Chapter 156: The Assassin Met the Executioner

He was going to be punished again... This time, for starting a fight in the cafeteria. And although he hadn’t been the only one cutting in line, that probably wouldn’t stop his name from ending up on the list of troublemakers.

Those who were already eating encouraged the commotion, eager to watch a fight. Those still waiting in line, on the other hand, seemed ready to fight if they ended up without food. Meanwhile, those who had waited patiently were already preparing excuses and alibis, ready to distance themselves from the whole damn mess.

Haru didn’t think twice. Before the situation could escalate and result in a mass punishment, he slowly withdrew his plate from the counter.

’Ah.’ He didn’t think too hard about it. ’Corruption!’

He had a direct connection to the head of the cafeteria.

The others had nothing but hunger.

That was an important difference.

Haru looked beyond the counter, toward the kitchen.

Among the students carrying boxes and those organizing the food, he managed to spot a familiar figure.

Kira.

She was carrying a box, apparently occupied with a task that didn’t require much physical effort but still needed to be completed.

Haru assessed the distance.

Then he examined the shadows cast by the students near the counter.

’This is going to cost mana.’

He looked at the crowd again.

’But it’ll be worth it.’

He waited for a few students to move, creating a shadow large enough.

Then he disappeared.

A moment later, he appeared behind Kira.

The girl immediately stopped and turned her head.

"Huh? Master? What brings you here?"

Haru raised his empty plate.

"Food."

Kira closed her eyes for a moment, and a sigh escaped her lips.

"Of course."

The box she was carrying wasn’t particularly heavy, but she needed to deliver it to a specific area before continuing with her other tasks.

She looked at Haru, then at the box, and finally at one of the students working nearby.

"You. Take this box to the storeroom, then get the master a plate of food."

The student looked at Haru.

Then at Kira.

"Yes, boss!"

He picked up the box and quickly walked away.

Haru watched him go.

’As the African proverb goes, corruption is only bad when it’s not convenient!’

The thought made him grin even wider.

Kira, however, had already returned to her task. Haru watched her for a moment. Part of him wanted to take the opportunity to touch her and recover some more mana. After all, she was one of his sources of recovery.

But he hesitated.

Kira had responsibilities. She was working, and he didn’t want to get in her way just because he felt like recovering mana. Besides, he wasn’t a child.

He could control himself for a few minutes.

Probably.

So he simply stayed where he was.

A short while later, the student returned with a plate piled high with food. Haru almost felt like crying.

’Finally.’

’Food.’

The meal sat in front of him, hot and smelling good enough to make him forget about the stable.

He didn’t sit down or waste any time. He remained standing, holding the plate, picked up a spoon, and brought the first mouthful to his lips.

"Hey!"

Haru stopped.

He turned toward the voice.

One of the students responsible for serving the food was approaching him.

She wore the same work uniform as the others, with a hairnet concealing most of her hair and a black mask covering her face.

She wasn’t immediately recognizable.

But there was something peculiar about her.

Her eyes were a deep blue, and two pointed ears poked out from beneath the hair hidden by her hairnet.

’Elf ears?’

The student stopped in front of him.

Haru continued holding his spoon, not quite sure what to expect. She raised a hand to her mask and pulled it down.

The face revealed beneath it was beautiful and strangely familiar.

She was a blonde elf, with golden hair framing her face with an almost irritating elegance. Her clear, piercing blue eyes contrasted with her serene but not exactly gentle expression. There was something noble about her posture, the way she kept her chin raised, and the way she looked at others without needing to display her superiority.

Her beauty was different from Isabela’s.

If Isabela possessed the elegance of a lady who had learned to command a room without raising her voice, this girl had the presence of someone who preferred to command a battlefield. Her beauty didn’t seem meant to be admired from a distance, but rather discovered up close, in every small gesture. There was delicacy in her features, but also a firmness that didn’t fit the image of a helpless maiden.

A noble warrior.

And somehow, that made her even more fascinating.

"How are you?"

Her voice was soft, clear, and slightly deep, with a serenity that made every word strangely pleasant to hear.

Haru watched her for a moment.

Where have I seen this face before?

"Normal... And you?"

"Normal."

Silence followed.

It wasn’t exactly awkward. Neither of them seemed uncomfortable enough to walk away, but there wasn’t enough familiarity between them to sustain a conversation either.

Haru, meanwhile, was experiencing a rather peculiar feeling.

The girl was beautiful. Very beautiful, in fact. She had several qualities that, under normal circumstances, would have immediately made him consider her a potential waifu.

And yet, something wasn’t right.

It wasn’t just the feeling that he’d seen her before. There was a subtle unease, a kind of warning he couldn’t understand. As if his instincts were trying to draw his attention to something his memory couldn’t reach.

’Wait... Why am I feeling this way?’

Before he could explore the question further, the elf held out her hand.

"The other day, I lent you a canteen of water. You were thirsty. Do you remember?"

Haru blinked.

’Ah!’

’So that’s where I know her from! Her face... and her voice!’

’That was the day I saw her. Of course!’

There was no mystery after all. The memory had simply been buried somewhere in the mess that was his head. Right? That had to be it.

Haru had already met nobles at the Academy, but he still found it impressive how easily he kept running into people of that status. The Eldrath Academy was truly extraordinary in that regard. All he had to do was leave his room or try to find something to eat, and he’d end up face-to-face with someone from an important family.

On the other hand, that also made the place frightening.

After all, meeting nobles was one thing. Dealing with the consequences of knowing them was something else entirely.

"Yeah, I remember," Haru replied.

"Then you know... It turns out that canteen is really important to me."

Haru’s expression changed slightly.

"Oh, sorry! If I remember correctly, I tried to return it that day, but you’d already left. I still have it with me. Actually, I’ve been looking for its owner so I could return it."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I just don’t have it with me right now."

Haru paused for a moment.

"Wait. How rude of me! We’ve been talking for a while, and I haven’t even introduced myself."

"Oops, where are my manners? I’m Haru Mizuki."

The elf seemed to react to his name.

"Haru... So you’re the guy with the drinks."

Haru felt his soul leave his body for a fraction of a second.

’Damn it! My name has already spread everywhere. Now all that’s left is for my face to start spreading too!’

Apparently, fame had a much more efficient distribution system than he’d imagined.

The girl smiled slightly and held out her hand.

"My name is Seline."

Haru looked at her outstretched hand.

Then he looked back at her face.

Seline Orphéne.

"Nice to meet you, Seline."

He shook her hand.

...

And in that instant, without either of them understanding the significance of their encounter, their paths officially crossed.

Far above them, beyond the visible limits of that world, someone was watching the scene.

Kaelthar observed the meeting with an expression that shifted between surprise and satisfaction.

His gaze remained fixed on the two figures for several seconds.

Then a slow smile spread across his face.

"My assassin just met my executioner..."

He paused, as though savoring the irony of the situation.

...

The handshake lasted only a moment.

Even so, Haru felt that unease return.

There was nothing wrong with Seline. At least, nothing he could identify. She seemed perfectly normal, and her smile concealed no obvious hostility. So why did he have that feeling?

’Must be hunger. Yeah, definitely hunger.’

After all, he’d spent the entire day working in a stable. It wouldn’t be strange if his brain was functioning worse than usual.

’Yeah, definitely hunger.’

Unfortunately, hunger couldn’t explain why his instincts were practically screaming at him. But Haru had more pressing concerns.

If only he knew how soon he’d regret that decision.