The imperial princess I saw after a long time was just the same.
She was still oblivious to her surroundings, yet devoted to me, and she still followed me around calling me ‘Sir Ian.’
Only a little more than two months had passed.
There was no way there would have been many changes in that short time.
My sense of time had been excessively distorted due to the experiences I had undergone, starting from the retinue of the evil god and various dense incidents.
Still, sixty days during one’s youthful prime is a considerable amount of time.
It would inevitably feel long for anyone. Especially if one was eagerly waiting for someone, even more so.
The imperial princess was precisely an example of this.
Our long-awaited reunion had her clasping her hands and looking up at me with sparkling eyes. It was clear that just seeing me brought her joy.
She truly was a perplexing woman.
Objectively speaking, I was not in a position to receive such adoration from the imperial princess.
Even though it stemmed from a misunderstanding, I had previously had extreme conflicts with her.
Additionally, I was the one who had assaulted her in front of a crowd due to certain circumstances.
If it weren’t for the blood bond, I would have had no grounds to complain if I had been executed a long time ago.
Most of what I had done to the imperial princess was generally bad.
Yet, she liked me immensely.
As if simply meeting me gave her butterflies.
I couldn’t fathom the reason behind it.
I could only assume that she was excited to meet someone who had shown her goodwill after such a long time.
Sometimes, there were days when I felt burdened by that goodwill. Even now, I felt that way.
Still, it had been a long time since we last saw each other.
There was no way I could dislike having a lovely junior following me around.
I greeted her, wearing a faint smile.
“…It’s been a while, Your Highness.”
“You look cool, Sir Ian!”
It was a sudden outburst of admiration.
My bewildered gaze turned toward the imperial princess.
However, she was already in a posture akin to a prophet philosophizing on the truth.
It was as if the assertion, ‘Sir Ian is cool,’ was completely self-evident, and she believed without a doubt that no one would question it.
Before I could process my surprise, the imperial princess began showering me with praises.
“I heard you defeated the retinue of the evil god! When I heard you came close to dying, frankly, it broke my heart… Truly, Sir Ian is the knight of knights! How could you have charged at that monster without fear…”
“…Wait a moment, Your Highness.”
If I left it be, she was poised to laud my accomplishments for several minutes.
I first silenced the princess and then cautiously glanced around.
Fortunately, there were few people on the central road.
It was still early in the morning and the vacation had not yet ended.
Unless someone was waiting for me like the imperial princess, there wouldn’t be many who would choose to venture out early in the morning.
Or, if limited to the academy, there would be quite a few people interested in that.
However, at this hour, they were already holed up in the training room or the library.
Still, just to be sure, I gently reminded the princess.
“Your Highness, you know, that incident is still confidential… If it gets out that the retinue of the evil god appeared, it would cause a stir.”
“B-but, there are many witnesses and concrete evidence, so most people are likely aware, right? There’s no reason to hide Sir Ian’s heroic deeds…!”
“…It will become tiresome.”
It was a remark mixed with a sigh.
I wouldn’t mind if my exploits were well known throughout the land, and my fame was elevated to receive admiration from many.
After all, every human has a desire for recognition.
I was no exception.
However, for now, my desire for rest was stronger than that.
I had spent time unraveling the secrets tied to my family, faced life-or-death crises, and had to deal with Elsi’s confession and various other incidents.
The fatigue accumulated physically and psychologically was immense.
There was no way to keep the fact that the retinue of the evil god had appeared under wraps for long.
It was too significant an incident to be swept under the rug.
In that case, wouldn’t it be better to enjoy a brief period of peace?
That was a rather rational judgment.
However, it seemed the imperial princess interpreted my desires differently.
Her slate-gray eyes became dreamy once more.
“The humility of not seeking honor… marvelous, Sir Ian. Indeed, you are different from the lustful humans…”
I was about to say something in response to that, but soon sighed and gave up.
The princess, completely oblivious to social cues, appeared like this without the dragon’s gaze upon her.
Unless that delusion was lifted, it would be far off before she recognized my true feelings.
Eventually, I decided to change the subject of our conversation.
“By the way, have you heard anything about Lady Airen?”
“…Ah, yes! Yes!”
The imperial princess, who had been blankly staring at me, suddenly seemed to remember and responded with a start.
She quickly nodded her head.
“I heard… she said she would stay at the manor a bit longer due to her training. Thank you, Sir Ian, for taking care of my subordinate…”
As the princess bowed politely, her sincerity was conveyed.
It seemed her fondness for her subordinate was genuine.
That was perhaps why she was still holding onto Lady Airen, despite the predicament she was in.
Lady Airen likely hadn’t been that demoralized from the beginning.
The chances were high that she had been shattered by a series of shocking failures.
In that case, I too could not escape the weight of that sin.
To be precise, it should be the ‘me’ from the future who should be held accountable, but I couldn’t say that I was completely unrelated to that person.
So I felt unworthy of receiving the princess’s gratitude.
“Not at all. On the contrary, I received a lot of help from Lady Airen. She relayed some important eyewitness accounts…”
Suddenly praising Lady Airen led me to an array of awkward phrases.
An important eyewitness account, indeed.
If she were an informant, it wouldn’t be a role for a bodyguard to assume. Let alone if it was about a time when she failed to protect the one she was meant to guard.
Moreover, I couldn’t even ascertain whether that testimony was truly ‘important.’
