As I walked out of the café, I suddenly found myself in front of the Student Council Building.
When I stepped inside, I saw a desolate interior with Alkiné sitting alone at a large table.
I peeked at what she was doing and saw that she was reviewing test questions just like Lilith.
Her physical prowess might overshadow it a bit, but her theoretical scores were quite high.
Of course, she wasn’t all that strong in theory.
After all, the warrior blood flowing through her veins from the North wasn’t exactly conducive to sitting still and studying.
However, maintaining her position in the upper ranks was her own pride, so she compensated through hard work.
Considering that she really was maintaining her rank… unlike some muscle-brained Saintess, her efforts definitely paid off.
As soon as Alkiné spotted me and Seria entering, she let out a light sigh.
“Haah… right. You two are not the type to listen.”
Despite saying that, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, suggesting she didn’t entirely dislike our presence.
Instead, she seemed a bit pleased.
That made sense because she actually liked being around people.
To be precise, she preferred the chaotic atmosphere created when there were lots of people, rather than mingling with many.
Anyway, it was clear that she didn’t view the current situation too negatively.
Knowing this, I casually approached her to strike up a conversation.
“What are you looking at?”
“The evolution theory of monsters and the analysis of ambient magical energy.”
“I specialize in monsters.”
“I specialize in magical energy.”
“I see you both study well, but… I’m your senpai, so at least let me save some face here…”
Since Alkiné had said that, I didn’t bother to offer any advice.
Wow, but what is this ambient magical energy analysis? I took a quick glance, and it looked painfully complicated.
When it came time to choose courses later, I’d better avoid anything related to magical energy. Grateful I’m not a magician, really.
A little while later, Alkiné finished her review and began organizing the books and papers in front of her.
Then, she rolled her crimson eyes, alternating between me and Seria, and subtly pointed at me.
“I need to tidy up that hair of yours.”
More precisely, she was indicating my hair.
She sounds just like Seria. Does it look that messy?
“Alkiné, don’t you think so too? I’ve gotta go to the Royal Palace tomorrow, I don’t know what I’m thinking.”
“If you want, I could tidy it up for you.”
“Can you actually trim a man’s hair, Alkiné?”
“My father’s hair was always my responsibility, so I’m quite familiar with it.”
She said this while brushing aside her own long black hair.
Now that I looked closely, her style hadn’t changed since our first meeting. This girl was just as much of a meticulous manager as Seria…
“Still, just to be safe, maybe it’s best to leave it to a professional…”
“Oh, it’s an honor for the president to do it herself.”
Seria hesitated a bit, but knowing her skills, I saw it as a grateful offer.
After all, who was she? The strongest in the Academy, fighting with mana swords.
Even without the title of the strongest, just being able to create a mana sword raised her credibility.
Manifesting magical energy requires exceptional craftsmanship.
Of course, not everyone with great craftsmanship can manifest magical energy, but anyone who can is definitely skilled.
She even stitches up her beloved stuffed animals when they burst!
For someone like her, I could trust her without hesitation. That’s why I accepted the offer without a second thought.
Alkiné looked a bit surprised at my sudden trust, but she soon smiled and pushed a chair towards me.
“Well then, since we’re on the subject, shall we get started? Sit there.”
“Are you sure it’s alright?”
I ignored the still doubtful Seria and sat in the chair.
Alkiné approached me and conjured a small mana sword, starting to tidy my hair.
Experiencing my hair being cut with a mana sword was quite refreshing.
The cutting power was so good that I couldn’t even feel my hair being cut.
I thought if she slipped, she could easily pierce my scalp… the thought sent a chill down my spine.
No, I trust her. President! Don’t mess this up!
Fortunately, her skills did not betray my expectations, and the result was astounding.
“Hmmm, I guess it turned out better than expected since the base was good.”
“Oh, wow…”
If they’re reacting this much, given their usual composure, it’s really impressive.
Now that it’s my body, it feels weird to say this, but it’s not a joke how handsome I look after a good haircut.
I thought she’d do a decent job, but I didn’t expect it to be this good. There’s definitely a huge difference between knowing through settings and experiencing it firsthand.
…But how long are they going to stare? I’m starting to feel a bit awkward.
“What’s wrong with admiring my work?”
