Chapter 19

Episode 19. Interlude – Seven Eyes

The place Iris headed to was her dorm room.

Unlike the shabby dormitory where scholarship students like me stayed, her dormitory had a clean and elegant exterior that could rival any high-class hotel.

“This is my room.”

*Click.*

After unlocking the door with her Hero Watch, she carefully opened the door.

‘Iris’s dorm room.’

An unknown territory I had never seen in my past life unfolded before my eyes.

“Wow…”

The first thought that came to mind as I entered her room was, ‘It’s spacious.’

Unlike my room, where there’s barely any space left after fitting in a bed and a desk, her room was large enough for a family of four to live comfortably.

“It’s so tidy.”

The second thought was how well-organized everything was.

The furniture in the room was arranged as neatly as if it were prepared for a military inspection, and it was so spotless that not a speck of dust could be seen.

“It’s the first time I’ve shown my room to someone other than Camila.”

Iris smiled shyly and headed towards the dining table.

As she said, the table was already filled with dishes, as if the cooking preparations were complete.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Where are the chefs?”

“They leave after preparing the meals and only come back after we finish eating.”

“I see.”

So, it meant that in this spacious room, it was just me and Iris alone.

‘This feels a bit strange.’

Even in my past life, it was rare for us to eat alone like this.

Since we became lovers after forming a party with Yuren, Berald, and Sophia, we usually ate together.

“Well then…”

I glanced over the dishes laid out on the table.

As expected of the Holy Kingdom’s cuisine, the dishes were mostly vegetable-based.

“Ugh…”

It’s not that I dislike vegetables.

But seeing so many greens gathered like this made me involuntarily droop.

“These are all healthy foods, so no complaints, please eat.”

“Ugh. Fine.”

Originally, a diet consisting solely of vegetables is, contrary to its image, nutritionally unbalanced and not particularly good for the body.

‘But the Holy Kingdom’s cuisine is different.’

I don’t know exactly what kind of magic they use on these vegetables, but they manage to make it so that you can get all sorts of nutrients just from eating greens.

Of course.

In exchange for the nutrients, they sacrificed the taste.

‘Well… I need to focus on physical training too.’

At least it’s healthier than the bread and milk from the convenience store.

“Let’s eat.”

While I was diligently stuffing my mouth with the greens under the pretext of health.

I noticed Iris looking at me with a hesitant gaze.

“What?”

“Um… there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Ahem. Just a moment.”

Iris carefully fetched something from the kitchen shelf.

What she held in her hand was…

“…Ramen?”

“Um… I really wanted to eat the ramen Dale made.”

“……”

Wait a minute.

So that’s why she was humming happily earlier?

“You’re giving me all these greens while you’re planning to eat ramen?”

“I, I eat a lot normally, so it’s fine!”

“This is too much, too much. I never thought our Saintess would be like this…”

“…So, you won’t make it for me?”

Iris looked at me with a dejected expression.

Her sad eyes, like a puppy abandoned by its owner, made my heart skip a beat.

‘This is cheating.’

Regardless of being her past lover, is there really any man who wouldn’t make ramen for her here?

“Alright. I’ll make it for you.”

“Yay!”

Iris, who had been sulking just moments ago, clenched her fists and cheered.

“Do you have eggs here?”

“Yes. But… why do you need eggs?”

“Hehe. Just wait a bit.”

I’ll show you a taste of heaven.

-*Bubble bubble.*

After adding the soup and noodles to the boiling water, I dropped an egg in when the noodles were almost done.

Within five minutes of entering the kitchen, I completed a delicious-looking ramen and brought the pot to Iris.

“Wow.”

Iris’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the bubbling ramen.

“Try it. It’ll be different from what you’ve had before.”

“Okay.”

Iris picked up some noodles and the half-cooked egg with her chopsticks and slurped them up.

And then.

“Mmmmm!!!”

She let out a happy snort and flapped her legs under the table like a duck.

“How is it? Delicious, right?”

“What is this?! How can just one egg change the taste so much?!”

Watching Iris excitedly slurping the ramen, a smile naturally formed on my lips.

‘Seeing Iris eat makes me crave ramen too.’

There’s nothing as appetizing as someone else’s ramen.

“Can I have just one bite…?”

“No way.”

Iris quickly moved the pot away as if hiding a treasure when I reached out with my chopsticks.

“Dale, you need to finish your ‘healthy meal.'”

“Come on.”

“Hehe. It’s your fault for usually eating junk food from the convenience store.”

Iris pointed at the greens with a sly smile, and the image of the gentle Saintess was replaced by that of a mischievous devil.

“Pfft.”

