Syrah smiled brightly as she enjoyed the ice cream that Ian had bought for her.
“Um—it’s delicious.”
She giggled and swung her legs back and forth. The leg moving beneath the round table lightly tapped against Ian’s, who sat across from her.
Ian might have been annoyed if it was just a casual tap, but each time her foot brushed against his leg, the clever Syrah playfully slid her toes along his shin, almost as if she were caressing his leg.
Ian frowned, feeling her toes toying with him.
“… What are you doing?”
“Yes? What?”
Syrah feigned innocence, pretending not to know, but Ian began ignoring her, assuming she was just playing one of her pranks, hoping to see his reaction.
When he didn’t respond, she pouted, finishing her ice cream in one bite before pointing to another dessert.
“I want to eat that one this time.”
“Are you going to buy it?”
“Are you really going to be stingy? Aren’t you a man?”
“… Fine, only this time.”
Once again, Ian rose from his seat and headed toward the stall. Given how reluctant Ian was to buy new clothes or indulge in anything outside of academy meals, it was odd to see him splurging like this.
‘Ever since he visited the Duchy of Eritz…’
His spending habits had noticeably improved. This sudden change in behavior was peculiar, but Syrah doubted it was anything serious. Her house seemed suspicious of him, but wasn’t that something easily clarified with a messenger to the Eritz estate to confirm the Duke’s well-being?
The real question wasn’t whether he was hiding something; it was why and how his spending had increased.
‘Are the two of them… engaged?’
That seemed the most likely scenario.
The Duke Eritz valued talent above all else. If Ian had somehow defeated the demons that had invaded the duchy and the Duke had seen his skills firsthand, then, given the Duke’s nature and desire for talent, he might have decided to bring Ian under his influence.
And the easiest way to entice a skilled 3-star Summoner who could hold his own against advanced demons?
Well, the answer was simple: the allure of beauty.
Coincidentally, the Duke’s daughter, Stella, renowned for her beauty, also had a clear fondness for Ian.
‘It’s just speculation…’
Syrah reassured herself, glancing at Ian, who was returning with another dessert.
He looked oblivious, as if he had no idea what was going on, a naivety that somehow managed to surprise her time and again. That mix of simplicity and obliviousness was somehow irresistibly endearing to her, drawing her in even more.
***
‘Why is she acting like this?’
Seeing Syrah’s uncharacteristic persistence left Ian puzzled.
Why was she so clingy now?
Previously, Syrah’s interest in him had been minor at best, hardly something that could be mistaken for genuine affection. It had been more like the curious fascination of a slightly unusual cadet.
But now?
She was watching his every move, observing him as though she intended to uncover all his secrets, subtly probing his defenses to find out more about him.
‘Why is she suddenly acting like this?’
Others might think she had fallen for him, but he doubted it. There was no reason, nothing about him that could draw her in that way. And he couldn’t believe it either, considering how easily she liked to play pranks on him whenever she felt like it.
“Oh, Ian. Let’s ride that next, shall we?”
“… No, I want to go back now.”
“Why already?”
“I don’t particularly enjoy going out.”
Maybe it was his weak constitution or simply the effect of spending time with Syrah, whose youthful energy was overwhelming. He felt as though time sped up when he was with her. She had to be at least ten years younger than him, but was it normal for young cadets to have so much energy?
‘I’m mentally exhausted…’
Physically, he wasn’t the strongest either, but it wasn’t just his body tiring—it was his mind. He felt like he was losing energy every moment he spent with her, as if his very vitality was being drained.
“Then let’s stay until the night!” she insisted.
“… Why?”
“I told you, there are fireworks tonight!”
“Fireworks…”
He found himself slightly intrigued, curious about what kind of display they might show this time. In this world, instead of gunpowder, fireworks used magic and summons, and he was interested in seeing how brilliant they could be.
“Fine. We’ll head back after seeing them.”
“Yay!”
With a wide smile, Syrah led him to yet another attraction. He sighed, but followed along, wondering why he had agreed in the first place.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t we going to stay until nightfall?” she asked, looking back at him, puzzled.
“No, we were, but…”
“Then are you just going sit still until then?”
“Please, give me a break.”
In the end, he couldn’t rest at all, trailing her through every attraction in the water park.
***
Evening arrived.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, darkness settled over the city, and magic lanterns illuminated the streets.
Somehow, Syrah had managed to secure a spot on the terrace of a popular restaurant.
Sitting by the window, she ordered a course meal, resting her chin in her hand as she gazed outside, eagerly awaiting the start of the fireworks.
But with quite a bit of time left before they began, Syrah, lacking patience, grew bored and started summoning her creatures, playing with them in the palm of her hand.
“Look, Ian! My Blue—its wings have thickened.”
“… Have they?”
Sponsor Chapters at the Patreon Shop: Along with BuymeaCoffee where you can now make payments in your local currency, the Shop section on Patreon can be used as a way to make a one-time-payment. I will be creating products in the Shop section with the title of the webnovels. It will only have an image as the product, but it will count as the payment for the Sponsored Chapters.
For example: You will buy the product with the title “Flower Stealing Master” to sponsor a chapter for the novel. As far as I know, you can buy the same product multiple times, so you should be able to sponsor as many chapters you want. I hope it was easy to understand.
Introducing KN WN Bundle ($15) for those who prefer to read only KR webnovels. This bundle gives you access to all the advance chapters of the Korean Webnovels on Goblinslate immediately, and will stay ahead of the regular release for the month! Get it on Patreon!
That means, you get:
PTTV – Four Advance Chapters! ($10)
IPUAW – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
MSAS – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
MWD – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)