[601] Rootless Tree (3)
“Nade, nice to meet you! how have you been doing?”
Even as Liz approached and shook her shoulder, Nade stood there with a dazed expression, unable to find the soul that had escaped.
‘how?’
Is she here, who should be in Baska, the capital?
‘No, that’s not the problem.’
At a party held after graduation exams, Nade confessed his true feelings to Liz.
She is a good younger sister, but she doesn’t look like a man, and she left the school leaving behind the words that she was sorry.
In Nade’s mind, the events of that day are still vivid, but he couldn’t understand her talking to him with a bright expression as if nothing had happened.
“… … When did you come back?”
While Sirone stared at him incredulously, Nade struggled to speak.
“This morning.”
“But I heard that you got a job at the Capital Armory… … .”
“huh. I went on vacation and came down. I have work.”
“Oh, I see.”
Nade lowered his head, unable to hide his dispirited look, and Liz smiled mischievously.
“But I think I’ll finish my job soon and come down here.”
Nade’s head went up quickly, but Liz’s words broke his heart again.
“Actually, I’m getting engaged this time.”
“yes?”
Even though Liz’s voice echoed in his head dozens of times, Nade couldn’t help but ask.
Liz approached again with the arms of the neat-looking man standing behind her.
“This is the person. say hello Certified 8th class wizard Clyde Oscar. This time he has been assigned to the Creas Magic Association.”
“Oh, hello.”
Sirone hurriedly lowered his head, but Nade was lost in his spirit and forgot to say hello.
‘engagement? what was the engagement? An engagement?’
Oscar didn’t care and greeted the two with a friendly smile.
“nice to meet you. It’s Oscar. you are nade I heard a lot about Liz.”
“ah… … .”
After Oscar shook his hand, Nade came to his senses and slowly took his hand.
It was a soft, warm hand.
“It’s not like this, let’s go somewhere to eat. Now that I met my juniors, I should buy them something delicious.”
Nade waved his hand at Liz’s words.
“no. We have to go back to school soon… … .”
Nade had been fussing about not going to school until just a moment ago, but Sirone quickly nodded.
“yes. I have to go to school.”
Liz pretended not to hear.
“You’re lying! do you know you don’t know? If you’re out of town at this hour, you’re going to miss it.”
“It’s true. I have to go.”
Sirone did her best, but she ignored Liz and approached Nade.
“Let’s go, huh? I’ll buy you anything you want to eat.”
“What I really want to eat… … .”
“I really want to introduce you to you.”
Only then did Nade look straight into Liz’s eyes and discover the earnestness in those beautiful eyes.
‘Your senior remembers it too.’
Maybe because I was young at the time, and also because a lot of time had passed, I thought my feelings at the time would have been diluted.
‘But this is too cruel.’
What did Liz say to Oscar?
He might have said that he was a junior who once chased after him, or a younger brother with a bad temper.
‘Sheesh, what is this?’
By introducing her fiancé, Liz wants to shake off even the slightest burden of her past.
“huh? Nade, let’s go.”
The more I think about it, the more unfair it is, but when I see her desperate face like a lost cat, my heart beats so much that I can’t say no.
“all right. I will order something expensive instead.”
“of course! It’s not just a junior, but a junior directly under the research club.”
A junior under the direct control of the Research Society.
Those words seemed to explain everything.
* * *
It was morning, so there were not many people in the fancy restaurant.
The four of them took a seat at a table by the window.
“Now, what shall we eat?”
The nostalgia of the past confused Nade’s mind as he looked at her dancing shoulder to shoulder with the menu board.
‘Dangerous.’
Her voice, her way of speaking, her glances, and even her smallest actions, for reasons unknown, were so lovable.
“Let’s formally introduce ourselves. I am Oscar, and this is my fiancé Liz.”
When Nade saw Oscar smiling triumphantly, the fire within him soared, but even he had no sense of reality in the face of the shock of reuniting with Liz.
“This is Nade. This is my friend Sirone.”
As Sirone lowered his head, Nade added.
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“He’s a very famous kid.”
“Oh, really?”
Among the magic school students in the kingdom of Tormia, there was probably no one who didn’t know Sirone’s name.
Even if Oscar was a professional wizard, he would have known what it meant to be in the kingdom’s spotlight.
To be honest, he wanted to give a blow to his expression as if he had it all, but he deftly deflected the provocation.
“haha! Excuse me for this Actually, I looked at Spirit magazine for a few years after graduating, but I haven’t heard about the magic school lately.”
That said, I was just a student.
Of course, it was, but it was true that it was a narrow-minded remark to a junior, so Liz hurriedly turned around.
“If you are very famous, you will graduate soon. Are you in your senior year now?”
“yes.”
“it should be hard. To be honest, even these days I dream of being a senior.”
“Still, in my case, it’s okay. I gave up on the graduation evaluation for the second half.”
“Ah, so you came to the city today. I had quite a few kids like that too. So, did Nade give up too?”
“no. I really have work… … .”
“okay? So what rank are you now?”
Nade was a little scared, but he told the truth because even lying was shabby.
“Last place.”
“Pu-huh!”
Oscar, who was drinking water, pretended to spit it out.
“Oh sorry. Because I’m so surprised It didn’t look like that.”
Truth be told, I didn’t expect much from the moment I heard that Sirone had given up on the evaluation.
It’s the same now, but even when he was in magic school, giving up the evaluation was a choice he made when neither one nor the other answered.
