The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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“…Elder, how many is this now?”

“270… I stopped counting after around there.”

The Black Wolf was astonished inside as he continued to see villains springing up from somewhere.

Is this the result of the free will our tribe has worked so hard to protect and pass on?

He voluntarily stepped forward for protection because Byeolbi had told him that everyone in the continent where Ho-yeon wanted to go had free will.

The Black Wolf thought he had slain at least 300, but the evil that had settled in this city showed no signs of disappearing, and he gradually began to suspect.

Could this even be part of Byeolbi’s malicious prank?—as he started to entertain delusions of still being trapped in that narrow cage and having his mind twisted by it, he caught the sound of rustling in his ears.

“Quite tough, huh? Lieutenant. Can we leave that one to you?”

“Just hand it over. Should I dispose of the corpse like last time?”

“Yeah. Back to the earth.”

As chilling words were exchanged, the rustling noise intensified. But, for the troubled Black Wolf, that wasn’t a particularly important issue.

Was it truly correct that Byeolbi’s words were right? Was it true that free will was still so distant for them?

If it were the past him, he would have confidently answered no, but now he was wavering.

When he returned to his lodgings, he was greeted by none other than a hawk.

Looking at the hawk sitting blankly by the window, he pondered for a moment about the situation, and upon discovering a piece of paper tied to the hawk’s leg, he became curious.

Was there someone who would send something like this? He realized there was only one person, but quickly dismissed that thought.

It couldn’t possibly be someone who would contact him first.

Really, if it were the case, it might be a threat from some criminal organization that had learned of his whereabouts. When he checked the note, he was momentarily taken aback by the familiar handwriting, and upon reading the content, he doubted his own eyes.

‘Please keep an eye on Dokan.’

Ho-yeon, who rarely contacted anyone first, had asked someone to watch over someone. The Black Wolf was genuinely suspicious whether this was all just a prank by Byeolbi.

To him, it was even more unbelievable that she had done such a thing than the results of free will. To make contact first was surprising enough, but how could timid her ask someone to keep an eye on someone?

After hitting his head hard against the wall, he finally convinced himself that this was reality, though the wall did crack a bit.

“…Well now, the young lady is quite infatuated. Even if that’s the case, to have someone followed… Ha. I never thought a day like this would come. Should I notify someone above?”

Gripping his throbbing head, the Black Wolf looked toward the Academy. The security was tight, but in his eyes, it was full of flaws.

So truly, having someone by their side does change Ho-yeon. Remembering the tribe, he shook his head, shook off the thoughts, and headed for the Academy.

– – – –

True to the promise, Ho-yeon didn’t obsess over me too much from that day on. She didn’t cling to me all day during work hours or growl dangerously at other women on sight.

Every dinner time, she would sniff me, muttering things like grass, perfume, sweet smells, and cowardice. While it was clear that such aspects hadn’t disappeared completely, it was evident she was exercising some restraint.

Instead, I had delusions of something chasing after me at night, but now that I confirmed it wasn’t there, I wasn’t too scared.

And the results of this time were… none. Surprisingly. Anya treated me kindly, but it seemed there was an invisible line she wouldn’t cross, and the same went for Iris.

Compared to the beginning of the semester, Iris seemed healthier and had filled out a bit, but she didn’t seem too enthusiastic about getting close to me.

There was always a lingering sense that I was merely responding to her without making her feel awkward.

I tried contacting Camilla several times, but all I received was a cold, “Get lost.”

Even Exipri, hoping to gain goodwill by giving her some candy, ended up with nothing because Camilla told her not to eat candy given by others.

Only Cecilia actively engaged in conversation with me, but every time, Ethan was by her side, and rather than enjoying the chat, it felt more like an interrogation…

Assessing the situation once again, things hadn’t improved at all. If anything, my relationship with Camilla had worsened.

I researched rumors about Gloria, but it turned out she was bedridden. Not a single thing was coming together smoothly.

What should I do? I was gradually getting anxious. With Stephania, the culprit of the first part’s incident, having vanished, the original story was completely shattered.

As for the invasion of the second part, never mind that, I didn’t even know what would happen with the upcoming finals. For now, I was regularly visiting Georg for measures, but honestly, I wasn’t even sure if this was necessary.

With the threats gone, was there even a need to strengthen myself?

So a month and a week went by without anything happening. I had been bitten during her heat, but aside from that, nothing significant occurred.

And so, the finals drew near in three weeks.

“…No, Ho-yeon, I really didn’t forget?!”

“I was told that she had already learned the material. My love, I’m sorry, but… it looks like you forgot, am I right?”

When I first met someone who called Anya my love, I was shocked, but after hearing their background, I quickly understood.

No matter how much progress they make, this is still fantasy. There could be an engagement without the parties’ agreement.

Eric had no feelings for her, and Anya seemed still unable to make a definite claim, but it looked like she would be splitting soon.

The reason for drawing a line was essentially to pretend their engagement in front of outsiders, so I could let that pass.

“Just remain quiet…!”

As finals approached, Ho-yeon organized another study group. The difference this time was that it had become unbelievably crowded.

“If you want to show off your good relationship, do it after class. Anya, I could swear I told you that nothing else matters, don’t forget your logs.”

“W-well… You see… that… it’s… Ugh, why do we even need to learn something we’ll never use in life?!”

“Why? To graduate, of course. You don’t want to be held back, do you?”

“Ugh… I can’t afford to be held back! Ugh, are all magicians out to torment us by creating such wicked methods?!”

“We’re not tormenting you; it’s for technological advancement. That stupid talk is enough. Am I really going to have to explain again…?”

“Don’t worry, my love. I shall also assist in your understanding.”

“…Aaaah!!!”

Now that I had somewhat grown accustomed to dealing with people, the way she commanded the students could pass for an active teacher.

“…How about we solve this like this, Ethan?”

“Not bad, Cecilia. But this method is a bit more convenient for me. Without using my head, I struggle to think.”

“Hmm… In that case, there’s nothing we can do. Then this method is…”

Even then, Ethan was pulling things off solo, self-studying with Cecilia. I had no idea why those two were together, but they explained they were just accompanying each other for a common research topic, which seemed dubious but I couldn’t question it further.

Somehow I felt a rising sense of crisis as the heroines seemed to be leaving, one by one, except for Ho-yeon, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Cecilia’s spirit was still strong, and the monsters that could generate events with Anya only came once during the midterms.

My relationship with Camilla and Exipri had soured since the beginning of the semester.

…Sigh.

“…Eric, can I leave the rest of the explanations to you?”

“Don’t worry, Ho-yeon. I will take full responsibility to teach my love.”

Over there seemed noisy. With the increase in people, it looked like it would be tough to keep the close-knit lectures like before.

“You look lonely by yourself. Shall I accompany you?”

“…I would appreciate that.”

All the students were couples except for me, so if Ho-yeon stuck with me, I felt like I could shake off this inexplicable sense of defeat.

“Right. Today… grass, sweat, cowardice, perfume. Seems like you’ve been busy running around lately.”

“W-wait, Ho-yeon. What do those things even mean?”

I was curious since she muttered about smelling me again today. Why would she mumble about those unrelated things?

“…Well, it’s nothing in particular. I’m just stating the smell coming from you.”

With that ambiguous answer, Ho-yeon started pinpointing the parts I was stuck on and began to teach me.

…But you know, it feels a bit too close, doesn’t it?