Chapter 50

The atmosphere of Riedenfeld, with the Flowering Festival just around the corner, was quite a sight.

Stalls were set up everywhere, but they were overlooked because it was a festival, and they sold various things at low prices for students without money.

Munching on a cheap candy I bought from a stall, I took Fel to a decent bookstore.

“For reference books, ‘Jisingnamu’ is the best.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Is he actually going to buy reference books? He’s only here undercover for a short time, so I doubt he needs to study hard.

Contrary to my suspicious gaze, Fel silently fiddled with a book and then began to carefully examine a few volumes.

Well then, should I leave Fel to it and browse around myself?

“We’re offering a 30% discount in celebration of the Flowering Festival. Would you like to buy it?

It’s a used book, but since an Academy graduate sold it, the key points are already noted down.”

At the guidance of an employee who had approached me at some point, I quickly examined the book.

It was certainly the same book as the one in the library, but it was much easier to read with related notes written in it.

But a 30% discount on top of it being a used book?

“Give it to me right now!”

Be quiet and just take my money!

The employee, perhaps thinking they’d found a sucker, recommended various books, and I, thinking this was my chance, bought this and that.

I bought over 20 books in an instant and asked for them to be delivered to the dormitory.

It was a good shopping trip. But thanks to that—

“The money I saved up is running low.”

With the 30% discount and the successive recommendations of books I’d read in the library and thought were worth buying personally, I ended up buying them as if possessed.

“If you’re short, can’t you just ask your father?”

“That’s a bit….”

After all, I was the one who made the impulse purchase. I guess I’ll have to refrain from buying armfuls of snacks for the hideout every weekend for a while.

Swallowing a tear, I wrote down my dorm room number on the paper the employee handed me.

After finishing the book purchase, we headed to a place where stalls were usually set up.

In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this was the main reason for visiting Riedenfeld.

“Theo, want to try a spicy skewer today?”

“Gasp! Is it a new product?”

“It’ll be spicy even for you!”

At the lady’s suggestion, I quickly accepted the skewer and took a bite.

The spiciness that violently assaulted the inside of my mouth was the best.

“Woah, this is absolutely delicious.”

I gave a thumbs-up to the owner of the chicken skewer shop.

“The friend next to you, come here too!”

“I’m fine.”

“He’s Theo’s friend. Then he’s no different from my son!”

“Please refrain from hitting my shoulder. I’m really weak, you know.”

As I grumbled, the owner burst into hearty laughter.

Suspicion clouded Fel’s gray eyes as he looked at the deliciously grilled skewer.

An undercover Heretic Inquisitor never puts anything in his mouth easily, but it would be a shame to miss out on this.

“If you don’t eat it, I will.”

Fel, who had been staring at the chicken skewer dripping with grease, reluctantly accepted it.

“Thank you.”

“Here, six of them.”

Receiving the chicken skewers in a bag, I handed over the money. With that, my spare cash hit rock bottom.

“You know this is basically forcing me to buy, right?”

“So you’re not going to buy them?”

“I have to.”

Because the lady’s chicken skewers were the best in Riedenfeld. And Lerwon liked them too.

Since I decided to be careful for a while to hide from Ferdiel, I should offer up some delicious snacks little by little.

I held the carefully wrapped package to my chest so it wouldn’t lose its warmth.

“Looks like it was good?”

Before I knew it, the skewer in Fel’s hand was clean, with no meat left. He was pretending to back away, but it seemed he found it delicious.

“Come to think of it, do you eat your dorm meals?”

“I often forget to eat.”

You don’t forget, it’s just because you’re a Heretic Inquisitor. Trying to reduce variables while undercover.

It was absurd, but the lady who had suddenly approached placed a hand on Fel’s forehead.

“No wonder you looked pale!”

Fel’s body flinched slightly at the lady’s sudden touch.

“Theo, how could you drag a sick kid around?”

“I don’t think he’s sick.”

The lady, listening to my words, lightly patted my back.

“Uggghhh!”

It was a light touch, but for my weak body, it was a powerful stimulus. As I crouched down, my back throbbed so much that I was on the verge of tears.

“I’ll give you the key, so go rest at my place for a bit!”

“It’s really fine─”

“Ahem! Don’t try to back out!”

The lady lightly cut him off and, in an instant, pressed a jingling key into my hand.

“There’s nothing to steal anyway!”

As she shouted with a beaming smile, a laugh, haha, escaped me. It seemed like I had no right to refuse.

* * *

The chicken skewer lady’s house was located on the outskirts of Riedenfeld. It was a quiet place, but you could feel that it was meticulously managed.

“I know you said it’s fine, but won’t we be a nuisance since the owner isn’t even here?”

“Greta-ajumoni is surprisingly stubborn. Just rest for a bit and then we can go.”

I had been invited once before, so I knew where the cups and kettle were.

I took out a cup, brewed some tea, and handed it to Fel. After brewing my own share of tea, I put the kettle away immediately.

When I took a sip of tea, it tasted strangely salty.

I definitely don’t remember putting salt in it, so why does the tea taste salty? Could it be poisoned?

I subtly got up from my seat, took the cup away, and then got a blanket for Fel.

“Are you treating me like a patient? I’m really fine, you know?”

