episode_0098

1.

When Taina was blankly staring at the forest of the Academy.

I made a guess about Srenya’s whereabouts.

‘This must be Kai’s cabin.’

Then Taina felt an unpleasant pressure.

Kai’s house at that time.

There was a guest from Taina’s women, the fox’s tentacles.

“Welcome, Srenia.”

“Hello.”

It was always a cozy cabin.

That alone made Srenya’s heart swell with emotion.

The dirty plot that plagued the kingdom of Episiah.

Those were the days when I had to tremble in anxiety after hearing the World Tree’s prophecy.

The past when I had to stay locked up in the Episiah Kingdom Library without a moment to breathe.

The student council’s work is pouring in.

Simply put, Srenya was incredibly exhausted.

But when I entered Kai’s cabin and closed the door, it felt like all those chains were broken.

Because you can have a happy evening without having to worry about such things.

Because it was a warm and gentle evening with Oppa Kai, not a cold and bitter evening in the Kingdom of Episiah.

“Keung…. Huiing….”

The tension and anxiety I had felt suddenly disappeared, and a sense of happiness and relief came rushing in.

That’s why tears poured down my face.

Srenya, who had never cried in front of anyone, was seen crying often.

This means that she has become more honest in her expression of emotions and has become closer to Kai.

“Heeelp….”

“What, what is it? Why are you crying, Srenya!”

Srenya shed tears like a delicate princess of the forest.

Not the tears that flow from being free from fear, from being free from the hard days.

Tears of happiness.

“Oh my… What’s going on now…”

Kai held Srenya tightly in his arms.

He patted her trembling shoulders and stopped her crying more skillfully than before.

Srenya shed tears in Kai’s arms.

-Hug…

He put his hand behind Kai’s back and hooked his fingers together.

So that I can hold Kai gently.

‘…Kai oppa, is your body this big?’

After Srenya’s emotions had calmed down a bit, an odd thought occurred to her.

There was so little space that my finger rings were jiggling.

Feeling a sense of discomfort, I raised my head slightly, just a little bit.

Then, a look of confusion and worry appeared as if he didn’t know what to do.

Then Kai lowered his head and looked at Srenya.

It was eye contact.

…

After Srenya calmed down to some extent.

As with any other Friday night dinner, the table was quickly set.

Today’s menu is the jalapeno pasta that I served to the witch from last time.

‘That’s right. Just take the wine used for cooking. It looks expensive? It’s not really expensive. I don’t drink cheap stuff like that, so it doesn’t matter.’

The taste was made even deeper by using a generous amount of white wine obtained thanks to the witch’s extensive wealth, or rather, discretion.

But rather than eating pasta, I focused on chatting with Srenya.

No, rather than just chatter, I should have responded sincerely to Srenya’s words that were just out of the blue.

Because the story that Srenya told was quite deep.

‘I don’t feel well…!’

As well as the prophecy about the Demon King that we heard before.

Gathering information about the Demon King and the harsh suffering he endured in the Kingdom of Episia.

And the burden of living in the academy.

Each and every one of them was a serious and weighty topic, and I had to talk to Srenya for such a long time.

Well, it felt like I was just badmouthing my boss, something I wasn’t particularly curious about.

Anyway, if Srenya is happy, it’s ok.

…

It seems that the reason I felt uneasy wasn’t just because of Srenya’s story.

Unfortunately, I was so focused on the bittersweet story that I didn’t pay attention to the taste of the pasta.

‘I’m drunk on this…’

I got drunk on the wine in the pasta.

The development of the story is simple.

As soon as Srenya entered the cabin, she burst into tears.

I had to leave the fire to appease that Srenya.

So Yuli took over the cooking.

“….sob.”

Yuli, who is not good at cooking, must have been unable to get rid of the alcohol in the wine.

Thanks to that, there are now three drunk people at this table.

Srenya has already lost its taste.

Yuli was weak to alcohol from the beginning.

At least I’m okay.

First of all, if you were to drink wine in pasta, you might wonder how much it would cost.

Srennia is an elf.

“Hueeeung…. Hibap!…. Hooo…. Kai oppa… What, I feel strange….”

A being that embraces the spirit of nature with its whole body.

While they have the advantage of being more adaptable to magic than other races, they are also very avid drinkers like Caselina.

“This, is this what they mean by Altartal…..”

“Kai I think I’m drunk…. Carry me….”

“Oh.”

Normally, when there’s a drinking party, the person with the most sane personality is the one who has to clean up after everything.

First, I picked up Yuli who was lying face down on the table.

“Keuhiing…”

I gently laid Yuli, who was still flustered, down on the bed.

Let’s deal with one first.

