Ch.10Unavoidable Ill Fate (1)

At the Imperial Academy, it was tradition for families to wait outside the examination hall during the placement tests, given their importance and duration.

However, Ruide and Hersy had received early admission. There should have been no one waiting outside the exam hall.

“Ah, Ruide. A bit late, aren’t you?”

Amelia approached, waving her hand, her hair damp with sweat as if she’d been training.

“How did you know to come here, sister?”

“Because it’s you, of course! I knew you’d find some way to get out of staying there for a week because you’d hate it.”

Amelia looked at Hersy, who was standing beside him with a surprised expression.

“And who might this be?”

“A friend.”

When Ruide stated this matter-of-factly, Hersy flinched.

‘Friend…?’

Hersy had few friends since childhood. She was close with Sophia, but there was still distance between them. Even now, they used formal speech with each other in public.

So when Ruide readily called her a friend, Hersy was delighted. Had no one been around, she would have cheered out loud.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Amelia Windsor. Thank you for joining my brother’s party.”

Amelia placed her hand over her chest and gave a measured bow.

“H-Hersy Minerva. The, the honor is all mine.”

Her voice came out with a stutter due to her nervousness. Hersy covered her mouth, her face flushing.

‘What if she thinks I’m strange? But, she’s so beautiful. So this is the Dancing Sword…’

Amelia Windsor was even more famous than Ruide.

She had made a name for herself with her formidable swordsmanship from a young age.

With her beautiful appearance, her sword handling was said to be like dancing, earning her the nickname “Dancing Sword.”

In person, she was even more beautiful. Her hair fell just to her shoulders, somewhat short. Yet her dignified aura made it impossible for anyone to treat her casually.

“Well then.”

Amelia suddenly held out her hand to Ruide. He stared blankly at it.

“Your report card.”

“Ah.”

Ruide fumbled to hand over his report card. Amelia took it and read it thoroughly, though it was only a few lines.

After reading everything, she made a satisfied sound and patted Ruide’s head.

“I’m proud of you, Rui. Even sister and I never received an ‘exceptional’ rating.”

She pulled Ruide into a hug and rubbed her cheek against his. She smelled nice.

Amelia was in a very good mood.

But Ruide wasn’t.

‘Just wait until I grow taller.’

He was irritated at being treated like a child. It was his only complex from his previous life.

Amelia saw his expression and smiled broadly.

“Oh my, is that a ‘just wait until I grow taller’ face?”

“…!”

“That’s not going to happen, so dream on. Well, have fun with your friend!”

Ruide’s brow furrowed. His lips quivered.

Watching him, Hersy thought:

‘He really is cute…!’

**

The Academy grounds were extremely vast.

It was an enormous size, comparable to the Imperial Palace.

It was broadly divided into east, west, south, and north, with the south being the Magic Department and the north being the Swordsmanship Department. But the divisions weren’t strict. As all students belonged to the Imperial Academy, they could use each other’s facilities.

Ruide and Hersy headed to West Town, where most amenities were located. It was a street lined with shops, half of which were restaurants. Any Academy student could get their meals here.

They went to a restaurant called “Magic Feast.” It was the most expensive restaurant in West Town, with prices that would make even ordinary nobles hesitate.

Despite being expensive, the restaurant was quite popular, with tables sparsely filled.

-Look, it’s Lady Minerva and Young Master Ruide.

-They must be first-years. Did they fail?

-How strange. Maybe Ruide complained to Lady Hersy about being bored?

-Hehe. That sounds realistic.

They took a window seat, and whispers reached their ears. With Ruide’s already good senses, it sounded as if they were speaking right next to him.

‘But why am I the one complaining?’

He didn’t mind being the subject of gossip, but he didn’t like the topic.

“Ahem, ahem. Today is my treat, so eat as much as you want.”

“You don’t have to pay.”

“Hehe. Don’t be shy. I know, you know? The Windsor family is strict and gives very little allowance.”

Hersy said proudly. In the Empire, there was a famous saying: “If you meet the Windsor heir, treat them to delicious food. One day, your troublesome political opponents might disappear without a trace.”

‘That’s not true.’

Of course, this didn’t apply to Ruide. Ruide Christopher was the youngest of the Windsor family, only 12 years old.

They wouldn’t have restricted the allowance of such a young child who had been admitted to the Academy.

But there was no need to refuse when someone offered to pay. The more money, the better.

“You seem to know a lot about our family?”

“There are only two ducal families in the Empire, right? Not knowing that would disqualify me as a noble. And besides that… I received help, so it’s only proper to repay you.”

“I was just keeping my promise.”

“Didn’t you say? Just accept what I give you. I’m returning those exact words to you. Stop arguing and order.”

Perhaps it was because she had received good grades?

Hersy’s spirits were completely lifted. She kept smiling.

‘She looks good when she smiles.’

Ruide thought this as he placed his order. The waiter took the order, bowed politely, and moved to another table.

“Is that all? You can order more…”

“I can’t eat much anyway.”

Ruide’s appetite was as small as his stature.

“By the way, do you plan to continue being the fairy of Dellin’s Lake?”

“Probably? But drop the fairy part.”

“Yesss. …But it suits you.”

Hersy looked very disappointed.

Ruide deliberately changed the subject.

“What about you?”

“I plan to focus on my weaker areas. Like magical psychology or potion making? I’m lucky to be an Expert. Subjects like magical psychology are only available to Experts.”

Time passed quickly as they exchanged small talk.

The delicious aroma of steak wafted through the air. Hersy wore a slightly disappointed expression.

‘…I wanted to talk more.’

