Meanwhile, while Raze was conducting on-site verification.
“Folia-san.”
As Addis and Folia returned to the classroom, Carne immediately approached them.
“Raze-chan is safe. She got proper care from Miss Meril and said she’s fine now. I think she’s talking to the headmaster.”
“Ah, I see. Her health is alright then… That’s good.”
Carne breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Folia’s words.
“Until this class is over, it’s self-study time. Although Professor Hughan said it’s okay to rest in the dorm, are you both okay?”
She explained the current situation.
Seeing the small number of students in the classroom, it was evident that Carne had been waiting for Folia and the others to return. Perhaps they had all gone back to the dormitory while changing clothes.
“What about you, Carne-sama?”
“I also have quite a bit of time left, and there’s something I’d like to think about, so I was thinking of going back to the dormitory.”
“Then, please allow me to accompany you.”
The two girls decided to return to the dormitory, and their gaze shifted to Addis, who had just returned to the classroom with Folia.
“What about you, Addis-sama?”
“…I think I’ll take a little walk outside… I’ll catch up with you later.”
Addis replied to Carne and quickly left the classroom before them.
“You seem a bit down today, Addis-sama. Are you still worried about Raze-chan’s injury?”
“I guess so…”
With a thoughtful look in her eyes, Carne watched Addis’ back as he left.
Addis headed alone to the deserted back mountain.
It was a place he had fled to when he found it difficult to refuse the girls’ requests for dance partners.
It was where he had been surprised to find Raze leisurely having a picnic alone a few months ago.
He sat down in the same spot as that time.
If she had sacrificed herself to protect him at that moment….
The thought made his hands tremble.
“Once again, I couldn’t do anything.”
As if he were spitting out the words to the ground, Addis muttered to himself.
Closing his eyes, vivid memories from his childhood resurfaced.
The sight of the black-clothed man who had stepped forward to protect him falling to the ground still haunted him in his dreams.
It was a story from about ten years ago.
There were those who sacrificed themselves to protect Addis.
To secure the throne after the death of the king of the country where Addis’ mother, Vanessa, had been born and raised—a.k.a. Vanessa’s father—there was a conflict over who would succeed as the next king.
Although Vanessa had already married into the Cyan Empire and was united with the Prime Minister, Werlaine, Addis, born between them, had the right to inherit, which dragged them into the dispute.
Vanessa had half-siblings, but due to differences in policies, they clashed, and opinions began to emerge that if they were going to clash, they should make Addis, who was still young, king and discuss politics together. This led to attempts on his life by factions who disagreed.
Addis was still young, but he sensed instinctively that his life was in danger.
But what could a five-year-old do?
A maid who drank poison. A butler who died protecting him from assassins.
The servants who had been by his side had died easily.
Perhaps, even more people had been sacrificed without him knowing.
He didn’t want to be involved in such conflicts again.
He hated fighting with others. From the beginning, he chose the path of non-conflict as much as possible.
He hated it when someone got hurt for his sake. He wanted to be able to protect himself.
He wanted to become strong quickly…
“At this rate, it’s no good…”
Despite his father’s objections, he was allowed to enroll at Saint Riol under the condition that if he could achieve first place in either the tournaments or regular exams, he would be permitted to withdraw.
There was a faint hope in the back of his mind that if he could show his abilities in the upcoming summer tournament, he might be scouted by the knights.
As for this incident, even though Ruben said that, Raze going solo to check monster was merely the trigger. Addis volunteered with the ulterior motive that if he could prove himself capable of being an asset in battle, even against monsters, in front of the knights, he might leave at least a small impression on them.
However, there was no time for such scheming. That would be too late.
He needed to increase his self-practice and accumulate various knowledge even at this moment.
While he was at this academy, he had to prepare himself to handle situations like this again.
In any case, he told himself that he needed to work harder than ever before.
He thought about Raze, who had dealt the finishing blow to the monster, defending Addis.
If he couldn’t surpass her, the scholarship student, it would be difficult for him to leave the academy.
he laughed, saying he could leave the academy to prioritize what he wanted to do, and he felt like she was looking far ahead.
Entering this academy, which is sometimes ridiculed as a school for nobles, as a commoner.
Addis didn’t appreciate Raze risking her safety to help her friend.
