Chapter 53: Starlight Family Secret

Whoosh—

The sound of slicing through the air grazes past my ears.

The scenery changes rapidly with each passing moment.

Struggling to calm my restless heart, I dash forward like the wind, my legs strengthened by mana.

‘Damn it. What kind of lightning bolt from the blue is this?’

I grit my teeth, thinking of the starry-eyed girl heading out of the city in a carriage.

The original protagonist suddenly returning to her family?

Isn’t this just outright dereliction of duty?

I had planned to enjoy some honey at the academy before the northern episodes officially began, but this situation has thrown me into chaos.

‘First, I need to find her and talk. If there’s something I don’t know, I need to figure it out.’

I can’t just let this go.

Lost in thought, I soon reached the academy’s main gate.

‘There are the gatekeepers.’

Given that the academy is attended by the children of nobles and even royalty, it boasts a rather impressive checkpoint.

Next to the large main gate, elite soldiers guard the checkpoint.

As I approach them to ask my questions, a man who appears to be the squad leader notices me and respectfully greets me.

“Good morning, Your Grace. What brings you here?”

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“I see. What can I assist you with?”

The checkpoint leader asks.

His attitude is extremely polite and respectful.

It’s moments like these that remind me how useful the title of Grand Duke can be.

I immediately pose my question.

“Did a student named Luke Starlight pass through here earlier?”

“Luke Starlight? Do you mean the top student of the first-year knight department, the heir of Baron Starlight?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. He left in a carriage about thirty minutes ago. He should be outside the city by now.”

The checkpoint leader answers, glancing at a magitech clock.

Seriously?

He’s already quite far.

What to do?

The carriage is probably moving further away in real-time.

Then, I guess I have no choice but to use aura.

“I’ll be back shortly.”

“Understood.”

I give a casual wave to the man, who salutes respectfully, and start walking.

One cheek feels warm, and I notice the sun rising in the distant eastern sky.

The night of stars has ended.

Under the summer sunlight.

I continue walking along the main road.

‘Sigh. Luke, you brat.’

No, nameless starry-eyed girl.

I don’t know what your story is.

But it would be troublesome if you just leave like this.

So, I will come to meet you at the speed of light.

Quickly, but not hastily.

Accurately, towards where you are.

Clad in a radiant aura of light.

I dash through the main streets of the academy city.

[If she’s already left the city, you’ll need to track her with mana. You’ll have to extend your range quite far. Are you sure you can handle it?]

‘Of course, no need to worry.’

I reply calmly to Cheonryeo.

I’ve been consistently training in mana detection.

Passing by the people in the commercial district preparing for early morning business.

I spread my mana wide to track the location of the starry-eyed girl.

Her mana stands out even among the crowd.

It shimmers faintly, yet distinctly, like starlight, making it easy to find.

Moreover, someone of her skill level isn’t common, so I quickly pinpoint her location.

In the slowly flowing time.

Passing by the almost stationary city gatekeepers, I exit the city walls and spot a carriage in the distance.

‘That’s it.’

Thank goodness.

If I were an ordinary person, I would have missed the carriage, leading to a tedious chase.

But who am I?

No one can escape from a Swordmaster.

With a determined expression, I approach the carriage.

Standing beside it, I grab the firmly closed door handle, about to open it.

But I pause, seeing the starry-eyed girl’s face through the window.

“…..”

Inside the carriage, she was crying.

At that moment.

A chaotic turmoil stirred within my chest.

I wanted to wipe away those tears immediately.

After watching her through the transparent window for a while.

I gently open the door and climb into the carriage.

Wiping her tears with my fingers.

I sit opposite her and retract the radiant aura.

Whoosh—!

The scenery around us regains its original speed and begins to move.

The carriage, which seemed to have stopped, starts moving smoothly again.

The sound of hooves and wheels becomes a background melody, drumming against my eardrums.

‘Good. I found her.’

By the way, it seems the duration of my aura has increased.

Is this the result of consistent training?

Putting aside the fleeting thought, I lean against the carriage backrest and cast a mana barrier to prevent the coachman from overhearing.

Sssss—

Then, the starry-eyed girl, who had been shedding tears like pearls, was startled upon seeing me.

“Eh, eh? Ehh?!”

“Long time no see. How was the short carriage ride?”

“I-Is this a dream? Your Grace suddenly appearing before me…”

“It’s not a dream. More importantly, you were planning to return to your family without a word to me? Are we really that distant?”

I speak in a somewhat joking tone, and the starry-eyed girl stiffens.

Her gaze scans me as if she can’t believe it.

To avoid pressuring her, I continue in a casual tone.

