Volume 5 Chapter 43, Part 2 Edgar And The Others Aren't Breathing？ It's Okay, Their Stage Is Still Ahead... Probably
When Annabelle involuntarily raised her voice, Archbishop Ridley gave a small wave to Randy and Annabelle.
"S-Sir Randolph. It seems like my father is calling you."
As Randy looked up at Annabelle's words, he indeed saw Ridley cheerfully waving at him.
(Looks like I can't escape.)
Now that Ridley had acknowledged him, there was no way he could leave without greeting him.
With a sigh of resignation, Randy said, "Shall we go greet him?" and urged Annabelle to walk toward the archbishop.
"It's been a while, Archbishop Ridley."
Randy bowed respectfully, focusing solely on greeting Ridley and avoiding eye contact with the man.
"Randolph, I'm glad to see you're well. It seems my daughter is still in your care."
Randy smiled and nodded at the cheerful Archbishop Ridley.
"Not at all. I am always grateful for Lady Annabelle's deep knowledge."
"That's good to hear."
Nodding with satisfaction, Archbishop Ridley turned his smile back to Annabelle before looking at Randy again.
"Randolph, actually──"
"Archbishop, it seems you are busy with guests today, so I will come back another time."
It might be rude to interrupt, but Randy felt he might be introduced to the man next to Ridley, so he bowed deeply and turned to leave...
"There's no need to be so dismissive. Lord of [Red Battle Demon] of the Dukedom──"
...At the sound of the haughty voice, Randy came to a complete stop.
It seemed the man knew Randy and had no intention of letting him go.
"I'm not being dismissive... I just thought it wouldn't be right to interrupt the archbishop and his guest."
Randy turned back with a wry smile, and the man smiled back with a "Hmph."
The blonde hair and emerald eyes visible beneath the hood looked surprisingly young for such a haughty demeanor.
"Archbishop, if possible, I would like to borrow a private room."
At the man's suggestion, the guard-like figure couldn't help but mutter, "Well..." The blonde man then placed a finger to his lips.
They were already drawing enough attention near the center of the cathedral, so Randy swallowed the words that almost escaped his mouth, thinking it would be pointless to speak.
"How about this? I would like to have a more relaxed conversation with you."
"That's impossible. I have no business with you, and more importantly, I'm shy around strangers."
Randy's cold response was his last form of resistance.
It was a blatant refusal to entertain the request of an important person.
The idea was that by dismissing him, the man would lose interest, thinking, "A fool with no manners."
Indeed, Randy could sense a distinct hostility emanating from the guards.
The guards now clearly disliked him.
In that, Randy's approach hadn't been all wrong.
However, Randy was unaware that, in this world, there were people of high rank who might actually be intrigued by his boldness.
For a moment, the blonde man looked surprised by Randy's behavior. But then he muttered, "Interesting," before turning back to Archbishop Ridley.
"Archbishop, what do you think?"
"...I suppose we can arrange a room for you."
Ridley's tone was reluctant, and Randy shook his head rapidly in silent refusal.
Yet, his rejection would soon prove utterly futile.
The man drew closer and whispered into Randy's ear.
"Lord Randolph Victor, my name is Julius El Varkraith. Perhaps you've heard of me as the former Fourth Prince of the Eldria Empire?"
Stunned by the mention of such a prominent name, Randy froze.
"I would very much like to converse with you. What do you say?"
There was nothing Randy could say.
He almost let the words slip, but swallowed them once more.
The man, though no longer a prince, was still a figure from a superpower—one of immense importance.
The Empire's affairs were a mystery to Randy, but even stepping down from the position of Fourth Prince and now being connected to the Church made him a complicated person to deal with.
Moreover, there was the issue of his large entourage of guards.
(This is troublesome... and incredibly dangerous.)
With a strained smile, Randy looked at Julius, who once again smiled and asked, "So, what do you think?"
Thus, the impoverished noble from the Dukedom found himself facing yet another encounter with a character straight out of an otome game.
* * *
Back in time, when Randy was heading to the Cathedral...
Livia was stopped by a soldier guarding the gates of the Royal Academy.
Beyond the gate she can see a wide road wide enough for horse-drawn carriages, and beyond that the school buildings and grounds.
The back gate is different from the main gate, and is located exactly in the middle of the school buildings and grounds.
In other words, the entire school can be seen clearly, but right now Livia is being put on hold just by looking at it.
"Uh, let me in for a second."
Livia pouts, but the gatekeeper stubbornly refuses to nod.
Of course.
Only students or those related to them are allowed in the school.
But from Livia's point of view, it just seems like she's being mean to him, and she doesn't find it funny.
"If you won't let me through──"
Just as Livia was about to release a murderous aura from her entire body, a blond man appeared behind the gate.
Livia turned her head to look at the blonde hair that reminded her of Julius, but the person standing there was not her acquaintance, but Randy's best friend, Luke.
He had noticed that Livia was approaching the school, and after asking Cecilia for permission, he had come to scout.
"...I thought there was a really strong presence approaching so I came over"
Livia's eyes lit up as she watched Luke's bitter smile.
"Who are you? You're not the [Red Battle Demon], right?"
"Me? Just a passerby KnightA."
Luke shrugged, and Livia gave him a fierce smile and said, "Hmmm."
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