Chapter 9

■ Chapter 8. Encounter (1) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

As I was cursing the professor in my heart, Lina looked at Marie, who was sitting next to her, and greeted her politely.

"Princess Marie, it's been a while."

"Yeah, it really has been a while."

It seemed that the two knew each other. Unlike Lina, who was smiling, Marie had a face full of discontent.

Marie's use of informal speech was possible because her family were founding nobles of the Minerva Empire, but it was clear that she was openly mocking Lina.

Lina, however, didn't seem to mind. She maintained her smile despite Marie's curt greeting and turned her gaze back to me. As soon as our eyes met, I tried to act as calm as possible.

Then, Lina's expression became even more radiant, and she introduced herself with an elegant voice.

"Let me introduce myself formally. As you might know, I am Lina Urmie Christine, the First Princess of the Minerva Empire. Please call me Lina."

"...I am Isaac Duker Mishaal. It's an honor to meet you, Princess Lina."

"Duker Mishaal?"

When I stood up and introduced myself formally, Lina's eyes widened slightly. She then alternated her gaze between my hair and face, muttering almost inaudibly.

"Red hair and golden eyes... I thought it seemed familiar... But literature..."

"Excuse me?"

"No, it's nothing. Anyway, please call me Lina without the 'Princess.' Cecil? Cecil, do you want to say hello?"

"Ah, yeah!"

Lina smoothly brushed it off and called out to Cecil, who seemed to have become quite close to her despite their short acquaintance.

I looked directly at Cecil as she stepped forward. She also looked at me with a tense expression.

'Really, they are all unrealistically beautiful.'

Marie, Lina, and Cecil, all of them.

They were so unrealistically beautiful that it was hard to believe. It felt as if characters drawn with great care had suddenly appeared in reality.

Moreover, Cecil was a demon. The first non-human I encountered after reincarnating in this world.

Her jet-black hair was familiar, but her blood-red eyes and the horns protruding from the sides of her head were truly alien.

Most importantly...

'...The shirt is screaming for mercy.'

Her chest was almost as big as her head. Even with the uniform trying to cover it, the overwhelming presence couldn't be hidden. Lina, who was standing next to her, was also quite well-endowed, but she was no match for Cecil.

In contrast, Marie... was of average size. The two in front were just too big, not that she was small. Given that she was a noble, it was natural that she had good nutrition and development.

Anyway-

"Hello. I am Cecil Drat Aisilia, the princess of Helium. It's nice to meet you."

As I had heard in the speech, Cecil introduced herself with her characteristic alluring voice, bowing politely with her hand on her heart, a custom of Helium.

Thanks to Lina, she seemed to have gained some confidence, and her voice had a slightly more lively tone.

I tried to keep my gaze fixed on her face as I responded. Managing my gaze was also a challenge.

"As you heard, I am Isaac Duker Mishaal. It's an honor to meet you, Princess Cecil."

"You can call me Cecil, just like Lina."

"Understood. By the way..."

I alternated my gaze between Lina and Cecil before getting to the point.

"Why are the two of you here to see me?"

While asking, I glanced around. As expected, the gazes of many students were focused on us.

Most were filled with curiosity, but some contained hostile looks.

Especially the young noble who had flirted with Cecil right away. His name was Jackson, I think, but I can't remember clearly.

Anyway, he was looking at me with a murderous intent, and I felt I would be called out separately soon. I found it more annoying than scary, so I needed to be careful not to draw his attention for now.

Meanwhile, Lina, who had heard my question, spoke in her elegant tone.

"Your presentation in class was impressive. The idea that knowledge is power was something I had never thought of before. It was really cool."

"Thank you, but you flatter me."

"No, not at all. It's not an exaggeration. It made me curious. Why did you think that way, Isaac?"

If you had lived on Earth, you might have heard this famous quote. Princess.

Of course, I couldn't say that directly. I rolled my eyes, quickly thinking of a response.

"Let's sit down and talk, shall we? I see we'll be sitting next to each other in the next class too."

Then, Marie's curt voice cut in. I turned my head, and she was leaning on her chin with a frustrated expression.

Her gaze was directed at Lina, and it seemed she really didn't like her.

"Oh, I see. I was being rude. Shall we sit down then?"

"...Yes."

In the end, we sat in the order of Cecil, Lina, me, and Marie. It was nice to have beauties on both sides, but the pressure was intense.

After all, on my left was a duchess's daughter, and on my right were the princess of the Minerva Empire and the princess of Helium.

