Chapter 127

After the commotion had died down, interest in Aru from the students around him only intensified. Among them was Maria.

“W-W-What exactly did you do…? I never, ever imagined that Lord Aru would be hiding such power…”

“Here we go again. Maria, you knew Aru was strong too, remember? He wiped out all his opponents during the class placement exam.”

“I knew he was talented, but I didn’t realize he possessed this level of formidable strength… Truly impressive and admirable.”

It seemed like there wasn’t any pretense in Maria’s gaze as her clear white eyes were filled with admiration when she looked at Aru.

I raised him to be this great without destroying his personality! Isn’t this an incredible achievement?

Of course, Maria will probably catch up in a few years.

“Huh? Am I amazing?”

“Why yes! Subduing a third-year senior with just your presence alone… I believe Aru-sama might be the strongest among this year’s freshmen.”

Maria praised Aru with sparkling eyes. My compliments are usually more straightforward things like “You’re the best!”, “Great job!”, or “I’ll treat you to something delicious tonight!”

“Woof woof woof! I’m happy!”

Maria’s heartfelt praise was quite stimulating for the naive puppy-like Aru, who happily barked.

“But, no. I’m not the strongest.”

“Huh? Stronger than Aru-sama, who made a third-year senior kneel with just your presence?”

“Woof.”

Aru turned his gaze toward me after stopping his laughter.

“Evans, stronger. Probably than me. If we fought ten times, I’d win three.”

“…! Is, is that true?”

“Don’t you trust me? Woof?”

“Gah… Lord Evans is even more remarkable than I thought…”

Now Maria was looking at me with the same gaze she gave Aru earlier. Feeling somewhat awkward, I scratched the back of my neck.

Aru, why must you say such things so freely when I don’t want to stand out? Now it’s just awkward for me.

“Hahaha! Maria, you’ve figured it out now?”

I laughed loudly to commemorate my predicament. If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.

Looking at Eden Academy’s schedule, there’s a 30-minute break right after lunch. This is because training students immediately after they’ve eaten could cause indigestion.

I originally planned to take a stroll in the park with Maria during this time. Conveniently, Eden Academy built a large park within the academy grounds for students to relax.

So, with Maria on my left and Aru on my right, we were walking toward the park when…

“Hey hey, look over there. Isn’t that the rumor mill’s dog beast?”

“That’s right, he was called Canis Nobilis, if I recall. But who’s that kid next to him? Why is someone wearing a nun’s habit in the academy?”

“Eep…! Hey! Watch your words! That’s the Saintess!”

“What, what? That girl is the Saintess? Even in this safe academy, she’s wandering around completely unprotected without any guards…”

As expected, people were chattering about us. Both Maria and Aru have very distinct physical characteristics, so even those who’ve only heard rumors can easily recognize them.

“But who’s the guy stuck between them? To be between the Saintess and the dog beast, he should at least be a hero, right? Why is some random guy stuck there?”

“That’s true. What’s his deal being between those two?”

“He looks pretty average at first glance, but maybe he has some special qualities? But just being special wouldn’t be enough to be between those two…”

They also chatter about me. It doesn’t matter to me though. The person I need to care about is Maria, not these mere extras.

“Those people sure are rude…”

But it seems Maria felt otherwise.

“Rude?”

“Yes. All life is precious, yet dividing people into ranks is wrong. That’s what I’ve been taught.”

“You’re not wrong… Maria is the most noble girl in the continent. If she herself says otherwise, it would be blasphemy against the Supreme God, you know?”

“I merely possess a small blessing and have received a bit of the Lord’s grace.”

Though she speaks humbly, Maria subtly smiled, indicating she didn’t dislike being praised.

To her strict standards, calling herself “proud” might be considered arrogance, but to me, she’s just adorable. I wonder how she came to view even such thoughts as arrogance…

“Excuse me.”

While walking together, someone appeared before us, stopping us in our tracks.

