Ch.53Chapter 53: Interlude (2)

“Thank you for the meal.” / “That was delicious.”

*clap*

Shizu and I. Without either of us taking the lead, we brought our hands together in prayer almost simultaneously.

It was a habitual gesture we’d often make after a satisfying meal, something we’d been doing since childhood when we frequently ate facing each other.

The meal was satisfying enough for our natural prayer gestures to emerge in unison.

One reason for our gesture of thanks was that the food, prepared with utmost care for the students of Yonam, was delicious.

“Food really tastes better after training together.”

I think the biggest reason today’s dinner was particularly satisfying was that I could eat with someone I always want to be with, and see that person smiling comfortably.

“I’m going to go in and rest. What are you planning to do, Cal?”

When Shizu’s question reached my ears just as I was about to let the smile spread across my face in acknowledgment of my satisfaction, I fell into thought for a moment.

‘What should I do?’

There were quite a few options.

I could go outside and swing my sword, keeping alive the sensation I had when passing Fafnir’s final test yesterday evening.

Or I could return to my room and rest my body that had been working without pause, while preparing for the subjugation festival that would unfold in a few days.

Alternatively, I could choose to enjoy the evening and put my mind at ease.

But tonight, it seemed I needed to make a choice different from these three options.

“Heh… hehe… hahaha.”

“…Sigh.”

Because I needed to keep an eye on the two people sitting beside and across from me, who were letting out strange laughter and sighs.

Instead of answering, I turned my gaze toward Excel and my sister in turn.

“Hmm… I think those two might be fine if we just leave them be.”

Shizu, who had caught my silent answer, spoke with a voice tinged with slight doubt.

“I don’t know about Cal, but it seems awkward for me to get involved.”

After saying this, Shizu got up from her seat while giving me a hand wave.

“See you tomorrow.”

She also offered her farewell greeting.

She probably took this action because she felt she was more of an outsider when it came to getting between those two.

Although I wanted to keep her with me longer, my desire to let her rest won out, as fatigue from exchanging blows with my sister had spread faintly across her face.

“Rest well.”

I too waved my hand at Shizu as she rose from her seat, offering my evening greeting.

The sight of Shizu’s back as she left the dining hall with light steps had a magical quality that held my gaze.

#

Now that Shizu had left the dining hall, I needed to do what I had to do.

First, by asking why these two people were showing such polar opposite emotions while facing each other.

For now, I should set aside Excel, who was lost in laughter, and try to grasp the situation by speaking first to my sister, who was maintaining some semblance of composure.

“Sis, what exactly—”

“My head hurts from dealing with an idiot, so would you mind leaving me alone?”

…But my question couldn’t continue as my sister cut me off mid-sentence.

Her voice carried its usual calmness, but I could easily tell.

That the calmness in my sister’s voice right now was like the stillness before a storm.

‘What on earth happened?’

Besides the loud noises I heard from the infirmary that we naturally had to pass on our way to the dining hall, was there something else that had upset my sister?

With this unresolved question in mind, I turned my gaze from my sister to Excel, who was sitting next to me.

And what my eyes saw was.

“Heh… hehe… hahaha.”

…Although I had the feeling I’d used this expression quite often today and had resolved not to use it again, it seems I’ll have to use it once more.

“…What a spectacle.”

To the extent that I couldn’t help but use these words.

“Heh… hehe… haha.”

The sight of Excel sitting across from me, grinning from ear to ear as if he owned the world, was impressive.

It wasn’t just because he was laughing.

Part of it was that his handsome appearance, known among the female students of Yonam, was marred by a bump visible even to the naked eye.

And as he continued to laugh repeatedly, his uncontrolled expression created a perfect synergy with that bump.

To describe it roughly.

Should I say his mouth corners and cheekbones were amicably ascending to the high heavens, overwhelmed by excessive happiness?

Anyway, he was displaying his current emotions directly on his face to the extent that the word “bizarre” would be fitting.

So much so that it made his usual demeanor—always ready with sharp words but never revealing emotions through his expressions—seem meaningless.

For the children of noble houses (名家) that illuminate the Empire, especially those of warrior houses (武家) responsible for the Empire’s military might, emotional control was a virtue that had to be mastered while growing up.

This was observed in a form that emphasized it more and more to members as the rank of the family’s martial prowess increased.

Moreover, for members of warrior houses that have stood at the pinnacle for a thousand years, like Lanos, Proxian, and Bernstein, the necessity of such virtues goes without saying.

This is because the secret techniques (祕傳) learned through the family could be dangerous to innocent people who might experience them being wielded by a member swayed by emotions, no matter how insignificant the individual’s achievement in mastering them might be.

Especially for members of the Bernstein family, who specialize in lightning techniques suitable for large-scale combat compared to the other two families, they even receive specialized training related to emotional control at the family level.

