Ch.8Meeting (1)

While I was inwardly cursing the professor, Rina politely greeted Marie who was sitting beside me.

“Oh, Marie, you’re here too. It’s been a while.”

“Yes. It has been a while indeed.”

It seemed the two were already acquainted. However, unlike Rina who was smiling, Marie’s expression was full of discontent.

Marie speaking informally was likely possible because her family was one of the founding contributors to the Empire of Minerva, but it was obvious that Marie was openly uncomfortable with Rina. Rina, however, didn’t seem to mind.

Despite Marie’s curt greeting, Rina maintained her smile and shifted her gaze back to me. As soon as our eyes met, I tried to appear as nonchalant as possible.

Then Rina’s expression brightened even more than before, and she introduced herself in an elegant voice.

“Let me introduce myself properly. As you may know, Issac, I am the First Princess of the Empire of Minerva, Rina Urmi Christine. Please call me Rina.”

“…I’m Issac Ducar Mayshall. It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Rina.”

“Ducar Mayshall?”

When I stood up and formally introduced myself, Rina’s eyes widened slightly. She alternated her gaze between my hair and face, then muttered almost inaudibly.

“Red hair and golden eyes… I thought they seemed familiar… But literature…”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Anyway, please call me Rina without the ‘princess.’ Cecilly? Would you like to introduce yourself too?”

“Oh, yes!”

Rina smoothly changed the subject and called Cecilly forward. Considering they were already on a first-name basis despite having just met, they must have become quite close in that short time.

As Cecilly stepped forward, I looked directly at her face. She also looked at my face with a nervous expression.

‘They’re all unrealistically beautiful.’

Marie, Rina, and Cecilly.

They’re all so unrealistically beautiful that it doesn’t feel real. It’s like meticulously drawn characters have popped out into reality.

Moreover, Cecilly is a demon. The first non-human race I’ve encountered since reincarnating into this world.

While her jet-black hair is familiar enough, her blood-red eyes and the horns protruding from both sides of her head were truly alien.

Above all…

‘…Her shirt is screaming for help.’

To exaggerate slightly, her chest is almost the size of her head. Even with the school uniform trying to cover it, the overwhelming presence cannot be hidden. Even Rina standing next to her, who is quite well-endowed herself, pales in comparison.

As for Marie… she’s decently sized too. It’s just that the other two women are exceptionally large, not that she’s small. After all, as nobles who eat and sleep well, good physical development is only natural.

Anyway—

“Hello. I am Cecilly Drat Isillia Vin, Princess of Helium. Pleased to meet you.”

Just as I had heard in her speech, Cecilly introduced herself with her characteristically seductive voice. Perhaps following Helium’s etiquette, she placed her hand over her heart and bowed her head respectfully.

Thanks to Rina, she seemed to have gained confidence, and there was a hint of liveliness in her voice.

In response, I managed to keep my gaze fixed on her face as I replied. Even controlling my line of sight was a struggle.

“As you heard earlier, I’m Issac Ducar Mayshall. It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Cecilly.”

“Like Rina, you can just call me Cecilly.”

“I understand. By the way…”

I looked back and forth between Rina and Cecilly before getting to the point.

“What brings you both to me?”

As I asked, I glanced around. As expected, numerous students’ gazes were focused on us.

Most were filled with curiosity, but there were also several hostile glances among them.

Especially that count’s son who had flirted with Cecilly right after arriving. I think his name was Jackson? I can barely remember.

Anyway, he was glaring at me with murderous intent, and I suspected I’d be called out separately soon. It was more annoying than frightening, so I’d have to be careful to avoid his sight for a while.

Meanwhile, Rina responded to my question in an elegant tone.

“Your presentation during class was impressive. ‘Knowledge is power’—I never would have thought of such an answer. It was truly admirable.”

“You flatter me.”

“Not at all. It’s no exaggeration. I suddenly became curious. Why did Issac come to think that way?”

If you had lived on Earth, you would have heard this famous saying at least once, Your Highness.

Of course, I couldn’t say that directly. I rolled my eyes, quickly trying to come up with an appropriate answer.

“Why don’t we sit down and talk? It looks like we’ll be sitting next to each other next period too.”

Marie’s blunt voice cut in. I turned my head to see Marie resting her chin on her hand with an annoyed expression.

Her gaze was directed precisely at Rina, and she seemed quite displeased with her.

“Ah, how rude of me. Shall we sit down then?”

“…Yes.”

Somehow we ended up sitting in the order of Cecilly, Rina, me, and Marie. It’s nice having beauties on both my left and right, but the pressure is no joke.

After all, on my left sits a duke’s daughter, and on my right are the princess of the Empire of Minerva and the princess of Helium.

