I Thought Your Friend's Sibling Wasn't a Girl? - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 17
* * *
A thick tension hung over Veritas Academy. The Final Practicum was drawing close—very close.
Of course, there was one exception: the group under Aiden’s instruction.
“A hundred more!”
“Ahhhhh!”
“Does this Training Assistant’s instruction displease you?”
“No, sir!”
“The one who just answered—step forward. You seem to have plenty of energy. I think we should add more weight to your practice.”
“Noooooo!”
Aiden had long held a philosophy: why did one need time to settle one’s mind before a crucial exam? If a student had prepared well all along, there should be no reason for anxiety when the test arrived.
Of course, Veritas Academy apparently disagreed—they’d even given the students a full week of vacation before the practicum began. The thought made his blood boil.
Every time he recalled that decision, irritation flared in his chest.
“Your Sword Path is unsteady, Olivia. Aren’t you concentrating?”
“I apologize!”
“A steady Sword Path is fundamental. If you can’t manage that, it means you’re not yet ready.”
Olivia’s stance, usually quite stable, had grown shaky these past few days. Aiden knew perfectly well that he himself was the cause—which left him feeling inexplicably troubled.
But he didn’t regret it. He truly didn’t want Olivia to enter the Luxes Knights Order.
All the more so after learning the reality of that organization himself.
And yet…….
‘There might have been a gentler way to persuade her.’
If only he hadn’t run into Olivia so unexpectedly that day, in that place.
He couldn’t decide whether it was Cesare who deserved his anger, or the Academy for granting such an unnecessarily long break.
“I will concentrate!”
At least she remained spirited—that was some consolation.
Though he’d been firm in his rejection, he couldn’t help but worry. It felt as though he’d denied the sincerity of someone who’d once said she found happiness holding a sword. And that feeling gnawed at him.
If the phantom of the past hadn’t superimposed itself over Olivia’s sunset-lit face, Aiden would surely have abandoned all his resolve and said, “Yes, yes, go ahead.” He was certain of it.
The image of Olivia’s face when she’d first found happiness in holding a blade had left too deep an impression.
‘I made the right cut.’
And I made the right push.
Aiden couldn’t give Olivia the answer she wanted. All he could do was ask her not to come, to refrain from facing such an “enemy.” That was the extent of what lay within his power.
Yet inwardly, he suspected the truth: that day’s conversation hadn’t truly changed her mind.
“Understanding one’s weapon is where everything begins.”
So he had to teach her as much as possible before the practicum. That was precisely why he’d driven his training with such intensity in these final days.
“If you don’t even understand what you’re holding, thinking you can fight with it is nothing but arrogance.”
In place of a reply came only strained breathing. Aiden glanced at Olivia and spoke again, this time with deliberate weight.
“Consider for yourself what weapon suits you best, and think carefully about how to understand and wield it.”
A sharp clap echoed across the Training Grounds.
“That’s all for today—the practicum is upon us.”
“F-finally.”
“And the student who just spoke—never mind. If you need help, come find me. I’m sharing a Research Office with Professor Seton.”
“Yes, sir!”
Before him stood a cluster of students, yet Aiden’s eye fell on only one.
Olivia.
Her green eyes deliberately shifted away from where he stood, fixing instead on empty air.
He could barely recall making eye contact with her over these past few days. Something like unease stirred in him—so much so that he didn’t even notice his hands, clasped behind his back, worrying the Ring on his finger.
“……Dismissed.”
The students scattered the moment the word left his mouth. Olivia was no exception.
The subtle glances and affectionate corrections that had followed her through training vanished without trace. With not the slightest hesitation, she moved away from him as though she were merely his “student,” nothing more.
It felt hollow. But—yes. This was the better path for everyone.
“……Better this way, in fact.”
“Better? Better what?”
“Naturally—”
Aiden stopped mid-response and turned toward the source of the question. Eugene.
“Commander? What brings you here?”
“Had some business to attend to. And I hear you’ve been working your students like puppeteers all day. Thought I’d observe while I was at it.”
“Why did you only just now appear?”
“I was watching.”
Watching whom?
