NOVEL WEB Chapter 108: Memories
Upon reaching the dormitory, Ray lay on his bed, lost in thought.
The free lectures at the Medical Academy were crucial.
The first lecture would largely determine whether students would attend the subsequent ones.
Good content would attract more attendees, while poor content would deter them.
Maintaining high-quality content for a month posed a challenge, even for Ray.
A lecture couldn’t solely consist of cherry-picked good content.
Interesting topics could only go so far. To truly captivate, the content needed to be insightful and meet a certain level of understanding.
However, expecting such from the people here was problematic.
Lacking fundamental knowledge, how could they develop an understanding of medicine? Speaking to them might be like casting pearls before swine.
Engrossed in these thoughts, Ray suddenly became aware of someone calling him.
“Saint.”
“…Huh?”
“They’re calling you, Saint.”
“…….”
He had a bad feeling about this.
Despite his mind being preoccupied with thoughts about the free lectures, it was negligent of him not to notice someone so close.
A lapse on his part.
Moreover, the voice belonged to someone he knew all too well.
Ray sighed deeply, massaging his throbbing head.
“…Sigh, Iriel.”
“Did you call me?”
Iriel responded, peeking her head out from under the bed.
“I didn’t call you!”
Ray yelled.
Iriel crawled out from under the bed, grinning broadly.
“Ufufu. I arrived too late, didn’t I?”
Had she planned to follow him all along? When did she even get here? Ray was certain he hadn’t heard any news of Iriel arriving!
Despite his heightened senses, Ray couldn’t control his blood pressure.
He felt like he was on the brink of a hypertension-induced stroke.
His neck began to tense up.
It seemed this Saint never acted predictably.
After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ray asked,
“Sigh… How did you get here?”
“What about the suppression of the rebel forces and the kingdom’s material procurement? Why was she here?”
Iriel patted her chest, saying,
“You worry too much, Saint. But who am I? I’ve already taken care of all that!”
Thump-Thump-
Her luxurious half-plate armor jingled softly under her fists.
Indeed, she was recognized as the most efficient Saint in history.
Such quick handling of matters was truly reliable!
Had she avoided making an appearance before he went to the Academy, only to reunite like this now?
Classic Iriel!
No other words were necessary. It was just so Iriel-like.
Even getting angry at her for being so characteristically Iriel seemed somewhat unreasonable.
Regaining his composure, Ray asked,
“So… for the Saint to come all the way here, it must be a significant matter. What’s going on?”
“Really…?”
Iriel hesitated at his question, her expression as if asking, ‘Are you genuinely curious?’
Her playful demeanor from moments ago briefly shifted to seriousness, displaying confusion, embarrassment, and doubt.
These emotions flickered through Iriel’s eyes before she returned to a smiling facade. The swift change made Ray wonder if he had imagined her previous expression.
“Of course, I came to see you, Saint.”
“That’s a lie.”
“What? I’m serious.”
Her wide, sincere eyes seemed to confirm her truthfulness.
Ray pondered the sincerity of her words, finding it somewhat believable yet puzzling.
‘Iriel often acts unpredictably, but she’s not reckless enough to overstep boundaries… There must be something more to this.’
However, no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t pinpoint what that ‘something’ might be.
Iriel’s expression suggested she wouldn’t answer even if asked.
Noticing Ray’s growing seriousness, Iriel grabbed his hand.
“Let’s not stay here, let’s go outside.”
“Outside… Why suddenly outside?”
“You haven’t done much in the town, have you? Let’s go on a date. Consider it an honor; a date with a Saintess is something you can’t even normally dream of.”
“Well, going outside for a breath of fresh air is fine, but…”
“Is there a problem?”
Ray continued, noticing her mimicking his words,
“Not only me, but your face is also well-known. Going out like this will only cause chaos.”
“Hmm… you have a point.”
“Besides, it seems no one at the Academy knows you’re here… It looks like you just left without informing anyone. Even if the Pope doesn’t directly say anything, it won’t be without issues, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Then you should go back.”
Ray waved his hand dismissively as if shooing away a neighbor’s dog, but Iriel shook her head.
“I came prepared for such a situation.”
She said, pulling out a small bundle from under the bed.
Inside were two thin robes.
“……”
Ray silently observed the robes.
Such preparedness… truly Iriel.
The future of the Holy Kingdom seemed promising.
With such preparation, Ray had nothing else to say. He quietly donned the robe.
“Hohoho. You’re actually looking forward to it, aren’t you?”
