Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 63

Sixty-Third Chapter

One of the Three Great Noble Families

It was the middle of lunchtime at the Institute. For Alus, Loki, and the usual group, making use of the cafeteria wasn’t all that unusual.

In the past, it had been Alus’s habit to eat with one hand as he worked on his research. He’d always have a book or paper in his hand as he filled his mouth with a sandwich using the other hand. Compared to that, the environment surrounding his meals now had changed quite a bit. Alus and Loki were one thing, but the other two with them were very lively.

Tesfia’s and Alice’s fame had been on a rise ever since they first enrolled and their ranks were revealed. Nowadays everyone in the Institute knew them, not just their classmates. Whenever it was crowded, someone would often make room for them. Alus and Loki sat near them as if to take advantage of that.

Even so, in the past there had been many who’d acted distantly towards them, and given Alus especially some strange looks. At least his classmates had stopped with that attitude. Although he’d dropped out of the tournament, Alus’s performance in it and his mock battle with Elise had played a big part in that change.

There was another small girl, who was in a different position from Tesfia and Alice, who’d pushed her way in between Alus and his classmates. Her cheerfulness and friendly nature made it hard for anyone to dislike Ciel. Thanks to her casually interacting with Alus, the other classmates had gotten used to him as well.

And she was in perfect form today too. “By the way, Alus, are you missing all these classes because of the military?” She didn’t bother mincing words as she asked this straight out. Perhaps she was attempting to change her image as well, as she had her hair tied up at the back of her head. Then again, many girls tied their hair back when eating pasta or soup.

As someone averse to extra effort, even going that far looked like a pain to Alus. If he had a headband or hairpin, he would take his first step as a considerate gentleman, however pigs would fly before Alus ever became that thoughtful.

On the menu today was a sandwich for Alus, and pasta with shellfish for Loki. Tesfia had the special beef stew with bread, Alice had an omelet and vegetable soup, and Ciel had a small hamburger plate.

At a glance, it all looked delicious. After all, the cafeteria in the Second Magical Institute had a wide variety of menu items, with first-class chefs who checked the taste and at times even did the cooking. Of course it would be popular.

After a brief wait, a six-person table became available. Alus and Loki sat down on one side, while Tesfia, Alice, and Ciel sat down on the other. Additionally, Felinella could be considered one of the usual group members, but she rarely ate at the cafeteria. The reason for that was clear, as whenever she did show up it created an uproar. Instead she had lunch in her classroom with her trusted friends.

But that aside, as to Ciel’s question... If it was military related Alus wouldn’t be able to say anything, but seeing her honest curiosity, he gave her a simple reply. “Well, something like that. Just so you know, I can’t tell you anything about what it is.”

As always, there was something about Ciel that made her hard to push away. Even her blunt attitude didn’t make one uncomfortable. As someone who was her opposite in virtues, Alus couldn’t help but feel she had a sweet character.

“How rude. I’m not impudent enough to ask for that much,” Ciel complained with a pout, as if she’d read his mind. Despite her meek appearance she could be surprisingly sharp.

That said, he didn’t want her digging any further. “Ciel, if you keep wasting your time talking, you’re not going to finish before lunchtime is over.”

“But my mouth is small, so I eat slowly.”

“Me too. Fia always rushes me.” Alice sympathized with Ciel.

Neither had a large amount of food on her plate. And their actual eating pace was slow as well. Alus felt like he could understand. As he looked over, he saw empty beef and bread plates stacked on top of each other, and Tesfia was gazing at the menu from a distance. “Looks like she’s still thinking of eating,” he noted.

“Uh, well, you know...I won’t be able to focus in the afternoon classes if I don’t fill my stomach now.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t.”

“Yes, please go ahead. I don’t think I could ever eat that much, though.” Loki, who’d finished her own meal, agreed with Alus.

“There’s practical lessons after this too, right?”

“You don’t have to make up excuses. Just eat if you want to,” Alus said in exasperation. Then he looked away from Tesfia and at the document in his hand. He wanted to be at least somewhat productive, although not wanting to waste time was also an excuse in some ways as he didn’t particularly mind it in this instance. If he really didn’t like it, he could just completely shut them out and not bother going to the cafeteria in the first place.

