Chapter 63

When Felix heard that a strange man had entered the room, he was utterly flustered.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Did that bastard do anything to you?”

He grabbed Elena’s shoulders, inspecting her fiercely. The startled Little One began to cry, but Felix didn’t spare the baby a single glance.

Elena was just as taken aback. She had expected him to be surprised, but this reaction was far more intense than she anticipated. It almost felt as if they shared a special relationship.

Feeling awkward, she carefully removed his hands.

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt. Nothing happened.”

As she held and soothed Little One as if everything was normal, Felix finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Wait here. I’ll go get the professor.”

He dashed out immediately and returned with Professor Deros. Then, he began interrogating her.

“What did he look like? Do you remember? Tell me everything.”

“Well, um…”

It was as if he thought she had done something wrong. Elena shrank back in confusion, and Little One buried his face in her arms as well.

Only then did Felix soften his tone slightly and ask again.

“Did you see his face?”

“The room was too dark to see clearly.”

Elena tried to recall and described what she could.

“He had bright blonde hair, but I couldn’t see the color of his eyes. He was as tall as you, and…”

“His age? Did he look like Little One’s parents?”

Felix interrupted, urging her to continue. Elena hesitated, picturing the man’s face.

“Hmm… I don’t think he’s Little One’s father. He seemed too young.”

If anything, the man appeared more like a boy than a young man.

“He looked about our age, but honestly, he seemed even younger. It was dark, but I’m sure of that. And also…”

She hesitated.

‘Should I tell them that the boy was crying?’

There wasn’t really a reason not to. In fact, being honest would probably be better.

But for some reason, she felt uneasy, as though she were uncovering a secret she wasn’t meant to know.

Still, in such a serious situation, it wouldn’t do to hide even the smallest detail. Finally, she decided to speak the truth.

“He was crying.”

Both Felix and Professor Deros looked at her in disbelief.

“Crying? Why?”

How was I supposed to know? 

Elena shrugged.

“I have no idea. He was already crying when I woke up and saw him.”

“Anything else? Was there anything unusual?”

“This is just my guess, but he seemed really flustered.”

“Flustered?”

“Yes.”

The boy had definitely muttered, “No, it can’t be,” and the confused expression on his face as he looked at her was unforgettable.

She was certain.

“It didn’t seem like he came looking for me on purpose. Maybe he ended up here by mistake?”

“You’re sure you saw a man?”

Felix crossed his arms and asked. It didn’t feel like he was doubting her, but rather confirming her story.

“Yes.”

The image of the boy crying and the sound of his panicked voice were still vivid in her mind. 

Could it have been a dream or a hallucination?

She didn’t think so.

“I’m certain I saw him.”

“Professor.”

Felix gestured to the professor. When Elena pointed to where the man had been standing, the professor cast a spell in that direction. However, there were no significant results.

“There are traces of mana, but it’s impossible to track. It doesn’t seem like he used teleportation magic. Or perhaps…”

“Elena might have been mistaken.”

Elena flared up.

“No, I’m not mistaken.”

“I know. I’m not saying you’re lying. But if he used some other method to enter, we need to consider other possibilities. You said there were no signs of forced entry, but magic can allow someone to enter without leaving a trace.”

Felix even demonstrated by stepping outside the room and using magic to open the door without breaking the lock. There were no signs of intrusion left behind.

“Just in case, I’ll ask around to see if any other guests accidentally entered.”

However, after several hours of inquiries, Felix returned shaking his head. The only people staying at the inn were from their academy.

He considered the possibility that someone had come to visit a friend, but he couldn’t confirm that either.

“Regardless, we should stay cautious. Until we return to the academy, don’t be alone under any circumstances.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Following his advice, Elena never stayed alone after that. During the day, when the other people went out to explore, she stayed in the room with Felix or went to the city together. Occasionally, they included Thomas in their outings.

Today, the three of them had taken Little One out for a walk.

“Yay!”

Despite visiting the same places repeatedly, Little One was always excited. He even wriggled free from their hands and marched forward on his own.

Squeak, squeak. Every step Little One took produced a cheerful sound.

“Little One is really enjoying himself.”

