Chapter 26

We walk back to the café terrace where Serea, Bell, and Silfa are waiting.

"You, if it were a sword, you definitely couldn't beat me!"

He mutters such sour grapes. Well, I've only been practicing with a sword for about a year, so it might be a fair match.

"If you swing a sword in the city, you'll be arrested by the guards right away, you know?"

"You only talk to me like that because you don't know who I am."

"Who are you, then?"

"Who... Can't you tell just by looking?!"

"I can't tell at all."

He was certainly the son of Viscount Wyls, from a territory four regions to the north. I've met Viscount George Wyls a few times, but I don't even know which of his sons this is, and I've never met him at any parties. Is he here because he's attending the lords' council at the palace, and his son came with him?

"I'm the eldest son of Viscount Wyls! I'm of a different class from a commoner like you!"

"I don't know where you're from, but in this capital, the sons and daughters of viscounts and barons are everywhere. It's not that special... And for a noble's son to be beaten up by a commoner kid and still proudly announce his name, that's pretty shameless. If I were a noble, I'd be too embarrassed to say my name after losing."

"Ugh..."

"Nobles are supposed to fight to protect the commoners in times of need, right? That's why they can be proud. But if you're weaker than a commoner, are you really a noble? I can't believe it at all. Come on, say your name again. Your full name, please."

"You bastard..."

He looks guilty.

"Who are you?"

"Shin."

"Shin? ...Is it Schindler? Or Schinklift?"

Actually, only very high-ranking nobles or royalty can have a short name like "Shin." The lower the noble, the longer their names tend to be.

"I don't know about nobles, but commoners like us only have short, easy-to-understand names. It's a hassle."

"I'm Jack."

Jack Schreit Wyls!

There was someone like that in the game Serea mentioned!

Are you one of the heroines' love interests?

When we find Serea, Bell, and Silfa and return to the table, he sits down with a thud. Jack's attitude is really bad...

"Master Jack..."

"Hmph!"

Isn't Silfa your fiancée? Are you two not getting along...?

"Master Jack, this is Bell and Serea. We were together earlier."

"I'm Bell. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Serea, Bell's sister. Hello."

"Who's this scary-looking guy?"

He points at Shreigan as if to ignore him.

"He's my brother, Shreigan."

"Shreigan. Sorry about my brother."

"You two don't look anything alike!"

"Of course we do. Look, we're identical."

Don't hug me, Shreigan. You're too close, too close, too close.

"Don't talk about my face. It's none of your business."

"Who are you, anyway..."

"I'm a royal guard, and Bell is a maid."

Shreigan answers everything when asked.

"A royal guard's brother. That explains why you're so strong..."

Jack is surprised. I don't think being a royal guard's brother means you're strong, but if it convinces him, that's fine. These prideful types tend to come back and cause trouble after losing.

"Strong... What did you do, Master Shin?"

Serea looks worried.

"Nothing much. Just a bit of male interaction."

"Master Shin, your button is off."

"Stop calling me 'Master' so formally... Do you let her call you that?"

I don't want to be called "formally" by you.

"It doesn't matter. You were just called 'Master Jack' by Silfa, right?"

"I'm a noble. Shut up."

He gets angry like a child. He is a child, though.

"So, what do we do now?"

Shreigan asks.

"Since we've become friends, why don't we all go around together?"

Serea looks a bit happy. Maybe she got along with Silfa?

"...Master Jack, I'd like to do that too. It's a kind of fate, after all."

"I don't remember becoming friends. Don't tell me what to do."

This guy is so annoying.

"Alright, let's just leave him and go to the concert together, Silfa. Jack has Shwarts with him, and we'll take you home."

"Hey, hey!"

"Then where do you want to go?"

"Hmm, since I'm in the capital, I wanted to see a weapon shop."

"...Where are you trying to take a girl...?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"It's not allowed."

"It's not allowed."

"It's too much."

"It's not allowed, is it..."

When I point it out, Bell, Serea, Shreigan, and even Shwarts, who has become invisible, shake their heads.

"If Master Jack wants to, I'm fine with it..."

Silfa bravely says, and Jack happily agrees, "Alright, it's settled!"

"It's not settled! You won't be able to escort a girl properly if you do that. The point of a date is to make her have fun."

"It's not a date!"

He's such a hassle...

"Alright, alright, everyone is so grumpy because they're hungry. Here, eat this first."

Bell buys a lot of sandwiches and tea from the café and offers them. Serea casually checks for poison and feeds me, which surprises Jack.

"...You guys are close."

"Are you two not getting along? I heard you're engaged."

"Our parents decided it. It doesn't matter if we get along or not."

"Hey, if you can't get along with your fiancée, you won't be popular with girls for the rest of your life."

"He's not popular."

"He's not popular."

"He's not popular."

"He's hopeless..."

Bell, Shreigan, Serea, and Shwarts all criticize him.

Suddenly, Silfa starts crying.

"Hey, hey..."

Even Jack panics.

"Master Jack, it's okay if you're not popular!"

Silfa is struggling. It hurts to see.

Serea slowly nods at me, indicating she understands.

Despite everything, this stubborn guy insists on going to the weapon shop first. Then, we reluctantly agree to go to the concert we were planning to attend today.

While walking through the city, Serea and I have a quiet conversation.

"(Serea, that's Jack Schreit Wyls!)"

"(Yes, I realized from what Silfa told me.)"

"(Hmm, what should we do? We want them to get along, right...)"

"(Yes... Silfa is pitiful.)"

According to Serea's memory, Jack is the arrogant and sadistic type.

Jack, who can't accept his engagement being decided by his parents, is drawn to the heroine who talks to him without fear, despite the distance the other girls in the academy keep from him due to his engagement and rude comments. Silfa is not a villainous noble, so she only appears briefly in the game. There's a scene where the heroine secretly watches Jack break up with Silfa, and Silfa readily agrees. After that, their relationship naturally dissolves, and Silfa disappears from the game. The game's setting is pretty sloppy.

Meeting Jack in real life, I wonder if any girl would like a guy like him. Maybe he'll grow up to be a handsome and capable young man, but Silfa seems to have already given up on him.

Jack is excited about going to the weapon shop.

I've handled real weapons used by the country's elite forces in the palace, so the flashy swords and spears in this shop are cheap and not something I'd use.

Shreigan and Shwarts also show no interest.

Silfa, on the other hand, seems even more uninterested and scared.

Serea looks around curiously.

"What do you think of this?"

Jack's eyes sparkle as he looks at a flashy short sword that even a child could wield.

"A sword like this can't protect you... It's just for show."

"Really? The blade is polished to a shine. Don't you think it looks cool?"

"A sword is a practical tool that you entrust your life to. Looks don't matter."

"...Very commoner-like thinking, you know."

"Besides, cheap swords with full tempering on the blade will break easily."

"What are you, anyway? If you're so picky, which one would you choose?"

I look around, but there's nothing impressive.

"(I wouldn't buy anything from this shop.)"

I whisper, and he's surprised.

"(What are you, anyway?)"

In the end, he buys a flashy short sword.

Since he can't carry it around, Shwarts offers to have it delivered and gives the shop his contact information.

Next time: "26. Dance Time"