Luke’s brow furrowed, his eyebrows lowering as he regarded me with a melancholic expression.
“Have I asked for an unnecessary favour, I wonder?”
While my heart didn’t flutter with the overflowing affection I had imagined when reading the novel with Luke in mind, a similar sense of awe gripped me instead. It was akin to the feeling of witnessing great relics I had only encountered within the pages of history books. A profound and overwhelming emotion surged within me.
I suppressed the words lingering on the tip of my tongue, barely managing to swallow them, and lowered my head.
“It must be because I pushed myself too hard with exercise this morning. I usually don’t lack such stamina.”
Kamian chuckled, as if impressed. “Look at the atmosphere, huh? Smile while you’re at it, eh?” I tried to nudge his shoulder, but his solid muscles left no room for my fingernails to sink in.
Luke nodded in what seemed like understanding and said, “Indeed.” I pondered how his gentle smile harmonized with his voice—warm and tender, akin to gently warmed milk, sweet and soothing. If I didn’t like Kamian, Luke’s single smile could have resurrected the palpitations I felt fifteen years ago. Not only did he possess a splendid appearance, but his personality was also admirable. Truly, he was someone worthy of being my first love. Kamian may have a perfect exterior, but his temperament… He should learn a thing or two from Luke’s overflowing consideration.
“May I ask if both of you attend the Academy?”
“Yes, I’m in my final year.”
“It seems fate has intertwined us. We shall be seeing each other often from now on,” Luke said, his lips adorned with a smile. If it were me fifteen years ago, or rather, the me who was infatuated with Luke in the novel, I wouldn’t have been able to control my expression and would have exclaimed how great it was, overcome with various emotions.
It wasn’t because my personality had grown more serious over the past fifteen years, but rather because the love I had poured out for Luke fifteen years ago had left only faint traces behind.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. If, after inhabiting “Liv,” my first encounter had been with Luke instead of Kamian, would I still have liked Kamian?
I gazed intently at the smooth, black mane swaying before me. If Luke, Kamian, and I were to spend fifteen years together like this, even though I might have initially liked Luke, at some point, Kamian would forcefully invade and occupy my heart. Without my knowledge, I would surrender the reins of my emotions to Kamian and become entangled in his snare.
…I was disappointed in myself.
To think that even with Luke by my side, I would still harbour affection for Kamian. What’s so appealing about his unfortunate manner of speaking and his frustrating stubbornness?
On the other hand, when I tried to contemplate why I had no choice but to surrender a place in my heart to Kamian, I quickly averted my gaze. The moment I intellectually acknowledged his charm, an unsettling unease akin to turning into an irrational lover like Kamian swept over my heart.
Ah, I should stop thinking about Kamian now. I consciously brushed him off, refocused my attention on Luke, who stood beside me.
“Luke, are you heading to the lounge?”
“Yes, I arrived early to explore the surroundings and familiarize myself with the geography, but… I must confess that I have a tendency to lose my way and end up in the most absurd place.”
It is not just a matter of going to an absurd place, but going in the exact opposite direction of the capital. If he had simply followed the road from the capital, the Academy would have been visible, so why was he wandering around the town of Ezbone in the opposite direction?
Though the gods bestowed everything upon Kamian, just like they gave him an imperfect manner of speaking, they undoubtedly penalized Luke with a lack of navigation skills and a poor sense of direction.
“By the way, did you say your name was Kamian?”
Luke showed a keen interest in Kamian, who had been quiet all along. His eyes emitted an admiring glimmer as he openly stared at Kamian.
“Yes.”
On the other hand, Kamian’s response was unenthusiastic and curt to a fault. Luke, undeterred, spoke with a slightly reminiscent tone.
“I have travelled to many continents, but I have never seen anyone with a perfect physique and remarkable looks like Kamian. If you were to learn swordsmanship, you would undoubtedly become a popular knight renowned across the entire continent.”
Becoming a hero who accomplished great feats on the battlefield or a popular knight—what is all this? Is Kamian fit for a face model? It’s hard to tell whether it’s a compliment or an insult. I don’t feel particularly pleased, but Luke’s genuinely astonished tone prevents me from getting angry.
“I have no intention of becoming a knight.”
“I see. I spoke too hastily. I apologize.”
As I pondered whether to say something to Luke internally, caught in a fierce internal conflict, Kamian replied emotionlessly. Upon hearing Kamian’s response, Luke immediately realized his mistake and offered an apology.
An uncomfortable silence descended upon us. Luke seemed to be sparing his words out of fear of making another slip of the tongue, while Kamian was naturally taciturn. I felt like I should say something, anything, but instead of exerting energy to force out meaningless words, it wouldn’t be so bad to quietly make our way to the Academy.
Fortunately, the Academy was not far away. When the destination came into view, I stretched my hand and pointed towards it.
“If you turn right after passing the main gate, you will find the path leading to the quarters. It’s an outer path, so you should be able to find it easily.”
“Thank you. Thanks to both of you, I was able to reach the Academy unscathed. If it weren’t for the two of you, I probably would have been stuck in that town even after the semester started.”
