episode_0023

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the festival finally reached its final day.

I also felt a slight sense of regret at that fact.

Although I’ve been wandering around a lot for the past two days, there are still a lot of booths I haven’t been able to check out.

Of course, there was still today left, but it would be impossible to see everything else within today.

‘Well, I can’t help it.’

It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.

The festival doesn’t end this year anyway, so as much as it’s disappointing, we can look forward to next year’s festival.

So, gathering my thoughts, I left the dormitory to enjoy the last festival and keep my last promise.

Because I enjoyed the two-day festival more than I expected, my steps leaving the dormitory were lighter, but as I got closer to the meeting place, my steps became heavier and the tension that had been subtly building gradually disappeared.

And when I finally arrived at the meeting place, my tension was lower than usual.

“Tsk, your expression doesn’t make any sense since morning.”

The person who was throwing harsh words towards me was none other than the person I had made an appointment with.

A woman standing with her long silver hair shining in the hot light of the morning sun. Estelle von Reinberg.

“You have poor manners to make a woman wait.”

“… It’s now 5 minutes before the appointment time.”

“Anyway, isn’t it true that you waited.”

She responded to my rebuttal with absurd logic and smiled playfully.

Maybe he came out early on purpose for this reason.

Just to make fun of me.

I looked at her with cold eyes and then looked behind her.

There was another woman standing there.

Estelle’s escort, Rene.

“I’m sorry, I must have been looking forward to a date just for the two of you. Because I have a lot to worry about.”

Estelle said as if she noticed my gaze.

“It’s okay. Because it was expected.”

I shook my head lightly.

Actually, I was expecting this.

Considering her position and reputation, this was only natural.

Especially in situations like today where there are a lot of people and many outsiders, there is a need to be even more careful.

In the first place, the position of the princess of the empire and the position of the next emperor is not one in which she can comfortably move around with a man from whom she has no idea where she came from.

Rather, even if you are inside the academy, walking around outside like this is something special in itself.

Of course, from that perspective, I think that Rene alone is not enough of an escort.

Even though she is a 2nd year combat student… No, even though he possesses outstanding skills across the entire combat department, he is by no means capable of stopping those who are trying to take Estelle’s life on his own.

However, that can also be said to be a needless worry.

In the first place, Rene is not Estelle’s only escort.

Behind the flower bed, behind the tree a few steps away, and in the crowd in front, there is an escort hiding his identity.

In addition, there are escorts disguised as unrelated people or passers-by.

This is just what it feels like, so it can be assumed that there are a considerable number of other escorts attached.

They are so outstanding that they can even be called elite.

The reason there were so many escorts wasn’t just because today was a festival.

They have always been around Estelle from the beginning.

Although it is against the rules for non-students to reside inside the academy, it is unavoidable from their perspective.

The life of the next emperor is too heavy to be entrusted to just one bodyguard.

In fact, there are probably more people than you think who have so-called undercover guards like that.

It is a more public fact than you might think that the Academy’s defenses are not as perfect as they seem.

There are probably a few people within the Academy who have noticed the existence of the shadow guard. I just don’t need to point it out.

In any case, since Rene is among those escorts in the dark, Estelle’s escort can be said to be of a considerable standard.

In addition, Estelle herself, the target of the guard, is an excellent wizard who has mastered the arcane magic of the Reinberg royal family, which is famous for being vicious, so most people will not be able to touch a single hair of hers.

“Even though you say that, don’t you feel sad inside? Be honest.”

“No. Not at all.”

Knowing that it wouldn’t be good to reveal that I had noticed that there was an escort in the middle of nowhere, I pretended not to notice like I had done up until now and cut off Estelle’s prank.

“Hahaha! Cheeky guy.”

Estelle, the person in charge, burst out laughing at my firm answer, but Renee, standing behind her, glared at me with eyes dripping with murderous intent.

‘What are you going to do?’

I don’t have to look to know that if he received it, he wouldn’t have liked me as much as I did.

In the end, it means that no matter which option was chosen, Renee would not have liked it.

Today, once again, feeling the sadness of being a commoner, I sighed softly inwardly.

“You’re a guy who’s sick of luck. Other guys are anxious to catch my attention.”

Aren’t you just trying to avoid eye contact?

Those words rose up in my throat, but I swallowed them well.

… Well, I guess you could say that it’s not entirely wrong.

If it weren’t for the rumors and reputation surrounding her, her words would have become reality.

It’s hard to say that her personality is good, but when you look at her appearance alone, she is beautiful.

pretty… To the extent that even saying that is an insult to her.

Eyes, nose, mouth.

Everything that makes up her is flawlessly beautiful.

As if God had decided to do it and created it with all his might.

In addition, pure white skin like jade, sparkling silver hair, and depthless purple eyes are added to create an unrealistic atmosphere.

okay. unrealistic beauty. That was a woman named Estelle von Reinberg.

