Ch. 107 - I Have a Lover (3)

Chapter 107: I Have a Lover (3)

After waking up, he found he had a girlfriend.

Baek Yu-Seol was personally experiencing this unbelievable phenomenon.

"I’m your, um, what?" Thinking he misheard, he asked again, and Flame replied with a very apologetic expression.

"... Boyfriend."

In a restaurant on Arcanium Street, Baek Yu-Seol found himself hearing a rather bewildering story while having dinner.

He should have anticipated something ominous when he was offered a free meal.

Baek Yu-Seol forgot about his spoon and asked, "No, why?"

"Well, you see, there was a bit of an urgent situation."

Baek Yu-Seol had been hearing rumors all day at the academy. He had thought that Jeremy showing interest in Flame wasn't a good development.

Since Jeremy's route almost always led to a bad ending, he had considered ways to help, but he never imagined he'd end up helping in this bizarre manner.

"Well... I mean, if this helped, then I guess it's good."

"Yeah... Thanks. I'll treat you to meals often."

Having grasped the situation roughly, Baek Yu-Seol resumed eating and asked, "Why me, though?"

"I thought about Hae Won-Ryang for a moment, but it would’ve been awkward."

There were many male friends around who could act as boyfriends, but they couldn't handle Jeremy.

The amount of patience Hae Won-Ryang could muster was still bearable, but because he truly held feelings in his heart, she wanted to keep her distance.

If she pretended to be in a relationship, giving mixed signals would only confuse his heart further.

She wanted to continue being friends with him, but for that, she had to maintain a clear boundary.

That was why.

Baek Yu-Seol was an excellent partner. He didn’t care about Jeremy, which made him the ideal candidate.

“Is that so?”

As she expected, he didn't show any significant signs of concern, which was a relief for her.

“Will you cover my expenses for the part-time job of acting as your boyfriend?”

“I'll buy you meals frequently.”

“Hey, I’m not that cheap.” Despite his complaints, Baek Yu-Seol kept eating.

Putting her chin on the table, she gazed at him absentmindedly.

A boyfriend.

Wasn’t that a creature from fantasies?

Though it was acting, this was her first relationship ever. She hadn't experienced it in her past life. “Anyway... I'm truly sorry. You must have a woman you like. I'm just causing trouble for no reason.”

Mouth full, Baek Yu-Seol looked at her with puzzled eyes. “Like? Who do I like?”

Originally, being 29 years old, if he liked high school kids, he would end up becoming a criminal.

Even if he ignored that, he couldn't communicate well with those younger than him.

So he preferred those of the same age.

It was natural for Baek Yu-Seol, who didn't have anyone he liked at school, to express such doubts.

"Don’t you have someone you like?"

“There's no one I like.”

Flame was slightly taken aback.

‘Isn't it because of your love for Eisel that you returned?'

She had believed that all along, but it wasn't true. There was no reason to deny the fact that there was someone he liked without specifying who.

She wanted to ask if it was true, but a huge barrier existed between them. They had promised to tell each other only 50% of the truth.

Even though they seemed so close now, they were unable to reveal their true feelings to each other.

Since Flame, as a reincarnated character, had some sort of restriction, Baek Yu-Seol, as a regressor, certainly had his as well. She was dying to ask, but she had no intention of crossing the line.

"Anyway, just bear with it for about a month. I'll be counting on you."

Since they had agreed to date for now, it would be best to pretend to be a real couple even if they later came up with various excuses for breaking up.

That way, they could completely remove the seeds Jeremy had sown.

Love.

Whether it was Baek Yu-Seol or Flame, it was undoubtedly a delicate aspect.

The next day, during lunch.

While eating together, Flame asked first, "Old man, what do high schoolers usually do when they're in a relationship?"

"How would I know?"

It would be easier if she were an adult. They could at least go for drinks.

But when minors met, Baek Yu-Seol couldn't quite figure out what they should do.

Still, they had to follow what others were doing, right?

"Can't we just casually eat together?"

"Old man, you should never date, not even later. It'd be too much of a pity for the woman."

"Even if I wanted to, I can't."

"That's a bit heartbreaking."

"But do we really need to act like a couple?"

"As long as we pretend to date for at least a month without getting caught in the lie."

After that, all the groundwork laid by Jeremy would be in vain.

"Ugh. What a hassle."

He felt the chilly stares from the people around them.

After the explosive revelation of the famous Crown Prince Jeremy’s supposed relationship, it was odd that there was even more attention now that she was claiming to date someone else immediately after.

‘Why would they be so interested in just two ordinary commoners dating?’

Unaware that she wasn't really an ordinary commoner, Flame couldn't quite understand it.

