episode_0117

Exactly one week has passed since the day Ethan and I held the academy entrance ceremony.

From the first day of the ceremony, Ethan and I caused a bit of a stir.

Starting with the duel where Raidenhart, who first picked a fight, got his hand pierced and lost to me.

And then the incident where Ethan barged in and slashed Raidenhart’s wrist for insulting me had been enough time for the rumor to spread among the new students.

Due to the island’s geographical location, Luminoir Academy was somewhat isolated from the outside world, but the spread of rumors within the academy was quite rapid.

It was actually strange to hope that the thrilling spectacle of clashing swords and splattering blood wouldn’t spread beyond the academy.

Therefore, I had somewhat distanced myself from the stories circulating about Ethan and me after the incident, hoping that the rumors would spread as they were without distortion.

The oral tradition that passed from mouth to mouth naturally went through a process of amplification and reproduction.

…For example, like this.

“…Did you hear? The girl who stabbed Count Raidenhart’s son’s hand with a knife because he insulted her?”

“It’s not just a stab, she apparently slashed his wrist completely.”

“No, I heard that her fiancé barely stopped her from killing him.”

The other new students from the Magic Department exchanged stories with strange glances at me.

Listening quietly to their stories, a sense of injustice naturally rose deep in my heart.

…Yes, I admit to stabbing Raidenhart’s hand with a knife. Even if it was a wound from a duel, it might have felt a bit harsh among the new students.

But it was definitely unfair that Ethan’s actions were naturally attributed to me. Especially when I was the one who actually prevented him from killing the guy.

Of course, even if false rumors were spreading, I couldn’t intervene in conversations with other students I had no relationship with to correct the rumors. All I could do now was quietly attend the academy.

I earnestly hoped that another incident would occur at the academy soon to make my rumors fade away.

After all, this was a world within the game of Luminoir Academy, and there were bound to be incidents that would bury Ethan’s and my rumors at any time.

“I remember sitting next to her during the entrance exam. When the exam wasn’t going well, she completely destroyed the exam room with Mana Blast…”

“….”

“Hey, hey! She caught my eye!”

“Quick, run away!”

…Whenever she scratched people’s hearts with baseless nonsense in front of others, or ran away without looking back as soon as their eyes met.

I had entered the academy as Ethan’s exclusive maid in preparation for the annoying noble students who might bother him, but I never expected my peers to avoid me.

Why did I agree to remain Ethan’s exclusive maid in the first place?

Strictly speaking, the incident at the entrance ceremony was caused by me accompanying Ethan as his exclusive maid, but Ethan probably wouldn’t have been so excited to intervene if I hadn’t been his maid.

Perhaps it was because of my connection to the Blackwood family that he actively intervened in my duel with Raidenhart.

Thinking about this, as I put away my notes on the morning class and left the classroom, I heard Ethan’s voice, as if waiting for me next to the classroom door.

“Lilith, is the class over?”

“…Ethan, I told you it’s not good to wait for me like this.”

“My class ended an hour earlier, so I came to pick you up.”

“If you wait at the Swordsmanship building or the academy cafeteria, I will come to get you. If you keep coming to pick me up like this, what will others think of you?”

“…Was Lilith always concerned about other people’s opinions?”

“….”

What kind of image did he have of me in his mind?

To Ethan, who asked me in a bewildered manner, I naturally gave a proper answer.

“Of course, I do care, Ethan. I’ve just entered the academy, and if people start to see me as a maid who is being picked up by her master, how would that look?”

“I always thought that, but isn’t it unnecessary for Lilith to show that she’s a maid? Just be with me and fulfill your role as an exclusive maid.”

“But if I don’t wear the symbol of a maid, others might not realize the relationship between me and my master, right?”

“It’s okay if they don’t realize it.”

“…What?”

“Oh, no! Let’s go eat quickly instead. We have afternoon classes today.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Well, at least Edan is not completely ignoring me and wandering around the academy alone. It’s better this way.

