Vol 3. Chapter 82: Living Together?

Once Vinny arrived at the gathering spot, quite a few classmates noticed him and couldn’t help shifting their gazes his way.

That day’s realm test might have been conducted by class, but plenty of students from other classes had seen it too. Vinny’s Spirit Soul realm had already advanced to the Magus realm, making him one of the only three first-years to reach Magus.

In other words, putting aside Aesphyra, who was ranked first in the year, and Isatia, who was ranked second—in the entire first-year cohort, there was no one who could match Vinny. At least, from the standpoint of cultivation realm, that was how it looked.

Of course, plenty of people were still loudly complaining that Vinny had a one-star Spirit Soul, and that levelling up was incredibly easy for him, insisting that a Magus realm with a one-star Spirit Soul wasn’t even worth as much as a three-star Spirit Soul’s junior Sorcerer-class.

Those voices were very loud, but when you told them to go challenge Vinny, they all went dead silent. Ask them, and the answer was always that they “weren’t ready yet,” that they’d do it later. Vinny wasn’t going anywhere; there would be a chance eventually.

Even now, quite a few students still had a lot of opinions about Vinny, but they no longer dared say them to his face.

When a fallen noble with no family backing had successfully entered Carillian Academy, some people could still lie to themselves and say he’d just gotten lucky, or exploited some loophole in the rules to get his admission ticket. But when he then used his own strength to surpass the majority of his peers in terms of realm, leaving everyone far behind, that really said something.

Putting aside the small handful of idiots who still couldn’t figure it out—not everyone was a fool. Even if their emotions still refused to accept it, their rational minds were being forced to admit that this brat Vinny had something going on. If he didn’t, then why had not a single person ever returned victorious from challenging him? And how was it that he was still sitting at rank twenty-three??

But drawing too much attention wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

“Good morning, Vinny~”

For example, a certain white-furred nutball also noticed him and walked over with a beaming smile. “Did you rest well last night?”

“Tch. Asking even though you already know the answer. You weren’t there, so I slept perfectly fine!” Vinny shot Aesphyra a glare, not even trying to be polite.

“That’s true. After all, your face was as red as a ripe peach yesterday. But today you look completely fine. Seems like you’ve fully recovered. I was still worried about whether you’d even show up today,” Aesphyra said, deliberately poking at exactly the topic Vinny found most mortifying.

“Scram, scram, scram! Who asked you? I’d love to know if anyone here asked you anything. What are you babbling to yourself for? Does any of this involve you??” Vinny clicked his tongue. “Go play somewhere else. Go cool that nutball head of yours somewhere far away.”

“Eh—eh?”

Shicodale watched the two of them, totally lost.

He’d originally thought that when these two met today, they’d definitely be awkward and wouldn’t dare talk to each other. He’d experienced fights with friends before. After that, when you met, neither side said anything—not because there was nothing to say, but because neither knew how to open their mouth.

That was when you needed outside help, someone to give each side a step down so they could reconcile.

But to Shicodale’s surprise, when the two of them met today, their conversation was just as it had always been. On the surface it looked like they were arguing, but... how to put it? It felt like their words were actually some kind of extremely tacit encrypted language that only the two of them could understand—the hidden meaning behind all those barbed lines.

Their relationship, apparently, did not need his interference at all??

“How mean. Vinny, you said such mushy things to me yesterday, and today you’re acting like you don’t remember a thing. Isn’t that just too much?” Aesphyra said.

“What mushy things? Don’t talk nonsense, okay? You’re the one who said them! You spoke first!” Vinny shot back.

“Oh? Really? Then why don’t you tell us exactly what mushy things I said yesterday~?” Aesphyra didn’t even blink.

“You said...”

Vinny choked on the words.

Seriously now—how was he supposed to say that kind of line out loud??

He glanced back at Aesphyra’s still-flower-bright smile and really wanted to ask how she had the nerve to bring something like that up in public like this. There were so many people watching!

“Hey! You really aren’t shy at all, are you? Can’t you see how many eyes are on us right now??” Vinny couldn’t take it anymore. He lowered his voice and muttered at Aesphyra, shooting her another side-eye.

“Oh? So Vinny’s feeling guilty now?” she asked lightly.

“I seriously can’t be bothered with you!”

Bright and early in the morning, the white-furred nutball was already here to complete her daily quest: come piss him off and squeeze some [Virtue] out of him.

Just as Vinny was about to pull back and ignore Aesphyra for his own sanity, another voice cut in.

