Chapter 7. Field Trip on a Clear Day (14)

“…You know how to use a sword?”

Clang! The sound of metal clashing echoed. I had swung instinctively, and somehow managed to block the assassin’s strike. I took a deep breath, then slashed again toward the startled assassin, whose eyes had gone wide.

“…This girl—! Damn it. Forget it. Everyone, just rush her!”

The assassin, whose cheek had narrowly been grazed by my blade, pressed his lips together, then shouted to the others. At his command, the black-masked men began to move all at once. I had no time to dodge—my only option was to squeeze my eyes shut.

There were eight of them. There was no way I could fight them all. This is it, I thought. I guess this is how I die. I mentally thanked all the good people I had met until now. Goodbye. Seems like it ends here for me. I didn’t even get to take Seria down with me. That’s my one regret.

“Die.”

With that cold word from the assassin, I braced for the chill of death—

“Ugh! What the—?!”

“What the hell just—?!”

“As I tightly shut my eyes, bracing for the cold blade to slice down across my neck, I suddenly heard the assassins’ startled voices. Wondering what was going on, I tried to open my eyes—but a warm, large hand gently covered them. Huh? Who is it?

“Keep your eyes closed.”

At the sound of the familiar voice, I pressed my lips shut. This voice… It was one I’d heard countless times, the one that made my heart race most. Enchanting, beautiful—how could I not obey it? Since he told me to close my eyes, I quietly shut them again.

The warmth of that big hand disappeared, followed by the clash of swords, the sound of someone collapsing, and the occasional scream of a man in despair. Nope. No way I’m opening my eyes.

“You can open them now.”

That voice again. As I opened my eyes, just as I’d hoped, the face I saw was his. That stunning, radiant, and dearly missed face of Kyle was right in front of me.

“Kyle.”

The tears welled up in an instant. I’d acted like everything was fine, played it off with jokes and smiles—but falling off a cliff, facing monsters, and being ambushed by assassins had truly left me terrified. My legs gave out, and I instinctively clung to Kyle.

“……!”

Startled, Kyle held me tightly, gently stroking my back to calm me down. It was a small gesture—but strangely enough, the turbulence inside me gradually began to settle.

“……It’s okay now.”

Even though he was flustered, I was so grateful to Kyle for trying—however awkwardly—to calm me down. His hands, rough and calloused, now felt soft and comforting. He makes me feel at ease. When I’m with him, I feel safe… and yet my heart races like crazy. Confused by this complicated mix of emotions, I finally realized something: this isn’t the first time I’ve felt this way. These feelings I’ve always experienced around Kyle—feelings I kept avoiding and hiding—now I think I finally understand them.

‘Oh my god, I… I love Kyle.’

With that realization, it was like spring bloomed inside me all over again.

The queasiness from my anxiety melted away, replaced by this newfound awareness. My heart felt light, full, and fluttering in the most unfamiliar yet comforting way. What… what is this? This ticklish, sweet sensation was something I could only feel because of Kyle.

My heart pounded like it was about to burst.

How could I have not known? This wasn’t just a crush—no, I was in love. Hopelessly, overwhelmingly in love. And yet, I had been too much of a fool to notice. I really was an idiot. Stunned by the revelation, I stood frozen for a moment before finally speaking.

“…Kyle, how did you get here?”

I didn’t know what else to say, so I asked the one thing I had been wondering. Kyle, who had been holding me gently and soothing me with such care, flinched and stopped moving for a second. Huh? That’s suspicious. I listened closely, and just like mine, I could hear his heart pounding rapidly.

Could it be… is Kyle nervous too?

“…I just came because I missed you.”

After a moment of silence, Kyle’s low, stiff voice reached my ears. I lifted my head from where it had been resting against his chest and looked up to see, as expected, a visibly rigid Kyle whose face matched his voice. Kyle, who had likely never done something like rushing to see someone he missed, tilted his head slightly, as if puzzled by this unfamiliar feeling. Ah, he’s cute.

“Good job.”

As always, his animal-like instinct that led him straight to me felt impressive. I stretched my arm out and barely managed to place my hand on his head. Kyle, noticing I was struggling, lowered his head to help me. I let out a small chuckle and gently ran my fingers through his soft hair.

“More.”

Like a puppy begging for affection, Kyle asked me to keep going. I tried to say no, but ended up petting him until the end. Not that I really minded.

“Hmm… these guys… they’re not dead, right?”

I paused my petting and pointed at the assassins lying on the ground in pools of blood, asking casually. Kyle nodded a couple of times in response. Then he gently cupped my cheeks with both hands and turned my head away. Uh, why?

“Don’t look.”

“Eh?”

“Why are you staring? Don’t look,” I said, trying to turn my head, but his hand on my cheek stopped me. The touch was gentle, but the pressure was firm enough that I had no choice but to give up on turning away. What the—seriously!

“Don’t look at that. Look over here.”

