Chapter 65 – While Away (7)

For the second-year students of Farencia Academy, the busiest time of the year had arrived. It was the period when students had to make crucial decisions about their future, planning their careers and post-graduation paths.

Students from both the Magic Department and the Knight Department submitted applications to the towers or knight orders they hoped to join. Even those planning to return to their families to help manage their estates weren’t exempt from the graduation requirement: completing at least two magic or knight training sessions, along with obtaining the certification of completion.

During this time, external organizations eager to recruit academy students would send out invitations, particularly targeting those who excelled academically or had prestigious family backgrounds. These invitations came with offers to support tuition and research in exchange for students choosing their towers for training.

Naturally, the top students received the most offers, and Liv, being the top student of the second-year class, was no exception.

“Hey, Liv. Have you decided where you’re going for training this time?”

“…”

“Liiiv~?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, what?”

“Your training. Have you decided where you’re going?”

“…Not yet, I’m not sure.”

Karen had noticed that her friend had been unusually quiet lately, often sitting in a daze with a troubled expression.

Liv, once known for being sharp and on top of everything, now found herself fumbling in class, sometimes even getting flustered by questions from professors.

Her eating habits, already light, had worsened to the point where she was skipping meals, becoming visibly thinner.

Karen had an idea of what was bothering Liv.

“Is this because the store has been closed?”

“Ugh…!”

“That shopkeeper really is selfish. I mean, if he was going to shut down, he could’ve at least told his employees a week in advance, right?”

“…”

“Liv?”

“I… I need to go. Bathroom.”

“Liv? Class is about to start soon!”

As soon as Liv made it to the bathroom, tears poured uncontrollably into the sink. In the reflection of the water, Louis’s cold, emotionless face flickered, and a burning sensation welled up in her throat.

“What does that have to do with you, Baroness?”

Of course. It had nothing to do with her. They weren’t anything to each other, to begin with.

Whether it was the time he swapped out an old, stale bread for a freshly baked one when she bought something at the store, pretending not to notice.

Or when he teased her for blushing every time she called him “Boss,” or when they sat side by side at the counter, and he explained unfamiliar terms to her.

Even the nights when he walked her back to the dormitory.

Destroying the store had certainly been wrong, but—

“What’s so special about a place like this? It’s the people inside that make it special, Baroness.”

“You said I was… more important than that…!”

The one time he told her not to go to the dangerous front lines and stay by his side—had that also been a lie?

Had she been the only one nurturing feelings of affection this whole time?

Swallowing her sobs, Liv stayed inside the stall, skipping her first class ever.

Afterward, she tried to visit the store several times to apologize, but it was no use. The shutters were pulled down, and she couldn’t even get close to the building.

As she aimlessly wandered around the closed store, time moved on, and it was soon time for her to decide which tower to go to for training. The conversation she had planned to have with Louis over dinner about possibly quitting her part-time job was no longer necessary.

“Liv. Where have you been… Oh my God! Your eyes! Have you been crying?”

“It’s nothing.”

Ignoring her friend’s concern, Liv packed her notebook from the empty classroom desk.

The Twelve Alliances didn’t accept trainees, and the Alkaid Tower had never been a consideration, especially after Louis had warned her not to go to such dangerous places. Voluntarily or not, she had removed those risky options from her list.

She would never again be held down by him… never again feel his hand pressing against her stomach.

“I’m going to the Phecda Tower.”

“What? Why all of a sudden?”

Ignoring the ache in her chest and the empty feeling in her lower stomach, Liv forced her usual expressionless face back into place.

“I’ve known all along. Phecda Tower is where the best thought-based magic is practiced. Plus, there’s no tower lord there.”

“So no one can force you to join later?”

“Exactly.”

“You know you could aim higher… Are you sure about this?”

Maybe Louis had never seen her as someone to have a romantic relationship with. Though she hadn’t heard his answer, he had always seemed to pay more attention to Adela when they were at the store together. They might have already been deeply involved with each other.

If that was true…

“Now… I don’t know anymore…”

Liv tried to suppress her sadness as she counted the money she’d need for a ticket to Batudis.

***

“Princess, here are the financial details for this year’s second-year magic training sessions.”

“Thank you, Petro. But while I’m here, can you call me ‘President’ instead?”

“Oh, apologies, my mistake…”

“It’s fine. You mentioned some groups have already left? Make sure to hire extra guards from the adventurer’s guild to protect the students going to Alkaid Tower. It could be dangerous.”

“Understood.”

Ever since she had become the student council president, Erzebert had been overwhelmed with work. With the previous council disbanded by the headmaster, a lot of responsibilities had piled up.

She had been writing responses to letters from all over the kingdom and ordering plaques of appreciation and donations to the temple that supported her during the election. It was an endless stream of tasks.

Then, late in the afternoon, a report came to the student council. There had been a flood in one of the dormitories.

