I Don’t Want To Be The Protagonist of a Romance Novel – Chapter 30

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The atmosphere was precarious and unstable, like walking on thin ice.

It was a sin, if one could call it that, for Sylphia to treat Rudrick as if he wasn’t there and genuinely bicker with Lassiel in front of him, but the atmosphere was somewhat murderous compared to the nature of the offense.

“……”

“……”

As if they had agreed upon it, no one opened their mouth. Sylphia glanced sideways while pretending to do meaningless research, gauging Rudrick’s reaction, while Rudrick was absorbed in reading a book related to recovery magic with a sullen expression.

The stifling atmosphere continued for a long time.

After the rare spectacle of a naval admiral of a nation and a dragon pretending to be human engaging in a verbal spat had passed, Lorenzo, who had belatedly returned, opened his mouth.

“My, my, the atmosphere is quite chilly.”

Even though Lorenzo was the first to speak, no one responded.

Glance.

Rudrick’s gaze, which had been fixed on the book’s pages, and Sylphia’s gaze, which had been watching Rudrick’s reaction, merely shifted towards Lorenzo.

Lorenzo, having succeeded in drawing their attention, rolled his shoulders.

“No matter how much mages are known for shutting themselves in their rooms and only focusing on research, this gloomy atmosphere is too much.”

“That’s because you keep wandering around instead of doing the research you’re supposed to do, mentor,” Rudrick retorted.

Lorenzo, who was hit where it hurt by Rudrick’s blunt remark, let out a fake cough.

It was an undeniable fact that during the day when others were researching, he would go out for a stroll using the excuse of getting some fresh air, and instead, he would focus intensely during the time when others were sleeping.

“Rudrick, why don’t you go out with Sylphia and get some fresh air?”

“You mean take a break and come back?”

“Well, to put it bluntly, yes. Sylphia, you don’t mind, do you?”

“I don’t particularly mind,” Sylphia replied.

Lorenzo smiled with satisfaction at Sylphia’s answer.

“See, occasionally taking a break like this helps with learning magic better. I believe young people these days call it ‘refresh’?”

“…Well, they do call it that.”

“Rudrick, you haven’t even walked the streets of the capital yet, right? The Imperial Palace is vast, of course, but the streets of the capital are much wider. Go eat something delicious and do some people-watching.”

Lorenzo, who had gotten up from his seat, practically pushed Rudrick out of the research lab. Before he knew it, Rudrick found himself outside the research lab with a dumbfounded expression.

Somehow, Rudrick’s hand was holding a generous amount of allowance handed to him by Lorenzo, and by his side stood Sylphia, who had naturally followed him out.

Unable to keep up with the series of events that had unfolded in the blink of an eye, Rudrick had a dazed expression. Sylphia asked with a smiling face.

“Where should we start exploring?”

“…Even if you ask me that, I’ve never been outside the Imperial Palace since coming to the capital.”

“Oh my, really?”

Sylphia widened her eyes.

Of course, she already knew that fact, but in this situation where Lorenzo had unexpectedly set the stage for them, Sylphia’s mind was spinning at a fierce speed.

Feigning a look of complete ignorance, Sylphia inwardly smiled.

It could only be described as a stroke of luck. Or perhaps a blessing in disguise. Referring to Sylphia’s own words to Lassiel just moments ago, it was a situation where Rudrick’s anger could be classified into five stages, and he had reached the middle stage.

As a result, Sylphia had been watching Rudrick’s reactions for dozens of minutes, but who would have thought it would turn into an opportunity like this?

‘This is totally a date.’

It was too early to celebrate victory, but Sylphia thought with an expression full of a winner’s composure.

How else could one define the act of strolling together through the bustling streets of the capital, spending time alone, if not a date? No matter how much she pondered, this was undoubtedly a date.

“We still have plenty of time, so let’s take it slow today. It’s a rare opportunity, isn’t it?”

“You’re right about that.”

Rudrick didn’t show any particular objection to Sylphia’s suggestion. The schedule that had been no different from that of a graduate student had changed to a more relaxed one with a single remark to Eileen, and while he had no complaints about being told to continue studying recovery magic, spending time like this wasn’t bad either.

Rudrick readily agreed to the proposal and obediently followed behind Sylphia.

As he walked behind Sylphia, Rudrick slyly pulled open the opening of the allowance pouch to check. What greeted him inside was a heap of gold coins, shimmering and glowing golden.

‘How much is all this…?’

To Rudrick, who had lived in the Weiss County for twenty years, it was a large sum of money.

