Ch.108108. Do Whatever You Want

After returning from the Rift, I collapsed and fell asleep immediately. Surprisingly, I didn’t wake up until the next morning.

To be precise, I woke up an hour or two earlier than my usual time.

I clearly fell asleep in the morning and woke up in the morning again, which meant one simple thing.

‘Wow, I slept for almost an entire day.’

It was ridiculous, but thanks to the deep sleep, I felt good.

But I’m extremely hungry.

Come to think of it, the last meal I had was dinner with Alkine before entering the Rift. I’d been starving for more than a day, so it was natural to be hungry.

I needed to get breakfast at the student cafeteria, which I normally didn’t visit. It was a bit early now, but if I started getting ready and headed out, the timing would be just right.

After cleaning up the things I couldn’t organize yesterday because I collapsed as soon as I came in, and washing up properly, it became the perfect time for breakfast as calculated.

I took clothes from my Inventory, put them on, and stepped outside where the morning air, slightly colder than usual, greeted me.

I’d only come out an hour or two earlier than usual, but the air felt quite different. Maybe it was because I nearly died yesterday, but these little things felt somewhat more vivid.

Before I knew it, I arrived at the student cafeteria while walking.

Not many people seemed to eat breakfast, so it was quite empty, which made a certain person stand out even more.

Celia. She was sitting alone, having her meal.

“Ludion! I see you’re awake. Come over here. Let’s eat together.”

She turned toward me the moment I entered the student cafeteria and said that. Seeing her reaction, it seemed like she knew I was coming even before I entered.

How did she do that? Was she constantly scanning the surroundings with mana?

For now, I got my breakfast and sat next to Celia.

Unlike lunch and dinner where we could choose our menu, breakfast had a fixed menu, but it definitely felt suitable for morning.

As I took a bite, Celia started a conversation.

“Did you rest well yesterday?”

“I slept until now without waking up once. I came to eat right after waking up because I was hungry.”

“You really slept deeply.”

As I answered, I noticed her plates were all empty.

I didn’t know when she had arrived and started eating, but she seemed to have finished her meal already.

Come to think of it, Celia is someone who eats breakfast every morning.

After finishing her meal like this, she would go to the lecture building and wait for me… no, now she waits in front of the dormitory.

…Wait a minute. That means she comes from the dormitory, eats here, and then goes back to the dormitory. What kind of route is that?

She’s a princess after all. I felt sorry for making her go back and forth. Maybe I should come out earlier from now on.

Or maybe I should just follow Celia and have breakfast regularly.

I decided to think about that later and focus on filling my stomach first.

I continued eating while receiving the gazes of Celia… and others who came for breakfast.

Celia just stared at me, seemingly planning to wait until I finished eating and leave together.

As I ate slowly, one bite at a time, to avoid indigestion from eating too quickly on an empty stomach, Celia suddenly spoke.

“I don’t know what happened yesterday, but if people are naturally talking about you two-timing, you must have had quite a fun time?”

…I thought I heard people whispering something. So that’s what it was about.

But I was confident. I hadn’t done anything particularly special during my date with Alkine, at most I couldn’t shake off Alkine’s one-sided arm-linking.

“It’s just that people saw someone else beside me instead of you, who’s always with me. I didn’t do anything special.”

“Really? I heard you kissed.”

…Oh no. I can’t be confident anymore.

So when she said she talked with Alkine yesterday, she heard all about this too.

But wait, that wasn’t during the date, it happened in the Rift.

No one saw it, so is it fair to include that?

I had such thoughts, but ultimately there was nothing I could say.

Even if it wasn’t my intention to do such an act… it wasn’t a topic I could casually bring up in front of a girl who said she liked me.

As I froze, unable to chew the food in my mouth, Celia smiled brightly and moved closer to me.

“I’m just kidding. I am a bit angry, but when you think about it, it’s partly my fault for telling you two to go on a date.”

When she said it like that, it felt like “I trusted you and sent you off, but you ended up kissing?” which made me feel even more guilty.

I never knew a smiling face could be so scary.

“No, Celia. But this…”

“And honestly, I’m more upset about the fact that I wasn’t there in such a dangerous situation than about you kissing Alkine.”

As I tried to say something, Celia suddenly said that and stood up from her seat.

“If we continue this conversation, I might get emotional, so let’s talk outside. I’ll go out first, so come out when you’re done eating.”

