Chapter 18
Light Pink Letter
(February 18, 2024)
As Allen had said, the weekend outing turned out to be more enjoyable than expected.
At first, Nigel thought wandering aimlessly through shops without any real purpose was nothing but a waste of time. But surprisingly—it wasn’t bad at all.
Allen went into a magic tool shop and bought all sorts of strange-looking magical items simply because they seemed fun, without even knowing what they were for.
At one point, Nigel casually touched one of them—only for his hand to suddenly turn transparent. In response, Allen obediently offered his back to Nigel’s invisible hand as compensation.
While heading to lunch, Nigel got separated from the group and ended up wandering into an old bookstore he stumbled upon. There, he managed to pick up several good books at a cheap price.
Allen and Noah, who found Nigel later, also bought a few books. When Allen flipped through one carelessly and inhaled dust, coughing violently, the elderly shop owner kindly handed him a glass of water.
Since it was awkward in both time and distance to go to the restaurant they originally planned, the group simply walked wherever their feet led them and entered a place that looked decent.
The moment they tasted the food, all three nodded at the same time.
They had just discovered a hidden gem—known only to them.
“Ahh, today was fun, right?”
Standing in front of a fountain glowing red under the sunset, each of them held an ice cream and ate.
“Yeah… except for my hand turning transparent.”
Pfft—Nigel heard Noah laugh beside him.
“I said I was sorry! That’s why I let you hit my back. Noah, when we get back to the dorm later, check if I’ve got any bruises. Then make Nigel donate to the temple for healing.”
“Understood.”
Noah nodded with a faint smile.
“Besselion, make sure to confirm tomorrow whether he’s faking it or not.”
“Understood.”
Noah nodded again without hesitation.
“Noah! Aren’t you on my side?! We’re roommates!”
“It hasn’t even been half a month yet. You think such a deep bond forms in just a few days?”
“Of course, someone as amazing as the top student wouldn’t understand the bond between roommates.”
Allen exaggerated playfully as he threw an arm around Noah’s shoulders. Noah smiled and returned the gesture.
“Yeah, I plan to live my whole life without ever understanding that bond.”
The three of them met eyes—and grinned.
“…Guess we should head back now. To the academy.”
“Allen, you’re acting like you’re going to your death, but you love Sienia. Didn’t you cry when you got accepted?”
“…Noah! You told him that too?!”
Noah avoided Allen’s gaze.
“…Sorry, Allen.”
“Wow. I keep your secrets and this is how you repay me? Nigel, you know what—mmph!”
Noah suddenly stood up and covered Allen’s mouth.
“…Much better. Besselion, drag Allen along like that. Let’s go back to Sienia.”
“Yes.”
“Mmph!!”
The enjoyable weekend passed, and a new morning arrived.
And then—
“As. I heard you’re an orphan?”
Sid Cromwell spoke arrogantly, as elegant as ever.
“…What?”
Nigel froze mid-step while heading to get water.
“Your surname stood out, so I looked into it. Turns out there’s exactly one record—at the temple.”
A crooked, malicious smile formed on Sid’s lips.
At his words, Nigel’s vision, his thoughts—everything—began to narrow.
He could see and hear nothing except Sid’s mouth moving.
As long as he didn’t mention the orphanage… that was enough. Just don’t mention it.
“You must’ve had it tough. Getting into Sienia all on your own without any support. But acting like a noble in front of me?”
“Sid Cromwell. Stop.”
Noah said flatly.
Fortunately, Sid didn’t mention the orphanage.
…That alone was enough for now.
But—
That arrogant attitude was unbearable.
No matter how much Sid disliked him, he had crossed the line—far beyond it.
Nigel lightly shook his head and glared at Sid.
Sid welcomed the fierce gaze and looked down at him.
“I heard you missed one question on the last exam.”
“…Ha. Good. That’s more like it.”
Sid crossed his arms.
“Was it this question, perhaps? The founding philosophy of Sienia Academy.”
“Ha—who wouldn’t know that? His Majesty Emperor Izekin founded Sienia to provide equal educational opportunities regardless of gender or status—based solely on ability—”
“…Right?”
“You seem to know it well, Lord Cromwell. Then I shall take my leave. May the blessing of Goddess Kyrelia be with you.”
Nigel bent his knees slightly and gave a mocking bow before immediately leaving the dining hall.
“…Nigel As!”
