“I wanted to treat you to a proper meal, but it’s a shame.”
Rohan poured crispy fries onto the wrapping paper.
After squeezing ketchup into a corner, he handed out burgers and sodas to the girls, one for each of them.
Sion curiously poked at the warm burger, as if it were fascinating to her. Though she tried not to show any emotion on her face, that blank expression seemed on the verge of breaking just over a single piece of food.
“I-I…! This is more than enough for me…”
“Same here.”
Unfortunately, this was the best they could manage. For the three of them, fast food was the only option available.
Time was literally too tight right now. Orion Academy’s lunch break was limited.
All the proper restaurants were already packed with office workers and academy students.
Even wandering around to find a decent place was unrealistic. Considering the time left, this was the best they could do.
“Eat plenty. If it’s not enough, feel free to have more.”
“Thank you for the food…!”
“Thanks. I’ll eat well.”
At Rohan’s words, Clara expressed her gratitude and bowed her head slightly while seated.
When she saw this, Sion followed suit.
When Rohan crinkled the wrapping as he unwrapped his burger, Sion glanced sideways at him and copied his actions.
It was nothing special, but it seemed like she cared about doing things the “proper” way.
“Eat quickly before it gets cold.”
As Rohan took a big bite, the two girls who had been hesitating slowly started nibbling at their food.
“…….!”
After taking a bite of the burger, Sion’s eyes sparkled with a newfound light. Her pace of eating noticeably sped up with every bite.
Unlike Clara, the elf girl wasn’t silent out of awkwardness.
It was because she was fully immersing herself in savoring the taste of the food.
Clara chewed her food with small, deliberate bites.
Though the girl occasionally stole glances at him, Rohan had grown used to that behavior by now.
Were they hungry? Both of them are eating so well.
Rohan felt satisfied as he watched the girls. In fact, he even found them endearing.
Passersby outside, as well as a few people inside, cast glances their way but the girls paid no attention and continued eating without a care in the world.
“Phew.”
When Sion finally broke her focus on her burger to take a sip of her drink, Rohan seized the opportunity to resume their paused conversation.
“Today must’ve been quite a surprise for both of you, right? It’s not like you saw it coming.”
“Hmmph…”
“Still, I was even more surprised by Clara’s skills.”
After a brief introduction between Sion and Clara, the conversation had shifted.
Clara who clearly had something weighing on her struggled to suppress the heat rising to her face.
“Clara’s not your average person, is she?”
“Hmm.”
Sion nodded her head firmly in agreement.
And then, as if the conversation no longer concerned her, she redirected her full attention back to her burger. Rohan could only chuckle at her reaction.
It became clear to him that now wasn’t the time to continue talking.
··
··
The lunch break, during which Sion had displayed a level of focus that could only be described as intense, eventually came to an end.
The three of them stepped out of the restaurant, exhaling breaths filled with contentment from their full stomachs.
Rohan checked the time and confirmed they still had a little breathing room.
“Thank you for the meal…!”
“Did you eat your fill?”
Clara nodded in agreement to Rohan’s question.
Her shy nod carried a hint of embarrassment, which seemed like the most genuine sign of enjoyment to Rohan.
“Being on the receiving end like this… I feel so undeserving.”
“It’s fine. Just saying you enjoyed the food is enough for me.”
Sion, of course, quickly added that she had eaten well and expressed her gratitude.
Rohan then led the two girls back to the dormitory before he returned to Orion Academy.
There’s still enough time.
Even if Sion wasn’t sure what to do, Clara didn’t seem like the type to just stay in her room all day.
If they were going to part ways, it would be better to find a quiet place for a proper goodbye.
After a few more steps, the surroundings grew noticeably quieter. It was so calm that the hustle and bustle from earlier felt like a distant dream.
“During lunchtime, it’s really peaceful near the dorms. Clara, you’ll rest a bit before heading to the bookstore, right?”
“Mhmm!”
“Since you’ve eaten, why don’t you take a quick nap?”
“W-Would that really be okay…?”
“Hmm? Of course, no need to hesitate.”
It was rather unusual how Clara felt the need to ask for permission just to lie down on a bed.
But since it was Clara, Rohan didn’t think too much about it and simply nodded.
They walked a few more steps.
“Rohan.”
“Hmm?”
As they neared the dormitory, Sion who was fiddling with her goggles spoke up while standing in an empty pathway.
Her face, unlike before, now looked somewhat reluctant, and her expression gave Rohan a bitter feeling.
“I think I’ll head back now.”
“Are you really busy?”
“It’s not that urgent. Still, I’d like to head back with some extra time.”
If only it were the weekend, Rohan could have encouraged her to stay a bit longer without hesitation.
But asking Clara and Sion to rest together in the same room would have only caused trouble for both of them.
“Wait here for a moment.”
“Hmm?”
Rohan reached into his pocket, pulled out two coins, and flicked them toward Sion.
