《Her Royal Highness Seems to be Angry》 Volume 1 - Prologue Prologue: The beginning of the end. Her name was Princess Leticiel. She was born in an age of chaos, where countries waged bloody wars against each other, while vying for continental unification. A countless number of countries destroyed, and the same number of countries founded in their place. And in the crimson wasteland dyed red by war, where not a single plant could flourish, her legend began. It was a barbaric world. A world where everyone, young and old, had to pick up their weapons and wage war in order to survive. And Leticiel was the Princess of a remote kingdom. In this age, the concept of true peace did not exist. And yet, in that kingdom located far away from the war-torn barren lands in the middle of the continent, something that could be called peace existed. Even though disputes with neighboring kingdoms never stopped, and the kingdom often had to wage war, its situation was not desperate to the point of enlisting its entire population for war. Leticiel was living a gentle life, surrounded by a loving family. She got along well with her other half as the pair protected the citizens they loved. In a world where anyone wishing for peace would be laughed at, even a fraction of Leticiel¡¯s daily life was more than enough happiness. However, even that would still end today. The kingdom was invaded by a neighboring major power. Citizens were massacred, streets were set ablaze, countless lives were lost. Anyone with an ounce of strength fought back with all they had, but it was a drop in the ocean compared to the enemy¡¯s might. The kingdom was engulfed in the blink of an eye and became something that would be more fitting to call, hell. Even the royal castle, which had been impenetrable, was now under the neighboring kingdom¡¯s control due to the efforts of its sleeper agents. The throne room was covered in blood. There were even traces of a sword fight carved deeply into the wall. Viscera and body parts left dangling here and there. Anyone who laid eyes on this scene would agree that there had been an obviously gruesome fight. Heat hazes were shimmering in the air outside of the windows, which were violently embraced by the pitch-black smoke that shrouded the overcast sky. It wouldn¡¯t have taken anyone much time to realize the castle had been set on fire. Even though the man bathed in crimson was approaching her with a blood-smeared blade, Leticiel looked at him blankly, as if it was none of her business. Around that man¡¯s feet were countless bodies lying on the ground. The King, the Queen, as well as Leticiel¡¯s beloved significant other. Everyone, everyone had been killed by the invading enemy. In this moment, the only surviving royalty in this kingdom was Leticiel. The fact that that man had arrived here spelled the end of the kingdom. ¡°I need to resist him,¡± she thought. Leticiel was a mage that could have been said to be the kingdom¡¯s greatest treasure. However, she didn¡¯t act upon it. No matter how strong Leticiel was, the enemy would match that might with numbers. And because of her strength, her entire family was killed. The royal capital had fallen, the royal castle had been lost, the entire kingdom was filled with the enemy¡¯s forces. In such a hopeless situation, there was no point in resisting alone. Leticiel had already given up on everything. Her beloved country, the kingdom she once knew had already disappeared. The once-lush green fields had turned into scorched earth, the beautiful townscape had been mangled beyond recognition. The citizens she once loved so dearly had now turned into lifeless corpses. Her beloved family and the person to whom she had made an eternal vow had departed before her. There was not a single thing Leticiel wanted to protect left in this world. The only thing in that bottomless pit of despair, was the flame of hatred that wished to consume everything, even if the cost was her very body. In that case, there was no reason for her to remain in this rotten world. Leticiel gently smiled at the man standing before her. The man was stunned. It was most likely because her reaction was completely outside of his expectations. She then gripped the blade of the sword that was in the man¡¯s hand, and slowly turned it towards her own heart. Rather than letting someone else kill her, Leticiel would rather take her own life. The man seemed to be saying something. He was making a frantic face while yelling something. He tried to withdraw his sword in panic, but his movement was sealed by her magecraft. Leticiel didn¡¯t want that man¡¯s circumstances to pour cold water on her plan, after she had finally resolved herself. She was sure that the neighboring kingdom wanted to capture her alive. Being the kingdom¡¯s greatest mage they would kill to obtain her. Because of that, they didn¡¯t lay a single hand on Leticiel until the very end. To make an example, her family was killed off one by one through underhanded tricks. Multiple men were running towards her from the entrance of the throne room. They were likely trying to stop her. Leticiel let out a chuckle. If the enemy who destroyed her beloved nation wanted to use her, then she had to keep her dignity as the Princess until the very end. She would not allow everything to go the neighboring kingdom¡¯s way. Thanks to the length of the throne room, even though the men had been running toward her, they didn¡¯t make it in time. Leticiel dropped her head to make small prayer. The men behind her weren¡¯t able to see her face. The only person who managed to witness the final expression of the kingdom¡¯s greatest treasure was the man frozen before her. He was saying something again, however, nothing could reach her ears at this point. Leticiel smiled gently, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It was a beautiful smile. It was a noble smile. It was a refreshing smile. It was a cheerful smile. The blade was cutting into both of her hands, those once smooth white hands were now raining red droplets. But she didn¡¯t feel any pain. She didn¡¯t feel any fear either. Even though she would die soon, Leticiel was feeling strangely excited. After all, she would be able to be with her beloved, and have her revenge on the neighboring kingdom at the same time. Leticiel wondered where she would end up, heaven or hell. She slowly closed her eyes, and thrusted in the blade. With the unpleasant noise of metal tearing through flesh, the bloodied sword penetrated Leticiel¡¯s heart. But there was no pain after all. For some reason, the sword went even deeper than she had expected. It was as if the sword knew it would be piercing this body. And in just a moment, Leticiel was standing before death¡¯s door. Strength slowly disappeared from her bloodied hand as Leticiel¡¯s body leaned forward. An iron taste filled her mouth; it then flowed out along her cheek, making a stain on the carpet. That was the end. There was no fear of death inside Leticiel¡¯s heart, it was only filled with relief. The man with the sword along with the men that came after would face capital punishment. They would be forced to take responsibility for Leticiel¡¯s death, and their heads would certainly roll. It was collateral damage. Leticiel had acted of her own free will. There was simply nothing the men could have done to stop it. Strength steadily slipped away from her body as it grew colder and colder. She had lost too much blood; her vision grew hazy and she couldn¡¯t even lift a single finger. While gazing at the scene of those from the neighboring kingdom trying their best to treat her, Leticiel¡¯s consciousness rapidly faded. (¡­I wish my next life is more comfortable¡­) Just before her mind slipped away, Leticiel voiced a nonsensical whim to herself. Volume 1 - CH Ep This marks the end of angry princess vol 1. Thank you for reading and I¡¯m sorry that it took this long. I¡¯d like to remind everyone that this is just a fanTL full of errors and mistakes. If you enjoyed the story, please consider buying the Japanese version or suggest this as a potential project for English publishers through any way you can. Last chapter, two things were brought up in the comment section and I¡¯ll address them here. Firstly, about the existence of aggregate sites stealing the contents to monetize them. This is against the reason I started this site in the first place, however, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it beside measures that would annoy readers (like random watermark lines). I plan to just let it be and hope that people realize how scummy those sites are and give them no views. Secondly, yes, I¡¯ll continue on to volume 2 as long as there¡¯s no official licensing by the time I get to it. But, I¡¯ll be doing another novel next for a change of pace. It will be a yuri novel as a heads-up. I know it¡¯s a lot different than angry princess but I hope you stick around. Editor: muge Proofreader: muge, Marv Surprise last update promotion drawing: muge Epilogue: A Meeting at Midnight A white porcelain teacup fell to the ground, shattering into pieces with a tinkling sound. The youth stood there, dumbfounded. His eyes fixed on the velvety, flaxen-colored hair slowly flowing before him. How did it come to this? Lost in thought, he racked his brain in search of a nonexistent answer. He tried to reach out to her, but his hands were stopped by the dark grey bars stretching up before him. ¡°Are you¡­ really fine with this¡­?¡± Inside of the cell, the girl leaning against the chair smiled gently. Even in her final moments, she still maintained her dignified air. ¡°There¡¯s no other way¡­ besides this¡­¡± A scarlet line ran down from the corner of her mouth. Against her porcelain skin, the red droplets were sickeningly vivid. ¡°Please, promise me¡­ that you will create, a peaceful world, a great kingdom¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, I promise you. I will definitely keep the peace of this kingdom¡­¡± As she watched the youth trying his best to squeeze out those painful words, the young girl¡¯s indigo eyes seemed to be filled with joy. With a smile still on her face, the light gently faded from her eyes. ¡°¡­Josephina. I¡­ I really, love you©`¡± The only ones to witness the two streams running down the youth¡¯s cheeks were the insects swarming about the dungeon¡¯s bonfire. *** The sound of a knock reverberated through a room lit up by only candle flames. The Platina Kingdom¡¯s 47th King, Oswald Draco Aleister Platina, opened his eyes. ¡°¡­Josephina¡­¡± He touched his forehead to find a large amount of cold sweat. It seemed that it was a dream about the past. Grabbing the wine glass from the table, he moistened his throat. Two more knocking sounds suddenly reverberated through the room. Oswald turned his head towards the door. ¡°Come in.¡± The door quietly opened, and a young boy with bluish ashen hair entered the room. He was dressed in dull colors, as if to ensure he wouldn¡¯t stand out. The pair of jet-black eyes behind his glasses seemed to exude a sense of wonderment. ¡°My deepest apologies for coming this late in the night, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Tsubaru, huh? I don¡¯t mind.¡± Feeling a bit relieved to find the boy visiting him, Oswald invited the follower of the First Prince into the room. Without making a noise, the boy called Tsubaru slowly walked before Oswald¡¯s table and presented him the stack of paper in his hands. Oswald immediately realized that it was a report about the incident that had occurred in Lucrezia Academy today. Earlier, the people who had returned from the academy were making frightened faces as they carried the First Prince to his bedroom. From just that, Oswald had already surmised that his foolish son had probably done something outrageous. He accepted the report and began to skim through it from the very first page. ¡°¡­What is this?¡± The moment Oswald finished reading the last page, he threw the report onto the table and pressed his fingers between his brows. Only a short time had passed since he had received the report about the strange Formulas from Lucas, and yet, the situation had escalated far beyond Oswald¡¯s expectations. ¡°It¡¯s just like what¡¯s written there, it¡¯s a report about the incident at the academy between the first prince and his fianc¨¦e.¡± ¡°I already knew that from just reading. I¡¯m talking about its contents.¡± Oswald glared at the stack of paper on the table. While the report itself had done nothing wrong, he couldn¡¯t help but vent out his anger on it reflexively. Since the meeting with Lucas about Sorcery Formulas a month ago, Oswald had been very interested in the person who had accomplished that feat. However, as Lucas wasn¡¯t keen on reporting about the person in question, Oswald had decided to look into them himself, and he had found her. ¡°The cause of the incident is still unknown, however, the relic named Holy Witch Slayer was found on the scene.¡± ¡°Holy Witch Slayer, you say¡­? Don¡¯t tell me he brought it out again?¡± ¡°Yes, indeed¡­ According to the Museum¡¯s curator, the prince had done the usual¡­¡± ¡°¡­That fool.¡± Amazed by Tsubaru¡¯s hesitant reply, Oswald let out a sigh and pressed against between his brows. He then picked up the report again and his eyes stopped on a sentence in the last paragraph. ¡°¡­Then, is this sentence here correct?¡± ¡°Yes. The person who defeated that unknown beast was indeed Lady Drossel. Despite having no Magic Power, she suppressed the monster with overwhelming force. That was something that I confirmed with my own two eyes.¡± While he couldn¡¯t ignore the appearance of the beast, Drossel was someone Oswald was much more interested in. Drossel Noa Filiaregis. The first prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, the creator of Sorcery Formulas. And also, there was a high possibility that she held the power Oswald and some others had been searching for all these years. For Oswald, up until a month ago, she was nothing more than ¡®my son¡¯s fianc¨¦e¡±. Since he had already given up on the first prince, he also held no real interest in her. ¡°Say, Tsubaru. Do you think that girl holds any grudge against me?¡± ¡°¡­Let me see. While I¡¯ve only observed her for just a month, it seems that she ignores anything she has no interest in. Since she doesn¡¯t show any signs of caring about His Highness, I don¡¯t think she holds any particular views towards Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It seemed that his fear was unfounded. Oswald still didn¡¯t know the true extent of Drossel¡¯s power. If her power was the real deal, he couldn¡¯t afford to recklessly antagonize her as the King. ¡°It seems I can¡¯t do anything without meeting her first.¡± ¡°Then, tomorrow, I will immediately head for the Duke¡¯s household to summon her.¡± ¡°Very well, I¡¯m counting on you.¡± Tsubaru bowed and withdrew from the room. After Tsubaru had left, Oswald silently stared out of the windows at the night sky. Without turning his eyes away from the scenery outside, he muttered out loud. ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine to show yourself.¡± His words filled the quiet moonlit room, and before long, the figure of an old gentleman appeared from a dim corner of the room. ¡°My apologies¡­ I couldn¡¯t find the chance to come out because of Tsubaru¡­¡± The only ones who knew about the secret passage that led to this room were none other than Oswald and this old gentleman. ¡°For this case, what do you see, David?¡± ¡°What¡­ do you mean by that?¡± ¡°With our current situation, which direction do you think our kingdom should head for?¡± ¡°Which direction indeed¡­ But, you already have your own answer, don¡¯t you, Your Majesty¡­? Since you designated that child as His Highness the First Prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± David had hit the mark. Oswald slowly closed his deep, crimson eyes. ¡°That girl¡­ Do you think she would lend our kingdom that power?¡± ¡°That will depend on Your Majesty¡­ While that child might seem moody, she¡¯s actually a very simple child. If she sees you as an enemy, she would show you no mercy. On the other hand, if she accepts you, she would go through thick and thin for you.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Oswald opened his eyes once again and took a glance at David. ¡°Have you known this from the beginning?¡± ¡°You¡¯re overestimating me, Your Majesty. Something like seeing everything the future has in store for someone would still be impossible for me.¡± ¡°In other words, just a part of that everything would still be possible, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two silently stared at each other. As David¡¯s face was hidden by his white moustache, Oswald couldn¡¯t discern any information or emotion from him. ¡°Three years ago, it was you who proposed that Drossel must be a candidate to be the fianc¨¦e for the next heir to the throne. You¡­ From the very beginning, you have known about that girl¡¯s true worth, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hohoh, I wonder¡­¡± Seeing David deflecting the question, Oswald could only sigh. For Oswald, David was a mysterious man who never spoke about himself. Despite having known him for over thirty years now, the only thing Oswald knew for certain was that he had been serving the kings of this kingdom from many generations before. And that he was no ordinary person. ¡°You¡¯re still impossible to read as usual.¡± ¡°Hoho, I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± David¡¯s moustache shook as he laughed. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be taking my leave¡­¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± David turned on his heels. After Oswald had returned to gazing out of the window once more, David¡¯s voice reached his back. ¡°Your Majesty, do you believe in it now¡­? About the one who will bring about Sorcery Formulas and Magecraft, that ¡®The second daughter of the Duke Filiaregis is the key that holds the world¡¯s fate¡¯.¡± Leaving that nostalgic prophecy behind, David slipped back into the darkness, just as he had come. ¡°¡­Yeah, I believe in it now.¡± Without turning around, Oswald silently muttered. There was no one in the room to hear what he had said. When he had first heard about the prophecy, Oswald didn¡¯t believe in it. However, the him right now had fully realized that it was the truth. ¡°¡­Even my wish, will finally become a reality.¡± Inside the empty room, Oswald gulped down the remaining wine in the glass and let out a small smile. The full moon hanging in the sky was the only one present to see it; a smile filled with happiness, loneliness, and self-loathing. Afterword Thank you very much for picking up ¡®Her Royal Highness seems to be angry¡¯. For the first-time readers who read this published version, nice to meet you. And for the people who have been reading from ¡®Shousetsuka ni Narou¡¯, thank you for your continued support. Whether you bought it or were just browsing around, I¡¯m happy that you spent the time to read my humble work. This is Yatsuhashi Kou. I began writing this piece with the idea of an ¡®I¡¯m OP transmigration Magic Academy + Romance¡¯ story set in a monarchy. It was a story published on the internet with sloppy world and character settings that was decided without a second thought. Having something like that become a published work was something that I had never thought of for the life of me. ¡®Don¡¯t decide everything without a second thought, write everything properly from the start!