"It feels so relieving."
As Yuria poured out her story, all her pent-up frustration came spilling out.

There had been classmates at the Imperial Magic Academy.
There had been comrades and colleagues she had fought alongside at Vermont Security.
But she hadn’t had a single "friend."

It wasn’t that she couldn’t have made friends if she wanted to.
But after being separated from her long-time friends and forced to watch from afar, she hadn’t even thought about making new friends.
After such a painful existence, Yuria's story of regaining her friends showed no sign of reaching its end.

As for the "dark old man"—Yuria had never told anyone about him.
He was such a precious connection.
She wanted to keep it a secret.
She wanted him to remain her benefactor.

But now, she thought, maybe it was okay to tell Charlotte and Yulia.
They were long-time friends, after all. They would understand.
They would understand just how important and massive the figure of the "dark old man" was to her.

And so, she began to tell her story.

"The dark old man? He’s super suspicious!"
"Why dark old man? If he were a red old man or a blue old man, he’d seem much livelier! But the fact that he’s black makes him look all shady!"

Charlotte and Yulia’s endless suspicions began to rise.

Yuria casually brought up the topic of her anonymous sponsor.
From the way she spoke, it was clear she respected him, followed him, and perhaps even admired him a little.
But when they heard the details, they found out that Yuria had never even seen his face.

Not only that, she didn’t even know his age, affiliation, or identity! She knew nothing about him except that he was a tall man who looked good in a black suit.

Does this even make sense!?
How could she trust and follow someone she had never even met before?
Yuria said she came here to suspect Aslan, but looking at this, the one who should be suspected is her sponsor!

"Yuria... the... dark old man?"
"Yeah!"
"Don’t you think it’s better not to rely too much on him? The tuition for the Imperial Magic Academy must be expensive, and for him to sponsor you so generously, it feels like he must have some hidden agenda..."
"Ahaha! I knew you’d worry about that. Don’t worry, the dark old man is not that kind of person."
"How do you know that?"
"I’ve been exchanging letters with the dark old man... He’s extremely interested in me. Whenever I need something, he keeps trying to help. He even wanted to give me a huge allowance, but I had to stop him. He’s so considerate; there’s no way he could have bad intentions."

She almost said she had been exchanging letters, but quickly changed it to the past tense.
Now that she thought about it, she had actually stopped exchanging letters with the "dark old man."
I wonder what he’s doing now.
Yuria desperately wanted to send a letter to ask about him, but she quickly suppressed the urge.

For now, it's a cold war...!
She had threatened not to send any letters during the break, but she couldn’t just surrender after two days!

Yuria steeled her resolve again.

"You exchange letters? How often?"
"Hmm, about every three days? Sometimes twice a week."
"Gah..."

If it’s every three days, considering the post office’s situation, it’s practically like exchanging letters every day.
If it’s every two days, that means she grabs the letter as soon as it arrives, writes a response, and hands it to the postman before he leaves!
Charlotte and Yulia’s jaws dropped in shock at Yuria’s casual response.

"It’s suspicious that he’s just sponsoring you. A middle-aged man exchanging letters so frequently with a young girl...?"
"Isn’t he just trying to charm Yuria!? Buying her things and trying to give her pocket money—it seems like he’s showing off his wealth to buy her affection!"

What had seemed suspicious before, now seemed even more suspicious.
Even without revealing his identity, his secret sponsorship already looked shady enough.
And when Yuria said, "He’s so nice," it made it sound like the "dark old man" was just sweet-talking her.

Though Yuria spoke about him with admiration in her eyes,
it was hard to bring up such concerns now.
Yuria must have been too deeply involved with this person to be objective anymore...!

Meanwhile, as Charlotte and Yulia exchanged glances, they sighed quietly.

"So, why did you hide your identity when approaching us?"
"Ah, well, I thought Aslan Vermont looked really suspicious... I couldn’t trust an adult who bought slaves without a second thought."
"The suspicious one is your dark old man...! Ugh! Ughh!"
"Yeah, and what happened next?"

Just as Charlotte was about to blurt out what she truly thought,
Yulia quickly covered Charlotte’s mouth and shifted the conversation.
They needed to hear more.

"I think this could be a coincidence, or maybe a bit forced, but... Aslan Vermont’s surroundings also seem suspicious. The undead army, for example. Necromancers."
"Ahem..."
"The terrifying dark knight wielding a cursed sword."
"Mmm..."
"The grossly unfinished brown-colored great spirit."
"..."

