16 Arcadien (1)
"Please have a safe trip."
"Yes, brother."
With a sweet smile, I nodded before sneakily flicking a small ice cube against my brother's forehead.
"...Really, Weiss?"
"What do you mean, brother? Why are you looking at your beloved sister with such a sour expression?"
"...are you still mad at me because I left you behind?"
Shaking my head, I released a high-pitched giggle, holding my hand before my lips to hide my unamused expression.
"No, I am not. Why would I be mad just because you left your eight-year-old sister behind with a sadistic battle maniac?"
"...I didn't know that you didn't want it."
"You could have just asked, you know?"
"..."
Seeing his sudden speechless expression, I felt satisfied with the result of our conversation, deciding that I should let him go for now.
Honestly, I wasn't mad about it anymore, but teasing my older brother like this was just way too amusing to let such a chance slip by.
"Well..." I flashed him a smug smile while patting him on the shoulder. "Gotta go now. The coachman is waiting for me."
"...goodbye, Weiss. Have a safe trip."
Nodding, I turned my head to the carriage, waving as I walked toward it.
"See you later, brother."
And with those words, I walked off to the carriage. In the far distance, I could already spot the snow-white carriage waiting for me.
Soon. I arrived at the carriage. Giving a short nod to the coachman, I entered the carriage, taking a look at the interior of it.
"Really...the Azelio were just way too flashy and excessive..."
I grimaced at the sight of what greeted me when I entered it. While I had already expected that the interior would look somewhat fancy, I didn't expect this.
The interior was decorated with mana crystals in every corner, providing the space with light and a pleasant temperature. A light blue glow illuminated the interior, reacting to my mana as I entered it.
"He didn't lie when he said they went all out, huh?"
Even though I assured Flake that he could just give me a cheap carriage, he insisted that I, as an Azelio, should make an extravagant entrance no one could ever forget, which was the reason he manufactured such a uselessly expensive carriage for me.
"Are you ready, lady Weiss?"
"Yes, you can take off now."
Soon, the carriage started to move, shaking and bumbling as it drove over rocks. A feeling I was already used to.
Though, I had to admit that even I got a little dizzy sometimes.
"So today's the day..."
Resting my chin on my hand, I faced the window, watching the passing landscape as I got lost in thoughts.
I was 16 now, which meant that I was already old enough to enter the Arcadien Academy.
One of the most prestigious academies in the entire continent, only rivaled by a few other academies.
Just like my brother, I was also enrolled in that academy for a multitude of reasons.
One of them was that its quality of education is pretty high and the other one was that it was just one of the nearest ones, as it resided near the empire.
Arcadien was the place where the story of the novel would start and also the place where I would have to cross paths with the protagonist.
Massaging my temples, I let out an annoyed groan at the thought of all the incoming trouble.
Even in the academy, I didn't have any time to slack off and relax.
Seriously, I had already died once, so why would I have to go through another bothersome life again?
Well, complaining wouldn't bring me anywhere, so I just tried to redirect my attention elsewhere, deciding to distract myself with my status window.
"Status."
================
[Weiss Azelio]
Age: 16
Level: 54
Attribute: Ice
Mana: 9400/9400
Exp: 21.208/54.000
——Stats——
Strength: 51
Agility: 54
Stamina: 46
Durability: 48
Mana: 94
Intelligence: 112
——Arts——
[Imperial Sword art (Mastered) {Rare}]
A Sword Art, that is taught by the knights of the imperial army. It is widely known as one of the most effective sword arts due to its simplicity.
Progression: 100%
——Skills——
[Reading (active) {Legendary}]
Allows the user to read, memorize and understand anything they've read.
[Studying (passive) {Unique}]
User significantly learns faster than the average person.
[Blizzard slash (active) {Unique}]
(Evolution of the skill [Hunter's claw])
Deliver an overhead slash, driven by the maddening force of a blizzard, that could freeze the earth to its core.
[Rising Winter (active) [Unique]]
A slash from below that freezes anything in its path. Even the heat of a burning inferno isn't enough to stop the ice from freezing it.
[Freezing Flourish (active) {Rare++}]
(Evolution of the skill [Flourish])
Spin around and do a powerful slash that will ignore blocking to some extent and freeze anything it hits.
[Show more...]
——Characteristics——
[Female lead]
[Beautiful]
[Ice Queen]
[Graceful Aura]
[Kind]
[Devoted]
[Genius]
[In love with protagonist]
[Hardworking]
[Talented]
================
"Only 12 levels in 4 years..."
Even though it still was a monstrous growth rate, I couldn't help but be disappointed at the slow growth of my level.
Naturally, the higher my level would get, the harder it would be to level up, but that wasn't the reason why my growth was so slow.
Around only a year after working as an adventurer, I got called back to the mansion, as I had reached an age where I had to prepare for my debutante.
As the daughter of the Azelio, certain expectations and burdens were placed on me, which I had no choice but to fulfill.
While I wanted to go back to the mansion soon anyway, looking back at it now, my time as an adventurer was far more enjoyable.
Even with [Reading] and [Studying], I had a hard time learning all those skills, as most of them were unnecessary things I had to be aware of at all times.
Although there were some rules that I could understand to a certain extent, some rules were just way too ridiculous.
Like why the fuck would I have to choose my seat by paying attention to the light source of the room?
Apparently, how much a woman was illuminated by the light would reflect their societal status, which was the reason why women had to carefully consider where to sit, as the beauty of a woman was the most important feature of her.