Now it’s time to deal with the rest of the drunkards.

“Ugh……”

Srenya’s condition was not much better.

Because I was shaking and supporting my chin with one hand to keep from falling asleep.

Anyone can see that he is a drunk who is unconscious.

And on top of that, he’s even smiling faintly.

I think I’ve lost my mind.

“Oh my, Srenya, now go back to the dorm…”

for a moment.

We’ve had a lot of conversations, but it hasn’t been past dorm curfew yet.

That means we can safely return Srenya to the dormitory.

With my abilities, I can safely place Srenya in the dormitory, but I have to consider the aftermath.

Witnessing Srenya enter the room drunk, having to explain how she got me into the room the next day, or being exposed to countless gazes.

Eventually, I swallowed the ominous thoughts that came to mind and made a decision.

‘…Let’s just let him sleep here.’

This makes sense.

maybe.

“Okay, now let’s do Kokonene Srenya~”

He gently grabbed Srenya’s shoulder.

She’s so thin and slender that I can fit her shoulder in my hand.

When I tried to move him to the bed as it was, gently but not painfully.

“……Kai Oppa….”

Srenya looked up at me.

“….sigh…….”

The bitter scent of alcohol comes from the exhaled sigh.

The splendid eyes of Srenya glow warmly in the candlelight.

Slowly, very slowly, Srenya’s figure comes into view, so slowly that you can see her gorgeous blonde hair flowing.

A contrast to the cool and noble appearance I first saw at the entrance ceremony.

Srenya is as honest as she is defenseless and clumsy.

I was just a little bit, a little bit embarrassed by that sight.

But a small crack appeared in Kai’s hardened heart.

“Orororororororo….”

“Keeek!”

Now I’m really confused.

Because Srenya turned dinner upside down and vomited it back out.

2.

Saturday morning has arrived again.

Kai goes to surrender himself to the Rukia River.

Yuli also followed Kai late.

Srenya is unable to overcome her drunkenness and is sleeping soundly in her cabin.

Then a new guest came to Kai’s cabin.

No, an intruder.

“As soon as Srenya arrived at the academy, she went to Kai’s house….”

Taina appeared, her ears perking up.

He looked at Srenya, who was lying on Kai’s bed, with a displeased look.

It was a gaze so cold that I couldn’t even imagine it under normal circumstances.

Even more so when you think of Taina’s usual kindness to her friends.

Taina didn’t realize she was sinking into a sticky feeling.

I just tried to look away as if I didn’t care.

“…I should go see Kai oppa.”

Most students try to change things up a lot during their vacation.

In the case of the other half, it is an investigation into the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings, and the usurpation of the Holy Position.

In the case of Srenya, it involves prophecy and research of materials in the library.

Kariel is training.

Taina also did a lot of research during her vacation.

“Kang.”

There is no sign of beast transformation, but a very natural cry comes out.

“Kang, kan.”

Change your gaze.

It imitates the appearance of the fox tribe that has fallen into the beast-like state in numerous literatures.

And while going through the beast transformation, he acts out everything he vaguely saw and felt.

“…Okay.”

I even completed the pre-work of pretending not to be able to act like a beast.

Since Kai has already decided that Taina can’t act, it will be really hard to tell the difference now.

“Fox, go out~”

Taina headed into the forest, her tail wagging and humming.

It was a cunning and clever performance and acting like the dark side of the Academy.

Taina was just a puppy who desperately wanted to be petted by Kai.

3.

The academy’s dormitories are single rooms.

However, it is not of the same quality as a studio or a goshiwon, but rather as splendid as a single room in a hotel.

In the corner of that oversized single room, Ban was fiddling with something.

“Phew. Is this enough?”

I’ve roughly finished researching the 16 people who made it into the ranks of the strong overnight.

The credit for completing this was greatly due to the help of Taina, who I consider my benefactor.

I can’t thank you enough for answering my questions so quickly…

If it weren’t for Taina, I would have been branded a stalker at the Academy.

‘…I’m sorry.’

I know that our relationship was formed through lies.

But it’s more important to be able to add power to the Shukeros family.

Now is not the time to be picky about means and methods.

“What did Taina fill up her notebook with…”

I burst out laughing as I looked at the new profiles that Taina had completed with her help.

It was completed so quickly.

This is information about the so-called ‘Demon King Suspect’.

From now on, we will begin investigating the Demon King suspect in earnest.

What method should I use? I should do it the way I do best.

‘Let’s get started.’

This is something you learn by doing.

That was the class that started investigating the 16 Demon King suspects.

Two weeks have passed since then.

Rumors spread throughout the academy that Ignis was the Demon King.