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Episode
62, “Yuwen's Modest Meanness”
Lynn
hadn't been to the academy in a long time.
(Whew!
The school is still nice. Time is flowing so quickly.)
As
Lynn got into the elevator to the classroom, he opened the school's book to
check for any incoming business notifications.
(I
didn't know the Academy's books had this feature.)
The
school's book also had an e-mail function for private use.
The
fairy can access the school's calligraphy terminal and only send letters.
With
a letter, the fairy can only carry it to a specific address, but with the
school's calligraphy, Lynn can check on the terminal wherever he is.
In
addition, when using fairies to transport letters, they are always in flames,
which makes them stand out when they are received, but if you just let the
fairies carry the letters to the academy's storage area, they can receive the
message without anyone noticing.
It
also has the advantage of saving paper.
If
there was a problem, Lynn would be able to contact the school's office and give
instructions to the employees remotely, no matter where they were.
Lynn
checked the reports from the workers in the school book.
The
first report was from Ketra.
The
transportation of the ordered goods was successfully completed.
Next
was Sheila's report.
All
paperwork that needed to be done by today was done.
Lynn
read through all the reports, and after confirming that there were no
abnormalities, he gave instructions to each department about today's work.
Lynn
writes down the information in the Academy's book, casts a spell, and returns
it to its storage location.
The
instructions were to be distributed to each department.
(Phew.
I think I can take my time in class today.)
Lynn
took a break from all the remote work.
The
school was becoming a place of relaxation for Lynn.
In
the past, I struggled to keep up with my studies at the institute, but now that
I spend my days swamped by the hectic pace of business, I can hardly figure out
what I was so bothered about.
When
the elevator arrived at the floor where the classrooms were located, Lynn
walked down the corridor toward the classroom for the Metallurgy and Magic
class.
“Hey.
That's... That's Lynn.”
“He
seems different lately.”
The
girls who passed Lynn in the hallway became excited when they saw him.
Lynn
blushed and turned his head, pretending he didn't hear anything and quickly
walked away.
There
was a subtle change in the way people looked at Lynn.
That's
not surprising.
Lynn
was now on the verge of becoming one of the most successful students in the
school.
He
may attend aristocratic tea parties at night with Yuwen, who is the flower girl
of the academy, or he may skip the academy with Theo, who is also popular among
the commoners.
In
the eyes of his classmates, Lynn was like a student who had learned to have fun
outside of school.
What
caught the attention of his classmates more than anything else was the fact
that Lynn had a mysterious source of income.
This
was evident in the way he was dressed.
He
was clearly wearing better clothes than before.
He
had also gotten a new cane. He carried the same walking stick as Yuwen,
Tonnier's walking stick.
He
didn't even have a part-time job, and yet he was getting better and better.
People
talked about him a lot.
At
first it was speculated that he was receiving help from Illywia, but that was
not the case.
Some
people said they had seen him in business meetings with people from major
merchant associations, others said they had seen him dining with people from
the Mage Association.
Often
during class, he would be fiddling with the academy's books, sneaking around
doing something else, or just plain skipping class.
He
would often come to class and then leave early.
Some
people even asked Lynn directly about his recent successes.
Lynn
spoke honestly to those who asked.
“I've
started a new business with Theo.”
But
since he didn't say anything about the important things, people never stopped
speculating about him.
“Maybe
he is the illegitimate son of a royal family and pretending to be a commoner
was a cover to pass time.”
“Could
he be a servant of some noble family and being forced to do dangerous work?”
“Isn't
he actually being sent money by his foster parents after being adopted?”
Lynn
let these rumors circulate. Lynn was beginning to learn that there was no point
in putting words in people's mouths, and that the more he could inflate his own
image, the better off he would be.
As
Lynn entered the classroom, a female student approached her.
“
Lynn. Good morning. You're came to school today, I see.”
“Oh,
good morning, Lilette.”
(I'm
such a jerk. I forgot that Lilette is in this class.)
Lynn
regretted that he entered the classroom so thoughtlessly.
“Lynn.
Come here. Come sit with me.”
“Uh-huh.”
Lynn
sat down without any hesitation.
Lilette
was a girl he had met through Yuwen.
She
was part of Yuwen's flamboyant group of girls, but she was the quiet and
reserved one in the group.
At
first she was shy and kept her distance from Lynn, but as Lynn talked to her more
and more, she gradually became more and more friendly.
At
this time of year, the classrooms were rather empty, as some of the students
had already earned their credits and were no longer attending classes.
