Chapter 230: Luke's Faux Pas

“Apology for the school festival?...Ah! Are you perhaps referring to that time?”

“Yup. Lielle, it’s probably still on your mind. I really want to apologize about what happened back then —”

Lielle and I started dating around the end of last year.

In short, we got together just before the academy of magic’s school festival…And I hurt Lielle during that event.

—***—

Second day of the school festival.

Just like the previous day, I was wearing my butler costume and serving the Ojou-sama — that’s what we call the girls who visit our shop.

Our class chose to open a [Maid and Butler Cafe].

“Ojou-sama, here’s the black tea that you requested.”

“Thanks, Luke.”

By the way, the person I was serving wasn’t a madam or something like that. She’s one of the students of the academy of magic, a third year, perhaps, based on the patterns on her robe.

She’s just a normal female student, but she was elegantly sipping the tea, probably influenced by my bearings and the atmosphere in the shop.

I observed that the women I served would act like they were really noble ladies whenever I performed the role of butler perfectly, so it was quite fun.

I could feel just how the guests enjoyed the atmosphere of this place.

Maybe being a butler suited me?

— The stronger the illusion, the more fun it was.

At that time, I was the most popular guy among the boys in our class.

More than Ryuushin with his tall, well-built physique and wild ikemen style —

More than Halt, who wed the gorgeous Half-Elf Teacher Tina and the beautiful Elf girl Leaffa —

The number of requests for me from the Oujo-sama far surpassed theirs.

I was super duper popular.

That’s why I got carried away for a bit.

“Luke, today had been fun.”

“Your satisfaction is above all else. Thank you very much for today.”

I took the hand that was offered to me, and planted a kiss on its back.

Just then, the sound of something shattering resounded.

The girl sitting in the spot with the view of the entrance apparently dropped the cup in her hand and broke it.

The girl wore her hood so low that it covered her eyes.

“Ojou-sama, are you alright?”

Halt was the one serving her, apparently, so he rushed towards the girl.

“Sorry, I…will now return.”

The girl handed the money as if pushing it towards Halt, before rushing out the entrance, passing me by.

I saw tears running down her cheeks.

And that voice, it’s familiar…

N-No way —

But that’s impossible.

That’s because she’s in Alheim, miles away from here.

I stood dumbfounded, when Leaffa strode towards me.

“Luke, maybe it’s better if you chase after her…You just started dating, right?”

“Eh!? T-Then, then, she’s —”

“...Lielle.”

The moment Leaffa said that, I rushed out of the room, still in my butler guise.

The fact that I was still in the middle of work already flew out of my head. I activated my mana detection, one of the skills I possessed as a Sage Apprentice, in full blast, and searched for Lielle’s whereabouts.

Even if it’s just a kiss on the back of the hand, she still saw me doing it to another girl.

It’s been a few weeks since we started dating.

The timing was really bad.

And this was also the first time for me to do that kiss.

I had been over the moon because a lot of girls nominated me.

Thus, when that girl offered her hand, I —

No, it’s not the time to come up with these excuses.

I have to find Lielle!!

— There!!

“Hey, you. You’re alone, right?”

“Why don’t you go around the school festival with us.”

“This person is Nard-sama, the beloved son of Baron Zordee. If you go with us, there will be lot of good things that you’ll experience, you know?”

“N-No, thank you. I’m fine!”

Three familiar guys ganged on the Elf girl. It was really Lielle.

She firmly refused, but Nard and his minions refused to back down.

There were other students watching them, but because Nard was wearing a conspicuous robe that signified he was nobility, nobody attempted to help her out.

“Lielle!!”

“L-Luke!”

Lielle dashed towards me and hid behind me when I called out to her.

“She’s my girlfriend. I apologize, but please leave.”

“Huh? A butler, boyfriend of an Elf this cute? Stop f%^&& with me!”

Ah, yeah, I was still wearing this butler suit.

“It doesn’t matter whether I’m a butler, right?”

“No, it matters. This person is Nard-sama, a son of a baron. Nard-sama expressed his wish to stroll around the school festival with this lady.”

“Just shut up and hand her over.”

A gangly glasses guy and a roly-poly guy drew closer, pressing on me.

“It’s not like I’m snatching her from you. I just want to take her around this school festival.”

“How about you return to your Master? We will take over from here, and we’ll accompany her.”

“Yeah, that’s why girl, go with us.”

Nard stretched his hand, trying to pull Lielle and take her by force.

“Please stop. If you come any closer —”

“Oh? You’re trying to lay a hand on me, this noble, huh?”

Even if I am the grandson of the headmaster, I’m not a nobility.

It would pose a lot of problems if I were to lay a hand on an aristocrat.

But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to hand Lielle to them obediently.

That’s why —

“If you come any closer, you might be struck by lightning.”

“Huh? What nonsense are you —”

“N-Nard-sama!!”

Glasses guy noticed.

Nard followed his line of sight, and he looked up.

The sky had been clear just a while ago, but now thunder clouds spread across it, and several lightning clouds were running through the clouds.

This is Ultimate Thunder, the ultimate magic of range annihilation. I could use this spell to drop lightning bolts with super high-level destructive power wherever I wanted.

“Please do not come any closer, or those might ‘rain’ on you.”

“I-is that your magic!? I’m a noble!! D-do you know what will happen to you if you release that magic towards me —”

“Oh goodness. There’s no way that is the work of an individual, right? It’s impossible to control the weather unless you have the level of the ultimate magic”

I took one step towards Nard and the others.

He took two steps backward, as if to run away from me.

“If a lightning bolt did fall down from that, it will never be my fault. I’m just a butler so there’s no way I can wield Ultimate Magic, after all.”

I smirked, and Nard and his minions’ face stiffened.

“You will withdraw from here, will you not?”

Nard and his cronies nodded their heads with all their might before scampering away as fast as they could away from us.

“Sigh…”

Oh man, my heart’s about to burst.

So glad that they ran away.

Gramps would probably scold me later…

But that’s fine. She didn’t have to deal with those nobles.

“Ahm, Luke.”

“...Lielle. You came.”

I faced Lielle.

My mind was swirling, frantically trying to come up with an apology.