Suddenly Alus had the idea that maybe he only carried the documents with him to make it look like he was just going along with them. But even if that was the case, it would be a little embarrassing, so he would never admit to it.

That was when someone called out to him from behind. “What a wonderful-looking meal.”

That clear voice was beautiful and pleasant to the ear. As Alus imagined the owner of the voice, he could hear her walk up and laugh right behind him. When he glanced over, she just happened to be looking at him and gave him a slight bow, causing her blonde hair to sway. “Hello, Alus.”

“Yeah, what a coincidence,” he sarcastically replied.

“Ah ha ha, you can say that again... Sorry, but it is my mission,” Lilisha whispered the last part as she shrugged.

Apparently she was nearby so that she could keep watch on Alus as part of her mission. Nothing good would come if he kept worrying about it, so Alus let out a small sigh and accepted it with a light nod.

Lilisha next turned to Tesfia with a smile. “Oh, you still haven’t had your fill? Haven’t you really fattened up these past few days?” She spoke in the same casual tone she’d used in Alus’s room, but only after looking around to make sure nobody else was listening.

“Of course I haven’t!”

“Did you know there’s a useful tool for times like these? It’s called a scale, have you heard of it?”

“Of course I know about it!” Tesfia gave Lilisha an angry glare. They’d had an argument just a few days ago, but it seemed there were still plenty of sparks between them, ready to ignite the fire again.

Alice coughed, as the cafeteria threatened to turn into a battlefield, and Ciel rubbed her back.

“You promised to duel each other. Can’t you hold it in until then, Ms. Lilisha?” Loki said in an exasperated tone, but since their taunting was already in full swing, only Alus heard her.

The two really did have a terrible relationship. At this rate, nothing would change even after the duel. Either way, Alus didn’t want to get caught up in it.

The bickering between the two continued for several minutes. Finally, Tesfia’s face turned red and mana started to overflow from her body. She was fully ready to throw down. Meanwhile, Lilisha looked prepared to take her on if she did.

Alus wished he could calm down the two wild girls, even feeling like praying to a god he didn’t believe in. If a single spell was fired now, things would go from bad to worse.

The unnecessary use of magic in the Institute was one of the most serious policy violations. That was why it was common sense for any student to rely on duels dressed up as mock battles to resolve these kinds of disputes.

Alus checked how much time was left for lunch, gathered his tableware and stood up. It was about time to go to the next class. Following suit, Loki also stood up, as did Alice. Seeing that, Ciel pushed whatever food she had left into her mouth and also stood.

“If you’re going to fight, do it on your own,” Alus tossed out, determined not to get involved, and started walking away. If a magic battle broke out here, everyone could be forced to share responsibility.

That helped to cool Tesfia down a little, though she still looked upset. She stood up, ignoring Lilisha.

Lilisha still wore a fearless expression, but she dropped the provoking attitude, and lifted herself up from her chair.

The two girls started walking at the same time, refusing to look at each other, and using large strides.

Looking at them in dismay, Alus spoke up. “Did you change your character, Lilisha?”

“—?! What? You’re such a joker, Alus. I am somehow a noble after all.” Lilisha held her head high, walking calmly and elegantly, although it was questionable if she should have said “somehow.”

Among her friends she was seen as an elegant, if somewhat talkative, noble girl. And thinking back to her attitude and behavior when she’d relayed the principal’s message, she’d behaved like a model noble. Since she was slipping up against someone like Tesfia, though, she was going to have a hard time.

Near the exit was a long line of students waiting to return their trays. The group got in line, and after seeing Ciel off, whose line proceeded faster than the others, Alus and the rest made their way towards the exit to head to their next class.

There, however... Alus and the others got caught up in the crowd. Everyone was rushing through the exit so they were unable to move. Or so it seemed, but the truth was something different.

After some commotion, the crowd parted, revealing two figures, an adult man and woman. They were followed by one more... A boy. Based on his calm and composed demeanor, he was probably the child of a noble family and the two adults must be his attendants.

They were making their way in a straight line towards Alus. Since they were going against the crowd, they were the ones who had blocked the flow of traffic.

Talk about a selfish thing to do when it’s so crowded. Alus looked at them with a cold stare.

“Excuse us. Allow us to pass.” Even now, the two attendants were pushing their way through to make way for their lord. They moved briskly, bodyguards who were experienced veterans at it, which naturally attracted Alus’s gaze.

