episode_0025

Lunch time alone with Heidi and me.

The place she took me to was neither the podium nor the garden, but a quiet flower garden in a corner of the academy grounds.

There was a walking path for visitors in the flower garden, and the bench in the middle of it was where we had lunch today.

“Huh, it’s quiet and I feel at ease.”

Heidi, who was walking next to me on the trail, smiled shyly.

As she said, the scenery I could see now was full of colorful flowers, but there wasn’t a single person in sight.

There were quite a few noble ladies who came to see the flowers after school, but it was such a remote place that it wasn’t a place you could come and go during lunch time.

“It’s so quiet and peaceful, it’s like we’re the only two people left in the world.”

Heidi walked with her arms outstretched as if she was smelling the scent of flowers with her whole body.

Perhaps because she didn’t feel any eyes on her surroundings, she didn’t stutter as usual and kept her back straight, creating a comfortable atmosphere.

As I looked at that sight, my troubled heart felt a little relieved, so I smiled happily and walked along the road with him.

“Hmm, this place would be nice.”

Heidi chose a bench at the highest point of the flower garden’s winding path, like a mountain.

“Sit down, Lord Leto.”

“Yeah.”

We sat side by side on opposite ends of the bench and began eating, placing the lunchbox that Heidiera had prepared herself in the middle.

“This is my first time serving food to someone else… so I’m a little scared.”

She opened the lid of the lunch box with an embarrassed smile.

“Oh.”

At first glance, it was full of side dishes that were clearly made with care.

The overall exotic flavor seemed to be that of the cuisine of her hometown, the eastern region.

“It looks so delicious? Did you make it just to give it to me?”

“That’s right… ”

“Oh my… Thank you so much, Heidiera.”

When I clapped my hands lightly to express my gratitude, the corners of her mouth twitched strangely.

“Woo, hoo, hoo… Eat as much as you want, Lord Ruto.”

“I will eat well.”

And so the meal begins in earnest,

After a while, I couldn’t hold back my words towards Heidiera.

“What is this? It’s so delicious?”

“Does it suit your taste?”

“Most of them have a fresh taste that I’m trying for the first time, but they stick to my mouth so it’s not unfamiliar at all. I think it’s a dish that anyone would say is delicious.”

“Phew, hehehe… That’s… Thank goodness… Hehe.”

Although he had only expressed his honest feelings, Heidi couldn’t hold back the sinister smirk that escaped her lips and stroked her bangs like a chinchilla washing its face.

“Heidi, did you always do well? You never said anything like that.”

“Cooking was one of the essential skills pursued by my family, so I learned it from a young age. The reason I didn’t say anything was because I didn’t feel the need to stand up and explain it. I’m the type of person who doesn’t think about treating anyone to food, and I don’t have anyone who would do so.”

She smiled bitterly, as if mocking her own interpersonal relationships.

“Hey, why me all of a sudden?”

“Umm… Let me ask you the opposite. Why do you serve food to others, Lord Leto?”

At the sudden philosophical question, I tilted my head.

“Uh… I hope you feel better after eating?”

“That’s right.”

“… ”

As I looked at her with a blank expression, Heidi turned her face to the flower field and said.

“Luto-gong, aren’t you walking alone in the cold rain right now? That’s why I wanted to share a little of my warmth with you.”

“In the rain… ?”

“I know that there is a lot of attention on you because of your breakup with the Duke of Brouard. There must be some unreasonable and wrong views among them, so I think Duke Leto’s heart is heavy.”

“Oh, no. We broke up on good terms. I don’t care what other people think.”

When I waved my hand and denied it, Heidi smiled softly and said, “It’s okay.”

“Your Majesty, at least in front of me, you don’t have to try so hard to act so calm.”

“… ”

“I will support you as a close friend no matter what form you take.”

What does she see in me that makes her say that?

I thought I was pretending that nothing was wrong in front of others, but Heidi was always showing concern and consideration for me as if she could see right through my heart.

“Then why did you insist on eating here?”

To the light question, Heidi nodded as if it was obvious.

“I was worried that you might be feeling tired from all the stares all morning, so I looked for a place to calm down for a while. How are you? Are you feeling a little better?”

“Ah… Yeah, it definitely feels like all my distracting thoughts disappear when I come to a quiet and secluded place like this.”

“Thank goodness.”

As I was concentrating on my meal again, Lucica’s face came to mind and I asked Heidiera.

