"Well, he's the human sloth, right? He couldn't possibly have the guts."

"Yeah. Even if he tried, Selena would have kicked him away."

"Ahahaha! Right. He hired an escort to protect himself, how could he mess with that escort?"

Selena rolled her eyes, not knowing how to respond to her friends' conversation.

Frondier had silenced her. He had ordered her to be sparing with her words regarding his abilities or strength.

Therefore, Selena couldn't casually deny what her friends were saying. They were mocking and underestimating Frondier. And this was exactly what Frondier wanted.

In other words, to follow Frondier's orders, she had to agree with her friends, but Frondier was too intimidating for that.

"Selena, if Frondier crosses the line, don't hesitate to kick him hard."

"No, aim for insubordination from now on. It's no big deal, right? Frondier."

"Ah, that, that is, well."

Frondier being the subject of insubordination?

Selena's face turned pale involuntarily at the thought. The cool gaze of Frondier came to mind.

"──Selena."

"Eek?!"

Selena screamed upon hearing the all-too-familiar voice.

Forcing her creaking neck to turn, she saw Frondier standing at the crossroads of the corridor.

Frondier slightly furrowed his brows and tilted his head, puzzled. It was just a regular call, but Selena's reaction was too extreme.

"What's the matter?"

Frondier approached Selena.

Selena was flooded with myriad thoughts. Did he hear the conversation just now? Is he pretending not to know after hearing it? If so, is this a test? A test to check my loyalty? Because I didn't act properly? Because I didn't agree with my friends?

Joining in the mockery of Frondier becomes the irony of following Frondier's orders. Is this a reprimand for not doing it properly?

"Ah, nothing, nothing's wrong."

Selena said, darting her eyes towards her friends for help.

However, the friends who were backbiting about Frondier suddenly avoided eye contact and acted as if nothing had happened. Yet, Selena could see their dilated pupils and stiff faces.

'If you're going to do that, don't talk behind his back! In truth, everyone's scared!'

Frondier's current image differs from that at the beginning of the semester. His performance in various tests, the rumors, and his recent accomplishments make the title of 'human sloth' seem inappropriate.

However, Frondier's appearance has hardly changed, maintaining that image.

The image of a 'human sloth' leads to emotional or habitual disregard for him, but intellectually, it's a warning to the students about the danger.

In other words, Frondier has now become an enigmatic entity to the students.

"Hmm."

Frondier also glanced at the other students' faces and snorted. Selena saw this.

Indeed, she must have unknowingly held excessive thoughts.

"Selena. Follow me."

"Y-Yes?"

"I have something to discuss in my room. It won't take much of your time."

Is it time for my punishment?

Selena unconsciously swallowed her saliva due to nervousness.

Frondier had never actually physically punished her, but for some reason, he was so frightening.

"Or do you have something to prepare? I'll give you 10 minutes to─"

"N-No! I'll follow you right now!"

Selena answered quickly. There was no need to worsen the mood.

Frondier nodded and walked ahead. Frondier didn't have his living quarters here, so he headed straight to the entrance.

Once Frondier and Selena, trailing behind him, disappeared, the remaining students let out a sigh of relief.

"...... He didn't hear that, did he?"

"I don't know. I still can't tell what he's thinking even if you look closely at him."

"I agree."

Then, there was a brief silence.

One of them, who had been hesitating, spoke frankly.

"...... He's a little scary."

"I agree."

The response was also frank.

* * *

"Head to Manggot."

These were the first words Frondier spoke.

Selena, who had been very nervous thinking she was going to get scolded, opened her mouth in surprise upon hearing the unexpected statement.

But soon, her heart ached.

That's how it sounded to her: End your life in Constel.

"...... Can you give me a little time?"

"Time?"

"I have things to sort out in Constel. Things I left there, like my uniform, and, well, I have to say goodbye to my friends, and so on."

Frondier stared at Selena who was speaking earnestly for a while, then his eyes sank. A sigh escaped from his mouth.

"You have a habit of jumping to the worst-case scenario. Of course, I understand it means you're being cautious, but try to understand and judge accurately. Speculation is dangerous."

"...... What do you mean?"

"I don't mean to tell you to leave Constel. I have something to tell Manggot."

"Ah."

Selena's cheeks reddened, and she hung her head.

Indeed, she had unwittingly indulged in excessive speculation.

Perhaps it was because she truly enjoyed her life in Constel. She feared the loss of this brief existence she didn't want to let go of.

"I have made a promise to you," Frondier said then.

Selena looked up at Frondier in surprise.

It might have been her imagination, but his tone seemed warmer.

"I promised to send you back to your family. To restore your life to its original course. Enrolling you in Constel was the first step."

"..."

"I will keep my promise. Don't worry needlessly."

"…Yes."

Selena closed her mouth and nodded.

For her now, that level of affirmation was the best. But she felt a dull pain in her heart.

Selena's throat throbbed. She tried to swallow something, but it didn't go down well.

"So, what should I tell Manggot?"

"Nothing much. Just as I told you before."

"Just as you told me…?"

"Tell them I will no longer teach you the ancient language."

Selena's eyes widened.

Until now, Selena had been learning the ancient language, getting used to its flow. She could roughly guess the 'time when it should no longer be taught to Manggot' that Frondier mentioned.

But it was much sooner than she expected.

"However, today I will teach you an important key to deciphering the ancient language. With this, you can interpret 10% of the ancient language."

Frondier said. 10%. For Manggot, it was an incredibly valuable progress, but it was a stretch to interpret the ancient language smoothly with just that.

It was a tantalizing piece of candy, but it only made one crave the next piece more.

Selena's mind began to race. The bait thrown to Manggot sooner than expected, the revolution plan of Indus rapidly approaching.

Indus and Manggot.

Could it be?

Selena's eyes widened.

"Shh."

Frondier put a finger to his lips, having realized it first.

"You got it right."