Chapter 79
Kafka returned exactly as she had said, going back later that same evening after her visit.
Of course, she wasn’t quiet until the moment she left.
‘Gideon. I’m asking this purely out of curiosity, but how am I as a woman? I’m wondering if I’d still be appealing to younger guys. Ah, of course, if you like me, I can always make you my second…….’
‘Should I tell Mom and Dad everything?’
‘Aaagh, sorry. Don’t tell your dad. Once he gets sulky, it’s really hard to make him come around.’
After teasing me and then getting scolded by Lisa again, the head of House Balmuth left the Academy.
Just like I had seen in the game, Kafka Balmuth was energetic and bright.
At first glance she looked frivolous and thoughtless, but I knew she was unexpectedly quite a thoughtful person.
‘Well, if she really were thoughtless, she could’ve never become the head of a ducal family in the first place.’
The position of family head—and the position of a duke of the Empire—weren’t roles someone incompetent could handle.
If anything, she was one of the most capable nobles among the aristocracy.
‘She’s thoughtful, a bit loose in the screws, but she does have her own way of being considerate. Which is probably why she gave me something like this as a gift.’
I looked at the glass bottle in my hand.
It was the ointment Kafka had given me before she left.
‘She said I should apply it two hours after being bitten by Lisa, right?’
According to Kafka, if I applied it, the bite mark would completely heal within the day.
It was exactly the medicine I needed.
Since Lisa bit my neck so often, I figured I should use it regularly for the sake of my skin.
“Gideon.”
“Yes, Lady Lisa?”
Anyway, after seeing Kafka off—
While Lisa and I were walking back to the dormitory together, she called out to me.
“Do you have something you’d like to say?”
“Do you… happen to have some time?”
“I obviously have time.”
“Then… would you go to the Disciplinary Committee Room with me?”
“Right now?”
I tilted my head.
It was close to 8 p.m.
Not terribly late, but not early either.
“Do you have work you couldn’t finish during the day? Tomorrow is Sunday anyway, so you could just do it then…….”
“No. I just want to be alone with you.”
“Ah… do you wish to drink my blood…….”
“That’s not it. Literally, I just want to be with you.”
“Ah, I understand.”
“Mm-hm. So… do you have time?”
Lisa spoke with her usual blank, indifferent expression.
But when I looked at her eyes, she was clearly gauging my reaction.
She looked nervous, as if worried I might refuse.
Seeing her like that, I let out a soft laugh and answered.
“I always have time for you, Lady Lisa.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and as I said, tomorrow is Sunday, so… let’s spend some quiet time in the Disciplinary Committee Room and go back to the dormitory afterward.”
“Mm, okay. Then let’s go quickly.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
We turned and headed toward the Disciplinary Committee Room.
I assumed Lisa would walk ahead as usual and I would follow behind her.
“Come here.”
“Mm?”
Lisa suddenly pulled me to her side and then grabbed my hand.
“Lady Lisa?”
“From now on, when you walk with me, walk like this. By my side, holding my hand. Got it?”
“Heh. Yes, understood.”
“…Mm, good. Then let’s go.”
Lisa began walking while holding my hand.
I followed her with a smile, and soon noticed that she too was smiling faintly, just like I was.
A few days passed after Kafka left.
To be precise, the gift sent from the Imperial Family arrived at the Academy on Tuesday.
“Normally, they would’ve held some extravagant awarding ceremony. I mean, it’s not just anything—it’s from the Imperial Family.”
“Like gathering all the students in the auditorium, and the Headmaster personally handing me a certificate… something like that?”
“Yeah, pretty much. They would’ve decorated the auditorium, played music, all the fancy stuff. But you and Lisa made it clear you didn’t want any of that.”
“Yes, I don’t want excessive attention. Besides, preparing something like that costs money, and I didn’t want to waste the other students’ time.”
“Lisa said the exact same thing. You two really think alike. As expected of a couple.”
Luke chuckled and patted my shoulder.
“Still, I never imagined I’d be awarding something that came from the Imperial Family in a place like this.”
"That’s not wrong."
I also let out a small laugh as I looked around.
After the morning assembly ended, I was talking with Instructor Luke in a quiet corner of the hallway.
Just as Luke said, it was quite a shabby place to be receiving a certificate and gifts sent from the Imperial Family.
‘Still, this is better.’
I didn’t want to gather all the students in the auditorium, listen to the headmaster’s speech, and receive the award.
It would be nice to get a burst of attention for the sake of my future, but I only wanted an appropriate amount of attention.
