Early Summer

Roel blinked at my sudden words with a dumbfounded expression.

,”…The Order is targeting you?”

,”It’s not just me they’re after. Bella, Flavia, Ilia, Rosalyn, everyone here. Yeah, the people hyung-nim cherishes have become the Order’s targets.”

I tried my best to look serious. Fortunately, my efforts seemed to work, as Roel wore a serious expression like mine, fiddling with his lips.

,”…Why would the Order target me? There’s no reason for them to do that.”

,”There is. A very important reason….”

I paused for a moment to heighten the tension before continuing.

,”Because the black magician hyung-nim killed was a member of the Order.”

Roel’s eyes widened slightly at my words.

,”I see, so that’s why….”

,”From Destin Village to the academy raid. Hyung-nim has clashed with the Order and thwarted their plans. As a result, the Order recognized you as an enemy who interferes with their plans and is targeting those around you. I think the Order also manipulated Claire to trap Bella this time. Dwin probably had a hand in it.”

I couldn’t tell him the truth about the Order wanting Bella’s body.

I couldn’t explain how I knew that, and it was important information that Bella and Roel shouldn’t know yet.

Giving Roel, who was lost in thought, some time, I checked once again to make sure there were no holes in my lie.

Roel asked, as if he had finished thinking.

,”How did you know Bella was trapped?”

As expected of the novel’s protagonist, Roel quickly asked about the thing that was most difficult for me to answer.

But I had already prepared a plausible lie. Even Bella, whom Roel trusted, would help me with my lie.

,”…Do you know about Modiste?”

Unlike Roel, who tilted his head with a puzzled look, Bella’s expression hardened at the name Modiste.

At Roel’s gaze demanding an explanation, I shifted my gaze to Bella.

,”It’s the name of a secret information guild in the capital. It’s used secretly, so not just anyone can use it. I use it often, too.”

Roel looked surprised at Bella’s explanation. Was his strong reaction innate? Or was it a natural habit that developed from being around Rosalyn?

I shrugged and casually replied to Bella, who was glancing at me with a strange look.

,”That’s right. The secretly operated information guild, Modiste. After the academy raid, Modiste approached me.”

,”Modiste did?”

Roel asked with a sharp look.

,”They didn’t approach me with impure intentions. They were just curious about me while investigating the incident where I went to the village with hyung-nim and fought the black magician, and the academy raid.”

Roel scratched his cheek with a relieved expression, as if he had been worried about me because of the word ‘approach.’

,”Modiste asked me about what had happened and about the Order. I sold them the information I had been investigating, and they liked my information.”

I reached out to the side and took out the purple dagger I had received as a gift from Estelle from my spatial storage.

,”This is a gift I received from Modiste. Out of pure goodwill towards me, without any compensation.”

Well, it wasn’t like Estelle had given me the gift with bad intentions, so that was true.

Bella’s eyes widened slightly as she listened to the explanation without a word. She seemed amazed that Modiste, who hadn’t budged even with her efforts, had shown goodwill to me first.

,”Ross is popular in his own way like me~?”

I raised my eyebrows, keeping my mouth shut at Roel’s usual sly smile as he subtly read my expression.

After putting the dagger, which I had shown as evidence, back into my spatial storage, I continued my explanation.

,”While I was having dinner with the members, Modiste told me that the Order had trapped Bella. Hearing that information, I rushed to save Bella.”

,”Why did Modiste tell you the information? They could have saved Bella themselves, or informed the Knights.”

I wasn’t flustered by Roel’s question and gave the excuse I had prepared.

,”Well, maybe it’s because they’re an information guild and lack the strength. Or maybe they wanted to avoid the outside world’s eyes, since Modiste is operated secretly. Whatever the reason, it’s true that I saved Bella thanks to Modiste. It’s also true that Modiste called the Imperial Knights.”

When I glanced at Bella, she had a very confused expression. Clearly, what I had said earlier was a lie, but what came after was the truth, so it was natural for her to be confused.

I said to Roel in a serious voice.

,”Hyung-nim, it shouldn’t be known to others that I saved Bella. If they find out, the Order will investigate Dwin’s death and track me and Modiste. If they find out that I interfered with their plans, they will definitely try to kill me.”

Estelle had already taken measures in advance, but I had to say something plausible so that Roel could understand my lie.

Teok-

Suddenly, Roel’s hand came up on my shoulder.

,”Don’t worry. I’m not going to let the Order or anyone else harm my little brother.”