¡¯ was what I wished I could say to my past self, a line that came up countless times as I wrote the manuscript for the published version¡­ And just like that, a work I wrote was published and gained the opportunity to be read by many people. This could only become a reality thanks to the support of the readers from the internet as well as the encouragement from everyone, and I¡¯m truly grateful for that. This work was originally uploaded on ¡®Shousetsuka ni Narou¡¯ under a very appetizing pen name of ¡®Yatsuhashi1¡¯. While the original story was used as a base, given the opportunity thanks to the publication, I wanted to make it even more enjoyable for everyone. While elements of the web version remain in the published version, storylines and vignettes, as well as character settings, have been drastically revised. While I¡¯m a bit nervous about how readers of the web version would feel about the published version¡¯s story and world, I decided to incorporate not only romance elements, but many others, such as adventure elements as well as high fantasy elements such as Magecraft and Magic. As this book is my first published work, I still have many shortcomings as an inexperienced writer. But if you were able to enjoy this work¡¯s world, I would be on cloud nine. As someone who had only experienced novels as a reader until recently, I was only able to fully realize how difficult it is to form a story with your own hands once I tried to write something on my own. Of course, composing a story is important, but beyond that, there are also bringing the characters to life, as well as depicting the events, all of which are important skills for a novelist. However, as I carefully faced the arduous task of creating a story, I was able to experience the depth and joy of the world of novels once again. Like I thought, being a writer is fun. This book was only able to published thanks to the efforts of my editor Y-sama, Nagishiro Mito-sama who had drawn the breathtakingly gorgeous illustrations, and everyone who had helped with the project. Thank you so very much. In the end, I would like to say thank you once again to the readers who picked this book up. Well then, I hope that we will be able to meet each other again in the next volume. Yatsuhashi Kou Volume 1 - CH 1 Chapter 1: An Unknown World The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was, an unfamiliar ceiling. She looked around to find herself in an unknown room, lying on an canopied bed she did not recognize. Where in the world am I? Did I not take my own life after after the enemy had robbed me of everything? Leticiel¡¯s mind was in chaos. Restless, she sat up and looked down at her chest. There was no sign of the sword or the wound from her memories. The only things there were the frilly white negligee and her own smooth porcelain skin. But Leticiel was certain that it had happened. The sensation of her own life fading away, she could still recall it even now. Leticiel had definitely died. She was supposed to be, without a doubt, dead. Suddenly, the worst-case scenario came to her mind. Maybe, the neighboring kingdom had someone who was skilled enough to treat even Leticiel in that state. And maybe, she had been kept alive by the neighboring kingdom. Her face turned completely pale. If her conjectures were correct, Leticiel had been saved by the despicable enemy that had destroyed her everything. Leticiel gave up her own life so that things wouldn¡¯t go the neighboring kingdom¡¯s way, so that she could be with those she loved. And yet, everything ended up going according to their wishes. Right now, the emotion controlling Leticiel was not sadness or despair, nor was it hatred. It was an intense anger towards the neighboring country that wouldn¡¯t even allow her to die. Leticiel pushed away the comforter and got out of the bed. At this rate, the neighboring kingdom would use her as a tool. Her pride would never let that happen. Taking her revenge would be easy. But even if she did, what she had lost would never return; it would be a futile effort. Certainly, this place was within enemy territory; she had searched for anything to use, but there were no tools she could take her own life with. As she began to grow impatient, some small glass bottles on the desk entered her line of sight. Without any hesitation, Leticiel grabbed one of the bottles and threw it onto the floor. The bottle shattered into pieces from the impact. Ignoring the fact that the glass could cut her hand, she grasped a large shard and pointed it toward her neck. ¡°What happened, my la¡­¡± Just when Leticiel was about to slash her throat, a young man clad in a black tailcoat entered the room. He had heard the sound of glass breaking and had come to investigate the cause. ¡°¡­What!? What are you doing!!?¡± As soon as Leticiel¡¯s figure entered his eyes, his face changed color. He immediately raised his voice and ran towards her. Unlike the throne room, this room was quite small. Before the shard could pierce Leticiel¡¯s throat, the man had pinned her hands from behind. ¡°Please stop!! Let go of the thing in your hand right now!!¡± ¡°Let me go¡­! I will not allow it to go your way! If you stop me, then I¡¯ll even bite my tongue if I have¡­¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t act so rashly!! My lady!! Lady Drossel!!!¡± Leticiel suddenly stopped when she heard the man¡¯s desperate shout. It was not because the man¡¯s command had resonated with her heart; it was because of the name she had never heard before. ¡°¡­Lady¡­Drossel¡­?¡± Who on earth was that? Wasn¡¯t she Leticiel, the princess of a remote kingdom? The glass shard was taken away from her while she was befuddled, but Leticiel had no time to worry about that. When she dropped her head down, her long hair flowed gently into the edge of her vision; it was a splendid silvery-white color that gave off the impression of being translucent. But it was an unfamiliar color. After all, Leticiel¡¯s hair was a dark blonde. As she raised her gaze, she found a small mirror before her. It was propped up against the wall right next to the small bottles, but she hadn¡¯t noticed it at all earlier. The thing reflected in the mirror was the face of a girl she had never seen before. Almost transparent and lustrous silver hair, smooth porcelain white skin, almond-shaped eyes with long eyelashes, and heterochromatic irises in each eye. Overall, she was a beautiful girl with dignified facial features. Leticiel didn¡¯t know how old the girl was; even though she seemed young, her features made her seemed more mature. Her lack of expression gave her the impression that she was a bit unfriendly. (Who am I, right now¡­?) When she tried blinking, both her red left eye and blue right eye were covered by her eyelids. The unknown girl in the mirror was without a doubt, herself. That fact shook Leticiel to the core. Leticiel had golden blonde hair. Both of her eyes were lavender. And her past face had retained small traces of childish youthfulness, and was not as mature-looking as this. Even though she had stabbed herself with a sword and died, when she came to, there was not a single wound on her body. And when she thought she had been captured by the enemy, she had instead become someone she didn¡¯t know. (I have no idea what¡¯s going on. Am I inside a dream or something¡­?) An absentminded Leticiel was led to her bed by the maids who entered the room. They then took out a first-aid kit from somewhere and started treating her. The hand that she had used to grasp the glass shard was covered in cuts. Leticiel stared at the maids who were sterilizing and treating her wounds in wonder. ¡°¡­Why are you not using magecraft to heal it?¡± ¡°Magecraft¡­? Um, are you talking about magic?¡± Her question was met with another question. Once again, she heard a word she didn¡¯t know. Perhaps this country used the word ¡°magic¡± to refer to magecraft. ¡°Even then, my lady, only a small portion of chosen people can use healing magic from the Light Element.¡± ¡°Haa¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why using magic to heal a wound can¡¯t be done at a moment¡¯s notice.¡± She had never heard anything like that before. At least when she still was a princess, almost every person that could use magecraft was able to use healing magecraft. It was an age where one would simply die if they couldn¡¯t protect themselves. After finishing Leticiel¡¯s treatment, the maid tidied up the first-aid kit and disappeared toward the other door in the room. Leticiel looked at her hand wrapped in bandages. Even though the maid said that healing magic was rare, Leticiel was certain that she had used it before. She invoked her magecraft to ascertain whether or not she could really use it. Without delay, the Mana scattered about the atmosphere obediently followed her wishes and assembled in her hands. The flow of Mana created a breeze that caused her silver hair to gently sway. (¡­Huh. I can still use it like usual, after all.) She had prepared herself for the worst for naught. Leticiel then tried to open and close her hand; the pain from before had vanished. Just like she thought, there was no way healing magecraft would be rare. While she was thinking about that, the maid from before came out of the door and made a respectful bow. ¡°My lady, we will help you get ready, so please come over here.¡± The maid led Leticiel to the room¡­ No, to the walk-in closet next door. There were several maids waiting in the room, waiting to assist her. When she was a princess, Leticiel had to do everything like this on her own. Royalty didn¡¯t have this kind of luxury in that age of chaos. If they had the money to hire servants, it would have been spent improving armaments instead. And if they had the money to buy a lot of dresses, they would have invested it into armaments instead. It was the most important thing. It was to the point where even the country¡¯s flag had to show that it was run by a warmonger. If a country failed to do even that, it would be swallowed up by the surrounding countries. As a result, she never had servants to assist her, nor a walk-in closet with a large amount of dresses. Leticiel unconsciously pulled on her cheek. She began to worry about the state of this country that had this level of grandiose luxury. As a princess in a war-filled world, Leticiel couldn¡¯t believe the scene she was seeing at all. ¡°That really suits you, my lady.¡± ¡°¡­Really, thank you.¡± Leticiel came out of the walk-in closet while feeling conflicted. She was dressed in a lovely cream-colored dress and decorated with graceful-looking accessories. ¡°Hey, you there.¡± ¡°¡­Yes? Are you calling for me?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. There¡¯s no one else here right. Who are you? What are you to me?¡± Leticiel inquired the man standing next to the door. He was the one who had stopped her from taking her own life earlier. She had so little information to go with, that it could be safe to say she had no understanding of her current situation. She didn¡¯t know who he was or what his upbringing was, and, of course, she didn¡¯t know his name either. ¡°Um¡­ What do you mean? My lady¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, sometimes you just feel like asking strange questions like this, right?¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­. My name is Ruvik, my lady¡¯s exclusive butler.¡± Even though his face seemed to say that he had no idea what was going on, the man still gave her a proper self-introduction. ¡°Ruvik¡­ right, that¡¯s right. My apologies, your name suddenly escaped my mind for some reason.¡± She still had yet to get a good grasp of the situation, however, it was better for her to act like ¡®Drossel¡¯. Even though she hadn¡¯t said anything strange, Ruvik seemed to be surprised by her reply. Ignoring him, Leticiel tried to grab the doorknob. While she was still bewildered by the current situation, her body reminded her that it was hungry, so she decided to have breakfast or something in the dining hall. However, she was suddenly stopped by Ruvik. Leticiel then looked up at him as if to ask him why. ¡°My lady, your hand is injured. Please leave it to me.¡± Although it was fine since she had already healed it, Leticiel felt that it was better to not say unnecessary things, and withdrew her hand. When Leticiel passed through the door opened by Ruvik, she was greeted with splendor similar to the room that made her stagger due to its radiance. ¡°My lady¡­? Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°¡­With this country being pointlessly lavish like this, I¡¯m amazed that it has yet to fall to ruin¡­¡± ¡°Hah¡­? What are you talking about, my lady? Our Platina Kingdom has been at peace for a long time now¡­¡± Leticiel¡¯s eyes opened wide at Ruvik¡¯s words.There was no such thing as peace in that age of unending bloodshed. Furthermore, another unknown word came up again. She had never heard of the Platina Kingdom before. She compared it against the names of all the countries she knew, but was unable to come up with a match. (¡­Well, in that world, it was an everyday occurrence for some unknown country to appear, and by the time you learned about it, it would already be enroute to destruction.) Leticiel assumed this country had also been born that way, and stopped paying attention to that detail. Leticiel walked down the long hallway with Ruvik by her side. On the way, she came across an older maid with a basket filled with laundry walking the opposite way. When their eyes met, the maid slightly lowered her head, but she didn¡¯t even try to hide her frown. It was likely that Leticiel¡­ or rather, Drossel¡­ was hated by the maid. Leticiel realized this, but she carried on walking as if it didn¡¯t happen. As someone who had tasted the depths of despair, and went as far as taking her own life, Leticiel could no longer consider negative feelings towards her as anything but a trifling matter. To put it nicely, she was being prudent. To put it bluntly, she didn¡¯t care what others thought of her at all. The once cheerful Leticiel had disappeared; the current girl was cold with a completely indifferent attitude. Perhaps human nature could completely change when faced with such an extreme situation, Leticiel mused to herself, as if she was thinking about someone else entirely. While she was elegantly walking down the hallway, Leticiel came to a sudden stop when there were no other people around. Naturally, the butler who had been walking a bit behind his master¡¯s side came to a stop as well, and made a puzzled face. ¡°¡­Say, Ruvik.¡± ¡°Yes, what is it, my lady?¡± ¡°¡­Where is the¡­ dining hall¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve just been wandering about aimlessly!?¡± Ruvik¡¯s hysterical voice echoed through the residence in the early morning. * * * With Ruvik guiding her, Leticiel finally arrived at the dining hall. It seemed that this residence was a two-storied building and the dining hall was on the first story. Leticiel¡¯s room was the furthest most interior room on the second story. When she entered the dining hall, the gazes of the people who had arrived and had been seated before her mercilessly pierced into Leticiel. The four people inside the dining hall must have been Drossel¡¯s family members. The silver-haired, blue-eyed man sitting at the head of the table seemed to be her father. The woman with red hair and purple eyes sitting to the right of him was her mother. Opposite of her mother was Drossel¡¯s older brother, who had silver hair and light purple eyes. And next to him was a girl close to Leticiel¡¯s age. Of course those relationships were all just conjectures based on their outward appearances and could be incorrect. However, it would be resolved sooner or later. Leticiel¡¯s seat was the closest to the entrance. Even though there were six seats on both sides of the table, there was no one facing her. She was effectively sitting alone. Position-wise, her seat was the lowest seat. It should have been taken as a cruel humiliation, but to the current Leticiel¡­ (Oh my, it¡¯s close to the dining hall entrance, how convenient.) Her attitude had changed to the point that she would rather have shops next to her house for convenience¡¯s sake. Something like a seat position was irrelevant to Leticiel. ¡°¡­Hm? Diane, what happened to Sareenah?¡± The man who appeared to be the father sitting at the head of the table asked the woman who seemed to be the mother¡­ Diane. ¡°It¡¯s truly weird for that girl to not be here by now. Fried, do you happen to know why?¡± ¡°No, not at all.¡± When asked by Diane, the silver-haired young man called Fried spat out a short reply while shutting his eyes. ¡°Um, Mother. Elder Sister Saree said that she¡¯s busy with preparations for her departure, so she¡¯ll be having breakfast in her own room.¡± The other girl at the table raised her hand and timidly opened her mouth. She had blonde hair with a red hue, and her big round light-purple eyes oozed with the type of cuteness that would stir up one¡¯s protective instincts ¡±My, now that you¡¯ve mentioned it. Today¡¯s the day Saree will be going to her fianc¨¦¡¯s family territory. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it.¡± ¡°No¡­ It was nothing at all, Mother.¡± The mother praised the daughter who was acting bashful while looking delighted. In this dining hall illuminated by the morning sun, a truly beautiful picture of a harmonious family was painted. (¡­We still can¡¯t start eating? I¡¯m really hungry.) As one would expect, Leticiel had no interest in that happy family scene and was thinking about something completely unrelated. For her, the concept of waiting for every family member to start a meal didn¡¯t exist. When she was a princess, it was normal for everyone present at meal time to just start eating; an attitude of ¡®if you want to wait, then wait¡¯. Even though not everybody was present, the father¡¯s greeting prompted the start of the long-awaited breakfast. The four people sitting on the other side of the table started their quality family time while having their meal. The servants waiting behind them would sometimes join in on the conversation. While that was happening, there was one person silently moving food into their mouth. That person was Leticiel. Leticiel was staring intently at the breakfast dishes lined up before her very eyes. Mysterious crescent-shaped bread, thickly sliced bacon¡­ she was at least able to recognize that. However, she had no idea about the yellowy object accompanying them. In her mind, she could only think of bread as something round with a fluffy but slightly dry texture. Not to mention it was a luxury item in her former country. ¡°Ruvik, what in the world is this mysterious bread?¡± ¡°Mysterious¡­ It¡¯s just atypical croissants, my lady¡­¡± ¡°Oh. Then what is this runny yellow thing?¡± ¡°Y-yellow thing¡­ That¡¯s also just a typical scrambled egg, my lady¡­¡± ¡°I see. Ah, don¡¯t mind me. I only felt like asking you that.¡± Leticiel gave an arbitrary reason and ended the conversation with Ruvik, who was shaken to the core by her nonchalant nonchalant questions against common sense. If he had to be honest, Ruvik would describe his master, Drossel, as an extremely moody person. When she got angry for no reason, she would lash out at her servants. When she cried, she would have them spoil her. As the one who had been serving as her exclusive butler for years, Ruvik understood Drossel the most. However, even if she had been a moody person, she had been acting extremely strange today. When the scene of her sudden attempt on her own life came to his mind, it was as if a light bulb went off in his head; Ruvik realized that her speech and behavior had completely changed. He felt that she had become cold and started doing everything at her own pace. Ruvik had no idea why Drossel¡¯s words and actions had suddenly become incomprehensible. Maybe she had some screws go loose because of the harsh treatment she received from her surroundings? ¡°Ruvik, where did this bacon come from?¡± ¡°Because the Master likes their taste, we stock them from a southern merchant who has been in our favor.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ I can¡¯t get over this translucence. It tastes normal like I thought.¡± ¡°¡­Huh? Nooor¡­.m-mal¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Bacon with fat being translucent like this is delicious¡­ I think¡± ¡°You¡­ think¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never eaten it before after all.¡± In that age, having meat in a meal was already too much of a luxury. Besides royalty, everyone would have been content with having meat once every three days. High quality bacon was something that only existed in dreams. Recalling that, Leticiel stuffed her mouth with the thickly-sliced bacon. Finishing her breakfast in a flash, Leticiel promptly withdrew from the dining hall. She returned to her room and collapsed face up onto the bed, and gazed at the ceiling. There had been too many unexpected events today. Even though she had gone with the flow and had gotten through them all somehow, she needed to carefully sort through all the information. First, Leticiel was a princess, the princess of a remote kingdom in a war-filled world. Then, she lost everything because of the neighboring country¡¯s invasion. With no reason left to live, she took her own life. However, for some unknown reason, Leticiel had been granted a new life as an unknown girl named Drossel. The girl seemed to be a daughter of a family of considerably high status. Leticiel was a realist. She neither spoke of nor believed in baseless supernatural things; however, it was impossible for her to deny it this time. (¡­It¡¯s like I¡¯ve been transmigrated.) Metempsychosis. The concept of transmigration of soul to another body after death. In that cruel world, this concept of salvation was wildly welcomed. And with that as the slogan, people came together to create a new religion of sorts. Of course, Leticiel didn¡¯t believe in it, but with her current situation, it was the only possible explanation. As for Drossel¡¯s family, it was more or less made up of her parents, a pair that seemed to be her siblings and another either older or younger sister. However, it seemed that they disliked Drossel. Out of everyone, the only two who she had yet to confirm the names of were those of the father and the unknown sister. Beyond that, the only other name she knew was that of her exclusive butler, Ruvik. Furthermore, Leticiel was currently in a country called the Platina Kingdom, which seemed to be at peace. From the perspective of the Princess of War, it was something that would make her eyes open wide while thinking it as some sort of a joke. But after observing the situation of this residence, it was really the truth. For Leticiel, it would have been ordinary for at least three reports relating to disputes to be brought up during breakfast. In addition, food being poisoned was so commonplace that having poison tasters was indispensable. Above all, their extravagant and luxurious life showed that the family had too much money. It showed that they weren¡¯t spending money on armaments to solidify their power. In conclusion, this country was not in a situation where they had to spend everything on armaments to survive. (¡­How long has it been since the age I lived in?) Leticiel concluded that this time period was completely different to the one she used to live in. But, the only way to find out when it ended and how many months and years had passed was through history books. When Leticiel thought about going to the archives or something and got up, she heard a knock from outside of the room. After getting her permission, Ruvik entered the room. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°My lady, it¡¯s time for you to head to the academy.