Chapter 39: Kidnapping XV - Youth Love

“Mmm... no matter how good the coffee is at the academy, they all fall flat compared to the beans imported from Venika. Too bad I’m not allowed to use academy funds to buy better coffee.”

The director snorted with distaste.

“How could we be expected to work effectively when we are not at our best? Right, Maxime? Well, I’ll keep calling you Alecto if you don’t mind.”

The director sat behind his huge desk, with a cup of freshly grinded coffee. The sweet of the cream and sugar ladened drink wafted toward Alecto, making his stomach growl, but he didn’t dare excuse himself to eat. Not right now.

He shook his head. “No, I don’t mind. Alecto is fine, sir.”

“No need to be so polite. As the son of a knight, you have the status of nobility yourself. Your kids won’t though, unless you work hard,” the director said, laughing. “Ahh... coffee?”

He raised his cup.

At the offer, Alecto’s stomach growled again. Everything, even something more liquid than substance was better than nothing right now. Evidently, the director heard the sound and laughed again. 

His face red, Alecto nodded. “Yes please...”

“Like I said, don’t be so polite! Consider us equals for the time being, especially now that we’ve just concluded a transaction.” The director took a sip of the coffee before he fetched another cup from a drawer and poured another cup of coffee, offering it to Alecto.

Alecto accepted it gratefully and took a careful sip. He watched the director, unsure what to do. After Belevere took the mech and the Academy Guards departed, the director had him come with him to his office at home.

Compared to the one at the academy, it was much messier and smaller, but the atmosphere was the same. The bookshelves were filled with the same kind of books and the décor of both rooms seemed to be organized by people with the same taste—the director, who preferred wood so dark they seemed almost black, with a tint of purple. 

The director stared back at him as he drank. Suddenly, Alecto realized that the director was waiting for him to put down his cup before talking. It was only manners to wait for the opposite to finish their first drink. Self conscious, Alecto put his cup onto the platter with a clink.

Right on cue, the director straightened. “You must be wondering why I called you here.” 

At Alecto’s nod, the director instead shook his head. “It’s really no big deal. I merely took you here because it is here that I am most comfortable talking. I’m just curious about... why you made your choice you did.”

Alecto furrowed his brows, not understanding. “Sir?”

“Now, now. The bombardment mech—Volcano, was it?—was a graduation gift from your father, was it not? What could have possibly possessed you to trade it over to me so easily? Be honest with me.”

Alecto froze at the question. It wasn’t really unexpected, but at the same time, he didn’t really want to answer it. On the other hand, it wasn’t like the answer was some kind of big secret that could never be revealed. His face reddened again, burning as he thought about the answer.

The director’s eyes remained on him. With shaking hands, he reached for his cup of coffee again, wracking his brains for an alternative answer all the while. 

“Um...”

His mouth opened and closed like a drowning fish. “Uh...”

All of the excuses that came to mind did not seem convincing in the slightest, and all that he managed was a bunch of incoherent sounds.

At his stuttering, the director shook his head. “That’s the problem with you youngsters.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“See? You’re doing it again!” The director slapped the desk, making Alecto jump. The man stood up and walked around the table—Alecto shrank back from him. What did he want?

“You’re too cowardly! Not enough spine!”

“S-sir, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Alecto didn’t know why the director was disparaging his courage. He felt he had enough of it to at least stand his ground in a battlefield—better yet, he would excel. “I resent that accusation!”

He stood as well, turning to track the pacing older man.

“If only you had that same kind of fighting spirit when it came to love!”

The comment came out of nowhere that Alecto hadn’t been prepared for it. A dumbfounded “What?” was all he could manage. In response, the director shook his head again.

“You think I don’t know why you traded that Volcano for two much less valuable mechs? One look at you and I could tell.”

The heat that had been gathering in Alecto’s cheeks, first from embarrassment and then from indignity, seemed to scatter all at once, calling and cascading down his body in a wave of coolness. Oh my god, he knows. How did he know?!

It was obvious from what the director said that he wasn’t just bluffing. He actually knew his embarrassing reason!

Alecto looked away. The director wouldn’t tell Belevere, would he?

He swallowed, his throat dry. There was nothing he could use to wet it—the coffee was no good. 

It was better to come clean, since the director knew anyway. “Um. It’s as you predicted. I traded my mech away for Belevere... But if I may ask a question, how did you know?”

The director rolled his eyes. He strode back toward the desk, gesturing with his hands for Alecto to sit down. He did, and the director collapsed into his seat as well with a grunt. Alecto thought the grunt was a bit fake—the director was nowhere near the age where old age started having an impact on physical fitness. Not in this time and age.

But the grunt spoke of experience. Who knew how many lovestruck youngsters had the director seen during his tenure here at AMI alone?

“A blind man could have told from the way you looked at her and acted around her,” the director said. “Being so careful around her, picking out your words like that.”

“...Was I so obvious? Do you think Belevere knows?”

Alecto bit his lips, worried. If a bystander could tell, then what about the person herself? Belevere hadn’t said anything.

“Oh, no. I don’t believe so.” The director shook his head, letting Alecto heave a small sigh of relief. “I think she’s like you, rather oblivious to love. At least, she hasn’t noticed it herself. A bystander sees the big picture, after all. Although, jumping in and sacrificing a mech worth the better part of a hundred million marges for her sake is overdoing it a bit, don’t you think?”