The coins arced through the air in a smooth trajectory and landed gently in the girl’s palm.
“Next time, let’s make sure the call doesn’t get cut off. You’re going to be the death of me.”
“I’ll accept this and be sure to pay you back.”
It was an offer that couldn’t be refused. Sion erased any hint of negativity from her expression and allowed a faint smile to appear on her lips.
The princess then directed her gaze forward.
Behind her, Clara stood fidgeting nervously and glancing back and forth between Rohan and Sion.
Rohan, on the other hand, met Sion’s gaze without flinching or looking away.
Sion committed this strange sense of satisfaction to memory before asking,
“Today… aren’t you going to ask why I came?”
“I’m the one who told you to come. Why would I ask about that? Doing so would practically be telling you to leave.”
Seeing Rohan answering coolly, Sion couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a soft chuckle.
Her smile, less concealed than before, brought a smile to Rohan’s face. He couldn’t help but think that the princess looked much brighter now.
“Well, that’s just the kind of person you are.”
“Why? Do you have something else you want to say?”
“No, nothing.”
Sion adjusted her goggles as if to sign her intention to leave.
She pulled up the black cloth she had lowered earlier, covering her mouth and nose.
“Take care.”
Rohan bid her farewell and Sion nodded in response.
But it didn’t end there. An unexpected voice rang out.
“N-Next time, I’ll properly introduce myself…!”
Sion briefly looked surprised by Clara’s sudden outburst.
She responded by suggesting they have a deeper and more meaningful conversation next time, bringing the exchange to a close.
“Alright then.”
With that, Sion turned her back on them and began to walk away.
Her body tensed as she prepared to leap forward and she braced her legs.
Rohan and Clara would watch as Sion left.
Rohan would watch her go and only hope that she stayed strong and prepared until the moment came.
He would watch her figure grow smaller in the distance.
That’s what should have happened.
But then—
“!”
All three of them suddenly sensed a sinister magical presence.
The instant realization froze their movements and even their breath.
Rubmle——!!!
The loud noise came from directly behind them.
Rohan and the girls silently turned to look back.
There stood a black Monolith.
It was ominous. Disturbing. Unnatural. Wrong. Sinister.
Among them, Rohan who had experienced Abyss City firsthand and attentively listened to theory classes knew best what it was.
“A Monolith!?”
The Monolith exuded magical power and its surface was covered in dense, unreadable text.
The characters etched into the slab glowed with magic, radiating a bright light that began to distort the surrounding space.
“Come here.”
Rohan regained his composure, took out his smartphone, confirmed that there was no signal, clicked his tongue in frustration, and put it back in his pocket.
Then he grabbed the hands of Clara, who stood beside him, and Sion who had been about to leave Academy City.
“O-Oppa…!”
“What is this…?”
He pulled them closer. They had to stay together.
Rohan had anticipated that a moment like this might come, and his prior similar experiences helped him quickly regain his composure.
“Stay still. If you try to step outside when the magic is raging, your body might be torn apart.”
At Rohan’s unusually calm and low voice, both Clara and Sion fell silent.
“When a Monolith appears, there are two possibilities. First, monsters will pour out of it. In that case, we evaluate the situation; if we can handle it, we deal with them. But if something truly unbeatable comes out, we run for it with everything we’ve got.”
If the magical power seemed overwhelmingly strong, he would contact Joo-yeon.
Even if they did nothing, the energy would eventually attract public safety officers who would come flying in.
“What’s the other possibility?”
At Sion’s question, Rohan kept his eyes fixed on the Monolith and replied.
“It swallows people and drops them into a dungeon.”
This wasn’t information found in textbooks.
It was a new phenomenon that had only started occurring after the protagonist appeared in Abyss City.
Rumble-rumble-rumble——!!!
The air began to tremble. Cracks started forming in the ground, spreading outward from the Monolith.
The magical power grew increasingly violent and its fluctuations became more intense.
“In situations like this, the best thing we can do is stick together so we don’t get separated.”
At those words, Sion tensed up and unconsciously gripped Rohan’s hand tightly.
“Ugh…!”
“It’s okay. It’s going to be fine, so just keep breathing.”
Clara, however, seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack with her entire body trembling uncontrollably.
Rohan gently pulled her into his arms and started softly running his hand along her back to calm her down.
Screeeeech!!!
The letters inscribed on the Monolith began to emit an intense light.
At the same time, a notification window suddenly appeared in front of Rohan’s eyes.
[A quest has been triggered.]
[The Country That Worships the Sun]
◇ Quest Objective: A Monolith, a symbol of anomaly, has appeared in Academy City. Escape safely with your companions from the distorted space!
◇ Type: Sudden Quest
◇ Rewards for Success: 3,000 points, full party recovery, 1 use of Seneca’s Luck
◇ Penalty for Failure: None
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