‘St. Claire’s house, huh.’
I ended up here at the St. Claire residence upon Elaine’s invitation.
It’s one of the six great houses of the Empire, so I came with certain expectations…
‘This is more ordinary than I thought?’
The St. Claire household, a renowned noble family of the Crescent Empire, was surprisingly… well, pretty normal.
The mansion was big, sure, but not jaw-droppingly huge, and the interiors and facilities were just about what you’d expect.
If I were to exaggerate a little, it was maybe slightly nicer than the villa I have tucked away somewhere in the western part of the continent.
“This is the first time I’ve invited someone over.”
Elaine muttered while averting her gaze, looking slightly embarrassed.
“Cynthia should’ve come too…”
Cynthia had disappeared earlier with an earnest expression, saying she couldn’t join us for dinner. I considered following her for a moment but decided against it—something told me I kind of knew why she was acting that way.
Even though I haven’t known her that long, I’ve figured out Cynthia’s personality pretty well by now.
She really dislikes owing favors to others.
I mean, who really likes owing favors, right? But Cynthia takes it further than most people.
With how things went during this year’s tournament, she probably isn’t feeling great about it. Sure, she had her moments during the earlier exams, but inside the dungeon, when she came face-to-face with the undead, she couldn’t do much of anything.
Elaine has a somewhat similar personality, but at least she didn’t hesitate to charge into battle against the ghouls.
“So, what’s on the menu today?”
“Umm… I did tell them to go a bit out of their way compared to what I usually eat, but I’m not entirely sure…”
“I’m down for anything!”
As Elaine stumbled over her words, Emily chimed in, almost like she was trying to cheer Elaine up.
One of the biggest changes since the tournament ended is definitely how much closer I’ve gotten to Emily.
Before that, even while we were preparing for the tournament together, there was always some kind of distance between us.
When Elaine, Cynthia, and I were chatting, Emily hardly ever tried to join in and rarely started conversations herself.
But now? She not only approaches me without hesitation, but sometimes she joins our chats in a natural, easygoing way, just like what happened now.
I’m not sure why, but I feel accomplished about it.
Maybe it’s because I can see someone as introverted, almost as much as me, gradually growing.
“It’s been a while since I craved some beef, hmm? Ah, St. Claire’s household should have this much at least, right?”
“Eh? I’ll inform the kitchen right away! Beef is absolutely going on the table… Maria should be able to—”
Watching Elaine panic and flail around made it impossible for me to keep a straight face.
She’s just too fun to tease.
‘Even so, something seems off lately.’
It wasn’t my plan to think about it while visiting Elaine’s place, but lately, this nagging thought has been on my mind ever since the tournament ended.
A decent amount of time has passed since then.
Not that it’s a long stretch by any means—a few days—but for me, that’s plenty of time.
Enough to wrap up the investigation into the undead incident at the Academy.
‘How is it so eerily quiet?’
After giving Eddi the grand tour of my “green,” we had a pretty serious discussion.
The appearance of undead, something unheard of across the continent in decades. Alright, that’s understandable.
But for it to happen specifically inside the Academy, that’s a whole different story.
It’s different compared to if undead appeared amidst the monster-infested northern part of the continent or somewhere on the frontlines.
The fact that undead appeared within the Crescent Empire’s direct jurisdiction—inside the Academy—would be, according to Eddi, big enough to send shockwaves across the globe.
But reality hasn’t been nearly as chaotic.
The Academy seems to be deliberately trying to keep a lid on things. Probably because letting word get out could cause serious trouble.
Still, I didn’t expect the Academy to suppress the news to this extent, even internally, within its own walls.
‘Has Eddi exaggerated it? Nah, undead are still a big deal regardless…’
Although I’m not sure how far the investigation has progressed, it’s weird that there hasn’t been any news at this point.
Or maybe they only choose not to share it with the students.
“Eh, whatever.”
“Huh? What’s that about, sir?”
“No, nothing. I was just talking to myself. So, does that mean it’s just the three of us for dinner?”
“Yes, it seems so. Father said he wouldn’t be back tonight.”
“Your older brother? Professor Cassis?”
“Uh… he usually doesn’t have dinner at home.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Even though I haven’t met any other members of the St. Claire family since arriving here, I can’t complain. Actually, for me, just setting foot inside this house is quite the gain.
As long as I remember this visit clearly enough, I can confidently pop in whenever I want from now on.
There has to be a time where this could prove useful.
Following Elaine toward the dining room, I made a mental note of the layout of the St. Claire estate.
It has to be worthwhile down the road.
“Here we are… the dining room… oh.”
“Hmm?”
“What’s wrong?”
When Elaine paused mid-motion while opening the door, Emily and I naturally stopped too.
