"What do you mean?"
Russell became cautious as soon as he heard the words that came out of Samantha's mouth, who was sitting on her couch while he remained standing still before she beckoned him to take a seat.
'It's been some time since you have not even paid attention to me, and yet you're suddenly asking that?'
He lampooned inwardly before he listened to Samantha's words.
"There's no hidden meaning or whatever, I'm just curious if you're an author or if you like writing.
"You see, I don't know if your younger sister told you, but when we had an activity in P.P.E., in Professor Murak's class, I asked her what's your hobby, then she told me that you liked reading books even though you barely had access to one until a few years ago.
"I also came to know where you two came from...
"But I don't care about where you came from, it's just... I'm curious about it."
Russell felt confused at Samantha's way of speaking as if she didn't want to even talk about it, and yet she was curious.
But, what he noticed was the information about where they came from. Although he had expected it in some way, it was somehow irritating... that his family background was investigated.
"...Yes, I like reading, but I'm not a writer."
His first novel didn't even get published in his previous life, instead, he reincarnated inside of it. It's for this reason that he didn't tell her that he's a writer as he wouldn't even consider himself one.
"Is that so... alright, that's all I wanted to ask, by the way, I've heard about your issue with the former Student Council Secretary, is it true?"
Samantha asked calmly, but her atmosphere exudes fierceness the moment she asked the question.
"Sigh... what do you think? Of course, it isn't true."
'That f*cking Arthur...'
He cursed the sly, like cockroach Arthur Wolfson in his mind for spreading through Bailey Clarkson that he had sex with Victoria, the former Student Council Secretary.
Due to his death at the hands of someone he knew from his unpublished novel, the woman in the hotel maid dress, the plans of eliminating Arthur were slightly distorted and would take more time to execute.
"...Okay."
Samantha succinctly replied before she stood up, glanced at him before she added...
"...Let's have lunch, your younger sister is waiting, right?"
He agreed with her words, then both of them walked out of her dormitory room and went to the Obelisk Cafeteria One.
...
<...Freya! I'm sorry, okay? It's not my choice. You might know already that I'm only following Russell.>
Although everything was settled through Russell's resurrection, Freya still felt left behind because she had no idea what Amelie and her older brother had gone through, and for what purpose.
<...But my older brother didn't tell you to just follow him, right?>
Her voice was calm, but Amelie knew that it was emitting a cold emotion.
The two were eating, but they were conversing through telepathy, through their connection with Chaos, and not with Freya's Star Quest Party.
<...I know, okay? But, I owe him my life. If it's necessary, I could even give him my body.>
Amelie said, but the last sentence made Freya forget the previous issue as she clenched her fist and looked fiercely at Amelie, who was eating at her side.
<...You..! Have you no shame?! I know you have a tragic past that made you more mature than most people of your age, but we do too, although it's a different case.
<Would you f*cking stop saying you'll give him your body even though you owe him?!>
Amelie didn't expect Freya's reaction to be this intense, but she just expressed her way of saying that she'd do anything for him as she didn't have anything to go back to.
'My family? F*ck them.'
She said inwardly before she let out a sigh, then she seriously responded.
<...Freya... sorry to say this, but it feels like you don't know him at all when it comes to women. He didn't have any interest at all, so stop worrying even if I say such a thing. It's just my way of saying that I'd do anything for him... to repay him.>
<...And have you ever noticed how he wanted to avoid Samantha when he was asked for a dance during the Banquet of Obelisk? Who the heck wanted to avoid such an opportunity? All I can say is that don't lump your brother to most men of his age when it comes to women.>
Freya took a deep breath upon hearing Amelie's words which made sense. She knew that her brother was mature for his age, if not more mature than Amelie.
After a few seconds of processing everything in her head, Freya asked in a calm tone with a mix of curiosity.
<...Sigh... alright, what happened then? Tell me everything.>
Amelie recounted everything without trying to withhold any information.
From the time that Russell told Amelie about the plan to bring a certain woman named Maya to be his personal assistant in the Obelisk Academy as a privileged A-1 student, then Amelie also told Freya that they raided a branch of the Shadow Guild that harbored slaves where Maya's parents were captives, it's also when his summon named Ceru that he barely commanded had died upon engaging an A- rank branch manager, and after that, they raided the place of the presumed cause of kidnappings, the Black Cat Pub, then they were attacked by a massive shadow hammer, and so on... to the point that Russell died.
<...Why... Am I a burden... that he won't bring me along?>
Freya asked through telepathy, but who she asked was herself. She just voiced out her thoughts so that she could be heard by Amelie.
<...Sigh... I know that you're going to think that way, but that's not the case at all. He's just worried about you. Heck, if you came with us, I won't be able to resurrect you two if you two died simultaneously due to unforeseen circumstances.>
<...You probably saw the cooldown of the Dark Resurrection skill which is 60 Earth Days. It's probably that way so it won't get abused by going to the Chaos Training Grounds with the time difference.>
Amelie voiced her thoughts, which Freya absorbed logically, not basing on her emotions that could block her thinking just like before when she came to know that her older brother died.
