Chapter 51

“Oh, who do we have here?”

“Good morning, sir.”

The next morning.

That is, the morning after Lisa had gone in early the previous day—leaving me to handle the Disciplinary Committee’s duties alone until the evening.

As usual, I woke up early and slowly made my way toward the First-Year Class 1 classroom.

And on the way, I happened to run into Luke, who was heading to work.

But the moment he saw me, the first thing out of his mouth was absurd.

“Isn’t that Gideon Balmuth?”

“…Even you, sir?”

I gave a dumbfounded laugh and looked at Luke.

He grinned playfully as he walked up to me.

“Heh, sorry. Just teasing. Sensitive topic?”

“I don’t really mind. Though I’m not sure how Lady Lisa feels about it.”

“With her personality, I’d say she wouldn’t care… actually, no. This time, she might care more than usual.”

Luke stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully.

“I heard some rumors that Lisa’s obsessed with you. That she’s fallen head over heels for a handsome younger student and is doing everything she can to seduce him… That’s what people are saying.”

“When did that rumor even start spreading?”

“Seems like it started yesterday. Other teachers said Lisa was caught showing public displays of affection with you in the Student Council Room…”

“That’s a false rumor. Nothing like that happened.”

I denied it immediately, but Luke only gave a faint smirk.

“Well, depending on how you look at it, biting or licking someone’s finger can count as a public display of affection. In fact, most people would think so.”

“Sounds like the rumors spread in great detail.”

“Right now, everyone’s treating you as Lisa’s future partner for sure.”

Luke said it with a look that clearly found the whole situation amusing.

I let out a small sigh.

“We’re not at that kind of relationship yet.”

“Then I suppose it’s Lisa who’s hesitating. She’s not exactly smooth when it comes to these things.”

As he said that, Luke’s eyes flicked briefly toward my neck.

To be precise—toward the bandage around it.

His gaze made me reflexively touch the bandage, but he waved a hand as if to say it was fine.

“No need to hide it. I can guess what happened. Lisa drank your blood, didn’t she?”

“…Since when did you figure it out?”

“For a while now. Lisa’s not the type to suddenly fall passionately in love. If she’s acting like that, there’s only one possible reason.”

“Well, yeah. It was pretty obvious.”

Luke had gone to school with Lisa’s mother—Kafka Balmuth.

He had witnessed Kafka’s eccentricities firsthand back then, so Lisa’s behavior probably wasn’t all that surprising to him.

‘Wow, come to think of it, Luke literally watched Kafka’s nonsense up close, didn’t he?’

There had been a game event story once that delved into Luke’s school days.

Honestly, it was less about his school life and more about cleaning up Kafka’s messes.

‘Fighting one against a hundred, digging a secret tunnel under the Academy, storming another academy out of nowhere…’

The peak of it all had been the incidents that happened after Kafka fell in love.

Seeing it from Luke’s perspective, I actually felt sorry for the man.

No wonder that when Kafka finally got married and became the head of her family, Luke had cried tears of genuine joy…

“Gideon? Why are you looking at me like that?”

I guess my sympathetic look came off weird.

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking that it must’ve been tough for you to get to where you are now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”

“As I said, it’s nothing.”

“Well… fine. Anyway, so Lisa did drink your blood, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…This time, it’s you, huh.”

Luke looked at me with pitiful eyes.

“Lisa might not be as wild as Kafka, but you’re definitely in for a troublesome road.”

“Do you have any advice for me, sir?”

“Hmm… If she took after my lady Kafka, maybe I could say something, but Lisa and her mother have completely different personalities.”

Luke frowned slightly in thought before shaking his head.

“Just talk things through with Lisa. If anything goes wrong, come to me. I’ll help however I can.”

“Understood. If things go south, I’ll ask for your advice.”

“Good. Let’s leave that topic for now. Aside from Lisa, are you having any trouble adjusting to Academy life lately?”

I thought for a moment before shaking my head.

“Nothing major. Though it’s about to get tough soon.”

“About to get tough… Oh, because of the school trip preparations?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Most of the preparations for the school trip were handled by the Student Council, but the Disciplinary Committee also had several responsibilities.

It seemed like we’d start working on those in earnest today.

“By the way, do you know where the trip is going to be this time?”

“To Intezer, right?”

“Yeah. You heard from the Student Council President?”

“Yes, more or less.”

Intezer.

One of the Arium Empire’s most famous tourist destinations.

‘Since it’s the place where the corpse of the Dragon Intezer fell.’

Hundreds of years ago, a colossal dragon had threatened the Arium Empire.

Intezer and his legion had driven the empire to the brink.

But the divine beast that protected the empire stood alongside the imperial army and fought against Intezer. After an intense battle, they finally brought the dragon down.

