Chương 21: Chapter 21
Inside the principal's office.
"Heya. It's been a while, Lux-kun."
In front of the principal, seated behind her desk, greeted the two—Lux and Rayto who had just entered her office with a warm smile.
"Haha—it's been a long time." Lux replied with a wry smile, scratching his head.
Reile hearing Lux's comment continued to smile warmly.
After greeting Lux, she turned to Rayto.
She had only seen him from afar during the duels, but having a closer look at him now, she appreciated her decision.
Though she was the principal, she was still young, probably in her late twenties.
Even if one called her a teacher... Reile Aingram.
A woman with good looks, who was also the daughter of a financial group directly associated with the nation.
With this already makes her one of the native upper-class young ladies in the entire nation.
And she was one of the few acquaintances of Lux from the former imperial family.
"And it's finally nice to meet you in person, Rayto. Or should I call you [Howling Dragon]?"
"Ufufu."
She ended her words with a cunning smile, at which Rayto, seeing this, rolled his eyes slightly before retorting.
"My name will do, Mrs. Principal."
He said so, but the outgoing Reile, thinking Rayto was too stiff, asserted with a smile.
"Just call me Reile."
Saying so, her smile grew wider by the second as she spoke, clearly trying to tease Rayto.
But Rayto, who had already anticipated this, kept a straight face as he nodded.
"Alright, Reile."
"Eh?"
Reile, still sporting her devious smile, blinked in surprise.
Even she had to admit that though she was only teasing him, she didn't expect him to actually call her by name without formalities.
She glanced at Lux for a moment, still seated in her chair, then back at Rayto.
Then, all of a sudden, she burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I'm sorry... I just didn't think you'd actually do it."
Looking at Rayto, she began to muse.
He is the exact opposite of Lux isn't he?
But at the same time, she also appreciated it. Which meant she's still a young woman.
"Ufufu."
Just thinking about it made her giggle, evident as she rested her hands on her cheeks.
"Psst—hey, Lux. Is this how she usually is?"
Rayto whispered to his friend, watching Reile's odd behavior.
"Well... I guess. She's still the same as I remember."
Although Rayto hadn't known them for a long time, he had spent time with their entire family back then.
Like Lux, their mother had also passed away, leaving the Aingram family head and daughter behind.
When they visited the capital, he had spent some time with them.
Enough time to be acquainted with Reile.
Then, just as those two had whispered to each other, they then looked at the principal who looked oddly satisfied.
"Forgive me, you two."
"I can just tell with certainty that you two are going to make this place lively."
If they had asked.... the answer she would have told them would definitely be. "Woman's hunch."
There had been boys attending the academy before, but they eventually gave up.
Some lost their motivation; some couldn't handle living among the many girls at the school.
Some felt inferior, and others couldn't bridge the gap between themselves and the talented riders of drag-rides.
The atmosphere back then wasn't good.
Eventually, after they left, the school had become an all-girls school without Reile even realizing it.
Sure, the school was still lively, but she felt as though something was missing.
She had thought numerous times about bringing Lux to the academy.
Surely, for someone as strong and skilled as Lux could surely change the current stagnation the school was facing.
Unexpectedly, a boy named Rayto appeared just when she had decided to make her move.
He and the Lux she had been considering showed some godly teamplay and flexibility that would be impossible for most to perform on their first time in a match like that.
That was why she did everything in her power to get her request to the Queen approved.
"I'm sorry, both of you," she said.
Reile, after calming herself, now looked at the two males with an expression befitting the principal of the academy.
Jeez, what's with people and having a complete change of air?
Rayto sighed inwardly but didn't dwell on it.
"Right. That reminds me."
"The Queen's invitation, or rather decree—was there really any need for that?"
Sensing it was the right time, Rayto brought up the topic.
"Surely, there must be some reason behind it, right?"
In response to what Rayto had asked, Reile simply beamed with a smile.
"But of course there is, dear."
Dear?
"And... I could infer as to what that reason is, but I'd like to hear it from your mouth."
Rayto said, thinking of a situation where the Queen would allow this.
For someone currently known throughout the kingdom for defeating the veteran, the Weakest Undefeated, it only... to some extent made sense.
Surely, other big nobles of the empire would have their eyes on him.
Enrolling in this academy was a means of stalling them until at the very least, he gets strong enough.
Or something along those lines.
And true to his genius, Rayto wasn't wrong.
