Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance Chapter 63

Dinner time. Eileen glared at Laquerta’s empty seat, which was now completely empty. Most of their conversations these days have gone something like this.

 

“Hey, Laquerta, join us for the weekend.”

 

“Sorry. I have a weekend commitment.”

 

“Hey, Laquerta, do you want to work on this assignment?”

 

“I’ve already finished the assignment.”

 

“…I received it earlier today.”

 

“Hey, Laquerta, let’s go to the club on Thursday.”

 

“I’m sorry, but I have work to do after class.”

 

Eileen felt a strange pang of disappointment, like when a cousin you’ve been following closely suddenly turns on you.

 

“Isn’t Laquerta acting weird lately?”

 

Eileen asked seriously, noting that he’d disappeared like the wind as soon as they’d eaten dinner again today, and Cordelia replied in a nonchalant voice.

 

“I’m sure he’s just tired, we’re busy preparing for the festival, and he’s not a kid, he’ll figure it out.”

 

As she spoke, Cordelia suddenly realized that what he had done was to swim across the lake bareback.

 

“…You know, you’ll do it, right?”

 

But Cordelia swallowed hard, not wanting Eileen to worry too much, and patted her on the shoulder.

 

“It’s probably nothing, he seemed tired, but he’s eating well and doing well in class.”

 

“Right?”

 

Eileen asked, trying to calm the anxiety in the back of her mind.

 

“Yeah. At sixteen, he’s probably still in puberty, so we’ll see.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Eileen faced the weekend alone for the first time in a long time.

 

Laquerta had mysteriously disappeared in the morning, and Cordelia had left the dormitory at dawn for a special training session. Eileen wondered if she should go to breakfast by herself, but she decided to head to the café on campus.

 

“I think I’ll have coffee and a waffle, double cream.”

 

Her mouth watered at the thought of a waffle with a generous amount of syrup and cream. It was a bit heavy for breakfast, but she figured it was okay to indulge once in a while.

 

Pulling on a comfortable lime green dress, Eileen entered the café. The place was packed for a morning on a weekend.

 

“Are there any empty seats?

 

A familiar voice called out from behind her as she eagerly searched for an empty table before placing her order.

 

“Eileen!”

 

“Lucian?”

 

Lucian was sitting in the window seat, and he put down the mug of tea he was holding and stood up happily.

 

“Are you looking for a seat? Have a seat, I just got here.”

 

“Is that okay? Didn’t you come with someone else?”

 

As Eileen said that, she could see Allen walking up excitedly with a parfait. Lucian pulled out a chair in front of her and shot Allen a glare that Eileen couldn’t see.

 

“Hey, sit somewhere else.”

 

Allen’s eyes narrowed as he realized what was happening and he smiled wickedly.

 

“What are you going to do for me?”

 

Lucian waved his hand with his thumb and forefinger under the table. Allen, now free, smiled contentedly and turned casually.

 

“Phew…”

 

“Lucian, what’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

Eileen asked as she returned from ordering and sat down.

 

“By the way, isn’t there a special class training today? Cordelia said they’d be out at the crack of dawn.”

 

“Oh, it’s just for the Defense Against the Dark Arts students, but Cordelia’s an Elementalist, so Professor Albert probably invited her along.”

 

“Ha…”

 

Nodding, Eileen chatted briefly with Lucian while the food she’d ordered came out. He stopped Eileen from getting up and took the menu from her instead, looking down at the waffles, which were glistening with syrup.

 

“This is what you eat for breakfast?”

 

“Just today, not usually!”

 

Eileen glanced away, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed in front of the prosecutor’s perfectly dieted and exercised body, and Lucian let out a small laugh, thinking it was cute.

 

“Crazy.”

 

Allen, who had been watching the scene from a distance, hiding behind a bar table, shuddered at Lucian’s smile.

 

“That-that pretentious piece of shit!”

 

Allen scooped the cream on his parfait as if he were watching a morning play, intuiting his friend’s love life. Lucian tried his best to ignore him, knowing that he would beat the crap out of his flirtatious friend.

 

“Mmm, delicious!”

 

Eileen let out a long, satisfied breath as she cut a piece of waffle and popped it into her mouth. A sip of bitter coffee. A bite of sweet waffle. Followed by another sip of coffee.

