Chapter 34: Surveillance
For some reason, the food didn’t taste good. I had picked the same items from the menu as yesterday, so why did it feel so different?
I wasn’t eating alone, nor had I chosen anything that didn’t suit my taste, yet I couldn’t understand why today’s meal tasted so unlike yesterday’s.
Even if the atmosphere wasn’t great, that shouldn’t have made such a difference in flavor. So why?
I couldn’t even tell whether the food was going down through my mouth or my nose. Not that it could actually go through my nose—if that happened, I’d end up coughing like my lungs were being wrung out.
It was just a figure of speech.
In any case, I barely managed to finish my meal, eating half-heartedly, and then I felt a strange sense of discomfort.
Even Dogeon hadn’t said a word to me. Not that I had any intention of responding if he did, but wasn’t it strange that he didn’t say even a single word?
When someone seems upset, shouldn’t the other person usually apologize and plead for forgiveness? What could he possibly think he’s done so right that he’s just sticking to my side, doing nothing at all?
I’ve hardly ever apologized or received an apology myself, so I’m not exactly an expert. But I do know that if you’ve done something wrong, you’re supposed to say, This is what I did wrong, please forgive me.
For someone as socially adept as him, he surely wouldn’t lack that much common sense.
His indifference irritated me even more, so I picked up my pace.
Of course, there was a limit to how far I could distance myself since there’s a fundamental difference in physique. Even at my fastest walking pace, I could only manage a few steps ahead of him.
Not that it mattered, as he quickly caught up to me anyway. Frustrated, I tried to move even faster, but that would have essentially turned into running, so I gave up.
Part of it was also because I started to feel the gazes of the crowd on me.
I’d felt people’s eyes on me before, but never like this—never with such blatant curiosity, as though I were being openly observed.
Was it because rumors were spreading? Maybe something along the lines of, That arrogant girl from another continent who tried to assert dominance from the moment she arrived.
…Why was it that such a rumor was circulating now of all times? I couldn’t tell, but the timing was impeccably terrible.
If I’d been talking to Dogeon, I wouldn’t have cared about the surrounding stares, but that wasn’t an option now.
Whether I was showing my true self or a constructed persona, just having a conversation with him would have done wonders for my mental stability.
In truth, I was dying to talk to him even now, but if I did, he might see me as an easy mark, so I refrained.
What I want is a relationship where we can speak freely as equals—a true friendship.
…Although I was sulking this much precisely because I’d been ambushed by the very friend I thought I could trust.
Even between friends, there are lines you just don’t cross.
Asking someone if they have any friends is, of course, highly insulting. I had thought that someone as socially capable as him wouldn’t make such a stupid mistake, so my disappointment was immense.
No matter how disappointed I was, I wasn’t planning to sever ties entirely.
Still, the walk back to the classroom was as unpleasant as could be. The air felt barely breathable, let alone satisfying, which only made things worse.
Originally, I’d planned to buy something from the snack bar and eat together in the shelter, but I wasn’t in the mood for that anymore.
Looking at Dogeon’s expressionless face, with no clue as to what he might be thinking, only made it worse.
Until P.E. class, I kept glancing at him to see how he was looking at me, but his reactions weren’t what I wanted.
At least try to look remorseful. Not that I’d forgive him, but still—it’s the thought that counts.
Since I’d already decided to keep following him, I might as well see what kind of P.E. class he had.
I’d been curious, having never paid attention to rumors or known what the class entailed.
More than anything, I wanted to watch and see if Dogeon would pull any more nonsense.
After all, this infuriating guy had poked at my wounds and was now trying to get along with others as if nothing had happened. I might have forgotten it because he’s a friend, but at his core, he’s still a harem protagonist.
He’s the type who promises one woman his undying love, only to end up with three. Probably because the author lacked the creativity to write better relationships.
Just try talking to another girl—I dare you.
With that thought in mind, I headed to the gym with Dogeon.
***
“Indeed, rumors can’t be trusted.”
Watching Dogeon and Hoyeon closely, Ethan was convinced once again that he was right.
“That’s not the behavior of a loving couple, no matter how you look at it.”
In the end, Ethan concluded, it was all just slander.
The idea that a foreign princess was obsessively clinging to some commoner she barely knew was something straight out of a novel.
