Chapter 32: Last Will (1)

The day of the Sealing Festival arrived, and from early morning, the entire academy was buzzing with excitement.

I could tell by the sounds that the merchants had arrived at the academy. Still, I peeked my head out the dormitory window to confirm. Just beyond the academy gates, merchants had indeed entered the campus, hauling loads of goods. After all, no festival was complete without street stalls and food vendors. The merchants, who had likely been counting down the days for this, wore expressions as grim and resolute as warriors heading into battle.

Well, just getting permission to set up shop on campus was probably a major challenge. Even though this was a day when outsiders were allowed in, that didn’t mean anyone could stroll onto the academy grounds. They needed to pass strict identity verification and inspection of their goods before they could be issued a permit to sell inside the academy.

But it was worth the trouble, as the merchants made a killing. Rumors had it that one could earn thousands of gold in just one day. It was no wonder because every year on festival day, prices skyrocketed like those of food items in a war-torn country in economic collapse.

I mean, they sell a single chicken skewer for ten gold. Those crazy bastards. Come on, that’s a robbery, I thought.

Ten gold was about ten thousand won in the old Republic’s currency. No sane person would pay that much for a skewer. But cadets during the festival were far from sane.

“Bourgeois bastards,” I muttered.

Okay, maybe they were not full-blown aristocrats, but still, aside from rare cases like me, most came from wealthy families. Soul stigmatas were usually inherited, which meant that many of the cadets here were likely the children of heroes. While not all heroes lived in luxury, compared to ordinary people without soul stigmata, they were typically better off.

As such, on a day like today, a little price gouging wasn’t going to scare them away. Of course, that was only true for the other cadets. Unlike them, I was here on a scholarship funded by the Republic government. That kind of luxury food was normally out of my league.

In my previous life, the thought of buying anything from a festival stall would’ve been laughable. However, today was different. This time around, I had a very generous “friend,” which meant I didn’t have to worry about gold for once. I would never spend my own money on this stuff, but if someone else provided the money, it was an entirely different story.

I looked down at the handful of gold coins I had “borrowed” from a friend last night, grinning with satisfaction. Stuffing the fat wallet into my pocket, I made my way to the meeting spot, muttering to myself, “I’d better bring enough to get something for the kids, too.”

***

When I arrived at the meeting spot, I saw Iris and Camilla already standing there.

“Ah, Dale. You’re here,” Iris said.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?” I had come fifteen minutes early, thinking I was ahead of schedule. I didn’t expect them to be here already.

Iris shook her head softly and said with a gentle smile, “No, I just got here too.”

Even in that simple gesture, the way she tilted her head and waved gracefully, she radiated a quiet elegance and poise rivaling that of any noblewoman. At that moment, even if someone revealed that she had come from an orphanage, no one would believe that.

As I admired her with a fond smile, Camilla looked at Iris and let out a deep, soul-weary sigh. “Just got here, huh? You’ve been waiting more than twenty minutes, haven’t you?”

“W-wait! Why would you say that?” Iris replied.

“Because it’s outrageous, that’s why! You got up at the crack of dawn, spent over an hour doing your hair and picking out your outfit, and yet this dude shows up late after all that? It’s a disgrace, don’t you think?” Camilla said.

Iris stomped and shouted, “You’re the disgrace, Camilla!”

The elegance and nobility I had seen just moments ago vanished like a mirage.

Camilla decided to reveal it all. “And while she was waiting here, she kept practicing her posture and worrying about how to greet you so she’d look classy and—mgh! Mmph!”

Flushed red from head to toe and nearly steaming, Iris slapped both hands over Camilla’s mouth. “Kyaaaa! S-shut up! Shut up, you idiot!”

Tears welled up in her eyes from the sheer mortification, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

So, she did think about that sort of stuff, I thought.

Clearly, she had been trying her best to uphold the image of the Saintess, doing everything she could not to give anyone a reason to criticize her. Though, I didn’t mind seeing this side of her now. In fact, this glimpse of the real Iris, something I had never seen in my past life, was oddly touching.

Iris saw my expression and asked, “Why are you smiling?”

“Ahem. It’s nothing,” I replied.

“Ugh! A-anyway! Since Dale’s here, we should get going,” Iris said quickly.

“Are we heading straight to see the kids?” I asked.

“No, we’re buying gifts for them first.”

Gifts, huh? I thought.

“Do you already have something in mind?” I asked.

“Not really. I thought we’d browse the stalls and see what we find,” Iris answered.

“Sounds good.”

The three of us walked through the festival market, searching for gifts for the orphanage children.

“It’s already so crowded.”

Though it was still early, the streets lined with stalls were teeming with people.

Camilla reached out and gently took Iris’s hand. “Stay close, Milady. Don’t get separated.”

Iris looked down at their joined hands and let out a small, amused sigh. “I’m not a child, you know.”

“You can never be too careful when it comes to safety,” Camilla said with a deadpan expression, then turned to me, less like she was asking for agreement and more like she was daring me to disagree; it was like agree or die.

“Well, with all the outsiders here today, it’s better to be cautious,” I added. It was especially so since she was the Saintess.

