Chapter 4: The Weekend’s Escape and Celian’s Revelation

It’s a bit strange to say this now, but I want to admire my adaptability.

Just a week ago, I was a “man.” Of course, that’s in the past tense.

When I look in the mirror, there’s not a trace left of my time as a man. If I were to find any remnants of that time, it might just be the way I stand casually.

However, no one in my class would suspect that I used to be a man just because of my casual standing.

But why am I talking about this trivial stuff now?

It’s because my mental gauge is about to hit empty.

Think about it. The academy schedule starts with school at 8 AM and is packed until 4 PM.

Even at the minimum, that’s about ten hours a day where I have to be conscious of all my actions, especially when considering meals and interactions with others.

It’s incredibly hard to endure!

What? You think I’m being overly dramatic for an ex-assassin?

I don’t care; I’m not an assassin anymore. It would be awkward to act like one now.

Once again, let me emphasize: the continent’s best, elite, secretive group of assassins no longer exists!

Anyway, in that sense, for my first weekend after entering the academy, I decided to spend the entire day in my single room, just relaxing.

That’s a decision that cannot be changed, no matter who comes!

Knock knock.

“Elysia! Let’s go out together!”

I hear Anne’s voice from outside the room, but I pull the blanket over my head and pretend not to hear.

If I go out, I’ll just be tired all day instead of relaxing, which is painfully obvious.

That voice isn’t from my new friend Anne; it’s the voice of a devil trying to torment me!

Knock knock.

“Elysia, are you in your room?”

Yes, I’m not here! You can go out alone!

After not answering, it eventually got quiet, so I can finally spread out comfortably.

“Elysia?”

Startled!

Ah, this isn’t a surprise; it just means I sat up. There’s no longer a clone to act surprised.

While having useless thoughts, I instinctively kicked off the blanket and got up.

I mean, it’s only reasonable to do so. Ignoring that voice might get me in trouble with Celian.

If my true identity gets discovered, my life could be in danger, and I need to get closer to Celian to find out the whereabouts of my only weakness, the servant mark scroll.

“Yes, I’m in here.”

I greeted Celian with a bright voice as I opened the door.

I met the gaze of her blue eyes. As expected, it was indeed Celian’s voice.

“What? You were in here. You didn’t answer when I called.”

Then, when I looked down slightly, I met the gaze of another red-eyed figure.

What? They came together?

“Um… I heard something while I was half asleep… Was it Anne’s voice that woke me up?”

I casually stretched as if I had just been sleeping, and Anne’s pouting lips retreated.

Okay, safe.

“Anyway, we’re going to explore the city… Want to join us?”

Of course, there’s no option to refuse.

***

Thus, the three of us left the academy.

The Griffin Academy is located in a somewhat unique city within the Empire.

The city where the academy is situated, Pelches, is structured so that no noble can directly influence it, adhering to the ideology of not discriminating among the academy’s students, even in name.

There is no one who directly governs the city like a lord. If anyone does, it would be the Imperial family.

Aside from that, a few officials are dispatched periodically to act as the city’s gears.

Having even a hint of corruption or malpractice here would signify rebellion against the Imperial family.

So far, no one has dared to engage in such risky behavior.

As a result, there is no exploitation or corruption by lords or high-ranking officials.

Moreover, while the students within the academy are considered commoners, at least half of them are composed of nobles.

This indicates that the commercial activity driven by the students is quite vibrant.

With no corruption or exploitation from high-ranking officials, and external noble wealth continuously flowing into the city, trade is lively.

Naturally, the city’s scale is as massive as that of the Imperial capital.

I have already been wandering around this enormous city for several hours.

I’m being led by Anne and Celian.

We’ve been to this store, then that one, back to the first store we saw, and now to some distant store because of a rumor…

I’ve just been dragged around for hours without any real direction.

Of course, I haven’t bought anything during this time.

That’s only to be expected… I simply don’t have any money.

The only expenditure I have is the coffee I bought at the cafe where I’m currently sitting.

Even that was the cheapest Americano.

I’m in a position where even the expense of a single drink feels extravagant, but for the sake of my friendship with Celian, I don’t mind this much… I think? Maybe?

By the way, it seems my taste buds have become sensitive as well, because the bitterness tastes several times more bitter than it did when I was a man. Ugh…

As I slightly squint my eyes, I felt something touch my closed lips.

Thud thud.

Before I could even figure out what it was, something slipped through my tightly shut lips.

This unidentified object melted into the Americano in my mouth, erasing the bitterness and filling my mouth with sweetness.

When I looked up, I saw Celian grinning while holding a few cookies.

I felt a bit embarrassed for not having touched anything since I ordered just a drink.

“Hmm~? What’s up with you two? Why do I feel like the only lonely one?”

Anne looked back and forth between Celian and me.

However, just like she had done with me, Celian showed no intention of feeding Anne a cookie and simply kept smiling brightly.

Having given up on receiving cookies from Celian, Anne instead scooped a chunk of cake in front of her with a fork and plopped it into my mouth.

Surely, when I eat something bitter, my heightened senses are only uncomfortable, but when I eat something delicious, I feel the flavors more delicately, which is a definite plus.

In the end, it balances out to zero!

As I savored the sweetness of the cake, Celian’s bright smile faded, and her mouth was left slightly agape.

And Celian’s gaze was fixated on… Anne’s fork…?

Celian’s trembling hand stretched out toward Anne’s fork.

Noticing Celian’s gesture and expression, Anne grinned.

Together!

Anne scooped another piece of cake and fed it to Celian again.

Celian didn’t seem willing to let go of the fork that had entered her mouth, holding it tightly with her lips.

The fork that Anne struggled to pull out trembled as it slipped from her lips, completely clean of any cream that Celian had savored.

It’s definitely a flavor that’s hard to miss even a single bit of cream.

However, for Celian, the daughter of a marquis family, this level of cake might barely meet her passing standards, as she munched on the cake with a somewhat complex and nuanced expression.

It was as if she was conceding this time.

As the time to return to the academy approached, Anne led Celian and me to one last place she wanted to visit.

We arrived at the temple of the goddess Serena, located within the city.

While there is a separate temple for students within the academy, the main one is this temple.

Temples dedicated to Serena are quite common, found even in small villages, but the one in Pelches is a bit more special.

“Hello, priest. May we enter?”

“Lady Serena always welcomes you.”

Upon receiving permission from the old priest, we entered the main hall of the temple.

Inside, we saw people sitting in chairs and offering prayers.

However, our purpose is not to pray.

The focus of our trio’s gaze was a single sword hanging behind the statue of goddess Serena.

It was the holy sword that was said to seek its master when the Demon King was revived and the true hero appeared.

The holy sword possessed a sanctity that radiated reverence, and its pure white blade seemed so sharp that it could slice through all evil just by looking at it.

Anne and we approached to take a closer look.

And at that moment, light began to emanate from the holy sword.

Just as the legend said, it shone brightly and started to tremble.

Anne, Celian, and I all knew the reason behind it.

The holy sword had likely reacted to Celian, a prominent candidate for the hero.

“…It’s not the time yet… Just wait a moment.”

Celian spoke in a small voice, just enough for me to hear.

It must be her way of expressing her determination to one day be chosen by the holy sword.

Anyway, thanks to Anne, who brought us here, and Celian, the hero candidate, we had a great experience.

It’s a secret that we hurriedly snuck out to avoid the priests and nuns who rushed in due to the sudden commotion.