<152 - Young Lady's Academy Life>
I only remember chatting away in Jonnas’s arms all night, but I have no recollection of actually sleeping. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in bed.
Stretching and filling my sleepy spirit, I felt the refreshing relief of waking up after a long sleep.
Rubbing my eyes, I realized I had fallen asleep in the dormitory room of the Academy’s Visitation Building.
“You woke up just in time for training.”
“Hehe, that’s basic.”
“Well done. Once you finish your morning jog, I’ll prepare breakfast for you.”
“Waaah!”
As I excitedly joined the dolphin-pant girls for our morning exercises, my anticipation grew.
“Oknodie, did something good happen?”
“Yesterday was visitation, right? Your guardian must have come.”
“Wow, I’m jealous. They say it’s one in three students that gets a visitor.”
Feeling all puffed up amidst the envious voices from the dolphin-pants ladies, most of whom were lower class students, I couldn’t help but feel proud.
“Hehe, you should see Jonnas! You’d be surprised at how capable my butler is.”
“Butler? Not your parents?”
“Daddy is too busy to come!”
“What about your mom?”
Umm… good question?
I halted my steps, lost in thought, but it didn’t help me learn about someone I didn’t know.
“I don’t know!”
“You don’t know?”
“I’ve never heard of Mama!”
The dolphin-pant girls suddenly gasped.
The one who asked nearly started tearing up.
“Sorry, Oknodie…! I unintentionally brought up unpleasant memories, didn’t I?”
“Sounds like a single-parent household.”
“Your dad must have struggled raising his daughter alone.”
“He probably didn’t remarry.”
“Your father must have really loved your mother.”
The whispers felt like they were nudging me, saying, “Cry now!” but I, who had no feelings about someone who wasn’t even my real mom, was unbothered.
“Don’t you miss your mom or anything?”
“I’m okay! I don’t even know what she looks like. Plus…”
“Plus?”
“I have Isabel and Arcadia who take care of me like a mama!”
“Eeeek, so cute!”
“I envy the two of them!”
“If Oknodie wants, we can all call you mama too!”
Suddenly, I gained five mamas out of nowhere.
I didn’t understand why, but the sisters showered me with hugs, scratches, and snacks, turning my morning exercise into a happy affair.
“Oknodie, if it’s alright, can we go see your butler together?”
“I’m sorry. I wanted to have breakfast just the two of us with Jonnas!”
“There are times when you want to spend time with someone close like family. Let her be!”
The dolphin-pant girl with long brown hair tied up turned back a few times, waving goodbye with regret.
Waving back, I returned to Jonnas with steps lighter than usual.
“Hehe.”
It felt silly, but I couldn’t help grinning and feeling joyful.
Is having someone to share the morning with really that delightful?
Just yesterday, this dorm room meant nothing to me.
Yet just the fact that Jonnas was waiting there made it feel like I had a home to return to.
“Jonnas, I’m back!”
Excited about what Jonnas must have prepared for breakfast, I flung the door open.
The cooking area set up on one side of the dorm room.
Jonnas lay collapsed next to a tipped pot and a spilled stew on the floor.
“It’s mana depletion.”
The healer stationed in the infirmary said.
Jonnas finally sighed in relief.
When someone handles mana recklessly, using more than their allowed capacity, they can exhaust their physical strength and mental power, leading to troubles. Just like Jonnas last night, who overexerted himself to break past the dual barriers of the Destroyer.
The final blow was probably the Cleansing Magic he used to reassure me.
He endured until morning through superhuman patience but ultimately overexerted himself.
“I’m sorry, Jonnas…”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Young Lady.”
“That’s not true… You used Cleansing Magic because of me…”
It was merely around thirty minutes of loss of consciousness.
His robust body could absorb even more mana during that short time.
Once mana hits the bottom, it tends to refill faster, so one could argue Jonnas actually grew stronger from this experience.
“I should have realized I was overdoing it before I couldn’t even clean the cloth covering the basket… Even while I was babbling, you were in pain, weren’t you?”
But such growth doesn’t feel satisfying.
It makes the Young Lady sad and fills her with self-reproach.
It’s hardly an exaggeration to say it’s a failure on my part as a butler.
“Young Lady, could you extend your wrist for a moment?”
“Sniffle. My wrist…?”
Oknodie, with her puffy eyes, extended her hand.
Holding her delicate white wrist, I gently channeled mana.
The idolized face of the Young Lady couldn’t withstand the suddenly increased weight, crumpling down with a thud.
“Ugh!”
“A Young Lady like you can be brought down by just a finger. So, there’s no need to feel pity for me and distress yourself like that.”
“I get it, I get it, so stop!”
Retrieving the metal I’d coated on her clothes, the Young Lady sighed with relief after a brief moment of growing gaunt.
The experience of being crushed by such an immense weight must have left quite an impression.
“How could such a strong person collapse due to mana depletion?”
“I had a clash with a professor. It’s not something you need to worry about.”
“Still, how could I not worry? My butler collapsed!”
Her eyes, now triangular, looked furiously at me.
Even when angry, the Young Lady looked adorable, which made it quite rewarding for me as her butler.
“Let’s not linger on it, and hurry to the lecture. During this ‘Guardian Observation Week,’ your guardians can attend your usual lectures.”
