Chapter 108

Time flowed on even after I received a not-quite promise from Luna.

It was the weekend, which is famous for how quickly it goes by, but being holed up in my room made it whip by in an instant.

During that time, I chatted with Rize and read books, all while making sure not to neglect broadening my knowledge.

In the midst of it, news came that my disciplinary punishment was over, but since it was around dinner time, it didn’t hold much weight.

‘Are they going to just let it slide?’

The next morning, I finished preparing for all my classes and headed to the lecture hall.

As usual, the familiar scenery and situation greeted me. It felt so calm that I began to doubt whether the incident had even happened.

Would Grace attend class? Even if it ended in an attempt, the mental shock must have been substantial.

Missing class would certainly be a valid excuse. Plus, the aftereffects cannot be overlooked.

Whether she liked it or not, Grace was a child of high-ranking aristocrats. She would easily become the subject of rumors.

‘This is pretty stressful, you know.’

Becoming the center of attention in a negative way naturally made it something to worry about.

Even in the Soul World, Grace’s mental state wasn’t very good; she was just at the level of an average person.

It could be argued that as a Duke’s daughter, her mentality shouldn’t be so ordinary, but that applies only to politics; as a single ‘person,’ she is quite average.

She can withstand rising political issues, but personal issues tend to wear her down.

‘I hope she gathers her strength soon.’

In a way, it’s a relief that once she does muster up her spirit, she runs with it until the end. Her mental weakness is matched by an equally fast recovery.

Until then, my job is to stay by her side and protect her. I guess after today’s classes, I’ll explain the details of the protection.

Grace is too valuable a character to let her exit this way. She plays a significant role in related events down the line.

Regardless, recovery rests solely on her shoulders. Though scars may remain, I’m sure she’ll stand firm.

As I pondered about Grace, I found myself at the lecture hall.

The moment I opened the door, the buzz of chatter in the classroom silenced instantly. All eyes were suddenly on me.

It was a reaction I more or less anticipated, so I ignored it entirely. My focus was solely on one person.

‘What will Kara say?’

It was Kara. The moment she spotted me, she excitedly waved her hand.

She had been sulking with her chin propped up, but it looked like my presence cheered her up.

To be honest, aside from Luna and me, she didn’t really have anyone else to talk to. So, her happiness at my entrance made sense.

I waved back to her and moved closer. As I walked, countless gazes remained glued to me.

“What? I heard you were grounded, but it’s already over?”

“Yep. It ends today.”

“I guess the Verche Duke’s family pulled some strings. I heard rumors about expulsion and all.”

“I don’t know.”

I didn’t have any clue. Just one of the many wild rumors floating around.

Even being grounded felt a bit ambiguous with the weekend sandwiched in between. I’m doubtful it’ll leave a mark on my record.

I didn’t care if points were being deducted. It’s easy to raise them back up from my perspective.

“By the way, I heard that Delphoi became a castrated man. Is that true? They say his teeth and jaw are all messed up and he has to survive on porridge for the rest of his life.”

“Uh… that’s good, I guess?”

“Pfft.”

Kara chuckled at my response. It clearly pleased her.

Then she lightly patted my shoulder and praised me.

“Well done. Anyone like that deserves a good smack. But remember, violence isn’t the answer, so you need to restrain yourself. Got it?”

I looked at Kara upon hearing her words. I didn’t expect such wisdom to come from her.

Normally, one would expect to hear that rude folks deserve to be punished severely.

Such thoughts usually come after a degree of mental growth.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

It seemed Kara couldn’t read my thoughts. Her green eyes blinked with a hint of confusion.

It’s truly great that she has shown mental growth. This could improve her relationship with Hector as well.

I suppose a reply was in order. I stared at Kara’s face for a while before finally speaking up.

“No.”

“Oh? Then why were you staring at me?”

“Just.”

“That’s boring.”

Kara scoffed, playfully pinching my cheek. It felt like a sign of affection.

Soon after, the door opened, and a familiar face walked in—a bright blonde-haired girl, Luna.

While she looked the same as usual, something felt off.

Nothing had changed, yet her posture seemed stiff and unsteady. She waddled in like she had some severe muscle pain.

“Ugh…”

The moment she sat next to me, she slumped over as if she couldn’t hold on anymore. It reminded me of last week, yet it felt different.

Kara seemed to notice as well, as she asked with a tone of concern.

“Are you okay? You look worse than last time.”

“……”

Luna slowly lifted her head at Kara’s question and then shot a look of accusation at me.

I had to feel guilty at that glance. After all, I had messed around while stretching her flexibility.

I forced her legs apart, and then while they were split, I had pushed her back.

It seems those aftereffects lingered on until today. I’d need to apologize later.

“…It’s because of Sivar.”

“Sivar? Why him?”

“Just some stuff. He can be quite mischievous.”

“What exactly did he do?”

Kara asked me with an expression that demanded understanding.

There was no need to beat around the bush, so I answered plainly.

“Exercise.”

