Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga – Chapter 73

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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However, Eldmia was always the man who found answers.

It wasn’t until after the second lunch break at the academy that I was able to find the freedom I so desperately wanted.

All the female students who were actively courting me in just one day were dealt with by the fairy tale knight Eldmia, so I could rest easy!

“You… didn’t just get dragged around in high society while you were with the Ogatorf family, did you?”

“Why would I go to such places? My life is already tight enough as it is.”

My fantastic eloquence and subtle sweet-talking were so perfect that even Lagnis, who was watching from the side, couldn’t hold back his admiration, applause, and smile.

Of course, I knew this was just the first line of defense, but my iron fortress-like attitude would have driven away all the mediocre students, so it wouldn’t be as bad as today in the future.

However, as soon as Lagnis left her seat for a while, saying she had business to attend to as a Margrave, completely different beings began to torment me.

“Lord Eldmia. I would very much like to have a match with you.”

It was the zealous swordsmen who were even more enthusiastic about the Fairy tale knight.

At first, I wondered why these people, who couldn’t even beat the hero and were grinding their teeth behind his back, were so desperately clinging to me.

Surprisingly, it was Siegfried, who was eating his meal right in front of me, who gave me something close to an answer to that question.

“Those guys believe they can only get a sense of inferiority if they fight me, but they think they can gain skills if they fight you.”

“Skills?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Unless there are two heroes on the continent, you’re just one of the many people who aren’t a hero. So it’s a common sentiment to think that they can learn something from you.”

In reality, it’s just mana, though.

My skills were limited to the elven swordsmanship I learned briefly from Asirye and the Ogatorf swordsmanship I learned in less than two years.

Although I might have learned more than others who spent the same amount of time due to my quick learning, I couldn’t give them the new insights they were hoping for since I hadn’t learned any secret techniques.

However, since I couldn’t go around advertising that I used mana, it seemed this struggle would continue until the day I returned to the kingdom.

Lately, I felt like exhausting events were just piling up one after another.

“That’s why I’m making such a great contribution in clearing away the flies around you. You had it all planned out, didn’t you?”

Despite being completely drunk, Siegfried’s words were as clear as if he had no hangover, and they were both annoying and not entirely wrong.

The extreme sparring maniacs, who were mostly in no condition to be reasoned with, gave up approaching as soon as Siegfried appeared, as if by magic.

Right in the corner of the cafeteria, a whole table was filled with guys who were ready to approach as soon as Siegfried disappeared, their eyes burning with determination.

The hero’s abilities were certainly effective.

“Just how ruthlessly did you have to act to be this effective at repelling bugs?”

“Hey, you punk, don’t call me a bug repellent.”

Despite his words, Siegfried was in high spirits.

“I came here to give you a heads up and some information to help you out, thinking you might be in a tough spot. Don’t get involved in any weird places. If you act like that, you’ll miss out on good information.”

“Aren’t you overlooking the fact that I’m just an attendant of a noblewoman who’s returning to her kingdom in six days?”

What did information matter when I wasn’t even going to live here?

However, despite my lukewarm response, Siegfried smiled leisurely.

“The important thing is that no one is overlooking that. You and the Margrave were called here because of me, right? But do you think the Empire summoned you anticipating my defeat?”

“That… wouldn’t be the case, right?”

If they had anticipated that, it wouldn’t be a matter of knowing me or not, but rather a level of predicting the future. Even I didn’t know I would be able to beat the hero intact, so how could they have expected such a thing?

“Of course not. The Empire has been… um, planning this for quite a long time, under the pretext of education – ever since they brought me here. It’s a plan not only to show me off and reaffirm the Empire’s position but also to gain new interests for defeating the Demon King.”

“This smells like a very long introduction, but is this story really related to the information you said you were going to give me? It doesn’t seem like it.”

“That’s because I’ve been working hard all this time. Just listen for now.”

Nibbling on his meal, Siegfried continued speaking, lightly ignoring my sarcasm.

“The first step of that plan got screwed up because I didn’t do what the Empire wanted, but do you think something like the Empire would give up with just that? As a backup plan, they aimed to put shackles on me using diplomatic issues as an excuse this time.”

“You knew that and still charged at me?”

“Of course, you punk. I was confident I could end it with moderation. I was also confident I wouldn’t go as far as the diplomatic issues they wanted.”

Although his appearance was that of an 18-year-old young man, Siegfried was also a reincarnator.

