Chapter 7.6

She wanted to believe that ‘no news is good news,’ but the longer Brienne waited for Aaron, the less convincing that phrase became. Eventually, Brienne reached the conclusion that she would never get her wallet or notebook back and gave up.

It was about ten minutes later that Aaron appeared within Brienne’s sight. Brienne recognized him trudging from afar and quickly stood up to approach him.

“Aaron! What happened?”

“Uh, Miss, well…….”

Aaron stopped, his lips quivering, and bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry, Miss……! I was so confident in my running, but that kid suddenly used his head…….”

“What do you mean?”

“I almost caught him, but he messed up the street and disappeared. After that, I was blocked by people everywhere, couldn’t chase him, couldn’t get out of the mess, and just kept…….”

Aaron sighed repeatedly, squeezed his eyes shut, and bowed his head again.

“……I’m truly sorry for not fulfilling your order, Miss! I couldn’t even escort you properly and let you fall. It’s all my fault!”

Sweat dripped from Aaron’s forehead as he couldn’t lift his head, truly sorry. Brienne, flustered, hurriedly lifted his shoulders.

“Aaron, you really don’t need to be this sorry. It was because I was careless.”

“No, it’s all my…….”

Brienne shook her head and quickly interrupted Aaron’s self-blaming words.

“I’m really fine. You must’ve had a hard time running around in this heat. It’s absolutely not your fault, so don’t worry.”

“But…….”

“It’s getting late, so should we head back to the Academy? I think it’s best to get back and rest before sunset.”

Aaron, completely dejected, nodded. All the way to the carriage, Aaron seemed very apologetic as he guided her.

Brienne, watching the exhausted Aaron closely, felt bad and suggested he ride the carriage with her. Aaron, who had refused at first, eventually accepted her kindness when the line got long.

On the way back to the Academy.

While the tired Aaron dozed off against the wall, Brienne stared out the open window, lost in thought. Felix must have realized by now that the notebook had been switched, but she had no idea how to make up for this.

‘It’s late today, so I’ll go apologize first thing tomorrow.’

In the end, she’d taken someone else’s notebook and lost it.

What a chaotic first day. Brienne sighed, then glanced at Aaron.

His brown hair, drenched in sweat, looked pitiful. He wasn’t even her servant, but he’d come along and suffered for her, which made her feel uneasy.

‘I was thoughtless.’

It was so hot that just sitting made her sweat……

Brienne opened the carriage window wide for Aaron, hesitated, then sniffed the inside of her wrist. Somehow, it felt like she didn’t smell very pleasant. After sweating all day in the sun, it was no wonder.

She felt uncomfortable both physically and mentally.

Brienne rested her arm on the window frame and carefully fanned her sticky clothes. Just then, she saw a familiar man near the Academy’s front gate.

“……Herace?”

Brienne’s eyes widened in surprise as she straightened up and leaned out of the carriage. The wind gently tousled her hair as the carriage slowed down. Herace, glancing at his wristwatch as if waiting for someone, met Brienne’s gaze. Their eyes met for a moment in the air.

After a brief pause, Herace smiled and approached the stopped carriage. He looked up at Brienne, who was standing by the window, and offered his hand.

“……I’ve been waiting for you, Brienne.”

* * *

‘Is he following me?’

The boy, walking slowly through the quiet back alley, looked back. He was curious if the man was really following, but he didn’t see him for even a moment.

Maybe the man had gotten lost.

The boy looked around for a while, searching for the man, then sighed. Who was worrying about whom? If the man had gotten lost, that would be best.

‘……How foolish.’

Clutching the notebook tightly, the boy hurried his steps in irritation. Taking a winding shortcut, he soon stopped in front of an old pawnshop.

He pushed the notebook through the narrow gap just big enough for goods to pass, and soon a white-covered book was handed out from inside. The boy quickly grabbed the book, checked his surroundings, and slipped into a narrow alley.

But he almost dropped the book when he found the man hiding in the shadows.

“D*mn, you scared me……!”

“What did you get?”

“Who—what are you, really?”

The boy glared at the man, who didn’t answer and just held out his hand, then walked a little deeper into the alley. Only after entering a shabby abandoned building did the boy feel safe enough to show the book to the man.

“If you take the notebook to that pawnshop, they’ll give you a book. If you bring the book to a bookstore, you can exchange it for money.”

The man’s deep blue eyes trembled slightly as he stared at the violet-stitched cover. The boy tilted his head in confusion.

