The Academy Circle Fest: Day 3 (4)

"*Cough* anyway Alyson, even tho it seems like that both of you already knew each other. I would still like to introduce Fransisca to you. This is Fransisca Grey, my childhood friend, and fiancee."

I said it with as I look at her straight to the eyes. Her eyes wide open as she listens to my introduction. Then she looks at Fransisca before she bows her head.

"M-my apologies, senior. It wasn't like what it looked like. It was a coincidence that senior Zein met with me, an—"

"Shhhh... I understand you did not need to apologize and explain yourself."

Fransisca cut her words calmly as she put her finger on Alyson's lips gently to stop her, even tho I could see her ears blushing from the side. What a —

"And it should be Zein that explaining himself not you."

But before could sigh in relief, she looks at me coldly as if I am a criminal. I gulped down unconsciously when she stared at me.

"I-it wasn't senior Zein fault, he only—"

"Shhh, junior just be quiet for a while. It definitely his fault, since only those close with our family knew about our engagement. Or did he already told you that he is engaged before?"

She cut her words once again, with those being said, there is no room for rebuttals. The fault complete fall on my shoulder, since I never mentioned it.

"So, could you excuse us for a moment, junior?"

Alyson could only nod her head, then Fransisca pulled me away from the crowds as we enter a cafe nearby and get a private room. It seems like she is aware of her surrounding, that is why she cut her words before any words that could make gossip left from Alyson's mouth. After all, I am famous around here with my bad reputation. If some loudmouthed person by any chance here it, my title would increase once again, also it would be bad for Alyson reputation. Then she orders a tea set and waiting for it. She didn't speak a single word at all even when the tea arrived.

I really miss smartphone right now! I need someone to consul about this at the moment. If it's on earth, I would have asked my friend on a group chat about what to do, but somehow I got a feeling they would only say 'Go die bastard'. The silence is really menacing for my mental health! After a couple of minutes, I finally pulled out my courage and open my mouth.

"F-Frans this wasn't as it looks like."

She sending dagger at me which make my back wet with cold sweat.

"Which was it that doesn't as it looks like? You are hand in hand with a junior alone, or when you walk around the festival with her?"

She stopping her for a moment while she put her finger on her mouth as if recalling something before she stared coldly at me in a frown as a tear stream down on her faces.

"Or your guilty looks right now?"

That last line from her gives massive damage to my conscience. I could feel a bitter taste in my mouth and painful feeling in my heart. I recall my promises to her that night and my swaying heart when I met Alyson.

'What the difference between me and the past Zein?'

Alyson might be overlapping with my past lives girlfriend, but it wasn't right of me to be swayed by her. I already got a fiancee right now, I even try to make an excuse in front of her when she saw me with Alyson? What a bastard! I clenched my fist feeling an urge to beat myself. I shouldn't hide the facts that I was escorting her around before, and I shouldn't have walked hand-in-hand with her today. What more I shouldn't hope for relation more than junior and senior from her. I lead her to think that I am single, as I never mention my engagement nor even bought it up. The worst part is I always she my ex figure inside her. The facts are clear to me, it wasn't her that I yearn for but it's my ex figure that I keep seen from time to time. She wasn't Nise, she is Alyson Pakenhope, just a junior of mine.

Whilst I am in a deep thought Fransisca suddenly stand up, I could see her sorrowful gaze as she started to walks away. I caught her wrists at once before she could run outside. Even though my mind is in mess, I am not like those rom-com protagonists, that slow to take up their surroundings nor reading the mood, when they were conflicted with their heart. I am not a harem protagonist either, who wants all the girls I like to get along with one another and monopoly them.

"Let me go!"

She struggles at once, but as I am already stronger than her, she couldn't do anything against me as I pull her closer and make her sit on my lap. I hug her from behind, as she keeps her struggle.

"I am sorry. It indeed as your assumptions. But let me make things clear to you. Afterward, if you didn't change your mind, I would accept it regardless. So could you listen to me once again?"

I whisper to her ears slowly, she stops her struggle as soon she heard my plead.

"Do you remember the night before our departure? When I told you about I met God and remember vague memory about my past life, it wasn't vague as I made it be. I didn't remember it vaguely at all, but I recalled the entire life of him. In that life outside my family, there is someone that dear to me, someone that I wish to protect for the rest of my life. Somehow I keep seeing that figure in Alyson, which makes me move without thinking. This might sound like an excuse, still, I want you to know that was in the past. You're the one that I love now, not her."

As I finish my explanation, I release her from myself. She stands up and looks at me with a complicated face before she walks away. I could only see her leaving the room since I already said everything I need to say. Saying more than that is just an excuse to justified myself.

All I could do is waiting for her reply. The decision is on her hand, I will accept whatever she chose to do. I took a sip on the cold tea that I haven't touch the entire time, it is really bitter. I sighed then walk to the cashier and plan to pay the bill. Surprisingly, Fransisca was calm enough to pay for it before she left the store.

Also as expected, Alyson wasn't there anymore when I walk out the store. Without I realized my feet bought me to the bar once again. When I got inside everybody is staring at me. They murmuring something, but I don't know what they were saying as my mind fully occupied by these afternoon events. Looking at me walking to the counter, Master Baggins comes to me from behind the counter.

