Chapter 30: An Important Guest Part 2

Released:

Clack!

The princess returned after completing her daily training with utmost sincerity, as she did every day.

Today was the worst. She had been drenched in monster blood.

With each step, her shoes made squelching noises.

“…Is anyone there?”

Even after all her struggles, no one greeted her upon her return.

Though she usually didn’t mind such things, recently, she had begun to notice them.

It started the moment she became certain the elders were tracking her movements.

They’ve always called me royalty and ‘princess’ only when it suits them…

Now it was time to head to her room to rest, inspect her firearms, and take stock of her inventory.

This was the time when the princess felt most at ease.

Just like that.

As she was heading to her room with her weapon in hand, her pointed long ears twitched.

– I’ve always thought people like him couldn’t be trusted!

– But can we officially hire anyone else? If you’re going to be upset, at least keep it private…

– Isn’t this purely hindsight? You didn’t object when we first hired him, and now you’re complaining…

– And what about the failure to address these concerns earlier? Why bring it up now?

The mood had been sour since the day the princess returned alone without the expected guests.

The argument, which had grown increasingly heated, stemmed from a series of failures.

Consecutive setbacks caused by unknown factors left the elders frustrated.

Who were the guests they had been waiting for, and why had they been invited?

The princess had subtly probed the elders for answers, but they had only dismissed her inquiries, saying it was nothing she needed to worry about.

“Phew…”

Ignoring the quarrel echoing through the halls, the princess kept walking.

Finally, she stepped into the sanctuary of her private space.

She unstrapped her sniper rifle and gear before setting them on the table.

She grabbed a towel moistened with water and wiped the monster’s blood off her face, then sat down and opened a drawer.

Before washing herself, she needed to clean her equipment first.

Swish, swish.

The process was second nature to her now, something she could practically do with her eyes closed. And while her hands moved, her thoughts wandered.

You must have many questions without clear answers.

What exactly happened to the elves who lived in the Tigrova coniferous forest?

Was sending that man back a gain or a loss?

She still didn’t know. There wasn’t enough information to decide.

Even so…

She was certain of one thing. The elders were conspiring together to conceal something.

Thud!

The princess rolled up the cloth she had used to clean her firearm and tossed it into the trash.

She then touched the spot beneath her vest where the tracker had been discreetly sewn in.

The sensation of the device, which she had willingly replaced, was a constant reminder as her thoughts continued.

– By now, you should have an idea of how to use that tracker.

“……”

She felt really uneasy, as though she was being manipulated by the man, and it left her feeling both irritated and uneasy.

Still, the princess had already made up her mind.

She casually opened one of the pockets on her vest and pulled out her favorite notebook.

The princess double-checked the phone number written there.

I should go and visit him.

She knew it would take a fair amount of time to gather information.

Even so, enough time had passed that she hoped she might have uncovered something by now.

With her decision came a quiet excitement at the thought of heading to the city.

“Hm-hmm~”

Humming a tune she had heard during her last visit to the city, the princess began preparing to wash up.

***

“Sleepy…”

Rohan stretched behind the counter while trying to shake off his drowsiness.

He had tried to use his free time to sit down and study some theory, but no matter how hard he focused, nothing stuck in his mind.

Right now, there wasn’t even room to do anything else. He had to compress his concentration to avoid any mistakes on the job.

“Hoo…”

The fatigue caused by mana exhaustion was wreaking havoc on his condition.

It was absolutely dreadful.

Although the weather outside was definitely cool, his body felt as heavy and sluggish as if it were a humid day right before rain.

Still, he had to endure.

After all, how could anyone approach their duties in perfect condition all the time?

Bzzzt!

“Hmm?”

The phone tucked into his apron vibrated loudly.

Thinking it might be a call from his manager, he quickly pulled it out.

[Clara: Are you okay? Are you feeling sick? •́︿•̀]

Clara who was peeking out between the bookshelves blinked her eyes at him.

When it came to conversations about games, she seemed fine, but for anything casual, she preferred texting over speaking directly.

Nice. Healing, one stack.

Considering how distant their relationship still felt, the fact that Clara messaged him about something unrelated to games was very big.

It was nothing short of touching.

Her message was like a refreshing rain that healed his weary mind.

Rohan replied that he was fine and gave her a small wave.

At his response, Clara flitted her gaze nervously before quietly vanishing from sight.

Rohan smiled at the sight.

I’ll start cleaning in twenty minutes.

Feeling a bit absent-minded today, Rohan decided to allow plenty of time for cleaning.

