Chapter 22: A Place of Our Own

I firmly asked the knights not to tell anyone else.

It would be troublesome if someone found out about the secret meeting location.

After sending away the staff who offered to help clean up, I moved a little closer to observe the storage room.

There were cobwebs everywhere and dust had piled up thickly.

At least when I opened the door and looked inside, there were no bugs.

The inside was completely empty, so aside from the dust, it was in decent condition.

It was about the size of a slightly extended closet.

If two people stood inside leaning against the wall and facing each other, there wouldn’t be much space left — probably a little uncomfortable.

Well, if it’s Siwoo, I don’t really mind.

We’ve lived in the same house since we were kids.

Though there was never a time when our minds were as immature as our bodies — we never grew up sharing the same room or bathing together.

But because we lived in the same place, we know each other well.

Besides, we didn’t plan to be stuck inside for hours anyway.

“Perfect.”

It took a bit of time to tidy it up, but I was satisfied.

I stepped outside, closed the door, and stood there quietly for a while, gazing at the storage room, before heading back to the dormitory.

I honestly don’t know how I’ve managed to live without a cellphone until now.

Well, back in my hometown, everyone in the village knew each other, and I was often with Siwoo, so there was never a need to search far.

But things changed after coming to the academy.

At the very least, if we’d lived in the same building, it might’ve been easier to find him.

I hesitated for a moment in front of the boys’ dormitory.

The stares of passing students landed squarely on me.

Since it was still the first week, there were quite a few students coming and going even at this late hour.

It’s not like my appearance is especially outstanding compared to other girls — they were clearly staring because I’m a female student.

And as a bonus, I also held the title of Hero.

Luckily, no one went as far as to strike up a conversation.

“Alright.”

Standing around here wasn’t going to help me find Siwoo.

For now… maybe I should at least ask.

It seemed like they didn’t stop female students from entering the building lobby.

Of course — if they did, it would be impossible for anyone to come looking for someone.

Even for those who aren’t Heroes, I heard that some of the academy’s classes require team projects.

It’d be ridiculous to block interactions between students when teamwork is part of the curriculum.

I walked up to what looked like a guard room — probably the dormitory supervisor’s office — and rang the bell.

“Yes, what brings yo— Huh.”

The middle-aged man, who looked like he was worn out from work, turned his head toward me and gasped.

It really seemed like everyone who saw me reacted the same way.

“I’d like to call for a student named Lee Siwoo.”

“Oh, yes. May I ask what this is about—”

“We’re in the same party. I just have something to discuss briefly with my party member.”

“I understand.”

At my words, the supervisor turned and pressed a bell located at his desk.

A moment later, a young woman in a maid outfit came out in response to the chime.

“Please fetch the student named Lee Siwoo. The Hero has something she wishes to discuss with him.”

The maid glanced at me briefly, curiosity flickering in her gaze.

Was being a Hero treated like being an idol here?

…Actually, maybe that’s not so far-fetched.

Not that I’m saying I’m as pretty as an idol.

It’s just that in this peaceful era, the title of Hero doesn’t hold much weight outside of propaganda.

And only Siwoo and I knew the truth — that in a few years, the Demon King’s army would invade.

Well, us and the goddess in the sky.

“Thank you.”

I replied politely and sat down on a chair in the dormitory lobby.

As I crossed my legs, I noticed some male students sneaking glances at me.

They tried to make it seem casual as they passed, but it was still kind of funny.

Oh, come to think of it — I was still holding the holy sword.

…Well, it’s probably fine. No one’s said anything.

If a girl walks into the boys’ dorm holding a kitchen knife, that would be terrifying, but if it’s a holy sword, it’s probably not a big deal.

About five minutes passed.

“Room 212?”

Siwoo came down the central stairs with the maid, looking a little surprised to see me.

I quickly got up from my seat.

At this point, there were students openly watching us, but I didn’t pay them any mind.

I turned to Siwoo and said, “There’s somewhere I want to go with you.”

Murmurs. Whispering.

It’s not what they think.

But I didn’t feel like correcting the mood either.

Sorry, Siwoo — but I know exactly how obsessed teenagers can be with romance.

No matter how much we deny it, rumors are bound to follow.

“Uh, o-okay.”

Siwoo, clearly aware of the attention, hurried to follow behind me.

“So… where are we going?”

