Chapter 262: I've Closed My Eyes

A week later… 

It was evening and the bustling commercial street of the Saint Freya Academy was filled with people. The doors of the Brokesword Tavern kept opening and closing nonstop, adding a lively atmosphere to the place.

The greetings from the tavern’s boss and the sound of wooden mugs bumping into one another echoed loudly every now and then. The rich aroma of alcohol wafted in the building. By the corner on the second floor sat a hooded young man and a crimson-haired woman. 

“Say, Miss Chris, is it really good for you to bring me to such a place?”

“Hm? Aren’t you of age?”

“That’s not the problem here!”

Roel Ascart discreetly scanned the surroundings as he spoke.

It was already sundown, and the tavern was starting to grow crowded. There were many individuals seated on the bar counter to share a conversation with their buddies while indulging themselves in alcohol. Some of the regulars sat on the two pax seats by the corners whereas new customers curiously examined the collection hanging on the wall.

True to its name, there were over a hundred broken swords affixed to the wall of the Brokesword Tavern. 

At first glance, the tavern looked like a shabby building made out of stone and wood, but it was actually an extremely famous shop on this centuries-old street of the Saint Freya Academy.

Rumors had it that the owner of the tavern used to be a swordsman, but an adventure went wrong caused him to lose all of his companions and sustain irrecoverable trauma. Crushed by his loss, he returned to the academy he once attended and started a tavern. He pinned the broken swords that had once accompanied him on his adventures onto the walls as a symbol of camaraderie. 

The owner’s action received the approval of many knights. It started a tradition where retired swordsmen could entrust their broken swords to the tavern so as to find a good resting place for their old companions. The number of broken swords in the tavern increased to over a hundred over the years, and every single one of them carried detailed information on their history and had some words left behind by their ex-masters.

The memorable artifacts hanging on the wall, the comfortable dim environment, and the historical building created an atmosphere of nostalgia in the air, which was believed to be the reason why the Brokesword Tavern continued to remain popular over the years despite lacking the classy and extravagant appearance of the other stores. 

Of course, most freshmen usually shied away from this shabby tavern, and it wasn’t located in a particularly conspicuous location either. In fact, most of the customers in the tavern were regulars from the senior students, staff members, and the employees from the other shops. 

This made Roel heave a sigh of relief.

“I’m afraid that someone will see me and stir up unnecessary trouble.”

Roel sighed helplessly as he picked up the mug on the table and took a sip of alcohol. The pale blue ring on his finger glimmered a little under the dim lighting of the tavern. 

The huge commotion at ‘Night of the Demons’ a week ago had made the term, ‘Bluerose Ring’, the trending phrase in the Saint Freya Academy at the moment. The heightened awareness about him plunged his life into a very different kind of warzone. 

Ever since the award presentation ceremony, he found himself constantly ambushed by personnel from Scholar Guilds, student organizations, and teachers. It was commonplace for these people to lay in wait at places where they knew he would be, and they would throw out all sorts of incentives to entice him. Some even tried seduction. 

Of course, those who resorted to ‘improper means’ were unhesitantly punished by the uncanny alliance of the Goldenrose Ringbearer and Redrose Ringbearer, but even so, troubles just kept knocking on his door. The entrance of the dormitory Roel lived in was always flooded with people looking for him, and the fact that students residing in the same dormitory were desperate to strike up a connection with him left him with hardly any opportunity to catch a respite. 

The week following the entrance ceremony was a grace period for the students to familiarize themselves with the academy, select the subjects they wished to study, and apply for the corresponding classes. Other than that, they would also have to choose a teacher in the academy as their academic advisor.

A week’s time might seem long, but it was already fairly efficient considering the immense administrative work required to process thousands of class applications, review appeals, allocate resources to each teacher depending on their student intake, and so on. 

Unfortunately for Roel, it had been a really long week for him as the tenacity of the teachers was really not to be made light of. 

He didn’t want to get involved with the Scholar Guilds as he was unfamiliar with them. As for getting an academic advisor, it was obvious that he was going to choose Chris, who provided him with the oil lamp that allowed him to safely return to the academy. On top of that, Chris was also one of the best teachers around, considering that she was one of the few sage teachers in the faculty. 

However, he chose to keep his decision to himself for the time being as he knew that he would only bring trouble to Chris if he were to reveal his decision too early on. So, he chose to camp out with the students from the Theocracy and Rosa over the last few days and maintain a low profile. 

Looking at how the esteemed Bluerose Ringbearer who had shaken the entire academy at its core hiding frightfully from the crowd, Chris couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“I know those old fogeys have been hot on your tail, which is why I brought you here to loosen up a little. After all, you’ll officially become my student after tomorrow’s announcement.”