“Oh right! I almost forgot about class!”
As she tried to assist, I pushed her off with a single finger to her forehead and smoothed my clothes.
[METAL COATING]
[Formal Attire Daily Setup]
[METAL WORKER]
[Auto-Walking Aid - Type A]
Using mana right after depleting it causes immense pain to the mana organs, but I have my duties.
As the representative of the Foundation dispatched to take care of the Young Lady, I must maintain dignity and class, attending the observational lectures as both her butler and guardian.
Compared to those without qualifications or opportunities, enduring pain is nothing.
“I can’t wait to see your friends too.”
“You’d be shocked at how many friends I have! I’ll introduce you to all of them!”
The Young Lady turned around every few steps, scrutinizing my face carefully.
She seemed to suspect that I was pretending not to feel pain, which in turn made me worry about her.
Can someone so kind-hearted really survive at the Gift Academy?
‘She must have received a lot of help from her friends.’
On the way to the classroom, Jonnas dug into old memories.
Opportunities given even to someone once in the same position.
Friends who spent tough times together.
There were many.
Some felt like insurmountable walls.
However, only a few lived till the end.
When I close my eyes, I can vividly hear their screams and curses.
“We’re late, Oknodie student. Being late for homeroom isn’t a good sign. Please hurry to your seat.”
“Hehe, I’m sorry!”
“Mmm. Seeing your smiling face makes it hard to dock points. Just this once, I’ll let it slide.”
Monday First Period.
Professor Mahabharata, supervising the upper class homeroom.
“Nice to meet you, Professor. I’m Jonnas Wahyhiemhai, the guardian of Oknodie.”
“Hmm?”
He, an expert in transformation magic and the Dragon Principal’s closest aide, tilted his head at Jonnas.
He seemed to hesitate, feeling a strange sense of familiarity as if he had seen her before but couldn’t pinpoint it, prioritizing his duty as a teacher.
“Yes. While observing, please find a seat in the area where other guardians are seated.”
As befits guardians of upper class students, they were all great nobles of a nation, senior knights known widely across the three kingdoms, and high-ranking mages from the magic tower.
The atmosphere felt like a massive boulder or tall tower loomed over, imposing a heavy presence as the guardians engaged in an invisible standoff among themselves while avoiding the students.
In that intimidating scene, Jonnas’s presence hardly stood out at all.
“Is that fellow a member of the infamous ‘Wiheomhae Foundation’?”
“The aura he gives off isn’t that formidable.”
“It seems that he was elected as a representative through insidious methods rather than skill. He’s as ominous as the child he accompanies.”
The power balance clearly tipped towards them.
Yet, it was they who were cautious of us.
Such is the weight of the name of the Wiheomhae Foundation.
Oknodie’s boss, whom she refers to as Papa.
Bows.
The student with whom I made eye contact greeted with a smile.
Dark Merchant Jezel.
He was the one who kept watch over Oknodie within the academy.
Isabel and Son Ohchun.
The ones who roamed with him looked upon us with disdain.
Others hurriedly turned their heads away, fearing they might encounter some trouble.
Fear is certainly preferable.
What really disturbed me was the looks of contempt and disgust directed our way from the Imperial Students behind.
Receiving scrutiny not only from adults but even from the students was the same.
‘It seems the Young Lady’s academy life is incredibly difficult.’
Even in a situation where a foundation representative is among them, I could imagine how they’d treat the Young Lady whose status was just a scholarship student.
It was sure to be even worse than now.
Her letters or reports from the academy spies had described a situation much more serious than I’d anticipated.
At this point, Jonnas pushed aside everything the Young Lady had said the previous day.
There was a growing possibility that the Young Lady, who had mentioned it so casually, was actually trying to hide the true seriousness of the situation from me.
As much as she values me, her words became increasingly untrustworthy.
‘Her friendships are equally problematic.’
Those once cherished friendships don’t seem to be of any help in this situation.
Just by observing the demeanor of Isabel and Son Ohchun, who showed more hostility towards her than even the Imperial Students, it was clear.
They wouldn’t be able to aid Oknodie.
Even if the Young Lady considers them friends, would they see her as one too?
Even if they are friends, there’s no sign of willingness to help her.
Even if they had the will, they lacked the means.
‘The representative of the Foundation has the right to request support from headquarters.’
And the Young Lady needed the foundation’s support.
Something far more tangible than the indirect assistance she had received until now could significantly impact her academy life.
What needed to be done was to actively guard the Young Lady by adding more personnel from the Foundation.
Of course, such actions would also require her cooperation.
Even if I wish to help from here, if the person involved refuses, then it holds no meaning.
‘I must sort out the Young Lady’s friendships.’
Create an opportunity to rely on new connections.
Cut out unnecessary relationships for the sake of the Young Lady.
Plant more beneficial connections in the gaps left behind.
An impeccable plan, indeed.
With this, the Young Lady’s academy life can proceed more safely.
Of course, it would be hard for her to sever ties with those she’s grown fond of.
The dirty and tough work is something the butler must handle.
Son Ohchun and Isabel.
A smile floated on Jonnas’s lips as he regarded the two students.
But his eyes did not smile.
