Piece 14 (part 2)

My bathroom business ended up being a lot longer than I thought. By the time I came out, I was completely drained from all energy.

"That was horrible…" I muttered as I walked out of the bathroom, but then my eyes landed on the window not far from the bathroom entrance.

There, a face can be seen shaded by the glass.

"HIIKKK!!!!----"

It felt like my heart was about to jump out. However, I quickly realized whose face it was.

It's… the girl. Why is she watching me from the window?

Her hand pointed upwards, and I realized she's signaling something. She proceeded to leave the window where I saw her, and I can't help but guess that she wants me to go up.

By enchanting my legs with magical energy, I allowed myself to jump really high onto the rooftops of the building. Now that I'm up here, I realized that the place I'm at is nowhere near where the middle castle is at, and I seem to have walked quite far away.

"Hey. Right here." Also on the roof behind me is the red haired girl, and she waves her hand to catch my attention.

How did a girl like her manage to get up here? Is she capable of using magic as well?

"You jumped very high. Is that also with the help of magic?" The girl asked with curiosity written all over her face, and I carefully approached her side of the roof while chuckling.

"Y-Yeah… How did you get up here?"

"I climbed. How else?"

She doesn't know magic and climbed a ten meters tall building… How can a noble lady like her be so crude with her actions?

"That's amazing."

"R-Really? I thought you'd be a little more concerned…"

"Well, I am a little concerned. What could happen if you were to fall?"

"That's not the kind of concern that I'm talking about." She mentioned what she's thinking, and I realized her perspective is rather different from mine.

She's looking at her actions to be… wild. Disgusting. Basically nothing that she thinks fits her. It is what a normal noble lady like her should think.

But, I've been growing up with a younger brother beside me. If there's anything noble about what we're doing, then it's our clothes. 

"Well, I'm a little bit wild myself. I think it's fine for you to act this way."

"R-Really?"

"For sure! Just be careful when you're heading down. Do you even know how to get down?"

"There's a window that I always go into whenever I want to go down, and I never once fell."

She's surprisingly skilled…

"Then, it looks like there's nothing to be worried about. But, I do want to know. Why are we here?" I asked about the elephant in the room, and she only pointed down.

"Once in a while, a nun or a butler roamed around to look for my whereabouts. I always felt safe whenever going to the roofs." She admitted, but that didn't exactly answer my question.

"You wanted… privacy?"

"I haven't heard your name."

I opened my eyes widely, because that seemed to have crossed my mind. She gave me her name, but I escaped without giving her mine. But to be fair, I was in an emergency, and I could've pooped on the spot if we kept talking.

"Sorry about leaving you earlier… I had to use the restroom as soon as possible. My name is Melvin. Melvin Bond. I'm the first son of Viscount Bond." I introduced myself to her, and it seems like she's well aware of that name.

"The great mage Bond? I heard he just rose into the Viscount rank."

"That is indeed my father."

"I see.…no wonder you were so capable of magic." She muttered after realizing, and I only laughed hearing her figuring me out.

There's definitely plenty more that I can do. But for now, I'll have to keep my father's teachings a secret. I have revealed to her that I'm capable of using healing magic, so I guess we can revolve around that.

"What other magic are you capable of?" She asked once again with such curiosity, and I noticed she's incredibly eager to learn about magic.

"I can use shadow magic. It's still not that good, though…"

"Show me." She persisted, and I guess I had no choice but to show her.

Our conversation began to turn more towards magic, and how I was able to use it. I told her that my father has taught me all the magic I know, and she was amazed by the things that I told her about.

After telling her about what I can do, she proceeded to move closer to me. I thought for sure she's going to attack me, but she only grabbed my collar and stared dead straight into my eyes.

"Teach me… magic!"

Aha… this girl isn't exactly normal, huh?

.

.

.

"Dad? Daaaddd~???"

Next to me, a small voice called out, and I was snapped out of my daze. I turned my confused eyes towards the short red haired girl who was wearing her school uniform, and it seems like her face showed the most confusion I've ever seen from her.

"Are you okay? We've arrived at school." Milly said as she pointed to the front gate that isn't too far from us, and I just laughed as I realized what happened.

"Aha! I think I might've been too deep into my thoughts."

"Well, you were telling me about your past with Mom… Maybe that brings you back?"

"It sure did. By the way, you are so much just like your mom when she was young." I jokingly said while messing with her hair, and she only pushed my hand away.

"What does that supposed to mean…?"

"It means you're going to become as great of a person as your mom. How does that sound?" I used my eloquent tongue to please her, and as I expected, Milly is very happy hearing such words.

"Very nice. I'll see you after school, Dad."

"See you later, Milly. Have a nice day."

As she walks towards the front gate, I just waved my hand just in case she turns around at me one last time. She did turn around to wave at me, but it was after she entered the gate. And once she disappeared behind the walls, I lowered my hand.

"Now, then. My job starts at nine. What to do…?"

"Your majesty." Behind me, a person walked closer, and I realized it's one of the shadow knights.

"What is it, Giorno?"

"Duke Horus seemed to be mobilizing a lot of soldiers onto one of their nearby forts. It seems like they are preparing for something large."

Duke Horus… That's the duke that is ruling this city and the entire dukedom. His grandson is attending this school alongside Milly.

"Find out more about what they're planning. If it's anything bad, make necessary preparations."

"Yes, sir. And a message from her majesty: 'the eggs at the diner are running out', as she said."

"Fuah… seriously? Telling an emperor to buy eggs from the grocery store?" I muttered without realizing, and the disguised shadow knight behind me looked quite concerned.

"I-If you want, your majesty, I can--"

"No, it's fine. I needed some fresh air, anyway." I said while walking to the path I came from, and the disguised shadow knight nodded before walking away. 

Duke Horus is preparing an army…? For what? Is it to prepare for a battle? Against who?

Does it have a relation with the news regarding Harbinger? No. If he's a duke, then he definitely already knows about it long before it's announced.

Then… could he have sniffed us out? That's also no, because then he'll be fortifying the city more. 

I'm curious, Duke Horus. You were someone incredibly intelligent, so I'm wondering what it is you're trying to achieve.

I guess I'll find out in a couple days.