IFYS 04

Chapter 4

“Professor!”

“I’m not deaf. I can hear you even if you speak quietly. So, what exactly is the matter?”

Aiden had been famous ever since his student days.

As the son of a Guardian family, he had attracted plenty of attention from the moment he entered the academy. After that, his persistent nature—throwing himself into anything he became fixated on without regard for the consequences—only made him more notorious.

It seemed something had seriously gotten on his nerves again.

Seton glanced at Eugene, who was sitting across from him, but Eugene merely looked away and pretended to be minding his own business.

…It seems like there’s something going on that only I don’t know about.

Especially Eugene.

He was definitely hiding something.

Unable to tolerate even that brief silence, Aiden immediately raised his voice.

“Professor! No, Instructor!”

“Oh, what now?! Stop calling me and just tell me what’s wrong. What are you unhappy about?”

“Why is Olivia here? She’s in the Department of Knight Studies? Wasn’t she in Monster Classification three years ago?”

“Oh, is that all?”

“You were away on assignment for a long time, weren’t you? Olivia has been in a different department for quite some time now. She’ll be coming here soon, too. Just wait a moment.”

“Then why?!”

“That’s Olivia’s choice, isn’t it?”

Knock, knock.

Right on cue, a perfectly timed knock came from the door.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward it.

“Professor, may I come in?”

“Oh, Miss Olivia! Come in!”

Through the quietly opening door, Olivia Kishier, the pride of Veritas and the treasure of the Department of Knight Studies, cautiously poked her head inside.

How is our Olivia always so impeccably mannered?!

The professor’s eyes shimmered with emotion.

“Professor, there are some footprints outside the door. I think you should have someone come and clean them.”

“Ah, that’s because some rude fellow opened the door with his foot instead of his hand. As expected, Miss Olivia is the only one who cares about maintaining a professor’s dignity!”

“My goodness. There really is someone that rude?”

“Of course! But it’s something our Olivia would never dream of doing!”

At those words, Seton felt a piercing gaze from beside him.

That man really has no conscience.

Olivia let out a small laugh at Seton’s words before greeting the other people occupying the room.

“It’s been a while, Commander Eugene. And… Brother Aiden.”

“Olive.”

It was nothing more than an ordinary greeting.

But still…

What is this atmosphere?

Aiden, who had been rampaging around like a mad dog without regard for rank or propriety, suddenly became docile.

And Olivia, meanwhile, couldn’t take her eyes off Aiden.

This is far too strange.

“You’ve… been well?”

“Of course. What about you, Brother? You aren’t hurt anywhere, are you?”

Well, Aiden is actually speaking like a normal human being for once.

Just moments ago, he had been barking like a dog.

Seton narrowed his eyes as he looked back and forth between the two.

He had felt something very similar once before, when he caught his precious youngest daughter sharing cookies with the little snot-nosed boy from next door.

He had left them alone, thinking it was nothing.

Twenty years later, the two had come to him saying they intended to get married.

The terrible memory resurfaced, and unease spread across Professor Seton’s face.

“I’m against it.”

“What?”

“Professor. Have you already lost your mind?”

Look at them.

A union between their sweet, beautiful Olivia and that delinquent Obllion?

Even if someone shoved dirt into his eyes, he still couldn’t approve.

“Anyway, that’s not what’s important. So, Professor, you need to answer my question first.”

“Olivia is here too. Why don’t you ask her directly?”

Of course, Aiden ignored him completely and turned toward Eugene instead.

“And Commander, how do you know Olivia?”

“How do I know her? What a strange question. Olivia has come to see me several times, so of course I know her.”

“What?”

“Do something about that way you speak. How impertinent.”

Tsk, tsk.

Eugene deliberately clicked his tongue before approaching Olivia and extending his hand.

“So, Miss Olivia. Are you ready? Ready to join the Lux Knights?”

“I haven’t even completed my final practical training yet.”

“You’ll pass that at the top of your class, too. Naturally. I happen to have an excellent eye for talent.”

“You flatter me.”

Ah, right.

Eugene had been the one who wrote Olivia’s recommendation letter when she transferred departments.

Thanks to that, her transfer had gone relatively smoothly.

Back then, when Seton had demanded to know what Eugene had been thinking when he wrote that recommendation, Eugene had answered:

“One year. Just wait one year.”

“You think she’s that talented?”

“She’s a genius. Once she has the right environment, her talent will bloom.”

After watching Olivia for three years with equal parts doubt and anticipation, Professor Seton was now congratulating himself over and over again for having trusted Eugene’s words back then.

Everyone exchanged warm greetings.

Everyone except one person.

If there was one person in that peaceful room who was anything but peaceful, it was Aiden.

A gloomy voice slipped through Aiden’s clenched teeth.

“…The Lux Knights?”

And a few seconds later—

“What kind of nonsense is this?!”

Unable to contain himself, Aiden shouted so loudly that the entire room seemed to shake.

So Aiden really is a delinquent.

That was what Olivia thought.

Actually, she had never seen Aiden act like a delinquent before.

He had always behaved fairly normally in front of the Kishier siblings.

But today was different.

The moment Aiden learned that Olivia was planning to join the Lux Knights, he went completely berserk.

“Who talked you into joining this crazy knight order?! Tell me. I won’t let them get away with it.”

“Commander Eugene.”

“The Commander? You mean the Commander?! Pick up your sword right now. I challenge you to a duel—”

“Hey, Sir Aiden. Calm down. This is Miss Olivia’s choice!”

“Professor, what the hell were you doing instead of stopping her?!”

Crash! Bang! Clatter!

The commotion continued until the academy guards, having received a report, burst into the professor’s office.

“All three of you, please calm down first.”

“Do you even know what kind of place the Lux Knights are?! Do you know how they’re treated?! Huh? This is completely ridiculous! No, it’s like you’ve deliberately decided to ruin this girl’s life!”

“We just received a report that an intruder had broken into the professor’s office…”

“If our Olivia says she wants to do it, then she’ll do it! Who are you to interfere with Miss Olivia?!”

“So, an intruder came in—”

“Olivia is a genius. Though I suppose there’s no point arguing with someone who’s never even seen Olivia train. Isn’t that right?”

“If you continue behaving like this, we may have no choice but to use a magical device to conduct a proper investigation. Do all three of you consent?”

“……”

The fact that even the dignified professor and Commander Eugene had gotten dragged into the chaos said it all.

Olivia calmly waited for everyone to settle down before taking Aiden outside with her.

After all, there was a mountain of things that needed to be settled between them.

The two walked side by side through a secluded garden in a quiet corner of the academy.

Now that he had finally regained his senses, Aiden rubbed the back of his neck and cautiously spoke.

“So, Olive. I know I made a fool of myself back there… but, what are you doing right now?”

Done.

Olivia smiled proudly as she admired her handiwork.

There was a strange ring on Aiden’s left ring finger that hadn’t been there moments ago.

“…W-What is this?”

The transparent gemstone set into the ring glittered brightly beneath the warm spring sunlight.

With a radiant smile as bright as the shining ring, Olivia answered,

“It’s our engagement ring. It’s pretty.”

Aiden’s mouth fell open in a perfect circle as he stared back and forth between Olivia and the ring.