episode_0038

“… … .”

The second day of vacation in my hometown.

Wade had been feeling a strange atmosphere since morning.

However, I didn’t know where that strange atmosphere came from, so I looked around in hopes of finding out the cause.

“Good morning!”

Mary as usual.

Not this way.

“Miss Mary, good morning.”

Alexis’s expression is easy to understand.

Not this way either.

“… Good morning.”

Cedric greets Mary in the morning like he’s never done before.

Not this way either.

Then who is it?

The answer was not difficult to find.

“Good morning, Wade.”

Rachel greets me with a gentle smile.

“Joe, good morning… !”

Ira greeted me more energetically than usual.

Wade felt a strange change in the two of them.

It was difficult to explain what it was or exactly what it was, but it was clear that something had changed.

“Hmm? Everyone was up.”

At that time, Estelle came down from above.

And at that moment.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Once again, the mood between Rachel and Ira changed.

Fragile─

Wade had auditory hallucinations.

It was as if sparks were flying before my eyes.

Gulp─

Wade swallowed dryly as the tension soared.

But fortunately, that condition did not last long.

“… Then, excuse me.”

“I’ll see you later… … .”

Rachel and Aira, who were looking at Estelle with intense eyes, soon left.

The atmosphere, which had become so stingy, regained its tranquility once again.

“… What did you do?”

Wade, who was looking at the backs of the two women who had left with a somewhat bewildered expression, asked Estelle.

“Why are you asking me that?”

Estelle asked with a sour expression.

“… No, it feels like it has something to do with your Majesty.”

Wade answered Estelle’s question with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“… Hmm. Well.”

Estelle, who was looking at Wade with a slightly tired look in her eyes, turned her head in the direction where Rachel and Aira had disappeared.

Then, he opened his mouth with a calm face.

“Maybe it caught fire.”

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing. Anyway, I’m hungry.”

Passing by Wade, who still had a blank expression on his face, Estelle walked toward the restaurant.

“… What is it?”

In the end, only Wade, who did not know English, was left behind.

***

It was nice to arrive at my destination and my hometown, but that didn’t mean the vacation I had originally expected had begun.

Freeing yourself from studying or training and just relaxing all day?

It can’t be possible.

Because there are customers.

Two of them are Mary’s guests, but the other three are my guests.

Even if two of them were guests I didn’t invite, since I came here as a guest, I couldn’t just ignore them and stay in my room.

Not only would that be detrimental to Blue Noah’s reputation, but it would also be rude.

It was obvious that my father would be very angry if I did something like that.

In the end, I was saying that I had to serve guests whether I liked it or not.

It would have been convenient if the guests could have fun among themselves, but after a quick look, it seemed like that would be difficult to expect, so in the end, I had no choice but to provide them with something fun to do.

And the first thing that came to mind as an interesting thing was.

“Let’s go out to the downtown area.”

Of course, it was an outing.

Although the Bluenoa family’s mansion is large in its own way, there are still limits to its scale.

This means that you can’t spend time exploring, like a castle somewhere or an academy that is unnecessarily large.

However, since the group was not the type of person to spend a peaceful time quietly enjoying tea time, it was natural for them to turn their attention to the outside world.

Should I say it’s fortunate or natural?

The response from the group was good.

Rachel, Ira, and Estelle each showed interest, but I didn’t even consider Alexis and Cedric since they were the type of people who would jump into the devil’s race if Mary was the only one who liked them.

Anyway, we left the mansion and went out to downtown Lakenwood.

In the carriage, of course.

For a while, I let myself be swayed by the sound of horses’ hooves pounding on a well-maintained road as background music.

The group landed in downtown Lakenwood.

“It’s full of energy.”

After seeing the sights of the downtown area, Rachel expressed her thoughts.

To that sentiment, I expressed silent agreement.

Lakenwood is definitely a lively place.

Of course, this isn’t true of any other city, but Lakenwood feels more vibrant than other cities of similar size.

The reason is probably because people’s expressions are brighter.

Lakenwood here is not a very busy city.

Even if you play well, it won’t be above the average level.

But even though it is such an ordinary city, the faces of people walking down the street are full of smiles.

That difference is probably what creates this vitality.

Also, I think that such brightness is probably largely due to Viscount Bluenoat, who actually rules this city.

It is difficult to say that Viscount Bluenoir is a very resourceful person, but his personality is unquestionable.

Although they are nobles, they are born with noble qualities, but they do not discriminate based on social status and treat everyone equally.

Also, they are not greedy about accumulating wealth, and if they have any surplus, they give it to others.

The city run by such a person is probably a little warmer than other places.

“… … .”

People walking around with bright expressions and the street in the background.

This scene was familiar to me too.

I was born here, grew up here, and spent a whopping 18 years here, so there’s no way I wouldn’t be familiar with it.

Originally, I would never have felt any appreciation for that familiar scenery, but perhaps because I saw it again after half a year, the familiar scenery felt a little unfamiliar and touching today.

Just like that, I was looking at the scenery of the downtown area with an unusual feeling.

“Wade oppa?”

I heard a voice calling me.

***

“Wade oppa?”

“Huh? Serah?”

