Bonus chapter thanks to '@Wocod' for subscription to 'Sword Lacquer' tier on Ko-fi.

I walked on in silence.

If I looked back at Luna now, I knew I would want to take back my decision.

As I was lost in my gloomy thoughts, Samuel's voice reached me.

[Why did you say such a thing?]

Were you listening?

[It was so noisy that I couldn't sleep.]

Well, thats a convenient excuse.

I had a lot to say, but I didn't feel like arguing with Samuel.

I had no intention of doing so, so I just kept walking in silence.

But Samuel continued to speak, even though I wasn't answering.

[I already knew Luna would leave. So, I don't feel any particular way about it. After all, it's not my decision to make, it's yours.]

Then why do you keep talking? You should just be quiet.

I snapped at Samuel.

However, Samuel simply ignored me and continued.

[The question is whether there's any reason to go that far. You don't look so good yourself, even though you were the one who said it.]

.

I fell silent at his words.

As Samuel said, I was not at ease after saying such harsh words to Luna.

In fact, I was in agony.

So much so that I wanted to take back everything I had said to her.

But.

Don't you already know?

This was the best way to get Luna out of Sytan.

... I really did say those things to get Luna to leave Sytan.

She, she doesn't belong here. She's so fragile that she'll only be a burden. It's better for her to leave Sytan.

[You're lying.]

As I rambled on with my explanation, Samuel snorted.

I frowned and asked Samuel.

What do you mean I'm lying? I'm only telling you the truth.

[Tsk, your attitude is all wrong. Did you really tell Luna to leave Sytan for her own good? Even I, who am not directly involved, know that you know better.]

That's.

His words stabbed me in the heart.

In the end, I couldn't think of anything to say back and just lowered my head.

There was no lie in Samuel's words.

To tell the truth about rejecting Luna, I only did it because I thought it would ease my mind.

It was my own selfish desire that led me to change Luna's fate of being expelled from Sytan, and it was my own selfishness that led me to reject her feelings.

...I decided that this was the best thing for her, regardless of Luna's feelings or choices.

But even after thinking it over, this was the best I could do.

At least, it was for me, who was in turmoil over the existence of this world.

If my state of mind had not changed, I would have used Luna's feelings to make choices that would benefit me.

Just like I always had.

But.

It was you who told me not to just pursue profit in relationships.

It was Samuel who told me to be sincere in my dealings with this world and the people around me.

That's why I wanted to hear Samuel's answer.

What was the best choice I could have made?

What choices should I make in the future?

Please tell me. How should I have treated Luna?

[Hmm.]

Samuel seemed to ponder my question for a moment before speaking.

[I don't know either. But I do know this much.]

What do you know?

[What you did was just 'avoidance'. You just pushed her away because you were in pain, didn't you?]

.

Another remark that hit the nail on the head.

But even if that was true, there was nothing I could do now.

Luna had already boarded the train and left Sytan.

Besides, even if I met her now, I wouldn't know what to say.

...And I still haven't figured out what the best choice is.

Putting aside all other reasons, if Luna stayed in Sytan any longer, she would eventually face great danger.

I could guarantee it.

Luna was learning medical skills because she wanted to save everyone, but it was common sense that it was impossible to save every student.

Luna would once again be faced with the faces of her dying comrades, due to her lack of ability.

Could Luna adapt then?

...This is not Luna's choice either.

In the end, this was just another answer I came up with.

The choice was Luna's to make.

As I sighed in my complicated mind, Samuel clicked his tongue and said.

[Well, there's no need to be so disheartened. If Luna drops out of Sytan because of what you said, that's her own fault.]

What do you mean?

[It's literally what I said. If a girl is going to give up on love and even drop out of school just because the boy she likes said something mean to her, then that's how much she loved him.]

In other words, if Luna truly loved me, she wouldn't drop out of Sytan.

...It didn't seem like a situation that could be defined so simply.

Sometimes it's hard to tell if Samuel is being empathetic or not.

I was trying my best to hurt Luna so that she would drop out of Sytan.

That's why I said harsh things to her and pushed her away.

To say that it was only because she didn't love me enough.

