[V8EX1] Rejection of Friendship

The Ascard Library was a familiar place to Raul.

His grandmothers had brought him here many times since childhood, and now that he was one of the Seven Sages, he occasionally had business within the Forbidden Section.

That said, Raul had never been very fond of the Forbidden Section. He wanted to avoid setting foot inside if possible.

One day, he paused in front of the door leading to the Ascard Library’s underground Forbidden Section, hesitating to enter as usual. Except this time, he heard a voice from behind.

Raul turned around to see a black-haired man with a mustache——Marquis Highown, the keeper of the Forbidden Section.

“Thorn Witch-dono, is there something troubling you?”

“Oh, it’s just, I came to borrow some books, but… you know how creepy the Forbidden Section is, right?”

The books stored within the Forbidden Section contain sealed monsters from ancient times. The entire room was filled with their malicious aura, and some would even speak to visitors.

“It seems I resemble my ancestors a lot,” Raul continued.

“I see, so the monsters with a grudge against the First Thorn Witch must be bombarding you with their grievances.”

“If it was just that, it wouldn’t be so bad…”

Raul scratched his cheek and let his gaze wander.

He had already grown accustomed to being resented for the deeds of the First Thorn Witch. The main problem was the monsters who directed more… ‘complicated’ emotions than simple hatred.

“They keep asking me to step on them, or insult them and stuff, which is a bit… you know…”

“…”

The First Thorn Witch was said to possess overwhelming beauty, and apparently, her charms even enchanted several inhuman entities.

“In that case, shall I retrieve the books in your place? I was already planning to fetch some, so a few more should pose no issue.”

Honestly, this suggestion was greatly appreciated.

Raul promptly bowed his head and handed Marquis Highown the list of books. Meanwhile, Marquis Highown passed Raul the book in his hands.

“In exchange, could you give this book to my daughter? She should be sitting on a sofa in the central area of the first floor.”

“Your daughter? Uh, what was her name again?”

“Claudia. She turns sixteen this year.”

An age of sixteen meant she was only two years younger than Raul. In other words, she was a potential friend.

Raul accepted the book from Marquis Highown and walked away with lively steps.

＊　＊　＊

(That must be her.)

Raul found a girl sitting on a sofa and reading a book, and she clearly exuded a different atmosphere from the rest.

Her gaze seemed intellectual and cold, or perhaps even exclusionary. And yet, she seemed more at home in this library than anyone else.

“Hey, are you Claudia?”

Without looking up from her book, Claudia turned her eyes to glance at Raul.

She responded with the bare minimum of movement, clearly indicating a desire not to engage in unnecessary conversation. However, Raul was not bothered in the slightest.

“My name is Raul. Raul Roseberg. Your dad asked me to give you this book.”

Raul handed Claudia the book, who responded by murmuring a “thank you” so soft that it might be mistaken for a sigh.

She went on to place the received book on her lap, before turning back to the book she was reading. Everything about her attitude conveyed that she didn’t want to be disturbed, but as one might expect, Raul failed to notice.

“I’m really grateful to your dad for everything he does. I recently got into researching the effects of mana imbuement on plants, and he even offered to provide land and…”

“…”

Raul went on and on, as Claudia’s eyes only got colder. Though her face remained pointed at the book, this icy stare was undoubtedly meant for Raul.

“This is a library, you know,” Claudia interjected.

“Yeah, I know!”

“If you want to chat, go to a tea party or something.”

After hearing those words, Raul’s smile grew even brighter.

“Whoa, so you’re inviting me to a tea party? Awesome!”

“…”

“I’m looking forward to it, Claudia!”

Even if it was only chatting at a tea party, Raul genuinely rejoiced at the thought of going out to visit a friend.

Annoyed at Raul’s enthusiasm, Claudia finally looked up from her book. The expression on her face was overtly displeased, but Raul still failed to notice.

After all, he had always been insensitive to hostility——or more precisely, his sense for malice had been numbed after the constant comparisons to the First Thorn Witch.

＊　＊　＊

A few weeks later, Raul was made to participate in a soirée by his grandmother. It was there that he spotted Claudia, greeting her with glee.

“Hey, Claudia! It’s been a while!”

“…”

“This isn’t a library, so we can talk now, right? Oh, and feel free to invite me to that tea party whenever!”

“…”

Raul continued chatting without a care in the world, even as Claudia responded with nothing but a cold glare. Thinking she was just shy, he regaled her with various stories, such as the flowers he recently bloomed, carrot divination, and how delicious his turnips were.

Throughout the entire one-sided conversation, Claudia didn’t utter a single word or even offer a nod. However, the scene of Raul chatting with a smile seemed to cause others to think the two were friendly.

A nearby lady covered her mouth with a fan while remarking, “Oh my, you two seem close.”

Claudia opened her mouth to deny this, but Raul was faster to speak. The joy of someone thinking he had a friend caused him to get carried away.

“Yeah, she’s even invited me to a tea party!”