“Heidiera, what do you think?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I broke up with Tirisia… Lucica seems to have a lot of complaints.”

At those words, Heidi took a deep breath and nodded as if she understood.

“I know that you and Lapis have been friends for a long time. I think that the depth of your reactions will be different, as the depth of your accumulated feelings is different.”

“Yeah, that’s right. What about Heidi?”

“I am… ”

Heidi looked at my face for a moment, then lowered her head and seemed to be thinking deeply about something for a moment.

And the answer that came out was this.

“The thoughts I personally hold are very complicated, but they are literally my own worries. I have no intention of sharing these thoughts or complaining to others. ”

“Yeah… ?”

In short, he said he had a lot to say, but he didn’t want to reveal it, so don’t ask.

As I quietly closed my mouth, Heidi looked at my face again with a faint smile.

“This is what matters, Lord Leto. I respect Lord Leto’s choice more than my own. Whatever you say or think with Lord Bruard and Lord Lapisle, it is Lord Leto’s complete freedom. ”

“Um… Thanks for that.”

“I think that is what a close friend is. It is important to judge right and wrong, but before that, what is needed is a judgment on whether to support the other person as a close friend. I have decided to support Lord Ruto. So I will not add anything about my choice to break up with Lord Bruard. ”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.”

I don’t know what she was thinking, but at least Heidi was saying that she would take my side no matter what.

That support was a great comfort to me, who had now become a public target at the academy.

“I feel so at peace with you, Heidi. Thank you.”

“That’s fortunate, but… I have one complaint.”

“Huh? What is it?”

When I asked her in surprise, she answered by pointing with her finger in the direction of the podium.

“The fact that many people in this academy… are looking down on the Lotto King. That is what is causing me the greatest trouble right now.”

“Ahh… ”

Those words brought back to my mind the contempt I had heard among the crowd since morning.

A man who doesn’t fit into Brewery.

A commoner who doesn’t even know he’s sitting next to a great noble.

A lowly being who covets nobility.

That was the evaluation of me and Erto that was currently spreading within the academy.

Of course, it is true that I said with my own mouth that I stepped down because I felt uncomfortable sitting next to Tirisia.

I thought I could endure the ridicule and criticism that would come with it, but I guess I only thought about my own feelings.

I didn’t know that Heidiera would get hurt by the arrows pouring down on me.

I should have been a little more considerate of my surroundings.

“Don’t worry about me, Heidi. And I’m sorry if you feel bad because of what other people are saying. I think it’s my responsibility.”

As I said this with a bitter smile, Heidi shook her head.

“No, that’s not what I meant. And it’s not the fault of the Duke of Rator. There’s something fundamentally wrong with this whole situation. So listen carefully to what I say, Duke of Rator. ”

“Yeah, what is it?”

Heidiera held out her hand, just like when they had dinner together on the stage a while ago.

I naturally placed my hand on her large one.

Kkuk-

Still a strong evil force.

Her strong will was transmitted through her connected hands, and seemed to inspire me with will.

“I do not wish for the Lord Ruto to apologize. My wish is… for the Lord Ruto to correct everyone’s wrong perceptions in the future.”

“What do you wish I had done?”

“Literally. All you have to do is let the world know that Lord Leto is not a man so insignificant as to be talked about by those lowly people.”

“Um… How? Is there a way?”

“There won’t be a good stage soon.”

“Ah… ”

What immediately comes to mind when I hear that word is the Academy’s biggest event and ability evaluation, the duel tournament.

“Yeonmu Daeje, please prove to me that Lottogong is not someone to be ignored. This is not a request for health, but a request I make to you as a close friend.”

“, it’s so sudden… The method is fine, but there’s another problem.”

“Tell me.”

“I don’t have any abilities that would stand out in the Yeonmu Festival.”

“… ?”

Heidi tilted her head.

“This guy, it looks like he still doesn’t realize it.”

“What are you talking about?”

When I asked her while tilting her head, she burst into a hearty laugh that I had never seen before.

“Hoohoo… Hahahaha!”

“What, what, why?”

Heidi, who had laughed it off, swept her bushy bangs to the side and revealed deep amethyst eyes.

“Don’t worry, Lord Leto is more than capable of doing it. And,”

Gooo―

A black magical power, similar to that of a shadow, rose from her body.

The dark-haired girl spoke with a gloomy yet somehow alluring smile.

“I will help you.”