༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (15) ༻
A girl in love sees the world differently.
There were no exceptions to this. Of course, Emma herself was no different.
About a month ago, Emma fell in love with a guy. Since then, her daily life took quite the turn.
It was around the time that final exams had wrapped up.
After being buried in books all day, Emma finally had some free time. Under normal circumstances, she might have focused more on alchemical formulas or potion recipes.
But these days, she would often zone out in her workshop, lost in thought.
And she’d usually be thinking about just one person.
Ian Percus, the guy who was once a friend now became Emma’s first love.
He was also her benefactor who pulled her back from the edge of death. He sacrificed a demonic beast’s body worth more than 10,000 gold coins, saving her from grave danger.
The memory of seeing him for the first time after waking from that comatose state often came to her mind. Every time she recalled that moment, her heart would race uncontrollably.
Emma had cried out, insisting she wasn’t worth it, that she was nothing more than a lowly commoner girl. But Ian showed no signs of regret.
Instead, he urged her to live and to be happy. His voice seemed devoid of any ulterior motives.
He was sincere. Maybe that’s why, since that day, Emma began to be true to her own feelings too.
She genuinely fell in love with Ian.
For Emma, who only used to find joy in concocting new potions in her workshop, the sudden appearance of a guy in her life was unexpected.
From that day on, her way of thinking changed.
Before, she would always consider the cost when making her potions.
Though she received a scholarship from the academy, being from a commoner background meant she always had to live on a tight budget.
For her, potions were practically her sole source of income. That’s why she always had to consider the cost of ingredients.
But not anymore.
Emma wanted to be of help to Ian. She was so consumed by this thought that she couldn’t care less about anything else.
She was of low status, the poor daughter of a humble herbalist. Sure, she was pretty, but there were plenty of women around Ian who were just as beautiful.
Take Celine and Seria for example. Weren’t they dubbed as the two flowers of the second-year in the Knight Division?
With nothing special to offer, there was only one way Emma could Ian her dedication.
And that was with Alchemy, her only speciality.
Emma spent her time researching countless potions, pondering which would be most beneficial for Ian. In doing so, her expenses for buying ingredients soared, but she didn’t care.
She could manage without food if needed. If there was no money, she could just endure the difficulties.
But when it came to Ian? That was another story. There was just no way she could give up on her dedication to him.
In her eyes, he deserved better.
To be treated better, to eat better, and to sleep in a more comfortable room. For this, Emma was willingly sacrificing her daily life.
Emma’s feelings were always consistent. She wished sincerely for his well-being all the time.
If she could dedicate her insignificant life as a commoner girl to him, she would willingly do so. That’s how deeply Emma loved Ian.
First love truly was blind.
Even despite that, Emma was already a devoted person to begin with.
When Ian went on field assignment, she sighed with worry every night.
What if he got hurt somewhere? She regretted not giving him more potions and worried incessantly.
Then, she heard that Ian had single-handedly subdued a demonic human. That day, she was over the moon with happiness.
However, when Ian was brought to the academy, he was unconscious and severely injured. Seeing him like that, Emma turned deathly pale.
Every day was a roller coaster of emotions for her, swinging between heaven and hell with every small piece of news about him.
So it was no surprise for Emma to feel down lately.
Who would’ve thought he’d go and provoke the princess?
Emma trusted Ian. She believed he had his reasons. She didn’t think he provoked the princess with ill intentions.
Yet, even so, Emma found her sadness hard to shake off. The idea that Ian hadn’t done anything wrong only made her feel more suffocated.
Surely, Ian hadn’t done anything wrong, but he was being criticized by the entire academy.
What did they even know about him?
Up until recently, they were all praising him for subduing the demonic human all by himself. But they turned their backs on him after only one day.
She was angry. Unknowingly, she put more force into her hand as she chopped ingredients.
Even though she tried to act like it didn’t bother her, every time she overheard someone bad mouthing Ian, she felt a surge of fury.
If she, who was not even directly involved, felt this way, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard it must be for Ian right now.
Thinking of Ian, who was silently enduring all kinds of slander, her heart ached. She wished she could comfort him in some way.
