“Can we talk for a moment?”
Judas said with the most sincere smile he could manage.
But Alejandro trembled in place like someone who just saw a ghost.
Judas was genuinely puzzled.
‘…Why’s he so stiff?’
He was dying to know who that guy approaching Amor was.
But he couldn’t just call him over recklessly.
Using authority to force someone to talk didn’t sit right with him. What was that, some sort of kidnapping?
So he asked Shylock for help.
To go fetch him instead.
Still, he thought he should treat him somewhat like a guest, so he borrowed the restaurant for a bit.
Summoning the guard wasn’t meant to intimidate anyone.
He just wanted to gather a few people in case the meeting felt uncomfortable for either of them.
He thought to himself that he was becoming a pretty dignified adult, quite unlike the reckless person he used to be.
…Anyway, to him, Alejandro’s tension seemed unnatural.
“Are we scaring you, sitting here all together?”
“Nah, I’m just shocked by Dyke’s ugly face.”
“Then you should be gagging, not scared, right?”
“What did you just say?”
A few were squabbling amongst themselves again, while others scrutinized Alejandro closely.
“Hmm…. So that guy is the coward who confessed to our princess.”
“Why ‘our princess’? She’s my daughter.”
“Shut it. With a physique like that, he couldn’t possibly protect her, right? If the wind blows, he’ll snap. I have every right to know what kind of guy is approaching our niece.”
Argon muttered grumpily, while Lindell looked at Alejandro’s skinny arms with dissatisfaction.
Being a father of a daughter himself now, he wasn’t pleased with the situation.
“Why’s he so thin? Did he not have dinner?”
He did.
Alejandro remembered having a hearty dinner.
But that wasn’t how the answer came out.
“Y-yes, yes…”
“I thought as much. Come on over and eat some more. There’s plenty.”
Alejandro walked over like livestock being led to slaughter.
He didn’t want to walk, but his feet moved on their own.
He felt like it would be a disaster if he didn’t.
Judas sat Alejandro next to him.
Looking at the pale-faced student, a thought occurred to him.
‘…Could it be that Shylock guy?’
“The one who told you to come here—what did they say?”
“The, the female student said to wait…”
“……”
Judas grabbed the back of his neck.
What he had told Shylock was something like this:
‘I want to see him privately, but if I call him directly, he won’t be able to refuse, so just let him know. If he can come to the restaurant that would be great, but if it’s inconvenient, it’s fine to decline.’
And all Shylock told him was that the destination was the restaurant.
He conveniently left out the part that Judas was waiting there, which was a crucial piece of information.
There wasn’t any special reason.
He just thought it would be amusing.
‘Ah…. Some things never change, even as I get older.’
At this rate, it seemed like he was merely trying to bring the guy who dared to approach his daughter to a terrifying place.
Judas held back a sigh and said,
“There seems to have been some misunderstanding in the relay. We’re not trying to do anything to you, we just wanted to know. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes…”
“Right, you didn’t eat dinner, so first, eat something.”
Alejandro examined the food in front of him with a wary eye.
The dish was rich, considering how strong the meat flavor was, and included a variety of bread, noodles, and vegetables.
But the portion was way too much.
Though it was twelve people, Alejandro doubted he could handle that much food.
Watching the student carefully take small bites while being cautious made Judas somewhat relieved.
‘Looks like the misunderstanding is getting a bit clearer.’
But it was too early to celebrate.
Because all the guards were fixated on Alejandro.
‘At this rate, he’s going to choke.’
In fact, Alejandro was nervously fidgeting his legs, feeling the weight of their gazes.
“What do you guys want while the kid is eating?”
“I’m just curious. How can I not be?”
What could they possibly be curious about?
Alejandro was both curious and anxious.
His stomach felt uneasy, so he set the food down.
“Why aren’t you eating more?”
“I’m f-full…”
“Just that little? When I was your age, I would’ve dumped the whole plate in my mouth…”
“Someone shut Jerry up.”
After that, Judas looked intently at Alejandro.
“I hear you confessed to Amor. Asking her to date.”
Alejandro’s heart sank to the floor.
So it had finally come to this.
A flurry of phrases dashed through his mind.
‘How dare you look at the princess! Repent with your life!’
But Judas’ inquiry took an unexpected turn.
“What is it about our daughter that you like?”
His smiling face wasn’t fake.
He was genuinely curious and not displeased in the least.
It was, after all, a conflicting emotion even for Judas himself.
How dare he confess to Amor?
A slight grudge began to brew.
But then, he had grown to like Amor?
He had good taste. It was a kid that could captivate anyone at first glance.
There was a sense of pride that his daughter was being acknowledged, which wasn’t so bad after all.
Of course, he was much closer to feeling displeasure rather than pleasantness.
Still, Judas couldn’t help but wonder.
What made Alejandro confess to Amor?
The other guards felt the same way.
They wanted to hear an awkward yet wholesome story.
Before they knew it, they had all turned into old men.
“U-um… She’s just… kind, listens to me, acknowledges me… She’s the first person I’ve met like that…”
“Amor does seem like an angel.”
“That personality really ignites the fire in a guy’s heart, huh? Right?”
