Chapter 41. 20. A Taste That Cannot Be Respected
Rumian closed his eyes.
Though he appeared calm on the surface, his mind was in such complete disarray that words like "chaos" and "hell" felt inadequate to describe it.
Hadn't everything been going so well?
Just when they were exchanging glances over their meal, just when she had been the first to extend her hand to him, he had believed that today would mark the beginning of a new chapter in history.
But then, to end like this at the very last moment.
'This is absolutely ridiculous!'
Rumian's eyes snapped open.
Anna Crawford flinched at the intensity of his gaze.
Then she wore an enormously apologetic expression.
Her apologetic look wounded Rumian once more.
He poured out his words in a voice that was both heated and sorrowful.
"Why... how could you think that... in the first place, a gay person wouldn't come to something like this... right?"
"I just... because rumors were spreading everywhere... and, well, someone might come just to fill a seat. Like me. I also came partly thinking it would be nice to meet a friend with similar... tastes... but... are you really not gay?"
"I am not! Absolutely not! But, rumors are spreading, you say? Surely other people don't also... know that Kal Krone and I have that kind of relationship...?"
"Ah, if that's not the case, I'm sorry. I'll tell people around me it was a misunderstanding. Excuse me!"
*Hastily*
With those final words, Anna Crawford left her seat.
Rumian, left all alone in the teahouse, wore a dazed expression.
He looked as though he had lost his homeland, as though a close acquaintance had passed away—such was the shock on his face.
'Oh my, looks like he got rejected.'
The server who had been approaching Rumian's table to take his order wore a pitying expression.
It was a scene one could witness occasionally while working.
She quietly stepped away to avoid provoking the man who had been left behind.
But even that managed to get on Rumian's nerves.
"Why... why are you avoiding me. Surely it can't be because I... look gay? Do they think I have no interest in women, so they keep distancing themselves? All women?"
He mumbled softly, so no one could actually hear his words.
But no one would welcome a person muttering to himself with a lost, vacant look on his face. People looked at Rumian with wariness, whispering among themselves.
Rumian's expression grew even more serious. Auditory hallucinations began ringing in his ears.
'They say that person is gay?'
'Apparently he's homosexual. Says he's not interested in women.'
'I heard he has that kind of relationship with Kal Krone?'
'Is that so. So he was gay.'
"Euugh, AAAAAAAGH!"
"Goodness!"
"What's wrong with him?"
"I think he's crazy!"
Rumian let out a scream. People wore startled expressions.
Since the teahouse's atmosphere had been calm and quiet, all attention instantly focused on him.
But Rumian didn't care.
He screamed once more.
"AAAAAAAAGH!"
Then quickly exited the teahouse.
His face deeply contorted, he raced through the streets at tremendous speed.
*Papapapapat!*
When Rumian, who had reached the realm of Sword Expert, ran at full power, the surrounding scenery changed in an instant. People in the streets were terrified watching him run like an overly excited wild horse.
Rumian paid them no mind whatsoever. The shock he had received was far too great for him to worry about others. It seemed he would have to run until his heart burst to dissipate this fury.
"Huu, huaa, haa."
Of course, he couldn't actually run until his heart burst.
After running for quite some time, Rumian soon came to a stop.
He had returned to Tarajan Academy without realizing it, and he slowly regulated his breathing, trying to calm his mind.
'Right, first I need to calm down. Nothing good will come from getting worked up.'
He entered the academy and slowly walked along the garden path. It was to cool his head and organize his thoughts.
The blind date was ruined, that much was certain, but he needed to calmly assess the current situation.
'First, it's certain that strange rumors are spreading. But how far have they spread?'
The terrible rumor that he was gay, that he had a deep relationship with Kal Krone!
He could easily deduce why it had spread.
The atmosphere between himself and Kal Krone appeared so deep that some people must have misunderstood. It seemed they had mistaken the burning gazes exchanged between rivals for looks of love.
One might think, "Does that even make sense?" but there had been strange ladies who made such misunderstandings even in his previous life.
Perhaps the truth didn't matter at all. He had heard there were noblewomen who would pair two men together just because it seemed entertaining.
'Knights who were particularly close, or knights whose bickering was entertaining to watch were the main targets.'
And the moment they became targets of the ladies, they suffered through all sorts of rumors and stress. There were even cases where once-close relationships grew distant.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Rumian.
Someone without the proper equipment couldn't be with women OR men. Regrettably.
But...
'To think something like this would happen to me!'
Rumian despaired.
And he regretted.
He had simply wanted to gain women's attention. He had merely wanted to use Kal Krone's reflected glory to maintain his popularity more stably.
To think it would bring about such terrible consequences!
"Crazy... what should I do."
Of course, the rumor probably hadn't spread that widely.
In the first place, the people who enjoyed such nonsensical gossip were a fixed group. Except for the minority of women who enjoyed pairing men together, most would likely dismiss this as baseless rumor.
Of course, that didn't mean he intended to sit idly by.
He needed to take measures to prevent the rumor from spreading further.
'Let's go home and think about it more. No, first let me sleep on it and then think.'
His head hurt too much right now.
He felt more exhausted than on the day he won the sword tournament. The mental exhaustion from stress was immeasurably great.
