FEFR 51

Chapter 51

Lenart wasn’t the forgetful type.

Ranzé was his closest junior—and a peculiar one at that. Not that he had many juniors to compare her to; only three at best. But who could forget the sight of her challenging a peer to a duel barely a week after enrollment?

And it wasn’t a joke—Lenart remembered clearly. Her opponent, no less, had been Veronica Alacus, a name that kept coming up afterward.

He still remembered witnessing, just before the exams, the surreal sight of the two—who had once nearly come to blows—calmly agreeing to meet in the library garden. He hadn’t been composed enough to simply stand by.

So Lenart gave her a firm warning:

—Don’t go.

—Are you worried about me? But I have a lot to ask her. We’re just going to talk. It won’t be a big deal.

He couldn’t accept that. Both Veronica and Ranzé raised too many red flags. A disastrous pairing.

So, he informed Erna and Heine.

Skipping over the chaos that followed—by evening, the three of them were stationed on the second floor of the library, watching the garden from above.

Was this really okay? Did it need to go this far? Could they not do at least this much? Lenart’s mind wavered between extremes.

Unlike the bustling dorms, the library was quiet—of course, it was the day exams ended. Even the oddballs of their year had either gone to sleep early or buried themselves in the book stacks. No one disturbed the reading room where they sat. The school had even cut the lights to save fuel.

Any visitor with improper motives left, clicking their tongue at the unexpected company.

Every time the door creaked open and shut, Heine’s attention darted to it. Meanwhile, Erna glared daggers toward the garden below, still fuming.

Ranzé and Veronica were deep in conversation, oblivious to the gaze cast upon them.

Their topics jumped from the exam room incident—which Lenart had yet to hear about in detail—to Veronica’s thanks.

“…That’s unexpected.”

Erna, sitting between Lenart and Heine, murmured.

“I didn’t think she’d actually apologize.”

“There really must’ve been something serious at the test site,” Heine whispered. “Ranzé did say she took out all the sea monsters. I had a feeling it wasn’t just any event…”

As the two whispered, Lenart focused on the scene below.

It looked peaceful—nothing seemed likely to erupt. Yet the sense of dread in his chest never left.

And just as expected, Veronica suddenly grabbed Ranzé’s hand.

“Would you be my partner?”

Despite the distance, her words rang out loud and clear.

Lenart instinctively clenched his fists, but when Ranzé recoiled in disgust, he forced himself to act normal.

“Partnering with a Count of Alacus would certainly be advantageous. I’m sure she has military connections.”

As Veronica made her pitch, Heine let out a small sound of admiration. But Ranzé suddenly yanked her hand back and bolted.

“No way!”

“Wait!”

“No!”

A girl who rarely flinched was now shouting and fleeing.

Lenart watched her vanish into the darkness.

He and Heine were so focused on the commotion below that they failed to stop Erna from bolting out of the reading room.

“Erna, where are you going?!”

But she was already dashing down the stairs toward the garden.

The other two chased after her—but Erna, quick and nimble as a chipmunk, left them behind.

She reached the garden first, turned Veronica around, and threw her glove in her face.

“Veronica Alacus!”

“Huh?”

“I challenge you to a duel!”

At that moment, Lenart felt betrayed.

If it had been Ranzé who said those words, he might’ve accepted it—resigned, even. She’d been threatening to start a fight for months now. He’d mentally prepared himself.

But it wasn’t Ranzé.

It was her sister.

And Ranzé had simply… run away.

The shock hit harder than expected.

Heine, too, looked like he had buried his face in his hands.

Veronica, the target of this abrupt outburst, looked stunned.

“A duel?”

Erna raised her chin and, with a voice now eerily calm, replied.

“After all you’ve done, you weren’t even prepared for this? Shameless.”

Though her tone was quiet, fury still laced every word—each syllable laced with frost.

“A partner? Why should Ranzé have to put up with that from you? Do you know how much she’s suffered?”

“That’s between me and her,” Veronica finally managed to say.

“I don’t care if you’re her sister—”

“Her older sister!”

“Whatever! Where do you get off interfering all of a sudden?!”

Their voices rose, clashing midair. But while Erna seemed newly ablaze, shedding hesitation and doubt, Veronica was surprisingly restrained by her standards.

