Lakar

The next day.

I arrived at the cafeteria for breakfast. The cafeteria, which had been half-destroyed by the previous tattered Chimera attack, had been transformed into an even more magnificent sight than before.

Perhaps to prevent us from recalling the unpleasant incident that had occurred in the cafeteria, a pink sky was floating on the ceiling, and magical star candies could be caught if you raised your hand.

I couldn’t help but think that if Ilia-sunbae hadn’t been there during the Chimera’s attack, there might have been significant damage. If I had been alone, I wouldn’t have even considered confronting the Chimera.

Looking around, it seemed that many people regretted not having weapons back then. Despite being a cafeteria, some were carrying self-defense weapons.

I picked up a tray with bread, jam, and soup and sat down at a secluded table in the corner of the cafeteria, as usual. The gazes directed at me from around were not friendly.

Even when I returned to the dormitory last night, people whispered and gossiped about me loud enough for me to hear. But perhaps because my nervous breakdown had disappeared, I was able to naturally let it go in one ear.

Still, it was hard to ignore the gazes of those who were blatantly staring at the subject of the rumors. Just as I sighed and picked up a piece of bread, someone sat down in the empty seat across from me, where no one had ever sat before.

Even though there were clearly many empty seats around, I wondered who would sit in front of me at this empty table. It was Lakar, with hair as red as blood, who had knocked me out with one blow in our first sparring match and fueled the negative rumors about my special admission.

It wasn’t an easy memory to forget, given his hair color and our bad first encounter. I hadn’t even had a conversation with him, but I remembered his name.

,May I sit here?

I didn’t have the petty desire to kick out someone who had already sat down, and I wasn’t the owner of this large table, so I nodded and replied.

,Yeah, no one’s going to sit here anyway.

As I said that, I tore off a piece of warm bread with my hands and dipped it in jam to eat it. I forcibly swallowed what was in my mouth and asked, feeling the burden of Lakar’s gaze staring intently at me.

,Is there something you want to say?

Was he here representing the students full of curiosity, wondering if the rumors circulating in the academy were true? As I had such negative thoughts and made a slightly wary expression.

Suddenly, Lakar lowered his head as if he were about to bury his face in the tray.

,I wanted to say thank you.

,Huh…?

It was such an unexpected thing to say, I almost dropped the bread I was holding.

,When the monsters attacked this place, I was here too. I was hiding in that corner with the other kids.

Lakar raised his head and turned it towards the corner of the cafeteria.

,I couldn’t do anything, and I was just hiding with the other kids, terrified.

The situation was so urgent at the time that I didn’t even remember who was in the cafeteria.

,I heard the rumors that you were in league with the black magician. But I decided to believe what I saw with my own two eyes, not the rumors. The fact that you stepped forward to save us. The fact that only you and Ilia-sunbae had the courage when everyone else was terrified, that’s an unchanging truth.

Slightly flustered by Lakar’s serious voice, I stroked my chin without saying a word. Lakar bowed his head once again and thanked me.

,It’s late, but I wanted to say thank you. And… if I may make an excuse, I didn’t have a weapon to help.

Seeing Lakar scratching the back of his head with a face mixed with gratitude and apology, I felt an unwarranted sense of embarrassment and answered curtly without realizing it.

,You don’t have to make excuses.

I immediately regretted the words that popped out. I should have answered more gently.

In the awkward atmosphere, we finished our meal in silence without any further conversation.

After taking a short break at the dormitory, I headed to the classroom to attend class. When I opened the classroom door, I sighed at the unfriendly gazes directed at me and headed to the most secluded seat.

For some reason, Lakar, who had arrived and was sitting in the classroom earlier, quietly got up from his seat. He sat down in the empty seat next to me, which had never been occupied before.

I never knew that someone sitting next to me would be so distracting. My nervous breakdown had definitely disappeared… but Lakar was very distracting.

I postponed interpreting Lakar’s incomprehensible behavior for later, as Xavier, the professor of [Basic Interpretation of Rune Characters], the first class of the day, entered the classroom with a greeting.

*

I moved to the training grounds for Raikan’s class, the last class of the morning. After a simple physical training session, Raikan gave us free sparring time.

I wasn’t good enough to have someone to spar with, so I picked up a training spear and got up from my seat to do basic training alone in a secluded spot, as usual.

,Is there anyone who wants to spar?

,Me…?

I was quite taken aback by Lakar’s sudden question.

,I was wondering if you wanted to get revenge from last time.

It didn’t sound like he was being sarcastic, but rather a question of pure intention. Unlike his large, imposing physique and his sturdy appearance that made him look like a knight at first glance, he was fidgeting with his large hands, as if he wanted to spar with me.

,Well, okay. Let’s do it.

