Lillith Rosewood’s Melancholy (1)

The rumor that Harold had been newly appointed as a professor quickly spread throughout the entire Swordsmanship Department.

He was basically a very famous guy. A war hero, too.

At least, any guy in the Empire who knew how to wield a sword couldn’t possibly not know him; he was a legendary Sword Master, so the rumor quickly spread not only within the Swordsmanship Department but also to other departments.

‘No wonder Ethan wasn’t at the mansion on the last day he was leaving….’

I never imagined he’d be preparing to be a temporary professor at the Academy during that time.

When I first encountered Harold, who had finally come all the way to Luminor Academy, I almost screamed. It was a good thing I was so surprised that I couldn’t even let out that scream.

I generally understood how he came to take on the Academy professorship.

From the start, the Empire wouldn’t have left Harold, a war hero, to idly manage his territory.

Although he had already retired from his position as one of the King’s Three Swords, his personal might was still among the top ten in the Empire.

He must have already been receiving offers from various Imperial institutions. He probably refused them as usual, but then took on the temporary professorship at the Academy only for this semester.

…Even if it’s a temporary professorship, I’m not sure if it truly counts as temporary, given that he can extend it as much as he wants.

“I never thought Father would come all the way to the Academy. I guess he might have come out because he’d feel lonely staying alone at the mansion, haha….”

“…Yes, if he considered that Young Master Ethan, who was always there, would be gone, then he might have done so.”

Meanwhile, Ethan was casually talking like this, so I just responded appropriately.

In fact, Ethan had nothing much to regret. If his father held a professorship in the Swordsmanship Department, getting good grades would become much easier for him.

Compared to other professors in the Swordsmanship Department, there was almost no one who could rival Harold’s status and achievements, so most would naturally give him good grades to curry favor with him.

Of course, Ethan would probably achieve good enough grades in most subjects even without resorting to such tricks.

…If there was a problem, it was probably on my side.

Now that Harold was present at the Academy, Ethan and Harold’s swordsmanship training had also become an event that could happen at any time.

Not only during the weekly Fundamentals of Magic Swordsmanship class, but there was also a non-zero possibility that they would have regular sparring training every week, just like at the mansion.

Even in their last sparring match, Ethan had won about once every two weeks, but if the current Ethan, who had grown a bit more since then, were to engage in sparring at the same frequency as before….

‘He might even win a match against Harold every week and come back.’

It was troublesome.

It was truly troublesome.

That was because the dormitory room Ethan and I were currently using wasn’t a space used by just the two of us.

With only a not-so-thick door separating us, performing acts like giving breast…rewards, as before, in a space where Isabel also lived, was dangerous in many ways.

The moment I accidentally let out a moan, I’d probably be 100% caught.

However, suddenly stopping what I had always been doing until now was something my pride simply couldn’t allow.

A man, once he’s said something, can’t ugly backtrack on his words. …Even though this body is Lillith’s.

‘Well, I guess there’s no need to worry about it just yet.’

It was a problem worth worrying about only if Harold and Ethan’s swordsmanship sparring actually happened, and if Ethan managed to win against Harold in swordsmanship.

Besides, Harold had only recently been appointed as a temporary professor, so he would be busy with no schedule for a while, and he wouldn’t be able to spar with every single student during class.

With only ten days having passed since starting at the Academy, the conditions for the two of them to start sparring right away were not very favorable in many ways.

Perhaps their schedules might get tangled, and the sparring itself might never even happen.

Thinking that way, worrying from now on would be foolish. Thinking like this does make me feel relieved.

‘Besides, it seems Harold doesn’t teach any classes other than Fundamentals of Magic Swordsmanship, and even if Ethan were to spar with Harold in another class, it would be hard for me to prove that I didn’t see it.’

I just need to avoid it well once a week, just once.

As I thought that, I was trying to reassure myself somehow.

…However, Ethan and Harold’s swordsmanship sparring returned much sooner than I expected.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

It was exactly two weeks since I had started attending Luminor Academy with Ethan.

Today was the class day for the common lesson with Ethan, which came around once a week.

It was indeed that lecture given by Harold. Unfortunately.

As soon as the morning class ended, I quickly packed my things, hurried out of the classroom, and exited the Magic Department Building.

If I hesitated, Ethan would come to pick me up at the Magic Department Building again this time.

Ethan coming to pick me up at the Magic Department Building for two consecutive weeks was, no matter how I thought about it, a lapse on my part as an exclusive maid….

“Ah, Lillith. It seems your class ended a bit early today.”

“…Young Master Ethan.”

“Ah, just in case you’re wondering, I wasn’t specifically waiting for Lillith. I just thought it would be a waste of time to stay still in the Swordsmanship Department Building, so I was thinking of taking a walk around the Academy.”

