“…Impressive.”
Recently busy with the Knight Department training program, Lewis immediately said this upon seeing me. I opened my mouth to respond but chose to remain silent instead.
Of course, it was thanks to Elisah and Karina sitting beside me, and Millia sitting across from me. It seemed like they were doing a good job of not letting on, but it was only natural for people to steal a glance at such a peculiar arrangement.
I glanced around while skillfully dodging the conversations flying in from my sides.
I see.
There are a few people watching.
…Is this even meaningful when everyone is trying to act discreet?
It felt like the news had already spread all over town.
Martina and her friends had already exchanged congratulatory remarks with Elisah, and the Theology Department was glaring at me as if they wanted to kill me.
Man, even if I were Harpas, I’d find it hard to handle this intense gaze.
“Johann, are you feeling unwell?”
“…No, it’s just that the stares are a bit distracting.”
“Ah…”
“W-Well, it’s not like they can do anything other than stare, right?”
“Ordinary folks would think so.”
But there are some not-so-ordinary folks at this school. I mentally repeated the words I hadn’t voiced and looked over at a theology student glaring at us, no, glaring at me with the face of a beast from afar.
“…I think they’re being overly protective.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they can’t do anything unnecessary.”
No matter how much they might rage, they’re just first-year students. Regardless of whether they’re taking the Holy Knight course or the regular priest course, in front of me, they’re nothing but a bunch of weaklings. If they’re mad, they should catch Harpas. Of course, I can’t say I caught him fair and square, but still.
“Karina, you don’t have to worry too much. A superstar’s life is like that.”
Though there’s nothing glamorous about it, in any case, it’s the same in the end.
“A superstar…?”
Karina tilted her head. The tilted veil swayed precariously over her dish, making me anxious it would spill, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.
“…It means that fame is something an individual can’t avoid.”
“Ah, is that what it means?”
Karina gave a gentle smile at my words. It was a smile so adorable it was hard to look away. Still, it was something I could handle…
I forced myself to turn my gaze back to Elisah, who was gripping my hand tightly.
“Elisah, what’re you doing?”
“U-Um… I just wanted to hold your hand…”
Does she want to hold hands that badly that she would state it blatantly, despite the tablecloth hiding it? After a moment of deliberation, I decided to let it slide. It seemed like hiding it was a lost cause anyway, and compared to the saint of the continent’s largest religion, Elisah had about as much presence as a firefly.
“Hehe…”
“Is it that nice just to hold hands?”
“It makes me happy just to hold hands…”
I’m a bit nervous, but I’m not sure if it’s something to be that happy about. I brushed off Elisah’s touch that tickled my palm and turned to look at Millia, who was puffing her cheeks.
“I want to do it too…”
Just don’t put your feet on my lap.
She must have learned something to try and entice me, but it only looked like a kid playing around.
“That’s strange; I’ve heard that this kind of thing is what guys like…”
“Who told you that?”
“Karine told me! She’s really into this sort of thing!”
…Millia’s friendships make me a bit uneasy. What if she learns something inappropriate? The thought of becoming a test subject for whatever “inappropriate thing” makes my head spin.
I can laugh off what Millia does as childish antics, but if Elisah or Karina did it…
Well…
It would be nice…
“…Johann?”
“Johann… Your expression is strange…”
“I was just feeling ticklish on my knees.”
So let’s just move on.
“Hehe.”
What’s she laughing about? I looked at Millia, whose face seemed to glow with a strange sense of achievement.
“Uncle, you’re definitely trying to hide something, right?”
…I don’t even know.
I shrugged at Viola’s remark.
——————————
“Johann.”
“What is it?”
“I just wanted to call your name. Hehe…”
Is this a new form of teasing? I couldn’t figure out why Karina was calling my name and smiling satisfiedly. If she was happy about it, I didn’t see a reason to stop her, but…
“It’s nice walking like this, just the two of us.”
“Isn’t it just like usual?”
“It’s very different from usual.”
Karina’s veil brushed against my arm. The distance we had narrowed down, and Karina’s scent wafted into my nose. Just smelling it made me feel refreshed; is this what human scent is like?
“You seem a bit dull in situations like this, Johann.”
“It’s my first time, so I can’t help it.”
“Even considering that…”
“I was still quite surprised. I never thought you’d make that choice…”
Is it really that surprising? I just did it because I felt it was necessary for survival… The fact that I have feelings for Karina played a part. I’m not a coward; now that we confirmed we have feelings for each other, there’s no reason not to be forward about it.