The dazzling Stella Heavenly Hero, who stands out wherever she goes.

“Senior Stella?”

“Woof? That human from earlier?”

“Could you spare a moment? Freshman Aru, I’d like to have a conversation with you.”

Stella pointed at Aru, who tilted his head while flattening his ears.

“Whoa, Senior, why are you doing this? What’s with Aru suddenly?”

I waved my hands and stepped forward. I subtly pulled Aru behind me.

Aru isn’t good with words and is awkward around people. Stella isn’t a cunning person, but leaving Aru alone with her when I don’t know her intentions could potentially cause Aru to slip away from my control.

“And you were…?”

“Ahaha, my name is Evans. You seemed quite surprised when we met earlier in the cafeteria, right? Let’s shake hands and clear up any bad feelings.”

I offered a friendly smile while requesting a handshake. Stella looked down at my extended hand for a moment with a steady gaze before extending hers to meet mine.

“My name is Shine Stella. What’s your relationship with Aru?”

“We grew up together since childhood. If I had to define it, we’re childhood friends.”

“Right now, I’d like to have a conversation with your childhood friend. About yesterday’s events in the training hall and the incident in the cafeteria. Would that be alright?”

“Having a conversation is a basic right of all beings with mouths. However, this friend here is a bit lacking in language skills. Inexperienced with conversations, you could say?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Would it be alright if I joined too? If Aru stumbles over his words, I could help fill in the explanations. Right, Aru?”

With a mischievous smile, I spoke in a way that builds trust. Still, in case Stella refused, I passed the decision-making authority to Aru.

“Woof! I want Evans to come along!”

“…I only heard rumors about how fierce the beast was, but seeing you together makes him seem cheerful.”

Indeed, despite occasional conflicts, Aru is ultimately my wolf. Since Aru wanted me to come along, Stella had no choice.

“Alright. Let’s go together then.”

“Oh, thank you. How about you, Maria? Do you want to come along?”

I asked Maria, who was hesitating behind us while listening to the conversation between Stella and me. She seemed slightly frozen due to Stella’s reputation as a heavenly hero.

“H-H-Huh? M-Me too?”

“Yeah, it’s just a conversation. There shouldn’t be any problem, right?”

“Umm… No. I think I should go see the hero now… Please continue your discussion. And Senior, it was an honor meeting you.”

She’s leaving already? A shame. We’ll meet again when classes start anyway.

Maria bowed deeply to Stella with respect. Stella followed suit with proper etiquette. Though there’s no real need for Stella to be so formal with me as a regular student, Maria is the treasure of the Holy Nation. Every action must be carefully considered in front of her – that’s what most students, including Stella, think.

“I am the one who feels honored. Hopefully, our paths cross again soon.”

With Maria gone, I gestured with my palm as if escorting Stella.

“Well then, shall we go?”

It looks like I’m leading, but Stella is actually taking the lead.

Clomp-clomp.

Stella led us to the main building. We passed through pristine white marble corridors and ornate tapestries adorned with vibrant colors.

We encountered quite a few second and third-year students, but they hadn’t heard the news yet, so they weren’t surprised to see Aru or me. Instead, they respectfully made way for Stella.

Surprisingly, even the teaching assistants do this. Stella confidently walks close to the right wall, but people coming from the opposite direction recognize her and automatically step aside.

Truly, this is Shine Stella. Living light, the brightest radiance. Wherever she goes, people cannot fail to recognize her due to the brilliant aura surrounding her. Unlike the faint silvery glow around Maria, Stella’s aura is bright and intense golden light.

Clomp-clomp.

Walking behind her like this brings back memories from my past life. Ah, those were fun times. Nothing was as thrilling as chasing Stella as Joker and then having romantic moments with her as Evans.

“We’ve arrived. Come in.”

At a certain door, Stella opened it and invited us inside. Aru and I obediently entered.

Inside was a round table where about five people could sit. Aru and I chose two chairs and sat side by side, while Stella sat across from us.

