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Chapter 33 [Illustration]

She preferred to dedicate herself to her own training instead. Therefore, even if someone approached her, she only responded with curt answers, making the other person feel like they were being pushed away, and stopping them from approaching her again after that.

She possessed tremendous talent, but she lacked any sense of superiority because of it, and did not feel inferior when seeing someone better than herself.

She wasn’t necessarily kind, but she had an indifferent nature.

Of course, I’d set her background to be a certain way, but that wasn’t what was important.

Anyway, whether I confessed my feelings or not, Ellen was not the type to care, so that was why I ended up writing her a love letter.

I literally only did it for the achievement points.

But then...

“...”

It was bothering me.

It was really, really bothering me.

It wasn’t because I liked her, but rather, I’d become incredibly conscious of her!

It was so embarrassingly shameful that I could hardly stand it. The candy vendor must have wanted this situation for sure, and I was playing right into his hands.

***

—Now, when transitioning from this position to this position...

It was Tuesday.

We were in swordsmanship theory class. Ellen was sitting next to me, and it was driving me crazy.

The only ones from the Royal Class in this class were me and Ellen. All the other students were from the regular classes.

There were many different uniforms represented in the room. Among them, those who recognized the Royal Class’s uniforms kept glancing over at us.

Just by looking into their eyes, I was able to tell what they were thinking.

“Wow, they’re from the Royal Class, right?”

That was the kind of attention they were giving us.

We were certainly a subject of envy. Just wearing the uniform alone drew attention.

Vertus and Ludwig, as well as Cliffman and Erhi, were also supposed to learn swordsmanship, but it seemed they were attending another class at this time.

So, was this why she was sitting next to me? Just because I was a fellow member of the Royal Class? No, that couldn’t be it. She was definitely not the type to care about that sort of thing.

But then why was she sitting next to me?

Could it be, that despite her not saying anything, she had started to become aware of me because of the unexpected confession I’d made the day before? No way, right? She was not one to be like that, right? Then why on earth did she sit next to me?

‘What’s going on? Why am I worrying about this like an actual teenage kid?’

Was I really starting to obsess over a kid because of a stunt I pulled just to receive some achievement points? That’s nonsensical!

Thud!

“...”

I was fidgeting with such uncertainty that I dropped my pen.

Ellen silently picked it up and handed it back to me.

“Uh... thanks.”

“...”

‘Could this possibly mean she’s into me? People don’t typically bother to pick things up for others, do they? And given her personality, isn’t it even more unlikely for her to bother?’

Of course, after picking it up, she wasn’t paying any attention and was just focusing on the lecture. But, no, it was definitely not common to pick up someone’s pen, was it?

‘But then, what should I do? I have absolutely no interest in her. What if she suddenly confesses she likes me? I can’t possibly return the feelings to her.’

...

This was a disaster.

My mind had begun to run wild with this nonsensical fantasy.

Of course, as soon as the lecture was over, Ellen left the classroom without even looking in my direction.

‘Did she even recognize my face to begin with? Maybe she sat beside me not knowing who I was? No way, we were wearing the same uniform!’

I couldn’t help feeling my face grow hot for no reason.

***

My timetable, excluding the common classes, was as follows.

Tuesday was devoted to learning swordsmanship theory, swordsmanship practice, and magic theory.

Wednesday’s classes covered mana attunement training, meditation, and controlling supernatural powers.

On Fridays, I studied theology, alchemy, and integrated physical training.

As a lower-year student, I was only required to take three classes per day, but as I advanced in my studies, I would eventually have to take five or six a day. The first three years of the education system were like high school, and the last three years were equivalent to college.

So, since I didn’t have any special talent in anything, I was learning a mix of everything—swordsmanship, magic, supernatural powers, and even theology.

Both theoretical swordsmanship and practical swordsmanship were taught consecutively by the same teacher, which made it a rather lengthy session, where we learned the theories in the classroom and then applied them in the practice hall right after.

The class involved practicing what we learned that day in theory, and even included sparring practice.

Of course, since there were ordinary class students as well, not everyone was a cut above, and there were plenty of novices around.

“Get your stance right! Put more strength in your grip!”

The problem was that I was included among those novices. I received multiple critiques on my posture and was constantly told by the teaching assistants that I lacked basic strength and musculature.

There were numerous regular-class students who had been learning swordsmanship since middle school, and they seemed so much better than me that we were hardly a match.

“Perfect. As expected from someone in the Royal Class.”

“...”

Ellen, who was physically capable of applying what she learned immediately after being taught it, managed to pass almost everything on the first try, and the teacher did not hold back his praise.

The other students looked at Ellen with admiration for her Royal Class-worthy abilities.

Then for some reason, the teacher suddenly clapped his hands.

“I believe there is one more person from the Royal Class here. I’ve heard your names were Ellen and Reinhart. Are you Ellen?”

“Yes.”

“Reinhart!”

I was startled that my name had suddenly been called out, and I looked towards the teacher, who seemed like he’d just had a brilliant idea.

“Good. Let’s have the first sparring between the Royal Class students!”

