EP.46
In the student cafeteria of Nineveh, Claire Delphin Mascarena sat quietly in a corner, her lunchboxes placed neatly in front of her.
There were two lunchboxes on the table. One was in front of Claire, and the other was on the seat opposite her.
Despite having placed the lunchboxes there, Claire did not even touch her own.
…it was as if she were waiting for someone who was not currently present.
“Hey? Claire? What are you doing here? And what’s with those lunchboxes?”
A female student who was familiar with Claire asked curiously, her tone tinged with surprise. Claire simply smiled and replied to her.
“Oh, I’m just waiting for someone to have a meal with.”
Claire’s bright smile seemed to reassure the girl, who nodded in understanding.
According to the girl, Claire was known to be timid and anxious, but she had a personality that took good care of others, leading to many friendships.
Perhaps there was indeed someone she had promised to eat with. And those lunchboxes were likely meant to be shared with that friend.
“I see, enjoy your meal!”
“Thanks!”
With that response, Claire turned her gaze back to the empty seat across from her.
Soon enough, she imagined someone would sit there, sharing a meal and conversing with her.
“Hmm.”
The person Claire was thinking of, the one she had promised to eat with today, was none other than Jin.
Although, to be precise, it wasn’t that they had made a formal promise to share a meal. It was more like an unspoken rule that they had unintentionally established to eat together during lunch.
This was the student cafeteria, where Claire could easily order other food without going through the trouble of preparing her own lunch, yet she insisted on bringing her homemade lunchboxes.
The reason was simple. It was just a small desire to feed him the food she had made.
Despite her noble status as a young lady of the House of Mascarena, there was no need for Claire to cook for anyone.
She was a person who usually instructed others to prepare such meals, not someone who would cook for herself.
However, Claire truly wanted to do this. She wanted him to eat the lunchbox she had made.
It delighted her when he ate the food she had prepared.
It filled her with pride when he said it was delicious while eating.
Hearing him say “thank you for the meal” while consuming her food… made her happy.
She simply wished to hear that sentiment once more.
Thus, at this moment, Claire found herself blankly waiting for him, staring at the empty seat.
Recently, strange rumors had circulated in Nineveh, and Claire was well aware that Jin was very reluctant to show himself in front of others.
So he must be late for their agreed-upon meeting time. He wasn’t the kind of person who would casually be late for a promise without any reason.
Still, he shouldn’t be too late. If the lunchbox got cold, it would lose its taste. Should she add a warming spell to maintain its heat? But what if the contents spoiled because of that…?
However, as lunchtime came and went, and the other people around Claire finished their meals and stood up, Jin still had not arrived.
“…”
The lunchboxes had long since gone cold. Yet Claire did not lay a finger on the lunch in front of her.
While it was a lunchbox she had made herself, it was also a lunchbox she felt she had no right to eat alone.
Because this lunchbox had been made not for herself, but with someone else in mind.
Claire slowly traced her finger across the cold lunchbox, deep in thought.
Should she continue waiting for him, or should she go look for him herself?
There was certainly some sort of situation at play. Something must have happened that she wasn’t aware of.
Certainly, here’s the English translation:
Otherwise… there was no way he would break a promise with her.
Lost in thought, Claire picked up the lunchbox sitting opposite her, slowly rising from her seat.
There was no need to contemplate further. If he wasn’t coming here, she could simply go find him herself.
In the first place, the option of not having a meal with him did not exist for Claire.
The grounds of Nineveh were excessively vast. To exaggerate a little, it could be said to cover an area comparable to that of a small city, boasting an enormous size.
In such a place, searching for the whereabouts of a single person was literally a fool’s errand, akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
However, despite the wide expanse of Nineveh, there were limits to where one person could roam.
Claire was familiar with the locations that Jin often frequented and his range of activities, so she could likely find him with just a little effort.
“Wind, become my eyes and ears.”
Instead of blindly searching, Claire had a much simpler and more efficient method at her disposal.
A soft breeze began to swirl gently around her. At the same moment, the wind spirits, Sylphs, began to be summoned around her, giggling playfully.
What Claire had used was the ‘Guidance of Wind’ spell.
By commanding the wind spirits, she could share visions with them, enabling her to see places beyond her immediate sight. However, Claire intended to use this spell in a slightly different manner.
Swish.
Claire pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket. It was an unremarkable piece of cloth, quite ordinary.
Yet it was the very handkerchief she had used countless times to wipe Jin’s forehead when she had been nursing him a while ago.
“Can you remember the scent of this man?”
Nodding in unison, the Sylphs seemed to affirm that they could recall the smell.
