Chapter 2: Children who have changed

“What is it?”

Serena’s voice, as she spoke, was incredibly stiff and businesslike.

Cais inexplicably flinched slightly, but he pretended it was nothing and spoke.

“What do you mean ‘what is it’… I’ve returned from my hometown.”

“……So what?”

“Huh?”

“If you have nothing to say, get lost.”

Serena adjusted her grip on her sword and coldly averted her gaze.

Her attitude was one of indifference, as if she were dealing with a pebble on the roadside.

Her gaze had already left Cais, focusing instead on the scarecrow in front of her.

Cais couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

“W-Why are you suddenly like this? Are you perhaps mad that I didn’t let you follow me back then?”

Serena didn’t answer, merely swinging her sword.

Feeling ignored, Cais called out to her loudly.

“Serena!”

“Quiet! Get out of my sight right now. Do you think the training ground is some kind of playground?!”

Serena rebuked him with an icy tone.

Cais couldn’t understand her cold voice and frigid gaze.

“Se-Serena, let’s talk.”

“Don’t bother me, get lost!”

Instantly, Serena pointed the tip of the wooden sword she held threateningly at Cais.

Faced with the sudden threat, Cais involuntarily fell onto his backside with a thud.

Serena narrowed her eyes, as if his appearance was pathetic.

“You weak, pathetic coward.”

“…Why are you doing this to me?”

“Shut up. If you speak to me again, I’ll teach you a lesson with this wooden sword. Get out of my sight!”

Serena shouted harshly and then turned her gaze away again.

It seemed as though she had no more interest to spare for Cais.

Swish! Swish!

The sound of her sword slicing through the air particularly sharply pierced Cais’s ears.

To Cais, that sharp sound somehow sounded like a declaration that she would sever their relationship in one clean cut.

“Serena…. ”

Cais, who had mumbled softly, could no longer speak to her.

He got up and bitterly turned his steps away.

He looked back, but Serena never once spared him a glance.

A corner of his chest ached.

‘Did something bad happen while I was gone? Let’s try talking to her properly again once Serena calms down.’

Putting Serena behind him for now, Cais decided to meet the other girls.

Lucia and Valeria, those two were still left.

‘Wouldn’t Valeria be in the central garden at this time?’

His prediction wasn’t wrong.

Sure enough, Valeria was sitting at a table in the central garden with other noble young ladies, elegantly sipping tea and chatting.

Her splendid blonde coiled hair shone dazzlingly under the sunlight.

Her cheerful laughter could be heard even from afar.

‘Unlike Serena, she seems to be in a good mood. That’s a relief.’

A relieved Cais moved towards her and called out to her.

“Valeria!”

From Valeria’s face, as she turned her head at the sound, Cais witnessed an unbelievable change.

The bright smile that had filled her face just moments ago vanished instantly, and her expression hardened coldly.

‘It’s like Serena’s reaction from earlier….’

Cais felt uneasy, but he deliberately suppressed that concern.

‘It’s between me and Valeria. Our relationship has lasted over ten years.’

Recalling the memories he shared with Valeria, Cais mustered his courage and slowly moved towards Valeria’s side.

However, Valeria didn’t even glance at Cais, merely exchanging words with the friend sitting next to her.

‘She seems to be ignoring me… No, that can’t be.’

Cais was anxious, but he recalled his bond with Valeria.

And then he cautiously called out to her.

“Valeria……. Have you been well?”

“Oh my, do you have some business with me?”

Perhaps deciding she could no longer ignore him, Valeria finally turned her head to look at Cais.

But contrary to her words, the expression on her face was far from welcoming.

It was filled with blatant disgust, as if she wanted nothing to do with him.

“Are you… perhaps angry with me?”

“Not particularly? More importantly, we’re talking right now, so would you mind not interrupting?”

Having said that, Valeria withdrew her gaze as if she had no further business, and resumed talking with her friend beside her.

But Cais couldn’t back down like this either.

“You and Serena, why are you both like this? Did I do something wrong? Please tell me.”

“I told you not to interrupt! You’re truly noisy!”

“If you don’t tell me, I won’t know! How am I supposed to know everything? If I did something wrong, tell me!”

Cais shouted, clutching his chest in frustration, but Valeria remained cold and indifferent.

“It seems there’s a better spot over there. Shall we go now? The air here feels a bit stuffy.”

“Yes, let’s. I was feeling uncomfortable too.”

“Oh my, you too? We think alike.”

Valeria took her friend’s arm, stood up from her seat, and left.

She had moved away, treating Cais as if he were filthy refuse.

‘Serena too…, and Valeria, why are they doing this to me….’

Had he thought that upon returning to the academy, he could resume his daily life with everyone?

But what was the reality?

He had only received cold indifference and frigid rejection from the two childhood friends he had associated with.

Cais suddenly felt scared.

What if even Lucia, the last one left, were to shun him?

‘No, it can’t be. Lucia is still the most gentle and docile. She wouldn’t abandon me.’

Lucia seemed likely to be in the library as usual.

As he walked that way, it was just as he expected.