I felt a strange feeling knowing that the person saying this was the overpowered protagonist. A sense of relief? Reassurance? I don’t know what to call it, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Roel, who had placed his hand on my shoulder, hesitated for a moment before coming to sit next to me on the edge of the bed.

,”Thank you so much for saving Bella.”

The heartfelt sincerity in Roel’s voice made Bella and me shut our mouths. Feeling strangely awkward, I scratched the back of my head.

,”She’s someone hyung-nim loves. Of course, I had to.”

Roel, who had a strange expression at my words, tried to say something but eventually closed his mouth and just patted my shoulder.

,”I’m sorry. Even if it was a misunderstanding, it’s true that Luna and Ellie were harmed. Bella and I will apologize to them separately.”

,”Is there really a need for hyung-nim to step in? It might be burdensome for them.”

I subtly advised him to back off, but Roel shook his head as if he had already made up his mind.

,”I’m going to apologize separately from Bella’s matter. It’s true that I didn’t know even though I was by their side.”

Roel looked up at the ceiling.

,”I really owe you a big debt. The words ‘thank you’ aren’t enough.”

It was a warm and sincere remark, but Roel, who lowered his gaze from the ceiling, said in a cold voice in an instant.

,”But from now on, think of your own life first. Bella is also important to me, but you are also a precious younger brother to me.”

I was speechless at Roel’s sudden words and observed him for a moment with my mouth closed. I felt a strange feeling at Roel’s expressionless state, unlike usual, as he stared intently at me with an unreadable emotion.

I felt like I had seen this look somewhere before. I racked my brain, but nothing came to mind right away.

I frowned, feeling the frustration of knowing there was an itch somewhere, but not being able to pinpoint where it was.

,”Of course. I’m not such a great person that I would die for others.”

I wasn’t a heroic person who would sacrifice one minority for the survival of ten thousand people. The scale inside me was a broken scale that wouldn’t balance even if I put tens of thousands of people on the opposite side if one person was someone I had to protect.

Saving Bella was also out of necessity to protect someone precious to me. If there hadn’t been that reason, I would have stood by and watched Bella die.

,”And stop investigating the Order now. Keep your distance from Modiste, too.”

,”Why?”

Roel said in a low voice to my bewildered self.

,”If you get involved with the Order any more, it could become dangerous, as you said. I’ll take revenge for this. I want you to forget about the Order and live your life peacefully at the academy as you do now.”

It was a sweet offer. To pass all the troublesome things onto Roel and live a normal academy life with Luna and the members.

But I couldn’t accept that offer. I had to prevent Luna’s family from being annihilated, and I had to prevent the start of other tragic stories from happening.

But I couldn’t reveal this fact to Roel, and I didn’t have a good reason to refuse the offer. Since I just had to add one more lie to Roel, I nodded without much thought.

,”I’d like that.”

,”It’s a promise. From now on, don’t get involved in things like this. If something happens, don’t step forward and ask me for help first. I’ll help you anytime.”

It was a little difficult for me to lie while looking Roel in the eye, so I slightly averted my gaze and answered.

,”…Okay.”

Roel, who was smiling with satisfaction at my answer, turned his gaze to Bella.

,”The Order shouldn’t know that Ross killed Dwin. We need another reason for Ross collapsing, too. Can you help, Bella?”

,”You saved my life, so of course I have to help. I’ll make sure Ross’s name doesn’t come up anywhere in this matter.”

Bella turned her gaze from Roel to me and asked.

,”The reason for collapsing… we can say it was an accident that happened while training certified magic from Headmaster Nelson. We’ll disguise the cause as mana exhaustion.”

I nodded unconsciously at Bella’s ability to come up with a plausible excuse in an instant. The rumors about me that had spread in the academy included that I had received magic certification from Headmaster Nelson. It was a convincing reason for others.

Roel asked.

,”It sounds good to me. What do you think?”

,”I think it’s good too.”

Roel nodded and got up from the bed when I agreed.

,”Okay, then let’s leave the cleanup to Bella for now. And we’ll go apologize separately, so don’t worry about it anymore.”

,”Okay. Thank you.”

I smiled at Roel’s handling of the situation. I scratched the back of my head, feeling something similar to a sense of accomplishment welling up inside me, as if I was happy that my lie had worked.

Thinking that I was hopeless, I turned my gaze away from the two of them, who were talking, and looked out the window.

Outside the window, without me noticing, time had flowed quietly as always, and summer had already come close.