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Chapter 250
At the sudden comnt, we all fell silent, as if ti itself had stopped for a mont.
“What did you just say?”
The first to react was Duke Catsey.
“The cultists ca looking for , asking to et with Lord Leon. They said if they went themselves, they’d definitely get their heads blown off.”
Well, that made sense.
I didn’t go out of my way to hunt cultists, but if they showed up in front of , I wouldn’t just let them go.
“Even so, why didn’t they co themselves?”
“Who knows. Maybe they thought they’d have a better chance talking if I delivered the ssage.”
Isna shrugged and casually picked up the reaper’s mask lying next to the bed, giggling as she put it on.
Her antics weren’t exactly new.
“The cult aside, there’s sothing I’ve been wondering for a while.”
With a sigh at Isna’s behavior, the duke turned to Luna and looked at her directly.
“Can I ask how you know things like this?”
The aning behind his words was simple.
Who exactly are you?
Why are you so calm despite knowing such things?
Whenever soone asked that kind of question, Luna always gave the sa answer.
That she was just a fallen being.
Apparently, Duke Catsey and Sword Saint Osberg didn’t think they’d get a different answer either, so they didn’t press any further.
“For now, you shouldn’t think about leaving the mansion for a while.”
“Ah! But I’m totally fine now—mmph…”
Isna trailed off, bowing her head under the duke’s icy glare.
At that mont, Luna glanced at .
She seed to have sothing to say.
“Duke, now that we've seen the young lady awake, we’ll be heading back.”
“Won’t you stay for a al?”
“No, thank you. I have a prior appointnt with my younger sibling.”
At my reply, Duke Catsey nodded silently.
Then Osberg stopped for a mont.
“Leon.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Next ti, let’s go hunting together.”
“Understood.”
Once we left the mansion, I stayed quiet.
Then Luna asked a question instead.
“You’re not going to ask more about it?”
“If you’re not saying anything, you must have your reasons. Didn’t I tell you that before?”
At my reply, she let out a small laugh.
“That’s why I like you, Leon.”
There was no need for complicated or grand words.
Just exchanging feelings like that was enough to bring peace of mind.
“Big brotherr—!!”
The mont Arsha spotted , she dropped the doll she was playing with and ran to at full speed.
I scooped her up in one go, and she laughed gleefully.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes! Arsha waited really patiently!”
It was clear she was in much better condition than before.
Of course, her condition would rapidly deteriorate again if left alone for more than a day, but still.
“Is everything finished now?”
“Yeah. I don’t have to go back to the academy anymore, so how about we spend all day together tomorrow?”
“Okay!”
The complicated feelings I had from dealing with that red moon bastard seed to wash away just looking at her bright smile.
After that, Arsha snuggled into Luna’s arms.
“Leon.”
“Yeah?”
“What about the cult?”
“Not sure yet. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to at least know what they’re up to. They’ll probably contact us again.”
Until then, I intended to enjoy the rare bit of free ti I had.
At least until the uninvited guest ca later that night.
* * *
“Professor, I dropped out of the academy.”
“……”
I let out a short sigh as a sharp pain throbbed in my head.
“You brat. Do you not think before doing things?”
“I don’t have anything to learn there. But you can teach .”
I glanced over at lissa, who stood beside her.
“I heard you two already talked this over?”
“Have I ever made a major decision without discussing it with you first?”
“Yeah.”
Her brazen answer left speechless.
Now that I think about it... there were quite a few instances like that.
“Ahem.”
“I’m tired today, so I’ll get so rest. And as for her—she submitted a withdrawal request, but it hasn’t been processed yet. So decide for yourself whether to send her back. Also, Ashuria Abelgard is a guest for now, so I’ll show her to a room. Follow .”
Ashuria, with a blank look on her face, gave a polite nod and then followed lissa.
“That lunatic… She really just up and dropped out.”
“She always seed the type. She never really seed interested in the academy anyway. So, what now?”
“What else? The academy doesn’t just teach magic. Gotta send her back.”
But kids like that didn’t change just because you talked to them.
“She won’t want to go.”
“Then I’ll give her howork. Sothing like, ‘If you don’t graduate, I won’t teach you.’”
“And after that? Will you actually teach her?”
“By then, it won’t really matter who’s teaching her. She’ll figure it out on her own.”
It wasn’t sothing I needed to stress over.
Carrying the peacefully sleeping Arsha on my back, I strolled quietly through the night streets.
Arsha loved these walks with .
She seed to prefer being carried by over Luna or lissa—maybe because it gave her a deeper sense of emotional security.
As she gently snored, I softly sang a lullaby just loud enough for her to hear.
Then I stopped walking.