“Why? Do you know this book?”

“……No.”

The man wiped the faint expression from his face and asked,

“Which bookstore?”

“Any bookstore on the shopping street.”

“The person who gives you this book—what do they do with the notebook?”

The boy scratched his face, flustered by the question he’d never considered.

“I don’t know the details. But maybe…… they use it to get into the Academy buildings? There’s not much else it’s good for.”

“Academy…….”

The man nodded and looked back down at the book, deep in thought. The boy, glancing nervously, edged away from him.

“Then, can I go now?”

“No.”

“But I already gave you back your wallet!”

“You stole two things. You need to get the notebook back.”

The man blocked the boy’s way as he tried to slip away. The boy shook his head, looking truly desperate.

“How am I supposed to get it back once it’s been exchanged for a book……! I just run errands for money, I don’t know who’s inside at all.”

The boy pleaded with his hands together, but the man simply stared at him. With no other options, the boy sighed and pointed outside the building.

“Look. If I go in there and demand the notebooks back, do you think those people would give them up readily?”

“People?”

Realizing his slip, the boy shifted his eyes. When the man signaled for him to explain, the boy spoke, almost in tears.

“……When I hand over the notebook and get the book, I catch a glimpse of a hand through the gap, and it’s always a different person.”

Some days chubby, some days skinny. Never the same person, the boy explained earnestly.

“Anyway, whatever they’re doing with the notebook, it can’t be good. People who do things like that must be dangerous……!”

“So.”

“I mean, even if you’re strong and fast, you can’t beat those people…….”

“What if I use magic?”

The man interrupted, and a deep, dark green light flickered at his fingertips. The boy jumped back in shock.

“What, what? You’re a mage?”

* * *

At that time.

‘I didn’t expect to meet Herace so soon.’

Sitting on a bench in the Academy’s garden, Brienne glanced at Herace as she listened to Aaron’s report. If she’d known this would happen, she would have quietly waited at the Academy. Unlike Herace, who was as neat as before, Brienne felt shabby and regretted it.

She kept thinking her hair smelled strange. Luckily, the garden’s floral scent was strong, which helped. She couldn’t be completely sure, but as long as she didn’t get too close to Herace, it should be fine.

“Brienne.”

Brienne, twisting her hair to check for smell, awkwardly looked up at Herace’s voice. Aaron’s report must have ended, as Herace approached and knelt down in front of Brienne to examine her.

“We’ve identified the pickpocket’s appearance and reported it to the guards. Are you hurt from where you fell?”

Herace gestured to Brienne’s exposed knee. Brienne quickly pulled her skirt down, her face flushing.

“N-not at all. I didn’t fall hard.”

“Still, you need treatment, so let me see your wound…….”

“I’m really fine! I’ll check once I’m in my room.”

Brienne raised her voice in embarrassment, making Herace tilt his head. Realizing her mistake, Brienne quickly shifted her gaze to the bench beside her to prevent him from saying anything more.

“Herace, why don’t you sit? Let’s talk side by side.”

“Of course.”

Herace nodded and moved closer, prompting Brienne to scoot away and widen the distance between them. Herace narrowed his eyes as he watched Brienne sit on the very edge of the bench.

He was not so oblivious as to not realize Brienne was deliberately avoiding him. Brienne, trying to change the subject, asked cautiously,

“Ah, by the way, how did the trial go?”

“……I was assigned as an Academy assistant. I’ll be teaching first-year subjects, so I’ll see you often.”

“What?”

Brienne’s eyes wavered for a moment, then a bright smile replaced her worried expression.

“An assistant? Is that true?”

“Yes, they said I should stay at the Academy and relearn the rules I broke.”

“That’s wonderful, Herace! I was actually worried. I was afraid you might lose your mage qualification because of what happened that day.”

“You were worried about me?”

Herace smiled and leaned slightly toward Brienne. She was busy nodding, genuinely delighted at the news.

“Of course, how could I not worry? Even if I don’t show it, I care so much…….”

“I’m glad you worried for me. Though I feel bad for you, Brienne, I want to keep you worrying.”

Herace, with a gentle smile, closed the distance and took the end of Brienne’s hair in his hand. He softly raised it to his lips and kissed the tip, gazing into her pale green eyes.

He’d been worried about how Brienne would react to his punishment. In the worst case, she might have gotten annoyed and asked why he kept following her.