“Exercise?”

“Yep. Flexibility training. Leg splits.”

“Oh. Flexibility? That’s not a bad thing…”

Kara paused mid-sentence, her expression suddenly furrowed.

Then, she took on a quieter tone and asked another question.

“How come you two were together beforehand? I thought you were grounded?”

“The Saint gave permission. I personally decided to train.”

“That’s true, but is that allowed?”

“Apparently it is.”

Luna answered clearly, sounding as though it was a non-issue.

Kara frowned slightly, her face betraying a hint of dissatisfaction.

“This situation is a bit odd…”

I figured it would be best to let it slide instead of pressing further. Complicated matters were never fun.

Digging into personal lives could be seen as intrusive. I took out the candy from my pocket and popped it into my mouth.

The flavor of this candy was grape. By the way, it was Kara who bought it for me.

As I savored the taste of the candy, a noticeable sound of a door opening reached my ears.

Normally, I would have ignored it and gotten lost in thought, but something felt off. The atmosphere had shifted.

Drawn by that feeling, my gaze instinctively turned to the door. Then I realized why the mood had changed.

“Hey, look over there.”

“Huh? She’s here?”

“Is that real or what?”

“Is she okay…?”

Long, purple hair and that signature confident expression. Those sharp eyes only amplified her aura.

The biggest victim and concern of this incident had appeared—Grace.

I expected she would skip class today, so her appearance was quite unexpected.

“….”

Grace walked in confidently, seemingly unfazed by the sudden silence surrounding her.

Despite almost becoming a victim of a dangerous incident, her confidence remained intact.

She naturally settled next to Luna, greeting her with a bright smile.

“Hello, Luna! Did you have a good weekend?”

“Uh… yes. How about you, Grace?”

Luna seemed to involuntarily start to greet her but abruptly fell silent, her expression resembling someone who had stepped on a landmine.

Yet Grace appeared unaffected, maintaining her smile as she spoke.

“I had a great time. There were plenty of people who supported me.”

“I-I’m glad to hear that.”

“By the way…”

Grace shifted her gaze from Luna to me. Our eyes met as well.

In the Soul World, it generally takes a while for a person to regain their spirits. But right now, this was truly the Grace I knew.

She emanated a subtly high-handed confidence. What on earth had boosted her spirit?

I contemplated that question when, out of the blue, Grace beamed an even brighter smile and said to me,

“What did my knight… no, my protector do over the weekend?”

“…Huh?”

“…Protector?”

Kara and Luna both reacted to Grace’s statement. Others around us started whispering among themselves.

It seemed my role as Grace’s protector had not been well publicized yet.

As it was a private conversation with Arthas, that made sense.

“Oh my! Haven’t you heard? Sivar will be my protector for about a month. The personal agreement has already been made.”

“Sivar. Is that true?”

“Yep.”

I answered plainly at Kara’s inquiry. Admitting it shouldn’t cause any harm.

The expressions of those present turned oddly complex. They looked utterly confused about the whole situation.

“…If he’s meant to be a protector, wouldn’t that usually come from your house? Why Sivar?”

Kara, who seemed to grasp the situation a bit sooner, questioned me. She looked baffled and her expression reflected that confusion.

She made a fair point. Normally, in such cases, a family would directly send a knight.

But Grace and the Verche family had taken a different approach, directly appointing me.

That was a far cry from common sense. I had mindlessly accepted it, but it was undoubtedly odd from an outsider’s perspective.

“There’s a specific reason. However, it will need to be framed as a discussion with the Verche Duke’s family.”

“What ‘discussion’? You didn’t threaten him or anything, did you?”

Kara’s expression turned serious, as if she might take matters into her own hands if necessary. That was somewhat touching.

Despite her suspicions, I hadn’t been threatened. Arthas had shown nothing but rational behavior.

“What an interesting proposition. I’m actually more curious; what do you think it would take to threaten Sivar?”

“….”

“The Duke and I made an offer to Sivar, and he accepted. From now on, Sivar will also receive training as my protector.”

Hearing that he would be getting training was news to me. Moreover, it gave the strong impression of a shady contract.

It seemed I wasn’t alone in feeling this way; Kara voiced her disbelief in a shocked tone.

“This seems way over the line! Sivar doesn’t know a damn thing. You just asked him to help you, didn’t you? Right?”

“There’s also the justification of psychological stability. You know what happened to me, right?”

“Well, that’s…”

“And Sivar saved me during that crisis. While I have him as my protector, I plan to reward him by providing psychological stability.”

Every bit of her explanation was spot-on. Kara couldn’t protest further once she heard “psychological stability.”

As a woman who almost experienced something horrific, she could empathize. Adding to that, she must understand the immense aftereffects mental trauma can create.

“…Alright. If it’s just for a month, I suppose that would be okay. But don’t cut into personal time, alright?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I can manage things well.”

Grace must have suspected this too. Making me work like a real protector would be tough.

It’s practically a shield for her mental stability. Besides, with finals coming up, there wouldn’t be any major incidents.