The male attendant, from what Alus could see, looked well-toned and fit. His slightly large tuxedo might be camouflaging a rugged body. He was clean and his outfit was put together well, with no slack. His neat dark gray hair and sharp eyes gave him the impression of someone who was willful and cold.

As for the female attendant, her clothing appeared more formal, looking almost like a tailcoat. She was tall and slim, and while her hairstyle was simple, its indigo blue color stood out. The way she bowed to the students with a clear-eyed gaze may have been her way of apologizing for their aggressive methods.

They were both young, still in their twenties, and their skills could be distinguished at a glance. From the way they carried themselves, it was clear they were professional bodyguards.

From behind the two adults, the light tapping sounds of the boy’s shoes could be heard approaching. At first, Alus thought he might be a student, but he wasn’t wearing a uniform. Instead he wore a well-tailored coat jacket with a white base color. It wasn’t flashy or extravagantly decorated, but it was no doubt a classy outfit considering the quality of the material and sense of design.

The boy had blond hair of average length. His bangs reached to his brows, which elegantly added to his expression. However...

There’s something fishy about this guy. That was Alus’s first impression. He was far from being a good judge of character, but having grown up in the military surrounded by adults, he’d gotten a feel for those kinds of things.

It was starting to become one of Alus’s mantras that he should distrust anyone who was a noble. Not to mention that Lilisha’s attitude seemed to prove his intuition was correct. Her previous noble demeanor and sociable attitude were gone, replaced with caution and a cold look of disgust as she gazed at the boy.

As for Tesfia...her eyes were wide open and she was frozen stiff. Perhaps he was an acquaintance of hers in noble society. In any event, the two noble girls’ reactions made it clear that Alus should be cautious.

The boy didn’t flinch at their reactions, maintaining a calm smile as he walked over. His every movement was so refined that, in fact, it almost felt wrong. In a sense, the very absence of anything being out of place felt out of place. Normally, a person’s way of walking would show their unique way of breathing and rhythm. That was only natural.

However, the boy didn’t have that. It was like he was perfectly imitating the concept of perfection. From that, Alus could see that everything about him was fake. It wasn’t that he had no openings. He had just completely removed any traces of his own personality or background. It was a creepy thing, like something else had taken on the form of a human.

Alus lightly narrowed his eyes and continued to observe him. Based not only on Tesfia and Lilisha but on everyone else making a buzz, it was clear that he was no simple noble boy. He heard the name Womruina flying around...so that was either his given name or family name.

But it wasn’t a familiar name to Alus. Although it appeared only he and Loki didn’t recognize it.

The boy stopped a few steps in front of Alus. His attendants likewise stopped behind him and bowed in unison, and he himself wore an impeccable smile. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Alus Reigin. I have heard all about your exploits.” The way he phrased it seemed to hint that he knew about Alus’s background and that he was the current ranked No. 1. In any case, he appeared to be an unpleasant guest.

“And who might you be?” Alus bluntly replied with an expressionless face. That should at least convey that he wasn’t feeling too welcoming.

In that moment a frightening amount of pressure was blasted down on Alus. It appeared the male attendant was releasing his mana.

Loki reacted immediately and countered by emitting her own mana. Tesfia was still frozen and Alice was looking on from afar. But at some point, Lilisha had disappeared. Her mission was observing Alus in the first place, so he figured she might have left so she wouldn’t get involved in unnecessary trouble, but it didn’t matter now.

For the time being, he casually brushed off the pressure from the man. “Sorry, but I have a class coming up,” he said, and started walking. If they tried to interfere he wouldn’t mind using force, but it was best to refrain from doing so in public. The clean-up was too much trouble.

Meanwhile, the other party stopped smiling and slightly raised his eyebrows in light surprise. It seemed that he finally realized that Alus really didn’t know him. “Oh dear, do pardon me. I am Aile von Womruina.”

“Never heard of you.”

The boy only smiled wryly at the unapproachable answer. “I suppose our Womruina family still has a long way to go. Or maybe it just doesn’t matter to you?” It didn’t look like he was upset with Alus. If anything, it appeared he was enjoying himself. He spoke politely with a bright smile.

“You could say that. I’d appreciate it if you could make way now.”

