Chapter 29
“It’s not like that.”
“Then why can’t I call you by a friendly nickname? Oh—oh, wait, I get it now. You still haven’t forgiven me, right?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions, Readmore. We’re in the middle of the plaza. Please, just have some decency.”
“Right… How could someone like me dare to expect affection from you, huh? After committing such a grave sin against you. I’m sorry. I didn’t consider your feelings. You can go on without me if you want. I don’t deserve the honor of sitting next to you and sharing a meal.”
People passing by gave us strange looks.
“Stop spouting nonsense and move already! Right now!”
I tried to grab his arm and drag him, but he stood rooted to the ground like an unyielding tree.
“Damn it. Fine—Readim, please just move!”
“As you command.”
Only after I shouted did he finally break into a wide smile and start walking. He fanned his flushed face and grumbled.
“Where did the Prince of Desmier who cried and begged to be my friend go?”
“He’s right here! Can’t you see your proud friend standing beside you?”
I quickened my pace, ignoring him. There was no point responding. But he easily kept up and fell into step beside me.
Once the situation calmed down a bit, I recalled something from earlier that morning.
“By the way, Oakley and Sitz’s children approached me today. They asked if I’d eat with them.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. Do you know them?”
“Of course. Felicia of the Oakley Marquessate and Pogos of the Sitz County.”
Readmore readily acknowledged that he knew them.
“They’re a bit… eccentric. They don’t really care much about what others think.”
“Not as much as you, I bet.”
“To be honest, they’re obsessed with spirits. They’ve only managed to summon lower-level ones so far, but they’re incredibly passionate.”
We were nearly at the dining hall. Readmore shrugged.
“I haven’t seen them much, but they’re not bad people.”
As we opened the door and entered, Felicia and Pogos—already seated—waved enthusiastically.
“Over here, over here!”
It was an even warmer welcome than I’d expected. I slowly walked over and sat down in front of them. Pogos pushed a plate toward me.
“I grabbed your share of food in advance. Also—nice to see you, Readmore.”
He nodded to Readmore, who responded with a handshake. Felicia also reached out and greeted him.
“I heard you two have become inseparable lately. Seeing it in person, it’s more intense than I imagined. Are you really that close now?”
“Of course. We’re incredibly close. Right, Kalia?”
Readmore beamed at me proudly.
Felicia and Pogos looked at us with great interest.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat, trying to ignore their heated stares.
“K?”
Readmore nudged me with his elbow.
“Ri…dim and I are close friends.”
Readmore looked proud, puffing out his chest as if to say, See?
“Hehh.”
Pogos let out a strange sound, as if fascinated. I quickly drank from my cup—my throat had gone dry.
“You seem totally different from how you are in class.”
Felicia added.
“Speaking of, why did you suddenly call me over?”
I changed the subject quickly before the conversation went further off-track.
Readmore left to get his food. Felicia began cutting her grilled bird and answered.
“We were just curious. Rumor has it you never received proper spirit training, and yet you managed to summon an Undine in one go. How? What method did you use?”
“Then your question isn’t really sudden—it’s more like finally asking.”
It had already been a while since I summoned the spirit. If they were really obsessed with spirits like Readmore said and were so curious, why wait until now to approach me?
‘Helena’s friends.’
The ones who were in the same spirit class as her. Her name crossed my mind.
Could it be… that after what happened in front of the Valentina Forest, Helena was now trying to manipulate these two? Pretending to fall out with them, only to use them to approach me more naturally?
I lowered my gaze and pretended to focus on cutting my food, all while keeping my senses alert to how they reacted.
Pogos looked around, then leaned toward me and whispered.
“Honestly, we were curious from the beginning… but fear held us back. It’s not like we weren’t afraid of you. I’m a devout follower, after all. They say you’re the devil’s daughter and tell all sorts of wicked stories. What if you hurt us with that power?”
Felicia chimed in.
