The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

I first attempted to change the subject.

“How did you get here?”

“By carriage last night.”

“...Did someone drive you here?”

“The palace is crowded with people. I couldn’t exactly ask them to run a train at such an odd hour, could I? It’s not like it costs just a few pennies.”

Taking a steam car here wouldn’t be cheap either.

No, more than that, arriving by ‘car’ from the capital to here was no small feat. Although the roads were somewhat established, many of them were just dirt paths. They were maintained to some extent, but still.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t come alone; there were knights escorting me.”

Seeing Alice lean back in her chair with her arms crossed, I felt the urge to slap my forehead once again.

If it had just been Alice and me, I might have actually done it.

“Is this all because of the time I called you ‘dear brother’?”

“That ‘all’? You don’t really think that was just a minor issue, do you?”

Alice raised an eyebrow at me.

“...”

If it wasn’t just a minor issue, then what was it?

But I wasn’t foolish enough to voice that thought out loud. For whatever reason, Alice looked incredibly serious right now.

“You don’t call anyone else such... intimate names. Doesn’t that mean you have something important enough to come all this way for?”

That was... quite astute.

The implication that “Alice and Claire might be sisters” was a significant bombshell, and I couldn’t admit to coming here to confirm that truth without bringing up the Emperor’s words, which would lead her to think I was talking about Claire and not me.

Time rewinding was a fantasy concept, and in a world where goddesses might actually exist, even if I got caught, it would likely just lead to shock or surprise. But telling someone I came from another world and that this world’s story was merely a game? That was a whole different matter. It implied my will didn’t truly matter, and the narrative might already be set in stone.

“...”

Seeing me hesitate to answer, Alice sighed deeply.

“Well, fine.”

With her arms still crossed, she squinted at me.

“After all, you came here intending to stay, right? So I’ll stay with you while you’re here.”

Hearing a sound, I turned my head to see the Swordmaster Frederick pressing his forehead with his hand. He had his eyes tightly shut, making the wrinkles on his face appear twice as pronounced.

“Are you two girls really planning to stay in my hut?”

“Don’t worry too much, Master.”

With a gentle smile on her face, Alice looked toward her teacher.

“If Sylvia says she wants to leave, I’ll consider returning today.”

Then she turned back to me, observing my expression.

“You don’t seem too keen on leaving, though.”

I stared at Alice silently for a while, then slowly opened my mouth.

And then closed it again.

Hmm.

While it had been embarrassing to call Jayden “dear brother,” and I regretted it now, it hadn’t been an overwhelmingly difficult thing to do. I had planned to rewind time after discovering the truth anyway.

Of course, there was no guarantee I’d actually find Lucas within the remaining two weeks of break. He could be off in another country or training in the mountains to cut me down all at once.

But if I didn’t find him, that was fine too. I could always rewind time to think of another way, or enjoy the rest of my break and reconsider later.

However, saying “sister” to Alice...

Even if I could rewind time, I felt an inexplicable aversion to doing so.

It was just a thought, but for some reason, it felt like it would become a significant... blemish in my life.

“...”

Alice was still looking at me, as if to say, “If you have something to say, go ahead.”

“...Um...”

“Hmm?”

“Um...”

I took a deep breath and spoke.

“Could you just go back home and wait instead of being here?”

“...”

Alice didn’t seem to catch what I said, tilting her head slightly toward me.

“What are you trying to say? It’s hard to understand when you break it down like that.”

“...”

I clenched my eyes shut, biting my lip.

Then I took another deep breath and blurted out, “Sister, could you not be here and just go home to wait?”

“...”

After hearing my words, Alice’s face lit up with a victorious smile, her eyes sparkling as if they were brighter than the stars still twinkling in the sky.

“Yes? What is it, Sylvia?”

Seeing her affect that deliberately gentle tone only made me seriously consider rewinding time and pretending that my earlier history with Jayden had never happened. But I ultimately concluded that no matter what, that feeling of embarrassment wouldn’t entirely disappear.

“I’ll tell you everything,” I finally said to Alice, who now looked ready to hear anything.

“Please?” 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“...”

After hearing my plea, Alice’s smile grew even wider.

“I understand how much you care for your sister,”

she began, and at those words, I felt a wave of intense anxiety wash over me.

“But I can’t just leave my sister here and go back, can I?”

“This place...”

The Swordmaster mumbled in a somewhat wounded voice. Hadn’t he just been acting like he didn’t care moments ago?

“Alice will stay here with Sylvia.”

“...”

I felt a different kind of irritation rising, watching the Swordmaster press his fingers to his forehead, letting out an exasperated sigh.

“Well, fine.”

He turned his gaze toward me.

There seemed to be no emotional weight in his gaze, but somehow, it felt sharp enough to pierce me. It was the same gaze he’d held when I’d been meditating here.

Even just yesterday, he had no intention of letting me stay overnight, but perhaps seeing me in that meditative state had changed his mind.

“However, don’t make me a nuisance. I already have one disciple I’m teaching here.”

The Swordmaster's gaze shifted toward Leo, who stood stiffly in front of us, having completely frozen in a military posture.

I had thought his demeanor would soften outside the academy, but apparently not.

After all, students from commoner backgrounds often felt uncomfortable around their noble counterparts. They’d rather keep things formal to avoid the potential awkwardness of trying to build camaraderie, especially knowing they would have to revert to politeness after graduation.

It was easier to think of their relationships as strictly defined from the start than risk getting hurt by being treated as equals.

“However, you three are equals here. There’s no one higher or lower among you.”

The Swordmaster looked at Leo with a certain disdain.

Leo seemed utterly stiff, unable to relax in our presence.

“Additionally,”

The Swordmaster continued as we nodded in agreement,

“there are no genders here. The training is the same, regardless of whether you’re male or female.”

“That’s something I’ve already experienced,”

Alice nodded, affirming his words.

And I...

“...”

Only then did I realize the gravity of the situation.

It was fortunate I hadn’t been kicked out, but—

The Swordmaster’s gaze toward me felt ominous.

It was the same look he had given me when I was meditating here.