Chapter 7. Field Trip on a Clear Day (4)

“Why would I take money from you, Radel? If anything, I’m dying to give you everything.”

When I asked if he meant giving me presents, Aren clamped his mouth shut like he was at a loss for words. Then he let out a deep sigh and murmured that he finally understood why Kailon had been acting so impatient. Why is Kyle’s name suddenly coming up?

Now that I think about it, I had heard there was some tension between Kyle and Aren, but I hadn’t gotten the full explanation because Kyle had shown up midway through Dia’s explanation.

Up to this point, I’d never seen Kyle and Aren fighting or even on bad terms, so it was strange. Sure, in the original story, the two had a brutal rivalry with Seria between them, but in our current situation, neither of them seemed particularly interested in the heroine anymore, so there shouldn’t have been any reason to fight.

“But Aren, I heard a bit from Dia… things between you and Kyle aren’t so great right now?”

“That’s just how things turned out.”

“Why? You two never seemed to be on bad terms before.”

Curious, I asked him directly. The moment Kyle’s name came up, Aren straightened up and furrowed his delicate brows slightly. It was a rare expression to see from someone who was usually all smiles.”

“Kailon kissed you… and I didn’t like it.”

Aren answered plainly and clearly. Huh? He didn’t like it? Wait—don’t tell me! Could it be that Aren likes me?!

…That thought alone made me blush furiously. Ugh, I can’t believe I even considered such a ridiculous idea for a second. How embarrassing.

I pictured myself caught between Aren and Kyle like some heroine in a love triangle. Yeah, right. Love triangles are for people who fit the part. As I imagined those two perfect-faced guys fighting over someone like me, I immediately shook my head. No way… that’s completely hopeless.

Honestly, it made more sense to think Aren was jealous of me. The idea that Aren and Kyle were secretly in love with each other seemed more believable than me being in the middle. That hurt my pride, but it also felt more realistic, which was kind of depressing.

Oh, but they would make a nice couple—Aren, all radiant like a flower, and Kyle, sharp and alluring like a wolf. Weirdly enough, they kind of fit. Wait, is it possible my imagination was right all along? If so, then… have a beautiful romance, you two.

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not that,” Aren said.

“Ah, so I was wrong after all?”

I must’ve let my imagination run a little too wild. Ever since Vivian got into a new genre and recommended The Emperor Loves His Knight, I’d been having weird thoughts like this. Whew. Gotta calm down.

“Anyway, Aren, you were just worried about me, right?”

Aren was kind and gentle to everyone, so it made sense he was just concerned because I’d been kissed without consent. Touched by his thoughtfulness, I smacked him lightly on the back and grinned wide.

“Even after all I’ve said… you still don’t get it?”

Aren ran a hand over his face, as if frustrated. Then he firmly grabbed my chin and leaned in close. His radiant, glowing face was stunning. I could see myself reflected in those dazzling golden eyes of his—it was fascinating. Ah, but he’s way too close.

“Looks like I need to show you with actions too, just like Kailon did, for you to finally get it.”

Aren’s face drew even closer. Uh, uh, uh? This situation… haven’t I experienced this before? I felt an odd sense of déjà vu and a strange disconnect as my body stiffened from tension. Just as our breaths were about to touch, the door—which looked like it’d never open—swung wide open with a loud crash.

Bang!

For a second, I thought it was an explosion. Startled, I turned my head toward the door and saw the splintered wreck of what used to be the door and a black silhouette standing there.

“Kailon.”

Aren murmured the name of the sudden intruder. But somehow, Aren seemed more unruly than usual today. Seeing Kailon appear so suddenly shocked me once, and seeing Aren’s uncharacteristic behavior shocked me again.

“How did you find this place?”

“I heard Radel disappeared, so obviously I assumed you kidnapped her.” Kailon replied.

Hearing that, Aren muttered,

“Your instincts are still sharp, as always.”

Then he put on his usual gentle smile and fixed his gaze on Kailon. From the side, I could see Aren’s lips forming a graceful curve—but his eyes, devoid of any amusement, were locked coldly on Kailon. It was a strange expression.

“Kidnap? I was just giving her a tour of my room.”

“…That doesn’t look like a tour to me.”

The sight of me lying on the bed and Aren still holding my chin could easily lead to misunderstandings. Aren let go of me and flashed a relaxed smile as he spoke to Kyle.

“Well, are you satisfied now?”

“Not at all. Step at least one meter away from Radel.”

I wasn’t sure what that had to do with a simple room tour, but Kyle’s piercing gaze was so intense, I just figured… maybe it made sense. I glanced back and forth between the two of them, who were now locked in some strange standoff, before plopping down into a nearby chair.

“But that’s odd. My room is protected by a magical barrier. You shouldn’t have been able to enter.”