Still, Erna didn’t hesitate to jab a finger at her chest.

“Even I gave up on asking her to be my partner—for her sake. What’s your excuse?”

“I—”

“Don’t answer. I’m not asking out of curiosity.”

Erna cut her off coldly and declared:

“Words are useless now. Let’s settle this in battle.”

…What?

Lenart and Heine wanted to ask. When did this plotline start, and how did they miss it?

And as if a duel were already set in stone, Erna was even setting the time.

“Tomorrow at noon. Here. Bring a witness.”

Lenart realized he’d likely be that witness and snapped back to his senses. If not him, then it would be Heine—and that wasn’t much better.

“Both of you—knock it off.”

The two girls flinched. They had been so caught up that they’d forgotten there were others present.

They turned, startled.

Standing before them was Lenart—the upperclassman whose name was often whispered with “Don’t get involved” attached.

Veronica shut her mouth instantly.

Erna, only now remembering her companions, lowered her gaze.

“If your goal is to get expelled side by side, I won’t stop you. But I thought you were both smarter than that.”

The fire in them dulled.

Veronica wondered if maybe she should go find Ranzé instead.

Erna realized just how absurd she had been.

Lenart fixed his gaze on Erna.

“I told your sister to learn composure from you. Was that bad advice? You’ve outdone her. Never thought you’d be the one throwing punches first.”

“…Nothing’s happened. Yet.”

Erna offered a hesitant defense.

Sure, they’d shouted—but technically, the duel hadn’t begun. Only Lenart and Heine had witnessed it.

Lenart let out a sigh and nodded.

“Let’s hope it stays that way.”

“…Yes.”

Erna responded, still visibly annoyed but no longer defiant.

“I mean, Ranzé held herself back. I shouldn’t be the one to lash out.”

Veronica shot her a glance and muttered,

“Coward. Not that I’d accept anyway. Like he said, if I get expelled, I’m in trouble. And I don’t want Ranzé to hate me either.”

She knew she’d already left a bad impression.

After hesitating a bit, she gave only Lenart a polite nod and walked off toward the dorms.

Her posture showed no signs of giving up.

Erna clenched her jaw at the sight.

Heine watched Erna’s profile with interest.

Compared to her oddball sister, Erna had always seemed normal. She had sense, restraint, and a cautious nature—once even saying she’d rather endure bullying than escalate things.

And now? Her sister gets a partner proposal and she storms off to demand a duel?

He’d been shocked at first. But now that things had settled, he couldn’t help but smile.

He picked up the glove on the ground and handed it to her.

“Didn’t get too dirty.”

“Thanks.”

Erna accepted it, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

“…But where do you think Ranzé went?”

“We should find her fast.”

Lenart was already looking toward the stairs where she’d vanished.

“Who knows what kind of trouble she’ll get into next.”

Erna wholeheartedly agreed.

Ranzé wandered the library, catching her breath.

Maybe it was just darker than usual, but it felt like she’d run a lot farther than she had.

Thankfully, Veronica didn’t seem to be chasing her.

“What the hell…”

Even someone like Ranzé, not easily rattled, couldn’t take what had just happened lightly.

“That look in her eyes… wasn’t normal.”

She was used to stares—scornful, skeptical, even surprised—but the kind of hopeful gleam Veronica had just shown? That was a first.

If it had been Erna, she might’ve assumed she’d eaten something strange. But this was Veronica. The same girl who had grabbed her collar just yesterday. The same one who was scheming to kick her out of the group just hours ago.

What’s her angle?

No way was that an innocent suggestion.

But truth be told, she hadn’t run because of suspicion. It was because of how flushed Veronica had looked.

Anyone who knew Ranzé might’ve laughed—scared of that? But she wasn’t devoid of emotion. Her thresholds were just… extreme.

When her breathing settled, she straightened up and rubbed the back of her neck.

“…Where should I go now?”

Even if Veronica wasn’t chasing her, she probably hadn’t changed her mind either.

She might even be lurking near the dorm, waiting to ambush her again.

“Ranzé?”

Lost in thought, Ranzé turned at the familiar voice.

Two people were waving from a bench down the path.

“Anna? Doris?”