Chapter 44: Unknown to others

“Comflor… Manager?”

The moment Simon opened his eyes, he saw the manager, her expression carrying both relief and a trace of concern, and confusion rose within him.

Having just broken free from unconsciousness, his thoughts were still tangled.

“What exactly… happened?”

Yet in his final memory, bathed in dazzling light, he, who had just been smug after Lila clearly said she liked him, seemed to have been knocked out by the manager.

Seeing that he was awake, the manager appeared to let out a sigh of relief. Her expression softened as she spoke gently:

“Simon, it seems you were affected by a monster’s illusion and fainted.”

‘Is that so?’

Someone as gentle as the manager wouldn’t lie.

Still not fully alert, Simon unconsciously stared at her face.

Noticing his fixed gaze, Lila’s heart skipped a beat, unease creeping in.

‘Did he realize I’m lying?’

“What is it?” she asked, a little nervously.

Her voice brought Simon out of his daze. Only then did he realize he had been staring at her the whole time.

He immediately felt embarrassed.

Would the manager think he was being inappropriate?

A faint warmth spread across his cheeks as he quickly replied:

“It’s nothing… so it was a monster’s illusion? I thought it was Alice.”

Simon deliberately changed the subject.

“At that time, I clearly saw Alice attacking you. So it was just an illusion… that’s a relief.”

He kept talking, but suddenly noticed the manager had fallen silent.

Even her gentle expression seemed to lose some of its softness.

“…It was an illusion, right?”

Comflor shook her head.

“It was Alice who attacked us.”

“How is that possible?”

Simon was in disbelief.

Seeing that he accepted her explanation, Lila finally relaxed.

Even so, she frowned slightly, putting on a worried expression.

“We were saved by Ulysses. Do you remember him? The sword saint who teaches swordsmanship. He told me there’s a demon subordinate hiding in the academy.”

“A demon subordinate?!”

Simon cried out.

Lila immediately raised a finger to her lips.

“Keep it down.”

“Oh, right.”

After he quieted down, she continued:

“That thing seems capable of manipulating emotions, and it’s quite intelligent. More importantly, it grows stronger by absorbing people’s fear.”

“So Alice was controlled by it?” Simon asked.

Lila nodded.

Simon knew it. Alice would never do such a thing. Compared to what happened, at least he and Comflor were safe, so what he cared about most was Alice.

“Is Alice okay?”

“She’s fine. Ulysses took her to the infirmary.”

Simon finally felt relieved.

Only then did his thoughts turn elsewhere.

For example, the last thing he heard before losing consciousness…

In the radiant glow of holy light, Comflor had said:

“I really do like Simon.”

Was that real… or just something from the illusion?

Deep inside, he longed for a moment where he could ask directly, without hesitation or doubt:

“Comflor… do you like me?”

But even thinking of those words made his heart pound violently, as if it might burst from his chest.

He didn’t have the courage.

He couldn’t even clearly say the word “like.”

So instead, he spoke vaguely:

“Um… Manager, before I fainted… I think I heard you say something.”

At his question, Lila’s hand trembled slightly, but she quickly steadied herself.

She knew exactly what he wanted to ask, and was relieved he hadn’t repeated it. That way, she could pretend nothing had happened.

After all, she had only said it to provoke the manipulated Alice.

Feigning confusion, she thought for a moment and said:

“At that time, you suddenly fainted. I asked what happened, but you didn’t respond, so I dragged you away right away.”

Of course… something like that couldn’t have been real.

Even though he had expected it, disappointment still crept into Simon’s heart.

“I’m sorry, Manager… for worrying you, and for making you do so much for me.”

At the root of his cowardice and hesitation, he was simply too weak.

He couldn’t protect anyone, and couldn’t even escape being a burden.

“It’s okay. At the beginning, weren’t you the one who pulled me away? So in a way, you saved me.”

Lila smiled gently.

The manager was still as kind as ever.

And that only made Simon feel even more how wonderful she was, and how unrealistic it was for him to hope for her feelings.

In truth, Lila said that only to comfort him.

She had never needed saving.

Simon stood up and moved his body. He felt fine.

“You’re alright. Luckily Ulysses arrived in time and stopped her,” Lila added.

“Simon, about the demon subordinate, don’t tell anyone. It feeds on fear. If panic spreads, it’ll become much harder to deal with.”

Simon immediately understood the seriousness and nodded.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

Since he was awake, he couldn’t stay any longer. He walked toward the restaurant door.

“Manager, thank you for taking care of me.”

‘I’ll repay you someday’, he didn’t say it aloud.

He simply hoped that one day, she could rely on him without hesitation.

But that felt like a distant dream.

“Wait, Simon.”

He stopped and turned back.

“Simon, today was too dangerous. I want to give you and Alice some time off. Get some rest. And let her know when she comes back.”

Simon froze.

He had never really thought about it before.

As her employee, he wasn’t irreplaceable.

He suddenly felt… distant.

“I understand. I’ll tell Alice.”

After saying goodbye, he stepped outside.

The heavy darkness of night was fading, and pale light was appearing at the horizon.

‘Was it almost morning?’

Suddenly, he recalled the moment he woke up, the concern in Comflor’s beautiful golden eyes.

****

Only then did he realize, the manager had stayed up the entire night, waiting for him to wake.