While I may sometimes seek out traces of demons, I could ask for a pass then. Or Luna could always look for them herself.

“Um…”

Just when discussion about my role as a protector was unfolding, Luna, who had been quiet in the back, timidly spoke up.

Having kept her mouth shut until now, she naturally seemed a bit sidelined, and now all attention turned toward her.

“Is it… really necessary for Sivar to be right there with you?”

Luna’s question was rather unexpected. Not something I ever considered.

Grace looked puzzled, then explained kindly,

“Luna, Sivar is my protector. Therefore, he needs to stay by my side for a while.”

“However, I also made a promise with Sivar…”

“What kind of promise?”

At Grace’s inquiry, Luna turned to me with a questioning gaze. She looked rather bewildered.

But it wouldn’t change anything for me, as I had no idea what she was thinking.

In the end, Luna revealed the truth with a somewhat anxious expression, unlike Grace’s confident demeanor.

“We made a promise to get to know one another?”

“…”

“Anyway, we made such a promise.”

That was like dropping a bomb, not just a small one, but a napalm grenade. How could she express it so bluntly?

Of course, Luna wasn’t lying; she simply said it too honestly.

“Uh, um… I didn’t expect that…”

Grace seemed quite shocked by this revelation as well. Her previously confident expression vanished in an instant.

Her purple eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck, her complexion paling by the second. It was pitiful to behold.

“…Luna.”

“Y-yes?”

“Can you explain that to me in detail? What do you mean by getting to know each other? When?”

Kara looked just as ready to burst. She had a face that seemed like it could explode at any moment.

Luna’s eyes darted around in confusion, her mind racing with panic.

‘This girl really has an issue with her mouth.’

She was facing what’s popularly known as the “get-out-of-jail-free card” moment. From now on, she needed to be careful with her words.

Otherwise, not only would Grace become furious, but my relationship with Kara would also spiral downwards. Unfortunately, this was one mess I couldn’t help with.

To clear up any misunderstandings, I’d have to indirectly reveal some of their secrets, but if I let it go, it could spiral into chaos.

I wonder what kind of answer Luna would give. Until her mouth opened, I silently observed.

[Faith is rising!]

Let’s ignore the God who’s furiously munching on popcorn.

How much time passed as the atmosphere turned odd? Luna suddenly blurted out desperately.

“Um… Parents!”

” Huh?”

“What?”

“I decided to help Sivar find his parents!”

Out of nowhere, Luna mentioned my parents. They’re probably living well back on Earth.

Like me, everyone else looked equally puzzled. They all wore expressions that clearly asked, “What the heck?”

“I-I thought there should be parents since Sivar lived alone in the wilderness…! When I first met him, there were no traces that could’ve pointed to his parents…”

“So, are you saying you’re going to find his parents? And on top of that, get to know Sivar?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Hmm.”

Kara gave Luna a skeptical look at her not-exactly-a-justification excuse. It seems she is checking whether Luna was stating the truth.

Luna wasn’t outright lying, but she wasn’t really being honest either. It was quite the clever excuse.

“Fine. I’ll believe you… for now.”

“That sounds reasonable. I’ve also been curious about Sivar’s background.”

“Phew…”

As it seemed the tension was ebbing away, Luna sighed in relief.

Although they hadn’t totally dismissed their suspicions, they would likely be watching her closely for the time being.

‘I can’t help but think they’re overreacting.’

I was planning to take a step back and observe the unfolding situation. Getting involved would only lead to more troublesome issues.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

Just then, Grace called out to me. I turned my head toward her, curious.

She raised her index finger and said,

“Just like you saw earlier, under no circumstances should you make double agreements. It can break trust and put you in difficult situations. In civilized societies, promises, especially contracts, are incredibly important.”

“She’s right. You might want to be careful. Entering agreements carelessly could make you vulnerable.”

Kara chimed in after Grace. She gave me a casual smile, draping her arm over my shoulder.

Then she subtly moved in closer, conveying friendliness.

“I mentioned it before, but if you ever get scammed, come to me. I’ll make sure to give them a beating.”

“Scam?”

“Yeah. A trick or deception.”

Wouldn’t it be easier just to beat them? I thought while she replied.

“Don’t think you can just resolve things through violence. Hitting them won’t do much good; you’ll only end up hurting yourself.”

“How did you know?”

“I have my ways.”

Kara smiled mischievously at my surprised question, pinching my cheek while answering. Her radiant smile always brightened the room.

“Kara? In cases of scamming, we can handle it from our end.”

“Are you seriously going to interfere in personal matters? You need to learn to stand on your own two feet.”

“The protector was specifically chosen by the Verche Duke’s family. Were that to happen…”

And they’re at it again. I quietly stayed back as the two continued their playful argument.

Meanwhile, Luna—who was quite literally out of it—was slumped over the desk. She looked quite exhausted, both physically and mentally.

“I just want to go home…”

Seeing her struggle, I gently patted her back.

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