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It was a quiet evening with the faint chirping of insects. The sun had already dipped behind the distant mountain ridges, painting the sky in hues of red, and the dark veil of night began to creep in.

Lily, who had returned to the main house, leaned against the terrace of her room, gazing absentmindedly at the sky.

Lately, Lily had developed a habit of staring at the sky whenever she had free time, lost in thought. She didn’t dwell on any particular topic; her thoughts were shallow and fleeting.

Sometimes she pondered the future, other times she reminisced about her time at the academy. Her thoughts were scattered, jumping from one thing to another.

When she ran out of things to think about, her mind inevitably drifted to the past. Memories of her carefree childhood, running around the garden, or accompanying her father on territory inspections.

But no matter where her thoughts wandered, they always circled back to one name.

Gilbert Lion Heart.

Lily’s delicate brows furrowed. Just the thought of that name was enough to irritate her.

For some reason, Gilbert, who had once been nothing more than a troublemaker, had changed. During the entrance mock battle, he showcased an extraordinary Colossal Mech Piloting Technique and suddenly became the personal disciple of Swordmaster Briana.

Not long after, he earned a knight title for his contributions in a mission to suppress the Resistance, all while still being an academy cadet. His achievements were far from ordinary.

And then, there was the unprecedented attack on the Demia Empire Academy. Through that incident, Gilbert became a hero.

Gilbert had risked his life, fighting tirelessly to protect the cadets and the empire’s citizens. He didn’t care how many enemy mechs there were; he focused solely on buying time for people to evacuate.

How could anyone not admire such heroism? Even Lily, who harbored ill feelings toward Gilbert, couldn’t deny the nobility of his actions.

Perhaps Lily’s habit of staring at the sky began around that time. After witnessing Gilbert’s transformation and hearing his apology, her heart had become unsettled.

It was true that she disliked him, but seeing him change and improve made her feel a bit pathetic for being stuck in the past. Yet, the wounds from her childhood were too deep for her to easily accept his apology.

“Ha… That jerk. Why couldn’t he just stay a piece of trash?”

Lily finally snapped out of her thoughts as the moon rose, letting out a long sigh and muttering to herself. If he had remained a troublemaker, it would’ve been easier to hate him. But now, it wasn’t so simple.

Perhaps her overly kind nature was showing its downside. Lily, who was gentle with everyone except Gilbert, believed that everyone deserved a second chance.

The problem was that the old Gilbert hadn’t deserved such a chance. But now that he had changed, maybe it was right to give him one.

After pacing the terrace late into the night, Lily finally made up her mind.

She decided to set aside her complicated thoughts and face Gilbert once more.

He had mentioned returning to his territory, hadn’t he?

Lily recalled the place where her relationship with Gilbert had fallen apart—Bismarck.

***

Gilbert headed for the warp magic circle to Bismarck the day after the duel. He had planned to leave immediately after the duel, but Count Tristitia had detained him, forcing him to postpone his departure by a day.

It wasn’t because of any emotional exchange during the duel. It was because Camilla had also prepared to leave for Bismarck as soon as Gilbert tried to go.

Count Tristitia, a doting father, couldn’t bear to let his youngest daughter leave so soon after returning home. Naturally, he tried to delay Gilbert’s departure to keep Camilla at home for at least one more day.

Though it was a hidden intention, the fiery glare of Count Tristitia and the pressure from his three sons forced Gilbert to surrender.

Reluctantly, Gilbert spent the night at the Tristitia estate and headed for the warp magic circle at dawn. He had hoped to leave without Camilla, but the sharp-eyed girl had already finished all her preparations and was waiting for him.

In the end, Gilbert had no choice but to travel with Camilla. After paying for the warp magic circle, they arrived at the Telain Territory, a stopover point on the way to Bismarck. Even though warp magic circles significantly reduced travel distance, it was impossible to cross half the empire directly to Bismarck.

The longer the distance, the less stable the warp magic circle became, so a stopover was necessary.

Finally, after using the warp magic circle in Telain, they arrived in Bismarck.

It’s been a while.

Gilbert felt a mix of familiarity and strangeness as he took in the sights of Bismarck. When he had left for the Demia Empire Academy, he had been worried about whether he could make it on his own. But now, so much had changed.

He had been granted a fifth-rank knight title, become one of only two personal disciples of the Swordmaster, and was even being hailed as a hero by the empire and the academy.

Before leaving the Lithuania Territory, his father, the Iron-Blooded Frontier Count, had warned him that this was his last chance. Gilbert had made the most of it. At the very least, even if he were to be disowned by his family, he now had a place to rely on.

“So this is Bismarck!”

Camilla’s eyes sparkled as she looked around excitedly.

This was her first time visiting Bismarck, known for its beauty throughout the empire. Her overprotective father had always encouraged her to stay within their territory.

Camilla, understanding her father’s concerns, had never insisted on leaving. After all, there was plenty within their territory to keep her entertained.

But lately, her greatest interest had been Gilbert. No matter how much her father tried to dissuade her, she couldn’t help but follow him. He was at the center of the academy incident, and being with him was never boring.

Of course, she didn’t wish for another attack like the one on the academy. But the changing atmosphere and daily life at the academy because of him were fascinating.

In that sense, she was curious about what was troubling him. She wanted to know what could make the usually expressionless Gilbert, who effortlessly handled impossible tasks, worry and ponder.

And if possible, she wanted to help him. It wasn’t like her to ignore a friend’s troubles, especially one as interesting as Gilbert.

“So, Gilbert. Where are we going now?”

“You’re just going to follow me naturally?”

“Of course! Why do you think I came all this way?”

Camilla winked playfully, but Gilbert shook his head.

He couldn’t keep up with her energy.

Thinking it would be more troublesome to leave her behind, Gilbert silently headed toward the Lion Heart Count’s mansion.

He had informed them of his return, but he hadn’t specified the exact time. Unlike when he arrived at the Rigidus Territory, there was no carriage waiting for him. He had deliberately avoided sending word to spare the coachmen the trouble.

Though he was the young master of a count family, deep down, he still had the sensibilities of a modern man from the 21st century.

However, as he walked toward the mansion, Gilbert realized he had overlooked something. Lately, the way people looked at him had changed, and he had assumed it would be the same everywhere.

But as he walked down the main road leading to the Lion Heart estate, he felt countless eyes on him. Whenever he looked around, the gazes would disappear, only to return as soon as he started walking again.

At first, he thought it might be the Sigurdians, but that wasn’t the case. Trained individuals wouldn’t be so blatant.

Ignoring Camilla’s chatter, Gilbert soon realized the gazes belonged to the residents of Bismarck. And he also understood why they were looking at him.

I’m the problem.

He swallowed a bitter laugh. He had been labeled a troublemaker with just a line of text, but to the residents, that single line might have felt like hell. No wonder they called him a scoundrel.

He had returned to handle the main scenario without any issues, but to the residents, the troublemaker had simply come back. Rumors of him becoming a knight might have spread, but who could trust rumors?

They probably didn’t believe he had changed. The way they avoided him made that clear.

Unintentionally creating an awkward atmosphere, Gilbert quickened his pace, avoiding eye contact as he headed toward the Lion Heart estate.

It seemed that clearing the main scenario wasn’t the only thing he had to do in Bismarck.

 

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