Chapter 38

From the resort island of Venelia in the South Sea to the chairman's mansion.

We were traveling by private jet, just like on the way there.

When the aircraft reached cruising altitude and the turbulence subsided,

"Alright, let's play 'Big Two' on the way back!"

The chairman suddenly announced, as usual, that a game would be held.

"Alright! Let's do it!"

"Yes, let's play!"

The enthusiastic senior Ririm and the game-loving Reia immediately jumped at the invitation.

On the other hand, Rose and senior Felis, who were weak in the morning, were sound asleep in their seats and seemed unlikely to participate this time. Teacher Reia appeared to have drunk a bit too much last night and was groaning in her sleep.

"Of course, Allen, you'll participate, right?"

"Yes, please go easy on me."

"Sure! With a total of four people, it's a perfect number! Let's start!"

Saying that, the chairman began dealing the cards, humming a tune.

(...This time, it's just regular cards.)

Since nothing was at stake this time, it was just regular cards, not the 'trick cards' that were used before.

For about an hour, we just kept playing Big Two.

Personally, I was starting to want to play a different game...

"Twelve consecutive Big Two...!?"

"Ah, Allen... You're a bit too strong, aren't you...?"

"Come on! Let's play again, Allen!"

The chairman, senior Ririm, and Reia—all three were quite competitive, so they couldn't get out of the game 'Big Two'.

Frankly, an hour of continuous Big Two was a bit boring.

(I might lose once or twice...)

While I was thinking this,

"Allen! I won't be mad if you tell the truth now! You must be cheating again, right!?"

The chairman, who had lost repeatedly, accused me.

However, I wasn't cheating this time—this was a complete false accusation.

"No, I wouldn't cheat in a game. ...Not like the chairman."

"..."

That's right.

The chairman was at it again, without learning her lesson.

When one game ended and the next one started,

she would set strong cards like the 'Joker' or '2' at the bottom of the deck.

Then, when dealing cards to herself, she would secretly take them from the bottom.

This is a technique called 'bottom dealing', commonly used in card cheating.

(Since no one seemed to notice and it was just a small cheat to give the chairman a slight advantage, I had been letting it slide...)

But if she was going to accuse me, that was a different story.

"Ah, Allen! Trying to shake me like that is useless!"

Sure enough, the chairman.

Her stubbornness was truly remarkable.

(It would be a bit too cruel to expose her now...)

The chairman has her dignity and pride.

So I smiled and, with my right index finger, demonstrated a high-speed flicking motion—showing her the 'bottom dealing' technique.

She stiffened for a moment, then—smacked her hand.

"Alright, let's move on to the next game!"

"Hold on, Shii. What was that just now?"

"Could it be... the chairman... cheating!?"

"This conversation is over! Everyone, it's not good to be suspicious! Let's cherish trust!"

Saying that, the chairman tried to start the next game.

She had the audacity to accuse me of cheating first and then brazenly deny it.

"You're running away."

"Wow..."

"Chairman..."

The chairman, under the cold gazes of senior Ririm, Reia, and myself,

"Please forgive me... I won't do it again..."

Finally raised the white flag and apologized sincerely.

"Really, what a hassle... This time only, Shii?"

"Cheating is absolutely not allowed, okay?"

"Chairman, at least try not to get caught next time."

"Everyone... thank you!"

After that, the chairman refrained from cheating and enjoyed various games like 'Seven Up' and 'Memory'.

■

The private jet landed safely, and we decided to disband.

The chairman, senior Ririm, and senior Felis were going to continue playing at the chairman's mansion.

We were invited, but...

We really needed a break, so we politely declined.

"Chairman, thank you for everything. The summer camp was fun. It was a great experience."

"Thank you! It was really fun!"

"Phew... thank you..."

When Allen, Reia, and Rose expressed their gratitude,

"You're welcome. See you all at the academy."

The chairman smiled kindly.

And the teacher Reia, who was the advisor of the student council and had accompanied us,

"Everyone, be careful not to lose control during the summer break."

She said this in a teacher-like manner, concluding the summer camp.

Considering that she had lost control herself the previous night by drinking heavily with Felis, her words lacked credibility.

"Let's head back."

"Sure."