“That’s true. But if I didn’t, you probably wouldn’t have accepted her request,” Alecto said. He firmly believed that he had made the right choice. If it was for Belevere, something like a mech was worth it.

“And so what? Her main goal was to save Annabelle, and my Academy Guards would have been more than enough. Most of them are of the same caliber as you tournament attendees, you know? You’re not doubting them, are you?”

“No, of course not!” Alecto quickly replied. The director looked really offended at the possibility of the Academy Guards’ abilities being questioned.

That was quite unthinkable. The Academy made it clear that anyone who managed to attend the knighting tournament was eligible to apply to join the Academy Guards. The pay was stable and the position was prestigious and exclusive. 

The invitation was merely an invitation to apply, not a letter of acceptance, so low ranking tournament attendees could forget about being accepted.

Many high rankers actually applied to the Guards first, joining the graduating year’s knight only as a second choice if they couldn’t make it. After the Guard examinations, Matt Harris and Belevere could both expect another wave of quality applicants depending on their faction’s health.

“I’m not doubting their abilities, sir,” Alecto repeated, stressing his innocence.

At his reply, the director finally relaxed. But his eyes remained sharp.

“Annabelle Florent is clearly someone important to Belevere, judging by the lengths that Belevere was going to save her,” he said, dropping his voice low conspiratorially. “Just like how you rushed to help Belevere, Belevere is rushing to save Annabelle. I bet you didn’t take that into account, huh?”

Alecto blanched. “Huh?”

He hadn’t.

“I knew it. Love blinds everyone—you were so absorbed in her that you failed to notice that your goal already had someone else in mind. That’s so tragic,” the director lamented.

But Alecto barely heard what he said. Belevere already has someone she loved? Annabelle?

His mind flew back to his memories of Belevere and Annabelle. What he remembered made his heart pound... dread filled his body. Belevere and Annabelle were almost always together. For one, they lived in the same dorm. They sparred with each other more than with anyone else. They practically molded each others’ fighting styles.

It wasn’t like there weren’t rumors either, but neither of them had confirmed it. Not to mention, back then, he hadn’t loved Belevere, so he didn’t pay much attention to her. Instead, he had been focused on his coursework and becoming a better mech pilot.

Regret tugged at his heart. If only I had tried to get closer to her sooner!

“Oh no...” 

“It’s a shame, boy. However, it’s not like you don’t have a chance. Feelings don’t remain forever, not to mention you can still be friends,” the director said. “An expert is a very good ally to have.”

Alecto shook his head. “I don’t want Belevere as an ally. She is more than that!”

“That’s too bad, because you started on the back foot compared to Annabelle. But I will support your efforts however I can as thanks for what you have given me.”

“Thank you...” Alecto didn’t think much of the director’s help. What could an old man do to impact a couple of young adults’ relationships? Not to mention he wasn’t even their parents.

Maybe he could preemptively get to know Belevere’s parents? But what if Belevere grew to hate him because of his intervention?

He had no idea what to do. He had sacrificed much, and gained nothing.

In the heat of the moment, he had given away his most valuable post-graduation asset, the Volcano that he would have used to rack up merits and become a mech the hard way, but he had exchanged it for a rifleman mech of much lesser value.

He didn’t have any delusions that his father will provide him with another replacement mech—even well off knights like his father could not wave his hands and make a high-end mech like the Volcano appear.

Besides, he had no idea what he was going to tell his father. Gave away his mech to help a knight that wasn’t even allied with the Maxime Group? He would be lucky if he got out of that conversation intact!

Alecto ran his hand through his head and took a deep breath. 

Actually, I don’t really regret helping Belevere, even if I should. Yes, I helped her to gain her favor, but even if I don’t get anything, I’m fine with it...

He wasn’t someone small minded. Even if Belevere wouldn’t even spare him a glance now, he at least considered her a friend, if not a prospective lover. 

This trade, while he wouldn’t say was worth it, was at least not bad. At least, it taught him some lessons about not listening to his emotions to the point of excluding all else.

“I will continue to chase after her. She may not love me back, but for now at least, I can’t imagine loving someone else. Until I find that someone, I will support her!” Alecto declared. He paused. “Even after I find that someone, of course...”

The director laughed. “That’s the spirit! Although, I’m curious. What exactly is her appeal? I can’t imagine it’s because she’s a knight, or because she’s an expert candidate?”

At first, Alecto had been smiling, pleased that the director supported his choice, but the question wiped it off his face and he found himself stammering again.

But he felt that having shared so much with the director already, there wasn’t any need to hide the root of all this.

“Well,” he began, “you must promise to not laugh.”

“I promise?”

Alecto took a deep breath. Good enough.

“To be honest, it’s kind of related to her being an expert candidate...”

The director frowned. “That’s kind of shallow—” 

“—wait! I’m not done! It’s not what you think.” He licked his lips. “You know how the last person I faced in the tournament was Belevere?”

The director narrowed his eyes.

“Well... in the moment that I activated the self-destruct protocol and Belevere disabled it, I felt...” ...that her movements were more beautiful than any dance that I had ever seen.