In a room bathed in sunlight.

    A dragon-shaped wooden sculpture, carved stitch by stitch by a master artisan, began to warm under the sunlight.

    Perhaps she, too, felt good in this warm light.

    A smile bloomed on her face as she gently sipped her black tea.

    Her shimmering black hair naturally flowed over her shoulders, not bothering the arm she used to lift her tea.

    Her light red eyes, pale compared to those of a certain Demon Cult executive, watched only the door at the sound of footsteps approaching from afar.

    What was she waiting for?

    Dressed in luxurious-looking clothes, her demeanor was so leisurely that it seemed to embody the essence of a noblewoman. Who on earth was the one who made her wait?

    With a creaking sound, a person with long sleeves appeared, along with another person carefully walking towards her, leaning on a cane.

    How long had she waited for this person?

    It must have taken a long time to give up.

    Naturally.

    How clever was the person she had set her sights on?

    She had no doubt he knew that if he failed the third test, he would have to be recruited by her.

    Perhaps it was his thin pride that had kept him from bowing to her until now.

    But shouldn’t he serve by her side now?

    ‘Hehe….finally…..I’ll have a friend…hihi…’

    In this scene, where her happiness circuit was burning to ash, did the blind man want to save that circuit?

    His mouth slowly opened.

    Was there any need to pay attention?

    It must be an apology for not being under her command until now.

    The Princess sipped the black tea in her hand.

    “Here, this is the mandragora from the [Garden].”

    ‘Eh…?’

    “Cough…cough…”

    She blocked the tea spilling from her mouth with her hand.

    Had her true thoughts slipped out due to the unexpected shock?

    “C-check that out.”

    Even she, who normally didn’t stutter except when alone, stumbled over her words for a moment.

    The vassal standing next to her, as if disbelieving, picked up the mandragora in his hand and turned it this way and that, but could only nod.

    “Top-grade… It’s a top-grade mandragora, one I’ve only seen in theory…”

    “…………..”

    “So, then, I’ve passed the third test?”

    His voice was clearer and more refreshing than ever.

    “………..”

    “Then I’ll be taking my leave.”

    The Princess tried to say something to him as he stood up to leave, but her mouth wouldn’t open.

    ‘What…should I say…? Ask him to stay…? For me…? When he’s rejecting me so intensely?’

    He was someone she had liked so much.

    Not a subordinate, but someone she wanted to talk to and live normally with, while also securing her justification for being here.

    But was her desire too excessive?

    The blind man before her was rejecting her intensely as he continued to walk away.

    ‘Hmph…’

    However, there were no more words the Princess could offer him.

    ***

    Finally, I had overcome the hurdle of the third test.

    What a thrilling and refreshing feeling it was.

    Of course, that Princess might target me someday, but this would be the last time she could exercise this much authority.

    Under the pretext of testing an academy student, she wouldn’t be able to bother me further.

    I looked at the sunlight shining down on me from the side.

    It was sunlight filtered once through glass, something I hadn’t seen in a long time.

    Feeling refreshed by this sunlight, I returned to the academy’s main building.

    Thud, thud.

    Perhaps many people had seen me when I got out of the carriage earlier.

    Some were still glancing at me sideways, but besides them, no one paid me any mind.

    Since I hadn’t built any relationships with anyone other than Aris or Savior, it was a natural outcome.

    When I dragged my stiff body out of the carriage, the guard who had seen me off was aghast at the sight of me putting the mandragora into my bag.

    He was the one who had confirmed the contents of my third test and personally sent me off.

    Thud, thud.

    My feet began to walk aimlessly.

    Should I go to the dormitory, sleep for a night, and then attend classes starting the next day?

    Or, since I didn’t want to catch up on studies, should I attend afternoon classes?

    My mind was finally not filled with un-student-like thoughts like how to deal with chimeras or how to trick elves.

    “Ray.”

    A voice that felt calm and comforting.

    A voice that let me know who it was even without seeing her face, just by unfolding my magic.

    “Ah, long time no see, Aris.”

    My voice trembled slightly.

    “You seem to be doing well?”

    A gentle tone.

    But to me, it didn’t sound gentle at all.

    “Oh, don’t worry about today’s classes. I’ve already informed the teachers as soon as I saw Ray. You don’t have to worry about the hassle of moving around.”

