Chapter : 125

“Anyway, I’m against going to the orphanage.

It’s too obvious how they’ll act!”

“I don’t know about anything else, but I agree with that.”

I don’t know why there’s a condition attached to the front, but in any case, Zephi and I were in agreement.

“Still, they raised me all this time….”

“Go ahead, say your piece. I was just wondering how well I could slap someone with words.”

“I’m really fine.”

“We’ll be the judge of that.”

At the firm answer, Lucian finally seemed to raise the white flag, slowly nodding his head.

Even while being scolded, he was grinning, and seeing that made my insides boil in real time.

“You find this funny?”

“…Sorry.”

It felt like a very empty apology, but for now, let’s just let it go.

What’s important right now isn’t Lucian’s remorseful attitude.

“Still, I think I should stop by at least once.”

“Try to persuade us, then.”

“As I said, the grace of being raised doesn’t just disappear, and besides, my things are there.”

It’s not a lie. Lucian was really kicked out with nothing but the clothes on his back.

“I don’t think they would have kept my things… but I think my mind will be at ease once I tidy things up for the last time.”

If he puts it that way, it’s hard to just oppose it.

I still don’t like it, but… there are some stories that can’t be ended just by covering them up in the middle.

“Alright, but we’ll accompany you instead.”

“You guys have your practicum.”

“We just need to be there by the start date of the vacation. It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Above all, with a time limit on our side, Lucian won’t fall for the director’s schemes!

Lucian seemed very flustered by our firm attitude.

“If you have nowhere to stay during the vacation, you can stay at our fief.”

“You really don’t have to go that far!”

“I want to, that’s why. Besides, Zephyros, this guy, is coming to our fief too. While we’re at it, we can invite Senior Lerwon.”

My father is not the type to refuse if I invite a friend.

“I’m really fine.”

“Senior Lerwon will be there too, so don’t feel uncomfortable.

Come when I’m being nice.”

“Hey, it’s becoming a threat now.”

“Oh, it didn’t sound like a threat yet?”

Lucian, who was listening to me and Zephyros’s conversation, suddenly burst out laughing, for some reason so excited.

Hahahaha! In the laughter that seemed genuinely joyful, if it sounded like there was a hint of tears mixed in, it probably wasn’t just my imagination, right?

“Wouldn’t I be an inconvenience if I went?”

“Inconvenience! You’re more than welcome.”

Lucian is welcome anytime.

“If you suddenly feel bored and want to come, come anytime.

You can even kick the mansion door open.”

“Oh, I want to try that too. Can I?”

“You think you can? I’ll definitely charge the duchy for the door repair.”

“Petty.”

But then, Lucian, who was listening to our conversation, suddenly showed tears.

I was flustered by Lucian’s sudden tears, but at the same time, I felt a sense of pity.

The hero is a being loved by spirits. And spirits are endlessly playful beings.

Their love robbed Lucian of his normalcy.

The things the spirits did without ill intent made Lucian perceive himself as ‘cursed.’ Whether the spirits intended it or not.

“Then, can I impose on you for a bit?”

It was clear to see how desperately the young man with a contorted face was holding back his tears.

How many tears had Lucian swallowed amidst the excessive bullying and rejection that was too much for a boy to bear?

I felt sorry for even trying to guess.

“Don’t feel so sorry just for imposing a little, Lucian. What are friends for?”

“Yeah, I see.”

So that’s what friends are, his small muttering voice was so heart-wrenching.

Forcibly looking away from Lucian who was swallowing his tears was the only consideration Zephyros and I could offer him.

* * *

“Senior, if you have nowhere to go, you can come to our place.”

“It’s an attractive offer, but I’m contemplating.”

Huh? What contemplation? I looked at the senior in surprise.

“I was thinking it might be better to watch the situation from the Academy.”

The situation, is he talking about Iris?

Well, she has been too quiet until now. To the point it’s a little scary.

Even with the contract I made, that woman is not someone who cares about such things.

“Senior.”

“How about you leave checking on Iris Viden to me?”

At the voice I suddenly heard, I turned my head, and a familiar face was standing there.

“Fel!”

“It’s been a while, young master.”

At the appearance of Fel, whom I felt like I hadn’t seen in quite a while, a feeling of welcome came first.

In fact, it had barely been a fortnight since we parted.

So much f*cking stuff has happened.

It’s getting to the point where my heart aches from getting used to these incidents.

“Why are your eyes suddenly so wistful?”

“Various things have happened since I returned to the Academy, Your Eminence.”

