The Guardian Knight of Affection-Starved Young Ladies - Chapter 118



117 – Reunion (09)

118.

“Did you do wrong, or not? Kal?”

“…Sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“…”

“It’s okay. You might not know. But Kal can’t not know.”

What did that mean?

Kallen couldn’t understand Cinat’s words.

No, he even felt a bit wronged that things had come to this.

It wasn’t like he’d meant to stall for time.

He let out a soft sigh, wondering how he’d ended up in this mess.

“Cinat’s right. They say once men think they’ve got you, they look elsewhere.”

“…Selasier, who…”

“No, it’s something Kal doesn’t need to know. And that’s not the important part, is it? Did you realize what you did wrong?”

“…No.”

To understand the reason, he had to trace his memories back to a little while ago.

After parting with Laris, Kallen had been in deep thought.

Should he go to the Dranus family, or to the Ecclesia Salon?

There was no way for him to know how far along the new member classification was at the salon.

After all that consideration.

Kallen headed to the Ecclesia Salon.

If he wasn’t on one side, then he’d be on the other, and it wasn’t only Cinat who was worried.

And Kallen, while deeming his actions fortunate, also regretted them.

The selection process was almost done, and everyone was still in the Ecclesia’s exclusive inn.

In that sense, Kallen’s decision could be seen as a good one.

But in another sense, it was as if he’d dug his own grave.

-…Kallen?

…A shiver.

When he returned to the Ecclesia salon, the first person he encountered was Eliana.

And Kallen, he didn’t know she could wear such a frigid expression.

Even when they didn’t know each other, back when Eliana suffered from mana overload, it wasn’t this bad.

Her unfocused eyes were deathly still.

Her already pale skin looked even more bloodless.

Thankfully, or maybe not, Eliana tried to embrace Kallen the moment she saw him.

It was a familiar sight of Eliana, and Kallen quickly shook off the shiver.

But the problem came after that.

-…You said. You’d be back. Soon.

Eliana spoke, breaking up each word.

As she whispered, meeting his gaze, Eliana soon alerted everyone to Kallen’s return.

-If you put sleeping pills in the alcohol, it kind of defeats the purpose…

Cilacier, the first person called by Eliana, muttered in a voice Kallen couldn’t hear, looking at him.

-Kal?

Sinat seemed just as usual, making him momentarily relieved.

But it didn’t take long to realize her smile was fake.

And so, now.

“…Is it okay not to work?”

“It’s okay… someone who promised to return quickly was late… even taking it easy, it’s almost done…”

Kallen tried to divert his attention, but.

Creak…

“Sir Kallen’s back… Ah!”

“What? He’s really here. I thought Miss Eliana had seen wrong again.”

“…”

Far from diverting attention, Daphne and Liche even entered the room where Kallen was surrounded by the ladies.

Kalen just stared, then tilted his head back slightly and closed his eyes.

Behind him was a time of atonement he didn’t much care to remember.

“It’s all over?”

“Yeah. The decision on who to take is done, now all that’s left is to deliver the news. I was just about to get ready to head back anyway.”

“Who’s doing the delivery?”

“I volunteered. Our family has a knack for carrying and hearing news, after all.”

The suffocating time was over, and Kalen could finally have a proper reunion.

The main topic was what happened at the Plache family and what had become of Laris.

At first, the young ladies who had been pressuring Kalen from all sides gradually became interested in the story.

In the end, after hearing the conclusion that the three women had reached, they each smiled, saying they were relieved.

-Laris-nim also awakened her inner spirit?

-…I knew it…

Of course, there were several dangerous moments that Kalen didn’t know about.

Anyway, they told Kalen he had done well.

It was cheesy, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

Now that their story was over, Kalen became curious about how things had gone for them.

As Celachier said, the selection process was completely finished.

Now, only the task of notifying the results remained, and Daphne had taken it upon herself.

Daphne was originally a young lady from a family that was second to none when it came to news and rumors in society.

There was probably no one more suitable for this task than her.

In conclusion, the Ecclesia situation was also safely concluded.

The numerous events that had been going on since the banquet were enough to exhaust Kalen.

Even if Kalen wasn’t like other boys his age, he wasn’t immune to fatigue.

He needed to rest properly, if only to go to the spirit world.

“But… Kalen. Is it true?”

“What is?”

“The Plache family. The maids heard, and now everyone in society knows about it.”

“The rumors about a big commotion at the Plache and how the Plache family and the Lyle Merchant Guild were brought down by a young boy, is that what you’re referring to, Sinat-nim?”

“That’s right.”

So, Eliana, Celachier, and Sinat still weren’t on informal terms with Daphne and Lichessa.

Kalen shook off his thoughts, focusing on Shinnat’s words.

Had the rumors already spread?

He’d thought Flavius would know how to keep his mouth shut, but it seemed impossible to stop every leak.

There was no point in denying it, so Kalen nodded.

“They attacked first.”

“Ugh. It was true. Kal! Grandpa’s furious. He told you to hold back until you at least reached the 5th Circle…”

“Don’t worry.”

