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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Rain rarely lied.
The reason I say “rarely” is simple: Rain was human, and like any human, she had told white lies before.
But I could confidently say that I’d never seen her fabricate the truth for personal gain or deceive others with malicious intent.
The Principles of Heroism, a subject she herself had championed and was now a mandatory course at the academy, emphasized qualities like honesty, trust, and integrity—words that made my skin crawl just hearing them.
And the most important of these was “honesty.”
Unlike me, who had learned the demon language and lied through my teeth even in the Demon Realm to gather information, Rain truly lived by that word.
My mind was racing.
It was one thing for her to lecture about honesty, but to then slap a shackle on me with that same unwavering conviction and undisturbed mana…
Even for someone as brazen as me, this was an uncomfortable situation.
“A shackle?”
“Yes, a shackle… Well, it’s not that dramatic.”
Rain said, fiddling with the thing attached to the back of my hand.
I wished she’d just tell me what it was already.
“Ron, you know how much I care about my comrades, right?”
“It would be strange if I didn’t.”
“And yet, a comrade I haven’t heard from in a long time suddenly reappears, only to disappear again after two days, fourteen hours, and fifty-two minutes. Probably outside the border. I must have been worried, right?”
I wanted to ask why she remembered the time so precisely, but I knew better than to question her right now.
I simply nodded.
“Yes, that was my bad. I’m sorry.”
“Ron.”
My breath hitched at the sound of my name.
It felt like her hand, gently stroking mine, was suddenly wrapped around my throat.
“Actions speak louder than words, especially considering your track record.”
“Haha… It won’t happen again…”
“Ron.”
She said my name again, the pressure increasing.
“It’s partly my fault, too. If you had just said, ‘I’ll be back,’ I wouldn’t have worried so much.”
“Ah, right. I’m so—”
“So I’ve decided it’s best if I keep an eye on you. You’re like a cat… always disappearing without a trace.”
Her mana remained as calm as a still pond, despite the chilling implication of her words.
It was as if she were stating a simple fact.
“…Keep an eye on me?”
“Yes. This little device will transmit your location directly to me. I’ve always been reluctant to use these, but knowing where you are is more important than my principles, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t. You wouldn’t do this. This isn’t the Rain Garden I know.”
“People change, Ron. The world has changed. Don’t you think it’s natural for people to change as well?”
“Rain, you seem a bit… unstable. Take a deep breath. In and out…”
“Don’t worry, Ron. I’m perfectly calm.”
Rain let go of my hand and stared at me, her blue eyes piercing through me.
I could practically feel them burning into my skull.
I instinctively raised my hand to my face, but she caught it before I could even touch my bandages.
“I’m just worried, that’s all. What you do is none of my business. You’re a free spirit, and I wouldn’t dream of restricting you. I just want to know where you are. That’s all I ask.”
The pressure was suffocating.
I could barely breathe, let alone speak.
I nodded weakly, desperate for her to let me go.
“…So promise me you won’t take it off.”
Her voice was almost a command.
I nodded again, and finally, she released me.
I had to get out of there.
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“…Would you like to have lunch together?”
I had been lost in thought, replaying my encounter with Rain, and had completely zoned out during class.
I hadn’t even told Rain what I wanted to discuss.
It would have been better to do it when I had the chance.
I sighed, realizing the missed opportunity.
Seeing her again after that day, it had been… awkward.
I could feel my hands twitching with the urge to scratch at my face whenever she was near.
It would be best to avoid her for now.
“…Lunch… together?”
Maybe I could talk to Sola first.
She had a lot of influence, being a professor and all.
And then it hit me.
I had forgotten something important.
Something about mana stones… What was it again?
“The reason I wanted to talk to you… is because you were my comrade.”
“Prieresil really is kind… Top of her class and a good person… See you later!”
…Wait, was she ignoring me?
And why was she talking about Prieresil like we were best friends?
Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Odrox in a while either.
Or Lian.
It would be nice to catch up.
“Hey!”
“…Huh? What? Why are you next to me?”
“I’ve been here the whole time.”
