Claudia and Merida followed Knox into his base.
The moment they stepped inside—
"Oh my, you're back sooner than I expected."
A voice greeted them.
Both of them looked up.
Then froze.
Serene stood a short distance away.
Her long ivory hair was still damp, several strands resting against her shoulders and collarbone. Tiny droplets of water could still be seen trailing down from the tips of her hair, catching the sunlight whenever they moved.
Her expression remained as calm as ever, as though nothing about the situation was unusual.
Then they noticed what she was wearing.
Because she was just wearing a towel! Or rather, she was only wrapped in a towel!
Combined with her attitude, it looked as if a wife was welcoming her husband home!
For a split second, both Claudia and Merida instinctively tensed, their bodies reacting faster than their thoughts could process what they were seeing.
Meanwhile—
Knox didn't react at all.
Wow, as expected, she really has a nice figure… he thought casually.
Unfortunately, scenes like this were not exactly new to him.
Back when he stayed at Nefthis's house, he had already seen something similar more than once.
But, the subject had been Lorain.
At this point, he had basically developed immunity.
"How was the bathwater?" Knox asked as if nothing was strange.
"It was very good. Especially on an island like this," Serene replied calmly.
Claudia and Merida blinked several times, as if trying to convince themselves that what they were seeing was real.
They looked at Knox.
Then at Serene.
Then back at Knox again.
Their brains were working very hard at the moment.
Unfortunately, neither of them was getting any answers.
"…Knox, what exactly is going on here?" Claudia finally asked, unable to hold it in any longer.
Knox answered without hesitation.
"Serene is a guest. She paid for accommodation and is staying here."
"I see…" Claudia nodded slowly.
Her expression, however, clearly showed that she didn't understand anything at all.
After settling in, Serene was already sitting comfortably, sipping her tea as if she had lived there for days.
"So, did you find the monster you were looking for?" she asked casually.
Knox leaned back slightly.
"No. Looks like I was too late."
"That's a shame," Serene replied lightly, not sounding particularly concerned.
"...I don't think that's the important part right now."
"Hmm?"
Knox pointed at her.
"Can you please wear proper clothes first?"
A sly smile immediately appeared on Serene's face.
"Hee~ What's wrong? Do you find this sight inappropriate?"
She crossed one leg over the other.
"You should be thankful, you know. Not everyone gets to witness such a graceful sight~"
"Thank you for the feast."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Serene, Claudia, and Merida could only stare at him.
Knox blinked.
"What?"
That only made the silence worse.
A second later—
"Pfft!"
Serene immediately burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
She nearly spilled her tea before finally managing to calm herself down.
After a while, she placed the cup down and stood up.
"Alright. Let's continue discussing my graceful body later. I'll go change my clothes first."
"Why is discussing your body even on the schedule?!"
The exchange was simple and casual, yet the familiarity between them was impossible to miss.
Claudia and Merida, who had been watching the whole thing, fell silent at the same time.
Their thoughts aligned perfectly.
"…They look like a married couple."
The thought lingered in their minds long after the conversation ended.
Night eventually fell over the forest.
After finishing her bath, Claudia sat on the living room sofa, quietly sipping tea as she let out a slow breath.
The room was calm.
Perhaps a little too calm.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke.
"Hey, Serene Aidark."
Seated across from her, Serene lifted her gaze from her teacup.
Serene, who was seated across from her, lifted her gaze slightly.
"What can I do for you, Claudia Menzies?"
Claudia's eyes sharpened.
"You're planning to take Knox to the Ivory Tower, aren't you?"
Serene didn't hesitate.
"That's correct."
Claudia's grip on her cup tightened slightly.
"…And what do you plan to do with him?"
Serene met her gaze directly.
Unfazed.
"What kind of answer are you hoping to hear?"
Claudia didn't look away.
"If you're thinking of treating him like some kind of trophy, then I'm against it. Knox is our squad leader."
At those firm words, Serene calmly took a sip of her tea.
"He's not the type to be satisfied with something like that," she said. "Someone who can stand among the top students, and who understands his own worth… deserves to stand at the center of the Ivory Tower."
"…I see."
A brief silence fell between them.
Then Serene tilted her head slightly.
"If you're that worried, why don't you come with me?"
Claudia shook her head.
"…I have something I need to do. I can't go to the Ivory Tower."
"That's a shame."
Serene smiled faintly.
But within that calm expression, a sharp, competitive glint flickered in her eyes.
Another silence followed.
This time, Claudia rested her chin on her hand before speaking again.
"But… about Knox."
"Yes?"
Claudia hesitated for a second, then continued.
"Sometimes… I get confused. Even though we're just teammates, he treats me in a way that feels… too natural."
Her gaze lowered slightly.
"At some point, it starts to feel distant. Like… when he looks at me, it's not just me he's seeing. It's like he's looking at something else entirely."
She exhaled softly.
"…And for some reason, that bothers me."
Serene listened quietly, then set her cup down.
