The dining table shared with the princess and the saintess was undoubtedly intimidating to most, but to me, it felt more like watching a ridiculous sitcom.
Even when those around them made a fuss, the princess maintained her composure, while the saintess took every opportunity to challenge her.
The poor commoners, who poured their hearts into every little action to cater to the two, evoked genuine pity.
“This is delicious.”
“It is.”
When such casual remarks passed between them, the cheer erupting from the kitchen wasn’t just my imagination.
A little while later, after finishing our meal, we headed toward the carriage to return to the academy.
“Well then, I’ll head back first. Good luck, Lilith.”
“Hang in there. You look fine as long as you keep your mouth shut, so have some confidence.”
“Do you have some condition where you die if you don’t add unnecessary comments?”
“Lilith, there’s no such illness. Stop saying weird things.”
“…I really hate you both. Just leave already.”
For a moment, I thought about taking Lilith back with us, but apparently, she had more appointments in the evening.
Well… it didn’t seem like she was forced into it, so I didn’t feel particularly sorry for her.
Her abilities often grow stronger through religious devotion, so if she’s this dedicated to external activities, she must be aware of that.
Leaving her behind, we boarded the carriage to return to the academy.
The ride back was relaxing, with a full stomach and the sunlight streaming warmly through the window. Before I knew it, I started to nod off.
I wasn’t sure how long I had been dozing, but I suddenly snapped back to awareness.
“…Hmm.”
“…!”
When I opened my eyes, the carriage was still in motion.
It didn’t feel like I’d been asleep for long, but just to be sure, I asked Seria.
“Oh, I dozed off. How long was I out?”
“Um… about 10 minutes, maybe?”
For someone usually so precise about time, she sounded unusually evasive.
And something about her made it seem like she had been sitting beside me moments ago and then hurriedly moved away.
Ah, I see.
“Seria.”
“Y-yes?!”
“You dozed off too, didn’t you?”
“…Oh, uh… yes! That’s right. I nodded off for a bit too. Haha…”
Exactly. No matter how strong you are, you can’t win against post-meal drowsiness.
But it’s dark now. Looking closer, I noticed the curtains were drawn over the windows. I clearly remember falling asleep with sunlight streaming in, so why were the curtains closed?
“The sunlight seemed too strong, so I closed them.”
You’re telling me you managed to draw the curtains while dozing off?
Hmm… well, if she says so, I guess that’s that.
Stretching a little, I loosened my stiff body. Despite the brief nap, my head felt remarkably clear.
“Should I open the curtains?”
I felt alert, but with the surrounding darkness, I almost felt like falling asleep again. I decided to pull back the curtains covering the windows.
As the bright sunlight poured in, I also saw something else—guards with grim and somber expressions.
“…What’s with those guys?”
“Um, who knows? Maybe they’re not feeling well?”
“That’s beyond just ‘not feeling well.’”
Their reactions were almost on par with how people would respond if Seria were sent into enemy territory all on her own.
This wasn’t the kind of reaction you’d expect during a routine carriage escort.
“Rudion, are you pretending not to know?”
“About what?”
“…I was hoping you wouldn’t notice, but now that you’ve let it slide, it feels oddly disappointing.”
“What are you even talking about? Did you do something while I was asleep?”
“Who knows? Probably not.”
Probably not? How could you not know? And why are you answering in such a roundabout way when I’m asking you what happened?
Frustrated by her cryptic attitude, I decided to let it go and turned my attention to the scenery outside the window.
Before I knew it, we were already close enough to see the academy.
So much for that “10 minutes” she mentioned earlier—it was obviously a random guess. If we were this close to the academy, I must have been asleep for much longer. No wonder I felt unusually refreshed.
Once the carriage arrived at the academy, I stepped down to find the guards lined up and saluting us, their faces filled with gloom.
“Please… be safe,” one of them murmured in a voice so weak it sounded like it came from someone on their deathbed.
What’s wrong with them?
Unbeknownst to me, their current state wasn’t entirely without reason.
A little earlier, while the guards were dutifully observing the two of us through the carriage window, they saw me gradually nodding off.
As I succumbed to sleep, my body slumped, and before I realized it, I leaned against Seria’s shoulder.