“Right? He’s so cute!”

Thomas gazed affectionately at Little One’s back. Elena, however, looked worried.

“Is it okay to let him walk around on his own without holding hands?”

Felix responded bluntly.

“Little One doesn’t want to hold hands.”

That was true. No matter how many times Elena tried to hold his hand, he would throw a fit and shake her off.

“Besides, with those shoes, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Just as he said that—

Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.

Suddenly, the shoes made an unusually loud noise. Turning her head toward the sound, Elena saw Little One rushing off in a particular direction.

“Little One, where are you going?!”

She hurriedly ran after him and scooped him up. Little One flailed in protest.

“No!”

“What do you mean, ‘no’?”

Felix grumbled as he caught up. Elena shot him a glare before gently soothing Little One.

“Little One, you can’t just run off like that. What if we lose you?”

Perhaps he understood her, Little One looked up at her with wide eyes before drooping his eyebrows sadly.

“Dada.”

He raised his hand to point to the left. There, a clown was blowing bubbles, and children were gathered around, watching in awe.

“Look at that!”

“Whoa, it’s floating up!”

The children reached out to catch the drifting bubbles.

Apparently, Little One had been drawn to the bubbles.

“Shall we go together, then?”

“Dada!”

Holding Little One, Elena approached the bubbles. The baby poked one with his finger, and it popped with a soft “poof.” He kicked his legs in delight, laughing.

Elena deliberately moved closer to the bubbles for Little One’s enjoyment. Each time he popped one, he burst into laughter.

Little One’s laughter was louder and brighter than that of any other child.

People around them smiled warmly at the scene, and even the clown blew a flurry of bubbles around Little One.

The baby waved his hands enthusiastically, fully engrossed in the bubble-popping game.

After playing for a while, they went to a restaurant for lunch. Little One ate so much chicken that his belly was full, and he started to get fussy when it was time for his nap.

“I’ll carry him.”

Surprisingly, Thomas, who had a fondness for children, picked up Little One. The baby, who seemed to like Thomas, settled down quietly in his arms.

Together, they made their way back to the inn, weaving through the crowds.

‘Huh? There are people in that alley?’

As they walked, Elena glanced to the side and noticed two hooded figures standing in a seemingly empty alley. One of them turned their head as if sensing her gaze.

“Huh? Over there…”

She muttered without thinking, prompting Felix to follow her line of sight.

“What is it?”

But when she blinked and looked again, the alley was empty.

Felix frowned at the deserted alley and asked.

“What’s wrong? There’s nothing there.”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

How strange. 

For a moment, she thought she had seen Professor Owen from the Swordsmanship Department standing there with someone.

‘But that’s impossible.’

Professor Owen was likely busy coaching students participating in the martial arts competition.

It must have been someone who looked similar. Shaking off the thought, Elena quickly followed Thomas, who was calling for her to hurry up.

***

During the day, Elena spent time with Felix and Thomas, and in the evenings, she was with Alice, Penny, and Joy.

Despite earlier claims that having a child around would make it hard to enjoy themselves, Penny and Joy played with Little One exceptionally well.

“Little One, look at this! Isn’t it amazing?”

Penny, in particular, skillfully blended magic and sleight of hand to captivate Little One. The expression on the baby’s face when the rose in Penny’s hand disappeared was just too adorable!

The blonde-haired man Elena had seen earlier never appeared again. However, she remained on guard and spent her time cautiously.

About a week later, as the graduation trip was nearing its end, the finals of the martial arts competition—hailed as the highlight of the Founding Festival—began.

Although she couldn’t attend because of Little One, Elena heard that Cedric had made it to the finals after passing the preliminaries.

It was only natural. Cedric was one of the academy’s top talents, and even her brother William had coveted Cedric’s skills. If Cedric didn’t make it to the finals, who else could?

Elena, along with Thomas, Felix, and Little One, went to watch Cedric’s match.

Thanks to Felix’s reservation, they were able to watch from the special seating area.

“Wow! This place is huge.”

Thomas, who entered first, exclaimed in awe.

Little One, holding Thomas’s hand, echoed his excitement.

“Yay!”