“CONTRACTOR-AHHHH! WAKE UUUUUUP!”
“…Johann?”
“I wasn’t asleep.”
Do you think I would fall for Headmaster Merlin’s sleep magic?
…Actually, it feels like my neck is twisted, but I carelessly wiped my mouth and glanced at Karina.
Haaam…
“Ugh… I slept well…”
Everyone really was asleep. Millia was still nodding off. I cautiously patted Millia’s shoulder and sighed.
“It’s harder to endure Headmaster Merlin’s never-ending lecture than to engage in a battle of wits with Harpas.”
“Is it that bad?”
I nodded at Viola, who looked incredulous.
“Uncle doesn’t like this sort of thing…”
“Aren’t you asleep too?”
“No, well… how can anyone endure that?”
“Karina managed to.”
She hadn’t changed her position at all. I didn’t see her nodding off.
“Truly the Saint…”
Viola gazed at Karina with admiration.
“Actually… I did doze off a little.”
Karina blushed. I barely tore my gaze away from her lovely face and chimed in with her words.
“Thinking about it, you hardly moved at all.”
“The Saint can’t even withstand that guy’s sleep magic…”
Viola muttered, as if coming to a realization.
Haaam… Johann~ I’m sleepy. Carry me.
“This is the auditorium.”
“I wouldn’t know…”
Millia, rubbing her eyes as she woke up, clung to my arm and closed her eyes again. She was completely lost in sleep. I shook my arm as a signal not to sleep and looked at Millia’s friends walking from far away.
“Your friends are coming, so wake up.”
“…Really?”
Hearing that her friends were coming, Millia uncrossed her arms and rubbed her eyes as she stared at the group approaching. They were students from the Liberal Arts Department whom I had seen a few times. Our side had quite a few members, but theirs was larger.
“Millia!”
“Did you have a good winter vacation?!”
“I missed you!”
“Sion! Karin! Hello!”
“Millia has a lot of friends.”
Karina’s voice carried an undeniable hint of envy. Maybe due to her position as a Saint, it was difficult for her to make friends. She had a strong yearning for the kind of ordinary friendships others enjoyed.
“You can do it too, Karina.”
“But I’m a Saint.”
“Ordinariness isn’t that great of a thing.”
“There’s nothing more difficult for me than being ordinary. The power that resides in me makes me anything but ordinary.”
With the position of ‘Saint’, it was virtually impossible to have regular friendships. If she had a personality like Millia’s, she would have been the ultra-social Saint of the academy, but unfortunately, Karina wasn’t that sociable.
That’s her charm, but… friendships aren’t something I can solve.
“…I’m sorry that I can’t help you.”
“No, just being by my side is enough…”
Karina trailed off, turning her head. My heart fluttered a bit at her words. It means that I can be a source of support as a bodyguard. But hearing such things from the main heroine of the original work felt really strange.
“Karina! Johann! Viola! Elisa! I’m off to the Liberal Arts Department introduction meeting!”
“Have a good time.”
Karina waved goodbye to Millia, who was disappearing with her friends. A few students cheered in joy at that sight, but soon they vanished into the crowd.
“Millia has a lot of friends.”
“She has a lot of charm.”
Hoo…
Not only is she easy to approach for anyone, but she’s got a cute appearance even if she’s not quite like Karina, so it’s no surprise she’s popular.
“If I act cute too, will I become popular?”
“I don’t think so.”
Karina’s difficulty in making friends ultimately came down to the problem of being a ‘Saint’. Unless that aspect was resolved, she wouldn’t become the ultra-social female student like Millia.
“W-well, I think I’m okay with, um… being me…”
Elisa, who had been silently listening to our conversation, finally spoke with a voice that sounded like she was squeezing it out. We turned to look at her with some surprise at her rare assertiveness.
Elisa bowed her head as our gazes focused on her. Ever since Martina’s continuous styling, her appearance had become noticeably cuter, and she was blushing.
