Chapter 55

“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“Mmm! It’s delicious! It’s super sweet! What is this? I’ve never seen food like this in Lysquare before!”

“It’s a snack called Hotson from a country located in the northeastern part of the continent.”

“Hotson? Never heard of it.”

Layla tilted her head as she took another piece of fruit from the skewer.

Before I could explain, Jason spoke up first.

“The northeastern country has a climate where fruits spoil easily, so they coated them with syrup to preserve them. That’s how this snack came to be.”

“I see. Anyway, this is really good!”

Layla smiled brightly and looked at me again.

“Gideon, have you been to this city before? You’re guiding us so naturally, I can’t believe this is your first time here.”

“Yes, I traveled across various parts of the continent when I was young, and Skedum was one of the places I visited.”

I really had seen all over the continent—though only through a screen.

Still, the scenery I had seen in the game and the scenery in reality were different yet oddly similar.

Because of that, I was able to fulfill my role as the Princess’s city tour guide through Skedum quite flawlessly.

‘Besides, Skedum was one of the regions I frequented often in the game.’

Since it was a city that sold all sorts of goods, I often came here to procure supplies.

And, being a bored old veteran of the game, I had even gone through every single shop in Skedum for fun.

Thanks to that, I knew almost everything about who sold what and where.

“Your Highness, please don’t eat too much street food.”

Sara, standing beside Layla, looked at her with concern.

“There might be sanitation issues, and sweets that are too sugary aren’t good for your health. Besides, dinner time is coming soon. If you eat something this sweet now…”

“Huh? Didn’t you eat three of these yourself? I haven’t even finished one yet.”

“Th-That’s true, but your health is more important than mine, Your Highness…”

“Come on, if Sara’s fine, then I’ll be fine too.”

Layla smiled innocently, and Sara couldn’t bring herself to argue back.

Jason, watching from the side, just chuckled quietly.

I glanced at them, then turned my head slightly toward Lisa, who was beside me.

“Does it suit your taste? Since people from the House Balmuth usually prefer raw meat, I thought you might enjoy this.”

“…It’s good.”

Lisa replied as she bit into a piece of meat from the skewer.

“The seasoning on the meat is quite nice. But how should I put it… the flavor’s a bit too strong. And the meat’s too thin, so there’s not much to chew.”

“Ah… well, since it’s a street food made for the general public, I suppose that’s understandable…”

“But it’s tasty, so don’t worry. If possible, I’d like to eat it again after we return to the Academy.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll make it for you myself next time.”

I spoke confidently, and Lisa gave me a surprised look.

“You’ll… cook for me?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

This meat skewer Lisa was eating—a dish somewhat like a beef tartare—wasn’t that hard to make.

As long as I had the ingredients, it was an easy dish to prepare.

That’s why I said it so confidently, and after hesitating for a moment, Lisa finally spoke.

“…Then I’ll ask you to make it for me sometime.”

“Yes, of course.”

Lisa’s reaction was a little strange.

For the past week, she’d only shown me a cold attitude, but today, she was acting friendly again, like she used to.

Not that I was complaining, but it did make me a bit curious.

‘Come to think of it, it’s been a few days since Lisa drank my blood. Is she really fine?’

In a few hours, there would be an incident, and if Lisa suddenly acted out then, things could get messy.

It would be better to eliminate such variables beforehand.

“Lisa.”

“What is it?”

“Are you feeling alright these days? It’s been a few days since you last drank my blood, and I was wondering if…”

“Let’s talk about that later.”

Lisa quickly cut me off.

“I’m still thinking about that matter… so just wait a little longer.”

“…Understood.”

Her answer didn’t completely put my worries to rest, but there wasn’t much I could do.

When a Lady gave an order, I had no choice but to obey.

‘Well, she doesn’t seem unwell, so it should be fine.’

If her thirst had been that unbearable, she would’ve pounced on me like last time.

Still, the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

It had been days since she’d drunk my blood, and yet she looked completely fine in front of me…

‘Could it be a unique method of the House Balmuth?’

That was the conclusion I reached.

I might be a veteran player of the game, but the one content I never fully completed was anything related to the ducal families.

I had explored Sara’s family—the Isrinbloom Ducal Family—quite thoroughly before transmigrating, so I knew a decent amount about them.

But as for the Hawkbat and Balmuth families, even I didn’t fully understand their secrets.

So it wouldn’t be strange if the Balmuth family had some hidden method I didn’t know about.

Anyway, I decided to leave it at that for now.

What mattered most was getting through this school trip episode smoothly.

And for that, it was about time I started moving alone.

“Lady Layla. It’s nearly dinner time. We should head back to the lodging.”

“Oh, really? Is it that late already?”

“Yes. Please return with the others first.”

After saying that to Layla, Sara, and Jason, I turned to Lisa again.

“Lisa, you should head back as well…”

“What about you?”

“I have a place I want to check out before returning.”

There was one location I hadn’t scouted yet—one that could possibly become the scene of the kidnapping.

