Chapter 152

(5)

9.

Fertisha Eve Al Rubens.

The moment Noa came face-to-face with the girl sporting bright white hair who had suddenly appeared before her, her eyes widened in disbelief.

And why wouldn’t they?

According to the original story’s progression and character settings, Fertisha should never have stepped outside the Imperial Castle until the Empire’s collapse.

‘So why is she here?’

Noa felt a wave of confusion wash over her.

And there was another thing.

There was something even more shocking.

It was the brown-haired knight beside Fertisha, casting a guarded look.

‘Rimer Yen Lapis.’

The Wild Sword of the East.

As the eldest daughter of the House of Lapis and one of the five Masters of the Empire, she was the only female Master across the continent.

Rimer was also infamous for her strong-willed and free-spirited nature, which meant there was only one person capable of keeping her in line.

‘The man Rimer serves as her lord.’

Crown Prince Chartang Monique Al Rubens.

The Crown Prince of the Rubens Empire, soon to be the new Emperor. The fated Emperor who would later be dubbed the ruler of a fallen nation.

Regardless, the fact that Rimer, who followed only Chartang’s orders, was protecting Fertisha could be interpreted in one way.

‘In other words, Fertisha is here because…….’

It meant Crown Prince Chartang also granted permission for her presence.

Completing her deduction, Noa’s expression turned even more bewildered. This was a behavior that the Chartang she knew would never have permitted.

Meanwhile, as Noa was caught up in her chaotic thoughts, Fertisha approached Ulan with quick steps. She then spoke to him with the same bright smile she wore when she first saw him.

“Ah, are you going to have a meal here?”

“I was thinking about it.”

“Is it good?”

“It’s good.”

Ulan nodded.

Of course, it was a response that shouldn’t be taken at face value. He tended to say most food was good as long as it was edible.

“Then I want to eat here too!”

Completely oblivious to this, Fertisha lit up with excitement. Smiling like it was good news, she then turned to Ulan and Noa again.

“Ah, right. If it’s alright with you, can I join you? I got something I want to ask you both.”

“Miss! That’s…….”

Rimer, realizing her sudden action too late, tried to restrain her in a flustered manner. But Ulan’s response was quicker.

“I don’t mind.”

“Then what about you?”

“Huh? Ah! I-I don’t mind either.”

Snap out of her thoughts, Noa nodded in confusion. Having received their permission, Fertisha beamed with joy.

“Hehe, then let’s eat together!”

With that delightful smile, a completely unexpected joint meal was agreed upon.

10.

On the first floor of Hotel Parvo’s restaurant.

Four men and women surrounded a large square table. It was the same group that had just been chatting by the restaurant’s entrance.

And at that moment.

Noa’s face had turned pale.

‘I think I’m going to be sick.’

It felt like she was sitting on a bed of thorns.

The reason was simple. No conversation had passed between the four of them, including herself.

Ulan was silently selecting items from the menu, and Fertisha was watching him with her usual cheerful demeanor.

Meanwhile, Rimer was eyeing Ulan like a cat determined to pounce, bristling with tension.

‘Moreover…….’

Rimer wasn’t the only one guarding Fertisha. Six other tables around them also had people sneaking glances their way.

Familiar faces for Noa, as they were players too.

The Royal Guards, directly under the Imperial family.

In such a situation, it was only natural to feel like she could get sick.

However, Noa couldn’t just sit there like this forever.

To break the awkward silence, she purposely cleared her throat exaggeratedly.

“Ahem! Uh…….”

Just as she was about to speak, she closed her mouth again.

The moment she tried to address Fertisha, every Royal Guard’s gaze turned sharply towards her.

The tremendous pressure bore down on her.

Noa swallowed nervously.

“Y-You said you had something to ask us, what is it?”

“Ah, about that?”

Fertisha smiled brightly.

“I actually have a question.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about Arsen Academy.”

“Huh? Why ask us……?”

“Because you two are students of Arsen Academy.”

As soon as she finished her response,

Noa’s eyes widened in surprise.

They had done a brief self-introduction since sitting down, but neither had mentioned attending Arsen Academy.

“How did you know?”

Ulan also questioned her with curiosity.

Of course, while she had memories of her past life, she had barely crossed paths with Fertisha in this life.

So she asked, and the answer came back quickly.

“It’s famous. There’s a rumor that the first ever barbarian newcomers have enrolled at Arsen Academy. Two of them, actually.”

