The next day Lux waited outside, nervous, until Krulcifer finally arrived in elegant clothes.
He stared at her without managing to say anything, because she looked completely unlike her usual self.
They walked out together hand in hand, and everyone they passed stopped to stare. Lux asked awkwardly whether she was attracting attention on purpose.
Krulcifer admitted calmly that she was.
Lux confessed that he was not used to anything like this.
Krulcifer replied, quietly, that she was not especially fond of places where nobles judged every action she made either.
They went through a clothing store, and when they came out she complimented him and said that every outfit had suited him perfectly. She had expected nothing less from a former prince. After that they headed toward a restaurant, and along the way she kept looking directly at him until he grew uncomfortable enough to ask whether something was wrong.
She answered that since she was currently his girlfriend, she should be allowed to look at him however she liked.
Lux asked whether the restaurant they were walking toward was acceptable to her.
Krulcifer said softly that she did not really care where they went, because spending time with him was never boring.
Then Lux sensed danger.
A moment later, several Drag Rides came down out of the sky and attacked them.
Lux moved in front of Krulcifer and took the incoming attacks while armed men spread out around them and warned the two of them not to move. He was already wondering which of them the attackers had come for, him or Krulcifer.
Krulcifer told him quickly to handle the enemies in front while she summoned her Drag Ride, and Lux charged straight into them.
A moment later Krulcifer summoned Fafnir and apologized for making him wait.
She raised a shield around him and thanked the attackers, pleasantly, for interrupting their date. The soldiers attempted to close in from every side at once, and Krulcifer explained that Fafnir's White Breath could predict enemy movements, which made tactics of that kind useless against her.
At that moment Lisha and Philuffy arrived nearby.
Lux asked what they were doing there, and Krulcifer said teasingly that they were definitely not jealous.
Lisha insisted, awkwardly, that she had only happened to be passing by.
Soon afterward one of the attackers tried to escape. A girl none of them knew stepped into his path, blocked him without any apparent effort, and restrained him.
Lux asked who she was, and Krulcifer introduced her as Alterize, the butler of the Einfolk family.
That evening everyone gathered together for dinner, and Alterize asked directly who Lux truly was.
Krulcifer replied that Lux was her boyfriend.
The statement visibly shocked Alterize. Krulcifer went on to explain that he was also the surviving prince of the old empire, and her classmate.
Before the conversation could continue, another man arrived, and Alterize addressed him respectfully as Lord Balzeride. He said warmly that he had come early because he wished to meet his future wife. Then he touched Krulcifer's face, gently, and introduced himself as Balzeride Kravitz.
Lisha recognized the name at once as belonging to one of the four great noble houses. Alterize explained that the Kravitz family was among the oldest and most influential families in the kingdom, and she revealed that Balzeride and Krulcifer had originally been meant to proceed with their arranged marriage.
The following day, however, Krulcifer calmly announced that she was already dating someone else.
Nervously, Lux confirmed that the person in question was him.
Balzeride studied him for a while and then realized who he was: the surviving prince of the old empire.
Krulcifer assured him that Lux posed no threat whatsoever to the kingdom.
Rather than becoming angry, Balzeride simply smiled.
Then he proposed a duel between himself and the defeated prince.
Elsewhere, Balzeride was speaking with a mysterious person about the ruins. He explained that the item they needed in order to go deeper inside was currently in that person's possession.
The man answered him quietly, too quietly to be made out, and whatever he said shocked Balzeride.
After hearing it, Balzeride mentioned a girl.
The mysterious man only smiled back at him.
Balzeride said that he finally understood what the two of them should be aiming for. He promised confidently that he would meet the man's expectations and would never disappoint him, because he considered him a friend.
Lux, meanwhile, was asleep in his classroom.
Krulcifer arrived and informed him that she had technically saved him by accepting the duel on his behalf. At the same time, she said, everyone had assumed they still had plenty of time before the situation turned dangerous, and that no longer appeared to be true.
Lux thought privately that if he used the power of the Divine Drag Ride Bahamut, there probably would not be any major problem. Then, immediately, he began asking himself whether relying on such dangerous power was truly the right decision.
Krulcifer noticed the hesitation in him and remarked teasingly that he did not even seem angry about any of it. She reminded him that he was not actually her real boyfriend anyway.
That made Lux nervous, and he answered quickly that it was not like that, because he had willingly agreed to help her.
At exactly that moment Lisha appeared nearby and overheard the whole exchange.
She understood instantly that Lux was not truly Krulcifer's boyfriend, and that Krulcifer had only wanted to avoid the arranged marriage.
Surprisingly, once she had worked it out, Lisha seemed delighted.
She told them both, with great confidence, that as long as they used their full strength during the duel, there was nothing at all for them to fear.
Krulcifer quietly agreed with her.
Then Lisha announced enthusiastically that she was going to make Lux's Drag Ride even stronger. She wanted to improve its attack methods and give him a whole range of new combat techniques to use in battle.
Lux refused immediately and said there was no need for any of that. Lisha ignored him and went on talking about upgrades and improvements regardless.
Later, alone, Lux found himself thinking that he still did not fully understand why Krulcifer had decided to join the investigation mission at all.
Philuffy appeared beside him.
Lux asked what she was doing there, and Philuffy explained calmly that she had stayed late for training, and that afterward her older sister had told her she could finally go and take a bath.
Lux realized at once that somebody had almost certainly arranged this entire situation on purpose.