He asked quietly as he caught up to me.

“We don’t really have a good place to talk, just the two of us. And if we talk in public, we can’t exactly discuss the goddess or the Demon King.”

I lowered my voice as much as I could.

Siwoo seemed to understand.

“But… is there even a place like that?”

“Just follow me. I found a good spot.”

Siwoo tilted his head in doubt but followed without further complaint.

“Ta-da.”

I pointed at the old storage shed, and Siwoo was speechless for a moment.

“Are you sure about this? The two of us will barely fit in there.”

He already looked a little uneasy when I stepped off the walkway into the shadows.

Now that we were in front of that tucked-away, sketchy shed, he seemed even more uncertain.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’d be a problem if it were too hot, but it’s still a cool spring, right?”

I smiled as I opened the shed door.

“It’s not like I can go to your room. And the opposite is even more impossible.”

When we were younger, I used to go to Siwoo’s room often.

We lived right next door, and even our bath times were nearly the same.

I’d usually wash up later than him, and if I thought of something while in the middle of bathing, I’d quickly dry off, throw on some clothes, and barge into his room.

He started looking uncomfortable about it as we got older, so I’ve tried to hold back since then.

Siwoo stood there for a moment, staring blankly at me entering the shed.

But then he seemed to steel himself and stepped in with a slightly nervous expression.

I closed the shed door and propped the holy sword up against the wall.

This place should’ve been completely dark, but thanks to the gentle glow of the holy sword, the inside was faintly illuminated.

“So? Isn’t it roomier than you expected? You probably couldn’t stretch out your legs all the way, but if we put something down, it’d be enough to sit with your legs folded.”

“Y-Yeah, you’re right.”

Only after seeing Siwoo smile did I finally relax, leaning against the wall.

“Haa…”

“What’s wrong?”

The mixture of disbelief and concern on Siwoo’s face had now settled into pure concern.

Still leaning against the wall, I bent my knees and sat down on the dusty floor.

My uniform would get dirty, but someone else would do the laundry anyway.

“It’s just… Being here like this finally puts me at ease.”

“Really?”

Siwoo asked, a little surprised.

“…At the Academy, there are eyes on me no matter where I go. Didn’t you see it in the dorm lobby earlier?”

“Well, that’s true… but you do have your dorm room.”

“People can still show up unannounced. And…”

I spoke in a tired voice.

“It’s hard to talk to you.”

“Haa…”

As I exhaled again, Siwoo sat down beside me.

“Is it… really that hard for you?”

“It’s not that it’s hard… I’d say it’s just that I can’t get used to it. I’m not used to people having expectations of me.”

Siwoo’s face, illuminated faintly by the glow of the holy sword, was full of concern.

And only then did I realize I was being incredibly clingy.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t bring you here just to whine.”

“It’s okay. You’re allowed to.”

I thought for a moment, then spoke up.

“You said you could talk to the goddess, right?”

“Uh… yeah, I did.”

“Then… Do you think you could ask her something for me? Could you ask why I became the wielder of the holy sword?”

“When I asked last time, she just said it was because you had the qualifications…”

“Qualifications…”

I let out another sigh.

“If someone who was better at studying or more talented in other areas had drawn the sword, it probably would’ve been much better. Even after hearing the principal’s explanation, I honestly couldn’t relate. Even if a war does break out, I’m not sure I’ll be able to step up and fight at the front.”

“Really?”

Siwoo listened to me with surprising seriousness.

“Sometimes I wonder… What if you had been chosen instead? Then I could’ve just trusted you and followed along.”

At my words, Siwoo seemed momentarily at a loss for words.

“I’m not someone worthy of wielding the holy sword either.”

“Really? Well, I guess anyone who ends up with something like this would think that way.”

At my words, Siwoo didn’t say anything for a moment, then looked up at the ceiling.

“You chose the place well.”

“Hm?”

“Just like you said. It feels much better inside than it looked from the outside. It’s surprisingly spacious too.”

“Right? I thought so.”

“So this is where we’ll come if we need to talk in private from now on?”

“Yeah. Though I think we should also set up some kind of way to contact each other. Even if we can’t have detailed conversations, just being able to say we need to talk would help.”

“I actually have something perfect for that.”

“Oh? Really?”

We kept talking like that for a while.

For the first time in two days since entering the academy, I finally felt at ease.