“That’s right!”
“What’s this about now?”
“Where am I staying?”
“I’ll tell you after class is over in a bit.”
What’s more important than Louise’s room is Kyle’s class.
After all, I’m not carrying my stuff right now, so I don’t really need a room immediately.
I spent time sipping tea with Louise.
Since there’s still about 30 minutes before sword class ends, it was fine to spend time like this.
*
“Oh… is that the Young Master?”
“Yeah.”
I watched Kyle and Elin training in front of the training ground.
Louise was right next to me.
It seemed like it was the first time Louise was seeing Kyle.
I suppose it couldn’t be helped since there isn’t much talk about Kyle in the newspapers.
Kyle hadn’t gone to other territories and just stayed in Eristirol, so that made it even more so.
“Ohh…. not bad.”
As Louise said, Kyle isn’t bad.
In fact, he’s on the good side.
He’s handsome and has a solid physique, so he definitely stands out among the average guys.
“Right?”
“Yeah, I can see why you suddenly became a Private Tutor, you picky one.”
“I’m not picky.”
“You left the party as soon as a not-so-good-looking tank tried to join, remember?”
“….”
That did happen.
But it wasn’t just because he was ugly that I left.
“That was because he stared at me weird!”
“That was just him looking….”
“Nope.”
The way he looked at me was unpleasant.
It was some strange gaze.
Anyway, that was that.
“Um… just tell him to wash up first. Coming over all sweaty is a no-go.”
“Yeah, got it.”
Kyle doesn’t usually smell much of sweat, so it should be fine.
I’ve smelled him when I’d wipe his sweat during massages, and it was fine.
“Young Master, the magic instructor has arrived. Let’s meet after you wash up.”
“Yes.”
I stepped out of the training ground with Kyle and wiped the sweat off him.
There wasn’t much time left to shower before everything had to be done.
It would be better to wash up after magic class.
“Young Master, you seem a bit rude. You might use informal speech or speak oddly, but… I’d appreciate it if you could take it with a generous heart.”
Louise definitely has the intelligence to speak formally…
But I’m sure she’d speak informally to Kyle.
I’ve never seen her talk formally so far.
“And I’m naturally a free spirit. You can approach the class without too much pressure.”
“Um…”
“Do you have any more questions about Louise?”
“What’s the relationship between Miss Sophia and her? It seems like they’ve known each other for a while.”
“Ah.”
I guess they heard each other speaking informally.
Since there’s no one who speaks informally in the castle, it’s understandable to be curious.
There’s no special story there, but they have known each other for quite a long time.
Maybe she’s the person I’ve known the longest after Mom and Dad?
“Just a wizard I met during my adventurer days.”
“Ah.”
It’s really not a big deal.
They just met while gathering a party back in the adventurer days.
-Swish
-Swish
As I wiped the sweat off Kyle’s back with a towel, I talked about Louise.
Unlike with Elin, there were many questions.
It’s only natural because I had heard more from the commander about Elin.
“Young Master, is this outfit sufficient for you?”
“Yes.”
I dressed Kyle in the clothes meant for him.
It’s a bit uncomfortable compared to the ones he wore during sword class, but as a noble, he should wear something decent.
It’s better to wear something a bit uncomfortable that suits him than overly casual attire.
“Did you arrive?”
“Yeah.”
“Hm.. so you are the Young Master? Hello?”
“Yes.”
Louise greeted Kyle with a smile.
As she greeted him with her unique curious eyes, Kyle seemed a bit intrigued.
“Hm.. can I just call you Kyle since it’s a hassle?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
A crazy girl deciding to speak casually with Kyle from the get-go.
Is there anyone who tends to be that casual no matter how comfortable they are?
I also like being relaxed, but I wouldn’t directly speak informally to the Eldest Son of Eristirol.
“Hm.. have you never experienced magic at all until now?”
“Yes.”
“I see… then I need to test your aptitude first. Kyle, can you hold out your hand for a moment?”
“My hand…? You mean?”
“That’s right, give me your hand.”
What is she planning with asking for my hand?
Kyle held out his right hand as Louise instructed.
“Yap.”
“….?”
Then Louise grabbed Kyle’s hand.
Why is she holding his hand?
I don’t understand.
She mentioned testing his aptitude, but what’s that got to do with holding hands?
“Hmmm……”
While holding Kyle’s hand, Louise appeared to be pondering.
Could it be that Kyle doesn’t have magic aptitude?
No matter how I considered it, he’s a nobility’s son, so I was sure he must have some.
“Umm….”
