Chapter 78

【 Volcanic City Muktaba 】

“Ha ha ha! It’s good to see everyone after such a long time!”

“Yes, I’m also glad to see you again, Duke.”

Luke spoke to Kafka with an awkward smile.

Time passed, and before we knew it, it was evening.

Normally, I would have eaten dinner alone with Lisa, or with Layla’s group.

But today, we had unexpected guests—two of them at that.

“Teacher?”

“Why, Gideon?”

“Why are you in the student cafeteria?”

“…If the Duke says we should go, then I have to go.”

“Ah, yes… You’re right.”

“Hey, hey, Luke! Isn’t that a bit harsh? If you say it like that, it sounds like I dragged you here!”

“B-But… isn’t it true that you forced me to come to the student cafeteria, Duke?”

“Hey! This brat! You’ve grown a lot, you have!”

Kafka patted Luke’s shoulder loudly as he laughed heartily.

“Still, isn’t it better to eat in the lively student cafeteria than the gloomy teacher cafeteria? There’s no rule saying a teacher can’t eat here with the students.”

“Yes, there’s no issue.”

“Then let’s eat quickly. It feels a bit refreshing to eat here again after so long.”

Kafka looked around the student cafeteria with an expression full of reminiscence.

And seeing her like that, Layla asked with eyes full of curiosity.

“Duke Balmuth.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“I heard that you attended this Academy together with my father. Is that true?”

“It is. Not just me—Hawkbat, Andrew, the head of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family, and even Dilug. The three of us attended the Academy together with His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Then… could you tell me about my father’s school days?”

“Uh… well… about that…”

Kafka scratched her head and trailed off.

She looked as if she had been asked a rather troublesome question.

And judging by their expressions, Jason and Luke beside her clearly knew something—they were holding back their laughter… and honestly, I was also trying not to show that I was struggling to keep a straight face.

‘Because those four really were incredible in many ways during their school days.’

To put it simply, the four of them were known as the Four Problem Children in Lysquare Academy’s history.

Dilug—Sara’s father—was considered the “sensible one” among them… but that only meant he was more sensible compared to the other three. He apparently caused countless incidents himself.

‘Still, the four of them were exceptional in ability, so they became heads of their families… and the Emperor.’

Anyway, Layla’s innocent question was understandably difficult for Kafka.

It was the kind of question she shouldn’t answer for the sake of the Emperor’s dignity.

“Hmm… Stories related to His Majesty the Emperor are not something I can speak of lightly. If you wish to hear about them, Princess, I believe it would be best for you to ask His Majesty directly.”

“Ah, is that so? Then I guess there’s no helping it.”

Layla nodded with a disappointed expression.

Kafka didn’t miss the chance to change the topic immediately.

“By the way, Sara. Don’t tell me you came straight from sleeping?”

“T-That’s not it. I’ve been awake for several hours.”

“For someone who’s been awake for hours, your hair’s a total mess.”

“M-My apologies.”

“No need to apologize, hehe.”

Kafka laughed as she reached out and began fixing Sara’s hair herself.

Sara flinched, but soon accepted Kafka’s touch.

“T-Thank you.”

“What? This is nothing. But I’ve thought this for a while—you’ve really got some intense curls. You were the only one among Dilug’s children with curly hair, right?”

“Yes, mine is the only hair like this. I think my hair takes after my mother…”

“Aha, that explains it. But you know, you’re actually quite pretty when your hair is even slightly tidied up. With that in mind, don’t you want to dress up a little? I feel like you’d be able to captivate all the boys in the Academy with just a little effort.”

“I-I have no interest in such things.”

“Really? That’s a shame. Hmm, there. It looks much better now that it’s tidied.”

Kafka smiled in satisfaction as she withdrew her hand from Sara’s hair.

Indeed, now that her hair was fixed, Sara looked rather cute.

“Still, Sara, you’re as sleepy as ever. You used to take naps all the time when you were young too, remember?”

“…I will try to fix that.”

“Why fix it? Kids who are still growing should sleep a lot. It’s people like me and Lisa, who barely sleep at all, who are the strange ones. Though that’s just one of our family traits.”

Kafka continued chatting about this and that as she ate dinner.

She was definitely a strange person, but she was certainly not a bad one.

As long as she didn’t perform any of her trademark eccentric antics… she was like an older sister with a bubbly, comfortable presence.

Yes, an older sister. An older sister.

Absolutely not a married woman with a child.

Thinking of her that way—no, fixing that mindset firmly—would prevent me from accidentally dying(?) someday.

“Gideon.”

“Yes, Lady Lisa?”

“Ah, open. Ah.”

While I was lost in my own pointless thoughts, Lisa suddenly brought a piece of food toward my mouth.

“Yes, this is… mmph.”

“Chew it well before swallowing.”

“M-Mmph… mm. Th-Thank you. Is it fish?”

“Yeah. It’s salmon. I heard somewhere that it’s good for your blood. Here, have another one.”

Before I could react, Lisa pushed another piece of salmon into my mouth.

