Chapter 106 - 106. Trouble

"...Very..."

It was during the initiation ceremony.

The progress process was explained enough by the members... That is, the 'senpai', so now the initiation ceremony was over with Bernice's last word.

"..."

But Bernice was unable to speak any longer.

""...""

A cool silence hung over the empty hall.

Without moving, I waited for her Bernice's voice, her her.

But soon it was not her voice that came to her ears, but the sound of her shoes walking down the hall.

Bernice had suddenly left the hall.

"Saintess...!"

I hear Inez's urgent voice, and Bernice walks past me.

As she passed me, she was muttering so quietly that I couldn't hear it unless I listened closely to her.

"...Sorry."

Bernice was apologizing to me.

Her head was down so she couldn't see her face, but at least she didn't look bright.

Immediately after, Innes runs after Bernice, who has left the hall.

'...What's going on?'

Because the situation was so sudden, she chose to stay still rather than act rashly.

While contemplating while maintaining her posture, Ecclin, who was on the other side of her, approaches me.

"Hmm..."

Ecklen was choosing her words.

Her embarrassment seemed to be the same for her.

Soon, Ecklen, who was scratching her head, opens her mouth.

"Let's say the initiation ceremony is over... With this."

At her words, I, who had been on her knees, stood up.

"Is that okay?"

Ecklen raises her eyebrows at my question.

"Am I still the vice-captain?"

"...Rather than that, can I not chase after you, Vice-captain?"

"Since the captain is gone, it should be fine. Actually, I don't know what the situation is either. Whatever it is..."

Ecclin continues her speech and turns her head away, her green hair tumbling.

Her eyes were on the direction Bernice had left.

"...It means that an unprecedented situation has occurred in which members do not receive blessings at the initiation ceremony."

Ecclin, who had said that softly, muttered, 'How did this happen...' And she sighed.

"I'm fine...But I'm worried about the saintess. Did something happen..."

"...Probably he didn't let you join. I'll guarantee that."

Eclyn taps me on the shoulder.

"Don't worry too much. It won't matter."

Ecclin comforted me when I didn't answer.

She smiled bitterly at her friendliness and looked back at what had just happened.

The restrictions of Bernice's authority.

She can't lie

The word Bernice couldn't connect until the end was...

...Happy.

I am happy to have joined her knights and become her own sword.

It was just a formality, but to Bernice, it must have been something she could say only when she was really happy about this moment.

If that's the case, she wasn't happy just a moment ago... It was hard to judge exactly what the reason was.

Was it really that she was unable to continue her speech due to her limitations, or was it difficult for her to continue her speech due to another reason?

For example, it was caused by the energy I felt in my body.

In addition, the number of cases was innumerable.

... I don't think it's the worst thing though, that she suddenly lost her crush on me or turned her back on me.

'Similar to Ecclin's reaction...'

Above all, a word from Bernice that passed me by.

That would have been the obvious truth without a single lie.

***

[I couldn't tell you this time either. ]

As I walked out into her darkness, Sierra, who was walking beside her with me, tapped her own lips and said,

After finishing her initiation ceremony, she was on her way back to the dormitory.

Shady was a spirit no matter what, so it would be difficult for Bernice, who had nothing to do with spirits, to recognize, but Sierra was different.

As she said, she'd better explain this to Bernice sometime, but this time her timing didn't look so good.

"Well, because something like that happened."

I shrugged and said so.

With Bernice leaving like that, the reception was naturally delayed.

Speaking of the welcome party, there would be only Ecclin, Innes, and Bernice, but all of them can be seen as major figures in the Knights, so it seems to be an important place to build goodwill.

[You're a person that can't be easily caught, the saintess...]

"Who can understand her saintly life."

At my answer, Sierra covered her mouth with the hem of her sleeve and agreed with a light smile.

I walked her steps, chatting with her.

The darkness I was walking in was none other than Shady's shadow.

Shady, the owner of this world, was currently breathing her life force over my head.

"Rice. It's delicious."

Shady, who was eating 'rice', spit out such words.

It's delicious... Is there a difference between having a taste and not having a life force?

She wanted to ask something, but Shady's still only able to utter simple words, so it's hard to get the answer she's looking for.

In many ways, there were many comfortable things in the shadows.

The most important thing is that you can be free from people's eyes very simply.

Thanks to that, I was able to talk to Sierra without hesitation like now.

Whether it was going in and out of the academy or walking around the city, it was useful in her real life.

