episode_0019

Edith kicked me out of the house, and I had nowhere to go.

The place I headed to was a bar.

Accompanied by Flambert, I headed to a quiet bar I knew about before.

“What could be the problem?”

“I don’t know!! The alcohol here is delicious!!”

I called him to confide my worries, but Flambert didn’t listen at all.

Since he was thoughtlessly chugging whiskey from the bottle, how could anything register in his ears?

“Sigh…”

Feeling frustrated, I also took a sip of the drink filling my glass.

It slid over my tongue, stimulating my peripheral nerves.

A wine that was bitter yet deeply flavored.

The only drinkable alcohol, at least, was wine.

Since I had a constitution that didn’t get drunk no matter how much I drank, I wouldn’t even touch tasteless cheap alcohol.

It was made solely for getting drunk, so of course it had no taste.

And since I couldn’t get drunk, there was absolutely nothing that could be called a merit.

Sometimes, I felt a little resentful of being immune to poison.

-Drip -Drop

Finally, Flambert, who had chugged the whiskey to the end, raised his head and drank the drops falling from the bottle.

He looked like he couldn’t resist alcohol.

I felt subtly embarrassed by the bartender’s strange look as he watched him.

Though Flambert himself seemed completely unconcerned.

“I’ll just order one more.”

I had called him to confide my worries, but….

Somehow, it had turned into me calling him just to buy alcohol.

Just as I was about to order more alcohol-

-Clatter

“Johnnywick Gold 18 Year Old, please.”

Oliver sat down in the next seat and naturally interrupted me.

Oliver, whom I had called judging that confiding in Flambert would be meaningless.

Seeing his face, I was glad.

“You’re here?”

“Since you said you had something urgent to consult about, I had to come right away. Haha.”

Oliver gave a hearty laugh and lightly nodded his head in greeting to Flambert.

But Flambert, who was engrossed in drinking, lightly ignored him.

It was a situation where one could easily feel offended, but-

“Flambert hasn’t changed, has he?”

Oliver, who knew Flambert’s character to some extent, just laughed it off.

His tone of voice showed dignified maturity.

Oliver, having thus ordered his own drink as well, looked at me and asked.

“So… what is the matter?”

“It’s regarding Miss Edith.”

“I shall listen intently.”

While the bartender was preparing the drinks, I briefly explained what had happened today to Oliver.

From the trip to shopping with Edith to giving her the academy application.

Oliver, having heard the entire story, was silent for a moment before asking.

“Might you have never spoken to Edith about the academy?”

“That’s right, isn’t it? I suppose I didn’t want to burden her.”

“…Haha.”

At those words, Oliver smiled slightly and stated his opinion.

“Mr. Owen.”

“Yes.”

“She is still a young child. Although she is an adult in age, she is still immature, wouldn’t you say?”

That is true.

Edith’s age is twenty, but she is too young to be called an adult.

But why did he bring that up?

“It is natural to feel afraid when told to leave the parents’ nest and go out into society.”

“Ah, I see. I understand.”

The point is that I brought it up too suddenly, isn’t it?

Thinking about it, he is right.

If I never mentioned the academy and then suddenly brought it up, she would naturally be confused.

I completely understood why Edith had gotten angry and reacted that way.

As I nodded in agreement, Oliver continued speaking.

“Also, Edith might not want to be sent to the academy alone.”

“That’s also a concern for me. Haha…”

Sending Edith to the academy is not an option, but a necessity.

Only by sending her there can Edith build up what’s needed to prevent the world’s destruction.

She needs to grow by experiencing various events and fortunate encounters.

But she says she won’t go without me.

“Phew… Since I can’t go to the academy as a student, it’s frustrating.”

“That would be the case, wouldn’t it? After all, your age is your age.”

There is an age limit for academy admission, so it is indeed impossible for me to enroll.

Oliver, who had been contemplating for a moment, spoke to me.

“There is another way, though.”

“What is it?”

“Have you not considered a professor position?”

Of course, I had thought about that.

Status or background. Would there be a professor position I could apply for, given that I have no proper career to show?

That thought was only momentary-

“You were contemplating the professor position you could take, weren’t you?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

“Haha, I can tell right away.”

Capable, truly capable.

Oliver is probably the only person who accurately understands my psychology.

A mature person with much experience and wisdom.

“In that case, there is one way.”

As expected, he even had a solution.

***

At the end of the conversation with Oliver, I received a letter of recommendation.

He said if I take this to the headmaster, he would handle it.

Indeed, connections are the best.

An unchanging truth and the way of the world.

Feeling it myself, I felt good.

‘As expected, he’s well-connected.’

I knew there were several high-ranking officials connected to him, but I didn’t know he was connected to the academy headmaster.

The image of the elderly gentleman with the splendidly grown white beard flickered before my eyes.

Let’s be together forever – Oliver.

-Hiss!!

As soon as dawn broke, I headed straight for the station to catch a train, and a long train that had arrived at the station caught my eye.

A high-speed train that moved not with a steam engine, but a magic engine.

Its shape was still similar to the initial model of a steam engine train, but its speed was completely different.

