“…Renny. Would you mind going in my place?”
“Since it’s your choice, you have to tough it out.”
Renny chuckled, giving my back a light pat. Just look at her enjoying this like it’s not her problem.
“Johann… do you really dislike it that much?”
“Of course not… it’s just that I’m not in the best condition.”
“Shall I cast a healing spell for you?”
I definitely heard ‘healing spell,’ but why does it feel like she’s trying to drag me to the execution grounds instead? If Harpas, who’s dead and hanging in my room, were to hear this, he’d probably be laughing hysterically by now.
“It’s fine. More importantly, are we done preparing?”
“Everything’s ready!”
A weight naturally settled on my arm. It was a light embrace. But for a woman with a figure like Karina’s to hold my arm means her chest is inevitably pressed against it.
“Karina. As I mentioned before…”
“We’re still inside Yeomyeong-gwan, aren’t we?”
Karina replied with a playful smile. Seeing her so pleased made me feel like the bad guy for wanting to stop her.
I averted my gaze from Karina who had no intention of letting go and looked towards Viola and Shuri, who were approaching while chatting.
As the two noticed us, one was startled while the other greeted us with a warm smile.
“Lady Karina! Sir Johann! Good morning!”
“Uncle, good morning… this is quite something for the early morning.”
What on earth is she talking about?
I wanted to ask what Viola meant, but I held it back. Asking would probably lead to more trouble without getting any real answers. I simply nodded and opened the cafeteria door.
“Let’s go in and have breakfast first. We should eat a hearty breakfast, right?”
“Anyeong!”
I felt a small jolt on my back. It wasn’t enough to make me stumble, but I could feel a weight pulling me back. I glanced at the arm wrapped around my neck and pointed it out.
“Millia. You shouldn’t leap at people.”
“But Johann’s back is wide, so I wanted to jump on it.”
“At least don’t do it to other people. I’m fine, but others could get hurt.”
“I won’t do it to other people!”
“Millia, good morning.”
“Yeah! Karina! Good morning!”
“Looks like Lewis isn’t here yet.”
“Ah, Lewis went ahead for the morning training in the Knight Department!”
Lewis is pretty dedicated. So, that leaves Elisa. I turned my head in the direction of Elisa’s room. Just in time, I saw Elisa walking towards us.
“Hello!”
As soon as Elisa made eye contact with me, she slightly bowed her head with a shy expression. It was a subtly different action from her usual behavior. Did confessing to her cause this change, or was it just a feeling I had?
I accepted her greeting and looked down at Elisa, who naturally took one of my arms.
What a sight.
“Let’s head in.”
With everyone responding energetically, the door opened. Upon entering, everyone sat down in their respective seats and began their meal after a short prayer.
“Johann, Johann.”
“What is it?”
“Ah~”
This is quite the embarrassing event. I accepted Millia’s offer of soft chicken on a fork. The chicken was nice and tender. I don’t know how they made it, but even the chicken breast was soft.
“Is it good?”
“It’s delicious.”
“Hehe.”
…It’s delicious, but it feels like my face is about to burst.
I did my best to ignore the curious gazes from my companions as I slowly finished my portion of food.
I can’t tell if it’s going down my throat or my nose because I’m so anxious about the stares.
I should probably give a warning in advance.
“…May I have everyone’s attention for a moment?”
At my words, everyone’s gaze turned to me again. Unlike before, their eyes were now purely filled with curiosity. Satisfied that the children were paying attention, I opened my mouth.
“I’ll say it again, but I’d prefer if you could keep it low-key at the academy. It could become quite troublesome if we’re not careful.”
Even with Cardinal Pierre in real power right now, I wonder if he has the ability. After all, there’s a possibility that not just the seminarians but people from the main Kalon Church could come out and make a fuss.
The chance of someone showing up shouting, ‘How dare you have a romance with Lady Karina!’ is pretty high. No, to be precise, it’d probably start with the seminarians here.
Of course, given my current status, I could totally ignore that. Receiving a noble title and having the title of ‘Holy Knight who defeated a Demon’ gives me quite the leverage.
If this gets out, it could be viewed as, ‘A hero and a saint? How picturesque!’