From Lorenzo’s perspective, it was spare change that he could generously give to his disciple as allowance, but to Rudrick, who received that money, it was enough to inadvertently remind him of his mentor’s grace.

And with the reason of being Lorenzo’s disciples, the two, whose identities were clearly verified, left the Imperial Palace without any hindrance and slowly descended the hill where the palace was located.

“It’s pretty. As expected of the capital, they seem to pay attention to the appearance.”

“Indeed.”

The surrounding area was being used as a promenade, with flowers in full bloom on both sides of the well-paved road. Sylphia looked around and spoke with a beaming smile, but Rudrick’s response was indifferent.

Ordinary men would have probably chimed in with some flowery words, but Rudrick, who had a different sensibility from the typical men of this world, found no particular interest in it.

Rather, the sudden surge of people as soon as they left the Imperial Palace was more bothersome to Rudrick.

“…There are a lot of people today. Is it some kind of special day?”

“Ah, I heard there’s a festival today. That’s why there are so many people.”

“It’s like going to the market on a busy day.”

“Perhaps that’s why our mentor sent us out to have fun? But we should at least check out the festival since it only happens once a year.”

Sylphia spoke in a deliberately cheerful tone.

A date alone with Rudrick. And on the day when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had come, a festival happened to be held. The situation couldn’t be better.

She had no particular interest in human festivals, but if the person accompanying her to the festival was Rudrick, the story was a bit different.

“Rudrick, make sure to follow closely so you don’t get lost.”

“You can just call me Rudrick without any formalities.”

“Huhu, then I’ll call you Rudrick.”

In the midst of the growing crowd, the process of completely shedding the awkward distance caused by the form of address was perfect. The situation so far had been flawless, so the smile that Sylphia wore as she spoke also stemmed from her genuine feelings.

However, Rudrick seemed to have slightly different thoughts.

As befitting the capital of a nation, the streets weren’t particularly narrow, but due to the special occasion of the festival, the crowd was dense. It wasn’t a situation where he had the leisure to maintain a subtle distance from Sylphia while walking and not lose sight of her.

Without much thought, Rudrick held Sylphia’s hand.

“…?!”

For a moment, Sylphia flinched.

Her hand was suddenly held without mental preparation.

‘Rudrick has always been easygoing…?’

In her mind, she thought that Rudrick, who had a naturally easygoing personality, had held her hand without any particular intention and that there was no other meaning behind it, but her thoughts still became complicated.

The sensation of his soft hand was enough to numb her reason.

Rudrick looked at Sylphia, who was flinching as if an electric current had passed through her, with a puzzled expression.

“…Why are you suddenly acting like that?”

“Ah, ah, ah, no! It’s nothing!”

Her voice, which had unnaturally risen to a high pitch, and her reddened face were clear evidence that Sylphia was feeling embarrassed, even if one were to observe her just a little closely. But fortunately for her, Rudrick had no intention of doing so.

He simply made an expression as if wondering why she was acting that way for a moment, and then, as if his previous grumbling about the festival had been a lie, he was absorbed in observing the surroundings with curious eyes.

Since he had received a generous allowance from Lorenzo, he was already half-minded to enjoy the festival without worrying about money.

“Sylphia, do you want to eat that?”

“…Yes?”

Rudrick pointed to a stall with an outstretched hand.

It was a stall selling cotton candy and fruit candy, fitting the festival atmosphere.

Just a moment ago, he had been grumbling, but as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he showed more excitement than anyone else. Sylphia, who had been hesitating, burst into laughter with a soft chuckle.

“Do you want to eat that, Rudrick?”

“It’s not that I particularly want to eat it, but it just reminds me of old times.”

“I see, I see. Then let’s walk around and try a little bit of everything.”

Sylphia took the gold coin pouch, paid for the cotton candy and fruit candy, and handed them to Rudrick. Still holding his hand tightly to avoid losing him in the crowd.

As Rudrick took a big bite of the cotton candy without much thought, Sylphia turned her head and smiled softly.

Thinking that the saying “just watching is heartwarming” existed for moments like this.

Suddenly, it occurred to her that anyone who saw her and Rudrick’s current appearance would undoubtedly perceive them as a couple perfectly enjoying a date. With that thought, her shoulders naturally rose, feeling like she had surpassed the other competitors.

“I’m lucky.”

“What? What’s lucky?”

“Rather than being lucky, I’ll have to sincerely thank Her Highness the Princess later… Huhu, it’s something like that.”

Sylphia giggled as she also took a bite of the cotton candy.

The cotton candy tasted exceptionally sweet.

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