Translator Note

I haven’t mentioned it until now since it hasn’t been truly relevant yet, but I will be using he/him pronouns for Ian(Ianne) when we are viewing her through the lens of someone who does not know her true gender. You’ll see the first moment of that in this chapter, although it is extremely minor. Later on it will come up more often!

Chapter 75: Face-to-Face (2)

Rẽa‌d õn Ká&t;Я​ėaԁｉ&n;ｇCа&f;e

Leon often had dreams that felt like they were part of a continuous story.

In his dreams, Leon was a hero.

He entered a school as grand as a castle, met various friends, fought against monsters and suspicious groups, and solved incidents.

He was betrayed by a blond male student he thought was his friend, eventually meeting in a clash.

He grieved over the identity and fate of a pastel-colored female student who occasionally appeared mysteriously, and then, something pitch black… something so terrifying he couldn’t even bear to look at it.

But even that entity was sealed away, and he protected the peace of the world as a hero.

In those dreams, Leon always held a white staff. Since dreams are forgotten upon waking, he didn’t know how he came to possess it.

It was just a dream after all. He was content with the image of himself as free, reliable, and dependable, but when he woke up, he always felt empty.

He couldn’t imagine or enjoy the daily life from his dreams.

Escapism. That’s how Leon defined it. When he thought back to when these dreams started, it was after his mother became “that way.”

In the dreams, his mother was fine. She was always smiling, though sometimes strict. The image of her back as she cooked delicious stew was vivid.

He truly missed those times.

“…”

However, a dream is just that, a dream. It’s not the time to dwell on it, He needed to study to create the cure.

He worked hard, applied to the best magic school and was accepted. His mentor somehow managed to secure the tuition for him.

But when he arrived at Steele, the school he had dreamed of, it was so similar to the one in his dreams that it felt strange.

‘That’s definitely…’

While walking through the restaurant district near the school, he was startled to see a familiar female student and male student.

One was a pitiful soul whose life had been utterly ruined by heretics, and the other was the villain who had persistently tormented Leon and others in his dreams.

‘But what’s with…’

The scene was bizarre. In broad daylight the girl was dressed in an indescribable outfit, rubbing her legs against the boy. It was nothing short of scandalous.

In the dream, they weren’t like that. They were never in such a relationship. In fact, one had led the other to their death.

Leon shook his head.

It’s just a dream. Logically, they’re probably just a couple engaged to be married. It’s rude to judge reality based on characters from his dreams. Fantasizing about them is disrespectful.

Then his gaze naturally drifted to the purple-eyed girl… no, boy next to them. He wasn’t someone from the dream. His eye color was striking, and Leon found himself staring, fascinated, before quickly apologizing.

And then, the entrance ceremony.

He experienced something shocking.

The familiar school and familiar faces could be dismissed as coincidences, but how could he explain obtaining the staff from his dreams in real life?

In his dreams, Leon met various people through the staff and continued the fight to save the world.

Was fate guiding him to follow that path? To continue that future?

‘…What does any of that even matter?’

No matter how he thought about it, a dream is just a dream. Just as those two people were completely different from their dream counterparts, Leon couldn’t become the hero from his dreams.

Even if fate threw this at him now, what could he possibly do?

It would’ve been better not to give it to him at all. It’s not like fate is playing a joke on him.

That’s all there was to it.

The staff was immediately confiscated by Steele and Leon was relieved. He had wanted to return it anyway, so it wasn’t really confiscated. It was needed by those far more capable and righteous than him.

But then, they gave it back to him, almost forcing it on him. And now, annoying people were starting to follow him around.

“Nothing’s going right…”

He came to school to study quietly, but he instantly became the center of attention. It was giving him a headache.

Sugar, who overheard his muttering, raised her voice with an “Aah?” Sugar, having been separated from Riley, was slightly unhinged and so Ian, sitting next to her, tried to calm her down.

Realizing his mistake, Leon bowed his head.

