episode_0092

“Clara-ssi, long time no see.”

I entered the special class, exchanged brief greetings with the other students, and then spoke to Clara, who was, as usual, reading alone.

“What long time no see?”

Clara lifted her eyes from her book and looked at me.

The book Clara was reading was the old one I had subtly left in the library last time.

“By the way, that’s an unusual book.”

“This, you last time…”

“I had no idea, Clara-ssi, that you had a hobby of reading old books.” Pretending ignorance, I cut Clara off and said.

“Haa… So why did you talk to me?”

When I pretended not to know anything, Clara let out a deep sigh.

“Wow, guess what? Congratulations on getting first place in the midterms!”

I clapped my hands enthusiastically and said.

As the sudden clapping sound echoed, the other special class students started looking at me.

“This is a gift from me.”

I created something like a banner using an illusion.

[Heartfelt congratulations on Clara-ssi’s first place. ദ്ദി ˃ ᴗ ˂ )]

“Tsk.”

-Poof.

Of course, the banner I had painstakingly created vanished meaninglessly due to Clara’s magic.

“Waaah, I worked so hard to make it! That’s too much!”

I was first in the practical exam, but Clara ultimately took first place in the midterms overall.

No matter how overwhelmingly I got first place in the practical section, my written exam was 0 points, while Clara had 100 points in the written exam and was second in the practical.

“You, don’t you have any intention of studying?”

Just as I was about to return to my seat, Clara spoke.

After the exam yesterday, I told the special class students that I didn’t get 0 points because I didn’t write my name, but because all my guesses were wrong.

Thinking back to their reactions then, I still laugh.

Professor Alicia had said that if I had only scored 50 points on the written exam, I would have gotten first place in the midterms.

“Huh? Studying… well, I was planning to just guess again on the next exam?”

I waved my hands back and forth and said.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t intended to study from the start.

Honestly, how would I know the history of the continent?

And it was more important to run for even a second than to look at a page of a book.

Clara, seeing my aversion to the word “study,” didn’t say anything more.

“Clara-ssi, you got first place, aren’t you happy?”

“No, I’m happy because I don’t have to hear anyone emphasizing ‘first place’ or ‘second place,’ you know?”

Clara spoke sarcastically, as if the words I had said yesterday annoyed her.

Hearing Clara’s words, I pretended to be shocked and covered my mouth with both hands.

“Gasp! Clara-ssi, surely you’re not the type to childishly categorize people by first place or second place, are you? If so, I’d be a little disappointed…”

*Whoosh*.

Clara silently showed me a ball of flame in her hand.

“Gah! Clara-ssi seems to get angry too easily these days.”

“You’re full of energy today too, I see.”

Clara’s magic fortunately disappeared as Professor Alicia entered.

“Loki.”

“Yes!”

I loudly replied to Professor Alicia, who had saved me.

“Just you wait if you guess again next time.”

It seems she heard what I said earlier.

Professor-nim, if you’re going to smile, please smile with your eyes too.

It’s scarier when only your mouth is smiling.

* * *

While resting in the special class after lunch.

“Hogu.”

Someone’s voice came from behind.

I knew who it was just from the voice, but in the first place, only one person called me by that name.

“Sepia-ssi.”

“What are you doing now?”

I had put several desks together to make a makeshift bed and was lying on it.

“Fighting with Professor Alicia earlier was so exhausting that I’m currently Photosynthesizing.”

“But this is underground?”

“Thinking that you can’t photosynthesize just because it’s underground, isn’t that Sepia-ssi’s prejudice?”

“That’s enough nonsense.”

It was a tough way of speaking, unfitting for a marquis family, no matter how many times I heard it.

Sepia walked towards me, her pink hair fluttering.

“Next class, it’s just the two of us.”

“Is that so? Then we can go together a little later.”

-Thud.

Sepia sat down on my makeshift bed.

[Chirp.]

And the spirits that had been on Sepia’s shoulder climbed onto my head.

Now, both Sepia and I were used to spirits coming to me.

“Sepia-ssi, would you like to photosynthesize together too?”

Sepia poked my side with her finger, *poke poke*, and opened her mouth.

“Nonsense.”

-Poke.

“Stop.”

-Poke.

“Saying.”

-Poke.

“That.”

“Hahahahaha! That tickles, Sepia-ssi.”

“That’s what I was going for.”

And so, I fell asleep while talking with Sepia.

* * *

“Ughhh.”

I was walking, rubbing my lower back and neck with my hands.

“Tsk tsk, of course your back and neck hurt if you sleep on a desk. Hogu, are you an idiot?”

Sepia’s scolding voice came from beside me.

During the last practical exam, I confirmed that I no longer had nightmares, even without Yerika.

Perhaps because it was my first nap in a long time, I fell into a very deep sleep.

If only the place I slept hadn’t been a desk.

“Ughhh.”

“Haa… Hogu, take off your clothes.”

Surprised by Sepia’s words, I covered my body with both hands.

“Surely you’re not trying to ambush me while no one’s around… Gasp! No! I don’t want to! Don’t do it!”

“I, I told you to stop with the nonsense! I’m just going to apply medicine for you. Hurry up and take it off!”

I listened to Sepia’s words and took off my top.

I was so surprised when she suddenly told me to take off my clothes.

“You should have said so earlier.”

