The northern forest reclamation operation(?) that had lasted several days yielded Chloe an unexpected harvest.
At first, when she gripped the axe, she had felt nothing but self-loathing—*"Why am I playing the part of a human woodcutting machine?"*—but as she spent time alone with Lowell, sweat dripping, the wall between the two of them came down noticeably.
With Celestia away, busy filling in for Lowell and helping Professor Gleighton with his mountain of research and administrative work, the forest echoed with nothing but the two of them breathing, the sound of axe strikes, and the rustling of falling leaves.
Chloe now accepted the water Lowell casually handed her without a hint of hesitation.
At first, she had been desperate to mess with him while calling him "Milord," but the unexpected attentiveness Lowell showed while cutting through the rugged forest strangely tickled a corner of Chloe's heart.
Whether it was checking her aura consumption like a ghost and suggesting proper rest, or nonchalantly offering his hand first on a moss-covered slope, his touch was impossibly far from the vulgar madman image that had circulated around the Academy.
Lowell, too, sent sincere admiration toward Chloe's overwhelming skill.
He praised her genius without reservation—not simply for being strong, but for precisely imbuing her blade with aura and splitting the trees cleanly along the grain.
The feeling of having her efforts fully respected rather than being evaluated through a gap in talent formed a solid bond strong enough to make Chloe forget the bitterness of defeat.
Finally, the giant ancient trees and thorny vines that had blocked the training center entrance for decades were perfectly cleared away.
Thanks to Chloe's axework, the dense forest blocking the way had transformed into a straight promenade connecting to the northern cliff of the Academy.
Though she had grumbled at first, thinking it meaningless drudgery, the fact that she had cleared the overgrown underbrush and carved a path with her own hands stimulated both her conquering instinct as a knight and a peculiar sense of accomplishment.
At the end of the neatly cleared path, looking at the entrance of the old stone building that had finally revealed its full form, Chloe swept back her sweat-drenched bangs, placed her hand on her hip, and laughed heartily.
"Milord! Look. Before the axe blade of Chloe Zellin, nothing is impossible. Now all that remains is to march proudly inside!"
"...Good work, Chloe. Without you, it really would have taken another month. Thank you, truly."
At Lowell's simple yet weighty sincerity, Chloe hummed nonchalantly as if it were nothing, but she couldn't hide her burning ears or the pounding of her heart.
Was supporting someone's back, and having that devotion fully recognized, always such a fulfilling and overwhelming thing?
But while Chloe was immersed in emotion, Lowell suddenly thrust a thick pouch before her.
"Here, take this."
"What... is this, Milord?"
From the pouch she had taken in a daze came a heavy, clinking metallic sound.
Peeking slightly through the opening were high-denomination gold coins rarely seen even near the Academy.
"They're from the trees you felled these past few days. The ancient trees of the Academy's northern forest are imbued with mana, so they fetch quite a high price. I handed them over to the Chronos Lumina Merchant Guild. This is your share of the payment."
Chloe froze on the spot, clutching the pouch.
"It's only natural to give fair compensation to someone who worked hard. Think of it as a bonus for treating you like a woodcutting machine and feeling sorry about it."
Lowell shrugged as if it were no big deal and began studying his map again.
But inside Chloe's head, a veritable explosion was going off.
*Money...? Did he just give me money?*
She had grown up as the young lady of the Zellin household, wanting for nothing.
However, holding the reward for labor earned solely through her own body and sweat—not her swordsmanship—was a first in her life.
Apart from its mere monetary value, the weight of this pouch carried an entirely different meaning for Chloe.
Lowell had not regarded her as a mere attendant or plaything for a madman.
He had recognized Chloe's labor as a professional contribution and clearly shown the fruits of that contribution.
Chloe's hand, clutching the gold coin pouch tightly, trembled slightly.
Suppressing her surging emotions, she quietly stared at Lowell's back before opening her mouth.
"Lowell."
Lowell turned his head at the serious call, free of any playful address.
Chloe asked, keeping her gaze fixed on the gold coin pouch.
"The fact that I called you 'Milord' and followed you around on purpose to mess with you and make your life difficult... you knew, didn't you?"
Lowell was briefly silent, then nodded impassively.
"Of course I knew. Your eyes were full of mischief."
At his honest answer, a bittersweet yet soft smile spread across Chloe's lips.
"As expected, you knew. At first, I simply couldn't understand why Celestia would stick by a dropout like you. So because of that curiosity, and because it was fun seeing you and Celestia flustered, I attached myself to your side."
Chloe took a step closer and looked Lowell straight in the eyes.
"But spending a few days here sweating together and watching you... I think I understand a little now. There's something far more solid inside you than mere talent or skill."
She hugged the pouch tightly to her chest and continued.
"So there's something I want to ask. Lowell, do you truly wish for me to become your exclusive knight and stay by your side for life? Was the condition of that duel sincere?"
In that instant, the forest air was consumed by silence.
Chloe's gaze was more serious than ever.
Their relationship had started as a joke, but she was now ready to throw her true feelings at Lowell.
Lowell met her resolute gaze quietly, then soon let out a small, hollow laugh and shook his head.
"No. Not at all."
Lowell scratched the back of his head and added,
"For someone with a shining talent like yours to waste time merely attending to me is absurd."
At his words, Chloe stood blankly for a moment before she couldn't hold back and burst out with a *pfft.*
"Pfft... Hahaha! I had a feeling you'd say that."