Upon hearing that, Noa quickly understood.

Fertisha was the hidden princess of the Empire.

At the same time, the continent’s only spirit master. If she exerted her status and abilities, she could easily gather information like that.

“So, about that!”

Just after enlightening her curiosity.

Suddenly, her eyes sparkled.

“What’s life at Arsen Academy like? For example, how are classes conducted or what is dorm life like?”

A rapid-fire barrage of questions.

Ulan was the one who answered her.

It wasn’t particularly hard to respond to, but Noa had a slightly puzzled expression.

‘Why is she asking this?’

Fertisha knows Ulan and Noa attend Arsen Academy. That meant she had the power to acquire such information.

‘What does that mean…….’

It implies she could easily get information about the Academy without needing to sit down and ask.

Noa narrowed her eyes.

She had a strong feeling that Fertisha was hiding her true intentions. So just as she was about to press her for more clarity,

“Your order has arrived.”

Dishes filled the table.

After that, the conversation came to a natural halt.

Fertisha looked like she wanted to continue chatting but couldn’t press the issue.

It was a breach of etiquette to converse while dining. After a while, when the quiet meal was drawing to a close.

“Wow, really?”

A conversation between Ulan and Fertisha resumed.

Fertisha unleashed a flurry of questions she had held back during the meal, and Ulan replied with his usual blunt tone.

Given how this situation unfolded, Noa had no opportunity to jump into the dialogue. As she sighed in frustration, unable to resolve her questions.

“I have one question.”

Someone unexpectedly spoke up.

The knight guarding Fertisha.

Rimer Yen Lapis. With a neutral expression, she turned to Noa and asked.

“What’s your purpose for being in the capital?”

An abrupt question.

Rimer’s eyes brimmed with suspicion, and her demeanor was decidedly unfriendly.

There was no need to panic, however.

All she had to do was answer truthfully.

“It’s break time, and I was getting restless just staying at the academy. Plus, I had some things to buy.”

“Things to buy?”

“Yes, materials for an experiment.”

That wasn’t a lie.

Of course, the main purpose of coming to the capital was to search for the Hidden Piece, but afterward, she did plan to gather materials for her experiment.

To create a healing potion for Rudine Arpen, Delia’s half-sister who had become a shut-in.

Meanwhile, Rimer had sealed her lips.

She had gained nothing from her conversation with Noa. Once again, a heavy silence settled over the table.

“Thank you for answering.”

The conversation between Ulan and Fertisha wrapped up.

With a refreshed expression.

Seemed that all her questions had been resolved. Following that, she shared her reason for asking about Arsen Academy.

“Actually, I’m enrolling at Arsen Academy starting this fall. So I had a lot of questions, which is why our conversation got prolonged.”

“……!”

“If we happen to meet again at the Academy, I hope you’ll take good care of me then.”

Fertisha finished her whispering reply.

Facing her beaming smile, Noa’s eyes trembled with potential anxiety. This was something that had never occurred in the original story.

Then in that moment.

A sudden thought struck her mind.

‘Could it be Laurea had a hand in this?’

A possibility for a variable to arise.

Did she alter things to gather the seven heroes in one spot? This conjecture flickered in her mind, but Noa quickly shook it off.

‘No, that can’t be it.’

It was an unlikely assumption.

Even if someone pulled strings, it would be impossible to whisk a hidden princess out of the Imperial family so quickly.

‘Then how…….’

Could the hidden princess Fertisha be enrolling at the Academy now?

Chewing her lips, Noa recalled the time she had played as Fertisha. A fact suddenly resurfaced in her mind.

‘Oh, right!’

After thinking it over, she remembered.

The original Fertisha had only stepped outside the Imperial Castle once before the fall of the Empire.

That’s when her half-brother, Crown Prince Chartang, purged his other siblings to ascend the throne.

‘Fertisha came out of the castle and stayed at a villa in the northern outskirts for about a week.’

To escape from the chaos of the castle, she was relocated to a safe area ahead of the turmoil. Crown Prince Chartang had cherished her deeply.

‘And…….’

The day of the purge was coming soon.

If you considered it in that light, it wasn’t unreasonable for Fertisha to be at the Academy. It was just a change of refuge, after all.

‘But this too is merely a guess.’

Above all, the unresolved question remained: wouldn’t the villa in the northern outskirts be much safer than the Arsen Academy?

Back to square one.

