Ch.152152 – The Young Lady’s Academy Life

# 152 – The Lady’s Academy Life

As I remember chattering all night in Jona’s arms but don’t recall falling asleep, I woke up in bed.

Feeling tired, I stretched with a groan and reached out my arms, experiencing the refreshing sensation that comes after a good night’s sleep.

Rubbing my eyes as I got up, I realized I had fallen asleep in the night duty room prepared in the Academy’s visiting quarters.

“You’ve woken up in time for training.”

“Hehe. That’s basic, isn’t it?”

“Well done. After you finish your morning jog, I’ll prepare breakfast for you.”

“Wow!”

As I exercised diligently among the Dolphin Pants sisters, my anticipation grew rapidly.

“Oknodie. Did something good happen?”

“Yesterday was visiting day. Looks like her guardian came.”

“Wow. I’m jealous. They say less than one in three students get visited by their guardians.”

My shoulders perked up involuntarily at the envious voices of the Dolphin Pants sisters, who were mostly lower-class students.

“Heheng. You sisters would be surprised if you saw Jona! My butler is so capable.”

“Butler? Not your parents?”

“Papa was too busy to come!”

“What about your mom?”

Hmm… good question?

I stopped running and fell into a daze, but no amount of thinking would help me know someone I didn’t know.

“I don’t know!”

“You don’t know?”

“I’ve never heard about Mama!”

The Dolphin Pants sisters suddenly covered their mouths.

The sister who had asked the question even had tears welling up in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Oknodie…! Did my carelessness make you recall unpleasant memories?”

“She must be from a single-parent household.”

“Her father raising her alone must have been really tough.”

“Seems like he didn’t remarry.”

“Her father must have really loved her mother.”

Their whispering sounded like they were pushing me to cry right now, but I didn’t feel anything about someone who wasn’t even my real mother.

“Don’t you miss your mom?”

“It’s okay! I don’t even know what she looks like. Besides…”

“Besides?”

“I have Isabelle and Arcadia who take care of me like a mama!”

“Aww, she’s so cute!”

“I envy those two!”

“If Oknodie wants, we can be called mama too!”

Suddenly, I had five mamas.

I don’t know why, but the sisters hugged me, patted me, and gave me snacks, making it a happy morning exercise.

“Oknodie. If it’s okay, can we go see this butler person together?”

“Sorry. I was planning to have breakfast with Jona alone!”

“She might want to spend time with someone as close as family. Let’s not interfere and let her go.”

The Dolphin Pants sister with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail waved goodbye several times with a regretful heart.

Waving back as we parted, my steps returning to Jona were twice as light as usual.

“Heheng.”

I couldn’t help but smile and feel happy.

Was having someone to greet the morning with such a joyful thing?

Until yesterday, the night duty room had no meaning to me, it was nothing.

Yet just having Jona waiting there.

That alone made me happy as if I had found a home to return to.

“Jona, I’m back!”

I opened the door wide, expecting Jona to have prepared breakfast.

At the cooking counter set up in one corner of the night duty room.

Next to an overturned pot and spilled hot pot on the floor, Jona had collapsed.

* *

“It’s mana exhaustion.”

Said the healer stationed at the infirmary.

Jona had barely caught his breath.

Those who handle mana occasionally suffer when they use power beyond their permitted mana capacity, drawing on their physical strength or mental power.

Like him last night when he overexerted himself trying to escape Destroyer’s double boundary.

The finishing blow was probably the cleaning magic.

The magic he had used to reassure Oknodie.

He had somehow endured with superhuman patience until morning, but finally collapsed.

“I’m sorry, Jona…”

“Miss, you have nothing to apologize for.”

“But still… you used cleaning magic because of me…”

It was just about 30 minutes of unconsciousness.

His robust body was already absorbing more mana during that short time.

Mana that has once hit bottom tends to rise faster, so one could say Jona actually grew stronger through this experience.

“I should have realized you were pushing yourself when you couldn’t even clean the cloth covering the basket… You were in pain the whole time while I was clinging to you and chattering, weren’t you?”

But this kind of growth brings no joy.

Making the young lady sad and filling her with self-reproach.

It’s no exaggeration to say this is a disqualifying situation for a butler.

“Miss. Would you extend your wrist for a moment?”

“*Sniff* My wrist…?”

Oknodie extended her hand with puffy eyes.

Holding her fair, delicate wrist, he lightly drew up his magical power.

The young lady with a bewildered face suddenly couldn’t bear the increased weight and fell to her knees with a thud.

“Ugh!”

“I can make you collapse like this with just a touch of my finger, Miss. So please don’t worry about me so much.”

“Okay, okay, just stop it!”

After retrieving the metal coating he had applied to her clothes, the suddenly haggard-looking young lady caught her breath.

The experience of being crushed by such an enormous weight, enough to break out in a cold sweat, must have left quite an impression.

“How could someone so strong collapse from mana exhaustion?”

“I had a conflict with one of the professors. It’s nothing for you to worry about, Miss.”

“How can I not worry? My butler collapsed.”

Her eyes narrowed into triangles, showing how angry she was.

The sight of the young lady looking cute even when angry gives him quite a sense of fulfillment as a butler.

