Chapter 20 The Second Son Of The King
Nami, Lea, and Sydney were late to class on their first day. Realizing they were the only ones late made Lea feel incredibly embarrassed, as it made them the center of attention.
The class was filled with new cadets like them. Although Lea looked extremely embarrassed, Nami and Sydney appeared calm, as if nothing frightened them other than monsters and ERI.
Commander Pieter Handler, who taught their first class today, was a young commander in his mid-30s, renowned for his good looks and monster-hunting prowess.
Noticing these three young women were late while he was teaching didn't bother him at all. He was known for being very disciplined, yet still able to show tolerance within certain limits, making him appear as a humane teacher in the eyes of the prospective cadets.
"What do you think made you three arrive late to my first class? Didn't you all line up on the field and listen to instructions?" he asked in a firm, yet gentle and wise tone and expression.
"Excuse us, sir! There was a small matter we had to resolve and—"
"Good morning, Commander! Sorry for my late arrival to your class this morning!" Before Lea could finish her sentence, Ethan arrived and immediately apologized.
He was also late. Nami had thought he had entered the classroom first, leaving her alone after saying what he wanted to say.
"Ethan?" she thought to herself. She still remembered very clearly the vision Ethan had told her about. She didn't know if Ethan could truly see the future as he claimed. But considering that Ethan knew about his great powers, she had no reason to distrust him.
"You're late, Ethan?" asked Commander Pieter, feeling a little incredulous that Ethan Skulz would be late.
"Excuse me, Sir!" Ethan said firmly, showing his guilt for his undisciplined actions.
Commander Pieter sighed with a calm smile. He could still understand and didn't make a big deal out of it.
"Okay, you four may take the remaining seats and pay attention to my material, as it will be very useful as a first step in learning about the characters of the monsters that have appeared."
"Yes, sir!" They said in unison. They took the empty seats. Lea and Sydney sat next to each other. The other two seats were in the far back corner of the room, leaving Nami and Ethan sitting next to each other.
Ethan seemed calm and didn't mind sitting next to Nami. However, Nami felt a little uncomfortable and wished she hadn't gotten too close to this young man who could predict things.
"Why do I have to sit next to him?" she thought to herself. As if guessing what Nami was thinking, Ethan immediately blurted it out.
"I don't really like sitting next to you either, so don't think I sat here on purpose to be close to you."
"W-what are you saying? I don't-"
"Shut your mouth and just pay attention to the material in front of you!" Ethan said. Nami fell silent, completely shocked and unable to comprehend this young man's way of thinking. It was obvious she was this late because Ethan had asked her to talk for a moment when they were supposed to be heading to class. But she didn't seem to feel the slightest bit guilty.
"You jerk! Watch out, okay?"
"Hurry! Let's eat! I'm so hungry!" Nami tugged at Lea and Sydney's hands, leading them to the dining room.
"Nami, calm down! We just had breakfast five hours ago, shouldn't you be too hungry yet?" Lea, unable to keep up with Nami's pace, walked out of breath, not much different from Sydney's.
"N-Nami—" Sydney couldn't say anything because she was busy trying to control her breathing.
Realizing her mistake, which was causing Lea and Sydney trouble, Nami immediately stopped. She didn't even run and tried to slow down as much as possible, but they still couldn't keep up.
"I-I'm sorry! Are you guys okay?" Nami said, panicking, having accidentally caused Lea and Sydney trouble.
Lea and Sydney were panting, trying to catch their breath. Before entering the academy and qualifying as cadets, they had taken a physical test and passed, but keeping up with Nami's incredible speed had left them exhausted.
"Nami, aren't you human? Why are you always so fast?" Lea protested. She couldn't understand this.
"Could you be an Esper, Nami?" Sydney chimed in. Hearing the accusations they both leveled at her made Nami panic. She'd made a second mistake, which meant she was bound to make a third, a fourth, and so on.
The more she tried to restrain herself, the more unstoppable her power became. She was sure that sooner or later, she would accidentally break her promise to Levi.
"I-It's not what you two think, I-" Nami stopped talking when she saw the figure addressed as "His Highness" appear behind Lea and Sydney, walking towards her.
The young man stared at her coldly even though people around him were trying to greet him. Nami didn't want to pay attention, but he continued to stare at her.
As they passed, the man glanced at her briefly before finally looking away.
"Prince Jacob is so handsome!" Sydney immediately complimented him as the young man walked past them.
"Prince? Who? You mean that person?" Nami seemed to be the only one unaware of the social status of the young man who was almost always followed by several people.
"You don't know? He's His Highness, Prince Jacob Konstantinides of Evangelia, the second son of the king!" Lea said she was surprised that there were still people in this country who did not know their royal family members.
"No, I don't know." Nami answered matter-of-factly, as she didn't have much access to information. Growing up in an orphanage, where access was restricted, she also had to work hard all day, so she didn't know much.
"What city do you live in?"
"Helenes."
"Oh my, Nami. Helenes is the capital of Evangelia, and the king's main palace is also in that city. It's also less than 20 km from the academy." Lea shook her head, not belittling Nami's general knowledge, but rather out of her innocence.
"Growing up in an orphanage, access to information was restricted, and after I left the orphanage, I went to work and didn't have the opportunity to meet public figures."