I Have a Stalker of Noble Status. And to Make Matters Worse, their Numbers are Increasing (BL) - Chapter 24

The day I was discharged and returned to the academy.

As usual, Ray came to pick me up, and we headed to school together.

Everything at the academy was exactly the same as before. There wasn’t even a lingering sense of unease in the atmosphere.

According to Ray and Max, the day after the incident and perhaps the day after that, the academy had been in turmoil. The students had been restless, the air tense.

But it had settled down quickly.

Three seats in my class were now empty.

A few classmates, albeit indirectly, offered me words of concern.

And… that was it.

Even though such a major incident had occurred, even though three people had disappeared, everything had returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

That eerie sense of normalcy sent a slight chill down my spine.

But, in the end, I would also be swept along and return to normal like everyone else.

“Lord Patrick, congratulations on your discharge! Angela was so lonely without you next to me!”

Well, at least Angela was as lively as ever. That was reassuring.

…But Angela, there’s a half-transparent, air-sitting handsome guy hovering beside you, you know?

“Hey, Rick. I’m glad to see you back. Let me know if anything’s troubling you.”

Max was in Maxwell Mode in the classroom. Business as usual.

Today, to celebrate my return, we decided to have lunch together in our usual private dining room, with Angela joining us for the first time.

I was looking forward to the chef’s special after such a long time.

“How is it, Pat? Being back at the academy—everything alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks to Angela, my injuries were already healed before I even left the hospital. Saintly powers are really incredible.”

At my words, Angela blushed slightly, smiling shyly.

She seemed a little nervous about being in the private dining room for the first time.

I understood that feeling.

Having no prices listed on the menu was a little intimidating.

But thinking back, the reason there were no prices was simply because the cost didn’t matter—it was truly free.

At first, I had assumed it was some kind of market price situation and had been needlessly on edge.

“My saintly powers still have a long way to go… I’m training hard to improve!”

Right, right. She needed to keep leveling up.

Now, time to enjoy the chef’s special.

“I see. So, do you train at the church to strengthen your powers?”

Since Angela was here, Max remained in Maxwell Mode even in the private room.

…But considering how much of his true self slipped out when he came to rescue me during the kidnapping incident, I wondered if everything was really fine on that front.

“Yes! Oh, but soon, I’ll be studying at the royal castle as well. I’ve never been to the palace before, so I’m a little nervous.”

“…What!?”

Ray, Max, and I instinctively exchanged glances.

This was proof that Angela was steadily progressing through what was known as the Common Route of the scenario. She was likely leveling up her saintly powers at a good pace as well.

To be steadily clearing events and advancing the story all on her own… Angela was almost too competent as a heroine.

“I see… Lady Angelica, have you, by any chance, ever met His Highness the Crown Prince?”

…!

Ray really went straight for it.

Despite being technically engaged to Lady Violetta, the Crown Prince was still a hidden love interest. Of course, Ray would be curious…

That said, if we were aiming for the Eternal True Ending, the Crown Prince had to make an appearance at some point. Balancing that would be a challenge.

“His Highness the Crown Prince? No, I haven’t met him yet. I did have an audience with Their Majesties, the King and Queen, when my saintly powers first manifested, but that’s all.”

“I see.”

That was… somewhat reassuring. Though I wasn’t sure if this was something to be relieved about or something to be concerned over.

“Oh, but I have met His Highness the Third Prince! I haven’t met the Second Prince yet, though.”

…Angela, you’ve actually met the Second Prince countless times already.

In fact, he was literally sitting beside you just now on his invisible air chair.

…Now that I thought about it, wouldn’t Angela’s visits to the royal castle mean her storyline with Prince Chrisford would start progressing?

If I remembered correctly, there was an event where Chrisford accompanied Angela to the palace and ended up regaining part of his lost memories.

Just like with Lord Douglas, I would have to keep an eye on them to make sure they didn’t suddenly veer into a romance route.

I highly doubted Ray or Max would suddenly take that turn out of nowhere, but…

…Right?

Still, preventing someone from entering a romance route was essentially interfering with their love life. At this rate, I was bound to get kicked by a spirit or something.

Once we graduated, I’d cheer them on with all my heart.

But for now, I needed them to hold off.

◇◇◇

After that, time passed peacefully without any major incidents.

We studied together, occasionally went herb gathering, and sparred with Lord Douglas—though I mostly tried to avoid direct duels with him.

The academy, like most major schools in the royal capital that hosted students from various territories, followed a three-term system. Classes ran from March to December, while January and February were designated as the long end-of-year break.

During this time, most students returned to their respective territories or went on vacations to warmer regions.

Of course, I was heading home.

Because my adorable little brothers were waiting for me!

…However, fun times always came with trials.

And before we could enjoy our long vacation, Edelstein Academy had one major event in December—

The end-of-year exams.