‘No, thank you. That doesn’t seem like a good idea at all.’

***

I somehow ended up holding a practice sword, unable to even get into a proper stance, as everyone eagerly gathered around to watch the duel between the Royal Class students.

What kind of public execution was this?

Me, about to have a practice duel with the toughest student in my grade? The teaching assistant who had been critiquing me seemed to have a look that said this wasn’t right, but he was watching on as well, and couldn’t bring himself to actually say anything to the teacher.

‘I’m just gonna get crushed!’

Ellen held onto her practice sword, looking at me with an indifferent expression.

“I’ll be the judge and find an appropriate moment to call off the match, so feel free to spar with each other until then.”

The teacher had carelessly made a dangerous remark.

Nope, I did not want to do this.

Before I could find a way to handle this situation...

“Alright then, begin!”

Whoosh!

There I was, not even noticing Ellen Artorius coming at me.

***

An unfamiliar ceiling swam into focus.

“...”

My head was throbbing. What happened? It seemed like I was lying in bed and, judging by the pain in my head, I was hit by something.

Only then did the previous situation play back in my mind like a movie.

As soon as the teacher gave the signal to begin, Ellen Artorius rushed toward me and aimed a blow at my head, which struck me flush.

And then I passed out immediately, is that what happened?

But where exactly was I...

“Ah!”

“... You’re awake.”

I looked to my right. A calm girl with black hair and black eyes was staring at me, her expression somewhat cold and detached.

“Nurse’s office. Class is over.”

It seemed I had lost consciousness and been brought to the nurse’s office. A teacher, who looked like a member of the nursing staff, came to check on me.

“The pain will subside soon. It’s not serious, so don’t worry, okay?”

“Okay.” I nodded in a daze in response to the teacher’s advice.

That damned swordsmanship teacher. Setting up a practice duel out of nowhere, and yet he was nowhere to be seen after a student lost consciousness? Was that really how a teacher behaved?

“Ugh...”

As I struggled to sit up, Ellen grabbed my shoulder.

“...?”

Was she trying to help me stand up?

“I didn’t realize that you knew nothing about swordsmanship,” she said nonchalantly as she helped me to stand, then assisted me in putting on my shoes.

‘What’s with her all of a sudden?’

“My plan was to end the duel quickly by aiming the sword at your neck if you blocked my first strike.”

“... Ah, I see.”

Her original plan involved a light downward strike to induce me to block, after which she would slide the sword down and point it at my neck, or something like that.

But I hadn’t even reacted to the initial strike, and took the blow straight to the head.

It was like an unexpected accident. An accident caused by my remarkably slow reaction time.

So, was she doing all this because she felt sorry for me?

“Uh, you know, I think I can walk by myself...”

At those words, she let go of her supporting arm. It was only my head that hurt, and nothing else was seriously damaged.

But how long had I been out cold?

“Ah, don’t you have to go to your next class?”

Ellen shook her head in reply to my question.

“It’s lunchtime now.”

After two morning classes, it would typically be lunchtime. This meant that the second class had already finished, and there was time to spare, because it was lunchtime now.

Wait. Was this an invitation to have lunch together with her?

Probably not. If I asked, she’d just answer that it was lunchtime, nothing more.

I confessed to her yesterday and got rejected, only to be dominated in a sparring session in a single blow... Sigh.

It was a headache. Quite literally as well, since I was actually suffering from a headache.

There was no way I could feel more embarrassed. Yet the fact that she seemed completely unfazed made it all the more embarrassing.

“... Do you want to get lunch together?”

“...”

A nod.

What I realized was that embarrassment became irrelevant once it surpassed a certain level.

***

She was indifferent to most things.

She was a girl who had rejected my confession the day before and then hit me on the head with a sword the next day, so asking her to have lunch would not have made any impact on her feelings toward me.

She wasn’t the type to put a meaning to everything that had happened.

She would simply eat if she became hungry, and it didn’t really matter who she ate with. Thinking along that line cleared away any worries I had when it came to Ellen.

I didn’t need to overthink everything, and just treat her the way I wanted to. As long as I didn’t slap her across the face or do anything overly rude, she was the type to just let it slide.

With that thought, my mind felt clear. Since she had the same reaction to just about anything, I could treat her even more casually and naturally than I would others, right?

Because she wouldn’t misunderstand or judge my actions through her own preconceptions, and would simply takes things as they are.

“Do you have anything you want to eat?”

“Anything’s fine.”

‘Really?’

“Are you sure you’re fine with anything?”

“Yeah, anything.”

Although I figured that it wasn’t really her fault, having been rejected and then being smacked on the head still stung.

I wanted to get back at her a little.

‘You don’t know what you just signed up for.’

***

The imperial capital of Gradium was a mix of the familiar and unfamiliar, somewhat like Seoul.

That was why there were things that made one wonder why they existed here at all. For instance, the beggars prowling the parks, similar to those around the Han River, or shopping districts that had transformed in ways akin to Yongsan.

And just the day before, when I’d gone out on the streets to flirt with Connor Lint, I’d seen something that completely shocked me.

