Chapter 7: An Unexpected Reunion: Elysia and Yuri’s Story

It’s been almost a month since I enrolled in the academy, and gradually, all the students have found their places and settled down.

There are groups formed by commoners sticking together, others by nobles who have interacted since childhood, and even mixed groups whose formation reasons remain unclear.

Among these groups, as everyone knows, I belong to the trio of Celian-Anne-Elysia.

In Celie’s case, she was famous from the first day of admission, so there were students who approached her first, but in the end, they couldn’t join our group and all drifted away.

As for Anne, she goes around here and there, maintaining a friendly relationship with all the kids in the class.

Of course, after wandering around, she quickly returns to the back seat where Celie and I are.

Me?

For some reason, after almost a month, I still haven’t been able to become close to anyone other than Celie and Anne.

Of course, as classmates, I exchange brief greetings or say hello when we meet outside, but that’s about it.

During the first practical swordsmanship class, there were kids who approached me like Anne, but somehow things turned out like this.

I seriously doubt my social skills.

I’ve tried approaching other students first and starting conversations, but as soon as Celie spots me talking, she naturally comes over and talks to me.

Naturally, I end up paying attention to Celie, and the conversation with the other kid gets neglected.

Now that I think about it, was this all my fault?

It makes sense for someone to feel uncomfortable if I start a conversation and then suddenly start talking with someone else one-on-one.

But there’s nothing I can do about it. If I had to choose, my life is more important, right?

Surely, Anne and Celie won’t be the only connections I’ll have throughout the academy, right?

What? You’re asking about Ian?

Ian is… well, what should I call him… He’s like a bonus you get when you buy something?

I know it’s not polite to compare someone to an object, but that’s roughly the feeling.

When I talk with Ian, it’s comfortable, and we both consider each other friends, but since we’re in different groups, it feels natural for me to think that way, being stuck to Anne all the time.

Anyway, now that most students have gotten used to the class, I have the mental space to pay attention to things outside of the class.

Because of that, situations I would’ve missed while focusing on Celian are starting to catch my eye.

“Uh, here… the chocolate bread I mentioned earlier…”

The timid girl handed over the bread, but a girl who had been laughing with her group snatched it away.

“What’s this~ Where’s mine?”

Mine? Mine?

Boys and girls alike from the group start throwing comments at the girl who brought the bread.

However, the girl has no more bread and starts apologizing hesitantly.

“S-sorry… Um… this is what Sena asked for earlier…”

“Hey! If you’re going to make her run errands, you should have her get ours too. Isn’t it stingy to only get yours?”

“What’s that? It’s her fault for being clueless, why are you complaining to me?”

Ah, this situation is familiar. No, to be precise, it’s something I’ve experienced many times.

When I was at the assassin guild, I was the youngest, so I used to get called for all sorts of errands.

In truth, they called it an “errand,” but it was just an excuse to take their stress out on me.

I don’t know why they felt the need to torment me in that small assassin guild where we constantly faced each other, but I remember it being quite stressful.

So, what did I do?

What else could I do? I just clenched my teeth and trained. Honestly, maybe the level I’ve reached today is thanks to them.

Every time the guys who used to bully me tried to mess with me under the pretense of running errands, I would silently draw my sword and dust off imaginary dirt while emitting aura, and they would quiet down on their own.

If they didn’t stop and kept messing with me, I’d just poke them once. Just a single poke!

Eventually, everyone who harassed me, except for the guild master, disappeared. Not that I killed them—just that the harassment stopped.

Anyway, I’m saying that the situation in front of me is pretty obvious.

Though nominally, the girl who brought the bread is part of their group, and the request is framed as a simple favor between friends.

I’m not a good person, and there’s no need for me to step in. But thinking back to those old memories, I’m getting pissed off again.

So, it’s not strange for me to intervene either.

But even if I step in now, the bullying won’t stop. It might stop when I’m watching, but since we’re from different classes, the bullying will likely continue when I’m not around. It might even get worse.

So, for now, I hold back.

Instead,

“Oh my, it’s been so long. I didn’t expect to see you attending the same academy.”

I grabbed the hand of the girl in front of me and spoke.

Of course, this was our first meeting, so the girl looked confused. But before she could say anything, I threw my words at the brats in front of me.

“Sorry to interrupt your fun, but this is an old friend of mine. Would it be okay if I take her for a bit?”

