Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy-Chapter 709: Ordinary conversation (6)

Rene placed the teacup in front of Lucy, studying her expression carefully.

She seemed to be in a good mood. She was so oblivious that she was absentmindedly kicking her feet and humming.

She didn’t come here first, that’s for sure—she must have seen everyone else before coming to me.

It wasn’t unusual. If it were in the past, maybe I would have felt differently. But now, the connection between Lucy Allen and me is only this much.

"Here. This is chocolate made by the most famous pastry chef in the capital."

"You act so confident, and this is all you brought?"

"If you want, I can have all the palace chefs summoned right away. If I tell them it’s for the hero who saved the continent, they’ll gladly cook."

"...No, I’ll politely decline."

"Isn’t this exactly the grand gesture you wanted?"

"Men who say things like that aren’t popular."

"Haha. I’ll be careful."

Rene laughed lightly as he saw Lucy frown at his response.

Even though she had become the hero who saved the continent and carried the grand title of the Daughter of the Deity, you haven’t changed, have you?

That’s why I enjoyed the time I spent with you.

No matter where I stood, you treated me as me.

Unlike everyone else, who had to pay attention to every gesture and expression, I could simply smile when I was with you, without thinking too much.

I’m sure you’d want the same. All the grand titles you’ve acquired now don’t matter; you just want to be treated as you.

I’ll do that. There’s nothing left to worry about now.

"I’ll make another appointment later."

"Heh, you’re trying to meet again like this? You really look like someone who’s met a lot of women."

Visit freewebnoveℓ.com for the best novel reading exp𝒆rience.

"Wasn’t it you who teased me for being a virgin? Now you’re calling me a cheap man. I don’t know what you want to say."

"You both have one thing in common. You’re both disgusting because your insides are so obvious."

"...Didn’t your curse lift?"

"Would you prefer I treat you with a fake smile like the other ladies? I can, if you want, Prince."

"I’ll pass. That would give me chills."

"I knew you’d say that."

Lucy chuckled as she took a sip of tea before slyly asking a question.

"Can you endure this?"

"I don’t know what you’re asking all of a sudden."

"I’m asking if you can bear this situation."

"Your teasing is annoying, but I’ve become accustomed to it after all the times I’ve endured before..."

"You know that’s not what I meant."

Rene wiped the smile from his face and sighed.

"My father was the bastard who wanted to eat me alive, and my mother, who insisted I become king, was the crazy woman who helped him. Do you think I’m fine? Do you think I could be?"

Right now, Rene had truly lost everything.

His dream, which he had longed for, had passed to someone else.

Those he believed cared for him turned out to be trash.

Even the wolves who supported him had all left.

Now, all Rene had left was the hollow title of a genius.

"Do you think I’m here, stuck, doing work for the kingdom out of some love for it? Not at all. I don’t care about this country anymore. The reason I’m doing this is simply because I need something to focus on. When I face reality, I don’t know what I might do."

So Rene was desperately searching for something to do.

If he took even a moment to rest, the harsh reality would be waiting, so he clung to his work.

Even now.

He had fought a war earlier today, and even after returning, led everyone through the banquet; it wouldn’t be surprising if he collapsed from exhaustion, but he stubbornly kept writing.

He feared sleep, not knowing what might emerge in his dreams, and when he opened his eyes again, he couldn’t know what he might do, so he focused on the work in front of him, desperately trying to stay busy.

"Since you want an answer, I’ll say it. Right now, I have nothing. Cecil has family, and Arthur has friends, but what do I have around me? The only thing I can hold onto is the rope on the ceiling. Oh, I do have one more thing. You. Lucy Allen."

As Rene glared at Lucy with bloodshot eyes, he noticed his own reflection in her eyes and leaned back, his head sinking.

I’m out of my mind. I haven’t slept much lately.

Having exceptional physical abilities is a problem.

A normal person would have passed out by now, but I’m still holding on.

"Tch. I said some foolish things. Forget you heard it. As you expected, my situation is..."

"Join the Allen Knights."

"...What?"

"You no longer need to be the First Prince at the palace, right? So come roll with us. If you prove your skills, even Papa will welcome you."

Rene blinked in surprise at the sudden offer, while Lucy casually tossed a piece of chocolate into her mouth and stood up.

"If you’re unsure, it’s fine to run away. I’m not expecting anything from a mama’s boy who’s never chosen anything for himself."

"Are you provoking me on purpose?"

"No? I’m just stating the facts. The reason the First Prince ran away from me was because of his mother. I was really disappointed at that time."

Lucy, pointing out the day their connection was severed, mocked Rene before standing up.

"If you want to run away again, go ahead. I’m not interested in a failure who can’t do anything properly."

