Chapter 79: Reverse of Faith
The festive atmosphere of the capital, once bustling like migratory birds preparing for winter, gradually settled into a quiet calm.
Today was the day of the Imperial Family Visit at the academy. It was an event where members of the Atlantis Imperial Family would visit Full Bloom, observe classes, and give a short speech in the auditorium.
Full Bloom, as a prestigious noble academy established by Fritz with the approval of the Imperial Family, held the Imperial Family Visit every year.
This year, the only member of the Imperial Family to visit the academy was Crown Prince Lawrence Atlantis. The event proceeded smoothly. The only thing special about this year was the ceremony where a holy beast egg was presented, and the Crown Prince personally bestowed a blessing upon it. This had been planned ever since Acrea was chosen as the Crown Prince’s escort.
The Acrea grand duke family had been responsible for managing the holy beast eggs for generations, selecting the holy beasts that would eventually form contracts with saints.
In Atlantis, there wasn’t just one ‘holy beast’, and there were even more holy beast eggs. In other words, the Acrea grand duke family was in charge of raising the ‘holy beast candidates’ who were qualified to be chosen as holy beasts in the future.
Sue was on her way to transport the holy beast egg used in the ceremony to the stable. The reason she was in this situation was because of the two people in front of her, chatting and laughing.
“Sue, you’re keeping up, right?”
“Yes, of course!”
Melaine stopped and looked back at Sue, and Acrea, who was beside her, also looked at her intently. It wasn’t like they were that far apart. Sue, flustered, hurried towards them, wiping the sweat from her brow.
This was how it had happened. Acrea, as the escort and the one in charge of the holy beast egg, had been preparing for the Imperial Family Visit, and Melaine had volunteered to help him a few days ago. So far, so good. But on the day of the event, Melaine had subtly dragged Sue into it, and here she was.
She hadn’t actually done much to help, just carrying the holy beast egg on the day of the event. It wasn’t even that difficult. In fact, it was an experience she wouldn’t have been able to have even if she had paid for it, so she didn’t mind.
But she was surprised that Melaine, who had dragged her into this, and Acrea, who was smiling as if it was none of his business, were closer than she had thought.
They had been together all day. She even felt a little annoyed, wondering why they had bothered to involve her.
‘Are they really dating?’
Sue, feeling like a third wheel, glanced at them suspiciously.
Acrea had never shown any interest in Melaine in the novel. Actually, it would be better for Sue if they ended up together. She would just have to clap and congratulate them.
‘Sigh, I don’t know. They won’t answer me even if I ask.’
She had actually asked Melaine and Acrea directly if they were dating. But they had just smiled awkwardly and hadn’t given her a clear answer.
‘They’re all keeping secrets from me.’
Sue hugged the glass container holding the holy beast egg and sighed. She was glad that it felt warm, despite the chilly wind.
In the end, it was pointless to worry. She couldn’t control any of the events surrounding her. She knew that, but she was realizing it even more acutely these days.
Suddenly waking up in the world of the novel, Enzhe and Fritz fighting, becoming a temporary committee member, the Crown Prince being a delinquent and the future of the country being bleak, the news that the Noel count family’s mansion had burned down overnight, even deciding on the events for the Sports Festival. It was all pointless to worry about.
They arrived at a small stable located at the far end of the academy. There was no dedicated barn for holy beast eggs at the academy, so they had moved all the horses out of this stable and had been using it for the eggs.
Acrea had said that specialists would come to collect the egg safely tomorrow morning.
Three breeders were waiting for them at the stable. Sue handed the egg container to one of them.
“Thank you, Miss.”
The breeder, holding the egg securely, thanked her in a gentle voice.
Acrea and Melaine seemed to have a lot to talk about, continuing their hushed conversation even after entering the stable.
Sue, her task complete, stood there awkwardly, wondering if she should leave or wait for Melaine. Suddenly, Melaine approached her.
“Sue.”
“Yes?”
Melaine frowned and tugged at Sue’s sleeve. Sue stumbled, her body leaning towards her, her eyes filled with confusion. Melaine hesitated, her lips moving soundlessly. Finally, she spoke,
“Who would like you for no reason? Don’t you think so?”
“…Huh?”
Melaine’s eyes clouded. She shook her head and muttered in a worried voice,
“No… Well, I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”
Wouldn’t it be better if she meant it in a bad way?
