“Hmm, you put in some effort today, Rukna?”

“What effort? Just ordinary compared to other cadets.”

Saying that, he nodded towards Bolton who was wearing lots of metal chain decorations.

Even though Bolton was clearly much more flashy than him, Chad’s attention was uncomfortably focused only on him.

It was a silent question of why he dressed up so much when a woman was going to meet another woman.

“Besides, this isn’t soap smell… Is it perfume oil? Wisteria scent?”

Chad naturally brought his horse close to Rukna’s side, leaned his upper body and sniffed the fragrance before adding:

“These days, women prefer perfume scents over perfume oils.”

And then he took out a small glass bottle. It was a small perfume specially made for pocket use.

“Should I spray some on you too, Rukna?”

“You go ahead and use it all yourself.”

“So prickly even when I’m trying to help. This is super popular with the opposite sex, you know.”

As he said that, Chad opened the small bottle cap with one hand and deliberately sprayed some on Rukna’s clothes.

Then, as if he had just remembered something, he opened his eyes wide and put on a surprised expression.

“Oh, maybe Rukna doesn’t need this?”

“You…!”

Rukna quickly looked around before glaring at Chad.

“It’s a joke, just a joke. You’re really fun to tease, you know?”

And Chad immediately spurred his horse’s flank and slipped out through the main gate. That sight was incredibly annoying.

Bolton, who had been talking with Aaron for a moment, followed behind shouting “Spray some of that perfume on me too!”

“Those guys are always lacking something.”

Aaron clicked his tongue as he watched Chad and Bolton go ahead.

Among them, the only one wearing summer short sleeves, shorts and suspenders looked cute on the outside, but was famous for his firm speech and actions.

“Hello, Aaron.”

Rukna waved at Aaron. Aaron waved the hammer symbolizing gnomes roughly instead of his hand in greeting.

“You’re not even on the student council, so why are you joining in on this occasion?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Was this not a place for me to join? I came because Bolton invited me…”

“I’m not blaming you, I’m just curious why you’re spending your precious time in a place like this.”

“Ah, I see. I’ve been feeling a bit stifled lately, so I wanted to go outside.”

“Well, security has gotten especially tight these days. Thanks to that, I have no reason to spend money, so I’m happy.”

With those final words, Aaron ran ahead, his pink curly hair fluttering.

‘He’s really unique.’

Rukna thought about the slightly misaligned flow of conversation, thinking that Aaron was as difficult to get close to as Matian among the student council members.

“You put on a lot of stuff today.”

And then Matian’s voice came as if from a ghost.

Rukna turned his head.

The usual Matian was examining the unusual Rukna with a stiff face.

“You went to the bathhouse loaded with stuff. Did you put on perfume?”

Matian sniffed and raised one corner of his mouth.

“It’s the same perfume as Chad’s? That scent that’s said to enchant women.”

“Ah, this is Chad’s…”

“Weren’t you talking about marriage with Giselle Golden?”

Matian mentioned the incident when Rukna was wearing a wedding ring on his finger at a teahouse once, and continued:

“You seem to have a more promiscuous view on love than I thought, Rukna.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

Rukna made an expression of utter injustice at being treated like a promiscuous man just because of a perfume mishap.

“I’m saying remember that the reason we’re going to St. Agnes Girls’ School today is for a meeting, not to meet women, Rukna Golden.”

Then Matian’s gentle smile froze coldly.

“So don’t let your eyes wander carelessly. Today you’re a temporary member of the student council, and the student council is the face of the military academy, so act with integrity.”

In front of St. Agnes Girls’ School main gate.

The student council members who got off their horses were lined up waiting for the closed iron gate to open. Only three out of five.

“Excuse me, President Matian. Didn’t you say the student council is the face of the school so we should act with integrity?”

Rukna, standing at attention, asked while nodding towards Bolton and Chad.

Right now, Bolton was poking his head over the golden fence shouting “Hey, pretty ladies!” and waving his hand, while Chad was leaning crookedly against the closed iron gate, busy winking whenever a female student appeared peeking this way.

Matian called for the two with a sigh deep enough to sink into the ground.

“Bolton, Chad. I’d like you to line up properly.”

When he conveyed the murderous message that he would break their necks if they didn’t stand straight right away with a smiling face, Bolton quickly returned to his place and Chad grumbled “Ordering us around again” as he sauntered back.

“Chad.”