“……”
Ray didn’t respond to Iriel’s teasing.
Honestly, he was somewhat excited to do something in the town, having never done so before.
If he had no intention of going out, he would’ve thought about the free lectures.
Iriel indeed had exceptional diplomatic skills. She knew exactly what the other person wanted, how to present it, and how to persuade them, always thoroughly prepared.
Such perfection in her approach suggested her usual tasks were handled just as efficiently.
“Shall we go now?”
“Let’s go.”
“There are many bustling areas around the Academy, so it won’t take us long.”
Wrapped in robes, the two eventually left the dormitory.
Walking through the garden and leaving the academy, Ray and Iriel passed a quiet forest path.
Then, unexpectedly, Iriel began to laugh, covering her mouth.
“Hehehehe.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“It reminds me of the time before we came to the Holy Kingdom, walking this forest path just with you, Saint. Pffft.”
“Oh, right. That was there too. Has it already been half a year?”
“Yes. Time flies, doesn’t it?”
“Do you remember when you almost cried over making porridge during our camping trip in front of the elf village? Hahaha.”
She had a traumatic experience then, getting severely scalded.
Iriel puffed her cheeks in response,
“That’s because you didn’t teach me how to use the roots.”
“It’s in the past, why bother? Hahahaha.”
“Hehe. Do you remember when we rode horses together?”
“Ah, I remember! You scared me when you let go of the reins later.”
“Right. You defeated a bone dragon, yet you were scared of that. Hehehe.”
They continued reminiscing while slowly walking towards the bustling streets.
Ray didn’t have any lectures for the next three days. The remaining time was practically a holiday.
With time to spare, their steps were leisurely.
Upon arriving at the bustling streets, the two, slightly lifting their robe hoods, looked around.
“…This is beyond what I expected?”
“Indeed……”
Ray and Iriel were astonished, continuously admiring their surroundings.
The place almost rivalled the capital city of Selonia in terms of vibrancy and uniqueness.
Iriel pulled Ray along excitedly.
“Saint! Let’s eat everything we can!”
Ray nodded, suggesting,
“Yeah. But… should we be careful about how we address each other here?”
“Oh.”
Realizing what he meant, she pondered briefly.
Ray smiled at her thoughtful expression.
“We’re both Saints, right? Just call me Ray.”
“What!?”
Surprised, Iriel stuttered,
“To call you by name so suddenly…”
“I’ve been calling you by name all this time. Everything is difficult at first.”
“Then…”
She glanced at Ray cautiously before softly saying,
“Re… Ray…”
Her ears turned red as she spoke.
Suppressing the urge to tease, Ray responded,
“Yeah.”
Whoosh-
Iriel quickly turned her head.
“Let’s hurry! We won’t have enough time to explore everything!”
“Alright, let’s go.”
They strolled around the village happily.
They wandered around fruit stalls, sampled various fruits, and enjoyed pork skewers at the market’s edge.
While wandering around the market, Ray stopped upon spotting something interesting.
“Oh, this looks fun.”
“What is it?”
“Look. It’s a game where you hit that target with this dagger.”
It was similar to a game of darts from the modern era.
If you hit the target accurately enough times, there seemed to be a prize.
Ray measured the distance and then spoke to the owner.
“I’ll give it a try. How much is it?”
“Three copper coins.”
Ray took out a silver coin and placed it down, asking,
“Why are the distances to the targets different?”
The owner, with a scar on his face, explained,
“Each distance has a different prize. For you, the closest target would probably be the best.”
Iriel chuckled at the owner’s remark.
It was an underestimation of Ray, who could easily overpower a swordmaster with simple swordsmanship.
Enjoying the moment, Ray pointed to the farthest target.
“Then I’ll try the farthest one.”
“Well, it’s your choice.”
The owner handed Ray five daggers.
Ray grinned broadly.
“Trying to impress your lover, I see. Hahaha!”
Ray and Iriel responded simultaneously,
“We are not lovers!”
“So why not become lovers from now on. Hahahaha!”
Ignoring the owner, Ray picked up a dagger.
Each had a different weight and balance.
‘Those who don’t know how to throw will surely miss, with this setup.’
The uneven balance would likely cause them to veer off course.
While it seemed a bit underhanded, Ray wasn’t bothered.
He had been skilled enough not to let the quality of the items affect his performance.
Ray had thrown a dagger with lightning speed.
The dagger, too fast for the eye to follow, had hit the target squarely in the center.
Thud-
The owner’s mouth had dropped open at Ray’s perfect shot.