episode_0082

“… … May I ask what is meant by dangerous?”

A cautious voice was heard. It was Lena Meyer’s voice.

There are hardly any students guarding the room on a weekend like today. There were salons for the aristocrats on campus, and there were club activities, small banquets, and tea parties. No matter how young they were, aristocrats were aristocrats. It was natural for them to build friendships and solidify their power base.

Those who don’t do this are either those who don’t want to get involved with other people to a particularly high degree, or those who don’t have a need to do so.

So fortunately, there was no one in the hallway. Even the conversations that were being held in low voices could be heard from here.

Before turning the corner, I slowed down my pace. If I knew who Lena Meyer was talking to, it would be easier to deal with her.

“Sylvia Pangriphon is… ….”

But Lena Mayer’s conversation partner couldn’t get the story out properly. It was as if she was hesitating where to start. It was as if she knew something about me, but was hesitant about whether she should really tell me.

After hearing that voice, I gained confidence.

As I changed my footsteps from being as quiet as possible to being more assertive, the sound of footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hallway.

“… … Ah.”

Mia Crowfield’s panicked voice was heard.

As I turned the corner, I saw Mia Crowfield standing in front of a door. The door was slightly open. Lena Mayer’s face didn’t peek out or anything. She just looked at Mia Crowfield with a suspicious look in her eyes.

“Crowfield Youngae.”

“… … Ms. Sylvia.”

When I spoke to her, Mia Crowfield took a step back and bowed her head slightly. I bowed my head to her as well.

I thought I had gotten a little closer to Mia Crowfield, but it seemed like she was still having some troubles about becoming friends with the person who killed her father. I understand. I told her there was another reason, and that she should come to me when she found out the truth, but it hasn’t been that long for her to find out the truth.

“Princess.”

When Lena Meyer saw my face, she immediately came out. It was a completely different atmosphere from when she had faced Mia Crowfield.

And when you look at the way he closes the door, it seems like he puts a lot of thought into the appearance of the room.

… … But, if you act so blatantly, wouldn’t it be too obvious that you are suspicious of Mia Crowfield?

Well, it seemed like I didn’t care.

“As I said before, there is no need to call me princess within the academy. In fact, strictly speaking, it is a violation of the school rules.”

The school rule was that students were equal and should not discriminate against each other when speaking to each other. The only flaw was that no one, from the teachers to the students, took it seriously.

“But… ….”

“Crowfield Youngae.”

“Yes, yes!?”

I asked quietly to Mia Crowfield, who was startled by my call and almost jumped up from her seat, wondering if she had thought I would suddenly call her.

“You called me ‘Sylvia’ a little while ago.”

“That’s right?”

Before, I didn’t even call her by her name properly. At some point, Mia Crowfield started calling me by my name.

At least it meant that my guard was lowered a little.

“What did I say about that?”

“Oh, no?”

Mia Crowfield asked cautiously, as if she was embarrassed by being asked such a question so suddenly.

I nodded to her and looked back at Lena Meyer. There was a slight tension in her expressionless face. Is she also wary of me?

“So, calling me by my name is enough. There is another person in class A with the same last name as me, so wouldn’t it be more efficient to call me by my first name rather than calling me by my last name and causing confusion? ”

Besides, the title ‘Princess’ applies not only to me, but also to Alice.

“… … Okay.”

Lena Mayer answered as if she understood what I said.

Even though I was nervous about his enthusiastic attitude while answering like that, I guess I should at least be thankful that he didn’t salute me as soon as he saw me.

However, I felt a little hesitant from Lena Mayer who answered like that. She was still in a relaxed posture, but I could feel that she wanted to say something. Even though she was acting expressionless, it didn’t seem like she had a perfect expressionless face like mine.

… … Should I train that expression a little more? That way, I can prevent the concept from being broken before I do.

“Do you have anything you want to say?”

When I asked, Lena Meyer paused for about three seconds and then spoke to me.

“Then, wouldn’t you like me to call you by your name?”

But when it came to speaking, he was not hesitant.

“… … Okay, if you want.”

For a moment, Lena’s eyes seemed to sparkle… … but I decided to think that it was just my imagination.

I turned my head and looked at Mia Crowfield.

“I, I don’t need you to do that for me!”

That kind of reaction hurts me a little.

Besides, I didn’t mean to ask that.

I felt a little annoyed that she called me Sylvia and told me that I didn’t need to call her Mia, but what I really wanted to ask was, ‘Why are you here?’

“Can I ask what brings you here?”

“That is—”

Lena was going to answer my question first,

“That, that’s personal reason!”

… … Before that, Mia Crowfield shouted.

“… … .”

“… … .”

As I stared at Nawarena Kamiakrowfield for a moment, speechless, her face slowly turned red. Her white skin contrasted sharply with her black hair, making her blushing even more evident.

“Then, why did you come here, Sylvia?”

Are you saying you’re going to let it go like that?

To be honest, I thought he was really bad at beating around the bush, but since I had already heard a little while ago why Mia Crowfield was here, I decided to just let it slide this time.

“I am Lena… … and,”

I turned my gaze towards Lena and said. Her stern expression hardened even more. It seemed that she was nervous because I had come to find Lena in person.

“Because I had something to share personally.”

“… … Personal story?”

Mia Crowfield muttered, looking back and forth between me and Lena. There was a glimmer of understanding in her eyes, but I honestly don’t know what she’s thinking right now. She probably thinks I’m up to something suspicious.

“You said that Lena grew up in a military family.”

“Yes.”

As I said, Lena took a still, floating posture and spoke. I guess Lena was showing off her pride in her own way.

This was the era. The concept of nation was just beginning to be established, most countries were swept by the storm of nationalism and militarism, and romanticism had not yet ended, so risking one’s life to protect one’s country and people was considered a heroic act.

In this world, that kind of atmosphere would probably last much longer. Because things like television were not widespread. Radio was not properly developed, and most communications were wired. There was virtually no way to show the general public the reality of the battlefield.

So, it was something to be proud of to have been born and raised in a military family, a family that had produced several commanders.

“Then do you know how to handle a gun?”

“Of course.”

“Is that so?”

I said again, looking towards the Mia Crowfield.

“Only a very small number of nobles can handle firearms. Since a gun is something that fires when you pull the trigger, anyone can use it, but it is rare to find someone who uses it as their main weapon and uses it freely.”

In reality, the party members who use guns in the game are commoners, like Roti.

“So I came here to check on Lena’s gun skills. If I ever get to practice later, it might be beneficial to work with someone who handles guns like me.”

I felt Lena take a deep breath.

“… … How about it?”

I said, turning my gaze towards Lena.

“Do you have any intention of going with me to carry out a request?”

“… … .”

Lena didn’t answer for a moment,

“I will go.”

He said that with great confidence.

Thanks to that, I was able to clear my mind right away.