“Why are you like this?”
Kyle also questioned Louise about her behavior.
Could she be scared to tell him that he can’t use magic?
Even though he’s grown a bit, he’s still a kid.
He might find it scary to be told he can’t use magic.
“Umm… Sophia, have you ever met the Duke?”
“No.”
I also don’t understand.
I’ve worked in Eristirol Castle for years, yet I’ve never met him even once.
How is it possible to not return to the castle even once in years?
It’s certain he’s alive.
He must have sent messages to me through the Head Butler.
“Hm… is this girl crazy?”
“Huh?”
What is she talking about suddenly calling Kyle crazy?
Is she serious that Kyle is crazy?
“His aptitude makes no sense.”
“Uh…?”
“He should be able to cast just about any spell, right? Of course, he has to learn but…”
Ah, that’s what she meant.
It’s not that Kyle’s head is crazy, but rather his magic aptitude.
Thank goodness if that’s the case.
“Hm… Kyle, would you be interested in learning magic slowly with me? It would be nice to visit the Mage Tower together.”
“I can’t go to the Mage Tower.”
“Hm… Well, that can’t be helped. In any case, it seems there will be some worth in teaching you for a while.”
It’s a relief that there’s no issue in teaching Kyle magic.
Being able to learn both sword and magic is quite fortunate.
I thought it would be nice since I couldn’t learn magic myself, that Kyle would be able to do so.
In that sense, it was really good.
“Um… but, how long are you going to keep holding my hand…?”
I was curious about how long Kyle will keep holding hers.
Of course, it’s true that he’s handsome and charming, but how long could that last?
“Huh? Why? Are you wanting to hold hands too, Sophia?”
“What the heck are you talking about?!”
There’s no way I’d bring that up just because I wanted to hold his hand.
Of course, holding onto Kyle’s big hand would be reassuring, but that would never happen.
“Then I won’t then.”
After saying that, Louise let go of the hands they had clasped together.
“Um… there’s nothing particular to teach today, so let’s start properly tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
“Alright! Then let’s wrap things up and go back… No, Sophia, can you tell me where my room is?”
“Ah.”
Thinking about it, I had promised to let her know.
I almost forgot about it in that moment.
Suddenly I felt a bit unwilling to say it, but still, a promise is a promise.
“Young Master, you are washing up, right? I will come to call you when it’s meal time.”
“Yes.”
Kyle said that and went to wash up.
The attendants who would help him with bathing followed Kyle.
“First, let me show you to your room.”
“Okay!”
I took Louise out of the room and moved towards her room.
It’s more like a guest room than just saying it’s Louise’s room, but either way, it’s the room she’ll be staying for a while.
Though it’s not as good as the room Catherine is staying in, it’s still a decent room.
Looking out the window, the scenery is definitely better than mine.
The frozen river behind the castle and the incredibly high mountain range.
Honestly, I’m a little envious.
“…..”
Should I just ask to switch rooms with mine?
No, it’s a valuable room since it’s close to Kyle, so it would be a waste to swap with Louise.
After all, it’s just the scenery outside the window.
Being near Kyle is much more important than that.
It’s better in many ways considering having to walk to Kyle’s room in the morning.
“Okay, is this enough?”
“Hmmm… It feels like a boring room.”
“What do you want me to do? This is how all the rooms are. If you’re bored, should I have the servants bring you some toys or something?”
“Oh… are there toys?”
I’m not sure if there really are, but there probably are.
If not, I could just ask them to get some.
“Do you need anything? You didn’t bring any luggage, did you?”
“Everything!”
“Ha….”
As expected, I knew this would happen from the start when she showed up with nothing at all.
How could she come from the Mage Tower with absolutely no stuff, just her own presence?
Even if she used magic to come, isn’t it normal to carry at least a bag?
“For now, just use the pillows and blankets inside as they are… I’ll let the servants know. Dinner is about 30 minutes, so just come out by then.”
“Is the food good?”
“It doesn’t even compare to what we ate during our adventurer days.”
Normally, Louise wouldn’t be on the same level to eat with Catherine or Kyle, but now she’s a magic instructor and a guest.
Naturally, we had to prepare a spot to eat together.
To be honest, I didn’t like welcoming someone like her as a guest.
It’s frustrating watching someone with whom I worked as an adventurer suddenly treated so lavishly, and her continuously holding hands with Kyle, and that she spent the money I’d lent on gambling…
“Hey, did you lose the money I lent you?”
“Yeah!”
…..
Suddenly, I began to seriously consider changing magic instructors.
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