Chapter 604

604.

About half a day into their sightseeing.

“Brother Leo.”

“What is it?”

“Today, for the first time, I truly admired Kal.”

At Chelsea’s words, Leo burst into laughter.

“Seriously, how does he manage to get things or secure lodging without any money?”

Back when they were freshmen, they had been in the same class.

Then, even though their dormitories changed after moving to the second year, they were still in the same department.

Chelsea and Kal had formed a party to carry out missions or conquer the Hero’s World many times.

Kal’s abilities especially shone through when conquering the Hero’s World.

The Hero’s World presents various situations.

Nobles and those from prestigious families often face difficulties when they don’t have money on hand during such times.

But when Kal was in the party, things became easier.

He quickly befriended people thanks to his natural charm and smooth personality, and would easily obtain what he wanted in exchange for doing small errands.

Most students who ended up in Kal’s group merely thought “this is convenient,” not giving it much thought.

Few were truly amazed by Kal’s negotiation skills.

Chelsea, even as someone who was close friends with Kal, was no different.

But now, witnessing it,

Chelsea realized anew just how incredible Kal’s abilities truly were.

“Everything looks easier from the sidelines.”

“Ugh.”

Chelsea’s expression turned sheepish.

And to her, Leo added,

“First of all, our backgrounds are different.”

Someone like Chelsea from a direct lineage hero’s family, who had always been well-provided for since childhood, could never hope to replicate the skills of Kal, who grew up in a commoner alchemist household familiar with shop work.

‘Kal might not only be skilled but naturally inclined towards such talents.’

Even Leo, who had previously worked as a mercenary and experienced all sorts of situations in his past life, was still impressed by Kal’s resourcefulness.

‘I’ve judged him too lightly.’

The fact that they couldn’t reveal their identity or use magic was a much greater disadvantage than she had anticipated.

Moreover, before dispersing,

Leo had confiscated all valuable accessories that could be sold for money.

Even the clothes they were wearing had been exchanged for simple, easily obtainable fabrics.

Certainly, there had been those who offered help.

But they all had their own ulterior motives.

Chelsea had punished everyone who approached with eerie intentions.

Korrork!

Her stomach growled.

It had been quite a while since mealtime.

When Leo glanced at her upon hearing the sound, Chelsea’s cheeks turned slightly red.

‘What should I do?’

First and foremost, what Chelsea desperately wanted was lodging.

But things weren’t going well.

Since Letin was a tourist city, the accommodation rates were expensive everywhere.

Even trying to barter for a room in exchange for doing odd jobs, something Kal was known to do, proved fruitless.

‘What did Kal do to get food without money?’

‘He acted pitiful.’

‘Pitiful?’

‘Yeah. He claimed his younger sister had been starving for several days because they had no money.’

‘He sure tells lies smoothly without batting an eye.’

‘Well… it sort of was true since he was starving.’

A past conversation with Kal during a Hero’s World adventure came back to her.

‘I’m no good at lying like that.’

It might be fine for jokes, but Chelsea didn’t feel confident doing the sort of pitiful act Kal was capable of.

Such acts depended on the atmosphere, and it was difficult for Chelsea to replicate Kal’s aura.

While Chelsea was fretting about this,

“Didn’t we have to go that way?!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! We need to go this way!”

A familiar voice rang out from the middle of the road.

Murmur—Murmur—

A sudden commotion attracted a crowd.

When Leo and Chelsea approached, they saw Niel and Marchel arguing once again.

“Ugh, again?”

Chelsea covered her face with her hands.

Watching the two bicker over trivial matters, Chelsea glanced at Leo for his reaction.

“We shouldn’t intervene unless it gets too serious.”

At his words, Chelsea felt slightly relieved.

Since childhood, Marchel had taken care of Abad and Chelsea.

And because of that, Chelsea didn’t want to see Marchel suffer.

After watching the two loudly bicker for a moment, Chelsea sighed softly.

“Seeing them like this makes me think it’s all because of us.”

“It’s natural. The servants of the Zerdinger and LeWalyn families have an antagonistic relationship.”

“Right. But… maybe Marchel-nii’s first love was Niel-sempai.”

“What?”

Leo’s expression turned one of confusion at Chelsea’s unexpected statement.

“They dated before joining Lumaran.”

Upon hearing this, Leo looked at Niel and Marchel with an incredulous stare.

“They were lovers?”

“Yep.”

“How?”

“Marchel-nii attended Rodren Royal Academy before entering Lumaran.”

Even though Lumaran is considered the top academy, the human world also contains other prestigious institutions besides it.

The most notable ones are the three great class academies: Icot for knights, Emerald for magic, and Skoun for summoning.

These places either serve as transfer spots for students who dropped out of Lumaran or serve to prepare newcomers for entrance into Lumaran.

Even Crown Princess Shasha of the Rodren Empire transferred from Skoun to Lumaran.

The Rodren Royal Academy, while not on par with the three great class academies, was still a top-tier institution that cultivated the most talented individuals of the empire.

Unlike the specialized structures of the three class academies, Rodren Royal Academy, similar to Lumaran, brought together students from all classes.

Decisively, one of its key advantages was that students could attend without living on campus.

“Even though he passed the entrance exam for Emerald, Marchel-nii chose to attend the Royal Academy in the capital to assist Lord Abad and me.”

Thinking back, Chelsea shook her head.

“Since the LeWalyn family could have easily received preferential treatment, Marchel-nii chose to hide his identity.”

Pretending to be from a rural noble family,

Marchel climbed to the top of his grade solely through his own efforts.

“And one day, he came home and said he lost a duel against a top-ranked knight from the same year.”

