Chapter 26
Rune cautiously glanced up at Ellen.
“So… he’s the poor guy who’ll end up taking the blame instead of me, huh.”
The canceled admission paper, the mercenary work he’d done—every detail pointed toward Ellen.
To think that the hastily scribbled name had been Ellen Grimaldi. She had never wanted to learn about someone’s past in such a way.
Perhaps because of the humid, steamy air, Ellen’s flushed face was twisted in discomfort.
He had been subjected to all sorts of insults, even the misunderstanding that he had been recommended by Cailion. No wonder he was angry.
“Even if they were just running their mouths, this is too much.”
The vulgar level of the conversation made Rune frown. Her mouth felt as dry and gritty as if filled with sand.
And—at least Ellen surely knew that it was she, not him, who had received the recommendation letter.
Feeling a pang of moral responsibility, Rune immediately apologized.
“Sorry.”
Ellen, who met her eyes, inhaled sharply and flinched. He raised a hand to cover his eyes and muttered in frustration.
“If you’re sorry… then hurry up and put some clothes on.”
He threw down the towel that had been on the shelf and stormed out.
“What? Ugh.”
Pulling the towel from her face, Rune frowned in disbelief.
“What’s he talking about? Clothes…?”
Ah. She suddenly realized the emptiness below. Looking down, she saw quite a sight.
Her pale thighs were exposed beneath the short tunic. Damn it… at least she had remembered to wear underwear. For that, she supposed she should be grateful to her own absentmindedness.
“Hey! Wait!”
Rune shouted at Ellen, who had stormed out as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t.
She quickly slipped on her pants, draped the towel over her shoulder, grabbed her scattered toiletries, and rushed out of the washroom.
She needed to talk to Ellen about this situation right away. Rune ran out as if ready to chase him anywhere—only to stop dead in her tracks, dumbfounded.
He hadn’t left at all. He was leaning against the entrance with his arms crossed, waiting.
What? He really waited just because she’d told him to?
She walked over, drying her wet hair with the towel around her neck, and casually placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Come on, we’re both guys. Why make such a fuss?”
“Both guys….”
Ellen’s face twisted as if he’d seen something bizarre. Muttering irritably, “What a bother,” he brushed off her hand and strode forward.
Rune quickly followed. On his straight back, the massive greatsword was still strapped.
“You said you were going to sell your sword. So why did you come back here?”
“You should know that better than I do.”
Ellen shot her a sidelong glance. What did that mean? Rune forced a smile and waved her hand nonchalantly.
“A rookie just arrived. If they ran into upperclassmen half-naked, it’d be awkward, right?”
“Think what you want.”
Even at her probing words, his expression stayed indifferent. She couldn’t figure out his intentions, but either way, he had helped her. And thanks to that, he was now being misunderstood.
After some thought, Rune carefully spoke.
“…About the recommendation letter. I think you’ve ended up taking the blame for me. Sorry.”
“Forget it.”
Her apology was met with a cold dismissal. Seeing her lips part awkwardly, Ellen let out a sigh of irritation.
“…What I mean is, forget about that crap. Don’t bother with it.”
“How can you just ignore something like that?”
“Because those guys will always run their mouths, no matter what.”
“Doesn’t it feel unfair?”
“It feels annoying.”
His eyes said it all: even talking to her was a bother.
He had barged in out of nowhere, and now he was drawing a line, as if he wanted nothing to do with any troublesome matter. She had no idea why he had even bothered to help her.
The feeling was as sticky and unpleasant as her damp clothes. She could reason it away as him simply helping a “new student in a tough spot,” but it didn’t add up.
From what she saw, Ellen wasn’t the type to go out of his way to help anyone. And what he had done earlier was far beyond what was necessary.
“Did he… notice something? Hopefully it’s just me being paranoid.”
Feeling a creeping unease, she pressed the towel firmly against her damp cheek. When she kept glancing at him as she followed, Ellen snapped irritably.
“What are you staring at.”
What a personality. Maybe she was overthinking things.
She retraced the situation logically. Her chest had been properly bound, and all Ellen had seen were her bare legs.
And above all, he was someone who was obsessed with swords.
“Even if he realized I’m a woman, that would only give him more reason not to help me.”
In the Empire, including her own father, every man she’d seen had only ever looked down on women who picked up a sword. Ellen would have been no different—he’d probably have been disgusted, not helpful.
