I spoke to Alphs.
"Don't bow your head. You are my aide, not a servant."
"Yes, yes!"
Alphs immediately raised her head and smiled awkwardly.
"But don't you get tired sleeping in that position? You were sitting up."
"Oh, thank you for your concern, Theo! I'm fine! I'm used to sleeping like this."
Alphs gave a somewhat bitter smile.
Seeing that, I felt inexplicably angry.
Alphs had lived in a cold region covered with white snow all year round and joined the [Order of Light] around the age of 13 after losing her parents, to survive.
Due to her divine energy, she was placed in the order's training institution to be raised as a combatant.
But her inherently weak nature and mediocre divine energy meant she struggled to adapt to the endless competitive system of the institution.
Being older, she couldn't escape the scorn and criticism of the members.
As a result of enduring scorn and criticism from most people for five years, she had lost all her confidence.
Of course, it was Alphs' own fault.
After all, no one else is responsible for one's life.
There are no effects without causes.
There's no such thing as 'suddenly'.
That's just an excuse for those who couldn't respond.
And I believe that more firmly than anyone.
But that's assuming I'm in a rational and logical state.
Seeing her constantly mindful of others and belittling herself reminded me of my past, and it annoyed me.
It might be meddling, but I couldn't hold back what I felt inside.
"Don't do that."
"Excuse me?"
Alphs widened her eyes and looked at me.
I met her gaze.
After a few seconds, her eyes trembled and she looked away.
The fear of others' gazes.
The eyes are windows that reflect the mind.
I wonder how much useless stress she feels, gnawing at herself.
It's been too long, and I can't remember well, but one thing is clear.
For her own sake, she must overcome it someday.
"Don't bow your head,"
I repeated.
"But, how could I dare..."
Alphs only raised her head when speaking, and immediately buried it to the ground after finishing.
I silently looked at the top of her head.
To awaken her, that disheartened stance needs to be eradicated to some extent.
'But if she closes her heart, it's all over.'
Forcing her in this situation is a bad move.
She's in a frail state of mind, afraid of those around her.
Speaking too much can sometimes have the opposite effect.
Alright, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Let's go in a direction that seeps in little by little.
"I really hate having to repeat myself."
"Ah, ah! I'm sorry, Theo!"
Alphs hurriedly raised her head and looked at me timidly, like a frightened deer.
Sigh.
I don't like this, but it seems better in the long run to enforce rules strictly.
I grasped Alphs' shoulders and made her look straight at me.
"Additionally, never apologize to me, no matter what happens in the future. Remember that."
"Yes, yes...! I understand, I'll remember!"
Alphs replied.
Her eyes were trembling wildly, but she didn't avoid my gaze, perhaps because I was holding her shoulders tightly.
"You're awake, young master."
"Hmm, yeah. Who's shouting while someone is sleeping?"
Alphs' voice woke up Amy and Piel.
Piel rubbed her eyes with her sleeve and looked at Alphs and me with a puzzled expression.
Regardless, I kept my eyes fixed only on Alphs and said.
"Tell me the two things I just said not to do to me."
"Don't bow your head! Don't apologize! These two, two things!"
Alphs spoke like a new recruit with strict discipline.
Fortunately, she remembered what I had said.
I took my hands off her shoulders.
"Well done, Alphs. There are no other specific things to follow, so I look forward to working with you in the future."
I extended my hand to Alphs.
Alphs shivered all over.
"No, no, no! It is I who should be asking, please take care of me, Theo!"
She briskly wiped her palm on her clothes before extending it to me.
I took her hand. I could feel the trembling from her hand.
Her appearance was quite cute, so I smiled lightly.
Then Alphs hurriedly bowed her head.
"I thought I told you not to bow your head."
"Ah, ah! I'm sorry, Theo! That, that wasn't me trying to apologize!"
"Anyway, don't bow your head."
"Yes, yes...! Just wait, just a moment..."
About 5 minutes later, Alphs raised her head again.
For some reason, her cheeks were flushed.
The next day, Saturday morning.
The front pages of all newspapers across the continent covered the intrusion incident that occurred the previous day at Elinia Academy.
As a result, the entire continent was abuzz with this issue.
Elinia Academy is essentially a symbol of the 'Hero Society,' the continent's established power.
Naturally, the large guilds leading the 'Hero Society' took the current situation much more seriously than the general public.
This was also the case for the continent-wide 7th-ranked guild 'Ataraxia.'
From early Saturday morning, lights were on in Chief Administrator Hailey's office.
"Ah, my head hurts."
Hailey frowned as she looked down at the many newspapers covering her large desk.
"In all my life, I never thought I'd see Elinia Academy get hit like this."
Of course, 'hit' might not be the right word since Elinia Academy responded appropriately and minimized damage, but for her, a chief administrator of a top guild, it seemed fitting.
Having graduated from Elinia Academy herself, the place held special significance for her.
"This is why I can't quit smoking."
Though it seems stable on the surface, the continent is unstable.
There are still many eveil forces on the continent.
It's a top-secret within the guild, known only to a few, but just a week ago, traces of the 'Demon Realm' were discovered.
In other words, there's a high possibility that a new contractor with a demon has emerged.
Depending on the demon's rank and type, even a contract with an average mid-level demon can devastate a small nation.
And amidst this, Elinia Academy was targeted.
Furthermore, traces of the 8th-circle grand magic [Mass Teleport] and the strictly prohibited drug [Berserker Potion] were found at the scene.
It's undoubtedly true since it comes from the testimony of the academy's head of security.
Hailey threw away the burnt-out cigarette butt and immediately lit another one.
"Ha, what's this? 'The first to establish and execute a strategy during the situation was a Hero Department student'? Should seize the salaries of all those security heads, isn't this embarrassing... What, what?"
Thud.
The cigarette fell from Hailey's mouth.
"That student is a freshman, Theo Lyn Waldeurk...?"
She discovered a familiar name in the newspaper.
No, more than familiar, he's the person she's been paying the most attention to lately.
She personally checks even the minor details about him.
She knows that recently, he participated and won first place in entertainment contests like [Staring Contest] and [Beauty Pageant] during the Academy Festival.
'Such a mysterious person...'
Hailey sank into deep thought for a while.
'......It was indeed a hatchling, not a wyvern.'
Hailey opened a drawer and checked the schedule of the hero teams affiliated with 'Ataraxia'.
There were a total of 13 hero teams in 'Ataraxia', which prefers a small but elite force.
Among them, there was one hero team with no schedule until next week.
To be precise, they were on vacation until next week, having completed a major mission two days ago.
But the matter at hand was urgent.
They needed to act quickly.
'Alright, I've made a decision. Let's take a gamble this time.'
Of course, her own schedule was packed 365 days a year, but she couldn't afford to waste time on such trivialities.
She immediately canceled all her weekend plans, using the Elinia Academy invasion incident as an excuse.
After that, she picked up a communication crystal and called the hero team that was currently free.
Saturday evening.
I was alone on a hospital bed in [The Hilté].
Rok had seriously advised me to stay here for security and safety reasons.
As a result, I was using a large special room all by myself.
Well, for me, this place is better than the dormitory anyway.
Given my not-so-great physical condition, eating the nutritious meals provided by [The Hilté] seems better for recovery.
Plus, I have some serious matters to discuss with Taylor if I get a chance.
'Maybe I should do the shopping I've been putting off.'
Amy, Piel, and Alphs, who wanted to stay with me, I sent away on the pretext of wanting to be alone...
I've saved up quite a bit of shop currency...
Ziiing──
I brought up the shop window.
It's been a while since I've seen this window.
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