61
“Uh, excuse me, Erica…!”
After the Student Council meeting.
Diphelia caught Erica, who hadn’t spoken a word today. Well, it was more like recently, but awkwardness was the same regardless.
“Uh?… Oh.”
As if Diphelia’s awkwardness was contagious, Erica’s previously icy expression softened. It worked to get her to stop when called, but neither said anything, leading to a classic awkward silence.
Gathering her courage, Diphelia finally spoke.
“…Are you free later?”
Before Erica could even open her mouth, Diphelia hurriedly continued.
“If you have time, I’d like to solve our assignment together in my room…!”
Diphelia gripped the wooden wheelchair tightly, visibly straining to get the words out.
Seeing her earnestness, Erica, who had been stiff, unconsciously relaxed her tense expression.
“Sure. Let’s do it.”
“Erica…!”
Diphelia’s face lit up with joy.
It seemed she was grateful to Erica for giving her another chance to repair their relationship.
Erica, noticing her reaction, shyly turned her head away, feeling a pinch of guilt. She regretted that she hadn’t made the first move herself, allowing things to drift this far.
Thus, both of them, still somewhat stuck in awkwardness, slowly chatted as they headed toward the Dormitory.
Their dorms were both in Building B.
Diphelia’s room was filled with various plants. The window was larger than those in other rooms, letting in lots of light.
The aroma of flowers mixed with the scent of grass, creating a unique smell in the room.
“I’ll get some tea. Please wait a moment.”
“I’m fine….”
“Is that not okay?”
“Oh, no… that’s great.”
As Diphelia’s voice dropped like a wilted flower, Erica hurriedly changed her response to request tea. Diphelia regained her smile and hummed softly as she prepared the tea set.
Erica sat quietly, watching her. Since Diphelia had mobility issues, she wondered if there was something she could help with, but her cane assisted her as if it were alive.
There was nothing for Erica to do.
“Erica, you liked Lemon Tea, right?”
“Yeah… I’ll enjoy it.”
Diphelia returned with the tea set and offered a teacup, which Erica accepted.
“I’ve prepared Sugar Cubes too. Here.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Erica’s complexion noticeably brightened.
As someone with a sweet tooth, she always added sugar to her tea.
Swirl, swirl.
Stirring with a teaspoon to ensure the sugar dissolved in the hot tea, Erica carefully brought the completed drink to her lips, and the once emotionless look in her eyes sparkled like a shooting star.
A shooting star flickered across the sky.
“I’m glad it tastes good.”
“…Ah.”
Erica belatedly realized her expression had softened, and she tried to divert the conversation by complimenting the taste of the tea.
Watching this, Diphelia wore a beaming smile. Erica’s attempts to hide such another side of herself were the cutest to her.
“……”
That thought lasted only a moment.
Diphelia sank into contemplation. She had something to say, but it wasn’t coming out easily.
Reading the atmosphere, Erica lowered her teacup and waited for her to speak. Diphelia decided to take a different route.
“…First, should we tackle Professor Fabian’s assignment? That seems like it’ll take the longest.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
It seemed like Erica wanted to chat once the atmosphere lightened up a bit more. Feeling that way, she went along with the flow.
Professor Fabian’s assignment was about familiars.
As they pulled out books and searched for relevant points, the two exchanged opinions, filling in each other’s gaps.
Both were diligent students, so even a single assignment flowed naturally from one topic to another.
Then, they summoned their respective familiars.
Diphelia called forth a white rabbit instead of the usual small bird, and Erica presented a black crow.
The two were focused more on the summoning circles used to conjure the familiars than the familiars themselves. The shapes of the circles were filled with geometric patterns and a myriad of equations lined up inside.
Erica maintained the summoning circle and pointed to a section.
“…So, this formula is what allows for movement. It’s similar to my warp magic, but the difference is you can’t move when there’s a physical presence.”
“Oh, I see…! As expected of Erica. Thanks to you, I understood immediately.”
