Ch.3231. Conferment Ceremony (4)

# 31. Conferment Ceremony (4)

I accepted her proposal.

‘Watching a movie together…’

It was a somewhat exciting situation.

We were currently choosing a movie to watch together at the theater.

The theater was showing numerous films.

However, among all those movies, she was fixated on just one.

“Do you like that movie?”

It was a film I was already familiar with.

A story about heroes flying in from another dimension to save a world pushed to the brink of destruction by demon lords…

It was an utterly predictable plot.

However, it had been successful at the box office thanks to its high-quality CGI effects and the outstanding performances of the actors.

Due to its success, the film had spawned twelve installments, and the one she was interested in was the fourth in the series.

“Yes, I enjoyed this series, and now the fourth one is out.”

Looking at the poster, it seemed the fourth installment had just been released yesterday.

‘Isn’t this the one where the protagonist’s father dies?’

I couldn’t remember clearly, but having seen all the previous films, I knew the general storyline.

In the fourth film, the protagonist’s father is killed by one of the demon lord’s executives.

And I believe that incident triggers the protagonist’s awakening.

‘That awakening scene became quite famous.’

That scene alone had become so talked about that it could be said to be even more famous than the fourth film itself.

“Let’s watch this one then.”

She was looking at the poster with eyes that clearly showed how much she wanted to see it.

“Is that really okay with you?”

“I enjoyed it too.”

I like these clichéd stories.

Even though I know how they’ll turn out, there’s still enjoyment in watching the process unfold.

Some might ask:

‘If you already know what’s going to happen, what’s the fun in watching it?’

But that statement isn’t much different from saying, ‘Why live if you’re going to die anyway?’

I personally value the journey more than the destination.

Of course, contradictorily, I’m going through all this trouble to change an ending I didn’t like.

We bought our tickets and went to get popcorn.

“What kind of popcorn do you like?”

“Caramel. Popcorn should be sweet.”

“You know your stuff.”

We ordered two servings of sweet caramel popcorn, cola, and two sausages.

It was too much to carry, but she created an ice tray with her magic.

It even floated in the air, so we didn’t need to carry the tray at all.

I was amazed by her trick.

“Wow…”

“It’s nothing special.”

She said it was nothing, but the magical skill she was displaying was worthy of praise.

‘How many people could create such delicate objects with ice magic?’

It was a question without an easy answer.

And keeping it floating in the air like that would consume quite a bit of magical power, but she showed no signs of strain.

She was truly unrivaled when it came to magical capacity and recovery rate.

‘And later she even gets the [Dragon’s Heart]…’

During the war, after killing a dragon, she gained the [Dragon Slayer] trait and implanted the [Dragon’s Heart] into herself.

And when you have two or more heart-related skills, you gain another trait.

[Two Hearts]

That’s how she obtained an insurmountable amount of magical power that no one could match.

‘Wait, couldn’t I do that too?’

I also possessed the [Mage’s Heart], just like her.

But dragons aren’t creatures you can just hunt down on a whim.

Even when she killed a dragon, it took all the empire’s elite warriors working together to barely take down a single dragon that had invaded.

‘I wasn’t there at that time…’

Unfortunately or fortunately, I had been dispatched on a mission to assist a weakened allied nation.

‘If I had been there, could I have prevented any deaths?’

They say there are no “what ifs” in history, but I couldn’t help thinking about it.

As I was lost in these somewhat negative thoughts, she was watching me.

“The movie’s about to start.”

I was startled by her sudden voice.

She burst into laughter and said:

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Just my mood.”

She teased me:

“I don’t think so. What were you thinking about?”

“You, senior.”

“What?”

She turned her head away, seemingly embarrassed.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but you’re really good at saying embarrassing things.”

“Am I?”

If that’s true, it’s probably thanks to her.

I wasn’t the type to enjoy saying such things before.

Just her existence alone changed me like this.

Of course, she’s too significant in my life to simply describe it as “just”…

“Yes, you talk as if you’re speaking to a lover.”