The students looking on quietly murmured in the background. Apparently, the Womruina family was far above them. Seeing Alus treat him not as an equal but as someone who was in the way filled the cafeteria with astonishment.

But Aile was strong in his own right. Even though he probably knew Alus was the ranked No. 1, he didn’t falter in the slightest. He boldly continued like he was meeting with something of a celebrity. “I was hoping that we would be able to meet at least once. But I never imagined that you would be here at the Institute. If that was the case, perhaps I should have attended class more seriously.”

“So, technically, you’re a student then.” Alus’s gaze unconsciously turned sharper.

Aile responded with a shrug. “I have my circumstances... Well, I am still registered. It’s not like it would particularly trouble me to leave, but I feel it would be best to get the necessary papers if I could. I wouldn’t want those who only judge people by their titles to think I am illiterate.”

“How are you going to graduate like that?”

“The Womruina family is contributing to the development of the Institute through substantial donations, you see,” he said brazenly. But Alus didn’t especially mind. It was rational even.

Even if Alus was special, those with talents could pick up enough knowledge by studying on their own, and in the end the qualities required of someone could change depending if they were going to the Outer World or not.

If anything, Alus just recognized this as a possible method, although there was no way Berwick would accept him buying his credits. If he did, Berwick would lose his ability to negotiate with Alus to get him to take on missions. Not to mention that bribes could easily be exposed. And in the worst case, his identity might be revealed. Finally, Sisty wouldn’t allow it. Aile had probably won over some more influential teachers.

“So, what business do you have with me?” Alus asked, making it clear that he didn’t have time to waste.

“Ah yes, well... Why don’t we talk somewhere less crowded? Cilcila.”

Her name having been called, the female attendant stepped forward and whispered in his ear. After a few words, she turned around to lead the way.

Alus resigned himself to follow them, when Aile suddenly spoke to someone other than him. “Hello, Tesfia. It’s been a long time. When was it we last met?” he called out to Tesfia with his impeccable smile.

That prompted a quiet sob to leak from Tesfia’s lips. She grabbed the edges of her skirt and cast her eyes down. Her face was pale and her shoulders shook like she was trying to catch her breath. Something abnormal was clearly happening to her.

“How have you been?” Aile continued.

When Tesfia finally managed to raise her head, she desperately squeezed out her words. “Wh-Why! Why are you here!”

“Now, that’s no way to greet someone. I am actually a student at this institute. Didn’t you know?” He didn’t appear upset, though. Instead, he soothed her like she was a child.

“What, you know each other?” Alus said.

“—! You don’t know? No, it’s better that you don’t...” Tesfia’s last words were terribly weak. She then grabbed Alus’s shoulder to whisper into his ear, “The Womruinas are one of the three great noble families.”

“It’s the first I’ve heard of them.” He knew that the Fable and Socalent families were two of them, but it was honestly his first time hearing of the last one. That was in part because Alus didn’t have much interest in nobility to begin with, but also because the definition was vague.

The three great noble families tended to change with the times. A family’s history had surprisingly little impact on the whole. Instead, it was their achievements that played a big part.

There were also cases of families that were self-proclaimed as great, or where a small faction took the liberty of promoting a family to the top of the list for their own interests, so it was rather complicated. In any case, in order to be recognized by everyone else, one needed both ability and influence.

In that sense, there was no question in anyone’s mind that the Fable family was first and foremost. The current head of the family, Frose, had the skills and achievements to back that up. Not only was she one of the former Three Pillars, she’d also served as an instructor and commander for a long period of time, training capable Magicmasters. Finally, she continued to hold a great deal of influence in noble society and politics.

In terms of achievements, the Socalent family was no different. Although he didn’t care much about the prestige, Vizaist’s extraordinary rise in a single generation was definitely worthy of his lordly title.

However, the circumstances were different with the Womruinas. The family were distant cousins of Cicelnia’s and traced back to royalty. Its founder abandoned the struggle for succession as the ruler and descended from royalty, having been granted a special title among nobles.

While things changed over time, the Womruinas had never once been left out of the three great noble families. They had a distinguished past, and economic and political power, but their biggest factor was their war potential. Even compared to the Fable family’s head who had served as a commander, and the Socalent family’s head who was an active officer, the Womruinas had considerable influence in the military. They had produced plenty of capable Magicmasters in their time, and many of the top brass had deep ties to them. They had a private army, and as could be gleaned from Aile’s followers, their pure military strength exceeded that of the other two families.

