Chapter 101 – Ranked Play – Day 4

“Oohh!!!”

As usual, thunderous cheers erupted from the bleachers.
Guild scouts sitting in the VIP seats talked quietly among themselves, and reporters from each country captured the battle results of the Group C championship candidates with their cameras.

Contrary to the heat of the crowd, a heavy silence subsided in the student waiting room, among the students watching the battle between Laysha and Chloe.

“Nonsense…”

The first to speak was Ah-yeong, and other students began to speak as if she meant that it was a starting signal.

“Was Chloe like that…?”

“What are you talking about, originally Laysha was stronger.”

“Isn’t it because the shield art has awakened?”

It was a pretty plausible guess.
After throwing away the sword and starting to switch karate to the shield, Chloe achieved Awakening Level 1.

“But maybe she won’t be able to beat Laysha?”

“Trash talk? Chloe’s mouth moved before the game.”

“Crazy bastard. Have you forgotten what Laysha and Chloe were related to? She asked Laysha for her phone number the other day and she glared at me like she was going to kill me.”

There were also wild speculations.
I, who listened to them with one ear and passed them out with the other, was just looking at the arena.

[Do you want to create Lip Reading (Lv1)? Cost: regular 400]

After creating the Lip Reading skill, I raised the level using the buff.

– Lady, why are you like that?

You cannot hear your words, but your facial expressions and gestures are transmitted to the electronic display board.
Chloe said, maintaining a completely expressionless expression without even changing her eyes.
But it was easy to predict that there was bitterness in her question.

-It’s nothing. Chloe. It was a good fight.

-… Siwoo visited last night. Did you not know?

Laysha, who had answered with a forced smile, flinched at Chloe’s question.
The corners of her mouth, which had been forcibly raised, began to go down gradually, and deep dark circles appeared under her eyes.

-I knew. Yuri said.

Leisha said as she picked up the rapier she had missed.
But I quickly realized that she was lying to her.

-Then why didn’t you meet Siwoo?

-… I’m tired, so I think I’ll have to go back.

-Is it a story that you can’t tell to me who has served you for 10 years and Siwoo who loves you?

Chloe’s face began to contort as if she couldn’t contain her emotions any longer.

However, Laysha’s answer was firm.

-Yes, it’s a story I wouldn’t be able to tell either Chloe, who has served me for 10 years, or Siwoo whom I love.

And Leysha turned her back and started to descend from the arena.
Chloe, who had completely hardened, just stared blankly at the spot where Laysha had been.

“Next Class 3 Lee Shin-hyeok! Class 6 Sato Hinata!”

However, the ranking match, which did not know their circumstances, proceeded indifferently, and the winner was eventually Chloe.

And a professor at her academy, whom no one had ever seen before, asked her how she felt about winning.

“Thank you.”

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Chloe didn’t look happy at all despite winning the group stage.

∴

At the same time as her Leisha dropped out, they set out to find her, but she couldn’t even find her shadow, as if she had already returned to her dormitory.

“Chloe… Are you okay?”

“Yes, that’s fine. I’m just… A little tired.”

When Ah-young asked anxiously, Chloe replied with her usual expressionless expression, as if Chloe really wanted to insist that nothing was wrong.

But her eyes couldn’t focus.
Her eyes slightly moistened.
Unlike before, when she confidently looked straight ahead, her gaze directed downward toward the floor undoubtedly revealed that Chloe was not okay at all.

I couldn’t say it was okay either.
I wonder if I was mistaken in thinking that she had a close relationship with Laysha.
The last time I checked Laysha’s liking was just proof that she was mistaken.

Or did I not become the person Laysha could rely on?
I was afraid to confirm her likeability again.

“Chloe, you worked hard today. The shield technique was really cool.”

But I couldn’t show weakness in front of them.
Like Chloe, she pretended not to care.

However, it was impossible to hide my feelings from Ah-young unless I used her acting skills.

I averted Ayoung’s eyes as she looked at me with concern.

“Chloe, can you come closer for a second?”

“Hmm…? I get it.”

Whisper.

Ah-young spoke in a small voice as Chloe approached her.

“What do you mean?”

“This is Siu’s room password. Today I will sleep in my room.”

Ayoung said with a bright smile as she looked at Chloe.

“Ah… And thank you.”

Did he feel Ayoung’s consideration?
Chloe trembled at her words as if embarrassed.

∴

“I’m here?”

“Okay, would you mind if I come in?”

“Uh, it might be a little dirty, is that okay?”

“It’s okay.”
Naturally, I had finished cleaning my room, knowing that Chloe would come to my room.

Sitting next to each other on the couch in the dorm room, we were silent for a while.
Chloe, like me, must be thinking about which words to start with.

“Are you okay? I heard what Laysha said. No, should I say I read it? I made a lip-reading skill.”

“Is that so… To be honest, it’s a bit difficult. Isn’t it the same for Siwoo?”

