Edo, already dressed in disguise, was in the dining hall. It was lunchtime, so mostly hot dishes were being served. Everything from vegetables to all kinds of meat. Edo took a lot of meat and some vegetables before heading toward the table where Klein was supposed to be sitting.
When he reached it, he saw that a young, blonde woman was sitting with Klein. She had short hair and was quite short by this world's standards. At a glance, she was perhaps five centimeters taller than Edo. However, her most distinctive feature was her deadly green eyes. Unlike Klein, she wore armor, a breastplate, and long armored trousers. She had a weapon strapped to her back — a huge hammer. Something about her didn't seem right to Edo... Her appearance was different from that of the other people in this kingdom.
"Oh, Master! You're here already! Sit down!" Klein said loudly.
Without waiting, Edo sat down beside Klein, while the unfamiliar woman sat opposite him.
"Meet my colleague. Before you stands the sixth court knight," Klein said proudly.
"Nice to meet you... My name is Edo..." Edo said awkwardly, extending his hand.
The woman silently stared at the boy's hand with her cold gaze. After a moment, she reached out and shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you as well. My name is Rei."
Edo was speechless for a moment.
"Rei? That's a name that doesn't fit this world at all! Could she be from my world?! I'll have to ask her a few questions, but from what I can see, this woman might be quite difficult to talk to," Edo thought.
Suddenly, Klein spoke.
"Alright, since you've already met my master, I think we can get back to our meal," Klein said happily.
"I agree," Rei said quietly.
However, Edo decided to bring up the subject of her origins again.
"You use a hammer? Quite an unusual weapon. I've never seen anyone here carrying something like that. You must not be from around here," Edo said casually, hoping she would answer his question.
Rei put down her fork and answered coldly and quietly:
"You're right. I'm not from here. I'm from the Quiri Empire."
Edo fell silent for a few seconds as his mind was flooded with thoughts.
"The Quiri Empire?! That's the empire that attacked Leni's village and almost kidnapped her, while also terrorizing the world for centuries! How did she end up here?"
After an awkward silence, Edo asked:
"The Quiri Empire... So what are you doing here?"
The woman looked at Edo coldly and said:
"None of your business. You ask quite a lot of questions."
Despite the tone she used, her face looked kind. She didn't say it out of hatred, but rather out of worry or fear, even though her face seemed almost devoid of emotion.
"Listen, Rei, don't talk to my master like that! He may be asking questions, but he simply wants to get to know you better," Klein said seriously.
Rei, still eating, said:
"I like you, Klein, but this whole 'master' thing is getting on my nerves..." Rei said quietly.
Klein sighed softly and replied:
"You need to get to know new people, Rei. Remember what we talked about? You shouldn't be ashamed of your past. What's done is done, and you should enjoy what you have now, as well as the people around you. The sooner you overcome what happened and come to terms with it, the sooner it will stop hurting."
Edo was surprised. He had thought Klein was a stereotypical simp, but apparently only when it came to Leni. Here, it was obvious that the two of them had a very good friendship.
Rei blushed slightly and said quietly to Klein:
"I know... You're right, Klein. I'm sorry..."
Edo quickly interrupted:
"No, really... If you don't want to, you don't have to say anything. I'm sorry. I don't want to reopen old wounds..."
Rei shook her head and said:
"No. Klein's friend is my friend. I should speak to you with more respect."
She paused for a moment before continuing:
"Truthfully, I'm from Satop, but I was a slave in the Quiri Empire throughout my youth. That's where my weapon comes from."
Edo fell silent.
"If I had known that, I wouldn't have brought up the subject at all! I brought up a horrible topic..." the boy thought.
He quickly broke the silence:
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Seriously, I shouldn't have asked those questions..."
Rei simply nodded and said:
"It's fine... What's done is done. Like Klein said, what matters is what we have now. I spent my youth working in a mine. I was lucky enough to have talent and strength, which allowed me to escape. As for your question — that's where this weapon comes from. Years of swinging a hammer," Rei said gloomily.
Edo didn't know what to say... He had only wanted to ask about her origins, thinking that she might be from the same world as him, but instead he had brought up such a painful subject.
