By Zephyria 
As the conversation ended and an awkward silence continued for a while, Herman brought up another topic first, perhaps to change the atmosphere.
“By the way, I heard there will be a training camp after the mid-term exams. You’re going to this training camp too, right?”
“I’ll have to go.”
“Yeah. I hope there won’t be any incidents this time.”
Soon, we arrived at the lecture hall where the morning class was held. When I went inside, most of the children were sitting in their seats. Clona and Melicsa, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, waved their hands to acknowledge me, so when I approached, Melicsa glared at me closely and frowned.
“Hey, it’s hard to see you these days? Did you get ahead even more in the meantime?”
The person who said that had also made much more progress.
I hadn’t been coming to class much recently, so I didn’t know the details, but she couldn’t have just been sitting still and listening to classes. Of course, I would only repay her provocation with provocation.
“You’re still weak.”
“What? Want to fight again?”
“Raymond.”
At that time, a voice intervened from the side. It was Zeon. He had been sitting with Tom, but when I didn’t come to his seat because I was talking to Melicsa, he couldn’t stand it and came over first.
I turned around and stood facing Zeon.
It had been a while since I had properly met him after the vacation trip, so it was nice to see him like this after a long time. I was a little glad, but then I suddenly remembered what had happened that day, and I was at a loss for words. But Zeon continued to speak, approaching a little closer with an attitude that wasn’t much different from usual.
“It’s been a long time. I was worried because I haven’t seen you much, and I was very sad.”
Up to that point, it was definitely no different.
“I was wondering if the confession of my heart that I gave you was a burden…. But I’m relieved and happy to see you again like this!”
He wasn’t hiding anything anymore. No, is this the real Zeon?
The fact that he had been talking less or making less fuss recently was actually unlike Zeon. I was at a loss for words in a different sense as I watched Zeon, who left a kiss of reverence on the back of my hand and even leaned his cheek against it, when suddenly Herman’s voice intervened.
“What? Confession? What confession?”
“Yes. I deeply admire Raymond.”
Herman wore an expression of shock that he couldn’t believe at all. It was as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have, and on the other hand, he looked desperate.
“Don’t tell me… then are you guys dating?”
“No. I’m the only one who likes him.”
Because those voices weren’t small, the other children who were wasting time doing other things or having different conversations were also looking at this side with surprised eyes. I felt a hot gaze nearby, so when I glanced back, Melicsa was making a very horrified expression, and Clona… was moved, as I had expected.
Even if Clona was like that, I thought the current reaction of the other children was due to the fact that homosexuality was not common. If that was the case, it was understandable enough. Maybe Herman was also surprised because of that. Of course, I didn’t think it was a part that I had to pay attention to and worry about.
As a strange atmosphere continued, I suddenly felt a presence approaching this way and turned around. Ardian, who had just entered the lecture hall, was walking towards me. He approached with a more serious expression than usual, and after a while, he let out a sigh-like laugh and said.
“Why do bugs keep swarming around you like this?”
With those words, Zeon and Herman’s gazes shifted to him. Perhaps because of the strange nuance, it wasn’t a kind gaze. I raised one eyebrow and stared with narrowed eyes.
“What are you talking about? Are you talking about yourself?”
“Are you going to keep taking classes today? Can I sit next to you?”
He completely ignored my rebuttal and just said what he wanted to say with a bright smile, what a shameless guy. I pursed my lips at his words, but Melicsa, who was also pursing her lips next to Clona, who was watching with sparkling eyes, shouted as if she couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Ugh, go have your love fight somewhere else! You guys!”
Behind Melicsa’s shout, Professor Polargehen appeared, opening the door at a good time. He appeared with the usual words to sit down, so I went to sit behind Tom. In the meantime, Ardian taking the seat next to me was an expected result.
Polargehen, who didn’t know what had happened until just now, stood at the podium, glanced at the children, and immediately conveyed what he had to say.
“I happened to have something to tell you, and fortunately, everyone is here today. Some of you may have already heard. Class A will have its second training camp soon. It’s not certain yet, but it will probably take place right after the mid-term exams.”
The second semester mid-term exams are next week, the last week of December.
That meant the training camp would be in January.
Then, he continued with an explanation of the training camp.
“I don’t want the same unfortunate incident that happened during the last training camp to happen again… so I’m not planning to use the outdoor training ground this time. But it’s a bit much to use the indoor training ground. So, we’ve decided to use the virtual room.”