“We’ll be that soon enough, so what’s the issue?”

“When is ‘soon enough’?”

“Before you graduate, senior.”

She asked with a surprised look:

“Don’t tell me you know about that too?”

“About what?”

I acted as nonchalantly as possible.

Whether my acting skills were good or she was just innocent, she seemed to conclude it was merely a coincidence.

“Never mind…”

“How boring.”

She asked me in front of the theater:

“But… I’m curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“Why haven’t you confessed to me yet?”

There were several reasons, but the main one was that I still felt inadequate.

As we walked into the darkened theater, I said:

“Compared to you, senior, I’m still lacking.”

“Then when…”

“Honestly, if you were okay with it, I’d do it right now, but that’s not right, is it?”

I looked into her eyes and continued:

“So it might take some time. At the very least, I need to be acknowledged by him, right?”

After pondering for a moment, she suddenly exclaimed:

“Wait! You know everything already!”

“Someone told me.”

Actually, asking about it had been very helpful.

“It was Riel, wasn’t it?”

“Who else would it be?”

She asked with a serious expression:

“Do you really think it will work out?”

“At least I believe so.”

I had actually met her father before.

He was quite a jovial person, but when it came to his daughter, he was truly serious.

He was what people would call a “daughter-doting father.”

But he wasn’t overly rigid.

As self-proclaimed fans of the Imperial Princess, the Emperor and I had once had an in-depth conversation about her.

“Where does that confidence come from?”

“To begin with, it’s impossible for a 17-year-old student to land a blow on the empire’s strongest.”

“Then where does your confidence come from?”

“The Emperor isn’t trying to test my abilities.”

As I sat in our assigned seats, I continued:

“I think he wants to test how far I’m willing to go for you, senior.”

Thinking about it, that made sense.

Her father was strict, but ultimately, he acted for her sake.

This time would be no different.

In the end, he wanted someone who would truly love his daughter to come before him or her and prove it.

She also seemed to realize this and was surprised.

“Do you see some hope now?”

“But for that…”

“Let me just say, I’m willing to sacrifice an arm for you, senior.”

I didn’t say I’d give my life for her because it might have sounded too boastful.

Of course, in reality, I would even give my life.

If she died, my life would be no different from before.

“That doesn’t sound like an exaggeration…”

“I’m serious. Anyway, let’s watch the movie.”

I changed the subject to the movie because the current situation was making me feel too self-conscious.

The movie started at just that moment.

Once the film began, she kept her eyes fixed on the screen, unlike me.

‘She’s really enjoying it.’

I was more interested in something else than the movie.

My gaze was directed not at the screen where the film was playing, but at her as she watched it.

No matter what scene appeared on the screen or what sound came from the speakers, I only looked at her.

Partly because I had already seen the movie and wasn’t particularly interested, but mostly because I wanted to appreciate her more.

Due to her disguise, it wasn’t her original face, but she was still beautiful.

Though her face was different, she couldn’t hide her unique expressions.

‘Looking at her like this, she really is the Imperial Princess.’

Her resemblance to the Imperial Princess as portrayed in the media was so striking that I wondered, ‘How could anyone not recognize her?’

As I continued to admire her, the first major scene in the movie ended, and it seemed to be a moment to catch one’s breath.

She also briefly took her eyes off the screen and looked at me.

Noticing that I had been staring at her, she blushed.

Then, in a voice so soft only I could hear, she said:

“Aren’t you watching the movie?”

“There’s something more interesting in front of me.”

She asked with a puzzled expression:

“Interesting?”

“Yes, just looking at you is entertaining for me. Don’t worry about me and continue watching the movie.”

She nodded and shifted her gaze back to the screen, but having realized that I was still watching her, she couldn’t help but be conscious of it.

She kept alternating her gaze between me and the screen.

Seeing her get flustered every time she looked at my face, I felt a happiness that words could hardly describe.

‘Is this what happiness feels like?…’

With such a seemingly adolescent thought, I waited for the movie to end.