Chapter 114:  The House of Baron Roger (3)

The Imperial Academy, full of old-fashioned elegance.

Though aged, the luxurious stone exterior enclosed a courtyard now filled with countless booths.

All for the Academy’s Founding Anniversary Festival.

――――――

In a place that usually reeked of musty buildings and the sharp screech of chalk on blackboards, a delicious scent filled the air for the first time in a long while.

Along with that, the booming voices of students and merchants leading various festival games rang out.

It was a festive atmosphere befitting the empire’s finest academy.

Even the professors, who always wore such stern expressions, looked as cheerful as children today.

And the model students, tormented by relentless academic pressure, were just as excited—as if they’d fallen in love for the first time.

It seemed even the saintess, who had dedicated her entire life to piety, wasn’t an exception.

“Hmmm—”

Istina, who normally ate bland bread and drank the same communion wine every day at the cathedral.

Though, it did seem like she’d sneak out some whiskey now and then…

Still, maybe it felt different being able to enjoy things openly and legally in public, because she looked genuinely delighted.

She, who always wore that noble, expressionless face, was now gently swaying her head, quietly humming a tune.

Her steps came to a sudden halt in front of one particular dessert booth.

“Ah, that’s a churro. It’s a long piece of dough fried in oil,” I explained to her right away, just like I used to when I was her secretary.

At that, Istina blinked her silver eyelids, as though seeing the food for the first time in her life.

“That’s fascinating. Frying dough and coating it in sugar.”

The churros looked like thick pillars, glistening with oil.

On top of them, white sugar had gently settled like snowflakes.

“Didn’t you used to sneak out and eat delicious things all the time?”

I asked playfully, and Istina gave me a sideways glance, then put on a sulky expression.

“I may love money, but I’m not gluttonous.”

She placed both hands on her hips.

Then, like a beast scolding its mate, she shot me a sharp glare.

“Do I look like someone who likes to eat?”

For a second, I almost answered yes.

It wasn’t that Istina was plump, but her hourglass figure was so striking that she gave off the impression of someone who ate well.

“Not at all. You just seemed to enjoy your drinks—”

“T-that’s only sometimes, as a substitute for wine…!”

The saintess retorted quickly, as if I’d hit a nerve.

Then, she began sneaking glances at the churros again.

“Just wait here for a moment.”

I stepped ahead of her, finding this adorable side of the saintess rather charming.

And from the booth, I brought back a single churro wrapped in paper.

“Here, give it a try.”

Caught off guard, Istina accepted the very worldly dessert.

A long churro, steaming with warmth.

“I didn’t ask you to buy it… but since you did, maybe just one bite?”

Street food, in the hands of a saintess.

Ronie and Sonia also watched the scene unfold with interest.

“Well then…”

Istina slowly tucked her flowing silver hair behind her ear.

Her already pale face made the nape of her neck look even smoother, like white jade.

“Mm…”

With her eyes half-closed, she gracefully took a bite with her red lips.

Then, accompanied by a crunch loud enough for me to hear—

“Fwah…!!”

The saintess flinched and dropped the churro she was holding.

Her face showed clear surprise—it was too hot.

‘Was it too freshly fried…?!’

A thin strand of transparent saliva stretched from Istina’s lips.

Startled, she quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and turned her head away.

“I-it’s fine…! It’s just that I’ve never had this kind of food before…”

Her skin, white as fresh snow, began to flush red.

Especially her ears and neck.

“I was careless. I should’ve let it cool more before giving it to you, seeing the steam.”

Out of old habit from my days as her chief secretary, I immediately reviewed my mistake inwardly.

And just as I was thinking of how to help her enjoy the churro properly—

I caught sight of some ice cream being sold at the booth across from us.

“This is so embarrassing…”

The saintess mumbled to herself, clearly thinking her image had been damaged.

She had worked so hard to maintain her cold and noble demeanor until now.

But here she was, drooling on a stick of fried dough. She thought it was utterly pathetic.

However—

She soon had no choice but to turn back toward me.

“Here, try it like this.”

I had dipped the end of the churro in a generous dollop of white ice cream.

“I lacked consideration. If you eat it like this, it’ll be cooler and tastier.”

With a gentle look in my eyes, I handed the churro back to her.

But surprisingly, instead of the new method, the saintess was only staring directly into my dark eyes.

“……”

When our eyes met, Istina quickly cleared her throat.

Then, she turned her attention back to the dessert I gave her.

“Bread with ice cream… That’s quite an unusual combination.”

“It’s something I figured out while playing around with Ronie as a kid. It tastes great like this too.”

Saying she’d give it a try, the saintess softly opened her lips again.

And the moment she took a big bite—

“……!!”

Her eyes widened, struck by the comforting contrast of soft churro and cool ice cream.

Like a wolf tasting meat for the first time in its life.

“How is it?”

“Well… It’s not bad.”

Istina let out a small smile, visibly more at ease.

Then she quietly wiped away some cream that had gotten on her flushed cheeks.

“It’s… quite a worldly flavor. If I eat any more, I might feel like I’m sinning against the Lord.”

“That’s practically high praise.”

Satisfied with the saintess’s reaction, I let out a deep breath.

“Now, Lord Roger, it’s your turn to try one too.”

“I’ll go get my own.”

I declined the half-eaten churro she offered me.

She had looked so happy eating it that I didn’t want to take it from her.

But—

Surprisingly, she kept trying to give me the churro she had been eating.

“No, really. This much is more than enough for me.”

Maybe she truly didn’t have much of an appetite.

Accepting that, I finished off the churro from the same end she had bitten.

As I took a bite from the side she had eaten, Istina stared at me with a strangely unreadable expression.

Ronie, eyeing the churro hungrily, said it looked delicious and headed over to the booth to get one for himself.