It made me think this alternate world was on the brink of collapse.

Ellen tilted her head in puzzlement as he looked at the food before her.

“It smells weird.”

Cheonggukjang[1].

Ellen Artorius looked at the bubbling cheonggukjang in the hot pot, unable to bring herself to touch it.

The distinctively rich and pungent smell filled the entire restaurant.

Though I had no idea why it existed here, it did.

Whatever the case, it was food from my homeland, and I was just glad it existed!

And I had brought her here to try it.

Why? She was the one that said anything was fine so if it was difficult to eat, that was on her.

“It smells like something you shouldn’t eat.”

At Ellen’s comment, I shook my head and gestured to the people filling up the restaurant.

“Look. Other people are eating it just fine.”

The customers were all adults and faculty staff members, but even so, Ellen tilted her head doubtfully as she looked at them.

—The Temple really is accommodating, to have food that only people from the East eat over here as well!

—I think it’s because students from all regions gather at the Temple! Mm, this soup!

Apparently, cheonggukjang was now an Eastern dish, something that I wasn’t aware of. And since students from all over flocked to the Temple, there was a need for traditional foods that couldn’t be found elsewhere. If there was demand, there must be supply.

The price might have been higher than in other places, but having it available was what mattered.

Hey, this world was quite plausible.

It was similar to the streets of New York, which are filled with food trucks, where a global food culture exists because it’s a gathering place for people from all over the world.

Anyway, I never thought I’d be grateful for this world with its mishmash of a setting, until I found myself in a world with not only cheonggukjang, but kimchi as well. I had described the eastern part of the continent like that of East Asia, but then more and more cultural elements had been added, and now we even had cheonggukjang coming from the east.

Then did that mean kimchi-jjigae[2] and even budae-jjigae[3] existed here as well?

But even if they had budae-jjigae, wouldn’t that be weird? In this world, there was no equivalent of the U.S. military, from which that dish originated.

Then again, when you considered it, cheonggukjang also had its own origins as well.

‘What even is this place? Where am I exactly?’

“Look at this.”

I scooped out some cheonggukjang from the hot pot, mixed it zealously with rice, and began to eat it after sprinkling some seaweed flakes and sesame oil over it.

Ellen watched me eat with a look of repulsion.

‘Are you discriminating against my culture right now? Do you want to get canceled?’

To be honest, cheonggukjang wasn’t my favorite dish, but it was something I would at times crave and seek out.

Ellen just watched quietly as I munched away.

The smell was strong, but it was a savory taste of home.

It wasn’t like I was moved to tears or anything, but there was definitely a strong sense of nostalgia.

‘Wait. And they make good kimchi too? Now this is what I’m talking about.’

After all, I guess I was still an old man on the inside.

Did they sell soju[4] here as well? Did they prohibit the sale of it to kids as well in this world?

Ellen watched me with a doubtful look.

“Come on, give it here. I’ll do it for you.”

I scooped out some cheonggukjang into a bowl, took a hearty spoonful, and pushed it towards her mouth.

“Open up. Just try one bite.”

“Ah, um, uh.”

Perhaps due to the pungent, piercing smell, Ellen opened and closed her small lips repeatedly, hesitating as if questioning whether it was genuinely edible for humans. Her eyebrows twitched, and the movement of her lips suggested she was indeed dubious.

Watching her mouth move like a fish nibbling at bait was actually kind of adorable.

“My arm’s gonna fall off. Hurry up will you!”

“Ah, ah...”

When I raised my voice, Ellen finally opened her mouth, and I put the spoonful of cheonggukjang in.

‘Take that, my revenge for breaking my skull.’

With an uncertain expression, Ellen chewed the mouthful.

“Heh, heheh. How is it? Killer, right?”

“!”

With a perturbed look, Ellen clenched her eyes shut while still holding the food in her mouth.

It seemed like the moment it went into her mouth, her distaste had reached its peak.

Unable to spit it out or swallow it, Ellen started to stomp her feet impatiently.

A 17-year-old high school girl who was always blunt, with a cool demeanor?

‘There’s no such thing as a concept that lasts forever, you poor little soul!’

1. Cheonggukjang is a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste that is known for its strong flavor and smell ?

2. Kimchi-jjigae is a Korean stew made with kimchi, tofu, and vegetables, and often includes pork or beef. The key ingredient is kimchi, which gives the stew its distinctive sour and spicy flavor. It’s a comforting and popular dish in Korean cuisine, often served with rice. ?

3. Budae-jjigae, also known as “Army Stew,” originated after the Korean War when food scarcity led Korean and U.S. soldiers to create a stew using surplus military rations. It typically includes ingredients like instant noodles, spam, sausages, tofu, kimchi, and various vegetables. The result is a hearty and flavorful hot pot with a mix of savory and spicy tastes. ?

4. Soju is a clear and distilled Korean alcoholic beverage. It’s traditionally made from rice, barley, or wheat, and has a mild taste. Soju is a popular drink in Korea and is often consumed during social gatherings. ?