One wrong word and not only would my head roll, but my entire family would be reduced to dust.

Is this how a soldier feels when sandwiched between the American and Korean presidents? I’m trying to appear calm, but my heart is pounding fiercely with tension.

“So, your answer?”

While I was extremely tense, Rina asked again. Her sapphire-like eyes were filled with curiosity and expectation.

‘Damn. What should I do?’

No matter how much I think, I can’t come up with a suitable answer. I only heard that famous saying in my previous life; I have no idea about its origins.

Still, it’s better to be honest than to lie. If Rina starts digging deeper, I’d have to come up with another lie.

I managed to calm my racing heart and spoke calmly.

“…I don’t know.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t know. I just thought that way. There’s no particular explanation.”

“You just thought that way…”

Rina murmured with round eyes and a somewhat disappointed expression. I wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or surprised, but I guessed it was closer to disappointment.

However, this was all just my misunderstanding.

“That’s amazing.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I said that’s amazing. It means you’ve always thought of knowledge as power, right?”

No. How did the conversation turn this way? What kind of misunderstanding led to such a conclusion?

While I was bewildered, Rina’s eyes shone even brighter than before, and she asked directly.

“I’m sorry to say this, but you don’t have physical talent, do you?”

“Uh… no. My father gave up on that halfway through.”

“I thought so. I was wondering why the son of Lord Hawk was in literature rather than martial studies… Now I understand. If it’s Lord Hawk, he would surely have told you to build mental strength if you couldn’t build physical strength.”

“Um… Rina? Is Issac’s father someone great?”

Cecilly, who had been quietly listening, asked Rina. I was also curious about how great my father was, since I didn’t know myself.

My father was originally a commoner who achieved tremendous feats while serving as a knight and became a noble, but I don’t know exactly what achievements he made. My father himself is reluctant to tell me, and my mother just vaguely answers that I’ll know when I’m older.

But from what I’m hearing now, he seems to be great enough to be known even to the imperial princess.

While I was thinking about this, Rina turned to Cecilly and began to talk about my father, Hawk.

“Have you ever heard of the Red Lion of Minerva?”

“The Red Lion… Could it be?”

As soon as Cecilly heard Rina’s question, her eyes widened and she looked at me. It’s frustrating that they know while I have no idea.

“Ah, I see. I thought the name sounded familiar, and with that red hair… So you’re the son of the Red Lion? With those golden eyes too.”

Even Marie seems to know. Yet I, his son, don’t know.

I blinked once and asked Marie with a puzzled expression.

“You know too?”

“Huh? Don’t you know? Even though you’re the Red Lion’s son?”

“I don’t. My mother wouldn’t tell me even when I asked.”

“That makes sense. Lord Hawk was never fond of publicizing his achievements. He could have received the title of count, but he deliberately accepted the title of baron, saying that a higher position would be excessive.”

Rina explained instead. I shifted my gaze from Marie to her.

Her gaze had become even more intense than before, and Cecilly beside her looked even more curious. If nothing else, I could guess that the situation was taking a strange turn.

‘What exactly did he do during his active years?’

Since she said he almost received the title of count, was he perhaps the captain of the Navy Knights?

For reference, the Navy Knights are the most famous and strongest order of knights in the Empire of Minerva. If even I, who lived in a rural village, know about them, one can roughly estimate how great they are.

“Lord Hawk achieved countless feats as the captain of the Navy Knights. If it weren’t for his personal wish to rest comfortably, he would have held the position of captain for decades.”

So it was true.

“Anyway, as the son of Lord Hawk, he must have told you to build strength in preparation for any situation, right? Lord Hawk always told his knights to develop the ability to prepare for variables.”

“…Yes.”

The situation had taken a strange turn, but it was fortunate for me. Thanks to having an excellent father, Rina was making her own judgments.

Hearing my answer, Rina smiled more deeply and spoke to me with expectation.

“You mentioned earlier that you were considering history, theology, and biology, right? Is there anything else?”

“Maybe… philosophy and humanities?”

“Philosophy… I’ll look forward to it.”

Not “please take care of me” but “I’ll look forward to it.” I understood the meaning behind those words. It meant she expected me to live up to her expectations from now on.

It seems I’ve made quite an impression. It’s better than a bad impression, but the pressure weighs heavily on my shoulders.

Well, what can I do? For now, I just need to make sure no one finds out that I’m the author of the Biography of Xenon.

“Oh, by the way, Issac?”

“You can speak informally if you’d like.”

“Alright. Issac. I’ve been curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“This.”

Rina pointed at my finger. Specifically, she was pointing at the callus on my middle finger, the “pen callus.”

As I was slightly puzzled, Rina spoke with a curious voice.

“That callus, doesn’t it form from frequently using a pen?”