A beautiful and elegant noble lady.

The quiet and demure third daughter of the Marquis Kisie family.

Those were the words that had described Olivia until three years ago.

But in truth, there was another nickname that stood out far more than those descriptions—

“The Mad Dog of Laurentia.”

It was a rather ill-fitting nickname for Olivia, who was neither particularly large nor intimidating in appearance.

But now, Panya understood all too well.

That nickname described Olivia perfectly.

Panya rested her chin on the table and casually spoke to Olivia, who was sitting across from her.

“By the way, Olivia, is that really true?”

“What?”

“I heard you’re planning to find your runaway fiancé, have a week-long death match with him, and then, once he loses consciousness, bury him upside down in the ground and send him to God’s side.”

At those words, Olivia tilted her head to one side.

Her expression was filled with confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

“No, wait. Do you even have a fiancé in the first place?”

“I do have a fiancé.”

“Then why didn’t I know? It’s the engagement of Lady Kisie, of all things.”

Panya had never heard anything about an engagement ceremony taking place at the Kisie household.

Olivia casually replied,

“You wouldn’t have known.”

“Why?”

“…Because my fiancé ran away three days after we got engaged.”

Oh dear.

Panya instinctively realized something.

Don’t touch that subject.

“S-So that’s what happened. Anyway, Olivia, about our practical training—”

“That’s why I transferred departments. I thought I was finally going to get engaged to him, but then my fiancé declared that he was breaking off the engagement and ran away after three days.”

“Huh?”

“There were times when I had some very violent urges when I couldn’t even find him to talk things over with him… Later, I heard that he had run away to a dispatched knights’ order.”

But it was already too late.

Cold sweat trickled down Panya’s back.

There was one thing she was certain of now.

The rumor going around Veritas Academy…

It was probably true after all.

“So you really did come here to kill your treacherous fiancé…”

At that, Olivia tilted her head again.

“For starters.”

“Uh-huh. For starters?”

“You shouldn’t kill people carelessly, Panya.”

No, you look like you could easily kill one or two people right now.

Panya wisely swallowed those words.

But there was one thing she ultimately couldn’t hold back.

“By the way, can I ask you just one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Why go all the way to transfer departments just to find a fiancé like that? Why not just let him go?”

In other words, Panya was asking why Olivia had gone so far as to transfer departments just to find a fiancé she had been engaged to for only three days.

Olivia had been an exceptionally talented student even in her former field of Monster Classification.

The noble young lady, who had never trained a day in her life and had arms as thin as wooden skewers, had chosen to transfer departments just to find a fiancé she’d only been engaged to for three days?

Wasn’t that strange?

Panya thought her question was perfectly reasonable.

So she couldn’t even imagine what exactly her question had touched inside Olivia.

She only began to feel something was wrong when she realized that Olivia’s lighthearted voice had been silent for several minutes.

“W-Wait a second.”

“It’s true. If I just let him go, everything would be over.”

“No. I misspoke.”

Thud.

Olivia slammed her hand down on the table with unusual force.

The corners of her lips were curled upward, but her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“But, Panya. Listen carefully.”

Should I run?

Panya instinctively looked around, searching for an escape route.

Olivia leaned slightly closer to Panya and said,

“I have never once failed to get something I wanted.”

“Uh-huh. I see.”

“If someone was going to abandon me, I should be the one to abandon them first.”

“Of course. Absolutely.”

“But someone else abandons me first?”

After saying that, Olivia paused before once again raising the corners of her lips.

Although she was smiling beautifully, there was something chilling about her smile.

“W-What are you thinking right now?”

“…Something that might be a little troublesome if other people found out?”

Panya gave up on asking any more questions.

She had a feeling something terrible would happen if she learned the truth.

After a brief silence, Olivia let out a long breath and straightened herself.

Her usual calm demeanor had returned.

“And besides, he can’t live without me either. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

No, he can’t.

No matter how I think about it, Olivia… I think that’s just your delusion.

“So I want you to actively correct the rumor that I’m going to kill my fiancé. He can’t get scared and run away again, can he?”

A strange light gleamed in Olivia’s jade-colored eyes as she spoke.

“O-Olivia.”

“Yes?”

“You know, that sounds a lot like obsession—”

Crack.

At that exact moment, Olivia cleanly broke the cookie she had been holding into two pieces.

Panya swallowed nervously and smiled.

“No, never mind.”

“Right?”

It’s not nothing. That’s definitely obsession…

The words she couldn’t bring herself to say lingered in her mouth before slowly fading away.

Olivia paid no attention to Panya’s expression and smiled sweetly once again.

“Panya. You see, this isn’t—”

What is she going to say now?

Panya was beginning to feel genuinely afraid of whatever was about to come out of Olivia’s mouth.

Perhaps unaware of Panya’s feelings, Olivia took another bite of her cookie and said,

“It isn’t obsession. It’s love.”

She’s completely insane.

Panya very quietly shook her head.

Veritas Academy was bustling from early morning.

Today was the day the grand training expedition for the graduating students’ practical training began.

Olivia had finished preparing early and was already at the Grand Training Grounds, where the event would take place, looking around.

Her hands were wrapped in thin bandages.

“You got hurt again?”

“Mm-hmm. There was someone who wasn’t very good at being persuaded.”

“Olivia. You usually persuade people with words. Not by beating them senseless…”

Olivia simply smiled sweetly without answering.

Well, they wouldn’t listen when I talked to them, so what choice did I have?

Olivia thought of her weapon, Defensor, which she had left behind in her room.

Of course, she hadn’t completely become its master yet, but she would soon, so it didn’t matter.

“But why do you look so happy today? Did something happen?”

“Because today is the day I’ve been waiting for.”

“The day you’ve been waiting for… Well, I suppose you have nothing to worry about. Every knights’ order must be desperate to recruit you.”

Once again, Olivia merely smiled without answering.

Every knights’ order?

She didn’t need all of them.

There was only one knights’ order Olivia wanted.

And today, Olivia would finally accomplish what she had yearned for over the past three years.

“All right, students, please return to your assigned places. The event will begin shortly!”

Just as the announcement said, the stage became increasingly busy as the event was about to begin.

Before long, the dean’s voice rang out.

“Greetings, students of Veritas Academy. Starting today, you will undergo three months of training before participating in your final practical training. That will determine which knights’ order you will join.”

The explanation of the event, something everyone already knew, wasn’t what mattered.

Olivia had only one goal.

To find the fiancé who had run away three years ago.

Her eyes swept rapidly across the stage before suddenly locking onto a golden-haired man who had just begun walking onto the platform.

“I would now like to introduce the instructors specially invited to train you.”

See? Transferring departments was the right choice.

The corners of Olivia’s lips curved upward.

The man, sensing her gaze, slowly turned his head toward her.

One pair of eyes burned fiercely, while the other’s were calm and lowered as though utterly weary.

The gazes of the two people, filled with completely opposite emotions, met in midair.

At that moment, the man’s eyes widened.

Olivia smiled brightly and silently mouthed a greeting.

It’s been a long time.

“Sir Aiden Oblivion of the Lux Knights.”

After three years, I finally get to see your face again, Senior.

It was their first reunion in three years.