*Huu*, sighing, Rumian turned his steps toward the dormitory.
But just then, a familiar figure entered his view.
"Where did you go?"
It was none other than Kal Krone.
He looked as if he had just finished training. His flowing sweat and heat that hadn't yet cooled attested to this.
But what burned hottest of all was his gaze fixed upon Rumian.
*Wuuuuung-*
Upon receiving Kal Krone's gaze, Rumian unconsciously activated his Aura Image.
It was a reflexive action. Just as a puppy would approach its owner begging for food when a bell rang, lately he naturally created a rival atmosphere whenever Kal Krone approached.
A spoonful of gravitas mixed into the pure wildflower feeling. Then he faced Kal Krone with an intense gaze.
In an instant, a magnificent scene worthy of a novel was created.
Female students who had been walking along the garden path quickly gathered.
"Oh my, what is this?"
"Those two again..."
"So the rumor that they're interested in each other must be true."
"But they actually look good together. Look at those eyes..."
'Damn it! What am I doing right now!'
Unlike usual, Rumian had his ears fully open. The shocking rumor had significantly heightened his vigilance.
Thanks to that, he could hear two female students whispering. Instead of focusing on maintaining the atmosphere, Rumian concentrated more of his aura on his hearing.
Then other voices from the surroundings came through clearly.
'Crazy, there's more than I thought!'
And he realized the gravity of the situation.
A full 20 to 30 percent of the female students were uttering words like gay and homosexual.
Even people who hadn't known the rumor were picking it up and showing interest.
Rumian's face showed bewilderment, anger, and sorrow.
Anger was the dominant emotion.
Just moments ago he had been chatting happily with the lovely literature club girls, and now the situation had turned like this—he couldn't control his rage.
But Kal Krone misunderstood this.
He thought Rumian, radiating intense energy from his anger, was feeling competitive spirit toward him.
"Your blood seems to be boiling. Same here."
"...What?"
"No need to wait for a big stage. Want to have a match right now?"
He was suggesting they go to the training grounds for a spar, but to the female students' ears, it sounded a bit different.
"Kyaaak, what do we do!"
"He said let's have a match! So aggressive!"
"Look at Lord Rumian acting shy!"
"He's so cute when he's flustered... even I'm getting excited."
'Crazy bitches, stop it!'
Despite them being women, curses naturally flowed out. Sparks flew from Rumian's eyes.
But his anger toward Kal Krone was even greater.
He couldn't understand the guy who kept spouting words that were easy to misunderstand.
'No, does that bastard walk around with his ears closed? Is this attention-seeker not hearing what people around him are saying?'
Unfortunately, after the sword tournament, Kal Krone had become a completely different person.
He no longer cared about others' gazes. His rival chasing after him was no trifling matter, and he couldn't waste his mental energy on such things.
Himself, his sword, and Rumian Callad, the opponent he had to defeat.
The current Kal Krone focused only on these three. He paid not the slightest attention to anything else.
That was why he could say such lines even in a situation like this.
Of course, Rumian knew nothing of this fact.
He even wondered if this guy was actually gay, which was why he wasn't denying it.
'No, someone like that wouldn't have enjoyed women's attention at the sword tournament! What the hell is going on!'
His head spun.
Beyond annoyance and anger, a sense of emptiness took over. All he could think was that he needed to escape this situation.
He shook his head violently and concentrated aura into his feet.
*Tweung!*
People's eyes widened as they watched Rumian quickly flee the scene.
Kal Krone also wore a surprised expression.
'His movement has gotten faster than at the sword tournament!'
It was a shock.
In the short time since then, he himself had gained insights and was growing rapidly.
That was why he thought he would be much more comfortable facing Rumian next time. He took victory for granted, and thought the key question was how much of a gap he could create.
But this too was arrogance.
A rival was a rival. Like himself, Rumian was also showing tremendous growth speed.
"This is getting interesting."
Kal Krone let out a laugh.
His competitive spirit blazed fiercely.
It seemed they would need to have a rematch soon.
***
The next day.
Teoro and Boomer heard shocking news from Rumian and wore grim expressions.
It couldn't be helped.
This was Rumian, whose desire for women overflowed like an active volcano. Seeing him being treated as homosexual brought tears to their eyes.
The two immediately took action to help Rumian.
Whenever they heard rumors about Rumian from those around them, they immediately refuted them, and they asked others for help as well. Meanwhile, they scurried about trying to find the source of the rumor.
Rumian couldn't help them. The shock was so great he had taken to his bed.
He even skipped classes, spending two full days cooped up in his room, when old memories suddenly surfaced.
The knights of Zenas who had suffered from rumors.
Back then he had laughed it off, but now, thinking back, he regretted that he had committed a grave wrong.
As he lay in bed wearing a sorrowful expression, he heard someone knocking at the door.
It was Teoro and Boomer. When Rumian opened the door, the two entered with serious expressions and took their seats.
Teoro spoke.
"There was a reason the rumor spread."
"Really? What is it?"
"Among the literature club's female students, there's a club called the 'Subculture Research Society'... It seems to be because of them."
"Subculture Research Society...?"
Rumian asked back with a face that looked only half-alive.
Boomer, who had been looking at him with pitying eyes, placed a brown envelope on the table.