Chapter 137
By the way, Sara. How was it at home? Nothing happened?
“Me? I was just living quietly. Why?”
Really? That’s unexpected. I thought you’d get into trouble again because of what happened at the Academy.
“Actually… I thought so too.”
At Jason’s words, Sara nodded.
“I was sure they’d drag me to the volcano again saying they were going to punish me, but they didn’t do anything. They just welcomed me… and for about two weeks after that, nothing happened at all.”
Really? Hmm, well… your father never paid much attention to his children. He never involved himself in your discipline in the first place, right?
“Yeah, Father never really said much to me. What’s surprising to me now is my eldest brother.”
Rage… right?
Jason stroked his chin as he searched his memory.
He was the next Head of the Isrinbloom Family candidate. If I remember correctly, he was extremely strict about anything related to the family.
“He is extremely strict. About everything related to the family. Including the family’s honor.”
Jason nodded to her words, and simultaneously glanced at Sara’s reflection in the Crystal Sphere.
As soon as Rage Isrinbloom’s name came up, a faint glimmer of fear appeared on her face.
‘She said she suffered quite a lot under Lord Rage’s strictness since she was young.’
Jason had once heard from his father that Sara endured a very harsh and painful childhood because of the eldest son of the family.
That was why Jason felt truly puzzled.
The Rage he knew would never have left Sara alone if he knew what had happened at the Academy.
‘Sara lost publicly to Gideon twice. But that man, who values the family’s honor so much, just let her be?’
Jason sensed something was off.
So he asked her directly.
About Lord Rage. Has he changed recently?
“My big brother? Uuumm… I’m not sure? Ah, but I did hear a lot of people saying his personality changed a bit starting last year. He used to be really strict, and when he got angry he was like a blazing fire, so he was terrifying… but at some point, he apparently barely gets angry anymore. But definitely……”
Sara seemed to recall something and nodded.
“Since last year, he’s been going out more often too. He used to spend all his time working inside the mansion, but suddenly he wasn’t around as much.”
…Is that so.
“Hey, but don’t you dare start digging into my family again. You know how it is. My big brother is just difficult as a person, but he sincerely devotes himself to our family and the Empire.”
I know, don’t worry. I’m not sneaking into your family’s place again.
Jason replied with a faint smile.
A very meaningful smile, at that.
Anyway, thanks for telling me… So, you are coming too, right?
“Florise? Mm, probably? Once I tell my family and pack up… it’ll take about three days.”
Alright. Then I’ll see you then. If you think you can’t make it, contact me separately.
With that, Jason ended the call with Sara.
And as he put the Crystal Sphere into his pocket, he fell into thought.
“Rage Isrinbloom. Hmm, he’s someone that’s hard for me to investigate. Should I tell Father?”
Jason already knew roughly what kind of person Rage was.
He had heard enough and even seen him with his own eyes.
Just as Sara said, Rage was loyal to the family and the Empire.
He wasn’t someone who would scheme suspicious things.
Although he had problems—being excessively strict and prone to anger… he wasn’t someone who would threaten the Empire.
“…I guess I should look into this myself.”
People suddenly changing their personality… was difficult, but not impossible.
So Jason concluded that maybe he was overthinking it.
“I’ll look into it separately during winter break. Anyway… I should prepare for the beach.”
Jason wrote “Rage Isrinbloom” in his notebook.
After jotting down that name, he closed it.
“You’re leaving tomorrow, right, Gideon?”
“Yes, I am.”
The night before we departed for the beach.
Roy called me to his room.
“You’re going earlier than I expected. I wanted to talk with you more.”
“We can talk at the Academy, can’t we?”
“…That’s true. Whatever, that’s not why I called you here.”
With that, Roy picked up the book that had been open on his desk.
“I kept looking into Bedir and Suiroti while you were out today. But… there was even less information than I expected.”
“Thank you for the trouble. Really, thank you. For putting in this much effort for my sake.”
“No, I enjoyed researching it myself. I always welcome this kind of request. Anyway, there wasn’t much information, but it’s not like there was nothing. I couldn’t find more about Suiroti, but I think I found one thing about Bedir.”
“Oh? Really?”
I honestly didn’t expect much, so hearing he found more than before was surprising.
Seeing my reaction, Roy smiled and showed me the book.
“It’s a very old book I borrowed from a nearby library. There was a bit of information related to Bedir in it. And this image is one of them.”
“This… is this supposed to be a symbol representing Bedir?”
The book depicted an unusual illustration.
It was a symbol that resembled a burning human figure.
“Yeah. Apparently, it’s a mark given to the Apostles of Bedir.”
“The Apostles… you say?”
“Yeah. It says that those Apostles had this pattern—or maybe a brand?—engraved on their chest or back. According to the legends, they communicated with Bedir through the markings engraved on their bodies.”
I nodded, organizing the information as Roy explained.
“So, you mean that the Apostles of Bedir had such markings on their bodies?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Did that help?”