I decided to spar with Lakar using only the basic spearmanship I had trained in so far, excluding magic. Unlike back then when I was knocked out in one blow, I had worked hard too.

We created some distance, took our positions, and started sparring by nodding to each other. I maintained my distance to take advantage of the spear and launched a series of attacks, but Lakar skillfully blocked the series of attacks with his sword.

He used a strange technique that seemed to pull the spear shaft towards his body, narrowed the distance, and then placed his sword against my neck.

The sparring ended in an instant. The gazes that had been directed at me, just in case, immediately turned into gazes mixed with ridicule and contempt.

Just as I was sighing at the fact that I had been defeated in one blow, just like back then. Lakar said in a serious voice.

,In a situation like that, you should put your weight on your back leg.

As if he didn’t care about the gazes around him. He was talking about the sparring match we had just had and giving me advice, which helped me regain my focus.

,When you extend the spear, it’s good to think of your left hand as supporting the spear shaft.

,When the tip of the spear reaches the opponent, you can make it difficult for the opponent to defend by twisting the spear shaft with your left hand that was supporting it.

,Good, in that situation, I think it would have been better to swing it to create distance rather than pushing it away.

Lakar continued to spar with me, carefully giving me advice so as not to upset me. When I followed Lakar’s advice, I could see the things I had been lacking.

By only doing basic training alone, and then sparring directly with someone. The problems with my lack of experience and my response to situations were revealed.

After correcting the problems to some extent through continuous sparring, I was able to achieve satisfactory results.

,Thank you, Lakar. It was really helpful.

At those words, Lakar gave a faint smile and nodded.

,You’re better than before, but it seems like you still lack a lot of stamina.

Lakar’s point was true. Ross’s basic stats didn’t even reach the academy average. Even if I did physical training every day after dinner, I was still far from reaching the average.

,If you don’t have anything else to do, how about we work out together after dinner?

I was flustered by Lakar’s sudden suggestion and scratched the back of my head. Why was he doing this to me? Was he trying to express his gratitude for saving him in the cafeteria?

As I racked my brain to interpret the meaning of Lakar’s actions, the headmaster’s words from last night came to mind.

,Make friends. At first, it’ll be awkward to approach them, and you’ll have a hard time with the rejections, but somewhere there might be someone who will be your lifelong friend, waiting for you to approach them.

Could it be that Lakar wanted to be friends with me and approached me first? But right now, I had bad rumors and was an underachiever who hadn’t even reached the average.

Could Lakar, who had the potential to be the top of the combat department, want to be friends with an underachiever like me?

Lakar opened his mouth, perhaps feeling uneasy seeing me worrying.

,It’s okay if you refuse if it’s too much to handle. I just said it because I was thinking of working out with you…

Okay, even if I get rejected, let’s approach him first, just like the headmaster said.

,Lakar, would you like to be friends…?

Lakar stopped talking at my words and looked at me with a flustered expression. The embarrassment and awkwardness that filled my chest at that sight made me want to get out of this place right away.

As I lowered my gaze in embarrassment and bit my lip, feeling my toes curling up in my shoes. A large hand suddenly appeared in front of me.

When I looked up at Lakar, he was avoiding my gaze, feeling embarrassed just like me, and was holding out his hand.

Realizing that Lakar was serious about wanting to be friends with me because of his actions, I immediately grabbed the hand he held out.

After a brief handshake, I coughed awkwardly at the heavy, awkward atmosphere.

,Then let’s work out together in the evening.

Leaving those words behind, Lakar left to spar with someone else, avoiding the awkwardness.

I, who was about to suffocate from the awkwardness and embarrassment, finally sighed and slumped down on a nearby bench.

I made my first friend at the academy. Lakar, he was an insignificant extra who didn’t appear in the novel I wrote. I heard that he has an older sister who is the top of the combat department in her third year. That older sister was also an extra who didn’t appear in the novel.

I felt a strange feeling. The fact that I could become friends with someone I didn’t know at all in the novel I created made me feel strange.

After taking a short break, I was doing basic training. The morning classes were over. After sweating, I took a quick shower and headed to the cafeteria. I could instinctively feel that the gazes directed at me had changed.

Feeling burdened by the louder murmurs than in the morning and the gazes that seemed to fly and land on my face, I picked up a tray and headed to a secluded seat. Students I didn’t know came up to me.

,Hi? I heard about it. It was all a misunderstanding? I heard you went sightseeing in the Imperial Palace, how was it?

,The headmaster’s certification, that’s amazing!

,I heard the Imperial Family officially apologized? And they’re giving you compensation too. Wow, I’m so jealous. I wonder how expensive it’ll be?

From the students’ conversation in front of me, I could tell that Bella had kept her promise.