“Instead of worrying, you should hurry to your lecture. During ‘Guardian Observation Week,’ guardians can observe the lectures that you usually attend.”

“Oh right! I almost forgot about the lecture!”

He pushed away the young lady who was trying to support him with one finger to her forehead, then smoothed out the wrinkles in his collar.

<Metal Coating>

<Tailcoat Normal Stance>

<Metal Walker>

<Automatic Walking Assist – Type A>

Using mana again before recovering from mana exhaustion causes terrible pain to the mana organs, but he has a duty.

As the foundation’s representative and as the butler and guardian who serves and cares for the young lady, he has a duty to maintain dignity and attend observation lectures.

Compared to those who have neither the qualifications nor the opportunity, enduring pain is nothing.

“I’m looking forward to meeting your friends as well.”

“You’ll be surprised at how many friends I’ve made! I’ll introduce you to lots of them!”

The young lady kept looking back every three steps, carefully examining his face.

Her concern about whether he was pretending not to be in pain when he actually was made him worry about her instead.

How could she survive at Gift Academy with such a kind heart?

‘She must have received a lot of help from her friends.’

On the way to the lecture hall.

Jona traced old memories.

The opportunity once given to him.

The beings he could call friends who shared difficult times with him.

There were many.

Some seemed like insurmountable walls.

But only a very few survived until the end.

When he closes his eyes, he can still vividly hear their screams and curses.

“You’re late, student Oknodie. Even for homeroom, tardiness is not good. Please go to your seat quickly.”

“Ehehe. I’m sorry!”

“Hmm. Seeing your smiling face, I can’t bring myself to deduct points. I’ll let it slide just this once.”

Monday, first period.

Professor Mahabharata, in charge of the senior class homeroom lecture.

“Pleased to meet you, Professor. I am Jona Wiheomhae, Oknodie’s guardian.”

“Hmm?”

The master of transformation magic and one of Dragon Principal’s closest aides tilted his head upon seeing Jona.

He hesitated as if feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, but unable to place it clearly, Mahabharata prioritized his duty as a teacher.

“Yes. During observation, please sit in any empty seat in the section where other guardians are seated.”

Befitting guardians of senior class students, they were all high nobles of nations, high-ranking knights known throughout the three countries, and high wizards from magic towers.

These guardians with overwhelming presence like massive rocks or tall towers engaged in a psychological battle among themselves, creating an invisible boundary away from the students.

Looking at that terrifying scene, Jona’s presence wasn’t particularly noticeable.

“Is that man from the rumored ‘Wiheomhae Foundation’?”

“His aura isn’t that impressive.”

“Perhaps he was selected as a representative not for his skills but through those sinister methods. A sinister man, just like the child.”

The power advantage clearly lies with them.

Yet they are the ones being cautious.

This is the value of the Wiheomhae Foundation’s name.

This is the power of the boss whom Oknodie calls Papa.

*Nod*

A student who made eye contact greeted him with a smiling face.

The dark merchant Giselle.

The man who had protected Oknodie within the Academy.

Isabelle. Son Ocheon.

Those who accompany him were glaring at Jona with disapproving eyes.

Others quickly turned their heads away, not even daring to make eye contact for fear of facing trouble.

Fear is actually better.

What was irritating were the Imperial Group students who glared with contempt and disgust from behind.

It was the same with the students as with the adults—they were all wary.

‘The young lady’s academy life seems really difficult.’

If students show this kind of attitude even with a foundation representative present, how would they treat the young lady when she’s alone as the foundation’s official scholarship student?

It would certainly be worse, not better, than now.

The situation was much more serious than what he had heard from the young lady’s letters or reports from spies planted in the Academy.

At this point, Jona pushed aside everything the young lady had told him the day before.

There was now a possibility that the young lady, who had spoken so casually, had actually been trying not to worry him by pretending serious situations were nothing.

The more the young lady cherished him, the less he could trust her words.

‘The same goes for her friendships.’

Even those precious friendships are of no help in this situation.

The attitudes of Isabelle and Son Ocheon, who were more hostile to him than the Imperial students, made that clear.

They cannot help Oknodie.

The young lady may consider them friends, but do they consider her a friend?

Even if they are truly friends, they show no willingness to help her.

Even if they have the will, they lack the ability.

‘The foundation’s representative has the authority to request support from headquarters.’

And the young lady needed the foundation’s support.

More definite support that would immediately impact her academy life beyond the indirect support provided so far.

That means actively protecting the young lady by deploying additional foundation personnel if necessary.

Of course, such actions also require the cooperation of the person involved.

No matter how much help is offered, it’s meaningless if the recipient doesn’t accept it.

‘I need to reorganize the young lady’s relationships.’

Create opportunities for her to rely on new connections.

Cut off unnecessary friendships for the young lady’s sake.

Plant more beneficial relationships in their place.

It’s truly a perfect plan.

This way, the young lady’s academy life can proceed more safely.

Of course, it would be difficult for the young lady to cut off familiar relationships.

The dirty and difficult work is the butler’s role.

Son Ocheon and Isabelle.

A smile appeared on Jona’s lips as he looked at the two students.

His eyes did not smile.