On the day she left the manor, Lady Airen had emphasized to me once more.
“Th-that memory of everything flashing before my eyes…!”
“Yes, understood… thank you, Lady Airen. Please take good care of Liya.”
Of course, I didn’t pay any attention to her words.
Anyone could say their vision blurred before their eyes.
If someone was hit and fainted, I would confidently repeat the same testimony without a hitch.
Wearing a faint smile, I exchanged pleasantries with the imperial princess about our recent well-being.
It was then that the princess brought up an unexpected topic.
“Um, um, Sir Ian…?”
The subtle paleness on the princess’s face was apparent.
The beads of sweat trickling down represented her anxious heart.
I could only watch her in silence, struggling to understand what was happening.
A question naturally slipped from my mouth.
“…Yes?”
“Uh, um, would it happen to be…”
Peeking at my reactions, the princess seemed to have steeled herself and suddenly closed her eyes tight, asking me.
“Have you received any communication regarding your younger sister…?”
‘Younger sister.’
If the princess wasn’t being deceived, she must have been referring to Liya.
Of course, I hadn’t received any information relayed by Liya.
With a voice deepening in curiosity, I countered her question.
“No, nothing… Is something the matter?”
“…A-ah! N-no!”
The princess jumped in place, vehemently denying.
She shook her head furiously and started to turn her back to move away from me.
“Ah! Y-yes! Speaking of which, I still have some documents to take care of! I’ll see you later, Sir Ian!”
Her intentions were glaringly suspicious.
For a moment, I considered chasing after her to press for answers.
While the princess seemed desperate to hide something, I thought that asking just a few more questions would lead to an answer given her clumsy demeanor.
However, I soon discarded that rude thought.
The princess, perhaps due to her tense state, was walking stiffly. That sight was quite comical yet endearing.
As a senior, I couldn’t torment my junior.
Thus, I dragged my luggage and headed toward my quarters.
Thinking I would rest thoroughly in my room for the day.
Even after returning to the academy, my daily life hadn’t changed much.
First, I had to focus on regaining the muscle I had lost during my bedridden state.
I put my best efforts into rehabilitation as soon as I got up, followed by resting until my muscles recovered.
Fortunately, I had plenty of healing potions.
They dramatically shortened the time for recuperation of my muscle fibers.
At this rate, I should be able to get my physical condition back to normal before the term begins.
However, upon returning to the academy, I still had worries.
It was about Senior Elsi.
Right after I returned to the academy, Senior Elsi’s whereabouts became unclear.
I suspected she might be avoiding me.
I wanted to consult Senior Delphine on the matter.
She had a history of getting involved with Senior Elsi since first year at the academy. Naturally, she would know Senior Elsi better than anyone at the academy.
However, Senior Delphine had still not returned from the Yuridina territory.
There was no way I could go to the Yuridina territory to consult with Senior Delphine, so I was left with only one option.
Ru Pin Rainelle.
Her brother, if it were him, might provide a clear answer.
I was unwillingly taking steps in that direction.
It wasn’t that I disliked Ru Pin, but I was already scared of his reactions after hearing that Senior Elsi’s confession had been rejected.
Just imagining how much he would pester me made me weary.
He would surely scold me for turning down a girl like his sister.
I also couldn’t understand why it happened, so Ru Pin, being her brother, must feel tenfold more frustrated.
That’s how I began to inquire about Ru Pin’s whereabouts.
Since there were still few people around the academy, it took a little while, but I managed to find out where Ru Pin had gone.
The forest next to the dormitory.
I wondered if he was going to practice magic training, so I opened my senses to track Ru Pin’s presence.
While it was impossible in the past, at my current expert level, nothing was impossible.
Though the Southern Forest was sizable, the forest next to the dormitory was relatively small.
Before long, I spotted Ru Pin.
However, he was accompanied by someone unexpected.
I could tell just by the hooded hat that it was Senior Elsi.
I instinctively suppressed my presence and hid in the Shrubs.
I still felt embarrassed facing Senior Elsi directly.
I didn’t understand why I felt this way, but it was vexing.
Senior Elsi had her eyes shut tight, her head bent low.
Her trembling shoulders testified to her distress.
Before her, Ru Pin, brimming with enthusiasm, shouted.
“That’s right, sis! That’s the posture! Have the courage to do it… True nobles know how to endure a bit of shame to find something of greater value!”
From the way he spoke, it seemed like they were doing some sort of training.
If it were the case that Senior Elsi was teaching Ru Pin, why would he be the one teaching her instead?
Just as that doubt sprang into my mind.
“Mi-mimi…”
Senior Elsi stammered out a broken voice.
She looked quite distressed.
Sweat was already beading on her forehead.
Only then did I seem to understand what Senior Elsi was practicing.
It was an apology.
That simple phrase of saying ‘I’m sorry’ was proving to be a tremendous struggle for Senior Elsi.
Though it was absurd, Ru Pin seemed to deeply understand his sister’s feelings.
He gritted his teeth and swallowed his own frustration, urging her on.
“That’s it! Just a bit more, sis…!”
“Mi-mi… uh… m-m…”
Finally, after a long wait, Senior Elsi managed to produce a complete sentence.
“…You crazy girl, you were the one who messed up first!”
Though it wasn’t an apology.
I found myself awestruck by the absurd training of the Rainelle siblings.
What on earth were they doing?