Whether it was concern or mockery, it was clearly not something to say in this peaceful moment.
Melaine placed her hands on Sue’s shoulders and looked at her with pity.
“There’s no such thing as kindness without a reason, Sue. You know that, right?”
“……”
“I’m not talking about material gain. Are you listening to me?”
“Yes…”
Sue smiled awkwardly, but her eyes were cold and lifeless, like a rotten fish. But Melaine, still dissatisfied, sighed and massaged her forehead.
“Sigh, you’ve become so strange.”
She shook her head, her voice filled with disappointment. Sue was dumbfounded, not knowing how to react.
“Lady Enzhe is calling for me, so I’ll be going first. Take your time.”
Melaine, having stabbed her in the heart, left the stable without looking back.
‘What the hell was that?’
She had felt something was off ever since Melaine had suddenly asked her to help transport the holy beast egg. She might seem relatively normal, but she was definitely a psycho too.
“Lady Melaine seems to be worried about you.”
Acrea, who had been watching from afar, chimed in. Seeing him defend Melaine with such a flimsy excuse, Sue was certain that there was something going on between them.
Sue brushed off her unease and watched the breeders care for the holy beast egg. They might be called breeders, but they were all skilled individuals who excelled in holy power and light magic. She was able to observe high-ranking light magic up close.
As she left the stable, a strong gust of wind made her stumble. She was about to head back to the classroom when Acrea stopped her.
“Byron, let’s go to the dining hall. I’ll treat you to tea as a thank you.”
“Oh my, thank you, Master Acrea!”
Sue pretended to be happy, but the thought of having a fake-off with Acrea at the dining hall made her feel dizzy.
It was a ten-minute walk from the stable to the sixth-year building. Sue, finding herself alone with Acrea, decided to seize the opportunity and speak cautiously.
“Master Acrea, I’m so sorry about that day.”
“That day?”
Acrea frowned, his eyes narrowed against the strong wind. Sue touched her neck.
“That… rainy day. I wanted to apologize for showing you such an unsightly side of myself.”
“Ah, that day.”
Acrea finally seemed to remember.
This was the first time she had properly faced him since the day of the heavy rain.
That day, Sue had sent Acrea away and returned to her townhouse alone. Ten and Nine had been horrified to see her mud-splattered state. It was a natural reaction, considering she had told them she was going to enjoy refreshments at the Lopetrefer residence.
Fortunately, she hadn’t caught a cold, but as she lay in bed, drowsiness washing over her, she replayed the events of the day in her mind.
Memories fragmented, each color separating like paint. They couldn’t blend together, but they all ended up in a room labeled ‘disgrace’.
‘Ah, I’m so embarrassed.’
Sue had ended up kicking her legs under the covers in the middle of the night.
It wasn’t something she had to apologize for. But she wanted to erase the memory of that day, the embarrassing memory that would flash before her eyes whenever she saw Acrea.
“You look fine, so that’s good.”
Acrea just smiled, not mentioning the incident. Was it consideration, or did he really not care? It was probably the latter.
Sue, feeling a little lighter, replied,
“Yes, I just feel bad for troubling you, Master Acrea.”
“Byron, you didn’t trouble me at all.”
Acrea said gently, looking down at her.
“You don’t have to apologize. You’ve actually helped me a few times.”
“What?”
Sue tilted her head, confused.
“The September Festival, for example. And today, you helped transport the egg. And the temporary committee incident.”
“Ah…”
He was exaggerating her contributions, even though it had only been twice.
“I owe you a few favors, Byron. I’ve always felt bad for not properly thanking you. If you need help with anything, just tell me. I’ll help you.”
“Yes, thank you for your concern, Master Acrea.”
Acrea wouldn’t have said those words if he didn’t mean them. Sue felt a sense of relief, as if she had acquired a valuable insurance policy.
But her good mood vanished before they even reached the entrance of the sixth-year building.
He was leaning against the entrance fence, staring up at the sky. Acrea was the first to notice him.
The moment she saw him, her face contorted as if she had seen a horrible hallucination. He looked down at the sound of their footsteps and didn’t smile.
Acrea looked back and forth between them, then smiled gently. His usual emotionless smile.
“Sir Raines Noel Delpheman, Count… was it? It seems you have something to talk about. I’ll be going then. Thank you for your help, Byron.”