Chapter 75 – Wings (5)

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These days, the hours feel insufficient, as if possessing ten bodies wouldn't be enough to meet the demands.

In addition to my classes at the academy, I'm also training separately, and I always have more than enough to do in my spare time.

Upon returning home each night, I spend time meticulously cataloging and committing to memory the day's accumulated knowledge and insights.

On top of that, I have to check on the investment status of Drakton from time to time, and now that Adele has learned to write, I'm getting a lot of letters from her, so the amount of replies I have to write is also considerable.

When the sun sets, I meet with Eugenia to practice for the ball. Although we're separated at the academy, I still meet with Ellie outside.

While I once regarded school break as an afterthought, now I eagerly count down the days until the end of term. The premature conclusion of this first term almost feels like a blessing in disguise. Perhaps a return to Madehaven will afford me a semblance of leisure, however fleeting.

"Hello, Edwin. Good morning."

Someone spoke to me from next to me, where I was sitting after defeating my opponent in the sparring session. I raised my head and saw a girl with ashen hair and hazy sky-blue eyes.

"…Cecila."

"May I sit next to you?"

Cecila de Bellini, a foreign student from the Holy Kingdom, looked around. As if she was looking for someone. Perhaps she was looking for Ellie, who had been her interest last time. But Ellie was currently waiting for her turn on the other side of the training hall.

Before I could even answer, she took action. She plopped down next to me, kept glancing at me, and finally brought up her own business.

"…I'm sorry about what happened last time…I really didn't think it would cause such a commotion…"

"You're apologizing now…?"

"…I wanted to apologize sooner, but I had some circumstances…"

"…It's fine if you didn't do it on purpose. But I hope you won't do anything so conspicuous in the future. Thanks to you, I was called in by the professor and got a good scolding."

"Of course. I'll be more careful in the future! So, you'll accept my apology, right?"

Cecila's voice brightened at my words.

Although I was looking at the training hall, not at her, I could clearly feel her gaze looking at me from the side. I felt it last time too, but Cecila has a persistent side, like that gaze. I have a feeling that if I didn't accept her apology, she would continue to be persistent in the future.

"I'll accept it. I'll accept it, so please stop…"

"And become friendlier going forward, you mean?"

Just as I was about to give her the cold shoulder, she grabbed my hand like a handshake and shook it up and down. How can she act like this even though she knows the story about me and Ellie? Our relationship was not intertwined like the students of the noble faction, and our family was a local noble, so there was nothing wrong with being friends.

Maybe it's the opposite. Maybe because we're not politically entangled, she's just doing whatever she wants.

"Your tastes are peculiar. Are the nobles of your Kingdom equally discerning in their interactions? Was your reserved demeanor in class all an act?"

"Not particularly. It's just… intriguing, I suppose. I assumed you to be strictly devout, but this is a whole new experience…"

Observing her effortless exchanges with Eugene and other commoners, it's clear she didn't discriminate by status. Yet, there's definitely a unique aspect to her personality.

If I hadn't met Archbishop Timothy first, my impression of people from the Holy Kingdom would have been completely solidified by Cecila.

"What does that mean? Is it a Kingdom proverb?"

"hehehe, perhaps?"

Even though she heard my playful question, she doesn't seem to care at all.

It seems clear that my attempt to get rid of her has failed.

—CLANG! 

"Winner, Eugene!"

I turned my head at the sudden sound of metal clanging and saw a male student lying on the floor of the training hall. Not far from him, a sword was lying on the ground. And Eugene was standing proudly in the victor's pose; the defeated student grudgingly shook his hand before walking away, his expression less than pleasant.

If I'm not mistaken, he was one of the students who sided with me last time. Having been bested by a commoner he had so looked down upon, his foul mood was only understandable.

Though I've witnessed it countless times in these duels, Eugene's martial talent was undoubtedly innate. His lack of real combat experience and training was offset solely by animalistic movements born of instinct.