Unfortunately, there was something else Raul had failed to realize. He had always been indifferent to his own appearance, but he possessed a supernatural beauty inherited from the First Thorn Witch.

The handsome young man paired well with the taciturn and beautiful daughter of the Ashley family, attracting plenty of attention.

Then came Raul’s statement. It went without saying what kind of misunderstanding happened as a result.

Claudia Ashley was already engaged to the heir of Baron Maywood. However, many considered the engagement between a future baron and the daughter of a marquis to be too imbalanced.

But what if she married the handsome heir of the prestigious House Roseberg instead? The Ashley family was renowned for their magical talent, not to mention their blood ties to the Starseer Witch. It seemed like a match made in heaven.

——”Perhaps the daughter of Marquis Highown abandoned her fiancé for the head of House Roseberg.”

——”It seems the Fifth Thorn Witch is deeply enamored with her.”

Such rumors spread quickly.

Of course, Marquis Highown denied all of them, but the fact that “such rumors existed” remained in people’s memories.

＊　＊　＊

At the Roseberg estate, Isaac Walker observed Raul and the others preparing for the magic battle while whispering a question to Claudia.

“Perhaps you are not a big fan of the Thorn Witch?”

Claudia swept her hair back, not even bothering to conceal her exasperation. The answer was obvious.

“…Not a big fan? I hate him… at least as much as I hate you.”

Her merciless words didn’t seem to affect Isaac much. Instead, he expressed his curiosity with a genuinely intrigued expression.

“But you’re on friendly terms with Dudley-kun, who is a similar type… Well, maybe not that friendly, but you actually talk to him sometimes, right?”

Indeed, Glenn and Raul were somewhat similar, especially in terms of cheerfulness and volume of voice. They also shared the habit of forcing meat or vegetables onto others.

However, there was one fundamental difference.

“…That man listens even less than Glenn Dudley.”

Glenn grew up loved by his family and friends, so he would flinch in the face of malice.

On the other hand, due to the influence of the First Thorn Witch, Raul grew up being feared by those around him.

He protected himself from their hurtful words by unconsciously tuning them out. As a result, he ended up becoming the eccentric ‘Farmer/Sage’ who never listens to others.

“…I’m sure you know about that rumor.”

“You mean the one with you and the Thorn Witch in a romantic relationship? Only a few people actually mentioned it out loud, and they stopped talking about it soon enough. I doubt it ever reached Cyril’s ears.”

“…What do you think Neil’s reaction was when he heard about it?”

Isaac paused for a moment in contemplation.

“He probably fretted over being out of his league, but then he put on his usual face and said, ‘I don’t care about rumors,’ to avoid worrying you. That’s my guess.”

And indeed, Isaac’s guess hit the mark.

Neil would never suspect Claudia of being unfaithful, but he secretly grew disheartened, acknowledging the fact that the marriage was imbalanced.

“…It’s just so infuriating. He doesn’t realize that someone with his conspicuous appearance sparks rumors by simply approaching the opposite sex. But if I said anything to him about it, he’d probably just reply with something like, ‘you’re a great friend for being so honest,’ so I’ll never say it out loud.”

Claudia continued watching the scene before her. Raul was flaunting his Sage staff and robe in front of Cyril and Monica.

Meanwhile, the weasels were busy rolling the Key of Knowledge across the table, as everyone ignored his cries of “You beasts! Do not treat me as your plaything!” Cyril was growing quite careless in his treatment of the ancient artifact.

“Man, it’s been a while since I wore this robe. Does it suit me?”

“That button is coming loose,” Cyril pointed out.

“Oh, is it? Guess I’ll just take it off. No need to button up anyways.”

“Um, Raul-sama… There seems to be some sort of stain on your staff…”

Cyril began nitpicking Raul’s robe as Monica observed the tip of Raul’s staff. After taking a look at the greenish stain, Raul let out a gasp.

“Oh yeah! I used it to wipe off the stains from the potion pot!”

“You used the staff of the Seven Sages for that!?” Cyril shouted.

“Yep, it has a special coating that’s resistant to grime. Makes it really easy to get rid of stains. I’ve heard it’s even sturdy enough to be used as a drying pole!”

“What mage in their right mind would do such a thing!?”

“…Ah.”

Upon hearing a small groan, Cyril turned to Monica with a grim stare, who promptly began fidgeting with her fingers.

“Um, Raul-sama… W-Where did you hear about that?”

“I heard it from Louis-san!”

“Waaaah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I don’t do that anymore! I made sure to put it in a proper storage room…!”

Isaac interjected with a cheerful smile.

“Yeah, and I make sure to dust it off every now and then.”

“You make His Highness take care of your staff…!?”

“Eep…! I-I’m s-s-s-sorry…!”

While watching their lively antics, Claudia took a quiet step back, becoming as silent as a statue.

Because if she uttered even a single word in this foolish commotion, she would end up being recognized as one of Raul’s friends.

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