Chapter 177

Chapter 177

Cecilia’s advance party, which had left merely two hours ahead, was quickly caught up by Rosen Ravenia’s trailing group at their first destination, the city of *Ank*.

“Hey, Cecilia! You—!”

“Oh, Rosen!”

Cecilia, who had been chattering away beside me, immediately dashed off somewhere the moment Rosen appeared, triggering a chase between the two.

Most of the onlookers nodded in amusement, muttering to themselves.

“They make a great team, don’t they?”

“Yeah, their dynamic really clicks.”

It was clear that Cecilia and Rosen, as president and vice president, formed an unexpectedly well-matched pair.

“I knew this was going to happen,” Lois grumbled, having regained his confidence after successfully passing the tactics exam.

Elliot, not missing the opportunity to tease, leaned in with a mischievous grin. “So, Lois, who do you side with? Your cousin or your fiancée?”

“I’m not taking sides,” Lois replied flatly.

“Come on, don’t be boring. Tell me, who are you backing?”

Elliot’s soft but teasing tone was clearly designed to corner Lois, but Lois just laughed dryly and shook his head.

“Even if I had a side, do you really think I’d tell you? If I did, you’d be the last person I’d tell.”

“Hey, don’t say it like that! That’s just hurtful!” Elliot whined.

“Hurtful? After all the times you’ve messed with me?”

As the bickering between Elliot and Lois continued, I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

“Haa…”

[Are all your friends idiots?] Airsya quipped from beside me.

I ignored her unnecessary commentary, as usual.

Just then, someone approached.

“Hey, long time no see,” said a cheery voice as a blonde man extended his hand toward me with a grin.

“…?”

“What’s with that face? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me?” he said, sounding shocked. As I tilted my head in confusion, Bren leaned in and whispered quietly.

“It’s Lucas, the senior.”

Ah, Lucas. I vaguely remembered him from the student council election back then.

“Oh, right. Lucas, senior?”

“Ah, good, you remember. I was worried you might’ve forgotten.”

Lucas had that natural, irritating charm—his actions oozed with an overly friendly, almost annoying attitude.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to say hi—”

Before he could finish, a familiar voice interrupted.

“Kamon.”

“Chelsea?”

Chelsea, with her short bobbed hair and the hairpin I had given her, approached us. She handed something to me.

“Here, take this.”

“Huh?”

In my hand was a small brooch.

“It’s from my mentor. Keep it with you.”

“Ah, I see.”

Hearing that it was from Jamie, I nodded and carefully pinned the brooch to my collar.

“Thanks, Chelsea.”

“It’s no problem.”

As we exchanged brief words of thanks, Lucas raised an eyebrow and mumbled to himself.

“Wait a minute, wasn’t I the one talking first?”

“Stop bothering the younger students and come over here, senior,” a firm voice chimed in from behind.

The speaker was Arian Marquis, the top second-year student. She had once been a key figure on Princess Francia’s election campaign alongside Lucas, but we hadn’t really had any personal interactions until now.

‘We don’t have much of a connection.’

No grudges or significant events tied us together, so this was our first real encounter.

“Aw, come on, Arian. Why don’t you come over and say hi too? We’re all going to be spending time together anyway.”

“Why should I?” Arian replied, her tone as sharp as ever.

“Come on, no need to be so prickly. Especially not to such cute underclassmen.”

Lucas’s laid-back tone persisted, but Arian shook her head before reluctantly approaching us.

“We already know Chelsea, so that’s that. Kamon, right? You’ve seen me before, haven’t you?”

“Uh, yes, I have,” I replied, nodding.

Arian looked at me for a moment before extending her hand.

“I don’t see the point in formal introductions, but let’s get along for the next two weeks. I’m Arian Marquis, second-year.”

I hesitated for a moment before shaking her hand.

“Yeah, same here.”

“Is that enough for you now?” Arian asked, turning to Lucas.

He simply shrugged with his usual smirk, satisfied.

But then, something unexpected happened.

“Wait… hold on. Where did you get that bracelet?” Arian suddenly asked, her hand tightening around mine.

“What?”

“That bracelet, where did you get it?”

Lucas, ever the joker, chimed in with a teasing grin. “Oh, now you’re interested in Kamon? I thought you didn’t care?”

Ignoring Lucas, Arian kept her gaze fixed on me, her eyes intense.

“Is that really yours?” she asked again, pulling me closer with a firm grip.

“What are you talking about?” I shot back, irritation creeping into my voice.

Sensing the tension, Lucas, who had been joking up to that point, frowned for the first time.

“Hey, hold on a second. Everyone, calm down.”

But before he could finish his sentence—

*Smack!*

Chelsea, who was still gripping Arian’s and my hands tightly, spoke in a low voice.

“Senior, what are you doing?”

Her voice was icy, causing Arian to glance around briefly before she finally released her grip on my arm.

“Ah, sorry. I got a bit carried away,” she said, letting go of my hand slowly.

However, Arian’s hand was still clenched tightly by Chelsea, who hadn’t relaxed her hold.