Through the partially opened door, an unexpected voice reached us.
“Have you arrived?”
“Father?”
“Ah?”
Elaine’s deep and gravelly “father” turned out to be the voice of none other than Royce St. Claire, the current head of the St. Claire family.
Royce St. Claire. The man who is famous for leading the strongest knight lineage. He exuded a stern presence.
“Father, why are you here? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come back tonight?”
“I canceled my plans. It wouldn’t do to let guests come without greeting them properly.”
“Ah.”
‘That’s just like him.’
Even his voice made it easy to picture Royce’s facial expression.
To the uninitiated, Royce St. Claire, the patriarch of the St. Claire family known far and wide for their knightly prowess, may seem untouchable. Though Elaine and Emily wouldn’t know this, Royce and I have more of a history than they’d expect.
‘He doesn’t know I’m the leader of the Black Shadow Guild, though.’
“So these are your classmates. This is Ryu, and this is Emily Franz.”
“Come in and take a seat.”
Royce St. Claire looked just as I remembered after all these years.
From the firm and rugged vibe radiating off his person to his perfectly unchanged hairstyle—short, military-like cropped hair, and a large, imposing figure.
The only difference from my memories was that he wore casual clothing rather than his usual knight’s armor, which made his muscular build even more striking, adding a somewhat overwhelming presence.
‘This guy is as serious at home as he is anywhere else.’
“Hello, I’m Ryu.”
“A, Nice to meet you! I’m Emily Franz!”
“Happy to meet you both. Please, have a seat.”
It had only been moments before the atmosphere had been light and cheerful, but Royce’s appearance changed everything.
After all, not only myself and Emily, but even Elaine herself, who had invited us, was thrown off by the sudden development.
When I glanced at Elaine, she too was fumbling through the unexpected situation, clearly confused.
It seemed like this guy did this his own way without even notifying Elaine.
‘Still, it’s odd that he’d cancel his schedule just because guests were coming over.’
The Royce St. Claire I know follows principles very strictly.
Him canceling a pre-scheduled event means there was a good reason for it.
“You must be that rumored top student, Ryu.”
“That’s me.”
Sure enough, just as expected, Royce hadn’t recognized me.
After all, as the leader of the Black Shadow Guild, I always wore a mask and spoke in a distorted voice whenever we met.
“So you performed remarkably well during the tournament, I hear.”
“Eh… everyone did a great job. Emily especially helped a ton by solving all the written exam questions. Without her, we probably wouldn’t have made it to the dungeon.”
“Hooh.”
Even though I had directly complimented Emily, Royce’s focus never once shifted to her.
As soon as we sat down, Royce fixed his gaze exclusively on me, ignoring everyone else with laser-like precision.
That’s when it started dawning on me what this was about.
This guy wasn’t just here to meet Elaine’s friends—his schedule cancellation hinted at a deeper interest in something else.
“Where did you learn your swordsmanship?”
“Oh… here and there.”
“Here and there?”
Royce seemed unconvinced, rubbing his chin.
That statement was entirely true. “Here and there” wasn’t an exaggeration.
I didn’t learn swordplay from a single person.
If we’re being exact, Royce himself technically counts as one of my teachers after all the sparring sessions we’ve had.
‘I guess three people would count if we’re talking about formal instructors only.’
“So this is how you ended up outperforming our St. Claire swordsmanship?”
“Hey, it’s not like I beat everyone just through swordplay. I’m a wizard after all.”
“…”
Royce’s eyebrow twitched, and his eyes sparkled with a mixture of curiosity and mild irritation.
I bet he doesn’t like the idea of blending roles like that, a clear-cut ideology in his mind—he’s either a knight or a mage.
‘That’s why he challenged me to a duel that one time.’
“I’d like to see just how much wizardry has played into your sword techniques.”
“…”
I nearly burst out laughing at the déjà vu.
Same conversation, same progression as the last time we met.
This time around, I managed to suppress my laughter only because maintaining the current atmosphere mattered—we’re here as Elaine’s friends now.
“Father! How can you just…”
“Sounds great! It would be an honor to face the Invincible Knight Royce St. Claire!”
“Umm…”
Elaine tried to interject, only for me to respond so enthusiastically that it left her flabbergasted.
It was the first time I’d seen Elaine wear such an expressive face.
In fact, she looked calmer when we encountered the ghouls within the dungeon.
“Ryu-sama?”
“Ho, ho, ho… Bold indeed! Very bold!”
Royce let out a hearty laugh, his gaze remaining firmly on me.
I returned his stare with equal intensity.
‘This is the perfect opportunity to test my newest magic.’
Moreover, I was curious how much better I could handle the St. Claire sword style compared to my past encounters.
