41 - How to Escape the Reverse Harem Cliché
Chapter 41
It feels like just yesterday I was wishing there was a calming herbal medicine here, but on the actual day, I felt surprisingly calm.
To buy myself some time, I had already informed Aiden and the Count and Countess that I would visit Rowen’s territory during the holiday following graduation.
Aiden, who had taken time off to come here, whined that there was no rule saying I couldn't, but perhaps he was just happy to receive a reply from me after so long, as he sent a pile of gold coins along with his letter. He said it was so I could go shopping before visiting my friend.
Knowing full well that this was no different from the hazard pay for fighting Monsters on the battlefield, I knew I couldn't possibly accept it.
As I pondered what to do with it, Rowen’s insistent calls from outside the door made me bring it out with me.
“I’m sorry. Did you wait long?”
“No. Actually, I just came out a moment ago myself.”
I smiled at Rowen, who was giggling, and left the dormitory building.
Outside, it was bustling with countless people. Though graduation was still about a week away, it was practically a month-long vacation starting today. There were no classes, and even those who weren't graduating could leave the Academy at any time.
That's why I chose today as the day of our decisive encounter. It was a day when I could buy the most time and leave the Academy openly.
Furthermore, it was a day when events were being held within the Academy, so there were an unusually large number of external guests. By blending in with them and boarding Lena’s carriage, which would be waiting for me in the area lined with shops, everything would be over.
Even as Rowen led me around, my mind was focused on the Academy gates.
I could see countless people coming and going.
I’ll just leave as if nothing is wrong. They have no interest in me anyway, so they won’t notice if I just walk out. As if nothing happened, as if I were going to greet a guest who had arrived to invite me out. As naturally as possible…
“Laila.”
Rowen’s hand suddenly appeared, waving in front of my eyes.
Startled, I flinched, and Rowen, with an embarrassed smile, began to lead me somewhere.
Even as I was being pulled along, I kept glancing at the gates. I had to time it right; when would be a good time to leave? My mind was preoccupied with that thought.
“You’re a Guide, aren’t you?”
But my thoughts stopped abruptly at the word that came out of Rowen’s mouth.
“Are you still suspicious of me?”
Of course, I had to ask back calmly to avoid being caught in a flustered state, but Rowen chuckled softly.
“It’s just that the circumstances suggest it.”
“Suggest what? Last time, you said it was prejudice when you talked about Aiden.”
“Yes. I did. Still, I can’t shake off my suspicion. You met with Olivite, an Esper, here periodically.”
Come to think of it, the place we were standing was the storage room on the first floor.
Rowen was the only one who knew that Evan and I met periodically. And it was Rowen who had told Valerian, who had come looking for me, that I was in the storage room.
“Laila. Don’t misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand what?”
“Actually, I’ve been waiting for you to tell me yourself.”
“……”
“But it seems you don’t have much time left.”
This time, I was truly surprised. Had she sensed my anxiety from my frantic demeanor?
Rowen acted as if she knew I was going to leave.
“I’m on your side, Laila.”
“…You’re going to be on my side so blindly?”
“I told you. I consider you a very precious friend. Though you might not feel the same.”
“No, Rowen. You are a precious friend to me too.”
This time, I stopped Rowen, denying her thought. Only then did Rowen smile, nod, and clasp my hands.
“You’re leaving today, aren’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“Can you tell me where you’re going?”
“Not yet. It would be troublesome if I were tracked.”
“If the Fascianne Family looks for you, I’ll say you stayed at our territory for the entire holiday period.”
“Thank you, Rowen. Truly, thank you…”
“Laila. I don’t trust Espers and Guides much, unlike my father, but I like you. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Guide or a regular person. You’re just my friend.”
Feeling inexplicably touched that the first friend I made here was such a good person, I bit my lower lip.
“Take care, Laila. Contact me first when things stabilize. I’ll be waiting.”
“Yes. Ah, Rowen. Could I ask for one more thing?”
“What is it?”
“Later. When a lot of time has passed, if Aiden comes looking for me, could you give him this?”
I entrusted the pouch of gold coins Aiden had given me with his letter to Rowen.