“Then find him for me. Right now, as quickly as possible.”
As soon as she uttered those words, the Sylphs scattered in all directions.
Wherever there was wind and air, the Sylphs could go and appear. With their help, it wouldn’t be long before they could reveal Jin’s current location.
If other mages from different parts of the continent witnessed her commanding spirits in this way, it would undoubtedly be a remarkable application, enough to make them faint from shock. However, Claire herself felt no particular excitement about it.
At this moment, there was only one thing important to her: uncovering his whereabouts.
Before long, the Sylphs discovered where he was. To Claire’s surprise, it was an unexpected place.
“…The Men’s Dormitory? His room?”
Nodding affirmatively, the Sylphs assured her that it wasn’t a mistake. Hearing their response, Claire found herself unconsciously biting her lower lip.
She guessed there was some sort of circumstance. Perhaps something unexpected had come up, causing him to be late for their meal time together.
Fortunately, nothing serious had occurred. There was no danger to his well-being.
He simply had not come to the cafeteria at all. He was holed up in his room, not coming out.
“…”
Claire understood. This was definitely not something she could blame him for.
Meeting during lunchtime or bringing lunchboxes was something Claire enjoyed doing, but there had never been a formal agreement or schedule set between them.
However… it was hard to shake off the feeling of disappointment. Even without any promises or hints, she had believed that it was an unspoken rule for them to eat together during lunch.
At the same time, she felt a twinge of fear.
Could it be that he was simply tired of her? Perhaps he found it bothersome that she always wanted to be around him.
Had he grown weary of having an ordinary and unremarkable girl sticking close to him?
In truth, Claire didn’t understand men very well. The only ones she had known and been close to in her life were her father and her brothers.
However, even someone like her knew a few basic “common sense” truths.
Men generally do not have a preference for plain women like herself. Most men are said to prefer glamorous, radiant women.
For instance, someone like Erekaya, the student council president, or Altina, who spends much time with him in the training grounds.
Although Kaya, the lady of the House of Pendragon and the student council president of Nineveh, was living in a completely different world, Altina, a friend of Claire’s, was a woman who stood in stark contrast to her.
While Claire was plain, passive, and lacked assertiveness, Altina was a radiant woman who shone wherever she went.
She was proactive, lively, and even considerate of others, and Claire couldn’t help but see her as overly beautiful.
Jin was a man. It’s only natural that he would be drawn to someone like Altina, spending time with her daily, training with swords, and sharing many experiences.
In that process, Jin might naturally have compared Altina to Claire.
And as a result, perhaps Jin was unable to find any value in associating with the relatively inferior and less appealing Claire compared to Altina.
“…”
No. She should not entertain such strange thoughts. There’s still nothing certain.
Perhaps he had suddenly caught a cold and was lying in bed in his room.
Or perhaps he was just tired today and overslept, still in deep slumber.
Maybe he was feeling unwell and had forgotten about their meal together due to indigestion.
While Claire conjured up all sorts of excuses for Jin in her mind, she slowly made her way to his room as indicated by the Sylphs.
Surely, there must have been some reason. There must have been an unavoidable circumstance that prevented him from sharing a meal with her.
The reason was unclear. Yet, Claire felt her sentiments to be quite frustrating and uncomfortable.
Why was this happening? Why was she feeling this way?
She had never felt this way before. She had never been so anxious about someone being late or not seeing someone for a day.
Why was she so restless at the thought of him now?
Even Claire herself could not understand her emotions. However, the feeling that she couldn’t just stand still captured her.
This burning, inexplicable emotion filled her head with the thought that it could only be resolved by facing Jin.
Thud.
Thus, Claire arrived. Standing outside the place where he usually stayed, at his dormitory, before his door.
Still holding the lunchbox in one hand, Claire hesitated for just a moment in front of the door.
Was it really alright to just walk in? After all, it was a male’s room, and Jin surely had his own privacy. Would it be appropriate to barge in without any prior arrangement?
…but he also broke our unspoken agreement. It might not have been a pinky swear, but he still went against their unspoken promise.
Yes, it should be fine then. This is only fair. So perhaps it would be acceptable to push this boundary a little.
Taking a deep breath, Claire opened the door to surprise him—
“…Jin.”
A woman’s voice echoed from inside his room.
No, that wasn’t an auditory hallucination. Because inside his room, there was indeed another woman sitting on the bed.
In that instant, Claire’s mind went blank.
Until now, Claire thought that there was some reason why Jin couldn’t have a meal with her. She speculated that he had broken their promise.
And her speculation turned out to be correct.
Because at that very moment, Jin was secretly meeting with another woman in his room.
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