At the respectful remark, Fel smiled a little awkwardly.

Perhaps, judging by that reaction—

“Did you step down from the position of Sword of Doctrine?”

“Yeah, that’s what happened.”

Fel, smiling brightly, looked refreshed.

“The position of Sword of Doctrine belonged to Ferdiel ‘Levian’, not ‘Fel’, from the start.”

If he had succeeded in the ritual and obtained holy power, the Pope’s son would surely have become the Sword of Doctrine. Though the result was something no one expected.

“Besides, you were the one who revealed the truth of the basement, the Church’s shame.”

In a situation where the Pope had already committed a taboo and fled, being wanted as a heretic, unearthing another sin was not a wise decision.

With the foundation of the Church shaken, the revelation of the basement’s secret was a huge blow.

“Are you okay?”

Still, it must not have been easy to give up the position of Sword of Doctrine.

“I left the position of Sword of Doctrine to someone trustworthy, so I’m fine.”

Someone trustworthy, is he talking about Cardinal Freya?

Certainly, no one else particularly came to mind.

And I trust Cardinal Freya.

In the game, she was the one who filled the vacant position of Sword of Doctrine when Fel ascended to the papacy.

Fair and just, and not tolerating injustice, she will surely become an excellent Sword of Doctrine.

“…They let go of a holy power user like you just like that.”

“My existence itself became their shame.”

There are two ways to deal with a shame.

Hide it or eliminate it.

It seems they chose the former.

The fact that Fel went missing for two years by choosing to flee as soon as he became the Sword of Doctrine must have been a big pretext.

“Above all, Count Lisitoel helped me a lot.”

My father? My eyes widened at the unexpected fact.

“It just turned out that way.”

A sense of leisure was evident in his smile.

He hadn’t caught the Pope yet, but perhaps because he had shed the heavy burden of being Ferdiel, he looked so relieved. It was a good sight.

“But it’s not without conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“My range of action is limited to within the Academy.

If I need to go outside the Academy, I must be accompanied by an Academy professor.”

“What’s that!”

They put such a restriction? When they should be prostrating and apologizing to Fel?

“Young master, don’t make such a serious face.

It’s a hundred times better than being imprisoned in the Church along with the Pope.”

“That’s true, but… so that’s how it was concluded?”

“It’s hard to change a conservative Church all at once.”

Seeing Fel smiling refreshingly made my stomach churn.

“Besides, I missed so many classes that I have to attend classes at the Academy to avoid being held back.

I’ll be the one to monitor the owner of the golden one.

The young master agrees, right?”

Why is he threatening me when he should be making a proposal?

His aura was so murderous that I thought he might draw his sword if I didn’t agree.

“If you put it that way.”

“There, problem solved.”

Fel smiled slyly, making a joke of it.

Fel’s return was something to be welcomed, but I had a strange feeling that another storm was beginning to brew.

* * *

The fiefs I could go to for the practicum were either the Duchy of Nevera or the Viscounty of Loren.

Senior Cecilia had a creepy side to her, so I wanted to avoid getting involved with her again.

When I tried to go to the Duchy of Nevera, the heir, Zephyros, came out in strong opposition.

“Why?

Have you forgotten that the Duke of Nevera commissioned an attack on you at the Flowering Festival?”

“You were the one singing the song about me becoming your vassal.”

“When did I?”

I was at a loss for words at Zephyros’s blatant pretense of innocence.

“Wow, you’re such a jerk.”

“What?”

Oops, what I meant to think came out of my mouth.

“Even the Duke of Nevera wouldn’t be able to threaten me, who came for a practicum.”

“You know that’s a very naive judgment, right?”

That’s true.

A person like the Duke of Nevera, you never know what kind of dirty tricks he might pull.

But Senior Cecilia is in the Loren fief. I want to avoid her at all costs!

“This is too extreme of a choice!”

On one side, the Duke of Nevera, and on the other, Senior Cecilia!

Why does God give me such trials!

God must be the root of all evil. Half-crazed, I let out a chuckle.

“The number one person the Duke of Nevera hates is Count Evan Lisitoel.”

“That means….”

“Do you think he would just stand by and watch the son of a man he dislikes get good scores?”

After the threat to my safety, is this a threat to my grades?

Well, even if he intentionally gives low scores, there’s no evidence, so I can’t even file an objection.

“I think it’s right to go to the Viscounty of Loren too.”

It’s right to go there, but why am I so reluctant?

With wavering eyes, I stared at the words for a long time before finally making a decision.

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