"…His movements are definitely amazing. He must not have been able to train properly since he's a commoner. It must be true that he's a natural…"

And the opinion of Cecila next to me didn't seem to be much different from mine. 

If his talent is honed through further learning, and he is eventually chosen by the Holy Swords, he will surely be unmatched among the students.

The thought of him propagating his sense of justice through such force is already giving me a headache. It would be great to be on the same side as him, but unfortunately, my place seems destined to be on the opposing end.

"Next match. Ellie and Baxter, come forward."

At the announcement, Ellie and a male student stepped into the dueling grounds, facing each other. Though dressed comfortably in slacks and leather boots, Ellie's expression was notably sour in contrast.

"Take your positions and greet. I will start counting to three. One, two…"

As the counting began, Ellie started to mutter an incantation. Five sparks appeared in the air and gradually grew in size. It seems like it would be Ellie's overwhelming victory. Her magical ability was really outstanding.

Come to think of it, I don't understand why Ellie was in Class-D. I wonder if she was demoted like me for causing trouble. Considering her usually mild but occasionally erratic personality, that possibility seemed quite plausible.

With my eyes focused on the training hall, Cecilia asked me another question, "By the way, Edwin. Who are you going to the ball with? No matter how I think about it, you don't seem like you're going with that girl. And you haven't accepted any other girls' applications either… Are you going alone? If you don't have a partner, why don't you ask me…"

"I'm not going to the ball."

"Tsk. That's not fun." 

She pouted after hearing my dry answer. Listening to the words coming out of her mouth, a question suddenly arose.

"Come to think of it, are students from the Holy Kingdom even allowed to participate in this kind of event?"

"What are you talking about? Are we not people? It's the same for everyone. In the Holy Kingdom, we have a ball every other day.

Ceclia, who heard my question, made a slightly dumbfounded expression.

"…I'm sorry. I just thought you people would be more reverent." 

"Well, I'm a bit different. The elders in my family are a bit uptight, so if I just hold hands with any man, they'll start foaming at the mouth. Maybe they'll even fall backwards. Come to think of it, it might not be a bad sight to see… Kukuk," Cecila laughed quietly. 

Judging from the way she talks, it seems like she doesn't have a good relationship with the adults in her family. Perhaps she chose the academy as a place to escape.

"But you never know. Maybe it's okay if it's not just any man. In fact, that's one of the reasons I came here. There's a noble person I need to find.

"Oh, really? Did you find the person you were looking for?"

"Well…not exactly. I did find someone who looks similar."

"Is that so? Congratulations…"

As I was half-heartedly continuing the conversation, Cecila suddenly leaned her body towards me, "But it's really confusing… There's definitely something there, but I can't even guess what's on the inside…"

Her face was so close to mine that I could see her long, soft eyelashes fluttering every time she opened her mouth.

"From a distance, he looks like a saint, but up close, he looks like a scoundrel… Sometimes he's as cold as ice, and other times he's as warm as a spring breeze…"

"Isn't he…a strange person?"

"I think he is. That's why I've been having a lot of trouble lately. Even our first meeting was a complete mess. Edwin, do you have any advice on how I could get closer to someone like that? Or could you perhaps help this poor Cecilia?"

"I understand, so let's go out for a bit…"

—KWAAANG!

As she continues whispering incomprehensible words, I attempt to extricate myself from her encroaching presence. Suddenly, a thunderous boom rang out from the training hall, filling the area with smoke.

After a while, when the smoke cleared, a male student could be seen lying on the floor and shaking; the ground around him was dented in several places.

"Winner, Ellie. But that was a bit too much. Remember, this is just a sparring session, so you don't have to get too caught up in winning or losing."

"…I'm sorry…I just lost my emotions for a moment…"

"It's okay to get emotional during sparring, but you need to control it in order to create the situation you want. Well, you're still a student, so I guess it's understandable. Now, shake hands."

