Chapter 21: 21

Panic in the Bathroom!

“――Sheila, are you there? Can I come in?”

His voice was low and considerate. A person with such a polite manner was rare in the knight department. So, Sheila knew immediately who it was.

“Seiryuu-senpai?”

“I’m sorry. I was engrossed in reading military tactics books in the library after school, so I missed the bath… Um, if it’s okay with you, can I come in?”

Seiryuu, who was outside, answered without opening the door for some reason. She thought it was a good thing, though, because Sheila was the one who had to deal with the sudden intrusion.

“It’s all right. I’m doing some cleaning, but don’t worry about it.”

“I-I see….”

Somehow, he was hesitant to open it. Sheila approached the door, tilting her head.

“Seiryuu-senpai, you can open it normally, you know? Why are you so reserved?”

“Wha―”

When the door rattled open, Seiryuu hurriedly turned away.

She had a chance to talk with Seiryuu a few times after the test, so they had become quite close. They were from the same commoner background, so they got along well.

It was the first time she saw him in his casual clothes up close, but she thought his all-black clothes, which covered him up to his neck, made him look very serious. His hair and eyes were also black, so his whole body was completely shrouded in black.

Seiryuu awkwardly returned his gaze. When he saw Sheila out of the corner of his eye, he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“…. I-I see, you said earlier that you were in the middle of cleaning up. ――Thank goodness.”

“What is it?”

“Ah, no, nothing.”

The moment he looked back at Sheila while being strangely impatient, his black intelligent eyes widened and he froze.

Sweat-soaked, rose-colored hair stuck to the nape of her neck. Her cheeks were upturned. Moist eyes. Pale lips that let out a rough breath. Her white shirt, soaked with sweat, showed through her skin color and accentuated her slender body.

There was too much of a discrepancy between her appearance now and the usual resilient Sheila.

“――I’m sorry! As I thought, I don’t need to bathe, thank you!!”

Seiryuu covered his face with his hands and turned back at full speed. It was the first time she had seen him so flustered.

“Why….?”

Sheila saw him off with a dumbfounded look as his back became smaller and smaller. Had she done something to offend him?

“… I don’t really understand, but should I apologize at breakfast tomorrow?”

Just as she regained her composure and held her brush up again, another voice interrupted her.

“What happened?”

‘This voice….’

The owner of the voice sounded like sweet honey, seductive, yet somewhat mocking.

“If you are summoned by him, call me immediately. Stay away from him as much as possible.”

The voice of Claushezade, who had advised her to do so, came back to her.

‘Claushezade-sensei, what should I do if I happen to run into him without being summoned…?’

She reluctantly turned around to see Jornwerner standing there with a beautiful, charming smile on his face. She was dispirited and drooped at the sight of him, just as she imagined. Anyway, shouldn’t this person, who was aware that Sheila was a woman, be the one who needed to be considerate when opening the door? What would he do if she was taking a bath?

‘I’m sure he doesn’t care.’

If Jornwerner[1] knocked on the door, she would probably use an excuse like pretending to be out, so it was probably the same for him. Sheila sighed deeply and asked back.

“What do you mean…?”

“Just now, I saw Seiryuu-kun saying, ‘You haven’t trained enough! Leave your worldly desires!’ while running, so I was wondering if something was wrong.”

“What happened just now…. I’d like to know what’s going on, too.”

She could tell that she had offended him in some way, but she didn’t know what the cause was. It might have been because she smelled of sweat, but in this dormitory, there were very few days when they didn’t smell.

“Oh, I see…..”

Jornwerner’s gaze lingered on Sheila as if his vision was filled with her. She felt a sense of danger from his gaze that was entwined with her and twisted her body.

“Ah, why are you hiding? It’s a waste.”

“No, somehow… What do you mean, ‘It’s a waste’?”

Slowly, Jornwerner closed the distance. Sheila took a step back. The azure blue eyes like starry skies smiled at her as if to let her guard down.

“It means that they are very beautiful, just like the buds of a tinted rose. When the tightly closed buds open, I imagine the bad bees, lured by the sweet fragrance, will swarm in droves.”

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“…?”

She seriously didn’t know what he was talking about. Was it that? Was this the aristocrat’s characteristic roundabout way of saying things?