 

Her mood quickly spiraled upward as she realized how delicious the flavors were. Lucian, watching with amusement, swallowed his mouthful.

 

Noticing Lucian’s gaze, Eileen said, “Lucian, you should try it. It’s delicious.”

 

Eileen sliced a large waffle and pushed it toward him. For a moment, she froze, thinking about getting another fork or lending him one for a moment. Lucian’s mouth opened playfully.

 

“Ah~.”

 

His half-lidded emerald eyes sparkled with laughter, and he looked so amused that Eileen unwittingly popped a piece of waffle into his mouth.

 

‘What did I do in the school cafe!’

 

Eileen gasped and looked around. Fortunately, it had been a while, and many of the surrounding tables were empty.

 

Only one person. Allen looked up, but his mouth was about to be clamped shut by Lucian’s wooden sword.

 

“Whoa.”

 

Swiping her hand across her chest, Eileen looked back at Lucian, who was grinning from ear to ear as he munched on a waffle.

 

“…delicious?”

 

“Yeah, sweet.”

 

It was strange, just talking about the waffles being sweet, but Eileen remembered the day of his coming-of-age, one winter.

 

The moist, soft lips that had touched the back of her hand.

 

Her ears burned unnecessarily at the memory.

 

‘Ugh. What are you doing this morning?’

 

Eileen glared at the innocent waffle and quickly ate it.

 

“What are you going to do after?”

 

“Well, now that I’m full, I was thinking of taking a walk by the lake or something…”

 

Eileen, who had been sounding nonchalant, stiffened. Lucian’s nightmare at the lake came back to her. Lucian smiled softly at Eileen, who was glaring at him for his carelessness, and said sweetly.

 

“Shall we go together then?”

 

“Uh…”

 

When Eileen hesitated, unable to answer right away, Lucian stood up and held out his hand.

 

“Eileen, whatever you’re worried about, I’ll be fine.”

 

Eileen stared at his hand held out in front of her, a knight’s hand, full of calluses, unlike the small, skinny child’s hand she’d held in the water that day.

 

Eileen smiled and took his hand in hers and stood.

 

After a moment’s contemplation of the duke’s hand in her firm palm, she released it and said,

 

“I’m not worried anymore.”

 

“Oh, that’s too bad!”

 

A playfully pouting Lucian flirted with Eileen and ran out of the café.

 

Meanwhile, Allen, left alone in the deserted café, looked back at them with an odd mixture of sadness and anger.

 

“I feel kind of dirty.”

 

After witnessing his friend’s love life and confessions, Allen sat for a while, trying to calm the churning in his stomach. A funny and slightly sickening feeling came over him.

 

“That’s the hand that beats me every day!”

 

Allen ended up leaving his favorite parfait less than half eaten.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After her walk with Lucian, Eileen ate a late lunch and returned to the dormitory just as the sun was setting. Feeling languid after so much movement, Eileen stretched and entered her room to find Jessie standing at her desk.

 

“Ah, good smells, are those the sweets you baked?”

 

“Yeah, I got some butter from the kitchen. I was so excited to make them because they smelled so good, I made too many.”

 

She showed Eileen the pile of cookies in the paper bag.

 

“So I’m breaking them up, and since we’re all getting together tomorrow in the club room, I thought it would be nice to share some.”

 

“You’re the best, Jessie!”

 

Eileen squealed with excitement, but Jessie told her not to mess with her and stuffed a cookie in her mouth.

 

Eileen was surprised first by the cookie popping into her mouth, and second by the buttery, flavorful aroma that filled her nostrils.

 

“You should be a pastry chef, these are so good.”

 

Shrugging off Eileen’s serious muttering, Jessie went back to wrapping the cookies. Jessie had been shy at the beginning of the semester, but now that they’d spent more time together and were in clubs together, they’d gotten used to each other.

 

“Let’s do this together! How many can we put in a bag?”

 

“Eight. I’ll do the carrying, but can you tie the opening with this string?”

 

“Sure!”

 

Eileen, standing nervously beside Jessie, picked up a thin piece of ribbon. The rich scent wafted in and the corners of her mouth twitched.

 

Humming softly, she tied the first knot.

 

“Is anyone here?!”

 

Cordelia’s panicked voice was accompanied by an intense flash of light that flooded Eileen’s vision.