“What mushy things?”

“Eh—eh??”

The instant he recognized whose cool, gentle voice that was, Vinny turned his head. At some unknown point, Isatia had walked up to the two of them and was now standing right there, expressionless, asking her question.

“Vinny, what happened to you yesterday?”

After listening to the two of them snipe back and forth for just a few lines, Isatia reached her conclusion. Her cool violet eyes looked steadily at Vinny.

“Ah. Yesterday, when I went to [Painting Hall Tower] to pick a weapon, I suddenly got hit by a star and passed out. But it’s fine. I’m okay,” Vinny explained.

“A star? What kind of star? Did they examine you thoroughly?” Isatia asked.

“I got a thorough checkup. Isatia, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine. It’s not like you don’t know—if I’ve got no other strengths, at least my life force is tough,” Vinny said. Faced with Isatia’s interruption and concern, this was all he could really say.

“That’s good. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, you can come with me to the Tyrel Empire over the break. There’s a specialized medical team and healers and nuns there,” Isatia said in her usual flat tone—but what she was saying was no small thing at all, and she didn’t seem to care at all that others could hear.

“Mm-hmm~ Isatia sure is dedicated when it comes to Vinny,” Aesphyra’s voice floated lazily over before Vinny could say a word. “Wow, Vinny’s charm really is something.”

“Hey, why don’t you just agree to it, Vinny? After all, Isatia is showing nothing but pure sincerity toward you. She doesn’t trust Carillian Academy’s priestly team, she ignores the sensitive issue of your status as a Camella noble, and she’s still willing to invite you to the Tyrel Empire at such risk. You really shouldn’t let Isatia’s kindness go to waste~” Aesphyra said with a squinting smile.

But those words—even if Vinny tried to listen to them as an outsider—were incredibly cutting, with not the slightest attempt made to hide the mockery in them.

Was she mocking Isatia for overstepping her role and trying to drag a Camella noble to the Tyrel Empire without regard for the situation?

A sovereign from another country arranging a private audience with a noble of a different realm—one without any fief, living in the capital city under the direct supervision of the royal family.

What exactly was that supposed to mean??

“Uhh...”

Vinny really didn’t dare respond now. He pressed his lips together and couldn’t help glancing at Isatia beside him. His survival instincts told him that if he said anything at all here, he’d get splashed by the crossfire again.

Sure enough, Isatia’s gaze quietly shifted to the smiling Aesphyra.

Right now, whoever opened their mouth died.

“I’m only inviting Vinny as a friend,” Isatia said, her eyes resting faintly on Aesphyra. “In the Secret Realm, he helped me a great deal and even saved my life. Naturally, I have to take responsibility for his safety.”

“Also, if anyone’s going to be pointing fingers on this matter, at the very least it should be the Princess of Camella. I personally don’t think it’s the turn of other unrelated people to pass judgment.”

Great. It’s started.

Vinny watched and stayed quiet. Shicodale watched and went speechless. Wedged in the middle, neither dared breathe too loudly.

“Oh, take responsibility? And how long is that responsibility supposed to last, then? As expected of Her Highness the Princess of the Tyrel Empire—your sense of duty really is impressive. Once something happens, your protection even comes with a lifetime warranty~?” Aesphyra said playfully.

“What, you have a problem with that, Aesphyra?”

After a brief silence, Isatia suddenly spoke.

That was a heavy line. It meant that their indirect passive-aggressive sniping had now escalated into direct attacks on the enemy player.

It sounded very much like she was saying, What, you not convinced?

“Your Highness must be joking. You’re the legitimate imperial princess. How would I dare?” Aesphyra replied with a smile. Despite being a bit shorter and less... developed than Isatia in terms of figure, Aesphyra’s aura didn’t lose to hers at all.

The collision between two powerful women’s auras clashed in the air, pressing down hard on the two poor souls stuck between them—Shicodale and Vinny.

Here we go again.

Vinny felt like even his expression was starting to freeze up.

Seriously, if you two want to fight, could you at least do it in private? Why did they always choose him as the formation’s central point??

How to put it... this really was a rough deal, both for him and for Shicodale.

Shicodale was a whole different kind of Destiny Heroine. Other Destiny Heroines, when they clashed, would wage a sea-of-corpses and mountain-of-blood war, neither side giving an inch, fully embodying their status as children of destiny.