If I said something wrong, not only would I lose my head, but my family would also be wiped out.

It must feel like being a soldier between the U.S. President and the South Korean President. I tried to act calm, but my heart was pounding with tension.

"So, what's your answer?"

While I was extremely tense, Lina asked again. Her sapphire-like eyes were filled with curiosity and anticipation.

'Shit. What should I do?'

No matter how much I thought, I couldn't come up with a proper answer. I had only heard the famous quote in my previous life and didn't know the circumstances under which it was said.

Still, it was better to be honest than to lie. If I lied, Lina might dig deeper, and I would have to come up with another lie.

I calmed my racing heart and spoke calmly.

"...I don't know."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know. I just thought that way. There's no specific explanation."

"Just thought that way..."

Lina's eyes widened as she muttered dubiously. I couldn't tell if she was disappointed or surprised, but it was probably closer to disappointment.

However, all of this was just my assumption.

"Wow, that's impressive."

"Excuse me?"

"Really, that's impressive. You think of knowledge as power, don't you, Isaac?"

No, how did it come to this? What kind of misunderstanding led to this conclusion?

While I was bewildered, Lina's eyes shone even more brightly than before, and she asked directly.

"I'm sorry to say this, but Isaac, you don't have any physical talent, do you?"

"Um... Yes, my father gave up on it halfway."

"Indeed. I was wondering why the son of Sir Hawk would enter the literature department instead of the martial arts department... Now it makes sense. Sir Hawk would have certainly encouraged you to develop your intellect if you couldn't develop physical strength."

"...Lina? Is Isaac's father a great person?"

Cecil, who had been listening quietly, asked Lina. I was also curious about how great my father was, as I didn't know.

My father, originally a commoner, became a noble after achieving great feats as a knight, but I didn't know exactly what those feats were. He was reluctant to tell me, and my mother only vaguely said I would know when I grew up.

However, from what I just heard, it seemed he was so great that even the princess, a member of the royal family, knew about him. At home, he was just a jovial and approachable father.

While I was thinking this, Lina looked at Cecil and began to talk about my father, Hawk.

"Have you heard of the Red Lion of Minerva?"

"The Red Lion... You don't mean..."

Cecil's eyes widened as she looked at me. I was frustrated because they knew something I didn't.

"Oh, I see. The red hair and the surname... You're the son of the Red Lion? And you have golden eyes."

Even Marie seemed to know. I, the son, didn't.

I blinked and asked Marie with a puzzled expression.

"You know too?"

"Of course. How could you not know? You're the son of the Red Lion."

"I don't know. My mother wouldn't tell me."

"Of course she wouldn't. Sir Hawk didn't like to boast about his achievements. He could have received a baron's title but declined, saying it was too much, and accepted a viscount's title instead."

Lina explained. I turned my gaze from Marie to her.

Her eyes were even more intimidating than before, and Cecil's curiosity had intensified. I could sense that the situation was taking a strange turn.

'What did he do in his active years?'

If he could have received a baron's title, he must have been the commander of the Navy Knights.

The Navy Knights are the most famous and strongest knight order in the Minerva Empire. Even I, who lived in a rural village, knew how great they were.

"Sir Hawk achieved countless feats as the commander of the Navy Knights. If he hadn't wanted to rest, he would have held the position for decades."

It's true.

"Anyway, as the son of Sir Hawk, you must have been encouraged to develop your strength in case of emergencies. Right? Sir Hawk always told his knights to develop the ability to handle variables."

"...Yes."

Although the situation was strange, it was fortunate for me. Lina was making her own judgment based on my excellent father.

Lina smiled even more deeply after hearing my answer and said with anticipation.

"You mentioned history, theology, and biology earlier. Is there anything else?"

"Maybe... philosophy and humanities?"

"Philosophy... I'll be looking forward to it."

It wasn't a request but an expectation. I understood the meaning behind her words. She was telling me to show performance that matched her expectations.

It seemed I had been chosen, and although it was better than being chosen negatively, the pressure was heavy.

Well, what could I do? For now, I just needed to make sure I didn't reveal that I was the author of Zeon's biography.

"Oh, by the way, Isaac?"

"You can speak informally."

"Got it. Isaac. I've been curious about something."

"Go ahead."

"This."

Lina pointed to my finger. Specifically, the callus on my right middle finger, the 'pen callus.'

When I was slightly puzzled, Lina asked curiously.

"Doesn't that callus form from using a pen frequently?"