9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 21 - White Raven Order ― Erika (2)

Erika Brightner ultimately continued her activities alone.

It was quite lonely and solitary, but she had no choice if she wanted to forget the suffocating emptiness that felt like it would kill her.

Since she couldn’t entrust anything to a printing shop, she would copy propaganda phrases every night like writing lines as punishment, stuff small bundles of flyers into the secret pocket of her bag, and wander around Lüdelheim looking for suitable opportunities to distribute them.

Of course, it wasn’t easy work.

If the distribution radius remained the same, suspects would naturally be narrowed down, so she would go to different districts each time to scout for appropriate locations.

Also, she might accidentally run into someone she knew and arouse suspicion like “Why is she there?” so she always made sure to create excuses.

Getting new clothes tailored, going to a museum, things like that.

The place where she could look around most comfortably with the least suspicion was naturally within the campus.

Lüdelheim Comprehensive University had an incredibly vast campus and countless outsiders who visited for various reasons besides students, so even if she wandered around all day pretending to take a stroll, no one found it strange.

So today too, she was using her free period to examine every corner of the school, looking for spots where she hadn’t yet posted flyers…

At first, she thought she had mistaken him for someone else.

Eyes that always looked gloomy and tired as if he’d stayed up for three nights straight, disheveled hair sticking out in all directions. A small frame and a complexion so pale he looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Erika, who at first glance thought he might be a graduate student being squeezed dry by his advisor, turned her head sharply after just a few steps and stared intently at the bench in front of the humanities building.

She was right. The person who would be most out of place on this campus was sitting there nonchalantly, eating a sandwich.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped her at the absurdity.

‘It must be a coincidence, right?’

If it wasn’t a coincidence, why would Lucas Redan be sitting in front of her lecture hall?

It made no sense.

Erika held her head high and walked past him. However, as soon as she stiffened at the rustling sound, someone grabbed her shoulder from behind.

“Fourth-year political science student Erika Brightner from the humanities department, right? Want to join our club?”

“…Club?”

When she questioned the unexpected words, Lucas pulled up the corners of his mouth.

“We’re currently recruiting new members. I’ve been waiting for a chance to recruit you.”

What kind of scheme was this? Erika glared at him coldly.

“Be quiet. And don’t talk to me.”

“The club’s name is White Rav—”

“Quiet!”

Erika reflexively reached out and covered his mouth. She glanced around but no one was paying attention to them.

She felt both relieved and deflated. Seeing Lucas with his mouth covered by her hand, grinning wickedly with crinkled eyes, made her blood boil.

“Follow me.”

Anxiety that he might do something crazy if left alone made her remove her hand and start walking.

After all, wasn’t he the madman who had shot an Ossel and walked into the lion’s den alone?

“You should have done that from the start.”

Lucas muttered as he followed behind her.

Erika headed to the chapel at the very edge of the school.

If you followed the small path behind the chapel, you’d reach a secretive space in the shadows where weeds sprouted and broken stone statues were abandoned.

It was a place most students didn’t even know existed, occasionally visited by couples. Even that was rare because they were scared by the story of a man who had hanged himself there.

Of course, Erika, who paid no attention to such ghost stories, often visited this place when she wanted to clear her head.

Erika glanced up at the grotesque stone statue and crossed her arms firmly. It was deep autumn, and being in this shaded corner, she could already feel the chill.

“Why did you come here?”

At her cold expression, Lucas chuckled. He naturally sat down on a fallen, rotting tree trunk and looked up at Erika.

“I came to see you.”

“But why!”

“To ask you to come back.”

Erika was momentarily speechless, not expecting him to be so upfront about it.

“…I’m not going back.”

“I know that too.”

Lucas nodded calmly. It was absurd.

“Then there’s no need to come, is there? And shouldn’t you be at work right now?”

“I took a few days off. I don’t have much to do anyway, and my colleagues were happy not to see me.”

Though she didn’t care about Lucas’s detailed circumstances, his honesty was somewhat surprising.

“Anyway, I don’t even want to see your face right now. As long as you’re there, I have no intention of going back.”

She shot back quite harshly, but Lucas didn’t seem to care at all and just grinned.

“I know that too. Hmm, I should get going now. I’ll come again tomorrow at lunch, so see you then.”

With a grunt and a slight cough, he got up.

“What? That won’t happ—”

“If you don’t want to see me, then don’t.”

Lucas left indifferently. Erika, left behind, was so dumbfounded she sneered.

“How annoying.”

Her contemptuous muttering echoed through the dark and gloomy courtyard.

***

She really thought it was annoying.

So she kept thinking about it. Her anger didn’t subside all day.

While attending lectures as usual and wandering here and there afterward, and even when reluctantly returning home to read books in her study.

Really, where else would you find someone who made that expression like the whole world was useless, said only what they wanted to say, and then just whooshed away?

Whether from Lucas’s personal standpoint or representing the White Raven Order, she assumed he had come because Erika herself was useful, but his too-cool demeanor shook her confidence.

Maybe he was just testing the waters.

‘What does it matter?’

She shook her head in irritation.

He was probably someone she’d never see again anyway.

The next day at the same time, the exact same bench in front of the humanities lecture hall.

Lucas was really there eating a sandwich, looking exactly the same as yesterday.

Erika, who had been heading to the student cafeteria after class, paused briefly but resolutely continued on her way.

The next day too, and the day after that.

Lucas continued to be in that spot.

