“Heh~ so Miss Evelyn, you also think that Miss Rose deserves the top spot in the magic department?” Janica’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaned closer.
“Y-yes…” I stammered, trying to match her enthusiasm while keeping my voice steady.
“Hehe, I knew it! That thieving pale-headed woman… I know she’s a princess, but to think she would have no shame taking the top spot when she knows someone else deserves it. She might be considered the prettiest woman in school, but Princess Snow’s beauty isn’t above the school’s regulations, right?”
“… I guess so, fufu,” I replied, attempting to mask my nervousness with a soft laugh. Janica was all smiles in front of me, completely immersed in the conversation.
It had been around thirty minutes since we arrived at this small restaurant, and Janica had not stopped talking.
From my name to my likes, dislikes, and background, she seemed determined to learn everything about me.
Her enthusiasm was both charming and exhausting, and I felt my throat drying up from all the talking.
Although I wanted to escape the moment, I met these two, Janica’s persistence in making an apology by offering me a free dinner was too much to deny.
The way she grabbed onto my hands felt like she could immediately crush my bones if I refused any further.
Since transforming into this new form, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend: I felt too weak. [Note: Stats have been temporarily cut off due to new user biology]
[Note: It is imperative to locate a safe destination until user is back to optimal status.]
‘Well, thanks for the late update, system’
[Note: You’re welcome!]
11 11
Sighing, I admitted to myself that I was a bit hungry, so I ultimately decided to come along with them, albeit reluctantly.
Dealing with these two was proving to be more troublesome than I had anticipated.
As we entered this restaurant, I realized that this might be my only chance to have a proper and genuine conversation with them without worrying about my words and actions.
If I were still Riley, the conversation would have gone rather differently.
Janica would have been more reluctant, and the guy who kept staring at me-Lucas-would have acted more aggressively, simultaneously trying to challenge me.
The restaurant was quaint and bustling with life. Lanterns cast warm glow over the wooden tables, and the smell of grilled meat and spices filled the air.
Janica’s enthusiasm didn’t wane.
She peppered me with questions about my interests, hobbies and all sort of different things, her eyes shining with genuine curiosity.
Lucas, on the other hand, sat quietly, his gaze occasionally drifting towards me with a mix of confusion and intrigue.
Keeping up the strong, arrogant persona was always tiring, which was why I tended to avoid approaching and even interacting with Lucas.
Having a conversation without a mask and seeing sides of these two that I never got to see within the confines of the game or as Riley himself was refreshing.
“Young masters, here are your orders,” the waiter announced as he approached us, placing the dishes on the table.
Finally, Janica stopped rambling about her opinions and questions and instead focused on the mouth-watering food in front of us.
Although I wasn’t acting like a rabid dog full of saliva while looking at this food like Janica was, it was still incredibly hard to maintain an apathetic look, especially since my hunger was through the roof.
‘I guess I used too much of my mana in the dungeon.’
“Now then, let’s eat first, shall we?” Janica offered with a big smile, an invitation that neither Lucas nor I could deny.
As we began to eat, the atmosphere around the table became more relaxed. Janica’s enthusiasm for the food was contagious, and even Lucas, who usually maintained a stoic demeanor, seemed to be enjoying the meal.
“This is delicious!” Janica exclaimed, her eyes wide with delight. “I’ve never tasted anything like this before!”
Lucas nodded in agreement, taking another bite of his food. “Yeah, it’s really good.”
I couldn’t help but smile at their reactions. “I agree. The food here is amazing.”
For a while, we ate in comfortable silence, enjoying the flavors of the meal.
It was a welcome change from the usual tension and stress of my daily life.
….
‘Suspicious’
That was the word that stuck in Lucas’s mind the moment his eyes landed on the mysterious lady in front of him.
Although she seemed like a casual and normal lady one could find anywhere in the school, Lucas knew there was something different and unique about her.
Her beauty radiated like the sun, but the aura deep inside her shone with the blue hues of the
two moons above-a new color he had never seen in other people before.
But that wasn’t what made Lucas suspicious of her. It wasn’t her unnatural level of beauty either.
It was the nagging sense that he knew the person in front of him, and yet, he could clearly see and tell this was the first time they had met.
As someone who could distinguish a person and an illusion through aura alone, Lucas knew the person in front of him was one of the few unique individuals he had ever encountered. In his world of auras, unique people tended not to have duplicates.
‘Yet why did she seem so awfully familiar?’
Every time she spoke, her voice carried an underlying familiarity that Lucas couldn’t shake
off.
The way she held herself, the subtle nuances in her mannerisms, and even her laughter-it all felt like echoes of someone he knew well.
But no matter how hard he tried to place her, the memory remained elusive, just out of reach.
No, he did have an idea of to whom it was but he shook his head at the absurdity of the
thought….
The evening continued, and as they ate through their delicious meals, Lucas couldn’t help but steal glances at Evelyn.
Each time, he was met with the same sense of familiarity mixed with a strange disconnect.
It was as if two pieces of a puzzle almost fit but left a sliver of space, a gap that he couldn’t
bridge.
Janica’s chatter filled the silence, and Lucas was grateful for it. It gave him time to think without the pressure of conversation.
He listened with half an ear as Janica talked about their shared childhood, their training, and the latest academy gossip. His mind, however, was focused on the enigma that was Evelyn.
The way Evelyn’s face kept overlapping with someone he knew, and the way their auras matched yet perfectly contradicted one another, left Lucas deeply unsettled. Was this the result of constantly thinking about him, perhaps?