The present-day Womruina family had two sons. Aile was the second son, and hence second in line of succession.

Tesfia gave Alus this quick summary. “They’re special nobles, and not even our family can compare to them. The Womruinas are former royalty.”

“Hm, is that so.” Tesfia was white as a sheet, but Alus answered her indifferently. It wasn’t like his attitude was going to change after hearing that. In fact, he found nobles who could do nothing but brag to be unpleasant.

“That about sums it up. Now, are you done with your whispering? I’ll get jealous, Fia.” Even though Aile shouldn’t have been able to hear, he’d more or less guessed what Tesfia was talking about. He had waited for them to finish, and then slid over towards them.

“Excuse me, Alus Reigin,” he said, before casually reaching out...and grabbing Tesfia’s shoulder. His hand then moved down towards her waist and forcibly pulled her delicate body closer.

“Ah...!”

Tesfia’s body stiffened, and she finally looked up at the taller Aile. Her eyes seemed to show not only a loss of will, but of her vigor as well.

From under his bangs, he gazed into her eyes like a predator at his prey. He muttered, “Oh dear, it looks like my belonging has gotten dirty.” He gently placed his right hand on her chin. For a man his fingers were surprisingly slender.

Meanwhile, Tesfia was unable to oppose him, like she was petrified. Aile’s stare was pinning her down, preventing her from even looking away. And as his face drew closer...her frozen body was unable to stop him. His left hand that stroked her red hair seemed to have firmly seized her heart as well.

It was the pressure of the Womruina family name, and Aile looked terrifying to Tesfia. From the moment they were born as nobles, they belonged to a hierarchy that bound even the heart. It was a form of shared sense that had been ingrained in them. So even if she understood why she was freezing up, she couldn’t reject it. Her family itself was her chain.

Everything she’d been born and raised with now weighed her down, restraining her. Even if she tried to escape, an unexpected amount of force kept her jaw in place and no words were able to leave her lips. She couldn’t refuse what approached her.

“—!!” Aile unexpectedly reacted to something.

When Tesfia closed her eyes, she could hear the dry sound of the merciless hand holding her chin getting flicked away, and a more powerful hand pulling her from Aile.

“Can you not dirty my belonging?”

Tesfia hurriedly opened her eyes and saw Alus’s face, his lips twisted into a sarcastic smile. She thought he looked far more villainous than Aile...but more importantly, he’d just called her his belonging. “Wh-Whaaaat?! Who are you calling your belonging!!!” Tesfia loudly objected, her face as red as a beetroot. “Hey, let go!” She also lightly hit Alus’s hand holding her shoulder.

Next, she pushed herself away. Fortunately, Alice was there to catch her. Tesfia had snapped out of it, but her body was still trembling. Just thinking of what had happened made dread crawl up her spine. She pulled her arm close to her chest and clenched it so hard that it started to go pale.

Despite the unpleasant feelings she’d had, her body wouldn’t move in the slightest... She knew what was going to happen to her, but she’d been unable to reject the approaching lips. It was like she’d been paralyzed... Spineless. She was frustrated.

Before she knew what was happening, Tesfia felt something hot on her cheek. She rubbed her finger against it. “Huh...?” It was a large tear. Unsightly , she thought, and wiped it away.

But once the dam broke, her tears flowed without end. Almost having a kiss stolen was humiliating. However, the fear of having someone she didn’t trust forcibly approach her like that was even greater.

Suddenly, Alice embraced her. Her best friend who was just a little taller than her was intensely glaring at Aile in a way she’d never seen before. So was Loki. And while Ciel had left earlier, if she’d been here she probably would have done the same.

Meanwhile, Aile casually brushed their glares off, his artificial smile growing bigger, as he calmly addressed Tesfia. “That smarts. Our engagement might have been made while we were young, but did you really think it had been annulled?”

Tesfia trembled anew as old wounds were dug up. She froze again.

“After that, your mother wanted to one-sidedly revoke the engagement, but did you think that would put a stop to it? There’s no way that would be the case, no matter what the likes of the Fable family might say.”

“...”