¡± Leticiel stared blankly at Ruvik with that announcement. Academy¡­ a word referring to an ancient garden. It should be a place to study something. ¡°Academy¡­?¡± ¡°Huh? Yes¡­ the academy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­My lady¡­ Are you really okay?¡± ¡°Why are you worrying about me?¡± The words, ¡®because you have been acting weird since morning,¡¯ went up to Ruvik¡¯s throat, but due to his astounding force of will, they were caught in there. In the Platina Kingdom, education at the academy was compulsory for aristocrats¡¯ heirs and daughters when they turned 16. It was no exception for Drossel, who had turned 16 this year; The entrance ceremony for Lucrezia Academy was just about a month ago. This is common sense for everyone in this kingdom, why does she look so confused? Ruvik, who had been at her mercy since morning, gradually began to feel a sharp pain in his stomach. Oblivious to his pain, Leticiel started to think about the place called ¡°academy.¡± In her time, the thing called academy didn¡¯t exist. Knowledge was something that was passed down from generation to generation through word of mouth. There was no need to ask a stranger to teach you. If it was history, you just needed to ask your grandparents, and they would tell you as much as you wanted. If it was the way to use magecraft, you just needed to ask adults with more experience to go into detail, and you would be able to use it in the blink of an eye. Even etiquette, reading, writing, mathematics, everything else was just like that. Or rather, building a school and gathering the future of your country in a single place would be the same thing as telling your enemies, ¡®please kill them¡¯. Why does this country have an academy? Perhaps the act of orally passing down information through your family was not common practice in this country. Isn¡¯t it inefficient having strangers teach you things when you could just ask your relatives instead¡­? Despite those questions running through Leticiel¡¯s head, the fact remained that she was to go to the academy. ¡°Well that¡¯s fine. The academy right, I got it.¡± ¡°¡­Uh¡­ Please wait a moment, my lady!¡± As she got out of bed and headed for the door just like that, Ruvik stopped Leticiel once again. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°N-no¡­ My Lady, uniforms are mandatory at the academy so you need to change¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right¡­¡± ¡°Also, are you not going to bring your bag¡­? You would be in trouble without your textbooks¡­¡± ¡°¡­Bag¡­¡± Leticiel looked up at Ruvik, who was making a very rude face for some reason. An awkward silence settled into the room, and in the end, Leticiel lowered her gaze and started looking around the room. On the shelf of something that looked like a desk, there was a bag with a shoulder strap made out of high-quality leather. That sense of useless luxury again¡­ Wait, so ¡®bag¡¯ should be referring to that thing, but¡­ ¡°¡­Uniform?¡± ¡°My lady¡­ Had you not been wearing it until yesterday¡­?¡± Ruvik¡¯s gaze pointed to the basket next to the entrance of the walk-in closet. Some clothing was neatly folded inside the basket. A short back-length black jacket, a white shirt with two incisions on the shirttail, and a checkered skirt. Next to the basket was a pair of brown lace-up boots. Perhaps they were meant to be worn together. (¡­What is this black thing that looks like a pair of pants?) There were things like a ribbon and a badge placed inside the basket alongside the jacket and the shirt, and among them was a black article of clothing that intrigued her. Its shape was similar to a pair of pants, but the fabric was too thin and its size was too small. Without dwelling on why Ruvik was making a baffled face, Leticiel decided to enter the walk-in closet to change for the time being. Leaving the pants-like article of unknown function aside, Leticiel put on the so-called uniform. After she finished changing, she promptly returned to her room and stared intently at the unknown object that was referred to as ¡®bag¡¯. She then grabbed it and headed out of her room as if nothing had happened. ¡°Well then.. Ruvik.¡± ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡± ¡°What is the way to the entrance?¡± ¡°My lady! Are you being serious!?¡± Leticiel tilted her head while looking at Ruvik, who was holding his head in his hands. He has been shouting a lot since this morning, maybe he just likes to raise his voice? Even though it was a refreshing morning, Ruvik looked haggard, as if he had not been sleeping for an entire week, as he guided Leticiel to the entrance hall. Just beyond the doors was the sight of three horse-drawn carriages stopping before the entrance. And before them was the girl from the dining hall, who was having a friendly chat with another silver-haired woman. ¡°¡­Ah! Elder Sister Drossel, good morning.¡± When she noticed Drossel¡¯s figure, the red-haired girl greeted her with a smile as lovely and as bright as a flower in full-bloom. Through her greeting, Leticiel confirmed that the girl was her younger sister in this world. ¡°¡­Oh, it¡¯s already this late. Christa, I¡¯ll be going now. You should be leaving soon as well, or you¡¯ll be late to the academy.¡± ¡°Okay. Have a safe trip, Elder Sister Saree.¡± Christa had also referred to the woman as her older sister, which meant that this person was also ¡®Drossel¡¯¡¯s older sister. Opposed to her treatment toward Christa, Sareenah only spared Leticiel an uninterested glance before boarding her carriage. While gazing at the departing carriage, Leticiel surmised that this person also disliked her, but in the end, she decided it wasn¡¯t worth her attention. Leticiel boarded her own¡­ or rather, the carriage Christa didn¡¯t use, and the two were sent off by Ruvik. ¡°Please take care, and have a safe trip.¡± For a moment, Leticiel looked back at the figure of Ruvik sending them off, but once the carriage had left the grounds of the residence, she rested her chin on her hand and gazed out the window. On the other side of the window was the scene of a bustling town in the morning. The streets were filled with women doing morning groceries while stores along the street began to open for business, one by one. On the sides of the street, figures of men setting up their stands could also be seen. The town was calmly waking up under the morning sun. A beautiful town that had not experienced war, filled with gentle faces that held no interest in conflict. This country was truly at peace. (¡­Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t I wish for a more comfortable life before I died?) She had no idea why she had transmigrated, but she was sure that the gods had granted her wish. Leticiel summed up her own circumstances in a optimistically. Suddenly, the carriage shook greatly. The high-pitched neigh of a horse was heard as the carriage came to a stop. A confused Leticiel alighted the carriage, wondering what had happened. She found the coachman crouching down by the wheel in the mud ditch beside the stone-paved road. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°¡­Ah, my lady¡­ Um, it seems like the wheel is broken¡­¡± The coachman faltered as he gave his answer. He seemed to be frightened when he saw Leticiel, perhaps fearing her anger/wrath/temper. ¡°Oh my. In that case, let me see it for a bit.¡± Leticiel motioned for the coachman to step back as she said that, and touched the wheel to examine the damage. The wood of the wheel had a crack running through it. ¡°Elder Sister Drossel? What happened?¡± The carriage that had been running next to Leticiel¡¯s came to a stop, and Christa peeked out of the window with an inquisitive look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s only a small problem with the wheel. I¡¯ll follow as soon as it¡¯s fixed, so you can just go on ahead.¡± ¡°Is that so? Okay then, I¡¯ll wait for you at the academy.¡± Christa worriedly stared at Leticiel, but in the end she gave a small nod and instructed her coachman to continue. The sound of a whip cracking could be heard as Christa¡¯s carriage began to leave. ¡°My, my lady! I, I will return to the residence at once to contact¡­.¡± ¡°That will not be necessary.¡± Halting the coachman who had started walking, Leticiel held her right hand over the damaged wheel. Lights of various colors began to converge in her palm. Verdant, gold, and silver, the lights blended into one and penetrated the wheel. And then, a ripple of light spread through the carriage, even reaching the horse. Once the light dissipated, an undamaged wheel had taken the place of where the damaged one once was. ¡°¡­Hah?¡­huh?¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be any problem with this. Well then, can you head towards the academy?¡± With those words, Leticiel promptly returned to the carriage. ¡°Huh? Er, ah, yes, understood.¡± Left behind, the coachman could only stare back and forth between the wheel and the closed door in disbelief. However, because he could not afford to let the daughter of the family he was serving to be late, so he reluctantly returned to the box seat. With a swing of the coachman¡¯s whip, the carriage started to move. However, the wheels were turning remarkably faster than before. It was natural, after all. While she was repairing the wheel, Leticiel had also used strengthening magecraft on both the carriage and the horse. That was why the magecraft from before had multiple colors of light blending together. The magecraft-strengthened carriage gallantly ran through the main street. The carriage caught up to Christa¡¯s in just an instant before leaving it behind in the dust. ¡°¡­What?¡­What??¡± Christa¡¯s coachman couldn¡¯t believe the sight of a carriage moving at twice the speed to that of a normal one. Dumbfounded, he rubbed his eyes until it was out of sight. * * * The carriage continued to advance along the stone-paved road. Before long, it reached a vast ground with magnificent buildings. An elegant main entrance, majestic buildings, and a beautiful garden. This must be Lucrezia Academy. (That sense of wasteful extravagance again¡­ Well, I give up.) As she descended from the carriage, which had stopped before the entrance hall of the frontmost building, she couldn¡¯t help but make such a remark to herself. ¡°Well then¡­ I¡¯m in the academy, but now¡­¡± Lucrezia Academy¡¯s entrance hall was decorated with chandeliers hanging down from its high ceiling, a carpet covering its marble floor, and several beautiful flags on its walls. Standing imposingly in that entrance hall was an expressionless Leticiel muttering something. To others, she looked like an unapproachable cold lady standing there calmly, but in reality, she was simply at a loss. Leticiel didn¡¯t have a single memory as Drossel. In other words, this was her first time coming to this academy. There was no way for her to know where to go in order to take lessons. (¡­? Those people are¡­?) Looking around restlessly, she found a group of adult males with attires different from the other students¡¯ at the corner of the hall. Unable to contain her curiosity, she began observing the group. She then noticed that, for some reason, every student would greet the group when passing by. (All the students here are children of aristocrats. For these students to greet them meant that they were all people in high positions.) Leticiel thought that they would be able to tell her the location of her classroom if she asked them and ran up to the group. ¡°¡­Hm? You are¡­¡± ¡°Good morning. I just wanted to ask you a question, where should I go now?¡± Leticiel was standing next to a brown-skinned muscular man with short blond hair who was standing in the center of the group. He turned toward her and knit his brows at her question. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re in Elementary 2, right? Just go there, then.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Leticiel stared blankly at the astonished man after he answered. She really wanted to say ¡®I¡¯m asking you because I don¡¯t know where the classroom is in the first place,¡¯ but held back, knowing it would be impossible to get an answer with this mood. Leticiel then walked towards the school map on the wall. It appeared that the school building was three stories high, and formed a quadrangle around an enclosed courtyard. Seeing a list with names of classrooms she had never seen before on each story, Leticiel started blinking. ¡°¡­Hey, don¡¯t tell me you really don¡¯t know where your own classroom is. It was supposed to be just a prank, right?¡± ¡°And what if I told you that I really don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°¡­¡± As Leticiel zealously studied the map, the man¡¯s patience had begun to run thin. With an irritated tone, he shot her a question to which she replied without hesitation, as if questioning why he would even assume that. The entire group was taken aback with dumbfounded looks on their faces from her reply. ¡°¡­Your younger sister is in the same class, so you can just go with her, right?¡± ¡°¡­Oh my, that is a splendid idea.¡± Ignoring his considerably astounded tone, Leticiel nonchalantly clapped after hearing his suggestion. ¡°¡­Ah! Elder Sister Drossel!¡± As if on cue, Christa frantically ran up to Leticiel from the front entrance. Since Leticiel¡¯s carriage had passed her earlier, she had arrived after her older sister. ¡°What in the world was with that carriage earlier? I have never seen one moving that fast¡­¡± ¡°Perfect timing, Christa. For some reason, I¡¯ve forgotten the way to the classroom. Could you go together with me?¡± After making a slight bow toward the man who gave her the suggestion, Leticiel briskly walked away from the scene without waiting for Christa¡¯s answer. Although Christa was in a fluster after having her words cut off, she made a similar bow to the man and chased after her older sister¡¯s figure. Having missed the timing to ask anything by the time she caught up, Christa was walking slightly ahead while taking a glance back once in a while. All she saw was Leticiel acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Leticiel decided not to talk about the incident with the carriage from the morning. Since she still didn¡¯t have a solid grasp of the current situation, she couldn¡¯t afford to let anything slip through careless mistakes. ¡°¡­Um, this is our classroom¡­¡± Christa announced that while looking at Leticiel with a frightened and bewildered gaze. In front of the two was a door with a plate that said ¡°Elementary 2.¡± Standing before the classroom, they looked at each other in awkward silence. This sensation¡­ it resembles the silent moment I had with Ruvik back at the residence. ¡°Uh, Drossel. Why¡­?¡± ¡°I just forgot it for some reason. Please don¡¯t mind me.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­?¡± After insisting on her excuse, Leticiel opened the door without any hesitation. Countless gazes inside the classroom focused on the door. However, once they saw the figure of Leticiel, they all instantly vanished, replaced by countless whispers. ¡°Hey¡­ the Ice Demon is here.¡± ¡°That appearance, that ice cold expression¡­ How ominous.¡± Some looked away, as if to not meet her eyes. Some stared at her, as if to insult and belittle her. Some glared at her, as if she was the sworn enemy of their parents. Leticiel nonchalantly entered the classroom under all those hostile reactions. For the current Leticiel, the emotion called sadness had disappeared somewhere, she could only brush it off with a simple musing along the lines of ¡°Geez, why is everyone looking at me?¡±. Her carefree mindset had become terminal. ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± Unlike Leticiel who was wondering what should she do after entering the room, Christa greeted her classmates with a lovely smile. Now that I think about it, although she is my little sister, why is Christa in the same class? Perhaps we are twins? Or we were born in the same year? Well, it does not matter. ¡°¡­Hey, Drossel Noa Filiaregis.¡± Leticiel was blankly staring at Christa but shifted her gaze to the unamused voice from behind her younger sister. The source of that voice was a youth with mint-colored hair and crimson eyes that seemed to be burning. Those razor-sharp eyes mixed with scorn gave off an air of being strong-willed. ¡°Thank you for your politeness.¡± She was genuinely thanking him for telling her her full name. However, the boy made a foolish face when he was thanked out of the blue. ¡°Y-your Highness Rochefort¡­¡± Although she was a bit surprised with his sudden appearance, Christa called out to the boy. Having the title ¡®Your Highness¡¯ attached to his name must mean that this impertinent person is the prince of this country. Leticiel silently promoted Rochefort from ¡®annoying person¡¯ to ¡®troublesome person¡¯ in her mind. She then realized that there were several boys standing behind Rochefort. Since they¡¯re also glaring over here, they¡¯re probably the prince¡¯s followers. In other words, they must have high status as well. There¡¯s only trouble getting involved with them, so I should try my best to not¡­ ¡°¡­ey¡­! Hey¡­! You! Are you listening?¡± Since Rochefort¡¯s deep voice had interrupted her train of thought, Leticiel slightly knitted her brows and looked at him. ¡°My apologies, I was not paying attention.¡± ¡°Wha¡­!? You, you dare act like that in front of me, your fianc¨¦!¡± Leticiel was amazed from the bottom of her heart that Rochefort would be so furious even though she had given a proper apology. However, of all his words there was one that caught her attention more than his anger. Fianc¨¦. He really did say that. ¡°You Highness, please give it a rest!¡± ¡°¡­Christa. Sorry, I lost my cool there. But when I hear your beautiful and gentle voice, even my anger clears away.¡± ¡°Geez¡­ Please don¡¯t put it like that, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Christa¡­¡± Before Leticiel¡¯s very eyes, Rochefort was looking at her younger sister with an enraptured gaze while Christa¡¯s cheeks were dyed red with embarrassment. He was clearly showing animosity towards Drossel while showering Christa with affection. And on top of that, Christa didn¡¯t seem to dislike it herself. (He is brazenly having an affair right in front of his fianc¨¦e. This is my, the current me¡¯s fianc¨¦¡­?) Leticiel¡¯s previous partner had been a kind man who only loved her. But it seemed like she had no luck with both her family and partner in her current life. (Oh well, I don¡¯t care about it, so let¡¯s just not get involved.) Although she should deal with the fact that Rochefort and Christa were still lost in each other¡¯s eyes, Leticiel ignored them to look for an empty seat and found one in the very last row. ¡°Is this seat empty?¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± Leticiel¡¯s question made the brown-haired girl sitting next to the empty seat jump and let out a shrill voice. She wondered why the girl was so scared of ¡°Drossel¡±, but immediately lost her interest. Leticiel then sat down and faced the front of the room, but for some reason Rochefort and his followers were glaring straight at her. She became very confused as she had the courtesy to ignore the fact that he and Christa had been in their own world, but his group were still dissatisfied for some reason. However, even then, she immediately lost interest and looked away from Rochefort¡¯s group. * * * Shortly after the sound of a bell echoed through the academy, the teacher for the first period entered the classroom. His belly jiggled as he walked into the room, the middle-aged teacher with a shining scalp stood before the podium. ¡°History class will now begin.¡± It seemed that first period is History. Since she didn¡¯t know the exact time period she was in, Leticiel silently opened her textbook and started reading while ignoring the teacher¡¯s lesson. The girl sitting next to her was looking at her with a dubious face as ¡®Drossel¡¯ had not even once opened the textbook during history class. But Leticiel, who was rummaging through the textbook in earnest, didn¡¯t notice that. ¡°Then, please open the textbook to page 6¡­¡± Ignoring the teacher¡¯s voice and the sound of pen from around her, Leticiel was completely absorbed in her textbook. The Platina Kingdom was the third most powerful country in the Astraea continent. Leticiel secretly breathed a sigh of relief after finding out that it was the same continent as the one she lived in. The kingdom¡¯s history spanned over a thousand years, and it was currently in an alliance with its neighboring country, the Iris Empire. Back in Leticiel¡¯s age, the average life of a country was around 60 to 70 years, only powerful countries lasted longer than 100 years. This meant that the world had become peaceful. Before the founding of the Platina Kingdom, countless countries had continued to wage bloody wars to unite the Astraea continent. Perhaps that was the age that Leticiel had lived in. This long warring period was called the Astraea Continental War. And, as a reference to when it had started, and how long it had lasted, it was also called the Thousand Year War¡­ Leticiel suddenly felt something on her shoulder. When she looked up from the textbook and to her side, she saw the girl sitting next to her tapping on it. ¡°Miss Drossel, did you hear what I was saying?¡± Reacting to that voice, Leticiel looked forward to find the teacher who was holding his textbook with one hand looking at her. From her angle, his head was shining brilliantly due to the classroom¡¯s lighti¡­ no, it was better to not go beyond this point. ¡°¡­I¡¯m very sorry. Could you please repeat the question again?