GDTEA Chapter 108

I Might Pounce on Him First

The carriage seat was excellent.

Thanks to Mondia’s gang finding them a good carriage for the price, even the long journey didn’t strain her hips or back.

Most of all, the coachman was unexpectedly kind and skilled, so there was little jostling.

“Are you planning to stay long when you arrive this time?”

“Yes. I heard the security in the eastern academies is good. Plus, there are free observation classes for commoners, so it’ll be good for Tein to study.”

The Chelonar County, which had established countless academies from the east to the northeast, valued learning.

Though they faced fierce opposition from the noble faction and only nobles could attend academies, the Chelonar County hoped that as many citizens of the empire as possible could participate in places of learning regardless of status.

The academies that inherited this philosophy also hired professors based solely on ability, regardless of status as much as possible.

“—But they say the number decreases every year. Since both students and parents are all nobles, they can’t hold out when faults are found with them.”

During breaks to rest the horses tired from the long journey, the coachman shared news about the academies.

“Still, if you’re thinking of your child’s education, the east is the best choice. There are many places where they can gain experience.”

“What kind of experiences?”

“Well, first they let them take a test. They use the official previous year’s entrance exam papers from the academy to find smart children.”

“If they’re found, do they get admitted to the academy?”

“Oh my, that would be a big problem if they admitted them that way. The nobles would be furious and make their lives miserable.”

The coachman shook his head in horror.

“Children smart enough to enter the academy mostly get jobs at noble houses.”

More precisely, they’re raised as successors to head maids and head butlers working at noble houses, or as assistants to scholars. While they can’t dream of social advancement as commoners, they can earn money. It’s another path to success for the children.

“These days, merchant guild leaders are also showing a lot of interest in this area.”

Those who come to the east with such hopes go through fierce competition.

Among them, those who lose the competition go northeast to dream once more, but the reality was that the majority, like Mondia’s gang, gathered on Bibanten Street.

“Teacher! I want to take the test too!”

Tein gulped down the sandwich he’d been chewing and shouted energetically.

“I’m smart. I can pass the test.”

It was a much more confident appearance than usual for Tein.

Tein looked back and forth between Ren and Sharti, seeking their agreement.

Ren chuckled and put a drink to the child’s mouth.

“My doctor can do anything.”

“That’s right!”

Tein nodded as he sucked down the drink.

Sharti also smiled and wiped the sauce from Tein’s mouth.

“Yes. Tein will do well.”

Objectively speaking, Tein was smarter than children his age. He had good memorization and good application skills.

Sharti didn’t think Tein would fail the test either.

‘But the fact that people from noble houses will be watching is concerning.’

It bothered her to bring Tein, who had a secret birth not unlike her own, to a public place.

While having his abilities evaluated would be good for the child’s future, having people pay special attention to Tein wasn’t a good thing.

“I’ll brag to Grandma and Sister. I’ll get praised!”

Tein took a big bite of his sandwich and declared his spirited ambitions.

Sharti, who had been watching Tein with complicated eyes, raised her head at the gaze she felt from beside her.

“…What?”

Ren, who had been staring at her with his chin resting on his hand, shrugged with a sly smile.

“I’ll praise you even if you don’t brag to me.”

Meaning she should take the test along with Tein.

Sharti glanced at Ren. Somehow he seemed to be getting more impudent.

“You heard, right, Tein? Ren says he’ll praise you too.”

“I know. Ren praises me every day.”

Tein grinned and focused on his sandwich.

As Sharti, left with nothing to say, glanced at Ren, she made eye contact with him, who had already finished his sandwich in one go. Before Ren could open his mouth to say something, the coachman spread out a map.

“Ah, where should I park the carriage when we arrive? There’s an inn right after passing through the checkpoint.”

“Checkpoint?”

“To enter Chelonar County, you must pass through a checkpoint. There’s just a simple identity verification process, so it won’t take long.”

“……”

Sharti and Ren both closed their mouths simultaneously.

Then the coachman blinked and asked cautiously.

“Is there perhaps some problem…?”

“No, no.”

Since the eastern academy was established in Chelonar County, naturally outsiders had to go through the checkpoint.

Tein was already registered with a false identity with the Krofl Mercenary Group, so the problem was Sharti and Ren.

‘They said identity registration takes about three or four days……’

It was better to be careful for a while at least.

“Are there inns outside the checkpoint too?”

“There are. Shall I guide you to a cheap and decent inn?”

The coachman tactfully changed the subject.

“Ah, and if you’re going to take the test, you’ll need to pay attention to what you wear.”

“Clothes?”

“Even at the free testing site, you can be denied entry at the entrance depending on your attire.”

At those words, Sharti, Ren, and Tein all lowered their heads simultaneously to check their outfits.

And they all fell silent together.

The clothes they were wearing now weren’t that shabby, but they were still crudely made from fabric obtained from used clothing bins or disposal sites.

At least Ren’s clothes were decent since they came from the Krofl Mercenary Group.

“……Should we stop by a clothing store first?”

“……”

As Sharti rolled her eyes calculating the spare money they currently had, the coachman chuckled.

“There are cheap clothing stores too.”

“Then please guide us there.”

Sharti nodded with flushed cheeks.

‘If we’re going to stay in a noble territory, I’ll need to pay attention to our clothing.’

In the mountain valley village, she only needed to worry about warmth and coolness according to the season, so she wasn’t very interested in clothing.

Above all, Sharti, who had been covering her whole body with a drab robe all this time, was worse.