“Alright, alright. Gotta listen to the great president’s words.”

Only then did Chad return to his place, standing at attention pressed close to Rukna’s side.

“Were you perhaps jealous, Rukna?”

His eye smile towards Rukna as he said that was very mischievous.

“If nonsense could be a disease, you’d be terminal, Chad.”

“What a shame.”

“Does the guy who dropped me from the sky have anything to be disappointed about?”

Rukna mentioned the incident that happened during the last taming exam.

“You tried to burn me to death too, so I think we’re even.”

Chad showed the burnt tips of his golden bangs and added complainingly, “Rukna burned all of this.”

“I wish all of that had burned completely.”

Is there any fire around? As Rukna looked around as if to finish burning it even now, Chad moved a couple steps away saying he was scared.

At that moment, there was a commotion inside the main gate and the female students who had been watching this side disappeared somewhere.

Soon the ornate main gate opened wide on both sides and female students appeared, standing as straight as Rukna.

“Welcome, Saint Military Academy Student Council members.”

Mela Chamber, the girls’ school student council president with her black hair braided into two, greeted them with a mechanical smile, and the rest of the ladies curtsied in unison.

‘Do they receive even more intense training than us? It feels like watching a ballet corps.’

Admiration leaked out as the direction of their gazes, the angle of bending their knees, and even the speed of rising were all exactly the same as if they were one body.

The uniforms were also identical as if they had come out of a factory.

The achromatic, neat uniforms were as plain as nun’s habits, but they clung to the body as if not allowing even the slightest change in weight, making one wonder if they could even breathe.

“Greetings. We are the Saint Military Academy Student Council, the Silver Wolves.”

With Matian’s voice, the entire student council matched the greeting signal by rolling one foot.

The salute motion of putting both feet on the ground in order and raising the hand was something they had been doing throughout their time at the military academy, so Rukna could easily match the beat.

‘Was the student council name Silver Wolves?’

It was meant to signify protecting the royal family, the Golden Lions, but imagining the members with strong personalities, it didn’t seem to fit very well, so he almost burst out laughing.

“We are the St. Agnes Girls’ School Student Council, the White Swans. The weather is nice today, so we’ve prepared tables outside. This way, please.”

Lady Mela Chamber smiled brightly as she pushed up her glasses.

Her black hair and soulless smile were somewhat similar to Matian’s, and the strange feeling when her gaze fell on him was the same.

‘I think she just looked me over.’

While Rukna tilted his head looking at Mela Chamber walking ahead, they arrived at a lake.

“This is our school’s landmark, the Pond of Truth.”

Lady Mela Chamber pointed to the vast pond.

As they admired the swans leisurely swimming on the azure water whose depth could not be fathomed, Bolton’s vigorous voice was heard.

“I know about this, my lady! Isn’t this where a lady threw herself in long ago to prove her innocence? I heard that after that, the pond gained a mysterious power to reveal the truth.”

“That’s correct, Lord Bolton Buetke. It’s quite a romantic legend.”

Rukna frowned as he listened to Mela’s explanation.

No, isn’t the story of an ordinary person drowning unfairly closer to a school ghost story than something romantic?

Am I the only one who thinks this is strange?

Rukna looked around in bewilderment, but everyone else was nodding their heads.

‘I guess I was the strange one.’

Rukna put aside his convictions and nodded along with them, acquiring a new sense of romance.

It was an impressive ability befitting a possessed person who had quickly adapted to this world.

“I’m so glad to have the chance to see the pond that strips away all lies and reveals the truth in person!”

Bolton flexed his arm muscles habitually to express his joy.

Ugh, the young ladies frowned, but Bolton, who hadn’t noticed because he was distracted by the pond, proudly thought of his own muscles as he collected pond water in a leather flask.

It was like the instinct of an alchemist who collects rare materials when discovered.

“May I take just a little for experiments?”

His greasy smile and wink as he belatedly asked for permission made him look no different from a sleazy old man.

The embarrassment was Rukna’s to bear.

“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”

Mela Chamber slightly furrowed her brow, then smiled as if there was nothing she could do and turned her gaze to Matian.

“Hey, cousin. Your student council is still the same, I see?”

“As always.”

Matian shrugged with a resigned expression.

No wonder they looked alike, they’re cousins? Rukna gaped as he looked back and forth between the two.

Chad, who had been watching this, bent down and whispered in Rukna’s ear.

“That unpleasant feeling is really similar, right?”