“Use it even if you don’t need it. It’s a kindness the lady has shown us.”

With the blanket on his lap, Fel sitting in the chair looked natural, but at the same time, strange.

Who would look at Fel now and think of Ferdiel Levian, the Sword of Doctrine, infamous even within the Church?

Though I almost felt like laughing at his awkward demeanor, as if he were wearing ill-fitting clothes.

At the unexpected kindness, Fel looked as awkward as if he were wearing clothes that didn’t fit.

His demeanor itself was natural, as expected of a specialist in infiltration, but there were also subtle cracks visible because I knew the truth.

“If I don’t take proper care of you, Greta-ajumoni will scold me.”

Sipping the salty tea, I sat across from him, flipped open the book I had brought, and began to read it lightly.

The book was excellent, with footnotes written by its previous owner, a sunbae.

As time passed while I lightly skimmed the book, I asked the bored-looking Fel.

“So Fel, are you participating in the Flowering Festival?”

“Why the Flowering Festival? I can’t even handle a tree branch.”

“Really?”

Fel’s weapon in the game was a sword, after all.

“I’ve never had a talent for swords or magic since I was young. If I participated in the Flowering Festival, I’d just be at the bottom.”

“I see. Then what will you do during the festival?”

“I haven’t made any particular plans.”

According to the ‘Record’ engraved in me, the period for him to return to being human by the talisman is about a fortnight.

For now, to keep watch so they don’t run into each other, it’s better for him to stay by my side, right?

“Then do you want to hang out with me whenever you have time?”

I offered, handing the slightly cooled skewer to Fel.

* * *

What was his intention? The once blurry outline gradually became blunt and, at some point, was cut off.

Ah, has my holy power already run out? Well, I did overdo it today.

“Fel?”

The innocent voice calling him seemed to urge him toward a choice.

One suspected of being a heretic. A being who shows an uncanny level of extraordinary feats.

The chance to keep such a person by his side and monitor him was an opportunity that couldn’t be better.

When one cannot see, the other senses are maximized.

As if in payment for using his holy power to its limit, his senses had become excessively sharp, and within them, Theo Lisitoel’s heartbeat could be heard clearly.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

An even sound without any cracks. It would be strange to even suspect it.

Yet why did his long-held instinct whisper that there was something more? It felt like a veil had been drawn over something he could previously see through so clearly.

Can someone normally lie so skillfully just after being told once?

“You’re not really sick anywhere, are you?”

However, he couldn’t just back out.

If I keep him close and watch, an answer will emerge.

“Could I ask you to be my guide?”

Fel consciously smiled brightly.

Is Theo Lisitoel truly a heretic? Perhaps he might be an accomplice.

…Either way, it might be a little disappointing.

* * *

Thanks to Greta’s invitation to stay for dinner, by the time the two returned to the Academy, the sky was completely stained with darkness.

“I’ll walk you to your dorm room.”

After dinner, Theo stretched out as if he were stiff.

Fel replied with a relaxed demeanor.

“It’s fine. It’s not the first or second time.”

“It’s for my own peace of mind. You can’t see in front of you right now, can you?”

At Theo’s question, Ferdiel let out a laugh, haha.

No matter how blurry his vision was, it wasn’t without inconvenience.

“Can’t it be healed with magic?”

“Congenital disabilities aren’t subject to healing. It won’t come back no matter what method is used.”

His eyes were not a congenital disability. They were forcibly taken.

It was merely the price for surviving. If one had to choose between life and sight, wouldn’t it obviously be the former?

Moreover, while Ferdiel had a set time, there was also a way for him to regain his sight for a short while, so it was even more so.

“Isn’t it inconvenient?”

“Are you worried about me? It’s okay. It may be inconvenient, but it’s not a problem.”

An uncomfortable silence followed his firm words that built a wall.

Surely he doesn’t actually consider me a friend, right?

Since the goal was to approach Theo Lisitoel in the first place, if he considered him a friend, it would be a welcome development from Ferdiel’s perspective.

“I’m really fine.”

The silence continued despite Fel’s repeated words.

As expected, Theo’s heart beat steadily.

That in itself was suspicious.

It was as if after pointing out the issue with his pulse, there was no longer any of the previous wavering.

Is now the time to make a judgment? Ferdiel closed and opened his eyes.

In Ferdiel’s judgment, Theo Lisitoel’s peculiarity stemmed from information of an unknown origin.

There was a reason, after all, for his movements that were not just bold but reckless.

The reason Theo Lisitoel could move like that was likely his information-gathering ability that defied common sense.

What were its limits?

It might be a bit reckless, but a good question to test this came to Ferdiel’s mind.

“Fel?”

As he stood stock-still, Theo stopped walking, turned around, and called his name.

Since he still couldn’t see anything, he sharpened his senses.

“Theo Lisitoel.”

Fel smiled gently.

To hide his own fangs, to snatch the nape of his unguarded opponent’s neck in a single motion.

“Why are you suddenly calling me that?”

As if reading a text, he read the heartbeat between the words. A momentary gap was visible.

“Do you happen to know of the name Ferdiel Levian?”

All his senses were focused on Theo Lisitoel.

What kind of words will he say?

‘Ferdiel Levian’ waited for the words that would follow with a somewhat leisurely heart.

—————–

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