ALL NOVEL Chapter 136
“…Why are you like that?”
“Don’t ask, just close your eyes. Before I stab you!”
“Oh my…”
“What in the world… Hah…”
Last time it was Yurasia, this time it’s Stella.
Two people… caught me in this situation.
Why does that crazy beastman Leona love to hold princesses so much?
“Now… could you let me down?”
Why do I even have to ask this?
It’s because I can’t get down myself.
It feels like my body is being lightly lifted, yet she’s holding on tightly. I have no idea how, but it’s weirdly impossible to escape.
“Isn’t it comfy?”
“…If you don’t want to see your disciple biting her tongue and committing suicide, could you let me down quickly?”
“You wouldn’t die even if you bit your tongue, would you?”
“I won’t say it twice.”
“Nyahaha!”
With a refreshing laugh, Leona put me down right away.
As soon as my feet hit the ground, I threw a punch toward her face.
“I saw that coming!”
Blocked. I expected that too. I immediately twisted my waist and kicked out. Thud – blocked again.
What’s the deal? One of my legs is lifted, making it impossible.
Any other attack… is sure to get blocked.
“Tsk.”
Clicking my tongue, I loosened my body. Then Leona let go of the leg she was holding.
“You’ve gotten pretty sharp, haven’t you? Must be from experience.”
“Shut up.”
Ignoring Leona’s jabs, I turned my head.
“Hmm…”
With her usual poker face, the Flame Sovereign seems to be contemplating whether to flee or not, while Stella looks utterly confused about what’s happening right now.
I first inclined my head to the Flame Sovereign.
“Good to see you.”
“Um, yes… Seems like we’re meeting quite often.”
Receiving my greeting, the Flame Sovereign still watched Leona warily.
“Don’t be so tense. Today… I just came to have a simple chat.”
“The Flame Sovereign has… Demon Fist, you—”
“Don’t call me that, just call me Leona. And didn’t I tell you not to use ‘Flame Sovereign’ in front of me?”
“C-can I really call you by your name? Isn’t that something only close friends can do?”
What the heck is that supposed to mean?
Looks like the Flame Sovereign is indeed a dork.
Her speech is weird, her emotional expressions awkward, and having a hero fetish while collecting hero merchandise from Gebihenum—there’s no way she has friends.
Did Leona think the same, as she made an awkward face?
“What nonsense are you spouting…? Just call me by my name. If you don’t like it, just use my surname.”
“If that’s the case… I shall call you Leona…”
The Flame Sovereign’s face turned a bit red.
Looks like she thinks they’ve become friends now.
“Stop with the ‘I’m the Flame Sovereign’ nonsense. Anyway, today I’m just here to talk, so don’t be tense and let’s keep it casual.”
“But, Leona, you once said something similar and then ambushed the Flame Sovereign…”
Her previously flushed face turned pale again.
Didn’t I mention that Leona robbed Arisa of her belongings three years ago? That’s probably why she’s cautious.
“Ambushed? Speak properly. You bugged me first and showed me my master’s belongings! Hah.”
Leona said that and immediately gasped, covering her mouth.
The trembling golden eyes are looking at me.
I nodded back at Leona’s gaze.
“I already knew.”
“W-what? How…?!”
“My mom told me.”
“M-mom…? Mom? Muyeong?!”
“Yes. So first, let’s just finish talking with the Flame Sovereign. After that, we can have supplementary classes, and then talk about other stuff.”
Leona, who was grinding her teeth, managed to nod her head with difficulty. Her tail and ears drooped more than before.
“Anyway, Flame Sovereign. That was… you provoking me first. So I had no choice but to struggle to receive it. Anyway, today that won’t happen, so let’s chat a bit.”
“What is it about?”
“You’re going to be Stella’s master.”
“Hmm, yes. It’s a contract with Eliaernes, so I must uphold it. Also, there’s ample talent in Stella Behrhaigen, making it interesting and rewarding to teach her.”
“So let’s talk about that. Why do you look like that? Don’t like it?”
“While I may not want to talk one-on-one with you… if I say dislike, wouldn’t that mean I’ll inflict violence on the Flame Sovereign?”
“…Kids are listening, quit talking like that. If necessary, I swear I will only talk quietly today, so follow me.”
“Since you’re swearing, I suppose… for today I’ll trust both the Flame Sovereign and you, Leona.”
After Leona and the Flame Sovereign went to one corner of the training grounds, Stella, who had been observing nervously, cautiously approached me.
“…Eliaernes.”
“What is it?”
“W-what is going on? Why… is the Flame Sovereign, of all people, becoming my master?”
“I told you before. It’s because of my request.”
“It’s a contract, you said… a contract between you and…”
“Well… if it’s a contract, then it is.”
The weighty connotation of the word contract made me simply refer to it as my request, but the Flame Sovereign insisted on calling it a contract.
Honestly, it’s a bit comforting that the Flame Sovereign sees it as a contract, but if this story spreads around… it could get complicated in many ways.
“Th-thank you.”
“If you’re thankful, then study hard.”
“Yeah, of course. This opportunity is definitely rare. But… why did this opportunity suddenly come up?”
“That’s a long story… Hmm, I’ll tell you slowly later. Or maybe the Flame Sovereign will tell you.”
“Isn’t it that you have some unfair conditions or tough tasks to handle?”
