Chapter 71

【71】70.

Deep night.

Creak-

Leo carefully opened the window of the dormitory room.

Whoosh-!

A cold blizzard swept through.

[It's cold! Close the window!]

Kieran, who was shivering in front of the candle with a handkerchief wrapped around his hands like he was warming himself by a bonfire, was terrified at the sight.

“Don’t move and wait here.”

After leaving those words, Leo left the room through the window.

The place Leo headed to was none other than another high-end hotel where the second-year students were staying.

“Just as I thought, they moved.”

On the other side, Runia, who was watching the movements of the Lumern dormitory from her room window, had a meaningful expression.

“Just as I thought, my intuition was right.”

Runia opened the window without hesitation and stepped outside.

A short while after Leo and Runia left their rooms.

Click-!

“Lord Leo and Lady Runia, together…?”

Another window opened, and Eiran poked her head out.

Eiran, who had mustered the courage to join Seilun today, was staying here instead of at home at Herdium’s suggestion.

And in the midst of her tension, she accidentally witnessed Leo and Runia secretly leaving the dormitory.

“What’s going on? Why are Lord Leo and Lady Runia…?”

The second-year representative of Lumern and the object of admiration, though scary, from Seilun, leaving the dormitory late at night made Eiran ponder.

“No way! A secret meeting?”

The imagination of the teenage girl, who loved heroic tales, ran wild.

She covered her blushing face with her hands, not knowing what to do.

‘To have such an improper relationship as students…!’

Eiran, who had misunderstood smoothly, hurriedly put on her clothes and went outside.

Leo, who had arrived at the hotel where the Seilun second-year students were staying, stood on the roof.

He hid his presence and pressed his fingers into the wall with force.

Crack-!

The hotel wall caved in.

Leo sensed the presence inside the hotel as he descended to the lower floor using that method.

‘It seems they rented this place entirely from Seilun as well.’

There was no presence felt inside.

‘The students’ floor is the third, right?’

It was already late at night, so the Seilun students were already asleep.

Leo, who had climbed down the wall to the third floor, checked the inside through the window.

‘Nine in total. One is missing.’

Leo narrowed his eyes after confirming the number of sleeping second-year students.

He then opened the window of a room that was empty but had luggage.

Click-

The window, which was not locked, opened easily.

Leo, sitting on the window, took off his snow-covered shoes to avoid leaving footprints and stepped onto the floor.

He then confirmed the name ‘Lauta’ on the school badge hanging on the wall.

‘Sure enough, she sneaked out of the dormitory.’

“Hey! What are you doing here?”

At that moment, Runia, who looked very flustered, stood by the window and spoke.

“What about you?”

Leo, who knew Runia had secretly followed him, replied calmly.

“Is that important now! If you’re caught entering the second-year dormitory without permission, what will you do! Get out quickly! Before we’re discovered…!”

Runia took off her shoes and approached Leo to pull him out.

Unauthorized departure from the dormitory and unauthorized entry.

Especially considering they were from different schools, if they were caught, it wouldn’t just end with a simple punishment.

Thud-! Bang-!

“Ouch!”

Runia, who was too startled, accidentally kicked the table leg as she approached Leo.

The table fell to the floor with a loud noise.

Runia, who had stubbed her toe, felt tears welling up and unknowingly grabbed her foot.

A short while later, a nervous knock was heard.

Runia, who was holding her foot and groaning, looked at the door in panic.

‘Oh no? It’s not locked!’

If someone were to open it now, they would be caught for sure.

Leo also frowned when he saw this.

“Hey! Lauta! What’s all this noise in the middle of the night! I thought you were the only one here! Try to get some sleep!”

An irritated male student’s voice was heard.

Leo quickly put his shoes outside, closed the window, and grabbed Runia’s wrist.

He then pushed her into the bed and pulled her close as he covered himself with the blanket.

“Hey! What are you…!”

“Shh!”

Leo placed his finger on Runia’s lips, which were about to speak in embarrassment.

“You’re ignoring me!”

Bang-!

The door opened irritably.

Runia felt her heart stop.

The distance between the door and the bed was quite far, so if they lay on their backs, it would be hard to tell that two people were lying there unless someone came close.

“Are you ignoring me even after I came in? So! The upperclassman doesn’t even want to talk to a lowerclassman, right?”

The male student, who had mistakenly assumed this, closed the door irritably.

A short while later, Runia, who had come out from under the blanket, turned bright red and quickly moved away from Leo.

“You didn’t need to hug me like that!”

Leo, who had gotten off the bed, replied while looking at Runia, who was protesting in a small voice.

“If we didn’t stick together, it would have looked like two people were lying there.”

“That’s true, but!”

‘Ah! Why is this guy so calm!’