If we walk around the academy together, anyone who sees us will definitely see us as the master and exclusive maid.

Thinking in that direction, there was no need to think negatively about it.

Perhaps other students who see us there will definitely recognize me and Edan as having a clear master-servant relationship.

“Blackwood Gongja is still with his fiancée today.”

“Despite the rumors of a fake engagement, they seem to get along well, don’t they? Maybe the fake engagement isn’t so fake after all?”

“That’s why Cassius almost died. I saw it back then. If it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate speaking to my fiancée like that.”

“….”

-Swish.

“Lilith? Why are you suddenly stepping back instead of walking beside me?”

“Please go ahead, Master Edan. I will follow behind you.”

“Why are you doing that…?”

…Being an isolated academy, interesting rumors spread quickly.

I believe they will eventually fade away, for sure.

During the meal with Edan, the voices of other students towards me and him occasionally reached my ears.

Since it’s the student cafeteria, it’s inevitable to hear other students’ voices, and there are no other decent restaurants to eat at besides the student cafeteria.

About 80% of the voices were about baseless speculations about the relationship between me and Edan, which made it hard to ignore.

“Earlier, the hero invited you to have a meal together, but you refused and are still with your fiancée today.”

“How close are you with your fiancée?”

“You two are almost always together except during class time, right? If you’re using the couple dormitory, it’s practically a done deal.”

Not a fiancée. Just in a master and exclusive maid relationship.

Being together all the time except during class is because I am the exclusive maid.

It’s not the couple dormitory, and it’s not a done deal.

What do they think of me?

“Lilith, not hungry?”

“No, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

You have a swordsmanship class in the afternoon, right, Lilith? It’s fortunate that we can take one class together.”

“Yes, I also think it’s fortunate.”

Well, come to think of it, I’m not the only one suffering because of strange rumors.

Just as there are strange rumors circulating around me, there must be equally annoying rumors surrounding Edan.

Although it wasn’t intentional, as the one who provided the cause, I felt sorry for Edan.

I didn’t know Rydenhardt would be so annoying even after being defeated.

Moreover, the experience gained from that commotion was only about 200, and it didn’t even lead to the next level up. It was a duel where I only suffered losses in many ways.

Thinking that way, during the meal, a group of young students who had spotted Edan started whispering his name and discussing their baseless assumptions about his relationship.

“Look over there, it’s Edan Gongja.”

“Isn’t Edan Gongja the one who brutally wielded his sword against a member of the Rydenhardt family before…?”

“The person next to him is his exclusive maid… no, his fiancée?”

…I had a feeling this would happen.

No matter how much of a nobleman Edan is from the Blackwood family, it seemed inevitable that he would become a topic of discussion among other students at the academy.

In the end, just like me, Edan also didn’t make a good first impression on other students.

I feel somehow sorry seeing Edan suffering because of me…

“When he heard that his fiancée was insulted, he didn’t hesitate to draw his sword, right? He didn’t even care about the other person’s family.”

“Moreover, to save his fiancée’s honor, he even accepted a proper apology towards his fiancée. He truly is a model knight.”

“I wish my fiancé would follow at least half of Edan Gongja’s example. That person wouldn’t care even if I was insulted anywhere…”

“Being a nobleman from a prestigious duke family, he must be noble even as a knight.”

“….”

Unlike me, who is unfairly misunderstood by rumors among my peers in the magic department, hearing the strange rumors circulating around Edan among the young students made me feel a strange heat rising in my head.

I’ve already become the crazy person who pulls out a knife and tries to kill someone just because our eyes met once in the same department, so why is it that with Edan…

“…Lilith, are you really okay?”

“…Yes, there’s nothing wrong with me, so you don’t need to worry.”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s nothing wrong…”

It wasn’t that I felt unjustly treated. It was actually a good thing for me if Edan’s evaluation among the kids improved.

So, I should be happy about the kids’ evaluation of Edan returning to normal as well.

…I don’t know why, but for some reason, my head keeps getting hot.