Ch.145144. Luna Crystal (4)

# 144. Luna Crystal (4)

I unconsciously stared at Luna as she brought up such a topic.

“Ah…”

Flustered by her outfit with considerable exposure, not knowing where to place my eyes, I immediately looked away.

Luna then checked her attire with a puzzled expression.

“Oh…!? I’m… I’m sorry..! I’ll go… change my clothes!”

Luna left the training ground with a flushed face.

Seeing her go, I let out a sigh of relief.

‘It seems she doesn’t normally dress like that…’

When I first saw that shocking appearance, I thought she dressed that way at home, but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

However, there was one thing that wasn’t fortunate.

“Did you just see that?”

A calm yet cold tone.

For some reason, it was perfectly identical to that tone from back then.

I avoided her gaze and answered her question.

“I did… but this…”

“It’s certainly not Albert’s fault.”

I was relieved that she understood I wasn’t to blame.

Then she continued in a different, more normal tone.

“If you had said you didn’t see it, I would have been angry, because I… hate things like lies.”

She disliked lies.

That hadn’t changed, then or now.

Of course, who would like being lied to, but in her case, it was a bit more intense.

Having seen so many lies and pretenses since childhood, it was understandable in a way.

“Besides, I like Albert’s honest side…”

“That’s an honor.”

It seemed almost impossible to lie to her now.

How could I possibly lie when she said things like that?

Just as I thought this, Luna reappeared, having changed into ordinary outdoor clothes.

“You came back quicker than I expected.”

“Um… please forget about earlier… I don’t usually dress like that…”

“Understood.”

The aftermath of that incident seemed to still linger with Luna.

Somewhat shyly, Luna asked me the question she had started earlier.

“Do you always train at this time?”

“Well… normally I’d be attending the Academy, but this is what I do on holidays.”

“Academy… is that really a thing?”

It seemed she was reacting that way because the Persian Kingdom didn’t have educational facilities like academies.

“Yes, it really exists.”

“Could I… attend too?”

“No.”

Only minors between the ages of 14 and 19 can attend the Academy.

However, Luna was already an adult, and her skills were on a completely different level compared to the current Academy students.

“Why… not? Is it because I’m an elf?”

“No.”

I didn’t explain the reason, feeling it might hurt Luna’s feelings.

Nevertheless, Luna persisted.

“Then why?”

“Because you’re too old.”

Upon hearing those words, Luna’s face lost its vitality, and she spoke in a dejected state.

“So that’s the reason…”

“And honestly, you’re too skilled for the Academy anyway.”

“Isn’t that… the same for you?”

That was certainly true.

But even so, it was better for me to attend the Academy.

“In human society, academic credentials are much more important than the princess might think.”

“I think I’ve heard about that before, that when hiring people, they look at which academy or school they graduated from.”

“That’s right.”

I originally thought this was unreasonable, but after being in a position to hire people myself, my perspective changed somewhat.

It wasn’t always the case, but people from good academies or schools often followed instructions better and were more skilled, which led to this practice.

“That’s why I attend. You can also build good connections by meeting many people. And it’s surprisingly fun.”

Unlike before, lately, life at the Academy had become more enjoyable.

She was there, and I’d grown to enjoy training with our party members.

“I’m envious… we don’t have anything like that.”

“But it also has many downsides—it can be bothersome, and staying only at the Academy gets boring.”

Still, it was clearly an experience worth having at least once.

The process itself was a memory worth making.

“I’m still envious…”

“Would you like to try attending once?”

Her rather unexpected proposal.

I stared blankly at her, and the flustered Luna quickly spoke up.

“Didn’t you just say… it’s not possible?”

“It’s not normally allowed, but we can make it happen.”

Make it happen, she says.

Certainly, someone like her could make it possible.

Moreover, since Luna was also a princess of the Persian Kingdom, if she wished for it, it could certainly become reality.

“Besides, most people don’t even know how old my sister is.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

I wasn’t sure how these two had become so close, but they seemed quite friendly despite having met just a day ago.

“But is that really okay? Shouldn’t we at least get permission…”

“It should be fine! Our parents would probably be okay with it.”

“Well… if you say so…”

I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for a country’s only princess to just leave for another country like this, but she seemed to want to do it.

‘She’ll probably want to go home after staying for about a week anyway…’

Luna seemed to have quite a fantasy about Academy life.

But that fantasy wouldn’t last long.

Probably…

Just as I thought this, a voice reached our ears.

“Here you are…”

A voice I had heard for the first time yesterday.

Yet it didn’t feel unfamiliar at all, perhaps because it was quite similar to Luna’s.

“Mother!”

Upon seeing her mother, Luna approached like a puppy finding its owner.

And then she actually put into action what we had just been discussing.

“I’ve found something I want to do.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“I want to enroll in the Academy.”

“Wow…”

Impressive decisiveness.

I couldn’t help but admire her determination.

“Really? But our country doesn’t have an academy. Ah, could it be…?”

“Yes, exactly what you’re thinking.”

“Alright, do as you wish. But aren’t you past the age for attending the Academy?”

“That’s not a problem, he says.”

The king’s permission came surprisingly easily.

I wondered if it was really okay to grant permission so casually.

She was a princess, and moreover, an elf—a rarity in human society.

The fortunate thing was that Diabolica seemed aware of this.

“But it might be dangerous… are you sure?”

“Of course.”

“Confidence is good, but there are plenty of strong humans out there, like those children.”

Diabolica said this while looking into my eyes.

Luna spoke to Diabolica.

“If it’s dangerous, wouldn’t those children protect me?”

“Well…”

I met her gaze directly and denied Luna’s words.

“Don’t count on that.”

“Is that so?”

Hearing my denial, Diabolica smiled meaningfully.

It was quite similar to the smile Merlin had when she first saw me.

“Luna, you’ve made quite an interesting friend.”

“What? But more importantly, why shouldn’t I count on it…”

Humans are creatures of betrayal.

They would betray even their own families for personal gain.

But Luna knew far too little about such human nature.

“What if we betray you?”

“Well… that…”

“I advise you not to trust others too much. You might get hurt.”

For some reason, Diabolica was smiling brightly as she listened to our conversation.

And she was still looking at me without turning away.

“Humans are indeed prone to betrayal, but surely there are those who aren’t. Like you.”

“How do you know I’m not like that?”

“Where in this world would you find a traitor who warns, ‘I might betray you, so be careful’?”

“Even that could be part of a strategy.”

Of course, I’ve never seen a traitor who speaks like that either.

“That could certainly be the case, but not with you.”

Unwavering confidence without a trace of doubt.

I was left speechless by her firm conviction.

“Albert certainly isn’t that kind of person.”

“So does that mean you’ll allow it?”

Luna seemed excited hearing those words.

Diabolica looked at Luna and said:

“But didn’t we make a promise before?”

“A promise?”

“I believe I said I’d allow it if you brought a reliable son-in-law.”

It seems Luna, unable to contain herself, had already spoken about this before.

And the promise made then was to bring a reliable son-in-law.

“Well… I need to find someone before I can bring a reliable son-in-law…”

As Luna said, there weren’t many people in this country.

With so few people, it would be difficult to find not just a reliable son-in-law but even a friend of the same age.

However, Diabolica seemed to have already found someone suitable among those few people.

“Why wouldn’t there be someone?”

“Who could possibly be available?”

Luna asked incredulously.

The queen answered Luna’s question simply by shifting her gaze.

“Hah…”

A gaze filled with disbelief.

For some reason, I was the recipient of that gaze.

“Me… me?”