episode_0202

“No, I can’t allow it.”

Before Gyeomjo Seygegwat could even finish saying that he wanted to talk privately, Dan grabbed my arm and rejected his request.

“…This is probably how it’s going to be.”

As the words came out of the hero’s mouth, I had somewhat expected Dan’s reaction, so I just responded nonchalantly. I didn’t bother getting up from my seat to follow Gyeomjo Seygegwat, as I knew I had to convince Dan first.

Dan’s biggest reason for disliking the hero was because of the countless female connections he had around him.

From Serista and Serena, who had been sticking with him since before the entrance ceremony, to Princess Seraphine, who even showed favor towards Gyeomjo Seygegwat’s unreasonable request.

And even though in this world, the hero maintained a friendly relationship with Dan without harboring any romantic feelings, Natalie and Agnes were originally characters who could have been heroines.

It was only natural for Dan to restrain Gyeomjo Seygegwat’s attempt to approach me.

“I was suspicious from the moment you agreed to listen to him so easily. Are you finally showing your true colors now?”

“Huh? True colors?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice that you were eyeing my release? Your constant glances towards the release during magic and swordsmanship classes were suspicious. Now that you have the chance, are you not going to hold back?”

“Oh, no, I just thought you looked better than in the original work…”

-Thud!

“Look better?! Are you daring to judge my release with that filthy mouth of yours?!”

“Dan, please calm down!”

“Oh, no! I misspoke! I’ll apologize, so please calm down for now!”

“Eek! You shouldn’t brandish a sword indoors…!!”

Dan, who was about to draw his sword in anger after interpreting the hero’s slip of the tongue as a judgment on my appearance, almost caused a serious incident in Serista’s dormitory.

Although Gyeomjo Seygegwat was at fault for making a misunderstanding, Dan was also at fault for drawing his sword as soon as he misunderstood.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make such a lewd comment. The reason I was looking at you so much was because the relationship between Blackwood and you didn’t seem like a typical master and servant relationship, which was a bit intriguing to me.”

“…It seems like you still haven’t explained the comment about looking good.”

“It’s just an observation that you two seem to get along well compared to the typical relationship between nobles and their exclusive maids. Usually, nobles who admit their exclusive maids to the same academy tend to be authoritative and treat their servants poorly, right? But Lily’s demeanor didn’t seem to reflect that she had been treated that way. That’s why the comment ‘looks good’ slipped out unintentionally.”

“…Be careful with your choice of words in the future.”

“Okay, I’ll be careful.”

Gyeomjo Seygegwat managed to smooth over the temporary misunderstanding with a somewhat reasonable excuse.

If only he could be as cautious with his words in everyday situations as well.

Although he knows that others are aware of his existence in this world, related to the original game “Luminor Academy,” he still believes that he should keep the details hidden and not blurt them out.

Even though our situations are different, being so careless is not acceptable.

“And I want to clarify that I don’t have any romantic interest in Lily.”

“How can I believe that? I remember that there were always women around you since the entrance ceremony. Am I mistaken?”

“Blackwood, you’re not wrong, but I didn’t gather people with any rational emotions in mind. I just happened to have more women among those gathered for the demon extermination.”

“To say it’s a misunderstanding is a bit of a weak excuse.”

“I’m not really harboring impure intentions, but how else can I explain it here? It’s harder to prove that I didn’t do something rather than what I did, as you know, Edan.”

“….”

“Also, wasn’t this gathering originally to protect Release from Prince Machart? Even if it’s just a misunderstanding and not suspicion, Prince Machart has already attacked Release once. It’s only right to deal with Prince Machart somehow before suspecting me, right?”

“…After hearing that, it does make sense.”

Edan, who had become more docile thanks to his logical reasoning, was fortunate in his own way.

It was a relief that he could explain things calmly in his own logical way. Even if I had persuaded Edan using the same logic, the feeling would have been quite different between listening to me and listening to a hero.

“But why does that mean you and Release should talk alone? Dealing with Prince Machart related to demons is something you would also want.”

“That’s true, but I still need solid evidence.”