“I apologize, your Holiness. I have been acting immature due to the strange events lately. I also had improper thoughts earlier. I sincerely apologize.”

“Ah, no! It’s fine!”

Ian immediately waved his hand.

Leon was fundamentally a polite young man. He was just mentally exhausted from all the strange events lately.

“Then… can I ask my question now?”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

Leon decided to answer the questions to get it over with. He felt like they would keep chasing him if he didn’t. Plus, with the Saint’s descendant present and the connection from his dreams, it was hard to push them away.

Sugar immediately spoke up.

“It’s nothing major. I’ll be direct, you seem to have negative feelings about the staff. That’s been on my mind.”

“…Is this an interrogation?”

“Of course not. I don’t have the authority for that. I’m just genuinely curious.”

“I’m not sure what kind of answer you’re expecting.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Ian, as if to say, “How can I be honest with His Holiness here?”

Ian stood up.

“I’ll leave so you can talk comfortably.”

Leon looked up at Ian and let out a small sigh.

“…No, please stay. I think I was just uncomfortable with the situation. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“No, it’s fine… stop apologizing and please just treat me like a friend. Answer honestly, it’s really fine.”

“Is that an order?”

“…A request.”

“I’ll try. Very well then, I’ll answer your question.”

Once Ian sat back down and the atmosphere settled a bit, Leon began to speak.

“If I may guess what you’re concerned about… I’m not a heretic or anything like that. In fact, I wish those things would disappear from this world without a trace.”

Sugar, satisfied with the answer, pressed further.

“What about using the staff yourself to make that happen?”

“How many people who wish for something can actually act on it?”

“Fair point.”

“Personally, I have something more important to focus on. Studying comes first. And I’m not a devout believer either. I respect the saint’s achievements and all the good the Saint’s Church does now. But… that’s it.”

“You respect it, but don’t deeply believe in it?”

Leon didn’t answer, he seemed to be gauging Ian’s reaction. Ian, who always slept during worship, didn’t care much, but Leon didn’t know that.

“I get that. But why did you make that face that day?”

“You saw that? Well… I didn’t have any strong negative feelings. I just got emotional thinking about how it was too late.”

“Why? What was too late?”

“…It’s about my family. Do I have to talk about this too?”

“If it’s too personal, it’s fine.”

“It’s just… I wished for this power a long time ago, but now it feels too late. Have you ever regretted something, thinking, ‘If only I had this back then…’?”

Of course. Everyone has, right?

When something ends unsatisfactorily, and you later think of a solution.

Like buying new earphones only to find the old ones under your bed. Well, maybe not that. Anyway.

The kind of regret that happens in everyday life.

When Sugar nodded, Leon continued.

“If you’ve felt that kind of regret, then you understand. Just think of it as something like that. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

“Somewhat. It was a strange question, but thanks for cooperating. As a thank you, I’ll buy you something to eat. Choose whatever you want.”

Even though they had come to a café for this, Leon shook his head and stood up.

“No thank you. I’m tired, so I’ll head back now.”

Since she had gotten the gist of it, Sugar didn’t mind him leaving. She nodded.

‘At least he doesn’t seem like a villain. His polite demeanor is the same as in the original. Though he’s a bit more cynical, which seems to be the result of some event.’

‘Family matters…’

A single-parent household with only his mother. Did something happen to her, unlike in the original? Or maybe something with his father long ago.

A change in personality due to family circumstances. It makes sense.

If Sugar had experienced something as significant as losing Riley when she was young, how would she have turned out? Or if Riley had lost Sugar.

In some worlds, a saintly apostle who is normally righteous might lose faith in the gods and become indifferent to saving the world if their family suffers a tragedy.

Family is that important. You share their happiness and sorrow, being together is warm and comforting and being apart makes you miss them dearly. There are families worse off than others, but generally, that’s how it is.

“…”

Riley, you idiot.

The thought suddenly crossed her mind.

Sugar’s family, her cherished younger sibling. The young man who had now grown much taller than her.

Since there were no more classes today, she had planned to gather the information she’d just heard and think things through yet bad thoughts kept surfacing.

