Chapter 71

“Sara.”

Jason scratched his head with an incredulous expression.

“Don’t tell me you called me all the way here just to talk about something like this?”

“Jason, this might not be such a simple story.”

Sara continued with a serious expression that hadn’t wavered once.

“Kyrgram—that man has too many suspicious points, no matter how you look at it.”

“For example?”

“Kyrgram, that guy said himself that he’s been traveling across the continent since he was a child.”

“Right. What about it?”

Sara let out a small, dry laugh.

“White hair isn’t a common color. A white-haired child wandering around the continent would definitely leave behind some rumors, even just a few. But Jason, even with your family’s intelligence network, you couldn’t find any trace of his travels, could you?”

“Well, our family’s information network isn’t perfect either.”

“Don’t joke with me. Your family could easily dig up the background of a single traveler. The fact that you couldn’t find anything about that man means there’s basically no information at all.”

Jason didn’t respond.

Instead, he gestured for Sara to continue.

He meant, go on.

“On top of that, his family is strange too. Jason, you must have checked, but the Kyrgram Family has only that man left. And even though he’s a baron, his mansion is said to be completely empty.”

“If it’s a fallen baron’s family, that’s possible.”

“No, something’s off. The mansion being empty is one thing, but isn’t it strange that there’s not even a single family member left?”

“…That is strange. I was curious too, so I looked into it myself, but I couldn’t figure out why Gideon’s family no longer exists. It’s like they never existed to begin with—there’s absolutely no record.”

“And after what happened today and yesterday, I’m sure of it.”

Sara glanced at Jason, Luke, and Lisa one by one before continuing.

“That man absorbed Peregrie’s power last night. And a few hours ago, within Intezer’s heart’s influence, he used that same power to escape. Isn’t that strange? There were plenty of other people, so why was he, of all people, able to absorb Peregrie’s power?”

“Our family’s investigating that right now—”

“It’s pointless. I’m telling you, just like before, you won’t find any information about that man.”

“Well… you’re not wrong, so I don’t really have anything to say.”

Jason gave a small laugh and nodded.

Then, his expression hardened.

“So, you’re saying because of all this, we should lock Gideon up?”

“That man’s too suspicious to be left free. Especially since he keeps trying to get close to Her Highness.”

Sara’s eyes were filled with genuine conviction.

She truly believed Gideon should be imprisoned.

“Lisa unni, you’ve seen it too, right? Isn’t it strange no matter how you think about it? A swordsman with no known origin, no reputation, suddenly approaching Her Highness—and you. Even the Hawkbat Family couldn’t uncover his background. No matter how you look at it, he’s suspicious—”

“I’ll admit, there are a lot of strange things. Like you said, Gideon’s family is odd, and the fact that he accepted Peregrie’s power right before my eyes last night is… questionable.”

“Right? So you agree with me—”

“But Gideon isn’t lying.”

“What… do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said.”

Lisa spoke calmly, her face expressionless.

“Gideon isn’t deceiving us. He’s not plotting anything against us, either.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“When I look into someone’s eyes, I can tell whether they’re lying or not. And Gideon—he has no intention to deceive or harm us.”

“You trust him for such a baseless reason—”

“Yes. That’s why I trust Gideon. And Sara.”

Lisa’s expression didn’t change.

But for a brief moment, her eyes flashed with a threatening light.

It was so sharp that Sara’s body flinched on its own.

“I’ll say this now—if you harm my junior out of personal feelings, I won’t stay still. I’ll lodge a formal protest with the Isrinbloom Family, and if it comes down to it… I’ll draw my sword.”

“…Tch.”

Sara averted her eyes and turned toward Luke.

“What do you think, Luke?”

“Hmm… like you said, there are suspicious things about Gideon. But he hasn’t done anything wrong. In fact, he’s done a lot for the Academy.”

“So you disagree with me.”

“If we’re going to imprison Gideon, he needs to have committed a clear crime. And since he’s my student, I’ll stand by his side until the end.”

“…Jason, what about you?”

“My answer? You already know.”

Jason let out a small smirk.

“Our family’s rule is simple—we don’t move without solid evidence. Unless there’s clear proof that Gideon is plotting something, I’m not getting involved.”

Sara frowned and turned her head away.

“Ha, fine. If none of you agree with me, I’ll just—”

“Sara Isrinbloom.”

“Huh? Lisa unni, why—ugh?”

Lisa suddenly shoved Sara hard against the wall, then grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground.

Jason and Luke were both startled by Lisa’s sudden move.

They quickly tried to separate them, but Lisa’s strength was overwhelming.

“Didn’t you hear what I said?”

“Unni… why…”

“I’ll say it again—don’t even think about touching my junior. If anything happens to Gideon because of you… you’d better be ready to face me. Understand?”