Rei broke the silence by quietly asking:
"Since I told you something about myself, it's your turn now, Edo."
Edo fell silent.
"About me... There's no way I can tell them I'm from another world!" Edo thought in panic.
"Well, as you can see from my hair color, I'm a demon. I spent most of my time in a village before setting out here in search of my calling," Edo lied.
Rei listened to the boy while eating her meal before replying:
"Makes sense. You probably want to join that idiot Nolan," Rei said emotionlessly.
"Hey! I already told you, don't talk about other people like that, especially people from such a close circle!" Klein said irritably.
"But... Klein... He annoys me..." Rei said very quietly.
Klein sighed.
"You still haven't forgiven him over that little incident? He apologized..." Klein said in a raised voice.
"But... Klein... That dessert was perfect... And because of him, it ended up on the floor," Rei said quietly and sadly.
"He bumped into me... It's not fair. He should have dropped his dessert, not me, Klein," Rei said.
"Okay... This woman is just as crazy as everyone else around here," Edo thought.
Klein broke the silence again:
"That happened a year ago, Rei. I'll buy you a nice dessert when we're in the capital, okay? Although I don't even know which one anymore," Klein said with a smile.
Rei smiled slightly, blushed, and replied:
"Thank you... Klein."
Watching the entire conversation, Edo came to an unexpected realization.
"That girl is in love with him! What an idiot! He doesn't see it! She's showing him her vulnerable side. She's making a fuss over the smallest things, and she probably forgot about that dessert a long time ago. She just wants to go somewhere with him! Klein, seriously, can't you see any of this? She's blushing in front of you like a girl in love!!!" Edo thought in shock as he ate his meal.
A moment later, when everyone had finished their meal, Edo said to Rei:
"Oh, right, Rei, how did you meet Klein? I can see that you two know each other pretty well."
Rei blushed slightly at the question and said:
"That was a year ago. I tripped over him when I was in the library, and we started talking... It was the first friendly conversation I'd ever had in this castle."
"So he was spying on Leni back then!!!" Edo thought in embarrassment.
Suddenly, Klein interrupted:
"Alright, since we've finished our meal, I think it's time for us to go."
Suddenly, a certain man sat down at the table next to Rei.
He was a very large man. He looked to be about two meters tall. His black eyes were intimidating, while his short blonde hair added to his aura of strength. Two massive swords were strapped to his back, and his white robe bore the number 9.
The ninth court knight joined them with a huge portion of food.
"Looks like we have quite a beautiful group here. Mind if I join you?" the giant asked.
His voice was gentle and didn't match his appearance at all.
"Of course. We were just finishing, but since someone is joining us, we can sit a little longer," Klein replied kindly.
"Oh, great. I see a new face. My name is Robin. Nice to meet you. What's your name?" the man asked gently, extending his hand toward Edo.
Without thinking for long, Edo took his hand and shook it.
"I'm Edo. Nice to meet you," he replied.
Meanwhile, Edo's mind was filled with thoughts.
"What the...? Is this dining hall a place for character introductions? That's already another important character I've met in this dining hall... I feel like I'm the protagonist of a story where the author forgot to introduce important characters earlier!!!"
Once they had finished introducing themselves, Robin began eating his meal.
"Oh, right, Master, I almost forgot. You remember the advice you're supposed to give me, right?" he said quietly, making sure no one except Edo could hear him.
"Of course I remember, but not in front of everyone, you idiot. These are secret techniques!" Edo replied angrily.
"By the way, Klein. Why do you call him Master?" Rei asked jealously.
"Indeed. Who are you, Edo, that such a talented knight calls you Master?" Robin asked in surprise.
Edo, surprised and panicking, said:
"Eeeee, you see... I teach Klein certain things, so..."
"What kind of things?" Rei interrupted. Her jealousy was clearly visible on her face.
"If he doesn't want to say, then let him keep it to himself. I think some secrets should remain secrets," the giant said.
Rei only gave him a cold look.
"Robin... Klein calls this Edo 'Master.' Doesn't that make you curious?" the irritated woman asked.