A girl who looks to be around 60 years old with impressive red-brown hair that goes down to her shoulders.

Opening her pale, cat-like eyes wide, the girl approached Wade.

“Are you really Wade?”

“Then, is it real or what? It’s been a while.”

Wade responded to the girl’s words with a rare smile.

That smile was bright and bright.

“Are you completely back now?!”

“Is that possible? I came down because it was vacation.”

“Ah, what is it? I liked it for no reason.”

The girl and Wade soon began to talk naturally.

They looked friendly, as if they had known each other for a long time.

““… … .””

Looking at the scene, Rachel, Ira, and Estelle looked a little surprised.

That’s right, it was Wade’s rarely seen friendly side.

Wade Heblon.

He is by no means devoid of emotions, but he rarely shows himself like that at the Academy.

Normally, he doesn’t try to get too involved with other people, and it’s a bit better when he’s dealing with people he’s close with, but that doesn’t mean he often shows his expression that relaxed.

Seeing him like that, it was natural to feel unexpected.

At the same time, the scene made another emotion bloom in their hearts.

It was a warning.

The reason was clear.

The feelings reflected in the eyes of that girl named Sarah, and the feelings toward Wade, seemed to be no different from those they harbored.

However, their vigilance soon subsided.

This is because, looking at it calmly, I decided that there was no need to be on guard.

Although he was certainly making rare appearances, it did not seem like he had any special feelings for the other person.

It’s probably just a reaction to the joy of seeing you after a long time.

It seemed clear that a girl named Sarah had a crush on Wade, but the three women didn’t pay much attention to him either.

Not only was the opponent still young, but I judged that he would not be a proper competitor.

They calmly sorted out the situation and regained their composure.

but.

Not long after, that composure began to waver again.

“Huh? Wade?”

A woman with an innocent appearance who appears to work at a general store.

“You’re Wade, right?”

A woman with a slightly rough appearance who suits short-cropped hair.

“Mr. Wade!”

A girl who, knowingly or unknowingly, looks like she might take the place of boys’ first love, and who stimulates their protective instincts.

Because of the appearance of women who really don’t know the end and are siding with Wade.

Besides, it didn’t end there.

“Oh my, Wade… You’ve become more dignified.”

A woman who looked like a married woman or a widow at a glance also sent a meaningful look towards him.

“Wade… !”

There was even a boy running towards him with his cheeks flushed.

In that way, Wade was suddenly surrounded by all kinds of people.

At that absurd scene, the composure in their hearts disappeared without a trace.

If you think about it, it wasn’t strange.

What kind of man is Wade Heblon?

Even if it’s not his job or has nothing to do with him, he jumps in when he sees someone in trouble, and he’s the type of person who has no idea how far he’s going.

They were an example.

It wasn’t a very deep relationship, and he was even reluctant, but he risked his life and jumped in to save them.

But he is like that.

He probably had a land that was larger than the academy’s needlessly large grounds.

Would he have stayed still in Lakenwood, his hometown where he lived for 18 years?

Everyone knew the answer.

‘It can never be like that.’

During the years he stayed here, he must have been busy with all sorts of things without getting tired.

And it would have solved many people’s concerns.

People naturally feel good towards those who help them when they are in crisis.

But what if that opponent is Wade?

If he is a man who is capable, good, and even has an outstanding appearance.

How could one not have special feelings toward such a person?

““… … .””

Rachel, Ira, and Estelle looked at each other.

Although they didn’t say anything special, they knew.

That the other person is probably thinking the same thing as you.

There are already far more competitors than they expected.

And unless that man stops his foolish behavior, his competitors will continue to increase.

This is by no means a situation to relax.

***

“… … .”

Looking at the three guests watching Wade surrounded by women with trembling eyes, the maid Del felt a little sympathy.

Del had already figured out what kind of feelings they had for Wade.

That’s why I sympathized with them.

It’s not because Wade is a bad guy.

Objectively, Wade is fine… No, he’s a pretty nice guy.

He has outstanding skills that allow him to enter the academy without difficulty, has an unusual side, but is basically a caring personality, and even has a beautiful appearance.

He is such a nice man that it is difficult to find him in a countryside like this.

However, he is very captivating to women.

He moves his body without any intention at all, simply with good intentions, but as a result, his actions end up attracting the favor of women.

The residents of Lakenwood, who were under his spell, could not be counted even if they used all their fingers and toes.

With that many people swept away, there’s no way rumors wouldn’t spread.

Because of that, the people at Bluenoa Manor knew very well about that aspect of Wade.

When Estelle said hello to Lawrence, there was a reason why everyone looked at Wade with tired eyes.

Since he has no clue about a subject that constantly shakes women’s hearts, there is no way that those who are targeting him will feel at ease.

Because of this, Del sympathized with the three women.

Because I knew very well that the road to their goal would never be smooth.

However, that didn’t mean I cheered them on.

The reason is that… … .

“… … .”

Del’s gaze returned.

Standing there was her owner, Mary, watching the scene with a smiling face.

The smile on her face was Mary’s unique, bright and lively smile that no one in Lakenwood knew and that just seeing it made her feel good.

However, to Del, who had been watching Mary for a long time, that smile did not seem as bright as it was.