    “Aha… Thank you…”

    “And I’ve skipped all my afternoon classes today too. Let’s rest together in the dormitory. Was anything difficult there? I’ll listen to everything. Were you hurt? The environment there must have been harsh, so your treatment couldn’t have been proper. I’ll treat you again, Ray. Don’t worry. I can take care of everything for you.”

    As her slender arm slowly slipped between my arm and body, I felt something equivalent to the terror I felt when I first saw Hell.

    As her footsteps, holding my cane, started to head towards the dormitory, I opened my mouth.

    “Haha… Aris. I appreciate the offer, but I have something I need to take care of first. I need to… resolve that first…”

    “No, you just rest quietly in the dormitory. I’ll take care of it. Why, did someone bother you on your way here?”

    “Could someone who took the second exam pick a fight with me…? That’s not it. I need to see one of the instructors.”

    Regulus’s personal lesson voucher.

    What an advantageous benefit!

    Moreover, by chance, he also wields constellation swordsmanship like me.

    Perhaps it would help in controlling their personalities or unlocking new forms.

    “Ah, then there’s nothing for it. Hmm, nothing for it.”

    As her arm slowly loosened, I sighed inwardly and tried to move, but then, with a soft thump, her arm firmly grabbed my hand.

    “You have to be back by evening, right?”

    “Haha… I won’t be long…”

    My voice trailing off, I quickly left that space.

    Perhaps the magic I had spread around had been quite trained in the [Garden].

    They showed me Aris’s figure until I left the academy’s main building.

    Those lifeless eyes.

    Having left the main building, I looked around.

    “The tallest building here is…”

    The instructors who lead ‘that class’ use the same building as the students.

    As they also personally instruct students, it could be called special treatment.

    Well, they are people with abundant skill, so they probably deserve such treatment.

    “There’s no stamp, is there? How dare you forge a recommendation letter. You seem to be a first-year student, so stop playing pranks and go attend your afternoon classes.”

    “…..?”

    In front of that enormous building.

    My footsteps came to a halt in an unexpected place.

    What was going on?

    No stamp?

    She was clearly someone who kept her word.

    But how could this be?

    “My reward… my reward…”

    The phantom who couldn’t obtain his reward could only wander around and around that building.

    Thinking how great it would be if even Regulus himself appeared in this situation.

    Circling around the building like that, I eventually had no choice but to sit on a nearby bench.

    The sunlight, that same sunlight I had seen to the point of boredom in the [Garden], was not even blocked by trees, directly hitting me.

    Did I have to go back to Elgard and get a stamp?

    I was sitting on the bench, sighing, but perhaps this sight appeared unusual.

    Thudding footsteps sounded beside me.

    “To occupy such a good spot all by yourself, how selfish of you.”

    A deep and weighty voice.

    I smiled slightly at his words and replied.

    “Because I’ve just come back from a hardship. I think such luxury should be allowed for me.”

    “Haha, is that so? I wonder what kind of hardship you’ve gone through to be able to confidently say such a thing.”

    “I visited the [Garden]. You know the person there well, don’t you?”

    “Indeed, I know her well. My, my, how coincidental that the first person to write a recommendation letter is someone I know.”

    He looked straight at me and said,

    “Is that what they call destiny?”

    “It’s been a long time, Instructor Regulus-nim.”

    I offered him the recommendation letter in my hand as I spoke.

    “It’s been a while since I’ve met a man who doesn’t call me the former Sword Saint. Hahaha.”

    The former Sword Saint took the recommendation letter from me, touched the paper, and smiled as he spoke.

    “I didn’t think a strong person like you would lie. I was quite surprised when the guards suddenly told me some blind man had forged my recommendation letter.”

    “Did Ibn write it correctly?”

    “Of course. In fact, if there was a stamp on this recommendation letter, it wouldn’t be mine. ‘We’ communicate in a slightly special way.”

    A gentle smile.

    An amiable face.

    But a lion hidden behind it.

    These were the phrases that could describe the old man named Regulus.

    “Then, shall we begin? Before, we only lightly crossed swords.”

    Killing intent.

    I clearly felt killing intent from his sword energy.

    “This time, let’s truly cross swords.”

    The lion hidden within his sword energy began to snarl at me.

    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period.
    Note
    // Script to navigate with arrow keys