"You know... You don't have to know everything, right? The less a person knows, the happier they are!" Robin replied, laughing as he continued eating.
"Phhh... That suits you perfectly. I can see you don't know much yourself," Rei said irritably.
"And you can see how happy I am!" Robin replied gently, laughing.
"Listen, Edo," Rei said coldly.
Edo felt cold sweat running down his neck.
"If you're teaching Klein some kind of dark techniques or something like that, know that I won't forgive you..."
"Relax, Rei... I'm just teaching Klein how to become an even greater perfectionist!" Edo quickly replied in fear.
"Phhh... Klein is already perfect," Rei said quietly, blushing.
"Wow, Klein. If you still haven't noticed after that, you officially have the title of the biggest idiot," Edo thought in despair.
"Oh, right, Edo. You're completely new here. From your black hair, I can tell you'll probably want to join Nolan's unit. Good luck. When the king and the rest of the court knights and mages, including Nolan, return to the kingdom, I wish you the best of luck passing the exam," Robin said gently with a smile.
Edo smiled at Robin's kind words and Start to think :
"Alright... While staying in this castle, I've started surrounding myself with and finding my place among powerful people... I've already met Adam, the tenth court mage, Leni, the ninth court mage, and Wanda, the seventh court mage. And now I'm sitting here with three court knights: Robin, the ninth court knight, Rei, the sixth court knight, and Klein, the fifth court knight, and..."
At the thought of that person, he felt sick.
"Tenth.. court knight Toru... The Lizard... I feel sick just thinking about him. Still, I've already met most of the court knights and mages currently in the castle, because the rest, from the first to the fourth, are with the king in Satop for important negotiations. So I haven't met the eighth, sixth, and fifth court mages, nor the eighth and seventh court knights. Five important people in total. If this were a web novel, I'd consider this characters introductions pretty solid," Edo thought deeply.
"What are you thinking about so deeply, Master?" Klein asked curiously.
Edo quickly replied:
"Oh, nothing. I'm just wondering if my presence bothers you. I'm basically nobody important, yet I'm sitting with some very important people."
"Do you really care about status? I think you're cool," Robin said, continuing to eat.
"Edo, if you've earned the respect of someone like Klein, then you can't be a nobody. And status doesn't mean anything to me anyway," Rei said coldly.
Edo hadn't expected such an answer. He had always thought that people with status treated those beneath them with pity or disdain. He hadn't met many people here yet, so perhaps he was wrong, but the people he had met so far didn't seem to care much about it.
"Waaaaah, I'm stuffed. So, Rei, how about a spar? I'm betting you'll turn me into dust again," Robin said, laughing.
Rei smiled slightly and said quietly:
"A spar sounds good. I won't go easy on you."
"I wasn't expecting you to," Robin replied with a smile before standing up together with Rei and heading toward the exit.
"Looks like Rei gets along with other people too... I think Klein helped her become better at socializing," Edo thought.
Suddenly, another person sat down at the table.
"Another character?! What kind of pacing is this?! Is this One Piece or something?!" Edo thought.
However, a familiar face joined them for the meal.
It was the hooded doctor, Adam. He looked as if he had just woken up, despite it already being lunchtime, and there was very little food on his tray. It consisted mostly of things that could be called snacks... It was obvious that he had only just gotten up.
"Good morning, Edo, and Klein as well. Nice to see you," Adam said while eating his meal.
"I'll give you 'morning'... It's well past noon," Edo thought.
"Welcome, Adam. I rarely see you here. I see you must be having a good day today," Klein said with a smile.
Adam didn't even look at Klein, keeping his attention focused on his meal as he began to speak:
"Oh, right, right. You're correct, Klein. I'll tell you, I'm in a good mood. I managed to fall asleep unusually early. I actually made it in time for my first lunch in a long while!" Adam said, although his face didn't show much emotion. He was far too focused on his food.
"What do you do that makes you go to sleep so late?" Edo asked curiously.
Adam quickly replied:
"Well, you see, I memorize all the species of insects and creatures. There are thousands of them, so there's plenty to do. I'd even call myself one of them — a bookworm, to be more precise," he said, laughing at his own joke, though no one else even chuckled.