Thinking about the class where she tried to take the stone from the monster earlier, Raze ended up taking on the task, so Addis decided to volunteer.
But he never thought he would end up being the one defended.
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“…………”
Addis let out a small sigh.
When he calmed down and thought about it, he hadn’t even thanked her after being helped.
Moreover, he had selfishly gotten angry, so he didn’t know what expression to wear when he met her.
He had time until the next class started.
Addis focused on strength training and practicing magic to distract himself from his troubled thoughts.
After a while, he felt the presence of someone coming from the forest.
He stared intently in that direction.
“Oh, I thought it might be you, so I came to check.”
“……Scholarship student. Why…?”
Just as he was thinking about the girl he had just thought of, Addis stopped moving.
He didn’t understand why she had come here now.
“You looked scared earlier during the incident, so I just came to see how you were doing.”
Wiping sweat from his shoulder, he met Raze’s gaze.
“Don’t you need to rest? “
“It’s okay. There’s nothing abnormal anywhere now.”
She said so and used teleportation magic to take get a drink..
“If you want, please. It seems like you have a lot of energy left.”
Raze laughed with a hint of humor.
Even after what happened, she was as usual.
“Thanks…”
Addis struggled to find the right words.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Sensing Addis’s state of mind, Raze lightly said so.
“It’s an accident. There’s no one to blame for it.”
It’s typical of her to be able to say things like this so easily.
“Even if you don’t mind, I do…”
Addis could tell that Raze was saying what she truly felt, not just flattering.
“Thank you for earlier. I’m sorry for shouting.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
Although he thought about how that was, he felt more concerned as he was being given a drink.
He remembered receiving snacks and other things here before, so Addis looked down.
“Do the scars remain?”
“Well, until we find a way to erase the black scars, yes. I can make them invisible, so there’s no particular problem.”
“I see… Sorry.”
With a voice noticeably more depressed than usual, Raze’s shoulders twitched.
“Um, please don’t worry about it. It’s my fault for reaching out without using magic. There’s no need to blame yourself.”
It’s rare for Raze to defeat enemies without a scratch in Baluda. It’s practically a scratch, so it hurts Raze heart to see him to feel so down.
Moreover, she was confused by his response, as she had always overlapped Addis calm expression with his father’s.
“You’re not at fault. It’s just that I wish I had reacted better. …But. If something similar happens again, please don’t defend me.”
“…………”
Seeing Addis’s pleading eyes, Raze couldn’t find the words to say.
Even if she lied and said she understood, she hesitated to respond.
“……If, if something happens again…”
Raze had no choice but to say something like that.
Twisting the bottle he received, Addis drank it.
“Although it’s a bit late to say this now, sir Zarth, you should be careful with the food you receive, shouldn’t you?”
“It’s too late for that now.”
Addis smiled wryly at Raze’s remark.
“I’m resistant to some medicines to some degree. I’m careful with gifts.”
“Oh! Speaking of which, I was surprised by the poison removal talk earlier. sir Zarth, you seem to have quite the stimulating experiences.”
“In a way. I’ve been delving into dungeons for a while to become a knight.”
Raze’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar story.
“Uh, do your parents know about that? Did you get permission?”
“Why would that matter?”
Receiving an unexpected question, Addis couldn’t help but not push further.
She found the unexpected change of topic amusing, as it never occurred to her.
“You really are peculiar.”
“That’s not true… At least, personally, I don’t think so.”
Raze responded solemnly, causing Addis to laugh.
“For some reason, I just can’t imagine you lying to me.”
“That’s true. If I did something like that, I wouldn’t be able to stay in the academy.”
Of course, it was a serious response from him.
Not to mention the academy, but the country as well.
Though unable to say what she wanted to, she felt relieved by Addis’ return to her usual provocative demeanor.
“I’ll make sure to repay the favor.”
“You’re very honorable. How about a cake made with seasonal melons, popular in the eastern country, as a token of gratitude?”
Raze smiled, knowing well he wouldn’t actually receive it. It was just a gesture.
“That’s another matter. I’ve received plenty already.”
(Oh…?)
Unexpectedly, she blinked once at the satisfactory response.
While she would be happy to receive something for herself, it is unbecoming to beg as a charge who should naturally be protected.
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