“…Evidence?”

“Did Release really investigate the relationship between Prince Machart and the demons, or is she just saying this because she doesn’t like the person? As a collaborator, I want to know at least that much.”

“…Are you claiming that Release is lying right now?”

“It’s just a possibility. I don’t necessarily think she’s lying, but I can’t act rashly based on one side’s words. At least until the truth is revealed.”

“….”

…Well, Edan tends to prioritize emotions over reason when it comes to matters related to me.

In the current situation, it was clear to anyone that the logic of the hero was correct.

On the other hand, Edan seemed to be stubborn due to personal emotions, and he couldn’t strongly assert his own logic.

“I’m not trying to do anything strange. The hero’s Holy Sword has the power to discern the truth. I just want to give that to Release and determine whether her words are true or not.”

“Then, what does it mean that you both need to go out and talk?”

“If there are other people around, the magic will overlap, making a perfect judgment impossible. And no one else knows how to determine the truth except me. It’s just for that simple reason, so please don’t think it’s strange, Blackwood.”

“….”

Edan, unable to refute the claim that the hero had such an ability, fell silent.

Anyway, according to the hero’s logic, it meant that it was impossible to prevent me and the hero from going out to talk alone, so he seemed troubled.

There’s no need to worry so much. I won’t fall for the hero.

It was somewhat comforting that he cared so much about me, but I didn’t want to see him suffering from unnecessary worries.

“It won’t take long. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes. If you want, I promise not to approach Release after this Machart incident is resolved.”

“…Is that true?”

“If you’ve made up your mind to trust me, then I hope you can trust me a little.”

“…Alright. Just make sure to keep the 10-minute time limit. That should be enough to determine the truth from Release’s words.”

“Thank you, Blackwood. Release, would you mind coming outside with me for a moment?”

“Yes, Hero Gethmogshagwit. …I’ll be right back, Edan.”

“….Okay.”

Barely persuaded by Edan, I followed Gyeommyeoshai Gwot out of Serista’s dormitory and walked to the deserted corner of the hallway with the warrior.

Confirming that we were far enough from Serista’s room, Gyeommyeoshai Gwot pushed the greatsword hanging from his waist towards me.

“Lilith, would you mind holding this? In order to discern the truth, Lilith needs to hold the sword…,” he said.

“The truth my foot. Where does the Holy Sword have that kind of function? Isn’t that just a made-up excuse on the spot?” I retorted.

“…You really are a changed variable. Somehow, I had a feeling you would be like this,” the warrior said, finally understanding my sudden change in attitude as we were alone.

I, too, felt a sense of relief upon meeting someone from my past after nearly seven years.

It seemed like they had also gone through some trouble to find me.

“At first, I thought Edan was possessing or regressing. He was completely different from the Edan at Luminor Academy. How did they turn him into such a normal person…,” I mused.

“No time for chit-chat, let’s get to the point. Edan has been gone for 10 minutes, so just ask what you need to know. That’s why this meeting was arranged, right?” the warrior urged.

“Oh, right. But still, hold the sword for now. Just in case others come by and peek,” Gyeommyeoshai Gwot said, handing me the Holy Sword. I accepted it, as not having it might make me look suspicious, like I was out for some illicit activity.

“No time, so let’s take turns asking questions and answering. Any other essential information, just share it,” he suggested.

“Good thing we understand each other. Talking to these people is really exhausting,” I replied.

“If you’re going to chat, I’ll ask first. How many times have you cleared Luminor Academy in your past life?” he inquired.

“I haven’t cleared it even once,” I admitted.

“Really? Despite that, you brought Serista and Sirena along without hesitation… Wait, what?!” he exclaimed.

Just as I relaxed upon realizing he was someone from my past, the sudden sense of betrayal made it impossible for me to hide my confusion.

Never having cleared it even once, how could I have reached this point in the middle of Part 2 with a perfect playthrough? Was that even possible?

‘What is this guy really up to…’

Whether he was lying from the start or if the words that came out of his mouth were true, it didn’t take long for me to be convinced that he was an extraordinary individual.