episode_0084

Several weeks had passed since I asked Elia for help. Of course, since it was a difficult request, I didn’t expect to get any information quickly, but there had still been no leads from Elia.

It was frustrating. It was obvious those two were scheming something, yet I couldn’t get any information on them.

“Um, Young Master Grave, is something bothering you?”

“Ah, sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

In the end, I had agreed to help Sheryl and Dave after they admitted they couldn’t handle their growing workload. Now, after class, we were sitting around a table discussing how to wrap up their assignment.

“So, wouldn’t presenting it this way here draw more attention?”

“We’re not submitting this assignment to stand out. In fact, the less attention, the better. If we accidentally offend someone—”

“No need to worry.”

“Huh? Why?”

Sheryl patted her chest proudly with her small hands.

“I’m here.”

“That’s… reassuring.”

Of course, that was a lie. But since it was obvious why Sheryl was saying that, I decided to humor her adorable boasting.

“But Sheryl.”

“Mhm?”

“Are you really sure about this?”

I understood her desire to stick close to Dave, but right now, I needed as many hands as possible—and I also had to make sure those hands were trustworthy.

In that sense, Dave and Sheryl were practically the only ones I could rely on, showing behavior similar to what they had in previous loops. But that also meant just doing one person’s share wasn’t enough.

“What we’re about to present is the Church’s dirty laundry itself. We can get help spreading the word and making noise, but can your friends really manipulate the entire Academy’s opinion?”

“The Imperial News does it every day. And among my friends, plenty have learned the tricks. It’s entirely possible—”

“Ah.”

“It’s not even that hard, so don’t worry.”

If she was that confident, then it should be fine. The presentation itself wasn’t the issue—I just didn’t want things getting dug into too deeply. Cecilia and Christine could protect themselves, but I wasn’t confident I could handle the media frenzy and student curiosity while pretending nothing happened every day.

“Speaking of which, where the hell are those two?”

“Ah, I’d like to ask that too. Of course, I know they’re busy, but given the nature of our topic, we really need their advice right now.”

“Well, I’d like to ask where they are and what they’re doing too.”

“You have no information at all?”

“None. Chris hasn’t been coming to the mansion much lately either.”

Not just the mansion—they hadn’t shown up at recent study sessions either. Elia had promised to let me know if she found anything, but given the lack of results so far, it seemed pointless to expect much from her.

In desperation, I even asked Lucella, but she didn’t even see it as a problem.

“Those two must have their own plans. If they really show signs of betraying humanity, we’ll just cut them down then.”

Of course, knowing them from previous loops, I understood Lucella was right—better than anyone. But right now, I was just an ordinary student with incomplete foresight.

So my argument—that they might be being used or in danger—quickly lost its footing.

“Even if that’s true for Lady Chris, it’s strange that Lady Cecilia is absent too. There’ve been a lot of rumors about them lately.”

“Like what?”

“It’s not confirmed information. We’ve just been getting the same ‘I don’t know’ answers as you, Young Master Grave.”

“Worried? They’ll be fine. They know how to take care of themselves.”

“Sheryl. But the assignment—”

“No problem. With me, we’ll finish it in no time. This is my specialty.”

“Even without them, I’ve got a reputation to uphold. If something big happens, I’ll make sure neither of you takes the fall.”

Dave and Sheryl were talents recognized not just by me but by all four of the others. They were practically guaranteed to achieve great things—like unscratched winning lottery tickets. So of course, I’d prioritize keeping them safe. Losing them would be a huge blow, especially with how few capable people there were in the Academy. And honestly, if things went wrong, the responsibility would lie with those two anyway.

Thinking of lottery tickets reminded me of the money I never got to hold before I died, and I suddenly felt depressed.

Here I am, struggling like this, while those two are off who-knows-where doing who-knows-what.

Given their skills, they wouldn’t be in any real danger, but that only made me worry more. A foreboding thought lingered in the back of my mind—what if some huge disaster was unfolding somewhere I hadn’t even considered?

“Have you asked the other student council members?”

“The president and Lucella don’t know anything. Elia seems to know something but isn’t sharing.”

Well, whatever she knew was probably just useless rumors anyway. And Elia, a perfectionist, would absolutely despise handing me unverified information. If even the Empire’s elite investigation team couldn’t find anything after days of searching, something was definitely off.

For now, I decided to focus on helping these two perfect their presentation. No matter how good the topic, a bad delivery would ruin everything.

“This is tough.”

“Just do what we can for now.”

Sheryl tapped the gathered materials on the table to straighten them.

“Good work.”

“Me? You two did most of it.”

“No, Young Master Grave!”

“Don’t be so modest. Take a break. I’ll try pestering Cecilia and Christine more if I find them.”

They say that in any group of five, one is bound to be useless—but apparently, that rule applies even with fewer people.

“Count on me. Speaking of which, Dave, free today?”

“If someone like me has time to spare, then sure. Backwater nobles like me have nothing but time anyway.”

“T-then, um…”

“?”

Her face was always expressionless, but Sheryl’s cheeks were slightly red as she clasped her hands and fidgeted.

“W-would you… come to my place after class? I won’t take too much of your time…”

“Why? Think of something else?”

“N-no! This time, it’s just… a meal. As thanks… for everything.”

“Did you think I’d refuse? Of course, I’d love to! I’ll happily eat anything you give me.”

Huh, I see.

While I was getting closer to everyone in the hero’s party, things were progressing here too. Who’d have thought I’d see Sheryl’s stiff expression soften right before my eyes?

In the first loop, I could barely catch glimpses of her from afar.

“N-no! This time, it’s not like that… I just… wanted to make something special. Do you like raimen?”

“Raimen? Sure, sounds good.”

Raimen—a dish almost identical to the ramen from my original world.

And the subtle, unspoken implications of that invitation were just as universal.

“W-would you… come to my place for raimen?”

“Sure! I’ve been craving something hot lately.”

Dave turned to me with a smile.

“Young Master Grave, why not join us? Though I doubt it’ll match your tastes, Sheryl’s cooking is exceptional—”

Zing—

“Uh… no. I’m good. You two should enjoy it. My stomach’s been off today. I appreciate the thought, really. It’s not that I’m rejecting your kindness—I just don’t want to intrude.”

“Don’t worry about it!”

I was worrying way too much. Just now, I learned it was possible to kill someone with a single glare.

“Sheryl’s parents were once chefs in the imperial palace—”

“Sheryl. You and Dave should get going. Don’t you have your last class soon? Even if it’s the final one, you shouldn’t be late.”

“Thanks.”

The murderous glare Sheryl had been giving me vanished, replaced by her usual drowsy, half-lidded eyes.

“We’ll get going now.”

“Right.”

After our silent exchange, Sheryl and I headed to our respective classrooms. Dave, following Sheryl, still looked cheerful. No doubt he genuinely believed he was just going for raimen. A kind, polite, but sometimes painfully naive guy.

Sheryl’s cooking was undeniably top-tier, and he’d probably eaten it many times before—so of course, he’d assume this time would be the same.

Poor guy.

I silently prayed for his well-being.