He spotted Lucia’s back as she seemed to be heading to the library, holding a few books in her arms.

“Lucia!”

With a joyful heart, Cais called out her name.

Lucia, whose name was called out of the blue, turned her head as if startled, and her eyes met Cais’s.

“Have you been well?”

Cais, though awkward, smiled as brightly as possible and offered his greeting.

But there was no greeting in return.

Lucia, looking flustered, began to quicken her pace.

As if ignoring Cais.

“Wait, Lucia! What’s wrong?”

Cais called out to stop her, but she didn’t halt and instead quickened her steps even more.

“Lucia!”

Eventually, Cais ran and blocked her path.

But Lucia had her head bowed low, as if trying to avoid eye contact.

Furthermore──.

‘She’s trembling…?’

Cais noticed Lucia’s small shoulders trembling.

“Did something happen? Are you okay?”

Cais asked, genuinely worried.

This was the first time she had reacted like this.

“……Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

A small voice, but clearly filled with hostility.

At those words, which were also as cold as ice, Cais momentarily doubted his ears.

“Huh…?”

“Why do you keep following me and making things difficult?!”

Lucia suddenly shrieked.

This was the first time Cais had seen her like this, and he froze slightly.

Moreover, her eyes, looking at him, were mixed with fear and resentment.

Cais couldn’t accept her sending him such a look.

No, he couldn’t bear it.

Because if he did, he felt he would truly suffer a wound to his heart that he couldn’t recover from.

So he had to pretend it was nothing.

“Oh, today’s quite a strange day. Serena and Valeria avoided me, and now Lucia’s trying to avoid me too. Ahaha…. ”

It was a painful joke, one that even he found pathetic.

He desperately wished that she, at least, would deny this reality.

That there was some misunderstanding, that she would comfort him so earnestly.

However, that expectation was inevitably shattered.

“Please don’t call me by my name as if we’re close.”

“I can’t call you by your name? You’ve always been fine with it until now.”

“Don’t call me!”

At this point, Cais’s suppressed emotions finally exploded.

“Why are you all doing this?! What did I do wrong?! Why?!”

He had suffered such harsh treatment from Serena and Valeria, and now Lucia, his last hope, was also avoiding him no differently.

He couldn’t even understand why.

He felt like he was going crazy.

Tears felt like they were welling up.

“You, Serena, and Valeria, why are you all avoiding me?! Did I do something wrong?”

“Please don’t ask me such things. Please don’t follow me anymore.”

Lucia turned her body as if she had finished speaking and tried to walk away again.

Even amidst his shock and confusion, Cais’s foremost thought was to stop her.

He urgently reached out and grabbed her delicate shoulder.

“Lucia, wait! There must be some misunderstanding! Let’s talk……”

“Kyaak!”

Lucia shrieked sharply and flinched.

At her scream, the gazes of students passing by instantly focused on Cais and Lucia.

Cais trembled with dismay at the sudden attention and cold stares.

“N-Nothing’s wrong. I just, Lucia…”

He mumbled defensively towards his surroundings, but he couldn’t find any goodwill in anyone’s gaze.

“No… I just, I just wanted to talk…. ”

Just then, a male student with a sturdy build who was passing by quickly ran over.

“Lucia, are you alright?”

The male student shielded Lucia protectively and glared at Cais with hostile eyes.

“Cais Raynalsword, what are you doing right now? Are you harassing a woman within the academy?!”

“Harassing?! When did I ever do that?”

Cais tried to protest desperately.

But the guy didn’t seem to have any intention of listening to him.

“You must have heard Lucia scream just now.”

“Th-That’s a misunderstanding! I just wanted to talk to Lucia a bit more and…”

“Can’t you see Lucia trembling right now?”

At the male student’s remark, Cais saw Lucia trembling violently.

The moment he saw that, his mind froze, and he could no longer form any excuses.

‘She’s afraid of me. Lucia is….’

With a feeling like he had been struck on the head, Cais was unable to speak.

The male student, leaving Cais behind, spoke gently to Lucia.

“Lucia, are you alright?”

“Thank you…. ”

Lucia thanked the male student with a trembling voice.

“Don’t act indecently. If you’re a noble, at least observe basic etiquette.”

The male student shot Cais one more contemptuous glance, then quietly left the spot, practically escorting Lucia away.

Watching Lucia’s retreating back, Cais stood frozen in place, utterly bewildered.

****

For the next few days, the same situation repeated itself.

Almost all the students at the academy avoided and shunned him.

And the three childhood friends, who were once closer than anyone, had now become the coldest of strangers.

Cais no longer even had the courage to approach them.

Lying in his single dormitory bed, he silently swallowed his tears.

The time he spent chatting alongside everyone felt so missed, yet also like a distant past.

Even though only a week had passed.

Just then.

[System Magic Load Start]

A window briefly appeared before his eyes.

It disappeared again before Cais could properly confirm it.

“What was that just now…?”

However, Cais, whose mind was more preoccupied with his relationships with his friends, quickly forgot about that strange phenomenon.