Chapter 277: Academy Excursion (3)
Chapter 277: Academy Excursion (3)
A few months ago, Horan, Land of the Fire Blossoms“It’s been a while. Did you come to mock me?”
Mei’s voice cracked. Having endured countless tortures, there wasn’t a trace of her former vitality left.
Miya leaned against the side of the prison wall. She didn’t want to face Mei.
No matter how betrayed she felt, the other person was her sister. Seeing her face might have weakened her resolve.
Still, Miya spoke, “I won’t let you die easily. But… you can’t avoid being treated less than human until you die. Just as you trampled on this nation and its people.”
“Cut the bullshit. Just kill me.”
“Why should I listen to you?”
“Hmph. The girl who only lived in dreams didn’t waste her age in vain, surprisingly. Seeing how she consistently talks back.”Mei had nothing left. She longed for death and hoped her sister would take her life.
“You started it first.”
“Shut up and just kill me, Fuck!!”
Mei screamed at the top of her lungs. Her curses echoed through the prison several times, and then only a hollow silence remained.
“Did you know, Sister?”
“What?”
“The person you messed with… He was actually the Nameless Hero.”
“…What are you talking about, you bitch.”
Mei didn’t understand Miya’s words.
“I found out that you were desperately searching for the Nameless Hero. You were curious about who he was… It was Isaac. That was him. Recently, he even became the Ice Sovereign. It’s a widely known fact now.”
“Do you think what you’re saying makes any sense…?”
“It’s true. Why would I say this for no reason?”
“I thought I told you to cut the bullshit…”
Mei clenched her teeth and trembled. A bitter laugh escaped her. Tears welled up in her wide-open eyes.
“Do you think I’ll believe such a thing? That I’m that unlucky…? Cut the bullshit already… There are limits to jokes, damn it… I said, cut the bullshit…”
Mei continuously cursed, laughed, and then bowed her head and sobbed.
The man she called her prince, the strong one she wanted to win over more than anyone to seize control of the world, was Isaac, who had so greatly annoyed her.
That story gnawed at Mei’s already shattered mind like a rat. Her plan had been completely wrong from the very start.
Mei felt nauseated by the truth which made her even more miserable.
“Then… take care, Sister. Let’s never see each other again.”
It was a short conversation.
Miya ignored Mei’s sobs and left the place, escorted by the guards.
The memories of her childhood were still vivid. Miya bit her lip. Mei’s sobs felt like sharp blades cutting into her heart.
However, Miya took a deep breath and steadied her heart.
She would never see her sister again.
***Several faculty members in charge of the excursion program and a guard from Horan took their places at the back of the Class A classroom.
The visiting students opened the books they had been given in advance, and Professor Philip began the lesson.
The visiting students were to experience Class A lessons at Märchen Academy. Naturally, it would have been difficult for them to follow the lesson content.
For that reason, Professor Philip paid extra attention to his explanations. It was in consideration of the exchange students.
“Hmm?”
Miya tapped my arm.
When I turned my head towards Miya, she scribbled something in her book and then subtly showed it to me.
We have a lot to talk about, right?
We sure do.
Miya needed to repay me for my favor—specifically, with her trust and by becoming my ally.
Well, it was calculative and somewhat mean-spirited. But what could I do? The issue of the Evil God was a serious matter.
I lightly wrote my answer in the corner of my book and quietly showed it to Miya.
Yes.
Then, can you spare some time later?
Miya revealed the part she had been covering with her arm. She seemed to have anticipated my affirmative answer and wrote it down in advance.
I feel like I’m back in my school days.
During my school days, we used to write notes about what we wanted to say and pass them on to friends while chatting.
For some reason, I felt nostalgic.
Let’s do that.
I wrote that and looked up, meeting Miya’s eyes. She smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling.
For an innocent person, her smile was fox-like. It was like a scene from a teen drama.
Judging by her demeanor, Miya was very friendly towards me.
“Hey, focus on the class.”
At Professor Philip’s remark, Miya and I turned our heads toward the blackboard.
Luce glanced sideways with a murderous look, but Miya just smiled brightly.
***When the class ended, the exchange students followed the faculty members.
Before leaving, Miya smiled at me.
“I’ll be going now, Senior Isaac.”
“Hmm? Okay…”
I couldn’t do anything but give an awkward reply.
The sense of discomfort was intense. She looked just like Mei.
