Chapter 83 – Deciding Match During Field Practice (1)

On my way back to Farencia, I found myself alone in the enchanted carriage. Liv had stayed behind to finish her magic training.

The unique magic of the Illusion Duke was still shrouded in mystery, and the Mage Tower remained skeptical about whether Liv had truly inherited it. She decided to complete her remaining training at the tower before returning with the other second-years.

“Don’t be too sad. I’ll… be back at the store soon,” she had said.

Perhaps my disappointment had been too obvious. Well, it was only a little over a week—we’d see each other again soon enough.

After two full days of travel in the enchanted carriage, the sight of the academy’s front gates in the distance finally brought me a sense of relief. The long journey spanning from Sandalphonia to Batudis and across the Lavierre Mountains—nearly a quarter of the continent—had finally come to an end.

“Hey, you two, how’ve you been?”

“Woof?”

The two iron dogs barely acknowledged me as their owner anymore. Passing by them, I returned home and took a look around the dusty store. It was clear the place had suffered from neglect during my absence.

Although Adela had stayed behind at the academy, expecting her to manage the store—a task entirely different from running a café—was unrealistic from the beginning. I had left in a hurry, merely reassuring her before I departed.

“Where should I start…?”

Thankfully, the broken ceiling had already been repaired. With just a bit of cleaning, I’d be able to reopen the store. But for now, it was late, and fatigue was catching up to me. All I wanted was a good night’s rest.

Heading upstairs, I collapsed onto the familiar sofa where I often reclined. Since Darling’s visit, the room had been subtly filled with familiar belongings.

The comfort of a familiar bed after a grueling journey was soothing. However, for some reason, the room felt unusually dark and empty compared to before.

Maybe it’s time to change the decor?

I ended up lying there with my eyes closed for a long while, only falling asleep at dawn.

The next morning, I woke early and started cleaning. With a broom and cloth in hand, I swept and wiped every corner of the store, even peeling off old flyers stuck to the windows.

Once I had roughly prepared the store for reopening, I made my way to the headmaster’s office to return the medal I had taken previously.

“Headmaster, are you inside?”

When I entered, Lehel was, as usual, engrossed in watching the Battle of the Monsters. Judging by the small pile of silver coins on the table, it didn’t seem like she had bet much. However, the moment our eyes met, she jumped and hastily hid the crystal orb she was using.

“Oh, no! I was just watching!”

“…”

“I was trying to scout for a promising partner for Grand Canyon from another mage tower…”

“…”

“I-I’m so sorry!”

As she immediately dropped into a formal bow, I walked over, gently retrieved the medal from her trembling hands, and returned it.

Additionally, I helped her up and lightly patted her on the head.

“?”

“It’s hard to quit things cold turkey, so don’t worry too much. You’re doing well as it is.”

“???”

Without her willingness to assist during the fight with Carbius, protecting Liv would have been impossible. In some ways, this version of Lehel—despite being a victim forced to confront the truth of her illusory existence—deserved some kindness.

Although I couldn’t fulfill all her whims, I couldn’t help but feel a desire to treat her a little better. She wasn’t the brightest, but she had a good heart.

“Bastard?”

But as Lehel stared at my hand patting her head and then at my slightly shorter hair, she suddenly shifted into her old self, cursing.

“Who the hell are you, you jerk?”

“What?”

“You’re not Louis! That guy would never treat me like this! Do you know how much I’ve suffered because of him—”

It only took three sentences for me to go from “Boss” to “Louis” to “that bastard.” Before she could cast a Meteor spell in her rage, I placed a quick fist on her head.

“Owwww!”

“What nonsense are you spouting now? Did you get tricked by a doppelganger or something?”

“B-boss?!”

Apparently, her body had grown accustomed to my beatings. Trembling, she tried to bow again, now pale as a sheet.

“I-I’m sorry! I’ve been going through withdrawal lately, so I wasn’t in my right mind!”

Sighing, I let my gaze linger momentarily on her white legs peeking out from under her robe before taking another deep breath. I decided to let it slide one last time.

“Get back to your spot.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Don’t do this again. If there’s anything you need, just tell me.”

“Um… Boss.”

“Yes?”

Just as I was about to leave, Lehel called out. Her curious expression turned into a slightly puzzled look as she asked a cryptic question.

“Have you been using transformation magic lately?”

When word spread that the store had reopened, Adela bolted out of her lecture hall the moment class ended and made her way straight to the store.

As usual, it was the chaotic lunch hour.

Pushing past the gathering students with ease and even using magic to get ahead, her goal wasn’t just the long-awaited bread.

“Teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher!!!”

“Hm? You’re here?”

How long had it been since I last saw my beloved girlfriend? Overcome with joy, Adela pulled out a handful of silver coins from her pocket and placed them on the counter.

“Bread, please!!”

“…Is that all you have to say after so long?”

“Two pieces, please?”

Though excited to see me, she clearly still needed her bread. Sighing, I packed her order into a bag, which she immediately started eating as she slipped behind the counter to watch me work.

Even as the store grew busier with students flooding in, Adela silently observed me. At one point, noticing some sauce on her lips, I grabbed a towel and gently wiped it away.

“You’re not a child. Eat properly. You’re making a mess.”

“Hehe… Sorry.”

“Want something to drink?”

“I’ll grab it myself.”

For reasons she couldn’t quite grasp, Adela noticed that Louis had become twice as kind as before. This led her to a conclusion.

Although the <Ice Awl> plan had failed, she had finally managed to drive out that conniving vixen who had been trying to worm her way into Louis’s side at the store. Now, she believed, only a peaceful and happy life alongside her teacher awaited her at the shop.