‘I guess I'll have to give up on just leisurely going along. People are conscious of the attention, so I'm fated to stick close to him like a gluttonous rice cake.’

She sat across from him while reading something and watched Baek Yu-Seol eating with one hand.

He usually wore glasses while studying, and they oddly suited him, making him look not bad.

‘Well, it's still a hundred times better to be rumored to date this guy than Jeremy.’

In reality, Jeremy had positive characteristics, so if her peers heard, she would probably be criticized for being conceited.

After lunch, Flame, who had parted ways with Baek Yu-Seol to attend different classes, happened to have a class with a friend who had a boyfriend.

"What do you usually do with your boyfriend?"

"Uh."

"Just hold hands and take a walk. The eastern garden is full of flowers."

"Is that fun?"

"Huh? Is it fun? That's a strange question. Just being together is nice."

‘It is? Taking a walk in a flower garden? Love is complicated...'

There were things in the world that couldn’t be solved with money. It seemed that capitalist society was still not all-powerful.

"I found it’s nice to just look at each other quietly."

"Yeah. On days when class ends early, we go to Rodeo Street on dates. That's fine too. We don't have to go far."

"Rodeo Street?"

Rodeo Street, which could be considered similar to Korea's Daehak-ro, was filled with high school couples, but it was also an area that Flame dared not step into.

However, if she were going to pretend to be in a relationship with Baek Yu-Seol, it would be good to show that they were going on dates to places like that.

"By the way, Flame."

"Yeah?"

One of her friends said with an ominous smile, "You usually act like you're indifferent to guys, but suddenly you caught an A-level one? How did you manage that?"

"C-Caught... Caught? What are you saying?"

"Baek Yu-Seol doesn't seem like the type to confess first. Did you make the first move?"

"No way!"

"Wow, if that's the case, did Baek Yu-Seol confess?"

"Wow, I never thought he'd do that."

"I'm envious."

"But, like, watching Flame and Baek Yu-Seol, they're both so innocent. Doesn't it feel weird watching kids in love?"

"Yeah, you're right. I thought the same!"

"I saw them together earlier, and they both looked so fresh and cute."

‘What are they saying? Little kids.’

Flame sighed and thumped her head on the desk.

‘Damn Jeremy…’

To go through this because of that brat. She firmly resolved to someday put him in his place.

The time for magic combat practice had come.

This time, without joint training with other classes, the Class S novices were going to spar with one another.

Coincidentally, Baek Yu-Seol’s opponent was Hong Bi-Yeon.

Swish!

The command to begin hadn't even been given yet, but for some reason, Baek Yu-Seol felt as if flames were roaring all over his body.

Baek Yu-Seol wiped off cold sweat and glanced at Hong Bi-Yeon.

Even in the original game, she was always in an angry state, so much so that she would have nicknames like 'Always Angry' or 'Angry Hong Bi-Yeon’.

But today, it seemed like she couldn't control that anger.

‘Did something happen?’

Whatever it was, it wasn't really his business, but of all things, he became the target of her outburst.

The bleakness of that situation was beyond words.

"Greetings between opponents."

Holding her staff vertically against her chest, she bowed slightly.

"Both sides, arm yourselves."

They pointed their weapons at each other.

"Begin!"

As soon as the command was given, Hong Bi-Yeon explosively drew in her mana and haphazardly summoned small fiery orbs.

A dazzling display of flames filled the air, showing that Hong Bi-Yeon’s strategy was focused on overwhelming her opponent with sheer quantity from the start.

She had observed and analyzed Baek Yu-Seol’s battles extensively, so she was well aware of his style.

His swordsmanship could deflect any magic, and his cutting power and destructive force were sharp enough to slice through even massive waves.

Not only that, his flash maneuvering made distance irrelevant; he could easily evade counterattacks and sidestep finishing blows.

"It'll be different from when we fought last time, commoner.”

Recalling the beginning of the semester, Hong Bi-Yeon fired off dozens of fireballs at Baek Yu-Seol.

Boom! Boom!

If he could just break through large spells and deflect or dodge the smaller ones, maybe if she overwhelmed him with sheer quantity, he wouldn't be able to defend or dodge everything.

"Ha!"

However, Baek Yu-Seol rotated his sword like a windmill, expertly parrying all of the fiery projectiles.

'There's no way I'll fall for this. These fireballs are just a child’s play.'

While Baek Yu-Seol was busy defending against her magic, she had positioned flaming arrows all around.

The plan was to provoke Baek Yu-Seol’s evasive movements by sending three arrows at a time, then immediately striking with another arrow where he moved.

Whoosh! Boom!

As expected, Baek Yu-Seol flashed to find a gap and dodged the flaming arrows.