"I understand."
Claudia looked up.
"I also found it strange from the very first time I met him," Serene continued.
"That feeling of familiarity... as if we weren't meeting for the first time."
"…Yeah"
Claudia muttered.
A small pause.
Then Serene spoke again, her tone softer this time.
"Hehe, whether it's love or not… the fact that it bothers you means your heart is already starting to waver."
Claudia didn't reply.
She simply lifted her cup and took another sip.
Then, after a moment—
"Anyway… one thing is certain."
Serene looked at her.
"…What is it?"
Claudia met her gaze.
"Knox is an important person to you."
"…That's right."
Claudia nodded slowly, muttering under her breath.
"In that case… there's actually a very simple solution."
Serene tilted her head slightly.
"Oh? What is it?"
Claudia took a small sip of her tea before answering.
"The two of you get married and go to the Ivory Tower together."
"…Hah?!"
Claudia's face instantly turned red as she realized what she had just said out loud.
"W-What are you saying?!"
Serene let out a soft chuckle and placed her cup down.
"It's a joke. Just a joke."
She paused for a moment, her smile still lingering.
"Although… if the two of you really do get married and come to the Ivory Tower, you would be more than welcome anytime."
"…That doesn't sound like a full joke…"
Claudia muttered quietly.
Serene straightened slightly, her expression returning to its usual composed state.
"In fact, even within the Ivory Tower, bringing someone like Knox in as a son-in-law would be considered one of the most ideal outcomes."
She continued calmly,
"The problem is… there are very few people who could actually make that happen."
Claudia frowned slightly.
"…What do you mean by that?"
"If I narrow down the candidates by considering certain conditions, like family background, age, and status that could match Knox…" Serene said calmly.
She paused for a moment, as if carefully listing them out.
"Then it would be me, Meilyn, and of course… that barbaric woman, Lorain Archbold."
"…Barbaric?" Claudia repeated softly, her brows knitting slightly.
"Oh, of course, that also includes you. Merida and Claudia could also fit the bill," Serene added without hesitation.
Hearing that—
Unexpectedly, Claudia didn't blush.
She simply went quiet, as if thinking about something.
Serene observed her reaction with a faint smile.
Then, she continued,
"It would certainly be a good move to recruit someone like Knox… but I have no intention of choosing a marriage partner in that way."
"I agree with that," Claudia replied.
Even as a noble, she still held onto her own ideals about marriage.
Being forced into an arranged one was something she wanted to avoid as much as possible.
"…Marriage…" Claudia murmured, her gaze lowering slightly. "I haven't really thought about it seriously. If I had to choose… maybe something like a proper proposal?"
"Oh my, is there a particular kind of proposal you'd like to hear?" Serene asked, clearly amused.
"Yeah! Do you know one of Knox's novels, called Steel Necromancer?" Claudia asked, her tone suddenly a bit more lively.
Serene raised a brow slightly.
"Oh? I've heard of it, but I haven't read it in detail."
"There's this one scene," Claudia continued, clearly getting a bit excited. "At the end, the protagonist says a line to the heroine…"
She paused for a moment, as if recalling it perfectly.
"It's something like… an equivalent exchange."
Serene tilted her head, now genuinely curious.
"What kind of line?"
Claudia took a small breath before saying it.
"'I'll give you half of my life, so give me half of yours.'"
She looked down slightly, then added,
"That's the gist of it."
Serene's eyes narrowed just a little, intrigued.
"…I see."
Then Claudia continued, as if correcting herself,
"Or rather… 'I'll give you the rest of my life, so give me the rest of yours.' Something like that… it sounds really cool."
Serene let out a soft chuckle.
"Indeed. That's quite a line."
"Right?!" Claudia replied immediately.
The two of them continued talking like that, the tension from earlier slowly fading.
For that moment, they were no longer calculating nobles or scheming individuals.
Just two girls chatting and laughing like others their age.
***
The morning of the third day of the survival evaluation arrived.
The four of them gathered around the table, finishing their meal while discussing their plans for the day.
"I'm going to hunt. How about you guys?" Knox said casually.
"I rested well yesterday, so I plan to keep hunting until this evening, then head back," Claudia replied.
"Thanks to you, I slept well," Merida added quietly.
Claudia and Merida had already adjusted their plans, deciding to focus on collecting points for the day.
Serene then turned her gaze toward Claudia.
"My offer still stands. If you change your mind, feel free to come to me anytime, Claudia."
"Thank you, but my answer hasn't changed, Serene."
"Huh? Since when did the two of you get so close?" Knox suddenly cut in, raising a brow.
"Did something happen while I was asleep?"
Merida and Knox exchanged puzzled looks, both noticing the strange shift in atmosphere between the two.
Somehow, Claudia and Serene had grown noticeably closer overnight
Then the two of them glanced at each other.
A moment later, they both started laughing.
Seeing that, Knox and Merida became even more confused.
Then Claudia and Serene spoke at the same time.
"That's a secret~"