“I… I don’t have many friends either…”
“Elisa…”
“B-but, as long as I have you guys… I think it’s okay…”
Was it just that Elisa, a born introvert, couldn’t manage to fill her friend slots past seven?
I thought that, but I didn’t voice it out loud. I couldn’t undermine Elisa’s self-esteem.
“Elisa, why don’t you try calling her Karina?”
“Y-yes…?”
“Try calling her Karina. We’re friends, right?”
CONTRACTOR, someone is approaching.
Is this a penalty or a reward? As I was intently watching Elisa’s confused face, I suddenly heard Rue’s voice and turned to where her tentacles were pointing.
Just as Rue said, someone was parting the crowd and coming toward us. Watching the crowd move aside, I guessed it was either someone of high status or the aura brushing against us was too much to ignore.
The one approaching us was a young man with brown hair.
He walked up to us, stopped in front of me, and with a wild look on his face, knelt down and shouted.
“Sir Quartz! May I request a duel just once?!”
At Kaimak’s loud call, the attention of the surrounding people was drawn toward me.
“A duel, huh…”
“Yes! May I please have just one chance! Having heard the name of the Raven Hunter for months, I feel I must learn from you!”
So, you want to fight, huh?
I had somewhat anticipated that he would be this way since he was a battle fanatic in the original story. But actually facing it felt strange.
Originally, this should have been something the original protagonist—Lewis—would go through.
Kaimak asking me for a duel might also mean I’ve taken on all the elements that the original protagonist should have had, but it could also mean I was completely recognized as the ‘protagonist.’
In the end, Lewis was utterly eliminated from being the protagonist.
…Does that mean I have to deal with more troublesome things?
That’s a bit much.
“Just once! Just once, please!”
Somehow, I felt that if I agreed to Kaimak’s request, others would also want to request duels. If I only accepted Kaimak’s request, strange rumors would spread. While I was pondering this, I made eye contact with Karina.
“Johann, you can do as you like.”
I didn’t expect Karina to allow me so easily.
If that’s the case, I lost my reason to decline. I looked at Kaimak with a half-hearted expression.
His desperate gaze met mine.
If I didn’t agree, he looked like he would go through great lengths to get it, so I nodded.
“I understand. I’ll make time for a duel.”
“Really?! Thank you!”
“Be sure to thank the Saint for allowing it.”
“Thank you for the Saint’s gracious heart! Sir Quartz! When can we do it?!”
“I have matters at hand right now, so that might be difficult. Our schedule ends early today, so let’s meet after the meeting at the dueling grounds.”
Tomorrow, I had classes all day, so today was the only chance.
“Whoa, really?!”
“I can see the Raven Hunter’s fight up close?!”
The crowd surrounding us buzzed with excitement. I felt anew that my reputation wasn’t just empty talk since no mocking words like in the original were heard.
Well, I mean, I did take down a demon, so if they mocked that, it would be something impressive. Such a person wouldn’t have even made it to this academy from the beginning.
…But there are always irregulars like Braden roaming around.
“Then, after the meeting, we just go to the dueling grounds?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“Thank you! Then I will attend the knight department’s introduction meeting!”
Kaimak disappeared like a storm, just as he came. All that was left were us. Karina and I stared at each other, wide-eyed, before speaking.
“He’s like a storm…”
“I agree.”
“Uncle is pretty popular~”
“I’m sure Johann will definitely win…”
“Thanks for the support, but it seems you’ll be delayed getting back to Yeomyeong-gwan because of me. Sorry about that.”
“No! I’m happy that Johann is being recognized like this…”
I stared blankly at Karina’s words. How can someone who looks this good also say such nice things? Karina, after saying that, seemed embarrassed, cleared her throat, and quickly turned her body.
“We should hurry to the introduction meeting.”
“…Got it. Viola, Elisa, I’ll see you after the classes.”
“Uncle! I’ll cheer for you!”
“Me too!”
Thus, I—the superstar of the day—followed Karina out of the auditorium.
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