“Tell him that I left to find what I wanted to do. If it’s Aiden, he’ll understand what it means.”
“Understood, Laila. Don’t worry about this and go safely.”
“Thank you, Rowen.”
I gave Rowen a quick hug, then released her and quickly opened the door and stepped out.
I ran down the empty corridor, exited the building, and then, with a composed demeanor, passed through the Academy gates and walked away without looking back, just walking aimlessly.
Recalling the map Lena had sent me two weeks ago, I walked at a brisk pace, almost running.
“Miss! Over here!”
Lena, wearing a hat pulled low and fidgeting anxiously, waved and called out to me. Before I knew it, I was running towards Lena, and finally reached her and the carriage.
And so, I succeeded in escaping this suffocating original work.
Once, I dreamed of being a wealthy building owner, and later, I wished I at least had a house in my own name.
If you think about it that way, I’ve achieved my dreams now. I have a house in my name, land, and a trading company, so money is making more money.
However, I still didn’t have complete freedom. It was a world setting where that was impossible from the start.
“Miss. Why are you out here? You’ll catch a cold if you stay out in this heavy rain.”
As I sat on the bench placed in front of the mansion gate, gazing at the rainy scenery, Lena came out, draped a blanket over my shoulders, and expressed her concern.
Smiling at Lena, who placed a mug of hot chocolate on the small table set outside, I replied,
“Just because. I like the sound of rain.”
“You seem to like those small noises, Miss.”
I nodded at Lena’s words.
Perhaps it was because I had become accustomed to things like white noise and ASMR, but even after possessing this body, I would seek out such sounds when I wanted to find peace for my mind and body.
The most suitable and accessible of these was the sound of rain. Especially since this southwestern region was one where it rained frequently, it was perfect. At times like these, I’d laugh, thinking I had chosen a good location.
It had already been nearly half a year since I left the Academy, as if being chased, and went into hiding.
For the first two months, I had been confined to the mansion of Baron Pauline, my alias, and hadn’t moved an inch. But now, I could even go out like this.
“No unusual news, right?”
“No. They seem to be concentrating their search on the eastern region.”
There were three people who searched frantically after realizing I had disappeared.
Aiden, Orion, and the Countess.
Among them, Aiden had recently stopped searching the empire with a fine-tooth comb. Rowen had delivered the pouch of gold coins and the message I had asked her to pass on to him.
This was news Rowen had shared with me through letters exchanged over the past few weeks. She said she had presented Aiden, who had visited her multiple times to threaten her, with the pouch of gold coins I had given her.
〔It seems Spiritual Body truly loved and cherished you, Laila. I had never seen someone cry so sorrowfully before. It was impossible to offer even a clumsy word of comfort.〕
I read that passage from Rowen’s letter over and over again.
Aiden crying meant he would respect my decision. And, as I had predicted, Aiden stopped looking for me from that day on.
However, the Countess was still searching for me, and the concentrated search in the eastern region that Lena had just mentioned was news about the Countess.
I had expected her to look for me, but I hadn’t anticipated it would be this thorough. Despite the Fascianne Family being rather reclusive for their reputation, they were mobilizing all sorts of methods, unleashing people to find me with fervor.
As the saying goes, the brightest light casts the darkest shadow. By hiding in the south, where the Academy and the Fascianne territory were located, I was managing to evade their net.
And Evan… it seemed he had truly let me go. He appeared to have forgotten about me and was living his life diligently as a High-Class Esper.
“Let’s go to the shop tomorrow. I have some letters to mail, and we should stop by the dessert shop to buy lots of sweet things.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll go in a little later. You go ahead.”
“Yes. Please don’t stay out too long.”
“Okay.”
Lena tucked the blanket around my shoulders more snugly and went into the mansion first.
Sipping my hot chocolate, I pulled my legs up and crouched on the bench.
Strangely, whenever it rained like this, I thought of the day I met Valerian. The day he found me wandering in distress after Evan disappeared and offered me his umbrella.
Like Pavlov’s dog, whenever it rained, Valerian kept coming to mind, and it felt strange.