¡± ¡°Fine. Can you name the major powers during the Astraea Continental War?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ If we¡¯re talking about the major powers, then the first country to come to mind would be the Dransall Empire, the most powerful country. But we also can¡¯t leave out its neighbor who could match its might, the Sephiroth Kingdom. In terms of countries that all of its neighbors had to be wary of, there was the Holy Walpurgis Empire. This was the only country without its own army as all of its citizens were black-hearted. On the other hand, if we¡¯re talking about countries that specialized in their military, there were the Heltcutale Republic and the Fornande Kingdom. In particular, the latter was also referred to as the Overnight Kingdom, as it was founded by building a castle in a single night.¡± ¡°Huh¡­? W-wow¡­ How strange, you even listed countries that were not in the textbook¡­¡± The teacher muttered something under his breath that didn¡¯t reach the students¡¯ ears. On the other hand, Leticiel was simply reciting information she saw and heard during her previous life. After all, she lived during the Astraea Continental War. There was nobody more knowledgeable about that time period than her in the room. All the countries she had listed just now were ones that had held real power in the central region; she hadn¡¯t included any countries from the remote regions. While most of the countries listed were around for a long time, there were cases of countries like the Fornande Kingdom, which were crushed within ten years of its founding by an alliance of major powers. It was natural that countries like these didn¡¯t remain in history. Incidentally, Leticiel¡¯s Rizenrose Kingdom was also quite a powerful kingdom in the remote regions, or at least it was comparable to the neighboring Gelrald Kingdom. ¡°¡­Ah, um, I think your explanation was a bit too detailed, but it seems that you¡¯ve prepared for the lesson properly. Well then, please turn to the next page.¡± The teacher returned to the lesson while quizzically scratching his neck. Leticiel once again lowered her gaze back to the textbook. There was too much history and information she didn¡¯t know about in this age. It seemed like there were still mountains of things she needed to investigate. * * * After the break was the second period, which seemed to be about Magic Formula. The teacher standing before the podium was doing things like reviewing the previous lesson and reading the textbook out loud. Leticiel took a sidelong glance at the textbook the brown-haired girl sitting next to her had taken out. Mimicking her, Leticiel placed the same textbook on top of her table, as well as a notebook, though she doubted she would write anything down. Magic Formula¡­ Leticiel knew it under the name of Sorcery Formula. It was something used to introduce beginners to magecraft. The strength and scope of magecraft was determined by the practitioner¡¯s imagination as well as their calculation-information processing ability. However, asking a beginner to invoke magecraft out of the blue would only produce unsuccessful results. Sorcery Formulas were developed to make up for that. By using formulas over and over again, once one became familiar with magecraft¡¯s calculation processing step, formulas would no longer be needed. In fact, in order to get to the level where magecraft could be used through imagination alone, it would be much easier and more efficient to do the calculations subconsciously on their own rather than going through the formulas. Due to that fact, sorcery formulas for beginners would be of no use for Leticiel, who had been the kingdom¡¯s best mage in her previous life. Frankly speaking, this class would only be free time for Leticiel. ¡°¡­sel, Miss Drossel.¡± Leticiel, who had been recalling about the past, was pulled back to reality by the voice calling her name. ¡°¡­It looked like you weren¡¯t paying attention just now¡­ Are you planning to answer my question¡­?¡± The teacher was looking at Leticiel with a sullen face. After staring blankly at that expression for a few moments, she realized that her own name had been called. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. I didn¡¯t hear the question, could you please repeat it again?¡± ¡°¡­O-okay. Please overwrite the basic Fire formula on this black board with the basic Wind formula.¡± After hearing his question, Leticiel looked at the formula written on the blackboard. She then opened her eyes wide in shock. The basic Fire formula had been written there. Or to be more accurate, something that greatly resembled the basic Fire formula had been written there. Leticiel understood that the formula was from the Fire System. However, the difference between the basic formula she knew and the one on the board was heaven and hell. To start with, the formula¡¯s scope had been expanded too far. Since basic formulas were the very foundation of magecraft, they had to keep the amount of waste to a bare minimum. Nevertheless, a scope of this size would put needless load on the information processing circuit. In addition, there were too many pointless variables for Target Control. It was unthinkable that anyone would use a formula with these variables as a base to create others for practical use. The variables would cancel each other out and the desired result would not be achieved. Even from her previous life, Leticiel had never seen a formula this horrible. It was filled with pointlessness. The Mana consumption was terrible, and the conversion efficiency was the worst. It would be impossible to use a formula with this level of inefficiency for magecraft in the first place, let alone overwriting it with the basic wind formula. What in the world happened to the magecraft¡­ the magic level of this world? As Drossel was staring blankly at the blackboard, her teacher and classmates assumed that her silence was due to her not knowing the answer. Snickers started to fill the classroom, Rochefort and his followers were among them. The teacher let out a sigh while staring at Drossel after seeing the state of the class. ¡°¡­So you don¡¯t understand it, like I thought. Well then¡­¡± His words were cut off by the loud sound of Leticiel kicking her chair as she stood up. Leticiel started walking down to the podium. The classroom started to quiet down as the students stared at Leticiel while wondering what was she doing. Once she reached the podium, she snatched the piece of chalk out of the teacher¡¯s hand and began writing a new formula next to the one on the blackboard. The snickers disappeared in an instant as the classroom fell into complete silence. Everyone in the room was dumbfounded by Drossel¡¯s unexpected behavior. They wondered what in the world was happening as they held their breath staring at her. Leticiel was livid. Perhaps, if there was anyone who knew about sorcery formula from her previous life in this room, they would surely agree with her reaction. Leticiel had not been called Rizenrose¡¯s number one mage without a reason. She was a magecraft maniac through and through. While she put the people and her family first, outside of the time spent on the battlefield, she would invest the rest of it into formula research. Her focus was on reducing the complexity and burden on the practitioner without having to compensate on the magecraft¡¯s power. As someone who strove to trim down those two factors for Sorcery Formulas, she had been able to achieve that goal. Yes, she had already discovered the limit of sorcery formulas before she died. Leticiel had knowledge of the most beautiful and efficient formulas. From the viewpoint of a girl like her, it was no exaggeration to call the thing written before her eyes, that rubbish formula, a blasphemy against magecraft itself. Although she didn¡¯t know how much time had passed since her death, Leticiel wondered when and how it had all gone so wrong that this kind of shitty formula and theory had become so widespread. She wanted to grab the person who had propagated this by the neck and interrogate them for about an hour. An ominous laugh could be heard inside the classroom. For some reason, a pitch black aura sprouted from the figure of the female student holding a piece of chalk with her back to the rest of the class. The figure that even made a few students shriek out of fright was one that could truly be called ¡®Ice Demon¡¯. Even the teacher had to retreat with a pale face. Before anyone had realized it, an invisible blizzard had started blowing violently through the classroom; there were even some who fainted out of dread. Before long, the formula on the blackboard had been completed. Leticiel wholeheartedly smiled at the perfect formula she had written. Her profile was the manifestation of ecstasy itself. When she put down the piece of chalk, the blizzard that had been assaulting the classroom simultaneously dispersed. On the blackboard was a formula that was more than a level smaller than the one the teacher had written. Any segment that could have been removed had been completely stripped away, pointless variables replaced by specific ones, and functions had been added into the freed up space, this was the the sorcery formula that Leticiel was familiar with. Leticiel gazed at it with enraptured eyes. While her interest in others had vanished, her passion and tenacity for magecraft had increased even further, rather than vanishing along with it. ¡°This is the correct basic Fire formula. To answer your question, I have overwritten it with the basic Wind formula. Please feel free to use it for the lesson.¡± She turned to face the teacher, and on her face was the finest quality smile that anyone could imagine. Even the teacher who had been filled with dread until now was greatly shaken. So even that Ice Demon can make this kind of smile, huh. It¡¯s not her usual condescending smile nor is it that ominous, scornful laugh from earlier. It¡¯s a smile straight from her heart. By the time the other students had blinked their eyes, Leticiel had already returned to her signature expressionless face. While he still had a blank look, she made a bow and returned to her seat. ¡°¡­.U-uuum! Just now, what¡­¡± As soon as Leticiel sat down, a timid voice escaped from the girl sitting next to her. For some reason, the girl¡¯s complexion had gotten even worse since this morning. It was no longer white or blue, but deathly pale instead. ¡°Are you okay? It¡¯s better to rest if you don¡¯t feel well.¡± ¡°A-and you¡¯re the one to talk¡­!?¡± Although Leticiel was worried about her condition, the girl let out a hysterical shout that cracked with falsetto for some reason. The surrounding classmates turned toward Leticiel. Among them were criticizing glares, while some others frightfully peeked at her. ¡°Um¡­ Did I do something wrong?¡± ¡°Huh¡­.!? You really didn¡¯t notice it!?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ What did you mean by¡­ ¡®it¡¯?¡± ¡°Are you serious!? What else could it be, if not the blizzard that laid waste to this room just now!?¡± ¡°Blizzard¡­?¡± The girl explained to Leticiel in detail what had happened in the classroom while she had been facing the blackboard. According to her, a black aura had risen up from Leticiel¡¯s back while she was making some extremely ominous noises. Furthermore, for some unknown reason, something akin to a snow storm suddenly assaulted the classroom and caused many people to faint. If the girl¡¯s words were true, then Leticiel really had caused trouble for everyone. While she was apologetic, there was also one thing she wanted to say before that. ¡°Thank you very much, I got to hear something nice.¡± ¡°There was nothing nice about that at all!! How did you even get ¡°something nice¡± from our talk just now!? Only a nightmare, it could have only been a nightmare!!¡± ¡°I know I¡¯ve caused trouble for everyone. I¡¯m very sorry about that.¡± ¡°¡­Why are you apologizing like normal now¡­!¡± The girl then mumbled that she had nothing to complain or talk about anymore with teary eyes. Leticiel thought that she had perhaps said something to irritate the girl. The ¡®something nice¡¯ that Leticiel mentioned was the invisible blizzard that had assaulted the classroom. Magecraft. An art that collects Mana from the atmosphere and uses the practitioner¡¯s body as a medium to alter phenomenon. The resulting phenomenon and its scope could be adjusted to the practitioner¡¯s will. However, the higher the complexity or the scale, the higher the burden on the practitioner. The nightmarish blizzard her classmates saw was likely the result of the Mana in the classroom conforming to Leticiel¡¯s anger. Her fury had been projected into the physical world and rampaged throughout the room. Although practitioners should only be able to use magecraft consciously, being able to wield it subconsciously was proof of how strong her Phenomenon Interference power was. Moreover, it had engulfed the entire classroom without Leticiel breaking a sweat. The blizzard from before hadn¡¯t been a burden on her body at all. (This body, perhaps it¡¯s outrageously compatible with magecraft?) Noticing that possibility, Leticiel let out a chuckle. Even with her previous body, Leticiel hadn¡¯t been able to cause magecraft phenomenon to manifest subconsciously. But this body was able to do it. With enough practice, she could become an even greater mage than before. The students who were eyeing her suspiciously were unaware that the door to the next stage had opened inside Leticiel. By chance, Leticiel caught Christa¡¯s gaze. She was sitting at the front of the class. Her face was a little pale, however, she was glaring at Leticiel with eyes so sharp, it was as if she was staring at her parents¡¯ sworn enemy. Although she had been wearing a lovely face since the morning, her current look was that of a Hannya. As nobody else was looking at Christa, that glare of a woman going mad with envy went unnoticed. Leticiel had thought her little sister¡¯s personality was consistent with her appearance, but even if she realized that wasn¡¯t true, the fact that Leticiel had no interest in Christa didn¡¯t change. Leticiel decided to ignore Christa, who was glaring at her still. (¡­I have to say, it¡¯s been only a few hours since I transmigrated, but I¡¯m already tired from everything that¡¯s happened so far.) To distance herself from the noisy classroom, Leticiel plopped down on top of her desk. A new environment, a new society, a new common sense, a new world. Unfamiliar knowledge and information had been pouring non-stop into Leticiel like a waterfall; it was no surprise that even she would be tired. Leticiel¡¯s eyelids slowly closed as she vaguely suggested to herself that writing down and organizing what she¡¯d learned so far would be good to spare herself from confusion in the future. * * * She was supposed to have no magic power at all, how did Drossel manage to do that? Without caring about the commotion in the classroom or the gazes of her classmates, Drossel was lying face-down on her desk, sleeping. The girl sitting next to her¡­ Mirandalette Lulu Wald was staring at her slumbering form in bewilderment. To be frank, Mirandalette was afraid of Drossel and didn¡¯t want to get involved with her. Not only did Drossel have no magic power at all, she was short-tempered and hard to get along with. On the day of the entrance ceremony, she had hit her own sister out of anger. That rumor soon spread throughout the academy and she was shunned upon enrolment. Because of that, Drossel was someone who Mirandalette didn¡¯t want to get involved with. (¡­But, had Drossel¡­ always been this kind of person¡­?) From history class to formula class and even now, the classroom had been murmuring about Drossel, whose actions and speech were completely different to her usual self. Because she had been scared by the rumors, she had only looked at Drossel from a distance. However, the carefree and gentle sleeping face before Mirandalette¡¯s very eyes had thrown her for a loop. The Drossel sitting next to her was far from the one she had heard from the rumors. While Mirandalette was being bewildered, the commotion in the classroom continued on. The Formula Studies teacher, who had been staring petrified at the formula written on the blackboard for some time now, suddenly returned to his senses. He immediately took out a memo pad from his pocket and started to rapidly write down something. ¡°Everyone, the rest of today¡¯s class will be self-study¡­!¡± While still holding the memo pad that he just finished writing on, the teacher made a brief announcement before dashing out of the classroom. Volume 1 - CH 2 Chapter 2: Magic and Magecraft The sound of the bell echoed in the classroom that was still in a commotion. Leticiel rubbed her eyes while lifting her head. She had been sleeping relatively soundly since she was tired from all the events from this morning. She then began to stretch without a single care to her surroundings. ¡°U-um¡­ Good morning, Drossel.¡± The girl sitting next to Leticiel called out to her. She had brown hair in loose braids and lovely orange eyes. Leticiel¡¯s mind wandered to the fact that although they had spoken multiple times during the lecture, she had never heard the girl¡¯s name. ¡°¡­Could you tell me your name?¡± ¡°Y-yes! It¡¯s Mirandalette Lulu Wald!¡± Leticiel¡¯s question caused the girl¡­ or rather, Mirandalette, to flinch. I didn¡¯t eat or drink anything weird this morning though, Leticiel wondered as she gazed at the clock on the wall. ¡°What is the next class?¡± ¡°Eh¡­ It should be Practical Magic Studies at the Magic Training Field.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± When she heard the phrase ¡®Practical Magic Studies¡¯, Leticiel was reminded of the first thing she had seen in the previous class, that wretched Magic Formula. A class about using Magic in a practical setting would most likely entail practice using that same Magic Formula. To Leticiel, the thing she had seen was nothing more than a failure of a formula, but perhaps studying it was common sense for this academy. However, a pure sense of curiosity sprang forth from Leticiel¡¯s heart; she wanted to see the result of that artistically horrible formula. ¡°By ¡®Magic Training Field¡¯, you meant we will have to move elsewhere, right?¡± ¡°Huh¡­? U-um¡­ Drossel¡­ Are you attending the Practical Magic Studies class¡­?¡± ¡°Oh my, of course I am. It¡¯s a class after all, right?¡± After neatly placing back her textbook and stationary into her bag, Leticiel stood up. At this, Mirandalette¡¯s round eyes got even rounder; however, as the word ¡®student¡¯ referred to one who took classes, Leticiel thought that as a student, her participation in class was natural. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Heh¡­? O-okay!¡± Mirandalette chased after Leticiel out of the classroom. Getting out to the hallway was easy, but beyond that, Leticiel had no idea how to get to the Magic Training Field. While thinking about where she should go, Leticiel decided to just start walking first. But, she was stopped by someone pulling on sleeve. When she looked over her shoulder, Leticiel saw Mirandalette making an indescribably complicated face. Why is she making that face? [Leticel while still in her walking animation looked back at mirandalette grabbing her left sleeve with her thumb and index finger while slightly leaning forward making a baffled/annoyed face] ¡°Mirandalette, what is this hand?¡± ¡°¡­This is the ¡®Magic-Training-Field-is-not-that-way¡¯ hand¡­¡± ¡°¡­I just happened to forget, okay?¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± While having that sort of unproductive exchange, Leticiel walked along the hallway with Mirandalette. Mirandalette was not as afraid of Leticiel as she was in the morning. Although she was still acting timidly, Mirandalette was able to answer and even smile when Leticiel spoke to her. On the other hand, Leticiel still acted like she had left her amiability in her previous life. Eventually, the two arrived before one of the two buildings next to the school. The one on the left that they were facing was the Magic Training Field, which would be used for the next class. The building across from it was the Swordplay Training Hall. Everyone in Elementary 2 had already assembled inside the field. Naturally, Christa and Rochefort were among them. The moment Leticiel¡¯s figure entered her sight, Christa flashed her usual flower-blooming smile. For the people who only knew this face of hers, even if they had seen the Hannya face she had shown during the second period, they would not think that it was the same girl. On the other hand, when Rochefort noticed Leticiel, he stared daggers at her momentarily before looking away with a scoff. Unlike Christa, it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s two-faced. While observing people she had no interest in, Leticiel set foot onto the Magic Training Field¡¯s soil. Shortly after, the bell marking the start of class rang and the teacher in charge of the class entered with a large burlap sack in hand. ¡°Oka¡ªy, the class will now begi¡ªn.¡± He then dropped the burlap onto the ground and gave a strange signal. His eyes opened wide when he saw that Leticiel was among the students. ¡°¡­Miss Drossel, are you attending this class?¡± ¡°Oh my, is it such a problem for me to be attending this class?¡± ¡°¡­No, if you put it like that, there¡¯s no problem.