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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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Two hours before our scheduled meeting, Lucia sat on a garden bench, lost in thought. Her expression shifted occasionally, but her posture remained perfectly still. Passing students, startled by her statue-like stillness, would glance at her, then quickly move on.
Atlas arrived twenty minutes early.
“…You’re here?”
“I thought I was early. How long have you been waiting?”
“N-not long…”
Atlas didn’t believe her. Not “just arrived,” not “not waiting,” but “not waiting long.” Which meant she had been waiting. And knowing Lucia, it was probably a considerable amount of time.
“Should we go somewhere else?”
“It’s… crowded here.”
Despite its secluded location, occasional students strolled through the garden. Lucia led him to a different location, a place within the Academy he had never seen before. It resembled an empty classroom, but scattered documents suggested it was a research lab.
“I found it while… running away.”
Atlas filed it away as a potential hideout.
“You saw the duel. I won.”
“I saw.”
“Lemnos will be targeting me for a while. I deliberately didn’t use Aura Blade, so he’ll be furious when he wakes up.”
“…You were strong, Atlas.”
“Now you see? I told you I was strong.”
“Yes, you are strong… but I’m… strong too.”
He had meant to reassure her, but her insistence on her own strength surprised him. She clearly had pride in her abilities.
“Sure, sure. A swordsman needs that kind of conviction.”
He got to the point.
“Lemnos will keep challenging me to duels.”
“Until he wins?”
“He won’t win with that attitude. And when he changes his attitude, he’ll realize duels are pointless. Anyway, the point is, he’ll be too focused on me to bother you.”
She was surprised again. Lemnos’s constant duel requests had been a source of stress, especially with her being forbidden from dueling. Atlas was offering to take that burden from her.
“…I’m causing you so much trouble… I’m sorry…”
She was deeply apologetic. She had experienced the weight of public attention in the hallway, and Atlas had already endured so much. Now he was offering to deal with Lemnos.
“That’s fine. Just take care of the aftermath.”
“Aftermath?”
“Now that Lemnos has lost publicly, the other Five Pillars might get involved.”
“What… what should I do…?”
Her head spun. Lemnos alone was a challenge. What would happen if the others joined in?
“Protect me.”
“Protect you…? I’m… strong, but I’m probably weaker than you… I don’t know how to protect someone stronger than me…”
“Not with brute force. I can handle any direct threats. But I can’t stop their schemes.”
“I…”
“You’re a Five Pillar. The Five Pillars have a non-aggression pact… right?”
The Five Pillars were forbidden from engaging in serious conflicts. Minor squabbles and non-lethal duels were permitted, but open hostility was prohibited. The Empire’s stability depended on their cooperation.
“Take my side.”
He might seem impulsive, but he was creating a safety net.
“Support me as a fellow Five Pillar. That’s all I need.”
“Is that really enough?”
“It is. I’ll handle the rest.”
If Russell publicly supported and protected him, the other Five Pillars would hesitate to interfere. Attacking someone under Russell’s protection would be tantamount to attacking Russell herself.
“If that’s really… all you need… No, you need it, right? I owe you. And Rock remembers its debts. I’ll protect you.”
“Could you give me something with the Russell crest? Anything will do.”
“I… don’t have anything right now… I’ll give you something tomorrow…”
“Alright. See you tomorrow.”
Atlas stretched, his small hands reaching upwards. Lucia found the gesture endearing.
“Phew… that’s a relief.”
With a Five Pillar’s protection, most of the Academy’s injustices could be avoided. There would be those who challenged him, but he could handle them. He felt a sense of optimism about the future.
But Lucia seemed troubled, despite having agreed to his request.
“…Sorry…”
“For what?”
“…For calling you… small… when we first met…”
“Ah… that.”
He had been angry then, but he had forgotten about it. Perhaps because he had encountered far worse since then. She had apologized, and her apology had led to this unexpected protection. He should be grateful.
“I… I like small things…”
He already knew. Her fondness for small, cute things, her childhood fascination, her suppressed desires. That longing was what made her vulnerable to demonic influence. In the original story, she was rejected by Atlas, who was far more abrasive then.
He suddenly remembered something River had said.
“You like small things, so you like me?! You’re after my body?!”
“Huh?”
Lucia, momentarily confused, blushed crimson.
“Th-that’s not it…!”
Her hand trembled as she raised it in denial. She was flustered.
“Just kidding.”
“…I do like… but it’s different now…”
He had been joking, but he sensed a hint of truth in her words.
She was after my body…
He made a mental note to be cautious. He might be stronger now, but the future was uncertain.
“That’s… complicated. I wish I were your height.”
“I… don’t like being this tall…”
“Because it’s not cute?”
“…Yes.”
“We both have height issues, then.”
Atlas, dissatisfied with his short stature, and Lucia, unhappy with her height. A strange pair.
“Atlas… can I ask you one more thing…?”
“What is it?”
What was their relationship? It had developed organically, and Lucia found it… comfortable. The unspoken understanding, the careful distance between them.
“Call me Lucia. Not Russell.”
“By your first name? Hmm… Alright, Lucia. If you insist.”
She didn’t know what he thought of her, but she wanted to consider him a friend. She wanted to get closer.
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Lucia was in a good mood as she walked to the Academy. She had a long conversation with Atlas last night, her first real conversation with a boy her age. They had made a pact, a mutually beneficial agreement, a secret between them.
Will it… suit him…?
In her pocket, she carried a necklace for Atlas, a gift she’d received as a child, a luxurious piece with the Russell crest. She rarely wore jewelry, finding it cumbersome during training, but she didn’t need this one. She had a more important ring with the family crest.
She’d give it to him when she saw him in class. She smiled, looking forward to seeing him.
“Duel… invalid… The ugly truth about the little… person…?”
The Academy, once again, dashed her hopes.
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