Ellie greeted the male student and turned around. And before she returned to her seat, she briefly glanced in my direction — the coldness in her eyes made me feel like my limbs were feeling slightly numb.

Who would have guessed our relationship after seeing that? Ellie, who hated to be apart from me so much, still does it when it counts.

"She's really amazing. If I keep staring at her like that, I should be able to get close to her…" Cecila, who suddenly received the same gaze, muttered something under her breath next to me.

* * * * *

"Of course, we have no choice but to get along. Canias was originally a duchy like the other four families. To be precise, the current royal family is descendants of Levina of Canias and the first Hero Valerio."

In the academy's library, a tall girl with a braided ponytail was sitting next to me. Even as she continued her explanation, her violet eyes never left mine – like a predator fixating on its prey.

"During the descent of the Great Demon, all members of the previous royal family died. The last princess, Ruella, married Valerio but bore no children with him. So the throne passed to the Canias line, as Levina also shared Valerio as her husband – they were both members of the Heroes' party back then."

"I don't quite understand. The other houses just stood by and watched this happen?"

When I asked again, Efania raised her index finger and continued speaking.

"Well, if I were them, I wouldn't have had much choice, would I? Against the might of the Heroes who vanquished the Great Demon, who would dare protest? Not to mention, in the aftermath of the war, they likely lacked the capacity to challenge them."

"I suppose that makes sense when you put it that way…"

"Exactly. But as time went on, it became increasingly grating. Having been subjugated by the previous imperial line themselves, now they're the ones lording over everyone else."

"I see…"

"Your cousin's intense dislike of Austin may stem from that too. After all, the Austins were just a mere knightly house, but their prestige skyrocketed when the Canias were elevated to the imperial throne. It's only natural for them to be at odds with each other, especially when they clash on so many issues."

Listening to Efania's words, I remembered Estelle and Patricia clashing not long ago. The way they looked at each other was as if they were facing mortal enemies, filled with nothing but pure malice.

"Furthermore, the previous imperial family was able to control mana users through the Dragon's Tongue, but since Ruella had no descendants, the Dragon's Tongue has long since lost its power, and the imperial family no longer has the means to control the great nobles like they used to. That's why the imperial family is resorting to such drastic measures. Do you understand at least this much?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, I think I do. Thank you, senior." 

"What? This is the least I can do for my cute junior. But junior, you know that with the genealogy last time and this, you have two wishes left, right?" After hearing my greeting, Efania spreads two fingers with a mischievous smile. 

"Don't worry, I remember it well. What are you going to ask for this time?"

"Well? I'm not sure yet. But don't worry too much. Surely you don't think I'll ask for something strange, do you?"

As I sighed, Efania's eyes narrowed into crescents. She never refused my requests. But she always gets her fair share, in a mischievous way.

But this time, her explanation seemed to be worth it.

Perhaps because she was always buried in the library, she had surprisingly extensive knowledge of history.

Silla, Austin, Canias. After learning about the relationship between the three families, I understand more clearly why Estelle hated Patricia so much. 

At first, I didn't care about such things and just wanted to live in peace, but now I realized that reality was not so easy. If I were to be honest, my tendency was to conform to the system, but I cannot afford to turn my back on Estelle.

Needless to say, on a personal level, Silla was like the greatest ally to me and my family. If it hadn't been for Estelle, the attacks on me would have been even more intense.

Come to think of it, Patricia's family was second to none, and Iris's family, Robinette, was also one of the families that strongly supported the imperial family. It was a bit bittersweet to think that we were once engaged, but we may clash in the future for that reason.

Ignoring Efania, who was teasing me, the moment I stepped out of the library,

"…Edwin." 

—two deep, dark brown eyes stared at me straight ahead. 

As if she had realized that I was thinking about her,

Iris Robinette came to visit me, perhaps to unsettle me once more.

If you want to read the first 25 chapters for free and read up to the final chapter for a cheap price patreon.com/Makima02