For Mary, the academy at night was likewise a place both unfamiliar and unsettling.
After all, even she had never stayed at the academy this late. At this moment, Mary felt like a child who had done something wrong, cautiously passing through the main gate and crossing the courtyard. But just at that moment…
A voice suddenly rang out.
"Quite rare to see you this late, Mary Clarissa?"
"Ah…!"
Hearing the voice, Mary was startled. She turned her head toward the fountain in the courtyard, only to see a handsome young man with blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in elegant attire, smiling as he looked at her.
"I didn't expect to see you at this hour. Could it be that the talented lady of the history department has finally been noticed by some research lab?"
Heinz Beck…
Looking at the young man before her, Mary felt a bit of a headache. Of course she knew him—he was also a student at the academy—but they had never really interacted much. She hadn't expected him to greet her. Still, Mary quickly put on a smile and responded in her usual manner.
"Good evening, Heinz. I simply forgot my assignment at school… I haven't joined any research group. After all, I'm not that outstanding."
"That's hard to say, beautiful Miss Mary Clarissa. You're far more noticed than you think. I once had the pleasure of reading your paper—your study on the origins of the northern ruins of Kadath was truly fascinating. If it were me, I would've only linked it to Lord Borges's return to Europa and written a conventional paper combining natural history and theology."
"Haah…"
Hearing this, Mary let out a soft sigh, then glanced to the side. Duanmu Huai was still standing behind a lamppost just as before, while Heinz Beck seemed completely unaware of his presence. Although she had seen the same thing happen before at Sherry's house, it still felt somewhat strange to her.
But Heinz noticed nothing and continued speaking enthusiastically.
"Your paper didn't focus on the similarities between Kadath and Europa, but rather their differences. That's a truly excellent and remarkable perspective."
"Ah… thank you."
To be honest, Mary felt a bit overwhelmed by his sudden praise. After all, that had been her very first paper, and her professor hadn't rated it highly. She hadn't expected Heinz to bring it up at all. Right now, she felt the same embarrassment as having a childhood essay suddenly dug up and evaluated by a classmate.
"Thank you very much, but it was only a superficial study—I hardly deserve such praise…"
Unfortunately, Heinz had no intention of letting the topic go. Still smiling, he continued.
"If you're willing, I'd like to say more. Miss Mary Clarissa, if you're alone tonight, would you grant me the honor of accompanying you for a while? There are many men who admire you, but I am more captivated by your talent. I assure you, I would never behave in an ungentlemanly manner…"
"Th-this…"
Faced with the relentless advance of this noble young man, Mary was clearly at a loss. Meanwhile, Heinz continued smiling as he pressed on.
"You see, love is most beautiful when the flower is admired from a certain distance. I'm not the kind of man who insists on holding everything in his hands. On that point, you can rest assured. What do you think?"
"Th-this… um…"
Mary blinked, clearly stunned. Heinz Beck was quite famous at the academy—on one hand, he came from a German noble family; on the other, he was young, handsome, and talented, making him very popular among female students. She had even heard that noble ladies had invited him out before.
But she had never expected him to invite her.
Mary was certainly not lacking in admirers. In fact, she had received letters and dinner invitations from other men before. Of course, since she had no interest in such matters, she had declined them all.
But… why was Heinz inviting her?
And at this hour?
After all, they had only met once and weren't familiar at all. Frankly, Mary had never expected him to approach her like this.
"I'm sorry, someone is waiting for me, so…"
As she spoke, Mary subtly glanced toward Duanmu Huai, who was standing under a nearby lamppost.
Well, that wasn't a lie.
"I see."
Heinz followed her gaze. It was unclear whether he actually saw Duanmu Huai, but he quickly looked back at Mary.
"My apologies for not noticing sooner. There's no need to be so polite with me. You need only continue shining as you are, beautiful Miss Mary. Then I shall await the next opportunity—like the Knight of the Lake yearning for a rendezvous with fair Guinevere."
There's a next time?!
Hearing Heinz's words, Mary felt her whole body go stiff. Yet he seemed completely unaware of her reaction and continued speaking.
"It's truly a pity, but I would like to talk with you a little longer. I've always wanted to understand you better, especially your talents. How about it? Even five minutes would suffice—do you have time now?"
"N-no, I…"
To be honest, the Heinz before her felt unfamiliar. She knew him, but they weren't close—just acquaintances who exchanged greetings. Yet now, he seemed entirely different from his usual gentlemanly self. Normally, after being refused, he wouldn't persist like this. But now, despite his refined words and manners, he showed no intention of backing down…
Just as Mary was at a loss, another voice suddenly cut in.
"That's enough, Heinz Beck. You're putting this lady in a difficult position."
With that, a young gentleman wearing a hat and holding a cane walked over.
"It seems this lady has urgent matters to attend to. Forcing her to stay is hardly commendable."
At this point, the man smiled slightly at Mary.
"My apologies, miss. This fellow is my companion—as you can see, he's rather excessively peculiar and troublesome."
"Thank you very much."
Mary sincerely expressed her gratitude to the man who had rescued her.
"My name is Mary—Mary Clarissa Christie."
The man smiled gently in response.
