becomes more and more mixed up and becomes a formerly disorderly mass.
When passing students passed through the city, merchants would hand them snacks or drinks.
The students at the end of the procession passed it into the procession endlessly. Then, when someone was bored or hungry, they would eat and drink.
It was the same today.
After passing the academy, even though I had only passed half of the city, the surroundings were buzzing with sounds of eating and drinking. Now that the announcement of the grades was over, it was an attitude to enjoy it comfortably.
Even stray cats and birds, aiming for snacks dropped by students, flocked to the parade, making the march even more noisy.
However, there were a few exceptions to the merriment.
It was a group that included those who were notified of failure and had to leave their hometown.
They are by far the ones who receive the most consideration at the homecoming festival, and all snacks and drinks are given to them first. That didn’t bring a smile back to their faces.
Admission to the academy was difficult, but graduating was even more difficult.
So, the standard of the public has always been towards graduation rather than admission to the academy. There was not much attention or mercy to be given to the dropout.
In particular, if it was a commoner, it was like losing a chance to turn your life around right in front of your eyes.
It was strange if not depressed. Among them, there were some students who laughed and talked as if they had let go of everything.
And there was one more place where there was no fuss.
It was right around me.
Unlike others who marched with each other’s bodies, there were few people around me and it was quiet. Everyone was a few meters away from me.
It was a sight that exposed how I was treated at the academy.
Haha, in order to stay by my side, stamped by the imperial family, various conditions would have been necessary.
First of all, he was a different kind of person who wanted to stay by my side even at a loss, a person who did not belong to the empire, and even if the previous two conditions were satisfied, he had to belong to a high-ranking position that the imperial family could not touch.
And to my surprise, a person who satisfies all of those conditions was standing next to me.
was a saint
I think he told me to stay in the temple because it could be dangerous, but he seemed to be stubborn and chased me away.
My eyes went dark all at once.
“Saintess, have you lost your senses during this time? I can assure you that if you stay by my side now, there will be nothing but loss.”
Of course, it was a problem that could be solved within today, but I couldn’t help but prepare for the possibility that I didn’t know.
As she was the highest-ranking official in the Holy Land, the probability that the imperial family would even touch the saintess was low.
However, that meant diplomatically, no matter what happened within the academy, it was none of the imperial family’s concern.
Hostility toward me, for instance, could affect the public perception of the saintess.
For a saintess who manages her reputation by dropping all sorts of pretense, it was fatal. Still, she showed no signs of leaving me.
Instead, he just teased me in a calm voice.
“If I had done a little better, I would have been second, if not top, isn’t it a bit sad?”
“… … Tell Yuren, the second seat, to relax. In the meantime, to our 3rd year senior.”
At my jokes, the saintess only let out sounds like leaking blood and steam. She poked me in the side.
“The top of the 3rd year of the Faculty of Swordsmanship? I heard that he has a lot of personality, but it’s not okay to be that picky. There is already more than enough of you by my side.”
What a tricky thing, where is there a man as docile as me?
I muttered inwardly, but did not let it out of my mouth. It was because I had the feeling that the saintess would look at me with bewildered eyes.
It couldn’t have been unfair treatment.
After staring at the saintess with such absurd eyes for a while, I suddenly remembered and asked her.
“So, why did you come out? I told you to shut up in the temple.”
“Hey, who do you like?”
The saintess glared at me with her eyes narrowed. It was a look that felt even faint resentment.
I couldn’t fathom the reason, and my eyes were stained with suspicion.
“You were thinking of hanging out with girls without me, right? Playboy Confucius.”
“I am Confucius with the hatchet.”
“And they say he cuts down the woman he wants to seduce that day with a hatchet, is that true?”
“Of course it’s nonsense.”
He was in the middle of having a trivial conversation with the saintess.
At some point, the march was turning around the turning point. Now, on the way back to the academy, I suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.
There was an illusion that time had stopped for an instant.
My eyes hurriedly scanned the surroundings. However, no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t find anything suspicious.
did i get it wrong?
Then, what awakened my spirit was the voice of the saintess.
“Oh, it’s a cat… … .”
The saintess, who had been pushed to the end of the procession, said so in a slightly trembling voice. A stray cat with a cute appearance was sitting on the side of the road.
Meow, the sound of meowing tickled my ears.
It meant asking for rice. It was a truly insolent animal.
However, the saintess, who had already become a prisoner of cuteness, volunteered to become a hukou. She carefully approached the stray cat with the fried shrimp she had received from anywhere.
Looking at the saintess’ bright eyes, I thought that she was also a woman born in heaven.
I can’t use my four legs for cute things, so I won.
However, I, who felt that the saintess was lovely, could not help but be a man by nature. I was about to shake my head with such a wry smile, but I stopped walking.
It was a strange sensation.
My eyes met the cat’s eyes. The vertically slit pupils were shining on the saintess.
It was right after that.
Round and round, the pupil rotated once.
Realizing this movement, which would be impossible for a normal living creature, I immediately threw myself away while hugging the saintess.
Severed doubts escaped from the saintess’ mouth.
“Kyaa! Go, suddenly what… … .”
and the next moment.
A booming, booming sound rang out. A shockwave swept through the procession with screams. Fragments of broken stone scattered in all directions.
The body of the cat the saintess was trying to feed had suddenly expanded and exploded.
With a thump, pieces of flesh and blood poured down. It was the remains of a stray cat.
The binge drinking did not end one after another.
After that, several more explosions broke out, and the clamor resounded, turning the surroundings into a mess. Every time the shockwave passed around me, it hit my back.
Thanks to my tight embrace, the saintess was fine.
He was just looking up at me with a father’s face. I smiled lightly as if to reassure him.
“I like that the bag of divine power is soft.”
The elastic breasts of the saintess were also perfect for shock absorption.
In my heart, I wanted to enjoy that tingly feeling a little more, but I didn’t have time anymore.
I immediately stood up and drew my sword.
Only then did the saintess realize my meaning belatedly and her face turned bright red.
“What, what are you talking about… … ! Seriously, s*xual harassment for real!”
Of course, s*xual harassment or whatever wasn’t my concern right now.
The raid finally began.
Nice airbags or should i say milk bags 😉