“Then the Prince of Desmier started hanging out with you openly, so we figured you must be safe.”
“What are you talking about?”
Readmore returned with his plate and sat down, naturally joining the conversation.
I stared at them in disbelief as they continued to eat like nothing had happened.
They admitted to fearing me, to avoiding me—and yet behaved so confidently.
Were they friends or foes?
“We were just talking about your relationship with Miss Kalia.”
“Still?”
“How do you all know each other?”
I’d thought earlier that they seemed unusually close.
They exchanged glances. Then Felicia shrugged.
“Our parents knew each other, and we happened to meet a few times since we were young. Boring parties or hunting gatherings, you know. The adults left the kids to play, so we naturally got to know each other.”
“Ah.”
It made sense. Noble children often form friendships through such meetings from a young age.
If I had grown up as a proper count’s daughter, I probably would’ve experienced the same. But since I didn’t, I hadn’t realized right away.
“I understand what you’re trying to say. It makes sense now why you suddenly approached me. But… are you sure you’re okay getting this close to me?”
Felicia straightened up with a huge smile.
“Let Oakley come at us. Who else is going to defend the eastern border if not us?”
She sounded supremely confident. The Oakley family also held the position of border marquis, responsible for the eastern frontier.
Pogos added:
“Felicia and I aren’t based in the capital anyway. Once we graduate from the academy, we’ll return to our territories and live out our lives there. Aside from the occasional visit, we won’t be around much. So it doesn’t really matter.”
“I see…”
I nodded.
Maybe connecting them to Helena was being too paranoid.
I classified them in my mind as acquaintances, neither friends nor enemies. That made everything feel a bit easier.
After that, we chatted idly while eating.
“So what you’re saying is: if I go alone to the First Library at midnight, I’ll find magic books that aren’t visible during the day? And a ghost shows up to guide me there?”
I summarized the overly enthusiastic story Felicia and Pogos had been pouring out.
“Not just any ghost—it’s the spirit of the first Tower Master, one of the academy’s founders. Completely different from some random spook.”
“Sounds ridiculous.”
Readmore scoffed.
“I’m telling you, it’s real!”
Pogos pounded the table in excitement. Readmore snorted again.
“Has anyone actually seen this ghost?”
“Hey, Valentina is built in a magical forest. It’s not a normal place. This is a well-known legend!”
“So have you seen it?”
“We’ve tried a few times, but no luck. Honestly, just sneaking in at night is hard enough. After curfew, dorm access is restricted and all academic buildings are locked.”
Felicia pouted, but Pogos remained passionate.
“Simply being there at that hour isn’t enough. According to legend, the ghost only appears under certain conditions to someone special.”
“And what happens if you’re that special chosen one? You get to read some secret spellbook—so what?”
“Kalia, are you serious? You know it’s nonsense too. It’s just a rumor that goes around among freshmen every year.”
Readmore tried to dissuade me.
“It’s my first time hearing it.”
I muttered quietly. Readmore turned pale.
Felicia clicked her tongue and gave him a pitying look.
Though I figured it was just a silly rumor, their enthusiasm made me curious.
“Supposedly, the person chosen by the spirit receives an incredible boost to their abilities—whether it’s magic, swordsmanship, or spirit summoning! You get a huge epiphany and your skills skyrocket. Isn’t that amazing?”
“…Well, it’s probably nonsense anyway, so don’t worry about it, K. The academy has plenty of other legends and phenomena that are actually useful. I’ll tell you everything. Just trust me!”
He sounded like he was trying to act like the older, responsible one.
Pogos teased him.
“Ugh, I’ve got nothing more to say to someone who doesn’t understand the mysterious, Readmore.”
“Don’t teach her weird stuff, you idiot.”
Felicia, Pogos, and Readmore bickered lightheartedly. I sat quietly, not getting involved.
Only one sentence echoed in my head:
A dramatic leap in power.