‘Of course I didn’t expect to be in last place.’
Even without expressing it, I could tell that Oscar’s eyes were different from before.
“Hmm, that’s right.”
Liz, on the other hand, looked at Nade with a pitiful expression, as if she had guessed something.
“There must be circumstances.”
“Not really. Last is last.”
Now that his face is ruined, Nade spat out as if to be done.
“Whoa, what’s wrong with your face? Who else did you fight with?”
Only then did Nade remember the scars on his face.
‘Today is really the worst day.’
Nade lowered his head gently, and Oscar intervened.
“It’s okay to give up the evaluation and it doesn’t matter if you get a low grade, but if you’re going to become a wizard, you can’t go around fighting like that. If you start overconfident in your skills, there will be no progress.”
It was the advice of a senior who had already become a professional, but I had no choice but to take it seriously today.
“It wasn’t a fight. just this… … I did it because I was angry.”
I couldn’t fill the filter in my throat, knowing that after breaking up with Liz, all my words would be flooded with regret.
Liz, who was watching the traces of self-harm, smiled bitterly as if she knew what it was.
“It’s the same, Nade.”
The meal continued in a slightly awkward atmosphere.
Most of the time, Liz led the conversation and Oscar listened and then interjected one by one.
The food was delicious, but Nade couldn’t figure out where it was going.
“Oh, really? So Sirone is also the Supernatural Psychic Research Society? It’s really hard to get one member to sign up. Are you capable?”
“Well, let’s say it’s three people. Do you know Iruki?”
Liz crossed her hands and looked up at the ceiling.
“Ah, meeting you really reminds me of the past. We’ve been debating all night what the secrets of the upper classes are. Hasn’t it been revealed yet?”
“Yes, what… … .”
Sirone, who had completely closed the upper floors, had nothing to say.
As their own alumni association continued, Oscar, who felt left out, changed the topic.
“Not long now. I mean the graduation exam. Are the preparations going well? It is the most important test of your life.”
Despite knowing that Oscar had a purpose in everything he said, Nade couldn’t help but become an ugly duckling.
“I’m not interested, like a test. I don’t even want to be a wizard.”
It sounded pretty cheeky, and Oscar didn’t go over it.
“The decision is yours. But isn’t it absurd to be attached to school anyway? If you’re going to run away like this… … .”
“You will pass.”
Liz stopped talking.
“You will be able to pass. Because Nade is strong. yes?”
Responding to the confidence in his eyes, Nade hurriedly turned his head to hide his blushing face.
‘damn. If you look at me like that, what are you saying to me?’
“Hmmmm.”
Oscar cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“If you finish eating, go. I have business to do.”
“really? You haven’t even had tea yet?”
“Liz, you said you had an appointment with the association people.”
“Ah, yes.”
Liz slowly rose from her seat, as if regretting it.
“It was nice meeting you today. I’ll do the math here.”
“yes. I had a good meal.”
Sirone and Nade also stood up and bowed their heads.
“Sooner or later, I will visit the principal to say hello. See you then, Nade.”
He held his fiancé’s hand and handed it to him, but Nade’s heart started beating again as if it were out of order.
“yes. Go carefully.”
As Liz and Oscar left the restaurant side by side, Nade, who finally came to his senses, sighed and slumped back into his chair.
“Oh, I’m going crazy. Sirone, let’s stop by the pharmacy. I think I’ll get sick.”
“Who the hell are you? Aren’t you just a senior? I’ve never seen you so nervous.”
As the head of the study group, Nade was not intimidated even in front of teachers.
“that is… … It’s a bit long to talk. I’ll tell you as I go.”
“okay. Let’s go out at once.”
As Sirone prepared to leave, Ned held out his hand.
“for a moment! Let’s stay here for 10 minutes, just 10 minutes.”
“why? I have to go get some medicine.”
“Maybe Liz-senpai still exists.”
“… … .”
Sirone thought that he must have had a mental problem.
* * *
“Why did you do that?”
Oscar asked after walking without speaking for a long time.
“what?”
“Because I cheaped my juniors too much. I have my body too. What if I interrupt you while I am giving advice?”
Liz smiled like a seagull.
“what? Are you jealous?”
“Who is jealous? To such a kid.”
“But why do you care? Just think of it as buying food for cute juniors.”
“Honestly, it was a bit intrusive. I know that? I mean Nade, he was always provoking me.”
“Ah, isn’t that overdoing it? To be honest, he was a bit nagging. They are doing their best, too.”
“Look at this, you’re on the side again.”
Thinking that she would really fight if she continued like this, Liz gave up her stubbornness.
“okay. It’s my fault. I must have been so excited to see you after a long time.”
Let’s give in first, and Oscar is a little relieved.
“I’m sorry too. I can’t be bothered to hear that you’ve confessed to me before.”
“Oh, it’s all in the past. It was 3 years ago. Nade was sixteen at the time.”
“But you say you’re strong? The way I see it, it’s wrong for both of them to be wizards. You seem to have no patience.”
“Nade is really strong. I don’t know about the kid named Sirone, but Nade will be able to pass.”
Oscar blinked.
She had known Liz for a while, but she had never said that she was strong even to herself.
“What kind of kid are you? I mean Nade.”
“well. Actually, I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
Liz raised her gaze and searched for her memory.
“Blue electricity… … .”
“huh?”
“I feel like I’m only seeing an afterimage even though it’s clearly in front of me. I think Nade was such a junior.”
Oscar didn’t understand what it felt like.
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