The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy-Chapter 449: The Beginning Of The End [CXI]

Two days passed since his date with Vivian and Isabella, and right now, everyone was preparing themselves for the ascension gate.

He had already explained everything they needed to know, so at the current moment, they simply needed to wait until it was finally time.

And without anything to do, Aestrea decided to stroll around the capital, one last sightseeing before he permanently left this world.

"...Lavousier’s Café, mhm?"

Suddenly, as he walked around, a familiar name caught his eye. It was the first café he had visited after taking over this body.

It was also here that he first met the so-called protagonist of the world, along with his four fated heroines...

Well... not really fated.

"I can go and take a look."

Without anything more to do, Aestrea entered the café and was instantly met with the same atmosphere as before.

Dimly lit lighting, polished wood floors, and exquisite decorations that made the café feel more like a luxurious lounge.

’I wonder if they still have a Master-level pianist in the stand?’ he hummed thoughtfully.

"Welcome!"

Shortly after he entered the café, he was instantly greeted by a beautiful black-haired woman wearing a maid’s outfit.

Her eyes instantly lit up upon seeing him.

"Sir Aestrea! I didn’t expect you to visit our humble café!" She instantly bowed her head, offering the most polite greeting she could muster.

Aestrea nodded lightly.

"Could I get a private table just for one, please?"

"Right on it! Please give me a second," the maid excused herself before walking towards the counter.

After just a minute or so, she came back, looking at Aestrea with a big smile.

"Sir Aestrea, your table is now ready. Please follow me," she held the hem of her maid skirt before doing a small bow, and turning around before leading the way.

He followed her onto the same spiral staircase, but this time, he was led to the highest floor, the one who had the highest prestige.

She led him to a small circular table full of decorations, with a seemingly cozy chair, surrounded by floor-high windows that granted him the most perfect view of the capital.

"Please have a seat, and take your time picking your food." The maid gently pulled the chair, letting Aestrea sit before strolling away, giving him enough private space.

Aestrea flipped open the menu and took a small look at it. There were many changes in the menu, and unfortunately, there weren’t any strawberry pancakes anymore!

It only had blueberry ones...

"Mhm..."

Taking one last look at the menu, he finally decided what to eat. He was about to call the waitress, but then he noticed a small golden-plated bell.

Along with it, it had an elegant, small rectangular card.

[Ring the bell to call the waitress.]

He raised an eyebrow before picking up the bell and shaking it softly.

Ring~, ring~

The waitress nearby instantly approached him with a small smile.

"I’d like a Venti and Blueberry Pancakes, please."

"Is that everything?" the waitress asked.

"Yes," he nodded.

"I’ll bring your order in just a moment."

The waitress excused herself before strolling away, leaving Aestrea alone in the private room. He silently stared at the view of the capital...

He would never see it again... maybe one day, but that day is still far... very far.

...Crack!

Splash...

The sound of a cup falling onto the ground and breaking into pieces suddenly reached his ears, causing him to turn around.

His eyes widened completely.

The woman in front of him... had extremely familiar features.

Long scarlet hair flowed down her back like a river of fire, reaching past her waist.

A few thin braids framed the sides of her face, woven neatly before blending into the rest of her hair. The bright red strands caught the warm café light, giving them a soft orange glow.

Her eyes were a striking shade of orange, now widened in disbelief as they locked onto him.

On her right cheek ran a distinct scar.

It started just below her eye and trailed down along her cheekbone, ending near her jawline. It was not deep or disfiguring, but it was quite easy to spot.

She wore elegant café owner attire rather than a maid uniform.

A fitted white blouse hugged her upper body, the fabric tucked neatly into a high-waisted black skirt that fell just below her knees. Over the blouse, she wore a dark red vest trimmed with subtle gold stitching along the edges.

The vest shaped her figure gently, outlining her waist without being too tight.

Around her neck rested a small black ribbon tied into a simple bow.

The blouse strained slightly at the chest, her curves modest compared to some of the women Aestrea had grown used to, yet still undeniably full.

Her posture was straight and confident, but right now, that confidence wavered.

Porcelain pieces from the broken cup lay scattered near her feet, dark coffee slowly spreading across the polished floor.

