134 – Utilization
Perhaps it was summer, the wind blowing into the training ground was hot. Could it be the start of the scorching heat?
Fortunately, he doesn’t like cold and heat, so he set up that there is a temperature control magic inside the academy building.
I feel a lot of gratitude to my past self, but unfortunately the training ground is outside the building.
The promised time to meet Lycan is 12:00. She ate an early lunch and arrived at the training ground about 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled time.
In a situation where she suddenly didn’t know what kind of training she was going to do, she sought shade because she thought she didn’t have to lose her strength in advance.
After sitting in a chair, resting my chin on my chin, and waiting for a while, I got up.
You can do that in 30 minutes. It’s socially possible, because it’s time to smile and wait.
But if it’s an hour, you forgot your appointment or something happened.
Those who show up on time are given the right to be angry.
Thought so, I got up from the chair.
Even sitting in the shade, the summer heat was unavoidable. Unlike his overheated body, his head was cool with a little irritation and anger.
I went to the office, wiping the sweat off my chin with my hand.
Just entering the academy’s main building, the cool air greeted me.
When I knocked on the door and went inside, I could feel that the number of professors guarding the desks was small because it was vacation.
I bowed my head to the unknown professor who met my eyes, and headed to Professor Lycan’s desk.
With my eyes fixed on the destination, I thought about it in my heart as I moved my steps. Again, no one was present.
As soon as I was about to turn away with a sigh of relief, a letter envelope on Lycan’s desk caught my eye. The envelope was written in large, neat letters.
[To a disciple]
I don’t have my name written on it, but I’m the one Lycan could call his apprentice. Even if my guess is wrong, since I came this far, I wanted to reap something. I glanced around and pulled out a letter.
To my disciple
If you are reading this letter, I haven’t come back from my family yet. Come to the training ground every day at 12:00 and train alone if I’m not there.
I left the armor under the desk just in case. Armor can be used if necessary.
– Lycan –
I pretended not to see and put the letter back. Wearing armor again in this heat is terrifying to think about.
***
After finishing my physical training alone, I washed my body in the shower room next to the training ground. I brushed my wet bangs back and went back to the club room, but I changed the road and headed for Bella’s lab.
I didn’t intend to meet Bella today, but I did it because I thought it would be better to talk to her in advance when I have time. I’ve been there a few times and never had a problem.
When I knocked on the door to the lab, the door opened immediately as if I had waited. There was no time to let go of the knocking hand, so I was wary of a strange man who appeared in front of me with my arms raised.
“Who are you?”
A man who was looking me up and down like an observer asked. Rather, this is what I want to ask. Who are you?
It took a while to stare at each other with furrowed eyebrows in silence, but the man suddenly widened his eyes and pointed his finger at my face as if pointing.
“Oh, then that!!!”
For some reason, the man recognized me. But I didn’t remember anyone with the easy-to-remember features of gray curly hair and a languid look.
“Are you here to meet the Crown Princess?”
That was the purpose of my visit, so I nodded my head obediently. The man nodded his head with a smile as if he knew, and led me into the lab.
As I went inside, I glanced at the man. A solid body, a sword at the waist. Is it the new escort chosen to replace Claire?
I thought I would meet Bella right away, but for some reason I was guided by a man and sat down in an empty chair in the corner of the lab. Contrary to his rough appearance, he explained why he brought me here without asking if his personality was kind.
“There is someone who came first, so please wait here for a while. I’ll bring you something cool to drink while you wait.”
Even if it wasn’t so, I was thirsty because of the heat. I nodded my head in satisfaction and looked around Bella’s lab. I visited the lab a few times, but I never had time to look around.
I was even told to kill Bella on my last visit.
As I was admiring the strange painting on the wall, a gray-haired man brought a glass of cold barley tea with ice in a beer glass.
Why did you serve beer mugs to customers…. I don’t know what the intention was, but I said thank you to the man who gave me a burdensome look and drank.
I wonder if he’s interested in me, but I turned my head and asked because I couldn’t ignore the gaze that was staring at me as I was deliberately fixating my gaze on the picture out of awkwardness.
“Do you know me?”
“Sure! Aren’t you the one who saved the Crown Princess from the church’s trap? You may not know since he passed out, but at that time I personally brought it to the imperial family.”
I didn’t expect such a specific answer to come. And maybe I should say thank you again.
I think he was one of the late reinforcements in the fight with Professor Dewin. I bowed my head and expressed my gratitude.
“I see. Thank you.”
At my greeting, the man hid his excited expression and waved his hand.
“No. Rather, we should be grateful. Oh, my introduction is late. I am Leo, the adjutant of the 2nd Imperial Knights.”
I shook hands with Leo, who held out his hand.
“I am Ross. I am a freshman in the academy combat club.”
For some reason, the man named Leo gave me a questioning look on my answer, and then he clapped his hands with a look of sudden realization.
“Ah, that camouflage! I understand that.”
“… ?”
I realized that the conversation wasn’t going smoothly, but Bella showed up before I had time to clear up the misunderstanding. As she walked lightly toward the door leading out of the lab, Bella glanced at me.
Then, wearing a mask with a kind expression that I had never shown before, I exchanged greetings with an unknown man who appeared to be an aristocrat.
“Then let’s have another pleasant conversation next time.”
“I had fun today too. Next time I will come with a better story. Then.”
As the man nodded and left the lab, Bella turned her body to look at me.
“Ross, I didn’t expect you to come find me yourself.”
Are you going to keep wearing the mask? Bella’s soft smile made me feel sick to my stomach. As she frowned, it seemed that her smile was on purpose as well.