Strictly speaking, Miya had gentler eyes. While Mei had a strong, assertive presence, Miya looked more like a gentle puppy with drooping eyes.
“Oh, Senior Luce .”
“…?”
Suddenly, Miya approached Luce and smiled brightly. The gazes of the students, including me, and the exchange student, Taryn Bartin, were all directed at the two women.
“I noticed you’ve been staring at me for a while.”
The atmosphere tensed.
Did she know?
Luce glared at Miya coldly, showing her wariness. Considering the previous atmosphere in the classroom, Miya’s words could be interpreted as provocative.
But Miya’s actions surpassed my expectations.
“Hehe.”
Miya giggled and suddenly grabbed Luce’s hand.
The students’ mouths dropped open. Luce was just as bewildered, frowning in confusion.
“You wanted to talk to me, right?”
“…?”
“It would be an honor if someone as beautiful as Senior Luce wanted to talk to me. I won’t be here for long, but I hope we can become close during this time!”
Miya’s sparkling eyes were the very essence of innocence.
Miya simply interpreted Luce’s cold glances throughout the class as expressions of interest toward her.
“What…?”
Luce appeared perplexed, unsure of how to deal with the type of person she was encountering for the first time.
Miya was basically Luce’s hard counter.
“See you later, Senior Luce!”
Miya greeted the faculty who came to escort her with a crinkling smile. Right after, Professor Philip promptly followed them out of the classroom as if he were fleeing from something.
Luce stood trembling, still holding the hand that had been grabbed. To the gloomy Luce, such a radiant presence was like sunlight appearing before a vampire in a fantasy.
“…My goodness.”
The classroom was enveloped in silence.
Ciel’s exclamation was the only thing clearly heard.
***Is she, is she serious…?
Taryn Bartin glanced at Miya walking beside her, a bead of cold sweat formed on the temple of her head.
She wanted to ask if she meant what she said to Senior Luce, but her instincts held her back. It was obviously a sensitive matter.
Recalling the tense atmosphere in the classroom earlier, Miya must have challenged Luce to a battle of wills. There was no way she could have missed Luce’s intense hostility.
However, Miya was smiling leisurely as if she had no worries in the world. This made her even more intimidating…!
“Taryn, do you have something to say?”
“Ah…!”
Miya noticed Taryn’s gaze and asked without hesitation. Startled, Taryn quickly brought up a topic.
“Uh, um, Priestess… are you acquainted with Senior Isaac?”
This was also something she was curious about.
Miya shook her head.
“We’re meeting for the first time.”
“Really? You seem quite close for first-timers… You even sat right next to him.”
“He’s my Savior.”
“Savior?”
Taryn didn’t understand the details, but she could roughly guess.
“Is it related to the Grand Festival incident the professor mentioned earlier?”
“Yes. There were some issues on my end, but thanks to Senior Isaac, everything worked out. He… saved me.”
If Isaac hadn’t helped, she wouldn’t be here.
He saved her?
Could someone of Miya’s significant status have been involved in an incident where her safety was threatened?
Taryn, who had only lived a life as a commoner, couldn’t even begin to imagine how spectacular the incident must have been.
“It sounds like there were some complicated circumstances…”
“Yes, there were.”
“…”
Taryn didn’t push for more details about what had happened. Miya seemed reluctant to talk more about the incident.
The exchange students followed the faculty members out of Orphin Hall and headed to the next scheduled location.
“…!”
Suddenly, a shiver ran down Miya’s spine.
The reason was an adult man walking towards them from the opposite direction. Miya spotted him and narrowed her eyes.
He was dressed in a neat robe and had brown hair.
He and Miya passed each other.
Miya subtly turned her head to glance at the man’s back. Her eyes glowed blue for a moment before returning to normal.
“Who is that man…?”
Miya muttered to herself so quietly that no one could hear.
Miya’s mysterious sensing ability alerted her that something was amiss with the man she had seen earlier.
Miya couldn’t clearly identify the nature of what was strange, but she was sure of one thing.
The man was not an ordinary human.
“…”
It bothered her, but since there was no obvious evil aura like that of a demon, she decided to let it go.
The academy was the most prestigious in the empire. It wouldn’t be strange for there to be a few unusual people.
“Priestess? What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.”
In response to Taryn’s question, Miya smiled with her eyes and shook her head.