Marchel was a traditional wizard.

One-on-one battles naturally put wizards at a disadvantage against knights.

Still, when the news reached Abad and Chelsea back then, they were shocked.

“Yet, he didn’t seem dejected. Instead, he looked happy.”

‘Young Master, Young Miss, she’s from a rural noble family and worked hard to secure the top position in the knight’s department. She is very talented, noble, and spirited. It’s only natural that I lost. Though next time, I won’t.’

“Could that top-ranked knight have been Niel-sempai?”

“Yes.”

It turned out that Niel also entered the Royal Academy for the same reasons.

“They seemed to hit it off well.”

Both were treated as country bumpkins being from rural noble families, which naturally led to their interactions.

And as they conversed, they found out they had a lot in common.

“They said they understood each other well because they both served prestigious families. Niel-sempai was often the topic of conversation.”

‘Young Master, Young Miss, listen to this!’

‘You should definitely meet her!’

‘Young Master, Young Miss, we’re dating!’

Niel and Marchel, who were just starting to become aware of the opposite s*x, quickly developed romantic feelings for each other.

“I vaguely remember they were seriously talking about their future at the time, saying it would be hard to find someone with whom they connect so well.”

“True. Despite their constant bickering, their actions were similar.”

With a slight sigh, Leo clicked his tongue.

“They eventually took the Lumaran entrance exam, where they discovered each other’s true identities.”

“What happened next?”

Seeing Leo’s intrigued expression, Chelsea sighed softly.

“What else? Naturally, they had a huge fight.”

Both passed the entrance exam.

However, once they discovered each other’s true identities, they were both shocked.

“Eventually, after a huge argument because they didn’t want to be classmates, Niel-sempai decided to quit. He wasn’t intending to enroll in Lumaran at all. But the Zerdinger family convinced him for an entire year, and he ended up enrolling a year later than Marchel.”

Neither Niel nor Marchel ever treated each other lightly.

But both had strong senses of responsibility and deep loyalty toward the Zerdinger and LeWalyn families, which led to their separation.

“You’ve always been like this ever since! You’re the real problem!”

“No, that’s what I was going to say about you!”

Seeing the two diving into their old stories, the onlookers began murmuring.

“Isn’t that a married couple arguing?”

“It seems like it.”

“Maybe they’re newlyweds. They must be going through a good phase.”

The young couple’s quarrel amidst the street seemed to be perceived as a marital spat.

But when the onlookers, who were warming up to the scene, heard:

“You wouldn’t have gotten mixed up in this if you had been honest from the beginning!”

“Hmph! And we still ended up breaking up!”

The heartwarming ambiance suddenly disappeared.

Seeing the pair’s emotions intensifying, Leo remarked,

“It doesn’t seem wise to leave them alone anymore.”

“I got it! I have a good idea!”

“Huh?”

Leo looked at Chelsea with curiosity.

*

“So… because of me, the family trip turned into chaos.”

Chelsea drooped her shoulders.

“I’m sorry, brother, sister. I ruined your family trip.”

“Such a pitiable situation.”

Looking at the sorry expression on Chelsea’s face, the innkeeper felt sympathy.

The setup Chelsea acted out was quite simple.

Her older brother’s marriage was on the verge of breaking apart due to a fierce argument, so Chelsea came along on a trip to help reconcile the couple, only to lose all their trip expenses.

The argument between Niel and Marchel that took place in the street had been witnessed by neighboring innkeepers.

Because of this, her story sounded incredibly plausible, and the innkeeper was easily deceived.

In this setup, Leo played the role of Niel’s younger brother.

“Mr. and Mrs., please forgive her since she is apologizing so earnestly.”

At this, Marchel, who had been stiff-faced, finally couldn’t hold back and began to speak.

“I must clarify. We’re not—”

But upon locking eyes with Chelsea, who was glaring intently, Marchel stopped mid-sentence.

“Mrs., please calm down.”

Niel, who had also been about to reveal the truth, shut his mouth when he heard Leo’s words.

“Dear, your sibling is right. Please calm down! The bond of marriage is precious and should not be easily broken! Don’t worry. Please stay with us at this inn for the night. We happen to have two vacant rooms.”

As the innkeeper spoke with assurance,

“That… would be possible?”

Chelsea’s glittering eyes made the innkeeper smile warmly.

“Of course! I’m deeply moved by this young miss’s thoughtful gesture for her older brother. Such a commendable girl!”

“I will, as a token of gratitude, assist with everything at the inn!”

“Ahaha! With such a charming young lady helping out, our business will surely thrive, no doubt!”

“This older brother of yours is an amazing cook!”

Chelsea pointed at Leo while speaking.

“Great! Extra hands are always welcome!”

Having successfully secured a room at the inn, Chelsea beamed confidently as she collected the room keys.

“Thanks to Niel-sempai and Marchel, we’re able to stay at such a great inn!”

“But the story was pretty soap-opera-esque, wasn’t it?”

Being on the verge of divorce?

The setting was surprisingly dramatic.

“Hm? Is it melodramatic? Er, Eiran-nee reads a lot of books like this, so I figured I’d give it a try.”

Hearing Chelsea’s words, Leo narrowed his eyes.

‘Should I have a word with Eiran about this?’

Thinking this, Leo glanced behind.

Looking at the pair clearly showing their displeasure, Leo said,

“I’ll let you guys argue here.”

“We won’t fight.”

“Yes! We won’t argue.”

Hearing their responses, Leo looked at Chelsea.

“Will they really not fight?”

“They will argue.”

There was no trust between Niel and Marchel, no matter what.