So far, everything had looked just like it did in the game, but I still wanted to double-check, just in case.

“I see. Don’t stay out too late. And remember, we have night patrol later, so be on time.”

“…Understood.”

Though the patrol would become meaningless once the incident began, I nodded anyway.

Lisa gave a small nod in return, then left with Layla and the others.

Once I watched them disappear from sight—

“Siri, come out for a second.”

“Woof!”

Before I even finished speaking, the small Hellhound leapt out from my shadow.

“Woof woof!”

“Yeah, yeah. You must’ve been feeling cooped up, huh? Let’s take a short walk. But when I tell you to go back later, you have to go right away, understood?”

“Woof!”

“Good. Then, shall we go for one last round?”

Before facing that rebel faction in earnest, I began my final round of inspection.

—

‘So this is about all the preparation I can do, huh?’

A few hours later, when I checked the time, it was already 10 p.m.

In about thirty minutes to an hour, the incident in Skedum would occur—and the school trip episode would begin.

‘No matter what, I have to stop this episode.’

The monster that the rebel faction was trying to resurrect was incredibly powerful.

And worse—it grew stronger without limit.

If I failed to stop its resurrection here, that monster would eventually become the core force of the rebel faction a few years later.

Of course, I knew how to defeat it, but… the odds of me dying in that process were far too high.

‘I’d love to request that they cancel the free time until midnight since there could be a kidnapping… but that’s not going to happen.’

There was no evidence.

Even if I said, “I transmigrated from a world where this is a game, and this event is about to happen,” no one would believe me.

‘The kidnappings will happen at three of the six possible locations. But… I can’t be in all three at once.’

Even in the game, preventing every kidnapping was nearly impossible.

Realistically, I might manage to stop two.

‘But one student will still end up being kidnapped. And I’ll have to go rescue that student myself.’

I also knew where the rebel faction would take the kidnapped students.

So it would probably be best to gather people and go together for the rescue.

‘I’ve done everything I can.’

Normally, players didn’t bother trying to stop the kidnappings from the start. Instead, they waited until after the kidnappings and then rescued the victims.

That route was simpler and could be completed in one go.

But I wanted to eliminate as many variables as possible.

‘Because there’s no “retry” function here like in the game.’

If I failed to rescue the kidnapped students and they ended up as sacrifices for the monster’s resurrection—

That would be the moment my life in this world went straight to hell.

“Stick to the plan.”

I looked down at my sword.

As someone specialized in protecting others—and myself—this might actually go smoother than expected.

Still, I couldn’t afford to lower my guard.

‘I’ll have to keep my eyes sharp.’

I was currently sitting by the fountain at the center of Skedum.

From here, I could see five out of the six possible kidnapping locations.

The remaining one wasn’t visible, but I could run there if necessary—so it wasn’t a major problem.

‘My task is simple: rush to the kidnapping site, save and protect the student. Then alert the nearby people, entrust the student’s safety to them, and move on to the next site.’

Skedum was a city in the Arium Empire known for its late-night business.

Even after 10 p.m., the city remained bright, and the streets were crowded.

‘The rebels’ goal is to abduct the students quietly. The moment they attract public attention, their plan is already half ruined.’

With this method, I could save two at most; saving three was unrealistic.

While I rescued two, the last one would likely already be taken.

Still, with some luck, I might prevent any kidnappings altogether.

‘Besides, I know where they’re holding the ritual. If it comes to that, I’ll just storm in myself.’

I had already imagined the worst-case scenarios and mentally run through every possible simulation.

I was ready.

“…Looks like it’s starting.”

A crystal sphere in my pocket began to vibrate.

When I checked it, it was a message from the innkeeper I had met earlier.

As expected, the rebels were starting to move out.

‘Focus.’

I narrowed my eyes.

There were five visible abduction sites.

Among them, three had students from Lysquare Academy.

And among those students, the potential kidnapping targets were—

“Gideon, what are you doing here?”

“…Lady Lisa?”

“I got your message that you wouldn’t be joining the patrol tonight, but… what’s going on? Why are you sitting here alone?”

Lisa’s sudden appearance caught me off guard.

This fountain area wasn’t part of her assigned patrol route.

I knew that for certain—it was something I’d confirmed countless times through the game. Yet, here she was.

“I was just… taking a moment to clear my head.”

“What were you thinking about?”

Lisa sat down beside me—calmly, expressionless.

But she was too close. No, not just close—she practically pressed against me, leaning in so that her face was mere inches from mine.

“Were you… thinking about me, by any chance?”

I stared silently into Lisa’s eyes.

Her blue irises were slowly being overtaken by a deep red hue.

‘Ah… it’s happening again. And of all times, now.’

I hadn’t accounted for this in my simulations.

So I quickly started piecing my thoughts together—to figure out the best course of action in this situation.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? What are you thinking about right now?”

Even now, Lisa leaned closer—and at the same time, she very naturally took my hand in hers.

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