Sid called out after him, snapping back to his senses—but Nigel was already gone.
“…Nigel!”
“Oh, Allen.”
Nigel appeared behind Allen and Noah, poking his head between them.
“Ah! You scared me! I thought you went somewhere else.”
“Why would I? I still have class.”
“Um… are you okay, Nigel?”
“I’m fine. It’s true that I’m an orphan—so what’s there to not be okay about? It was bound to be revealed eventually.”
Nigel clenched and unclenched his fist.
“But… I wanted to tell you myself, Allen.”
Even Nigel didn’t understand why he wanted to reveal something that could clearly be used against him.
But—
With Allen, he wanted to.
“Nigel…!”
Allen teared up and threw himself at Nigel.
“The person involved is perfectly fine, so why are you crying? Don’t cry over something so trivial, Allen.”
Maybe it was because Allen reminded him of the kids from the orphanage.
With Allen… it felt okay.
So this must be what Allen always calls “friendship.”
Nigel gently patted Allen’s back—but his expression was cold.
He knew it would be revealed eventually.
But the fact that it was Sid Cromwell who exposed it made all the difference.
“…You said it’s fine as long as I don’t get caught, right?”
A certain idea formed in Nigel’s mind.
Sid Cromwell was having a very eventful week.
At the beginning of the week, what started as a small attempt to tease a Magic Department classmate who had insulted him during the entrance ceremony had grown far out of control.
Even when he realized his mistake and tried to apologize, the classmate avoided him so well that he couldn’t even get a chance to speak.
Worse, he had been completely ostracized by the Magic Department students—even those who had been his childhood friends.
“Nigel isn’t here, Sid.”
“But I clearly saw him over there—”
Who else would casually be eating snacks while standing between Besselion and Evans if not Nigel?
“That’s just an illusion created by our Magic Department. You’ll have to look somewhere else. See you in class tomorrow, Sid.”
Bang!
The door slammed shut mercilessly.
“…Sigh.”
How had things turned out like this?
Nigel, who mentioned the book written by his most respected grandaunt.
Nigel, who was never wrong.
Nigel, who remained indifferent no matter what he said.
He found it irritating.
He just wanted to see that expressionless face distort—just once.
But…
He had crossed the line.
There was no gain—only loss.
A fitting result for his petty and ugly feelings.
Even the gazes of his classmates had changed.
But Sid’s situation didn’t remain the center of attention for long.
Because—
Valentine’s Day was only a few days away.
On Valentine’s Day, female students would give desserts to male students to express their feelings.
Most were gestures of friendship, but some were genuine confessions.
Sid knew better than anyone that marriage was nothing more than a political alliance between families.
And yet—
As the day approached, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling nervous… and expectant.
“Sid, you’ve got a letter. Uh… looks like it’s from a girl?”
At his roommate’s words, Sid stood up slightly faster than usual.
“…Thanks.”
“No problem. You’re so calm even after getting a letter. If it were me, my heart would be pounding too hard to sleep.”
Thump. Thump.
“…Of course.”
Thump. Thump.
Ignoring the loud beating of his heart, Sid answered.
Holding the light pink letter with rounded handwriting that read “To Sid,” he didn’t even realize how he made it back to his desk.
Tap.
He opened his drawer and placed the letter inside.
Only then did his mind clear.
“Huh? You’re not going to read it right away?”
“No. It would interfere with my studies.”
“Man, you’re really different from everyone else. I heard some Sword Department guy carried cookies he got all day, only to crush them during training and cry! Hahaha!”
“…That’s funny.”
But he couldn’t laugh.
Because now—
He understood exactly how that student felt.
If the letter in his drawer got crumpled, it felt like his heart would tear apart.
That evening, for the first time, Sid failed to complete his planned study workload.
“Zzz… Zzz…”
Late at night—
Once he was certain his roommate had fallen asleep, Sid slowly got up.
Carefully reaching out, he grabbed the mana candle and lit it as dimly as possible.
His roommate had sharp night vision—he had to be cautious.
Creak.
Focusing all his senses into his fingertips, he slowly opened the desk drawer.
“Zzz… Zzz…”
Thankfully, his roommate didn’t wake.
“…Found it.”
At last, the soft, light pink letter returned to Sid’s hands.
Thump! Thump!
His heart made its presence known once again.
Slowly—
Carefully—
Sid unfolded the letter.
