At the Academy

One morning, as the first semester was drawing to a close, I woke up to find the weather outside my window utterly miserable.

The reddish hue in the sky gave me a sense of foreboding.

‘Today’s the day.’

I washed up, put on my usual work attire with an overcoat, and prepared to head to the academy.

I went to my office to wait for Luna.

‘I wonder what’s on the menu today.’

Considering Luna gets up earlier than the other maids and makes it in a drowsy state, I’m secretly looking forward to the awful food.

Knock, knock.

“It’s Luna.”

“Come in.”

“Today, it’s sandwiches.”

Between the slices of well-toasted bread, spread with butter, were fresh vegetables, cheese, and thin ham—clearly store-bought ingredients.

‘If the outside looks normal, the sauce is usually the problem.’

Does she taste it as she makes it?

Or is it because she’s still half-asleep from waking up early?

Pondering the mysterious origins of Luna’s cooking skills, I took a bite.

Crunch!

The sound of chewing vegetables was accompanied by a strange-tasting sauce spreading through my mouth.

‘…Fish sauce?’

How on earth did she manage to make fishy flavors appear in a medieval-themed game?

I’ve noticed it before, but Luna seems to like Bernatore’s traditional sour and fishy sauce.

‘Sour. And fishy.’

Still, to give Luna the compliment she’s expecting, I forced myself to chew and swallow it all.

‘It’s edible. It’s edible. It’s edible. It’s edible.’

“Water.”

“Here you go.”

If it weren’t for the lemon-infused water, the taste would have kept coming back up.

“That was delicious today. Whoever made it is truly excellent.”

I glanced over to see Luna averting her gaze, seemingly embarrassed.

“I’ll clean up now that you’re finished.”

As soon as Luna left, I put on the necklace of wind that I kept in the back of my office and tucked it under my shirt.

I opened the locked drawer to make sure the letter and stone were still there, then locked it and put the key and necklace of regeneration in my coat pocket, and the ring of strength and ring of regeneration in my pants pocket.

‘Carry Lion and Revenge in their sheaths, wrapped in the invisibility robe.’

With all preparations complete, I waited for the time to leave for the academy.

I went downstairs early, hoping to leave before Luna could greet me, but she was already waiting, not in her maid uniform, but in her heroic attire.

“I want to go with you today.”

No way.

“Next time.”

“Can’t I just go with you today?”

“Next time.”

Usually, she’d give up by now.

But she doesn’t look like she’s going to give up.

‘You’ve noticed something strange too, haven’t you, Luna?’

If she stays put, the butler will take her to safety.

I didn’t want to take her to a dangerous place, so I raised my voice.

“I’m just going to the academy! Just stay home!”

Luna didn’t back down.

“What about someone to attend to you?!”

“I can manage on my own. Other noble professors do it that way too. Don’t I usually go alone anyway?”

“Then let me carry your luggage.”

She reached out to grab the robe covering Lion, so I quickly slung it over my shoulder.

“I’ll carry it.”

No matter what I said, she wouldn’t listen.

“…Don’t you need an escort?”

She held up her transformation ring.

“I’m fine with this.”

Luna bit her lip, her eyes welling up with tears.

‘Tears are cheating.’

“Please… I just want to follow you today, Scarl.”

‘You’re definitely going to regret it.’

Today is the day Flare faces her trial.

‘…Luna is a Hero, though.’

“Alright.”

Before leaving the mansion, I signaled the butler to take a vacation.

Once the carriage carrying Luna and me returned to the mansion, everyone would leave together.

Inside the carriage.

I kept fidgeting with the sword sheath next to me.

‘If I had known, I would have brought the holy sword too.’

“Do you carry a dagger?”

It might be necessary for self-defense.

‘Luna might send everyone on vacation and wait alone at the mansion.’

I also thought that the professors’ building in the Fencing Department, where skilled people gather, might be safer than that.

“I have one here.”

She lifted her skirt to show her thigh, so I turned my gaze out the window.

“Scarl.”

“What?”

“This outfit. Thank you so much.”

“You seem to like it.”

“Yes! How did you know it would fit so well! Flare was amazed too, you know?”

My tension eased, and a chuckle escaped my lips.

“Good to know.”

“What’s with that creepy expression?”

“Ahem.”

Was it too weird?

“Is Flare listening to your lessons well?”

“Don’t you hear about it every day? Today was like this and that. And you hear everything when you meet up every weekend. Stop talking about me behind my back when you meet.”

My ears are always itchy on the weekends because they gossip so much when they meet.

Luna covered her mouth and laughed.

“Then don’t you know a student named Hati? Lately, he’s been mentioned more often than Scarl… Do you happen to know him?”

Flare talks about Hati a lot?

