Chapter 76 – Vacation (2)

April 5th, 2023

Vacation is the most valuable time for students.
It’s a suitable time to soothe the exhausted body and mind, or to plan for the future, as they have been focusing only on the future for so long.

Even if it is a very short period of one month, it is enough if well managed.
One month may seem short at first glance, but if you adjust well, you can spend it meaningfully.

During the vacation, I plan to go to Marie’s mansion and relax.
Academy life was too busy, and there were some events that made me feel a little tired.

Now my mind has somewhat recovered, and I could live a relatively comfortable life.
However, until I clearly realized my value, I spent my days in anxiety.

“Are you not coming home, sister?”

“I’m planning to come back in the middle of the vacation and stay for about a week.
I have to deal with father.”

“Why just a week? Just stay longer.
I will be bored.”

“Well, this place isn’t bad.
And if that’s the case, then you could stay at your girlfriend’s place all the time, couldn’t you? Plus, there’s a lot to do at the academy.
I’m about to graduate and I have to look for a job too.”

During the vacation period, it’s not a big deal to stay at the academy dormitory instead of at home.
Halo Academy is like a small city where you can even work part-time to make a living.

Especially for those who have to travel a long way back and forth, most people tend to stay at the academy during the vacation period.
Until the second year, there’s not much choice since the vacation period is only a month.

“What about Adelia? Is Adelia also at the academy?”

“Probably.
Adelia has a lot of money, and she probably doesn’t need to go home.
Come to think of it, I don’t think she’s ever gone home during the vacation period.
Anyway, have a good vacation and don’t cause any trouble at your girlfriend’s place, got it?”

“Okay.”

I finished talking with Nicole before starting my summer vacation.
Before meeting her, I talked to my acquaintances, and it seemed like they had a lot to do during the vacation.

First, Rina said she planned to pursue the culprit of the high-profile theft incident, while Cecily didn’t say anything specific.
She just smiled and said it was a secret.

As she said it was a secret, I didn’t ask any further, but her gaze seemed a little strange.
Maybe I should explain that she’s looking for opportunities little by little.
It could be purely my imagination, but it seemed to have a deep connection with me.

‘Well, it’s not my concern anyway.’

For your reference, I asked Leona as well what she would do during the vacation.
And she confirmed that there was no one around and responded in her usual cynical voice.

“Nothing special.
I’ll be staying at the Academy.
It’s too much trouble to go back home, and living here is not bad either.”

“Oh really? What about money?”

“I’ll have to work part-time or something.
It seems like a decent experience.”

Seeing Leona working part-time, it was somewhat fitting and not fitting at the same time.
When I looked at her with that expression, Leona rolled her eyes and opened her mouth in a blunt voice.

“Why? Does it look strange to you that I’m doing part-time work?”

“No, I’m just curious about what kind of work you’ll be doing.”

“You want to come and find out for yourself?”

“If possible.”

It wouldn’t be a bad experience to go to a place where my acquaintance is working and have fun.
Leona smirked at my answer and told me to do as I pleased, then waved her hand.

“Okay, enough talking.
Aren’t you supposed to meet your female right now?”

“Huh? Female? That sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, sorry.
I’m not used to it yet.”

It seems like it was really just a mistake as she touched her mouth while looking at me.
Additionally, she even checked to see if I had caught on.

I glanced at Leona’s face and shrugged my shoulders.
It was understandable to make such a mistake in speech when our races were different.
Leona herself was also apologizing.

“Anyway, have a good vacation.
Don’t get caught in a strange way like me.”

“Hey.
It was really a mistake back then.
If I hadn’t let my guard down, I wouldn’t have been caught by you.”

“Okay.
Then I’ll go.
Goodbye.”

“Yeah.
Take care.
Red penguin.”

She still calls me a penguin.

Leona waved her hand with a chuckle, whether I was staring at her or not.
It was rare to see her laughing like that while hiding her identity, especially when no one was around.

‘That’s it for the greetings…’

Now it was time for me to enjoy my vacation.
I headed to the meeting place with a light step.

Although it was just the entrance of the academy, my lovely girlfriend, Marie, would be waiting there.

There was no behavior less attractive than making your lover wait, so my steps naturally quickened.

And…

“Isaac!”

As I approached the entrance of the academy, I heard a familiar voice in my ear.

Turning my head towards the sound, I caught sight of Marie running towards me, her white hair fluttering.
She was still wearing her school uniform, not casual clothes.

Still, Marie couldn’t hide her youthful charm.
Unlike others, her charm seemed to increase as she wore her school uniform.

I smiled brightly as Marie approached me and opened my arms wide.
As I opened my arms, Marie naturally hugged me.

“Uwww…why are you so late?”

While feeling each other’s warmth, Marie lifted her head and asked me.
Her jewel-like blue eyes were full of affection for me.

As I gently touched her cheek with my hand, I opened my mouth.
There was no sign of my smile disappearing.

“Sorry.
I was late because I was saying hello to other people.
How long have you been waiting?”

“To be honest, I just got here too.
I was talking to my brother, so I was late.”

“But why did you ask why I was late?”

“Every minute felt like an hour.”

Although we started dating casually at first, it’s not like that now.
Just seeing her face is enough to make me happy, and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t like her.

Above all, Marie is beautiful.
Very beautiful.

Even when I get angry, the anger in my heart melts away like snow when I see Marie’s pretty face.
It can be seen as a kind of healing.

Marie’s presence has been growing larger and larger for me.
To the point where I don’t care if people passing by stare or grumble.

“Shall we start heading out now?”

“Yes! Yes!”

And so, my first vacation began with my cute girlfriend.

*****

Isaac and Marie had a happy time and officially started their vacation.