Diphelia nodded repeatedly, displaying a bright smile. Erica’s explanation was precise and straightforward, making it easy to comprehend.
Erica turned her head aside to hide a strange feeling that was creeping in. She reached out toward her familiar, which was looking at the summoning circle.
The familiar hopped up onto her hand smoothly.
“What a cute familiar…! What’s its name?”
“……”
Thinking the atmosphere had relaxed, Diphelia could tell Erica was hesitant to answer. For some reason, she didn’t seem eager to reveal it.
“It doesn’t have a name, does it? …Right?”
She poked around but it appeared she was off the mark.
The quiet one finally spoke up.
“…Kkamag.”
“Wow, Kkamag! That’s a nice name! This little one has those glistening black feathers, and it fits perfectly.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes! I think it’s well-named.”
“That’s a relief then….”
Erica was wearing a somewhat ambiguous smile, but it didn’t seem like she was in a bad mood. She gently stroked Kkamag’s neck, bonding with it.
Diphelia, watching this, cautiously took a step forward in the conversation. She felt it was the right moment to dive into the main topic.
“Speaking of which, your fiancé’s familiar was mostly black, right?”
“That’s right. Schugenharz’s familiars are mostly shadow-type.”
Erica cast a glance at Diphelia.
Her expression was quite serious. It seemed like Diphelia was about to reveal the biggest reason for summoning her.
Little did Erica know that it related to Schugenharz, but their paths rarely crossed, so it couldn’t be that big of a deal…
?Suddenly recalling a previous incident.
The scene replayed in her mind where Diphelia had hurriedly handed something that looked like a letter to Schugenharz and rushed off.
There couldn’t have been any notable connection… right?
“W-Well, I know this might sound strange, but it’s not strange in a weird way. Just listen without misunderstanding, okay? …Got it, Erica?”
“You might feel it, but it’s not strange in any way, so don’t misunderstand and just listen… Got it, Erica?”
Diphelia, who had set up for the preliminary work, was getting carried away with her embellishments. The longer her flowery words got, the more the opposite effect seemed to take hold.
Hiding her trembling hands below, Diphelia continued speaking. Her noticeably heated breath made the situation even more peculiar.
Erica, caught off guard, nodded and allowed her words to flow. Diphelia struggled even to swallow before finally asking.
“I want to know more about Vargan…!”
…Did I just mishear that?
Without giving room for such thoughts, the Saint dealt a follow-up blow.
“Oh, you can’t mention this to Vargan…! Understand?! You absolutely must not say anything!”
As Erica faced this shaking crystallization, her mind went blank.
‘…Huh?’
*
“20:17. D-23 Arena. Winner, Schugenharz Troa Vargan. Winner, Schugenharz Troa Vargan.”
With the repetitive mechanical announcement fading behind me, I was returning to the dormitory with Alicia.
I could still hear the sounds of a man weeping in the arena, but that was no longer my concern.
“Young Master, congratulations! You’ve gained an additional 10 Cattia this time, maintaining your solid first place with 60 Cattia!”
“Don’t congratulate me on something obvious.”
I put a stop to Alicia’s excited chatter, which seemed to be more enthusiastic than necessary. A normal person might feel insulted, but Alicia couldn’t wipe the smile off her face, clearly enjoying herself.
Well, let’s check this out.
“You were watching the match closely, yes? It was only a five-minute battle, but there were lessons to be learned.”
“Yes, I definitely watched closely. Felix’s swordsmanship is from the renowned Hiord family. I focused on the differences and the more effective points compared to my own.”
“Is swordsmanship from a prestigious family such a big deal? Didn’t you notice it’s all overhyped?”
“It may not be as good as the swordsmanship of my teacher, Bram, but I believe that’s why he ranked 10th in the entrance scores. His thrusts were particularly noteworthy.”
Oh, looks like she’s not falling for simple traps anymore.
She’s certainly learning to grasp the essence of skill.
“Not bad.”
“Thank you for your flattering words.”
I left Alicia, who was trying to act noble, and kept walking. She quickly caught up to me.