His happiness should be her happiness, so why did these bad thoughts keep coming?

Bad intentions.

Bad emotions.

Sugar’s expression began to fade again.

Once the matter was settled, the scene she had seen earlier resurfaced. Riley, surrounded by girls—though he didn’t seem to be enjoying it—came to mind.

The magical energy inside her body felt like it was bubbling.

*******************************

Meanwhile, Leon bid farewell to Ian and left the café. Ian watched his retreating figure for a while before turning her attention to the seat Leon had occupied.

“…Huh?”

Something white was left on the table. Curious, he picked it up and realized it was a white handkerchief.

“Sugar. There’s a handkerchief here—”

“I’m so annoyed…”

“What?”

Muttering. Strange sounds were coming from her. The usually gentle Sugar now radiated a sharp, intimidating aura. It felt like her presence alone could harm someone.

“Ah, um… Sugar. Stay here. I’ll go return this handkerchief and come back…”

‘Time to flee. This is beyond my control. Just when I thought she was calming down, it got worse. Something must’ve triggered her.’

Ian left Sugar behind and chased after Leon.

‘Maybe I should suggest to Steele… to relax the penalty conditions for indecency…’

Even in this situation, Ian was thinking of her friend. Although she had asked to be treated as a student, sometimes you have to use your authority. Being too rigid won’t get you anywhere.

‘But still… is it appropriate for someone in my position to make such a suggestion…?’

She had a lot on her mind.

Anyway, this couple is the problem. They should just get along like they usually do. Why fight over something as trivial as not wanting to be apart? It’s absurd.

As she walked briskly, lost in thought, she spotted Leon’s figure in the distance.

“Leon!”

Calling his name made Leon turn around. His dark eyes, filled with gloom, fixed on Ian.

Ian swallowed hard. The first time she saw those eyes, she was slightly startled. It felt like the lingering effect of that moment and something about it struck a chord.

“…your Holiness.”

He could’ve called her by her name, but he didn’t.

Handing over the handkerchief, Ian approached with the intention of saying something.

At that moment, Leon’s eyes widened and he rushed over, grabbing Ian’s wrist and pulling him aside.

“Huh?”

A carriage zoomed past where Ian had been standing. Its wooden and iron body, wheels, and the faintly glowing magic stone in its exposed engine were distinctive features of this mode of transportation.

Lost in thought, Ian hadn’t paid attention to her surroundings while crossing the street. Though her guards should’ve handled it, she was still grateful for being saved.

“Th-th-thank you…”

Slightly startled, her words came out awkward.

It wasn’t because of Leon’s large hand gripping her wrist or the close proximity of his face.

Definitely not.

“Are you alright?”

The low voice resonating near his ear was also just a coincidence. It was just the shock making her heart race. This world wasn’t a romance novel. It was a world far removed from such things.

“Ah… yeah. I’m fine.”

“That’s good. When crossing the street, please be more careful… Ah, I apologize for my rudeness—”

“I said it’s fine. Stop apologizing…”

“Sorry, no, I understand.”

Ian smiled faintly as she watched Leon. Despite being a bit stiff, he wasn’t a bad person. Even though Sugar’s questions must’ve been annoying, he answered them sincerely.

His first impression had been like that too. The moment their eyes met, he immediately apologized. Among the countless students Ian had encountered, Leon was the first to do that.

“…You can call me by my name. Call me Ian.”

With a cheerful tone, Ian handed over the handkerchief.

From today, you’re my friend.

There’s the connection through the staff, and he just saved me. It’s a personal gesture of goodwill. A friendly gesture.

The Saint’s Descendent, who always allowed those she liked to call her by her name, smiled brightly. her slightly folded purple eyes were charmingly handsome. Of course, her lively cheeks suited the term “beautiful” more than “handsome,” but still.

Leon, who had been staring at her face for a while, finally bowed his head.

“…Thank you for the handkerchief.”

After saying that, he quickly turned and left.