“Now, we don’t have much time before class starts, so I’ll get straight to the point. Aru, exactly what did you do during yesterday’s class placement test?”

“Woof?”

“You defeated all the opposing students in one move. Apparently, none of the students could even see your movements. Could you explain precisely what kind of attack you used? I won’t press for hidden techniques if you prefer to keep them secret.”

“…?”

Aru looks at me with a question mark face. He’s not confused about the question itself. Rather, he’s asking whether he should answer.

“Answer her. She’s your senior.”

“Woof, I just swung my dagger. That’s all.”

“Swung it? Without using any special techniques involving mana?”

“Mana? Don’t know what that is. They were weak. When I swung my sword, they just fell down one by one?”

“Hmm… If that’s true, it’s quite astonishing. Evans… was it? Is everything your friend just said true?”

“It’s true. Our Aru is just strong. Though I’m also a freshman, it’s embarrassing to say, but the other freshmen couldn’t possibly keep up with Aru’s movements.”

“Hmm…”

Stella gazes at Aru with careful deliberation.

“Could you also tell me about the incident in the cafeteria earlier?”

“Oh, that? Well…”

“No, I’d like to hear directly from Aru. After facing Pianke, what exactly did you do to make him fall? In detail.”

“Pianke? The big guy?”

“Yeah.”

“I just told him to give it his all, so he really did, and then he fell down on his own. Did I do something wrong?”

“…”

Does Stella realize that ‘full power’ means manifesting killing intent? Even I don’t know that much. I don’t have mind-reading abilities after all.

Stella’s eyes deepen in thought. She seems to be considering many things. After tapping her fingers on the desk several times, she finally spoke.

“To be honest, until just now, I was somewhat worried about you, Aru.”

“Worried?”

“Huh? Worried about what? What’s wrong with our Aru?”

“Because you’re so strong and potentially dangerous. There must be a reason why students fear you, right?”

Sharp questions from Stella. Aru scratches his ear as if he has no concerns. Listening beside him, I feel cold sweat trickling down.

Surely she’s not going to say ‘You’re too dangerous, leave the academy’? Judging from her tone of saying ‘was worried,’ it probably isn’t that, but I still can’t relax.

“But after talking with you for even a short while… You seem to be a kind student who simply hasn’t learned how to control your strength. That puts my mind at ease.”

Phew, that’s what she meant. I almost panicked there.

“Oh, of course. Our Aru is so nice.”

“Still, you should learn to control your strength. If a major bloodshed incident occurs someday, it could become uncontrollable.”

“Okay, I’ll teach him. Then we’ll…”

Why does Stella think she has to clean up the mess?

Just as I had this question, Stella took out a document from under the desk and handed it to us along with a pen.

“This is a crew application form.”

“…”

“Join Panther Crew. I promise you’ll receive satisfactory support. Evan, you can join too if you wish.”

I forgot. This woman is ultimately a crew leader too.

Crew leaders are usually desperate to recruit talented freshmen. It was clearly her intention from the beginning when she called Aru here.

“Woof? Crew?”

“Panther is the top crew in the academy. You won’t regret joining. I’ll personally help train Aru in strength control.”

“Evan, what do you think? Should we join?”

Aru asks while holding the document and pen. Can you even call that a question?

Panther is one of the highest-ranked crews in the entire continent. Though it doesn’t have a long history, its growth rate and reputation are already on par with many established guilds. If you become a member of Panther, you’ll receive proper treatment wherever you go in the continent.

Such a prestigious crew has invited us to join personally, even meeting with us directly. There’s nothing else to say. Naturally…

“I’ll decline.”

“Huh? You’ve thought it through… What?”

“I mean, I’ll decline. There’s another crew I want to join.”

There isn’t one in the academy yet, but I’ll create it. I’ve already thought of a name.

The crew’s name will be Magic.

Let’s put on an exciting and fun magic show, filling Eden Academy with dreams and hopes!

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