"I am Winston Churchill, a friend of Heinz. Now then, miss… please go ahead…"
"Then I shall excuse myself. My apologies."
After giving a curtsy, Mary turned and left. The man named Churchill watched her departing figure, a faint smile curling at his lips.
"Good night, Mary Clarissa. Sweet dreams."
Mary had no idea she was being watched. In fact, it wasn't until she hurried into the school building that she finally stopped and let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew…"
"Seems like you're pretty popular."
Only then did Duanmu Huai's voice sound from behind her.
"Ugh… that was too much, Mr. Duanmu. A true gentleman wouldn't ignore a lady in distress."
Mary gave a small complaint.
"Honestly, I didn't expect you to get tangled up with that kind of guy for so long. You could've just said you were in a hurry and left."
"That wouldn't do."
Mary shook her head.
"My mother taught me that no matter what a gentleman wishes to say, a lady should listen attentively. That is proper conduct—and courtesy."
"Being a noble lady is really troublesome. But seriously…"
At this point, Duanmu Huai's tone turned strange.
"Is that how people court girls here? I've got goosebumps all over."
"Haha… it depends on the person…"
Mary forced a smile. It was also her first time realizing that Heinz could talk like that. If she had known, she would've made an excuse to leave immediately. Perhaps some noble ladies enjoyed that style, but she agreed with Duanmu Huai—listening to Heinz earlier had left her mind blank and her body stiff. No man had ever spoken to her so directly and so… nauseatingly.
Even if some love letters were more romantic, written words and spoken words were entirely different things.
Mary walked up the stairs and entered her classroom—since she had used that excuse, she might as well play the part fully.
In that sense, Mary really was quite earnest.
Sitting at her desk, she grew bored, then suddenly thought of something and looked at Duanmu Huai.
"Mr. Duanmu, how would you pursue a girl?"
"Me?"
Hearing the sudden question, Duanmu Huai frowned.
"I've never done that."
"Huh? Really? Ah… I see…"
Mary was momentarily stunned, then seemed to realize something and nodded in understanding.
Seeing her reaction, Duanmu Huai immediately felt annoyed.
"What? Looking down on me?"
"N-no, not at all…"
Although she said that, the slight curl of her lips betrayed her. Having spent some time with him, Mary knew that while Duanmu Huai looked fierce, he was actually quite kind—so she didn't mind teasing him a little.
But Duanmu Huai couldn't let it slide.
"Don't underestimate me. Making a girl blush, her heart race, and her limbs go weak? If that pretty boy can do it, so can I! I'll show you right now!"
"Um… how exactly do you plan to do that?"
"Here, hold this."
Duanmu Huai took off his coat and outerwear and handed them to Mary. She obediently took them, looking at him in confusion. Duanmu Huai took a deep breath and looked at her.
"Watch closely! This is way simpler than what that pretty boy did!"
With that, he puffed out his chest, inhaled deeply, and then—
"Ha!!"
With a roar, Mary watched as his white shirt instantly burst apart, and his powerful muscles exploded into view right before her eyes!
"——————!!!"
Mary was startled. She saw his clothes tear apart as his muscles bulged like inflated balloons! Under the moonlight, the bald, muscular man looked even more terrifying than a savage beast!!
At that moment, Mary felt her breathing quicken, her heart pound, and her limbs go weak—she could barely stand!
At that moment, Duanmu Huai straightened up again, staring at her with a grin.
"Blushing or not?"
"..."
Mary reached up and touched her face—it was burning hot. No need to ask; it was definitely red. After all, she had never seen a man half-naked before.
"Heart racing?"
Of course it was—she felt like it might jump out of her throat!
"Limbs weak, right?"
She was practically stuck in her chair!
But…
"Th-this isn't right, Mr. Duanmu!"
As a young lady, Mary felt she had to protest this behavior.
"What's not right? Look at you—your heart's racing, your face is red, and you can't even stand. Isn't this more effective than that pretty boy's cheesy lines?"
"Th-that's different!"
"It's no different. You know the suspension bridge effect, right? Same thing."
"No, it's completely different…"
Although Mary firmly rejected his reasoning, Duanmu Huai didn't care. He had seen her flushed face, dazed eyes, and limp body sitting in the chair—if no one knew the reason, she looked exactly like a girl in love, didn't she?
And even if they knew the reason—so what? As he said, all roads lead to Rome. As long as the result was the same, what did it matter?
Because of this episode, Mary continued arguing with him afterward, but Duanmu Huai completely ignored her reasoning. In the end, unable to win, Mary sighed and gave up. She then returned to the entrance and reached out to push the door open.
"…Huh?"
But the door seemed fused with space itself—it wouldn't budge.
What's going on?
Mary pushed again instinctively, but the door remained like a solid wall.
Just as she was filled with shock, Duanmu Huai's voice rang out.
"Alright, stop pushing. The fish has taken the bait."
"??"
Mary turned around. At the end of the corridor, a strange black shadow emerged, staring at her viciously. The creature looked like a fly larger than a human, and on its head, a crimson eye was fixed firmly on Mary.
"Golden pupil… right eye… give it to me!!"
The monster let out a garbled roar.
At the same time, Duanmu Huai clenched his fist.
As expected—
Fishermen never return empty-handed.
(End of Chapter)