“I don’t care! I don’t care! Anyway! If you tell anyone about this, you’re dead!”

Leo, who was putting on his shoes, headed for the roof.

Runia followed him up.

“Alright, then let’s go.”

The two arrived at the entrance of the Fairy Forest, outside the city.

Leo stopped and sighed softly when they reached the entrance.

“Are you going to keep following me?”

“Huh?”

Runia was taken aback by the sudden question.

Rustle-

Eiran appeared, pushing through the bushes.

“Eiran? When did you follow us?”

“I’ve been following you the whole time.”

“What?”

Leo had sensed Eiran’s presence from the moment he knew Runia was following him.

‘Eiran isn’t the type to tattle, though.’

If Eiran had witnessed them sneaking out, she would rather suffer in silence than report it.

So he left her alone, but he couldn’t help but ask why she kept following them.

Runia approached Eiran.

“Eiran, why did you come here? Go back to the dormitory quickly….”

“Ah…!”

“What? What is it?”

“No! No! Students shouldn’t have improper relationships!”

“…”

Runia was stunned at Eiran’s flushed face and urgent exclamation.

“What are you talking about?”

“I saw it! I saw Lord Leo and Lady Runia sneak out of the dormitory and enter another hotel room!”

“Eiran! Wait! Listen to me. That’s not….”

“Of course, Lady Runia is beautiful! And Lord Leo is very handsome! I think you two look good together! But you’re still first-year students! How can you be so shameless and have a physical relationship…!”

“Ah! Really! It’s not like that?! Hey! Leo! Explain quickly!”

Runia, unable to bear the wild imagination, shouted and looked at Leo.

Seeing Leo laughing while holding his stomach, Runia’s forehead veins popped.

“Are you laughing! Laughing?! Is this funny!”

Shouting and grabbing his collar, Runia made Leo stop laughing. He then released Runia’s hands and spoke to Eiran.

“Eiran. You’re mistaken. Runia and I aren’t in that kind of relationship.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. That was the Seilun second-year dormitory. I went in to investigate something and left quickly.”

“Oh….”

Eiran gasped.

Then, a short while later, she sat on the ground, covering her face.

“I’m so embarrassed.”

“Phew. Really. I feel embarrassed too.”

Runia, who was fanning her face with her hand, laughed at Eiran.

“By the way, did you come to stop me because you thought I was having an improper relationship?”

“I’m sorry. Did it make you feel bad?”

“No. I was just surprised. I won’t be distracted by love affairs. But if that happens, it would be good for you, right?”

In Seilun, where students’ checks on each other were much stricter than in Lumern, it would be a good thing if the opponent couldn’t focus on their studies.

“No. Not at all. I want Lady Runia to always be the best student.”

Hearing this, Runia was slightly surprised.

‘She thought this way?’

Runia, from a prestigious family, had always been full of confidence.

On the other hand, she also found it boring.

There was no one in the Seilun first-year class who could match Runia.

So when Eiran, who was in the intermediate class, quickly rose to just below her, Runia was happy to have a rival.

Even when other students gossiped about Eiran, she only laughed it off.

She didn’t think her rival would be swayed by such losers’ words.

‘Thinking about it, Eiran was always alone.’

Runia felt embarrassed for not paying attention to Eiran, whom she called a friend.

“Eiran.”

“Yes?”

“Why didn’t you come to school? Was saying you were sick a lie?”

At Runia’s question, Eiran bowed her head deeply.

“I didn’t attend school with the serious goal of becoming a hero like others. I just went to school with a light heart, wanting to observe people like heroes up close.”

She admired heroes but had never imagined herself as one. She just enjoyed watching them.

“I thought attending school might be a disservice to those who seriously aspire to be heroes….”

“Disservice? That’s ridiculous. Thinking that way is a disservice to your own efforts.”

Becoming the second-best student in the intermediate class was by no means an easy feat.

In reality, Eiran was the center of attention.

But the introverted and timid Eiran was afraid of that attention.

Along with that, the envy and jealousy from her classmates also became a burden.

Feeling isolated, she fled back to her family home.

Hearing Eiran’s words, Runia sighed deeply and said,

“I want you to keep coming to school.”

“W-Why?”

“You’re my friend.”

Eiran looked surprised.

“Me and Lady Runia were friends?”

“Huh?”

Runia glanced back at Leo, who was laughing behind her.

It turned out that Eiran’s earlier statement about not considering Runia a friend was true.

“We are friends, right? So ignore the other kids’ nonsense and come to school! I need you!”

“Me?”

“Yes. That’s right. I want you to keep competing with me as a friend and a rival.”

Eiran’s face brightened, looking bewildered at first.

Seeing her smile, Leo chuckled.

“Kids grow up fast, you know.”

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