Chapter 273 : Chapter 273

Chapter 273. Secret Friend Operation (2)

To Leon,

You are not alone.

Stay strong today too!

From your secret friend.

"Crazy bastard."

Leon crumpled up the paper—he had lost count of how many times.

WHOOSH!

He did not forget to burn it without a trace either.

Having incinerated the paper, he whipped around with bloodshot eyes.

Precisely toward where Radel was.

"Ideas for the autumn festival booth?"

"That is right! I believe we must absolutely have a booth that spreads the excellence of Cryptozoology. What do you think?"

Leon ground his teeth as he watched Radel casually conversing with Professor Donton Murr.

'It is definitely that bastard.'

In fact, there was only one person who would leave such irritating notes in such an impudent tone.

He was certain that the culprit was Radel.

However, the culprit left no traces no matter what method he used.

It was skill almost like that of an assassin.

Once he caught definitive evidence, he would kill that bastard.

Leon glared at Radel with cold eyes, then inadvertently ended up hearing his conversation with Professor Donton Murr.

Radel was giving his opinion to Professor Donton with a composed expression.

"I think the same as you, Professor. Many people do not know the value of Cryptozoology. So through this festival, how about we approach the public in a more familiar way?"

"A familiar way?"

"Yes, we should prepare experiences that will draw people's interest. The booth that the seniors ran during the spring festival honestly had very poor accessibility."

Having heard Radel's words, Professor Donton Murr gave off a vicious aura.

"Hey, greenhorn. Are you saying that as a first-year, you are going to evaluate the seniors' booth?"

It was an atmosphere where something big would happen if he misspoke even slightly.

Leon raised the corners of his mouth, thinking Radel would finally get properly scolded.

How much had he played with people with that smooth tongue until now!

Professor Donton Murr's muscles, as if about to burst, became even more taut.

However, even with the aura the professor emitted, Radel remained composed.

"Yes, that is right. I was also a booth visitor back then. So I think I can give a more objective evaluation. If we keep the good points and supplement the lacking points, many more people will visit."

"The more I hear, the more absurd it is. Right now, tell me the lacking points you think of. Of course, you know what will happen if it is ridiculous talk, right?"

Professor Donton Murr smiled viciously while pressuring Radel.

Even the Cryptozoology majors around them were tense.

"Is something not going to happen to him?"

"I heard some senior before answered Professor Donton wrong and their back bent backwards."

"The rumor that the professor caught a Red Grizzly Bear barehanded?"

"That is also true. They say it happened during class with third-year seniors..."

Gulp.

The first-years' Adam's apples bobbed.

They were worried whether Radel's back might also bend backwards.

'Bend backwards!'

The only person who sincerely hoped Radel's back would break here was Leon alone.

Radel met the professor's eyes while receiving his friends' concerns and expectations.

And he slowly opened his mouth.

"What I felt was lacking... that is cuteness."

Twitch.

Professor Donton Murr's eyebrows rose upward.

He asked with a vicious expression intact.

"Cuteness?"

"Yes. Please look at the magical beasts we care for, Professor. Are they not so cute? Those magnificent claws, beautiful scales, plump feathers... even the gleaming teeth."

Radel's hand pointed at the magical beasts roaring on one side.

GRRR!

KIEEE!

KYAAK!

Leon was at a loss for words as he looked at where Radel was pointing.

They were vicious magical beasts no matter who looked at them.

Since it was mealtime, there were some making a fuss asking for more food, and some were hungrily chewing on students' clothes. Saliva dripped from their beaks and snouts.

What cuteness was there...

However, contrary to Leon's impression, was Professor Donton's mouth corners not rising slightly?

Radel continued to point at the magical beasts around them.

"Stiff whiskers, soft yet powerful tails, glossy bridge of the nose, overwhelming jaws that look like they could bite prey at any moment! Sharp poison stingers that could cut paper! Each and every one is so cute."

"So?"

"I think we should not keep this cuteness only among ourselves. We need to let people know how charming magical beasts are."

Then the first-years also nodded.

"Right. Other people need to know how cute our babies are too."

"But everyone treats us as mages with strange hobbies."

"Exactly! Everyone knows too little about magical beasts."

Having seen his friends' reactions, Radel argued strongly.

"I am probably not the only one who thinks this way. However, the Cryptozoology booths until now only showed things like magical beasts' footprints or scales, but could not find a way to let people know their cuteness."

"What ignorant talk, greenhorn. Do you think your seniors have not tried until now? When we brought out magical beasts, people would just get scared and avoid them. In the end, we only received warnings that it did not suit the Academy festival!"

Professor Donton Murr crossed his arms and snorted.

"Your seniors were just like you. They were guys who had ambitions to show the true charm of magical beasts. But there was no one who appreciated it. No matter how cute the guys we brought out! If the guys showed even a bit of their instincts, people would not even look. How are you going to spread the cuteness of magical beasts in such a world?"

It was something Radel had also anticipated.

