Chapter 30: Valuable Guest (2)

Click!

The Princess returned after having completed her daily training diligently.

Covered in monster blood from head to toe, today was the worst day so far.

With every step she took, a squelching sound came from the soles of her shoes.

“…Is anyone there?”

No one came to greet her, even after her arduous work.

Such things, which she didn’t care about usually, were starting to bother her recently.

To be precise, it was from the moment she became certain that the Elders were tracking her location.

They only ever call me ‘royalty’ or ‘Princess’ when they need something…

Now it was time for her to return to her room, rest, inspect her firearms, and maintain them.

And it was also the time when the Princess’ heart was most at peace.

And so.

As the Princess headed towards her room with her rifle in hand, her long, pointed elf ears twitched.

─ I always knew we couldn’t trust those guys…!

─ Even so, do we have the leeway to hire anyone officially? If you’re going to be angry, at least do it in your room…

─ Isn’t the point you’re arguing entirely based on the outcome?

─ You didn’t raise an objection when we first hired them, and now you’re complaining…

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The atmosphere had been tense ever since the day the Princess returned alone, the expected guests absent.

The cause of the heated arguments, characterized by raised voices, was a series of failures.

Due to unidentified, incomprehensible factors, their plans had fallen apart repeatedly, infuriating the Elders.

Who were the guests they were waiting for? What was the purpose of their invitation?

The Princess subtly probed the Elders, but they simply dismissed her, saying she needn’t concern herself with such trivial matters.

“Sigh…”

Ignoring the ongoing quarrel, the Princess continued walking until she stepped into her private sanctuary.

Then, she placed the sniper rifle and equipment she was carrying on the table.

She used a wet towel to wipe the monster blood splattered on her face and sat down, opening a drawer.

She needed to clean her equipment before washing herself.

Swish, swish.

As the Princess began with the now familiar process, something she was almost able to do with her eyes closed, her thoughts continued.

─ I’m sure you have many questions you wish you had the answers to.

─ Like, what exactly happened to the Elves who lived in the Tigrova Coniferous Forest?

Was sending that man away a boon or a bane?

She didn’t know yet. She didn’t have enough information to judge.

Still…

It seemed clear that the Elders were colluding to keep something from her.

Thump!

The Princess scrunched up the cloth she used to clean her rifle and tossed it into the trash can.

She touched the spot under her vest where she had sewn the tracking device back in.

Feeling the foreign sensation of the tracker against her fingers, she continued her thoughts.

─ You should have a better idea of how to use that tracking device now.

“…”

The distinct feeling of being manipulated by that man was both unpleasant and unsettling.

But the Princess had already made up her mind.

She opened a pocket on her vest and pulled out her cherished notepad.

She double-checked the phone number written there.

I need to pay him a visit.

She knew that it took a considerable amount of time to gather information.

Still, after all this time, shouldn’t he at least have found something by now?

Having resolved herself, a subtle excitement about going to the city filled her heart.

“Hmm hmm~”

Humming the song she had heard during her previous visit to the city, the Princess continued preparing to wash.

I’m sleepy.

Rohan stretched at the counter, trying to shake off his drowsiness.

He tried to sit down and study the theory in his spare time, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t stick in his head.

And he didn’t have the luxury to do anything else right now. He had to focus to avoid making any mistakes in his work.

“Huu…”

The malaise from mana exhaustion.

This status condition was truly awful.

It was clearly cool outside, but the sluggish feeling made it feel like it was a humid, rainy day.

Even so, he had to endure it for now.

How could he always expect to be in perfect condition for work?

Buzz──!!!

“Huh?”

His phone, tucked in his apron, vibrated.

Thinking it might be a message from the manager, he quickly took it out.

Clara peeked from between the bookshelves, blinking her eyes.

While she was fine talking about the game, she seemed to prefer messages over conversation for everyday matters.

Nice. Healing +1.

For Clara, who still maintained a certain distance, to be the first to contact him about something other than the game…

It was incredibly moving.

It was like a summer shower on his weary consciousness.

He sent her a reply, saying he was fine and gave the girl a small wave.

After receiving his response, Clara looked flustered, her eyes darting around before she quickly disappeared behind the bookshelves.

Rohan smiled at the sight.