Charlotte and Yulia had no counterarguments and just cleared their throats.
It was just a coincidence that Aslan’s surroundings were so grim, but the pattern of coincidences was starting to look suspicious.

"And most of all! He serves food in a dog bowl..."
"..."
"..."**

With Yuria’s final blow, Charlotte and Yulia were left speechless.
There were many things they wanted to argue back.

Aslan’s custom dog bowl was designed to be perfectly comfortable for humans to eat from.
It was scientifically excellent in terms of insulation and material that didn’t spoil the food’s taste or aroma.
But explaining all this made it seem... kind of embarrassing.

In reality, the visual was a bit off.
It was only after using it for a couple of months that one could truly understand its quality...
Yulia would probably realize how great the dog bowl was by the end of the vacation.

Charlotte decided that Yulia was just new to it and unfamiliar with it, so she hadn’t yet come to appreciate it.

"Anyway, Aslan Vermont is suspicious...! It’s better not to trust him too much, guys!"
"Yeah..."
"Mm..."

Yuria whispered with a serious look, and
Charlotte and Yulia mumbled, itching to speak up.

The one who was really suspicious was Yuria’s anonymous "dark old man!
Who exactly was being suspicious of whom!?

'Charlotte and Yulia have been too close to Aslan Vermont for too long, so their sense of suspicion is dull now. They can’t even think that Aslan might be strange anymore. I have to reveal his true face for their sake...!'
'Yuria has been so indebted to the dark old man that she can’t see him objectively anymore!'
'Yuria’s sponsor... Is he someone who dislikes the dark old man!? Maybe he’s trying to turn Yuria against him?'

They all had their own thoughts, but
there was one thing in common.
That long-lost friends were now influenced by a strange old man.

'I’ll make sure Charlotte and Yulia come to their senses...!'
'I must make sure Yuria wakes up...!'

At least this was something they all shared.

"Yuria. Why aren't you taking the carriage?"
"Oh, that... I feel too guilty using the mansion's carriage for just me..."
"Then it’s not a problem if I take it with you, right? Get in, we’ll go together."
"Y-Yes!?!"

Just as Yuria was about to leave through the main gate,
Aslan quickly stepped out and grabbed her, calling for the coachman.
Perhaps because of his frugality, he felt guilty using the carriage for such trivial things.

He decided to help her ease that guilt.
Once she started riding in it, she’d likely feel comfortable using it throughout the break.

"You don’t need to go to the academy for me, Count..."
"Who says I’m going for you? I was planning to go to the Imperial Magic Academy anyway. If you’re going to ride, then ride, if you’re not, then don’t."
"...I’ll ride."

Yuria bowed her head deeply and got into the carriage.
Good. She thought it through well.
The more she refused, the more he would push, and eventually, she’d have no choice but to get in.
It seemed like she knew how to avoid putting herself in an awkward position.

It made him happy to see her gradually getting used to accepting his kindness.

"..."
"..."

The carriage set off towards the academy,
and the only sound inside the carriage was the occasional clinking noise.
Other than that, it was silent.

Maybe she still felt awkward being with him.
It had been some time now, though, and the awkwardness should have faded by now.
Thinking back to when he had talked to Yuria as a "man to man," it seemed only natural that things would still be a bit awkward.
He hadn’t expected her to be a woman at the time...

"There are a few letters waiting for you."
"Oh, from my sponsor?"
"Yes."
"If it’s from him, I don’t need it. I’ll pick it up later."
"..."

In an attempt to ease the atmosphere, Aslan brought up the topic, and Yuria immediately responded.
She seemed to be still annoyed when thinking about the "dark old man," her expression souring slightly.

"Why? What happened?"
"No, it’s just... a small quarrel, I guess... Or maybe it’s a protest against having my will dismissed... It could also be a rebellious act from a childish kid... I declared that I wouldn’t reply to any letters during the break..."
"My friend seems to be throwing a fit again. Just let it go. You know how he is..."

Oh no. The "dark old man" must have upset Yuria.
Aslan casually moved closer to her, offering some gentle words of comfort.
It was a great opportunity to break the awkwardness and close the distance between them.

He had been given two months thanks to the "dark old man."
He was going to use this precious time to get closer to Yuria.