From what Ethan observed, Hoyeon treated Dogeon more like a subordinate she occasionally bullied, displaying the demeanor of a superior.
It was a conclusion he reached after spending almost all his time tracking Hoyeon, except when she disappeared without a trace or returned to the dormitory.
Although they usually walked around together, and yesterday they’d even held hands, Ethan speculated that someone might have spread a rumor based on that alone. Out of context, it might have been easy to misinterpret.
But if anyone had seen them during lunch today, they’d know it was baseless nonsense.
Because Hoyeon was clearly brimming with hostility toward Dogeon.
Ethan, having grown up in the underworld, could sense a faint killing intent—and this time, it was strong enough for even someone unfamiliar with danger to feel it.
Hoyeon, who’d teased Dogeon during class by playfully using her tail, suddenly vanished and then reappeared with open hostility.
Ethan found it suspicious but didn’t think too much of it. After all, mages using dark magic were prone to extreme emotional instability.
He assumed her holding Dogeon’s hand yesterday must have been due to such mental fluctuations.
Feeling foolish for having once thought to use Dogeon as leverage against Hoyeon, Ethan walked away.
***
…Physical education or sanctioned torture?
I knew from the first day that our gym teacher was insane—asserting dominance from the start—but this? This was beyond my expectations.
To think I’d once naively considered him a mentor. Mentor, my foot—he was just a devil in disguise.
“Daniel, you’re too slow!”
“Aaaaaargh!”
If it were just verbal abuse, I wouldn’t call him a demon. Harsh gym teachers are a universal truth.
But behind the students running the course with all their might was a monstrous creature chasing them.
Though it wasn’t real—just a mana-based illusion—it was convincing enough to terrify everyone.
The teacher’s pre-run explanation cemented his status as a lunatic:
“Though these illusions, formed with mana, cannot injure you physically, they can cause pain. Don’t even think about taking it easy.”
Some students, already caught by the illusion, screamed like they were being dragged into hell.
“My arm, my arm…!”
“It hurts, it hurts! Please, save me!”
Dogeon was running at the front with a relaxed expression, but as the students fell further behind, their faces started to change drastically.
Daniel, a male student, was already ashen-faced, sprinting with all his might, while a petite girl with pink hair was crying as she ran.
“Waaaah~! Exipri, help meee~!”
So her name was Exipri. Despite being skilled in mana breathing techniques, her small stature left her nearly at the very back of the group.
As the students reached what seemed to be the final lap, some threw themselves over the finish line, while others were pitifully caught just inches from it by the illusions.
Thinking like this while others were giving their all might have been wrong, but…
This was entertaining. From my seat, predicting who would make it and who wouldn’t had its own appeal.
Was this how Roman citizens felt watching gladiators fight for their lives in the Colosseum? Of course, no blood was being shed, and no one was dying here.
Not that I wished for that.
Originally, I came here to monitor Dogeon, but at some point, I found myself immersed in spectating this hellish P.E. class.
Dogeon seemed to be tired as well, refraining from mingling with others, which only made it easier for me to relax and watch.
“The monster that just chased you was a C-rank known as a Chaser. Its population has been rapidly increasing lately, causing harm to nearby villages,” the instructor began, addressing the students.
“These creatures are absurdly simple-minded. Once they target prey, they pursue it relentlessly. Imagine what would have happened to you if that had been real.”
To summarize his lengthy tirade in a single sentence:
I’ll make you strong enough to escape such monsters by the end of the semester.
…That’s what he was getting at.
If they offered tributes to the gods, they wouldn’t have to engage in such absurdity in the first place.
What a peculiar and strange continent this was.
…Well, since I’m here as a student, I should avoid overstepping.
Returning to my initial purpose, Dogeon still wasn’t doing anything notable. At one point, he glanced at me, acknowledging my presence.
“So, you do feel at least a little sorry, huh.”
For a moment, I doubted my friend, and it made me wonder if something was wrong with me.
The warm sunlight, combined with my comfortably full stomach, was making me drowsy. There was no way Dogeon would pull anything ridiculous now, so maybe I could take a short nap.
The chair was pleasantly soft, so I sank into it and closed my eyes. Surely, he wouldn’t try flirting with someone while I was asleep.
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