Chapter 21

### Chapter 21: How to Steal a Wizard's Woman (1-5)

"Sorry, but no."

"…."

I refused with a smile, bluntly and informally.

As a result, the atmosphere turned from a refreshing summer beach to an Arctic shore battered by icy winds.

Luna's faint smile from earlier had vanished, and she was now looking at me with a stern expression.

Even the women who had been hostile towards me because of Luna were now looking at me with rabbit eyes, taken aback.

The staring contest between me, who was grinning at Luna, and Luna, who was looking at me with a tense expression, showed no signs of ending.

"Isn't that a bit too rude?"

Finally, Louis intervened.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I just can't eat with someone I don't know."

"But you don't have to say it like that, do you?"

He was more confrontational than mediating, glaring at me and frowning.

"And we've only known each other for a short time. In which country's etiquette is it acceptable to speak so informally?"

"Ah… I thought it was fine since you didn't say anything last night. I'll be more careful."

"What? Last night?"

Louis turned his head to look at Luna, hearing my statement that could lead to misunderstandings.

But Luna, undeterred by my provocation, spoke calmly.

"I don't care about your tone, but please avoid making statements that could cause misunderstandings."

"Ah…."

I said with a smile.

"So, it's okay to speak informally?"

"What…."

Luna's face was filled with confusion.

It wasn't just a subtle change in level.

She was genuinely flustered.

'Kekeke, I wanted to see that expression!'

[Master, I'm worried you're being too aggressive.]

'Well, I should probably stop here.'

I wiped the smile off my face, put on a serious expression, and bowed my head.

"Phew… I'm sorry. I couldn't tolerate being ignored, so I acted in a way that doesn't suit my age."

"Ugh…."

Among the people here, only two understood what I meant.

Louis and Luna.

The others looked at me with puzzled expressions, not understanding what I was saying.

I suddenly apologized, so they couldn't grasp the situation.

I bowed my head to Luna and apologized.

"Ms. Luna, I'm sorry."

"Th-That's okay. I'm the one who should be sorry…."

Luna couldn't hide her confusion at my sudden change in attitude.

'At this point, she should have fully recognized that this is her fault.'

[But people still don't understand the situation.]

'It's fine. Luna, as long as she knows, that's enough.'

Given her sense of responsibility, the guilt she feels will slowly grow.

And due to her desire to grow, she won't be able to avoid me.

"I'm sorry. I ruined the atmosphere because of me. I'll go first."

I said that and left the group.

***

I was sitting in a chair on the outdoor terrace, just like yesterday.

The sunset was spectacular.

"Wow, it's beautiful."

[Luna Stadtfeld doesn't seem to be coming.]

"Well, if she's not coming, there's nothing I can do about it."

It might sound too optimistic, but it's already in the past.

I have to push forward based on what's written in her character.

Maybe there was a conflicting trait we didn't know about….

"I should think about what to do if she doesn't come…."

[Master, someone is coming.]

'Hmm?'

I heard the sound of low heels from a distance.

The sound stopped behind me.

I turned my head slightly to look.

Luna Stadtfeld.

She was standing there, looking at me demurely.

Dressed in her neat uniform, she was truly beautiful.

The flustered expression she showed earlier was gone, and she was now looking at me with her usual stern face.

I ignored her and looked back at the sunset.

A voice came from behind.

"…I'm really sorry."

I turned my head slightly to look at her.

She was looking at me with her eyes in the sunset.

I stared at her and said,

"Well… I didn't do anything right either…. Let's just call it even and forget about it."

"…."

I deliberately switched to formal speech.

But she didn't respond to my words and bowed her head, as if deep in thought.

Luna's silence lasted longer than expected, and the sun, which had been casting its rays, had disappeared.

The lanterns around us automatically turned on, illuminating the school.

"Then, I'll be going."

"…."

I walked away, heading back to the dormitory, with Luna behind me.

As I was about to open the door to the terrace, Luna's voice reached me.

"Maybe… I'll come here until you calm down. …I'll wait even if you don't come."

"…."

I entered the building without a word.

***

A week had passed.

The fight between Luna and me spread quickly in class the next day, and I became a celebrity.

However, the reason for the fight wasn't known, so I was seen as the bad guy.

The guys thought I had done something strange to Luna, and the girls thought I had done something strange to Louis.

Thanks to this, no one paid attention to me, and I could live quietly.

The professor, wrapping up today's class from the podium, said,

"From today, you are officially students of Strahl Magic Academy. Starting tomorrow, your classes will increase significantly, so make sure to get your schedules from the teaching assistant."

The professor finished with some minor details and left.

Until now, we only had morning classes, but from now on, we would also have afternoon classes.