Shicodale, on the other hand, was here in the middle, trembling along with him. There wasn’t a shred of Destiny Heroine momentum in sight.

Mm. In a certain sense, he really was a good bro—always sharing the beating with him.

The confrontation between the two campus belles naturally drew a great deal of attention, but nobody on-site dared to go up to them.

Well—except for a couple of hardcore CP-shippers who, seeing Aesphyra and Isatia going head-to-head again, were already making “I could die like this” faces to themselves.

“All right, students, line up by class and find your teammates. We’re heading to the hunting grounds,” the instructor’s shout mercifully pulled Vinny out of the fire.

“Ah, time really flew, huh. Ladies, it’s time to head out. You’d better get back to your positions,” Vinny coughed dryly.

If this dragged on any longer, he was going to suffocate.

Aesphyra and Isatia each gave Vinny a look, their expressions very different.

In the end, Isatia took a long, deep look at Aesphyra—more precisely, at that pair of violet eyes so similar to her own.

“So, who do you think is the legitimate one?” Isatia suddenly asked out of nowhere.

“Huh? Legitimate?” Aesphyra’s face was all feigned surprise and confusion, as if she had no idea what Isatia was talking about.

Seeing that, Isatia neither explained nor pressed the point. She simply turned and left.

Aesphyra, too, watched Isatia’s departing back with a meaningful look.

“See you later, Vinny~” she said, then walked away with elegant steps.

“Whew.”

Vinny finally dared to breathe. While he’d been sandwiched between the two of them, he hadn’t dared say a single word.

He couldn’t help it. It wasn’t that he was being cowardly; it was that he was being crushed.

But he was clearly not the most pitiful one.

“Vinny,” came Shicodale’s voice from beside him—he was the most pitiful one.

“Isatia and Aesphyra... they should both be very good people, right?”

“.........Yeah.”

“Then why... just now... did they feel so scary?”

“Hey, hey, kiddo, don’t ask so many questions. You’ll understand in the future,” was all Vinny could say.

Soon, the instructor led the group onto the magic bridges linking the various islands, and they crossed one by one.

Every time he walked on one of these sea-crossing bridges, Vinny felt a little sentimental. They reminded him of the glass bridges from his previous life. It was the same—transparent underneath, with the sea visible if you looked down.

The students had all gotten used to it by now. Only Shicodale still clung to his old fear—he was terrified of crossing the bridge.

“All right, don’t be scared,” Vinny said, taking the initiative to grab Shicodale’s hand.

“E-Eh?!”

The warmth in his palm made Shicodale’s eyes fly wide, and his ears instantly turned bright red.

[Virtue +50.]

[Current Virtue: 5324.]

Elves were just that conspicuous—whenever they were shy, their pointed ears would turn red.

From the back, Milian watched this scene with pure lemon-flavored envy; both of her eyes were brimming with jealousy.

By dusk, everyone had reached their destination. The instructor had everyone split up by class, start setting up pots for cooking, then handed out shelf-stable bread. Afterwards, they put up tents and rested for the night. The hunt would begin tomorrow.

“Ahh, this young master is exhausted. Finally done. Time to eat and then rest,” Vinny said, rubbing his shoulders as he walked. After a few steps, he noticed the person beside him slowing down more and more.

“...What’s up with you now, Dale?” Vinny asked, puzzled, looking back at the moon-elf youth behind him, who seemed to be caught up in yet another bout of mysterious embarrassment.

“V-Vinny.”

“What is it? You forget to bring a change of clothes or something?” Vinny had no idea.

“N-No, that’s not it. The instructor said before that... that teammates are supposed to sleep in the same tent.”

“Yeah, and? What about it?”

Most of the teams had been formed from dormmates this time, so having them share a tent was perfectly natural.

“Uuu...”

[Virtue +70.]

[Current Virtue: 5394.]

It wasn’t until he saw Shicodale bowing his head, face red, ears burning, actual steam practically rising off the top of his head that Vinny finally remembered:

Even though he and Shicodale had been living under the same roof for a whole semester, they’d never actually stayed this close together before, had they??

Ah. Right.

Vinny’s reaction finally caught up.

Even if they were roommates, they each had their own room. They weren’t living in the same bedroom, and they each had a bit of their own private space. It had never been like this—crammed into one tiny tent with absolutely no personal space at all, where turning around would put them face-to-face.

Although you couldn’t really blame the instructor. Who would’ve thought there’d be a “fake boy” mixed into the boys’ team in the first place??