“Professor Polargehen, what is a virtual room?”
Ibelia immediately asked what she was curious about.
Polargehen answered her question.
“You guys probably saw it at the festival, right? The Colosseum. The magic used there is called ‘Imaginary Space,’ and it means we’ll be using a training ground made with the same principle.”
“Ah.”
“I can’t make it as elaborate as Professor Sigras… but it’s not for entertainment, so it shouldn’t matter much.”
Certainly, if it was a space made with ‘Imaginary Space,’ there would be no need to worry about Fiend invasions, and at the same time, it would be possible to experience and train in the same terrain as the outside.
Of course, I was somewhat concerned that the larger and more complex the space, the more Mana it would consume, but I thought Polargehen would handle this part well. Even if his precision was less than Sigras, his achievements were higher.
“Make sure everyone attends the training camp. I’ll let you know the detailed schedule on the day the midterm exams end. Now, let’s start the class.”
As Polargehen turned toward the blackboard and spoke, the children busily took out their writing utensils and books, starting to prepare for the class. I also took out a book and opened it as a formality, when Ardian subtly slid a note over, drawing my attention.
[Ray, wouldn’t you like to come to my house this weekend?]
It was a sudden proposal, if anything.
But it was enough to pique my interest.
‘I can go inside the Imperial Palace.’
Since it was a place not easily accessible, I thought it would be beneficial just to be able to go. I don’t miss out on things like that. Without much hesitation, I returned a reply to his note.
[Good.]
I couldn’t be sure because I didn’t turn to look, but it seemed like Ardian stared at that note for quite a while.
☠
After all the classes ended that day, I called Newit out before returning to the dormitory and gave her the thank-you gift. Fortunately, Newit was quite pleased and satisfied, so I had achieved my goal of making the other person happy by giving Boncho’s gift.
After that, the weekend arrived. While Herman had temporarily returned to his family home, I headed to the Imperial Palace. Ardian had gone ahead to prepare, so the ride to the Imperial Palace in the carriage was alone. Of course, Corso would be nearby, but I had told him not to be visible, so he wasn’t coming into my sight.
Anyway.
The way to the Imperial Palace wasn’t difficult even alone. I had been there myself to attend the funeral of the former Emperor Hohenheim, and Merzel Academy and the Imperial Palace were both within Adelmaide, making it convenient to travel by carriage.
The passing scenery outside was now quite familiar, giving me a strange feeling. It felt like quite some time had passed since I had entered this body.
“Hey, mister! We’ve arrived at the Imperial Palace.”
At that moment, the coachman opened the curtain, looked inside, and shouted. This time as well, the carriage only took me near the Imperial Palace and didn’t go any further.
No, it probably couldn’t.
The coachman who had taken us to the funeral had said something similar. It seemed to be due to security issues, so it couldn’t be helped.
I gave the coachman the money and got out of the carriage. From there, using the huge Imperial Palace visible at a glance as a landmark, I walked down a bit further and found Ardian waiting at the entrance. He also happened to spot me, then gently curved his eyes into a smile as he approached.
“Ray.”
However, I didn’t react much until he came right up to me. We weren’t on intimate terms, and there was no reason to make a fuss.
But Ardian, who had come right up to me, lightly pressed his lips against mine in a surprise peck. I narrowed my eyes and pushed his chin away, and he grinned as if he liked it. The people passing by were blatantly glancing this way, but Ardian didn’t seem to care. One would think that as a ‘Prince,’ he would value his public image, but did he not care?
“Let’s go in quickly. You haven’t eaten, have you?”
“I haven’t eaten yet.”
“That’s good. I was waiting, having lunch prepared.”
Ardian gently took my hand and led me inside the entrance of the Imperial Palace. I stared intently at his hand. If it had been Herman, I would have already scolded him for being presumptuous and told him to let go, but strangely, I didn’t feel like doing that with him.
While I was feeling confused about that, the butlers and servants nearby all stopped, bowed their heads, and greeted us. They didn’t move until Ardian had passed by, maintaining that posture. As the authority of the Imperial Family was high, the attitude of the subordinates was much more rigid.
“That’s the Main Palace.”
I was distracted for a moment, then lifted my head at Ardian’s explanation. Before I knew it, we had passed through the entrance of the Imperial Palace and were walking along the central avenue with well-trimmed grass, and in front of us, I could see the Main Palace’s main gate, with knights standing guard on both sides.