Chloe, who had been laughing while holding her stomach for a while, wiped away the tears gathered at the corners of her eyes and extended her hand to Lowell.
In that hand lay no longer the caprice of a knight playing servant to a "Milord," but the trust of an equal and comrade.
"Alright. You seem like a much better person than you look. I'll stop this childish game of 'Milord' now. Instead..."
Chloe looked at Lowell with sparkling eyes and smiled refreshingly.
"Please take care of me in the future too, Lowell. Spending time with you is quite enjoyable."
Lowell hesitated briefly before firmly clasping her hand.
"Though I won't accept a rematch?"
"Huh?"
"You fight terribly."
"Argh, seriously! Let's go again! I can beat someone like you with one hand!"
Their laughter mixed together in the chilly wind of the northern forest.
It was the moment when a bizarre bond born of misunderstanding and delusion finally confirmed each other's true hearts and bore the sprout of solid trust.
###
Shortly after, when Chloe descended the mountain due to her training schedule, silence once again descended upon the forest.
Lowell stood before the heavy stone gate of the Bartholomew Training Center, finally revealed at the end of the path he had painstakingly carved over the past several days.
The heavy sound of the lock disengaging as the silver key turned smoothly shook the forest air.
The building's interior was in excellent condition, as though decades of time had left no mark.
It seemed the claim that Bartholomew Eterna, the first full professor of the Department of Elemental Studies, would remain holed up for months at a time without descending the mountain once he became immersed in his research was no exaggeration after all.
With just a thick layer of dust to brush away, it was perfectly equipped with a bedroom, bathroom, and a massive research laboratory—ready for habitation immediately.
From that day, Lowell entered full homeowner mode.
Broom and mop in hand, he wiped away the traces of time accumulated in every corner, and oiled the creaking furniture.
After several days of effort, the gloomy training center transformed into a rather cozy living space.
A perfect fortress had been born, free from the noisy clamor of the Academy's main building, where he could study magic and fate at his own pace.
During the organizing period, Chloe and Celestia also visited occasionally.
The interesting point was that the vicious battle of wills between those two had subsided like a mirage.
Chloe would take time out of her training to appear with snacks.
"This place is incredible, Lowell! It's much cooler here than the main building's training ground, and it must be easy to concentrate. Can I train here later?"
The title "Milord" no longer carried any solemnity or strange delusions.
Instead, respect and camaraderie recognizing Lowell's diligence had taken its place.
Celestia also stopped by the training center under the pretext of errands for Professor Gleighton.
Of course, Celestia's visits were welcome.
"...Professor Lowell asked me to check these materials. And... are you cleaning properly? It seems a bit dusty."
This was because Celestia would help with cleaning or laundry whenever she came.
Even with Chloe beside her, she no longer bristled like before.
On the contrary, she would sneak bites of the snacks Chloe brought while carefully examining the rooms Lowell had organized.
This bizarre yet peaceful relationship formed around Lowell was taking root firmly and snugly, like the calm before a storm.
The fruits earned after days of arduous labor were sweet.
Though his palms were calloused and his whole body ached, Lowell no longer needed to live in the Academy dormitory while worrying about others' opinions.
A sturdy roof to keep out the rain, solid walls to block the wind, and above all, an independent space where he could design his own fate without anyone's interference.
The anxiety over tuition, living expenses, and having deviated from the original story's trajectory still gripped his ankles, but at least for tonight, the fact that he could fall into a deep sleep in this cozy home was fortunate enough.
It was a late night, no different from any other, when he returned after finishing his research with Professor Gleighton and a hard day's work.
Cutting through the chilly night air and entering the training center, Lowell felt a strange sense of dissonance different from usual.
He had definitely locked the door when leaving, but a very faint light was seeping out through the crack.
*Celestia? Or Chloe?*
Both of them now knew the location and would stop by occasionally to help with cleaning or bring snacks, so Lowell cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.
But the silhouette sitting on the old sofa that Lowell had painstakingly polished, right in the center of the living room, did not belong to either of the two women he knew.
She lay tilted, resting her head against the arm of the sofa, leisurely turning the pages of a book Lowell had organized.
In a white blouse with voluminous sleeves and a contrasting black skirt, she looked less like an intruder and more like a seductive hostess who had been waiting for Lowell.
Her posture, in particular, was blatant.
As Lowell entered, she stopped turning the page and languidly stretched her bare feet off the sofa, shifting her body.
The curves barely revealed between the white blouse and the lines of her legs crossing and sliding over each other above the skirt were enchanting enough to forcibly seize the viewer's gaze.
As if she knew exactly where Lowell was looking, she wore a deep smile at the corners of her mouth and slowly rested her chin on her hand.
The red eyes glinting between her black hair seemed to devour Lowell even in the darkness.
She deliberately lowered her voice to a whisper, as if trying to shatter Lowell's composure.
"Pleased to meet you, Senior?"
As she leisurely crossed her legs on the sofa and adjusted her posture, the sound of leather brushing against leather resonated strangely provocatively in the silence.
Lowell instinctively realized who this woman was—someone openly trying to seduce him, entirely different from Celestia or Chloe.
Lumina Felicium.
The owner of the Chronos Lumina Merchant Guild, and unlike Celestia and Chloe, a person he was never meant to encounter.