¡± Drossel¡¯s unusual response prevented the teacher from saying anything further. He then looked away from her and turned his attention back to the rest of the students. ¡°Oka¡ªy, I want to measure the Elemental Ratings of everyone¡¯s Magic Power toda¡ªy. Since you don¡¯t have any Magic Power, please have a seat over there and observe, Miss Drossel.¡± After hearing that statement, Leticiel finally realized the meaning behind the words from Mirandalette and the teacher. These two people knew that Drossel had no Magic Power, so the fact that she was attending this class in the first place was strange to them. Additionally, the fact that no one else was observing meant that the only person that was without Magic Power in the class was Leticiel. With her head hanging, Leticiel followed the teacher¡¯s instruction and sat down on the bench at the end of the field. The girl on the bench hugged herself as she started to tremble. The teacher and the rest of the class thought that Drossel was enduring the humiliation of being left out due to her own incompetence. While the teacher¡¯s eyes were filled with pity, the students looked at her with contempt and scorn, as usual. The students firmly believed that what she had done earlier was simply a fluke. However, once again, they were very far from the truth. ¡°¡­Fufuu, fufufu¡­ fufufufufu¡­¡± Leticiel was trembling while hugging herself as she was trying her best to contain her laughter. The thing that was bubbling up from within her was neither humiliation nor sadness. It was a sense of excitement and joy to the point that she wanted to start dancing while laughing out loud right at this moment. ¡°Ahaha¡­ It¡¯s no wonder that this body¡¯s Phenomenon Interference power and its function as a Medium were so horrifyingly high. Ufufufu¡­¡± Because the bench she was sitting on was some distance away, Leticiel¡¯s muttering didn¡¯t reach the class. The declaration that she had no Magic Power had greatly moved Leticiel. For Magecraft, as long as there was Mana in the environment, its power could be invoked semipermanently. However, it still had one shortcoming, and that was Magic Power. Almost everyone was born with Magic Power. However, it didn¡¯t have any special properties like allowing you to wield strange powers. It was simply a neutral force that circulated within the body like blood. However, Magecraft practitioners needed to absorb Mana in order for their bodies to act as a medium for the process of transforming phenomena. Magic Power would hinder Mana absorption with the inhibition rate increasing alongside the practitioner¡¯s Magic Power. Back in her era, there were many people who focused on physical means of combat because their high Magic Power prevented them from using Magecraft in battle. It was only natural. If they couldn¡¯t use Magecraft, their only option would have been to hone their skills in another way to fight. ¡®Magic Powerless¡¯ was the term used to refer to those who held no Magic Power at all. Back in Leticiel¡¯s old world, they were extremely scarce and were regarded as the greatest treasures. In terms of how rare they were, there would be one in a hundred thousand. Even people with extremely low Magic Power were as rare as one in a few ten thousands. Magic Powerless were the most desirable personnel for every country. Prominent powers would even go to the point of taking the loved ones of a Magic Powerless hostage in order to have them restrain or dominate other countries for them. It was also only natural. The fact that they had no Magic Power also meant that there was nothing to hinder the invocation of Magecraft¡­ in other words, they would be able to utilize Magecraft more freely than people with Magic Power. When she was a princess, Leticiel had almost no Magic Power. It was why she was called the kingdom¡¯s greatest treasure, as well as why she was able to reach the title of the Greatest Mage. Now that she had been reborn, her current incarnation was a Magic Powerless. It was no exaggeration to say that her current body was born to use Magecraft. Drossel¡¯s body had an abnormal level of Phenomenon Interference power; as absorbing a vast amount of Mana hadn¡¯t strained it at all. Leticiel had wondered earlier why her current body¡¯s capability as a Mage was so high. In hindsight, being a Magic Powerless was the answer. Without the Magic Power that would hinder the influx of Mana, her body could absorb as much Mana as she wished. In other words, this body could use whatever Magecraft it wanted to, whenever it wanted to. Because of this, whenever Leticiel¡¯s inner thoughts became unstable, this trigger-happy body would readily formulate a Magecraft based on her emotions. It was the reason that a Magic Powerless¡¯ Magecraft would run rampant until they consciously calmed themselves down. Leticiel decided to ignore this problem for now. ¡°¡­Haa, what a wondrous thing.¡± Leticiel fell back onto the bench and looked up at the sky as her expression loosened into a smile. Thinking about the fact that she would be able to use Magecraft freely from now on, she couldn¡¯t help but feel overjoyed. But she pulled herself together and returned to her original position, and began to observe the class. Leticiel remembered that the teacher had talked about measuring the Elemental Ratings of the students¡¯ Magic Power today. However, she had no idea what he would use to do that. Is it something to examine their Magecraft¡¯s aptitude? Or is it something to ascertain which Elements they¡¯re strong or weak at? ¡°Oka¡ªy, I want everyone to hold this to measure your Elemental Ratings.¡± It seemed the explanation had finished while Leticiel was doing her solo skit. The teacher then proceeded to call everyone¡¯s names one by one. There were a massive amount of palm-sized ice crystals in the burlap sack he had brought. Having that much must have meant that they were consumables. Leticiel started to pay close attention to the class. She observed a boy gripping an ice crystal with both hands after receiving it from the teacher. The crystal immediately shone red for a few seconds before disappearing without a sound. Although she couldn¡¯t understand what had happened as she was seated far away, Leticiel noted that the boy was making a delighted face which revealed the result. Leticiel kept watching attentively as the students¡¯ names got called one by one until the last student¡¯s measurement had concluded. Though to tell the truth, she didn¡¯t care about Christa and Rochefort¡¯s results, and chose to not pay attention during their measurement. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡ª, it looks like the average Magic Power Rating is between 50 and 60. Unexpectedly, there were five people here with Ratings over 100 this yea¡ªr. This is very promising.¡± There were four people, with Christa and Rochefort among them, standing side by side before the other students¡­ although Christa was the only girl among them. While the teacher praised the group as prodigies, their classmates started applauding to congratulate them with eyes full of envy and vexation. The teacher¡¯s delighted face and the classmates¡¯ envious eyes left Leticiel¡¯s mouth wide open. Unlike the other students, she wasn¡¯t envious of the group¡¯s Magic Power. But rather, Leticiel was puzzled as to why their classmates would be so envious of their high Magic Power. Magic Power consisted of something called Elements. There were a total of eight Elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Light, Dark, and Void. The first seven Elements were also referred to as the Elemental System. Void wasn¡¯t included as it had the broadest definition out of all the Elements, encompassing Systems such as the Body Strengthening System or the Space System. The Magecraft Leticiel used earlier to fix the carriage was also from the Void Element. Furthermore, Magic Power also had something called Magic Power Rating relating to the Elements. Just as its name implied, it was the basis of how strong a person¡¯s Magic Power was for an Element. For example, someone with a high Fire Element Rating would find it difficult to use Magecraft from the Fire Element. For Mages, these values are better the lower they are. Why are they that happy about having Magic Power Ratings over 100? It was no exaggeration to say that if any Elemental Rating was over 100, it would be impossible to use any Magecraft from that Element. With a Magic Power Rating that high, the resistance would be too great and Mana couldn¡¯t be absorbed at all. Leticiel was only able to agree with the teacher that it was unusual. It was truly unusual. People with extremely low Magic Power and people with extremely high Magic Power were both in the minority. Because of that, both prodigies and incompetents were rare. ¡°It was truly surprising. These two students have over 100 in the Fire, Water and Wind Elements¡­¡± Leticiel unconsciously pulled on her cheek as she couldn¡¯t find any words to describe the unfathomable scene unfolding before her. The teacher continued talking, leaving behind an absentminded Leticiel who was already beyond the point of being surprised. ¡°Moreover, Miss Christa has almost 300 in the extremely rare Light Element, while His Highness Rochefort has over 100 in every Element. Everyone should know this already, but it¡¯s difficult to use High Rank Magic if your average Magic Power Rating is below 100. Not to mention you need your Rating to be over 300 to be able to use Superior Rank Magic on your own. I¡¯ve never seen Magicians in the making with this much potential before¡­!¡± Christa¡¯s and Rochefort¡¯s cases were certainly rare; however, it was in a bad way. Having Magic Power Rating over 100 in every Element meant that he couldn¡¯t use Magecraft in any Element. Rather than calling him a Mage in the making, it was more fitting to call him the enemy of the God of Magecraft. Even Leticiel had never seen anyone like this until now. In addition, the age Leticiel lived in was an age where Healing Magic¡­ in other words, the Light Element, was useful to all. That was why people with high Light Elemental Rating¡­ which meant they couldn¡¯t defend themselves, were rare. (¡­Don¡¯t tell me, ¡®Magic¡¯ and ¡®Magecraft¡¯ are different things¡­?) Leticiel arrived at that conclusion; it was the only way to explain the scene before her. If ¡®Magecraft¡¯ was widespread in this country, rather than being this delighted, they would be in despair as their life as a Mage had ended. In that case, what in the world is this ¡®Magic¡¯ technique they¡¯re learning? People with low Magic Power are looked down on while people with high Magic Power are praised. It¡¯s the complete opposite of ¡®Magecraft¡¯. What in the world is this ¡®Magic¡¯¡­ ¡°Oka¡ªy everyone, please spend the rest of the the class trying to use Magi¡ªc.¡± The teacher¡¯s usual slurred speech pulled Leticiel back to reality and she returned her gaze to the class in a fluster. Letting her mind wander whenever she didn¡¯t understand something was one of her bad habits. If she didn¡¯t understand something, then it was better to just simply study it, and the students practicing Magic were the perfect opportunity. A cheerful air enveloped the class as the students responded enthusiastically to the teacher¡¯s instructions. The teacher then distributed the stack of papers he was carrying. While staring at that scene, Leticiel suddenly stood up from the bench. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°¡­Miss Drossel? Is there anything I can help you with?¡± ¡°Can you give me one of those handouts too?¡± ¡°¡­Hah? Uh, what would a Magic Powerless like you do with a Formula?¡± Just like Leticiel thought, Sorcery¡­ or rather, the thing called Magic Formula in this country was written on that paper. ¡°Oh my. As a teacher, are you going to go as far as extinguishing a student¡¯s curiosity? What I would do with it would be for me to decide afterwards, right?¡± ¡°¡­Indeed. Here you go.¡± After receiving the handout from the teacher, Leticiel promptly returned to the bench. She unfolded it and traced her eyes across the letters and shapes written on it. ¡°¡­Ahh, it¡¯s the thing I saw earlier.¡± Written on the paper was a Basic Fire Formula. And of course, it was the one from the last class before Leticiel had corrected it, that shitty Formula. However, there was some text written below the Formula that caught her eyes. It read, ¡®O Magical Flame that flows through my body. Become a Hellfire that burns everything to nothingness. Converge at this hand and engulf my enemy.¡¯ ¡­What in the world is this embarrassing sentence¡­? ¡°Oka¡ªy, everyone please memorize this Basic Formula, then try using Magic by chanting the script written below i¡ªt.¡± The teacher began to explain the details to the students. Apparently, that embarrassing sentence was a chant for using Magic. The concept of chanting was more or less present in Magecraft. Due to the fact that the effects of Magecraft were controlled by the practitioner¡¯s imagination, people who were bad at visualizing would use chants to assist them in forming a mental image. Of course, their chants would not be as long and as embarrassing. While the exact chant would differ slightly from person to person, it would generally be something short and concise like ¡®O Flame, gather.¡¯ ¡°Then let¡¯s try using Magic now. Does anyone want to go first?¡± ¡°Here! I¡¯ll go first!¡± The person who raised his hand was Rochefort. After receiving the teacher¡¯s permission, he stepped forward and turned around to look at Christa, as if he wanted to show something cool to the girl he liked. Rochefort then stretched out his right hand forward and started to loudly chant while glancing at the piece of paper in his left hand. ¡°O Magical Flame that flows through my body! Become a Hellfire that burns everything to nothingness. Converge at this hand and engulf my enemy!!¡± ¡°¡­¡± A ball of fire appeared from Rochefort¡¯s hand after he finished the chant. The ball then flew straight toward the target standing before him and hit it dead-center. Poof! Leticiel wanted to praise herself for not falling onto the ground after hearing that weak and pathetic sound. When she looked at the target, she could only see that the center had been slightly charred. Leticiel could only stare in amazement at that pathetic level of power. Even a Basic Formula for Magecraft would have resulted in an explosion twice as powerful. ¡°Phew¡­¡± ¡°How magnificent, Your Highness! Without any training, you were able to hit the center, and with exceptional power, to add!¡± ¡°No, no, it wasn¡¯t that amazing!¡± Leticiel¡¯s confusion was further deepened when the teacher praised that level of Magic as ¡®exceptional¡¯, along with Rochefort¡¯s elated expression. From Leticiel¡¯s point of view, the attack was gaudy, yet the result was plain. Worst yet was its power; she couldn¡¯t fathom why it would be praiseworthy. Wait, he did hit the center of the target. Maybe his control was worth praising. The chant was more embarrassing than she thought. She didn¡¯t have as much of a problem when reading it; however, when she heard it with her own two ears, it was embarrassing to the point that she wanted to faint in agony. (What did my late husband call this kind of thing again¡­ oh right, ¡®chuunibyou¡¯.) While still agonizing over that point, Leticiel continued her analysis of ¡®Magic¡¯. It seemed that unlike ¡®Magecraft¡¯ which took in Mana from the environment, ¡®Magic¡¯ was a technique that used Magic Power within humans as the fuel to alter phenomenon. If Magic didn¡¯t rely on Mana, then having high Magic Power wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing at all. Or rather, having high Magic Power would mean that the amount of fuel they could use would be greater. It was no wonder that they would rejoice over that fact. However, from Leticiel¡¯s perspective, the poor efficiency of this technique still astonished her. Magic that relied on the Magic Power that was decided by birth, or Magecraft that used the endless supply of Mana in the atmosphere. It was clear as day which technique would be easier to use. However, that formula¡¯s Magic Power efficiency was rather poor. If they were limited to their own power, the formula should have been simplified even further to lower the consumption of Magic Power. And yet, this country¡¯s Magic Formulas had somehow become so convoluted. At the current level of consumption, highly-destructive Magic would just be a pipe dream. Leticiel had no idea how they would even apply Magic this weak for battle. ¡°Oka¡ªy, well then, who wants to go ne¡ªxt?¡± ¡°Here! I¡¯ll go!¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m next!¡± ¡°Wait a moment! Give me your turn!¡± And just like that, the students quickly took their turn. Naturally, each and every one of them boldly recited the embarrassing speech that chipped away at Leticiel¡¯s sanity, bit by bit. Back in the previous era, Leticiel and her husband had played around a few times by pretending to be chuunibyou. The scene before her was forcing Leticiel to recall her dark past, and she could only groan in anguish. On the surface, Leticiel was showing her usual expressionless face. However, inside her head, she could only wish for this class to quickly end. After an unknown amount of time had passed, the Practical Magic Studies class finally came to an end and her classmates stopped firing their magic. While staring somewhere beyond those classmates, a dry smile appeared on Leticiel¡¯s haggard face. After trying out the Basic Fire Formula, the rest of the class had been spent on trying out Magic from the other Elements. However, as each of the other Elements had an equally embarrassing chant, Leticiel¡¯s mind had simply ceased to function halfway through the class. Sitting alone at the corner of the training field was the Ice Demon with a refreshing smile on her face, as if she had achieved enlightenment. Witnessing this scene caused the class to whisper to each other that she had gone insane. In reality, they weren¡¯t far off the mark in some ways. ¡°U-uum¡­ Drossel¡­? Are you okay?¡± As the students left the Magic Training Field one by one, only Mirandalette was worried about Leticiel. With her head still in the clouds, Leticiel suddenly thought about becoming friends with Mirandalette, even though she had no interest in other people since her transmigration. ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m fine. But, it¡¯s really strange. Even though I couldn¡¯t use Magic Power at all, why am I feeling this worn out¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ really strange, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± ¡°Say, Mirandalette. Don¡¯t you feel embarrassed having to chant those kinds of phrases when you use Magic?¡± ¡°The chants? Well, it¡¯s embarrassing, but¡­ No, it¡¯s really embarrassing, but¡­! You can¡¯t use Magic without chanting them, so I can only try my best to endure it¡­¡± ¡±Right¡­ I don¡¯t really get it but, my condolences?¡± ¡°Why did you just arbitrarily kill me off? Leticiel¡¯s eyes unconsciously wandered as Mirandalette was staring at her reproachfully. It seemed that even if Leticiel¡¯s emotions didn¡¯t show on her face, they would come out through her eyes instead. ¡°¡­What¡¯s the next class?¡± ¡°Next class is¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you! The silver-haired girl over there!!¡± While Mirandalette was still speaking, a voice appeared from somewhere. Leticiel had no idea who that person was calling, but she was sure that she had nothing to do with it. ¡°It¡¯s you, yes you! Please don¡¯t ignore me! Miss Drossel!¡± Leticiel came to a stop when she heard her name. It seemed the voice was calling for her. When she looked in the direction of the voice, there were two men running toward Leticiel. One of them was the short and plump middle-aged teacher with a shiny head¡­ or rather, it was the first period History teacher, and the other person was the second period Magic Formula teacher. ¡°Good afternoon. What do you¡­¡± ¡°You! The Duke¡¯s daughter, Drossel Noa Filiaregis! Please come with us for a moment!!¡± The plump out-of-breath teacher grabbed Leticiel¡¯s arm and began to run with dreadful vigor. It seemed that she had no say in the matter. Mirandalette, who was left behind, stood dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events. The students in the hallway were taken aback at the sight of the two teachers passing by with the Ice Demon in tow. Thinking that she was to finally receive the educational guidance she deserved, the students once again came to their own conclusions and sneered at her. As for Leticiel, she was forcefully dragged through the school by the two teachers until they stood before a single door. There was a plate hanging on the door, which had the words ¡®Large Conference Room¡¯ written on it. Leticiel had a passing thought that if there was a large conference room, then there would also be a small conference room as well. ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­W-we, we¡¯re here¡­!¡± ¡°Indeed we are. I don¡¯t think you had to be in such a hurry though.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ thinking like that, right now¡­! Why are you putting on such a nonchalant air!!¡± ¡°¡­Difference in experience?¡± ¡°Difference in experience between a sheltered, 16-year-old noble daughter and a man in his thirties!?¡± The plump teacher shouted with his head in his hands. The Magic Formula teacher was also looking at Leticiel with mixed feelings. While they were running, Leticiel suspected that she didn¡¯t have the stamina for it and secretly invoked a Body Strengthening Magecraft. That was why even though she had been led by the two teachers who were running with all they had, she was neither tired nor out of breath. Back in that age of war, stories about a ten-year-old girl being stronger than an old man in his forties was a normal thing. Leticiel had no idea why he would be that surprised. ¡°Anyway, are we going to go inside? Um¡­ Mister Sparkly.