The question flared up in Aiden’s mind, but he swallowed it wisely. He thought he already knew the answer.
“……Showing favoritism to one student isn’t appropriate.”
“Well, it’s not as though I’m a Teaching Assistant or a professor.”
Eugene let out a short laugh at the sight of Aiden’s compressed lips and subtle frown, deftly shifting the subject.
“You seem worried about Olivia.”
“I—I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’re terrible at lying.”
“……I should head inside. We have a Teaching Assistant meeting.”
Eugene was a man whose thoughts were difficult to read. He was a capable commander, certainly, but Aiden could never stand before him without feeling that something was being seen through—seen through him.
Right now was no exception. His anxiety spiked: at this rate, his intentions would soon be laid bare.
Aiden’s brows drew tight as he moved to distance himself quickly from Eugene.
“Well then, I have my own business to attend to.”
“Yes. I’ll see you at Head—”
“Which direction is Olivia’s Dormitory, exactly?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Aiden’s step halted abruptly, freezing mid-stride.
* * *
Wretched man.
Olivia was pouring all her frustration with the “Training Instructor” into her journal as she reviewed the day’s lesson.
Her Sword Path unsteady? Her fundamentals lacking? It was true enough—but it was infuriating to have the very person responsible for her distraction lecturing her about it.
Dong, dong-dong.
The six o’clock bell chimed distantly across the academy grounds, marking the end of the day’s activities.
“Four days until the practicum…….”
Four days. Once this two-part practicum was complete, the time for her decision would finally come.
Olivia believed without question that she would join the Luxes Knights Order—yet separate from that certainty, her heart felt unaccountably heavy, unable to fathom Aiden’s true intentions.
Then came a knock.
Tap, tap.
“Olivia. Commander Eugene is here to see you. He said you’d requested a consultation.”
“Oh! I’ll be right down!”
Just as she’d hoped, the person she was waiting for had arrived.
Olivia quickly tidied herself and headed out. Eugene, always neat in appearance, greeted her as she rushed down the stairs.
“Olivia. Have you been well?”
“Commander Eugene!”
She felt especially glad to see him today. Recognizing that warmth, Eugene returned her greeting with a playful smile and continued.
“You said you needed help. I had time today and came by—I hope I’m not intruding?”
“Of course not. I was the one who asked.”
“Shall we move somewhere more comfortable?”
“Yes. But…….”
The problem was the unwelcome third party following in his wake.
Why had the Commander brought him along?
As Olivia glanced at Aiden trailing behind Eugene, a faint laugh escaped Eugene’s lips—and a flush spread across Aiden’s face.
“Why Sir Aiden Oblion followed me along? I’m not entirely sure myself. I suppose he was bored.”
“Commander!”
“I’m joking. I only said I was going to meet Olivia, and he simply trailed along like that.”
“It’s inappropriate for a student and a Knights Order commander to meet privately right before the practicum. I came along to avoid any misunderstanding!”
The excuse was flimsy. This was an official consultation, and the commanders of each order gladly accommodated such student requests during this period.
For the past few days, Olivia had been avoiding Aiden to gather her thoughts. And it was for exactly that purpose that she’d requested today’s meeting—but now…….
“Teaching Assistant.”
“Yes?”
Whether from genuine obtuseness or deliberate pretense, Aiden responded shamelessly. Yet some part of him seemed to prick with guilt—his steps faltered and stiffened as he tried to enter the Consultation Room.

“I think that before the practicum, such a meeting might not be entirely… appropriate.”
“I agree. I had a feeling you’d understand, Olivia—or rather, Olivia.”
“So you’ll leave, won’t you?”
“Yes. Commander, did you hear? These meetings should be saved for later, much later. You should reconsider them then—”
Aiden seized Eugene’s arm with a broad smile. He was talking about something else entirely.
Olivia exhaled a short breath and spoke pointedly once more.
“The Teaching Assistant, I mean.”
“……What?”
“As the Teaching Assistant said, since you’re directly involved in the practicum, a meeting with you could appear inappropriate. Surely you understand?”
And so Aiden was unceremoniously expelled from the room.
It was a dismissal without mercy.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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