Intezer’s body had crashed to the ground and, over time, became a mountain itself.

‘Its bones remained, forming a spectacular landmark.’

As expected of a dragon, Intezer’s skeleton had not crumbled even after centuries—its skull, spine, wings, tail, and legs all intact.

‘And since the ecosystem formed around the dragon’s remains, it’s a strange, otherworldly place.’

It was definitely an interesting tourist spot, and being a popular destination, it was well-equipped with lodging and facilities.

The problem was that Lysquare Academy was quite far from it, meaning the students would have to take carriages to get there.

And during the journey, the Disciplinary Committee had to ensure that no student got injured or went missing.

‘Just the trip there takes two days and one night. We’ll stop by a village to rest halfway.’

It wouldn’t be an easy journey.

Of course, nothing major would happen at Intezer itself.

The main incident of the school trip took place in the village they stopped by on the way.

That was where I needed to be prepared.

“You’ve got a lot on your plate, huh. Does the preparation start today?”

“Yes. The carriages we’ll use for the trip are arriving today, so we have to check them with the supervising teachers and the Student Council to make sure there are no issues.”

“Sounds rough. Aren’t there dozens of them?”

“About sixty carriages, I heard. And since we have to inspect every single one, it’s going to be a tough job.”

We’d probably have to stretch the work over two days.

Besides that, we also had to check every supply prepared for the school trip—

making sure nothing was damaged or missing, and even reviewing the Student Council’s records to ensure there were no discrepancies.

For the next week, I’d likely be cutting down on sleep to keep up with everything.

“Sounds like a lot. Gideon, I’ll forgive you if you doze off during my class for a while.”

“How could I fall asleep during your class, sir? I might get hurt if I nodded off in Swordsmanship Class.”

I replied with a dry laugh, and Luke chuckled as well.

“Still, if you get too tired, I’ll let you rest. Don’t hesitate to tell me if you need help.”

“Yes, understood.”

Though honestly, I doubted I’d need his help.

Even if there was a lot of work, Lisa and I could manage it somehow.

—

“This wheel’s a bit loose. Just in case, make a note of it.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s move on to the next carriage.”

“Yes.”

After all our classes were over—

Lisa and I were checking the dozens of carriages that had arrived at the Academy.

But unlike usual, working alone with her felt strangely tense today.

“……”

“……”

We walked toward the next carriage in complete silence.

No words, no glances—Lisa didn’t even look at me once.

“…Lady Lisa.”

“What?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Unable to stand the awkwardness, I asked her first.

But Lisa spoke without expression—or rather, with a faintly cold look.

“No. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Still, if that’s the case, then why…”

“Let’s just finish our work. Check inside the carriage first, like before.”

“…Understood.”

I couldn’t say anything more when she was being that firm.

But still—something about it really bothered me.

‘What’s going on with her?’

With Lisa’s personality, if she had a problem with me, she’d just say it outright.

So for her to act cold like this…

‘Did she already sort out her feelings?’

I could only make wild guesses in my head.

—

‘…What do I do? How am I supposed to talk to him? How am I supposed to face Gideon?’

Lisa tried to focus on checking the carriages, but it was easier said than done.

Ever since she’d admitted her feelings for Gideon, she had been in this state.

‘Just say it. You just need to be honest with him, that’s all.’

She had planned to speak with Gideon alone—to tell him honestly how she felt, and what she wanted to do moving forward.

But when she actually faced him, the words wouldn’t come out.

For the first time in her life, she couldn’t bring herself to express her own thoughts and emotions.

“Ugh… mm.”

Lisa glanced toward Gideon, who was inspecting the inside of the carriage.

She wanted to talk to him, to speak to him naturally like before.

But ever since she’d realized how she felt about him, just having him nearby made her tense and stiff.

Even her face had become much colder than usual because of it.

“Gi—Gide… ugh.”

Lisa tried to call his name but ended up closing her mouth again.

Her heart was pounding faster than usual.

Even the thirst she’d been struggling with since yesterday didn’t bother her now—she was simply too nervous.

—

‘What’s with her?’

While inspecting the carriage, I glanced sideways at her.

Lisa still looked at me with that cold expression, but at the same time, she seemed… restless.

The combination of both made it impossible not to be confused.

‘…Forget it. If Lisa has something to say, she’ll tell me directly.’

Still, seeing her look at me like that, I couldn’t help thinking—maybe she’d let go of whatever feelings she had.

Maybe the idea that she liked me had just been my misunderstanding.

Maybe, for her, our relationship was simply about blood—nothing more.

‘If Lisa really liked me, she would’ve said so already.’

At least, that’s what I believed.

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