episode_0018

Chapter 18 – Shadowing

Meanwhile, at the top of the magic tower, the teacher was enjoying a quiet meal.

It was the teacher who broke the silence.

“Deborah. Isn’t there a student named Ruan Friuli in your class?”

“…Yes. There was such a person. But why do you ask? Is there some problem?”

“Mm-hmm… No, that’s not it. I’m just a little personally interested?”

The teacher, Roxana Sprause, made a small space between her thumb and index finger, smiling alluringly.

Her cascading light purple hair and blue eyes exuded a sophisticated beauty.

Deborah’s eyes widened.

“Personal interest?”

“Yes. I found something interesting during the class placement test. How to put it? I want to find out what kind of man he is.”

“Is that so….”

Deborah’s expression stiffened.

Although there was no direct mention of what it was, looking at the overall form of her words, Deborah felt she understood what kind of feelings her teacher had for the male student, Ruan Friuli.

This was love!

Of course, it wasn’t at that level yet, but no one knew when a feeling of liking would develop into love.

Especially since Roxana herself seemed unaware of it right now!

‘What should I do?’

Deborah also knew.

What rumors were circulating about Ruan Friuli, whom Roxana had mentioned.

If it was just a rumor mixed with exaggeration and fabrication, it would be fine, but if it was true, Roxana would undoubtedly suffer greatly.

While Deborah was troubled, Roxana’s words continued.

“So, I was wondering if you could look into him for a bit? What do you think?”

“Huh? What did you just say?”

“Oh my? You weren’t listening to Teacher-nim? What were you thinking about?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Really? That’s suspicious, isn’t it? Were you perhaps thinking about a boy you like?”

“N-no!”

Deborah reacted sensitively to the question.

Roxana had merely made a lighthearted joke, but to Deborah, it sounded as if she were asking, ‘Surely you aren’t coveting your Teacher-nim’s man, are you?’

Roxana, seeing Deborah’s unusual behavior, made an exaggerated gesture.

“Good heavens! If it’s not, then it’s not, so why are you shouting like that? Alright, alright. I won’t pry anymore. At your age, it’s natural to like a boy.”

“I told you it’s not like that….”

“Anyway, back to the main point. Could you keep an eye on Ruan Friuli for a while?”

“Ruan Friuli?”

“Yes. The rumors about that student are unsettling, but when I saw him last time, he didn’t seem very strong. If anything happens, contact me immediately. I’ll run over in three seconds. Got it?”

“Yes….”

Deborah was in despair.

Not just because she had to follow a man who wasn’t destined to be hers, but because her Teacher-nim had fallen in love with Ruan Friuli despite being aware of the bad rumors about him.

Since things had come to this, simply avoiding it wasn’t the best solution. Was it ‘if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it’? Even if she couldn’t enjoy it, as a disciple, she needed to work hard to prevent her Teacher-nim from falling for a bad man.

‘I’ll find his weakness!’

She would find Ruan Friuli’s weakness and warn him not to approach her Teacher-nim carelessly.

Deborah nodded firmly.

“Teacher-nim. Leave it to me. I’ll find out everything about Ruan Friuli.”

“Uh, huh? You don’t need to go that far?”

“No! I’ll dig into his every move. Are you prepared?”

“Is preparation needed for that?”

“Of course! Teacher-nim, just stay still. I’ll take care of everything.”

It was a rare sight to see Deborah burning with such motivation. Roxana merely nodded with a dubious expression.

*

“Alright, everyone, pass out the handouts. This week is the club application period. If anyone wants to join a club, submit your applications early. That’s all!”

As usual, Sara, who had quickly finished the morning assembly, left the classroom with the attendance register.

Immediately, the classroom became noisy.

“Which club are you going to join?”

“Me? I’m thinking about the band club. I heard they teach beginners from scratch.”

“Wow, then maybe I’ll go there too?”

Using the students’ murmurs as white noise, I slowly scanned the handout.

The front page was the application form, and behind it were various club names. A quick glance showed over 70 types.

‘The place I’m going is already decided.’

Royal Palace.

It’s a club where only direct descendants of high-ranking nobles can join, and before taking student council positions, even the Crown Prince and Princess were active there.

In the game, Ruan Friuli was also a member here.

Although, his activities were nonexistent.

‘It’s not bad for observing the main characters.’

Besides those I’ve met so far, there are quite a few nobles who play significant roles, so it would be good to get to know them.

Above all, it’s also the club where the guy I need to be most wary of is a member.

Well, I’ll think about that when I actually confront him later; for now, I just need to scribble my personal details on the application form.

Just as I was diligently moving my pen, I suddenly detected a very persistent gaze.

Looking subtly in that direction through the window so as not to be noticed by the other person, I found a pair of purple eyes staring intently.

Armed with ash-gray hair and smoky makeup, she was Deborah, the temporary class representative of Class 3.

‘What is it?’

Her behavior was incomprehensible.

I hadn’t had any interaction with her yet, so why was she paying so much attention to me?

Pondering, I pretended to turn my head naturally and faced Deborah.