“Just hold still. I still want to look at it.”
However, they didn’t seem ready to let me go.
“Rudion. Could you tilt your head a bit like this?”
“Just sitting there isn’t doing justice. Sit up a little straighter.”
Instead of letting up, they started demanding angles and posture.
I mean, I’m a bit good-looking, but is it really worth gawking like this? Am I just not getting it because I’m a guy?
In the end, it wasn’t until much later, when it was almost time for dinner, that I finally escaped their scrutinizing gazes.
///
The Academy was quite large, yet there was only one entrance.
Technically, you didn’t have to go through the entrance to leave the Academy since the surroundings weren’t completely walled off.
However, even if you went out through the entrance, you’d still have to walk quite a while, and surrounded by undeveloped areas, there was really no reason to leave except through the entrance.
That’s why, at the start of holidays like this, the area around the entrance was bound to be crowded.
“Didn’t they say they’d send a carriage from your house?”
“I don’t think it’s arrived yet.”
“Is that it over there?”
“Where? That? Damn, it doesn’t match our family’s emblem at all.”
Everyone was bustling about, trying to find the carriage that would take them home, resembling the subway at rush hour.
Of course, it wasn’t that crowded, but it certainly was chaotic.
However, Seria and I didn’t need to be flustered.
“There it is. Let’s go.”
There was indeed a carriage standing out much larger and more splendid than others.
The Royal carriage was clearly on another level… when I stepped closer to check, the horses’ coats were no joke.
Plus, there were Royal Guards surrounding it, making it obvious this was a carriage sent by the Royal Palace.
So this is how a Royal carriage looks… I was already impressed, but before I knew it, Seria had hopped aboard the carriage and called for me.
“What are you doing? Get on quickly. We have a lot to do.”
“A lot to do? Can’t we just go straight there?”
“What are you talking about? We’re going to the Royal Palace right now!”
She began explaining the plan as if she found my relaxed demeanor absurd.
“I’m just heading home, but you, Rudion, need to make a good impression on royalty, so we should buy new clothes first, get ready, there’s a pretty café nearby we have to hit, oh, by the way, there’s that restaurant Alkiné recommended; should we check that out too?”
“That’s unnecessary from the middle.”
“Well… that might be true, but hurry up!”
As she urged me, she reached out toward me.
It felt like she wanted me to grab her hand, so I did, and she pulled me straight into the carriage.
Though Seria’s strength wasn’t that strong due to her poor stats aside from magic, I decided just to go along with it.
The interior of the carriage was as lavish as its exterior promised.
The last carriage I rode with Professor Reina was also quite high-end, but this blew that away completely.
It was clean, and not only was the environment made comfortable through magic, but even the seating felt soft and plush, clearly crafted from hard-to-maintain material.
Seria, however, sat casually, as if this was nothing… definitely a royal.
“Now, sit down.”
“Why are you insisting I sit beside you when there’s plenty of room?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
She’s really getting bolder by the moment.
Of course, I didn’t mind at all, and I figured if I jokingly refused, she’d throw a fit, so I didn’t even try.
As soon as I sat down, I felt their gazes… when I turned my head slightly, I saw students staring at us from outside the window.
“It’s just so unfair. Some are crammed in a tiny carriage smelling each other’s sweat, while others get to ride smoothly with a princess.”
“If you wanna complain, try looking handsome yourself, or at least be skilled.”
I could hear some people whispering about us, but the soundproofing was pretty good, so I couldn’t catch what they were saying.
“We’ll be departing now.”
A man at the front, clearly the driver, shouted that and the carriage began to move.
With the Royal Guards surrounding us on horseback, the sight felt incredibly grand.
…Then I felt someone glaring at me, and when I drew the curtains, I suddenly heard an urgent voice.
“Hey! That guy is closing the curtains!”
“What foul play is that! Stop the carriage right now!”
It seemed they were shouting loudly enough to be heard despite the soundproofing.
“Ugh! It’s noisy! I’m not doing anything, so stop overreacting!”
Thanks to Seria’s mediation, the carriage didn’t stop just after we had started moving.
We hadn’t even reached the Royal Palace yet, and I was already feeling tired.
I just want to get off… someone send me home…
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.