The magic circle drawing classes we had every day for a week would now be reduced to twice a week.

'Really got tired of it…'

[The new classes won't be easy either. I think the number of subjects will increase significantly.]

'?x…'

Studying is always hard….

I sighed to Armonia and glanced at the seat next to me.

Luna was tidying up her desk and standing up.

As she stood up, she glanced at me.

After a few seconds (only to me) of eye contact, Luna turned around and left the classroom.

Louis, seeing this, glared at me and followed Luna.

I snorted as Louis left.

'That guy keeps doing that.'

[It's still surprising that he talks to you.]

As Armonia said, Louis had been the only one to talk to me every day since the incident, despite the fact that I thought I wouldn't have to join any clubs.

He kept insisting that we join the same club.

In places where no one was around or where no one could see, he would show his hostility.

'Crazy guy…. Isn't it tiring to live like that…'

[At least he's considerate of others.]

Indeed, he's different from a hero.

A hero would have tried to kill me regardless of who was watching….

Armonia changed the subject.

Louis had become quite skilled at drawing magic circles in just a week.

Or rather, he was almost on par with me.

We assumed that the agents of the church had poured Enel into him to boost his abilities.

I suddenly had a question.

'But Armonia, why can't the Zodiac do that?'

[The Zodiac is currently suffering from financial difficulties.]

'Huh? So they can receive the success fee?'

Hearing about the financial difficulties made me worried.

If I had ground them to dust and they couldn't pay, they might have cut me off…

It's really important, worth giving ten million Enel to prevent.

It seems like a reasonable amount to pay.

Aren't they free-to-play and paying users?

'No, did they become like this because they didn't pay?'

[There's not just one reason, but it's the biggest one I've heard.]

'But if they pay, they can collect more Enel, so why did they do that?'

[...I heard it was because their pride was hurt.]

'Oh…'

Now, the reason they don't pay is because of financial difficulties.

The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer.

I understand, as I also dislike paying.

Actually, there were no pay-to-play elements in the adult games I played, so I had nothing to do.

But it's sad… that the end of free-to-play is financial difficulties….

'The agents are ultimately no different from humans…'

[They weren't always like that.]

'Huh? What was it like at first?'

[The beings who received authority from the gods had no emotions.]

They didn't have emotions until they were created by the gods.

And they didn't split into two groups as they are now.

But as they manipulated and helped the protagonists in the universe, they began to change.

The emotions of the protagonists flowed into them, and they began to feel them.

This led to the development of emotions and conflicts, resulting in the current situation.

'Ah, so they don't just manipulate randomly?'

[Yes. They don't feel or experience all emotions, but some do flow in.]

As a result, they develop affection….

It's similar to me.

When I play adult games, I feel like I'm possessed by the protagonist.

While listening to Armonia's explanation, I heard a weak male voice from behind.

"Excuse me, student? Is something wrong?"

"Huh?"

I turned around to see a man with dark circles under his eyes standing there.

I thought he was a Joker in black makeup.

He was the teaching assistant here.

"I need to close the lecture room now."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought."

"Ha ha… It's okay. Here's your schedule."

The teaching assistant gave me the schedule with a weak smile.

'Wow, I've never seen such a dejected smile.'

[Just by looking at his face, you can tell the workload here is high.]

I stood up while taking the schedule.

"Thank you. I'll be going now."

"Sure, be careful."

I left the lecture room, leaving the black Joker behind.

***

As I passed by the terrace today, I checked it.

Luna was standing near the chair where I had been sitting, with a straight posture.

'Oh, she's been waiting here every day for a week.'

[How long do you plan to leave her hanging?]

'Hmm… as long as possible?'

[I'm worried she might give up.]

Armonia's concern is valid.

Even if Luna has a strong desire to grow, if she decides it's impossible to persuade me, she might choose to give up.

So, I need to keep her interested.

'Don't worry. That's why I make eye contact with her at the end of each class.'

I'm giving her the signal that I'm paying attention to her.

I don't plan to do this for months, just a week or so before I approach her.

'There's no need to rush. In fact, the more time I have alone, the better.'

[Why is that?]

'When someone is alone for a long time, they tend to have more thoughts.'

Even bad relationships are relationships.

Sometimes, when a character I dislike appears frequently in my dreams, I suddenly want to play that game again.

Even if the character is unattractive and the game is boring.

And sometimes, the feelings of dislike suddenly turn into liking.

No matter what Luna thinks of me, it's better if her thoughts are filled with me.

She probably feels guilty towards me now and has some desires.

"Alright, let's go back."

I turned and headed towards the dormitory, leaving Luna behind.