Alea had to uncomfortably acknowledge that Hecate was her master and a grand mage, as she could not unravel the trick Hecate had placed on the second bracelet with her current skills.
To avoid playing into her tricks and to sever ties with her as soon as possible, Alea had worked hard enough to be deemed severe.
Yet, Alea could do nothing before Hecate's magic, except wait for 24 hours to pass!
This realization dampened her spirits more than she had imagined, but she couldn't afford to delay.
'Now's not the time for this.'
The High Priestess is coming. Anything even slightly amiss wouldn't be overlooked.
Being a disciple of the temple's public figure meant danger was always a possibility.
Setting her frustration with Hecate aside for a moment, Alea leapt from the window to head towards the back of the building.
As she rounded the corner, almost bumping into someone, Alea lost her balance and fell. Her brows furrowed in annoyance.
'Who's this now, at such a time…'
Then, she recognized the familiar shoes and shivered.
Instinctively, Alea realized she should've just bowed her head and pretended not to notice, but she couldn't resist the urge to confirm it.
The moment her eyes met Helmut's, everything else faded away.
'Why is he here...'
Shock was the first response Alea had upon encountering Helmut. Following that, as the image of herself came to mind, she found herself speechless.
'Am I caught? Yes, he couldn't possibly not recognize me. We were roommates, and to be caught so easily…'
Helmut stared intently at her, leaving her at a loss for words in front of those inscrutable black eyes.
'How should I explain this?'
If it was Helmut, he probably wouldn't be angry about a girl disguising herself as a boy to attend the academy and even becoming roommates with him.
Alea knew that Helmut's indifferent nature sometimes allowed him to be forgiving in certain matters.
Should she just stay silent? Would it be better to claim her current appearance was the result of a curse?
Alea's mind was working overtime.
Yet, Helmut merely raised an eyebrow at her and said nothing more. He extended his hand.
"To help…?"
The sudden voice made Alea flinch. Originally, Hecate's disguise magic was supposed to alter her voice as well. Currently, Alea was using her real voice.
Helmut remained still, hand extended. After a moment of hesitation, Alea took his hand and stood up.
'The High Priestess. I need to move quickly.'
Their brief contact made her face heat up, as if she needed to fan herself.
They quickly left the area. Overheard conversations suggested the unidentified High Priestess planned to tour the magic department building.
Once they were clear of the danger zone, Helmut stopped. Only then did Alea realize they were still holding hands.
Startled, Alea let go. But soon after, she realized something even more surprising.
'He's avoiding the High Priestess too.'
It wasn't the time to ask if he was doing the same. His cautious glances towards the direction of the High Priestess, and the secrecy of their movements, said it all.
It was impossible for Helmut to know that Alea, being Hecate's disciple, couldn't reveal her identity to the temple. Thus, this was Helmut's own issue.
'I knew he had his secrets.'
Perhaps their secrets shared similarities. What had he been doing over the break?
Yet, it was a question she couldn't answer, just as he couldn't answer hers.
Instead, Alea asked another question.
"Why were you at the magic department building?"
And why he had fled with her. He could have run away on his own.
"Who knows."
His dark eyes pierced her. After a moment's hesitation, he suddenly asked, "Want to check out the festival?"
"The festival? As in, to enjoy it?"
"It'll be fun."
'Sure, it could be fun. But there's something off about him.'
Alea tilted her head, wondering if he knew she was a girl.
No, what was truly strange was not asking anything at all, a departure from how he usually treated her. There was a subtle distance between them.
"What should I call you then?"
Alea was startled and narrowed her eyes at Helmut.
'Does he have face blindness? Can't he recognize me? We look exactly the same.'
Admittedly, there were differences. Alea as a girl and as a boy differed in lines, skeleton, and overall vibe due to Hecate's meticulous magic.
But to Helmut, who had been her roommate, it should have been impossible not to recognize that they were the same person. Alea believed that.
Yet, Helmut acted too naturally, as if he genuinely didn't know.
Perhaps he simply couldn't connect the dots between the male, silver-haired Alea and the girl with lavender hair before him.
It was absurd, but Helmut had aspects that even Alea couldn't fathom, including an exceptional level of indifference.
'Assuming he doesn't recognize me, why would he start talking to a girl he's just met so naturally?'
His demeanor was suspiciously casual. Alea raised an eyebrow quizzically.
"Why bother asking?"
"Then I'll just call you 'you'."
Without a name to go on, he didn't press further. Baffled, Alea demanded, "But we don't know each other. Why would you want to go to the festival together?"
"If we don't know each other, why can't we?"
He seemed genuinely curious. Alea searched for an explanation but eventually kept silent, not wanting to argue. She decided to go with the flow.