“Yes.”

The suffocating feeling clogged up in my chest just wouldn’t go away.

“I have been serving Lady Laysha for 10 years. She is a benefactor who personally took me in when I did not even know her parents’ faces when I was young.”

“Huh.”

“Since she was young, I wanted to be the strength of her lady after seeing Lady Raysha, who had been suppressed by the pressure of having to lead her own family.”

She said, staring into the air in a vague tone, as if reminiscing about her childhood.

“Following Laysha, I devoted myself to training and became an Awakener. With the special ability of being a guardian.”

Unlike skills and abilities, there is a lot of talk about special abilities that are almost impossible to acquire through acquired learning.

Is it just random or according to the desire of the Awakener?
Nothing was clearly decided in the game setting, but in Chloe’s case, it would be the latter.

“You wanted to protect Laysha.”

“Yes, but… Ugh…”

Tears began to form in Chloe’s eyes.
It seems that Chloe, who was always insensitive to her emotions and tried to hide them, could no longer suppress them.

“Whew… Even when you were stalked… Even when you were kidnapped… Ugh… I couldn’t protect Laysha-sama…”

He tried to calm his breathing, but the more he tried, the more his words trembled.

“It was unavoidable. You don’t have to feel guilty.”

I said while rubbing Chloe’s back.

“Huh… Go, thank you… Uh… Would it be okay if I held you for a while…?”

Chloe looked up at me with tears in her eyes.
I hugged her without answering.

After a while, Chloe stopped crying and opened her mouth while holding me in my arms.

“I think it’s because I always show only what I lack. That’s why you won’t tell me anything.”

“No, it must be because there are circumstances that I cannot tell you. How much Laysha is relying on Chloe. It’s completely wrong, but if it’s because you only show a lacking side like you said, then there’s no reason for me to do that. Is not it?”

“But…”

“Chloe. Have a little more confidence. You are Laysha’s knight, my lover, and our party’s tank. Yes?”

To my words, Chloe was silent.

“Do you think it’s because Laysha simply doesn’t trust us?”

“That…”

“Looks like I’m not. Obviously there must be a reason you can’t tell us. Otherwise, there’s no reason for Laysha’s behavior to change so drastically.”

“… Yes, Siwoo is right.”

After thinking about my words for a while, Chloe nodded and replied.

“Let us help. Then you will be able to become a person who can be depended on even more by Laysha.”

It was bittersweet and sad, but the most important thing was to know why Laysha couldn’t speak.

“All right.”

Perhaps realizing that fact, Chloe looked at me with determined eyes and said,

“But how can I help you when you don’t say anything…”

“Don’t worry. Because there is a solution.”

∴

After that, after talking for a while, as soon as Chloe went back to her dormitory, I headed to the F-1 building dormitory where Ayoung was.

But I wasn’t going to see Ah-young.

Smart smart

“Are you there?”

As I knocked on the door, the door suddenly burst open.

“Excuse me.”

I took off my shoes and went into the dorm room.

“Welcome.”

Inside the room, books related to magic, such as basic magic and mana management, were stacked one on top of the other, and Riel was wearing a black negligee that exposed her skin.

“Did you excuse me when you were busy?”

“No, it’s fine. There are several interesting books in this academy, so I was looking through them.”

Riel, who had bookmarked the book she was holding, turned her chair towards me and crossed her legs.

“It seems like the first time I’ve come to see my older sister, not Ayoung, on this late night.”

“… Sorry.”

“I have nothing to apologize for. Isn’t it right to take care of her lover Ah-yeong first rather than the older sister with whom you have no relationship?”

She pretended nothing was wrong at all, but she felt sorry for Riel.

“Hmm. It’s a joke, so don’t make that face. You’re sorry.”

“All right.”

I don’t know what kind of expression she was making, but she answered at once.

“Yeah… What did you come for? Did you miss your sister’s original body by any chance?”

Riel said with a mischievous smile.
Come to think of it, she must have had her moment of growth cooldown.

“No. Could she please do me one favor?”

“Ask…?”

As if my answer was unexpected, Riel asked me back with a surprised expression.
Of course, she wanted to see the adult version of Riel, but that’s possible later.

“Well, nothing is impossible as long as you pay the price. Please explain what you are asking for.”

“Thank you. As for what’s going on…”

And I started explaining Laysha’s affairs to Riel.

“Hmm… So you’re saying it might be an emergency situation.”

“Yes.”

At my words, Riel, who had been thinking about her chin, looked at me again.

“I will find out and contact you as soon as possible, so go back today. Let’s decide the price once this is resolved.”

“All right.”

I went back to my dorm room and went to sleep.

∴

The next morning.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she habitually activated the cube watch, and there was a text from Riel.

‘Already?’

I checked Riel’s message admiring her quick work.

– Solve it on your own.

Contrary to my expectations, Riel’s message was concise and unkind.