“Yeah, no wonder. It was a pain in the as$ to get in.”

Kyle stared at Aren with a scornful expression. Listening to their exchange, I didn’t even know what part I should be most surprised about.

A magical barrier? More shocking was the fact that Kyle had broken through it so casually. He did say it was a pain to get in, but seeing how he didn’t have a single scratch on him… it was honestly impressive.

Now that I think about it, Kyle was said to have innate magic resistance in the original story. Magic resistance, in other words, meant a natural immunity to certain magical effects—particularly mental magic, excluding most physical types.

A Sword Master with natural magic resistance was like a musical genius also having perfect pitch. Of course, Aren had it too…

Seriously, every male lead in this academy is completely insane.

“Didn’t expect you to break down the door too. Oh, you’re paying for the repairs, right?”

“Send the repair bill to the Raven Duchy.”

Somehow, the conversation was veering off in a strange direction. Well, I didn’t really mind—it was entertaining. Kyle and Aren were locked in an intense staring contest, sharply contrasting with me lounging comfortably in a chair between them. Surely they weren’t actually going to fight, right?

Unfortunately, my bad feeling was spot-on, just like always.

“…I guess we’ll have to settle this.”

“Yeah.”

Aren conjured a small flame in his hand, and in response, Kyle unsheathed the sword at his hip and pointed it straight at Aren. The tension skyrocketed—it was a powder keg waiting to explode. I panicked and tried to stop them, but they were faster than my words.

Boom, thud, crash. The sounds of things breaking and walls cracking echoed through the room. And of course, neither of them had a single scratch. Just moments ago, their conversation was childish—now they were fighting like it was all-out war. At this rate, the tower’s going to collapse!

The weirdest part? Nothing flew in my direction. Despite how fiercely they were clashing, they somehow managed not to let any of the damage reach me. I appreciated the consideration, but seriously—how about just not fighting at all?

As I watched the two wild beasts tearing into each other, I finally clapped my hands and shouted loudly.

“Enough!”

The entire room flinched. Even amidst all the crashing noise, my voice rang clear. The two men froze mid-attack and turned their heads toward me in sync, blinking dumbly.

“Stop fighting like little kids.”

I spoke clearly and firmly. The key here was to keep my expression cold. I stood up, placed my hands on my hips, and slowly walked toward Kyle and Aren. The only sound in the room was the clicking of my heels echoing off the walls.

“You two are in the same group. You should be getting along, right?”

Thanks to their tension, poor Peter had ended up taking the brunt of the damage. I kept my voice as icy and sharp as possible while addressing the two of them. I couldn’t tell if it was actually working, but they did seem noticeably shaken by my words.

“Now, shake hands.”

It was a classic technique used when trying to make kids reconcile after a fight. Ideally, I’d have them hug or kiss to make up, but… yeah, that’d be too much—for me to watch. So I went with the easiest option: a handshake.

“……”

“……”

Both of them turned their heads in opposite directions, clearly displeased, as they begrudgingly took each other’s hands.

They hated it, but at least they listened. That was a relief. I finished it off with a strict warning.

“If you fight again, don’t even think about seeing me.”

Watching the two childish fools nod their heads furiously made me smile with satisfaction. I felt like a teacher disciplining rowdy students.

“You two won’t fight anymore, right?”

Still locked in that reluctant handshake, I made them confirm it again. Kyle and Aren both nodded with clear irritation on their faces, and I looked at them proudly.

They really are good boys at heart.

As I looked around the room again, I suddenly thought I’d walked into a war zone. My pupils trembled at the sight of shattered vases, torn books, and a bed split clean in half. My heart grew heavy at the destruction.

Kind-hearted… really?

“Well then, all that’s left is to clean the room.”

Saying that, I stared directly at Aren. When our eyes met, I silently asked, This much is nothing for you, right? Aren gave a slight nod and, with a wave of his hand, returned the room to its original state.

Hmm? It seemed a bit too clean now… Wait, did you go and clean it thoroughly while you were at it? The room was so spotless I began to wonder if dust even existed in this place.

Rrrring.

While I was admiring Aren’s cleaning skills, a familiar ringing came from the communication orb placed next to the bed. Like a phone call coming in, the orb lit up. Aren tapped it once and let out a short sigh after checking the caller.

“Ah, the old man’s calling me…”

By “old man,” he must’ve meant the Tower Master. Which meant this was probably an emergency! Aren’s slightly troubled expression made me tense as well. I asked if something was wrong, and Aren replied with a casual smile.

“He often calls me for trivial things. Like asking me to read because his vision’s blurry, or to give him a massage because his back hurts… you know, things like that.”

They were really minor requests. So minor I couldn’t believe they were coming from the supposedly all-powerful Tower Master. More like… just an ordinary grandpa, really? I looked at Aren with curiosity, and he only responded with a faint smile.