…


  “You must make sure to rest well over the next few days. You can train a little, but make sure you don’t overexert yourself. Contact me right away if anything happens. I’ll be taking Alicia with me,” instructed Chris.

  “Ah? Chris, why do I have to…” protested Alicia

  “Let him rest for the next few days. You can do whatever you want after the Challenger Cup ends.”


  Wait a moment, what do you mean by that? Did I agree to that?, thought Roel.

  “… Fine, I won’t bother him. However, there shouldn’t be an issue if I visit Lord Brother when he’s missing me, right?”


  In one of the Azure Manor’s rooms, Alicia tugged Roel’s sleeves as she posed a question. Chris was rendered speechless whereas Roel was left at a loss.

  They had seen people mooching lodging and food, but this was the first time they had seen someone so determined to mooch someone’s bed. Roel was initially strongly opposed to it, but he changed his mind when Chris told him that Alicia hardly slept at her house.

  As a fairly powerful transcendent with an overpowered bloodline, it was unlikely that Alicia’s health would deteriorate even if she didn’t sleep a wink for several days. It was just that Roel was afraid that her growth would be stunted if she didn’t catch proper sleep, a mindset that likely came from his previous life.

  For that reason, he chose to turn a blind eye toward Alicia’s stayovers.

  It was just that his advancement into the Challenger Cup’s finals left Chris, Paul, Geralt, and the entire Bluerose Faction so excited that they began fussing over everything.

  Roel was already assured second place in the prestigious Challenger Cup at the bare minimum. This was a huge honor for the newly founded Bluerose Faction, and it would indubitably bring them into the limelight. They felt like they would be able to walk with their heads higher than anyone else in the academy from this day onward.

  As for Chris, Lilian’s unexpected defeat meant that Roel was the only student she had left in the tournament. Also, if Roel did manage to win the championship, she would be able to use it as an excuse to make a house visit.

  By then, Carter would find it difficult to turn down her request for a meeting, be it her identity as Roel’s teacher or their previous relationship as mentor and mentee. She viewed this as a crucial step for her to further her relationship with Carter, so she was determined to make it happen.

  Due to these reasons, Roel found himself surrounded by an excited crowd the moment he stepped into the Azure Manor. He was able to deal with Paul and the others with ease, but the same couldn’t be said about Chris and Alicia.

  “Roel, Lilian mentioned that William still has tricks up his sleeves. You must take caution.”


  “Yes, I’ll be careful. Miss Chris, you can set your heart at ease.”


  “Lord Brother, if you ever get too anxious to fall asleep, you can look for me. I know a sleep-inducing spell that is particularly effective on… Cough cough. I mean, I think that the sleep-inducing spell should be able to help you out.”


  “There should be no need for that.”


  Roel didn’t notice her unnatural expression and turned her down without much thought. He had never really lost sleep before. Instead, he instructed Alicia to not place a bet for the finals.

  So far, he had managed to accrue more than 300,000 gold coins by placing bets in the Challenger Cup. He should be able to pay his debt to Charlotte after withdrawing a bit of money from the fiefdom, so he decided to play it safe.

  He wasn’t that confident about fighting against William, and their payouts weren’t particularly high either. There was no need to take on this risk.

  After relaying his instructions, Roel walked the two of them out of the Azure Manor. Looking at the setting sun, he knew that it was about time for him to set off for his appointment.

  …


  Even after nightfall, Saint Freya Academy’s commercial street was still bustling with huge crowds. Sweltering summer had fortunately passed them by, and the weather was starting to get cooling. The previously jam-packed juice stand wasn’t as crowded as it was before, much to the relief of the duo who decided to meet there.

  “Boss, two cups of juice. No ice.”


  “Coming right up!”


  It took two minutes for the masked Roel to reach the front of the queue and make his order.

  Once he received his two cups of juice, he headed back to Teresa’s side, and the two of them made their way to one of the less crowded public tables. They first scanned their vicinity, and after confirming that no one was looking at them, they heaved a sigh of relief.

  Things were now different from before.

  After the Challenger Cup, both Roel and Teresa were much more well-known than before. Their fame was previously limited to just the First Grade students, but they were now celebrities in the academy. Due to that, they had to be exceptionally careful when heading to public places.

  It was one thing if others thought that they were in an intimate relationship for meeting in private after their duel, but if someone were to doubt them of tampering with the results of the tournament, it could cause unnecessary complications.

  Of course, most students would find such rumors lacking in credibility. Both Roel and Teresa were high nobles in their respective countries, so it was unlikely that they would do something like that.

  Roel passed one of the cups to Teresa, and the latter happily sipped on it. Then, she took out her notebook and began the conversation.

  Thank you, Mister Roel. This is already the third time.

  “It looks like we do bump into each other quite a bit.”


  Shortly after the Challenger Cup’s preliminary round, he was strolling around the commercial street to let loose when he coincidentally spotted Teresa queuing up for the same juice stand, so he stepped forward to help her. His relationship with the transfer students was rather tense back then, so he left right after lending her a helping hand.

  It does seem so. I appreciate your help a lot.

  “It’s nothing much. I also wanted to have one last try before the juice stand closes down.”


  Roel and Teresa smiled at each other, and the atmosphere between them grew harmonious. After a quick conversation to lighten the mood, Roel finally asked Teresa for the reason why she had asked him out today.

  Teresa pondered for a long while before she finally moved her quill.

  I want to inform you about certain matters.

  “Certain matters?”


  Yes. It’s about William.

  “…”


  Just as I thought.

  Roel wasn’t surprised by that. He hadn’t met William ever since their previous unpleasant meeting at Panoply Manor. Teresa was probably feeling worried about the tense relationship between the two of them.

  He heard from Brittany that William regarded Teresa as his older sister, and he would usually go along with her suggestions. Given so, it would indeed be much more effective to have Teresa mediate between the two of them.

  “I’m open to talking about William, but is it really fine to talk about his affairs behind his back?”


  That child is too stubborn. He simply refuses to talk about certain matters, but I think that it’s important that you know about them.

  “I have to know about them?”


  That’s right.

  Watching as Teresa let out a sigh, Roel raised his eyebrows doubtfully.

  I swear on Sia’s name that everything I’ll be telling you from this point onward contains nothing but the truth. I hope that you’ll believe me.

  “I trust you, Miss Teresa.”


  Thank you. Let’s get straight to the main point then.

  Feeling Roel’s trust in her, Teresa’s lips curled in delight. She began writing something in her notebook, but the content was so terrifying that Roel felt his heart skip a beat.

  First and foremost, William isn’t the adopted child of the Cambonytes but the legitimate offspring of the royal family…


  “Wait a moment!”


  Halfway through Teresa’s writing, Roel quickly pressed his hand down on the notebook before glancing at his surroundings. Then, with a grave look on his face, he asked with a hushed voice.

  “Miss Teresa, isn’t it inappropriate for you to be divulging such national secrets to me?”


  Secrets regarding a ruling family shouldn’t be spoken in front of an outsider, let alone a foreigner. Based on Roel’s experiences, trouble would likely soon knock on the door of those who stumbled upon such secrets.

  That was why he wanted to stop this conversation here.

  Teresa noticed Roel’s thought, but she chose to take a hard stance on this matter. She continued writing in her notebook.