Chapter 53: Calia: I Have a Bad Feeling About This

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Iluvia was deeply displeased by Roland’s remarks about their relationship.

She had not shown it, but she truly was very unhappy.

She had never expected Roland to see her that way!

Did this man really have no feelings for her at all?

“Yikes!”

Iluvia covered her forehead, while Roland, standing in front of her, slowly withdrew the finger he had used to flick her forehead.

“What are you spacing out for? Come on. If Master Toran comes back, we really won’t be able to explain ourselves.”

“Roland…”

“What is it?”

Roland looked at Iluvia. She had lowered her head, both hands clasped tightly together as her fingers nervously fidgeted.

What was this woman plotting now?

Roland suddenly regretted speaking to Iluvia after leaving the building.

Women…

Kaliya and Iluvia alike—whenever he talked with them, they would suddenly stop speaking like normal people.

He should have gone out through the back door after Toran left, hurried back to the dormitory, and used the reward the system had given him.

The royal capital was a dangerous place. If he could activate another cheat, he might as well do so.

“Iluvia? Your Highness? Is there something else?”

“I… I…”

“What’s wrong? You don’t usually talk like this.”

Roland placed one hand on his hip and complained helplessly.

“Whew…” Iluvia took several deep breaths before finally managing to steady herself.

“Roland, do you really see me as nothing more than a friend?”

Iluvia did her best to relax and put on a calm, natural smile.

Unfortunately, her acting was slightly flawed this time.

At least, to Roland, she looked rather strange.

To put it simply, her smile looked worse than crying.

She appeared terribly forced.

“Why are you asking that?” Roland instinctively asked in return. Then, before Iluvia could speak again, he suddenly seemed to understand.

He slapped one fist into his palm and let out a long, drawn-out, “Oh.”

“You’re worried I’m angry because of the listening device, aren’t you?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not that petty.”

“Of course, if I catch you doing it a second time, that’ll be another matter.”

“Trust can be used up, too.”

Iluvia grew frantic. “That’s not what I meant!”

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“Am I really nothing special to you?”

Roland froze for a moment, then began to consider the question seriously.

“Well… you really are rather special to me.”

“Ah!”

The moment Roland said those words, Iluvia stood rooted to the spot.

Her heart had never pounded so violently within her chest.

Even when she was eight years old and her personal maid attempted to assassinate her for the first time, her heart had not beaten this fast.

Even during the examination, when Roland had used teleportation to carry her away from her pursuers, even when she had been held in his arms, Iluvia’s heart had not raced so wildly.

That brief sentence sent her thoughts surging like storm-tossed waves.

Before Roland could utter the second half of his statement, Iluvia’s mind had nearly shut down.

The brain that normally brimmed with intelligence was now an empty vessel, endlessly replaying Roland’s words.

If he simply did not say the second half, that would be even better.

“You really are rather special to me.”

“Especially troublesome.”

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Iluvia lowered her head and laughed, finally letting go of her tension.

“Hahahaha! That really is something you would say, Roland!”

Though he had given her false hope before pulling the rug out from under her, Iluvia was surprisingly not very angry.

It seemed she still had to keep trying… She would have to do something.

If things continued like this, she would end up sitting at the same table as Kaliya.

One was a pet, and the other was “just a friend.”

“All right, then. This troublesome woman won’t bother you today.” Iluvia closed her eyes, clasped her hands behind her back, and walked past Roland.

“Also, Roland…”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“This is your reward.”

As her words ended, Iluvia once again took the initiative to approach Roland. She leaned toward the side of his face.

The warm breath from her mouth and nose brushed against Roland’s cheek.

This time, the unpleasant mixture of mud and blood clinging to Iluvia had faded somewhat, replaced by a faint fragrance from the ends of her hair.

For the first time, Roland was left stunned.

Iluvia’s sudden movement had caught him completely off guard.

But then—

“Hee hee. Were you expecting something?”

At her words, Roland turned his head and saw Iluvia covering her face as she giggled.

“Now we’re even. Of course, your thank-you gift isn’t included in this. I’ll choose something carefully, so trust my taste.”

“And don’t forget—I was the first one here!”

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Iluvia kept him guessing. After leaving behind a deliberately ambiguous remark, she set off with a lively step and gradually disappeared at the end of the path.

Hmph. I knew it! There was no way this man truly felt nothing for me!

Thinking about Roland’s reaction just now, Iluvia’s mood improved once more.

The advantage is mine!

A mere house pet is nothing to worry about!

It was only after Iluvia had vanished completely from his sight that Roland belatedly realized he had apparently been toyed with.

But after thinking it over, Roland decided that it was indeed something Iluvia would do.

It was hardly the first time.

Still, Iluvia’s sudden approach had briefly pulled Roland’s thoughts back to that wasteland.

He remembered Iluvia, her eyes red, half-dragging and half-pulling him from the swamp spell cast by their enemies.

Had she said something then? He could not quite remember.

If only he had not lost consciousness so quickly.

Perhaps he would have been able to hear what that woman had said when she looked as though she were about to cry.

What a pity. That opportunity would probably never come again.

He would just have to look forward to Iluvia’s thank-you gift.

…

“Old hag… I mean, Teacher, are you done yet? I have a really bad feeling!”

Inside the office, Kaliya was still being meticulously examined by Fram, who was inserting automatically triggered protective spells into her body. For some reason, Kaliya suddenly shuddered.

It was as though something terribly ominous had happened during those brief two hours.

It felt as if something that belonged to her was about to be stolen by someone else!

The uneasy sensation left Kaliya fidgeting restlessly.

Unfortunately, this time she could not even squirm in her chair.

To ensure that the spell implantation proceeded smoothly, Fram had strapped Kaliya down so securely that she could not make a single unnecessary movement.

“Oh, it’ll be finished in just a moment. Don’t be impatient.”

“Couldn’t you just give me a couple of magical devices instead?! The kind that activate automatically would work just fine!”

“Those things aren’t reliable. Their failure rate is very high.” Fram sounded somewhat displeased. “How can mass-produced items like that compare with my painstakingly crafted spellwork?”

“Urgh… Then hurry up!”

Watching Fram take her time, Kaliya felt utterly hopeless.

She had the distinct feeling that someone was stealing her home from under her nose.

It had to be that detestable woman’s doing!

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