Two days later.
“Granoli!”
As the final bell of the day rang, signaling the end of classes, and she was gathering her textbooks and writing utensils, he came over energetically.
“……U-Um, yes? What is it, Lord Ian?”
Raze blinked at Ian, who had gone out of his way to hurry up the stairs to her seat.
“Please, train with me!”
“Eh?”
Just like that, he joined his hands together pleadingly, and Raze felt extremely flustered.
She had been reassured that Ian was single-mindedly training with the spear she had entrusted to him the other day. But now, to have him set his sights on her…
Ian was strong. As one of the targets for romance in the otome game, the male student had impressive specs.
With only three days until the winter tournament, Raze had to get through this match without winning as well. If she revealed any more of her ability to fight at a certain level, after having already had that swordsmanship match with Ian somewhere publicly visible, she would truly have no plausible deniability. If she were to also reveal her spearmanship skills in a match, there would be no excuse left.
“I want to practice with someone knowledgeable in spearmanship. We both probably want some sparring practice against an opponent before the match, right?”
“W-Well…..”
It was an extremely unpalatable situation.
She was the one who had taught him the spear. Being told that made it difficult to refuse.
As she was stalling for an answer, that was when he cut in.
“……What’s this about? It’s rare to see you two talking.”
The one who interjected was the blue-haired pretty boy sitting in the adjacent seat across the aisle from Raze.
For a moment, she thought he might be her saving grace, but meeting his silver eyes, Raze stiffened.
It was Addis, the son of Wellrain Larg Zarth, the Prime Minister of the Cyan Kingdom and Raze’s superior, giving them an inquisitive look at the unusual pair.
Raze still hadn’t grown accustomed to the anomalous existence that was the son of her grim reaper-like boss.
And he too was a romance target in the otome game, which made him all the more troublesome.
Having another person she had to be cautious around made Raze feel like giving up.
It would have been easier being at the academy as a janitor or security guard.
“I asked her to train me. Oh! I was the first one to ask Granoli out! ”
Ian replies before Raze, and for some reason, he nails it at the end.
“Training? with special class student?”
“Yeah. Granoli’s strong, you know!”
Addis looked perplexed, but Ian just smiled cheerfully, without a hint of malice or lie
(Why is this happening? ……?)
Raze watched their exchange with a resigned expression.
Glancing at the tight-lipped Raze, Addis had an odd look on his face.
“…..But Wouldn’t it be fairer to keep your tricks hidden, if you might face each other in the tournament?”
“!!”
Raze’s expression returned in a jolt at the unexpected response.
“It would be better to ask your senior,”
Addis said bluntly, and Ian thought there was some truth in that, which showed on his face.
“…You might be right!”
Seeing Ian’s straightforward response at the same level as Folia, Raze found an opportunity.
“The student council president might be a good opponent for you!”
Anyone who says Ian is not suited for swordsmanship should be able to help him grow.
“I won’t spar with you, but I can give you some advice if you’d like?”
Raze made the suggestion, adding a guarantee in case it didn’t work out.
“…Got it. Fighting Granoli will be something to look forward to in the real match! I wanted to talk to the student council president too, so I’ll go!”
Ian waved cheerfully and immediately rushed out of the classroom.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
After the storm had passed, Raze let out a sigh of relief. Her conscience hurt a little, but she managed to get through it.
“By the way, have you done something recently that made Ian start using a spear?”
But there was still one person left.
Raze shifted her gaze from the classroom door to Addis beside her.
His look was more serious than she had expected, and Raze was at a loss for words.
“…Well, he was feeling down because he was told he wasn’t suited for swordsmanship, so I just suggested that he might be better off with a spear…”
“And how did he take it?”
“Huh? He said it felt right, I think…?”
Raze was taken aback by the unexpected line of questioning.
After listening to Raze’s explanation, he simply said, “I see,” and went down the stairs.
“…I wonder what that was about…?”
Raze saw Addis’ back as he followed the same path Ian had taken and disappeared, leaving her with several question marks in her head.
(Well, at least I have a meeting with the director later today, so that’s a relief…)
Although she had some concerns, thanks to Addis, she managed to avoid talking about Ian.
Finally alone, Raze told Folia she was going to the research lab and headed for the “Clock Tower” where she had an appointment with the director.
“It’s been a while, Commander.”
Today, she was meeting unexpected people.
