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I accepted the three engraved stones from the Headmaster.

Though they were light in weight, I could feel the immense power they held within.

Each individual stone would unleash formidable strength.

A power greater than a blow infused with all my might was sealed within each stone.

‘With this, I can replace the strokes of the Demon God.’

I hadn\'t been able to use the strokes of the Demon God because I didn\'t fully understand the penalties.

Using the engraved stones instead would make things much easier.

Of course, though they contained the power of the Headmaster, one of the strongest in the Demon Realm, their efficacy would be weaker than the strokes of the Demon God, which were imbued with the power of God.

Still, they were an excellent substitute.

“Thank you.”

“Yes, I trust you’ll put them to good use.”

*Pat, pat-*

The Headmaster, seemingly finding my bowed head endearing, gently patted my head.

……What could I say? It was indeed a gentle touch, but with a little focus, one could tell.

That the mechanical, inorganic movement held not a shred of affection.

I smiled in response but didn\'t let my disconcerted feelings show.

In any case, the Headmaster, seemingly satisfied with my reaction, drew another arc on his lips and raised his hand.

“The rest of you, come closer.”

The students, who had finished their meditation at some point, were waiting behind us.

At his words, the students rose from their spots and approached us.

Soon, a ‘blessing’ began to emanate from the Headmaster\'s hand.

The blessing enveloped our bodies once before fading away.

“May your futures be filled with glory.”

The Headmaster, blessing our futures.

It felt strange.

This applied to both Crete and the Headmaster.

I wondered if it was alright for these people, who harbored ulterior motives towards me, to be so generous.

It was an investment of sorts, given their high expectations of me, but to be on the receiving end continuously made me wonder,

‘Are these guys really trustworthy?’

……Well, it was better to have it than not.

I had to stay vigilant, but I also had to make the most of the gifts they gave me.

After all, I had to be the one in control, not the one being used.

“Well then, good work everyone. You are dismissed.”

“Don\'t forget your homework!”

Following the Headmaster\'s farewell, Idea added those dreadful words.

As I, completely ignoring Idea, was about to take my leave.

*Squeeze-*

“……We need to talk.”

Rene grabbed my wrist.

I had no choice but to stiffen my expression and stay put.

What was this?

Why was she calling me out?

It wasn\'t that I couldn\'t think of a reason and froze up.

On the contrary, it was because I had too many guilty consciences that I couldn\'t move rashly.

“Is there something you need to tell me?”

I barely managed to open my mouth, careful not to let my fear show.

“…….”

But Rene didn\'t answer and just looked around.

*Flinch-*

Our companions, who had been watching me and Rene, flinched.

The Headmaster, seemingly uninterested in the situation, had already left.

“I, I\'ll be going then……!”

Idea, who had been watching us nonchalantly while whistling, quickly ran away at Rene\'s cold stare.

“I, I best be off as well.”

“Um…… Adel, take care. I hope we can spar next time we meet.”

“See you around……”

“……Idiot.”

The rest of the male students, including Baltan, also quickly fled like Idea.

Even Fron just left after cursing under his breath.

No one.

No one came to my rescue.

I felt a sense of despair as my shoulders slumped.

Now, the only ones left were me, Rene, and Diana.

The two most awkward people to be around were now cornering me.

I quickly called out to Samuel.

‘Help me.’

[……I think I\'ll turn in for now.]

Samuel would selectively fall asleep whenever things got serious.

He was trying to escape the situation, leaving me behind once again.

……I couldn\'t let him do that.

I desperately tried to wake Samuel up, not wanting to be the only one to suffer.

“Focus on me.”

Rene\'s gaze, cold as ice, forced me to look back at her.

Diana burst into laughter at the sight.

“My, my, looks like you\'re in a pinch, Mr. Escort?”

“……You too.”

But she cast a banishing spell on Diana as well.

I smiled inwardly, feeling a sliver of satisfaction.

Diana frowned at Rene\'s words and opened her mouth.

“Rene, I have something to say to Mr. Escort too……”

“Go.”

“Tsk, fine……”

“Hurry up.”

Diana pouted and tried to look pitiful, but Rene remained firm, shooing her away.

Diana gathered her belongings and turned to leave, then waved at me.

“See you later, Mr. Escort! How about we talk one-on-one next time?”

“……I\'ll consider it.”

Never.

I would never meet her alone.

I just gave her the answer she wanted to get rid of her quickly.

Diana, seemingly satisfied with my response, smiled and left.

I tore my gaze away from Diana and looked at Rene.