“…Huh?”

“If that’s the only reason Master is angry, then it’s fine.”

“Kal… Could it be…”

At least the three noble ladies weren’t as surprised.

Daphnis and Richesa hadn’t directly witnessed Kalen’s power, so they were stunned by the news that he had single-handedly crushed the Flache and Lyle trading companies.

But Eliana, Celacier, and Shinnat had entrusted their lives to Kalen and he to them.

They had no reason not to believe his words and his strength.

The three ladies were surprised by something else entirely.

The Archmage’s warning to restrain himself until he reached the 5th Circle, and Kalen’s assertion that it was fine if *that* was the reason he was angry.

Kalen’s words meant…

“Kal! You’re 5th Circle…!”

“Shinnat. You’re being too loud.”

“Ubhub…!”

Shinnat, genuinely flustered, let out a rather pleasant shriek.

Kalen, as if expecting it, clamped a hand over Shinnat’s mouth.

“…Kalen. Are you really… 5th Circle…?”

“Probably. I need to get confirmation from Master to be sure.”

“…”

5th Circle.

The ladies knew that Kalen’s talent was unparalleled, but.

Even so, the sheer weight of the title 5th Circle caused them to swallow hard.

It was the 5th Circle, no less.

The Archmage, Vlamea, had wielded magic that was on the cusp of the 6th Circle during his prime.

Magic, by its nature, is classified into seven tiers, yet even Vlamia herself never broke through the wall of the 7th tier.

If even an elder nearing his twilight years couldn’t, then for a boy who hasn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony to have surpassed the 5th tier…

It’s a claim that anyone would find hard to believe, but solely because Kallen said it, the young ladies accepted it as truth.

And in fact, it *was* the truth.

“Kallen… Is it real? The 5th tier…?”

Daphnis was more bewildered than anyone.

As much as she was sensitive to news and rumors, she valued verifying the truth above all else.

If Kallen’s words were true, this was undoubtedly an event that could shake the very foundations of the empire.

“Ah, no… more than that, the 5th tier means… he already surpassed the 4th…”

A string of deductions, one leading into the next.

Daphnis, realizing Kallen’s talent even in the slightest, asked Kallen as though she herself were aggrieved.

“Why did you hide it until now?”

“Master told me to. Until I could protect myself, hide it.”

“That… I understand, but…”

In the past, when Kallen awakened 1st and 2nd tier magic.

He was told to hide his talent, saying that immature ability was more poison than anything.

Now, that reason was heavily tinged with his grandfather’s selfish desires.

Kallen, not knowing this, simply followed Vlamia’s words.

Richessa also agreed with Kallen’s thinking.

Though she didn’t say it, inwardly, she fully believed Kallen’s words were reasonable.

It wasn’t that she was denying Daphnis’s words, but undeveloped talent could harm oneself at any time.

Richessa knew that principle better than anyone.

“I still don’t particularly want to reveal it.”

“Even now?”

“It’d be a hassle.”

When he was rolling around in the streets, he would have been desperate, even to become a mercenary.

But now, he has a place to return to.

He couldn’t live forever as Vlamia’s disciple, but Vlamia had said that he’d take responsibility for him until he could stand on his own.

Kallen spoke without any apparent care.

Daphnis tried to add something, but then stopped.

That, too, was something Kallen had to decide.

Daphnis knew it wasn’t her place to interfere with that.

So, though she felt a pang of regret that such talent might go unseen, she decided to respect Kallen’s choice.

Whether the Empire would simply let him be… she didn’t know.

“Lady Daphnis.”

“…”

“Lady Daphnis?”

“Ah, yes…! Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment…”

“It’s alright. More importantly, when shall we meet?”

“…”

Just as Daphnis was diligently memorizing the new information, Kallen called out to her.

“…Y-yes…?”

The moment Kallen’s words fell,

everyone there froze in their tracks.

Thud-

“Ouch…”

Well, everyone except for Richesa, that is.

At the same time, Richesa clutched at her forehead where she’d bumped into something.

“Meet?”

Selasier spoke quietly.

“We were going to have chocolate dessert together.”

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“Ah…”

Daphnis finally dimly recalled it.

The memory of that much more awkward time when they had promised to eat chocolate dessert together.

She was happy.

She was happy that Kallen hadn’t forgotten that promise.

But even so,

Daphnis instinctively knew that now was not the time.

“…”

Especially with those two young ladies there.

Lakatus and Dranus’s pairs of eyes were sharpening.

“Eliana, Celacier.”

“…Huh?”

“Huh?”

“You two, too, promised. We’ll go soon.”

“…”

“Ah…”

It was Kallen who unintentionally saved Daphnis.

Eliana and Celacier didn’t like him meeting other young ladies, especially going for chocolate desserts, but.

Still, they soothed their hearts with the fact that Kallen hadn’t forgotten his promise.

Since no one could connect until Kallen himself had some space, rushing would be poison anyway.

“…Kall! I…!”

“You’re going back together soon anyway.”

“…Right!”

Even Synath had somehow returned to a grinning expression.