“Oh, that’s right. I watched your performance in the competency test. You were like the mythical god of war, Schnebvased[2]. Brave, never cowering, never giving up….. When your yellow-light eyes gleam like a flame, the enemies that stand before you will kneel with unanimity.”

“…”

She tried desperately to understand, but she still didn’t get it. Sheila’s brow furrowed. She noticed that it resembled Claushezade’s gesture and hurriedly smooth out the wrinkles.

Come to think of it, there seemed to be a connection between Claushezade and Jornwerner that went beyond just being teachers. In Sheila’s mind, Jornwerner was a bit of a strange person, so it was somewhat hard to believe that he and that serious man were old acquaintances.

“Did you know? There are historians who say that Schnebvased might have been a goddess.”

“I-I didn’t know that.”

She knew the myth itself because it was an old and very famous one.

It was said that the spirits were created by the gods, so it was a common practice in the village to give thanks to the gods and spirits on a daily basis. When Sheila, on her first day in the dormitory, noticed that there was no altar in her room, she built one from scratch.

Jornwerner took another step forward. Sheila tried to step back again but stopped when her back hit the wall. Before she knew it, she seemed to have been cornered up against the wall.

Placing a hand on the side of Sheila’s face, Jornwerner brought his face closer. He smiled maliciously at her. His blue-gray hair slid down his shoulders as he tilted his head.

“By the way, how did you feel when you were swallowed alive by the tornado that Leidyrune-kun started? I’d like to hear it from you for reference.”

“!!”

The question was asked in a way that seemed to strike at the very heart of the matter. Caught completely off guard, Sheila gasped. Jornwerner didn’t miss the unusual reaction and laughed cunningly like a snake.

“We wizards would use the wind to put up barriers to protect ourselves, you know? The opinions of those who do not have magic power are very valuable.”

Jornwerner whispered very close to her ear. Their lips were almost touching, and every time he moved his mouth, a shiver ran down her spine.

“That’s right. At that time, I felt a little strange. Except for the wounds caused by Leidyrune-kun, there were almost no injuries on your body. It’s strange when you think about it.”

“Um…”

“Tell me, Sheila-kun.”

At that moment, he breathed into her ear.

Grrrgggg~

“Ah.”

Sheila looked up at Jornwerner. She followed his amusingly stunned gaze and gently held her own stomach.

“…. I’m sorry. I just can’t help feeling hungry at this time of night.”

As she awkwardly looked around while repeating her excuses, “Cleaning the bath is another good exercise, isn’t it? Hahaha,” Jornwerner suddenly bent down.

She looked down at his back and saw his shoulders eventually started to tremble. She could hear the laughter that leaked out from his mouth.

“Pffftttt….”

“…. Um, if you’re going to laugh, please go ahead and do it freely. I have mixed feelings if you hold back.”

When Sheila said that, Jornwerner really threw away his reserve and started to laugh. He was laughing so hard that he was clutching his stomach and even shedding tears.

“I don’t think it’s worth laughing that much…”

“Pfftttt…. because the timing is…. too perfect….”

Jornwerner looked up, rubbing his eyes, as his fits of laughter subsided. With this, Sheila could finally move.

Perhaps the remnants of laughter welled up, Jornwerner held his stomach again.

“…. Haaa, you made me laugh for the first time in 10 years. It was funny, so I’ll give you a special pass for today.”

“Thank you.”

Sheila quickly bowed her head. She didn’t care what the reason was, as long as she could get away with it. In the meantime, she could consult with Clauschezade and he would be able to take countermeasures.

“…. Fufu. You really are a sight to behold, aren’t you?”

Jornwerner laughed again, apparently amused by Sheila’s attitude. His eyes were calm and peaceful, as if he was watching over a small child.

His fingers touched Sheila’s sweat-soaked hair. His touch was unexpectedly gentle, so she didn’t feel the need to shake him off.

“――Good night, Sheila.”

He dropped a kiss on her hair and then left.

Sheila scratched her hair while also leaving the place.

Translator Notes:

1. Sorry everyone! I misspelled his name a little, it’s supposed to be ‘Jornwerner’ instead of ‘Jorn Werner’. I already fixed it for early chapters! ↵

2. I searched for it online but couldn’t find anything about them, so my guess is that it’s fictional. ↵

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