Then Deborah, like a hopelessly single man secretly ogling a pretty woman at a cafe, violently averted her gaze as if her neck might snap.

It was clearly suspicious behavior.

‘Something’s up.’

Ever since Isis’s shadowing incident last time, it felt like I’d developed a persecution complex, and I couldn’t just let it go.

The fortunate thing was that Deborah had absolutely no talent for this kind of thing.

‘For now, I’ll let it pass.’

There wasn’t really a problem yet, and if I needlessly picked a fight, I would only draw unwanted attention.

It was wise to only be wary until I could definitively catch her.

*

A few days passed in an instant.

Today, once again tormented by Alisa’s beating, I lay as if dead and woke up in the recovery room.

However, what made today special was the presence of no less than two pairs of large breasts, practically covering most of the ceiling.

‘The whole world is breasts.’

To show such a blissful sight immediately upon waking, long live the Church of Light!

Engraving such praise for the Church deep in my heart, I collected myself and decided to assess the current situation.

‘Whose breasts are these, anyway?’

One pair was definitely the Saintess’, but I had no idea about the other.

Seeing my internal compass starting to stir a bit meant I’d used them for a certain purpose before, which implied she was at least a main or supporting character. Among those who could rival the Saintess in terms of bust size, the likely candidate would be….

‘I know!’

The moment I exclaimed “Eureka,” the conversation between the two women above me continued.

“But Lady Felicia. Why did you come to find Young Master Ruan?”

“I have something I’d like to ask.”

“Oh? Can you tell me what it is?”

“No. I’m sorry. It’s information that others shouldn’t know.”

“Hmm… That really makes me curious.”

With every word spoken, tiny vibrations spread throughout my body, causing the two pairs of large breasts to jiggle.

It was truly a sight too good to keep to myself.

‘Should I lie here a little longer?’

Since possessing this body, I could count on one hand the times I’d rested without worry. Even this moment was incredibly precious to me.

However, the world did not grant me rest.

“Oh? Young Master Ruan? When did you wake up?”

The Saintess, who had been talking with Felicia, noticed I was awake and peeked her head over the large breasts.

The drill-haired lady with platinum blonde hair also belatedly pressed her face beside her.

“Just now. I didn’t realize the Saintess-nim was here.”

“Hmph! Why? Can’t I be here?”

“That’s not it, but it’s unexpected. Aren’t you busy?”

“I am busy! It’s just a coincidence. More importantly, if you’re awake, hurry and get up!”

Perhaps annoyed that I was still lying down admiring the large breasts, the Saintess grabbed my head and pulled me up as if extracting a radish.

Snap!

It felt like my spine was being pulled out while I was still alive.

Finally, I faced Felicia and the Saintess directly.

“Thank you for treating me.”

“Glad to hear it. You’re not hurting anywhere else, are you?”

“No. I’m perfectly fine.”

After appealing my well-being under the Saintess’s attentive gaze, I turned my head to Felicia.

As if she had been waiting, she opened her mouth.

“I don’t know if you heard, but I have something I want to talk about. Do you have time?”

“I have plenty of time. Shall we move somewhere else?”

“Yes. I know a quiet place. Follow me.”

Expressing my gratitude to the Saintess once more, I followed Felicia out of the recovery room.

But when I looked behind me, the Saintess was following.

“Saintess-nim? Do you have some business?”

“No! It’s just a coincidence that we’re going the same way, alright? Don’t mind me!”

“…Alright. See you next time.”

Though I tilted my head, I dismissed the thought, thinking there was no way the Saintess would follow a good-for-nothing like me without any reason.

A moment later, Felicia and I stopped in the middle of a secluded garden.

Felicia twisted her drill-shaped hair with her fingers as she began to speak.

“Young Master Ruan. What is your relationship with Alisa Bretes?”

“Pardon?”

“Alisa. Your partner in the close-quarters combat class. Are you two perhaps dating?”

It was a statement that made me doubt my ears.

Setting aside why Felicia would be curious about such a thing, I couldn’t understand how she could make such an absurd misunderstanding.

“Why would you think that? You know I get beaten to within an inch of my life by Alisa every class, don’t you? If we were actually dating, she wouldn’t do that, would she?”

“…That’s true, but these days, if you look at Alisa, she’s searching for you all day long, isn’t she? I know that when a man and a woman desire each other that much, there’s only one reason.”

Alisa was probably just looking for opportunities to beat me up outside of close-quarters combat class, but from Felicia’s perspective, it was understandable to misunderstand.

To her, it was as if a friend she had been quite close with had changed overnight.

“Anyway, we’re not dating. If you’re really curious, ask Alisa. I have nothing more to say.”

“Look now! You’re calling her Alisa by name. And you’re saying you’re not dating?”

“No, this is… Ugh, it’s too bothersome to explain. Anyway, no. I’m leaving.”

“Young Master? Young Master Ruan!”

Felicia’s cry echoed in my ears, but I ignored it and left the garden.

‘She wouldn’t actually ask, would she?’

If Felicia really were to ask Alisa about them dating, I would face a level of fury in the next class unlike anything before.

I wonder if my body would be able to withstand it.