“…What a coincidence. To be passing by the Magic Department Building just as my class ended, while you were taking a walk.”

“Indeed, isn’t it a truly strange coincidence?”

…Ethan is getting more brazen by the day.

Anyone could see he blatantly came all the way to the Magic Department Building to pick me up, so what was he pretending not to know?

Seeing him act like this immediately after I warned him that it was an unsightly act for an employee, it made me reasonably suspect that he was doing this specifically to make things difficult for me.

“Isn’t the Student Cafeteria Building much closer to the Swordsmanship Department Building than the Magic Department Building? Why do you always take such an inefficient route….”

“I’m hungry, so let’s go quickly, Lillith. We can’t be late for Father’s class tonight, can we?”

“Of course, that’s true, but….”

“If you’re really that concerned, why don’t you take off those lace cuffs and head dress? Then there wouldn’t be any need to strictly adhere to the exclusive maid’s etiquette….”

“Absolutely not.”

“…If, if Lillith doesn’t want to, then I guess it can’t be helped.”

It’s the only way to prove that I belong to the Blackwood Family, so I definitely need to wear it to confirm that.

Besides, I’ve already been attending the Academy in this state for two weeks; if I suddenly took it off, rumors would spread that I’d been fired by Ethan, wouldn’t they?

Troublesome things happening were to be avoided in many ways. To do that, I had to do my best in my role as Ethan’s exclusive maid until I graduated from the Academy, no matter how long it took.

That was how I, as Lillith, would survive at the Academy.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The second week of the Fundamentals of Magic Swordsmanship class, taught by Harold.

As soon as the afternoon class began, Harold appeared in the indoor sparring arena, looked at the assembled students, and first announced the day’s lesson content.

“To gauge each individual’s approximate skill level, starting today, you will pair up and engage in sparring.”

The first day’s class, which felt like an orientation, passed vaguely, but it seemed that from the second week, serious lessons would definitely begin.

“Before you pair up for sparring, the four individuals whose names I call now, please step forward separately.”

A few students from the Swordsmanship Department began looking around, wondering if they would be called.

As soon as I heard the first names coming from Harold’s mouth, I immediately understood roughly what criteria Harold had used to select the individuals.

“Kyetmajosyegigot Bolt.”

“Ethan Richard Blackwood.”

“Natalie Sharp.”

“Karham Samuel August.”

…Right, it would usually be like this.

From the moment he called Kyetmajosyegigot’s name first, I immediately understood that this was a group of honor students…no, rather, individuals of ‘inhuman’ caliber.

Because among the first-year students of Luminor Academy’s Swordsmanship Department, no one could defeat those four.

If he were to pair them up and have them spar among the other students, the opponents would just end up getting thoroughly beaten for no reason.

“You four are strictly forbidden from sparring with other students, except for sparring among yourselves within this area.”

“”””Yes.””””

“I trust that you yourselves know best why I’ve singled you out. Don’t you?”

“”””Yes, we know!””””

As expected of kids whose specialty was swordsmanship, their answers were certainly overflowing with confidence.

Especially Natalie, who answered with a confident expression among the three boys, was particularly cute.

‘It’s definitely good that I enrolled in Luminor Academy, at least in this regard.’

Just seeing Natalie, my favorite character from my previous life, in person before my eyes, meant that half of my purpose for enrolling in the Academy had practically been achieved.

I think anyone who knew her charm would inevitably fall for her. Of course, she was beautiful, but what was even more charming was her spirited personality.

For example, her confident posture when answering, despite being the only commoner with no power among nobles who could use magic and a Hero.

Seeing her unafraid even though she was the only girl among the boys, it still felt like seeing Natalie from the game in my previous life, and a pleased smile spread across my face.

If this were my previous life, I would have pressed the print screen key almost every time her expression changed, aside from the CGs I collected separately.

It was simply regrettable in many ways that I couldn’t save her image, with her orange ponytail fluttering in the breeze.

‘Still, I don’t feel that flutter like before.’

Perhaps it’s because the years I’ve spent as Lillith in the world of 『Luminor Academy』 have become too long.

Well, to begin with, I can’t get together with Natalie in this body, and she already has a childhood friend partner named Thomas anyway.

I never had the right to interfere with the love between those two, which the protagonist, Kyetmajosyegigot, deliberately tried not to obstruct in the first place.

Just watching my favorite character from my previous life move and live from afar, like this, was enough to satisfy me.

“…….”

On one hand, it was a relief that I no longer felt romantic feelings for a character I once loved.

…Still, feeling melancholic about no longer being able to feel the emotions I once had, was an unavoidable force of nature.