episode_0026

The next day.

As usual, I attended the academy and stopped by the men’s dormitory to change into my training uniform.

As I was entering the private room to change into my uniform, I saw a familiar object on the desk.

“Huh?”

It was a letter that brought back memories of a while ago.

As expected, the seal engraved on the sealing wax is the seal of the Elkonza family.

“What’s going on again… ”

When I opened the seal and checked the contents of the letter, there was only one short sentence written inside, as if it were giving an order.

[Lunch today. To the garden.]

“Haa… ”

What could it be? Since I left the hospitality showdown aside during my turn, didn’t it end up as Seldianne’s tacit victory?

Of course, I didn’t really have a conversation with him, but since I was the one who showed mercy in the end, I don’t think he had any reason to call me over any more.

Seldianne was not the type of person who would take interest in commoners without any particular reason.

It was the same with my external image and even when I thought about it privately.

Anyway, there’s no guarantee that this will be a good thing, but since he’s bothering me with a letter, it clearly means he has some business to attend to, so I have no choice but to go and see him.

I hope this isn’t a party where the nobles collectively mock me for breaking up with Tirisia.

*

After morning training, shower and then lunch time.

I walked quietly into the garden alone, without anything in my hands.

As I was waiting blankly at the entrance, the stares of the noble students passing by were quite harsh.

“Look over there, it’s that commoner… ”

“What’s going on here?”

“Are you looking for a noble young lady to start a new story with?”

This is it.

If you’re going to gossip, at least make sure the person involved doesn’t hear you.

Even though you’re a noble, don’t you know such basic manners?

No, rather, is it something you say to me so that I can listen with dignity and be a noble? Anyway.

Anyway, those guys had no relation to my life, so I didn’t care what they said about me.

I don’t know if that guy Seldianne knew this would happen or not when he called me into the garden, but the gossip is annoying, so let’s just wrap things up quickly and disappear into the dining room.

After a while, three familiar faces were seen walking side by side from the women’s dormitory.

In order, noble ladies with ponytails, golden buns, and short hair wearing gorgeous accessories.

“Oh-hohohoho! Are you doing well today, commoner!”

Seldianne stopped at an appropriate distance and supported her chin with her fan, laughing in a high tone.

“Your face is as dull as ever! How ugly!”

“Are you advertising that you’re not feeling well? Huh!”

I ignored what the subordinates on either side were saying and held up my palm to Seldianne.

“Hey, why did you call me?”

“You’re impatient! Let’s talk inside! Follow me!”

Seldianne, who had hit her palm with a fan, led Miyu and Juri into the garden.

“Do I have to go all the way inside…?”

Until recently, these guys hated even my presence here, but now they’re a group that doesn’t really criticize me even if we’re in the same space.

“We’ve become accustomed to each other because we see each other so often” is an overly kind interpretation, and it would be unscrupulous to just call them and tell them to get lost.

“Will you leave me time to go to the restaurant?”

I followed the Seldiane gang into the garden and ended up at a fancy table above the waterfall I had been to before.

“Please sit down.”

The girls sitting around each opened the lunch boxes they had brought, filling the table with sumptuous yet nutritionally balanced food.

These were proper dishes, different from the fruits and salads I usually eat.

“Wait, wait.”

I waved my hand at the girls who were trying to start eating without permission.

“I didn’t prepare anything today.”

“Oh, really? That’s a big deal.”

“I was just thinking about going to a restaurant alone. So tell me what you want to do before you eat. I’ll get up first after hearing that.”

“Stay here.”

“What about food? Can’t you finish your business first?”

“The common people are really clueless. I mean, let’s have this dinner together.”

“Huh?”

When I reacted with a frown, Miyu and Juri got angry and shouted.

“Are you even that ignorant? I told you I prepared your share of food too!”

“You should just quickly comb your hair, what kind of expression is that?”

As I didn’t change my expression, Celdianne stretched out her fan, pointed it at my face, and shouted.

“Before the meal, I have something to say, so listen carefully, commoners!”

“What is it… ”

“You are just a commoner, and you dare to be in a relationship with a noble!”

“Yeah, so?”

“It was absurd to begin with, and the lady never acknowledged your relationship! But anyway, you continued to act so shamelessly!”

“Ah… Yes.”

I knew this would happen.

Would Celdianne call me to say something nice?

I guess she regretted not ignoring me properly the day I told her about our breakup.

“A lowly commoner had an impossible dream, so it’s only natural that it would end in disaster! You could say it’s inevitable!”

“… ”

“Even if it’s late, I highly value the part where you figured out the topic! From now on, I hope you live your life dreaming of a dream that fits your vessel! Oh-hohohoho! ”

I looked at Seldianne, who was laughing happily as if she was wondering what was so good about her, and asked with a tired expression.

“… So, that’s all you have to say?”

It was annoying to hear him nag at me like that, but I didn’t even have the energy to argue back since I knew I couldn’t communicate with him anyway.

It was best to avoid shit. To avoid being called back later, all I had to do was listen to what he had to say and then quietly disappear.

But Celdianne shook her head with a trivial smile.