I shifted my gaze reluctantly, just flicking my eyes around in defiance. But Kyle’s firm and charismatic tone forced me to look straight ahead.

“Ah.”

In front of me was an incredibly handsome face, glowing with radiance. I was so stunned by how close and striking his face was that I just stared at him in a daze, not even noticing that his hands had moved from my cheek down to my waist. I didn’t say anything about it. Well… I guess I’m getting used to it. And… I kind of like it, ahem.

As I stared blankly at Kyle’s mesmerizing face, I muttered without thinking.

“You’re seriously good-looking.”

“Yeah?”

Kyle responded while gently cupping my chin—like he was handling something precious and delicate. As his face slowly drew closer and I instinctively started to close my eyes…

“Haha, I was just playing dead—urk!”

Suddenly, one of the assassins sprang up and charged at us. Kyle, of course, dealt with him in an instant, but I still felt incredibly irritated by the interruption. I was really starting to feel like punching that assassin—just once. Would that be okay?

“You really should clean up properly.”

Just as I was clenching my fist, Aren appeared out of nowhere with a whoosh. Ugh… That scared me! I’ve thought this before, but seriously—why can’t people just show up normally? Regular people like me keep getting heart attacks here!

“Dia was looking for you, you know? You’re not supposed to leave your group without permission.”

“You’re not really in a position to lecture anyone.”

“I’m the exception.”

The moment I saw the two of them bickering again as usual, I felt an overwhelming wave of peace. Haha, that whole assassination attempt from earlier really feels like a lie now. With Aren’s appearance, I felt even more at ease.

“Oh, right! Tosooni!”

I suddenly remembered—Tosooni had gotten caught in that weird net and was in visibly bad shape. I gently cradled Tosooni, who was still limp on the ground, in my arms and began to tear up. Sob, I’m sorry, Tosooni! You ended up with such a useless owner… Waaaah!

“That’s a Giant Rabbit, isn’t it? It doesn’t look good.”

“I think it’s because of that net…”

Aren examined the net closely with one hand, scanning it carefully. Then he gave me a reassuring smile and patted my shoulder.

“Don’t worry. It just looks like some kind of sleeping agent was used.”

“So this is just what happens when you’re super sleepy?”

What a relief. I smiled softly as I picked up the drowsy-looking Tosoon again. Thank goodness it wasn’t some weird poison or anything. I thought I was going to lose you—even though we’ve only known each other for about two hours, I’ve already grown so attached! The moment I saw you collapse, my world nearly went black.

“Alright, looks like things are more or less settled. Let’s head back now.”

“Uh, the assassins…”

When I turned my head, I saw Kyle gathering the assassins in one spot with rough, practiced movements. Honestly, it looked a bit like he was stacking blocks—it would’ve been funny if the situation weren’t so serious. The assassins groaned, “Ugh…” as they were neatly stacked one by one. Wow… Kyle was piling them up with such a condescending look on his face.

“All right, let’s go.”

With the situation roughly dealt with, Kyle approached me. Hmm, it was time to leave… but honestly, walking all the way back sounded exhausting. Ugh, this was exactly why I regretted losing that magic stone.

“Radel, your leg’s injured. Come teleport back with me.”

“I’ll carry her.”

Oh—being carried didn’t sound too bad. It was a little selfish, but just imagining it felt kind of romantic and exciting. Sure, it’d be tiring for him, but…

“Radel’s hurt, so she needs treatment right away.”

“I’d rather die than leave her with you.”

They looked about ready to fight, and I thought about stepping in to stop them—but then again, we weren’t indoors, and it was a nice open space, so I figured I might as well just let them go at it. Come on, Tosoon. Let’s sit back and enjoy the show.

“Oh!”

“Shhh!”

When I turned around, I found Dia suddenly standing behind me, holding a finger to her lips. With a sly smile, she motioned for silence. I opened my mouth and mouthed, How did you get here?

“Kyle found you by instinct, and Aren used magic—then how did you get here, Dia?”

“I heard a scream and came.”

Her soft whisper near my ear was quite the shock.

Ah, so that’s how… wait, me?

I stammered in confusion, unable to comprehend it at first—but then I figured, well, it’s Dia. That explains everything.

Right, trying to understand the monsters of this academy is what’s truly absurd…

“But why are those idiots fighting?”

“Um… that’s…”

While staring blankly at Dia—who just casually called Kyle, the future duke and youngest swordmaster, and Aren, the magical genius recognized by the Tower, “idiots”—I explained the situation.

“Aha, they’re fighting over who gets to take you, huh?”

“Well… that’s one way to put it.”

The wording felt a little off, but it wasn’t wrong, so I nodded.

Dia glanced at the two bickering guys and suddenly flashed a mischievous, devil-may-care grin. Gasp—so pretty, but that expression screamed “trouble.”

“Then let those idiots fight it out. Shall we head out?”

“Wait, but how—”

Just as I was about to ask, Dia pulled two magic stones from her pocket.

