“Birds, I’m more nervous than I thought?”
As I watched Althric, my senior, mumbling while adjusting his glasses, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
After waiting all this time for today, it was amusing to see him getting all worked up as we stepped into the actual performance.
“Calm down, Althric. You’re a great actor.”
“Y-Yeah. Thanks. If I do well here, I might get into a famous theater troupe.”
Being serious about acting, Althric was undeniably the best actor in our drama team.
“Honestly, I didn’t think you’d be able to act.”
Rin approached me slightly from the side.
She had fainted during the recent raid but, luckily, had no serious injuries, so she could participate in the play without any issues.
“Even though the stage has changed.”
We were supposed to perform on the academy’s stage, but it had been completely wrecked by the insect attack, so we ended up performing on a much larger stage in Elgrid instead.
It was a sudden request, but the dean managed it well, and I heard that the stage owner gladly agreed because people from the royal palace were coming to watch.
“I feel like a real pro now.”
But honestly, the festival was already a disaster.
Even though it was the last day, all the stalls were blown away because of the bugs, leaving our play as both the start and the end of the four-day festival.
“Alright, everyone, despite everything that happened, let’s not worry and do our best.”
Professor Veritio smiled and stretched out his hand, and the drama team members placed their hands over his, cheering as they boosted their morale.
“Heh.”
From the opposite side, Senior Seria Deloa with her emerald hair winked at me.
It was already concluded internally that she was a female version of Ares, and she still seemed to mistake me as a fish in her pond, so I ignored her.
“Did she get something in her eye? Should I go pull it out?”
“……”
May, with an intense expression, and Rin, glaring coldly at Seria.
Under the pressure of those two’s gazes, Seria quickly darted away, but I had no intention of stopping them.
In fact, I was almost proud of them for that.
“You’re not falling for her, right?”
“Speak sensibly.”
“Right, you should definitely be like that since she’s so tough on me.”
“……”
Should I keep my interactions with Eris discreet?
Just so you know, Eris also got a ticket to watch today’s play. I specially got it from Professor Veritio and handed it over to her yesterday.
I wondered if she was eagerly waiting for the play, snacking with Tana and Eve right about now.
“Okay, let’s go.”
The curtain opened, and Professor Veritio’s narration echoed across the grand stage.
*
After the play ended.
“Wow, that was really fun! The best!”
Eve was unusually bouncing around in delight, and Tana had a satisfied smile on her face.
“I never expected Gary to have such a backstory. The part where he confessed and closed his eyes at the end was truly impressive.”
“Hmm.”
Eris was tilting her head, seemingly puzzled, so I asked curiously.
“Why? Was it not good?”
“No, it was fun. But honestly, I couldn’t relate to the female leads.”
“Really?”
“Yes, especially since one of the roles is the same as my name. I just couldn’t get into it. Both female leads ended up with the male protagonist, right?”
“That’s true.”
Eris probably found it easier to immerse herself in the ‘Eris’ role played by Seria Deloa since they shared a name.
“How can one share their partner with another woman? I could never understand that.”
“……Really?”
As I gulped, Eris nodded emphatically.
“What woman would want to share her man with another? The moment I see that, I’d go ‘Pow!’”
As Eris made a fist and pretended to smash something, I felt a chill run down my spine.
But then, the two girls next to her found her comments amusing and surrounded Eris.
“Have you had a lot of romance, Lady Eris?”
“Being an elf, you’ve lived so long. You must have experienced all sorts of romances, right? Can you share any stories?”
“Uh? Well…”
Eris seemed flustered as her eyes began to spin in response to Eve and Tana’s questions.
I didn’t exactly know how many years Eris had lived, but it had to be at least 100 years.
Was it possible she had never been in a relationship during all that time?
‘She really hasn’t.’
Since she was training to become a guardian, she intentionally pushed away all the guys who approached her, and after a while, they just stopped trying.
Rumors spread that she was a fortress with no interest in men.
And the moment she earned the title “Guardian of Yggdrasil,” she became a flower on a cliff that no other elf could reach.
Our elfin lady had lived long, but when it came to romance, she was like a baby.
‘Thinking back, I remember why she explained all this to me.’
At the time, it had seemed like she was just rambling, but perhaps she had feelings for me back then.
“Ah, I should get going now.”
Eris said awkwardly, trying to pull away from the two girls’ inquiries. I heard she would return to Yggdrasil today.
The festival was over, and since it was practically a day off, we decided to walk her to the entrance of Elgrid.
“But weren’t you supposed to be teaching or watching Ares?”
I wondered if it was okay for her to leave suddenly, but Eris clicked her tongue and replied.
“I don’t want to waste my time on him. Considering his skills, he should be alright for about five years. I need to go to Yggdrasil to discuss his disposition seriously.”
“Disposition? Are you going to kill him?”
When Eve raised her hand to ask, Eris shook her head.
“No, there’s a way to completely remove that power from his body. Of course, it can hurt him to the point of almost dying, though.”
“……Ugh.”
Tana grimaced, and Eris responded firmly.
“If I had to choose between a 100% chance of dying or a 50% chance, I’d definitely pick the latter. That’s as far as we can go in terms of mercy.”
Thinking about it, wasn’t Ares’s situation a bit unfair? Suddenly gaining power and then having his life endangered just because he didn’t meet the requirements.
But then again, since elves had all the time in the world, I figured it would be years before anything would truly unfold, so I didn’t say anything.
“Hey, hey! I told you to come with us for the banquet!”