Seeing my sullen face must have been amusing.

Iris covered her mouth and burst into laughter.

“Just kidding. Don’t make that face. Here, I’ll share some with you.”

“That’s our Saintess.”

I never doubted Iris for a moment.

“But you have to take care of your health too, so you must eat the vegetables, okay?”

“Alright.”

Really.

‘Iris is still Iris.’

Seeing her caring for my well-being brought back memories from my past life.

As we continued our cozy lunch together.

“By the way, Iris, are you okay?”

“Huh? With what?”

“That horrifying tentacle monster.”

“Ah…”

Iris smiled awkwardly and twirled her pink hair with her fingers.

“Actually, I didn’t see it, that horrifying tentacle monster.”

“You didn’t see it?”

“No. My eyes have a special power, so illusions don’t work on me.”

“…Special power?”

“Just a moment.”

Her beautiful blue eyes, like the sky, turned towards me.

And then, in an instant.

Iris’s eyes turned into a rainbow color.

“That is…”

“The elders of the Holy Kingdom… well, they call it the ‘Seven Eyes.'”

Seven Eyes.

A sign of receiving the blessings of seven gods and the reason she is revered as the ‘Saintess’ of the Holy Kingdom.

“Thanks to these eyes, I could pass the test without being affected by illusions. Professor Morpheus seemed to know too, as he didn’t say anything even after his illusion magic failed.”

“……”

Looking at her eyes shining with a beautiful rainbow color, I tightly closed my mouth.

Suddenly.

A conversation I had with her in my past life came to mind.

-How did your eyes end up like that?

-Ah. My eyes?

According to her.

During her fourth year at Reynaldo Hero School, her vision gradually blurred over several months until one day she could no longer see.

-It was a curse.

-…A curse? By whom?

Who would dare curse the Saintess of the Seven Stars Church?

-The Grand Archbishop of Dreaming, Ashtaroth.

The Devil God Church.

A religion opposed to the Seven Stars Church, formed by Mains who received the blessings of the Devil God.

Among them, one of the six most powerful Mains was the Grand Archbishop of Dreaming, Ashtaroth.

-He… cast a curse on the entire school, targeting the power within my eyes.

-Wait, he cursed the entire school?

-You probably didn’t know. No… not just you, no one knew.

No matter how powerful the opponent was, a ‘Grand Archbishop’ level Main.

Who would have expected that someone would scatter a curse over the entire Hero School?

-It was a curse that only affected those with the ‘Seven Eyes,’ leaving others unharmed.

That’s why no one noticed.

That’s why no one realized.

-As my vision blurred day by day… I foolishly thought it was the wrath of the seven gods.

Iris smiled self-deprecatingly and touched the black eyepatch covering her eyes.

-By the time I realized it wasn’t the wrath of the gods but a curse from a Main, I had already lost everything.

The ‘Seven Eyes’ blessed by the seven gods.

The life revered as the Saintess.

And.

-My… most precious friend.

How she returned to the position of ‘Saintess’ after losing the Seven Eyes and being half-exiled from the Holy Kingdom, I do not know.

At that time, I was just a lowly mercenary struggling to survive day by day.

‘But.’

One thing was certain.

‘Iris has lost a lot to return to the position of Saintess.’

That playful smile, which I never saw in her past life, must have been one of those losses.

“Dale?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Hehe… Is it strange to see my eyes shining like a rainbow?”

“No, not at all.”

I shook my head and looked at Iris’s eyes, shining with a rainbow color.

“They’re beautiful.”

To the point where I would give everything.

To protect her.

“Eek!”

Iris quickly turned her head away.

Before I knew it, her eyes had returned to their usual blue color.

“I, I can’t show them for long. I still can’t fully control the ‘Seven Eyes.'”

Her cheeks flushed red as she stood up to hide her embarrassment.

“It’s about time for the chefs to come back for cleanup.”

“Ah, right.”

“There’s no afternoon class, so do you want to grab a coffee outside?”

“Sorry. I have some things to do, so I should get going.”

“…Is that so?”

Iris pouted and tapped the floor with her toes.

“Let’s have lunch together again next week.”

“Ah… Yes! Of course!”

“You’re not going to leave Camila out again, are you?”

“Hmm~ I don’t know what you’re talking about~?”

Iris feigned ignorance with a mischievous smile.

“……”

A smile I never saw in her past life.

Childlike, mischievous.

A side of you.

I never knew.

-*Click.*

I closed the door and leaned against it.

“It’s okay.”

A vow that won’t be heard, a promise that won’t reach.

I whisper to her beyond the door.

“This time, you won’t lose anything.”

I will.

Make sure of it.