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Volume 9 Chapter 233

Luke’s Mistake

「An apology for the school festival? ……Ah! Are you talking about that?」
「Yeah. Probably what you’re thinking. Riel, I just really wanted to apologise properly to you for what happened back then—-」
Riel and I started dating around the end of last year.
It was just before the school festival at the magic academy… …During the festival, I ended up hurting Riel.
──＊＊＊──
It was the second day of the school festival.
Dressed in my butler uniform—- I was attending to the young ladies who had come to our cafe.
Our class was running a『Maid & Butler Cafe』.
「Madam, here is your tea」
「Thank you, Luke」
By the way, the person I’m attending to is not a madam or anything like that, but rather a female student from the Magic Academy. Judging by the pattern on her robe, she’s probably a third-year student?
Just an ordinary female student, influenced by my demeanour and the atmosphere, elegantly sipping her tea.
It’s quite funny how when I play the perfect butler, the customers I’m attending behave as if they’re genuine noble ladies, which is a bit entertaining.
I can feel that the customers are truly enjoying the atmosphere here.
Maybe being a butler suits me?
—-That’s how enjoyable it was, to the point of delusion.
And I was the most popular among the boys in our class.
I was more popular among the boys in my class, including Ryuushin, a tall, well-built, and wildly handsome guy—-
More popular than Haruto who married our beautiful half-elf teacher, and beautiful elf Rifa—-
I was overwhelmingly preferred by the young ladies.
I was at the height of popularity.
So I got a little carried away.
「Luke, I had lots fun today」
「I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Thank you very much for today」
I took her offered hand and kissed the back of it.
Clang—- a sound of something falling and breaking.
A girl sitting near the entrance, visible from where I was, seems to have dropped and broken her cup.
The girl had her hood pulled deeply over her eyes.
「Are you all right, miss?」
Haruto seems to be attending to the customer, rushing over to the girl.
「I’m sorry, I’ll just…… go」
The girl hurriedly handed some money to Haruto and swiftly left, passing by me, who was nearby the entrance.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
I recognized her voice.
No, it can’t be──
But, that’s impossible.
Because she, that girl, should be far away in Alheim.
As I stood there dumbfounded, Rifa approached.
「Luke, you might want to go after her… …You’ve only just started dating, right?」
「Eh!? T-Then, that girl was──」
「……Riel」
Upon hearing Rifa’s words, I dashed off in my butler uniform.
I forgot that I was still working, activating my Sage Apprentice skill of Magic Detection to its fullest to find Riel’s whereabouts.
I was seen kissing another girl, albeit on the back of her hand, by my girlfriend, whom I’ve only been dating for a few weeks.
Talk about bad timing.
That was even the first time kissing a girl.
I was excited by being frequently requested by girls.
She offered her hand, and I just──
No, there’s no time for excuses now.
Anyway, I have to find Riel!!
—-There!
「Hey, you. Are you alone?」
「Let’s go around the school festival together」
「This person here is Nard-sama, the son of Baron Zoldy. If you join us, you can for sure expect some treats」
「N-No, thank you. I’m fine!」
I found Riel, the elf girl, being harassed—- by a trio I recognized.
The other students around me were also watching but they did not want to involve themselves.
Some were looking around, but no one was willing to help Riel because of the robes that identified Nard as a noble.
「Riel!」
「L-Luke-san!」
As Riel noticed me approaching, she ran over and hid behind me.
「This girl is my girlfriend. I apologise, but please take your leave」
「Huh? A butler, dating such a cute elf? Don’t mess with me!」
Ah, I was still in my butler uniform……
「Butler or not, it matters not」
「It does matter. This person here is Nard-sama, the son of Baron Zoldy. Nard-sama has requested company of your lady to tour the festival」
「Quiet down and hand her over」
The thin guy with glasses and the short, chubby one started to close in on me.
「We are not saying we want to snatch her. We just want to tour the festival with her」
「Why don’t you return to your master’s side? We’ll take care of this lady」
「That’s right. Come with us」
Nard forcefully reached out to take Riel away.
「Please refrain from doing that. If you get any closer—-」
「Huh? What are you going to do? You would dare to touch me, a noble?」
Even though I am the grandson of the headmaster, I am not a nobleman.
If I were to lay a hand on a noble, it would be bad for many reasons.
That said, there was no way I could give up Riel as I was told.
So—-
「If you get any closer, you might be struck by lightning」
「What?　What did you say —-」
「N-Nard-sama!」
The guy with glasses noticed it.
Drawn by his gaze, Nard looked up.
「W-What? W-What’s that!?」
Thunderclouds spread across the previously clear sky, and lightning bolts ran through the clouds.
It’s Ultimate Magic, Ultimate Thunder. With this magic, I can cast highly destructive lightning anywhere I want.
「If you come any closer, there might be a little accident」
「Is that… …your magic!? I’m a noble!! If you cast magic at me, you know what will happen—-」
「I don’t know. There is no way that could be a civilian’s magic, right? It’s impossible to control the weather unless you have the level of the Ultimate magic」
I took a step closer to Nard and his group.
As if fleeing from me, they took two steps back.
「Even if you were struck by lightning from that, it wouldn’t be my fault. After all, I’m just a butler, I couldn’t possibly use Ultimate Magic」
I grinned.
Nard and his friends’ faces twisted.
「Would you leave now?」
Nard and his companions vigorously nodded, then hurriedly ran away from us.
「Phew」
That was close. I was so nervous.
It’s a relief they ran away.
Maybe I’ll get scolded by Grandpa later…
But it’s fine.
I managed to save her from going through all that noble nonsense.
「Um, Luke-san」
「……Riel. So glad you came」
Facing Riel, I desperately tried to think of words of apology.