Chapter 21: I want to be alone

Facing the six people who stood before me, I asked with a stern expression:

“How long are you six going to follow me? I’m going to stay here for a while.”

A man with blue hair spoke up in a stern voice, “We can’t do that, Lumina-sama. We’re now your servants. It’s our duty to safeguard you.”

The other five behind him nodded in unison. Feeling a headache coming on, I massaged my temples with both hands and narrowed my eyes as the six stood at attention.

“Look… ‘Frank,’ Frank, up until now, I’ve been doing this for a while and I haven’t fallen into danger. Not even once. So it’s okay to leave me here.”

(Nice assist, Emilia!)

“But… bu—“

“I want to be alone for now. So go to the dorm.”

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I spoke in the coldest tone I could muster. I knew they were trying to protect me, but I honestly couldn’t get used to their constant stares. The six swallowed nervously. The three boys bowed and left, while the three girls remained.

“What about the three of you?”

A girl with bobbed pink hair gathered her courage and replied with a pale face, “U-ummm, we won’t go.”

(Muuu)

Raising an eyebrow, I placed my right hand on my hip and stood as imposingly as possible. Emilia had told me her name was Mary.

“Why?”

“Uuh~”

The girl suddenly began crying. Emilia had whispered that her real name was Elizabeth, with the nickname Liza. The girl with blond vertical rolls, whose name was Victoria, answered for her, her face turning blue as she pointed at Emilia.

“C-cause she’s gonna stay.”

“Ah, her… She’s been my servant for five years now. So she’s okay.”

“Uuh~”

Elizabeth started crying harder. I was actually hurt that they were crying because of me, but since this was the only way I could make them leave me for tonight, I steeled my heart and maintained my poker face.

“The three of us have always wanted to speak with you, Lumina-sama. However, we cannot approach you in class, and whenever it was recess or lunch break, you suddenly disappeared.”

A short girl with long silver hair and a beret, whom Emilia had identified as Victoria, met my gaze with a resolute face. Her determination was evident, though her shaking knees somewhat undermined it.

(Well, break time was the only chance I had to meet with Emilia. Plus, I was busy writing down everything I could remember in class, so I didn’t have the leeway to chat.)

“…”

Our gazes met for a while, and her face changed colors—first blue, then white, then purple—before she joined the other two in crying.

I looked at Emilia, who had a troubled smile. She silently conveyed that it wouldn’t be a problem if they joined us. I let out a heavy sigh and nodded.

(I wonder how many times I’ve sighed today… haaa~)

“It’s fine already, follow me.”

““”Yes!”””

The three of them quickly enveloped themselves in a blue aura and followed Emilia and me. Although we could also use the same magic, we preferred walking through the air in our usual way.

Emilia walked closer to me and asked, “Did it hurt, Lumina-sama?”

“Urghh…”

As expected, after being together since we were seven, she had become quite adept at reading me.

“Was my face that scary? The three of them did cry.”

“Yes.”

(Ouch…)

“You’re my servant, right?”

“No, I’m your friend right now.”

My cheek twitched at her response, accompanied by her smile.

“You’re really sly.”

“Hehe, I’ll always be by your side supporting you, Lumina-sama.”

“By the way, Emilia. Was gathering the entire student body your plan?”

Sweat began to bead on her brow.

“… What do you mean?”

“Well, I kind of felt like that. Is it true?”

The sweat became a waterfall, and her smile grew stiff.

“… Well.”

“No lying, okay? As your master, I order you to tell me the truth.”

“…”

“Come on.”

I gave her a mischievous smile as I continued my questioning. Her poker face finally cracked, and she sighed.

“There’s no helping it.”

“Fufu…”

“Yes, it wasn’t intentional, okay! At first, I only gathered ten students. But because they were afraid to approach you, they asked if they could bring their friends. I said yes because I felt sorry for them. I didn’t expect their friends to bring more friends, and so on, until it became the entire student body.”

“What!? Am I that scary? Is that why I can’t make friends besides you?”

Emilia averted her gaze. Irritated, I stopped walking and turned to the three girls following us. I narrowed my eyes and asked, “How do I look to you?”

The three of them turned pale and began to panic. Tears formed in Mary’s eyes, while Victoria and Liza appeared distressed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you.”

Mary started bawling on the spot, while Liza hid her face behind Victoria.

(So my face really is the reason… huhuhu.)

“Uum… ummm…”

I perked up when I heard Victoria’s voice.

“Y-you are our role model, Lumina-sama. All of us… adore you.”

“Then why are the other two hiding behind you, crying?”

“Well… umm… I’m sorry!”

Victoria suddenly bowed and hugged Liza and Mary. The three of them cried in front of me… again.

I furrowed my brow as I stared at them and approached Victoria.

“I’m sorry for scaring you.”

I patted Victoria’s head, trying to comfort them. The three girls stared at me with wide eyes, crying even louder.

Making a wry smile, I walked back to Emilia and let out another sigh.

“I really want to cry right now…”

“It’s not your fault, Lumina-sama. Want me to tell you the reason?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because I know I’ll surely cry if you told me.”

Emilia made a wry smile and walked ahead of me. She then reached out her hand.

“Don’t worry, Lumina-sama. As long as I’m here, you won’t be alone.”

“…”

I took her hand, and we continued walking. After a while, Victoria approached me with a meek face and asked, “Where are we headed, Lumina-sama?”

“We’re headed to the magic course building.”

Emilia tilted her head and asked, “Why?”

I frowned and replied, “I have a feeling something big is going to happen here since Eclara’s master isn’t Pax-sama anymore.”

Question marks appeared around the four people.

“Aren’t you overthinking it?”

“I hope so.”

We arrived at the magic course building and overlooked the special park reserved for the Elites. As I looked around, my envy grew stronger by the second. Since my last visit, the park had become much more luxurious, with a large table near the edge that looked like it was used for a banquet of sweets.

“I’ll bake you some cake when we get back to the dorms, Lumina-sama,” Emilia said, noticing my envy.

“I’ll look forward to it then.”

“Yes.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw the other three taking notes. I wanted to ask them about it but feared they might cry again.

After scanning the wide park, I noticed a group of people exiting a building. In front of them was Eclara. I created a bluish window, similar to a sci-fi camera, to visualize the scene. It worked like a camera but captured mana waves instead of light.

“As I expected.”

“Hmmm?”

“Carlos-sama?”

Liza spoke the name of the person walking beside Eclara. I quickly recalled who he was.

His name was Carlos Melykek, the only heir of the family with the symbol of the blue serpent. He wore a blue cloak over his uniform, which suited him well, along with his blue hair. Two girls, almost identical to Liza, followed closely behind him. They had blue hair, a shade lighter than Carlos’s, and vertical rolls on one side of their heads.

“You know him?”

I asked Liza, who quivered her lips as she stared at the screen.

“Y-yes… he’s the master I was supposed to serve.”

“Uh-huh… Then I think it's better if you go away.”

“Why?”

Liza’s eyes widened as she asked.

“Because of what might happen when they try to do something to Eclara. Will you raise your weapon against him or not?”

“Yes. He’s not my master. You are, Lumina-sama.”

Liza nodded meekly, with a strong fire in her eyes. It seemed she was resolved to fight even against him.

The reason I asked was because I remembered what happened in this event. I hoped it wouldn’t occur, but if it did, I would do everything in my power to prevent it from happening.

Because in the game, what happened was...