“After all that chaos, how did you even escape?”
“It wasn’t really an escape… Hmm… Grandpa sent .”
A large mascot costu stepped out of the shadows.
Isna Mielephon.
She is the most eccentric woman I’ve ever t in my life.
“The Sword Saint said that?”
“Mm... yes. Grandfather seed to think it might be better for to be by your side rather than with the Mielephon family.”
Well, after clashing swords once, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to co to that conclusion.
Still, regardless of that, this situation is nothing short of bewildering to .
“What are those cult bastards planning to do?”
“They said they’d co back soon. They’re sharp, so I’m sure they’ll show up before long.”
We’re the kind who’d kill each other on sight, so I can’t imagine what wind blew them this way.
“Anyway... may I trouble you for a while?”
At her question, I closed my eyes and thought.
This was lissa’s call to make.
But when I recalled lissa’s face today—so resolute as she told I’d acted recklessly—I felt that rebellious streak stirring inside .
And above all—
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There’s one suspicious thing.
And I want to confirm it, before making any decisions about her.
* * *
Naturally, Ashuria’s sudden withdrawal caused a great deal of chaos at the academy.
When I t with Professor Roml, he looked like he had aged another four years, three months, and twenty days.
“I heard Cadet Ashuria went there.”
“Yes. She even asked to teach her magic.”
“What do you think about that?”
“To be honest, I think she needs to learn basic common sense before touching magic.”
“Haha. I agree, but still—Cadet Ashuria seems very eager to learn magic.”
“Well, I won’t be teaching her.”
I’m not about to get tied down like that.
“Haha. You’re quick to read the room, young master. If you ever beco a professor, you’d surely guide many students in the right direction.”
“I don’t want to be tied down anywhere.”
If it’s a short-term contract, maybe.
But anything beyond that, I’m not interested.
“To be frank, it would be better not to approve her withdrawal. But personally, if that’s what she wants, I’d like to support her.”
“I don’t take on students.”
People like her have never put in any real effort.
Teaching them is just exhausting.
Feel proud raising talented students?
That kind of sentint is useless in reality.
“Don’t you find it rewarding to see your students grow?”
“Well... I tend to think it’s not always a good thing for soone to paint freely on an empty canvas.”
In lissa’s case, the wrong picture was already painted, so I had to cover it up—but even that didn’t sit well with .
“I see. Everyone has their own path. Then...”
“I plan to send her back, so please don’t process her withdrawal right away.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
After finishing the conversation and leaving Professor Roml’s office, a familiar figure—one I couldn’t quite place as belonging here—was waiting for .
“Young master. It’s been a while. First ti since the palace, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Lady Aurora.”
At the ntion of “Lady,” she playfully stuck out her tongue.
“Geez. You could speak more casually, like before.”
“So what brings you to the academy?”
“I had so goods to deliver here. And I heard news about you, so I thought I’d drop by. I also wanted to talk about our business.”
She smiled slyly.
I nodded in acknowledgnt.
“Is it important?”
“Yes. Supplies bound for Paradise Artifact and the Mother Forest were completely looted. And this wasn’t the work of simple bandits. They killed every one of our skilled guards and stole everything in one go.”
What the hell...
* * *
“So who’s at fault...?”
“Of course, we’re responsible. But the attackers’ behavior was strange. I don’t think this is the right place to talk. Could we move sowhere else?”
“If you’re done here, let’s head to Cascadia.”
“Perfect. Please lead the way.”
I drew a magic circle in the air and used spatial transfer magic.
Instantly, the scenery around us changed.
I then led Aurora to the reception room.
“May I hear the full story now?”
“Before that, how about we catch up? What happened after that day?”
“Not much, honestly. Her Highness seems to have given up. She hasn’t contacted since.”
“Hmmm... She didn’t seem like soone who’d give up that easily. But, well, if you say so.”
“Let’s get to the main topic.”
“Hmph... Alright. As you’ve heard, the supplies headed for the Artifact and the elves’ forest were attacked during transport.”
“Yes.”
“We knew how important they were, so we assigned a large number of guards. But... all of them were wiped out.”
And yet, after stealing the goods, they left them to be retrieved?
“That behavior doesn’t make sense.”
“Exactly. We inspected thoroughly—checked if anything was missing or tampered with—but found no problems at all.”
She looked square in the eye.
“So what Lady Aurora wants from is...”
“Your perspective might catch sothing we missed. Honestly, asking this as the head of a rchant guild sounds ridiculous, but... at the very least, I didn’t want to lie to you.”
At her words, I nodded.
If she had still been part of Lavren, none of this would have happened.
But the current Aurora has no ties to Lavren—she’s simply the head of the rchant guild, Planetaria.
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