LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 30
“Be careful, Sara.”
“Sara! Have a safe trip! See you during the break!”
“Thank you for everything over the two days…”
“Hehe. No, no. If you all were comfortable, that’s all that matters.”
Standing in front of the wagon, Sara wore a brighter smile than usual and bowed slightly.
“I hope you have a wonderful time at the Academy.”
“Yes!”
“…Yes.”
“And, as for Miss Ellie…”
Sara’s worried gaze pierced through me.
“Don’t forget what I told you before.”
“Okay.”
“…I will trust you.”
Yesterday, Sara came to me and said that students with platinum blonde hair, especially upperclassmen, should be cautious.
She even brought documents with pictures and various explanations of those with platinum hair.
Royalty.
The Third Year First Princess and the Second Year Second Prince.
And the Second Princess, who would become our classmate.
I mean, there’s no way I would act up around royalty.
That’s just unnecessary worry.
No matter who I am, I wouldn’t act out against royalty when I have nothing to back it up.
That was something I did in my past life.
And the other thing is about the Dark Mage I met before.
Regarding that, Sara earnestly asked me to not search alone and to send a letter whenever I needed help.
I don’t plan to search alone right now, either.
Since at my current level, if I were to dig too deep, I’d definitely end up dead.
If they come after me, sure, I’d have to fight, but I wouldn’t go looking for trouble first.
But…
“Stella, why are you staring at me like that?”
“What did I do?”
“Your eyes don’t look right. I want to stab them.”
“I’ve always looked like this. Didn’t you know?”
“You’re acting more rude than usual.”
“Hmph!”
I’ve never seen anyone turn away and go “Hmph!” like that before.
I haven’t met too many people in this life, but I think Stella is one-of-a-kind with that kind of rebellious attitude.
“Anyway, don’t worry. Say hello to my mother and father for me.”
“Sure. I’ll just see you off.”
“What’s with the hassle?”
“Well, since I won’t see you for a while… I want to take in as much of you as I can.”
“…Alright. Stare as much as you want before you go.”
I chuckled and turned my back.
“Aah, how can you be so heartless?! Oof, Sara, I’ll be off now. Have a safe trip back.”
“What do you mean by ‘safe trip’? Sara’s hometown isn’t Eustetia Duchy, you know?”
“Shut up! It’s just a saying!”
“Sara! Please be careful!”
We finished our awkward yet noble farewells with Stella imitating a noble’s tone and Yurasia’s cheerful goodbye. Then we turned our backs and walked away.
The Academy appeared far in the distance.
Surrounded by the cool air and clear sunlight, the Academy looked a bit more splendid than usual.
*
Signia and Frunt.
Although the entrance ceremonies for special classes and regular classes are held simultaneously, they don’t take place in the same spot.
Each class stands in different places.
Frunt is on the first floor, while Signia is on the second.
Frunt has over a dozen classes.
Looking down at all the new students gathered in the Academy’s sports field, I felt a strange emotion.
I couldn’t help but wonder how many of them could head to the Demon Realm, hunt high-ranked monsters, and kill demons, but still, it was awe-inspiring.
Even in an era without war against Gebihenum, these kids didn’t gather to just have fun.
If someone couldn’t feel any emotion looking at these kids, that would have to be someone mentally unstable, like Luna.
If it were Luna, she’d probably say, “It looks like a bunch of white caterpillars squirming around. It’s quite a disgusting sight.”
I stifled a giggle and turned my head. This time, I focused on the second floor, where the new Signia students were gathered.
Twenty of them.
With two separate classes, it meant there were only ten students per class.
And all their outfits were different.
They weren’t wearing the Academy uniform.
Curious, I subtly asked Yurasia why, and she said the Signia uniforms are handed out in front of the dormitory.
I didn’t know the details.
According to Stella, the uniforms are tailored to each student’s body type to improve the fit based on their impressions and comfort.
I wondered if they would actually go through with that.
Anyway.
The varying outfits highlighted the stark class differences among the Signia students gathered on the second floor.
And among them stood a platinum-haired girl, listening to the headmaster’s speech with a completely blank expression.
The Princess. Silina de Herman.
Her hair, eyebrows, and eyes were all platinum.
Close to white, but when the light hits it, a faint golden sheen proves her noble blood.
Her figure looked agile. Though her outfit obscured it, it seemed she wielded two different weapons.
A sword and a shield… no, that can’t be it.
What could it be? Surely, someone of her status wouldn’t wield two swords.
Anyway, she’s the one I’m supposed to be careful around. The Second Prince and First Princess are the same.
From the documents Sara provided and the rumors I’ve heard, they sound quite formidable.
First Princess is said to be a troublemaker. A wild one.
However, there’s a rumor that the First Prince spread that she’s a troublemaker.
But then, there’s another rumor that it’s actually the Second Prince who spread the rumor saying the First Princess is a troublemaker.
Then, there’s a rumor that it’s really the First Princess herself spreading the rumor about the Prince to eliminate troublesome royalty.
And then again, it’s said that it was actually the Second Princess sitting next to her who spread the rumors about the First Princess.
There were more stories, but I decided to stop listening.
I had no interest in it and didn’t want to get involved.
Let them squabble amongst themselves; it’s none of my business.
That precious noble won’t cross paths with the Demon Realm anyway.
Of course, either the prince or princess could decide to venture out.
But the royal family wouldn’t let them.
No matter how far removed they are from the line of succession or how unlikely they are to become emperor, they won’t send royalty into the Demon Realm.