While biting her lip over the unresolved questions, Fertisha and Rimer stood up from their seats.

“We have business to attend to, so we’ll take our leave now. See you later at Arsen Academy.”

After finishing their farewells,

The two quickly exited the restaurant.

Following that, the Royal Guards at the surrounding tables also began to rise and leave.

Shortly after.

“Hah.”

Noa let out a long-held sigh.

With the tension leaving her body, an overwhelming fatigue set in. They had only eaten, but already she felt like heading back to bed.

“Looks like it was an uncomfortable seating.”

“Why do you think that?”

“You looked like that.”

“……You’re sharp in areas I didn’t need you to be.”

“In areas you didn’t need?”

“Hmph, it’s nothing.”

Noa turned her head sharply.

But just for a moment. She slightly slumped her shoulders, agreeing with Ulan’s words.

“In any case, answering your question, it was indeed an uncomfortable situation.”

The atmosphere had been no joke.

Once they secured their seats with Fertisha, Rimer had kept giving off a strong aura of tension.

Not to mention, the pressure from the Royal Guards made it hard for them to enjoy their meal. Meanwhile, contrary to the circumstances, Ulan appeared nonchalant.

“I was worrying over nothing.”

“W-Worrying over nothing?!”

“Yep. I was right next to you.”

Ulan nodded confidently.

His subsequent whisper followed.

“No one here could harm you. Even if someone tried something foolish, I would have stopped them.”

“That’s…….”

For a moment, Noa was left speechless.

It dawned on her all at once.

That she had been recognized as a companion by Ulan. The moment she realized that, a sincere smile broke out on Noa’s face.

“Indeed. It looks like I was worrying over nothing.”

Ulan spoke.

He had said he would willingly help whenever she needed it.

She wasn’t alone anymore. And so, she nodded with a bright smile.

“I’ll remember that from now on.”

That Ulan would be there to help her whenever she needed it.

After winding down their conversation.

They both promptly exited the restaurant.

As they swiftly walked, recalling the day’s agenda, Ulan suddenly spoke up.

“By the way, I have a question.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Have you lived as Fertisha before?”

Back when Noa was Yoomina, she had lived many lives as various characters.

So naturally, she had lived as Fertisha at some point. Upon hearing Ulan’s question, Noa nodded eagerly.

“Of course. I might have lived her life the most.”

“How many times?”

“Just coming to mind, at least over ten times. No, if I count the brief ones, it’d be more than twenty.”

“That many times?”

“Yep, it was comfortable.”

Fertisha was a character who couldn’t leave the castle until the Empire fell.

Thus, there was no need for her to wander outside; she could safely increase her strength in a secured space.

“But that sounds frustrating.”

“Surprisingly, it was pleasant. Since if any inconveniences arose, the spirits would help with anything.”

Plus, even after joining the hero party, she had hardly engaged in any real fights. Fertisha had played the support role of a bard.

“Of course, there were downsides.”

“What was that?”

“Crown Prince Chartang.”

Noa scrunched her face in displeasure.

Meanwhile, Ulan tilted his head in confusion.

“Crown Prince?”

“Chartang Monique Al Rubens. Didn’t you hear about him from Fertisha in your past life?”

“Hmm, I don’t remember.”

“Really?”

“Yep, it’s the first time I’m hearing that name.”

Noa’s eyes widened in surprise.

Then she quickly put the pieces together.

“Well, that makes sense. He did appear as a sudden event in the original.”

Other heroes would reveal their pasts once their closeness reached a certain point.

But Fertisha was an exception.

She would only confess her past if a specific sudden event occurred, regardless of closeness.

Meaning, in Ulan’s recollection of their past life, that sudden event never took place.

After roughly grasping the situation,

Noa steered the conversation elsewhere.

“It’s best to ask Fertisha directly about that. It’s a touchy subject.”

“Got it. I’ll do that.”

Ulan quietly nodded.

While he was a bit curious, he lost interest quickly at the mention of it being a sensitive topic.

If that was the case, it was best to hear it straight from Fertisha.

“Alright, let’s move then.”

They had a pretty busy schedule ahead.

They needed to collect the fifteen Hidden Pieces spread across the outskirts and gather materials for the medicine to treat Delia’s half-brother.

Ulan and Noa headed for the outskirts of the capital.

Little did they realize, however.

A faint glow, invisible to the naked eye, was intently watching the fading figures of the pair.