That’s why Emma was preparing a lunchbox.
Given that money had been tight lately, she couldn’t afford an expensive meal. However, she hoped that a meal made with care would bring him some comfort.
Having grown up under the care of a single parent, Emma had taken on household responsibilities from a young age. She was skilled in cooking, and soon she had prepared a delicious chicken soup.
Phew, a sigh of relief escaped Emma’s lips. She brushed her hand over her chest. It had been a while since she’d cooked, but judging by the aroma, it turned out quite well.
All that was left was to find the guy she loved.
The thought of seeing Ian made Emma’s heart race. As she prepared the lunchbox, she sometimes imagined herself as a wife preparing a meal for her husband.
Of course, it was a fleeting fantasy. A bitter smile soon crossed Emma’s lips.
For a commoner like her to even dream of marrying a noble was pretty bold. She had once promised herself never to fall for a noble.
Life really has its own plans, doesn’t it? With that thought, Emma transferred the soup into a thermos.
She placed the thermos inside a basket she had prepared earlier. On top of it, she neatly stacked bottles of potions, all made especially for Ian.
Once she was satisfied with how filled the basket was, she made her way out. She wasn’t sure where Ian was at the moment.
But if she couldn’t find him, she could always leave it at his dormitory. She set out with such a light heart.
But who would’ve thought she’d run into trouble? A hint of unease flashed in Emma’s eyes.
There had been a few attempts to harass her lately, simply because she was close to Ian. Whenever that happened, Emma tried to avoid any confrontation.
After all, Emma was just a commoner girl. Going out of their way to torment her seemed pointless. Even if there were rumors she was special to Ian.
But to the nobility, a commoner girl was just a passing joke. There was no need to torment Emma.
Still, some of them had it in their minds to teach her a lesson if they ever ran into her.
Just then, Emma caught the eye of a group of noble girls.
A group of about six approached her. Their giggles already signaled trouble.
Just by looking at their clothes made from that fancy fabric, you could tell. They were girls of a status that Emma couldn’t even compare to.
Feeling a bit intimidated, Emma instinctively lowered her gaze.
The gap between commoners and nobles was clear no matter where you went.
It was the same even within the academy.
When Emma dared not meet their eyes, the noble girls seemed pleased. A cruel smile played on their lips.
One of the female students stepped forward and asked Emma.
“Hey, are you that ‘Emma’?”
After taking a moment to think, Emma quickly chose to evade.
Reacting would just make things worse for her. But as Emma tried to leave quickly, someone blocked her way.
It was one of the noble female students. She taunted Emma with a smirk.
“I heard that lunatic Ian bought your virginity for over 10,000 gold… I’m doubtful though, not sure if you’re really worth that much.”
It was an unexpected insult. Emma’s face flushed with shame.
Her shoulders began to tremble slightly.
She felt humiliated, but what hurt her more was hearing Ian being described in such a derogatory way.
A clear hostility arose in Emma’s eyes.
But she, being nothing but a commoner lacking combat skills, had no means to stand against the noble female students. Their mocking laughter continued.
“Oh she’s feisty… but what’s she gonna do?”
“What can a mere commoner do? Just glare, that’s all.”
That was indeed the case.
Emma was dejected, but she clenched her teeth and tried to compose herself.
If she let her anger show now, it would probably be just like giving them what they wanted. For now, she needed to get out of there.
“…Ladies, I’ll be on my way.”
“With whose permission?”
Even though Emma made her intention clear in a soft voice, the female students showed no sign of stepping aside.
Their twisted smiles grew even more sinister. There was a hint of excitement in their eyes as they surrounded Emma.
It must have been fun for them, bullying someone weak in a group.
Their inner instincts seemed to be egging them on, urging them to torment her even more.
“She’s kinda pitiful, right? … Honestly, she’s not even at fault. How could she know that jerk Ian would dare touch the Princess?”
“Then, should we let her off easy?”
As if an amusing idea came to her mind, one of the female students smirked. All eyes, including Emma’s, turned to her.
“Do we really have to lower ourselves to bother with a commoner girl? Hey you, just say this, ‘Ian Percus is an idiot who doesn’t know his place, and his family is just a bunch of country bumpkins without any roots.’ Say that and we’ll let you go.”