I don't know who invented such rules, but that shit sounded like a rule only someone who was truly 'maidenless' could come up with.
Well, luckily I was more or less done with my education now, so I was free to do whatever I want.
At least until my debut, that is.
Usually, a woman would debut around 18 years old, but looking at the situation now, it was very possible that mine would come earlier than expected.
"How bothersome..."
Sighing, I threw my head onto the seat.
There were still a few hours left until I arrive in the capital, so I should better rest until then.
***
***
At Arcadien.
Just a few meters away from the academy, I stepped outside the carriage, insisting that I could go the rest of the way to the academy alone.
Truthfully, it was a little embarrassing to arrive in such a fancy carriage, so I would like to avoid getting too much attention, if possible.
Still, despite my attempt to escape attention, I still stole the spotlight as soon as I stepped out of the carriage.
It is significantly less than I would've gained when I left directly in front of the gate to Arcadien, but it was still way too much for my tastes, nonetheless.
The gazes of everyone around here gluing on me made me feel uncomfortable, and I wanted to just escape the situation as fast as possible. It felt like they were staring at me as if I was some sort of prey.
Of course, I knew that something like this wasn't realistic, as there surely was no one that would voluntarily try to mess with the only daughter of the dukedom of the empire, but I still felt a little nervous.
"Isn't that the daughter of the Azelio?"
"White hair and blue eyes...she really is the daughter of the Azelio, right?"
"Ohhh, so she's the sister of that genius?"
"She is so beautiful..."
Mumblings from all different kinds echoed through the area, as they discussed different things about me, ranging from positive things to negative things, such as rumors or something.
However, I was already prepared for such situations.
It was a technique that I copied from my older brother, which he used whenever he was forced into such social settings.
"You are too loud."
Channeling some mana into my words, I released a chilly pressure that shut everyone up almost instantly.
Ah, silence. What bliss~
While I could still feel the gazes of everyone lingering on my back, it was significantly easier to endure and ignore.
Taking a deep breath, I walked toward the gate in the distance.
A grey gate stood almost as high as the walls surrounding the white academy.
Even from the distance, I could already see the gigantic architecture of the academy towering over the walls.
I could only faintly remember one or two paragraphs about the campus of Arcadien, but from what I've read, it seemed to be huge.
Like 'town-size' huge.
Seriously, how are the students supposed to find their classes on such a vast campus?
Well, teleportation circles did exist, but it was still just a tad too excessive for my tastes.
Although I was speaking like I was already a student at the academy, that wasn't necessarily true yet.
On this day, around a week before the classes actually started, an exam is getting carried out.
The exam consisted of two parts, the theoretical one and the practical one.
I didn't particularly worry about the exam, as it was something I should easily be able to beat with my current power level.
After breaking through the 50s, my current power level should be roughly around an 'A-' Rank adventurer, which was already far stronger than most people could ever hope to be.
Considering that fact, I shuddered at the thought of how strong Irene's true power would be if her level was like thrice that of a 'A-' Rank adventurer.
Not that it mattered to me right now, though.
I would surpass her sooner or later, anyway.
"How dare you bump into me, you sub-human?!"
"I..I'm sorry!"
A sudden commotion only a few meters in front of me snapped me out of my thoughts.
Dozens of people were standing in a crowd, curiously watching an event, which I couldn't see from my current position.
Pushing myself through the crowd, I wanted to take a look at what was happening.
"You disgusting filth!"
BAM—!
"Yes, give it to him Hissen!"
"Go, Hissen!"
In the middle of the circle, I could identify the son of a viscount and his minions kicking a defenseless beast-human on the ground.
A girl, who was around my age with long black hair and black cat ears, was lying on the ground, shielding herself from the relentless kicks of the aristocrats.
"I..I'm sorry!"
Seriously, what a cliche scene that was.
I was just waiting until the protagonist finally appears and saves this girl from her suffering.
Just about...now.
....
Now?
...
Why isn't anyone coming?
"...please stop!"
"I will purge this filth from the surface of our continent, kekekeek!"
Raising an eyebrow, I looked through the crowd, watching the expression of everyone present.
A majority of them had a disgusted expression but feared to step in, as they didn't want to be the next one to be bullied.
Understandably so, as most of the people present weren't aristocrats.
Seriously, people like him really ruined the reputation of us aristocrats.
Although bad aristocrats existed, the majority of them were actually pretty alright.
It's just that the bad ones stuck out like sore thumbs, giving everyone the impression that aristocrats were bad people.
Repressing a sigh, I stripped off my white glove, before throwing it on the face of Hissen, the boy with the highest status among the bullies.
"Who the hell was that?!"
Immediately, he stopped as my glove made contact with his face. His eyes darted around in fury, looking for the culprit.
Even though I wanted to avoid unnecessary attention, this was just something where I had to interfere, as that guy ruined the reputation of us aristocrats.
...was that the reason why Noir disliked me so much at first?
"Me." I said as I stepped into the circle, releasing a fraction of my mana. "You're ruining our reputation, son of the Steiner family."
"...A...Azelio..?"
The boy widened his eyes at my sudden arrival, looking at me with a look of horror as he realized who I was.
"I'm challenging you to a duel, Hissen Steiner."
Swinging my hand to the side, I generated a rapier of ice before pointing its tip at Hissen.
"For ruining the reputation of the aristocracy, I will punish you personally."
