What William is After

As lunch time was ending, Theodore and Yuria had to go back for their classes.

Especially today, they couldn’t miss classes as it was their first day of classes since coming to study abroad.

“I should go to class now. I’ll come back a bit late after classes are over, what will you do?”

At Theodore’s question, Reina smiled slightly and asked in return.

“Could I wait here then?”

Reina was hoping to stay here instead of returning to the Artin Mansion.

Yuria looked at Theodore at those words.

‘If it were my lodging, I would say it’s fine to stay…’

But this was Theodore’s lodging.

The decision about staying was his to make.

“Won’t you be bored?”

Fortunately, Theodore didn’t refuse Reina’s request to stay. He was only concerned that she might be bored being alone.

Seeing this, Yuria unconsciously felt a bit relieved and watched with a smile.

And now she too needed to change her clothes again.

“Then I’ll go change again.”

Yuria returned to her lodging to change back from her uniform to her casual clothes.

Though she could go in uniform, it would be better to always wear pants in case she received another duel challenge, to avoid any issues with attire.

“Alright, go ahead.”

Yuria immediately returned to her lodging.

Then, after changing from the uniform back to her preferred attire, she returned to Theodore’s lodging.

“These are books I referenced when studying cooking. If you’re bored while waiting, you can read these first.”

“Yes! Brother Theodore, I’ll read them well.”

It seemed that during the short time she had gone to change clothes, Theodore had given her cookbooks.

Seeing Reina’s visibly delighted expression as she received the books from Theodore, Yuria felt relieved but also felt sad about the missed connection between the two.

‘If the Duke and Duchess Artin had been normal people…’

If so, both Theodore and Reina would have grown up happily, not unhappily.

Though such thoughts did occur to her, Yuria felt a sense of aversion to such assumptions, which might be disrespectful to both of them.

If that had happened, so many things would have changed that it would make her feel lonely in a different way.

“We’ll be going then, Reina.”

“See you later.”

“Yes! Brother Theodore, Sister Yuria. Take care.”

After briefly saying goodbye to Reina, Theodore and Yuria came out of the lodging together.

As they headed towards the Minst Academy lecture hall, Yuria asked.

“Lord Theodore, will it be alright?”

“What do you mean?”

At Yuria’s question, Theodore pretended not to understand.

“I mean Reina. Will it be okay to leave things as they are?”

At Yuria’s words, Theodore remained silent for a moment as if thinking about something. And Yuria quietly waited for his answer as they walked side by side, and soon Theodore spoke.

“The choice belongs to Reina. She will decide for herself what to do in the future.”

Yuria understood Theodore’s meaning.

He was trying to give Reina the choice of whether to leave House Artin or to stay.

“Come to think of it, Lord Theodore. I noticed you went upstairs briefly earlier… did you contact House Skyroad?”

Yuria asked, remembering that Theodore had gone upstairs for about 5 minutes saying he had something to do.

She suspected that he might have contacted House Skyroad to discuss Reina’s treatment.

“That’s right. I had a brief conversation with Father.”

At his words that he had spoken with the Duke Skyroad, Yuria carefully examined his expression and asked.

“What did he say?”

“Father asked Judith, and she said she would welcome having a pretty and kind younger sister. Mother also said she would like to meet her.”

In other words, House Skyroad had no objection to accepting Reina.

But the problem was whether House Artin would let Reina go.

Also, if her biological parents refused to let her go, it was questionable whether Reina could reject their grasp.

‘Whichever side she chooses, I hope Reina makes a choice she won’t regret.’

Thinking this, as soon as they arrived at the main building of Minst Academy, Yuria sensed the students’ gazes immediately focusing on them.

These were completely different from the curious looks they had received from students in the morning.

There was a mixture of fear, admiration, and jealousy towards overwhelming powers.

“That’s Theodore Skyroad and Yuria Arsein.”

“I heard that Owen, the top second-year student of the Swordsmanship Department, was defeated by Yuria Arsein?”

“How did she defeat Owen with such a delicate body?”

“Her skills must be extraordinary.”

Yuria was inwardly satisfied that the talk about her had changed to evaluations of her skills.

If she continued like this, having one-on-one duels with the top students of other departments in front of many people and winning, she could widely publicize the skills she had built up through her efforts.

And she could get a little closer to her dream of becoming a swordswoman whose name was known throughout the continent.

“Theodore Skyroad…”

“Not only did he defeat senior Jade with magic skills at the level of an archmage, but he also defeated Professor Benjamin in swordsmanship… are those skills even possible?”

“There are already rumors going around about that.”

“What are they?”

Yuria could guess what kind of rumors were circulating about Theodore.

It was clear that during lunch time, as students gathered in the academy cafeteria, rumors about her and Theodore had spread rapidly.

“Does William Artin, that ruffian, honestly look like the real Chosen One to you?”

“Are you saying he’s not?”

“Yes. This is speculation, but it’s well-known that William’s twin brother, Theodore Artin, ran away from home because he couldn’t endure the family’s mistreatment, right? What if… he is Theodore Skyroad?”

“Come on, that can’t be~”

Already among the students, there was speculation that Theodore’s identity might be Theodore Artin.

Though their hair colors were different, the face that was so similar to William’s like a twin, and the overwhelming talent that was beyond imagination, suggesting he might be the real Chosen One.

However, there was a decisive reason why they couldn’t turn that suspicion into certainty.

“He’s the heir to House Skyroad, right? Would they pass on their house, a ducal house no less, to someone who doesn’t share their blood?”

“Well… that is a sticking point.”

Theodore’s background as the heir designated by House Skyroad was not known at all.

Even within the Arcan Empire, there had been all sorts of speculation about his identity, but most of them assumed he must have a close blood relationship with Duke Skyroad in some way.

It was too much to speculate that he was an illegitimate child, so there was talk that he might be a nephew who was genetically close, given Duke Skyroad’s deep love for his wife.

“The talk is gradually increasing.”

Theodore spoke calmly, as if he had expected this, hearing his story and the name Theodore Artin being mentioned everywhere.

No, this situation itself was probably what he had intended.

But at the same time, the students’ chatter made Yuria uncomfortable.

“But if Theodore is really Theodore, and he’s the Chosen One, what happens to our country?”

“It means we’ve lost the Chosen One to another country, which is a really big deal.”

“Ah, then the benefits our Britannia Empire has been seeing will collapse, what should we do?”

“I’m worried too. Sigh.”

They had no interest at all in what kind of hardships Theodore Skyroad had experienced in the past.

They had been indirectly benefiting or vicariously satisfied from the fact that the Chosen One was in their country, but now they were sighing at the fact that it was no longer possible.

The Britannia Empire had already been gaining various benefits by presenting William Artin as the Chosen One, maintaining diplomatic superiority over the Sran Empire and the Arcan Empire.

In their way of thinking, the Chosen One was not a hope to save the world by preventing the apocalypse, but was being treated merely as a convenient tool for themselves.

Perhaps it wasn’t like that at first, but as time passed and they became accustomed to the benefits they received, it seemed that a mindset that viewed the Chosen One as nothing more than a convenient tool had become established.

‘This country really seems too much.’

Yuria didn’t like any of this.

She thought it wasn’t right for anyone who was the Chosen One, not just Theodore Skyroad—even if it was human garbage like William Artin—to be treated as a convenient tool, regardless of his wrongdoings.