After saying that, she cleared her dishes and left the student cafeteria.

…How can I make her wait after she leaves like that?

I quickly stuffed as much of the remaining food into my mouth as possible, hurriedly cleared my dishes, and followed Celia.

She was standing right in front of the student cafeteria entrance, tapping on her messenger, and when she saw me come out, she put it back in her bag.

“You could have eaten slowly and come out.”

“Ah huh huh huh.”

“…Swallow what’s in your mouth before speaking. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”

I was trying to say “how could I do that,” but I got scolded for answering before swallowing the food I had stuffed in my mouth.

Still, rushing out seemed to be the right choice, as she looked quite pleased.

Since it was an awkward time to go somewhere else, we decided to continue our conversation sitting on a bench near the student cafeteria.

“When you were in such pain, I was just sleeping peacefully. Does that make any sense?”

“You didn’t know. These things happen.”

“I knew you would say that. But… even if you forgive me, I can’t forgive myself.”

Saying that, Celia gently placed her hand on my back and started stroking it slowly.

Since the wound had completely healed, it didn’t hurt at all, it just felt a bit ticklish.

“Ludion. Do you remember what I said when I suggested the date with Alkine?”

“You said quite a few things back then.”

“I said I hoped you wouldn’t get hurt, let alone die. I knew it was greedy, but I said I would be greedy…”

Hearing that, I remembered. That statement I thought was admirable to the point of being foolish.

“After saying something so greedy, I didn’t know anything about whether you were hurt or not. It’s so embarrassing and infuriating.”

Thinking about it that way, it made sense for Celia to be angry at herself.

When she said she hoped I wouldn’t get hurt, there must have been an implicit promise to make sure of it.

She really didn’t expect it to fall apart so helplessly.

This was truly a matter of her own heart, regardless of who was involved, so any comfort I could offer would be meaningless.

“Do you know how shocked I was when I saw that wound yesterday? And Alkine told me everything. She said you almost died.”

So I didn’t answer and just sat quietly, listening to her words.

“I can’t do without you now, Ludion. So…”

Celia said that while completely leaning her body against me, then looked up at my face and continued.

“Please don’t get hurt.”

…I feel like I just heard an incredible confession.

While thinking that, I couldn’t help but nod to her request, which was filled with desperation.

Perhaps it was because I agreed without any objection, but the corners of Celia’s lips rose slightly.

“Ah, of course, I’ll do my best to help you too. It would be shameless to just ask…”

“Why are you talking about being shameless when it’s about me not getting hurt?”

“That’s true. Still, I’ll help you.”

Celia seemed quite anxious, but I was actually confident about not getting hurt.

This incident was complicated in many ways, and I have no intention of getting hurt again.

Carelessness? After what happened yesterday, would I be careless?

Anyone who felt that pain would become desperate not to get hurt.

Perhaps my thoughts were somehow conveyed, as Celia chuckled.

“You look confident? Still, just in case… I’ll always stay by your side to help whenever needed, is that okay?”

“Do as you please.”

When were we ever apart for her to ask such a thing now?

“Ah, and… since we’re on this topic, can I ask you something? Would it be okay if I cast tracking and monitoring spells on you?”

…This is a bit unexpected.

“I promised not to use them, but I can’t stand it anymore.”

“No matter what, that’s a bit…”

“I’m sorry, Ludion. Actually, I’ve already cast them.”

The shocking statements keep coming one after another, making me confused.

She already cast them? Since when?

“Don’t worry. I cast them yesterday when I took you to the dormitory, so it hasn’t been long.”

So she knew I was coming to the student cafeteria not through mana detection but through tracking and monitoring spells.

That was information I really didn’t want to know.

So she’s actually practicing that approach.

Forgiveness is faster than persuasion—do it first, then tell.

Of course, this is a problem that can be solved if I say no, since the spell can be removed…

“But Ludion, you didn’t notice it at all until now, right?”

“Yeah, I really didn’t know.”

“Then actually, even if you say no, I could just use them secretly, so could you just give me permission?”

…Huh? How did the conclusion end up like that?

I was about to say no, but somehow Celia showed no signs of backing down.

Hmm. In this situation, I can’t win with logic.

Hmm… whatever.

“Do as you please!”

“R-really?!”

Why is she so surprised when she’s the one who asked for it?

Right. Celia isn’t someone who would misuse such things. She’ll handle it well.

…She will, right?