“Of course not! Do you think that the lady is wasting her precious time just to pick on your sins?”

“… wasn’t it?”

As I shrugged my shoulders, Celdianne snorted and shouted.

“Ha! How presumptuous! As a noblewoman, you have created this place to show mercy to those who have experienced the pain of heartbreak, even if it is a relationship you cannot accept!”

“What?”

“Looking down on the commoners is the nobleman’s attitude! Erto, no matter what my personal feelings are to you, this Elkonja must do what he must do with the heart of a saint caring for a wounded beast! Oh-hohohohoho! ”

“Ah… That’s what it was?”

As I nodded absentmindedly, Seldianne put the fan into her bosom.

“Now then! Eat! This is a special dish given to you, a poor loner! Taste it and be amazed by the lady’s mercy!”

“… If you’re done talking, can I go?”

“Huh?”

I pulled my chair back and stood up.

“Where are you going?”

I answered with a bitter smile at the crimson eyes full of doubt.

“Thank you for your concern, but I don’t remember asking you to be concerned. I think I heard everything you wanted to know, but let’s go eat at a restaurant.”

“What the…! You’re really so arrogant!”

“How dare you refuse Elkonja’s favor!”

I smiled at Miyu and Juri, who were blushing and shouting.

“I think you guys are helping out with this meal, so I’ll just accept your kindness. Thank you.”

“Oh, are you really going?”

“I won’t leave you alone!”

The moment I was about to turn my back while receiving such resentful looks,

“Please wait.”

In a calm, composed voice, Celdianne stopped me.

“Why.”

“We haven’t finished our business yet.”

“What else is left?”

When I asked her with a tired face, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat slightly.

“Ahem, actually, this is the main topic now, so please attend the meal quietly.”

“Can’t I just listen to the story and go?”

“Please sit down. I won’t tell you twice.”

“Haa… Okay, I understand.”

When someone ranked 3rd in the Academy Awards threatens like that, what veto power do I, a commoner, have?

I thought it would be better to have a meal together rather than stubbornly refuse and have any problems later, so I sat back down in my chair.

“Okay, let’s start eating! Miyu, Juri! Come eat!”

“Yes, net! Elconza!”

“I’ll eat well!”

“I’ll eat well. Anyway, thank you for preparing this for me.”

So the meal began, and I stuffed the food the nobles had prepared with feelings I couldn’t tell whether they were pity or self-satisfaction into my mouth.

To be honest, it was freaking delicious, but I felt like it was worthless because I felt uncomfortable.

“Erto, are you training your magical powers properly?”

While taking a few bites of food, Seldianne suddenly asked a strange question.

“Magic usage? Well, I’m practicing in mock battles like I learned in class.”

“For something like that, the magical power flowing through your body is a mess.”

“Huh? Is that so?”

“One thing I’m curious about is why you haven’t been using the newly opened magic circuit for a while now?”

“Newly…opened?”

What does this mean?

The magic circuit is just innate, so it can’t be opened or anything like that, right?

As I stared blankly, Seldianne frowned and made a face of incomprehension.

“Something’s strange… ”

The crimson eyes that had been quietly staring at my face suddenly turned red with shock.

“Wait, you… You! Don’t you know that the circuit is open?”

“What the hell is open? I’m the same as before.”

“What a fool!”

A crude accusation burst out of Celdianne’s mouth. Her expression was one of bewilderment.

“Could you explain this to me more slowly? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Whew… That’s good.”

Horok-

Seldianne, her lips moistened with tea, began to explain.

“You, you collapsed a while ago and couldn’t come to the academy for a few days, right?”

“Yeah. You remember everything.”

“If your memory is correct, it was from that time. Your magical circuits became strange.”

“What?”

“I don’t know how to put it. It’s like a glass window that has been broken by a stone thrown at it… Countless cracks spreading out in all directions are engraved into your magical circuitry.”

“No… No way… ”

After witnessing the scene of the Wind of Tyrisia and collapsing for three days, I felt something was wrong with my body, but was that really the problem?

It was quite a shocking story.

Did Tirisia know this fact too?

No, even if she knew, she wouldn’t have been able to mention it.

If what is engraved into the magic circuit falls into the category of a wound, then the person who engraved it is none other than Tirisia herself.

“To the lady’s eyes, the cracks appear to be expanded circuits. Therefore, you should be able to use more magical power than before… But you don’t use magical power at all in open circuits. I thought something was strange, but I can’t believe you didn’t even realize it. It’s ridiculous.”

“No…um…yeah, I had no idea. No one told me.”

“Oh ho ho! So you are the first one to provide this important information! I would like to express my gratitude for your boundless generosity and kindness!”

“Thank you first. I guess there was something wrong with my body. But is this okay?”

I asked Seldian, who was the first to speak, wondering if she knew something, and she nodded with a relaxed smile.

“Your condition is largely no different from that of a commoner who awakens their magical circuits postnatally. However, it has been reported in academic circles that the change occurs twice in extremely rare cases. The expansion of the circuit itself is not a problem, but if you do not circulate magical power to the expanded circuit, it will actually be worse.”

