Chapter 164 Volume IV - Chapter 9: Noble in Disguise
As I walked through the students, I had an ugly expression on my face and a thought in my mind that got on my nerves the more I thought about it.
'The more I think about it, the funnier it gets, Aiden. She literally slapped you with her words and you couldn't do anything. Pfft...'
Sith laughed lightly and my face soured even more.
'Shut up, Sith. It's not even funny. That girl is dangerous. That's why I was trying to stop her from doing something by bringing her closer to the group, but-'
'Not only did she not care about you, she said you were the problem, not her.'
I was even more frustrated when Sith finished my sentence himself.
I quickened my pace and headed toward the training building. I wanted to work because I wanted to release my anger, but I also thought of other things to get closer to Alysia.
I definitely need to find out about her. I definitely need to get her closer to the group or somehow find a way to make her trust me. I still don't know what her goal is. She's... She's dangerous, she's an annoying and talented person who will stand in your way whether you play the good side of the game or the bad side.
That's why I have to get her on our side somehow, in whatever way I can. I have to stop her from getting in my way in the worst possible scenario, by killing her if necessary.
When I arrived in front of the East Gate and it became even more crowded, I became even more frustrated. I always hated the crowd, so I moved away from it and kept walking.
Should I try to handle the situation gently for a while and then try the hard way?
"-ou help me?"
My thoughts were interrupted by a particular voice in my ears. I paused to look in the direction of the voice. Then I saw a blond-haired, green-eyed person somewhere far away from me, smiling and asking some students something with his hands behind his head.
The real reason for my pause was not because I heard this voice. All the students were talking, the academy was crowded after all. Students' voices were everywhere...
Still, this voice sounded familiar to me. That's what caught my attention.
"Well, I just transferred, I don't know the academy at all..."
The people the young man asked first looked at each other, then turned to him with a deep sigh.
"I'm sorry, we have important business. If you find someone else, I'm sure they will help you."
The blond-haired boy took a deep breath in response. He looked disappointed.
"Got it, have a good day."
So, the boys, not wanting to deal with him, quickly left the area.
The blond-haired boy started to look around once again. He asked the same question to a few more people, but everyone strangely rejected him. No one wanted to deal with him. They all left in a hurry as if they were businessmen on their way to a meeting.
The boy was getting more and more frustrated with each person he talked to. But just then... he looked at me and our eyes met.
The boy smiled. Even though there was quite a distance between us, he quickly came up to me, leaned slightly, and opened his mouth to make a speech just like before. But I interrupted him even before he could start talking.
"I heard what you were talking about, and I'll help you. But... I didn't know the academy was taking transfers."
I'm serious about this. The academy is called an 'academy' because, unlike other universities, it has its own special education system. That's why it doesn't usually take transfer students. Because it's hard for students to get used to it.
So, the boy in front of me must be someone important. At least noble... Maybe the son of a duke?
I focused a little more on his appearance, but I couldn't remember anyone like that among the dukes.
So... is he in disguise? Or is he the son of a duke who was never mentioned in the game? With the academy's reputation in shambles, they might not care about that anymore and send him here... It's a small possibility, but not one to be ignored.
"Did you go to your dorm room?"
"No..."
"Then let's go there first."
"Okay!"
With that, I frowned and headed toward the dormitory buildings. Meanwhile, I kept studying the boy, because he really looked familiar from somewhere...
"Where do you come from?"
He looked surprised for a moment at my question but then smiled.
"I'm from the capital."
The capital...
"And you?"
"Wiathen."
Blond hair and green eyes, studying at the academy. There's really no one that comes to my mind...
"How old are you?"
"T-"
Before he could even begin the word, he paused and suddenly sneezed.
"Bless you."
"Thank you... Hehehe, I'm nineteen."
Nineteen, you say... but you started your sentence with a 't' before you sneezed? It was for a brief moment, yes, but I'm sure I heard it right. Is he hiding his age then?
With this thought, I paused for a moment.
Lightning suddenly flashed in my mind. My eyes widened and my mouth fell open.
Of course... Now I understood why his voice sounded so familiar.
"What happened? Why did we stop?"
I quickly recovered myself against the boy, or rather this person who was hiding his identity.
Am I too lucky these days or is it just me?
Ah, that's right. I am not the lucky one, this person is.
After all, this person has one of the highest luck statistics on the planet in the future. And yet, even now, his luck statistic is quite good.
"I'm sorry, I just thought of something. It was nothing important, we can continue."
The boy raised his eyebrows curiously but didn't pursue the matter further.
And so we went on our way, we simply walked around. I showed him almost everywhere in the academy, we even had lunch together, we had obviously become close fast.
After taking the last bite from the plate in front of him, Claud, as he called himself, sighed deeply and smiled.
"It was fun, thank you. Let's call it a day."
We got up from the table together. I usually smiled today but this time I had a more serious expression on my face.
"Sure, we'll go to the dormitory buildings then."
Claud paused for a moment as if he noticed the difference in my behavior. Still, he didn't press it. So, we headed for the dormitory buildings.
I had fun. I can't lie about that. I also think I made a good impression on him. But... I can't stop there.
What I want is not a simple impression, what I want is an important connection that can be useful in the future.
So, I have to be a bit daring too.
"I want to guess something."
Claud raised his eyebrows curiously.
"Yes?"
"You wanted to see what your people do, how they live. Didn't you?"
Claud froze in his tracks.
"Wh- what? Excuse me?"
"There is no necessity for concealment, Prince Lucas. I was aware of your identity from the beginning."
Claud, or rather Prince Lucas, took a step back, shock mixed with fear covering almost his entire face.
"How...?"
"It's simple when you know the academy's system. If the academy gets a transfer, it has to be someone really important, but no noble I know of has a son like 'Claud'. Also, when I asked you your age, you dropped the letter 't'. Even in disguise... You chose an image reminiscent of your real body. It wasn't difficult to put it all together."
The prince was genuinely surprised, so much so that it took him a while to compose himself. But when he did, there was more admiration than surprise on his face.
"O- oh... Well... I didn't expect to be recognized so soon."
He smiled awkwardly, looking a little disappointed. When he turned back to me, though, there was a little bit of awe on his face.
"Still, I guess I can say that you really are as good as people talk about you. The rumors about you are not as exaggerated as I thought, apparently."
Prince Lucas shook off his surprise and started walking again after saying these words. This time he put a small distance between himself and me, but he seemed a little more relaxed.
The disguise, pretending to be someone he wasn't, must have tired him a bit.
"If you knew all along, why didn't you tell me at the beginning?"
"Due to your apparent enjoyment."
The prince put a big smile on his face this time.
"You're a good person, but you don't need to speak to me officially. It looks awkward for outsiders and I'm uncomfortable in this form."
"Got it, then."
Prince Lucas was surprised again, this time.
"You're so quick to accept? People often insist on being formal with me.
"I don't belong to the 'general'."
I curled my lips up as I said this and turned to the prince next to me.
"Besides, it's not everyone's chance to speak normally with a prince."
Lucas wasn't even surprised this time. Only his smile suddenly widened and he started laughing, hiding his eyes with his hand.
"Pfft, ahahah! You're really an interesting person, Aiden."
I looked at the building in front of us, then sighed.
"Thanks for the compliment, but it looks like we've reached the end of our trip."
After all, the building in front of me was one of the dormitory buildings.
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