I doubt Cardinal Pierre would let any backlash within the Kalon Church go unchecked… he’s the type to respect Karina’s choices at least.
As for the Empire, Prince number one might express regret, but if it’s brushed aside, it’ll be fine.
There shouldn’t be a nutjob trying to NTR me, no matter how crazy they get. The chances of that failing miserably are high, so if anyone tries, I wouldn’t mind burying them.
If it comes down to it, I could just kidnap the prince or whoever and bury him somewhere deep underground. I’ve been doing that for ten years already, so it wouldn’t be new to me.
“Thank you for the meal! Johann! I have something I forgot, so I’ll go get my bag!”
After finishing her meal, Millia dashed out of the cafeteria in a hurry. Did she come without her bag? The others seemed to also be finishing up their meals and were chatting to kill time.
It’s peaceful.
But it won’t be for long…
I put down my utensils and enjoyed a brief moment of peace. Because once I head to the academy, I’ll be on edge all day.
——————
Although I’ve ended up in a kind of harem… thankfully, the students are mostly indifferent about it since we’ve kept it low-key. Did we hide it better than I thought?
Or perhaps… they’re just not paying attention.
The second-year classes are quite intense, after all.
“The second-year courses are really hard~”
“It feels much harder compared to first year.”
“Right?!”
“Honestly, the general studies are okay, but the majors are a real pain… I wonder if taking advanced potionology was a mistake? It’s so tough…”
No wonder she’s been looking a bit exhausted nowadays; the classes must be really demanding. I briefly glanced at Viola, who was shaking her head in frustration, and then was pulled back to reality by a tug on my sleeve—I looked down to find Elisa gazing up at me.
“Is it okay if I stay like this for a little longer…?”
“It’d be problematic if others see us.”
“I’ll be sitting in the back, so won’t I be hidden by the chair…?”
“…Do as you wish.”
…I can’t refuse when she looks up at me with those bright, moist eyes. I felt the softness of her palm wrapping around mine while keeping an eye on our surroundings.
I could occasionally feel some gazes, but with the students now accustomed to things, no one paid us much attention. The position we were in meant that holding hands wasn’t too obvious, either.
I guess you could say it was like being a flower on a cliff.
But for me, that’s not a bad situation. It actually reduces the hassle of dealing with unwanted attention. If people see me as someone to provoke, it’ll attract troublesome brats.
“Johann, isn’t it a bit unfair to only hold hands with Elisa…?”
“I just thought she seemed a little uneasy.”
“I feel a bit uneasy too, so can I hold your hand?”
“If both of you are holding hands, it’ll look strange.”
“That’s cheating.”
Sigh. Can’t be helped, I suppose.
I consciously let go of Elisa’s hand while aware of the gazes from other students. Elisa looked up at me with disappointment, but it was too risky to go beyond this.
And rightly so…
“Oh my…”
“Martina. Long time no see.”
“Oh my… Johann, Elisa. Don’t tell me…”
“…I hope you don’t talk about this to anyone else.”
“I’m pretty good at keeping my mouth shut.”
Martina replied with an expression that said she just witnessed something amusing. I was relieved that it was her who caught us first. If it had been someone else, we might have ended up in an uproar.
“Elisa, congratulations.”
“Thank you… it’s thanks to Martina…”
“We just gave a little push. It’s all thanks to Elisa-chan’s efforts.”
So Elisa’s proactive approach was thanks to Martina and her friends, huh? Should I be thankful for this…?
“Hi! Martina! Hehe…”
“Millia, it’s only been three days. How have you been?”
“Yeah! I’ve been doing really well!”
“Oh my…”
How long is she going to keep saying “oh my”? I broke into a cold sweat, watching Martina, who was way too perceptive. Thank goodness the other students aren’t as quick-witted as she is.
Otherwise, it could have been a really troublesome situation.
For instance, if it were to be spotted by the seminarians…
Or if it were to be spotted by…
Wait a minute.
Since this is a general studies class, there are seminarians here, aren’t there?
I swiftly turned to look at the seminarians.
Our eyes met.
The seminarian’s eyes were bloodshot.
Is this a ghost?
“…What a nuisance.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing at all.”
I just knew it would be a hassle.
I silently swallowed my words.
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