It was natural, if natural at all, that he wouldn’t be easily swayed by plans made assuming he was a thoughtless kid.

“But unintentionally, by losing to you, I was able to mess up the Empire’s backup plan as well. But this is a situation on a different level from simply not taking the bait they threw.”

The hero’s fork pointed at me nonchalantly.

I didn’t believe that beating the hero destined to save the world in a match would bring no changes to my life, but hearing it from someone else’s mouth gave me a unique feeling.

“A day is a fucking long time for nobles, Eldmia. A really fucking long time. They’re already aiming for you too.”

“…Aren’t they being too zealous just because I won once in a match against a hero who’s still growing?”

“Are you severely underestimating both my skills and yours?”

Muttering about where such a guy came from, Siegfried grinned, showing his teeth.

“What’s the point of saying it? Just accept it. With that one match, you instantly skyrocketed your… shit. You raised your value.”

It meant that something very troublesome that I needed to be careful about had increased.

There seemed to be even a subtle sympathy in Siegfried’s face as he muttered softly.

“But is that something to be so wary of?”

“What?”

To be honest, I thought any country would act similarly if they could hold the joker card of a hero, but Siegfried seemed to have a strange hostility towards the Empire.

They didn’t seem to be mistreating him or forcibly restricting his actions, so why was that?

Having lived in the kingdom for 15 years, I could confidently say this.

The Empire was an Empire.

It was a country that had developed to the point of easily surpassing other countries in all aspects.

The Academy mentioned equality and focused on recruiting talent, and even mobilized tremendous technology.

If the treatment was similar everywhere, the difference was clear enough that there was no reason to deliberately kick away the Empire.

To exaggerate a bit, if other places were medieval, at least the capital here was close to modern levels.

From an ordinary perspective, if such an Empire wanted to employ me, it would be more than welcome to do so.

“Honestly, I don’t know about other countries, but compared to the kingdom, the Empire’s culture and technology are unbelievably advanced. Wouldn’t most people accept if the Empire offered a position?”

“Well… this is a bit tricky to talk about, so I can’t tell you yet. But for now, don’t think that just because it looks good, the process is good too. There’s a reason why I think this place is shitty too.”

I think people’s lives are the same everywhere.

It seems I need to work more on my favor to uncover Siegfried’s secrets.

“From the way you say ‘yet’, it seems you think there will be a chance to tell me someday?”

“I guess so? I’m usually right about these hunches. You look like someone I’ll be seeing for a long time.”

“What kind of creepy thing are you saying…”

“I’m telling you it’s true. Even if you go back in 6 days, you’ll see a lot of me. I have a feeling.”

As a fellow reincarnator, it wouldn’t be bad to see someone from the same place often after 15 years, but how can he be so confident when he doesn’t even know that?

…Is his hunch really that good?

“Is that why you’re telling me all this, because you have a hunch?”

“Yeah. Do you think it’s common for me to move separately from my women and meet a guy? It’s all because I’m looking out for my little brother.”

Now he’s treating me like a sworn brother.

Even while talking the most enthusiastically, Siegfried had already finished his meal. No, I’ve only eaten half of mine while listening?

“When did you finish your meal?”

“I’m naturally fast at eating. Due to some shitty experiences.”

This guy.

Was he a veteran?

Even in my past life, I couldn’t break the habit of eating quickly.

Standing up and lightly stretching his neck as if he had said everything he wanted to say, Siegfried wrapped up the conversation.

“Anyway, that was the most important part of what I wanted to say. The rest is… starting from today, there will be tourists coming to see me from other countries, just like you guys, so things might get a bit complicated.”

“Actually, I’m more curious about those stories you just told me? Weren’t we the only ones coming?”

“I told you, didn’t I? My losing to you wasn’t part of the plan. They wanted to show me off to more countries and create more opportunities for me to make mistakes. You guys are just receiving special treatment among them. Well, I’m not sure what they’re aiming for with that special treatment.”

As if talking about something unrelated to himself, Siegfried finished speaking with an interested smile.

“At least one thing is certain now: not only the Margrave, but also you are included in their scheme. The envoys from other countries will probably know this when they come too.”

Fuck.

If that guy had been just a little less of a jerk, I could have just lost casually and been done with it.

[T/N: Sorry for the late upload, been busy today. Anyways, I can’t wait for all of this setup to pay off eventually lmao]

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