Chapter 7: Returning The Favor

Christiana Peterson.

The daughter of Count Peterson and an honors student at the Royal Magic Academy.

Her brother, Harald Peterson, a proficient spear and fire elemental user.

In the novel, she was one of the key characters in every subjugation mission the MC and his squad performed.

Often, she went her own way to complete her targets.

This independent streak likely stems from her overprotective father and brother.

Despite being an exemplary student, her achievements were overshadowed by her brother's.

Since her mother passed away in a demon attack, her father and brother have been almost overbearing in their care. This led her to develop a fierce independence.

That means she would never accept any favor without repaying it. On top of that, once given a task, she wouldn't back down easily, even if injured.

So, the consequence was clear. She would return to the apothecary's place to find the person who rescued her.

This went as expected.

However, aren't you too early!? At least wait a day!

Dammit! I should have prepared for this situation.

Why, you ask?

Because this girl is crazy nuts. She wouldn't hesitate to point her sword at my neck if she found me suspicious.

"Chris Harrison? Why are you here?"

She stood up, ready to fight, glaring at me like I was a demon.

"Oh my! I forgot to tell you, he's the one who brought you here from the forest."

Yeah, figured.

"But aren't you expelled from the academy? What are you doing in the capital?"

"I'm not expelled, just suspended for a month."

"Then why are you in your academy uniform?"

Seriously? You're asking that?

"These are the only clothes I have now. The only civilian attire I had was the one I used to stop your bleeding yesterday."

"That was yours?"

"You don't believe me?"

"Stop, stop, stop right there! What's with this menacing atmosphere?" Cutting off our interrogation, the apothecary spoke up.

"This is supposed to be a revelation type of romcom situation, like the cool elegant beauty opens up her heart to the boy who saved her life, and then... why are you two glaring at me like that?"

[I agree with this apothecary.]

The message from the system left me bewildered.

I mean, what the hell? This system is actually commenting on the situation like a sports commentator but not giving me any useful information?

"Anyway, Ms. Cecille, please give me some time. I have to talk with him about something important."

Cecille? So that's her name.

"Heh~ is it what I think it is?"

"What's with that smirk on your face? It's nothing like that," Christiana retorted.

This conversation is heading in the wrong direction, I think.

***

Afterward, Christiana and I moved outside to talk.

"How much do you want for saving me?" Christiana asked bluntly, her voice carrying a hint of suspicion.

"What?" I replied, caught off guard by her straightforwardness.

"I am talking about money. So, how much do you want?"

Her question hung in the air like a challenge, a test of my intentions.

"That's a weird way of returning a favor. But it's like her, I guess," I thought to myself, trying to decipher her motives.

"It's not like I helped you to gain something in return," I said, trying to convey my sincerity.

"No, I can't stomach the thought of accepting a one-sided favor. That's why you have to tell me how much money you want," she insisted, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"In that case, do you mind if I ask for something other than money?" I ventured cautiously, hoping to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"What is it?" she asked, her tone softening slightly, a flicker of curiosity in her gaze.

"You and the student council have been investigating some strange occurrences around the academy for some time now. I want information on the current situation regarding that," I stated, trying to appeal to her sense of duty.

"..." Christiana fell silent, her expression unreadable as she mulled over my request.

Swoosh. Slice.

"Woah, woah, woah! What are you doing!?" I exclaimed in alarm as she swiftly drew her sword, pointing it menacingly at my neck.

"I knew it. You're one of them, aren't you?" she accused, her voice sharp with suspicion.

'Yeah, she's assuming that I am one of the terrorists. But I don't think she is the type to react like this just from that question, at least from what I had read about her,' I thought, trying to make sense of her sudden hostility.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You were already wounded when I found you and brought you here. I just wanted to know what was happening around the academy that would involve terrorists," I protested, trying to defuse the tense situation.

Feeding her a bit of information might be provocative, but I have no other option. Upon hearing that, she stepped back slightly.

"You have no intention of admitting it? Then I'll have to take a harder approach," she warned, her eyes flashing with determination.

'Something is seriously wrong with her. She's taking a fighting stance again,' I observed, feeling a sense of unease creeping over me.

Charging at me at full speed, her aim was my shoulder joint. I could block her attack with my dagger, but doing so would prove I'm involved in the case somehow.

Deciding to stand still, I hoped she would stop before landing the strike.

At that instant, someone ran towards us and shouted,

"Hey! Don't fight in front of my house! You'll damage the crops!" Cecille came running towards us.

Coming to her senses, Christiana stopped suddenly and backed off for the time being. Then she left immediately towards the city, presumably the academy.

"What's wrong with her?" I blurted out. Ms. Cecille cleared my doubts.

"You don't know what happened? Oh, you were thrown out of the academy before that incident, so you haven't heard about it."

Thrown out? Well, I can't deny that.

"Huh? What incident are you talking about?"

"You see ..."

***

I get it.

The day after I was kicked out, Harald disappeared from the academy. There was only a note in his room, claiming he was heading out to investigate further.

Everyone assumed he'd be back by the end of the day, but not only did he not return, Christiana insisted the handwriting wasn't her brother's.

However, everyone else dismissed her concerns, believing Harald was responsible enough to report anything unusual to the school and strong enough not to get caught in a situation like kidnapping.

Feeling restless, Christiana took a stroll around the city and found a strange individual wandering near the academy.

She followed them, leading to the events that transpired before my eyes.

Having fully recovered this afternoon, she ran to the academy, only to find that Harald had still not returned.

Ignoring everyone's advice, she rushed to this place to find the person who brought her here, hoping for any clues.

Now I understand the matter.

In my opinion, Harald isn't someone who would be easily subdued by even 10 or 15 fully armed men.

But I could see desperation in Christiana's eyes when she attacked me, making this matter worth investigating.

With that, my next course of action is clear.

Let's start with the search operation.