Both
Theo and Yuwen had already earned credits in Metallurgical Magic, so naturally
Lynn began to attend classes with her.
Whenever
she saw Lynn, she would run up to him and talk to him in a friendly manner.
This was the only time she ever acted this way towards Lynn.
Lynn
knew that she liked him.
She
was one of the girls who had been looking at him differently as he rose through
the ranks.
At
first, Lynn had been honestly happy that there was a girl who liked him.
Lately,
however, he couldn't feel that casual about it anymore.
“You've
been at the school since early this morning, haven't you?”
“Yes.
I'm here because the new employee has learnt the job. I've been able to leave
some of the work to her.”
“Really?”
Lilette
said without any interest.
“......”
The
conversation between the two was cut short.
“Oh,
yeah. Have you done your assignment on metallurgical magic?”
Lynn
tried to change the subject.
“Yeah,
I did.”
“I've
been working on that chrome metal from the metallurgical magic project. It's
used to color gems, you know. The glowing reds and greens of rubies and
emeralds are actually produced by chromium. The gemstones in that ring you're
wearing also shine because of chromium.”
“Oh,
I see.”
“......”
Their
conversation was cut short again.
Lilette
was a quiet and reserved girl. She was relatively talkative when it came to the
subject of Yuwen.
“You
know. I think. The way Yuwen treats Lynn, I don't think it's right. It's
racist.”
Even
though Yuwen had started to work with Lynn, she never forgot his status.
With
Lynn at her side, she would be able to show up at the Illywia's tea parties.
However, it was not a good idea to go out with someone from the slave class.
As
a last ditch effort, she decided to pretend that Lynn was one of her servants.
“He
is my retainer,” she said. “That's why I'm keeping him with me.”
It
was also at Yuwen's request that Lynn began to pay more attention to his
appearance.
“You
are my retainer, so you should at least wear something more respectable.”
Whenever
Lynn went out with Yuwen, Yuwen criticized Lynn's attire, and Lynn naturally
began to wear more expensive clothes in his private life as well.
Lilette
said.
“I
don't think it's right for Yuwen to treat Lynn like a servant. The academy is
all about equality, right? Lin should be treated as an equal.”
“Thank
you. You are very kind.”
“No,
I'm not.”
“No,
no, I've never seen a girl as sweet as you.”
Lilette
blushed and turned her head.
The
problem was that she was not very interesting to be with.
It
was very boring to be with her.
No
matter what Lynn said, all she would reply was “Oh” or “I see”.
It
would have been better to listen to Yuwen's swearing and her super theories
about the philosophy of success.
“You
know what? Chromium is a rust-resistant metal. That's why it's coated as a plating
on iron, which rusts easily. That's how it lasts so long.”
“Hehe,
I see.”
Time
seemed to pass more quickly when Lynn was with her.
There
were times when talking with her made him miss Yuwen's toxicity for no reason.
After
class, he naturally found himself chatting with Lilette.
“Hey,
Lin. I don't think you should be too friendly with Yuwen anymore. She's not
only racist, she's despicable.”
“Er,
um, yeah.”
(That's
harsh.)
“Hey.
Lilette. You're one of Yuwen's friends, right?”
“Yeah.
That's right.”
Lilette
said in a matter-of-fact manner.
“I
see. That's true.”
Lynn
tried not to think about it too much.
“That's
right. Lynn, I'm talking for your own good.”
“Yes.
Thank you. You're very kind.”
When
he said that, Lilette turned her head down again, embarrassed.
She
was just like Lynn in this way.
“Hey.
Lynn. Did you know that there's a new store called Chocolatte?”
“Eh?
I know about it.”
Lynn
was surprised that Lilette had brought up a topic so casually.
When
he looked at her, she seemed more nervous than ever.
It
was different than usual.
He
knew that she was trying to say something she wouldn't normally say.
“You
know. My master, you see. He said that Lynn and I can go out together if it's
just for a little while. So if it's convenient for you, why don't we go to
...... together on our way home today and visit Choco-latte?”
She
said, looking very shy.
Lynn
was unsure.
He
already had a prior appointment with Yuwen today.
But
he wanted to hang out with other people sometimes.
Besides,
Lilette's family was known for their strictness.
It
was not hard to imagine that she would have worked very hard to rebel against
her master for this day.
I
had a feeling that if I missed this opportunity, I would never have the chance
to go out with Lilette again.
“All
right. Let's go together.”
Then
Yuwen arrived.
“Hey,
Lynn.”
She
called out to him as if she were calling a dog.