The biggest reason was that if the lightning dwelling within the body went berserk due to momentary passion or emotional disturbance, unimaginable damage could occur.

‘Controlling lightning energy requires emotional control, so I wonder if there’s going to be an accident?’

I was expressing such concerns in my mind momentarily as I looked at Excel, who was completely unable to control his emotions.

‘Well, surely that won’t happen.’

Of course, it was just a fleeting thought.

Although I left Yonam on my own feet before my regression, I had never heard any stories about this guy causing accidents due to failure in emotional control.

‘He may appear frivolous, but he’s not that indiscriminate.’

This was a fact that could be easily understood just by recalling the lightning he was emitting at the training ground earlier.

As soon as he entered the training ground, he emitted lightning through his body that was vivid enough to be observed by others’ eyes.

Despite being so intense, that lightning didn’t exert any physical force on the surroundings except for the barrier of fighting spirit deployed by my sister.

Utilization of fighting spirit and emotional control related to the target against which that fighting spirit is to be exercised.

If he had been unskilled in just one of these two, there would surely have been chaos in the training ground.

‘How far ahead are you?’

As my thoughts reached that point, I could realize the level that he had built up.

And I could naturally realize the difference in skill between him and me, who had just awakened my super-regeneration ability and barely entered the ranks of superhumans.

In the past, I would have burst with jealousy and inferiority towards a friend with talent incomparable to mine, but now only admiration arose.

‘I need to work hard.’

With the determination that I should at least not hold these guys back if I want to lead the coming future to a happy ending.

After a brief concern followed by high praise for my friend.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one expressing concern while watching Excel’s unrefined appearance.

The reason seemed to be that thanks to him sitting in the middle of the dining hall like this, he was exposed to the gazes around him.

*murmuring*

Through my suddenly improved hearing, I could hear snippets of murmuring here and there expressing concern about Excel.

-Why is he suddenly acting like that?

-Did he get hit on the head by the vice-captain during the evaluation earlier and go weird?

-The lightning he was emitting at the training ground earlier was a bit dangerous too, but surely he’s not going to have a lightning outburst in the dining hall?

‘…Oh my.’

I inwardly lamented, unable to voice it aloud, at the concerns expressed by some fellow students who knew the nature of the lightning Excel emitted.

Even as I continued my lamentation, the murmuring in my ears continued without pause.

In a form that contained a character trying to approach and observe from a different angle, not just expressing concern.

-Why is he like that today when just yesterday he looked like the world was ending?

-What else could it be? It’s because the vice-captain sitting next to him now has come, so his expression has brightened up.

-I guess it wasn’t just a rumor that the Bernstein side has been constantly sending marriage proposals to Lanos whenever they get a chance.

‘They know well.’

Was it because many remembered the attempt at marriage between noble houses of equal standing?

I could hear the voices of those who knew something about the relationship between Excel and my sister, each blooming with their own imaginations.

And not just about Excel, but also about my sister sitting next to him, comments were sporadically audible.

-But, as that guy’s expression brightens, the vice-captain sitting next to him…

-Apple, carrot, and what other red vegetables or fruits are there? It’s almost at the level of bringing those to mind.

The voices adding a few words while watching my sister, who was managing her expression precariously as Excel fell apart, made me turn my gaze from Excel to where my sister was.

“…”

My sister’s expression, now even devoid of sighs, was a blend of regret and embarrassment to an extent that was difficult for me, her brother, to describe.

When did I often see such an expression on my sister’s face?

Hmm… It’s the expression she wore right after getting caught and scolded for climbing trees with Excel despite being told not to play in high places and to stay quiet.

Is it an expression she’s showing because she’s uncomfortable being the subject of gossip among juniors much younger than her?

Several thoughts were trying to take root as I looked at the expression my sister was wearing, but.

“There was no need to be sulky about not receiving a reply to your letter. When you came all the way to Yoram for me like this, what’s a mere reply?”

As properly formed words finally emerged from Excel’s mouth instead of laughter, my thoughts didn’t continue any further.

But listening to what he’s saying, it seems like only his speech is normal while the actual facts are all wrong.

“Haah…”

As if I wasn’t the only one thinking this, another sigh escaped from my sister’s mouth as she quietly listened to what he said.

“He keeps going on like that.”

She appealed to me in a voice that sounded almost like a complaint.

“He was talking nonsense again in the infirmary, and because it had been so long, I couldn’t control my strength and hit him on the head, which seems to have made him like this.”

Her voice drawing her own conclusion was an added bonus.

No. That doesn’t seem right.

That devoted fool is out of his mind because he’s seeing the person he likes after too long.

I wanted to tell my sister this right away, but.

“…I wonder if hitting him once more would bring him back to his senses.”

I had to stop my sister, who was repeatedly opening and closing her right hand placed on the table while speaking in a low voice, so what I wanted to say couldn’t continue.