‘Since we’re traveling anyway.’

She wanted to buy clothes with pretty designs rather than functional ones.

However, the next day, as soon as she entered the clothing store the coachman introduced, her resolution became meaningless.

“This one is prettier!”

“No. This one is better for Sha.”

Ren and Tein enthusiastically picked out Sharti’s clothes.

Thanks to that, Sharti ended up buying two outfits, one recommended by each of them.

One was a cute and voluminous dress design full of frills and lace, and the other was a calm dress with embroidery and lines.

“Would you like to try it on?”

“Yes!”

Tein, who answered instead, stamped his feet toward the cute dress he had chosen and sent Sharti into the fitting room.

While waiting for Sharti to change clothes, Ren, who was looking around the clothing store with Tein, discovered a white dress at the very back of the store.

“……”

It was a wedding dress with exposed shoulder lines and arm parts wrapped in lace with embroidery.

While Ren’s gaze was captured by the wedding dress he was seeing for the first time, Sharti came out after changing clothes.

Sharti, who had let down her hair and tied a headband with a pink ribbon, smiled awkwardly in her colorful outfit.

“Now that I’ve actually tried it on, it doesn’t suit me…?”

Tein, who had been standing with his mouth open along with Ren, hurriedly clapped first.

“It’s really pretty! Teacher is the prettiest!”

“…Really?”

“Yes!”

Tein, who nodded vigorously, looked up at Ren, who remained silent.

Tein, who had been staring at Ren’s expression, tilted his head then smiled broadly with a small exclamation.

“Ren has fallen in love again. He’s fallen for Teacher again.”

The moment the flinching Ren and Sharti avoided each other’s gaze, Tein quietly closed his eyes tight.

In fairy tales, there was something that always happened when people fell in love.

“Now Ren will kiss her.”

“…!”

“…!”

At the child’s prediction, the staff member glanced at the two adults and subtly stepped aside.

A breathless tension flowed.

Sharti creaked as she looked for the staff.

“I-I’m done now. I’ll change clothes!”

But Ren was faster.

Ren, who had stepped closer, grabbed her hand.

“It’s unfair that I’m the only one who keeps falling for you.”

Ren kissed the back of Sharti’s hand while making eye contact with her.

An ambiguous relationship, not lovers. This was as far as the line permitted in that relationship went.

Ren finally suppressed the heat suddenly rising and breathed hot breath onto the back of her hand.

“You’ll have to make the antidote quickly. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep doing things that make you find me endearing.”

His desire-filled deep turquoise eyes traced her reddened cheeks and lips in turn.

Gulp—Sharti, who swallowed dry saliva, nodded reflexively while holding her trembling breath.

Afraid that if he went further, she would hiccup like last time, Ren reluctantly let go of her hand and stepped back.

“……”

Sharti placed her hands on her chest and hid the sound of her pounding heart.

Though Ren, who had been holding her hand, probably heard everything anyway, the embarrassment was a separate matter.

‘I-I thought he was going to do it!’

Sharti, who had almost closed her eyes without realizing it, quickly hid in the fitting room.

Sharti squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped the back of the hand where Ren’s lips had touched.

‘I-I have to hurry and make the antidote and confess, my heart can’t take this as it is. Absolutely not.’

She lit a fire under her determination to make all kinds of antidotes right away and feed them to Ren.

Ren’s patience seemed precarious.

However, Sharti’s patience, which even he didn’t know about, was more precarious than Ren’s.

‘At this rate, next time I might pounce on Ren first!’

Ren hadn’t noticed yet, but she actually had a surprisingly impulsive side as much as she was emotional.

So it wouldn’t take very long until Sharti’s second confession.

****

Thanks to the coachman driving the carriage as fast as possible, two days after leaving Bibanten Street, they arrived at the checkpoint of Chelonar County.

After much deliberation, Sharti decided to pass through the checkpoint right away.

Waiting indefinitely would only reduce their travel expenses and increase anxiety.

[In that case, let’s try it once first. If it doesn’t work, we can make up another excuse and come out.]

It seemed that even if identity verification didn’t work, they didn’t just arrest outsiders indiscriminately.

The coachman also relieved their worries, saying that if there was a proper reason, the checkpoint didn’t particularly mind and let people through.

“Sha, twenty years old. From the Bonbard region.”

“Ren, from the Bonbard region. Twenty.”

“I’m Tein! Seven years old. I was born in Madril!”

Sharti looked at the checkpoint soldier with trembling eyes.

The checkpoint soldiers were using identity verification magical tools.

‘Please, please……’

As Sharti trembled too much, Tein and Ren held her hands from both sides.

Then the checkpoint soldier frowned around his eyes and raised his gaze.

The moment Sharti was startled by the suspicious look, she realized the soldier’s gaze was directed at Ren.

“You’re saying you’re twenty?”

“Is there a problem?”

When Ren asked back calmly, the soldier raised his eyebrows.

He tilted his head as if unconvinced.

“No matter how I look at it, you don’t look that young……”

“……”

The moment Ren reeled with shock, Tein nodded.

“He has an old face!”

“……”

“If you suffer hardships for a long time, you get an old face!”

Thanks to Tein’s wit, the carriage passed through the checkpoint smoothly.

And this time, Sharti and Tein held Ren’s hand tightly.

For Tristan, it was because of Ren’s way of speaking that he set him as the same age as Sharti, but Ren, who didn’t know the inside story, could only swallow his sense of injustice.