¡± ¡°Who are you calling Mister Sparkly! It¡¯s Valtorana. Mister Valtorana!!¡± The plump middle-aged teacher yelled at the top of his lungs. Leticiel didn¡¯t know the teacher¡¯s name, so she just said what was on her mind, but it seemed to have angered him. While Leticiel was at a loss as to what face she should be making, Valtorana opened the door and entered with a crestfallen and disheartened look, as if he had suppressed his anger. ¡°¡­Could you tell me your name too?¡± Leticiel asked the remaining Formula Studies teacher. ¡°¡­Miss Drossel, you don¡¯t remember it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­ My name is Raven.¡± ¡°I got it, Mister Raven.¡± Going through the opened door by Sparkly¡­ or rather, Valtorana, Leticiel entered the Large Conference Room. A large amount of people were gathered inside the conference room. Male and female, young and old, it was a diverse group of people. Perhaps they were all teachers of this academy. ¡°¡­Finally.¡± The man sitting on the innermost seat calmly opened his mouth. He had dark golden hair and deep blue eyes overflowing with vitality. His rugged face and firm muscles gave the appearance of an athletic person. ¡°¡­Um, you¡¯re the person from this morning.¡± That man was certainly the person who Leticiel asked about where she should go this morning. Those frank words unintentionally escaped her mouth. ¡°Oh¡­ You¡¯re talking like that to me, the head of Lucrezia Academy.¡± ¡°Oh my, I wasn¡¯t aware of that. My apologies.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we meet during the entrance ceremony? Are you saying you¡¯ve already forgotten?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I probably forgot about it right away since I had no interest in it.¡± Leticiel¡¯s aloof manner caused laughter to burst out within the conference room. Unlike the laughter from the other students that was filled with scorn, this one was a gentle laugh filled with relief. ¡°Kukuku¡­ Your behavior is different, but it¡¯s still the usual my-way-or-the-highway attitude.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± ¡°That was not a compliment¡­ Well, fine. I¡¯m Lucas Do Horacio. Remember it this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± While all the teachers were quietly keeping an eye on her, Leticiel responded to the Dean¡­ Lucas¡¯ words appropriately. Although she had no interest in the Dean and the other teachers, she was interested in why she had been called here. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s move on to the reason you were called here.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°You, it seems that you rewrote a Magic Formula during class. In that case, can you rewrite this Formula for me?¡± After saying that, Lucas presented a small-scoped, yet complicated Formula with a large expression. However, even if the scope had been increased, that complex Magic Formula would not change due to the fundamentals of the expression¡¯s calculation methods. Leticiel then received a quill pen from a teacher, and slashed through the Formula without any hesitation as if she was wielding a hatchet. Leticiel simplified the expression while reducing the number of polynomials, ignoring the teachers who were not able to keep up. In the blink of an eye, she had finished rewriting the Formula.¡± ¡°¡­This is¡­¡± Even Lucas was amazed by the Formula that only took Leticiel a moment to rewrite. He carefully went through through it once before raising his head to stare at Leticel once again. ¡°The Formula you just saw was a standard Magic Formula in this kingdom. What are your thoughts on it?¡± ¡°¡­Hah?¡± Leticiel, who had been slightly on guard while anticipating what Lucas would say, was so taken by surprise that she ended up with a foolish reply. ¡°It¡¯s fine for you to be frank. Unrelated people have been dismissed.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Leticiel blinked. She couldn¡¯t understand why the Dean and the teachers would want to hear her opinion, but she felt that it might be a good opportunity. While Magecraft and Magic were different fundamentally, the Formula they used were the same. If they said it was fine, then there was no reason to hold back. And she could just push all the responsibilities on the academy afterwards. Leticiel made a gentle smile. It was finally her chance to correct their faulty knowledge. Lucas and the teachers waited intently for Drossel¡¯s answer. Compared to the old Basic Formula, the one rewritten by Drossel had superior Magic Power consumption and conversion efficiency, while lessening load on the processing circuit. These Magic Formulas had been perfected since the founding of the Platina Kingdom and hadn¡¯t been modified once until now. Those very Formulas were easily rewritten by Drossel, who was supposed to be a poor student. She had been given up on by her family, ignored by her surroundings, hated and shunned by everyone. The faculty was at a loss for words on how such a girl could have obtained that unknown knowledge. As people who taught others, there was no way they wouldn¡¯t be interested in that reason. However, they would come to regret their curiosity before long. ¡°What I want to say, right¡­? Fufufufu¡­ I can go on and on about that¡­ thing.¡± A freezing wind silently whirled through the conference room. The faces of everyone in the room turned pale as an ominous chill crawled up their backs. However, as only Leticiel knew of Magecraft¡¯s existence, nobody realized she was the cause of that phenomenon. Leticiel was angry. However, even though she was angry about the extremely inefficient Magic Formula, unlike what had happened during second period, her anger didn¡¯t erupt indiscriminately. Although she was properly controlling her emotions by suppressing her anger, she invoked her Magecraft to restrain the surroundings. Leticiel had no intention of letting anyone escape from the conference room. ¡°I can start, right? First things first, this kingdom¡­ well, it¡¯s probably the entire world, but I¡¯ll talk in terms of country first. This kingdom¡¯s Magic Formulas are a complete and utter joke. First, their appearance isn¡¯t beautiful at all. What¡¯s with those pointless mess of words and numbers? The point is not to make them complicated. The most important thing is the content of the formula. It¡¯s important to keep it as short as possible by only including the essential pieces. And then, Magic Power¡­? The conversion efficiency is the absolute worst. I was baffled time and time again that nobody questioned why the Formulas were so inefficient. In the first place¡­ (Omitted) ¡­To sum it up, you said this kingdom¡¯s Sorcery¡­ no, Magic Formulas right? In any case, they¡¯re a blasphemy against Formulas themselves. Do you understand it now? Well then¡­ that¡¯s all I have to say, but¡­ Oh my? What happened, everyone?¡± Leticiel, feeling refreshed after getting everything off her chest, looked around her. She was standing before the conference room¡¯s blackboard as she had decided to incorporate some demonstrations during her explanation. Reflected in Leticiel¡¯s eyes was the aftermath of the chilling wind; those who had fainted, those whose eyes had lost focus, and those whose souls had left their bodies collapsed on their desks.Perhaps her Phenomenon Interference power had run amok again during her explanation. (As I thought, it¡¯s hard to control a Magic Powerless¡¯ body¡­) Amidst the disastrous state of the conference room that was comparable to the term ¡®scene of carnage¡¯, an indifferent Leticiel was thinking about something else entirely. Aboard the sinking ship of teachers, only Lucas had been able to stay fully conscious. He was deep in thought with his chin rested on his hand. Looking at Leticiel with intense curiosity, he opened his mouth. ¡°¡­Hey, do you want to do Formulas research in a laboratory? I don¡¯t mind even if you do it as a club.¡± It seemed that even though she had spoken at length on the topic of ¡®What makes a Magic (Sorcery) Formula¡¯ until just now, her points hadn¡¯t reach him at all. And because of that, he tried to forcefully change the topic. Incidentally, she didn¡¯t talk about Magecraft. To be more precise, she didn¡¯t have any spare time to talk about it. Leticiel had devoted herself in researching Formulas, furthermore, she had perfected them. When a research maniac who could talk about Formulas for an entire day was asked to talk about them, it was impossible for them to do something skillfully like weaving in another issue. ¡°¡­Um, were you listening to what I was saying? If you want, I could repeat it¡­¡± ¡°Wait. Wait wait wait, I¡¯m not telling you to repeat it, I¡¯ve heard more than enough! I¡¯m saying this because I heard what you said!¡± The sight of Leticiel ready to start talking again was enough for Lucas forcefully stop her without bothering to hide his impatience. As she was cut off, Leticiel backed down with a vexed face. ¡°I understand your points for the most part, but they¡¯re still views and theories that we¡¯ve never even heard of before. Accepting them through your explanations alone would be impossible. That¡¯s why we must first do research and verify these claims.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± ¡°No matter how many times you say it, we won¡¯t be able to understand your views. After all, it¡¯s impossible to believe what you¡¯ve come up with on your own. But I¡¯m interested in what you said. So I¡¯m asking for your cooperation in this matter.¡± ¡°Cooperation¡­¡± In short, Lucas was saying that he was interested in what Leticiel said and wanted her to research it in detail. When Leticiel thought about it, since her awakening as Drossel, she hadn¡¯t been able to immerse herself in her past life¡¯s hobby of researching Magecraft. If the academy would be willing to provide her the funding and equipment, then it would be a considerably tempting offer. However, before giving Lucas her answer, there was something Leticiel had to ask him. ¡°Can I ask you a question first?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What is a laboratory¡­? And what is a club¡­?¡± Of course, Leticiel knew what the words laboratory and club meant. However, she didn¡¯t know what they would entail at Lucrezia Academy. Lucas, with his mouth opened wide, silently exchanged a mute stare with Leticiel. As this was already her third experience with this awkward silence today, she paid it no heed. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll ask this just in case, but you really are a student of Lucrezia Academy, right?¡± ¡°Yes, it would seem so.¡± ¡°¡­Both laboratory and club were also explained during orientation, did you pay any attention?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really remember.¡± ¡°¡­It was explained just over a week ago, you know? Or rather, why didn¡¯t you remember it?¡± ¡°Right¡­ Maybe because I had no interest in it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only been talking in vague terms like that since earlier. ¡° After all, it was not Leticiel who had attended the orientation. Of course, Leticiel didn¡¯t voice it out loud, but instead simply tilted her head, as if to ask him, ¡®What are you grumbling about?¡¯. Lucas massaged his temples. The sight of the girl practicing the saying of ¡®if nothing goes right, go left¡¯ made him realize that he had delved into something bothersome. After that, Lucas taught Leticiel about the academy¡¯s laboratory and club system. Every teacher belonging to the academy had their own laboratory to serve as their research facility as well as their private space. Teachers would put something like a sign outside their laboratory to indicate their research objective and they would often be found in their own laboratory when not in class. As they could learn things not included in textbooks at a laboratory that matched their interests, it was not unusual for students who wanted to obtain more advanced knowledge and information to join a teacher¡¯s laboratory. Incidentally, Lucas¡¯s laboratory¡¯s topic was ¡®Independent Research¡¯. While it seemed like a sloppy topic at first, it was meant to urge students to study on their own and satisfy their own curiosity. As for clubs, each of them were an organization formed by a group of students with the same goal. A club¡¯s purpose was to help each other improve while aiming for that goal. In addition, unlike laboratories, there weren¡¯t many clubs at the moment. As this Lucrezia Academy was full of nobles, many of the students would leave for parlors or tea parties and evening parties after school. ¡°¡­Even if you said that, you¡¯ve been acting really strange, you know? Did you eat something weird? Or did you hit your head or something?¡± ¡°I just forgot for some reason.¡± ¡°Hah? Even if you¡­¡± ¡°I just forgot for some reason.¡± ¡°No, like I was saying¡­¡± ¡°I just forgot for some reason.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible for¡­¡± ¡°I, just, forgot, for, some, reason. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Alright. You just forgot it for some reason.¡± In the end, Leticiel interfered with the Mana in the room for a little bit and caused a blizzard to form around only Lucas. When she pressured him with a wide smile, Lucas immediately swung his neck downward. She had already said that she had forgotten for some reason, she didn¡¯t want him to delve too deeply into it. (Just now, it seems like I¡¯m just answering all his questions with ¡®I just forgot for some reason¡¯, doesn¡¯t it¡­) Oblivious to the fact that she had been using the same excuse for everything so far, Leticiel once again employed the same tactic. She then started to put together her answer to Lucas¡¯s offer. ¡±Dean, I have a question about joining a laboratory. Will the academy provide all the research funds and equipment?¡± ¡°Ah, naturally. If it¡¯s just that, then there won¡¯t be any problems. I¡¯m in charge of handling budgets and facilities after all.¡± ¡°I got it. If it¡¯s under those conditions, then I¡¯ll accept the offer.¡± ¡°Very well. Then I¡¯ll make the arrangements for the laboratory, so wait a bit.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Hearing Leticiel¡¯s answer, Lucas nodded. ¡°Also, I would like to put the club on hold for now. I don¡¯t have any friends I can invite at the moment.¡± ¡°Got it. You can do whatever you want. If you want, you could just make one. If you don¡¯t, that¡¯s fine as well.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do so.¡± At that moment, the sound of a bell could be heard from outside the room. Puzzled, Leticiel turned her head towards the entrance of the conference room and looked up at the clock. ¡°¡­Eh?¡± The clock hanging on the wall was pointing at exactly one o¡¯clock. Leticiel blinked repeatedly as she looked back in her memory. Lucrezia Academy¡¯s first period started at nine in the morning. A class was fifty minutes long, and there were ten minute breaks in between classes. There were three classes in the morning which ended ten minutes before noon. Between noon and one o¡¯clock was lunch break and fourth period would start afterwards. Leticiel had run to this room at the end of the third period, or in other words, ten minutes before noon. Even discounting the time taken to reach the conference room, Leticiel had been talking for an hour straight. (Oh my¡­ I had too much fun.) Although nobody would be able to understand why she thought that frozen hell was ¡®fun¡¯, there was no one in her mind to retort . ¡°¡­It looks like fourth period has started.¡± ¡°That seems to be the case. You would be late regardless if you go to class now, so let¡¯s just go to the cafeteria. I¡¯m hungry.¡± After saying that, Lucas stood up from his seat and quickly headed out of the conference room. Leticiel was confused for a moment, but quickly followed after. It was then that Leticiel noticed that she hadn¡¯t had lunch either. Having been made aware of that fact, her stomach suddenly made a rumbling noise. Lucas, who was walking ahead of her, turned his head to look back at her with one eye. His eyes seemed to be smirking. ¡°Oh¡­? That was quite an admirable sound. So even the Ice Demon can act like a human.¡± ¡°Oh my, even the Ice Demon is still a human inside. Getting hungry is simply natural.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°In that case Dean, with a muscular body like that, you must sound like the beats of a large drum when you¡¯re hungry.¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re really not cute at all.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re looking for someone cute, then please find someone else. I¡¯ve already left the thing called friendliness behind in my previous life.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re talking about yourself, you know¡­¡± While they were exchanging that sort of empty conversation, she earnestly crammed the locations of school facilities as well as the routes into her head. This was Leticiel¡¯s goal for going to the cafeteria with Lucas. Meanwhile in the Large Conference Room¡­ ¡°¡­O-ooow¡­ My head, hurts¡­ What just happened¡­¡± ¡°Aargh¡­ I¡¯m covered in sweat. What was that blizzard? Where did it come from?¡± ¡°A supernatural phenomenon? None of us used Magic, right?¡± ¡°Is it possible that¡­ Miss Drossel is the cause of this?¡± ¡°¡­If I¡¯m not mistaken, I heard Miss Drossel caused something to happen during second period as well.¡± ¡°¡­But she¡¯s a Magic Powerless, you know? If you think about it logically¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be impossible?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a point¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, my legs are trembling¡­¡± ¡°¡­Wait, everyone¡­! This is not the time to take it easy! Fourth period has already started!!¡± ¡°¡±¡±¡±Whaaaat!?¡±¡±¡±¡± The teachers¡¯ screams resounded. * * * The first day at the academy since her transmigration had ended somewhat peacefully. When the last class ended, Leticiel hurriedly packed everything back into her bag and joined the stream of students leaving the classroom. When she reached the entrance dyed by the color of the evening sun, Leticiel was greeted with the sight of many carriages lined up next to each other. Among the carriages that were to take their noble masters home, there was one that stood out conspicuously with its family crest and gaudy exterior. It was the carriage of the Filiaregis Duke household. She boarded the same carriage she had taken this morning and returned to the Duke¡¯s residence. Leticiel paid no heed to Christa, who had returned at the same time, as she headed straight for her room and dove into bed. The fact that she had been thrown into an entirely unknown new world right after her death had mentally exhausted Leticiel beyond her wildest dreams. She rolled around on the soft and fluffy bed. ¡°Welcome back, my lady¡­ Are you feeling alright?¡± Ruvik, who had just entered the room, was greeted by the sight of his master lazing around and raised a worried voice. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just feeling a little tired.¡± After replying to Ruvik, Leticiel reflected on the events that had happened today. Although she had learned many things about this world all day, it was merely a drop in the ocean. The state of affairs outside of the kingdom, the current political system, there were still many things Leticiel wanted to learn about. ¡°Hey, Ruvik. Besides reading books, what¡¯s the quickest way to obtain information about the kingdom?¡± Without knowing why herself, Leticiel asked Ruvik that question. Of course she would be able to obtain information from reading books; however, the information recorded in books wouldn¡¯t tell her much about the current state of society. ¡°Huh? Um, right¡­ In that case, you can just read the newspaper, right?¡± ¡°¡­Newspaper?¡± The unknown word made Leticiel tilt her head. Ruvik maintained an unconcerned face and continued on, as if overlooking why she didn¡¯t know what newspapers were. ¡°Y-yes¡­ Newspapers inform you about events as well as special sales for the day. They¡¯re a valuable source of information for lower-class people like us. However, the newspapers for nobles and the newspapers for the masses are two completely different things.¡± ¡°Oh my, I have no interest in nobles¡¯ newspapers. Ruvik¡­? Do you read the newspapers as well?¡± ¡°Yes. To tell the truth, reading up on the current events from the newspaper delivered every morning is a simple hobby of mine¡­¡± While saying that, Ruvik seemed to be embarrassed and scratched his head while smiling. It appeared that the fact that the masses had little entertainment didn¡¯t change, even in a thousand years. ¡°I see. In that case, could you bring that newspaper thing to me tomorrow? I¡¯m very interested in it.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ I understand. If you don¡¯t mind it being my copy, I¡¯ll bring it tomorrow.¡± Even after all that had happened, Ruvik still listened to Leticiel and earnestly offered his thoughts. Although Ruvik was the first person to have gotten involved with her following her transmigration, without any of Drossel¡¯s memories, Leticiel wasn¡¯t confident enough to be frank about her situation. ¡°Also¡­ How about trying to talk to the townspeople? I have to live at this residence as part of my job so I couldn¡¯t tell you anything regarding this matter¡­¡± But looking at the figure of Ruvik, who was contemplating Leticiel¡¯s question as if it was his own, Leticiel thought just for a moment that he might be someone worth trusting. ¡°I see. But I shouldn¡¯t be outside at this time of the day.