One had a bluish tint—it was clearly hers. The other had a soft pink glow… mine?

Wait, how did she—?

“Found it on the ground!”

Maybe she noticed the confusion on my face, because Dia flashed a bright smile and firmly pressed the magic stone into my hand. If she picked it up off the ground, that meant Seria must’ve stolen my stone and tossed it away immediately after… Damn Seria, she’s so thorough and so incredibly annoying.

“Hey! You two guys over there!’”

“…?”

“Dia?”

At Dia’s call, Kyle and Aren turned their heads at the same time. Kyle narrowed his eyes instinctively when he saw her, and Aren, sensing something ominous, also tensed slightly. Dia, amused by their reactions, casually draped her arm over my shoulder and held up the glowing magic stone.

“Well then, you two get along and follow us later, okay?”

“See you.”

Getting back quickly was the priority, so I gave a bright smile and waved. Seeing the dazed expressions on their faces made me feel a twinge of guilt. Hmm, now I kind of feel bad…

“Idiots.”

Dia stuck her tongue out one last time, teasing Kyle and Aren. Even to me, standing right beside her, it was a seriously annoying move. But still, even that side of Dia was cute!

And just like that, embraced by the enchantingly devilish Dia, I returned to the Mage Tower.

***

Radel Karel—I wanted her dead. The moment she started to suspect me, I pretended to be sick to trick her, and it looked like she had taken the bait.

“Thank goodness you’re such a stupid woman. I thought for sure you’d coldly walk away.”

I let out everything I’d wanted to say with a sneer, and it felt truly cathartic. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that idiotic expression on her face as she listened to me.

“Now, it’s really over.”

As I watched Radel Karel fall from the cliff, screaming Kyaaah!, I must have laughed like a madwoman. Foolish, pitiful girl. Why did you ever try to get in my way? It was a fight you could never win. Right?

Muttering question after question that would never be answered, I pulled out my magic stone and returned to the Tower.

Whether it was to avoid the rain or because they’d given up halfway through, I wasn’t sure, but the place was full of people. All of them, so easily fooled by my performance—just average, gullible people.

Staggering to the center of the Tower, I shouted in a trembling voice,

“Something terrible has happened!”

My own voice was perfect. Trembling in fear, but pushing forward as if drawing up every ounce of courage.

Satisfied with my performance, I smiled to myself.

People began gathering, one by one, drawn by the urgency in my voice. What happened? What’s wrong? they asked, surrounding me with questions.

I answered with a weak, breathless voice, pouring every ounce of drama into it.

“Lady Radel Karel… has gone missing!”

Of course, it was a lie. I was the one who pushed her off the cliff.

But… heh.

Seria didn’t feel a shred of guilt.

She was simply pleased to have removed one more obstacle from her path.”

“…Lady Radel is missing?”

No one questioned Seria’s lie. For a moment, silence hung over the tower, until one person broke it, causing the space to grow noisy again.

“Oh no, if she went missing in this weather, could it be…”

“Hey, we don’t know anything for sure yet!”

“Still, that forest has monsters… This is serious.”

Wow, all she said was that Radel was missing, and yet everyone interpreted it however they liked. Seria had to hold back her laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. Well, they weren’t exactly wrong. Radel had fallen from that ridiculously high cliff, and below it was crawling with ferocious monsters. And just in case she survived that, Seria had asked the marquis to hire assassins to finish the job. With all that, would she really make it back alive? Seria didn’t doubt for a second that Radel Karel was dead.

Goodbye, you persistent nuisance.

“Seria, could you explain what happened in more detail?”

“…Of course.”

One female student approached Seria with a worried expression. Ugh, annoying. Seria quickly hid the irritation on her face and offered a pitiful smile as she began to explain.

“…One of our group members got seriously injured due to an incident. So in the end, we decided to return to the tower. But I… I accidentally lost my teleportation stone, so Lady Radel offered to help me look for it… Luckily, we found it quickly, but… Lady Radel suddenly disappeared, and now she’s missing… It’s all my fault! If I hadn’t lost that magic stone…”

As Seria trembled with regret, the female student hugged her tightly, telling her it was okay and comforting her. Completely unaware she was being deceived, she simply tried to console the self-blaming Seria.

“If we send a rescue team right away, we’ll be able to find her.”

Hah. According to who? If by any chance she were still alive and got found by the rescue team, everything would be exposed.

That’s why Seria began to cry, tears streaming down her face as she spoke.

“It’s been too long… Even if you send someone now, she’ll just be a cold corpse by the time they find her…”

“Who are you calling a cold corpse?”

A familiar voice. So familiar it sent chills down her spine. Seria’s whole body trembled.

No way. No way…

She couldn’t turn her head. If she did, she’d have to face an unbelievable reality. But in the end, with someone shouting the truth aloud, Seria fell into utter despair.

“…Radel Karel has come back alive.”

The very girl she’d claimed had disappeared without a trace had returned—completely unharmed.