However, the battle was still there.

The level of 'shadow hide and seek' now didn't consume much of Shady's power.

The consumption of each technique was roughly grasped.

Among them, the skill with the highest consumption was Shady's 'Purpose'.

It could be seen as a 'summoned beast' that was out of its spiritual state.

At a rough estimate, the destructive power also seemed to be formidable... It seems that the drawing of something vicious black object in my head is not something that can be manifested in the state of Shade I saw before.

That said, I didn't lack destructive power or force, so I wondered if there was something I could use, but I was curious.

Is it curiosity as a gamer?

Why didn't he try the skill he first obtained even in an empty field with no enemies?

'If it's not a very urgent situation, I think I can use it when I'm moving alone...'

Shady's power requires careful use.

It was a power that looked suspicious in the open, so it seemed better to hide it from others if possible.

Slowly, the next 'episode' was approaching.

In this episode, you will battle with like-minded colleagues. It was convenient to see it as a concept like a raid.

Anyway, I think I will be leaving far away, but wouldn't it be better to experience Shady's power before I leave?

I went through the plan step by step and organized it in my head.

While chatting with Sierra, I continued walking until I arrived at the front of the dormitory before I knew it.

Shadow hide-and-seek was able to climb even high floors without difficulty. It felt like it was only in the shadows, and the internal structure of the building was reproduced as it was.

Soon, my body comes out of the shady shadow next to the bed.

I immediately threw myself on the bed.

Sierra sneaks up to me and strokes my cheek.

[...You look tired, uncharacteristically. ]

Sierra's soft voice echoed in her head.

"Because this guy sucks her blood."

I rubbed Shady's fuzzy hair on my chest.

It wasn't painful to lose life force, but it did make me tired.

I wanted to lay down on the bed and go to sleep, but after a while I had to head straight to the academy.

***

On the other hand, on the night Jeto was holding the initiation ceremony after dealing with the demons, Yuri Clementine was in the midst of 'cooking'.

This was to make 'delicious' health food directly to Jeto.

"...I made it."

Yuri gulped, pushing the bowl against her table.

The kitchen was cluttered with traces of all kinds of cooking.

The food Yuri made left her hands now.

What remained was an 'objective evaluation'.

Then, a blue-haired girl sitting at the table picks up a fork with a very serious expression.

Her hands were shaking violently.

That would be the case, and something that could not be called food was wriggling in the bowl.

The food squirms.

The girl wondered why this was possible, but as she looked at Yuri's face, she barely swallowed the question.

Before long, the food made by Yuri enters her mouth.

ㅡ well well.

The girl who was chewing her food tilts her head.

ㅡ well well.

Chew it a few more times...

"..."

...Silence flows.

Yuri pressed her lips together and waited silently for the girl's, Lucia's, mouth to open.

Lucia, who has a pure and kind heart, tried to smile as brightly as possible, but her face had long since hardened at the taste of food that was difficult to describe.

Eventually, Lucia's mouth opens.

"Huh..."

Lucia's body trembled.

Whether it was delicious or not, that was the key.

"How is it, how is it? Is it okay this time?!"

"This, humans shouldn't eat it... Any more... It's impossible..."

Lucia leaves her breath and drops her head on the table.

ㅡ kung.

Still, she did not spit out the food, but chewed it thoroughly and tried to swallow it.

"...Failed again? What the hell is wrong...?"

Yuri looked at her food and pondered.

'I thought I followed the recipe exactly this time...'

Cooking wasn't easy.

Yuri wanted to make health food for Jetto, but the taste was a problem for her.

It was absurd for her to think that she would put out tasteless food and hope that she could buy his crush.

However, no matter how hard she tried, her poor cooking skills showed no signs of improving.

So, she brought Lucia, who was in a cooking exchange meeting, and was receiving her advice.

"Ummm..."

Her glass took a bite of her own food and let out her drool as she frowned.

Even the cook herself couldn't stand the taste.

But she thought she had found out what was lacking.

"...Okay, then one more time..."

"To...?"

Lucia, who woke up and wiped her mouth with her bread, is startled by Yuri's muttering.

"Yu-Mr. Yuri...! I've been thinking about this before, but you don't hate me, do you?"

Finally, Lucia cries.

Yuri tilted her head as if to ask what that meant and gave her a bright smile.

Yes.

'Clementine' doesn't break just like this.

"...Heeep."

However, Lucia, who will be in charge of 'objective tasting', will soon be defeated.