Today’s chapter is heavy on dialogue.
It’s been six months since I was summoned.
“Sei, this part’s a bit tricky for me. Could you explain it?”
“Uh, let’s see, this section is…”
I’ve started discussing books with Elizabeth aka Liz who I met in the library. It’s not like we talk for long stretches; it’s more like we chat if I happen to run into her while I’m there for work. The conversations are mostly about books written in foreign or ancient languages, with Liz asking me about parts she doesn’t understand. She’s apparently studying those languages, and I guess I’m like a cheat sheet for the tougher interpretations. At first, she asked about grammar too, but sadly, I’m clueless about that stuff. I can only help with the content.
“I see. So that’s what it means. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
“Sorry for always interrupting your work.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s a nice break, actually.”
Am I talking pretty casually with a noble lady? I used proper polite speech at first, I swear. But then Liz told me to drop it. She asked me to call her Liz instead of Lady Elizabeth and to use my usual tone. When a beautiful girl begs you like that, how can you say no?
“By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask…”
“Hm? What’s up?”
Liz hesitates, which is rare for her. She doesn’t usually trail off like this. What’s going on? It doesn’t seem to be about the books, this might be the first time she’s asked me something unrelated to them.
“Do you know the Hawk Knight Captain, Sei?”
“Hawk Knight Captain?”
When I think of a knight captain, the Third Knight Order’s captain comes to mind, but is his name Hawk? I always call him Captain, so I’m fuzzy on his name. The director calls him “Al,” so I don’t even know his family name…
“I suppose you wouldn’t know him, would you?”
“Is the Hawk Knight Captain the Third Knight Order’s captain?”
“Oh, you do know him?”
“If it’s the Third Knight Order’s captain, yeah. He’s buddies with our director, so I know him.”
Looks like I got it right, it’s the Third Knight Order’s captain. But what’s up with him?
“Um… may I ask something a bit forward?”
“What?”
“Are you and Lord Hawk on bad terms, Sei?”
“Hmm, I don’t think so.”
On bad terms? Nah, I’d say we’re fine. Every time we run into each other when I’m leaving the library, he gives me a ride back to the institute. On horseback, together. It’s super embarrassing, so after the first time, I tried to turn him down, but he’d give me this really sad look, and I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.
“Did something happen with the captain?”
“This is a bit awkward to say, but lately, there’s been a rumor that Lord Hawk’s been seen riding a horse with a woman.”
Liz’s beautiful face twists as if she’s about to say, “This is troubling.” Sorry, that’s almost certainly me. At first, we went straight back to the institute, but recently, we’ve taken detours to sightsee around the palace, so someone probably spotted us then.
“I think that’s probably me.”
“It is!?”
“Yeah.”
I confess honestly, and Liz’s troubled expression flips to one of relief. Huh? Why?
“So, I guess two people of the opposite sex riding together doesn’t look good?”
“Indeed. It’s not ideal for someone with a fiancée or spouse to ride with someone else of the opposite sex.”
“But if neither has a fiancée, it’s fine?”
“It’s not entirely without issue, but it’s less of a problem than if one of them were engaged.”
“So it’s still kind of improper, huh…”
She phrased it delicately to spare my feelings, but by this world’s standards, it’s still improper. I really should turn him down next time. Seeing my crestfallen face, Liz tries to smooth things over with a flustered tone.
“But if Lord Hawk is the one inviting you, I think it’s fine. He seems like someone who knows his boundaries.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Well…”
Looking at Liz, who’s still wearing that troubled expression, it doesn’t feel “fine” at all… Oh well. I’ll just refuse next time.
“So, what’s up with that rumor?”
“Huh?”
“No, I mean, you looked relieved, so I wondered what was going on.”
“Well…”
Oh, there’s that troubled face again. Maybe I shouldn’t have pressed her. I’m about to say she doesn’t have to answer if it’s hard to talk about, but she lets out a small sigh and speaks up reluctantly.
“I thought the woman rumored with Lord Hawk might be a classmate of mine.”
“A classmate? Does she have a fiancée?”
A classmate of Liz’s would be around fifteen, right? I think fifteen is the highest grade at the academy. Wait, fifteen and the captain? That feels… criminal. Is that kind of age gap okay in this world?
“No, she doesn’t have one either.”
“Uh, then is the age gap the issue?”
“That’s… well, it’s unusual, but it’s not really a problem.”
So age gaps are fine here… Then what’s the issue?
“There’s a bit of a problem with her.”
“A problem?”
“She’s been getting overly friendly with engaged guys at the academy, and it’s causing some trouble right now.”
“Oh, I see.”
“So when people at the academy heard the rumor about Lord Hawk, they started saying things like, ‘Did she even get her hands on the Ice Knight?’”
“Ice Knight?”
“Oh, that’s Lord Hawk. He doesn’t show much emotion, or rather, he’s always stone-faced so everyone calls him that.”
Stone-faced? To me, he’s always smiling…
“But if this classmate doesn’t have a fiancée either, wouldn’t it be fine for her to ride with him?”
“That’s true, but since Lord Hawk’s pretty popular, people are saying things like, ‘Did she add another guy to her entourage?’ and so on.”
“So the guys she’s hanging out with at the academy are all popular too, huh?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Liz rests a hand on her cheek and lets out a weary sigh, looking melancholic. So basically, this classmate who surrounds herself with popular guys at the academy was thought to have snagged the popular captain too, and people are making a fuss about it. But that’s just about her, Liz isn’t involved. So why does she look so down?
“You seem pretty gloomy about it. From what you’ve said, it’s your classmate’s issue, not yours. Is there something bothering you?”
“Well, yes. The fiancées of the guys around her have been asking me to do something about it, and it’s stressing me out.”
“Shouldn’t those fiancées just tell her themselves instead of you?”
“They’ve apparently already warned her, but she hasn’t changed at all.”
“Then wouldn’t it be pointless for you to say anything too?”
“Yes… Sorry, I ended up venting. I’d appreciate it if you could forget about it.”
“No worries, I don’t mind listening to a rant. I’ll forget it once I step outside.”
“Thank you.”
I smile back at Liz’s wistful grin. It felt like a good stopping point, so we wrap up and part ways. I head back to the institute. Maybe because I was so set on refusing him today, I didn’t run into the captain.
Golden Week’s over, huh. Work starts tomorrow, so daily updates might get tough. I’m thinking about either shortening chapters for daily updates or keeping the length and reducing the frequency.