48. Being Grateful Is What Makes You Happy

"I want to solve the Seven Mysteries of the academy—"

"No."

As Randy was about to make his declaration, Liz mercilessly shot him down without hesitation.

"Why not? It sounds fun, doesn't it?"

"If it's no, then no."

Seeing Liz was not willing to entertain the idea, Randy puffed out his cheeks and looked to Cecilia for help.

"Making that face won't work either," Cecilia said firmly.

"Give it up, idiot. You're not even cute. I'll punch you," Luke grumbled from beside her, frowning.

The group was currently at a caféteria terrace on the academy. It was a place nobles frequently visited, designed with partitions to create semi-private spaces. 

This room allowed Randy and Luke to relax without worrying about prying eyes.

That is, until…

"Who's punching whom?"

Randy stood up, glaring at Luke, who returned the glare with equal intensity. Clearly, having a place to let loose your emotion wasn't always a good thing.

"You, of course. I still haven't forgiven you for what happened the other day."

"Tch. What an asshole," Randy sneered, scoffing as he stared Luke down.

"Randy, your language is dirty," Liz said, exasperated. 

As they glared at each other and snorted, Liz reprimand him with an exasperated look on her face, "Randy, your language is terrible."

Randy also thought calling Luke "asshole" was a bit too far, so he turned his eyes away from Luke and sat back on his chair

"The Seven Mysteries sound interesting, don't they?" Randy persisted, puffing out his cheeks again.

"Why not gather a adventure team and go?" Luke said, chuckling mockingly.

"Adventure team? Hey, Luke, you're one of the team members, right? The captain's orders are absolute, remember?"

"Idiot. I'm Cecilia's bodyguard now. I don't have time for your dumb adventures," Luke retorted, brushing him off.

Randy clicked his tongue again and crossed his legs in frustration.

Ever since Randy visited the Occult Research Club, the "Seven Mysteries of the Academy" had become his new obsession. After hearing about them yesterday, his interest only deepened.

The Royal Academy had long been said to have seven mysterious legends:

1. The Forbidden Library

It's said that the academy's underground where ruins from an once prosperous era lie dormant, and it is said there is a staircase leading to a forbidden library. A demon allegedly guards the library, and anyone who enters is possessed by demon and never returns.

"In reality, it's just the underground library used by Professor Ruya, who specializes in ancient languages. Any students caught entering are dragged to the lecture room for a stern reprimand."

[...]

2. The Bloody Sakura Blooming on the Sports Field

The large sakura tree at the edge of the field is said to bloom blood-red petals under the moonlight during its flowering season. Legend has it that countless corpses are buried beneath it, and the tree absorbs their blood.

"In truth, it's a magically modified tree created by the Gardening Club. The petals temporarily glow red by absorbing light from the nearby magic lamps."

[...…..]

3. The Crying Statue

The statue of the academy's founder, King Karl I, at the entrance is rumored to shed tears at night. It's said that Karl, who was suspected of assassination, unable to rest in peace, so it sheds tears.

"Actually, rainwater seeps into the cracks on the statue's head, pooling inside and eventually dripping out through cracks near the eyes."

[.....]

"Don't any of you have a sense of romance?" Randy protested, furrowing his brows at the group's pragmatic explanations.

"It's nothing romantic at all, these mysteries are already solved," Luke shrugged. 

"The rest are probably just as silly."

Liz and Cecilia nodded in agreement. So far, three of the Seven Mysteries had already been debunked, and they assumed the remaining four were equally trivial.

However, Annabelle, the sole member of the Occult Research Club, was determined to unveil of the Seven Mysteries for the academy festival, either by exposing the ghost behind them or solving the legends themselves.

The remaining four Mysteries that had piqued Randy's curiosity were:

4. The Mirror Room Doppelgänger

5. The Infinite Twilight Corridor

6. The Phantom Classroom

7. The New Moon Tower

Liz elegantly sipped her tea and remarked, "Amateurs like us shouldn't interfere in such matters." 

She seemed intent on discouraging Randy, but he knew the truth—Liz was afraid of ghosts. That's why she was so adamant in her opposition.

"Liz... there's someone behind you—" Randy said in a low, ominous voice.

"Ahh!" Liz shrieked and instinctively leapt to Randy, clinging to him in fear.

Randy was caught off guard, his face turned red at her unexpected reaction.

"You're too close, you idiot!"

Suddenly, Ellie appeared and slammed her fist into Randy's chest. 

It was an ironic sequence of events: Liz clung to him for comfort, only for Ellie to hit him. But with Liz and Ellie being such different people, such contradictions were inevitable.

"There was no need to hit me."

"Shut up. My hand hurts more than yours does," Ellie retorted, rubbing her hand while glaring at Randy. She then smirked and added, "Even Liz is mad at you."

"I'm sorry Liz—"

Randy, about to say more, suddenly fell silent. Ellie looked up at him while blowing on her fist.

"What?"

As Ellie frowned, Randy leaned closer to her.

"I said, don't get so close—"

"Did you just… say Liz's name?"

"…I didn't."

Ellie puffed out her cheeks and turned away. Randy tilted his head to peer at her.

"You did say it."

"I did not."

"Hey, say 'Randy' for me."

"Shut up. You're too close, brat!"

Randy leaned closer while Ellie tried to push him away. Their playful squabble looked rather friendly, but…

"Why are you two flirting in front of us?"

