Concern
--- Akira ---
I noticed Alpha leaving the room, but paid it no mind.
["I can read your lips, so feel free to talk as usual. Anyway, let's discuss why I ended up like this..."]
Judging from her expressions, it was evident she was eager to ask, so I decided to take the lead.
I slowly explained everything, stealing glances at her.
I had thought the story would be objectively amusing, but it seemed I was wrong. Her face contorted in anger as I spoke, her eyes growing cold and hard as she read my words.
"How could that little b*tch do this to my man..." she muttered, her voice laced with venom.
Hold on a second.
First, I'm not yours.
Second, don't you have an ounce of shame?
...Well, I guess I can't exactly preach about shamelessness either.
I flicked her forehead.
["Don't get any strange ideas. I have already taught her a lesson myself. You just need to recover and forget about this."]
I'm not strong enough to deal with the powerhouses hiding behind the scenes yet.
That's not good. If Shadow Garden handles everything, then my rating will undoubtedly suffer.
Seeing as she won't likely give up trying to be involved in my affairs, I'll have to train her rigorously. She won't even have the luxury of considering such matters.
It looked like my expression gave away my thoughts, as she visibly flinched but attempted to brush it off.
Hehehe.
Just you wait.
"...If that's the case, I suppose I can let it go," she said, her voice still tinged with annoyance. "By the way, would you stop with the physical abuse? What would the nurses think if they saw me?"
I observed her.
Her hair was tousled, giving her a wild and untamed look that was strangely alluring. Her face was flushed, her cheeks tinged with a rosy hue that only served to highlight her natural beauty.
Yeah, hot.
["That you were m*sturbating under the bed sheets, but hit your head or something and were forced to stop in the middle?"]
Before she could even finish reading the sentence, a pillow came flying towards me. I easily dodged it, laughing as I made a swift exit from the room. Various objects were thrown in my direction, each one narrowly missing me as I ducked and weaved my way towards the door.
As I reached it, I briefly saluted her, still chuckling to myself. But as soon as I closed the door behind me, my laughter subsided.
'Having someone get angry for me. I must admit, it doesn't feel bad,' I mused, feeling a slight smirk tug at my lips.
["She's cursing at you and throwing things, but even so, you have a satisfied smile on your face. Are you perhaps the sadistic type?"] Alpha's words cut through my thoughts, and I internally groaned.
Why do girls in this world always jump to weird conclusions? Damn.
With a sigh of exasperation, I didn't give her a reply.
'Where did you even learn stuff like that...?' I thought, but refrained from voicing my question. Soon after, Alpha and I headed towards the hospital exit, and I stole a glance back.
The place she had been staying at seemed secure, at least for the time being. After all, Shadow Garden had swiftly dealt with Fenrir's faction in a single night. With the leader now dead, the Capital should remain stable for a while.
The situation was pretty tense at the moment. No one had a clue about the princess's whereabouts for the past three days, even though she had made sure to send word to avoid unnecessary worry over her 'disappearance.'
Truth is, she's just being cautious, following my advice. It's better to wait until we both fully recover before making our whereabouts known.
That being said, given that the First Princess knows her sister hasn't returned yet, they're still in a bit of a panic, frantically searching for her.
It's only natural not to put blind trust in a simple letter, but honestly, that's not my concern—or at least, that's what I'd like to say.
Heading back would only lead to unnecessary bother or, worse, potential interrogation, since I was the last one seen with her.
So, for the time being, I decided to stay in my mansion.
Plus, the Academy itself isn't entirely safe yet. There are still some lingering issues to address, like rats scurrying about that we need to root out.
Speaking of which, a meeting with Iris Midgar is something I'll have to arrange sooner or later.
As I got lost in my thoughts, I realized we had already arrived at my mansion.
["Keep an eye on the Academy. The Cult's influence might not be entirely eradicated yet."]
In this moment, my priority is to rest and focus on my training. There's no necessity for me to get directly involved; I'll entrust that to Shadow Garden.
Well, unless they attempt to kidnap my princess again.
In that case, I wouldn't hesitate to cross-dress again and give them a taste of their own medicine.
Not that I've developed a new hobby, but the idea of repeating my performance did amuse me.
["I see."]
Well, that's the extent of what I can tell you anyway.
Even if I tried to tell her I knew what the Cult might do, based on my knowledge of the future, the Trial Conditions bind me to shut up on stuff like that, so that's it.
["Well, here we are. Thanks for escorting me. You can head back now."]
With those words, I opened the gate, and we parted ways.
---
I sprawled on the bed, sighing.
This huge mansion feels kinda empty now, but it still feels nice being home.
Normally, I'd be drifting off to sleep by now, but there's something nagging at the back of my mind.
[Marriage: The First Step]
.
.
Save Alexia or Iris Midgar(0/1)
.
.
]
This should have qualified as rescuing Alexia, given that she didn't fall for the Cult's schemes this time. Yet, the condition remains unmet.
She's still in danger.
Damn it.
I'll have to keep an even closer watch on her and stay vigilant about the Cult's plans in the coming days.
But for now, I guess I have something more pressing to attend to.
I need to learn Healing Magic and figure out how to fight in this condition.
Though I can somewhat manage right now, it's only because I'm using my [Body Zen] to control my body precisely as I want it to.
However, this method is quite draining to maintain, as the Skill itself consumes a lot of my energy.
In a fight, this would be the worst scenario, as I'd have to focus on many unnecessary things instead of defeating my enemy.
---
Author's Note:
Sorry for the delay in the chap release. Sadly, tomorrow I will also be busy AF, so expect the same delay :(
Well, any thoughts so far? After the next chapter, things will start speeding up once again.