Alus didn’t think much of what Aile had to say. He knew that was common among nobles. But when he saw Tesfia’s tears, he thought that simply writing it off as something that happened all the time would be harsh. In addition, he thought about what he’d just said and done. Well, I guess it’s not a mistake. I am meant to guide her after all. In short, by his “belonging” he meant his student, but he didn’t know why he’d put it like that.

Finally, he seemed to get fed up thinking too hard about it. “That doesn’t matter.” And so he spoke his conclusion in a truly Alus fashion. “You’ve got business with me, right? Why not give up on going somewhere else and just spell it out here? I’m not that free, you see.”

“Whatever. Like you said, my business is with you.”

“You’re already letting your refined mask slip.”

Aile maintained his smile at Alus’s blatant provocation. His smile was almost like an abyss, or maybe it was just void of human emotion. “However, let me begin with Fia’s situation. It is true that Ms. Frose’s letter of apology and request to annul the engagement reached us. But how stupid could she be? It was an official engagement, you see. She’d agreed to it initially, not to mention how much the Fable family stands to gain from it.”

With a knowing look, he continued, “Of course, I can understand your circumstances. If you were to wed into another family, the Fable family would end with Frose’s generation. That’s why I’m saying that I don’t mind marrying into your family. You could give birth to a new heir.”

Then Aile bent down and whispered to the trembling Tesfia, “Not even the Fable family would want to make an enemy of us, would they? I doubt it’s a choice you would want to make. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll make a fine wife. So why don’t you show me more of that pretty face of yours...”

As he approached her face, he whispered in an even quieter voice, “This brings me back. Just who did you make a promise to and what when you were little?” Aile reached out to Tesfia, who’d frozen up again. However, his hand stopped before it could reach her hair. “...”

He stared at the person who’d grabbed his hand. It wasn’t Alus, but Tesfia’s best friend. “And who are you?”

“I’m Alice. Alice Tilake!” Alice shouted in anger.

“I’ve never heard the name... Are you not even a noble? In that case, can you stay out of it? Someone of lowly birth like you shouldn’t even touch me. You would do well not to stick your nose into noble business.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That doesn’t matter!” Alice fumed.

But Aile only gave her a chilling smile. “Ms. Alice, you would do best not to think the Womruinas are the same kind of weak nobles you’re used to seeing. I’m warning you now. You still want to attend this institute, don’t you? If you get that, then stay out of it.”

“I said that doesn’t matter! No matter who you might be!”

“No, at the very least, that won’t work for Fia as long as she is a noble,” Aile said with a smile and a smug look as he continued to draw near to Tesfia. “You don’t have to waste your time studying magic anymore. You won’t go out into the Outer World either. You will only need to stay by my side.”

“—!” Tesfia’s eyes shot wide open, but it seemed she couldn’t immediately process what he’d said. Of course she couldn’t. If that happened, the meaning of her life would be torn away from her. After all of her hard labor, she’d challenged her mother to a bet and finally won her right to continue on at the Institute. If that was taken from her, she would lose her goals and just be a simple bird in a cage.

As she stared at the ice wall that was Aile’s smile, her trembling turned into resignation and acceptance, the light in her eyes disappearing.

Seeing that, Aile once again reached out to her. When Alice tried to step in again, she felt a burning pain in her throat. Before she knew it, Aile’s male attendant had gotten behind her and was touching her neck. But he was only touching it with four fingers. He wasn’t even squeezing...yet it was enough for Alice to cough and drop to one knee.

“I warned you. Know your place.” Aile coldly looked down at Alice. Then he said, “What is the meaning of this?”

Suddenly and soundlessly, there was a figure next to Aile, leaving his attendants no time to react. Alus held Aile’s wrist tightly. “If you’re going to stop others by force, you should be prepared for it to be done back to you. I am in charge of their training, so I can’t overlook any more of this.”

“To think I’d be getting a lecture. I’m actually a year older than you, I’ll have you know... Anyways, could you release me?”

As they spoke, Alus’s grip on Aile’s wrist tightened, the pressure going beyond the level that could be passed off as a joke.

Aile must have been feeling quite a bit of pain, yet he remained perfectly composed.

When he signaled his attendants with his eyes, Loki wordlessly moved into the path of the female attendant called Cilcila, holding her knife-shaped AWR in a reverse grip.

