Chapter 44
I stab the vegetables on my plate with a fork, sighing as various mories co to mind.
I've already introduced myself to them, and we've been acting together since then, so is it okay to consider them friends now...?
It feels a bit different from what I had imagined, but as Sasha said, sa-sex friends at military school are incredibly valuable.
After all.
"Even if you say sa-sex friends... there were only four of us, including ..."
Only four people showed up at the light physical examination.
I asked the staff if so might have been late, but they told us that we were all there, leaving dumbfounded.
"It's like this every year. During our ti... I think there were five of us."
"Well, of course. Unlike n, won entering military school are rare... Even if they do, almost all of them are in the civil officer class. Oh, Celes, are you going for martial officer or civil officer?"
"Since my cousin is taking both, I plan to do the sa."
"Whoa, you're seriously going to do that...?"
"At that point, making sa-sex friends might be tough. Martial officer classes have a lot of practical training and expeditions, so it's normal to be out of town for a whole week."
"By the fifth day, everyone's eyes lose all signs of life..."
"And the filth right after they co back... They sll awful, these guys."
As Sasha laughs and pinches her nose to demonstrate, Tom and Dan clutch their chests, groaning "Ugh..." while those sitting nearby listening to our conversation also groan and collapse onto the table...
"Anyway, Celes has reliable senior cousins, so there's no problem. Those two probably have lots of friends regardless of class, and they were incredibly popular even in our year. Plus, I bet those two would still sll nice even after an expedition..."
"No way, no matter how hard they try, they'd still stink, right?! Isn't that so?"
I've never camped for days, so I wouldn't know, but if asked whether those two could sll nice, I'd have to say that's impossible...
Since Dan sought my agreent, I quietly nod. I'll probably stink too, after all.
"By cousins, you an Colonel Ruget's sons, right? Those two..."
Ignoring Dan's fierce protests, Sasha starts praising my cousins' good points, while Tom, unusually, gives a wry smile and hesitates to speak.
Speaking of Uncle Ruget's sons, there's the eldest, Roberto, who ca of age last year, and the second son, Liam, who cos of age this year. Both are still at military school, and even if Tom and Dan interacted with them there, it would've only been for about a year.
Wondering what could have happened in such a short ti, I cast a suspicious glance at the two of them, and Sasha, clinging to , whispers the reason into my ear.
Apparently, the reason Tom and Dan despise them is "jealousy and envy."
"Celes, what's with that face...!? Hey, stop it, I'm gonna cry, okay?"
"Sasha, what did you say to Celes...?"
"Just a story about so guys jealous of young, promising, talented noblen. Even if you glare at , it's fine since pretty much everyone here feels the sa way, right?"
"...True, those guys are head and shoulders above the rest in looks. But starting this year, it's different...! Because from now on, our comrade Celes is going to steal all the popularity at military school! Wahahaha... Oof!?"
A tray flies from behind Dan, who was standing on a chair laughing loudly, and hits him squarely on the head. We glance at Dan writhing in pain, thinking it's fortunate it wasn't a corner that hit him, and quietly turn our faces away from Colonel Nick, who is glaring at us.
"What Sasha said has so truth to it, but Colonel Ruget's sons are a bit, well, problematic in terms of personality..."
"Ah, ouch... Anyway, just say it clearly so we get it. Basically, Roberto and Liam have bad personalities."
"Well, not exactly bad personalities, more like strong quirks. Celes probably knows more about that, right?"
I've t them a few tis when I was younger, but all I rember now is their faces.
I have contact with my aunt and their sister Rijyu in the Royal Capital, but I've never t them in Taurus, and even after coming to Taurus, my cousins are in the military school dorms, so there's been no chance to et.
While thinking about such things, the topic of conversation shifts one after another, and sotis I even forget what we were talking about, but that's also fun, and ti passes as we laugh together.
"It's about ti to wrap up, huh..."
Turning my gaze to Dan, who muttered that quietly, I see him resting his chin on both arms placed on the back of the chair, staring intently at the spot where Grandfather and the others are gathered.
Listening to Dan's unusually lancholic voice, I absentmindedly stare at his back.
"...There's not a single person in this town who speaks ill of the Rotish family. Fildé Rotish, despite being a noble and a lord, has always stood at the forefront wielding a sword. We've been protected by him, and we grew up watching the back of such a great man. It's amazing, isn't it... I'm proud that he's the lord of this town, a marshal, and my superior."
I'm so surprised to hear Dan, who usually laughs carelessly, speak so seriously that I forget to even respond and just listen intently.
"So, when Celes ca here, I was pretty thrown off. The grandchild of that man, the daughter of the current lord, and the next lord. To us living on the frontier, you're no different from a princess from the Royal Capital... And yet, before we even figured out how to treat you, you sohow blended in. You cling desperately to harsh training, covered in mud, gritting your teeth, don't you? Ah, this kid is definitely a Rotish! That's when I was convinced..."
"I was terrified of the marshal who shows no rcy even to his own grandchild, though."
Tom, deliberately shrugging his shoulders, grins, and Dan, who had his back to us, turns around completely.
He looks straight at and smiles.
"Celes, you're not becoming a soldier, so we won't train together or live side by side like this anymore. But even so, I've decided on my own that you're still a comrade! So, no matter what happens, I'll hold the front line. I'll never let another country invade, and even if war breaks out, I won't let the enemy reach you. Rest easy and strut around as the lord!"
"It's not just who thinks of Celes as a comrade—it's all of us."
My vision blurs, and tears drip onto the table one by one.
"...Co on, Celes, look over here."
As Sasha wipes my face, I look around the now-silent cafeteria and see everyone smiling at , crying, raising their glasses high, and downing their drinks in one gulp.
Grandfather also waves his glass, and Uncle Ruget and Colonel Nick raise theirs with smiles on their faces.
"...Thank you."
Realizing this is truly the end... I honestly express my gratitude and raise my glass filled with water.
After that, my tears don't stop for a while, troubling everyone, and the next morning, my eyelids are so swollen I can't open my eyes—an incident in itself.
Incidentally, this emotional farewell party, as it was called, sohow becos a story passed down through generations at Ransheen Fortress, and years later, when I step foot here again, I end up covering my face with one hand out of embarrassnt and letting out a strange cry...
As I gaze out the window at the fine weather, my heart races with excitent for my new life, never imagining that my future self would decide to go back in ti and eliminate my past self if given the chance.
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