Naturally, this sight left the guards seething, their hands twitching toward their swords, ready to draw them at a moment’s notice.
But just as they were about to intervene, they saw something that stopped them dead in their tracks.
“Shhh.”
Seria had raised a finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet.
At that moment, not a single one of them could bring themselves to act.
Seria then calmly reached over and pulled the curtains closed, blocking their view entirely.
Her intentions couldn’t have been clearer, and the guards, already reeling from the scene, were hit even harder.
Some of them may have noticed the faint, enigmatic smile that crossed Seria’s face. It was not the pure, innocent smile they had come to know.
“Princess… why…”
For these guards, who were all devout followers of Seria, witnessing such a scene must have been like watching their world crumble.
The emotional shock was so severe that they were now reduced to this pitiful state.
Of course, not knowing any of this, I could only find their behavior bewildering.
“Forget those idiots. Let’s just go inside,” Seria said, pulling me along before I could ask more questions.
Once back at the academy, my first priority was to get my injured arm treated.
Though the long sleeves of the royal outfit I’d been given hid the wound, the cut was still there. Thankfully, I didn’t feel much pain, likely because my body seemed oddly insensitive to it.
One thing I realized because of the injury, however, was that my natural healing system didn’t seem to work in this world.
It wasn’t a big deal—I just had to make sure I didn’t get hurt again.
“What are you thinking about so seriously?” Seria asked.
“I’m thinking about how I’m not going to get hurt again.”
“Please keep that promise.”
With that lighthearted exchange, we made our way to Professor Reina’s research lab.
Luckily, Professor Reina was in her office when we arrived.
“You’re early,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“It just worked out that way.”
After a knock, we entered, and Professor Reina greeted us with mild surprise.
However, the moment she looked at me, her expression hardened.
“…What happened? How did you manage to get hurt?”
Despite the injury being hidden under my clothes, Professor Reina noticed it immediately. As expected from someone born into a family of renowned healers.
“It’s nothing. I just got grazed by something.”
“Grazed by what exactly?”
It was hard to explain in detail, so I tried to brush it off, but her reaction was unexpectedly intense. Normally, she would just treat the injury and move on. What was different this time?
She stared at me for a moment before beckoning Seria over.
Seria approached her, and the two began speaking in hushed tones, clearly trying to keep me from hearing.
“So? What happened? There’s no reason for someone to get injured in the palace… Did you get into a fight with the knights or something?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what caused the injury?”
“Well… I don’t know either.”
What could Seria possibly have said to make Reina look so stunned?
While I pondered that, their conversation continued.
“But I can say this—it was something worth getting injured over.”
“How can you be sure if you don’t even know what caused it?”
“…You just can.”
Seria knew how odd her response sounded. But how could she tell the truth? Saying, “Oh, it happened while I was single-handedly stopping the apocalypse,” would only make her seem delusional.
So she settled for being vague.
Reina, clearly frustrated by the lack of answers, sighed heavily and stood up.
“Next time you come to me with an injury like this, I’m not treating you. Got it?”
With that, she began healing my arm.
The discomfort I’d felt under the bandages vanished instantly, as though it had been a mere illusion.
I rolled up my sleeve and removed the bandages, revealing a perfectly healed arm.
“And?” Reina prompted.
“I have no intention of getting injured again, so no worries.”
“…Every single person who’s said that has come back injured,” she muttered ominously.
What an unnerving thing to say.
But I wasn’t like those people. With unmatched evasive skills and parrying abilities, it was harder for me to get injured.
This incident didn’t count. It was an extreme case—anyone else would’ve been diced to pieces.
Still, her words lingered, planting a seed of unease. I pushed it aside, bolstered by confidence. After all, I’d barely been grazed by a literal storm of blades. What could possibly hurt me now?
As I silently reinforced my mental defenses, Reina shifted the topic.
“Well, let’s discuss that another time. For now, head to the student council.”
“Why?”
“Five students have already come to me for treatment in the past two days.”
“Ah.”
It seemed something had happened while I was briefly away. So much for taking a break now that I was back.
There wasn’t much else to say, so I left her office immediately.
“You’re going straight there, right?” Seria asked.
“Of course.”
“I figured.”
Figured? Of course I was going.
Without wasting time, Seria and I made our way to the student council building.
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