It was an instinctive decision, born of the sense that he’d be pressed for time otherwise.

At that moment when he had made up his mind in a refreshed state, the bell jingled softly.

When he turned toward the entrance, Rohan’s eyes widened.

He recognized the guest instantly.

Even without the usual business suit he saw on her every day,

The impressive red hair and unique features made any confusion impossible.

“Instructor-nim!?”

“Rohan. How’s work going?”

“Instructor, what brings you all the way here…?”

“What a strange question. I came to buy a book, of course.”

Joo-yeon extended her steps and headed toward the bookshelf.

While she looked around at the books that the store manager had placed near the checkout counter, claiming they were recommended reads, she continued speaking.

“And also, as the instructor in charge of Class 1, I have a duty to supervise students who work part-time.”

“Aha…”

Rohan nodded his head in understanding.

When Joo-yeon spoke, her words carried a seamless sense of credibility.

“Are you feeling any better? Your complexion seems a bit brighter.”

“I feel much better than when I first woke up.”

When Rohan curled his lips into a smile to show he was fine,

Joo-yeon was relieved by his response and carefully looked around.

“Are you working alone?”

“Yes. The manager has already gone home, so I also close the store.”

“If the owner were here, I would have greeted them…but it seems you’re trusted. That’s good.”

Perhaps there was a book that caught her eye in the meantime.

Joo-yeon slightly raised her eyebrows, picked out a book, and then headed to another bookshelf.

“Have you had dinner?”

“I plan to eat when I go back to the dormitory after work.”

Normally, he would have eaten cheaply at the Orion Academy cafeteria before coming to his part-time job.

But today was an exception.

After receiving the bluish IV fluid in the infirmary and getting up, he had no appetite at all, so he just came straight here.

“Straight to the dormitory, then… I guess you don’t have any particular plans.”

“Where could I possibly go at this hour?”

When he answered so casually, Joo-yeon met Rohan’s gaze.

“Then have dinner with me.”

“Huh?”

When Rohan asked back and blinked his eyes, Joo-yeon approached the counter and placed the books down.

What she had brought was a mystery novel and a historical novel.

“Is it too much pressure after all?”

“No, not at all. I was just a bit surprised.”

With that reply, Rohan picked up the machine to ring up the books.

Including the paper bag, the total came to 4 coins and 31 tokens.

He took the card Joo-yeon offered and completed the transaction.

“I figured it might be awkward from a student’s point of view. But I couldn’t think of a roundabout way to say it.”

“It is sudden, but I’m not flustered or burdened by it.”

After putting her card away, Joo-yeon looked into Rohan’s calm eyes for a moment, then gave a small laugh.

“It seems you’re not lying, which surprises me. Rohan, don’t you find it uncomfortable to be around your superiors?”

“It depends on the person, doesn’t it? And I never turn down someone who offers me a meal.”

He had attached a lot of conditions in front of that statement, but it was no lie.

Because a pretty older sister figure was offering him a meal, from Rohan’s perspective, there was no reason to refuse.

“…If I had seen any sign that you felt pressured, I would have backed off and said it was a joke.”

“I doubt there’s any student in Class 1 who would turn down spending time with you, Instructor.”

“That’s quite the flattery.”

“Instructor, I’m really not the type for that kind of sweet talk.”

Joo-yeon took the paper bag containing the books and couldn’t suppress a snort at how smoothly things had gone, far beyond what she had imagined.

“Unfortunately, this isn’t any special treatment, so keep that in mind. I came under the pretense of supervision, so it would be odd if I just left.”

“I understand.”

If other students had part-time jobs somewhere, and Joo-yeon had visited them like this for supervision…

Likewise, she would have asked to buy them food.

“Is there any particular menu you want? Or anything you don’t eat?”

“I’m fine with everything except bad food.”

“That’s quite a picky standard.”

“Even so, my bar is very low. I’d be happy with something like a burger from a place we pass on the main road.”

“Hmm.”

Joo-yeon expressed a subtle mix of emotions with her lips and eyebrows as she slowly stepped away from the counter.

“Alright then. I’ll take care of my errands, so contact me when your shift ends.”

With that, Joo-yeon gathered the books she had purchased and left the Spider Lily Bookstore.

Rohan who was still a bit dazed pulled himself together and stepped away from the counter to start cleaning.

What kind of storm just swept through here…?

He felt both pleased and confused. The best way to describe it was disbelief.

As he retraced the conversation, wondering if he had made any mistakes, he was on his way to grab the mop when—

“Ahhh…!”

He saw Clara trembling in the corner of the bookstore.

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