Proofreader: Me! (I uhh... kinda neglected to upload since last Thursday even though I said I would release. Sorry for the wait, I'll try to make up for it.)

Krulia’s POV

After bidding farewell to our juniors, we headed towards a certain meeting spot. To the side of this building, was a small ‘study’ room. Inside, a prince crossed his legs with a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Take this first.” He politely handed us a drink.

I took a sip of what tasted like a sweet apple, quite a cute taste for a prince.

Seeing our receptiveness, he asked, “How was it?”

“Not too bad honestly, although I didn’t expect a demon to be there,” Ark responded.

“You didn’t believe a prince’s words?”

“Well, can you blame me?” Ark yawned.

“Of course not,” The prince agreed, sipping his cup. “Anyways, Ark, what do you think of the relationship between Luke and the Princess?”

“Based on what I’ve seen, completely murky,” He shrugged, “The moment she showed up, the face he made almost made me burst out laughing.”

“It seems she feels the same way. Those two have been at odds since our generation entered the Golden Nest. Though, it’s particularly one-sided,” The prince leaned into his chair with a slight frown, “Not much that can be done, is there?”

Ark nodded, “That’s true.”

Charles sighed, “How regrettable. They could make a very good pair with his unique abilities.”

I stared at him, unable to make out the underlying message in his words.

“May I interrupt?” I asked.

The prince turned to me, “What is it?”

I breathed in a huff of air. I knew that while they were chatting, I was not receiving answers to my questions.

“Why did you ask us to undertake that quest despite it being the Alexander kingdom? How did you find this information? And why interfere with them, to begin with?”

“Haha, that’s quite a lot.” He smiled softly, “All warranted, but I’m afraid I can only answer the first one.”

I clicked my tongue, but we were already promised a large reward.

“Not only is the future saintess important, but I can’t stand pests trying to enter my territory.”

“I’m guessing you mean the academy?” I pointed out.

“That’s up to your interpretation, but yes, filthy cultists and inhuman races have come close to these borders.”

My mind thought of the religious faction within my tribe, and the extreme lengths they’ve already gone to. I prayed to Eien, to be wrong with the assumption they are already involved.

“Hence, I took it upon myself to ask you two to attack one of their bases.”

Ark shrugged, “Why not anyone else? There are those more willing, and stronger than us.”

“For no particular reason.” Rather than directly answering, he glanced at me. “Sorry, you two, I’ve run out of time. Have a good night.”

I could tell, he knew that my kind was related to this somehow. Something I hadn’t contemplated at all.

His followers shoved us out of the room, leaving us still in contemplation.

“Krulia, we’re gonna be busy soon aren’t we?” He sighed.

I could only solemnly nod.

-x-

Luke’s POV

I sluggishly rose from my bed, seeing Fen gone already.

‘First thing’s first – this.’

With sloppy movements, I brought out the fact handbook. I opened it with interest, knowing some useful information could sometimes come out.

‘Did you know, that the Alexander Kingdom and the Empire are allied?’

The same text from the first day appeared.

“Stupid, this idiotic Gacha book!”

I threw it outside the dorm window, only to reappear beside me. Today, I promised to meet with Serina before meeting the other two. I never specified, so probably at the cafeteria…

“Wow.”

And, would you look at that? When I exited my room, a girl as graceful as the flower she was based on, stood before me. Her scary appearance from last night flashed in my mind, but I ignored it.

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“Isn’t this stalking?” I jokingly poked fun at her.

“No.”

Unfortunately, there was no kind of reciprocal retort. It made me miss Erin, who was the only one who could banter with me on an equal level.

“Why don’t we talk at the cafeteria?” I offered.

“Okay,” Serina paused, grabbing my hand. “Don’t let go.”

My stomach heaved, as my surroundings quickly meshed into what would be my favourite dining area.

‘So that’s how instant teleportation feels like.’

“Serina, what do you want to eat?” I asked, standing behind her in an empty line.

She remained still before me, and then she met my gaze. The creepy feeling from last night emerged once again.

Serina gazed deeply into me as if looking at my soul. “You.”

“Me?” I pointed at myself.

Serina let out a coy smile.

“Hoh,” The lady made an impressed sound.

“...”

Time passed as all of us stood still.

‘What the fuck!’ I’m supposed to be ruining the romance, but she’s trying to cultivate it? I was panicking on an entirely new level.

“I was joking,” Serina’s coyness faded, and she returned to her default demeanour.

“Erm,” I stepped backwards, afraid.