“I'm
going to Tesura-san's tea party today. You're coming with me, aren't you?”
“Well,
today is a bit ......”
“You
don't have anything important to do, do you? Just get ready.”
“No,
it's .......”
When
Lynn was having a hard time saying it, Lilette got up and stepped in between
Lynn and Yuwen.
It
seems that she is determined to confront Yuwen.
Lynn
was a little lost, but decided to wait and see.
He
wanted to see how Yuwen would react.
“Yuwen.
Don't order Lynn around like that.”
“Wherever
I take him is my business, isn't it? And
why should I listen to you?”
“Lynn's
going to a new café with me today.”
“Oh,
sure. But that's too bad. Lynn is like a retainer to me. It's only natural for
a retainer to put his superior's needs before those of his friends, right? So I'm canceling your date with Lynn. Come on,
let's go, Lynn.”
“Lynn
is not your servant. I don't think it's right to treat him that way. It is very
rude to Lynn.”
Yuwen
narrowed her eyes and smiled lightly.
Lynn
felt a chill run down his spine.
He
knew that this gesture was a signal that she was about to be mean to him.
“Oh
my. But when I talked bad about Lynn in front of the others, you laughed along
with me, didn't you? You even talked behind Lynn's back with me.”
Lilette's
face tensed up.
Lynn
was upset by Yuwen's words, but tried his best to understand Lilette's
situation.
(That's
what this is all about, I guess. I didn't have a good impression of her at
first, but as I went out with her, I came to realize that she had good points and
began to reconsider. Yeah, yeah. It happens. When I first met Theo and Yuwen, I
didn't have a good impression of them either.)
Yuwen
continued.
“I'm
sure you're as honest and straightforward as a goddess without me having to
tell you this, but I bet you hide your true intentions from Lynn. I hope you're
not playing the innocent girl only in front of him.”
“I-I
never said anything bad about Lynn.”
“Oh,
you did say something. I remember. Would you like me to spell it out for you
right here, word for word?”
“Stop!”
It
was like a confession.
Lynn
stood up hurriedly. He couldn't let the two of them fight any longer.
“Yuwen.
We'd better get going. We'll be late for the tea party.”
“Huh? What
are you talking about? We' re just getting started.”
“It’s
okay.”
Lynn
grabbed Yuwen's hand and tried to lead her down the hallway.
“Lynn.
Are you going with Yuwen?”
Lilette
looks at him with tears in her eyes.
“I'm
sorry, Lilette. I guess I have to go with Yuwen today. We'll go to the café
some other time.”
Lynn's
words were meant to help Lilette, but she seemed to be hurt by them. Her lips
were tightly pressed together in frustration.
“Yes,
yes, that's right. You know what I mean, Lynn.”
Yuwen
gave Lilette a nasty and winning smirk.
“Lilette.
Don't worry, I'll expose your true nature to Lynn later when I’m alone with him
next time.”
“Let's
go.”
Lynn
pulled Yuwen along with him.
“Ha-ha-ha.
Did you see that? The look on Lilette's face. I love it. I didn't
like her for a long time. You did well, Lynn. I'll give you a pat on the back.”
“I
didn't do anything. Let's not talk about Lilette anymore.”
But
Yuwen continued to talk about Lillette afterwards.
Lynn
sighs.
“What
is this? Do all the girls say bad things about me? Am
I that popular?”
“You're
so full of yourself, you know. The girls only talk about you once a year, if at
all.”
“That's
good.”
Lynn
vowed never to use Yuwen for an excuse ever again.
The
next time Lynn saw Lilette, she avoided eye contact with him.
She
avoided eye contact, but Lynn spoke to her in a friendly manner.
“I'm
sorry I didn't join you last time.”
Lilette
looked at Lynn with fear.
“Don't
you hate me?”
“Why
would I? How could I possibly hate you?”
Lilette
seemed to be touched by Lynn's words.
“I'm
sorry. I didn't mean it when I spoke badly about you. It was just something I
felt I had to say, you know?”
“Yes,
I do.”
“That's
right. That's why I just said it. Will Lynn forgive me?”
“Yes,
of course. But we have to stop talking about Yuwen when we are together.”
“Yes,
we do.”
Lynn
spoke to Lilette again that day.
As
usual, all she said was “Oh” and “I see”.
Next time, Episode 63 “Negotiations with Lorea”
Thanks for the chapter. Just a few suggestions:
ReplyDelete"Whenever she saw Lynn, she would run up to her and talk to her in a friendly manner."
Grammar problem. Her >> him
thanks
Delete