“Hey, I’ll let go, so can you ease up a little?” Arian said, trying to sound calm but clearly uncomfortable under Chelsea’s fierce gaze.

“Chelsea, let her go,” I added.

After a moment’s hesitation, Chelsea finally released Arian’s hand, and Arian stepped back, rubbing her sore wrist with her other hand.

“What’s with the sudden tension?” Lucas muttered, finally catching on to the situation.

“Is there a problem with Kamon’s bracelet or something?”

At Lucas’s question, Arian continued to rub her hand before she looked back at me with a serious expression.

“That bracelet—are you sure it’s yours, Kamon?”

“…What do you think?” I responded, slightly irritated. “I’m wearing it, aren’t I? It’s obviously mine.”

Of course, it wasn’t exactly *mine* originally—I had snagged it from the Vade family’s study. But they hadn’t said anything about it, so by now, I considered it mine.

And anyway, wasn’t the Vade family technically my family too?

[You sure have a slippery tongue,] Airsya whispered in my mind.

‘Shut it.’

Ignoring Airsya’s jab, I turned to Arian and asked, “So, why are you so interested in this bracelet? Does it hold some special meaning to you?”

Lucas, now just as curious as me, chimed in, “Yeah, Arian. This isn’t like you.”

Arian sighed before replying, “Senior, you know what my family does, right?”

“The Marquis family? Of course, I do. You’re known for your efforts to become the continent’s leading merchant group.”

“I wouldn’t say we’re the best, but yes, we lead a prominent merchant family. And because of that, I’ve come across a few rare and interesting items and rumors.”

Arian gestured toward the bracelet on my wrist and continued, “That bracelet looks a lot like one of the ancient magical artifacts I’ve read about.”

“An ancient magical artifact?” Lucas echoed in surprise.

“Yes, a relic from a legendary magical kingdom that vanished long ago. The markings on that bracelet are similar to those etched on one of our family’s heirlooms.”

As Arian explained, I glanced down at the bracelet. A small, greenish-blue piece adorned with intricate markings.

‘Wait, this thing is an ancient magical artifact?’

Suddenly, the bracelet’s true nature started to make sense. ‘No wonder it was able to block Shador’s attack so easily.’

If it really was an ancient artifact, it made sense that the Marquis family, who dealt in rare goods, would know something about it. And it also made sense why Baron Vade, with his connections and power, had such a relic.

[An ancient magical artifact, huh? You’re quite lucky, Kamon,] Airsya mused, spinning around me in excitement.

“So, that’s why I asked,” Arian continued, scratching the back of her head. “But I realize now it was rude of me to grab you like that.”

With a sheepish grin, she rummaged through her belongings before pulling out a small pouch.

“Here, take this.”

The sound of clinking coins filled the air as she handed me a heavy pouch.

“…What?”

“It’s nothing much, just compensation for my earlier rudeness. Even if you’re an underclassman, I should pay for my mistakes.”

Unlike the heirs of the Fren Merchant Guild, Arian Marquis seemed to have a more straightforward personality. She was quick to admit her fault and even faster to offer compensation for it.

“Uh, thanks,” I said, accepting the pouch. There was no reason for me to turn it down.

“It’s just a token of apology, so don’t feel burdened. Also, Chelsea, stop glaring at me.”

Though her tone was light, Arian threw a playful jab at Chelsea, who responded with an indignant *hmph*, refusing to let up her icy stare.

Arian, now looking slightly exasperated, turned her attention to Lucas instead.

“This is all your fault, senior.”

“Huh? What did I do now?” Lucas asked, baffled.

“It’s your fault for making unnecessary introductions!” she retorted sharply.

“Wow, what did I do to deserve this?” Lucas sighed as Arian directed all her annoyance at him. And with that, the brief chaos came to an end.

A moment later, curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the pouch Arian had given me. My eyes widened in shock.

‘How much is this?’

The pouch was packed full of gleaming gold coins. Even though Arian came from a wealthy merchant family, I hadn’t expected her to be *this* generous.

‘For this much gold, I’d happily endure a thousand more misunderstandings like that.’

[How disgraceful, being swayed by a bit of money. Get a hold of yourself, Kamon Vade!] Airsya scolded.

‘Please. If someone offered you a hundred servings of *Egg in the Hell* in exchange for some minor discomfort, would you turn it down?’

[What? A hundred servings? Of course, I could hold back if the reward was that…] she trailed off.

‘See? You’re just like me.’

[No, no! It’s not the same thing!]

As Airsya and I bickered, Chelsea, who had been watching me closely, asked, “Kamon, are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m more than fine. I just received a hefty apology, after all.”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

Though Chelsea nodded, her demeanor seemed slightly different than usual, and I couldn’t help but feel like something was off about her behavior.

‘…Is something wrong?’

But before I could think further, Elliot called out from nearby.

“Kamon! Did you hear? There’s a famous stir-fry restaurant in this town!”

[What? What are you waiting for, Kamon? Let’s go!]

With Airsya practically screeching in my ear and Elliot already getting excited, I had no choice but to shelve my concerns about Chelsea for the time being and follow along.

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