The gratitude she expressed after the Philos Forest incident, and now this creepy love she has for me… these faces of her, I’ve never seen them before, even in the game. In a sense it’s refreshing, but I’m also unsure of how to handle her.

“Yo- you! Commoner! What are you doing to her?” From behind I was detached from the slobbering mess.

“Julia?” I called out.

“Uhm, will any of you order?” Escaping the corniness of my reply a few seconds ago, the lady reminded us of the place we were currently in. Luckily it was early morning, so no one was there.

“We’ll have, a rice and chicken with miso soup, barbecue steak with mashed potatoes, and…” I looked at Serina, wondering if her tastes had changed. “Maybe, yaki-udon.”

In the game, she loved food from the East, particularly soba noodles. Thus, I chose this, not knowing if my tastebuds remained the same.

“Alright, that’ll be easy.”

Julia panicked just by watching Julia, I could tell by her facial expressions. When I thought about it, I wasn’t sure about the relationship between the two. For some reason, there’s been a weird tension whenever they were within close perimeters. I’d dig into it myself, but I’m probably not near enough to either of them to ask yet.

“Here you go, don’t spill it, ‘kay?” She made an okay sign with her fingers.

“Yup,” I balanced three trays of food on my arms. “Can either of you help me out?”

“Ye- yes!” Julia escaped the voices in her head. “Oh- how did you know what I liked?”

“We’ve been eating together for about a week, it’s not too hard to guess after watching for that long.”

“I, uhmm… thank you?” She played with her fingers after placing down the tray. “Not that I- uhm… li- lik-”

Ignoring Julia’s stuttering, I grabbed the future archmage by her shoulders.

“Serina, wake up, we’re about to eat.”

“Yes,” Hearing my words, her eyes regained focus.

Finally, everyone sat down with spoons in their food. There may have been a few mishaps, but I’ll forget it happily. As I dug into the nostalgic Japanese dish, such a thought emanated in my head.

“Yo, Serina. About my request, I was hoping to ask if you could retrieve an Incu-Necklace.”

She looked up from her plate, with food plastered across her lips. “Ei wut?”

“Wait,” I grabbed a napkin from the table and wiped it. “There, you can speak.”

“A what?” She repeated herself.

“Whaaaaaaa…” A broken recorder with pigtails looked on from the sidelines.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked, putting the napkin in my pocket.

“That! Touching another maiden’s lips, especially as a commoner!” Julia brought her hand to her mouth, “It’s blasphemy!”

“Anyways, the quest should be”

“DON’T IGNORE ME!”

Serina continued, “Gathering resources for the Muwai village in the Northern Republic.”

“STOP IGNORING ME!”

Again, she reminded me of her astounding knowledge. “That’s exactly it, you know your stuff.”

She put a spoon in her mouth with a sense of satisfaction. Maybe it was my praise?

“Muuuuu…” Gas steamed from my side, but I gleefully ignored it.

“Luke.” Serina called, “Why are you gathering these things?”

A reply that I found amusing came to mind. “Secret!”

“I see.” Instead of reacting, she simply nodded as if understanding my intentions.

I looked down at the almost finished food below me, and then at the steam engine on my side. “Alright, I’m sorry.”

“Hmph,” She looked away. “Huh, what are you- you doing?”

Her eyes trembled as my hand rubbed her head. It was a reflexive action that I’ve probably been holding in for a while.

‘Yumiko, I wonder how you’re doing now.’

Julia stammered softly, “Can, can you…”

“Can I do what?” The teasing I used to have with my sister replayed in my mind.

“No- nothing…” Her face turned a bright red.

Yet, after such words, I took it off without hesitation.

“Why did you?”

I didn’t reply, keeping a straight face. The two conversations I had yesterday replayed once again, and I had to have a conversation with her, too.

“...”

Eyes from across the table lingered the entire time. Their violet hair floated up with a strange energy.

“Can- can I help you?” My lips trembled.

In Serina’s hands, a spoon with no food remained still. A deadly aura emanated from her, causing rising panic within me.

“Alright!” I stood up, “I’ll meet you two later or tomorrow, I have to go now!”

That’s right, I chose to run away. My food and two crest-fallen girls may have been left behind, but my courage remained steadfast.

Henceforth, I made my way to the quest reception.

I don’t care if I am considered a coward, or a loser. Serina is scarier than any monster, and It may not excuse my fear, but, I could think about it later.

“Hah, I’ll have to apologise and talk at a different time, won’t I?”