Our eyes met, and she smiled kindly.
…Well, it seems my recently dwindling self-esteem and confidence have somewhat returned.
“Young Master, I have two questions I’m curious about; may I ask?”
“Sure.”
I answered nonchalantly, as if it was an all-too-familiar scenario.
Her gaze briefly shifted to the bracelet I was wearing, almost as if she hadn’t seen it at all.
“Um… about that bracelet. Is it from Erica?”
“Not from Erica, but from my mentor, Helion. It’s not just an accessory; it’s a relic that suppresses Mana output. I plan to use it starting the day after tomorrow.”
I gave Alicia a quick glance as she stared at me intently, signaling her to carry on with her next question without hesitation.
“Oh, right…! And… today is already the 27th. The month will soon end, so wouldn’t it be better for me to fight in the ranking battles soon to earn some Cattia?”
“Absolutely not. At least wait until the 30th. A ‘suitable opportunity’ will be prepared soon. If there’s still no appropriate response by then, I’ll allow it, but until I give the order, ranking battles are prohibited.”
“Until the designated time, no ranking battles are allowed.”
“Understood. Then I shall wait until Young Master’s order is given.”
Alicia didn’t ask me what reaction I was watching for.
Maybe she figured out that I wouldn’t tell her even if she asked, or perhaps she was just obediently following my instructions without doubt, but with a pristine expression, she nodded to herself.
*Creeeak.*
As we arrived in front of the dormitory room, Alicia hastily opened the door before I could and carefully closed it to avoid making noise.
Then, as usual, I began evaluating Alicia’s level.
“I’ve released all resistance, so go ahead and walk.”
“Yes, understood.”
With the maximum mana output she could muster, she cast an illusion on me.
Last time, when I faced Arterion, I could only use black smoke for visual deception, but she had developed to the point where she could manipulate olfactory, auditory, and tactile senses as well.
Hoooom?
The vibrations of mana resonated.
The scent of morning mist soaked in moisture wafted through, and the surroundings transformed.
A lake in a tranquil forest. Touching a single drop of clean water clinging to a leaf sent a chill coursing through me. It plopped from my fingertip, creating ripples. I heard it.
She definitely has a talent for curses.
Curses are one of those magics that require a lot from the user; without inherent aptitude, even the basics can’t be used, yet Alicia was able to manage it.
Of course, if she couldn’t, I wouldn’t have taught her, but seeing her progress like this makes me think again.
And one characteristic of curses is that they have a higher likelihood of working if there is a blood relationship. Typically, everyone in the Schugenhartz Estate but the second son and mother can use curses.
Though it’s only my eldest son and me who are delving into them.
“That’s enough. This should be sufficient.”
Upon receiving the command, Alicia dispelled the illusion. She then looked at me with somewhat restless eyes.
I flicked her forehead.
“Ah!”
“Don’t worry; there’s nothing abnormal.”
What a worrywart—she gets anxious over trivial matters, even without a threatening curse. She must know I wouldn’t just sit idle even if a curse were cast.
“Next.”
“Ah, yes…!”
…After confirming Alicia’s development for a while, it was time for her to leave. Alicia bowed deeply and finished her farewell before closing the door.
“Well then, Young Master. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Tomorrow is April 28th.
Every year, April 28th is a day of caution for Vargan. It’s better to avoid clashes and just go to bed early to quietly let the day pass.
“Right, go.”
During the closing of the door, Alicia maintained her bright smile until she was out of sight.
It’s well-known that Alicia wears her thoughts on her sleeve. Seeing that expression devoid of even a speck of worry surely meant she hadn’t noticed anything yet.
Good.
Her ignorance about the day’s significance allows me to avoid a troublesome situation.
On April 28th, the use of magic must be minimized.
Naturally, I can’t begin training Helion.
And I shouldn’t practice what I usually do either.
Especially outside; I have to be extra careful. I need to be on high alert not to unconsciously use magic.
Because.
*Creeeak.*
I can’t let the villain Vargan be seen spitting up blood.
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