“Yes, it helped a lot. But has anyone with this mark been seen recently…?”
“There aren’t any such records. Bedir himself disappeared completely ages ago, after all. Having an Apostle of Bedir in the present day… that’d be difficult, don’t you think?”
“Ah, yes, certainly… there wouldn’t be anyone who still follows Bedir now.”
That’s what I said aloud, but deep down, I didn’t think so.
The other races had clearly suffered something at the hands of that Evil God and the Evil Dragon.
And since those races were still tormented even now, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something hidden was still at work even at this very moment.
‘So basically, I just need to find those people—or someone with this mark?’
I looked once more at the symbol Roy had shown me.
A symbol resembling a burning human.
It was so distinct that it became instantly engraved in my mind.
‘But if it’s something engraved on the chest or back… it’s going to be hard to find.’
Unless someone walked around with their upper body exposed, there’d be no way to check.
Still, having this kind of clue was much better than having none at all.
“Anyway, thank you. As I said before, this was a great help.”
“I told you, if it’s something like this, you’re always welcome to ask. If you need more help in ancient studies next semester, just tell me. I’ll gladly lend a hand.”
I nodded with a small smile.
Meeting Roy had truly been a good decision.
It wasn’t easy to find someone so knowledgeable about ancient studies, and being able to befriend him before the break was pure luck.
“I’ll make sure to visit and greet you when the break’s over.”
The Evil God Bedir.
The Evil Dragon Suiroti.
And the mark engraved upon the bodies of Bedir’s Apostles.
During my three-day stay with the Varbellos Family, I had gained an unexpectedly valuable discovery.
Floris.
A seaside town located about six hours by carriage from Lysquare.
Situated at the westernmost edge of the continent, it was known as the Empire’s finest resort destination.
‘It’s even prettier in person.’
I gazed out the carriage window at the scenery.
We’d left Nia’s mansion around noon, and after six hours of travel, Lisa and I arrived in Floris just as the sun was beginning to set.
Thanks to that, we were greeted not only by the gorgeous beach but also by a breathtaking sunset.
“Gideon, have you ever been here before?”
“…A long time ago.”
Of course, as the game character.
But taking a look around, the Floris before my eyes didn’t seem all that different from the one I remembered in the game.
“Then, could I ask you to guide us tomorrow?”
“Of course. But if it’s tomorrow… aren’t we going to look around today?”
“No, it’s too late for that. Let’s just have dinner and rest at the inn tonight.”
“Yeah, that sounds better. Six hours in a carriage was pretty tiring.”
That day in Floris passed uneventfully.
We had dinner at the luxurious lodging Lisa had reserved and went to bed early together.
And the next day—
“W-wait, Noona? Are you seriously going to jump?”
“You said it yourself. This cliff is famous among couples for diving together. Because of the legend of the couple who jumped here centuries ago and lived happily ever after.”
“Well, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean we have to—”
“Jump? Hold tight.”
“W-whoa!”
Lisa and I spent the day having fun by the seaside.
“Gideon, go in there.”
“When did they even dig this hole? Y-you’re not planning to bury me, are you…?”
“I just wanted to try it once.”
Her face was expressionless, but her eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation.
After getting buried in the sand by Lisa, we drank some unusual beverages and visited the cool cave that was said to be a must-see attraction.
We spent the whole day in Floris having fun.
“Phew, we really made the most of our first day.”
Later that evening, we lay together on the bed in our room, resting.
‘This place looks insanely expensive… she really managed to book it somehow.’
From what I’d heard, Kafka had apparently used her personal connections to make it happen after hearing about it from the butler.
Moments like this reminded me again that both Kafka and Lisa were truly from a ducal family.
“We played nonstop today. Thanks to your guidance, we had fun and made good use of our time.”
“Told you, I’ve been here before.”
I’d visited Floris before in the game while completing an achievement.
Back then, I’d explored every corner of the city without missing a single spot.
That memory still lingered, which was why I could guide Lisa perfectly today.
“Noona, we’re staying here for a week, right?”
“Yeah. Why? Do you think a week isn’t enough?”
“No, actually… it might be too long. Floris is a resort and tourist spot, but there’s not enough to do for a whole week.”
“Then let’s spend a day or two just resting in our room.”
Lisa leaned her head on my shoulder, giving me a look that carried several meanings.
“I wouldn’t mind lying here with you all day.”
“Y-you mean just lying down, right?”
“Hmm… maybe. We’ll have to eat occasionally… and if I can’t hold back, I might just eat you instead?”
“Try to hold back, okay? Speaking of which, aren’t you thirsty? It’s been a while since you drank my blood.”
“Hmmmm… now that you mention it, I do feel thirsty. Can I drink?”
“Heh, go ahead.”
And so, Lisa and I spent our days in Floris blissfully.
At that time, neither of us knew—
That in just a few days, someone unexpected would be joining our little vacation.