episode_0033

There was an embarrassing incident during class, but that didn’t mean I could skip class.

Except for martial arts class, the rest of the classes proceeded as usual, and after all the other classes were over, it was a little past 3 p.m.

I slumped over my desk and muttered weakly.

＂…Class ended early again.”

It seemed like there wasn’t much expected from the first-year students at the academy.

It felt more like progressing through stages rather than having high expectations.

What the academy demanded from first-year students was not learning, but adaptation.

After all, considering that they had to live confined for six years unless it was vacation or special outings, adaptation was essential.

Prioritizing adaptation over learning might be a natural thing to do.

“Now… club activities, huh…”

I stretched and tried to shake off the fatigue around me.

I was a bit tired today.

I could brush off the near-death experience, but I was bothered a lot afterwards.

Everyone coming one after another to ask if I was okay.

It was fine when it was just a few people, but once it exceeded double digits, it was inevitable to feel tired.

Even people I had never seen before came to worry about me.

I thought they might be trying to use me because I seemed close to the prince, but their eyes were not like mine, which were jaded by society, but pure and clear.

I felt like I was wrong to have such suspicions.

“Ugh… I’m tired…”

Since every single one of them was of a higher rank than me, I couldn’t just ignore them.

Besides, it wasn’t a bad thing to look good.

Smiling and responding to them, some of them even gave me 10,000 leafs each to buy something delicious.

…It was heartwarming.

I got up.

It was time for club activities now.

Shasha headed to the library first, and Deron and Seina were nowhere to be seen after a while.

When I asked Shasha, she said she had something to do and left her seat.

I’m not sure what that was about.

I walked to the club room.

While it was okay to skip other clubs for a day, the Concentration Management Club was directly supervised by a professor.

If you skipped club activities without a valid reason as an extension of class, there was a possibility of receiving demerits.

Since I’ve explained how scary demerits are several times, there’s no need to explain it again.

I arrived at the club room with slow steps.

The walls still had traces of grime, but the interior was well decorated.

The thick iron door was still heavy, but it didn’t creak like before because it had been oiled, and after cleaning it neatly, I arranged the drawers I bought and the luxury bed Deron gave me in a corner.

Not only that, I hung dark curtains to cover the windows and installed a 150,000 leaf magic lamp instead.

It wasn’t permanent, and you had to change the magic stone once a week, so it was a product that required periodic spending, but it was one of the widely distributed magic items as it was much brighter than candles and not overly expensive.

I took out a lemon-flavored candy from the drawer and lay on the bed.

Astel hadn’t arrived yet, and it was still far from the professor’s arrival.

There was nothing to do, so I lay on the bed feeling bored.

Come to think of it, it was understandable, since there was no computer, no cell phone, and of course, no internet.

“I want to play a game…”

To a modern person, this world was too boring.

Magic, noble abilities, and all that.

Fantasy world, they say. The moment you get used to it, all that remains is the fact that it’s a backward civilization that hasn’t progressed.

＂I want to watch a movie….”

At least there are plays as substitutes for movies.

I knew there were two places in the Academy City where you could watch them.

“…Maybe I should go watch it with the kids later.”

When the magic-created scenes are shown, and the battle scenes are displayed, you have to be careful not to accidentally swing a real sword and end up losing your head.

It’s more like a dangerous circus than a simple play, but that also means it’s more fun.

As long as mistakes don’t happen.

Rolling around in bed, thinking about going to see a play with the kids when there’s time, I half-rose at the sound of the door opening.

Astel entered the club room with a dignified step.

With a mysterious and beautiful appearance, and graceful gestures.

You could tell at a glance that she was a noble lady, but in reality, she was a bit more of a fool than me.

“Hello-”

Even though I was feeling particularly tired today, I couldn’t not greet her, so I got up from bed and bowed my head to greet her.

Astel stood there blankly, looking at me intently.

Did she have something to ask？

She scratched her cheek and tilted her head.

“Chief.”

“Yes?”

“Something big has happened.”

“What is it?”

Suddenly something big happened, even if there was a playful side to Astel, as a princess of a country, she wouldn’t take things lightly.

It seemed like a serious matter, so I listened attentively, and Astel continued.

“…The magic stone that was powering the translation magic is about to run out of energy.”

“…Just replace it.”

What else, it’s a simple problem.

Infinite energy doesn’t exist.

A magic stone, in simple terms, is a stone that contains magic power, and it couldn’t escape the natural logic.

Mystical power is imbued, but that power is ultimately consumable.

That’s why magic stones are treated as consumables.

And magic items powered by such magic stones are designed to be replaceable.

The earring Astel was using would work the same way.

“I don’t have any.”

“…What do you mean? Magic stones?”

Why don’t you have any?

If you don’t have translation magic, you can’t even have basic communication, so why doesn’t she have spare magic stones?

I was more bewildered than angry, so I asked, and Astel calmly explained.

“…I originally had spare magic stones, but they were all confiscated because each one was worth more than 1 million leaf when I entered the school.”

She originally had high-grade magic stones, but they were all confiscated…

“…Buy new ones.”

Even if all the high-grade magic stones worth more than 1 million leaf each were confiscated, it was absurd, but for now, we had to find an alternative.

If I just sat still, I would be in danger of becoming a real fool princess who couldn’t even listen, speak, or write.

Fortunately, I knew where they were being sold.

There are several merchant districts in the Academy City.

Magic stones are generally available wherever you go.

“Let’s go out for now!”

I grabbed Astel’s hand abruptly and led her.

There was no way to accurately determine how much spare magic was left in the magic stone, but if the translation magic was cut off even for a moment, it would be a big problem for Astel.

And I didn’t want to see a child in distress.

“…Professor Moshan will be here in less than 20 minutes, so let’s hurry and come back!”

If we ran fast, would it take less than 20 minutes?

I roughly calculated the distance, and if we were a little late, I figured that if I used Astel as a shield, we would have to pass through regardless.

For now, I decided to move my body first rather than think too much.

But, even if the quality is a bit lower than what she originally had, the problem ultimately comes down to buying new ones.

It seemed like a big problem, but if I went alone and lost all communication, it would definitely be a big issue.

First, let’s go together and replace it quickly,

Let’s retrieve one of the confiscated magic stones.

I can guess why it was confiscated.

There’s nothing easier to cash in than magic stones.

If I bring back a bunch of magic stones and cash them in within the academy, the rule of the 1 million leaf limit becomes meaningless, so they must have stopped it.

＂Naive.”

Professor Moshan, as the responsible educator of the Concentration Management Department, must have known what situation Astel was in right now.

Isn’t it too naive not to return it yet？

Holding Astel’s hand, we ran to the Merchant District and continued to think, and those thoughts soon took a strange turn.

…Astel, who owned a bunch of high-grade magic stones that were easy to cash in.

And such Astel dies before even entering school.

…It must be a coincidence, right?

I raised my head as if I had reached a thought that shouldn’t be touched.

The probability of it being just a simple worry was high.

Just a commoner’s delusion.

“Oh, Director.”

“…Yes?!”

I flinched as if my thoughts had been exposed when Astel called me at that moment.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“…Yes?”

“I should have told you last time, but I forgot.”

How do you know that fact?

…That should be known as something the prince saved.

Astel, who turned his head to look at me, didn’t avoid my gaze,

and with a calm expression, he just slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

“…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“Yes.”

I tried to avoid the gaze that was staring straight at me.

I’m not exactly sure what’s going on,

but pretending not to hear seemed beneficial to my reputation.

That much was certain.