The moment we stepped outside the auditorium, a wave of noise crashed over us.

Students.

Professors.

Academy staff.

Everyone was talking at once.

Considering that a Demon Realm Transformation had occurred in the middle of a graduation ceremony, the reaction was only natural.

To the people gathered outside, today would likely remain an unforgettable memory for the rest of their lives.

As for me—

I wanted nothing more than to forget it as quickly as possible.

"Karvaldr."

Unfortunately, fate seemed determined not to grant me that wish.

I turned my head.

Reisir had caught up to me.

"What now?"

"You didn't answer Skati's question."

I immediately regretted turning around.

"What question?"

"The one about friends."

"..."

"Your silence is suspicious."

"Your curiosity is excessive."

"It wasn't a denial."

"It was."

"It wasn't."

"It was."

"It wasn't."

Why was he smiling?

What exactly was amusing about this conversation?

"You know."

Reisir spoke lightly.

"In situations like this, normal people usually say something along the lines of, 'I suppose we're acquaintances now.'"

"Fortunately, I have never claimed to be normal."

"I'll give you that one."

The infuriating part was that he accepted the argument immediately.

Then he added,

"But I still think you're overthinking it."

I pretended not to hear him.

Because if I responded, the conversation would continue.

And if the conversation continued, I would end up hearing another lecture about friendship.

I had already suffered through enough of those.

Thankfully, Reisir seemed willing to let the matter drop for now.

For now.

A dangerous phrase.

Very dangerous.

Before long, we arrived at the Gate facility.

The crowd had thinned considerably by the time we got there.

Many of the students had already departed.

Others were busy reuniting with their families or reporting today's events.

Compared to the chaos around the auditorium, this place felt almost peaceful.

Almost.

"Then this is where we part ways."

I spoke before anyone else could start another conversation.

Vigdís looked disappointed.

Ríolíkin looked hesitant.

Helga offered a polite nod.

Only Reisir looked dissatisfied.

"You'll send word when you arrive safely."

"Why?"

"So I can stop worrying."

"I refuse."

"Karvaldr."

"What."

"Please."

"..."

How annoying.

He was using that tone again.

The one that sounded sincere.

The one that made it difficult to dismiss him outright.

"...If I remember."

"That's practically a yes."

"Apparently everyone in this Academy has lost the ability to understand language."

"It sounds more like you're the problem."

"Impossible." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Reisir laughed.

A genuine laugh this time.

Not forced.

Not strained.

For the first time since the incident, it sounded natural.

Good.

If he was capable of laughing like that, then perhaps he really would recover after some rest.

That thought made me feel slightly less concerned.

Only slightly.

"Myang."

Yor climbed onto my shoulder and settled there comfortably.

As though announcing that our business here was finished.

I agreed.

Entirely.

The sooner I returned to the Duchy, the better.

No monsters.

No crises.

No emotionally unstable protagonists.

No professors who kept calling me their friend.

No more unexpected disasters.

A peaceful vacation.

That was all I wanted.

Looking back now, I should have known better.

The moment a person sincerely wished for peace, the world invariably prepared something troublesome for them.

And my life, unfortunately, had never once proven to be an exception.