Chapter 19: Reconciliation Part 1

The girl, who I wasn’t sure was Philia’s friend or not, was staying on the second floor of the dormitory, so I headed there instead of my room on the fifth floor.

“Hic… Ugh… Sniff….”

Though she had stopped sobbing bitterly, tears were still streaming down her face.

When she opened the door, I almost gasped in admiration.

‘Wow.’

This was true luxury and extravagance.

Modern Koreans, for whom humility is an expected virtue, often find ostentatious displays of wealth awkward and forced.

‘That’s because the ingrained notion that luxury is inherently bad binds not only the individual indulging in it but also those who witness it, forcing them to react with either admiration or envy.’

‘At most, a modern Korean’s idea of extravagance would be buying an expensive wooden table and justifying it with: “The quality is great, so in the long run, it’s actually a bargain! I can even pass it down to my kids!”—all while secretly hoping someone asks about the price.’

‘But nobles in this world had no such restrictions.’

And so—

‘Why cover something in gold? Because it’s pretty!’

‘Too much gold making your eyes hurt and the room feel monotonous? Then add white marble! Hanging silk from the ceiling of the bed? Because it’s beautiful and feels nice and soft when it brushes against the skin!’

They indulged in luxury with this kind of simple and innocent mindset.

***

“Sniff… Hic…”

As I sat beside the still-sniffling girl on the bed, I nearly lost my balance and fell backward—it was just that soft.

She was too busy crying to notice my near mishap.

“Alright. Enough now.”

“Sniff… It hurts… I told you, it really hurts….”

I knew all too well that bruises often felt worse after the initial impact had faded.

‘Sigh.’

‘Why was she like this? If she wanted to be cruel, she should have just been straightforwardly cruel instead of making me feel guilty.’

“…Hold on a second.”

“Sniff, huh?”

I gently cupped her swollen, puffy cheeks, making sure not to hurt her.

[All wounds, be healed.]

Ether became my mana, and my mana flowed into the girl.

Her torn skin mended, the pain disappeared, and the swollen redness faded.

Soon, her cheeks were smooth and pale again, just as they had been when I first saw her.

“Huh…?”

She blinked her violet eyes in confusion and gingerly touched her face.

“It… it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“I healed you.”

“Was that a magic spell? You didn’t even use a wand!”

“Yeah, it was.”

“I’ve never heard of that before. Is it something passed down in your family…? Oh, never mind.”

She must have cut herself off after remembering I was a commoner.

‘Well, she wasn’t wrong. Not a family heirloom, but rather something from a shared linguistic tradition.’

“Hand me your handkerchief.”

The wound was gone, but the traces of blood and tears remained.

I gently wiped her cheeks, chin, and lips.

“Close your eyes.”

I carefully cleaned her eyelids and the area around them.

“Now, blow your nose. Sniff.”

“Sniff, sniff… Hnnngh.”

“Good. Other side.”

“Hnnngh.”

“That’s it.”

After wiping around her nose one last time, I folded the handkerchief and tucked it into my pocket.

I’d have to wash it later.

The girl rubbed her face and nose, then mumbled in a voice as small as a mosquito’s buzz.

“…Thank you.”

Something about this felt strange.

Sure, she had wronged me first, but if you only looked at the act of hitting, I was the perpetrator, and she was the victim.

Yet, here she was, thanking me for healing the wound I inflicted.

‘Is she a pushover or something?’

She seemed like the type who’d get into serious trouble if she fell into the wrong hands.

The kind of person who, if a manipulative guy said, “I don’t want to hit you, but you’re making me! Apologize!” would actually start crying and believe it was her fault.

“Haa…”

“…Why are you sighing?”

“What’s your name?”

“I… Isabel. Of the House of Sucre….”

Well, that explained the luxury.

One of the thick books I had read at the orphanage mentioned that the Sucre family was one of the wealthiest and most resource-rich noble houses in the empire.

Speaking of which, I should retrieve that book.

Might as well check in on the orphanage kids while I’m at it.

“Isabel, huh? I’m Ellie. I don’t have a surname because I’m an orphan.”

“Gasp.”

Isabel inhaled sharply.

She really was naive in more ways than one.

“Anyway, I apologize for slapping you. But you should also apologize for insulting my scarf.”

“Uh… O-okay… I’m sorry….”

“I’m sorry too. Here, shake hands.”

Isabel hesitantly took my hand, but when I shook it, she brightened and eagerly shook mine back.

At this point, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.

The way she had sobbed about having no friends earlier…

‘Sigh…’

“Hey, do you want to be friends?”

“F-Friends?”

Her violet eyes sparkled.