When she had reason to come back to the humanities building after lunch, she saw him having finished his sandwich, leisurely reading a newspaper.

She couldn’t figure out what his intention was.

He didn’t speak to her like the first day, nor did he offer a greeting.

If his purpose was simply to annoy his target, she thought it would be successful.

It wasn’t exactly bothersome, but the sight of him just barely at the edge of her vision was quite irritating.

It was also impressive how he always sat in the same doll-like pose eating the same food.

She wanted to ask him why he was doing this, but somehow her pride was hurt, so she just ignored him.

Days passed like this, and when she became busy with exam preparations.

For the first time, Lucas didn’t appear.

Though she had few lectures that day, she had come to school a bit early to study in an empty classroom. When the chapel bell announced lunch time, she glanced out the window and saw the bench was empty.

In that moment, Erika felt her heart drop.

‘Why didn’t he come today?’

Every day, as soon as lunch time started, he would shuffle along that path and sit on the bench.

1 minute.

5 minutes.

10 minutes.

Time passed as she stared fixedly at the bench, but Lucas showed no signs of appearing.

Negative premonitions rose and she grew increasingly anxious.

‘Surely nothing happened to the White Raven Order…’

Someone being dragged away or something.

Erika’s composed face twisted and her complexion became as pale as Lucas’s.

‘That can’t be. He said they made an alliance with an Ossel.’

But the person who negotiated with Lucas was just one of many Ossel members. Though the rank of major was fairly high, there could be countless others above him.

Erika irritably swept her hair behind her ear and got up, grabbing her bag.

If this was some kind of teasing, if he was trying to get her attention, she would not forgive him. With that thought, she headed to the clearing behind the chapel.

The abandoned space where yellowing weeds crunched underfoot.

Lucas wasn’t there either. The strength drained from Erika’s shoulders.

***

It was an ordinary morning like any other.

Good heavens, who knew not having to go to work could be such a happy thing!

I cheerfully washed my face and went for a walk with Colin. Oscar, who had practically moved in by now, came along too.

“How long are you going to live here? Isn’t the living room sofa uncomfortable?”

I chided him as we walked lightly toward the park.

“Not at all. It’s incredibly comfortable, you know? And I gave some money to Mrs. Schmidt last week.”

I had seen him give Mrs. Schmidt an amount similar to boarding fees, saying he felt terribly sorry. At least he’s a guy with some conscience.

“Actually, I’m thinking of moving out of my current room and moving in here.”

“Don’t say such horrible things. The house is small.”

“There’s a spare room. I never knew living with friends could be this fun!”

The cheesy words made goosebumps run down my spine for a moment. When I scowled, Oscar laughed good-naturedly.

“It’s all because of you.”

I regretted underestimating Oscar’s sociability a bit. He had genuinely come to think of me as a friend.

It wasn’t a bad feeling, but I was a bit worried. About getting too close.

I alternated between walking and running with Colin. Still, my stamina seemed much better than when I first came. I’d put on some muscle too, probably because I ate better than the original Lucas.

Though I still broke into coughing fits and my chest hurt like crazy if I overdid it.

“Cough! Cough! Hack hack!”

“I wondered why you were running so well.”

Oscar patted my back.

“How did you treat your body to end up like this?”

“Shut up. I’ve been like this since birth.”

Oscar shrugged with an expression that said “liar.”

After calming down a bit, I rested while drinking the water I’d brought. The active Oscar couldn’t keep his body still and continued chatting while poking at the roadside trees.

“How’s it going with Erika?”

“She really hates me. Even after showing my face so much, she won’t even look at me.”

“That’s serious. Are you confident you can persuade her?”

“Honestly… I’m confident.”

When I said this with a grin, Oscar’s expression brightened.

Making a girl who hates me like me.

It’s extremely difficult, but if it’s about raising human likability rather than romantic feelings, it’s entirely possible.

For someone as upright as Erika Brightner, the direct approach is perfect.

‘Show your face often, help when there are difficulties. That’s all it takes.’

Surprisingly, there are tons of people who can’t do even that.

Of course, my goal is set higher than that. Getting Erika to rejoin the White Raven Order and using her as an excellent worker.

Sorry to the other members, but she’s a kind of key personnel. The White Raven Order definitely needed someone as sharp as Erika.

“Well, shall we go?”

10 AM.

Time to get ready to leave.

But then.

In the quiet house after everyone had gone to work and Mrs. Schmidt had gone shopping, the telephone suddenly rang.

The clear ringing sound wasn’t different from old Earth phone bells. I quickly went to the living room and answered the phone.

“Hello.”

“Excuse me, but is this Lucas Redan’s house? I’m a friend.”

The moment I heard the voice, I let out a hollow laugh.

Major Johann Werner.

He was putting on a cheerful voice, but his characteristic coldness seeped through the phone line.

“It’s me. What’s the sudden matter?”

“Mailbox. Keep your promise.”

The suddenly cold voice left a brief message and the call ended.

“Haha.”

Of all days, today? Just when I was about to try talking to Erika again.

I had no choice but to check the mailbox in front of the gate, and there was an ordinary letter addressed to me. It definitely wasn’t there an hour ago.

“This damn…!”

After opening the letter envelope, curses flew from my mouth.

I had told Johann in our deal to work me like a dog, but I hadn’t expected anything like this.

“You want me to be an advertising model? Are you insane!”

The letter contained detailed shooting location addresses. Along with threats to arrest me immediately if I was late.