Chapter 77

■ Chapter 76. Vacation (2) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

Vacation is the most precious time for students to rest. It's a perfect time to soothe the mind and body that have been exhausted from focusing only on the future or to plan ahead.

Even if it's only a month, a very short time, it's enough. A month may seem short at first glance, but if managed well, it can be a fulfilling time.

And I plan to visit the Mariene mansion during the vacation and roll around enthusiastically. My academy life has been very busy, and I've been a bit tired from various events.

Now that I've somewhat adjusted my mindset, I can live a relatively comfortable life, but before I clearly realized my worth, I lived each day in constant worry.

“Are you not coming home, Onee-san?”

“I think I'll come back halfway through the vacation and stay for about a week. I have to train with Father.”

“Why only a week? Just stay. I'm bored.”

“You really are something. If you insist, why don't you stay at your girlfriend's house? And I have a lot to do at the academy. I'm about to graduate and need to look for a job.”

By the way, it doesn't matter much if you spend the vacation at the academy dormitory instead of at home. The Halo Academy is almost like a small city, and you can work part-time to earn a living.

Most people who live far away from home tend to stay at the academy during the vacation because the round trip is too difficult. Up to the second year, the vacation is only a month, so it's inevitable.

“Then what about ADEL Onee-san? Is she at the academy too?”

“Probably. Her home is very far away. Come to think of it, I don't think she's ever gone home during the vacation. Anyway, have a good vacation, and don't cause any trouble at your girlfriend's house. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

Before officially starting the vacation, I finished my conversation with Nicole. Before meeting her, I had talked to an acquaintance, and it seemed like everyone had a lot to do during the vacation.

First, Lina said she planned to pursue the thief of the super-high manuscript to the end, and Cecil didn't say anything specific. She just smiled sweetly and said it was a secret.

When she said it was a secret, I didn't press further, but her gaze seemed a bit unusual. Maybe I should explain that she's looking for an opportunity. It might just be my imagination, but it seemed like it was deeply related to me.

‘Well, it's not my concern.’

By the way, I also asked Leona what she planned to do during the vacation.

She confirmed that no one was around and then answered in her characteristic cynical tone.

“Nothing much. I'll stay at the academy. It's too troublesome to go back home, and living here is not bad.”

“Okay? What about money?”

“I'll have to do some part-time work or something. It might be a good experience.”

Leona doing part-time work... It's a bit strange, yet it fits her.

Seeing my expression, Leona frowned slightly and spoke in a brusque tone.

“Why? Does it seem strange that I'm doing part-time work?”

“No, I was just wondering what kind of part-time work you'll do.”

“What do you care? Why don't you come visit once?”

“Maybe.”

Visiting an acquaintance doing part-time work doesn't sound like a bad experience.

Leona chuckled at my answer and waved her hand, saying I could do as I pleased.

“Alright, go on. Isn't your female waiting for you?”

“Huh? Female? That sounds a bit strange.”

“Ah, sorry. I'm still not used to it.”

She touched her mouth, indicating it was a mistake, and even tried to gauge my reaction.

I stared at Leona's face and shrugged. Since we're different species, I can forgive such a slip. She also seems apologetic.

“Anyway, have a good vacation. Don't get caught in some weird way like me.”

“Hey, that was a mistake. If I hadn't been careless, you wouldn't have caught me.”

“Got it. I'm off. Bye.”

“Yeah, take care. Red Penguin.”

She still calls me a penguin.

Leona laughed and waved her hand, not caring if I glared. Fortunately, no one was around, or it would have been a problem to hide my identity. Such a laugh is very rare.

‘That's all for the greetings...’

Now it's time for me to start my vacation. I headed to the meeting place with a light step.

The meeting place was just the academy entrance, but my lovely girlfriend, Mari, would be waiting there.

Leaving someone waiting is the least attractive thing to do, so my pace naturally quickened.

And...

“Isaac!”

As I almost reached the academy entrance, a familiar voice rang in my ears.

Turning my head in the direction of the voice, I saw Mari running towards me with her white hair fluttering. She was still wearing her school uniform, not casual clothes.

Despite that, her youthful charm couldn't be hidden. In fact, it seemed to increase with the school uniform, unlike others.

I smiled brightly as I saw her approaching and opened my arms wide. Mari naturally came into my embrace.

“Mmm... Why are you so late?”

While feeling each other's warmth, Mari looked up and asked me. Her blue eyes, like precious gems, were filled with affection for me.

I gently touched her cheek with my hand and spoke, my smile not fading.

“Sorry. I was saying goodbye to others. How long have you been waiting?”

“Actually, I just got here too. I was talking to someone.”

“Then why did you ask if I was late?”

“Every minute and second felt like an hour.”

Although we started dating somewhat casually at first, it's not like that now. Just seeing her face makes me happy, and there's no reason for me not to like her.

Most importantly, Mari is beautiful. Extremely so.

No matter how angry I am, the moment I see Mari's beautiful face, the anger in my heart melts away like snow. It's a kind of healing.

Her presence has become increasingly important to me. I don't care if people passing by stare or gossip.

“Shall we go now?”

“Yeah! Yeah!”