Not literally, of course, but it felt that way.

“Yeah! I’d love to!”

“Alright. From today, we’re friends.”

“Yes! Friends! I promise!”

Beaming, Isabel wrapped her pinky around mine to seal the deal.

“From today, we’re officially friends…! Ehehe…!”

“Yeah, yeah, day one of our friendship.”

With the situation settled, I turned toward the second-floor window and looked out in the direction where the entrance ceremony was taking place.

‘It’s almost over, huh?’

Well, knowing Dean Skaha, they wouldn’t waste time on unnecessary formalities.

The entrance ceremony was probably just an explanation of the academic schedule for the semester, followed by brief introductions from each professor before wrapping up.

“Ugh.”

This time, I let out a sigh and flopped onto the bed.

It was soft.

Really soft.

Expensive things do live up to their price, after all.

Isabel hesitated before asking, “Um, what are you going to do about the entrance ceremony?”

“I’ll just stay here. It’s pretty much over anyway.”

“If there was anything important, I could ask Stella or Clea later.”

“As for Philia…”

“Really? Hmm, then I’ll stay here too.”

Isabel hesitated for a moment before lying down beside me.

“By the way, what’s up with you and Philia?”

“That’s… ugh… that girl…”

“Uh-huh. Come on, don’t cry. Just tell me.”

“I-I’m not crying! Sniff…”

“Ugh.”

“I swear, I’m not crying! I’m just mad. I’m not going to be friends with her anymore.”

“Why? Because I’m your friend now?”

“Yeah!”

“Philia’s not a bad person. She’s just terrible at making friends, a bit of a loner, and kind of a nerd.”

“A nerd? I can tell it’s a bad word, but… what does it mean?”

“Forget it. It’s nothing important.”

I should be more careful with my words.

The last thing I wanted was to introduce weird slang into this world, especially to noble kids.

Worst case scenario, it could end up as some kind of aristocratic speech, or even high society lingo.

‘My lady, you are as stunning as ever today.’

‘Your Highness, I find this matter exceedingly solemn and serious.’

‘Hmm, your words are truly precise, my lord.’

“Ugh…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Just had a weird thought.”

‘No. I should really be more careful.’

“Hmph, whatever. I’m done with Philia. I don’t want to see her anymore.”

“That’s going to be hard.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because I’m friends with Philia too. Or are you planning to avoid me every time I run into her?”

“!?”

Isabel looked utterly shocked, as if she had never even considered the possibility.

“I—you—we—so…”

Watching her struggle to process it, I thought to myself, ‘She really is just a kid.’

***

After spending ten days at the academy, meeting all sorts of students, I was certain of one thing.

They might be children of high-ranking noble families, called geniuses or prodigies, but at the end of the day, they were still just kids.

In both good and bad ways.

They were ignorant, easily swayed by words, full of strong beliefs and convictions, but still unpolished and naïve in their righteousness.

In other words, they were normal teenagers.

Of course, there might be some whose wounds festered in secret, or others who were rotten to the core from birth.

I would probably meet those kinds of people too.

Maybe even fight them.

Not just childish squabbles, but real conflicts with no room for reconciliation.

But for now, that wasn’t what I needed to think about.

“For now, let’s go make up with Philia.”

“That—that’s possible!?”

“Of course.”

I turned to look at Isabel and couldn’t help but chuckle.

She was staring at me as if I were some kind of great hero or saint.

“Don’t admire me too much.”

“I-I wasn’t… but…”

“I’m not as amazing as you think. Besides, to achieve my goal, I need other people’s help.”

No matter how strong an individual is, no one can become an emperor alone.

Even Xiang Yu, one of the greatest warriors in history, met his end in suicide.

“And what’s your goal, Ellie?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

‘Someday, I would. Not just to Isabel, but to all of my friends.’

‘I didn’t know when that would be.’

Maybe I would ask for their help before reaching the throne, or maybe I would gather them after I had already claimed it and confess everything then.’

But one thing was certain—it wasn’t time yet.

“That’s unfair… we’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Even friends have secrets. If you’re too clingy, it’s bad for friendships.”

“Gasp.”

Once again, Isabel was shocked.

She fidgeted for a moment before finally saying, “Then… whenever you do decide to tell me, I’ll help.”

“My goal?”

“Yeah.”

Still lying beside me, Isabel nodded firmly.

“Whatever your goal is, I’ll help you achieve it. I promise.”

At this point, I couldn’t help but smirk.

‘If I told her, ‘You just vowed to join me in treason,’ what kind of face would she make?’

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go find Philia.”

I had to make things right with her.

Even if it wasn’t intentional, I had embarrassed her pretty badly.