episode_0023

After a while, the pig was left with only the bones. Even though it was a whole barbecue, the intestines were naturally removed when cooked. Of course, they were removed to make sausages.

By the way, because of the curse that causes me to constantly consume stamina and magic power, I can eat endlessly if I decide to eat. I don’t know why or how it is like that, though.

Regardless of gender, it is not normal for two small children to take down a pig that is almost as big as themselves. It is natural to wonder, “Where on earth did this come from?” Well, if you look for normality in a fantasy world, it may be strange in its own way, but even by our standards, it is not normal.

“It was delicious, Princess. I didn’t know my first meal at the Academy would be this good.”

I agree with that though.

“Then shall we go to the next store?”

You want to eat more?

The man waiting to pay at the counter and I both looked at Cosette in surprise.

You can eat something though…

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Yugram was hiding in the shadows, watching Liliane and Cosette. Since he had been trained as a spy, it was easy for him to avoid the attention of those who had not received professional training, even in broad daylight.

Since he was also human, it was dangerous if he didn’t eat, so he was holding a portable meal he had bought at a store earlier in one hand. It was a food that was also called a rice ball. Since it was an academy, it felt like the ingredients used were of very high quality. It was a simple food that was used by the military and civilians, but when the ingredients and the chef’s skills were combined, it was possible for Yugram’s tongue to be satisfied.

Cosette. She doesn’t know Yugram, but Yugram knows her. Cosette Purcell. A high-ranking noblewoman and the granddaughter of Gavinas. It wouldn’t be strange if the Purcell family was swept by a bloody storm after Gavinas committed treason.

Because the honorable family that protected the royal family as a high-ranking noble lost their honor and trust in an instant and were defeated by other high-ranking or mid-ranking families that were after that position. Also, because it was all true, there was no way to avoid it.

Purcell’s power is gradually diminishing day by day, and if things continue like this, an unprecedented situation where the positions of the intermediate and advanced levels are swapped may occur.

If nothing changes in the aristocratic world.

Even if Yugram knew all these circumstances, he would not report it to Liliane on his own.

Because he was ordered to do only what Liliane wanted. He doesn’t do anything he wasn’t ordered to do.

No, I can’t.

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After stopping by three more stores for food and even buying something resembling ice cream for dessert from a street vendor, I was walking back to the dormitory with Cosette.

It was a pleasant meal because I felt that the skills and raw materials of each store I went to were excellent. It was almost certain that I would feel this way no matter which store I went to, so I was very satisfied with the meals at the Academy. It was good to find out that.

No, but isn’t it a little strange?

I tried not to pay attention while eating, but no matter how much I thought about it, I ate too much. No matter how much I thought about it, I ate about my body weight, but where did all that go?

This is something beyond the level of, “I don’t gain weight.” I just stuffed more food into my stomach than my body can handle, but my stomach is no different than usual. Does the food just break down into magical energy as soon as I eat it?

And even if I just let it go by saying it was because of the curse, what on earth was Cosette, who was just like me, or rather, who dragged me around? Do all aspiring knights eat like this? Well, since it’s a job that requires physical exertion, it doesn’t feel strange to eat a little bit of a winter meal when you can.

In that sense, Cosette also seems to have some talent as a knight. She said she had no talent and that her family thought so, but being weak physically and lacking talent are two different things. Even if she had no talent, there are countless knights among high-ranking knights who lacked the ability to fight in person. This is because the ability to wield a sword is not the only thing required of a knight. Among knights, whether they were handling chores, doing proper work, or being on staff, wouldn’t they need smart people?

In addition, even though she said she had weak stamina, Cosette said she would die, but she never stopped running during class, so you can see that she already had at least a minimum of stamina and tenacity. In reality, most of the students who were behind us were walking because they were tired. And since she kept talking to me while running, didn’t she get tired faster?

Even if you don’t have talent, if you have the will and effort, you can easily become second-rate, if not first-rate. If I apply the hellish training of Yu Gram and Anderson that is ingrained in my body, honestly, wouldn’t I be able to aim for first-rate?

“Does Cosette always eat like this?”

“Hahaha.. I did eat a bit too much, right? I don’t usually eat a lot, but I was so hungry after working out.. I thought I shouldn’t eat like this, but I kept eating.”

It’s a bit off-topic, though.

It’s not like that usually, but you ate a lot today. It was a remark worth studying… no, observing. If you shovel food into your stomach like this every day, won’t your stamina suddenly increase dramatically and you’ll be able to aim for the top student in the journalism department?

When I returned to the dormitory after chatting with Cosette about this and that, there was no one in the room. Was Yugram not here yet?

“Here it is.”

“..Surprise.”

I thought my heart was going to drop.

“When did you come? And… can you read minds?”

“There’s no way that’s possible. I just thought you were looking for it because you were looking around the room.”

Yugram passed me by calmly, took out books from the bag he was holding, and started putting them in the bookshelf that was basically in the room.

“Was there a bookstore?”

“There are, but we do not handle such specialized books. These are books purchased through other routes through purchasing agents.”

“I ordered it on the first day, but it just arrived now,” said Yugram. I glanced at it and saw that it was a type of book I was not familiar with, such as medical books, so I could tell that he had ordered it for himself and not for me. If there is something like that, please let me know too.

I glared at Yugram with resentful eyes, but Yugram pretended not to notice and just calmly organized his books, so I sighed and started changing into my indoor clothes.

“So… why were you watching us?”

“You know there’s no particular reason, right?”

It was a question that was half-assed, but Yugram answered right away without even trying to hide it. He was following me. I thought that Yugram might do that, but it was true.

“Okay then.. What exactly was the competition next year?”

“Originally, it seems like it was an event only for the College of Knights, but starting this year, it’s an event where civil servants and knights form teams and compete against each other. The right to nominate is only in order of grades, and multiple nominations are allowed. I think it can be summarized like that.”

“If multiple nominations are possible, there might be cases where you can’t even form a team?”

“If you don’t like it, then don’t you mean get good grades?”

However, it is certain that the teams will not simply clash head-on. If so, victory will only be half-assed if the head coach selects more than half of the members. It would probably be disadvantageous to increase the number of team members without thinking. The answer would be three or four people at most.

“Do you have any talents in mind? I have one person in mind.”

“To be honest, I was surprised. Before I came here, I thought it would be a place for losers to run away, but I didn’t know there were so many talented people.”

That’s right.

Since it is a place where you can hide your identity and the admission requirement is only to pay money, and it is known among the nobles as a place where they send problem children who bring shame to their family name or children who cannot be recognized for various reasons, it is not strange to think that the students’ standards are all low.

“I’m thinking of three or four people, and I’m going to narrow it down to one based on the next test scores and progress. The young lady and I can each pick one.”

As expected, Yugram also thinks that the three of them are well-balanced. Perhaps because he learned from Yugram, he feels that their way of thinking is almost the same, and he is already a little curious about who Yugram will choose.

“And so you finally decided to become the top civil servant?”

“Well.. I guess it can’t be helped. I already got top marks on the entrance exam, so it’s strange that my grades suddenly went down. To be honest, I don’t know how many points I should aim for to not be noticed, but it seems like it’s already impossible. I think it’d be easier to just relax and get top marks.”

Even when I was walking around the restaurant district with Cosette, I heard people say, “Is that the famous Masked Princess?” more than once. It’s really not my intention to be called by that shameful name, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Since my name has been sold to the entire Academy, I’ve decided to just shamelessly go ahead. There’s almost no information I don’t know about anyway.

It does feel a bit like adults coming to a place where kids are playing and causing a ruckus, but let’s cheer up anyway.