Ha.

A sigh escaped my lips.

How immature I am now.

It was a moment that made me realize how pathetic I was.

...Let's focus on what's ahead of us for now.

It would be better to put aside matters related to Luna for the time being and focus on what I had to do.

I had to have a showdown with the Headmaster, so I couldn't afford to dwell on the past.

So,

Let's go.

I pulled myself together and headed for the Sytan Auditorium.

* * *

Your eyes, theyre red.

Its because of my mood.

No, its not.

As soon as I returned to the Sytan auditorium, Rene scanned my face, and I hardened my expression.

However, contrary to my worries, Rene didn't ask any further questions and just turned her head away.

Rather than Rene, it was actually

Mr. Escrot, have you been crying? I wonder who made you cry? Let me guess.

Diana who was circling around me, clearly intrigued.

She thinks of me as Arsene's descendant, and she's still playing these kinds of pranks?

I couldn't understand Diana's intentions, so I felt a surge of fear.

If only I knew why she was doing this, I would feel more at ease, but Diana had never revealed her true intentions.

And there was no way I could pry into her mind.

The best course of action for the time being was to avoid talking to Diana altogether.

As I was about to ignore Diana and wait for the instructors who would be arriving soon.

Ah, it must be that girl I saw earlier.

.

I couldn't help but stiffen my face at her amazing deductive skills as she immediately hit the nail on the head.

It was only natural for her to think that it was related to Luna since I had just gone out with her.

Anyway, Diana succeeded in embarrassing me.

I guess I was right.

Diana said with a chuckle.

But.

Why does her voice sound so scary?

It was definitely a chuckle, but it was stiff, as if she were emphasizing each syllable.

I hardened my expression at the uneasiness it brought me and said to Diana.

It would be in your best interest not to touch her.

Huh? Why is that?

Because I don't like it when someone touches whats mine.

I put on the most despicable smile I could muster and faced Diana.

Diana's eyes widened at my response.

R, Rene! Did you hear that? He said mine

Diana's pupils were even trembling as if she was genuinely flustered.

Huh?

Did I do something wrong again?

Even Rene, who had heard those words from Diana, turned pale.

W, wait a minute.

Diana pointed at me, her finger trembling.

I didn't know why she was acting like this all of a sudden, so I just tilted my head.

Mr. Escort, then why are your eyes red? It doesn't look like you cried because you were so happy.

.

Rene, if hes talking sweetly like that, saying mine, then it must be something to be happy about, right? Aren't you curious why he was crying?

Not really.

Even as she said that Renes ears were perked up.

Seeing the two of them acting like this, I finally understood why they were reacting this way.

...So that was it.

Even though Rene and Diana were two of the strongest students in Sytan, they were still teenagers who were sensitive to emotions.

So, if they sensed even a hint of romance, they couldn't help but be curious and react.

I understood, but this was between Luna and me.

So I decided not to tell Rene and Diana about what had happened.

Do you think Mr. Escort got dumped? Is that it?

.

Rene and Diana were still chattering about Luna and me.

If they were going to do that, they should at least do it where I couldn't hear them.

Why were they doing this in front of me?

It was a mystery, but I didn't have the strength to fight them.

So I had no choice but to listen to their conversation with tears in my eyes.

Haha, did Adel confess and get rejected?

Thud-.

Baltan suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder and asked me a question, causing me to feel a sense of awkwardness.

It seemed that Baltan and the other students of the Seven Deadly Sins had taken an interest in my situation.

"Hmph, as if you have time for love when you should be focusing on training... However, I'll listen to you this once."

Guwar mumbled, perking up his ears.

The one who rejected the confession was Luna, not me...

Somehow, the situation was taking a strange turn.

As my expression hardened, Samuel answered for me.

[It's a natural assumption.]

?

[Look at your face, who would think that you were the one who received the confession?]

!

At Samuel's words, I was wounded and had to lower my head.

And so, I became the subject of gossip among the other students.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Thud-.

Idea and the Headmaster arrived, pulling a large cart.

An immense amount of mana emanated from the cart.

It was astounding.

Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel.