Book 1 Chapter 604

604.

About half a day had passed since they started their sightseeing.

"Brother Leo."

"Yes?"

"For the first time today, I found myself respecting Kal."

Leo burst into laughter at Chelsea's words.

"No, how on earth can he get things or find accommodation so easily without any money?"

In their first year, they were in the same class.

And after moving up to their second year, though their dormitories changed, they were in the same department.

Chelsea and Kal had teamed up numerous times to complete missions or conquer the World of Heroes together.

Kal's abilities were especially useful when conquering the World of Heroes.

The World of Heroes presented various situations.

Those from prestigious or noble families often faced difficulties they wouldn't normally encounter due to a lack of money.

Having Kal in the party made things easier then.

With his unique easygoing nature and sociability, Kal quickly befriended people and easily obtained what he wanted in exchange for simple chores.

Most students who were in the same group as Kal merely thought, 'How convenient,' when they saw him.

Few were truly impressed by Kal's negotiation skills.

This was true even for Chelsea, who was Kal's best friend.

But now.

Chelsea was realizing anew just how amazing Kal's abilities were.

"Things always look easy when you're watching from the side."

"Ugh."

Chelsea made a wincing face.

Leo spoke to such a Chelsea.

"First of all, our backgrounds are different."

It was impossible for Chelsea, a direct descendant of a renowned hero family, who had been doted on since childhood with no lack of anything, to easily imitate Kal, who came from a commoner alchemist family and was accustomed to shop work.

'In Kal's case, it seems he's not just accustomed to it, but naturally specialized in that area.'

Even Leo, who had experienced all sorts of things working as a mercenary in his previous life, was impressed by Kal's resourcefulness, which said it all.

'I took it too lightly.'

Being unable to reveal their identities or use magic was a greater penalty than they had anticipated.

Moreover, before they separated.

Leo had confiscated all accessories that could be exchanged for money.

Their clothes were also swapped for ordinary ones made of common materials, easily obtainable anywhere.

Of course, it wasn't that there was no one willing to help them.

But they all had ulterior motives.

Chelsea punished anyone who approached them with sinister gazes.

Grrr-

A rumbling sound came from her stomach.

It was already long past dinner time.

When Leo glanced at her after hearing the sound, Chelsea's face flushed slightly.

'What should I do?'

Chelsea's primary goal was to find accommodation.

But it didn't go well.

Since Retin was a tourist city itself, accommodation costs were generally high everywhere.

She asked if they could stay in exchange for doing chores, just like Kal had done, but no one accepted.

'Labor alone isn't enough. What would Kal have done?'

Chelsea recalled what Kal used to do.

'How did you get food from shops without any money?'

'I pretended to be pitiful.'

'Pretended to be pitiful?'

'Yeah. I said my sister hadn't eaten for days because we had no money.'

'You lie so well without even batting an eyelid.'

'Because it's true that I was starving.'

A conversation she had with Kal in the World of Heroes came to mind.

'I'm not good at lying like that.'

If it were playing a prank, maybe.

But she wasn't confident in acting pitiful.

Such a thing required a certain atmosphere, and it wasn't easy for Chelsea to create the same atmosphere as Kal.

It was while Chelsea was struggling with this.

"We have to go that way, not this way!"

"Don't be ridiculous! We must go there!"

Familiar voices were heard in the middle of the street.

Murmur-murmur-

A sudden commotion drew a crowd.

As Leo and Chelsea approached, Niel and Machel were arguing again.

"Oh dear, again."

Chelsea covered her face.

Watching the two bickering over something trivial again, Chelsea discreetly observed Leo.

He had clearly stated he wouldn't let them off if they fought.

"That's just a difference of opinion."

At his words, Chelsea felt a slight relief.

Since childhood, Machel had looked after Abard and Chelsea.

Therefore, Chelsea didn't feel pleasant seeing Machel get into trouble.

Chelsea watched the two squabbling for a moment, then let out a small sigh.

"Sigh, seeing them like that, it feels like it's because of us, and it weighs on my mind."

"Why? They're vassals of the Gerdinger and Lwalin families, so it's natural for them to not get along, isn't it?"

"Yes. That's true. But… maybe Brother Machel's first love was Senior Niel?"

"What?"

At the completely unexpected words, Leo momentarily wore a confused expression.

"They actually dated before enrolling in Lumerne."

At that, Leo looked at Niel and Machel with a dumbfounded expression.

"Those two were a couple?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Brother Machel attended the Lodren Imperial Academy before enrolling in Lumerne."

Although Lumerne was the best academy, there were several other prestigious academies in human society besides Lumerne.

The most prominent were the three great class academies: Knight Academy Icot, Magic Academy Emeral, and Summoning Academy Scaun.

Typically, students expelled from Lumerne transferred to these academies, or new students preparing to transfer to Lumerne passed through them.

Even Princess Shasha of the Lodren Empire had attended Scaun before transferring to Lumerne.

And the Lodren Imperial Academy, as it nurtured the empire's top talents, was a top-tier academy, if not quite on par with Icot, Emeral, and Scaun.

If the three great class academies specialized in their respective classes, the Lodren Imperial Academy, like Lumerne, fostered interaction among students of all classes.

Crucially, it had the advantage of allowing commuting.

"Machel also passed the Emeral entrance exam, but he went to the Imperial Academy in the capital, saying he needed to serve my brother and me. He was the top student in the magic department there."

Recalling that time, Chelsea shook her head.

"At that time, since the Lwalin vassal family would clearly receive special treatment, Brother Machel hid his identity."

