“Myra is correct. Your loyalty is quite admirable, Albert. I will continue to trust you with my sister,” said Orlaya.
“Of course...” This was probably how the princess felt when I made fun of the things she said. It was a compliment in this case, but that just made it even more unbearable.
“Lady Orlaya! I’ll serve you until my life gives out!”
Please don’t say things that were clearly inspired by me right in front of my face, Myra. At least save it until you’re in private. This is so awkward.
“That’s the spirit. I’m counting on you, Myra.”
“Certainly!” Black was having a nice moment; meanwhile, one member of White was red in the face, while the other wanted to jump out of the carriage in embarrassment. There was a lot to think about, from the battles with the One-Armed Giant and the blue-haired asshole to forming a squad at the academy. But for the time being, all I could do was pray that the carriage would hurry up and reach the campus.
“C’mon, Cuphea, don’t get so angry.”
“I’m not angry.”
After class had let out for the day, the only ones in the empty classroom were me, the princess, Cuphea, and Linum. We were sitting in four chairs lined up in a row, about to conduct interviews for potential squadmates like we had discussed the other day. But just a few minutes before the first interview was scheduled to begin, I had to cool off the red-haired beauty to my right.
“Look, you’re clearly in a bad mood.” On the way here, I had told her and Linum that we were participating in the mission to defeat the One-Armed Giant. Although I hadn’t given all the details, I felt it was right to inform her, both as a squadmate and as a friend. Cuphea had said they would join as well, but they didn’t meet the qualifications. For a student to participate, they had to be one of the twelve strongest pairs in the academy—the Colors. Now that the princess and I had earned the title of White, there was no problem for us or Orlaya and Myra of Black. However, that wasn’t the case for Cuphea and Linum. Cuphea’s mood had immediately soured when I’d explained that.
“Why do you two have to participate? You only just enrolled at the academy.” Cuphea seemed to be worried about us.
“Sorry, Cuphea,” said the princess. “My family has gotten involved in this, so we don’t have a choice.” While she kept part of the explanation a secret, it wasn’t a lie.
Nemophila and the Grave Keeper of the Golden City made up Blizzard. A holy woman driven to the brink of insanity by her thirst for revenge and a loyal knight shackled to a pledge he had made to someone else three centuries ago—ignoring such disturbed saints wasn’t an option. Especially the knight—he was one of the Twelve Corpses, brought outside the barrier with the princess’s family’s technique. As a member of the witch’s bloodline, the princess felt a sense of responsibility to deal with him.
“Still!” Cuphea protested.
“I think Cuphea’s just frustrated she can’t do more to help you two,” the blue-haired Linum said, patting her childhood friend on the back.
“Y-Yeah! I’m not mad at you!” So she was upset that she couldn’t lend her friends a hand. Same old Cuphea.
“Then in that case...”
“What?”
“Help us next time.” Apologies or consolation weren’t what she needed. She needed reassurance that she’d be of use in the future.
Cuphea was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. “You got it. I’ll catch up to you in no time!” she declared, her ponytail swinging with confidence. Finally, she was back to normal.
“Unfortunately for you, I’ll keep pushing ahead. Better get used to watching my back.”
“Hey! This is the part where you’re supposed to say ‘I’ll be waiting’ or something!”
“Aha ha ha.”
“Jeez...” Although Cuphea pouted, she clearly wasn’t as upset as she had been a moment ago.
“You really have a knack for cheering her up, Albert,” said Linum.
“Linum?! Don’t be weird!”
“Well, I did promise to take her on her first date after she grows up a bit.”
“Not you too! What are you talking about?!” We’d promised to get much closer two years from now.
“What, is it not your first?”
“I-It is, but...” Cuphea’s voice trailed off, her face redder than her hair. It was cute, but I might have teased her a little too much. At the very least, I needed to end the conversation on a serious note.
“And so no other man can take that honor, I promise we’ll return safely. Just keep training and wait until then.”
“Okay...” Cuphea nodded her head like an obedient child.
Good. That settles that is what I thought, until the princess pulled on my sleeve. She shot me a silent glare, but that silence spoke volumes. “Of course, I haven’t forgotten my promise with you either.” My final moments were already decided. I looked her in the eyes as I spoke, and she let go of my sleeve. It seemed like she had let me off the hook for now.
“What’s this promise with Astrantia?” Cuphea, on the other hand, was not so forgiving.
“Oh, look at that. Our first interviewee is coming.”
“Are you trying to brush it off? Well, whatever. I can imagine what it is.” She probably figured it was some kind of date, but it was a bit heavier than that. Of course, it wouldn’t have been polite to correct her.
During that exchange, our first interviewees really did arrive. The classroom door opened, and they approached the podium where the teacher usually stood.