Too much attention could easily become poison.
"Anyway, here. Take it."
Luke handed me a certificate case containing a document stamped with the Imperial seal.
At a glance, it looked like an ordinary certificate, but the meaning it carried was significant.
‘Since it’s an award from the Imperial Family, it’ll be a huge advantage when I become a knight later.’
In the game as well, when a character received an Imperial certificate, it heavily influenced later gameplay.
Not only for becoming a knight—this certificate would help any time I needed to prove myself in various situations.
It was only natural, considering it bore the Imperial seal.
‘Guess my struggles were worth it.’
During the Monster Escape Episode, I nearly died to a lycanthrope, and during the school trip episode, I almost died from poison.
If, after all that suffering, I received no reward, wouldn’t that have been frustrating in its own way?
"Lady Lisa must’ve received one too, right?"
"Yeah. She probably got hers from her homeroom teacher. But still, you’re impressive. Getting a certificate from the Imperial Family can happen, sure, but receiving it while still a student isn’t easy."
"I was lucky, and I only did what I had to do."
"Being too humble isn’t good either, Gideon. Sometimes it’s necessary to value your own achievements."
"Thank you for the advice."
"Anyway, I’ve handed over the certificate… now, take this too."
Luke handed me the wooden box he had been carrying since the morning assembly.
I had been curious about it as well, but once I received it and opened it…
“…‘Didn’t I say the gold coins weren’t necessary?"
I tilted my head as I stared at the countless gold coins inside.
I had clearly asked Kafka yesterday for days off instead of gold coins.
To my confusion, Luke chuckled.
"Letting you skip about three days of Academy classes is something I can authorize myself. Even if you hadn’t received this award, if you had explained properly, I could’ve let you skip three days."
"Ah, I see. Then these gold coins are…"
"Lady Kafka probably gave an appropriate report to the Imperial Family. Since she knows my personality well, she likely predicted I’d allow you the days off."
"So… I can skip classes for those three days?"
"Yeah. But planning to use them immediately?"
"Mm… yes. I’ll just use them right away. Starting tomorrow."
After a moment of thought, I reached a conclusion.
There was no reason to delay; it seemed best to go obtain it as soon as possible.
"Right. Today’s Tuesday, so… Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. That makes three days. I’ll take care of everything related to your attendance."
“…‘Thank you."
Now that I thought about it, skipping Academy for three days was indeed within the authority of a homeroom teacher.
But aside from that, Luke taking care of those troublesome procedures for me naturally made me feel grateful.
"I’ll work even harder during class, Instructor."
"You already work hard—what do you mean work harder? Well, if you’re thankful… can you tell me where you’re going for three days? Not for any particular reason, I’m just curious. Of course, if it’s hard to say, you don’t have to."
"It’s nothing special… I’m planning to go get a rune."
There was no problem telling him.
After obtaining the rune, I planned to show Luke how I would use it in my swordsmanship anyway.
"A rune? Which rune?"
"A water rune."
"A water rune… hmm, having something like that would definitely be useful for you. But water runes come in many types. Which specific water rune are you trying to get?"
"The Blessing of Water… have you heard of it?"
***
“…‘I guess this should be enough?"
Once I finished all my afternoon classes.
I headed straight back to the dorm and began packing.
"The gold coins should be enough. I packed the map… clothes should be fine like this…"
A three-day trip.
Not a long journey, but I still intended to prepare as thoroughly as possible.
After all, since coming to this world, it would be my first time going on a trip alone.
"Woof? Woof!"
"Hm? Why? Hungry?"
"Woof!"
"Hey, hey. Don’t step on the map. And that map isn’t food."
"Woof?"
The small hellhound that jumped out of the shadows stared at the map spread on the floor.
Then it tilted its head at the X mark on the map.
"Woof?!"
"Yeah. That’s where we’re going. The trip starts tomorrow."
"Woof!"
At the word “trip,” Siri’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at me.
Honestly, just how that hellhound understood human language—I found it fascinating every time.
Was it because we had a contract, so she could understand my words?
"Looking forward to the trip?"
"Woof woof! Woof woof woof woof woof!"
"Alright, alright. I get that you’re excited, so calm down."
I let out a helpless laugh as I watched Siri run around the room in excitement.
Then I looked back at the map.
‘At the northernmost edge of the Empire, Muktaba. The territory of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family, and the largest volcanic region on the continent.’
A place overflowing with lava and filled with dangerous active volcanoes.
Despite seeming entirely unrelated to water, a water rune lay asleep there.