"...A nap when we get back. ...Yawn."

"I'll accompany you part of the way. I want to go home, but I have a visitor today."

Thus, the four of us headed for Thousand Blade Academy.

We navigated through the streets of Orest and arrived at the dormitory area of Thousand Blade Academy.

"My dorm is here. See you all later."

Rose stopped and said, waving her hand slightly.

"Yeah. See you, Rose."

"Don't oversleep in the morning, okay?"

"Take care of yourself."

After parting ways with Rose, we headed to our respective dorms when—a gentle breeze blew through.

"What a nice breeze."

"Yeah, it is."

As Allen and Reia walked side by side, a man in noble attire, unfamiliar in this area, caught our eye.

(Seeing someone in civilian clothes at Thousand Blade Academy is rare...)

The next moment,

"Overlord Style—Annihilation!"

He closed the distance in an instant and launched a sharp, lethal strike.

"!?"

I quickly drew my sword and barely deflected the attack.

(...What power...)

The blinding speed and the weight—this was no ordinary swordsman.

Moreover, 'Overlord Style' is the same style as Reia's.

"What are you doing all of a sudden...!?"

"Filthy scum... Stay away from Reia-sama...!"

The magnificent male swordsman glared at us with a look of fury.

(...Reia-sama?)

Then,

"K, Claude!? Why are you here!?"

"Oh, it's been a while, Claude!"

Reia and the teacher called the mysterious swordsman Claude.

His sharp, slanted eyes glared at me.

His long, lustrous black hair.

Noble attire in white.

Probably around fifteen years old.

He was slightly shorter than me, about 165 cm tall.

"Um... Reia, could you introduce us?"

"Sorry. That's Claude Stroganoff, the captain of the Royal Guard of Vesteria Kingdom. He was supposed to be on a mission there, but I wonder when he came here..."

"I see..."

I didn't know why he suddenly attacked, but...

He seemed to be on our side.

"Reia-sama, it's been a while! And—what is this, Reia! A filthy insect is buzzing around Reia-sama!"

('Filthy insect'...?)

We had just met, and he hadn't even spoken to me, yet he was being a bit too harsh...

Teacher Reia, who was scolded by Claude, shook her head with a "tsk" sound.

"Don't be so angry, Claude. They have a... special relationship."

"Special relationship...! Could it be... lovers!?"

His face turned pale, and he trembled as he asked.

"No, no. It's even more intense—a 'master-servant relationship'—to put it bluntly, 'slave'."

As if to drive the point home, the shocking truth was revealed to Claude,

"Master-servant relationship...? Slave...? ...What?"

He looked as if a weight had been lifted, all emotion drained from his face.

"Teacher!?"

"Hey, Reia! Why did you spill the beans!?"

"Ha ha ha! There's no point in lying, right?"

She laughed loudly.

(This teacher...!)

She was thoroughly enjoying the situation—almost refreshingly so, a perfect example of a happy criminal.

He is the captain of the Royal Guard of Vesteria Kingdom.

If our slave contract is known...

I can't even imagine how much trouble it would cause.

"Reia-sama... Is that true?"

Claude, as a last resort, directly asked Reia.

(...This is my chance!)

If she clearly says 'no' here, this whole thing will end.

The teacher's silly scheme will be for naught!

But,

"Um, well... Yes..."

She blushed and nodded.

(...Yes... This honesty and inability to lie is one of Reia's virtues.)

It's a good quality as a person, and I hope she always remains this way.

(But... there's a time and place for everything!?)

Confronted with the hopeless reality from Reia, Claude,

"Such... Reia-sama, a slave...?"

Fainted on the spot, overwhelmed by the shock.

"Claude!? Hold on!?"

"Ha ha ha! This is going to be interesting, Allen!"

The teacher patted my back.

(...This is bad. This is probably the worst... situation I've ever been in.)

Formally speaking, making a princess of a country a slave.

This fact is incredibly heavy.

Moreover, Reia's father, the King of Vesteria, is known to be very doting on his daughter.

(If Claude regains consciousness and makes even one wrong move...)

It will surely become an unprecedentedly troublesome situation.

(Sigh... Why do I always end up in these situations...)

I sighed deeply and looked up at the endless blue sky.