Two weeks had passed since that night with Helana and Adelia. The days had settled into a semblance of normalcy, despite the shadow cast by Oscar’s death. The atmosphere among my classmates was tinged with unease; the reality that someone as strong as Oscar could fall weighed heavily on them.
But with Amelia’s steady leadership and Cecilia’s unwavering support, they managed to pull themselves together. To them, Oscar’s death was a tragic accident, a misfortune in the face of an overwhelming swarm of monsters.
In the wake of this, our training sessions in the forest were approached with heightened caution. Security measures were significantly reinforced, ensuring no one ventured out alone.
Yet, despite the calm, a sense of unease gnawed at me. Nothing had happened to me since that night, and it was unsettling. Radakel’s suspicions were almost palpable, and I was certain he was plotting something against me. The problem was, I had no idea what his plans entailed, nor did Khione.
I could have asked her to issue another warning about the Heroes’ safety to protect me indirectly, but that might draw unwanted attention to her.
Khione had informed me she was already under the scrutiny of several Gods. Her failures with the previous summoned Heroes, who either perished or turned rogue, had made the Gods wary of her and our kind. For now, it was best to let her maintain a facade of normalcy.
“Nathan.”
“Hm?” I tore my gaze away from the book I was engrossed in and saw Courtney standing nearby.
As usual, I had been spending my time in the library, attempting to acquire new skills. Courtney was well aware of this routine.
“What is it, Courtney?” I asked, closing the book.
“The teacher asked for you. We’re going to eat with the royal family,” she said.
“With the royal family? That’s rather rare. On what occasion?” I asked, placing the book back on the shelf.
“I don’t know either. They’ll probably tell us at lunch,” she shrugged.
I smiled as I stood up. “It’s become quite the habit for you, hasn’t it, Courtney? You’re always the one fetching me when someone calls for me. Were you asked personally, or did you come on your own?” I asked.
Courtney’s cheeks flushed slightly. “I was asked personally,” she replied, looking away.
I knew very well that Courtney had chosen to call me out on her own. Since our agreement had ended, her behavior had changed noticeably. She seemed uneasy, a hint of loneliness evident in her eyes without the daily kisses and our closeness during those moments.
During our time together, I had practically forced her to talk about her day and her progress. Though she had resisted at first, she gradually became accustomed to it. As a girl, she had come to enjoy speaking about herself to someone who was willing to listen. But that was over now.
“Really? All this time, the teacher asked you personally to call me out? Wouldn’t it have made much more sense to ask my sisters to call me?” I asked thoughtfully.
“D-Don’t say nonsense. Are you coming or not?” Courtney retorted, her voice tinged with upset.
She looked quite cute with that expression, and I noticed she had made sure to put on a lot of makeup before coming to see me. It was clear she wanted to make an impression.
“Well, let’s not keep them waiting,” I relented with a smile.
We walked side by side through the corridors, heading toward the dining hall. I didn’t need to look at Courtney to see that she was fidgeting nervously around me. Her steps were slightly hurried, her hands clenching and unclenching as if she was trying to find the right words to say.
“You should have refused, Courtney,” I said suddenly.
“Hm? Refused?” Courtney was puzzled.
“Yes, if the teacher asked you to call me, you should have refused. Jason won’t like to see us together. You don’t want him to get the wrong ideas about us, right?” I asked with a smile.
Courtney’s cheeks flushed. “I… I didn’t think about that,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Well, you should. Jason is the type to jump to conclusions,” I said, glancing at her. “And besides, you know how he can be when he’s jealous.”
“Ah, yeah…” Courtney nodded, but it was clear she didn’t care about Jason anymore. Her demeanor and expressions betrayed her struggle to articulate that her feelings for Jason had completely dissipated.
The way she looked at me now, I could tell that her crush on Jason was long gone. Courtney, who had always hung around Jason along with my younger stepsister, Siara, had now stopped spending time with him. Instead, she spent more time with my elder stepsister, Sienna.
Jason, of course, noticed Courtney’s avoidance and the lack of flirtatious behavior she used to show. He tried to talk to her, but Courtney barely responded, treating him like any other ordinary classmate. While he was upset, Jason still had many women flocking around him, so he managed to keep his composure.
Ahhhh, I need to do something about Siara. She’s spending too much time around Jason. I know she won’t easily give herself to him, but I still have to intervene somehow.
“By the way, how’s your training going? You must have become really strong,” I asked, trying to steer the conversation to something more neutral.
“Oh, yeah, much stronger than you, that’s for sure,” Courtney smirked proudly.
I activated the Eye of Odin and checked her stats.
Courtney Turner LVL 60.
For two weeks, that’s a lot of progress indeed. She was nearing the end of the level forties the last time I saw her in the green forest.
“Impressive,” I remarked, genuinely impressed. “You’ve really been putting in the effort.”
Courtney beamed, her earlier nervousness fading away. “Yeah, I’ve been working hard. Now I will be able to fight properly. I am even able to save you, princess if you are in danger.”
That smile of hers was really beautiful, more radiant than any other smile she had back on Earth. Being around Jason had indeed rotted her personality, but now that she wasn’t hanging around him, she seemed so much better.
I fought back the urge to kiss her and simply smiled. “That’s good to hear,” I said, nodding. “Keep it up. The stronger we all are, the better our chances against whatever comes our way.”
Her time will eventually come.
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