The royal family is extremely reluctant to let their platinum blood mix with demons.
To put it simply, they’re worried their blood would produce demon offspring.
That was the case even 400 years ago.
So, no matter what those kids do, it’s not something I need to be concerned about.
gulp– I swallowed the minty saliva and shifted my gaze.
Various races.
I even spotted a Beastman.
With round ears, a chubby tail, and a very small stature, it looked like a Squirrel Beastman.
Next to him was a muscular giant, and I wondered if he was even old enough to enroll in the Academy.
According to Stella, he is a famous warrior and the royal heir from a lordship in the western Empire.
Seventeen years old. The same age as me.
But his face looked like he was in his late twenties.
Among other notable students, I completely diverted my gaze back to the first floor.
The representative speech of the student who enrolled first.
Yurasia had been practicing for so long, and it was about to begin.
Her lovely blonde hair fluttered.
With pristine, crystal-blue eyes, she scanned the new students before slowly opening her mouth.
“Hello. I am Yurasia Espirot, the representative of the new students.”
“…Oh.”
It wasn’t her usual light voice but a deep, solemn vow that beautifully resonated throughout the Academy.
Despite being so nervous that her hands were shaking, it came out impressively steady and calm.
The brief smiles and natural gestures made me question if that was truly the large dog I knew.
Next was Stella’s vow.
“Huh, ahem, hello. I am Stella Behrhaigen, the representative of the new students.”
With a bright red face, she trembled, stuttering her words, and moving stiffly, like a malfunctioning golem.
She had boasted before about not being nervous at all, but it looked like that wasn’t the case.
Following her speech…
Well, it was quite a Stella-like speech.
*
As the peaceful entrance ceremony came to a close, upon entering the Signia Hall…
“Young Lady!!”
I ran into Yurasia again, who was holding a shiny piece of paper in one hand, looking spirited.
Stella, who had enrolled second, stood proudly with her own shiny paper.
“You did well during the vow earlier!”
“Ah! Really? Was it not awkward?”
“It was so natural that I wondered if your usual self was just an act.”
“Huh… Was it that much?”
“Yeah. It was that good. You did great. You looked awesome.”
“Hehe… Thank you!”
I ruffled Yurasia’s hair slightly, who seemed bashfully twisted, and continued on.
“…Hey.”
“What?”
“…What about me?”
“What about you?”
“I… I did a vow too. Wasn’t I cool?”
“Oh, right. You did well. But you were super nervous.”
“What are you talking about? I wasn’t nervous!”
“You were stuttering and your expression was stiff. I thought you were just a loser, but you took being a loser to the next level?”
“W-what?! Why do you talk to me like that?! And I’m not a loser! I’m the second best! Look! You’re nowhere to be seen, and I have this! A certificate!”
Fuming, Stella proudly shoved the glittery certificate into my face. It listed all the benefits from the scholarship and more.
I, seeing her, took a macaron from my pocket and shoved it into her hand.
“What’s with the macaron?” she wondered, but I had bought it for her.
Whenever the talk of macarons came up, Stella would drool over them, yet wouldn’t buy them because of their price, which was so annoying that I just wanted to give her one.
One for each tease.
“You did well. You’re a self-motivated, progressive, and outstanding student.”
“Ugh, that’s a nice thing to say, but it feels bad. Just… don’t.”
“You’re still being annoying.”
“Annoying…? Can you just say nice things?! If I was a mean person, what would you do?”
With a crumpled expression and a pout, Stella hid the macaron in her pocket.
“Even so… I’ll still eat this.”
She turned with a huffy sound and began walking towards the assigned room.
“Yurasia.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you ever learn to do things like ‘Hmph!’ or glare at people? You shouldn’t pick that up, okay?”
“Um… Uh… Hehe.”
Staring at someone far above her social status, the daughter of a marquis, Stella’s insult made Yurasia smile awkwardly. Then, she looked at me with subtle expectation.
Reluctantly, I handed her something sweet as well.
“Here. Yurasia, you can have this too.”
“Wow! Ah… Huh…? Huh…?”
“What?”
“…Why am I getting a mint candy…?”
Her hopeful eyes turned to disappointment.
“I also… like macarons…!”
Leaving behind that gaze, I snickered and walked towards the assigned room.
“I actually think mint candies taste better than macarons.”
*
As Yurasia said, the Academy uniforms were being distributed right in front of the assigned rooms.
I also received mine.
And then I grimaced.
“What is this?”
“…Y-yes?!”
“What did I just ask you?”
“This is… the Karela Academy uniform…”
The staff member handing me the clothes trembled slightly in response.
“I know that, but why is this here? I ordered something different.”
“Um… Yes. I heard that too. But according to the Academy’s rules, that order has been rejected…”
“Rules…? So, you mean I have to wear this for three years…?”
“Y-yes, yes. That’s correct.”
With a twisted expression, I stared at the uniform in my hand.
A white background with golden threads woven in.
The design was a bit more extravagant and elegant than the uniforms worn by the Frunt students.
On the right chest of the torso, the emblem of Karela Academy was emblazoned— a shield background featuring a sword, bow, spear, and book all stylishly intertwined.
If only it didn’t look so feminine, I would have been quite pleased with the design of the top.
Yet, this was hanging in my right hand.
And in my left hand…
“Are you telling me… to wear this…?”
A skirt.
A skirt that looked like it wouldn’t even cover half of my thighs was dangling from my left hand.