“Daniel! Why are you leaving without saying anything?”
May and Rin from the drama team came rushing up from behind.
I had tried to avoid them deliberately to meet Eris, but it seemed they followed me anyway.
I had to act calm.
If I showed any signs, these ticking time bombs around me might cause some trouble. So I answered casually.
“I’m just seeing Eris off as she’s going back.”
“Really?”
“Hmm.”
May and Rin looked at me oddly but decided to follow us for now.
At the western gate of Elgrid, we bid farewell to Eris. Honestly, I didn’t want to send her off like this.
‘Still, she did let me into Yggdrasil.’
I wondered if I had made a good impression on her since she told me to come if I could during the next vacation.
With that, I now had two passes to Yggdrasil, including the one from Professor Veritio.
‘Who should I go with?’
Going twice alone didn’t sound bad, but I doubted I’d have that kind of time.
“Well, I should be going now. Although it was brief, it really changed a lot of my fixed perceptions about humans, thanks to you all.”
“Goodbye.”
“Come visit again.”
Eve and Tana smiled and waved, and I naturally replied.
“See you next time.”
“Wait a moment.”
“Just a sec.”
What was happening?
Suddenly, May and Rin stood beside me.
The two exchanged serious looks, shifting their gazes between me and Eris before pushing their heads toward me.
“What was that nostalgic goodbye just now?”
“I’ve greeted Daniel for 18 years, but I’ve never heard that kind of voice.”
What in the world was going on?
I had inserted a bit of emotion, but did they catch onto that?
Now a chill ran down my spine, and I asked what they were talking about, but their probing continued.
“Wait, is she the elf we just met yesterday? Or does Daniel have a crush on ladies with big chests and blonde hair?”
“Hmmm, ladies like her?”
May, who had no filter on her words, and Rin, whose eyes glinted as if sizing up a prey, were in a world of their own.
I tried to ignore the confused look on Eris’s face and rushed to stop the two.
Screech, screech.
The rolling sound of wheels came from behind.
I turned my head slightly to see Adriana, hiding her face under a robe, dragging her luggage.
“There you are! I wanted to say goodbye.”
Adriana smiled slightly.
The despair I’d seen on her face yesterday seemed to have completely vanished, replaced by a refreshed expression.
“Yeah, you’re leaving.”
I replied calmly, already having heard from the dean yesterday.
Adriana decided to leave Aios Academy and return to the Forest of the Demon Realm where her clan resided.
‘She mentioned before that her entry here was due to destiny.’
Since that destiny had passed, there was no reason for her to remain in the academy any longer.
“Do you remember what I asked?”
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to investigate thoroughly and come back with what I find.”
“Okay, I’m counting on you.”
Since I couldn’t go to the Forest of the Demon Realm right away, I asked Adriana to gather information from the witches in the Black Forest or the Ancient Beasts about what Apviel mentioned as “The Earliest Apocalypse.”
It would be a risky job, but Adriana accepted readily.
Sure, considering I saved her life, this much was nothing.
“I need that information so I can meet up with you again.”
“Hmm?”
Adriana slowly approached me.
I instinctively noticed her tiptoeing, but two people moved faster than me.
Rin and May.
Both placed their hands in front of my mouth and glared at Adriana, who seemed to be stuck in her actions as she switched her gaze between the two.
“What are you doing?”
Flustered, I asked, and May and Rin replied in turn.
“That girl clearly had kissy eyes. Can’t you notice that?”
“This one’s mine.”
It’s not yours!
What are you talking about? I brushed their hands away, and Adriana chuckled as she turned to me.
“I haven’t had many experiences, so I’m not sure, but is it always this competitive?”
“……”
Not wanting to answer, Adriana smiled and pulled her luggage past me.
I thought she was just leaving without much else to say, but she suddenly stopped right beside me, turned slightly, and asked.
“Thanks to you, I’ve managed to keep my sense of self. I will keep struggling to survive.”
I nodded at her determined words, and she exited Elgrid.
We weren’t especially close, but I couldn’t deny the sudden surge of intimacy after saving her once.
Rin and May looked relieved.
Eve and Tana played a protective role as observers.
And,
“D-Daniel seems to be more popular than I thought?”
Eris looked at me with a shocked expression.
“W-Wait a second!”
With a single-minded determination to offer an explanation, I tried to grab her, but Eris awkwardly waved her hand as she laughed.
“Well, I should also be going.”
And with that, she left.
*
“Thank you very much.”
Bowing deeply, Professor Veritio and the dean exited the hotel room after expressing their gratitude to the princess, the prince, and the queen who had come to watch the play.
“It was better than I expected, wasn’t it, Mother?”
The second princess, Ainis, smiled as she spoke, and her mother, Queen Isabel, nodded slightly.
“Veritio’s plays were always excellent. I wasn’t expecting much from the students’ performance, yet it turned out rather splendid.”
“Ugh, I found it boring and tough.”
The second prince, Alois, sighed, muttering under his breath.
“If it weren’t for the youngest, I wouldn’t have even come.”
All three agreed with that statement.
They had forcefully come to watch due to the rumors that the lead was the youngest, and while the students were decent, they wouldn’t have come had it not been for the youngest.
At that moment, the door opened, and a blonde girl entered.
In contrast to the other students, she wore an unusual elegance and a kind smile, Elise entered and said.
“Mother, thank you so much for coming.”
Using the alias “Elise” at Aios Academy, the girl following Ares was actually named Elise de Prigia.
She was the third princess of the Kingdom of Prigia.
