Chapter 202

"No, I can’t allow that."

Before Bolt could finish his sentence about wanting to talk alone, Ethan grabbed my arm, firmly rejecting the request.

‘…This is expected.’

I wasn’t surprised by Ethan's reaction to Bolt's request. I had somewhat anticipated this response and remained calm. Since I knew I’d need to persuade Ethan first, I didn’t bother getting up to follow Bolt.

Ethan's dislike for Bolt largely stemmed from the sheer number of women who surrounded the hero. Even before the academy’s entrance ceremony, both Celesta and Sillena were constantly by his side, and even Princess Seraphine showed some favor toward him by granting his unreasonable requests.

Although in this world, Natalie and Agnes only maintained a proper acquaintance with Bolt, in the original story, they were considered potential heroines as well.

It was natural for Ethan to be wary of Bolt approaching me.

“I was suspicious from the moment you agreed so readily, but now you’re finally showing your true colors.”

“Huh? True colors?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice that you’ve been targeting my Lillis? It was suspicious how your gaze constantly drifted toward her during every magic swordsmanship class, and now that you have a chance, you’re not going to pass it up, are you?”

“No, it’s just that she looked much better than in the original…”

-Thud!-

“Looked better?! Are you daring to evaluate my Lillis with that filthy mouth of yours?!”

“E-Ethan, please calm down!”

“No, no! I misspoke! I’ll apologize, so please calm down for a moment!”

“Eek! Please, don’t swing your sword indoors!”

Ethan, who mistook Bolt's careless words as a comment on my appearance, was about to draw his sword in anger, almost causing a scene in Celesta’s dormitory.

While Bolt was at fault for making such a misunderstanding, Ethan was also at fault for reaching for his sword as soon as he misunderstood.

“I’m sorry. I truly didn’t mean anything inappropriate by what I said. The reason my eyes were often drawn to Lillis was simply because the relationship between you and her doesn’t seem like a typical master-servant relationship, which I found intriguing.”

“…You still haven’t explained what you meant by ‘looked better.’”

“That was just an impression I got because you two seem to get along much better than what’s usual for a noble and their exclusive maid. Normally, nobles who bring their maids to an academy tend to be authoritarian and mistreat their servants, but Lillis doesn’t look like someone who’s been mistreated. That’s why I blurted out that she looked better.”

“…Be more careful with your words in the future.”

“Yeah, I’ll be more careful.”

Bolt managed to smooth things over with a plausible excuse, temporarily dispelling the misunderstanding.

If only he could be as careful with his words all the time. Unlike me, Bolt openly acknowledges that he’s from another world, but he should still be careful not to mention anything related to the original game, Luminor Academy. Even if his situation is different from mine, he shouldn’t be so careless.

“And just to clarify, I’m not interested in Lillis in that way.”

“How can I believe that? I remember that since the entrance ceremony, you’ve always been surrounded by women. Am I wrong?”

“You’re not wrong, Blackwood, but I didn’t gather them with romantic intentions. I just happened to have many women in my group because I was assembling people to fight against the demons.”

“That’s a rather weak excuse to dismiss such suspicions.”

“I truly have no improper intentions, so what more can I say? You know it’s harder to prove something you didn’t do.”

“……”

“And besides, weren’t we all gathered here to protect Lillis from Prince McHart? Even if you’re suspicious of me, that should come after we deal with McHart, who’s already attacked Lillis once.”

“…That’s a valid point.”

Bolt’s logic finally calmed Ethan down.

It was fortunate that Bolt could explain things calmly. If I had tried to use the same logic to persuade Ethan, it wouldn’t have had the same effect coming from me as it did from the hero.

“But I still don’t understand why you need to talk to Lillis alone. Dealing with Prince McHart, who’s related to the demons, should be your priority as well.”

“That’s true, but I need to confirm some things.”

“…Confirm what?”

“I want to verify whether Lillis genuinely discovered Prince McHart’s connection to the demons, or if she just doesn’t like him and is making up stories. As an ally, I need to be sure.”