I smiled as I spoke, but of course, there was resistance.

“Who the hell are you? What’s with the sudden interruption…”

“Hey, hey. Isn’t that her? The one who hangs out with Celian…”

Fortunately, someone in the group recognized me and stopped the guy who was about to react.

I’m not exactly grateful, but it’s nice that the hassle is gone.

“Well then, we’ll be going now.”

With that, I forcibly led the girl away from the scene. The girl, dragged along by me, kept turning her head in confusion, unable to grasp the situation.

We arrived at a secluded corner of the courtyard, away from everyone’s eyes.

Ah, if someone saw us now, it might look like I’m the one extorting her.

I led her even further, to the back of a storage shed, where no one could see us.

The further I took her, the more scared she seemed to get… but it’s just a misunderstanding that I can clear up.

Finally, in a spot where no one could see us, I spoke to her.

“Sorry for dragging you here so suddenly.”

“I, I don’t remember what I did wrong, but I’m sorry. I’m really sorry…”

With a terrified expression, the girl apologized to me. Ah, she’s really misunderstood.

“No, please don’t apologize. I just brought you here because I wanted to talk.”

“B-but…”

“Really, I just want to talk. If you get too scared, you’ll hurt my feelings, you know?”

After a while of coaxing and reassuring her, the girl finally calmed down enough to talk.

“I’m Elysia. From Swordsmanship Class 1.”

I lightly bowed my head as I introduced myself. The girl, timid like a squirrel on alert, cautiously lowered her head in response.

“I’m… huh? Did you say Elysia? Elysia?”

Suddenly, the girl, who had been wary of me, widened her eyes and began looking me over.

What’s going on?

“But Elysia… no, with this silver hair and red eyes, it has to be…”

She started muttering to herself. This feels off. I get the sense I might have touched on something I shouldn’t have.

“Are you… Elysia Frentz?”

Had I ever mentioned the name ‘Frentz’ since coming to the academy?

No. Not even when talking with Celian had I brought up the Frentz family name.

Although the information had been thoroughly falsified for the assassination request, I had avoided mentioning the name ‘Frentz’ in case of even the slightest risk.

Yet the girl in front of me was the one to first bring up the name ‘Frentz,’ a name I had never spoken since arriving at the academy.

“It’s me! Yuri Atilea! We used to play together when we were kids!”

Oh… this is bad…

“I see… It must have been hard for you. No wonder I didn’t pay attention. I’m sorry.”

Thankfully, I could brush it off. It was a well-known fact that the Frentz count family had been wiped out in a demonic attack over a decade ago.

So the excuse that Elysia Frentz, the last remaining member, had suffered so much that her memories of childhood friends had faded seemed to work.

“No, I’m the one who should apologize for not recognizing you.”

I waved my hand, continuing the conversation.

“But if you’re Yuri Atilea, are you from the Atilea family of the Sword Master?”

There are only eight Sword Masters on the continent, and one of them is Craig Atilea.

In other words, the girl in front of me must be close enough to use the Atilea family name.

“Yeah, he’s my father.”

What?

That makes even less sense. Bullying the daughter of a Sword Master? No one in their right mind would dare.

Seeing the confusion on my face, Yuri quickly clarified.

“I’m not much like my father… neither my brother nor I are very good with the sword, and my father’s always tried to raise us to be strong.”

It seems she wasn’t the chosen heir to the family, nor was she skilled with the sword like her father.

Without a strong position or talent, she ended up on the sidelines.

Still, we’re talking about Atilea, a marquis family. Even if the Sword Master himself didn’t intervene, the mere name of Atilea should make most noble families cautious.

For anyone to go as far as to bully Yuri, they must be from powerful noble families.

Moreover, despite the unspoken rule, the imperial academy operates under a strict code that prohibits interference from any noble families, directly or indirectly.

“So, you really don’t need to worry about it. Actually, El—oh! Sorry, it’s just a habit from back when I used to call you that…”

“No, it’s fine! Feel free to call me El!”
When I said it was okay to call me El, she beamed as if she was overjoyed by just that little nickname.

“Okay! El! Anyway, I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me. You really don’t need to worry.”

This poor girl is still trying to read my mood, even in this situation.

She’s the one suffering the most, yet she’s more concerned about others.

Really… it’s been a while since I’ve felt this disgusted.