Raze was led to the director’s room on the top floor of the “Clock Tower,” which served as staff quarters, and stopped in her tracks.
After Ian, the person who appeared before her was a man with red eyes peeking out from his white hair. When Raze showed up, he stood up from the sofa he was sitting on. Leaning against the sofa was a large sword symbolizing his work.
“–Sir Hein. It has been too long. …Not since summer, I believe. I’m glad to see you in good health.”
His name was Gilbert-en-Hein, the third vice-commander of the Cyan Imperial Knights. He was said to be the knight closest to becoming the next commander of the Knights.
Upon noticing him, Raze greeted him politely as well. This was the second time she had met Gilbert.
The last time they met was at a summer event observing harmful beasts, where they had a skirmish after a monster had infiltrated the event site.
“Hahah. You two are still as tough as ever!”
Harrens, who had invited Raze into the room, laughed heartily as if to lighten the mood, watching their exchange from his chair. Incidentally, he was the brother of the “Emperor” at the top of this country, and Raze’s superior while she was at the academy.
(Is Sir Hein going to be in charge of security for the winter tournament? It’s helpful to have someone who knows me in charge.)
She had been told beforehand that a knight commander would also be attending today’s meeting, but she had expected someone of a higher rank. She didn’t expect him to be there.
It was a relief to have someone who already knew the situation, as she wouldn’t have to explain her unusual position as a student and undercover military officer, nominally holding the rank of colonel.
“It’s an honor to see you again. I look forward to working with you.”
“Likewise. We’re fortunate to have Sir Hein in charge.”
With a wry smile at Harrens’s words, Raze tried to shake the large hand extended by Gilbert.
(–Huh?)
Instead of a handshake, he took her hand and brought her fingertips to his lips, like a nobleman greeting a lady.
Raze was stunned by the unexpected gesture unfamiliar to her.
As Gilbert’s face moved away from the back of her hand, she held her breath to keep the surprise from showing on her face.
–But her ears were still flushed red from the unexpected move she wasn’t used to.
“–? Is something wrong?”
Gilbert seemed to notice Raze’s reaction.
“…I’m not used to it, so I was surprised. My apologies.”
Realizing she couldn’t hide it, Raze responded honestly, and Gilbert blinked a few times.
Harrens laughed again, this time seemingly genuinely amused, shaking his shoulders as he tried to stifle his laughter.
“You’re laughing too much, Director…”
Raze couldn’t help but interject at his unrestrained laughter.
“My apologies, haha. I never expected the one known as the [Wolf Fang], boasting the strongest military might in the country, to have such an adorable side.”
Harrens didn’t hold back, even calling her “adorable” – he was clearly teasing her.
Raze, who rarely experienced such ridicule, pursed her lips tightly.
(Damn, I let my guard down…)
It was extremely rare for a military officer to interact with knights.
Raze’s existence was kept hidden even within the military since she was useful for intelligence purposes. Having lost her parents and younger brother in the war against the Empire about six years ago, she had never associated with nobility as an ordinary civilian. Even without trying, her appearance often drew contempt from nobles. No one would treat her like a noblewoman, except perhaps a male soldier who knew who she was – and even then, they might salute her as a brave warrior, but would avoid the sort of flowery praise reserved for noblewomen. That was just how the military organization worked.
Seeing Harrens’s reaction, Gilbert gently released her hand and stared at her with a blank expression.
Raze, barely reaching up to his chest, was visibly flustered.
“Um…a handshake would be preferable next time…”
The student in her school uniform looked like an ordinary schoolgirl as she tried to brush it off.
Gilbert’s expression naturally softened.
He had worried that his red eyes, a feature shared with harmful beasts, had made her uncomfortable when he touched her. But that didn’t seem to be the case. She continued to surprise him in various ways.
“I have heard that you hold the honorary rank of nobility. You could consider it practice,”
“Eh…?”
Raze looked up at Gilbert with a puzzled expression, not expecting to be turned down.
“Just kidding.”
“Huh!?”
Unexpectedly, this serious-looking knight seemed to have a playful side. Gilbert smiled faintly, recalling a hand even smaller and more slender than Raze’s.
However, Raze had not expected to be turned down by this seemingly stern and strict knight.
(This guy tells jokes…?)
Well, she could take it as a sign that they were getting closer…
“Alright. Enough with the break time, you should take a seat.”
“Excuse me.”
Raze relaxed and finally sat down.
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