The two of them stood silently for a while, looking at the lake with Sid between them. The moon reflected in the lake was disgustingly beautiful on this full moon night.

“…Did you see? No… don’t answer yet.”

Nigel Ars covered her head with her hands.

Noah Beselion, who was just biting his lips as if troubled, had already given the answer.

“How long have you been here?”

“I was training nearby and heard a sound. I followed it and saw Sid Cromwell, so I watched him for a moment when suddenly he lost consciousness and fell to the ground. So…”

“So you saw everything. From the beginning.”

“…”

Noah silently lowered his head.

“Uh… well… I think we both have a lot to talk about, but first… let’s move Cromwell.”

Fortunately, the sleeping pills seemed to work as intended, and Cromwell slept soundly without waking up.

[This is the timeline separator]

Nigel Ars just turned her head and waved her hand vaguely at Noah Beselion, who had returned empty-handed.

“How’s Cromwell?”

“He’s sleeping well.”

“That’s a relief…”

Nigel Ars, who had been repeatedly saying it was a relief, took out a pocket watch from her bosom and activated it.

“…It’s a sound-blocking magical tool. Shall we talk comfortably now? Beselion, what on earth were you doing here?”

“I felt my training was lacking, so I was training.”

“Leaving the perfectly good training grounds? …Well, I’m not one to talk, having gone to such lengths to mess with Sid Cromwell.”

“Cromwell’s words and actions were quite harsh…”

“No, don’t try to understand, Beselion. Just forget it!”

Nigel Ars, her face reddening, pressed her forehead.

‘…Who would have thought someone would see.’

“Then Nigel, are you really…”

“Yes, that’s right! It’s true!”

Nigel Ars quickly cut off Noah’s words. Though it was already revealed, she didn’t want to hear that word from someone else’s mouth.

“Ha… hahaha!”

Suddenly, Nigel Ars started laughing.

It was because Allen’s words overlapped with the current situation.

“…You know? The Day of Valein is famous for the story of Valein confessing love to someone they had admired for a long time, but in fact, Valein first approached him to silence him because he had discovered their secret?”

Noah’s eyebrows twitched at the words whose meaning he couldn’t understand.

“I wonder if I, like Valein, need to date you to keep your mouth shut?”

Nigel Ars smiled, narrowing her eyes. The full moon filled her innocent purple eyes.

As the moon was soon covered by clouds and no longer visible in Nigel’s eyes, Noah felt a sense of regret.

“I… suffer from mana deficiency.”

“What…?”

At the sudden words, Nigel’s eyes widened, once again embracing the moon that had escaped from the clouds, and Noah smiled gently.

On the other hand, because Noah was standing with his back to the moonlight, Nigel couldn’t tell what expression he was making, even though she wanted to know.

“Why… why are you suddenly saying that?”

“Since an important secret was unintentionally revealed, I thought I should also share a secret of equal importance to Nigel.”

“…”

This time, Nigel’s eyes wavered before she lowered her head deeply.

“You… you’re really naive. Who in the world reveals their own secret just because they learned someone else’s?”

It was so absurd that she could only laugh. But she had to use all the cards she had.

Squeezed, Nigel’s fist clenched again.

“Alright. Since it’s been revealed anyway, I’ll help you solve your mana deficiency while we’re at the academy if you keep the secret. Oh, if you can’t trust me, we can write a contract.”

Nigel Ars took a step closer to Noah and placed her hand on his firm arm. Instantly, a vast amount of mana flowed from Nigel to Noah.

Noah quickly moved away from Nigel’s side.

“Sorry. For touching you without permission.”

“…It’s fine.”

Whether he was surprised, angry, or both, Nigel still couldn’t read Noah’s expression.

“I will keep your secret.”

“Then shall we write the contract tomorrow? I’ll prepare everything.”

“No.”

Noah shook his head.

“Ah, for something this important, we should use a mana contract.”

A mana contract was a contract where the mana of the two contracting parties was injected instead of signatures, and it could never be damaged unless the mana of both parties was injected simultaneously.

“No, really, it’s fine, Nigel. I swear I will keep Nigel’s secret.”

“…What?”

“But if you’re worried that I might reveal the secret, I’m fine with writing a contract.”

There are all sorts of people in the world, but Nigel had never met someone like Noah Beselion before.

Someone who first reveals their own secret after learning someone else’s, and who cares for others without expecting anything in return.

‘…So this is why you’re the male protagonist, Noah.’

In the original novel, there were many criticisms calling Noah too much of a pushover for always putting others before himself in any situation. Nigel was someone who somewhat agreed with those assessments.

How could there be someone in the world who cares more about others than their own well-being?

But.

Noah’s kindness, which she had only read in text, became reality before her.

Noah’s unwavering blue eyes told her that there was no lie in his words.

‘Is this why Widrun told me to stay away from Noah….’

Noah’s kindness seemed more fantastical than magic or divine power.

“…Thank you. I’ll trust you.”

“Yes, of course.”

A warmth spread through Nigel’s heart.

“Ah, in return, let me help cure your mana deficiency too.”

But she had to take care of what needed to be taken care of. Thanks to Noah’s preemptive strike, she had found a good excuse.

Noah gently raised the corners of his mouth at Nigel’s words.

“Ah, it’s alright. This is purely my problem, so you don’t need to use your precious mana to help me.”

…No. No. No no no no.

Noah Beselion. You shouldn’t have said that.

You shouldn’t have uttered those words.

You need to be a bit more greedy.

“…You really are a pushover.”

Nigel muttered in a small, dispirited voice.