Her fingers trembled faintly.

"...A-Aestrea?"

He stared at her, and memories surfaced in an instant.

"...Rose?"

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Rose’s orange eyes shimmered as tears quickly gathered along her lashes. Her lips trembled, and her fingers curled slightly at her sides as if she wanted to step forward.

As if she wanted to throw herself into his arms.

Her body even leaned a little, but she stopped.

Instead, she lifted her hand and wiped her eyes quickly, forcing the tears back before they could fall.

"I-it’s so great to see you!" she said with a small, shaky smile.

Aestrea noticed the faint crack beneath her expression instantly. But thinking about it... he swallowed his inner thoughts.

He gave her a light nod.

"It’s nice to see you too. I didn’t expect you to become a café owner," he stated with genuine surprise in his tone.

Rose let out a soft laugh and scratched her cheek, trying to ease the tension.

"Ah... my dream was always to own a café," she said, a proud yet gentle warmth returning to her face.

"And the first time I came here, I really loved this place... so I decided to buy it."

She glanced around the room briefly, as if admiring her own work.

There was pride there.

Real pride.

Then her eyes dropped to the broken porcelain scattered across the floor. The spreading stain of coffee... the mess she had made.

Her expression changed again.

"I’m sorry about this! I was just... really surprised!" she spoke quickly, looking back at him.

Before he could respond, she waved her hand lightly.

A soft shimmer passed over the floor.

The broken pieces lifted into the air like dust caught in light, dissolving into nothing.

The spilled coffee vanished as if it had never been there, leaving the wood polished and clean once more.

The café returned to perfect order in seconds.

Aestrea watched calmly.

"No worries."

Rose lowered her hand slowly.

For a brief moment, silence filled the private floor again.

She clasped her hands together in front of her apron, standing a little straighter now, as if remembering she was the owner here.

"I heard you’ve been busy," she said carefully.

"...Ah, yeah! I was planning on bringing everybody to the Divine Realm, and well... that isn’t exactly something easy to do."

’Especially when I’ll probably need to fight a whole army alone.’

"I see... you’re going back already?" Rose muttered lightly, her face darkening slighly.

This caused Aestrea’s heart to be prickled even more.

’...I really shouldn’t have teased her back then! Shit... how come she still retained those emotions for me during those nine years?!’

Sometimes he really wanted to question his own charm.

Was it that deadly?

"Unfortunately... I wanted to stay here a little more, but I have my own responsibilities up there," he replied with a small smile.

"...But what about you, Rose?" he suddenly blurted out.

But because he had already said those, he knew that he needed to act on them.

"Don’t you want to come to the Divine Realm with us? From what I’ve seen... your power surprisingly reached the peak of the Semi-God Realm, and as soon as you step onto the Divine Realm, you’ll be able to become a True God instantly!"

’Surprisingly... her power is even higher than Vivian’s!’

At those words, Rose’s eyes brightened a little... but quickly came back to normal.

"...I-I don’t think I’m fit up there," she replied, her eyes staring directly at his.

She gently reached out to touch the scar in her cheek and gently stroked it.

"I... don’t want to fight anymore. I simply want to leave a peaceful life without ever touching my fire staff again."

"W-well... you don’t need to fight. You can also open your own café there! It would be like a new and fresh restart!" Aestrea urged on.

’...Fuck! Why am I saying this? Is this because of my guilt towards her?!’ he screamed inwardly.

"...Aestrea."

She suddenly approached him, standing merely a few inches away from him.

Her knee suddenly fell into the small gap between his legs, and she bent down and stared deeply into his crimson-colored eyes.

"I know how you feel about me. Back then... I even thought that it was silly that I fell in love with you because of a small teasing..." she laughed.

"But strangely... I couldn’t forget that feeling." Her face contorted in pain.

"I really couldn’t... for these nine long years, I had the smallest hope that you’d remember me, and actually... take me."

She paused slighly, her hands reaching out to stroke his cheek under his confused eyes.

"...However, not out of pity."

Drip... drip...

The tears that had been swelling up in her eyes suddenly burst out, falling directly onto Aestrea’s clothes.

"But because you truly loved me..."