Chapter 7: The Magic Academy of the Holy Capital
Light streams through the window, naturally waking me up. As I breathe in the cool air, the fog clouding my mind gradually clears.
“…Mmm,”
I let out a breath as I stretch and rise from the bed.
“Ah, good morning.”
“Good morning.”
As I sit up, I hear greetings from in front of me. It’s Shenley and Liz. The two of them seem to have been relaxing in their cute pajamas, sitting on the sofa near the door facing each other.
“Good morning,”
I return their greeting as I fully get out of bed. The two of them look at me with wide eyes.
“Ah, Teacher Aoi… your hair…”
“…It’s exploded.”
Hearing their comments, I lightly smooth my hair with both hands.
“This is normal for me. I take a shower in the morning.”
I say this as I move to the mirror on the wall. There I see myself wrapped in black pajamas, my head looking like a ball of yarn. After confirming this familiar sight, I sit in the chair in front of the mirror and try to tame my hair with a comb. Today’s bed head seems relatively calm, so I might be able to get it under control.
! Image
Looking around, I see Aile and Belle sleeping soundly. On the opposite side, Eliza is sleeping on her back. Being small to begin with, Eliza sleeping spread-eagled looks like the youngest of us all. Well, depending on her outfit, she can look like a child anyway.
Although we ended up staying at the royal castle, we were shown to a spacious guest room with six queen-sized beds installed. And the rooms were separated by gender too.
On the men’s side, there are only Strauss and Court, so it might feel a bit lonely being too spacious.
As I think about this while absently looking at my usual self in the mirror, I see Aile and Belle get up simultaneously behind me.
The two of them notice us despite being half-asleep and greet us.
“Ah… good morning.”
“…Morning.”
Aile’s head still seems to be in low gear.
For some reason, Liz pouts at the sleepy pair.
“Geez. Aile and Belle, you’re late. You missed a really precious sight, you know?”
As Liz says this, Aile tilts her head while rubbing one eye.
“…A precious sight?”
To Aile, who has a question mark floating above her head, Liz turns to Shenley with a sulky face.
“Right, Shenley?”
“Y-Yes. It was a very precious sight.”
Shenley agrees. Hm, was there really something so unusual? Maybe I’ve overslept, as my head doesn’t seem to be working well either.
After that, Eliza, who had been sleeping with drool running down her face, also woke up safely. We all changed clothes and headed to the second floor of the castle together. On the second floor, there’s a dining hall for guests where about twenty people can dine together.
As we enter the dining hall, we see Strauss and Court already eating.
“Good morning.”
“Morning… you’re late.”
“It took some time to get ready.”
We exchange such conversation along with morning greetings. As we take our seats, maid-like women who seem to be servers appear silently, as if they had been waiting somewhere.
Then, they smoothly lay out meals for those who came later, as if in an assembly line. The plates are uniformly white, lined with bread, soup, thinly sliced meat, vegetables, and fruits. It’s simple cuisine, nothing too elaborate.
“Ah, it’s delicious.”
Aile, who was the first to taste the food, expresses her honest opinion. Despite its simple appearance, it seems to have a taste that satisfies Aile, who is a high-ranking noble.
Drawn in by this, Belle and Liz also start eating. As the two of them say it’s delicious with shining eyes, and Shenley and Eliza also begin their meal, I finally pick up my spoon last.
I bring the translucent soup I was curious about to my mouth. It’s still warm, and a gentle sweetness slowly spreads in my mouth. I can taste the umami of stewed vegetables and meat, along with salt and a slightly spicy seasoning.
It tastes somewhat similar to pot-au-feu. I tried the bread too, and while the surface is a bit hard, the inside is soft and fluffy with a hint of sweetness. In contrast, the meat is salty with a spicier seasoning that balances the meal well.
“It’s delicious, isn’t it? I was surprised too.
It has a deep flavor despite being simple,” Court murmurs his impression of the food with a smile. I nod quietly in agreement and finally taste the fruit. It looks similar to a melon, but when I bite into the slightly firm flesh, I taste a sweet and sour flavor. It’s sweeter and more sour than a melon, somewhat like a grape with stronger sweetness.
“…It’s good.”
Strauss mutters with the fruit still in his mouth. As Strauss glares into space with wide eyes while biting the fruit, the others can’t help but burst into laughter. Watching this scene, I felt somewhat relieved.
“…Come to think of it, Crown said he’d be too busy to guide us today,”
Strauss changes the subject, perhaps embarrassed at being laughed at. Eliza smiles wryly at this and nods slightly, looking at me.
“That’s right. Since the research lab is mainly for court magicians, it might be better to visit when Crown is there.”
As Eliza says this, Aile suddenly raises her hand.
“Ah, I want to go to the Magic Academy of Maple Leaf!”
“Sounds good.”
“Indeed, I’d like to see what it’s like.”
Liz and Belle agree with Aile’s words. These three really get along well. Hearing this conversation, Shenley also looks interested.
“Understood. Then, let’s go visit the Magic Academy today. I’ll go check with the castle staff.”
Saying this, I stand up and leave the dining hall.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Should I leave a message for Alabaster before we go?
Thinking this, I called out to one of the soldiers standing at regular intervals like telephone poles in the castle. They told me they would call him and asked us to wait in the guest reception room on the first floor.
I feel like I’m gradually getting a grasp of the layout of the castle. Thinking this, I went back to everyone waiting in the dining hall and spoke to them.
“I’ve asked them to pass a message to Alabaster. They said to wait in the reception room on the first floor, so let’s gather our necessary belongings and wait there.”
Upon hearing this, everyone heads to the bedroom where we spent the night, giving various responses. In the bedroom, Aile checks her outfit and quietly changes her jacket. Eliza and I also prepare for going out.
It seems everyone’s preparations were complete in about fifteen minutes, but Strauss was waiting outside looking impatient. Apparently, the men finished their preparations in no time.
“What takes so long?”
“It takes me about five minutes, but generally, it takes ten to thirty minutes for makeup, grooming, washing hands, and such, doesn’t it?”
“Thirty minutes…”
I take the liberty of conveying a general opinion as a representative of women. Strauss then mutters words like “Thirty minutes… what’s the point of dressing up so much…?” while scratching his head.
If the women of the world heard this, Strauss might be roasted alive.
Unaware that he’s making such terrifying statements, Strauss leads everyone to the reception room.
When we reach the reception room, we find Alabaster standing straight, waiting in front of the door. Looking at him again, I think his clothing, which looks like fabric wrapped around him, resembles some kind of ethnic costume.
“Ah, you’ve come. I’ll guide you today,”
he says, pounding his chest with his fist.
“We were thinking of visiting the Magic Academy, but wouldn’t a magician be better suited for this?”
I ask to confirm. However, as expected, Alabaster, with an expression full of enthusiasm, shakes his head left and right in denial.
“What are you saying? I too attended the Magic Academy. Although I was in the lowest class. Wahahaha! Oh, that reminds me, Shenley was a magician of our country, wasn’t she? In that case, I might be lower-ranked as a magician.”
“Eh?! No, that’s not…”
“Wahahaha! I’m joking, joking!”
Alabaster laughs as he starts walking. Seeing this, we exchange glances for a moment before hurriedly following him.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