Luke’s brow furrowed, his eyebrows lowering as he regarded me with a melancholic expression.
“Have I asked for an unnecessary favour, I wonder?”
While my heart didn’t flutter with the overflowing affection I had imagined when reading the novel with Luke in mind, a similar sense of awe gripped me instead. It was akin to the feeling of witnessing great relics I had only encountered within the pages of history books. A profound and overwhelming emotion surged within me.
I suppressed the words lingering on the tip of my tongue, barely managing to swallow them, and lowered my head.
“It must be because I pushed myself too hard with exercise this morning. I usually don’t lack such stamina.”
Kamian chuckled, as if impressed. “Look at the atmosphere, huh? Smile while you’re at it, eh?” I tried to nudge his shoulder, but his solid muscles left no room for my fingernails to sink in.
Luke nodded in what seemed like understanding and said, “Indeed.” I pondered how his gentle smile harmonized with his voice—warm and tender, akin to gently warmed milk, sweet and soothing. If I didn’t like Kamian, Luke’s single smile could have resurrected the palpitations I felt fifteen years ago. Not only did he possess a splendid appearance, but his personality was also admirable. Truly, he was someone worthy of being my first love. Kamian may have a perfect exterior, but his temperament… He should learn a thing or two from Luke’s overflowing consideration.
“May I ask if both of you attend the Academy?”
“Yes, I’m in my final year.”
“It seems fate has intertwined us. We shall be seeing each other often from now on,” Luke said, his lips adorned with a smile. If it were me fifteen years ago, or rather, the me who was infatuated with Luke in the novel, I wouldn’t have been able to control my expression and would have exclaimed how great it was, overcome with various emotions.
It wasn’t because my personality had grown more serious over the past fifteen years, but rather because the love I had poured out for Luke fifteen years ago had left only faint traces behind.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. If, after inhabiting “Liv,” my first encounter had been with Luke instead of Kamian, would I still have liked Kamian?
I gazed intently at the smooth, black mane swaying before me. If Luke, Kamian, and I were to spend fifteen years together like this, even though I might have initially liked Luke, at some point, Kamian would forcefully invade and occupy my heart. Without my knowledge, I would surrender the reins of my emotions to Kamian and become entangled in his snare.
…I was disappointed in myself.
To think that even with Luke by my side, I would still harbour affection for Kamian. What’s so appealing about his unfortunate manner of speaking and his frustrating stubbornness?
On the other hand, when I tried to contemplate why I had no choice but to surrender a place in my heart to Kamian, I quickly averted my gaze. The moment I intellectually acknowledged his charm, an unsettling unease akin to turning into an irrational lover like Kamian swept over my heart.
Ah, I should stop thinking about Kamian now. I consciously brushed him off, refocused my attention on Luke, who stood beside me.
“Luke, are you heading to the lounge?”
“Yes, I arrived early to explore the surroundings and familiarize myself with the geography, but… I must confess that I have a tendency to lose my way and end up in the most absurd place.”
It is not just a matter of going to an absurd place, but going in the exact opposite direction of the capital. If he had simply followed the road from the capital, the Academy would have been visible, so why was he wandering around the town of Ezbone in the opposite direction?
Though the gods bestowed everything upon Kamian, just like they gave him an imperfect manner of speaking, they undoubtedly penalized Luke with a lack of navigation skills and a poor sense of direction.
“By the way, did you say your name was Kamian?”
Luke showed a keen interest in Kamian, who had been quiet all along. His eyes emitted an admiring glimmer as he openly stared at Kamian.
“Yes.”
On the other hand, Kamian’s response was unenthusiastic and curt to a fault. Luke, undeterred, spoke with a slightly reminiscent tone.
“I have travelled to many continents, but I have never seen anyone with a perfect physique and remarkable looks like Kamian. If you were to learn swordsmanship, you would undoubtedly become a popular knight renowned across the entire continent.”
Becoming a hero who accomplished great feats on the battlefield or a popular knight—what is all this? Is Kamian fit for a face model? It’s hard to tell whether it’s a compliment or an insult. I don’t feel particularly pleased, but Luke’s genuinely astonished tone prevents me from getting angry.
“I have no intention of becoming a knight.”
“I see. I spoke too hastily. I apologize.”
As I pondered whether to say something to Luke internally, caught in a fierce internal conflict, Kamian replied emotionlessly. Upon hearing Kamian’s response, Luke immediately realized his mistake and offered an apology.
An uncomfortable silence descended upon us. Luke seemed to be sparing his words out of fear of making another slip of the tongue, while Kamian was naturally taciturn. I felt like I should say something, anything, but instead of exerting energy to force out meaningless words, it wouldn’t be so bad to quietly make our way to the Academy.
Fortunately, the Academy was not far away. When the destination came into view, I stretched my hand and pointed towards it.
“If you turn right after passing the main gate, you will find the path leading to the quarters. It’s an outer path, so you should be able to find it easily.”
“Thank you. Thanks to both of you, I was able to reach the Academy unscathed. If it weren’t for the two of you, I probably would have been stuck in that town even after the semester started.”