"Nuu, it's got clouded again."

"hahaha..."

I laugh unconsciously as I heard him.

"... by youw response, seems like dis time you are screwed."

"Does it seems like that?"

"it ist, youw complexion ist really bad. You seem like fading away slowly, like it ist de end of de world. Did you release de evil god or something?"

"Hahaha... I just realized that I am the worst."

"Muu, dat ist correct dho, what you've been doing for you to take it so long to realize dat?"

"Master, I thought it is your jobs to tend your customer problem as a bartender."

"Indeed it ist my job to do so, but somehow you just stating a fact. So start talking if you want an ear, but I only give you one sind I need de other to hear an order."

"Sigh, long story short, my fiancee saw me walking alone hand-in-hand with another girl."

"You are doing that in de middle of de day?! Are youw stupidity ist without cure?"

"She wasn't a courtesan! She saw me walk with my junior!"

I rolled my eyes to him as I explained myself, although he laughing loudly from hearing those.

"Who said dat she ist a courtesan? There ist no law banning friend to do it with each other."

"Master Baggins, please be serious. Why do I feel like you're mocking me right now?"

"Kuhahaha. So you realized dat I am messing around with you. To be honest, I got no advice for you about this kind of things."

"It is not like I am expecting advice about it."

"Still, you already feel better, right?"

"Indeed, I feel better."

Although I am kinda pissed for being mocked by him. Still, his response made me feel that it wasn't that bad. I should trust Fransisca decision wholeheartedly.

"Thanks, master."

"You're welcome. Then I should go away, here youw usual drink."

With that he leaves me alone, I gulped down my drink at once and leave the bar. Today is a disaster for sure, I got nothing but trouble. As I walk to the nearest alleyway so I could teleport back to the academy, suddenly I detect something flying at high-speed aiming for my head. My sense told me to dodge it, as I shift my head slightly whilst turning around. It is a dagger, it cut my cheek a little as it passes through my side until it piercing the ground entirely. If I was late, I would have dropped dead on the ground with a dagger on my head. A chill run down my spine, as I never felt this kind of bloodlust coming at me. Dapper indeed sending me his bloodlust before, but he didn't seriously try to kill me. While the figure which thrown the dagger definitely wanted my life. I used my detection skill at once, I realized there too many people got caught in it. I didn't know who is the one targeting me. But when I want to cast teleportation, I caught a movement on top of the building on my right side and something slicing my mana detection as it flies to my direction. I dodge it to the side while rolling on the ground, then I release my mana to the surrounding higher like the time when I am scolding Reiya. The ground crumbling at once, as the building near me shook, I could hear some scream from the inside.

'Fuck, this would disturb the masses, and attract the crowd.'

I controlled it back at once as it won't be good if people got alerted by my mana pressure. Also, it would be bothersome if I got caught by guards for questioning. Unsurprisingly, couples of dagger fly to me as I pulled back my mana. I can't do long distances teleportation if I can't concentrate enough. I could always teleport for short distance tho, so I do those at once. I teleport to the other side of the alleyway on top of three stories building. I keep my gaze to where I was standing before as I erase my presence, but even after half an hour, the attacker never makes an appearance. The mysterious attacker definitely a professional. There is no trace from where it attacks, and it didn't come back to the fighting location. Whoever it was, it definitely a careful guy.

'Damn it, who want my life?!'

I cursed inwardly as I cast long distances teleportation and return to my room. When I appear my roommate, Silva, was there. He glances at me before frowning.

"What happened to you? You're bleeding on your cheek and your clothes are dirty. Did you hunt a monster? No, from the trace it from a sharp weapon, and your hair got cut unevenly."

He questioning me at once when he saw my cheek and dirty clothes.

"Someone attacking me suddenly. I don't even know who was it since that person was really good with hiding its presence."

"Is that so?"

"Anyway, it is a shallow wound. So you don't need to worry about it."

"Who is worrying about your wellbeing!"

He snorts at me before he returns to his study.

"Your answer on number 9 is wrong. The element earth golem wasn't earth, but none. Golem itself doesn't have any element as they didn't possess any magic power by itself. Simple Magic Engineering page 57 line 6 by professor Muram, which located on the middle shelf of your bookshelf, fifth from the left."

I walk out of our bedroom as I said those, I could hear his cursing as I got inside the bathroom. I look at my wound with the bath mirror. Honestly, if Silva didn't mention it, I wouldn't bother myself to look at it. Weird it should have closed up after half an hour, but somehow it still bleeding even now. I tried to used healing magic by speed up my cell regeneration but to no avail, it still bleeding. My conclusion is it poisoned, so I used my mana to purged it at once. It stings so bad when I do so, it made me clenched my teeth. Then when the stingy sensation goes off, I used my healing magic once again. As expected, it closed right away without leaving any scar. Today attack definitely planned! I don't know what would happen to me if Silva didn't tell me my wound still bleeding. What a vicious attacker! That attack must be an assassination attempt. But what kind of grudge that made the person in question to send an assassin? I don't think I've done something so bad that made someone want me to die? Hmmm, well, there an idiot couple that wants me dead. Although I doubt they would send an assassin to me, the girlfriend is questionable tho. My problems keep increasing somehow. I took a bath whilst thinking about it.