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Chapter 218: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (11)

Yawning, I staggered to my feet.

Thankfully, I hadn't forgotten to fill my water bottle last night. As I gulped down the cold water, my eyes shifted toward the bed.

There, Lupine was lying, asleep as if knocked out.

From the looks of it, he would be out cold for a while longer. It was a relief he hadn't woken up vomiting.

Strangely, my mind was clear.

The lengthy story Lupine rambled about during last night's drinking session came flooding back to me.

Remembering it made the water taste bland.

I gulped down the last few drops of the water and relaxed my grip on the bottle. With each breath, I could feel the lingering remnants of alcohol in the air.

It was a painful story from the past.

If Lupine hadn't been so drunk, he might not have shared it to the end. It was common for high noble families to hide at least one such disgrace.

Their way of thinking was closer to abacuses made of flesh and blood than to human beings.

Senior Elsie too had become quite close to me, but she had never disclosed such a past.

That made me curious.

What was the true intention behind Senior Elsie's proposal that I had harshly rejected the day before?

Was she truly seeking revenge on me?

Or, was she simply asking to be saved?

Saying she didn't want to go back.

Saying she didn't want to live according to her family's wishes, and asking for help to fulfil her desires.

Was what I had rejected that day not a request, but a scream for help?

My head heated up as my thoughts became tangled, accompanied by a headache and the aftermath of a hangover.

For a while, I spent the early morning in silence.

Despite contemplating for long, I still had a hint of hesitation.

My name was 'Ian Percus,' not 'Ian Rinella’.

There was no reason for me to be entangled with the Rinella family. After all, it was rare for a low-ranking noble of the empire to come into contact with a prestigious family like the Rinellas.

In other words, I was clearly an outsider to the Rinella family.

Every action required justification.

Without one, any action would find it challenging to receive official recognition. Preventing a marriage within the Rinella family carried significant responsibility.

Unable to decide, I drank more cold water.

It was by chance that my eyes caught sight of a letter.

It was the fourth letter I had received. I always carried it with me, but somehow it had ended up on the table where I had been drinking last night.

Seems like I made a mistake while drunk, and my hand reached out for the letter again.

The sentence scribbled on the back of the letter caught my eye.

‘Let go of what must be discarded.’

It was a short and simple phrase, yet I found myself fixated on that one line.

Was Senior Elsie someone I needed to let go of?

No, she wasn't.

Senior Elsie was my precious comrade. Hadn't we navigated countless life-and-death situations together? That overwhelming emotion soon became my driving force.

I grabbed my sword and hatchet and left the room.

As I walked, I eventually found myself standing before the dormitory where the senior nobles, including Senior Elsie, lived. Some students who had not yet left the academy were gathered in small groups.

They gaped at me in surprise at my sudden appearance.

They must be wondering why a celebrity of the academy had come here so early in the morning.

Especially looking so haggard from not having sobered up yet.

A belated sense of shame washed over me, but regret is always too late.

I sighed deeply to calm myself.

The deed I was about to do was bound to bring significant embarrassment anyway.

Fortunately, it seemed I wasn't too late.

A few people were coming out of the dormitory's main entrance.

Judging by their attire, they were undoubtedly knights from powerful noble families. And among those robust men, a particularly petite woman stood out.

She was a girl with her head hung low in dejection.

Senior Elsie, as always, was wearing her pointy hat and academy uniform.

As if the fancy dress from yesterday was a lie.

That was a relief.

If it weren't for that pointy hat, I might have missed seeing Senior Elsie behind those human boulders.

My body slowly blocked the knights' path.

"......Stop."

At my single word, the knights stopped in their tracks.

Senior Elsie, who had been emitting a gloomy aura with her head down, jerked her head up in surprise at the sound of my voice.

Even after seeing my face, Senior Elsie blinked several times in disbelief.

Anyone could tell she was bewildered.

Regardless, my words continued.

"Please leave Senior Elsie alone."

