Chapter 297: Interlude: Between a Lover and a Pet (3)

The princess I saw after such a long time was the same as always.

She was still oblivious, yet devoted to me and continued to follow me around, calling me ‘Sir Ian.’

It had only been a mere two months.

There hadn’t been enough time for any significant changes to occur.

It was simply that my sense of time became excessively distorted from dealing with all sorts of extreme incidents, starting with the news about the Underling of the Evil God.

Even so, it was a full sixty days of the prime of our youth.

It was a period that could have felt long to anyone, especially if they had been anxiously waiting for someone.

That was precisely the case with the princess.

When we met again after a long time, she looked up at me with shining eyes, hands clasped together. The look on her face made it clear that just seeing me was enough to make her happy.

She truly was a perplexing woman.

Objectively speaking, I wasn’t in any position to be so admired by her.

Though it stemmed from a misunderstanding, there was a time when the princess and I were embroiled in intense conflict.

Moreover, despite the circumstances, I was the one who had assaulted her in front of a crowd.

Had it not been for the Dragonblood Script, I wouldn’t have had any excuses if I were to be executed at that time.

In truth, most of what I had done to the princess could be considered bad.

And yet, she liked me so much.

She seemed to be thrilled just to see me.

I couldn’t fathom why.

I could only speculate that she was simply thrilled to meet someone who had shown her genuine kindness, expecting nothing in return, for the first time in a long while.

Sometimes, that affection felt burdensome, like it did now.

But it had been a while since we last met.

And there was no way I could dislike such a lovely junior who so eagerly followed me around.

I greeted her with a faint smile.

“...It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

“You’re so amazing, Sir Ian!”

The compliment came out of nowhere.

My confused gaze turned toward her.

But the princess was already in the posture of a prophet proclaiming the truth.

Simply put, she was utterly convinced that the claim ‘Sir Ian is amazing’ was so self-evident that no one would dare to question it.

Before I even had the time to be embarrassed, the princess’s praise came pouring down.

“I heard about how you defeated the Underling of the Evil God! When I heard you nearly died, honestly, my heart ached so much... But Sir Ian, you’re truly the knight of all knights! How could you charge at that monster without any fear...”

“...Hold on a moment, Your Highness.”

She seemed ready to have spent several minutes extolling my deeds had I not stopped her.

After silencing the princess, I subtly glanced around.

Thankfully, the central avenue was mostly empty.

It was still early morning and the vacation wasn’t over yet.

Unless someone had been waiting for me like the princess, there weren’t many who would be out and about at dawn.

Well, at the Academy, there actually were quite a few people who might.

But most of them would already be holed up in the training rooms or the library by now.

Still, just in case, I cautiously reminded the princess.

“Your Highness, you do know, right? That incident is still classified... If word gets out that the Underling of the Evil God appeared, it’ll cause a huge uproar.”

“B-But there were many witnesses, and the evidence is undeniable, so most people probably already know! Besides, why should we hide Sir Ian’s heroic deeds...!”

“...Because it’s exhausting.”

It was a sigh-laden response.

It’s not that I disliked having my achievements being widely known or basking in the admiration that comes with growing fame.

After all, doesn’t every human have a desire for recognition?

I was no different.

But right now, my desire for rest was stronger.

After uncovering secrets tied to my family and surviving a near-death crisis, I then had to deal with a string of other events, including Senior Elsie’s confession.

The accumulated fatigue, both physical and psychological, was overwhelming.

In any case, it wasn’t possible to keep the appearance of the Evil God’s Undeling a secret for long.

The incident was far too significant to be simply covered up.

So why not enjoy a brief period of peace while I could?

It was a perfectly reasonable judgement.

However, the princess seemed to interpret my desire differently.

Her light grey eyes grew dreamy once again.

“Even your humility in not seeking honour... It’s admirable, Sir Ian. You’re truly different from those driven by greed...”

I was about to reply, but then I just smacked my lips and let it be.

My top priority was to restore the muscles I lost during my time bedridden.

I devoted myself to rehabilitation as soon as I got up, then alternated between training and resting until my muscles recovered.

Fortunately, I had plenty of healing potions on hand.

They significantly shortened the time it took for my muscle fibers to heal.

At this rate, I’d be able to get back into top shape before the new term begins.

However, even after returning to the Academy, there was still something troubling me.

It was Senior Elsie.

Right after I returned to the Academy, Senior Elsie seemed to have vanished.

I suspected she was probably avoiding me.

Part of me wanted to consult with Senior Delphine about this.

After all, Senior Delphine had a history of conflict with Senior Elsie since their first year at the Academy. Naturally, she probably knew Senior Elsie better than anyone else here.

But Senior Delphine hadn’t returned from the Yurdina territory yet.

And it wasn’t as if I could go all the way there just to consult with her. That only left me with one option.

Lupine Rinella.

As Senior Elsie’s younger brother, he might be able to offer some clear answers.

Though I wasn’t exactly eager to take this step.

It wasn’t that I disliked Lupine himself, but I dreaded how he might react when he found out I’d turned down Senior Elsie’s confession.

Just imagining how much he’d nag me was exhausting.

He’d probably berate me, saying, ‘How could someone like you dare reject my sister?’

Given that I couldn’t figure out the reason myself, Lupine, being her brother, must have felt even more exasperated.

So, I started asking around to find out where he was.

Since the Academy was still mostly deserted, it took me a bit of time, but eventually, I managed to figure out where he had gone.

He was in the forest next to the dormitory.

I wondered if he was there to practice magic, so I heightened my senses and tracked his presence.

Maybe this would have been difficult in the past,but now that I’d reached the level of an Expert, it was no problem.

Now, if it had been the southern forest, it might have been different, but the forest near the dormitory was relatively smaller.

So it didn’t take long for me to find Lupine.

However, there was someone unexpected with him.

Just seeing the pointed hat from afar was enough to tell me who it was.

It was Senior Elsie.

Instinctively, I suppressed my presence and hid myself in the bushes.

Facing her directly still felt uncomfortable.

I was frustrated with myself for not understanding why I was acting this way.

Senior Elsie had her eyes tightly shut and her head bowed.

Her trembling shoulders revealed the depth of her distress.

In front of her, Lupine, filled with enthusiasm, was shouting.

“That’s right, Sister! That’s the spirit! Be brave and say it... A true noble endures momentary shame to achieve something greater!”

From the way he was speaking, it seemed they were in the middle of some sort of training.

It would make sense for Senior Elsie to be teaching Lupine, but what could Lupine possibly be teaching her?

Just as I was puzzling over this,

“I-I-I...”

Senior Elsie stammered, her voice coming out in broken fragments.

She seemed to be struggling quite a bit.

Beads of cold sweat had begun to form on her forehead.

It was then that I finally realised what Senior Elsie was practising.

She was practising how to apologise.

The simple act of saying ‘I’m sorry’ was so difficult for her that she was having a hard time.

It was absurd, but Lupine seemed to fully sympathise with Senior Elsie’s feelings.

Gritting his teeth and holding back tears, he shouted,

“Yes, that’s the spirit! Just a little more, Siste...!”

“I-I, ugh...I-

And after all that effort, Senior Elsie finally managed to force out a complete sentence.

“...Idiotic bitch, you were the one who was wrong first!”

Though it wasn’t exactly an apology.

I was dumbfounded by the ridiculous training of the Rinella siblings.

What the hell are they doing?