“Why would I handle something like that? This is just… like winning the lottery like you did last time. So don’t worry. No, actually, you should worry. You owe me for this opportunity. Got it?”
Stella’s face scrunched up.
What’s she going to retort now?
Expecting a sharp comeback… her expression quickly softened. Then she smiled shyly.
“Okay. Got it…”
Her response gave me a creepy chill all over.
“Are you crazy?”
“What? Why am I crazy? What are you talking about?”
“Your reaction… it’s really creepy.”
“C-creepy…? Me? I’m cute?”
“It’s creepy, you idiot.”
This time her face twisted up properly.
That’s her usual nasty expression!
“What’s creepy about it? I didn’t say anything! I even said thanks, why?”
“That’s creepy. Why are you being so nice today? You’re not usually like this.”
“Why do you complain even when I’m nice?”
“They say when a person suddenly changes, it means they’re about to die. So that’s it.”
“…Hah.”
The scrunched-up Stella began to mumble, her fingers twitching.
“I… I won’t die from that. I still have a lot of debts to repay… heh.”
“Here we go again.”
I clicked my tongue and sat down heavily on an empty chair behind me.
“Stop talking nonsense and hand me something to drink.”
Stella, looking around, pointed at the water jug hanging by her waist.
“Something to drink? I-I have nothing else.”
“Isn’t there a vending machine here?”
“No. There isn’t.”
“Why isn’t there a vending machine in the training grounds? Then just give me that.”
I reached out my hand toward Stella.
Looking at my hand, she silently handed me the water jug with a rather determined expression.
“…Here.”
“Can I drink it all?”
“Uh? Not all of it. I’m thirsty too, so save a little for me.”
Gulp gulp – I gulped down the lukewarm water and handed it back to Stella.
“Paha… Ugh, it’s cold. Here, take it.”
“…Okay.”
With a strange expression, Stella licked her lips and put the cap part in her mouth.
She drinks weirdly, doesn’t she?
Isn’t that uncomfortable?
*
Leona returned from talking, looking bright, while the Flame Sovereign seemed delighted.
Meanwhile, Leona still looked downcast.
Is it because it was discovered that her master is Arisa?
Or is it because the conversation mostly went the way she didn’t want?
I can’t tell, but for now, I stood up from my seat.
“Stella.”
“Ah… Yes, Vice Headmaster.”
“From now… no, not tomorrow. From the next time, I will set aside personal training grounds for you at the academy. You can train with the Flame Sovereign there. However, the fact that you’ve become the Flame Sovereign’s disciple must not be revealed to anyone. Got it?”
“Gah… Yes! I understand! Th-thank you…!”
Leona patted Stella’s head, who bowed deeply, and then looked at me.
“And Eliaernes.”
“Yes.”
“You really are a useless disciple.”
“Even if I hadn’t hidden it, you would’ve figured it out from my previous statement, right?”
“…That’s true. Hah… Anyway, the conversation ended well. But you must keep this matter quiet too.”
“Are you going to come secretly to the academy from now on?”
At my words, the Flame Sovereign flared up.
“Ugh…! It’s not secretly. If the Flame Sovereign face directly enters the academy, there’ll be… a lot of problems, so I’m just moving in secret.”
“That’s secretly.”
“What?! Huh… Leona. It seems your disciple is quite cheeky. Why is she more audacious than when she’s just alone with the Flame Sovereign?”
“…Yeah, I think so too. She knows how scary the world is, yet why is she like this?”
“She believes the Flame Sovereign and Vice Headmaster won’t kill her.”
“Cheeky. Such an impudent little brat; once she gets a bit stronger, she’ll want to test her strength against me, huh?”
I didn’t confirm or deny Leona’s statement. The fact is, if I get stronger, I would likely match up.
Why, after all, I’m a human from 400 years ago.
So there’s nothing weird about being friends with Leona.
“Anyway, since the conversation went well, let’s call it a day.”
Leona opened her arms towards me.
I instantly scrunched up my face.
“Are you crazy?”
Stella’s mouth dropped open.
The Flame Sovereign’s jaw dropped too.
“Wha-what? You would say that to Demon Fist?”
Hearing that, Leona glared at the Flame Sovereign as if she’d kill her.
“I told you not to call me Demon Fist!”
“Umm… The Flame Sovereign got too surprised and made a mistake. But… Leona, do you really hate the nickname “Demon Fist” more than being called a little kitten?”
“Why? It’s adorable, just like a cute kitten, isn’t it? Even being so cheeky and prickly for no reason.”
Stella burst out laughing, and the Flame Sovereign nodded, as if she understood those words.
“A little… kitten? What? Cute? Me? Wow, hah, hah! I never thought I’d hear that!”
Feeling the rising heat, I raised both my fists.
“Today, I’m going to hit you for sure.”
“Hmm? You? Me? Alright! I will stand on one leg and won’t use one hand! Come at me!”
“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“Regret? Nyahahaha! Eliaernes, if you make this leg touch the ground— I’ll be your sister for the entire day!”
“Sounds good. Just stand there and get ready to be hit.”
I immediately raised my mana and charged.
*
“Hey sis! I have so many questions!”
“Alright, little brother. The questions you have are not something you should know, so go out and buy some water. I can’t move because I think my leg’s broken.”
“Then I’ll carry you, sis!”
“Whoa there. Little brother should listen well… Ah, wait, don’t! Hyah?! Hey! Put me down!”
“Nyahahahahaha!”