"…You have a point. But I'm in a bit of a situation, and it would be problematic if I showed my face."
Alea glanced at him, wondering if he'd catch on.
But Helmut showed no sign of recognition. He casually suggested a solution.
"There will be lots of people in strange outfits at the festival. How about we buy a mask?"
It was perfect for pretending to be a mysterious magician, as Sian had dreamed. Though Alea was more interested in pulling off her disguise at the moment.
Somehow, the idea made her chuckle.
"That's a good idea."
Suddenly, it seemed they were heading in the direction of enjoying the festival together.
A date with a handsome fellow student... Hecate's words briefly crossed her mind, but Alea quickly dismissed them.
'It's not because of her. The festival... doesn't sound too bad.'
Alea hadn't participated in the festival before, fearing she'd lose herself in the enjoyment.
Though she had no friends to enjoy it with, almost no one would refuse to join Alea at the festival.
Always on high alert, she had resolved not to enjoy such moments.
However, the barriers she had put up seemed to be crumbling, especially in front of Helmut.
Alea acknowledged that he was special to her. Perhaps Helmut was the only person who could change her resolve, unlike Hecate, who forced her hand.
"But why are you alone? What about your friends?"
"They went to participate in a cross-dressing contest."
"…I see."
So, they were participating in such a contest. She was momentarily at a loss for words.
Perhaps Helmut, finding himself alone and bored, decided to invite the solitary girl he stumbled upon to join him. It was both uncharacteristic and characteristic of Helmut at the same time.
To think he'd approach a pretty girl out of the blue was unlike Helmut, who was subtly proactive about enjoying the festival.
'…I don't know.'
It was for the best if Helmut, thinking she was a girl, didn't take an interest in her. Alea sighed and asked.
"Where are we going?"
Helmut briefly outlined his plans.
"The cross-dressing contest is a must, but that's not until 5 PM. Until then, I'm free. Do you have anything you'd like to do?"
It was still morning, not yet noon. Alea asked suspiciously.
"How long are you planning to stick together?"
"Do you have other plans?"
"Not… exactly."
She hesitated more in her speech. Alea had forgotten why she had even gone to the magic department building.
Helmut nodded easily.
"That works out."
His clarity left her speechless.
"Anything you want to do?"
Alea finally responded to his question, recalling something she'd noticed on the way.
"There's a puppet show. I've never seen one."
"Me neither. Let's go."
They decided to buy a disguise mask first. Alea subtly changed her eye color with magic. Her violet eyes turned to an ordinary blue.
Helmut might not notice because of his obliviousness, but it was a precaution in case someone recognized her.
Fortunately, Hecate's magic and the eye color changing spell didn't interfere with each other.
Since Helmut seemed not to recognize her anyway, using magic wouldn't seem odd to him.
Alea was wearing a cloak from Greta Academy's magic department. Her clothes underneath were just ordinary shirts and trousers, nothing remarkable.
'I shouldn't be recognized by my attire.'
After buying a suitable mask, Helmut suggested, "Maybe we should go for something more convincing."
At the academy entrance, where the festival was held, merchants from Baden's marketplace had set up shop.
Alea bought a flamboyant cloak there. Adding a corny wand with a crescent moon completed the perfect disguise.
It was truly a cosplay for enjoying the festival.
'What am I doing?'
Though she felt doubtful, Alea decided to fully enjoy the festival now that she was fully dressed for it.
Greta Academy's festival was famous in Baden. Due to the last day's crowd, they were engulfed by a massive throng of people.
In the dense crowd, walking side by side was impossible, so Helmut extended his hand.
"Hold on. Let's go watch the play."
They were not accustomed to holding hands. Thus, it was clear Helmut didn't recognize her as Alea.
Feeling strangely unsettled, Alea convinced herself she had taken his hand simply because of the crowd. They had already held hands once before.
'His hand is firm.'
It made sense for a member of the swordsmanship department. Yet, this realization strangely accelerated her heartbeat.
"Helmut."
Alea inquired.
"You don't usually hold hands with just anyone, do you?"
"Anyone? I don't usually hold hands."
"Then why…"
"There are too many people."
His reply was as if it were the most natural thing.
"It's convenient."
"…Right."
Alea thought he was very pragmatic.
Naturally, there were acquaintances in the marketplace. The sight of them holding hands caused a stir among the second-year students of the swordsmanship department.
"My goodness, who is that girl Helmut is holding hands with?"
"She's wearing a mask, but doesn't she seem pretty? I bet she's beautiful."
"Could she be his fiancée, here for the festival?"
"Helmut is a commoner! What fiancée?"
"Do you believe that? How does he look like a commoner?"
"Anyway, she could just be his girlfriend!"
"Helmut has a girlfriend?"
A cold voice interrupted their conversation.