"Showing off, aren't they?"

Cecilia's exasperated tone and Luke's teasing whistle broke the moment.

"We're not flirting!" Randy stammered, panicking. Beside him, Liz, who had apparently swapped places with Ellie, puffed her reddened cheeks and muttered, "It's Randy's fault."

As Luke and Cecilia chimed in with synchronized voice "Sure, sure," Liz cleared her throat loudly to restore order.

"A-Anyway, isn't making the camera our first priority? If we have a camera, we can capture any supernatural phenomena, right?"

Randy nodded enthusiastically. "True, that does make sense." 

Now that she mentioned it, having a camera for their Seven Mysteries investigation seemed like a very practical idea.

"Then, as planned, let's go hunting for magical beasts this afternoon to collect the materials for the photo-sensitive materials," Randy suggested.

Their earlier visit to Annabelle had led them to meet someone from the Magical Beast Research Club: a commoner boy named Corey, who happened to be Annabelle's childhood friends. 

Corey, a year below Randy and the others, was a passionate magical beast enthusiast who ran the club alone, much like Annabelle's role in the Occult Research Club.

Cecilia, surprisingly, had been the one most impressed by Corey's deep knowledge. Having recently begun raising two magical beasts—a slime and an evil plant—Cecilia found Corey's expertise invaluable. 

To her, he seemed like a highly talented individual.

　Corey's knowledge had impressed Cecilia so much that she had gone as far as suggesting he join Hartfield's family after graduation.

Thanks to Corey's info, the group now had a lead on a magical beast whose materials could be used for the photo-sensitive component of the camera. 

So, hunting the monsters and harvesting the material would be a shortcut to unraveling the Seven Mysteries… well, the creation of a camera

For Randy, who was determined to uncover the truth behind the Seven Mysteries, creating the camera had become a top priority. 

Initially, he had planned to take his time with it, imagining he'd flaunt his accomplishment to Cedric later. However, the deadline had shortened dramatically. 

Fortunately, Randy was more motivated under the pressure of a deadline.

"All right! If that's decided, let's get going. The target's far from here," Randy declared.

"I agree," Liz said.

The two stood up and turned to Cecilia and Luke.

"Well then, Cecilia, see you next week."

"Of course," Cecilia replied with a nod.

Before she could raise her hand, Randy raised his hand first, adding, "Well then, good luck," with a teasing smile.

Cecilia gave him a displeased look, while Luke shook his head in exasperation.

"Randy, don't tease them too much"

"It's fine," Randy replied with a smirk before laughing and saying, "See you later," as he and Liz left the terrace.

From beyond the partition, their cheerful chatter could still be heard. 

Cecilia glanced at Luke's profile and sipped her tea.

"Looks like you're itching to join their expedition."

"Not at all," Luke denied immediately, smiling softly at Cecilia.

"I'm here to witness your brilliance at the academy this afternoon. That's far more exciting."

Cecilia's cheeks reddened slightly at Luke's firm gaze, and she turned her head as she muttered, "Okay.."

"And you, milady? You seemed a bit envious of Lady Elizabeth earlier."

"…Perhaps just a little," Cecilia murmured with a faint smile, finishing her tea.

"Just a little… I envy her, going to adventures with the man she loves so much."

Cecilia's eyes shimmered as she glanced at the chairs where Liz and Randy had been sitting until a moment ago.

"In that case, shall we do the same?" Luke suddenly proposed.

"Yes?" Cecilia's voice rose slightly in surprise.

"Let's go on an adventure, too," Luke repeated, looking toward her. 

"We have free afternoons a few times a week and no club meetings. We could certainly find time for adventure."

Cecilia averted her gaze slightly, flustered.

"It's a bit of shame you're not going to adventure with the man you're in love with," Luke joked, shrugging.

"That's not true!" Cecilia protested before faltering, her gaze dropping. 

"But… I don't want to burden you with my selfishness…."

Luke smiled warmly. "My duty is to ensure you can enjoy your time freely at the academy and in the royal capital, milady. Your whims are hardly a burden. Besides—"

He realized that he had not been rejected.

"Besides?" Cecilia tilted her head.

"I'm used to dealing with Randy's stupidity. I think you could be more selfish, my lady."

Luke bowed ina knight's way. Cecilia repeated, "Be more selfish?"

"Exactly. It's what we men wish for, to fulfill the selfish desires of beautiful women." Luke flashed a dazzling smile, but he was met with Cecilia's suspicious gaze.

"So, that's how you've wooed many women."

He realized Randy while Randy had kept his habit from Cecilia, he must have spilled his secret to Liz, who had undoubtedly told Cecilia.

Her sharp remark left Luke scrambling to deny it. 

"N-No! Never—"

Internally cursing Randy, Luke's frantic denials only made Cecilia burst out laughing.

"Oh well, it's fine" she said with a nod.

"Luke—"

"Yes?"

At her call, Luke instinctively extended his hand. Cecilia took it gracefully, rising from her chair.

"Before we go on adventure, we have this afternoon's class."

"I'll accompany you," Luke replied.

As Cecilia walked elegantly with Luke trailing behind, the distance between them remained that of master and servant. 

Yet, perhaps the day when they stood side by side, like Randy and Liz, was not too far off. And perhaps the day they joined Randy's adventure team wasn't far off, either.

—-

Patreon.com/medblare