"Oh, right, Edo, how's your arm? Is it working properly? Because in your case, the treatment was quite difficult and things could have gotten out of hand," Adam joked.
"My arm works fine. I was even able to train normally with Klein," Edo replied.
For the first time during the conversation, Adam looked somewhere other than at his food and said:
"I told you not to overwork yourself, but do whatever you want. It's your life, kid. Just remember that I won't be able to fix that arm a second time. Now, thank you for the meal, but I have to go. I left too much work for later."
As he said this, Adam stood up and walked away from the table. He eat his lunch extremely fast it wasnt even 2 minutes.
"Eh... He's somewhat right... But whatever. I have to become stronger, no matter what might happen to me later," Edo thought.
Suddenly, Klein spoke:
"Alright, Master, now that we're alone, remember? The advice, Master. The advice! I'll follow whatever you tell me!" Klein said enthusiastically.
Edo put on a serious expression and began speaking:
"Alright, Klein. The advice is simple. I've seen how you behave whenever you see Leni. So, for starters, it's actually something simple."
"What is it, Master?" Klein asked impatiently.
"Don't hide when you see her. The more often she sees you, the more likely you are to stay in her memory, and you'll be able to start a conversation if the situation allows it," Edo said seriously.
Klein tilted his head and said disappointedly:
"Seriously? That's the advice? Isn't that obvious...?"
"Obvious, my ass! Who's saying that?!" Edo thought.
Suddenly, something happened that quickly made Klein realize just how wrong he had been. Leni was walking down the corridor right beside them.
Klein instinctively tried to hide, but Edo grabbed him by his cloak.
"And? Obvious? Sit your ass down and don't move!" Edo said firmly.
Klein looked at Edo in terror, realizing his mistake and understanding that he had underestimated his master's advice.
As Leni walked down the corridor, she looked toward Klein and waved at him.
"Oh, Klein! Nice to see you here. I rarely see you," Leni said enthusiastically.
She could only see Klein, as Edo had hidden underneath the table, giving Klein a chance to prove himself.
"Aaaa, well... Haha... Rarely because, you know... I eat quickly, hahah!" Klein replied.
Edo slapped his forehead as he listened to Klein's answer.
"Oh, by the way, Klein, have you seen Edo anywhere? I haven't seen him since this morning," Leni asked.
From underneath the table, Edo whispered to Klein:
"I'm not here. It's just you. Ask her if she wants to eat with you."
Klein replied to Leni:
"No... It's just me, haha," Klein answered, laughing like an idiot.
"That's a shame. Alright, I'm going to the city to buy a book. Do you want to come with me? Since Edo isn't here, you can come with me."
"Say yes! This is your chance!" Edo loudly whispered from underneath the table.
"Eeeee... uhhhh... Suu... I mean... No... Uhhh... Yes?" Klein stammered.
"What are you doing, you idiot?!" Edo hissed.
"Are you feeling alright, Klein? Maybe you should go see Adam? I can go by myself if you're not feeling well, so it's no problem. See you, Klein."
With that, Leni walked away.
Edo crawled out from underneath the table and looked at Klein, standing in front of him with his head lowered and an angry expression while Klein remained seated.
"Klein... What... WAS... THAT?! Who the hell am I taking on as a student?! You get an F!!! 0 out of 100 points!!!"
Klein lowered his head sadly.
Edo sighed and replied:
"Although... Eh... Everyone has to start somewhere... My advice was only about not hiding from her for now, and it worked. You had a conversation with Leni, and now you know that she sees you as a friend, considering she invited you to go out with her... We can call that a small success," Edo said reassuringly.
Klein smiled slightly and said:
"I'm sorry, Master, for insulting you. Your advice was perfect. I'll never question your advice again," Klein said seriously.
"And rightly so," Edo replied with equal seriousness.
Suddenly, Klein broke the silence:
"Listen, Master... There's something I need to tell you," he said with an expression Edo had never seen on him before.
"Yes, Klein? What's wrong?" Edo asked, surprised.
"It's about Toru and what he's planning."