If Karina didn’t feel that way, I would have found another way.
In the end, it was a choice made out of fear of cracking the party.
My goal, ultimately, is to protect Karina until we graduate from the Academy and see the conclusion of this world. By “conclusion,” I mean ensuring we graduate safely; if the world is in shambles, it wouldn’t mean anything.
I’m not even a hero, yet here I am, forced to act like one.
“I just thought it was the best choice. Were you disappointed?”
“Not at all… On the contrary, I thought it was something Johann would do.”
What does that mean? Looking at Karina as she continues speaking with a lovely laugh, she said,
“You try to take everything that comes into your arms. Whether it’s Millia or Elisah… It’s not common for someone to pay that expensive Academy tuition for a total stranger.”
“…I’m only sending Millia because she wants to go to the Academy. Earning money is not that hard—”
“At least as far as I know, the only person who would do that is you, Johann.”
Uncharacteristically for her, Karina interrupted my words with a resolute tone. Her tone suggested I shouldn’t say such things. I tried to open my mouth to say something more, but I shut it again.
I didn’t feel the need to make excuses.
“Fufu, don’t underestimate yourself too much. What you’ve done are things that only you could do. After all, it was you who brought us here, right?”
“…That wasn’t my intention.”
“Even if that wasn’t your intention, we owe our salvation to you. Thank you, Johann.”
“…”
I stared at Karina in silence. Since her face was hidden by her veil, I couldn’t tell her expression, but something told me she was smiling.
Still, it felt like I should say something.
I blurted out whatever came to my mind.
“…If you hadn’t washed ashore, I wouldn’t have made it out of the deserted island either. I might have ended up going mad with loneliness and become one of those zombies at the dungeon.”
“Johann as a zombie? I can’t imagine that.”
A zombie. I feel like if I were a zombie, I would’ve been some low-tier mob.
“Oh, we’ve arrived already…”
A voice full of lingering disappointment tickled my ear. Is she upset? I paused for a moment and looked at the front door of the Theology Department building. I could feel the stares of the theology students.
Very blatant ones.
So blatant that I could see them glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.
“…For the first time, I want to skip class.”
Karina complained in an annoyed tone as if she was fed up with all this.
“If it were normal, I would have stopped you, but in this case, I think it’s fine.”
[Wow, this is no joke…]
If I were an ordinary guy, I would’ve been lynched by now.
“Let’s go in. It won’t be anything serious.”
What else can they do aside from glare? I confidently led Karina into the Theology Department building.
———-
How long are they going to keep glaring?
I swallowed a sigh and glared back at the theology students, even in the middle of class.
I feel like I could just smack them a few times, but they’re students, so that’s a bit difficult. If only they were like the students from my own year, I would’ve challenged them to a duel and given them a good beatdown.
But I was glad Karina was getting used to the stares. She used to be so burdened by them that she couldn’t focus on the class, but now she was neatly ignoring them and listening to the lecture.
Though escaping the curse is probably the biggest factor…
“Ahem, that concludes today’s lecture. Please bring your assignments by next time…”
“Today’s class is over.”
“Good work.”
“The one doing the hard work is Johann, you know?”
I should quickly go back and rest. Just as Karina and I were preparing to leave, someone shouted.
“Hey, I challenge you to a duel!”
What the hell is wrong with this crazy guy?
“Yeah, you! What’s your name?”
“H-Hans!”
“Probably a cursed name.”
That’s definitely a name that feels like we shouldn’t be associated with each other.
“What?”
“Are you a noble?”
“Oh, no!”
“Didn’t you learn in etiquette class? You should speak respectfully to nobles.”
“I won’t respect the likes of you!”
What the hell are you? I glared at the male student yelling next to that fool named Hans. The student flinched when I glared at him, but with confidence in his fellow classmates, shouted at me again.
“How dare you lay hands on Lady Karina! As a servant of God, I can’t let a shameless person like you lay a finger on His daughter! I, Ox Partain, challenge you to a duel!”
“What the heck is going on?”
“Johann, let’s just ignore it and go.”
“No. I’m actually thinking it might be a pretty interesting idea…”
I quietly surveyed the classroom. I could see multiple hostile gazes directed at me.
Fanatics need a good beating for them to snap out of it.
“If you’ve got complaints, come out here and face me. A couple of you together won’t be able to scratch me.”
———————-
Why are there so many of them?
Is this a war?
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