To make an analogy, it would be about the speed of the KTX.

‘As expected, the latest technology is good.’

A train newly introduced in the empire this time.

Its price is very expensive, and only esteemed guests can ride it. It’s said to be an exclusive possession of the privileged class.

-Flutter

I had the ticket Oliver gave me.

‘Are you planning to go already?’

‘Wouldn’t it be better to depart quickly?’

‘In that case, please take this with you.’

How did he obtain a ticket that only nobles could buy?

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

Although it’s a little different here, trains are one of the leading contributors to achieving the industrial revolution.

Oliver was not unaware of the value of this train, and proceeded with investments while enduring large expenditures.

Thus, he ascended to being a major shareholder.

So, if I asked Oliver, I could obtain VIP seat tickets anytime.

“Ticket checked.”

After boarding the train and sitting in my assigned seat, a crew member checked my ticket.

When I took a stiff piece of paper from my pocket and showed it, he immediately gave a formal smile and went to another seat to repeat the action.

Once the checking of all seats was finished-

-Rumble -Rumble

The train departed.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a view.’

The wheels turned silently and the scenery outside the window began to change.

If I were to walk to the academy located on the opposite side of the outskirts, it would take quite a while, but by train, it would take about an hour.

‘I’ve packed the letter of recommendation. As for other things… they probably don’t matter.’

Since I would only be stopping by the academy briefly with the letter of recommendation, I didn’t pack much luggage.

If things proceed smoothly as Oliver said, the problem of Edith not wanting to go to the academy will also be resolved.

I will stay at the academy for about two days. Edith will be alone for the time being, but….

Well, she’s an adult now, so it should be fine.

“I wonder if she has read it by now.”

I’m not leaving without a word; I left behind a letter, so she will understand.

***

“I’m tired…”

Edith stayed up all night.

What happened last night was quite shocking for her, and.

Thinking she had spoken too rudely to Owen, she fretted by herself until dawn broke.

It was unproductive and taxing on her body, but it wasn’t a meaningless act.

Her thoughts were sorted out, and she had already thought about everything she would say when Owen returned.

“First, I should apologize.”

He had done so much for her until now, yet she seemed to have gotten too angry.

I will say I am sorry about that, but-

“If I’m going alone, I’m absolutely not going.”

She had no intention whatsoever of going to the academy without Owen.

-Step -Step

Owen still hadn’t returned home.

Even so, he would eventually come back, so Edith decided to wait outside.

She also wanted to bask in the sunlight.

-Creak

As she opened the door and went out like that, something caught Edith’s eye.

“Oh?”

A letter was stuck in the mailbox.

Could Mirnan have sent it again?

…Isn’t he tired of it?

She didn’t like that he sent letters so persistently, even though Owen didn’t reply.

“…He should know when to stop.”

Although she was the one who hid the letters, she felt bold about it.

From a certain point, Edith stopped thinking that intercepting and hiding other people’s letters was wrong.

-Tap -Tap -Tap

Edith strode straight towards the mailbox.

She intended to hide the letter before Owen returned, but-

“……Who is it?”

The letter she took from the mailbox was not the one sent by Mirnan.

-Flutter

Looking at the back or the front, she couldn’t tell who had sent it.

Probabilistically, it wasn’t likely a letter sent to her.

Since the only acquaintances she knew were Owen and those around him.

“……”

Should I open this?

It might be a letter sent to Owen.

She hesitated for a moment, but the contemplation was brief.

-Rip

It’s fine to do this much since we live together. That thought dominated Edith’s mind.

Although opening other people’s letters without permission is rude, she didn’t care much.

But-

“This is… Owen’s handwriting.”

The writing on the letter was Owen’s hand.

On the first line, it was written: -To Miss Edith-.

The moment she saw the letter, her slightly melancholic expression brightened, and vigor surged through her body.

It seemed he had written it as a letter to apologize for what happened yesterday.

“…He could have just said it.”

Her emotional changes were quick.

The final destination of her constantly changing emotions was joy.

While conveying what happened yesterday verbally would have been good, this isn’t bad either.

He must have written it as a letter because he was too embarrassed to say it.

Recalling Owen fumbling while writing the letter, Edith smiled slightly.

“Hehe.”

Letting out an empty laugh, she slowly read the letter word by word.

Reading the letter with a happy heart lasted only a moment.

“What is this?”

She felt a sense of incongruity.

Certainly, the first half contained an apology for what happened yesterday, but the latter half was subtly different.

“……”

As she read further down the letter, the corners of her mouth that had been raised gradually lowered. And her hands began to tremble slightly.

“…W-what is this?”

Although it did contain content apologizing, what caught Edith’s eye was not that.

As if saying they would never see each other again-

[Miss Edith, it seems I will be leaving for a little while. While I am gone, please. I wish you a peaceful daily life.]

On the last line, a farewell message was written.

-Rub -Rub

No matter how much she rubbed her eyes.

No matter if she closed them and reopened them, the words didn’t change.

Edith, who had been staring blankly at the letter for a moment, simply sank to the floor as she was.

-Thud!

“……Owen… left…?”

Tears began to well up in her empty eyes.