Erzebert sent a team to check the plumbing, but the workers reported that there were no issues. With no other choice, she went to investigate herself and found water leaking from the second-floor hallway.

“Hurry! Get your things out!”

“Students on the third floor, evacuate to the roof!”

“What!? Why is there ice floating in the water? Be careful!”

“Princess!”

As soon as Erzebert arrived, a female student with a worried expression ran up to her, panicking.

“Princess! My friend is still inside!”

“Who?”

“Adela! She’s in room 207!”

“Adela…?”

Come to think of it, she hadn’t been attending classes recently. Erzebert felt a wave of concern and, holding up the hem of her skirt, she waded through the freezing cold water.

“207… 207… Ah, here it is. Adela! Are you in there!?”

She knocked, but there was no response. However, Erzebert quickly noticed the freezing water pouring out from under the door, much colder than before.

Placing her ear to the door, she could hear faint sobbing. Sighing, she cast a spell and blasted the door open.

Crash!

Inside, Adela was curled up on the bed, shivering.

“What in the world is going on here!?”

“Hic, sob! P-Princess…?”

“Was this all your doing? First, you blocked me during the vote, and now this? Why do you keep making things harder for me…?”

“Huaaaaah—!! Princess!!!”

As soon as their eyes met, Adela lunged at Erzebert, soaking wet. Her skin was so cold it felt like she was hugging a block of ice, causing Erzebert to shiver uncontrollably.

The tears falling from Adela’s eyes weren’t just drops of water—they were like tiny ice crystals.

“Kyaaah!? C-Cold! Wait, hold on! Let go, Adela! You’re freezing!”

“T-Teacher…! Hic! Told me… to leave! Sob!”

“Okay, I understand, but don’t cling to me like this! Ah, stop freezing my hands! Don’t lock them in ice!”

“I… I broke the store… Hic, and now, Teacher hates me…!”

“Kyaaaaaah!!”

***

Why would you do something so foolish?

After hearing Adela’s story, Erzebert could finally understand why Louis had been so furious.

All the items she saw on the second floor were things he had painstakingly collected, each representing a memory or something he cherished deeply.

Considering how much he loved the store, it was a miracle he hadn’t lashed out physically.

“But still…”

The store was completely sealed off, with no way in.

The first floor, usually dark, was now covered in an unfamiliar metal barrier that extended all the way to the ground, blocking any view inside.

Grrr…!!

Whenever Erzebert approached, two steel-fanged iron dogs bared their teeth and growled menacingly.

Overhead, a murder of crows circled ominously, further giving her the sense that now was not the time to approach.

But at least she had a reliable companion with her, always by her side.

Her familiar, Phi, whom she had trusted since childhood.

She pointed to the second-floor window that led to Louis’s room.

“Phi, this is an important moment. You’re the only one who can do this.”

“Phi—.”

“Go see what Louis is doing. If needed, knock on the window with your beak to get his attention.”

“Phi—.”

“What? You don’t want to!? Why not! Hurry up and go! Why are you being stubborn at a time like this!?”

“PhiPhiPhiPhiPhi—!!”

“Kyaaaah!? Phi! Stop pecking my head! Aaaah!”

After some persuasion, Erzebert finally managed to get Phi to fly up to the second-floor window. She then used <Synchronize> to share his vision.

The room beyond the window was dimly lit. Inside, she saw Louis slumped on the couch, looking almost lifeless. Despite the time that had passed since the store was damaged, he had done nothing but stare blankly at the giant hole in the ceiling.

Tap, tap. Tap, tap.

Phi tapped the window with his beak, and Louis’s black eyes, hidden under his disheveled hair, slowly turned to look.

But that was it. He just glanced over before turning his gaze back to the ceiling.

“Oh my…”

Erzebert had no idea how to fix this. Louis seemed like a bomb ready to go off at the slightest provocation.

Who among those who knew him could face him directly in such a state?

Even Baroness Greenwood, who had tried to apologize multiple times, had been unable to get inside.

As the cold wind chilled her wet clothes, she began to consider throwing Phi at the iron dogs as a distraction so she could sneak into the store. But then, someone spoke from behind her.

“Hm, I came after hearing the news, and it’s more serious than I thought.”

Erzebert didn’t have a personal connection with the voice’s owner, but she immediately recognized who it was.

“Lady Ruhillen?”

“Good evening, Student President. Is His Majesty in good health?”

It was Darling Tokarev de Ruhillen, the wealthiest woman in Pennheim.

“What brings you here?”

“I came for the same reason as you—to drag Louis out into the world. I’ve been through something similar myself, and trust me, his current state isn’t good.”

“W-What?”

What could she possibly do? She didn’t seem any more capable than Erzebert in this situation.

“Don’t worry.”

Darling took a few items from her carriage and handed them to her attendant, glancing disdainfully at the students who were still evacuating from the dormitory.

“You all used to visit his store so often, but no one knows Louis better than I do.”