“Eat the vegetables too. They help with blood circulation.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

“Eat this too. Here, ah.”

“Lady Lisa, I can feed myself……”

Lisa shook her head expressionlessly.

“I just want to feed you. Now, aaaaah.”

“…Ah.”

In the end, unable to resist Lisa’s momentum, I accepted the food she gave me.

I was aware of the stares around us, but Lisa didn’t care at all and kept pushing food into my mouth.

When I glanced around, Luke was watching us with a pleased expression.

And Kafka… she had the eyes of someone about to cause trouble again.

“Come to think of it, Lisa. You and Gideon had a nice time in the Garden earlier today, right?”

“…Mom, that’s none of your business.”

“Aww, aren’t you being too harsh on your mom? Your mom’s heart is really hurting right now. But well… judging by Gideon, I guess I don’t even need to ask. His lips look a little more swollen than they did earlier……”

“Mom.”

Lisa glared at Kafka with an expression that clearly meant “shut your mouth.”

But because of Kafka’s words, Layla now spoke up with eyes full of curiosity and mischief.

“What? Lisa, what does that mean? Don’t tell me it’s what I think it is?”

“Lady Layla, that’s……”

“Come on, tell me. Be honest like you always are, okay?”

“T-That… well… it’s not what Lady Layla thinks……. I mean, we didn’t kiss. I wanted to, but um, I thought it was still a little early for that, so instead I just lightly bit his lower lip……”

Whether she was flustered or embarrassed, Lisa rambled while confessing everything.

I let out a small laugh and opened my mouth.

“Lady Lisa.”

“Mm?”

“Please calm down.”

“…Ah.”

Realizing she had just rambled nonsense, Lisa lowered her head.

Then she immediately glared at Kafka again.

“Mom… talk to me before you leave.”

“Sure. A date alone with my daughter? Mom loves that idea.”

“Haaa… Is it really that fun for you when I’m with Gideon?”

“It is. You barely showed any emotion since you were little. Then a kid like that gets a boyfriend and suddenly starts expressing emotions—how could a mom not enjoy that?”

Kafka said with a smile, then looked at me.

“And Gideon, can you see me for a moment before you leave?”

“Mom, if you’re planning something weird again……”

“Not this time. I’m just going to give you an ointment.”

“Ointment?”

“Look at her kid’s neck.”

Kafka pointed at my bandaged neck.

“You bit Gideon’s neck again earlier today, didn’t you?”

“…That just kind of… happened before I realized it… mm.”

“I figured. Gideon, is your neck okay? No scar?”

“My neck is fine. As for the scar… there’s a faint mark left.”

Kafka nodded with a laugh.

“You really go through a lot. But try to understand her. Because of our family trait, everyone in our family tends to like biting the neck. They could bite other places, but for some reason they especially go for the neck.”

“It’s fine. I prepared myself for it from the beginning, and if it’s Lady Lisa biting me, then anywhere is fine.”

“…Nn.”

Lisa let out a strange little sound beside me, trembling slightly, and Kafka burst into laughter.

“I’m glad Lisa found such a good person. Still, before you go, I’ll give you an ointment. If you apply it two hours after Lisa bites you, the mark will disappear without leaving a scar.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Duke.”

“I should be thanking you. If it weren’t for you, who knows who would have taken our Lisa.”

Kafka said with a smile.

While we continued eating and chatting, Luke finally spoke up.

“Duke, so Lisa and Gideon will eventually receive an award from the Imperial Family, correct?”

“Yeah. That should be the case. Something will probably arrive from the Imperial Family sometime next week. A certificate and… hmm, maybe a separate gift?”

“Mom, what gift?”

When Lisa asked, Kafka tilted her head.

“That, I don’t know. You two did do something good, but I don’t think they’ll take anything out of the Academy’s Treasure Vault for something like this… so maybe they’ll give you gold coins?”

“Gold coins? Gold coins… aren’t really necessary. Gideon probably doesn’t need them either.”

“Oh? Gideon also seems to have plenty of money?”

“Yes, I have enough to live comfortably. That being said, Duke.”

After thinking for a moment, calculating inwardly, I continued.

“Would it be acceptable to request something else from the Imperial Family instead of gold coins?”

“It should be. As long as it’s nothing outrageous, they’ll probably accept.”

“In that case… would it be possible to request three days of leave?”

“Leave?”

“Gideon, what do you mean by that?”

Luke tilted his head and asked.

As my homeroom instructor, he immediately questioned my request.

“Is there somewhere you want to go?”

“Yes. There is somewhere I’d like to visit during this opportunity.”

Normally, I would have waited at least until the end of this semester.

Or if I wanted to go safely, I would have waited until next year.

But a variable had appeared.

The variable of gaining Peregrie’s power.

Now that I had obtained that power, going to retrieve the item now wasn’t a bad choice.

‘The Water Rune. It’s better to acquire that item as soon as possible.’

I was thinking of using this chance to obtain the item my Defensive Swordsman had used.

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