¡± By the time Leticiel had returned home, the sky was completely dyed a scarlet hue. She had no intention to do something as reckless as going to the town just before nightfall. ¡°Say, Ruvik. Do you happen to know anyone who¡¯s well-informed about the state of the town?¡± ¡°Let me see¡­ I do have a friend who commutes from the town, and if it¡¯s around this time then he hasn¡¯t gone home yet¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to hear. Where might your friend be right now?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ My lady, you want to meet him right now¡­?¡± ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s fine, right? If your friend has yet to go home, then he should be somewhere around the residence, shouldn¡¯t he?¡± After deciding that, Leticiel promptly left the room with Ruvik in tow. She heard from Ruvik that his friend worked as the residence¡¯s head gardener, and that he¡¯d be conducting the final check on the plants in the garden around this time. ¡°¡­Ah. My lady, there he is.¡± When they got to the garden, Ruvik raised his voice. His eyes were pointed to the back of a rough-looking muscular man squatting before the flower bed. ¡°Cloud!¡± Hearing Ruvik¡¯s voice, the man called Cloud stopped moving his pruning shears and turned around. After locating Ruvik¡¯s figure, the man was about to raise his hand, but caught himself when he noticed Leticiel standing behind Ruvik, and immediately stood up while putting his hand down. ¡°O-oh! Lady Drossel, it¡¯s rare to see you at such a place, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°Cloud, my lady is interested in the current state of the town, so she wants to hear about it from you. ¡°Huh? F-from me¡­?¡± Cloud¡¯s eyes opened wide, having heard a request he would never have expected to come from a Duke¡¯s daughter. ¡°Yes. I wanted to go there myself, but it¡¯s already this late.¡± ¡°I see, so that¡¯s the reason¡­ However, I can only tell you about the area where I live.¡± ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s more than enough.¡± In the orange-dyed garden, Leticiel and Ruvik had a lively conversation with Cloud. Both Ruvik and Cloud held no prejudice towards Leticiel at all. Without being patronizing, they seriously answered any question she had, no matter how trivial they were, to satisfy her curiosity. As she spoke with the two servants who didn¡¯t shun her like the others of this residence in a completely unknown world, Leticiel felt it was the first time she had a peace of mind. Volume 1 - CH 3 Chapter 3: Encounters on Campus On the next day, Leticiel opened her eyes to find that everything had been a dream¡­ not. She welcomed the morning of her second day as Drossel. Just like yesterday, the maids helped Leticiel get ready. Although they proceeded with a blank expression, upon closer inspection, their eyes were filled with a slight tint of displeasure. Since she could do something as trivial as dressing up by herself, Leticiel told Ruvik that she wouldn¡¯t need the maids from tomorrow. While he was a bit surprised, Ruvik acknowledged his master¡¯s wishes with a smile. She also asked for breakfast to be brought to her room. Leticiel considered going to the dining hall, but decided that she wanted to reflect on yesterday¡¯s events alone. While stuffing her cheeks with the so-called ¡®croissant¡¯, Leticiel opened up the history book on her bedside table. It was one of the books that she had asked Ruvik to get her from the library. Besides the history book, there were also books about the world¡¯s geography and the continent¡¯s economy. By eliminating things like the time needed to walk to the dining hall, her free time in the morning had increased. But as a result, Leticiel became so engrossed in reading that in the end Ruvik had to forcefully send her off to the academy. The sight of a noble daughter refusing to look away from her book, being slowly dragged away by her butler must have been a very strange one. It was a natural reaction for the servants passing by, but even the Duke and the Duchess were flabbergasted when they caught sight of it. Without paying a speck of attention to anyone in the Duke household, Leticiel consolidated the information from the previous and current era as her eyes ran across the atlas. As one would expect, there wasn¡¯t a single country that Leticiel knew of on the world map after over a thousand years had passed. However, she continued and used the names of various places to drill an up-to-date summary of the continent into her head. The sound of the carriage door being opened snapped Leticiel back into reality. She raised her head to find the coachman looking at her. As soon as she descended the carriage, Leticiel once again opened the atlas and continued reading. While it may have seemed dangerous to walk while reading, she already had Magecraft prepared. She had invoked a surrounding detection Magecraft. By doing so, she was able to grasp the positions of things and people around her so that she would not stumble or bump into them while reading. Furthermore, it was a Magecraft of the Void Element, which was invisible to others, so the chance of anyone noticing it was low. (¡­Like I thought, just one volume isn¡¯t enough.) Leticiel had only brought this one atlas with her, and being the avid reader that she was, she had gone through it in the blink of an eye. (¡­I could just read the textbook, but¡­) For someone like Leticiel who wanted to be fully immersed while reading, she wasn¡¯t too keen on getting called on in class like yesterday. While thinking about what she should do, her eyes wandered to the school map near the entrance, where two words in one of its corners caught her attention. ¡®Great Library¡¯. From its name, Leticiel guessed that it was some room to archive books. In her previous life, there were small rooms dedicated to archiving documents and books, so she reasoned that this must have been something similar. The library was in an annex next to the main school building. Curious, Leticiel decided to head to the Great Library, knowing there wasn¡¯t much she¡¯d be missing out on if she skipped class anyway. After thorough inspection of the map, Leticiel left for the Great Library. Luckily, the route was straightforward and she arrived in front of the door without getting lost. The library was exuded an air of silence. It was a two-storied room with an atrium in the center. There were tables and chairs for reading placed around the first floor. There were even some placed near the windows. All the remaining space was occupied by bookshelves that touched the ceiling. In the age where Leticiel lived, there hadn¡¯t been many books in circulation. During that age of chaos, it was common sense not to record information in books due to the risk of them falling into the hands of an enemy nation. Not to mention, paper was a valuable resource in the first place. On top of that, as memorization ability could help with Magecraft to a certain extent, the people in that age were quite smart in general and didn¡¯t find much use for books. Due to those circumstances, possession of books was limited to the royal family and the richest of the rich. Due to her status, Leticiel had been able to enjoy reading from a young age and it had turned into a hobby of hers. Leticiel was uncharacteristically standing in a daze as a result of the overwhelming spectacle of the Great Library before her. Compared to this, the archives of her era were like that of a child¡¯s room. It was something beyond the wildest imagination of anyone from that era. Taking in the unfamiliar smell of old books, Leticiel restlessly glanced around, just like a child. Even though she had yet to go to the library in her own residence, she thought it would give off the same atmosphere. There was a tall and long counter set up near the entrance, and behind that counter was a cute and small gentleman with a pure-white moustache nodding off. ¡°Good morning. Excuse me, but I would like to ask you something.¡± Leticiel raised her voice towards the sleeping old gentleman. She had come to the library to look for books, but thought it would be more efficient to ask a professional for help than to look around on her own. ¡°¡­Hyahh?¡± Leticiel¡¯s call startled the old gentleman awake with a jump. He blinked repeatedly with his eyes hidden by his pure-white bedhead. ¡°Ohh¡­! An unusual visitor! What can I do for you?¡± As Leticiel had prepared to be treated coldly like everyone else, the sight of a cheerful and smiling old gentleman betrayed her expectations. Meeting a friendly person should have been a good thing, but she couldn¡¯t get over it. Incidentally, his name was David. ¡°Mister David, could you show me where the books about world geography are?¡± ¡°Hohoho, world geography, right? Give me a moment.¡± While his moustache was swinging about, David reached for a giant book under the counter and placed it onto the table. He then flipped through the pages at a quick pace. Perhaps that bulky book that seemed to be over 10 centimeters thick contained a list of every book in this library. Although the amount of pages was staggering, as one would expect of the skill (Leticiel¡¯s assumption) of the Great Library¡¯s librarian, he was going through them like it was nothing. ¡°Hmmm, if you want those books, then you would find them on the bookshelf behind the stairs on the first floor¡± It took David just one minute to answer Leticiel¡¯s question. It was a speed that would make people applaud out of sheer amazement. Leticiel then thanked David and walked toward the bookshelf he had indicated. Naturally, the reason Leticiel inquired for books about world geography was because she had just been reading an atlas earlier. Her head was currently filled with geography and it would be more effective for her to take advantage of that momentum and learn more about the subject. (¡­!) Furthermore, by the time she had found her desired books, Leticiel eyes were sparkling from another new discovery. Back in the previous age, every book had been transcribed by hand. However, she noticed that each and every book in this Great Library was written with a similar font. (Magecraft to create transcriptions like this was still under development¡­! Perhaps Magic for this purpose has already been developed?) Leticiel picked out three books that looked easy to read and headed to the reading corner. After taking out the atlas from her bag, she then invoked a Magecraft to strengthen memorization ability. After finishing her preparations, Leticiel lightly slapped her cheeks and opened the first book. With her concentration at full throttle, she tore through the books at a fearsome speed. * * * Leticiel was summoned back to reality with the loud sound that resounded throughout the library. Having just finished the book in her hands, Leticiel shut the book and looked up at the clock. According to the clock¡¯s hands, that chime marked the end of the second period. Once again, one hour, or rather, two hours had passed before she had even realized. ¡°¡­Hyah? Are you going now, Drossel-sama?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll come again.¡± ¡°Hoho, please feel free to come at any time.¡± Leticiel left the library, sent off by the shaking, white fluffy hairball of a librarian. She thought about showing up for third period, but remembered that her appearance wouldn¡¯t be welcomed anyway. There wasn¡¯t any place she wanted to go in the first place, so Leticiel decided to just familiarize herself with the school grounds by exploring it for the time being. Besides the cafeteria, her classroom, the Magic Training Field, and the Great Library, she didn¡¯t know much of the academy¡¯s facilities. Knowing only those places would negatively affect her academy life, so she decided that checking the locations of facilities beforehand would be the best use of her time. Leticiel¡¯s first course of action was to walk around the annex. She only learned afterwards that the annex was filled with the teachers¡¯ private offices. They used these rooms to prepare for class as well as grading assignments and processing documents. As class was currently in session, there was no one in the annex. While tracing her steps back to the main building, Leticiel¡¯s feet came to a halt at the corner formed by the paths leading to the main building and the annex. A large clock tower stood at the intersection and at the very bottom, there was a rectangular opening of human height. While it was just an open door, there was a strange noise emanating from within it. While wondering about what was in it, Leticiel approached and peered inside. Within the room were lumps of unknown objects and metal. They were lined up for some reason, and Leticiel didn¡¯t have the slightest idea of their purpose. Although the room was equipped with lighting and windows, the interior was dominated by the colors black and gray, which gave off a sense of foreboding. On the gray floor were many sheets of white paper scattered about that caught Leticiel¡¯s attention. Those bizarre sheets of paper were being filled with some kind of small letters and numbers; indeed, they were being filled. The source of the sea of papers was the figure of a black-haired boy with his back to Leticiel. His body was covered in soot while he was tinkering with something before him. His jet-black hair had completely blended in with the gloomy atmosphere; however, his white hands stood out among the sheets of paper. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Hm?¡± As if he had felt her presence, the boy¡¯s hands suddenly stopped and he turned around. Leticiel¡¯s figure was reflected in his dark purple left eye and his deep green right eye. ¡°Eh¡­ Ah! My apologies! I didn¡¯t think that someone would be inside¡­!¡± The boy¡¯s eyes were opened wide for an instant. He then, in a fluster, used the towel that was on his lap to wipe his face. However, Leticiel didn¡¯t mind the boy¡¯s dirty appearance. Or rather, it wasn¡¯t that bad in the first place. When their gazes met, Leticiel had already taken a good look at the boy¡¯s face. Two deeply-colored heterochromatic eyes, beautiful glossy hair, and a breathtakingly handsome face. Leticiel was sure that this was her first time meeting this boy. And yet, she found traces of a certain person on his face. ¡°¡­Nao.¡± With a faint voice, Leticiel squeezed the word from her throat. It was the name of her beloved partner, the person who gave up his life to protect her. The boy before her resembled her husband to the point that Leticiel had a flashback. Nao¡¯s final moments raced through her mind. Even though he couldn¡¯t use Magecraft, he used his body to shield Leticiel from the enemy¡¯s poisoned arrow and lost his life. And for just an instant, Nao¡¯s bloodied face overlapped with that of the boy before her. A sharp pang shot through Leticiel¡¯s temple, causing her to grasp her forehead. She then began to recall countless memories of Nao. When they first met, when they had a date in the town, when they exchanged their feelings for each other, when they got married, when they sought each other¡¯s warmth for the first time, when they acted rashly and angered the king, and when he smiled at her for the last time. Those memories were like bubbles on the surface of water, even the slightest attempt to touch them would cause them to pop without a trace. ¡°Uh, um¡­ what¡¯s wrong? Is there something on my face?¡± As Leticiel was wordlessly staring at him, the puzzled boy called out to her. However, she didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Huh¡­? A-are you okay!? Um, you can use this¡­ if you want?¡± The black-haired boy suddenly panicked and rummaged through his pockets. He took out a handkerchief and held it out toward Leticiel for some reason. ¡°Eh, uh¡­ your cheeks¡­¡± The boy mumbled as Leticiel gazed at the handkerchief. What did he mean by my cheeks? Leticiel touched her cheeks to find that they were wet. (¡­I, was crying¡­?£© After being surprised for a brief moment, Leticiel looked at the worried black-haired boy and quickly used her fingers to wipe away her tears. ¡°¡­N¡­no, it¡¯s nothing at all. Something just got in my eyes.¡± Leticiel immediately came up with an excuse. She thought that the boy would be suspicious but it seemed that he accepted it. ¡°Ahh¡­ I¡¯m sorry. This room is something you could say is a work in progress, so it¡¯s dusty.¡± ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m fine. I was the one who made you worry¡­¡± Looking at him again after calming down, she realized that while the boy greatly resembled Nao, he was also different in many aspects. For example, he lacked the mole near his left eye and the monolid eyes that Nao had. Little by little, Leticiel was able to mentally divorce the boy before her from her image of Nao. ¡°Um¡­ By the way, you are¡­¡± Leticiel nonchalantly stepped backwards as she asked that question. Even after her realization, she was unable to stay calm near him. The boy made a blank face for a few moments before remembering that he hadn¡¯t introduced himself. ¡°Ah¡­! I¡¯m sorry, I haven¡¯t named myself, right? I¡¯m Sieg Viollis. And you are¡­?¡± ¡°My name is Drossel Noa Filiaregis.¡± Upon hearing Leticiel¡¯s name, the boy called Sieg opened his eyes wide as if it was the last thing he expected to hear. ¡°So you¡¯re Drossel¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve heard of me?¡± ¡°Rumors about you have spread all around this academy, so I¡¯ve known of your name for a while now. But why are you here?¡± Sieg asked this with an amazed expression. Perhaps it was natural to be surprised when you were visited by a Duke¡¯s daughter, of all people. ¡°I was on my way back from the Great Library. You too, what are you doing here instead of going to class?¡± ¡°Oh, I was fiddling with the machinery in this room. I usually spend most of my time in the laboratory, but it¡¯s been a while so I wanted to fiddle with machines today.¡± From what he said, it seemed that Sieg didn¡¯t show up to class at all. ¡°¡­Do you¡­ like machinery?¡± ¡°Yes. As machines are things that operate based on the designed mechanisms, I enjoy learning about their inner workings.¡± While he was talking, Sieg¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle like a child. Leticiel was somehow reminded of herself when talking about Magecraft. (¡­Just earlier I thought he didn¡¯t resemble Nao¡­ and yet, somehow, he really does feel like Nao.) His smile also reminded her of Nao¡¯s. Her late husband wouldn¡¯t lose to Leticiel as a researcher. While she was a Magecraft Maniac, he was a Politics Maniac. Once again, the figure of Nao gleefully running his his pen through a mountain of paperwork overlapped with the figure of Sieg happily speaking. That sight made Leticiel unconsciously let out a giggle. ¡±So what is this machine? It must be used for something, right?¡± ¡°This? This is a machine used for letterpress printing. It¡¯s indispensable for printing books and newspapers.¡± ¡°Letterpress¡­ printing¡­¡± Listening to the strange words and the explanation from Sieg¡¯s mouth, Leticiel stared at the mysterious wooden object before her. The image of the Great Library she just saw flashed through her mind. Leticiel had considered the possibility of the development of duplication technology while looking at the vast collection of books, but didn¡¯t expect it to be the case. ¡°Then perhaps the books in the Great Library came from¡­¡± ¡°¡­? Yes, they were printed though letterpress printing. A lot of them were printed here at the academy, but most of the collection was ordered from all over the country, and some even from overseas.¡± ¡°I, see¡­ Then how do you even use that machine to print letters?¡± ¡°You see, first you line up the printing types on this board to form what you want to print¡­¡± Leticiel was bewildered by the object at first. However, in just a moment, her inquisitiveness as a researcher took over. She became greatly interested in the unfamiliar machine and began to ask Sieg various questions. However, the person who was most surprised was none other than Sieg. Noble daughters would typically have no interest in something like machinery, yet the girl standing before him was captivated by the subject. Looking at the girl¡¯s eyes sparkling with curiosity, Sieg began to harbour a genuine interest in her. For someone who had never shown up to class like Sieg, he had only heard of the name ¡°Drossel¡± while being completely ignorant of all the bad rumors paired with it. So for him, he could only think of the girl before him as simply, ¡°Drossel¡±. ¡°¡­Huh? It¡¯s already lunch break?¡± ¡°Time sure flies, we only started talking a moment ago.¡± Leticiel and Sieg looked at each other and let out a small smile. ¡°I¡¯ll head for the cafeteria, what about you, Sieg?¡± ¡°Let me see¡­ I need to tidy up this place first, so you can just go on ahead.