Bella beckoned her to follow her, and I got up. Before we got to our seats, the maid who had cleared the table removed Bella’s chair.
“Prepare something to drink and dessert.”
At Bella’s words, the maid quietly disappeared without a sound of footsteps.
“Do you think you can give me an order? Oh, should I call you master when we’re alone?”
I frowned at Bella as she started off with those words.
“Your stomach hurts, so please stop making jokes like that next time.”
Perhaps she knew that I meant it, Bella put on a slightly hurt expression. Before she could reveal the purpose of her visit, her maid, who had disappeared, appeared with an expensive-looking tray.
“Lemon Charlotte, Macaron, and Cheese Tart. The drink is a strawberry smoothie.”
As the dishes were carefully placed on the table, the attendant kindly explained each one. However, I was distracted by the strawberry smoothie placed in front of me.
The scent of strawberries reminded me of Ellie. I was reflexively rejected by the sweet strawberry scent. Feeling sick to my stomach, I deliberately put the glass away.
Bella asked if she was puzzled by that figure after drinking a strawberry smoothie.
“Do you hate strawberries?”
I nodded silently, and I saw that the attendant standing next to me was very flustered. I said scratching my head lightly.
“Ice water is enough.”
Looking relieved at my words, the attendant nodded and left the seat.
Turning her head slightly, Bella smiled strangely.
“That’s strange. Strawberries used to be… Didn’t you like it?”
Its golden eyes shine like snakes. I said in a low voice with a sigh.
“Don’t look at me. Before you regret it again.”
At my words, Bella smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
“Just kidding. You promised not to do that.”
I raised one corner of my mouth as if to sneer at Bella, who seemed to be speaking with regret.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of corrupting your abilities.”
Our conversation was paused by the reappearance of the attendant. Unlike earlier, the attendant, who served barley tea with ice in an expensive-looking crystal glass instead of a beer glass, disappeared immediately, not to disturb our conversation.
After taking one of her macarons, Bella pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows just a little bit.
“Are you going to get revenge for abandoning you? That’s kind of hard…. As much as Roel made a mistake, he asked us to get along well.”
As if Roel’s words took precedence, the way she nodded her head felt a bit sarcastic.
“It’s not like that. And be good like your brother said. Ellie is a genius, so she will be of great help to her brother in the future.”
Bella reached for her smoothie without saying a word. I wonder if I was hungry, so I ate happily.
Bella took a bite of her charlotte with a spoon and felt her body tremble just a little bit. She suddenly thought of Aria, who made a fuss about anything delicious.
Is she the same woman as she is though? I wondered if Luna would have the same reaction. Have to buy it later
“If not, what is it?”
I deliberately didn’t answer and slowly reached out for her cheese tart. It tasted pretty good. After drinking the barley tea, I spoke briefly.
“Ian, the crimson paladin.”
“Ian… ? I’ve heard of it. The castle lord who guards the sacred gateway. I heard that he was attacked by the church this time and collapsed the gate himself to block the entrance to the gorge…. Why is that person?”
“Because when Roel is gone, you need a hound to move for you.”
Ian, a paladin of red light. He is taken to the church’s interrogation room for failing to protect the sacred gates and is mind-altered by Benedict.
The second half of the novel. One of the characters Roel, who is at odds with the church, often clashes with is the church’s hound. It was Ian.
The vanguard of the fanatics, the hound of the faithful church. He is the one who casually buried tens of thousands of people under the name of heretics.
Before Ian becomes the church’s hound, I’m thinking of turning him into Bella’s hound.
I continued in a calm voice.
“It is the duty of a paladin to guard the gateway. The secret of the great forest was kept, but Ian must have been taken to the interrogation room now because the gate collapsed. Make that Ian your hound no matter what.”
Listening to my explanation, Bella moved the spoon and asked in a strange voice.
“Is this the information you got from Modist?”
I smiled as Bella glanced at my expression. Bella is suspicious of the source of the information.
I know that Modist and I are related, but when I was talking to Roel, I lied about Modist approaching me.
Bella didn’t miss the sense of incongruity in the story that started with lies and ended with truth.
She would outwardly obey her orders, but Bella was the kind of person who would not miss her sense of incongruity and would insure her. Before any misunderstanding, I told the truth.
“No, this is information I found out. And the statement that Modist approached me was a lie. In fact, the guild leader of Modist and I….”
I deliberately put up with moxibustion. I said with a strange satisfaction in seeing Bella stop moving the spoon and stare at Charlotte nervously.
“It’s a common destiny.”
Bella, who flinched as if from a hiccup, lifted her head with her slightest hint. Realizing by her power that what I was saying was true, she stared at me for a moment, then put her spoon down and said,
“It is possible to use Benedict to get Ian out of the interrogation room, but it will be difficult to convince him. You know how devoted the paladins are to the church….”
My mouth twisted at the sight of Bella looking at me with expectant eyes as she blurted out the end of her words.
I have already made up my mind. No need for weighing. The hero is Roel, not me.
On the contrary, I am similar to Bella. The kind of trash who would do anything for love.
“Are you scooping again? OK, I’ll give you a hint. Ian is from the church’s orphanage. But I wasn’t alone. She has a younger brother who grew up in the same orphanage. Her name is Irene, and she lives as a nun in an orphanage in the city of Leln. She will be a great leash for Ian.”
I added a word with a smile and an expression of anticipation.
“Use your strengths, Bella.”
Facing her gaze, Bella smiled innocently like a child.