“Pardon?”

“…It’s nothing. Let’s go back to the dormitory now.”

“Yes!”

He answered vigorously. At that innocent voice, Nigel Ars’s mind became even more confused.

For Nigel, tonight seemed to be just the beginning.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Nigel, did you hear that?”

“…What is it?”

Nigel answered Allen Evans while barely spooning soup into her mouth.

“Um… Nigel. You look very tired today. Do you want to go to the healing cleric together after we eat?”

“No. I just had a bit of trouble sleeping.”

Nigel roughly stabbed a halved boiled egg with her fork.

Damn Noah Beselion.

That fellow needed to be a bit more selfish and care about others less. A lot less.

Nigel shoved the boiled egg into her mouth and chewed noisily.

It was truly fortunate that Noah’s morning training was delayed.

If he had been in front of Nigel’s eyes, she wouldn’t have been able to leave his collar alone.

“So. What happened yesterday?”

Nigel asked after swallowing the egg.

“Well, actually…!”

Allen started to speak but paused to gauge Nigel’s reaction.

“Is it about Cromwell?”

“Oh. I momentarily forgot that Sid treated you rudely. Sorry, that must have been unpleasant.”

“No, it’s fine. Did something happen to Cromwell?”

Nigel now used her fork to pick up some fruit salad.

“Well… they say Sid was possessed by a ghost yesterday!!”

“…A ghost?”

Nigel answered, stopping mid-swallow of her salad.

She had expected rumors to spread, but a ghost? The situation was taking an interesting turn.

“Yeah. They say Sid received a letter from a female student a few days ago. It said to meet by the lake behind the dormitory on the night of Valein’s Day.”

“And then?”

“Well, so Sid went to the lakeside at the promised time. But… he had no memory at all of what happened after he went to the lakeside! As if someone had completely erased his memory! Does that make any sense?”

Yes, Allen. Because I knocked Sid out with your invisibility magical tool while unseen, and then fed him your sleeping pills.

“…You’re right, it doesn’t make sense.”

“And when Sid opened his eyes, he wasn’t at the lakeside but in the dormitory. That’s one thing, but his clothes were dirty as if he’d rolled on the ground, and his face was covered in bizarre doodles as if he’d been cursed…”

…That’s because my drawing skills are terrible. Ah, and Noah helped move Cromwell to the dormitory.

“…It really doesn’t make any sense.”

“Do you know what the most shocking part is?? Today Sid looked at the stationery the female student gave him for the letter. My goodness! There wasn’t a single word written on the letter!!”

…That’s the stationery you bought a few days ago because you liked it.

“…Wow, that’s really surprising.”

“I know!! I didn’t believe in ghosts before, but now I really think they might exist!”

Allen’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out.

Thud.

“What were you talking about?”

Noah, his hair still wet, sat down with an apple in his hand.

“Oh, Noah, you’re here! You heard too, right? We were talking about Sid.”

At Allen’s words, Noah’s gaze subtly turned towards Nigel.

Nigel secretly put her index finger to her lips, hidden from Allen.

“…Yes, I heard about it too. They say he was… possessed by a ghost.”

Noah answered with an ambiguous expression that was neither crying nor laughing.

“So both of you, don’t even show your noses near the lakeside just in case! Who knows, you might really get possessed by a ghost.”

Noah and Nigel nodded obediently at Allen’s serious face and exchanged glances.

Though no words were spoken between them, they could understand what each other was saying.

This matter was a secret from Allen. Forever.

‘…Allen, you were right.’

Now that they had a secret between just the two of them, a thick bond that hadn’t existed before formed between Nigel and Noah.

“Allen, then where is Sid now?”

Somehow the food didn’t taste good today, and it was because Sid hadn’t picked a fight.

“He’s lying in the infirmary now. Sid’s roommate told me that Sid fainted right after seeing the empty letter this morning.”

“Ah…”

What delightful news.

Nigel barely held back her laughter.

The mad act under the moonlight wasn’t a futile endeavor after all.

Thinking of Sid Cromwell lying pale and bloodless in bed made her appetite return.

[This is the timeline separator]

Sid Cromwell finally regained consciousness and opened his eyes around lunchtime.

His mind was in a jumble and dizzy, but strangely, his body felt very light. As if he had slept soundly all day.

Cromwell thanked the healing cleric and went to the dining hall.

It seemed rumors had spread through the academy, as students glanced at Sid furtively.

It was mortifyingly embarrassing that he, the second son of the Cromwell count family that had pursued knowledge and truth for generations, had been fooled by a mere ghost, his heart stolen and toyed with.

However, Sid ignored all the countless gazes directed at him and walked unhesitatingly into the dining hall.

It was quite easy to find Nigel among the many students in the chaotic dining hall.

All he had to do was look for the tall blue-silver hair that stood out as he scanned his surroundings.

Noah Beselion was always accompanied by Nigel. Plus Allen Evans too.

Sid was jealous not only because Nigel had insulted him at the entrance ceremony, but also because she had become so close with these two that all the new students wanted to befriend.

He had naturally assumed they were nobles since they were close to two influential figures, but finding out they were commoners and orphans made him even more jealous.

But Sid knew all of this was just his own ugly heart.

Step, step.

Sid approached Nigel.

“Nigel.”

Sid called Nigel by her first name for the first time, not her family name.

“I’m sorry.”

Sid lowered his head. In all his life, this was the first time he had bowed his head to a commoner. But he felt no shame.

“…Alright. I understand.”

“…!”

The apology was accepted.

At last, Sid raised the corners of his mouth high.