Chapter 5: Viki and Carlos
“Did you already know?”
Carlos looked a bit surprised at the words.
“Uh-huh.”
I nodded, and then continued my interrogation: “What were you doing over there?”
“…Just some things.”
“What things?”
Carlos seemed reluctant to spill the beans, but when he saw me pressing for more details, he scratched his head awkwardly.
“How should I put it? It’s a bit complicated… A few years back, my teacher, Mr. Sword Saint, was secretly investigating something in the Eastern Continent, and it turns out this just so happens to be somewhat related to me… Now there’s been a significant development, but it seems the teacher has encountered an even trickier problem, so…”
As he spoke, he turned to Victoria: “Your Majesty, you’re aware of this, right?”
“Sure, so what?”
“Tell Little Shay then.”
“You’re the one talking.”
“……”
I feigned disinterest in their brief exchange, staring at the wax seal on the letter and poking at it with my fingers. Sadly, my nails had been bitten down to stubs, so I couldn’t pry it off. I was worried about tearing the letter paper if I tried to use too much force. With a furrowed brow, I thought for a moment, then opened my mouth and bit the wax off the seal, ‘puffing’ it onto Carlos’s arm.
“Yuck! That’s disgusting…”
Carlos was taken aback, nearly jumping up, and waved his fingers in disgust as he flicked the wax off his arm.
I had meant to apologize, but hearing him say that made me mad, and I immediately glared at him.
“Who are you calling disgusting?!”
“You drooled on my arm!”
“So what?!”
“Mr. Carlos, do you always have this kind of laid-back attitude when you come to someone else’s house as a ‘guest’?”
Victoria chimed in suddenly. Although her tone remained indifferent, she placed an exaggerated emphasis on the word “guest.”
She still remembered when Carlos walked in and called her a guest…
“Your Majesty… It’s been a long time since we last met. You don’t have to adopt that stiff attitude towards me, your ‘guest,’ do you?”
Ah, Carlos countered…
“Your Majesty? Carlos, since you’re aware of my status, why don’t you kneel when you greet me? And sitting together like this, are you disrespecting the crown?”
“Hey, hey, no need to be so dramatic…”
“How else should it be then?”
Uhh…
The atmosphere was getting rather tense.
I didn’t dare to interrupt, so I just lowered my head like an ostrich, pretending to seriously read the letter in my hands, though honestly, I wasn’t focusing much, just scanning it quickly.
Like the previous letter, this one seemed to be written by Principal Bersa. The handwriting was delicate and neat, and the content was short. It started with a bunch of formal thanks and greetings, expressing respect for me and providing an overview of the academy’s recent situation.
When the Iron Guard stormed into the city, there hadn’t been too much hassle there. Consequently, the incident didn’t severely impact the academy, although many students and even teachers gradually left, resulting in classes being suspended for a while. After things calmed down, quite a few people started returning intermittently, and a few days ago, they discussed and set the date to resume classes as May 4th.
[Should Miss Silvya have no other arrangements, we hope she can return to school by then, so as not to fall behind too many classes; this is also the Pope’s wish.]
The last line of the letter read like that, signed by Principal Bersa.
She mentioned Angel’s meaning…
What does that mean?
And besides…
“Can I still return to school normally…?”
I couldn’t help but mumble my thoughts aloud.
“Relax, relax~”
Carlos waved his hand dismissively, looking nonchalant: “The heat from the news will fade eventually. After a while, people’s attention will shift to other things. You won’t have to face that kind of situation anymore… at least you won’t be surrounded by a bunch of rabid fans on the streets. Probably.”
“Probably?”
I rolled my eyes at him, annoyed.
“What’s wrong?” Victoria shot me an inquiring glance.
“When I returned last time, I got surrounded on the street.” Before I could finish, Carlos jumped in to answer for me, shrugging at Victoria, “The news this time practically focused all its attention on Little Shay, aiming to divert the public’s gaze. Given the current response, it’s a rather brilliant strategy… Probably the Pope’s idea? Just a guess.”
Upon hearing this, Victoria tapped her fingers on the tea table thoughtfully, then turned her head to stare at me.
“Wh-what are you doing…?”
I felt a bit uneasy under her gaze.
“Your hair is too conspicuous.”
Huh?
“And your eyes… But the hair really is the biggest issue.”
“Exactly.”
After Carlos spoke, Victoria nodded lightly: “As long as you cover your hair, the chances of being recognized will be much lower.”
“Why not just shave it all off?”
Huh…
I looked left and right, a bit baffled by the two of them… Didn’t they just almost start a fight? Now they’re bantering?
And Carlos…
With a loud slap, I smacked Carlos on the shoulder, growling, “Shave your head!”
“Ow, ow, ow…”
Carlos immediately grimaced and moved aside.
“Pepé, tomorrow I’ll have someone find you some hats or scarves to help cover your hair,” Victoria said, as if she hadn’t noticed what just happened, her tone flat.
I hastily shook my head: “No need, I have some…”
I bought a sunhat before; I just never wore it.
But Victoria clearly wasn’t listening. In her mind, this was settled, and she didn’t want to waste another word on it, so she brought up another topic.
“Speaking of the academy, is there a girl named Sophia who lives in your dorm?”
…Sophia?
I was taken aback by her remark and instinctively nodded: “Yeah… what’s up?”
I stumbled over my words and felt a bit jittery seeing Victoria’s expressionless face, suddenly feeling a twinge of anxiety.
Why did she bring up Sophia…
Could it be…
Did she talk to Victoria about something?
I had no idea if Victoria had seen the scene when I took down Nero while the Dead Smoke was swirling, with that glowing wisp being absorbed into my chest… At the time, the surroundings were enveloped in dense frost, so visibility must have been very low. I had no clue what Victoria made of me and Nero within that icy chaos.
I had always avoided mentioning this incident, but after several encounters without Victoria saying a word or showing any indication of unease, I gradually relaxed, thinking she hadn’t seen a thing. But now, suddenly bringing up Sophia had me on edge again.
“That girl seems pretty nice… Why are you looking at me like that?” Victoria remarked, her beautiful brow furrowing slightly, a hint of dissatisfaction in her gaze, “Are you worried I might do something to her?”
“Pfft—”
Carlos accidentally let out a gasp from beside us.
Seeing both our eyes on him, he hurriedly waved his hands: “Nothing, nothing, you don’t need to mind me…”
But his face was betraying him with barely contained laughter.
Hmm?
Does he know that Victoria is…
“I was at the church then, receiving the Divine Miracle treatment from the Saint.”
Victoria ignored Carlos and continued with the topic she had just started with me.
“The toxins in my body were cleared. I had just awakened and felt a bit weak. It was chaotic at that moment, and there seemed to be a fire outside. I called out and found no one, so I thought I’d check outside. Suddenly, two assassins broke in through the window—they were followers of the Gate of Truth.”
“We burst through the house and into the crowd outside. I had no weapon, and I struggled to take down one of them. The other one took a civilian hostage as leverage and then that girl, Sophia, stepped up, using her sharp tongue to draw the heretics’ attention, creating an opportunity for me to deliver a killing blow… She got hurt and, after telling me she was looking for you, she passed out.”
