“Is that a green light? Right? It’s the right one, isn’t it?”
A crowd, full of excitement, gathered around Tia and Nikolai.
They were watching the two with bated breath, trying to suppress their screams as if they were watching a morning drama.
Some were already unable to hold back their screams.
“Can I go home to see my dog… Now when I go home, there will be no dog anywhere, and it will be barking ‘Woof!’ right in my ear? Aaaah!”
Everyone had similar thoughts.
It didn’t matter what the parties involved were actually thinking or what intentions they had.
What mattered was that a sweet situation that looked like kids fluffing around was unfolding among students starved for romance.
Moreover, the two were of royalty and commoner?
With a forbidden love thrown into the mix, it was undeniably thrilling.
“What’s going on?”
Looking around at the gathered crowd, Tia felt flustered for a moment.
Soon she faced Nikolai’s serious expression and slowly parted her lips.
There were words she needed to say.
“Mm, no.”
“…!”
With Tia’s firm words, sighs erupted from various parts of the crowd.
How could it have come to this?
The forbidden love between royalty and commoners ends in tragedy without fail.
Everyone lamented, but soon noticed something strange.
The one who rejected was not the royalty but the commoner.
Something was fundamentally wrong.
Nikolai’s face was turning crimson in real-time.
It was certain that things were starting to get even more interesting.
“Popcorn for sale!”
“What’s that?! Why is there a stall inside the school? Tear it down!”
“Just a moment, teacher! Please let it slide just for today!”
The students continued watching, munching on popcorn that they didn’t know where it came from.
Nikolai’s face turning red and blue in real-time was truly a work of art.
“Why?!”
“But Tia’s house doesn’t have a dog. But there’s a fox! Want to come to see the fox at my house?”
“…!”
Having a fox at home?
Was that even something that made sense?
Not having seen the monster turn into a fox, they couldn’t help but be puzzled.
There was no way that someone would actually raise a wild animal like a fox in their home, it had to be a metaphorical expression this time.
Even so, to call herself a fox…
The audience, astonished by Tia’s boldness, couldn’t take their eyes off the two while munching wildly on popcorn.
“Five of them!”
“Five?!”
What metaphor is that this time?
When depicting a seductive fox, it is often expressed as a fox with multiple tails.
So, was she likening herself to a fox with five tails?
They had thought they were just clueless kids, but were talking about something raw and outlandish.
Some people in the crowd had already fainted from excitement.
“This is bad! The prince has no immunity to something like that!”
As for Tia being utterly seductive, Nikolai, who grew up in the palace, had no immunity to such temptations either.
His clever mind would quickly catch on to the unintended meaning and he would blush.
What he feared the most was that he might be so startled by Tia’s boldness that he would run away in shame.
“Alright. Let’s go see the fox.”
“Mmheehee! After school, we can ride back in the carriage together!”
“I’ll be indebted to you.”
“…?!”
The moment the two made their promise casually, a silent uproar erupted from all around.
People couldn’t scream out loud, collapsing silently with their mouths shut.
Looking back at the scene, Nikolai furrowed his brows in confusion, unable to understand what was happening.
It was just about going to see the five foxes that had transformed from monsters at Tia’s house, so what was all this fuss about?
As Nikolai headed toward his classroom, Tia followed beside him, grinning.
“The prince isn’t causing a fuss anymore!”
It was an opportunity to get closer to Nikolai, who had been picking fights all this time.
Her mind was filled only with that thought, and Tia was simply grinning ear to ear.
However, to the other students who were oblivious, that smile looked not like an innocent laugh but the alluring charm of a clever fox.
“Ugh, ugh… It’s too sweet… What should I do…?”
“Th-that fox-like girl…”
“Hey! What’s this? Why are you all sprawled out here instead of going to school?”
The area left by Tia and Nikolai had turned into a perfect chaos.
*
“Mm?”
When Tia arrived at the classroom, she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
Isaac was standing right in the middle of the corridor, blocking her way.
His expression looked so resolute that Tia felt anxious.
Was the showdown that Leopard had mentioned finally going to happen?
“I’m sorry, Tiamat! I was wrong!”
“…?”
Isaac bowed 90 degrees and apologized.
It was unprecedented for an upperclassman to publicly apologize to a lowerclassman, so everyone, including Tia, was taken aback.