Either way, despite what he said, he had come to help her. He didn’t seem like such a bad guy after all.
Rune cleared her throat and gave him a small nod.
“Anyway, thanks for helping.”
“I just didn’t want things to get noisy.”
Even when thanked, he was curt. Rune laced her hands behind her head and glanced up at him as they walked side by side. His steady steps were aimed toward the dormitory. A moment ago, he had seemed ready to run straight to a weapon shop, but now it looked like he’d changed his mind.
“So you’ve decided not to sell that sword?”
She asked casually. Ellen frowned slightly, then sighed and turned his head away.
“…Like you said. I don’t think I’d get a fair price for it.”
His curt tone still couldn’t hide the truth. Rune laughed with bright, crescent-shaped eyes. See? He really does treasure that sword.
“Good choice.”
She smacked his back in approval. Ellen flinched with a short groan and stiffened his posture.
What kind of strength was that? Irritated, he rubbed his back and glared her up and down with a sigh.
“…At this point, I have to ask. Why did you even come to the Academy?”
What an impertinent question. Rune herself couldn’t tell anymore whether he was a good person or a bad one.
She scratched her forehead and sighed.
“For the same reason as you, obviously. Why else would someone who loves swords come here, if not to learn? What’s wrong with that?”
She shrugged casually and continued.
“I love them just as much as you do.”
“…What?”
Ellen’s sharp hazel eyes flickered. Though she had only slapped his back, he looked as if he’d been struck in the head.
His bewildered expression was so unexpected that Rune couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What’s with that look? At least I’m more honest than you. You don’t need any qualifications to learn the sword. If you love it, you want to know more about it—and you want to get better. That’s all.”
Ugh, this clammy feeling was unbearable. “I’m going in first,” she said, fanning her damp tunic, waving a hand carelessly, and disappearing into the dormitory.
“……”
Ellen stood there for a long while, watching her retreating figure.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Back in her room, Rune immediately changed out of her damp clothes into a dry set.
The cloth she had wrapped around her chest was already soaked. She hung it out on the makeshift clothesline strung between her bookshelf and window frame, then opened the window.
Compared to Estel, closer to the forest, the breeze here was drier.
She leaned against the windowsill, resting her chin on her hand.
“Quite a tumultuous first day.”
Who knew Cailion’s letter of recommendation would have such an impact? She hadn’t imagined rumors would spread before she’d even taken the Academy entrance exam.
What troubled her most was that an innocent person was getting blamed because of it.
“I never planned to hide it, but right now… it’s complicated. What should I do?”
She had hoped to prove the legitimacy of the recommendation, but without taking the entrance exam, that was impossible for now.
But she couldn’t just let Ellen be misunderstood.
“He may not care, but I do.”
Night fell over the Academy, silent and still.
Her gaze drifted toward the west wing, where Cailion’s office was located. A few windows still glowed faintly with light, as if someone was still working inside.
“…Could Cailion still be there?”
Then again, his main residence was the Duke of Heraes’s manor in the capital. He could have gone back already.
Rune brushed back her damp hair and sighed. She had told him herself to pretend not to know her—so why was she wondering where he was?
She was about to close the window and go to bed when—
“Pii. Pii.”
A familiar cry came from nearby. The tree branches close to her window shook, and a falcon hopped clumsily into view.
“Seak?”
It was Cailion’s falcon. Surprised, Rune leaned forward and reached out her hand. Seak nudged her palm with its beak and fluttered its folded wings.
“When did you follow me all the way to Lepium? How did you even find me here?”
When she stroked its sleek beak, Seak crooned happily.
Seeing the thick band on its ankle made her laugh. Remembering how she had once been dropped straight into Cailion’s office because of that falcon still made her shake her head in disbelief.
“You can fly wherever you want, huh? I’m a little jealous.”
Apparently, despite being “set free,” the clever falcon had followed its master all the way here.
Wait—if that was the case…
Rune’s eyes widened as she looked down. From behind the old tree in front of the dormitory, a dark figure slowly stepped out.
Even from a distance, that handsome face was unmistakable.
Startled, Rune pressed herself against the window frame and called softly downward.
“Lord Cailion!”
He raised a long finger to his lips and gave her a gentle smile.
“Shh.”