At the same time, the man touching Alice’s throat became unable to move his legs, like they were pinned down. The girl who’d disappeared at first, Lilisha, had returned, and now had a thin thread like piano wire wrapped around his neck.

The intricately undulating thread extending from Lilisha’s fingers gave off a sharp gleam. It would probably cut really well. If the man moved carelessly, he might lose his head. Even so, he didn’t remove his fingers from Alice’s neck.

“Oh dear. Fine then. Let’s call a truce,” Aile said. He looked at the male attendant, who obeyed his lord’s will and removed his fingers from Alice’s neck. The next moment, the thread around his own neck melted into the air and disappeared.

After confirming that, Alus signaled Loki with his eyes and had her stand down. At the same time he let go of Aile’s wrist. “Sorry...is what I’d like to say, but it seems we don’t have enough respect for you for that. I don’t care if you’re one of the three great nobles, or Womruina or whatever, but I won’t stand for any more of this,” Alus said, looking straight at Aile.

However, Aile himself was looking elsewhere. “Just what is Frusevan’s youngest daughter doing here? Who put you up to this?”

“You seem knowledgeable, as expected of someone from the Womruina family. Mr. Aile, was it? It’s a pleasure to meet you is what I’d like to say...but it’s not like I wanted to meet like this. That’s why I left at first. But then you had to go and cause such a commotion here.”

“To think you’d protect someone from the Fable family,” Aile said after a pause.

Lilisha said nothing and simply shrugged.

Then Aile finally turned to Alus. “That aside, Alus, teacher to Fia and that girl over there, I thank you for your lecture. Perhaps next time I will teach you how to treat the ladies.”

“No, thank you. It might be far removed from my area of expertise, but I think I’m doing better than you.”

“Oh, perhaps that was a lack of research on my side? Well, I didn’t come here today to anger you. I really do have something to tell you.” Aile rubbed his wrist that had been grabbed before, while looking down at a depressed Tesfia with an innocent smile.

“Then finish it up so you can leave.”

Aile let out a thinly veiled laugh, and replied to Alus in a low voice, “Ha ha, you can only talk to me like that because you have the highest rank in Alpha. I hope you understand that the second son of Womruina is going out of his way to give ground.”

“Like Sir Alus said, there won’t be a second time. Understand that any further rudeness will be the same as putting yourself in danger!” Loki sharply said.

Despite that, Aile laughed it off. “Rude, you say? You are a funny one. But I suppose I am the one asking, so excuse me, Alus. It has become a little too noisy for me to convey my business.”

“So what are you going to do? I wouldn’t mind if you just left.”

“Pardon me, but I believe it would be best if we spoke somewhere quiet. Cilcila.” Without waiting for Alus to answer, Aile urged the woman called Cilcila to lead the way.

Aile really was a selfish guy, but when the male attendant showed up by his side, Alus decided to follow. But he had something to do before that.

Seeing Alice holding her throat in pain, and Loki supporting Tesfia, he thought about it for a moment. Tesfia was a sensitive girl, and now her usual cheerfulness was gone as she seemed to be suffering from a mental breakdown.

He wondered what to say to her...but after spending a few seconds thinking, he realized he shouldn’t do something he was unfamiliar with. So he shook his head and only said one thing. “Well, just pretend a stray dog bit you and hold it in.”

“—!!!” Aile reacted to this.

Even Loki was exasperated at his insensitive words. He’d told Aile that he was better at treating women, but she couldn’t endure this.

“So, where are we going?” Alus asked.

But it wasn’t Aile who answered. “The parlor on the fourth floor,” Cilcila told him.

I believe that requires Sisty’s permission... Alus thought to himself, as he looked at Aile and his attendants. Speaking of that, had they even told Sisty they were visiting in the first place? If the Womruinas were as troublesome as they seemed, she probably had her hands full preparing for the storm of complaints that Aile attending the Institute for the first time in a while would bring her.

“All right. But I have to check up on the two victims, so go on ahead.”

“By all means...but this concerns Fia too, so are you sure you shouldn’t bring her as well?”

“You’re going to say that?”

“It was just a joke. I don’t mind. Feel free to have a long talk and calm down. It seems there’s some confusion going on all around. But try not to keep me waiting,” Aile finished, as he left with the female attendant. The male attendant who was waiting behind Alus lightly bowed and followed his master.

