Chapter 296: Interlude: Between a Lover and a Pet (2)

Celine let out a long sigh.

Only after hearing my story did she seem to feel at ease. A myriad of emotions flickered across her now-relaxed face.

Relief, joy and a faint hint of sympathy and pity.

Emotions I could hardly understand.

But Senior Elsie was all I could think about.

Celine had always been particularly possessive towards me.

Naturally, she wouldn’t view Senior Elsie’s confession to me favourably.

To her, it must have felt like someone was stealing away a beloved older brother.

Yet, there was a hint of pity and sympathy in her eyes. No matter how much I thought about it, there could only be one possible reason for that.

As a fellow woman, she must have been empathising with Senior Elsie’s miserable feelings.

This made my heart sink even more.

Did I hurt her too much?

Senior Elsie, who appeared strong at first glance, was actually a woman hiding a fragile inner self.

No doubt, she would need quite some time to overcome the pain of heartbreak.

And my suspicions were soon confirmed.

It was thanks to Celine’s bitter muttering.

“Yeah, I see... No wonder I heard the sound of her crying every night.”

“...Was that all?”

“And I could also hear her cursing you, Ian Oppa.”

I could now understand why Celine had come to me so urgently.

That was just like Senior Elsie.

Lately, whenever she encountered me, she seemed either downcast or would blush while awkwardly clearing her throat, only to then go back to cursing me in her room. Ŗ

Even so, she continued to act submissively toward me.

She would bow her head every time I greeted her and would quickly carry out even the smallest requests I made of her.

Yet, it seemed that the resentment she harboured as a woman could not be quelled.

It was heartbreaking.

Seeing my sombre expression, Celine cautiously offered some words of comfort.

“D-Don’t worry too much! After all, someone like Senior Rinella will surely find a better match than you, right?”

“...Was that meant to be a compliment?”

I couldn’t help but ask, feeling a bit offended.

It would be a good thing if Senior Elsie could move on from her heartbreak. But did Celine really need to comfort me by saying there are plenty of better men than me?

She wasn’t wrong, which made it sting even more.

But Celine didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Her expression that had once held a trace of pity, was now completely relaxed.

I found it a bit absurd, but decided to leave her be.

After all, her carefree demeanour was rather endearing.

After a while, Celine suddenly seemed uneasy and added a few words.

“...But Ian Oppa, you know, right? I’ve never bullied anyone.”

“Who said you did?”

I dismissed her worries with a scoff.

Though, truth be told, she did have a history of stirring up bad rumours about Seria.

Did she ever fully resolve that matter with Seria? I vaguely remember her apologizing at some point.

As I made a mental note to someday look into it, I spent the rest of the night catching up with Celine, just the two of us, after what felt like a long time.

But even then I couldn’t completely shake off the shadow of Senior Elsie that lingered in a corner of my heart.

**

Still, there was one fortunate fact.

Defeating the Corpse Giant resolved many of my worries.

Not only had we saved hundreds of lives, but we also preserved their homes and livelihoods.

That alone made risking my life worth it.

However, there was someone who seemed even more invigorated than I was—the Saintess.

She proudly placed a hand on her chest and squared her shoulders.

Once again, her prominent bust was accentuated and each time she did that, it always brought back memories of the enjoyable moments I shared with her.

“I won’t wait that long, Oppa.”

What did she mean by that?

The thought puzzled me for a moment, but my companions were already waiting for too long.

In the end, I had to push Ria’s words to the back of my mind and continue walking away from the manor.

Inside the carriage, I could already hear the chatter of my companions.

Most of it centered around Senior Elsie.

The Saintess covered her mouth, sending a pitying glance toward Senior Elsie.

“Sister Rinella, I heard... that you confessed to Ian and were rejected. That must have hurt. If you ever need the Heavenly God’s help, please don’t hesitate to come to me.”

It wasn’t something that could be hidden forever.

Eventually, the incident between Senior Elsie and me became known to the entire group and as a result, Senior Elsie was being subjected to some humiliation today as well.

Had I known this would happen, I would have made sure to keep everyone’s mouths shut.

But since the rumour didn’t originate from me, there wasn’t much I could do.

Apparently, Senior Elsie, falling for the Saintess’s provocation, had accidentally let it slip.

As expected, the Saintess’s skill with words, honed in the treacherous political arena of the Holy Nation was indeed formidable.

Naturally, Senior Elsie wasn’t one to sit back and take her teasing.

She immediately bared her teeth and growled.

“...Hey, move that hand of yours.”

In response, the Saintess silently and subtly lowered the hand that had been covering her mouth.

It was only for a brief moment, but I clearly saw it.

The slight smirk that curled the corners of her lips.

Unable to hold back any longer, Senior Elsie raised her voice.

“You bitch, just because I’ve been indulging you, you really...!”

Ahem, it was at that moment that I cleared my throat with a deliberate cough.

Senior Elsie’s eyes shot towards me in surprise, and, flustered, she quickly avoided my gaze.

Blushing furiously, she hesitated for a moment before sitting back down.

She still didn’t seem ready to talk to me.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed, but the Saintess simply wore a victorious smile.

In the end, I let out a sigh.

It seemed I’d have to find another opportunity to talk with Senior Elsie once we arrived at the Academy.

And so, after several days of exchanging conversations like that with the group.

I finally found myself standing in front of the familiar campus.

After all the chaos I had been through, the scene felt strangely unreal.

The central avenue was also especially quiet, likely because the vacation hadn’t ended yet.

Am I really back at the Academy?

What snapped me out of my daze was a sudden, unexpected roar.

“...Raaawr!”

The voice was small and cute.

It seemed like someone was trying to imitate a fierce beast, but the tone was far from intimidating.

My eyes drifted toward the source of the sound.

There stood a young girl with dark blue hair.

Her hands were curled like a beast’s claws, her eyes closed and her upper body leaned forward in a pose that was rather endearing.

I could only ask in bewilderment.

“...What are you doing?”

Ahem, the girl cleared her throat with an awkward cough and straightened her posture.

Though a blush spread across her cheeks, revealing her embarrassment.

Lowering her light grey eyes, she spoke softly.

“W-Well...I’m a dragon! I figured the puppy spot was already taken...”

Watching her, I couldn’t help but faintly smile.

I was finally back.

There was only one place in the world where such an oblivious princess could reside.

The long vacation had finally come to an end.