“Then… you’re saying that you need to train yourself to be able to use your magic power in the new circuit.”

“Nothing else, that’s why I called you today.”

“What does that mean?”

Seldianne took another sip of tea and spoke with a slightly shaky expression.

“Ah, this is an extension of the story I told you earlier! This Elconja is going to give a reward to a lowly commoner who figured out the topic on his own and returned to his original place!”

“Didn’t it end with an invitation to this place?”

“Shut up! Do you dare to refuse the lady’s mercy?”

“No, that’s not it… Let’s just listen first. ”

“Ugh, hmm!”

Celdianne coughed, placed her hand on her chest, and smiled arrogantly.

“Until the upcoming Yeonmu Festival, I will take care of your magical circuits! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn how to use Elkonja’s magical power, so bow your head!”

“Uh… Really?”

“Don’t be mistaken! No matter how much magic power you have, it’s a vain dream for a commoner like you to covet the seat next to Brewerd again! However, the nobleman who feels sorry for the magpie struggling to follow the stork says he will train you!”

“Eh, Elconza! Are you sure that’s okay?”

“This commoner might even be looked at with evil eyes by Lord Elconja… ”

“Huh.”

I let out a small laugh at those words, but Celdianne laughed refreshingly as if she didn’t care.

“Oh―hohohoho! It is as natural as the sun rising for a lowly commoner to be influenced by this Elkonja’s charm! But don’t worry! The lady has absolutely no interest in those weaker than her! And there is no way this commoner will surpass the lady even if the sky falls! Oh―hohohoho!”

“Well, that’s true.”

Right now, I’m in the three digits of the Academy Rankings, and Celdianne is a top-tier powerhouse in third place.

It wasn’t a particularly unpleasant thing to say, since it was obvious that even if my magical powers had grown a bit stronger, it wouldn’t be able to narrow that huge gap.

It was a lowly thing to get angry about the truth. I calmly accepted her offer.

“Okay, then I’ll owe you something from now on.”

At the cheerful acceptance, Celdianne’s crimson eyes widened.

“Is this true? Are you saying that you want to be taught by the lady?”

Perhaps he thought I would be a bit more annoying.

However, it was a waste to let the expanded magic circuit rot away, and as Heidiera had said, if I proved my abilities at the Yeonmu Festival, I thought that others’ views on me would change a little, so for now, I had to focus on becoming stronger without worrying about water or fire.

Although Celdianne’s intentions were not very pleasant, this was a good opportunity anyway.

“That’s right. I’ll take care of you. But what should I call you from now on? Teacher?”

Seldianne, whose lips twitched for a moment, suddenly came to her senses and turned her head.

“Huh, huh! Throw away the flattery that shows your true colors! Just call me like you used to!”

“Oh, okay. Then just go with Seldianne.”

“You still won’t call me Elconja!”

“They are commoners who really have no manners at all!”

Yes, yes, commoners. Commoners.

“Oh-hohohoho! Don’t worry about it, Miyu, Juri! Commoners can’t understand the etiquette of nobles! Anyway, good! Now that we’ve concluded our business, enjoy your meal! Hohoho! ”

Together with Seldianne, who seemed to be in a particularly good mood, I enjoyed a banquet prepared by the nobles.

It tasted a lot better than before.

*

“Hey.”

thud!

“Wow.”

After school, as I was crossing the Academy Plaza on my way home with Tirisia, a blue-haired schoolgirl suddenly flew in front of me.

“Surprise.”

The angle at which it fell felt like it was completely stuck in mid-air.

Where on earth did this guy come from?

“Oh, senior. Hello.”

Tirisia nodded and greeted the girl who had fallen in front of her, Senior Perjena.

“Okay.”

The senior waved his hand in greeting and then opened his eyes wide and stood there askew, looking at us from one to the other.

“These shameless guys… They broke up and are still hanging out. Damn it.”

“Ahahaha… We decided to go back to being friends.”

When Tirisia smiled as if she was troubled, the senior clicked his tongue and pointed at my face with his index finger.

“Anyway, I have something to tell you, so I’ll borrow your ex-boyfriend. Is that okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. It’s okay.”

Her jade colored eyes looked back and forth between my senior’s face and mine, then nodded readily.

“Me? Why me?”

Rather, it was I who raised the question.

Why did Senior Perjena suddenly stop me, and on my way home?

“Noisy,”

The senior who had come walking slowly put his arm around my shoulder as if to show me something.

A ferocious smile appeared on her lips, revealing her fangs.

“Follow me for a second, kid.”

“Ah… Yes… ”

If you don’t want to get hit with a honey chest, just follow along without making a sound.

The senior who had dragged my body and forced me to retreat looked back at Tirisia and snickered.

“Then, go back first. Brewed brat.”

“Oh, I see… ”

As I was being kidnapped by my senior, Tirisia just watched with a slightly blank expression.

Before we parted ways, I bowed my head and said goodbye to her.

“See you tomorrow, Tirissia… ”

“Yeah, Erto… ”

The last thing she saw were those jade green eyes, and there was something resembling worry in them.

Oh, if someone saw me, they’d think I was being dragged into a dragon’s nest.