"Lucy Allen. I am—"

"But I know you won’t run away. You’re my first friend. Rene, right?"

With that, Lucy vanished after saying she’d be waiting, leaving Rene alone. He looked at the desk and, in a frustrated gesture, swept everything off before sitting back down with a hollow laugh.

Friend.

A friend, huh?

"It's going to be a long road ahead."

After staring at the air for a while, Rene stood up, not even glancing at the papers, and returned to his room to lie down on his bed.

Maybe it was because he had been so worked up earlier, but today, his eyes closed naturally.

It was as if someone had blessed him.

I hadn’t expected Rene’s condition to be so severe.

If I had left him alone, he would have really gone full-on mental.

And the target of that obsession would have been me.

Imagining him using his power and abilities to carry out creepy, perverted acts gives me the chills.

For now, I’ll dump him in the Allen Knights, work him to the bone, and make sure he can’t do anything.

If I ask Uncle Porsel, he’ll surely give him the kind of extreme training that no one can endure, even a prince.

<Though, it might drive him mad in another way?>

‘Well, that’s better. I really don’t like mental cases! I can’t stand even watching them from afar, and the thought of one being next to me is terrifying! I’d rather just kill the bastard!’

It’s better to be a foolish pervert like an idiot assassin than a creepy, twisted pervert!

As I was explaining how bad mental cases are to my grandfather, the fairies guided me to my next destination.

The place I arrived at was a bar I had visited many times before.

It used to be run by Alsatin, but now it was owned by Karia.

I passed by the polite men bowing deeply and climbed the stairs, where I found Karia buried under a pile of paperwork.

"Looking for a man?"

"...The work my employer abandoned! He asked me to stay for a bit, then just left me here! Why did he abandon me like this!"

"Take your complaints to Mama. I was dragged in too."

"...Mama?"

"The pathetic god, Armadi. You were close with him before, right?"

"Well, we were, but after learning his true nature, I felt awkward talking to him."

"Don’t worry. Karia, no matter what you imagine, he’s even dumber than that."

"Can I talk like that about Mama?"

"Want me to tell you how much I’ve suffered because of Mama?"

"No, I’ll pass."

As I entered and sat down opposite, Karia pushed aside her papers.

"Did you clear your head?"

"To be honest, I think it would have been better if I didn’t know anything."

"Heh. Mira is still Mira. So, did you meet everyone else? Are they all gone?"

"I only met the closest ones first."

"Tell me about them. I think it’ll be fun."

"I don’t want to."

"If you refuse, I’ll make sure to deify your employer."

"That’s too much!"

"Then tell me. I’ll keep it a secret. Okay?"

Though I shouldn’t negotiate with blackmailers, this one was a big deal!

Damn it. I can’t believe I’m giving in like this!

Feeling the weight of my own helplessness, I hung my head and told Karia everything.

I did my best to leave out the cringeworthy parts, but my attempts were useless in front of Karia.

What could I hide from someone who perfectly reads minds?

In the end, all my stories were laid bare, and I struggled with the humiliation.

"Maybe your employer’s curse was needed for the peace of the world."

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

"Isn’t it true? Does your employer not even know what he did?!"

"All I did was thank my friends!"

"This is what happens when you’re a beauty who shakes the kingdom. After all, it’s odd that you didn’t charm anyone since you even charmed the goddess of beauty and art."

"Auntie. Can you stop with the jokes?"

"Why not? I’ve been teased all this time! Don’t you think I deserve to tease your employer for once?!"

"Damn. Don’t hit me with facts! It makes me look like a real bad girl!"

"Yeah! Go ahead! I’ll accept it!"

"Did you feel embarrassed even while teasing me?"

"Th...that..."

"Heh. Don’t take it too seriously. It was just a joke."

"...Hey!"

"Haha! I guess your employer has become more like a girl since the curse was lifted!"

As Karia’s mocking laughter rang out, I trembled with frustration and stood up.

"Don’t worry about the continent’s problems, just rest. I’ll take care of things."

"Thanks, Karia. I really appreciate it."

"I’m glad I worked with you, employer. So, I’ll leave things to you in the future."

After Lucy disappeared, Karia smiled mischievously. Those around her employer sure had a hard time.

But what could they do? If they wanted someone like that, they had to give it their all.

"I’ve had my own share of those days."

While lamenting the past, Karia stretched, and through the open door, she saw Alsatin awkwardly smiling, prompting her to quickly stand up.

"You. You!"

"I didn’t see or hear anything, I swear! I never heard anything about lamenting over age from my teacher!"

"You heard it all, you bastard!"

Karia didn’t feel the slightest joy in seeing her beloved disciple grow.