Meanwhile, Sonia wore a curious look, as though she understood exactly why Istina had offered me the half-eaten one.

“Well then, now that we’ve filled our bellies, shall we go enjoy some games?”

Unaware of any of this, the saintess took the lead with confidence.

“She didn’t seem interested in the festival, but she’s enjoying it more than I thought.”

Ronie, now holding his own dessert, spoke with a pleased expression as he watched her already walking off into the crowd.

I patted him lightly on the shoulder.

“It’s not that she wasn’t interested. She was pretending not to be. After spending her whole life in the cathedral, everything about an academy festival must feel new to her.”

“As expected of you, hyung. You really do have great empathy, probably because you used to be a secretary.”

Ronie looked at me with admiration in his eyes.

That worried look from when we first met was long gone.

“Well… That used to be my job, after all.”

When I replied with a satisfied smile, Sonia—standing beside me—looked up at me with an exasperated expression.

The kind of sly, foxlike look she probably picked up from me.

“Hm? Sonia, do you have something you want to say?”

“No…”

The red-haired knight let out a deep sigh.

Then, mumbling something in a small voice, she started eating the dessert her younger brother had brought.

“You may have good empathy, Master, but you still don’t understand what’s really going on inside.”

At her cryptic remark, Ronie and I both tilted our heads at the same time.

In the meantime, Sonia also walked on ahead, following after the saintess.

‘Women…’

Even after over ten years as a secretary in the Grand Duke’s house, I still didn’t understand them.

――――――

As we continued following Istina through the festival grounds—

We came across a particular venue teeming with people.

A game zone had been set up in a large open space, like it was part of a show.

An academy student, who looked like a senior, was loudly acting as the MC.

“Alright, let’s get the event started!!”

Applause echoed from the crowd.

I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see what kind of event it was.

In that moment—

A memory from my academy days came rushing back, and I furrowed my brow.

“Find the Grand Marshal!”

Because I knew all too well what that game was.

“They still do that…?”

Clicking my tongue, I turned to Ronie and asked.

That dreadful game had once been fiercely attempted by a royal cadet—only to collapse from a leg cramp. It had been discontinued after that.

“Yeah, I think it was shut down for a while back when you were attending, but they revived it this year,” said Ronie.

“Right. It’s such a popular event,” Sonia added, seeming to know the game as well.

Then, even Istina, lifting her heels repeatedly to see better, showed interest.

“What kind of game is it?”

“Well… It’s kind of like an event. When a female student steps out into the courtyard, the male students who secretly admire her come forward.”

I answered, tracing back through hazy memories.

Back in my student days, I had skipped festivals entirely to focus on training for scholarship money.

“And what do the two of them do after stepping forward?”

“The male student lifts the female student and does squats while holding her. The one who does the most wins.”

As if hearing about a completely alien ritual for the first time, Istina’s sharp eyes widened.

Like an explorer discovering a new continent.

“So there are games like this in the secular world…?”

“Yes. So the boys who’ve had crushes on the girls usually come rushing out.”

The saintess seemed overwhelmed by culture shock, falling into silent contemplation.

“That’s fascinating. Do non-students also get to participate?”

“Of course. One of the martial arts professors once joined and did 120 squats holding his secretary. That’s the standing record.”

As far as I remembered, that record still hadn’t been broken.

“Alright, everyone who wants to participate, please step over the white line in the courtyard!!”

The student acting as MC pointed toward a white line drawn across the courtyard.

Crossing it apparently meant you were officially a participant.

―――――

A few female cadets began stepping into the courtyard.

Among them were not just students, but some academy staff and regular visitors too.

They smiled awkwardly and waved to friends in the crowd.

“Hm—”

Meanwhile, Sonia and Istina stood quietly off to the side.

As expected, a game like this probably seemed dull to ambitious and serious women like them.

“Now, the third-place prize is a 100,000 gold festival gift voucher!!”

That’s what I thought.

But then—

“And the second-place prize is none other than the Luton family's famed sword—the Luton Sword!!”

At the mention of the famed sword, Sonia, the knight, suddenly perked up with interest.

“Luton Sword…?”

Ronie gave a small cough at the sight of his fellow cadet’s eyes suddenly sparkling with excitement.

Then, trying hard to act indifferent, he spoke to her.

“Wanna give it a try…? Your blade got pretty damaged in the last match.”

“Should I? A Luton Sword does seem like it’d be good for sparring.”

I grew concerned, seeing him step up like this right before his upcoming match.

“Ronie, I can get you a Luton Sword separately. Don’t push yourself.”

“No, that sword means something different, hyung. It’s only true camaraderie if I win it myself and give it to her.”

Camaraderie.

At those fiery words, I couldn’t help but be convinced in the end.

“You’re right. A knight should have that kind of resolve.”

Sonia stepped cautiously into the courtyard, her stride a little awkward.

Seeing her go, Ronie let out a sharp breath through his nose and stretched out his arms, warming up.

“And now, the grand first-place prize—none other than the sherry cask whiskey praised even by the Imperial Family: Leon 17-Year!!”

Seventeen years.

It was a premium liquor the Grand Duke’s house only served to very close acquaintances.

As expected of the Imperial Academy, the scale of the prizes was enormous.

Of course, this wasn’t the kind of prize meant for students.

It was likely prepared for the professors attending the event.

‘The martial arts professors will probably take the prizes again this year.’

That was what I was thinking when suddenly—

The atmosphere grew restless and noisy.

I lifted my head.

And then—

I realized what had caused the stir.

“Ahh―――!! This year’s participants are no joke!! The saintess herself has entered!!”

Istina, gently stepping over the white line.

“Oh dear, was this line for participants?”

With a demure expression, she covered her lips and looked over at me.

Directly at my arm, to be precise.

“……?”

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