Machel attended school as a country nobleman.

And he rose to the position of top student in his year solely through his own efforts.

"Then one day, he came home and said this. He dueled with the top student of the knight department in the same year and lost."

Machel was a traditional mage.

In a 1-on-1 duel, he was bound to be at a disadvantage against a knight.

But even so, when Abard and Chelsea heard that Machel had lost to a peer, they were both surprised at the time.

"But he didn't seem upset; rather, he seemed pleased."

'My Lady, Young Master. She, too, is from a provincial noble family and rose to the position of top student in the knight department through her own strength. She was an extremely outstanding, noble, and spirited woman. It's natural that I lost. Of course, I won't lose next time, though.'

"Surely, that top knight student wasn't Senior Niel?"

"Yes."

Niel had also entered the Lodren Imperial Academy for the same reason.

"It seems they got along well."

Both were apparently looked down upon as country bumpkins from provincial noble families.

Because of this, they naturally had many opportunities to interact and quickly grew close.

Moreover, they said they had many commonalities when they talked.

"They said they had someone from a high-ranking family they served, and that they communicated well about it. He talked about Senior Niel almost every single day."

'Young Master! My Lady! She is quite something!'

'I definitely want to introduce her to both of you!'

'Young Master! My Lady! We're dating!'

Niel and Machel, who were just starting to notice the opposite sex, quickly developed into a couple.

"I remember him seriously thinking about their future back then. He said it would be hard to find someone he got along with so well."

"Well, they fight tooth and nail, but they do act exactly the same."

Leo clicked his tongue.

"Then they took the Lumerne entrance exam, and that's when they finally found out each other's identities."

"So? What happened?"

Chelsea let out a small sigh, looking at Leo's intrigued face.

"What happened, indeed. Of course, it caused a huge fuss."

Both passed the entrance exam.

But the moment they learned each other's identities, both were shocked.

"In the end, they fought bitterly, saying they didn't want to enter the same year, and Senior Niel gave up on enrolling. It seemed she had no intention of attending Lumerne at all. But the Gerdinger family persuaded her for a year, and eventually, she enrolled one year below Machel."

Niel and Machel had never treated each other with a light heart.

However, both were strong-willed and deeply committed to Gerdinger and Lwalin, which led to their separation.

"You've always been like that! Really!"

"That's my line!"

As the two began to bring up old stories, the onlookers started to murmur.

"Is it a marital dispute?"

"It looks like it."

"They look like newlyweds. It's a sweet time."

As a young man and woman were arguing due to a conflict of opinion in the street, it appeared to be a marital dispute.

It was while the onlookers were watching them with what seemed like warm feelings.

"If you had just been honest, we wouldn't have gotten involved in the first place!"

"Hmph! So we broke up in the end, didn't we!"

The warm atmosphere vanished instantly.

Watching the two grow increasingly emotional, Leo said,

"I don't think we can leave them be any longer."

"Ah! I've got a great idea!"

"Huh?"

Leo looked at Chelsea with puzzled eyes.

***

"So… because of me, our family trip was ruined."

Chelsea drooped her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, oppa, unni. For ruining the family trip."

"Oh dear… how pitiful."

The innkeeper looked at Chelsea, who was making a sad face, with a sympathetic expression.

The scenario Chelsea acted out was simple.

A younger sister who came on a trip to reconcile her older brother and his wife, who were on the verge of a huge fight and divorce, and ended up losing all the travel expenses.

Thanks to Niel and Machel's big fight on the street, the surrounding innkeepers had also witnessed the scene.

Because of this, the scenario sounded very plausible, and the innkeeper was completely fooled.

Incidentally, Leo played the role of Niel's younger brother.

"You two. Your younger sister is apologizing like this, why don't you forgive her already?"

At those words, Machel, who had a hardened expression, said as if he couldn't stand it any longer.

"I will tell you the truth. I…"

Machel was about to say that they weren't married but instantly met Chelsea's wide-eyed gaze.

"You, too, sister-in-law, please lighten up."

Niel also was about to tell the truth but heard Leo's words and kept his mouth shut.

"Wife. Your sister is right. Lighten up! The bond between husband and wife is special! It shouldn't be easily broken! Don't worry. For tonight. You can stay at our inn. We happen to have two rooms available."

When the innkeeper spoke as if to reassure them, Chelsea said.

"C-Can you really do that for us?"

Seeing Chelsea's eyes sparkling, the innkeeper laughed cheerfully.

"Of course! This old man is touched by the thoughtful heart of a clever young lady who cares for her brother!"

"Wow! In return, I'll do my best to help out at the inn!"

"Haha! With such a beautiful young lady working, business will surely thrive!"

"This brother here is an amazing cook!"

Chelsea pointed at Leo and said.

"We were short-staffed, so that's reassuring!"

Chelsea, having successfully secured a room at the inn, took the room key and smiled triumphantly.

"Thanks to Machel and Senior Niel, we got a nice place to stay!"

"But the setting was quite extreme, wasn't it?"

A couple on the verge of separation.

The setting was quite unconventional.

"Huh? Extreme? My sister Airan reads a lot of books with stories like this, so I just tried it out."

At Chelsea's words, Leo narrowed his eyes.

'Should I warn Airan too?'

Thinking that, Leo glanced behind him.

He spoke, looking at the two who clearly looked like they wanted to kill each other.

"I'll let you fight here."

"We won't fight."

"Yes! We won't fight."

At their replies, Leo looked at Chelsea.

"Do you think they won't fight?"

"They will."

When it came to this, if nothing else, Niel and Machel were untrustworthy.