Hong Bi-Yeon released an arrow at the spot where he reappeared.

Anticipating that, Baek Yu-Seol deflected it all.

Yes, it was a strategy that Hong Bi-Yeon had earnestly constructed, but to him, it was nothing more than child's play.

She knew.

No matter how much she trained and how strong she became, she couldn't defeat Baek Yu-Seol.

Still, for some reason, maybe it was because of the rumors going around, she found herself getting increasingly angry with him and wanted to attack with all her might.

"Ah!"

Swoosh!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Fireballs fell from all sides, exploding upon impact. Pillars of fire shot up, obstructing his path, and arrows of fire from 36 directions and continuously disrupting his swordsmanship.

Whenever he found a moment to catch his breath, waves of flames swept him away.

‘Ahh! I can't stop this!’

Unknowingly, her level had surpassed Class 3 and was heading towards Class 4.

Moreover, her previously lacking creativity was no more, and her destructive power turned more menacing.

'If I had at least ten seconds… No, even five seconds!'

Due to the barrage of random attacks from the very beginning, he didn't even have time to activate Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique and was forced to flee in a hurry.

He tried to concentrate his mana and deflect at least one fireball, but it was impossible.

Without using Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique, both his offensive and defensive capabilities significantly declined.

"I surrender! I surrender!"

In the end, Baek Yu-Seol’s body was engulfed in flames, and he lay down on the ground to surrender.

The duel came to an end.

"Huh?"

Only then did Hong Bi-Yeon come to her senses and look at Baek Yu-Seol, who was extinguishing the flames with a dazed expression.

‘I won?’

Due to the protective effect of Stella Dome, Baek Yu-Seol was hardly injured, but his uniform was charred black.

"Are you okay?"

"Sigh, I won't die, I guess."

"You don't have to go to the infirmary, right?"

"I feel like I might die suddenly."

"Yeah. Make sure to go to the infirmary."

After Baek Yu-Seol left, Hong Bi-Yeon reviewed the recent duel.

Members of her faction who had been waiting rushed over and praised her.

"As expected, you're amazing!"

"Baek Yu-Seol is no match for the princess."

However, for some reason, Hong Bi-Yeon’s expression didn't look good at all.

Arshuang, who noticed this, cautiously asked, "Princess, aren't you happy about winning?"

"No, I'm annoyed."

"Wh-What's wrong?"

She addressed the faction members with a look that seemed to say, “Can't you see it for yourselves?”

"Can't you tell just by looking? He let me win."

"What?"

"Last time, that commoner displayed swordsmanship to the point of cutting through waves. But this time, he didn't even properly swing his sword and just ran away and surrendered."

"Oh, now that you mention it..."

Only then did the faction members recall the duel between Baek Yu-Seol and Yuslek that they had witnessed.

Of course, Yuslek was far below Hong Bi-Yeon’s level, but he was still a formidable magician.

Baek Yu-Seol’s combat style, which perfectly countered his magic and exploited his weaknesses, was certainly threatening.

But this time, there was none of that.

If he had swung his sword like he did back then, wouldn't he have easily cut through the flames, which he didn't even attempt to do now?

‘It was the same back then.’

Even during the dungeon practicum when they dueled, Baek Yu-Seol went easy on her.

This meant that ultimately, whether then or now, she hadn't changed.

Was she still someone whom he had to go easy on?

"Princess, maybe that's not it?"

"...?"

"Baek Yu-Seol follows the path of chivalry, right? I read an old book that said knights in the past always showed absolute consideration for ladies."

"Oh, that's right, I remember."

"Come to think of it, wasn’t that a thing?"

Knights of legend upheld the principle of ‘ladies first.’

But it was not that simple.

Knights dedicated themselves to ladies and never pointed their swords at them, no matter what happened.

"But he hits other female students just fine, doesn’t he?"

"Could it mean he won't attack anyone he recognizes as a lady?"

"Hmm..."

The faction members' opinions seemed plausible.

In reality, Baek Yu-Seol was likely still following the code of the past knights, so it wouldn't be strange if he protected the ‘ladies first’ principle.

In other words, Baek Yu-Seol acknowledged Hong Bi-Yeon as a lady.

"Nonsense. Let's just go back."

While Hong Bi-Yeon turned away and muttered, Arshuang, who was standing right next to her, could see.

Unlike earlier, her expression had softened considerably.

Somehow, Arshuang noticed that her master had a more human side than she had initially thought, and she couldn't help but smile to herself.

In the world, could any man handle Hong Bi-Yeon’s emotions as freely as this?

‘I think she would be more suitable as a princess than an ordinary commoner girl…’

With such quaint thoughts in mind, Arshuang followed behind Hong Bi-Yeon.

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