“Oh… Sorry, you can have my seat.”
I gestured for Prieresil to take my seat, but she shook her head, her cheeks flushed.
“No… no! It’s not that! I just… wanted to talk to you… Maybe we could have lunch together…?”
She was practically whispering, fidgeting with her fingers.
Was this the same girl who had threatened to pulverize me?
She seemed so different now.
“Sure, why not?”
“Really? Where do you want to eat?”
“How about the cafeteria…?”
“The cafeteria…?”
“Is there a problem…?”
“N-no! If you don’t want to…”
Why was she so nervous?
Didn’t she yell at Prion for talking to me?
I was pretty sure she hated my guts.
“The academy has a cafeteria?”
“You’ve never been?”
“I just remembered it existed.”
Prieresil looked at me, speechless for a moment.
“Anyway, we’re allowed to leave the academy grounds, right? With Professor Rain as the headmaster, I doubt there are any strict rules against it.”
She was right.
We had a lot of freedom here.
It wasn’t like the academy could keep track of every student, especially with Rain in charge.
I had a sudden urge to see what kind of horrors the cafeteria held.
I had heard rumors, but I had always opted for the familiar blandness of dorm food.
“Let’s go. I’m curious.”
“Really? But…”
“We can always eat somewhere else.”
“No, it’s not that! Let’s go!”
Her sudden enthusiasm was jarring.
My reputation among the cadets was abysmal, so her eagerness to be seen with me was strange, to say the least.
Maybe she was planning something…
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We arrived at the cafeteria, guided by Prieresil’s excited chatter.
She seemed to be putting in a lot of effort into making me feel comfortable, constantly apologizing for my lack of response.
It was a strange experience.
“So, is the food here edible?”
I asked, picturing the bland, mushy meals served at the dorms.
“…Um… It’s… an experience…!”
“An experience? What kind of experience?”
“Well… the food here is cheap and uses good ingredients, but…”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It’s kind of like… eating rations in a Labyrinth…”
Ah, I see.
So it was inedible.
Well, that explained the lack of students in here.
“I’m so sorry… We can go somewhere else if you want…”
“Why would we do that?”
“Huh? But…”
“There’s no point in wasting food.”
“Right… Of course…”
Prieresill seemed deflated.
I wasn’t sure what she expected.
We got our food—a strange, gray concoction that resembled nothing I had ever seen before—and found an empty table.
Prieresil immediately dug in, shoveling the food into her mouth with gusto.
This girl was a true adventurer.
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Silence.
Seriously, why did she invite me if she wasn’t going to talk?
I was starting to regret coming here.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Cough… Cough… Cough…”
“Here, have some water.”
I offered her my glass, but before she could take it, a familiar voice interrupted us.
“You’re eating here?”
“Professor Sola!”
It was Sola.
She looked genuinely surprised to see me.
“Perfect timing. Mind if I join you?”
She didn’t wait for an answer, plopping down next to me and grabbing a spoonful of my… whatever it was.
“…Professor, you eat this…?”
“What, you think I only eat steak and caviar? I was an adventurer too, you know.”
She ruffled my hair, her laughter echoing through the mostly empty cafeteria.
I decided not to point out how childish she was being.
Some things were best left unsaid.
“Cough… Cough… Professor… Cough…”
Prieresil was choking, her face turning red.
“Here, have some water.”
I offered her my glass again, but Sola beat me to it.
“…Give me that.”
“Huh?”
“The water. I’ll get it.”
…Why? I was already holding it.
“
”
She summoned a glass with a flick of her wrist and filled it with clear, sparkling water.
Prieresil accepted the glass with a grateful nod and chugged it down.
Sola, you really have matured.
I smiled, watching them interact.
It was nice to see Sola acting like a proper professor.
I was about to hand Prieresil my glass, now that she had finished Sola’s, when Sola held out her hand.
“Water.”
She demanded.
…Seriously?
Why mine?
Hers was clearly better.
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[I feel like Rain shoul be put into Arkham Asylum for the mentally deranged, she’s a menace]