Of course, Isaac had deliberated deeply before coming to this decision.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that human society runs on the fuel of hatred towards monsters.
And that was true even in the small society of the school.
After setting his sights on becoming the next student council president, Isaac was immersed in garnering support from the human race.
And that activity included a rigorous exclusion of monsters.
The more he ostracized and hated monsters, the more his support would rise.
Thus, Tia, who was protecting the monsters, was nothing but a hindrance to him.
That was also the reason he had threatened Tia.
He had thought this would be the right answer.
No matter how strong Tia was, he believed that if he thoroughly isolated her, she wouldn’t be able to do anything.
But his predictions were spectacularly wrong.
Prince Nikolai stepped up to save Tia.
“If I get on the bad side of the prince, it will be the end!”
Moreover, Isaac’s family belonged to the faction supporting Prince Nikolai’s ascension to the throne.
In trying to solidify hatred towards monsters, there was a risk of turning both Dragania and the prince into enemies.
That absolutely couldn’t happen.
It would lead to the downfall of the entire family.
With that thought, Isaac decided he would rush to apologize to Tia the very next day.
“Mm…”
Looking down at Isaac’s back, Tia let out an enigmatic sound.
Hearing that, Isaac squeezed his eyes shut.
That was surely a sign of him agonizing over whether or not to forgive her.
He had taken the best immediate action he could, but there was no guarantee it would succeed.
Ultimately, Tia could shut her heart off completely and reject Isaac, leading to the collapse of the family.
If that happened, it would all be his fault.
It was his mistake for carelessly stepping on her forgiveness.
Isaac was remorsefully reflecting on the mistakes of his past while waiting for the decision that would soon be made.
“You. Who was it again?”
“Uh…?”
But what Tia uttered was completely unexpected.
“Who was it again?”…
Did she not remember?
‘No way! That can’t be true!’
Tia, who would dismantle any magic in an instant, willingly sacrificing herself for her friends.
There was no way such a person could forget what happened just yesterday.
This was certainly an indication that she pretended to forget on purpose and was willing to overlook it.
Isaac was moved to tears, raising his head.
“I am Isaac Karlyev… Do you truly not remember…?”
“Mm! It’s a name I’ve never heard before!”
“A-aaah…”
The moment Isaac saw Tia smiling brightly and welcoming him, he couldn’t help but let tears flow down his cheeks.
Just a moment ago, he was worrying about his family’s downfall, yet this girl was saying she would forget all that ridiculousness without asking for anything in return.
How could he repay such a heavenly grace?
Isaac saw no other path ahead.
There was only one way clearly laid out before him.
“I will never discriminate against or harass monsters again. I will follow your will.”
“Mm! Good thinking! But why the formal speech…?”
“Also, I pledge my loyalty to you, Lady Tiamat. Please allow me to be your sword.”
“…?”
Isaac then knelt before Tia on one knee, bowing his head.
The Karlyev family had produced many knights over generations.
If one meets someone worthy of a lifelong service of loyalty, it was taught that joining that person’s service was the very role of Karlyev.
And today, Isaac had met a person with excellent backing, strength, and character.
This is the person I must serve.
Isaac believed this wholeheartedly.
‘To tame Isaac…’
Watching from afar, Nikolai’s mouth fell open in shock.
Isaac, who had received overwhelming support from humans due to his hatred towards monsters, had been subdued.
He was inspired by her.
Perhaps the world Tia desired, where monsters and humans coexisted peacefully, was not entirely unrealistic.
She might truly be acting to create such a world…
As Nikolai thought this, he soon became greatly disappointed.
“Tia’s sword? So that means you have to do whatever Tia says, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Great! Then I’ll take Tia! Uh… what was it again?”
“It’s Isaac.”
“Mm! Isaac! It’s a command!”
“What is it?”
“I want bread! Go buy me some bread!”
“I will obey your orders!”
Swiftly.
Isaac darted off, and Tia nonchalantly yawned and entered the classroom.
All the students watching that scene were having the same thought.
“A bread shuttle just got added…”
“She’s defeated the Phoenix, the principal, the monster, and the prince, and now she’s taken down the next student council president too…”
They thought Tia was taking another step closer to conquering St. Sophia.