Of course, Emma didn’t want to do that. She had never even thought of insulting Ian, not even in her wildest dreams.
Emma tried to move away again, but the noble girls showed no intention of letting her go.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Emma’s shoulder.
“Hey, commoner… just do as you’re told, okay? Your dad’s a herbalist, right? One of our family knights could take him out in passing and no one would know.”
“Why even bring in a knight? Even a footsoldier would do the trick.”
The situation was getting dire.
They were now blatantly threatening her because of her social status. It was clearly against the rules of the Academy. If things got worse, it could even lead them to be expelled.
Yet none of those snobbing noble girls seemed concerned about any punishment. After all, there were rarely any cases of a commoner reporting a noble at the academy.
Even if she did report them, they’d just get even later.
To be clear, it was a world where no one would bat an eye if a mere herbalist was killed. Emma, knowing this better than anyone, violently shook.
She was furious. Just because she was a commoner, her family’s life was threatened.
To add insult to injury, they were even bad mouthing the man she loved. Tears of rage and injustice threatened to spill from her eyes.
Regardless of how Emma felt, the girls continued to mock her.
“…What’s the problem? Is that lowly noble your prince or something?”
“Didn’t I tell you to fucking repeat after me? Say ‘Ian Percus is an idiot who doesn’t know his place, and his family is just a bunch of country bumpkins without any roots.'”
Emma’s green eyes darkened with anger.
She tried to hold back, but she couldn’t just take it anymore. Emma was okay with being insulted.
She was a commoner, but Ian wasn’t.
He was way more noble than any of them. He wasn’t someone who deserved to be insulted by these nobles in name only who solely relied on their status and acted in such a cheap manner.
Her clenched fist trembled. A chilling determination appeared in Emma’s eyes.
“…I’ll never say it!”
That was the first time Emma openly refused them.
However, hearing her words, the girls just laughed as if they had expected such a response.
One of the girls blocking Emma’s path stepped forward. As she approached Emma, she swung her hand through the air.
A sharp slap echoed.
A flash of white burst before Emma’s eyes. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground. Her gaze landed on her basket, now lying some distance away.
Bottles of potions spilled out. And so did the thermos filled with chicken soup.
All things she made for Ian.
She had saved every penny, skipped meals, and used her meager resources to make them.
But to the noble girls, they were just worthless items. One of the laughing girls pointed at the basket.
“Ohh, I was wondering where that weird medicine smell was coming from… Were you planning to give these to that lowly noble?”
With a devastated look, Emma’s hand reached out towards the basket. But one of the girls acted faster.
It was the same girl who had slapped Emma. Without thinking, she reached for the basket.
But at the very next moment.
“Let’s see what’s in there… shall… we…?”
Blood sprayed out like a fountain.
The female student’s eyes went blank. She had reached out, but now her arm was gone. Where her arm once was, only a geyser of blood spewed.
Huh? This couldn’t be real.
In her confusion, the girl’s gaze scanned the ground.
Her severed arm was lying there.
And next to it, a hatchet embedded into the ground.
“Ah… ah… ah…”
A voice soaked in terror escaped from the girl who had suddenly lost her arm.
None of them saw it coming. None of the female students really noticed until the hatchet flew in and severed the girl’s arm.
That was how big the skill gap was.
“Ahhhh! M-My arm… my arm, ahhhhhhhhhh!”
The intense pain finally hit, and the girl screamed at the top of her lungs. She collapsed on the spot, groping with her remaining hand where her arm once was.
It was a gruesome scene.
Not only the female students but even Emma’s eyes widened in shock.
She too seemed unable to grasp the situation.
As they stared in horror at the wailing girl, a low voice came from behind them.
“…Hey. You”
A man with distinctive black hair stood there. His piercing golden eyes scanned the scene.
His gaze felt like a knife aimed straight at their hearts.
“What do you guys think you are doing?”
Excellent hatchet throwing skills, the unhesitating violence, and those eyes brimming with murderous intent.
All signs pointed to one man, and the girls’ breaths caught in their throats.
It was Ian Percus.
