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Chapter 215: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (8)

Perhaps she might start sobbing after a little more time passed.

My rejection seemed to have somehow wounded Senior Elsie\'s pride.

Honestly, it was difficult for me to understand her actions. After the surprising incident with the Saintess the other time, she had been keeping a low profile.

Now, Senior Elsie has appeared with an unexpected makeover.

She was even proposing that the two of us go out together. The voice that she used to mumble about a \'date\' before was still clearly lingering in my ears.

Could it be that Senior Elsie harbors romantic feelings for me?

It was a possible thing to happen.

Originally, when vigorous young men and women gathered, love was bound to sprout, especially among colleagues who faced hardships together on the brink of life and death.

Of course, romantic relationships between members of the same training group were frowned upon.

We had worked together in harmony so far, and it should continue in the future. However, favoritism was bound to occur once a romantic relationship started.

It was the perfect circumstance for a group to become chaotic.

Nevertheless, it was inevitable, considering the numerous couples at the academy. Like wild horses, love was beyond control even with the reins of reason.

Therefore, there was a possibility that Senior Elsie harbored feelings for me.

No, assuming her recent behavior towards me, the probability was even higher. Looking back, she had consistently shown favor towards me.

Otherwise, the ruthless Senior Elsie would never have acted like a gentle lamb only in front of me.

Objectively speaking, Senior Elsie was an excellent catch.

First of all, she was beautiful.

Even when her reputation was at its worst within the academy, Senior Elsie had consistently been popular. She had received many confessions, and as a result, there were many broken-hearted young men.

According to rumors, she was known for uttering harsh words to the extent that seemed impossible to retort.

Furthermore, her family background was outstanding.

Count Rinella\'s family might not belong to the Empire\'s top five noble families, but they had established a long-standing prestigious reputation as a prominent magical lineage. When it came to wealth and influence, her family far surpassed the Percus family.

Therefore, I had no reason to reject Senior Elsie\'s favor.

I, too, was a young man in my prime.

It was only natural for me to harbor good feelings for beautiful women like Senior Elsie, Senior Delphine, the Saintess, or Seria. Emma and Celine, too, were no exceptions.

However, the reason I had not paid attention to romantic affairs until now was one— the sense of duty to save the world.

My heart, which had almost wavered, sank again.

Yes, now was not the time to focus on romance. First, it wouldn’t be too late to think about that after saving the world. Moreover, my future was still uncertain.

The love letter coming from the future was not just one.

Even now, I would continue receiving more letters from my future fiancée.

No one could predict how having a lover at this moment would affect the future. For the sake of the continent, I had to delay my romance a little longer.

However, facing Senior Elsie\'s pitiful gaze, I couldn\'t completely erase my hesitation.

Still, going on a date would be okay, right?

It wasn\'t like we would become lovers right away but rather getting to know each other better.

I might be clueless about matters of the heart, but I could at least guess how Senior Elsie felt at this moment. It must have taken courage to be the one to initiate the date, and being rejected likely wounded her pride.

It was then that I stammered out broken words.

"W-Well, still..."

Senior Elsie didn’t fail to notice that my momentum had somewhat faltered.

Just a moment ago, Senior Elsie had a facial expression as if the sky was falling, but now, she eagerly awaited my response with anticipation in her eyes.

She would probably be energetically wagging a tail if she had one.

My heart wasn\'t yet firm enough to ruthlessly trample on that expectation.

Just before I gave a ‘Maybe it\'s okay tomorrow.’ response.

Suddenly, a certain person crossed my mind.

Lupine Rinella, didn\'t he say something like this to me?

He said that he would \'seek revenge.\'

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, ominous conspiracy theories filled my thoughts.

What if all of this was an act?

What if Senior Elsie was still harboring a desire for revenge against me, conspiring with Lupine to create the most miserable memories for me?

A wicked plot to enchant me with her beauty and then abandon me.

I couldn’t help but entertain this frightening thought. Even without that, Senior Elsie already had a reputation for making cutting remarks when rejecting the men who confessed to her.

So, how much crueler could the words uttered under malice be?

Cold sweat dripped down my spine.

It was a close call. I almost fell into the ’ cunning schemes of the Rinella siblings.

In the end, the words that escaped my lips were not much different from the initial response I had given.

"...Since I\'ll be returning to my hometown soon, there won\'t be enough time, right?

It was a statement that placed the final nail in the coffin.

What I meant was that it would be difficult for me to find time before the vacation ended.

Tears welled up in Senior Elsie’s blue eyes. Looking dejected, she dropped her head and mumbled with a pitiful voice.

"Uh, yeah... That\'s right. Sorry, I was so clueless..."

It had been a long time since I heard her speaking in informal language, but hearing her speak tearfully pained my chest.

What if Senior Elsie was sincere?

As someone who didn\'t understand women\'s hearts well, it was a difficult problem to grasp. In the end, I couldn\'t overcome the guilt and began to make excuses.

"It\'s not a joke; I really don\'t have time. I have to leave the day after tomorrow, and there are so many people I need to say goodbye to. Like Saintess, Senior Delphine, Seria or Emma..."

"I-I know."

It was Senior Elsie\'s words.

With her gaze lowered, she scraped the rough floor with the tip of her shoe. Her defeated appearance was particularly pitiful.

The atmosphere rapidly sank.

I initially greeted her with a welcoming heart, but how did I end up in such a situation in just a few minutes?

Senior Elsie asked cautiously.

"Um, what\'s… your relationship with the Saintess?"

"We don\'t have any relationship."

It was a quick response. It was a problem I had promised myself to explain sooner or later.

If unnecessary rumors spread, it could be fatal for Saintess. Her maidenhood was often associated with the symbol of the heavenly god.

Of course, Senior Elsie didn\'t seem to believe my words.

She continued to exude a gloomy vibe, still keeping her head low.

"Uhm, there was a misunderstanding... You can think of it as a kind of treatment process..."

"Then, what\'s our relationship?"

It was a sudden question.

Tongue-tied, I stared blankly at Senior Elsie. Senior Elsie\'s blue eyes sadly met mine when she finally looked up.

It was as if those eyes were asking me something.

‘If you have no relationship with the Saintess, what about me?’

‘Are we not any better than that?’

I let out a frustrated groan.

"...Well, we\'re colleagues, aren’t we?"

She was my precious colleague, with whom I solved a few cases.

However, Senior Elsie seemed dissatisfied with that relationship.

She held back her head with a bitter smile as if she had expected it.

Senior Elsie examined her body from side to side. It looked like an endearing gesture to me, but the bitter smile on Senior Elsie\'s lips only deepened, as if anyone would react the same way upon seeing her appearance.

"Yeah, colleagues... Well, that\'s better."

Before I could ask what was better, Senior Elsie smiled broadly.

It was a poignant laughter, like the bell ringing in the nightfall.

"As expected, I won’t be greedy, Master."

Saying that with a puppy-like expression, Senior Elsie left, urging her steps.

I couldn\'t hold onto her.

I could only sigh irritably, watching her disappearing figure for a long time.

Unable to overcome my frustration, I scratched my head.

It seemed like I had chosen the wrong option.

However, what I told Senior Elsie was partly true.

I really didn\'t have time.

Before leaving the academy, there were many people to bid farewell to.

First, I had to meet Saintess and Senior Delphine, and also Emma.

I owe a lot of favors to these three. I had to bid them farewell before leaving.

Having organized my thoughts in that way, I glanced outside the window.

It was still afternoon. There was plenty of time to visit one or two people and say farewell without any difficulty.

I had, at most, only half a day left before heading to the Percus /genesisforsaken