“Kh…!”

“Do you understand?”

“Y-yeah, I get it.”

Lisa released her grip, and Sara dropped to the floor, coughing violently.

Jason rushed to her side in concern, but Sara brushed his hand away and stood up on her own.

“Fine, unni. Like Jason and Luke said, I won’t touch Kyrgram until I have clear proof.”

“Good. Thanks for understanding.”

“But unni, let me give you one piece of advice.”

“What is it?”

“I hope you don’t make a mistake because of a single emotion.”

Sara glared at Lisa, but Lisa remained expressionless as always.

“A mistake… because of emotion?”

“Yeah. Emotion. Should I be specific? Don’t make a mistake because of love, unni.”

“……”

Lisa stared at Sara in silence for a moment.

Then she nodded lightly and spoke.

“I’ll keep that advice in mind. Though, I’m not sure if I should really be taking advice about love from someone who’s never even experienced it…”

“S-Shut up.”

Sara spun around sharply and started walking toward the far end of the hallway.

But before she left, she turned her head back toward the three of them.

“Don’t forget what I said today. I guarantee it—that man will become a threat to us someday.”

“If you can prove it with evidence, I’ll admit you were right. But until then… don’t even think about touching my junior.”

“…Tch.”

Sara looked like she had plenty more to say, but she kept her mouth shut and walked out of the hallway.

After she disappeared, Jason gave a small laugh and looked at Lisa.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen Sara like that.”

“It is. But she’s not completely wrong either. Like she said, Gideon does have some suspicious aspects.”

“But you still trust Gideon, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. He might be suspicious, but I don’t feel any malice from him. If anything, I can tell he’s genuinely trying his best. Unless there’s solid evidence that he’s plotting something, I’ll keep believing in him.”

“Well, same here. There are a few things that bother me, but I still think Gideon’s someone worth trusting.”

After saying that, Jason smirked mischievously and added,

“By the way, noona, are you really going to keep calling Gideon your ‘junior’?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, wouldn’t something like ‘fiancé’ or ‘boyfriend’ sound a bit more fitting now?”

“…Not yet.”

“‘Not yet’ means I can look forward to it later, right?”

Jason chuckled and then turned toward Luke.

“What about you, Instructor? What will you do now?”

“I’ll keep watching to make sure no other students get hurt. What about you, Jason?”

“I’m going to greet Lady Layla and then head out right away. I’ve finished most of the investigation on the incident in Skedum, so I need to return to the estate and wrap things up.”

“Want me to see you off?”

“I’d like that. It’s lonely traveling alone.”

“Then let’s go. Lisa, you—”

“I’m going to stay with Gideon.”

“…Must be nice.”

Luke gave a resigned smile and gestured for Jason to follow.

Jason gave Lisa a brief farewell and then left with Luke.

Left alone in the quiet hallway, Lisa turned and headed toward the hospital room where Gideon was resting.

‘What on earth are they talking about out there?’

I kept staring at the hospital room door.

It had been several minutes since Lisa went out, yet the door hadn’t opened once.

‘I can hear them saying something out there, but I can’t make out the words.’

At first, I considered just waiting quietly. But eventually, curiosity got the better of me, and I stood up.

“Woof?”

“Go into the shadow. I’ll let you come out and play later this evening.”

“Kiing.”

Siri looked up at me with a displeased gaze but obeyed, disappearing into the shadow once more.

“…My body feels light.”

Back when I was near Intezer’s heart, it felt like every muscle in my body was being crushed and torn apart.

But now, I felt so light it was almost strange.

It was as if all the fatigue I’d ever built up had vanished completely.

‘Anyway, I wonder what they’re talking about outside…’

I started to lean toward the door to press my ear against it.

But just then, the door swung open, and Lisa stepped inside.

“Gideon? What were you doing?”

“Ah, well… since you were gone for quite a while, I was wondering what you were talking about out there…”

“Nothing important.”

“Ah, I see. Come to think of it, where are the others…?”

“They went off to take care of their own business. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Yes, understood.”

Lisa’s tone was so firm that I didn’t feel like asking anything further.

“Anyway, Gideon—you said you’re feeling fine, right? You can walk without a problem?”

“Yes. In fact, I feel so light that I want to move around.”

“That’s good. Then how about we go take a look around near Intezer?”

“Oh, a patrol? I’ll get ready right—”

“No, not a patrol.”

Lisa paused briefly, then spoke again, her voice slightly trembling.

“A date. I’m asking you to go on a date with me.”

“…What?”

“A date. A date.”

Lisa’s face was as expressionless as ever.

But her gaze avoided mine, fixed on the floor instead, and her ears were as red as her hair.

“W-will you come with me?”

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