Moonlit Night and an Unexpected Trouble

Shirone and his friends, tense and anxious, exchanged glances without moving their heads.

'What do we do? The teacher is drunk…'

"...Hmm, yeah…"

Sheena mumbled something in a small voice, then suddenly, her head dropped forward.

As she was about to fall from her chair, Neid hurriedly caught her.

"Teacher, are you okay? We should head back now."

"You little troublemakers!"

Sheena suddenly lifted her head and pinched Neid's cheek, mercilessly pulling it. His face scrunched up in pain, but he couldn't bring himself to pry her hand away.

"Ow, ow, ow! That hurts!"

"Listen to me, will you?! I want to be a good teacher like Ethella! So stop getting distracted by weird things and focus on your studies!"

"Y-Yes! I got it, teacher! It really hurts!"

"And you too, Shirone, Iruki."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Shirone and Iruki straightened their already rigid postures even more.

"The same goes for you. If you think you can slack off just because you have talent, think again. I won't forgive that. I don't care if you think I'm a strict teacher. I won't let it slide."

"No one thinks you're a bad teacher. So please, pull yourself together."

"Huuuh… Yeah, I know. Why do I even put myself through this? Ugh…"

Sheena's eyelids drooped halfway before she buried her face into her arms as if using them as a pillow.

Neid, flustered, spoke up.

"Teacher, you have to stay awake! Teacher? We haven't even paid the bill yet!"

"…Sleepy. I'm sleeping."

As soft breathing sounds escaped her lips, Neid looked at his friends with a dumbfounded expression. But, of course, they had no solution either.

As they were racking their brains over how to deal with this situation, two men who had been watching from a nearby table approached them.

"Oh dear. It seems the lady has had quite a bit to drink. Shall I help? Would you like me to call a carriage?"

The man who spoke was a well-groomed young noble, and behind him, another man with handsome features smirked slyly.

Shirone and his friends instantly became cold and alert.

Being naturally cautious, they had already noticed that these men had been making crude comments about Sheena since they entered the establishment.

Of course, they hadn't expected them to actually approach.

'These bastards…'

Neid suppressed his anger. He didn't want to cause trouble tonight, so he gently shook Sheena.

"Teacher? Please, wake up."

"Mm?"

Sheena suddenly straightened her body and looked around, her eyes hazy again.

"Already? But I can still drink more…"

The noble hurriedly cut in.

"Oh, so you're a teacher. A pleasure to meet you. I am Cosine Silver. My father is a civil official in Creas. Forgive my boldness, but I fell for you at first sight. If you would grant me the honor of escorting you, it would be my greatest privilege."

Shirone and his friends were speechless.

'That has to be the worst introduction ever. Who would fall for that?'

Then again, nobles had their own ridiculous customs. Perhaps such introductions were normal in their social circles.

Sheena didn't respond. She simply held her head in her hands and sighed deeply.

Though she didn't show it outwardly, her heart was burning as if engulfed in hellfire.

The thought of Keira's gaze sent a shiver down her spine.

'She must despise me. I shouldn't have come. No, I should've never reached out in the first place.'

It was a memory from childhood. When Armin had appeared with Keira, she hadn't felt any betrayal.

Yet, there had been a lingering hope—an irrational thought of, 'What if we meet again?'

Her heart had pounded, ached even, with an overwhelming desire to turn back time.

'But… is this love? I've never wanted anyone since that day.'

Silver continued speaking.

"Ah, my introduction was too grandiose, wasn't it? My apologies. I simply couldn't let such an enchanting lady slip by. Please, forgive my eagerness."

"It's fine. But I'm tired, so please leave."

Sheena truly was exhausted.

With her rank as a certified Sixth-Class Mage, she could force herself to sober up, but right now, she needed the surreal intoxication alcohol provided.

She wanted to forget everything. If she could, she'd drink even more to wash away her memories.

"Ugh…"

As Sheena swayed unsteadily, Silver hurriedly reached out to support her.

"A knight never leaves a lady alone. Allow me to escort you in my carriage."

Neid glared.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't touch our teacher."

"I think you're misunderstanding. I'm simply trying to help. You children should head home. I'll arrange a carriage."

Despite Neid's protests, Silver moved to lift Sheena. That's when Shirone grabbed his wrist.

Caught off guard, Silver's face twisted in annoyance. Being stopped by a mere student was both frustrating and humiliating.

"Where did you learn to lay hands on an adult? Let go while I'm still being polite."

Shirone didn't budge.

"She said she's fine. Leave."

Silver's expression darkened.

"You little punks… I saw you giving her drinks earlier. Which school do you go to? You'll all be expelled soon enough."

Iruki scoffed.

"You should watch yourself. If your father is a civil officer, shouldn't you be more careful about your actions? Who do you think will suffer the most from this?"

Silver's eyes widened in anger.

"Did you just you me? You dare?"

"What else should I call you? Ah, right, there's a formal title: 'The Civil Official's Son.'"

"You insolent little—!"

Silver lunged and grabbed Iruki by the collar, but before he could do anything, a sharp pain shot through his side. His grip loosened, and he staggered backward.

"W-What the—?"

Neid stood there, electricity crackling at his fingertips.

"Enough. We're holding back because we're outside school. If you want to fight, take it somewhere else."

Silver's companion whispered urgently.

"Hey… they're students from the Magic Academy."

"Magic Academy? Alpheas Magic Academy?"

Silver's expression turned grim.

Alpheas was leagues above any noble school, a place where only the best of the best trained.

'Damn it… Alpheas? My father can't even interfere there…'

Reading his hesitation, Iruki sneered and stepped forward.

"You were saying something about expelling us?"

"I, uh…"

"Iruki Merkodain. If you have a problem, come find me at school."

"M-Merkodain…?"

Silver sobered up instantly. Merkodain was a name that no noble in the Tormia Kingdom could ignore—a family that had never lost its seat in the royal advisory council.

Seeing Silver's pale face, Iruki sighed. 'There are always nobles like him…'

Still, he had threatened Silver so openly to ensure Sheena's safety.

"Let's go."

And just like that, Silver and his companion fled into the night.