Chapter 7. Field Trip on a Clear Day (8)

Thinking about how unfair the world was, I helped Alec pick up the bread. As compensation, I was given one piece, which I nibbled on while walking leisurely with Kyle and Dia on either side. Behind us, Alec carefully carried the rest of the bread so he wouldn’t drop any. If anyone saw us now, they might think I was some gangster boss flanked by underlings.

“What the heck, you kind of look like some gang leader.”

That was the first thing Huan said when we walked into the library. Ugh, I was expecting ‘delinquent,’ but ‘gang boss’ was way worse… I started rubbing my cheeks with both hands, wondering if I really looked that scary. Maybe there was a book on how to look soft and gentle somewhere around here—I skimmed the bookshelves in earnest.

“Um, Kyle?”

But it was hard to focus with Kyle stuck to me like glue. He was hugging me from behind, arms wrapped tightly around my waist, and it was driving me crazy. Okay, maybe not driving me crazy—but I was tired, so let’s say it was.

“Go read something.”

“No.”

He didn’t want to read, so why the heck did he come to the library! I wanted to shout, but when he buried his face in my shoulder and mumbled softly, something in my chest tightened. Ugh… I hadn’t paid enough attention before, but now I realized—

Kyle really, really likes physical affection.

“Okay, that’s enough. Freeze.”

“…Don’t touch me.”

Apparently, that restriction applied only to me. When Dia tried to pull Kyle off by grabbing his arm, he furrowed his delicate brows and shot her a sharp glare. Huh, maybe he’s only sensitive when it comes to Dia? Yeah… that might be it.

“Oh—Alec, I found the perfect book for you.”

“Huh?”

I quickly called over Alec, who’d been quietly watching Huan read. Oh, this one was made for Alec! I hurriedly pulled a neatly shelved book from the case.

“Gasp! This is—!”

“Yup. 99 Ways to Seduce the Opposite s*x!”

Alec accepted the book with an oddly solemn and reverent air. He even set down the bread he’d been hugging so dearly—he must have really liked the book. Wow, I didn’t think the Tower library would stock something like this… Judging from how worn the pages were, it looked like there were plenty of Tower mages just like Alec.

“Looks very practical.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Alec, with his eyes gleaming, stood in place and started rapidly flipping through the book. Sniff… our dear Alec… go forth and finally escape your solo life. Though honestly, I don’t have high hopes.

“Ooh, this book looks fun.”

“……?”

Even the two who were bickering started showing interest in the book Alec was holding. It made sense for curious Dia, but… why was Kyle so focused on reading it too? These three never even studied that hard before a test, but now they were laser-focused on this one book. Hm… a little unsettling.

“I want to try this right now!”

Alec suddenly jumped up mid-read. Wondering what he wanted to try, I peeked over at the book—and there it was: the infamous kabe-don technique.

“Hm… It says to pin the other person against the wall and slam your hand beside them with a bam. The key is to do it with force and intensity… and keep a strong gaze.”

Alec read the instructions out loud.

“It’s just slamming the wall, what’s the big deal…” muttered Dia, unimpressed.

Kyle, on the other hand, looked way too intrigued. That worried me. Especially since he’d been perking up and listening so attentively the whole time—he was definitely the most dangerous one in the room.

“Like this?”

Bam!

The wall cracked. Kyle had slammed his hand into it with full strength. Unlike what Alec had read, his move was more of an intimidation tactic than seduction. No, no, no! I wanted to scream. You know that thing you always do by accident? That’s what this was supposed to be!

Looking at Kyle, who now innocently asked, ‘Did I do it right?’, I didn’t even know where to start explaining.

“No no, it’s like this.”

Dia chimed in and, without warning, grabbed my wrist and shoved me against the wall. She placed one hand beside my head with a soft tap, and used the other to tilt my chin up so our eyes met. Her clear pupils sparkled right in front of me.

“Well? How was it, Radel?”

“…It was amazing.”

My true feelings slipped out. Wow, my heart almost exploded. If Dia were a man, I might’ve fallen for her right then and there. Gotta be careful—she’s a woman. But watching her stand there with that elegant smile was making me lose my mind. She really is a dangerously charming woman.

“…Now I’ve come to the point where I’m even jealous of a woman,”

came Kyle’s sigh-laced voice. I was too focused on Dia to fully hear him. Ah, no—before I completely fall for her, I need to pull myself together! I slipped away from Dia.