I should start cleaning in 20 minutes.

Considering his sluggish state, he had scheduled a rather generous cleaning time today since he had a feeling it would be tight if he didn’t.

And just as he made this decision, the bell chimed.

Turning his head towards the entrance, Rohan’s eyes widened.

He recognized her instantly.

Even though she wasn’t wearing her usual suit.

Her red hair and striking appearance left no room to be mistaken.

“Instructor Juyeon!?”

“Hello, Rohan. Are you working hard?”

“What brings you all the way here, Instructor…?”

“That’s a strange question. I came to buy books, of course.”

Juyeon said as she walked towards the bookshelves.

She glanced over the books the manager had displayed as recommendations near the counter and continued.

“And as the Instructor in charge of Class 1, I also have the duty to supervise cadets who have part-time jobs.”

“Aha…”

Rohan nodded in understanding.

Coming from Juyeon, it sounded perfectly plausible.

“Is your condition improving? Your complexion seems a little brighter.”

“It’s much better than when I first woke up.”

When Rohan smiled, indicating he was fine, Juyeon replied with relief and looked around.

“Are you working alone?”

“Yes. The manager went home already and I’ll be closing up soon as well.”

“I would have greeted the owner if they were here… You’re trusted, I see. That’s good.”

Did she manage to find any books she liked?

Juyeon’s eyebrows twitched slightly as she picked up a book and moved to another shelf.

“Have you had dinner?”

“I plan to eat at the Dormitory after work.”

He would have normally eaten a cheap meal at the Orion Academy Cafeteria before coming to his part-time job.

But today was an exception.

After waking up in the infirmary from the bluish IV drip, he came straight to the bookstore as he had completely lost his appetite.

“Straight to the Dormitory… so you don’t have any plans then.”

“Where else would I go at this late hour?”

When he answered nonchalantly, Juyeon met his gaze.

“Then have dinner with me.”

“Huh?”

As Rohan blinked and asked back, Juyeon approached the counter and placed her book down.

She had picked a mystery novel and a historical novel.

“Is it too much trouble?”

“No, it’s not. I’m just a little surprised.”

Rohan answered and picked up the scanner to ring up the books.

4 coins and 31 tokens, including the paper bag.

He accepted the card Juyeon offered and completed the transaction.

“I thought it might be awkward for a cadet, but I couldn’t think of a less direct way to ask.”

“While it was sudden, it’s not awkward or burdensome.”

Juyeon took back her card and stared into Rohan’s calm eyes for a moment before chuckling softly.

“It seems you’re being honest, which surprises me. Do you not feel uncomfortable around superiors, Rohan?”

“It depends on the person. And I’m not someone who’d refuse a free meal.”

There were several conditions attached, but it wasn’t a lie.

A pretty Instructor offering to buy him dinner? There was no way Rohan would refuse.

“…If you looked uncomfortable, I was going to say I was joking and back down.”

“No cadet in Class 1 would refuse an invitation from you, Instructor.”

“That’s excessive flattery.”

“Instructor, I’m not the type to flatter.”

Unable to suppress a chuckle at how easily things had worked out, Juyeon picked up the bag containing her books.

“Don’t get any ideas, this is not special treatment. I only came here under the pretense of supervision, so I can’t just leave without doing anything.”

“Understood.”

She was saying that even if she visited any other cadet at their part-time jobs for supervision, she would likely offer and buy them a meal as well.

“Do you have any preferences? Or anything you don’t eat?”

“I’ll eat anything except things that taste bad.”

“That’s a demanding request.”

“But my standards are incredibly low. The hamburgers sold right outside on the main street are pretty good too.”

“Hmm.”

Juyeon expressed a complex emotion with her lips and eyebrows as she slowly stepped away from the counter.

“Anyway, I understand. I’ll be running some errands, so contact me after you’re done with your part-time job.”

With that, Juyeon took the books she had purchased and left The Flower Bookstore.

Rohan collected himself after the unexpected encounter and left the counter to begin cleaning.

What a sudden whirlwind…

He was pleased but confused at the same time. Disbelief would be a more accurate description.

As he walked towards the storage room to get the mop, replaying the conversation in his head, wondering if he had made any mistakes…

“Huuu…!”

He saw Clara shivering in a corner of the bookstore.