“…I don’t know him. I’m not interested in men.”

“You knew he was a man just by hearing the name.”

“Isn’t that obviously a guy’s name?”

“I guess so. …Lately, when I meet Flare, she only talks about a male upperclassman named Hati. I think she likes him.”

No way, that can’t be.

We’re close, but we’re just meal buddies.

‘We only see each other for about two hours on weekdays.’

I remember her squatting in front of the lecture hall because I was a little late last time.

‘It can’t be.’

I shook my head.

“This is the first time I’ve heard about a student named Hati.”

“You’re a professor, Scarl! How would you know about a female student’s love life? Flare says your lessons are so hard! I’m exhausted from comforting her every time I meet her!”

Luna has been through a lot.

“It can’t be helped. Flare is too far behind compared to her classmates.”

Luna pouted.

“Whose fault is that?”

“Who lost the money, I wonder.”

She puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction at the criticism of her sister, so I poked them with my finger to pop them.

“Don’t ‘poo’ at me!”

“Aren’t I teaching her hard because I feel sorry?”

Luna’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What did you say?”

I’m blurting out my true feelings too often today.

“I can’t stand to see the pride of our territory being inferior to others.”

I quickly cleaned it up in Scarl’s style, and Luna smiled.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Please take good care of Flare, Scarl.”

“I promise.”

Then I quickly changed the subject.

“So, Hati? I’ll look into what kind of student he is today.”

“Yes. I really don’t know what he does, but he’s suspiciously rich, and he’s a commoner, and he goes to the Fencing Department, and he gets along well, and his grades are good, and he’s considerate, and handsome…”

Luna rattled off the stories she heard from Flare.

‘He wasn’t really that much…? He’s average, not even handsome. And that Hati is right in front of you, Luna.’

“Please find out what kind of guy he is. If he’s a weirdo, please chase him away, Scarl!”

She’s asking me to chase myself away.

Her concern for her sister is as strong as ever.

“Alright.”

While I only saw dark clouds and a reddish hue at the mansion, when I arrived at the academy, lightning and thunder were crashing, and rain was pouring down.

“The weather is terrible. The coachman is to return to the mansion as soon as we get out!”

“Yes, Master!”

Drip! Drip!

Rumble, crash!!!

Drip! Drip, drip!

Kugugugugugugung!!!

Pat! Drip, drip, pat!

The sound of raindrops hitting the carriage roof became deafening.

“The weather has been like this often lately! Could there be something that has angered the gods?!”

“Who knows!”

It’s before the first class, so she’s still in the dorm.

‘It might have already started.’

“Go to Room 404, Luna.”

“What about you, Scarl?”

“I’ll go to the main building and look up a student named Hati in the student registry.”

I got out first, opened a large umbrella, and naturally held it over Luna’s head as she got out.

“You’re so kind today?”

“…Don’t talk nonsense and get inside quickly.”

“Hehe.”

I could see Luna’s right shoulder getting wet under the umbrella.

I reached out my right hand, wrapped it around Luna’s shoulder, and pulled her closer.

“Get closer.”

“W-Wait! Your shoulder is getting—”

“It’s fine.”

“…Okay.”

I took her to the eaves of the Fencing Department’s faculty building in that state.

Luna lowered her eyes shyly.

“The luggage on your back, I can take it to the lab…”

“No. I need this for other business. I’ll look for that student Hati while I’m at it.”

“I see.”

I almost forgot the most important thing.

“Take this.”

I took the mansion drawer key out of my coat pocket and gave it to her.

“What’s this? A key?”

If it’s the clever Luna, she’ll quickly figure it out when the time comes.

‘There won’t be a need… but just in case.’

“I’ll leave it with you for a while.”

“Okay.”

I jumped into the rain, afraid she might grab me.

“…Be careful!”

Her words stuck in my ear, and I stopped in my tracks.

“Scarl?! Is something wrong!!!”

“No!! I’ll be right back!!”

“Yes!!!”

The rain is getting heavier.

Swishhhhhh―!!!!

At the faculty building entrance I turned back to, Luna was waving her hand, mouthing words.

On the way, I took the ring of strength out of my pocket and put it on.

I used the transformation ring to change into Hati and put Lion on my waist.

I made sure the demon sword Flare would use was securely on my back.

I finished by putting on the invisibility robe with built-in transparency magic.

I opened my umbrella and walked towards the dormitory.

“Hoo.”

‘It’ll be okay.’

I can’t help but be nervous.

Demons will appear, just like in the game.

Maybe they’ve already invaded.

The goal is Flare, the Hero who will kill the Demon King.

‘This hasn’t changed even in the Luna DLC.’

Today, the academy and the capital will see blood, just like the red sky.