After watching them leave, Alus turned around. “Thanks, Lilisha.”

“It couldn’t be helped with the way things were going. Still...I never expected someone from the Womruina family to come to the Institute. Oh, and just so you know, I was hiding at the start to avoid any trouble. Aile von Womruina might have acted like he knows me, but I have no deep relationship with him!”

“Okay, I get it. But you really did help. Alice would have been in danger otherwise,” Alus said, as he examined the finger marks left on Alice’s neck. All four marks were bleeding internally. Alus didn’t know how he’d done it, but if it hadn’t been done right, her artery might have been cut. “They’re even more reckless than I imagined.”

“You don’t want to make an enemy out of the Womruinas,” Lilisha told him. “Even those two attendants shouldn’t be underestimated.” She then explained that the male attendant hadn’t reacted very much to getting a thread wrapped around his neck. Even with his life on the line, he probably wouldn’t have hesitated to kill Alice if his master had ordered it. His loyalty was abnormal.

“Either way, the worst outcome was avoided. Alice, you go to the infirmary. Leaving your neck untreated isn’t a good idea. I’ll bring Tesfia over later.”

“Y-Yeah. Thank you, and you too, Lilisha.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I wasn’t trying to save you or Ms. Tesfia. Terrible things would happen if Alus went on a rampage, so I had to step in.” But even as Lilisha spoke, her glance shifted sympathetically to Tesfia from time to time.

However, Alus objected. “Don’t talk like I’m some sort of hooligan.”

“Oh, was I mistaken?”

“If I was serious, it would’ve ended before anyone had time to go on a rampage.”

“So I made the right decision, then.”

“Maybe. But they’re not back to normal either.” Alus looked over at Tesfia. She was in a daze from mental shock. If anything, it was worse than before. She was unresponsive and her shaking wouldn’t stop.

Alus lowered his head to check on Tesfia, then groaned. Her pupils were dilated and her eyes were blank. She wasn’t even trying to hide her tear-swollen eyes. Her arms hung limply at her sides. These were the symptoms of someone in shock reliving a past trauma. She was like a living doll in a trance.

“Pathetic... I just let him do as he pleased,” Alus said in a bitter, self-ridiculing tone, his words disappearing into the air. It would’ve been easy if they’d used some flashy spells. He would have just sensed it and crushed them. That way, Tesfia and Alice might not have gotten hurt. When he confronted the facts, he couldn’t deny that he’d hesitated because he was at the Institute.

“Sorry, but Lilisha and Loki, can you help us out?” Alus asked the two girls, with his hand on Tesfia’s head.

Next, he slowly and gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. Her condition resembled the symptoms of someone with mental illness, but her empty eyes showed faint signs of mana influence. When speaking of spells that influenced the mind, the dark element was his first thought. However...

“This isn’t magic. It’s a form of hypnosis.” The mana was just the final trigger. It was the traumatic experience imprinted in the subconscious that was the primary cause of the psychological damage. He might know how to treat common injuries in the Outer World, but he didn’t really know how to handle psychological wounds like these.

And Tesfia’s mental trauma aside, Alus wondered if he should stick his head any further into this. Aile had mentioned an engagement to Tesfia, which meant that it was a problem between the Fable and Womruina families. A problem between nobles, meaning there was no room for him to interfere.

Even so, he couldn’t deny his feelings. He’d spent a lot of time guiding and instructing Tesfia, and he’d even gotten involved with her bet with Frose. And he wasn’t sure if he should brush off talks of Tesfia’s future as something unrelated to him.

That was when he remembered. “Can you not dirty my belonging?” Then he sighed. Even though Aile’s attitude had rubbed him the wrong way, he’d blown it, and really felt like clicking his tongue. His choice of words was one thing, but he’d gotten himself involved at that moment.

“Now what do I do...?” Alus blurted out to nobody in particular.

“You should do as you wish, Sir Alus. However, that man’s attitude was rude, and most of all...unpleasant. That’s enough to make you feel bad for anyone, even Ms. Tesfia.” As a fellow girl, there was a lot Loki could sympathize with.

While Alus wasn’t the most sensitive around girls, he had a few reservations about Aile and the Womruina family. “I agree. Accepting his invitation is annoying, but I should go and settle things. After doing something about Fia,” he concluded, scratching his head.