Among noble dining etiquette, there was a rule to avoid talking during meals. It was out of consideration for others to enjoy the flavors of their food.

Conversations usually took place after the meal while having dessert, but she was disappointed that the flow would be interrupted.

“A savory stew with finely chopped onions and unicorn meat, and a steak made from the unicorn tenderloin cooked at the perfect temperature.”

“Hmm.”

The food headed not to Ruide’s table but to another table. It was a table that had placed their order after Ruide’s.

Moreover, it was exactly the same menu.

“I think there’s been a mistake. Judging by the fact that it’s a different waiter from before, there seems to have been a miscommunication.”

Hersy said, blinking her eyes. Ruide glanced in that direction for a moment. The students who received the food immediately began eating. It seemed that their menu hadn’t been switched with Ruide’s; it was just a coincidence that they had ordered exactly the same dishes.

“That’s strange. What a coincidence.”

“Unicorn stew and steak are popular items at Magic Feast.”

“I should have ordered steak too.”

“Do you think we could change it now?”

“It’s fine. Too much trouble.”

“Or we could order one more. I wanted to treat you generously, but you only ordered one dish, which is troubling.”

Ruide shook his head.

“I feel sorry for the unicorn.”

Coming to eat unicorn meat but feeling sorry for the unicorn? Hersy said with a bewildered expression:

“…Ruide, you’re very considerate.”

Ruide looked out the window and sipped his tea. It was his usual absent-minded staring.

But then.

“Huh?”

“It’s them.”

The protagonist’s group was visible. They seemed to have stayed together even after the exam.

He had been quietly observing them wherever they went, and now they were coming this way. Ruide sighed.

‘This is really unfair.’

Of all the restaurants, why this one? And the most expensive one in West Town at that.

‘…Is Sophia behind this?’

He could see the three of them talking, then Sophia taking Catherine’s hand and pulling her along. It seemed Sophia intended to pay.

‘It shouldn’t matter.’

Still, they were the protagonist’s group. Surely they wouldn’t pick a fight with someone quietly eating their meal?

Ruide decided to trust in protagonist Justin’s excellent character.

‘But just in case.’

“Hersy.”

“Yes?”

“That commoner. The one who took your feather.”

“His name was Justin, right?”

Hersy frowned as if she couldn’t quite remember.

“Are you going to confront him?”

“Of course! He’s a feather thief. And not just any feather, but a Phoenix Feather. He’s a commoner with very bad habits, so he needs to be warned. But.”

Hersy smiled brightly.

“This isn’t the place for that.”

Ruide nodded. If that was the case, it didn’t matter.

Watching him, Hersy cautiously asked:

“…Do you want me to confront him?”

“Absolutely not.”

Just then, the protagonist’s group entered. They seemed somehow bustling.

Hersy was trying not to look in their direction, but when she realized Sophia was there, she gave a slight bow.

Sophia mouthed, ‘I won’t disturb you!’ Hersy responded with ‘It’s not like that!’ but her cheeks turned red.

Ruide’s eyes met Catherine’s, and she was glaring at him with a very fierce, or as the saying goes, disgusted look.

He ignored her completely. Was he avoiding dung because he was afraid of it? No, he was avoiding it because it was dirty.

‘Dung. That’s quite an appropriate expression.’

To Ruide, the protagonist’s group was no different from dung.

“Your order?”

The waiter who had taken Ruide’s order earlier approached the protagonist’s group with quick steps to take their order.

Ruide wanted to ignore them, but he couldn’t. They were sitting within his line of sight.

Moreover, whether he wanted to or not, he could hear everything they were saying.

-Hmph, acting so high and mighty. In the end, they failed too.

-I don’t think it’s good to talk about others behind their backs.

-They can’t hear us from this distance anyway. And this much is fine. We’re the ones who were unfairly failed because we didn’t cater to their whims, right?

‘This is annoying.’

The feeling of hearing unpleasant gossip was the worst. Ruide took a sip of water and said:

“I wonder when our food will arrive.”

Ruide wanted to eat quickly and leave this place.

“I know. It’s almost as if they’ve forgotten our order. Should I ask?”

“Yes.”

Hersy made a slight gesture to the waiter.

Without needing to ask, the waiter realized his mistake as soon as he approached Ruide’s table.

“I, I’m truly sorry. There seems to have been some confusion. I’ll relay your order again.”

The waiter bowed so excessively that anyone watching would feel sorry for him.

“It’s fine. Take your time.”

When Ruide spoke, the waiter replied as if honored:

“N-no. I’ll bring it as quickly as possible.”

Ruide nodded, and the waiter disappeared with much quicker steps than before.

After watching him leave, Hersy looked at Ruide and smiled brightly.

She continued their previous conversation.

“By the way, what’s your specialty magic?”

“Our home is cold.”

“Ah, so you have the ice attribute. That’s fitting for the Windsor family. It suits you very well. …Is it very cold in the North?”

“Want to come visit? Then you’d know right away.”

“R-really? Do you mean it?”

“…Why are you so surprised?”

The conversation with Hersy wasn’t bad. She was a good conversationalist. His unpleasant feelings had completely subsided. Perhaps that’s why?

“Thank you for your patience. Here are your unicorn beet stew and steak.”

He felt almost disappointed when the food arrived.

‘Well, there’s plenty of time.’

Let’s postpone this enjoyment for later.

Ruide picked up his spoon with a good mood. Just as he was about to take a spoonful of stew.

“We ordered first, so why is their food coming out before ours?”

…Catherine’s irritated voice was heard.

It was very loud, as if deliberately meant for Ruide to hear.