#98
I was a bit concerned about the two of them looking like casual friends. I couldn’t tell if they could develop into lovers. Persis needed Iria’s help to solidify his position as Crown Prince. Honestly, among our year, excluding Persis, the strongest and most outstanding person was probably Iria. In some ways, Iria might even surpass Persis.
If someone like her stood by Persis’s side, his position would become more secure. Not only that, but Iria was also royalty from a neighboring country. Even if it was a small country, a kingdom was on a different level from other nobles. So the two of them needed to get along well as soon as possible…
“Ana? Are you feeling unwell?”
“What? No, I’m fine.”
I quickly shook my head at Persis, who was examining my complexion. My expression must have darkened while I was lost in thought. I entered the dining hall first and briefly made eye contact with Rikin. He gave me a quick glance before shifting his gaze away.
I needed to talk with Rikin, but the opportunity never seemed to arise. Although he was avoiding me, Rikin was still an old friend. I didn’t want to drift apart while remaining awkward like this. In the past, I wouldn’t have cared whether we drifted apart or not, but I realized how much I had changed.
Since we had eaten together as a group of four so many times for our team project, it felt natural for the four of us to have meals together. We chatted about everyday things while eating our ordered food. Talking about school life like this made all the recent events at the palace feel like a dream.
“How’s your exam preparation going?”
Our first exam since entering school was approaching. Honestly, I hadn’t been able to focus on studying due to all the recent events. Instead of answering, I shook my head with an awkward expression. Iria glanced at me sideways as if she couldn’t believe my response.
“After saying that, you’ve probably prepared everything in advance, right?”
“No. I really haven’t prepared anything.”
Moreover, lately I’d been focusing on learning how to control my power with Mujin, putting school studies on the back burner. Stabilizing the ticking time bomb inside me took priority. Though I was attending school to hide from Kuatrin, it was still a dangerous situation where I could be discovered at any moment. Still, I thought I should start studying for the exams soon.
“What about you, junior? I heard you’re going to duel that Kampani guy. Have you been training every morning?”
“Ugh. What, you know about that too, senior?”
“It’s famous. You’re swinging your sword every morning, making people’s blood run cold—did you think no one would notice?”
As soon as I heard Rikin’s words, the food I was chewing went down with a gulp. Since I also trained at the same time as Iria, I became worried. Had anyone seen me leaving the dormitory at that time? I would need to be more careful when leaving the dormitory.
“That guy, Karn was it? Anyway, he’s been spreading all sorts of rumors about how you train every day.”
From what I knew, in the original work, Iria wins by a huge margin against Karn Kampani. Of course, since what I played was a game, if Iria wasn’t properly trained, she could also lose to Karn. That’s probably why Iria was training hard now.
“Let him say what he wants. It has nothing to do with me.”
“Aren’t you training every morning because of Kampani?”
“No? I don’t even have that jerk in mind.”
“Then why?”
“Unlike you, senior, I have my own concerns.”
Rikin frowned slightly at Iria’s words. He looked like he wanted to say something, but knowing that responding emotionally would only lead to an argument, he nodded and let it go.
Just then, a loud noise came from a distance. When I turned my head, it seemed a student had fallen. The students nearby whispered amongst themselves as they gradually moved away from the fallen student. Some even snickered at the sight.
Iria stood up abruptly, approached the fallen student, and asked if they were alright. How many people could move without caring about their surroundings in such a situation? At times like these, I realized how amazing Iria was.
The student said they were fine and got up with Iria’s support. They were clearly the student who had been dismissed by Karn before for being a commoner. Their name was Tus, if I remembered correctly.
Tus stood up shakily, bowed to Iria, and for a moment, I felt our eyes meet.
“Ana, want to try this too?”
As if he didn’t care whether someone had fallen or not, Persis offered me a side dish.
“Persis, even though we’re at school, you still have your position as a prince. Don’t do that in public.”
Rikin’s somewhat sharp remark pierced my heart. He usually didn’t care about such things, so I couldn’t understand why he was suddenly acting this way. Persis put down his utensils and looked sharply at Rikin. It seemed like he was about to say something to Rikin. However, the one who spoke first was me, who had become more impulsive and emotional than before due to the awakened mana power.
“Do you have time before class? Let’s talk.”
At my words, Persis frowned deeply.
“We need to talk. Just the two of us.”
Realizing what I meant, Rikin remained silent for a moment before nodding. I felt like we couldn’t move on without resolving this issue.
* * *
After somehow sending away Persis, who insisted on coming along until the end, Rikin and I headed to a place where we could talk privately. Concerned that someone might overhear us if we talked outside, we chose Rikin’s room.
Entering Rikin’s room for the first time, I found it incredibly neat, unlike his personality. I knew he could keep things organized, but I didn’t know he lived in such a well-decorated space. What particularly caught my eye was a very old game board.
“Sit wherever you’re comfortable.”
I nodded and sat on a chair. Rikin took out a drink from his room and handed it to me. Since entering the room, Rikin had been trying not to look at my face. I somehow managed to suppress the anger that was rising again. If my power went berserk again, it would be a disaster.
“How long are you going to avoid me?”
Instead, I decided to ask Rikin directly. Rikin didn’t say anything in response to my question. After exhaling deeply, his eyes, now looking at me, seemed to tremble slightly.
I knew why he was acting this way. For Rikin, demons were beings to be defeated. Even after hearing the whole story, it would be difficult to break down the beliefs he had held until now. However, Rikin was also someone who knew me well. I believed he understood who I was and what thoughts I lived with.
“I’m sorry.”
The first words Rikin uttered were an apology. I hadn’t expected him to say this first. I had anticipated that he would either keep his mouth shut or make excuses. But Rikin apologized from the start.
“Just because you’re part demon doesn’t mean I think you’ll attack the Empire or suddenly turn violent.”
“Then why…!!”
“It’s because of me.”
A sigh-like answer came from Rikin.
“What I swore to my family and what I’ve wanted to do throughout my life are clashing. I need to get my mind straight… but it’s not working out well.”
I could see the boy who always seemed to be by my side with a smile was wavering. I knew how significant his family was to him. What he probably needed was time to sort everything out while being apart. I knew that I should give him more space… but I was afraid that in the meantime, I might drift apart from a friend I had been close to for many years.
Just as I was about to say something more, I noticed Rikin’s slumped shoulders—shoulders that had always been held high with confidence.
At that moment, I realized what I needed to do as his friend. I stood up without saying a word.
“Ana?”
Rikin called out to me, startled.
“Let’s talk again after you’ve sorted things out.”
“Wait…!!”
I heard Rikin calling me from behind, but I left the room without looking back. Fearing he might follow, I walked at a slightly faster pace and left the third-year area. Regularizing my slightly panting breath, I suppressed the emotions stirring inside me. I could feel the mana hidden within me trying to amplify my emotions.
Please, just stay still. There was nothing good about it moving at times like this. I somehow regulated my breathing and suppressed the mana.
If what Rikin needed was time, I should give it to him. That should be enough, but I don’t know why it was so difficult. Being hasty would only make the situation worse. The usual me wouldn’t have rushed to Rikin to question him.
The mana wriggled, urging me to indulge in these emotions more. I had no idea how to properly control this mana.
Only after confirming that the mana had quieted down could I move properly.
“Excuse me…”
Just then, I heard someone calling me from behind. Startled, I turned around to see Tus, whom I had seen in the dining hall earlier.
He approached slowly and spoke to me.
“You’re Andelion, right?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