“…….”

“…….”

Heavy.

It was suffocatingly heavy.

There was nothing physically weighing me down, but the atmosphere felt as heavy as a mountain.

It was even more so because Rene remained silent, just staring at me coldly.

If only she would say something, this awkwardness could be broken.

But as time passed, it seemed unlikely that Rene would speak, so I decided to initiate the conversation.

“How about we talk while we walk?”

“……Let’s.”

With Rene’s agreement, we left the auditorium and stepped outside.

* * *

‘Now, what should I talk about?’

I sighed inwardly.

While the awkwardness hadn\'t completely dissipated, the oppressive atmosphere had eased somewhat now that we were out of the auditorium and in the open air.

However, that didn\'t mean the conversation flowed smoothly.

“…….”

Rene still hadn\'t said a word, silently walking beside me.

Her silence made me anxious.

What on earth had I done to make her torment me like this?

As I was frowning,

“You, no, curious.”

“……?”

Rene\'s words were baffling.

It was a jumbled string of single words, barely forming a coherent sentence.

I couldn\'t grasp her meaning and just stood there dumbfounded.

After what felt like an eternity, it finally dawned on me what Rene was trying to say.

“Are you asking if I have nothing to be curious about?”

“Yes.”

“Then, about what…...”

“Me.”

Me?

Once again, Rene’s cryptic answer left me tilting my head in confusion.

I struggled to find the meaning behind her words and cautiously asked,

“Are you asking if I have no curiosity about you, my lady?”

“Yes.”

“……Not particularly.”

In truth, I had a lot of questions for Rene.

What Crete wanted from me, what Rene wanted from me.

And whether my suspicions about the person who killed Rene\'s mother being \'him\' were true.

However, none of these were topics I could bring up lightly.

Besides, the current situation didn’t seem like the right time to ask if I had no interest in her.

It seemed like a genuine question about whether I had no curiosity about her.

……And I truly had no such curiosity.

Our school lives were almost identical, so what was there to ask?

However.

It seemed that this was not the right answer either.

“Feelings, hurt.”

“……!”

Rene frowned again, staring at me intently.

“……This time too, only me.”

Then, her face fell with disappointment, and she lowered her head dejectedly.

It was the first time I had seen her react this way.

Rene always wore a cold expression.

When she was angry, her expression would contort, and although she rarely laughed out loud, I had seen her chuckle a few times when something was amusing.

But this was the first time I had seen her so disheartened.

It frightened me.

What had I done wrong this time?

“My lady, if I have done anything wrong, please tell me…...”

I pleaded with Rene, my voice laced with desperation.

……If things went south and Rene reported my behavior to Crete, I might actually die.

I was in a position where I had to stay on Rene’s good side, yet I had somehow managed to upset her to the point of tears.

But it was incredibly frustrating.

I had absolutely no idea what I had done wrong.

“……Please, tell me if something is troubling you.”

“You’re strange.”

“What do you mean by strange? I will fix it.”

“…….”

*Point*

When I asked, Rene pointed a finger at herself, then at me.

“Want to ask.”

She pointed at me again, then back at herself.

“……You don’t.”

So.

To summarize, Rene had many questions she wanted to ask me, but she was upset that I didn’t ask her anything in return.

What?

……She was upset over something like this?

Unable to comprehend her emotions, I was dumbfounded.

Still, I had figured out what Rene wanted, so I decided to ask her a question.

“Did you have breakfast this morning?”

“……No.”

The atmosphere grew even colder.

I felt the temperature plummet to absolute zero.

As I stood there trembling in fear,

“You, when coming.”

“When am I returning to the Bares family?”

“Yes.”

“Well…... I think it will take about three days. I’ll head back right away.”

“……Okay.”

At least I would be returning soon.

Rene didn\'t say anything more.

And so, we continued walking in silence.

Before we knew it, we were standing in front of a train.

We had arrived at our destination.

*Wave*

Rene glanced at the train and then waved at me.

“Well then, take care.”

“Ah, hold on a moment.”

I quickly stopped Rene before she could leave.

Her brow furrowed as she glared at me, annoyance flashing in her eyes.

This time, it seemed like genuine irritation, and it was quite scary.

“……There’s nothing more to say.”

“No, my lady, that’s not it.”

“Hurry up and speak. There’s no time.”

I had to say my piece, so I stopped Rene once more before she could board the train.

Catching my breath, I pointed at the stopped train.

“We have to take the same train anyway.”

“……!”

*Flush*

Rene’s ears turned red at my words.

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