“…Are you suggesting that Lillis might be lying?”

“It’s just a possibility. I don’t believe she’s lying, but I can’t act hastily based on one person’s word alone. I need to confirm the truth before proceeding.”

“……”

…Well, Ethan tends to prioritize emotions over logic when it comes to matters involving me. Right now, Bolt’s reasoning was sound by any standard.

On the other hand, Ethan seemed stubborn, almost as if he was letting his personal feelings cloud his judgment, making it hard for him to argue his point effectively.

“I’m not planning anything strange. The hero’s holy sword has the power to discern truth. I just need Lillis to hold it, and I’ll be able to tell if she’s telling the truth.”

“Then why do you need to talk alone?”

“If other people are nearby, their magic could interfere, making it difficult to get a clear reading. Also, I’m the only one who knows how to use the sword for this purpose. It’s just a practical reason, so don’t think too much of it, Blackwood.”

“……”

Hearing that the hero’s sword had such a power, Ethan couldn’t find a reason to argue and fell silent.

Bolt’s reasoning meant that Ethan had no legitimate grounds to stop him from speaking to me alone, leaving him feeling troubled.

There’s no need for Ethan to worry—I won’t be swayed by the hero. While it was nice to see how much he cared for me, I didn’t like seeing him troubled over unnecessary worries.

“It won’t take long. Ten, maybe fifteen minutes. If you want, Blackwood, I can promise not to approach your Lillis after this McHart situation is resolved.”

“…Are you serious?”

“If we’re going to be in the same boat, I’d appreciate it if you could trust me a little.”

“…Alright. But stick to those ten minutes. That should be enough time to discern the truth from Lillis’ words, right?”

“Thanks, Blackwood. Lillis, could you step outside with me for a moment?”

“Yes, Sir Bolt. …I’ll be back, Master Ethan.”

“…Alright.”

Following Bolt, I stepped outside Celesta’s dormitory, and we moved to a deserted corner of the corridor.@@novelbin@@

Once we were far enough from Celesta’s dorm, Bolt pulled out his large sword, still in its sheath, and handed it to me.

“Lillis, could you hold this? You need to be holding the sword to discern the truth.”

“Discern the truth? Like hell. There’s no such function in the holy sword, is there? You just made that up, didn’t you?”

“…So, you’re the variable that changed things. I had a feeling.”

As soon as we were alone, my demeanor shifted, and Bolt relaxed, understanding what was going on.

I also felt a strange sense of calm upon meeting someone from my home world for the first time in nearly seven years.

It seemed that Bolt had gone through quite the trouble to find me.

“At first, I thought Ethan had been possessed or had time-traveled. He was nothing like the Ethan from Luminor Academy. How on earth did you manage to turn him into such a decent person?”

“There’s no time for small talk. Let’s get to the point. Ethan gave me ten minutes, so let’s focus on the essentials. Isn’t that what this meeting is for?”

“Ah, right. But still, hold the sword. Someone might walk by and see us, and we don’t want to give the wrong impression.”

I took the holy sword that Bolt handed me. As he said, if I wasn’t holding something like this, it might indeed look like we were sneaking off for a private rendezvous.

“Let’s alternate between questions and answers. If there’s anything crucial that needs to be said, just say it.”

“It’s nice to finally talk to someone who understands. It’s been exhausting talking to these people.”

“If you want to chat, let me start with a question. How many times did you clear Luminor Academy in your past life?”

“I never cleared it, not even once.”

“Really? For someone who never cleared the game, you’ve managed to bring Celesta and Sillena along… Wait, what?!”

The moment I learned that Bolt was from the same world as me, I felt a wave of betrayal. How could someone who had never cleared the game get everything right up to this point in the second half of the story? Is that even possible?

‘What kind of person is this…?’

Whether he was lying or telling the truth, it didn’t take long to realize that this guy was anything but ordinary.