“Ugh, not you too, Dale?” Iris said.

“It can’t be helped.” I shrugged as I looked over at Camilla’s stern expression.

Iris let out a long sigh. “Fine. Let’s just hurry up and get the gifts.”

“Something the kids would like… Food is probably the safest bet, right?” I said. Considering how the kids had thrown what looked like a frenzied festival of their own just over a bowl of ramen before, nothing could beat food as a present.

“Hmm. Food is good, but wouldn’t it be better to buy that while walking around the festival? That way, they can eat it right away.” Iris opined.

“Ah, true.”

There was a unique thrill in wandering through stalls and impulsively grabbing snacks that caught one’s eye. That was the real festival vibe.

“Okay, so we’ll buy them snacks later, but for now, what kind of gift should we get?” I asked, unable to think of something.

Iris pointed toward a rack filled with colorful animal-ear headbands, something one would definitely expect at a festival. “What about these, Dale? Hehe. Just imagine the kids running around with these on. Wouldn’t it be adorable?”

Just picturing them giggling and playing with dog or cat ears on them brought a warm smile to my face. “That’s a great idea.”

Iris picked up a pair of cat ears. “Oh! I think this would look great on Camilla, too.”

She looked at Camilla with a playful gleam in her eyes. “Want to try one?”

Camilla backed away, visibly flustered. “Y-you want me to wear that?”

Iris grinned mischievously and approached her with the headband in hand. “Well, if we’re giving them as gifts, we need to test their durability, right?”

“B-but still…”

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me… you’re refusing?”

Camilla bit her lip and turned to me like she was begging for help. I only gave her an exaggerated nod and a wide grin. “I actually think it’d look really good on you.”

“Y-you little… Easy for you to say, it’s not your dignity on the line!” Camilla said.

Iris giggled and carefully placed the cat ear headband on Camilla’s head. “Now, now. Hold still, Camilla.”

With her navy hair tied in a ponytail swaying like a real tail, Camilla gently poked at the fuzzy cat ears now sticking up from her head. “Ugh! Why me, of all people?”

Iris bounced in place with sparkling eyes, oblivious to the suffering of Camilla, who hung her head in pure embarrassment. “W-wow! Doesn’t it look amazing, Dale?”

“I gotta admit, it suits you,” I replied. Just like Iris said, Camilla wearing those cat ears was far more charming than I could have expected.

Suddenly, Camilla looked at Iris. “Grr! Wouldn’t it be fair for you to try one on too, Milady?”

Iris was flustered by the sudden suggestion. “H-huh? Me?”

“You don’t seriously think I’d be the only one subjected to this, do you?”

It seemed as if her shame had hit its breaking point and turned into pure vengeance. Camilla grabbed a bunny ear headband and began breathing heavily, approaching Iris with fiery eyes.

“W-wait, hold on!” Iris looked at her.

“Come now, Milady. It’s only fair you experience the same humiliation I did!”

In the end, Iris was forced into wearing the bunny ears by Camilla. “Ugh! Why am I doing this?”

“Hmph. Serves you right,” Camilla said, satisfied.

Iris, now wearing the bunny ears, snuck a glance in my direction. “Um! So, w-what do you think, Dale?”

“What do I think?” I immediately activated my Hero Watch and snapped a photo of her.

“What? Why are you taking pictures all of a sudden?” she asked.

“How could I not?”

Iris in bunny ears was, to put it simply, devastatingly cute. She said, “D-delete that right now!”

“Ahem. Tampering with someone else’s Hero Watch is a violation of privacy.”

“DELETE IT, YOU BASTAAAARD!!”

***

After that little incident, we finally settled on the animal ear headbands as gifts for the kids.

“Haah! I feel exhausted, and we haven’t even done much yet,” Camilla said.

“Anyway, isn’t it about time the kids showed up?” I asked.

Iris clicked on her Hero Watch. “Oh, let me check in with Father Antonio.”

Then, she turned to Camilla. “Camilla, Father Antonio says they’re on their way now. Could you go greet them in advance?”

Camilla hesitated. “But then, Milady, you’d be…”

“I’ll be fine. Dale’s with me.”

“Alright. Understood.” Camilla nodded and headed toward the academy gate.

Once her figure had completely disappeared, Iris turned to me with a soft smile. “Father Antonio said they’ll be here in about an hour.”

“Huh? Then didn’t Camilla leave way too early?” I replied.

“Well, we invited them. We can’t exactly make them wait, can we?”

I was just thinking how sending someone out a whole hour in advance was a bit much when Iris gave me a sly smile. “Well, we’ve got the gifts ready, and there’s still time… So, how about the two of us enjoy the festival together until they arrive?”

Ah! So, that’s why she sent Camilla off so quickly, I thought.

Nevertheless, a festival stroll with Iris, just the two of us? There wasn’t a single reason to say no. So, I chuckled and nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Here. Take my hand,” she suddenly said.

“Your hand? Why?” I confusedly asked.

Iris gently took my hand and gave me a bashful smile. “Oh, come on, Camilla said it earlier, didn’t she? You can never be too careful when it comes to safety.”

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