No matter how much they were tamed from a young age, magical beasts had instincts as monsters.

Controlling those instincts and training them to be helpful to people was also the top priority goal of mages who majored in Cryptozoology.

However, unlike Cryptozoology majors, people feared magical beasts that might turn threatening at any moment.

Moreover, considering the tastes of Cryptozoology majors, there was a possibility that the magical beasts they brought saying they were cute were far from what was generally cute.

This was because Cryptozoology majors found them cuter the more their characteristics as magical beasts stood out.

'There is a high possibility that they stubbornly refused to listen even when other majors advised them they were not cute.'

It was a natural story given Professor Donton Murr's and the Cryptozoology majors' personalities.

They would have only prepared terrifying magical beasts, leaving aside unicorns and small, adorable magical beasts that people liked.

If this custom was not changed, the Cryptozoology booth would obviously only have flies buzzing around again.

Although Radel was hoping for an integrated major booth, he could not leave this situation alone knowing about it.

The desire to let other people know the charm of Cryptozoology was the same for Radel.

"The answer is simple. We just need to make people get used to it."

"Make them get used to it?"

"Yes, Professor. If it is not easy to feel cuteness from the start, we must make it so they cannot help but feel cuteness."

Light flashed from Professor Donton's eyes.

"What is the specific method to execute that?"

"Confine them."

Leon doubted his ears.

He said he would make them feel the cuteness of magical beasts, but now he said confine...?

"We just need to make people alone with magical beasts. If they spend time that way, they cannot help but discover their charm. They say humans feel affection for the being they are with when they experience extreme fear."

At Radel's words, Leon's expression hardened.

'Is he insane?'

Radel, who proposed such an unhinged method, did not look sane.

However, the thoughts of everyone else except Leon seemed completely different.

"Uh...? That might work?"

"Right. We just need to pick ones that follow people well, right?"

"Yeah. If people spend time directly with magical beasts, a lot of their prejudice will disappear."

Professor Donton Murr was the same.

"Kuhaha! As expected of my favorite student! To see through not only magical beasts but also human psychology!"

He burst into laughter with a very satisfied face and patted Radel's back.

THWACK!

DING.

[The user's body has been slightly damaged.]

[Trait, Troll's Heart activates.]

[Warning! Pain is surging!]

Radel ignored the notification sounds that rang each time Professor Donton's hand touched him and tried hard to smile as if he was fine.

It was such a tremendous touch that Troll's Heart, which had not activated recently, activated instantly.

"The professor likes it too!"

"That is really great!"

"Right, let us confine people!"

In any case, with Radel's idea, the atmosphere of the Cryptozoology class became as warm as it could get.

Except for one person.

'...Everyone has gone mad. There is not one sane person...'

It was Leon, thinking of the followers he had deliberately distanced himself from.

* * *

"...Hoo."

Leon led his tired body and stopped by the dormitory to go to the next class.

There were comfortable aspects to going around without followers, but it was also true that he was tired.

The reason went without saying.

Crunch.

Leon discovered a note and potion hanging on his dormitory room doorknob and bit his molars.

Nausea surged up to his throat, but he was able to endure it thanks to the habit of trying to maintain dignity as a member of the imperial family.

To Leon,

You look a little tired today.

I will gift you this potion as a way to cheer up.

From your one and only secret friend.

Leon's hand holding the stamina recovery potion trembled.

'Who made me tired...!'

He had no idea when they had come and gone in front of his room.

He was clearly taking all the major classes with Radel, but he could not notice any signs.

"I acknowledge it. You have succeeded."

Leon muttered with anger.

There had been no existence that made him this angry.

After failing to kill Radel, it was true that he had felt confused.

He could not find answers to why he could not kill him, why he had hesitated.

Leon had tried to learn about Radel to find that answer.

But the more he learned, the more he fell into a labyrinth.

In the meantime, not only did his followers turn favorable toward Radel instead of being helpful, they also reported his actions to his maternal grandfather...

They were making Leon more confused.

At such a time, someone who did not know his situation even grated on his nerves.

Should I kill him...?

Leon agonized while looking at the note.

And naturally, at this moment, Leon's secret friend was near him.

"Succeeded?"

Radel, who had been hiding outside the window with his presence concealed, was delighted to hear Leon's voice.

It was worth paying attention to Leon, who had been going around alone lately, in case he was lonely.

For some reason, Leon, who was keeping distance from his followers, had changed his mindset.

Radel knew better than anyone that Leon had no friends.

'Phew... there is no way friends would form with that personality.'

Radel shook his head while having thoughts that would turn Leon's insides upside down if he heard them.

It was not the job of a true secret friend to leave Leon, who was going around alone without friends.

Radel tried hard to become a source of strength for Leon while hiding his identity.

And finally, it seemed Leon had recognized that sincerity.

'He probably meant he succeeded in recognizing my sincerity.'

That was how the two brothers' misunderstanding only deepened...