"You see, after the spectacular match with Lux over here."
Reile paused, glancing at Lux, "you now have many eyes on you."
"Normally, this attention would have applied to Lux, but you might already be aware of his situation."
She paused again, careful not to rush her words.
Rayto, following her drift, nodded. "I'm very much aware of his circumstances."
Then, before Reile could continue, he added.
"Given that they can't use Lux, because of his status, then obviously, the next in line would naturally be someone on par with him."
"This explains a lot, right now."
Rayto spread his arms in an exaggerated manner making even Reile appreciate Rayto even more.
And in contrast to Rayto's words.
"I'm sorry for being a unit of measurement."
Lux who had been used as a measurement of power in their conversation felt a bit offended by being used as a benchmark for power.
He simply turned his head to the sides as he darkly murmured those words.
Then, Rayto who heard Lux saying that....
"You're the strongest after all. It's only natural you would be used as a unit of measurement after a single loss."
Rayto said with little to no sympathy, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, his face expressionless.
Then, Lux who was feeling down at that moment, hearing the words said with a cold tone couldn't help but say.
"Rayto-san, why do I feel those words are meant to hurt me."
"You think too much."
Their banter was then cut by a soft giggle.
"Ufufu."
"You two do get along well, don't you?" Reile finished as she focused on Lux.
"Thank you, Rayto, for being a friend of that child."
By "that child," Reile was referring to Lux.
Little did she know, her words had caused an invisible arrow to strike Lux's heart.
Child!?
Do I still look like a child? TT
But to Lux, who felt heartbroken, Rayto simply shook his head.
"No need for thanks, it's weird."
With Lux's reputation, Rayto's own reputation had basically soared as well.
In other words, Lux was a big source of—a source to farm— reputation for him.
Well, of course, there were other reasons too.
You'll help me become popular, right?
Rayto asked in mind turning to Lux with a smile that didn't quite fit him, sending creepy vibes that Lux wasn't used to.
"Rayto-san, why do I feel like you're thinking something disrespectful about me?"
"No, no, you think too much," Rayto replied dismissively.
"Hehe." Reile smiled again, content with Rayto's interaction with Lux.
Among the few who knew what happened during that rebellion, she too knew a little, heck, she even hid something from him.
However...
That wasn't the time for that.
With a chilling and deadly smile, Reile crossed her hands on the table, resting her chin on her hand.
"Aren't you two ignoring my presence a little too much?"
"A-ah..." Lux and Rayto coughed awkwardly, then refocused their attention back on Reile.
"Pardon us, Principal," they both said, acknowledging her.
....
[Short intermission]
....
"Fuu. Shall we get back to business now."
With all the jokes and fun ending with that sigh, Reile's tone turned serious as she continued.
"While Rayto over here will be attending as a student, Lux's case is a little special."
She dragged out the word 'little' a bit, emphasizing the point.
"Since Lux owes the new kingdom a bit too much, he'll mostly be working to repay his debt here."
She concluded, then looked at Rayto, who seemed to have something to say.
"Hmm?" Rayto who noticed her gaze at him shook his head as he added. "No, nothing."
"Is that so..."
"Anyways, Lux will be in charge of maintenance."
"The hangar is located on the premises of this academy."
"Your work will be there, so starting today, I'll have you go there three times a week. It's dirty, the work is hard, and there's also the danger of injury."
"I can't assign such a job to young ladies from good families, can I?"
"Don't you think you should feel honored and privileged to have been born male?"
Despite her smile, after finishing her statement, both Rayto and Lux could sense the intent in her voice.
H-how pushy.
How pushy. She more demonic than I gave her credit for.
Both males thought in unison as they looked at the smiling Reile.
Rayto had only one thought in his mind after reassessing Reile:
She's a pain in the ass.
Of course, he didn't think she was some holy Mary.
In fact, maybe it's because of the system, or just a feeling, but he had a hunch that this woman would also drag him into her troubles.
Ugh, school life is a pain in the ass, no matter the era.
- Wise words. Rayto Nyonteh.
[Ding!]
[Quest Completed!]
[Reward Item]: [Fool's Mask]
[Item Description]:
[A mask belonging to one of the masked fools.]
[Warning]:
[Might cause one to lose oneself when worn.]
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Heavens_Hell
Heavens_Hell Kek. Thanks for the 100k views.
Didn't think most will continue following.... Still THANKS!
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