However, Princess Cecily of Helium returned to Helium even though it had been less than an hour since the vacation began.

Cecily is a demon who is unmatched in magic except for elves when it comes to magic and is said to be the next demon king.

Therefore, using teleportation, which ignores all constraints of space, was not a problem, and since she also remembered the exact coordinates of the royal city, she could arrive there faster than anyone else.

However, since she cannot use magic inside the academy, she activated it from a slightly distant place.

“I’m here, Father.”

“Welcome back.”

As soon as Cecily returned to the royal city of Helium, she met the king of Helium, Descal.
Descal, who had already heard the news that Cecily had returned, greeted her with a soft smile in response to her greeting.

As a princess of a country, Cecily could have people brought with her, but she did not care about that aspect.
She dislikes seeing people suffer because of her alone.

Descal also knew Cecily’s personality well, so he was not surprised by her sudden return.
He had already expected it since Cecily had sent a letter saying she would be back soon.

“Well, did you enjoy your time at the academy? Were there any people bothering you?”

But a father’s heart is the same no matter where you go.
Descal said to Cecily with a worried voice that betrayed his concern.
Though now his gaze had softened, he used to be a demon persecuted and tormented just a few years ago.
Therefore, as a father before being a king, he could not help but worry.

Cecily smiled wryly and eased Descal’s worries.

“I was really satisfied.
I made a lot of good friends, and thanks to Xenon’s Biography, there are only people who treat me as a human, not a demon.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Oh, of course, there were people who judged me based on my appearance and body.”

“Who were they?”

Descal’s expression turned grim, momentarily relieved but soon becoming concerned again.
As a father with only one daughter, this was a story that he could not possibly overlook.

Moreover, if his daughter was considered more than just beautiful in other people’s eyes, it was only natural that their gazes would turn toward her.
In his heart, he wanted to find that person and tear him apart.

Cecily chuckled and waved her hand.
Even as time passed, her father was still the same.

“It’s just a joke.
A joke.
Besides, there were not many people who looked at me that way since there were plenty of pretty people around.”

Of course, there was only one person.
Jackson, the son of a count, who always looked toward his chest every time they talked.
But after the group project, Jackson started avoiding her.
It was because she had the chance to beat him up multiple times during the group project.

Moreover, there were hardly any people who approached her except for Jackson.
Even if it is a beautiful flower, if it has thorns, people hesitate to pick it.

“…I understand.
Still, don’t play around like that.
It’s a story that I can’t possibly ignore as a father.”

“Yes.
I understand.
I’m sorry if I startled you.”

“Well, it seems like you’re doing well in the Academy, so I’m relieved.
Nothing unusual is happening, right?”

“Um…”

Something unusual was indeed happening.
An event that couldn’t be dismissed as nothing.

Cecily thought of a boy with striking red hair and smiled.
Just thinking about him made her smile and her heart race.

Even though there was someone occupying his side, it wasn’t a problem.
If she couldn’t attack from the outside, she could slowly conquer from the inside.

Exchanging letters was part of that conquest.
There is no more effective way to open someone’s heart than to show sincerity.

Even if it takes a long time, Cecily doesn’t mind.
She is a demon, one of the long-lived races, and her patience is very strong because she was raised with “restraint” from an early age.

‘Someday, my chance will come.’

Nothing in this world is eternal.
This applies to relationships between men and women as well, and it is natural for something that was burning brightly to gradually fade away like a blazing firewood.

Cecily opened her mouth, hoping for that moment to come someday.
The image of the boy with red hair was still playing in her mind.

“There wasn’t anything special.
Honestly, the Academy life itself isn’t anything special to me, you know?”

“Hmm, I see.”

“By the way, Dad.
Is the investigation going well?”

Cecily quickly changed the subject.
If Descal seemed even slightly suspicious, he might start to suspect Isaac.

If he started to suspect Isaac, then naturally his gaze would turn to him, and who knows what he might do.
Cecily wanted to prevent that from happening at all costs.

Fortunately, Descal didn’t seem to catch on to her concern.
After hearing Cecily’s question, he rubbed his chin and answered quietly.

“If it’s about the stolen manuscript, then it’s progressing well.
The Minerva Empire sent a letter, so we should receive a response soon.”

“I see.
Who do you think stole the manuscript, Dad?”

“According to the Empire’s investigation, no clues have come up and they’re in distress.
However, I think this is a clue.
If the Empire couldn’t find any clues, there’s only one explanation left.”

Then, in a serious voice, Descal guessed the suspect.

“An elf.
And a dark elf highly specialized in hiding in the darkness.”

“Why do you think so?”

“As I said earlier, there are no clues.
If the culprit had thought even a little deeper, he would have left a few clues.
I think the fact that there are no clues actually points to the dark elf side.”

Descal took the lack of any clues despite the empire’s investigation as a clue.
Cecily nodded her head in agreement after hearing his words.

There had been little contact between the demons and the dark elves so far.
However, contact had been made today.

The high-profile theft case was enough to provoke not only human anger but also that of the demons.
Xenon’s Biography was a treasure that fulfilled the desires of the demons, in other words, it was no different from a ‘relic’.

From the demons’ perspective, they had no choice but to find the draft and return it to their master, as it was a kind of ‘mission’.
In fact, the Helium-based assassination group, the ‘Reapers,’ had begun to move.

‘We will definitely return it.
Don’t worry, benefactor.’

Cecily imagined Isaac, who had received the draft back, sincerely happy and grateful to her, a cute and lovely boy.

Even though it was just an imagination, she was so happy that she felt like she was going to float.

“Haah…”

“…?”

Descal, who had no idea about Cecily’s inner thoughts, couldn’t help but feel curious.

Translators note:

Why does red penguin suit him so much ahahaha