With a dowry consisting of frozen squid jerky—a specialty of the North Sea—and an ice storage chest powered by magic, she figured it would suffice.

It had been some time since “that incident,” so she began to wonder if it might be a good time to discreetly reach out to the Rochear retainers. But as she pondered, an unusual atmosphere caught her attention.

It was the reactions of the students visiting the shop.

“Hello, shopkeeper. Has the owner changed?”

“I’ve been running it the whole time, though.”

“Oh, I see. Are you interested in dancing by any chance?”

“I’m not a noble, so I’ll have to decline any invitations to balls.”

“Oh my, I’m sorry. That was rude of me…”

“It’s fine. But your purchase…?”

“Oh, right! By the way, our family is hiring staff. Would you consider applying?”

The queue at the store moved at half its usual speed. Normally, students would just drop their coins and leave, but today, they lingered in front of Louis, eagerly chatting. Conversations ranged from casual meal invitations to ball requests, club memberships, and even proposals for serious relationships.

At one point, a first-year girl, who had been standing in a daze staring at Louis, finally noticed Adela sitting nearby.

“Oh? Adela?”

“Who are you?”

“You don’t remember? We were in the magic competition together.”

“Oh…”

Her name was probably Jennifer.

As lunchtime wound down and the shop grew quieter, Adela took the last piece of bread and sat outside on the terrace with Jennifer. She pointed at the large bag Jennifer was holding.

“Is that all bread?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah… You can have it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Honestly, it’s not even that tasty, but I ended up buying so much of it without thinking…”

Jennifer shook her head and lightly slapped her cheeks. Her gaze drifted toward Louis, who was tossing rusty coins to the iron dogs inside the shop.

“Wow, how can someone change that much?”

“What do you mean?”

“That shopkeeper. He used to look so slouched and shabby with his messy hair. But now, after disappearing for a while, he seems… cool? Even brighter, maybe?”

Her uncertain tone revealed her lack of knowledge about Louis, someone who had always been overlooked within the academy. But after today, that was no longer the case.

Jennifer also came to a new realization about how impressive the Rochear family must be.

Everyone knew Adela had practically lived in the shop. She had even worked at the café before. Looking back, it seemed clear—Adela had recognized Louis’s true value before anyone else.

Jennifer marveled at the foresight involved in such a grand scheme.

“Adela, you’re amazing. I started at the same time as you, but I never realized how good-looking that guy was.”

“Good-looking?”

Adela tilted her head at Jennifer’s comment.

“Isn’t he?”

“Well… I guess that’s not wrong.”

Adela, however, couldn’t quite understand why others were reacting so dramatically. She lacked the calculative tendencies of others and genuinely found their reactions puzzling as she spoke about the Louis she knew.

“He’s always been good-looking. And cool.”

“What?”

The fact that others hadn’t noticed? How foolish of them.

“I’ve thought so from the very beginning.”

The store’s sales exploded. It had never been this busy during lunchtime before.

While I was tidying up the remaining money, Adela finished her conversation with Jennifer on the terrace and ran back toward me, looking reluctant to leave her friend behind.

“Teacher~!”

“Don’t you have another class?”

“I do… but I want to stay just a little longer.”

“Come in, but don’t be late.”

A faint floral scent wafted toward me as she approached. It was the start of early summer, just before finals, and the familiar smell of honey was in the air.

“Are you still harvesting nectar from flowers?”

“You have to wake up early to get morning glory nectar. It’s been harder lately with all the extra supervision.”

I recalled seeing the groundskeeper, Jean Bière, stomping around with gardening shears the night I returned to the academy.

I handed Adela a small jar of honey displayed for sale.

“Stop eating things like that, or you’ll get a stomachache. Take this and eat it instead if you’re bored.”

“Really? You’re giving this to me?”

“Yeah.”

Her eyes sparkled as she accepted the jar. On her wrist, I noticed the germanium bracelet I had given her before.

Seeing her treasure something I had given her so dearly pricked my conscience like a triangular wedge.

I should treat her better.

“Hehe, it’s delicious…”

“Don’t eat too much, or you’ll gain weight.”

“I don’t gain weight.”

“You ate two pieces of bread earlier.”

“I ate five pieces. Still didn’t gain weight.”

Why is that-? Curious, I casually placed a hand on her slender waist. I could see where all that food had gone.

Well, I guess it’s a good thing. Just as I was about to fetch another jar of honey, the two iron dogs lounging in the corner suddenly began barking.

“Woof! Woof!”

“Grrrr!”

“Ahh! Teacher!”

The dogs knocked Adela aside with a body slam, separating her from me, and then bolted straight for the front door.

Moments later, a familiar figure in a crimson cape appeared, walking slowly toward us.

“It’s been a while, Store Owner.”

“Viscountess Ruhillen?”

Darling Ruhillen, exuding the aura of someone plotting rebellion, reached out a hand toward the flustered Adela, who shrank back under her gaze.

“Are you all right, Rochear?”

“Y-yes, I’m fine…”

“What brings you here, Viscountess?”

“Hmm, I have a small favor to ask of you.”

Throwing a steel coin to the iron dogs nipping at her feet, Darling extended her hand to me as well, helping Adela to her feet.

“Bill has fallen ill.”

“He’s sick?”

“Yes. It seems his age is catching up to him, and he’s run out of energy. So, I was wondering…”

She glanced up at the ceiling she had repaired for me before, then continued with a small request.

“Would you help with one of his tasks?”