Without waiting for Freya to respond, Amelie's next words that echoed in her head caused her brows to prick up, and it made her stop eating before she glanced to her side with constricted eyes where Amelie's sitting.
<...Maybe it's just me, but when you appeared that also caused me to see Russell's soul, it seems to me that he formed an expression that says that I shouldn't resurrect him.>
<W-wh–>
Freya was just about to say something when she saw from a distance her older brother, who was walking with Samantha Hall towards them.
...
"Welcome to the Obelisk Academy, Maya."
Just a few minutes after the classes ended, Amelie welcomed Maya at the Obelisk Academy's gate, but Maya's expression was something she did expect because she told her that Russell's alive.
Maya had been asked to not talk about anything about what happened which was a very easy thing to do for her. She's been asked to work for them, and they saved her parents, so just shutting her mouth to say something unbelievable when heard by others' ears was probably a very small price to pay.
"By the way, Russell's in his dorm room. For some reason, he said that you're going to register as my personal assistant instead of his.
"Well, commoners like us didn't get the recommended butler or maids that the academy recommended, instead they wanted to do things alone. Maybe because of pride, perhaps?"
Maya just listened to the talkative Amelie and didn't ask any questions.
...
After walking for some time, they arrived at the personal butler or maid assistant registration building, that's part of the enrolment building.
Then, after quickly processing the necessary documents due to the diligence of Obelisk staff, they managed to finish their business in a short amount of time, which made Maya an official butler of Amelie.
"That's about it, again, welcome.
"Wow, you're already popular with some horny boys."
Maya's ears pricked up at Amelie's words, doubting what she heard.
Although for some reason, she was being gawked at by some people, men or women, she didn't expect that word to come out of a minor's mouth, but considering what happened previously, Maya realized that this pink-haired girl, one of her benefactors that she owes her parents life, must be a mature girl at her early age for some reasons unknown to her.
"...Oh, Amelie. Hi! Your newly hired assistant, right?"
Amelie stopped her walking, which also prompted Maya to stop, due to the voice that came from behind while they walked at Obelisk Public Grounds just after they finished Maya's registration.
She turned her head, and saw a shoulder-length, redhead woman with crimson eyes, wearing a smile that seemed to reach her ears, while her arms were wrapped around the arm of a certain man she was familiar with.
"...Oh, Hello, Tanya, and... Ken.
"Yes, she's my butler."
It was Tanya Drusilla, the woman who clung to Han Jiho during their activity, the Virtual War, under Professor Murak, and Ken Raven, a 'Smoke Assassin', the commoner who managed to kick out someone through Ranking of Exchange and became an A-1 student.
"...Why are you only having one now?"
Tanya asked with a tone of sarcasm.
Amelie scoffed before she glanced at Ken Raven and Tanya alternatively.
"...Why are you with Ken, instead of Jiho?"
'We're not even f*cking close.'
Amelie cursed inwardly, it's been more than 3 months since the classes started, it's only natural for them to be familiar with each others' names, but, even though that's the case, each of them had their own circle of friends.
"...Ah, sorry, we have an important business to do, and you probably can't bite him. Hahaha."
Amelie added, not giving Tanya a moment to reply, but it seemed like Amelie had hit a nail on her head.
"What did you just say!?"
But, before things get heated up, Ken Raven interjected.
"Tanya, let's go. It will be no good to make an issue, okay."
Like a mother of her puppy, Tanya listened to Ken, then left with a fierce look at Amelie.
...
"Who's that?"
Maya curiously asked as they take the Obelisk High-Speed Elevator — powered by Monster Core or Magic Stones — of the Rigel Building.
"She's a b*tch."
That's all that Amelie said that summed up Tanya.
Ding-!
"We're here."
Just a few seconds after they rode the Obelisk High-Speed Elevator, they arrived at Russell's dorm floor, walked for a few seconds, then reached the door of Russell's dorm room.
Knock-! Knock-!
Even though they were A-1 students, the commoners didn't want to use the doorbell, instead, they were used to knocking.
'Maybe it's really the commoner's pride. Well, bullsh*t racism exists even mildly.'
Amelie wasn't sure, but she, Freya, Russell, Amery, who dropped out, and other commoner A-1 students aside from Ken Raven, for some reason didn't want to act like a noble.
Click-!
"...Come in."
Her thoughts were cut off as Russell opened the door, and invited them to come in. She prompted Maya to go in first before she followed suit.
For a reason that Amelie knew, Freya wasn't with her older brother at this moment.
...
Deep in the night, with the illumination of the bluish moon hanging above the starry sky, Freya — who was in her sleepwear — was standing by the window of her dorm, looking above the grandeur scenery that contained what humans couldn't reach, the cosmos. Her expression was solemn, her untied deep black hair was fluttering due to the intense cold wind, and her deep blue eyes were reflecting with the bluish moonlight.
She muttered faintly, as a trace of tears flowed down her face.
"...Amelie's right."
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