*Smack!*

Sepia slapped my back hard with her palm.

“Aargh!”

“Sh-shut up! In the first place, Hogu, you’re the weird one for taking it that way!”

Sepia began applying medicine to my neck and lower back.

“It should be fine now. So hurry up and put your clothes on.”

Indeed, after applying the medicine, it felt a little better.

“Next time I fall asleep on a desk, I guess I’ll have to ask Sepia-ssi to apply medicine for me again.”

“Isn’t thinking ‘I won’t sleep on a desk next time’ the normal response?”

This class was held outdoors.

When I arrived at the class location, I saw Professor Gedra and the other students.

“This class is a simple sparring session where two people pair up and use weapons. It’s beneficial for mages and spirit masters to learn close-quarters combat, so pay attention.”

It seemed to be the same kind of class Johanna had been doing during the last tour.

“From now on, pair up yourselves. It doesn’t matter who you pair with, but it’s best for someone skilled in close-quarters combat to pair with a mage.”

Most students quickly formed pairs by talking to those they were friends with.

Numerous people gathered around Sepia.

Her background as a marquis’s daughter. Her prodigious talent with spirits. Even her beautiful appearance.

In fact, it would have been stranger if they hadn’t gathered like that.

“Lady Lyvaiden, if you don’t have a partner yet, how about with me…”

“Would you not join me? I am from the Count Cremo family…”

“I got 27th place in this midterm…”

Watching the students try to woo Sepia, I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

Whether it was the guy boasting about being from a count’s family to Sepia, who was from a marquis family, or the guy boasting about 27th place to Sepia, who was 4th in the midterms.

-Thump thump.

Sepia ignored the people surrounding her and talking to her, and walked towards me.

As Sepia walked towards me, the other students who had been watching her also looked at me.

“Hogu, you don’t have anyone to partner with, do you? I’ll do it with you.”

Sepia extended her hand to me as if doing me a favor.

“It’s an honor for me, but the gazes are quite intense. It feels like I’m already sweating even before sparring has begun.”

They were probably students who wanted to seize this opportunity to build rapport with Sepia.

Since the special class was underground unlike other classes, the afternoon class was the only chance to interact with special class students.

“So, are you going to do it or not?”

“Of course not. I look forward to working with you.”

I said, taking Sepia’s outstretched hand.

“You don’t have to spar today. Just introduce yourselves to your partner and talk as much as possible. Anything is fine, like the weapons you use.”

Listening to Professor Gedra’s words, I politely asked Sepia.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Loki. May I ask your name?”

“…………….”

*Bonk.*

“Stop fooling around.”

Professor Gedra gave me a light bonk on the head and left.

He’s truly an old-fashioned professor, just as he looks.

But he’s a good professor nonetheless.

Among the paired students, some were exchanging awkward greetings as if they had just met.

But Sepia and I just spent the time chatting about ordinary things.

“Starting next class, partners will spar with wooden swords. Today, I’ll teach you stances based on your weapons and simple characteristics.”

As Professor Gedra’s explanation continued, I turned my head to look at Sepia.

Sepia, unaware that I was looking at her,

was intently listening to Professor Gedra’s words.

It seems she’s bothered by losing to Lucas yesterday.

“Basically, when facing a spear…”

She seemed to be thinking of compensating for her weak close-quarters combat as a Spirit Master with a weapon, but while it might suit an ordinary Spirit Master, it didn’t suit Sepia.

The reason Sepia was working so hard like that must be to kill the person who murdered her parents.

Letting the professor’s words go in one ear and out the other, I pondered seriously.

* * *

After Gedra’s class ended, Loki spoke to Sepia, who was about to head to the special class.

“Sepia-ssi, a gentleman asked me to deliver this to you earlier.”

What Loki handed her was a luxuriously wrapped envelope.

Sepia, her expression crumpled, tore open the envelope on the spot and checked the letter.

[………………I will be waiting at the training ground after school.]

The letter contained cringey lines that would only appear in a third-rate romance novel, and a message saying he would be waiting at the training ground after school.

“Tsk.”

Sepia crumpled the letter in her hand.

It wasn’t that she had never received such letters before.

Normally, she would have simply ignored it, but she didn’t like that it had been delivered through Loki.

‘Hogu, this guy really delivered it just because he was asked to. I don’t like it.’

“What’s in it?”

“I don’t know either!”

Sepia, who had yelled at Loki, unaware of her inner turmoil, walked to the training ground to curse him out after school.

“Haa…”

Sepia, heading to the training ground after school, let out a deep sigh when she saw the person alone inside the training ground.

Academy uniform. A red cloak that both suited and didn’t suit the academy uniform. And a mask that was just a different color from his usual one.

“Haa… Hogu, did you call me here?”

“Huh? I’m not that handsome Loki, though?”

He could at least try to change his voice.

Aside from the mask being black, he was identical to the usual Loki.

“So, Hogu, why did you call me after school?”

“I told you I’m not Loki,” Loki said.

Sepia, who was about to scold Loki, heard the words he uttered and her eyes wavered.

“…………………….”

Sepia, looking at Loki with trembling eyes, grabbed him by the collar and shouted.

“What did you just say?!”

Loki looked at the murderous Sepia and repeated what he had just said.

“I know who killed Sepia-ssi’s parents.”