It was a straightforward and clear request.

Even those unaware of the Rinella family's circumstances could grasp its meaning.

Whispers began to spread.

In the blink of an eye, the students in front of the dormitory had encircled me and the knights. Their eyes gleamed with fascination as they looked at me.

The look in their eyes was one of anticipation for what I might do next.

I felt sorrowful that I had to meet their expectations.

One of the knights escorting Elsie snorted. He looked at me with a mocking expression, not yet realising who I was.

With a voice mixed with annoyance, he opened his mouth.

"What's with this drunkard..."

"That's, uh..."

However, that moment was brief. As soon as a subordinate knight whispered something in his ear, his attitude changed completely.

He cleared his throat and subtly avoided my gaze.

Even the knights of the Rinella family couldn't ignore my reputation.

The Dark Order was humanity's enemy, and I was the hero who had rescued hundreds of orphans and the princess.

Yet, the knight stiffly raised his head.

"That, Lord Percus? Your words are too abrupt and somewhat very shocking. May I ask what you mean by them?"

"Just as I said."

Sighing lightly, I spoke with firmness.

"Leave Senior Elsie alone. She has somewhere to go with me."

"...Hmm, an appointment?"

The knight glanced at Senior Elsie, asking for further explanation.

But since my arrival, Senior Elsie had worn a consistently puzzled expression.

Her eyes resembling blue sapphires were staring at me as if they were nailed in place. So, I decided to say what I should have said a long time ago.

"We had plans to go somewhere, just the two of us. While at it, maybe change into something a bit nicer."

It was a reminder of the previous day's conversation.

It was impossible for Senior Elsie to not understand.

Tears began to well up in her sapphire-like eyes. She rubbed them and looked at me repeatedly.

Yet even so, I was still me.

And that fact would never change.

I took a step forward.

"So, I would appreciate it if you could leave... Senior Elsie will be coming with me."

The knights exchanged bewildered looks.

Their only flaw was their failure to uncover Senior Elsie's troubled past, despite being instructed by the family head to ensure her return by any means at their disposal.

They hadn't expected the academy's rising star to stand in their way.

A knight with a troubled expression stepped forward to block my way.

Thump, the man's hand, like a pot lid, was placed on my shoulder.

"Lord Percus, there seems to be a misunderstanding. We are on a mission for an important matter of the Rinella family, so…?"

But the man's words were cut off before he could finish.

Suddenly, the hand that had been resting on my shoulder slid off.

The knight, who thought he had a firm grip on me, was left dumbfounded.

Only an afterimage, as if space was distorted, seemed to be caught in his hand.

It must have been incomprehensible to him.

And that is the reason I showed that skill. My steps continued towards Senior Elsie.

Eventually, a knight unable to bear it any longer spread his arms to block my way.

"Lord Percus! No matter how close you are, it’s rude for an outsider to interfere with a family's affair..."

Whoosh, the giant man clad in armour flew into the air.

It was because I had kicked his calf with all my strength.

My physical strength, recently elevated to the level of an Expert, far surpassed that of an ordinary knight. Unaware of what had happened, he spun halfway in the air before crashing down with a resounding thud.

"U-Ugh...?!"

It was, at most, a single kick to the leg.

For a trained knight, such pain shouldn't even count as an injury. Yet, the knight was sitting down, looking dazed with a vacant expression in his eyes.

It was because I had been too reckless.

As he said, I was merely an outsider to the Rinella family. I had no right to meddle in the important affairs of the Rinella family.

The remaining knights took my actions as an insult.

An angry shout burst out.

"Lord Percus! If you keep this up, we'll have to..."

"Cut the chatter and come at me."

My bold stance made the shouting knight hesitate.

My eyes, staring him down, were utterly calm.

"Or, leave Senior Elsie and go."

"Insults should have limits...!"

Finally, unable to hold back, a knight charged at me.

Now, there were only three knights left.

It would only take a few seconds to deal with /genesisforsaken