Goosebumps spread across his body at the thought, and Lucas couldn’t help but shake his head. Riley is a man; Miss Evelyn is a woman…
That much is a fact.
Their appearances might be similar in nature, but Miss Evelyn seemed to have a more kind
and beautiful personality.
Not to mention, she was clearly a mage due to her abundance of mana, the very opposite of
Riley, who was a knight.
Sighing in disbelief at his outrageous thoughts, Lucas found it difficult to even eat the steak
he had ordered properly.
Staring at her wouldn’t give him any concrete answers, and he knew that. After making up his
mind, he decided to put his suspicions to the test.
“Miss Evelyn….” Lucas began, his voice tinged with hesitation.
“Yes…?” Evelyn replied, her gaze steady but curious.
“Can I please see your hands…”
“E-excuse me?” Evelyn’s eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Lucas! What do you think you’re asking a lady?” Janica interjected, her voice sharp with
disapproval.
“Ah no, I mean-” Lucas stammered, realizing how inappropriate his request sounded.
“No, it’s alright, Miss Janica,” Evelyn said, stretching out her hands in front of him and gently opening her palms. “Is there something you’re curious about, Sir Lucas?” she asked
innocently.
Lucas felt a rush of relief and embarrassment. He carefully took Evelyn’s hands in his, feeling
the warmth and softness of her skin.
He examined her fingers, palms, and the lines etched into her skin. ‘There’s none…,’ he thought, his mind racing with confusion and intrigue.
There were no calluses, not even a subtle sign of wear. Her soft hands didn’t even have a hint
of having ever gripped something solid and hard.
Like a newborn baby’s, her skin was too smooth and flawless, making it clear that any form of
martial arts was never ingrained in her body.
Checking the flow of mana, his eyes also accurately calculated their internal pathways.
He could see it traveling like normal across her heart and mind… she was definitely a mage.
“… Uhm, Sir Lucas?”
“Yes?” he responded, snapping out of his trance.
“Is there something specific you’re looking for?” Evelyn asked, her voice gentle but tinged
with curiosity.
Lucas hesitated, struggling to find the right words. “I… I just wanted to confirm something. I apologize for the confusion” Lucas said as he immediately bowed his head.
“Is that so…?” Evelyn replied with a gentle smile.
Embarrassed by his actions, Lucas’s face turned red as he realized the impropriety of what he
had done.
As someone aspiring to be a knight, his behavior was clearly unbecoming.
Under knightly customs, a knight wasn’t allowed to hold the hands of a fair maiden unless the
two were close friends or family.
Forgetting such a custom due to his suspicions made Lucas feel even more conflicted about
himself, adding to the confusion rattling his mind.
“What were you even trying to do, Lucas?” Janica asked, staring at him annoyingly. This was
the first time she had ever seen him act like this.
“…” Lucas stayed silent unable to come up with a proper excuse.
Although Lucas had been acting weird ever since meeting Riley, this was clearly something
else.
Not to mention the fact that he seemed obviously infatuated with Evelyn, which got on her nerves even further.
She understood Evelyn was a beauty, but he had never acted like this with her or even with a transcendental beauty like Princess Snow.
‘Does he have a thing for blondes?’ Janica wondered suspiciously, worry creeping into her
mind as she watched the innocent Evelyn.
At first, she thought fate had finally given her a perfect ‘girl’ friend, something she hadn’t
been able to accomplish since coming to the academy.
But now she was slowly starting to realize that the universe might have just given her the perfect rival instead.
Janica’s mind raced with thoughts of Lucas’s unusual behavior.
It wasn’t just curiosity or politeness-there was something more to his interaction with
Evelyn. The way his eyes lingered on her, the almost palpable connection between them, and the undeniable attraction he exhibited-all of it unsettled Janica.
‘Safe….’
Phew~!
I thought he had caught on when he suddenly asked for my hand, but I guess the stat change
really did work wonders for me.
I knew from the way he kept looking at me that his suspicion was growing stronger and
stronger. He scanned the way I breathed and the way I moved.
As a martial artist, seeing subtle signs and subconscious movements between veteran fighters
was easy for someone like Lucas, who has those blessed golden eyes.
And my aura as well… it probably matches myself as Riley.
He must be so confused right now, with his mind and heart telling him two different things
about the person he was staring at.
A dilemma he can’t quite solve due to the constraints of the social world.
I’m glad his morals as a knight prevent him from asking me too many personal questions…
well, it was Janica handling all the questioning, but I have a feeling that my cover would be totally blown if I stay here any longer.
Not to mention the fact that I don’t know when this transformation will end…
I can’t have myself transforming back into Riley in a public place like this.
‘System, you better warn me when it’s about to happen!’
[Note: ….]
At least confirm it, yo-haah…
‘Why am I even trying to argue with this thing at this point?’
As Lucas calmed himself down, he proceeded to eat what was left of his meal while still
quietly giving me unforeseen and uncomfortable glances.
He might think that he was cleverly hiding his gaze, but for someone like me who’s been
constantly monitored by a world-ending dragon, sensing someone’s stares was just child’s
play.
He can’t even compare to Liyana.
Of course, he might be just staring at me due to my beauty, but that was highly unlikely… ‘This guy was as dense as a black hole, that even if someone as beautiful as Snow approached him openly, I doubt he would notice nor would he care about looks in the first place.’
As we continued finishing our meal, Lucas’s voice echoed, breaking the uneasy silence. “Miss Evelyn… I’ve been meaning to ask this, but what are your opinions on knights?”
‘Seriously, what the fuck is this bastard on about now?’