strictlysupreme Chapter 148:
Chapter 148:
Chapter 148:
Fun (1)
***
What happened after Grace bombarded me with kisses?
Surprisingly, there wasn’t much of an issue—except for Grace dying of embarrassment.
Luckily, the only witness was Luna. And she was just surprised and that was the end of it.
“Since when? Was it after that incident?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I have some sense, you know.”
Correction. She wasn’t just surprised; she started showing a lot of interest.
Initially, she just observed, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she began questioning Grace almost to the point of interrogation.
Grace tried to deny it, but realizing she couldn’t hide it anymore, she confessed.
“Honestly, don’t you think so too, Luna? A knight straight out of a fairy tale appeared for real!”
“Hmm. Do you think so?”
Everyone knows Luna lacks social awareness. Or rather, she just doesn’t pay attention to it.
She’s the type to focus solely on her own matters. It might be because she knows my secret.
“So, what if someone else had saved you instead of Sivar? Would you have fallen for them?”
“Well, I’m not sure... No, that’s not the point right now, is it?”
Grace almost got swept up in Luna’s pace but quickly regained her composure.
Of course, Luna’s question was purely out of curiosity. Just look at her clueless face.
She’s thoughtful when she puts her mind to it, but she rarely does. In a way, she’s similar to me.
“Anyway, we made a contract with Sivar, so we must adhere to it. Right, Sivar?”
“Yes.”
“You can kiss me whenever you want. It’s part of the contract.”
“Now?”
“Eek.”
Grace froze at my straightforward question.
Her already blushing face turned an even deeper shade of red. By now, her mind must be racing.
“Grace, your face is all red.”
“I-I can feel it too! Anyway, Sivar, where do you want it? I don’t mind anywhere. I swear on the honor of the Berche family!”
Grace proclaimed boldly with her hand on her chest. Her noble dignity mixed with a girlish charm.
Sturdy yet endearing, she was quite the unique character.
But it was all in jest. So, I replied bluntly.
“Not now. Later.”
“L-Later?”
“Yes.”
I might not ask for it at all. If weird rumors spread, it could harm Grace too.
I know how she feels about me. But civilization is complicated.
‘Her family would cause an uproar.’
Grace is the daughter of a duke. Ranked among the top three in the Matra Empire.
Although the Berche family has a hands-off approach, they’re still nobles.
They wouldn’t be pleased if I grew close to Grace.
‘Politics were a pain even in the Soul World.’
A standout feature of a fantasy world is that power equates to authority.
A prime example is Rod. Though a ronin without any title, he can’t be dealt with lightly.
Politically, it would take more than a faction—it would require a nation to confront him. Rod is that valuable.
‘The standard route is to gain power and naturally engage in politics...’
In a world where power equals political dominance, most players focus on gaining strength first.
If one focuses on politics instead of power? It’s a one-way ticket to hell.
‘I hate complicated matters.’
Of course, I can handle most of it. No matter how high-ranking a duke or emperor is, they have weaknesses.
Exploiting those weaknesses could give me an advantage, but the process is cumbersome.
So, it’s better to keep my distance from politics and slowly grow stronger.
‘I get why barbarians hate civilized people.’
Civilized people are ruder because their heads don’t get split open for rude remarks.
It seems fitting but also shows the necessity of politics.
If everyone split heads for rude comments, it would be constant warfare.
Since I lean more towards a barbarian mindset, I plan to avoid politics as much as possible.
‘If I can’t avoid it, then...’
I’ll accept it as fate. Hopefully, the freshman banquet goes smoothly.
“Oh, they arrived! Everyone! Grace succeeded in making a contract!”
“Really? It’s true!”
“We did it. Now we just need to capture the castle!”
“Are you sure? Do you know what that guy might do?”
“It’s fine. I expect him to throw projectiles with his bare hands.”
“...Even I didn’t expect that much.”
Having witnessed Sivar’s strength firsthand, she knew.
His strength was comparable or superior to Hector’s. She knew how powerful Hector was.
Launching projectiles faster than cannons would be no problem. She had already asked mages to reinforce the castle walls.
‘To breach the castle, he’d have to come personally. We’ll hold off as long as possible and retreat.’
Even if Sivar personally attacked the castle, she’d be fine. The plan was to surrender the castle cleanly.
The idea was to capture the enemy’s territory while they attempted to seize the castle. This would cut off their supplies and Sivar’s contract.
With this plan in place, Kara was relaxed. Even if the plan went awry, she could laugh it off.
As mentioned, she wasn’t too concerned about the exam. She’d rather it end quickly.
-Aaaahhh!
“Hmm?”
A strange sound reached Kara’s ears. Antonio, beside her, heard it too.
They couldn’t pinpoint the source at first, but it became apparent soon enough. The sound grew louder.
“...What is that?”
“Could it be...”
They turned to the source of the noise, each showing different reactions.
Antonio was puzzled, while Kara was shocked.
The other students had similar reactions. The dot in the sky grew, revealing its identity.
“Woaaaaah!”
It was Sivar. He wasn’t throwing projectiles; he was flying towards the castle.
Not just towards the walls but directly into the castle.
“Take cover!”
“What the...?!”
The sudden human cannonball(?) caused panic among Kara and the students. The catapult’s tension had been set to the limit.
Thanks to Kara’s quick response, no one was hit. The issue was the human cannonball itself.
Bang! Crack! Thud!
The human cannonball Sivar landed on a makeshift building storing supplies.
Specifically, the water supply. The gathered water flooded the ground.
This single attack significantly reduced the castle’s combat power, but it wasn’t over.
“Ouch...”
Amidst the billowing dust, Sivar stood up, looking surprisingly fine.
However, he rubbed his head, indicating he felt the impact.
“...”
“...”
Kara, Antonio, and the students stared at him in silence, unable to grasp the situation.
Sivar, rubbing his head, began walking slowly. The students instinctively took a combat stance.
It was like a bolt from the blue, but they had prepared for a fight with Sivar.
Step, step.
“...Where’s he going?”
“Who knows?”
But Sivar didn’t fight. He walked towards the castle gate.
Upon reaching it, he looked up at the towering gate and then back.
“Open it.”
“W-What?”
“Open it. This isn’t it.”
Sivar intended to leave the castle. The students guarding the gate looked at Kara.
Kara, equally puzzled, decided to comply with Sivar’s wish.
“O-Open the gate.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Rumble.
The gate rose at Kara’s command. Sivar walked out as soon as it opened.
“...This is fun.”
He left, muttering confusing words.
‘He’s not going to come flying again, is he?’
They say lightning never strikes the same place twice.
“Yaaaah!”
“Stop it already!”
But he did come flying a few more times.
End of Chapte