It was almost impossible to erase the rumors that had spread throughout the academy. But adding rumors to rumors was easier than dipping bread in jam.

The students who had been sending me contemptuous gazes were now acting friendly, as if they had never done so before. It was so burdensome that I felt like I was going to get indigestion.

Lakar, who was about to sit next to me with a tray, noticed the students around me and quickly passed me without saying a word, going to another table.

To leave a friend here…! That perceptive bastard….

I finished my meal roughly, feeling the students who were happily talking among themselves whether I was there or not, and left the cafeteria as if running away.

It felt somehow unpleasant that the people who had been gossiping and criticizing me were now acting friendly, as if they had never done so before.

Come to think of it, Lakar became friends with me even after hearing the rumors that I was in league with the black magician. If the rumors had spread and Lakar had acted that way, I would have definitely suspected his true intentions, wouldn’t I?

Sighing, I turned around at the sound of someone calling my name as I headed to the classroom to attend the afternoon classes.

,Ross! I heard you had fun at the Imperial Palace? I’m glad the misunderstanding was cleared up before you went to the interrogation room…. I was worried for nothing, you idiot!

Ellie’s bright smile reminded me of the petition she had written for me. The sincere petition, filled with the belief that I wasn’t that kind of person, made me feel Ellie’s trust in me.

A smile naturally formed on my lips at the gratitude that filled my heart.

,Thank you for worrying, Ellie. I’m glad the misunderstanding was cleared up, so I was able to rest well.

,Phew, I’m glad. I knew a kind kid like Ross wouldn’t do such a thing!

Ellie’s face, letting out a sigh of relief, looked tired, as if she hadn’t slept much. It seemed that she really hadn’t slept much because she was worried about me.

Just as I was feeling a dual emotion of guilt for making her worry and joy at Ellie’s feelings for me, Ellie waved her hand.

,Then I’ll go have lunch! Let’s go eat something delicious together when Roel-oppa is discharged from the hospital!

I, who was watching Ellie, who had lost her worries, head to the cafeteria with a comfortable gait, let out a deep sigh.

Could I let go of my feelings for Ellie? Before I met Ellie, I thought I could. But the feelings that were lingering in my heart were quite deep.

I arrived at the classroom with a complicated mind, and only then did I realize one thing I had forgotten.

Shouldn’t I visit Roel in the hospital at least once…? Thinking that I should stop by later when I have time, I focused on the afternoon classes.

*

Isn’t physiognomy the result of big data collected from people? Lakar, who had a sturdy physiognomy at first glance, was indeed a monster obsessed with physical training.

,Just one more!

,Kkyaaaaaaak!

I mustered the remaining strength in my muscles and lifted the bar.

,You can do it one more time! Last one!!!

,Why is the last one three times!!!

Lakar smiled and replied, as if he was happy, at my irritated shout.

,This is really the last one! Just one more!!!

,Kkyaaaaaaak!!!

As I squeezed out the last of my strength and lifted the bar, Lakar said with a satisfied smile.

,See, you still have strength left. You can’t train if you’re exaggerating!

,I was about to pass out….

When I hung up the bar and got up from my seat, I felt a tingling muscle pain all over my body. I looked at Lakar, wondering how hard he would work out since he hadn’t worked out while watching me. For some reason, he was gathering his things and preparing to leave.

,Aren’t you… going to work out?

When I asked, feeling betrayed, Lakar gave an embarrassed smile.

,Come to think of it, I made a prior appointment with my girlfriend. I’m going to come back and work out again before I go to sleep.

,Wait, girlfriend?

When I glared at Lakar, feeling even more betrayed. He waved his hands as if to make an excuse and said.

,She’s a fiancée that my grandfather set up for me! She’s a freshman in the Department of Magic Engineering, so I meet her sometimes.

Just as I was feeling envious. I remembered that if Lakar’s girlfriend was included, the required number of members for the club would be met, which was three.

,Did you and your girlfriend join a club?

,Elena probably joined two or so. I don’t do clubs because I don’t want to waste time because of exercise.

That’s a shame. But I was glad that Lakar hadn’t joined a club. If that’s the case, it was as good as having found one person.

,Then could you at least put your name on the club-

,It’s not good to do business between friends.

I was taken aback by Lakar’s firm words that cut me off. No, anyone would think I asked him to guarantee something….

,I’m not asking you to lend me money….

,Do you eat breakfast at that time every day?

I sighed at Lakar’s appearance, asking as if he hadn’t heard me, and answered yes.

,Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning.

With those words, Lakar left the physical training room without looking back.

Since I had to create a club no matter what, I didn’t give up and decided to put Lakar’s name on the club.

,Where am I going to find another person….

Sighing, I forced my body, which was screaming in muscle pain, to get up in order to visit Roel in the hospital.