To exaggerate a little, some might even say that her existence itself was proof that God exists.

That’s how beautiful her appearance is.

… Instead, although his personality is that bad, it can be seen as God’s fairness.

“What happened? It would be better to stop chatting and move slowly. I can’t stay like this forever.”

Estelle began to walk briskly.

I also immediately stood next to her.

“Yes. Have you prepared a plan? Surely you didn’t come here without any measures?”

“I have prepared it.”

“Hoo.”

Her eyes sparkled with interest.

Today, as the opponent is my opponent, I have made a detailed plan of my own.

It was a self-evident fact that she would complain if she didn’t prepare a plan.

“Yes. Then please guide me.”

“Yes.”

To be honest, I wasn’t very confident, but I pretended to be confident and took a step forward.

We started walking like that and soon arrived at our first destination.

A booth selling food with an exotic smell.

“Welcome… Huh?!”

The student running the booth said hello casually, but froze when he saw us.

To be precise, I looked at Estelle next to me.

“Uh, uh, welcome… !”

Then he greeted me again with a stiff look that everyone could see.

“Hmm. It’s food. So, what does this place sell?”

Estelle asked calmly, as if she didn’t care about the student’s appearance.

“It is said to be a traditional dish of ethnic minorities living on the periphery of the continent.”

I answered instead of the student who was obviously going to stutter.

“Really? On the outside, it only looks like an ordinary meat dish.”

This was Estelle’s opinion after seeing the dishes lined up at the booth.

Certainly, it was as he said.

They look like nothing special, just like stir-fried meat.

“I haven’t tried it so I don’t know the details, but I heard it tastes quite exotic. However, it was said that the taste was authentic.”

“Hoo. Really?”

A faint interest flashed through Estelle’s eyes as she listened to my explanation.

Deciding that the reaction wasn’t as bad as I thought, I quickly stepped forward and purchased two dishes.

“Thank you… !”

Receiving a creaky greeting, I held out a bowl and cutlery toward Estelle.

But at the same time, one thought crossed my mind.

“… But is it okay to eat something like this?”

The concern was not about the quality of the food, but about something more fundamental.

Estelle has a very noble status and has many enemies.

So now I’m worried that I might have to be careful about each of these foods.

“That’s a new worry.”

Estelle looked at me as if I was a little pathetic, and then took the bowl.

Then he immediately put a piece of meat into his mouth.

“… hmm. It’s not bad.”

That was Estelle’s assessment of the cooking.

“It’s definitely an exotic taste. The meat seems to be ordinary lamb… So, this unique taste is probably due to the cooking method or spices.”

Then, I started analyzing the dish.

I quietly looked at Estelle with anxious feelings.

Estelle seemed to notice me and said.

“There is nothing to worry about. Because we have prepared measures in advance for such conceivable events. At least poison doesn’t work on me.”

“… I see.”

I guess it’s true that it’s okay when you see her acting like this.

And seeing Renee, who must be extremely sensitive to this, stay still, gives us even more credibility.

Only then did I let go of my anxiety.

“Hmm. The taste is definitely not as bad as I thought. Why did you choose this place?”

Estelle suddenly asked.

Why did you choose this place… la.

Of course, there is a reason for that.

“I chose it because it is the most exotic dish.”

“Hoo?”

“If it’s something like this, I don’t think you’ve ever tried it before.”

That was what I paid most attention to when deciding on the course.

If possible, create a course that focuses on things Estelle doesn’t know or has likely never experienced.

Because of her position as the princess of the empire and, by extension, as the next emperor, she must have lived a life that was far from lacking.

You must have tasted all kinds of delicacies from the mountains and seas and encountered cuisines from all over the world.

That’s why I chose this booth.

Even Estelle seemed unlikely to have encountered the traditional cuisine of ethnic minorities living in the outskirts of the country.

“Isn’t it better to enjoy a festival that you experience now?”

Although it was not my intention to go out with her like this, I wanted her to enjoy the festival.

In order to do that, I thought she needed something fresh that she had never experienced.

“… … .”

Estelle quietly looked at me.

Perhaps due to his mood, his eyes seemed to have widened slightly.

But the silence did not last very long.

“… That too is a pointless worry. If you think about it, this situation itself, seeing the festival and buying food outside like this is a fresh experience for me.”

“Ah.”

If you think about it, that’s also true.

Because she’s not in a position to enjoy something like this easily.

Estelle is a second-year student, so this wouldn’t be her first time experiencing the academy’s festival, but even if it was only once, the freshness wouldn’t have completely worn off.

“You have a habit of worrying about unnecessary things.”

Estelle shook her head lightly.

I had nothing to say and scratched my head sheepishly.

“Well, just… … .”

Meanwhile, Estelle’s tone changed.

“That consideration doesn’t make me feel bad.”

Saying that, Estelle smiled.

With the most natural looking face I’ve seen since I met her.