The guards were indulging in teasing Alejandro, laughing loudly.
Judas simply smiled gently.
But for some reason, it felt chilly, prompting Alejandro to say,
“B-but I didn’t know she was a princess! I really didn’t…! I’m so sorry, how could I have dared…?”
“Huh? What are you talking about? At the Academy, everyone is equal regardless of status.”
Judas patted his back, reassuring him.
“I’m not calling you here for that reason. I’m simply curious. I just want to know who confessed to Amor and why.”
“Y-yes…”
“Requesting that you retract your confession isn’t something I should even consider. That’s up to Amor to decide. I’ll leave it entirely to her.”
Yet, he couldn’t sit back and do nothing, worrying for no reason.
But unintentional pressure ended up weighing on Alejandro instead.
“Are you doing well in your studies?”
“N-no. N-not particularly…”
“Hmm. It’s okay if you’re not good at it. As for physical activities…”
Judas observed Alejandro’s body again and fell silent.
He didn’t even need a reply to understand.
“And I hear you’re a wizard.”
“Y-yes… I’m lacking, but yes.”
“But still…”
He didn’t want to say, “Just try harder,” because some things just don’t have solutions.
Plus, Alejandro’s face was growing increasingly pale.
He was inadvertently trampling on this student’s self-esteem.
‘You can’t study, you don’t have good stamina, and your magical talents are minimal, and yet you dare approach Amor?’
It felt as if the conversation was steering down that path.
‘Hmm… that’s not what I wanted. I feel kinda bad.’
He was merely curious.
He had aimed to avoid this kind of situation and yet ended up interrogating Alejandro instead.
Judas quietly looked at the student.
Alejandro.
He might be a bit overconfident, but overall, he didn’t seem like a bad person.
He thought that five years from now, Alejandro would be hitting his mattress in frustration thinking back on today.
The one he’d most despise today would likely not be Judas but himself.
The future self, but still.
“Don’t feel pressured; I was just curious.”
“We’re different, you jerk!”
Argon shouted.
The people huddled around him were fiercely pro-Amor.
They couldn’t sit still while this nobody approached Amor out of nowhere.
“We have a right to know who dared approach our Amor!”
“Yeah! How can someone so skinny even think to go after Amor…?! Hey you! How many push-ups can you do?”
“I-I can’t do any…”
“Not even one? Oh my, how is that even possible?”
“So how can you protect the princess?! Are you even willing to die for Amor if it comes to that?!”
“Did you see the ogre from the history books? I ripped its arms off with my bare hands!”
“Shut it! Be quiet!”
Judas attempted to silence the excited crowd.
But the pushback was fierce.
“Whose side are you on?! How can you allow this?! Huh?!”
Of course, he couldn’t.
If by some miracle Amor accepted Alejandro, he would definitely pretend he didn’t see it with tears in his eyes.
But if that was the child’s decision, he would simply endure.
That’s what parents were for.
“Enough with the old tales like some backroom old guy. After all, we have to respect Amor’s wishes too…”
Dillon, the relatively moderate member, tried to calm down the overzealous ones.
But excluding him, the rest were all crazed supporters, making it tough.
“You married guys keep out.”
“You wait till you have a daughter!”
While they bickered, Judas decided to send Alejandro home.
“You can head back and get some rest. Thanks for coming out today.”
“Y-yes…”
Judas adjusted Alejandro’s collar and dusted off his shoulders.
Alejandro was at a loss about what to do with himself.
And it wasn’t just because he was facing someone of high status.
He was scared that those massive hands, as big as his own head, wouldn’t suddenly slam into his face.
“Have a good time at the Academy.”
The well-meaning farewell sounded different to Alejandro.
‘My eyes are watching you, so behave yourself.’
Whatever the meaning, he nodded vigorously.
After a series of twists and turns, Alejandro exited the restaurant.
Inside, the guards and Judas were bickering as usual.
Outside, Alejandro clutched his racing heart.
Not just from surprise or fear.
It was the first time he felt such a vivid pulse.
He was exhilarated.
‘Ripping an ogre apart with bare hands…?‘
Ogres that were at least three times bigger than humans.
They would be much larger than those muscle-bound brutes.
But they claimed to have torn them apart with their bare hands.
Judas, who had reached the pinnacle of knighthood, must’ve achieved even greater feats.
Just imagining it made his heart race.
‘I… want to be like that!’
Relying solely on his feeble magical talents, he had been living lazily.
Neglecting strength and physicality.
Those mighty men who had initially scared him now, surprisingly, Alejandro found himself enamored with their physique and muscles.
By inadvertently triggering a strange longing in one student’s heart, Judas had set events in motion.
*
Amor consulted with Eliya and, two days later, also confided in Judas.
She felt uneasy about keeping it completely secret.
The day before, Judas had called Alejandro to the restaurant, but she pretended not to know and stayed calm.
And today, Amor, back from the Academy, asked,
“Hey Dad, did you meet Alejandro-senpai?”
“…No? Why would I?”
Amor scrutinized Judas’s expression, and he subtly diverted his gaze.
Eliya watched the two face-off with keen interest, brushing the dust off her lap.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