Thus, my first vacation began with my cute girlfriend.

* * *

While Isaac and Mari were starting their vacation happily, Princess Cecil of Helium returned to Helium less than an hour after the vacation began.

Cecil, a demon with unparalleled magical prowess alongside elves, and a future Demon King, possesses outstanding magical skills.

Using teleportation, which ignores all spatial constraints, was no problem, and she remembered the coordinates of the castle accurately, so she arrived at the castle faster than anyone else.

However, she couldn't use magic inside the academy, so she activated it at a slightly distant location.

“I'm back, Dad.”

“Welcome back.”

As soon as Cecil returned to the Helium castle, she met King Deskar of Helium. Deskar, who had already heard that Cecil had returned, greeted her with a gentle smile.

Although she could have someone bring her as a princess, Cecil doesn't dwell on such things. She dislikes making others suffer for her sake.

Deskar, knowing Cecil's character well, wasn't surprised by her sudden return. He had already expected it since Cecil had sent a letter saying she would return soon.

“So, how was your academy life? No one gave you a hard time, right?”

But a father's concern is the same no matter where he is. Deskar asked Cecil with a worried tone.

Although the discrimination against demons has diminished, they were persecuted as demons a few years ago. So, as a father, he couldn't help but worry.

Cecil smiled and eased Deskar's worries.

“It was really satisfying. I made many good friends. Thanks to the Xenon Chronicles, people treated me as a human, not a demon.”

“That's good to hear.”

“By the way, there were a few people who looked at me with ill intentions because of my face and body.”

“What kind of guy?”

Deskar, relieved for a moment, soon turned fierce and interrogated Cecil. As a father with only one daughter, he couldn't ignore such a story.

Especially if his daughter was not just beautiful but exceptionally so? He couldn't help but be enraged. He wanted to find the guy and tear him apart.

Cecil giggled and waved her hand, joking. Her father was still the same after all these years.

“Just kidding. Just kidding. There were many pretty people, so such looks were rare.”

Of course, there was one person. Jackson, a noble's son, who always looked at her chest when they talked.

But after the group project, Jackson started avoiding her. She had given him a hard time several times during the project.

Moreover, apart from Jackson, almost no one approached her. Even a beautiful flower is hesitant to pick if it has thorns.

“...I see. Still, don't joke like that. It's a story a father can't ignore.”

“Yes, I understand. I'm sorry if I startled you.”

“Well, it seems you did well at the academy, so I'm relieved. Really, nothing happened, right?”

“Um...”

Something did happen. Something that can't be dismissed as a minor incident.

Cecil thought of a boy with striking red hair and smiled. Just thinking of him made her smile and her heart race.

Although he has someone by his side, it's not a problem. If she can't attack from the outside, she'll start from the inside.

Exchanging letters is part of her strategy. There's no better way to open someone's heart than to show genuine feelings.

Even if it takes a long time, it doesn't matter to Cecil. She is a demon, one of the long-lived species, and has been trained in 'restraint' since childhood, so her patience is very strong.

‘An opportunity will come someday.’

Nothing in this world is eternal. This applies to relationships as well, and it's natural for a burning fire to eventually die out.

Cecil hoped that moment would come someday and spoke, with the image of the red-haired boy still in her mind.

“Nothing much happened. Honestly, academy life itself is a big event for me.”

“Hmm, that's true.”

“By the way, Dad, how is the investigation going?”

Cecil quickly changed the subject. Although Deskar might be insensitive to certain aspects, if he caught on, he might suspect her.

If he suspected her, his attention would naturally turn to Isaac, and he might send someone to investigate. Cecil wanted to prevent that.

Fortunately, Deskar didn't seem to notice her concern. He stroked his chin and quietly answered.

“The investigation of the super-high manuscript theft is going well. We received a letter from the Minerva Empire, so we should get a reply soon.”

“Is that so? Who do you think stole the super-high manuscript, Dad?”

“The empire said they found no clues and were at a loss. But I think this lack of clues is a clue itself. If the thief had thought about it a bit, they would have left some clues. Instead, the lack of clues makes me more suspicious of the Dark Elves.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because there are no clues at all. If the thief had thought about it a bit, they would have left some clues. The lack of clues makes me more suspicious of the Dark Elves.”

Deskar seized the lack of clues as a clue. Cecil nodded in agreement after hearing his explanation.

There had been no significant interaction between demons and Dark Elves until now. But today, a connection was formed.

The theft of the super-high manuscript was enough to fuel the anger of not only humans but also demons. The Xenon Chronicles were a treasure that fulfilled the demons' wishes, almost a 'relic.'

From the demons' perspective, they had to find the super-high manuscript and return it to its owner, a kind of 'mission.' In fact, the Helium's secret society 'Reaper' had already started moving.

‘We will definitely return it to you, benefactor. Don't worry too much.’

Cecil imagined Isaac's face when he got the super-high manuscript back.

He would be genuinely happy and grateful to her, a cute and lovely boy.

Just imagining it made her so happy that she didn't know what to do.

“Sigh...”

“...?”

Deskar, unaware of Cecil's inner thoughts, was naturally puzzled.