“Master!”

Next to me, Alec was staring at Dia with sparkling eyes. It seemed he wanted to make her his master—even though they were the same gender. Dia replied to Alec in a voice full of laughter.

“Alright, but to become my disciple, the first requirement is a good-looking face.”

In short, she was saying she wouldn’t take Alec as her disciple, right? Alec looked gloomy and muttered, ‘Ah, that’s impossible…’

Dia slowly approached him and, as if trying to comfort him, patted him on the back and told him to be born again. Gasp—she killed Alec twice.

“Too noisy. All of you, out.”

Huan, who had been silently watching the commotion, finally exploded. In the end, we got kicked out of the library. Well, we were being a bit loud.

And yet, Alec still managed to bring 99 Ways to Seduce the Opposite s*x with him, which was impressive.

Later, I found out that it was Aren who had repaired the crack in the library wall. I felt bad—as if we’d just dumped extra work on him…

***

The first day of the field trip ended with a tour of the Mage Tower. During the break after lunch, we spent time either in the library—or getting kicked out for causing a ruckus—and Alec read the book he borrowed. We toured the Mage Tower until dinner, but honestly, nothing stood out as memorable. The only things I remembered were how absurdly huge the tower was and how terrible the mages were at explaining things.

“Ugh, so boring.”

The field trip I had looked forward to turned out to be nothing but dull. After eating dinner and returning to the assigned room, I lay around on the bed, sighing heavily. If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have come. And to end up in the same group as Seria… I was already starting to worry that something might happen while exploring the Dedelia Forest.

“Oh, right. I totally forgot.”

I clapped my hands and rushed over to where my bag was. After rummaging through the front pocket, I pulled out the small, bead-like communication orb. Come to think of it, I still didn’t know who had sent this. I stared at the orb in my palm—the one handed over by that mysterious attendant.

Obviously, staring at it didn’t reveal any answers.

Frustrated, I tapped the orb with my finger out of irritation. Suddenly, it began to sparkle with a dazzling array of colorful light.

Gasp. C-Could it be about to explode?

I’d seen things explode more than a few times during my time in the Magic Department. They always glowed like that right before blowing up…

“Gah!”

Alarmed by the ominous light, I immediately threw the orb away. It was a fancy communication orb that cost as much as several dresses from a high-end boutique, but my safety was more important, so I didn’t hesitate.

Luckily, the orb landed safely on the bed, and I quickly ran to the door and ducked for cover.

“Huh? It’s not exploding?”

I crouched down, holding a pillow in front of me like a shield, but the communication orb I threw with a flash of light didn’t show any signs of blowing up. I cautiously turned my head to check on its condition, and as expected, the orb was perfectly intact.

Ugh, I totally overreacted.

「Ah, is this how I do it?」

「Yes, you can just speak comfortably.」

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, I heard a familiar voice coming from the communication orb. Oh, this elegant, refined, and dignified voice!

「Hoho, it’s my first time recording something, so I’m a bit nervous.」

The laughter confirmed it beyond doubt. No matter how I listened to it, this was the voice of Duchess Martina. But why was her voice coming from the communication orb?

Still struggling to grasp the situation, I stared blankly at the orb.

「Hmm, Miss Radel. I hope you’re doing well. I wonder if you still remember my voice.」

“Of course I remember.”

Even though she wasn’t actually there, I ended up responding unconsciously. Three seconds later, embarrassment hit me like a wave. While I was cringing at myself, the duchess’s voice continued from the orb.

「It’s nothing much, but I wanted to get closer to you, so I’m sending this simple gift of a communication orb.」

“Aha, I see… Wait, no, what does that even mean?”

I wanted to argue that calling such an expensive communication orb “simple” made no sense, but the Duchess wasn’t here. Ah, now I get it. She must have worried I wouldn’t accept it, so she sent a servant to deliver it secretly! Then that strange servant Vivian mentioned must have been Sebastian?

「Ah, just in case, I want to make this clear: if you try to return the gift to the ducal estate, I plan to send you an enormous batch of dresses in exchange. So don’t even think about sending it back, hoho!」

What the heck is that! Her voice was sweet, but the message was pure blackmail—it was terrifying. Gasp, an enormous batch of dresses… Just imagining it felt like too much to handle. Even though no one was in front of me, I nodded vigorously. Yes, I absolutely will not return it!

Duchess Martina really is a scary woman.