“Hey, Luke Starlight. No, since you hid your gender, that must be a fake name too. What’s your real name?”

“That’s…”

“Huh. Still planning to keep it a secret? Well, it doesn’t matter. If I accompany you to the Starlight family, I’ll find out eventually.”

In front of the hesitant starry-eyed girl, I cross my arms and close my eyes, as if to say, ‘Suit yourself.’

If she doesn’t reveal her name, I’ll just take a nap and go to the Starlight family.

As I genuinely close my eyes and remain silent, I sense the starry-eyed girl fidgeting.

She still hasn’t admitted to being a girl.

Her mind must be in turmoil right now.

Take your time to decide.

I’ll be napping for a while.

Just as I’m about to fall asleep.

A delicate, slightly different voice reaches my ears.

“…Eileen.”

“Is that your real name?”

“Yes.”

“Eileen Starlight. A pretty name.”

I slowly open my eyes and speak.

The starry-eyed girl covers her reddened ears with both hands.

“No…”

“I’m just stating a fact. You should take compliments graciously.”

“…Yes.”

“Eileen. Eileen.”

“…..”

I savor the name leisurely, and Eileen bites her lip, looking embarrassed.

Seeing her like this, I continue to compliment her.

“Not just your name is pretty. Your eyes are pretty, your nose is pretty, and your lips are pretty too.”

“…”

“To think such a girl has been pretending to be a boy all this time. It’s absurd.”

“P-Please stop.”

Seeing Eileen’s embarrassed expression is quite enjoyable.

I continue to tease her with compliments.

[Master, you really flirt with girls as naturally as breathing. It’s truly admirable.]

‘Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the compliment.’

[Wow. You’re not even denying it now.]

Cheonryeo speaks in an exaggerated tone.

While Eileen is trapped in my compliment prison, unsure of what to do.

I think to myself as the carriage moves without pause.

‘Wait. When do we get off?’

It feels like it’s been an hour since I got on the carriage…

I hurriedly stick my head out the window and see the capital’s walls looking very small and faint in the distance.

Damn it.

We’ve come quite far.

I seriously ponder what to do, then decide to ask what I’m curious about first.

“Eileen.”

“Y-Yes?”

“There’s something I want to ask. Why have you been using the name Luke and pretending to be a boy?”

“Ah. That’s…”

Eileen lowers her head and answers.

She seems hesitant to speak.

I gently hold her hand and meet her eyes.

“Look at me.”

“?”

“I don’t know the circumstances of your family. But there must have been an important reason for you to give up living as a girl.”

“…”

“I can promise you one thing for sure: I am on your side. More than your family or anyone else. I will prioritize you above all else.”

I speak with a face full of conviction, looking directly at Eileen.

In the swaying carriage, I catch Eileen’s scent.

Her moist eyes look at me as she parts her lips slightly.

“Why do you care so much about me?”

“That’s…”

[It’s because you’re incredibly pretty. Our master is full of desire to have you. Of course, you have no idea.]

‘Shut up.’

[Whoa…! That cold retort. It’s addictive.]

Cheonryeo exhales roughly and speaks.

This girl is speaking out of turn.

I’m helping her because she’s the original protagonist.

But since I can’t tell her the truth, I give Eileen a plausible excuse.

“First of all, as I said before, I admire your willingness to help others.”

“You said something like that in the forest before.”

“Right. And you’re my first disciple, so it’s only natural to help you. I thought we had become close. Was I mistaken?”

“…”

Eileen looks at me without speaking.

Her expression brightens a bit, as if some of her worries have been lifted.

After a short while.

Finally, she speaks with a determined face.

“Actually, I have an older brother.”

“An older brother?”

“Yes. His name is Luke Starlight. The real owner of the name I’ve been using.”

“…!”

“Older brother has been bedridden with a severe illness for over five years, living like a vegetable.

I took the name Luke and entered the academy in his place. For our family.”

Eileen speaks as if recalling the past.

No way.

She has a sibling.

No wonder she pretended to be a boy and entered the academy, despite the number of female knights in the empire.

Wait a minute.

But there’s something strange about this…

I ask to resolve my rising curiosity.

“But even if I found out, you could have just asked me to keep it a secret. Then you could have continued at the academy. Why are you suddenly returning to your family now?”

“That’s… because older brother has woken up.”

“Woken up? You mean he’s been cured? How?”

Hearing Eileen’s words, it’s hard to hide my surprise.

An illness that kept him bedridden for over five years.

To cure that, it would take more than just a priest’s help.

But how was he cured?

As I wait for an answer, a short time passes in silence.

Eileen drops a bombshell.

“…Father seems to have pledged loyalty to the First Prince in exchange for his help.”