Chris chugged down an entire mug of alcohol as she celebrated her wise decision to visit Roel in advance… though there was no way she would admit now that her initial intention back then was a bit more nefarious.

As expected of me!

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and nodded proudly. After mentally giving herself a pat on the back, she gestured to the wall beside them and continued her words.

“Other than to let loose, the other reason why I brought you to this corner is this.”

Roel glanced over, only to widen his eyes in surprise.

There was a broken slender longsword hanging on the wall beside them. From its design, it seemed to be a sword forged in recent times. There was a preservation spell cast on it, so it didn’t look old. If anything, it looked like it had just been broken not too long ago. There was a short description written beneath it.

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【11th Month of Year 988, shattered in the midst of saving three companions in ruin at the foot of Mount Yufler.

—Carter Ascart】

“It was senior who first brought me to this tavern. Do you understand why I brought you here now?”

Chris looked at the broken sword on the wall with a nostalgic smile on her lips, but the young man seated opposite to her had already gone completely silly.

W-what’s going on? Senior? Is she referring to my father? Wait a moment, if she knows my father, wouldn’t that mean that the acquaintance she mentioned previously is… 

Roel began rummaging through his head to recall the conversation they had a week ago, but his expression only grew more peculiar the more he recalled.

“So, Miss Chris… Well, how is your letter writing going? What did you write about?”

Hoping to verify the possibility that had surfaced in his mind, Roel decided to try probing about the letter. His question made Chris’ expression turn a little awkward.

“I-I just sent the first one out. It has been a long while since we last came into contact with one another. I simply talked about how it’s going on your side so as to put his mind at ease. I-I mean, he’s so busy at the eastern borders, so it wouldn’t be good if he gets distracted worrying about you…”

“…”

Roel stared dumbfounded at his teacher as it finally dawned on him the huge miscommunication they had previously.

That explains why you treated me so well! I wanted to become your student, but you wanted to become my stepmother instead?

Roel covered his face speechlessly. His first reaction was to clarify the misunderstanding, but when he caught sight of the wistful expression on Chris’ face as she gazed upon the sword on the wall, the words that were already on the tip of his tongue suddenly vanished. 

He continued staring at her a little longer before abruptly picking up the wooden mug on the table and chugged it down. 

It had been more than a decade since Roel’s mother passed away, but Carter still remained single to date. To be honest, Roel disapproved of this matter because he felt that there were only two possibilities regarding this.

One, Carter’s heart had died along with the demise of his mother, causing him to close himself up. That led to him rejecting all care and affection coming from the opposite gender.

Two, Carter was remaining single in order to ensure Roel’s smooth inheritance of the Ascart House. Considering how unruly Roel had been before regaining the memories of his previous life, this possibility seemed much more likely.

But regardless of which it was, Roel didn’t think that it was a good thing for Carter.

The first possibility would probably make quite a touching story, and some might even praise it as an example of devotion to true love. However, in a real world setting, was it really healthy for one to continue living in the past, wallowing in grief from the passing of a loved one?

In the first place, love ought to bring about happiness. The passing of a loved one was bound to be sorrowful, but it didn’t seem right to continue wallowing in it for more than a decade. The premature death of Roel’s mother wasn’t Carter’s fault, and it wasn’t right for an innocent person to have to suffer for this.

It was not to say that Carter didn’t have the right to grief, but it would be a psychological problem if he was really putting a lid on his feelings due to that. If so, what Roel ought to do was to find a psychiatrist to treat him instead of praising his devotion!

As for the second possibility, Roel had already matured and was sufficiently strong and capable to protect himself. There was even less of a reason for Carter to hold back for him now. 

Looking at it this way, Chris’ appearance could be a good thing.

At the very least, unlike most other noblewomen, Chris was an earnest person with a candid personality. Most importantly of all, she was truly fond of Carter, having not married despite having reached her thirties. Such feelings were truly hard to come by. 

Since the misunderstanding had led to such a turn of events, it might be a good idea to let Chris give it a try and see how far she could go.

Forget it, I’ll just turn a blind eye to it then, Roel thought as he gulped down his beer.

There was a moment of silence before he asked once more.

“Miss Chris, how did you meet my father?”

“Hm? We were students under the same academic advisor, and he has mentored me for a period of time.”

“Oh? I see…”

Roel nodded blankly in response, seemingly not too familiar with the mentorship system. Chris was about to explain the matter to him when an idea struck her, and a playful smile curled on her lips.

“I can see that you are unaware of the mentorship system, but that’s not an issue at all. You’ll understand very soon after you become my student.”

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