Red Blood (3)

Sophie spoke, looking at Elodie.

“Oh my! Lady Elodie, it's a pleasure to see you! I didn't expect to run into you here!”

“Yes, it's an honor to meet you as well, Lady Sophie.”

Sophie recognized Elodie immediately. It was only natural.

Until the Frondier became a hot topic due to the recent Manggot War, Elodie was the most famous person in their age group.

In fact, her fame among the nobles surpassed even Aster Evans. Unlike Aster, Elodie was born into a prestigious noble family.

Furthermore, unlike Aster, who was closely watched by Constel's teachers and experts for his growth rate and potential rather than his current skills, Elodie possessed a readily apparent brilliance.

“Did you come alone, Lady Elodie? Where is the Lord?”

“Hmm, Father has been busy lately. He's been traveling around with my brother.”

Elodie gave a suitable answer. She wasn't lying, but she didn't want to go into detail.

More importantly, Sophie wasn't the reason Elodie came here.

“...But this knight here, he seems familiar.”

Only after exchanging formal greetings with Sophie could Elodie bring up the topic of Frondier.

Hearing Elodie's words, Sophie looked back and forth between Frondier and Elodie.

“Oh my, are you perhaps classmates?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Really? Then you two must be quite close?”

“Ah, yes?”

“The Roach and Rishae families have had a deep connection since the past, and on top of that, you're classmates. Come to think of it, you're both promising figures of the Empire, aren't you? My, what a well-matched pair.”

Sophie clasped her hands together as she looked at Elodie and Frondier.

From the beginning, Sophie had hired Frondier to enhance her family's prestige. While many people contacted Lily's knight with personal feelings, Sophie's case was different.

Meanwhile, Frondier and Elodie awkwardly looked at each other.

The embarrassment of being called a "well-matched pair" came later.

...Are we close?

That fundamental question arose first.

“Then, Frondier, I'll give you a short break.”

“Yes?”

“I heard you haven't been to Constel for a while due to your knightly duties? You must have a lot to talk about with your friend, so go ahead. Get some fresh air too. I can't tell from your expression if you're tired or not.”

In reality, Frondier wasn't that tired, but it was a welcome suggestion to have time to talk to Elodie. He needed to explain the situation.

“Thank you.”

“Don't mention it. Just put in a good word for me with your father next time.”

Sophie waved her hand and sent Frondier off.

Just as she had treated Elodie, she was a woman with considerable ambition towards high-ranking nobles.

“...Then, Elodie.”

Frondier looked at Elodie. He met her eyes.

The eyes that had been wandering around out of boredom before meeting Frondier now focused solely on him.

“Shall we get some fresh air?”

* * *

The two headed towards the mansion's veranda.

The outside, which had begun to darken when Frondier entered the mansion, was now a pitch-black night adorned with starlight.

“...It's been a while. Since the war.”

“It has.”

This was the first time Frondier had met Elodie since the war ended.

In fact, not just Elodie, Frondier had barely met anyone except Selena.

Especially the students of Constel, who had a few days of vacation after the war before returning to school, most of them he hadn't seen.

But Elodie spoke with a sullen expression.

“But I could have met you.”

That's right. Elodie was different.

The relationship between the Rishae and Roach families was special, and now there was no reason for Frondier and Elodie to avoid each other.

“You're right.”

Frondier readily admitted it. It wasn't like he had absolutely no time to see Elodie.

However, even though the war with Manggot was over, there were still so many things ongoing in Frondier's mind.

‘The smartwatch said it. The World Quest is over.’

Moreover, the name of that World Quest was 'Etius'. The name of the game was actually just one big quest.

He hadn't even considered the possibility of a quest bigger than the Main Quest.

‘...Well, it's not necessarily that the World Quest is bigger than the Main Quest. There will still be Main Quests that need to be completed.’

There was no notification for the next Main Quest yet, but Frondier had a hunch that this 'game' would continue. Regardless of whether he remained in this world or not.

What would the Empire do after Manggot's victory, what would the next quest be, his promise with Ria Lis and her secrets, and so on. Having overcome the game over moment, Frondier now had many unknowns.

With his mind so preoccupied, he didn't have the leisure to meet anyone.

But Elodie, unaware of the circumstances, might be upset.

“Sorry. I should have come to see you.”

Therefore, Frondier apologized, and Elodie chuckled.

“No, that's just like us.”

Just like us.

There was no reason for Frondier de Roach to come to the mansion to see Elodie de Inies Rishae now.

Elodie thought it was natural, and so did Frondier. For now.

The lump in Elodie's heart had dissolved. But how convenient and wonderful would it be if they could return to being childhood friends just like that?

However, humans don't work that way.

Despite having no reason not to be close again, their distance remained the same.

Yes, for no particular reason.

“Everyone at Constel is looking for you. Especially on the first day back at school, it was insane. People flooded our classroom, asking where Frondier was, it was chaos.”

Elodie let out a deep sigh, but a small smile formed on her face as if it had been amusing.

“Not to mention other people, even our classmates were worried about you. They were saying things like, 'Maybe he has some unknown injuries from the war', and around that time, Aten's face turned white as a sheet. I was worried she might actually freeze, considering she was already pale.”

Elodie complained as if venting her frustration at Frondier's absence.

‘...You're kind, Elodie.’

She was telling Frondier about the situation at school.

Just as everyone was curious about Frondier's well-being, Frondier was also curious about what was happening at Constel.

“When you see Selena next time, buy her something delicious. Selena was the only one who knew anything about you, so she was bombarded with questions, not just a barrage. It was both pitiful and admirable to see a shy girl trying her best to explain your situation.”

“...I'm sorry about that.”

Come to think of it, it was Frondier who told Selena to attend Constel. It was just a suggestion, though.

Frondier sincerely recommended a vacation for Selena, and Constel was one of the options. However, from Selena's perspective, it might have sounded like an order.

“So, how are things at Constel these days?”

When Frondier asked, Elodie shrugged and said,

“Same old, same old.”

“Same old?”

“Yeah, people coming to the classroom, everyone asking where you are, teachers asking during class, staff asking at the cafeteria.”

“...Still?”

“The way you ask, it seems like you had a rough idea.”

Of course he did.

That's why he deliberately moved up his appointment with Lily. To avoid unnecessary attention at Constel.

Of course, it was irreversible now, but he could expect the interest to die down over time.

“So what's going on?”

Elodie's hair danced in the night breeze as she asked.

“You're not coming to Constel, and I assumed you must have something going on, but suddenly you're standing next to Madam Meyer. It seems like you've taken on a bodyguard role. Are you already a knight?”

Frondier explained the situation to Elodie in response to her question.