¡± Leticiel bid farewell to him and left the room. She did offer to help him, but Sieg refused, saying he didn¡¯t want to trouble her for something so trivial. As she walked down the hallway, Leticiel realized that in the end, she hadn¡¯t managed to visit any of the facilities besides the machinery room. (¡­Oh well, I can just do it later.) Since the academy wasn¡¯t going to go anywhere anyway, Leticiel decided that her campus exploration would either take place later in the afternoon or on another day entirely, and resumed walking towards the cafeteria. * * * Just before afternoon classes began, Leticiel¡¯s class of Elementary 2 had gone to the Museum for Art class. Earlier, because she couldn¡¯t go to the Museum with her bag, Leticiel came to her classroom during lunch break and left it there. Lucrezia Academy was built on a massive plot of land. Beside the main building and annex buildings, the academy was fully equipped with various facilities such as the Swordplay Training Hall. One of these was the Museum, which functioned as both a museum and an art gallery. ¡°Oka~y, everyone, please pick something you like in the Museum and draw a rough sketch of i~t. There¡¯s no time limit, bu~t please make sure to return to the entrance two minutes before the end of cla~ss!¡± The person giving the instructions was the Art teacher who looked like a normal old man, yet strangely, his tone and movements were those of a woman¡¯s. Following his instructions, Leticiel¡¯s classmates scattered in every direction. Some of them were bustling with excitement, while others were grumbling about how annoying the assignment was. Incidentally, Rochefort headed straight for the Weapons section. It seemed that he loved weapons. The only reason Leticiel learned of this was because he was loudly chatting with Christa from that section. Even if she had no interest in the pair, she couldn¡¯t block out their unpleasant voices. ¡°¡­Oh well.¡± Accepting the situation, Leticiel, along with Mirandalette, began to stroll around with no destination in mind. After walking for a while, Leticiel entered an exhibit with a gigantic bone specimen displayed in the center. The sight of that fossil made her leak out an amazed voice. ¡°This fossil is from a type of creature called a dinosaur that lived millions of years ago. In those times, this diverse group of creatures inhabited the entire Astraea continent. This dinosaur was discovered within the mountain on the outskirts of the capital. It belongs to the¡­¡± The curator in charge of the Zoological Specimens section was giving a detailed explanation on the fossil to a group of students. ¡°¡­Hey, Mirandalette.¡± Leticiel earnestly listened to the explanation at first; however, the more she listened, the more questions she had. In the end, she called out to the person next to her. ¡°Hm? Is something the matter?¡± ¡°So about that dinosaur thing¡­¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a lizard?¡± ¡°¡­You whaaat!?¡± Mirandalette let out a hysterical yell to Leticiel¡¯s casual question. She then covered her mouth in a panic and apologized to the people staring at her. ¡°No no, they¡¯re completely different! Lizards are much smaller than that, like¡­ they¡¯re small enough to hold in your hands.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Even with that explanation, Leticiel was still somewhat confused. During the Astraea Continental War a thousand years ago, humans weren¡¯t the only ones who were fighting to survive. As humans struggled to find food, their wars caused constant shifts in habitable lands which forced animals to once again live in a world that favored survival of the fittest. Because of that, back in those days, animals tended to have large bodies as well as natural defense mechanisms. For Leticiel, the sight of an animal near that fossil¡¯s size strutting around was something ordinary. After listening to the dinosaur explanation until the end, even if she tried her best, she couldn¡¯t think of that fossil as anything other than a lizard. In the end, while Leticiel was standing around in a daze as she was not satisfied with the answer, the rest of the students began to move on. Suddenly, she heard a loud voice yelling ¡®Ooohhh!¡¯. Wondering what was going on, she turned to the source of that voice to find the figure of Rochefort brandishing something that looked like a shield. Rather than the usual Christa, the person next to him was a pale-looking curatress. She was looking at him while panicking. ¡°Y-your Highness, please don¡¯t swing it around that hard. You might hit something¡­!¡± ¡°Just this much should be fine! I¡¯m the first prince of this country, you know? Do you have any problem with that?!¡± It seemed that the shield was quite heavy as his balance was thrown off every time he swung it. The curatress was frantically trying to stop him, but from afar, the person that looked the most foolish was Rochefort himself. ¡°¡­What is he doing over there?¡± ¡°His Highness is always like this, you see¡­ He really loves weapons¡­ Every time the Museum displays a new weapon, he would forcibly try to wield it like this¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hearing Mirandalette¡¯s explanation, Leticiel gave an indifferent reply. She glanced at Rochefort, who was holding the shield with great delight, and promptly walked onwards. While moving along with the other students, Leticiel came to a stop at a corner. The thing that had stopped her was something under a magnificent arch at the end of the hallway. ¡°¡­? Drossel? Everyone is heading this way¡­¡± ¡°Please go on ahead, there¡¯s something that caught my eye.¡± There was a small hexagonal room in the direction of the arch. There weren¡¯t many exhibits in that direction but on the innermost wall of the room was a large painting in a golden frame with velvet curtains tied to both sides. There were three humanoid figures in the painting. One was a beautiful woman wrapped in a pure-white robe, her hand holding a golden jewel staff. Another was a man bending over in pain while grabbing his own throat with both hands. And the last figure was pitch black person with a tail and horns that resembled those of a devil. ¡°Oh? Perhaps you¡¯re interested in Her Holiness Lucrezia?¡± While Leticiel silently stared at the painting, a young curator approached her from behind. Perhaps he was in charge of this booth. ¡°¡­No, I was just thinking that this is a wonderful painting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. This painting depicts the scene of Her Holiness Lucrezia performing exorcism. Her Holiness Lucrezia is said to have miraculous powers for purifying evil. Indeed, facing such power, even a devil would have no choice but to submit to her will.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°The Magic Staff she used to perform exorcism is also displayed at this museum as a relic.¡± Just as the name implied, relics were articles of saints that were preserved to the present day. In the Platina Kingdom, they were revered as objects of worship. There were a large number of relics stored in this Museum, but the ones put on display were all replicas. ¡°Is that so?¡± While she replied to the curator¡¯s explanation, Leticiel kept on silently looking at the painting of the Holy Lucrezia. ¡°Uh, is something the matter?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ no, nothing at all. Could you let me look at them for a bit?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Leticiel exited the room with the painting and walked to the booth by it. It seemed to house various ancient objects for display. Inside the glass displays were various artifacts arranged side-by-side. And one of those articles caused Leticiel to gasp in surprise. It was a simple pitcher with no pattern drawn on it. However, the pitcher was a sky-blue color that was clearer than the blue of a clear sky. At first glance, she thought it was just a beautiful pitcher. However, on its rim was a thinly engraved crest. A crest that Leticiel could never forget. ¡°Are you interested in that?¡± The curator who had walked along with Leticiel asked her as he peered into the glass display. ¡°¡­This pitcher, is it something from Rizenrose Kingdom?¡± ¡°You sure know a lot! That¡¯s absolutely correct. This pitcher is made from a special product called ¡®celeste glass¡¯ from the Rizenrose Kingdom that existed in the remote regions a thousand years ago. It¡¯s known as the most beautiful porcelain in the world and it still has many enthusiast collectors, even today. It¡¯s a shame that the method of production for celeste glass was lost with the kingdom¡¯s downfall.¡± Engraved on the rim of the pitcher was the crest of the Rizenrose Kingdom. Celeste glass was a porcelain product that Nao had developed for trading. Because the king had been so deeply moved by its beauty, he granted the use of the kingdom¡¯s crest. ¡°That was quite detailed, perhaps you¡¯ve researched this topic?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! My specialty is archaeology from a thousand years ago, so meeting someone else with an interest in it makes me beyond happy! We also have similar artifacts of different varieties here like bowls and flower vases; they all share that same signature heavenly blue color. Some have dulled over time, though there are many that have retained the same color as this pitcher¡­¡± Afterwards, the curator talked about the objects from the Astraea Continental War period for a long time. Rather than just objects from the Rizenrose Kingdom, the topic even expanded to objects from the countries in the center of the continent during those times. As Leticiel was also very interested in the topic, she listened to it attentively. (The Museum is a really interesting place¡­ And being a curator seems to be a really fun job.) The fact that someone was knowledgeable about something from a thousand years ago made Leticiel a bit happy. She looked at the nameplate on the curator¡¯s chest. On that plate, the words ¡®Relics Floor Gilm¡¯ were written in small letters. * * * A while after the bell signaling the end of class rang, Leticiel exited the Museum by herself. The rest of her class had already returned to the usual classroom the moment they had finished their rough sketches; however, because she was so interested in the Museum, Leticiel had briefly informed the teacher that she would stay even after class had ended. And then, after looking here and there, by the time she realized, far from the end of 5th period, it was already the end of 6th period. ¡°¡­My, looks like 6th period has already ended.¡± Because it had been quite a long time after the day¡¯s classes had all ended, there weren¡¯t that many students around. Leticiel decided to first head back to her classroom as she had left her bag there. ¡°You, you should at least know your place, right?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The moment Leticiel arrived at the door of Elementary 2¡¯s classroom, she could hear a girl¡¯s voice from behind it. When she peered through the opening of the door, she saw the figure of Mirandalette surrounded by three other girls. ¡°For a dunce like you to walk in front of an honor student like me, isn¡¯t that quite shameless of you?¡± ¡°Good grief¡­ You¡¯re just a daughter from a low-ranking noble family with almost no Magic Power. This should be common sense for you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Even though they were looking down on her, Mirandalette didn¡¯t say a single word and just stood there. Leticiel thought about what she should do for a moment, but remembered that in order to retrieve her bag, she would have to enter the room regardless. She then threw open the door without a speck of hesitation. ¡°¡­!?¡± ¡°D-Drossel¡­¡± The noble daughters inside jumped at the abrupt noise before quickly spinning towards the source. Upon seeing it was Leticiel, they openly scowled at her. ¡°Oh my, if it isn¡¯t the Magic Powerless Drossel. For you to be here at such a time, you sure do have a lot of free time.¡± ¡°Ah yes, being able to freely use my time after school is truly a wonderful thing. I¡¯ve been thoroughly enjoying it until just now.¡± Perhaps the noble daughter trio was making a sarcastic remark about how as a Magic Powerless, she was unable to attend any tea parties. However, Leticiel was truly grateful for her free time after school and answered without a second thought. ¡°Furthermore, I don¡¯t think that having Magic Power or not should be the basis to determine someone¡¯s worth. Or perhaps Magic Power is something that important to you?¡± ¡°¡­My isn¡¯t it just natural? For nobles of this country, it¡¯s, normal, that the higher your nobility, the more Magic Power you hold.¡± In this country, higher ranking nobles tended to have higher Magic Power. Because of that, some nobles treated Magic Power level as some kind of status symbol. And within that group, there were many people like these noble daughters who believed that Magic Power was everything. ¡°I see. Then since everyone here has high Magic power, you must know a lot more than a Magic Powerless like me, right? If it¡¯s you three, then you must be able to write something that surpasses the Formula I rewrote, right?¡± With a smile on her face, Leticiel asked the trio with a voice full of admiration. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t you say a noble¡¯s worth is determined by their amount of Magic Power? If that¡¯s the case, then people with high Magic Power such as yourselves should still be superior to a Magic Powerless like me at Formula Studies.¡± ¡°¡­Tch¡­¡± The three faces stiffened after hearing her words; however, Leticiel continued on as if she didn¡¯t notice. ¡°The incompetent me is really looking forward to what kind of wonderful Formula you will write.¡± ¡°¡­Tch! Q-Quit saying something that absurd! You¡¯re so annoying!¡± While maintaining her haughty attitude, the girl who seemed to be the leader let out a ¡®Hmph¡¯. Her eyes were clearly filled with agitation and annoyance. Although she knew it was an unreasonable demand, Leticiel still challenged the girls. While spitefully glaring at Leticiel and Mirandalette, the trio quickly left the classroom. ¡°Mirandalette, why didn¡¯t you fight back at all?¡± The things the group had said to Mirandalette could only be taken as provocation. And yet, the only thing she had done was stand there quietly and take it. Leticiel couldn¡¯t accept her response at all. ¡°¡­My Magic Power is weak, and what they made fun of me for was also the truth¡­ There was nothing I could do¡­¡± As she said that, Miradanlette let out a lonely smile and made a distant expression. ¡°Mirandalette, could you show me your Magic Power measurement results?¡± ¡°Eh¡­? I don¡¯t mind, but¡­¡± She hesitated for a bit, but Mirandalette still nodded her head at Leticiel¡¯s request. After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she opened her bag. ¡°Let see¡­ Measurement results, measurement results¡­ Ah, there it is! Here you go.¡± Mirandalette took out a small piece of paper and handed it to Leticiel. On it were the results of the Magic Power measurement made through the use of the ice crystals. It seemed that after the test, the teacher had written down the measurements and handed it to the students. ¡°It¡¯s quite crumpled.¡± ¡°Well, the results weren¡¯t good, so¡­¡± After opening up the piece of paper that was crumpled into a ball like a piece of trash, Leticiel looked at the numbers written on it. Leticiel was frozen solid while staring at those Magic Power values. She has¡­ amazing Magecraft potential. When she was a princess, Leticiel also had her Magic Power measured and all of her Elemental Ratings were between 10 and 15. In other words, someone with an average rating of 20 like Mirandalette was surely a great Mage in the making. Finding an existence like Mirandalette caused the Magecraft Maniac to burn with excitement. ¡°Mira, these are wonderful numbers.¡± Leticiel said, while using a nickname for Mirandalette. ¡°Whaaat¡­?¡± Mirandalette¡¯s eyes opened wide from the unexpected remark coming from Leticiel. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing¡­ I just didn¡¯t expect a nickname¡­¡± Leticiel hadn¡¯t noticed that she had used a nickname for Mirandalette until it was pointed out by the person herself. ¡°Oh my¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I got a bit too excited.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry! I¡¯m actually glad that you called me by a nickname.¡± Leticiel thought that she would be offended by being called a nickname out of the blue, but Mirandalette seemed to be happy about it. ¡°¡­Um, why did you say that my results were wonderful? With my Magic Power that low, it only showed how incompetent I am¡­¡± ¡°No, having high Magic Power is actually a bad thing. Because people with high Magic Power are unable to use Magecraft.¡± A thousand years ago, people with high Magic Power had to choose between working at home and doing housework or honing their physical ability. In those days, bands of mercenaries were almost exclusively composed of people with high Magic Power. ¡°Uh, um¡­ Magecraft? What in the world is that¡­?¡± Using Mirandalette¡¯s question as a starting point, Leticiel started to thoroughly explain what Magecraft was. Furthermore, she planned to explain until there was nothing left, no matter how much time it would take. ¡°¡­and that about sums up the basics of ¡®Magecraft¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ So there¡¯s a power like that too¡­!¡± Although Mirandalette had been wearing a dubious expression , after hearing the general explanation, it had transformed into a dazzling smile filled with hope. Even a thousand years ago, Leticiel was unable to stop herself when it came to Magecraft. Because of that tendency, even her vassals had to chide her with a bitter smile on their faces. However, more than just being interested in the topic, Mirandalette listened attentively and took in everything Leticiel said. Meeting someone like her made Leticiel a little bit thankful and happy. Thus, Leticiel started to view Mirandalette as a ¡®comrade who wants to master Magecraft¡¯. ¡°This really feels like a dream¡­! So even someone who is only able to use weak Magic like me can still use it, right?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t need to feel bad about having low Magic Power. Unlike people who can only use that dull thing called Magic, you¡¯re able to use the much stronger Magecraft. So Mira should be proud of the fact that you have no talent for Magic.¡± ¡°Okay¡­!¡± Mirandalette still wasn¡¯t sure if she was being praised or being mocked. But seeing that dead-serious expression on Leticiel¡¯s face made her even more willing to try it. Afterward, the two moved to the Magic Training Field to practice Magecraft. ¡°Then let¡¯s start by practicing assembling Mana. Try summoning the Mana in the atmosphere into your palm.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ Mana, Mana Mana Mana Mana¡­¡± ¡°Y-you don¡¯t need to mumble it like that¡­¡± For someone who only knew about Magic like Mirandalette, it was understandable that this would be the result when she was asked to call for an unknown object like Mana. However, it was still somewhat of an eerie sight. ¡°¡­Ah! I kind of feel something warm in my palm!¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing great. Next, try to recall the Basic Fire Formula.¡± ¡°Basic Fire Formula? Um¡­ The one taught by the teacher? Or the one you rewrote it with?¡± ¡°The one you were taught is fine. It should be better for your first time, right?¡± Following Leticiel¡¯s instruction, Mirandalette closed her eyes and started to groan while making a serious face. Unlike Magic which could be invoked with a chant utilizing the user¡¯s feelings regardless of the accuracy of the Formula, a precise image of the Formula was vital to Magecraft. There was no reaction at first, but before long, the air above Mirandalette¡¯s palm grew hazy, little by little. Then, suddenly, an orange fireball appeared with a popping sound. The fireball was just the size of a fist; its small size was a consequence of the terrible Magic Formula used to invoke it. ¡°Now try imagining a Formula like the one wrote.¡± ¡°Ah, give me a moment in that case! I¡¯ll take out my notes!¡± After saying that, Mirandalette started to rummage through her bag once again. Many things were excavated from her bag. Textbooks, a pencil case, an accessory case, a memo pad¡­ Leticiel suddenly came up with an idea and picked up Mirandalette¡¯s memo pad. It appeared to be empty. Leticiel then held her hand over the notepad and developed a transcription Magecraft. It was a Magecraft for imprinting the image inside the practitioner¡¯s head onto an object using words and figures. The fact that it currently could only transcribe what was inside the practitioner¡¯s head was its greatest flaw; but for the time being, that was irrelevant. After she had completed the transcription, Leticiel flipped through the notepad. The first few pages now contained eight perfectly imprinted Sorcery Formulas. ¡°Mira, you can stop looking for it. I¡¯ve transcribed the correct Sorcery Formula into this notepad.¡± ¡°Ehhh!? Since when!? Was that also Magecraft? And, what¡¯s the difference between Magic Formula and Sorcery Formula?¡± ¡°You see, the inferior Formulas taught at this academy are Magic Formulas, while the ones here are Sorcery Formulas. You can still use Magic with Sorcery Formula, so why don¡¯t you try it out? It¡¯s really fun.¡± ¡°Really!? Then I¡¯ll start using Sorcery Formula instead!¡± When she tried to invoke Magecraft using the Sorcery Formula, the resulting fireball was twice as large as before. Seeing the difference, Mirandalette got so excited that she was like a child. Afterwards, Mirandalette continued to practice Magecraft following Leticiel¡¯s instructions in the most secluded practice space within the Magic Training Field. She became quite familiar with handling Magecraft after about an hour. ¡°¡­By the way, the lower your Magic Power, the easier it is to invoke Magecraft, right?¡± While taking a break on the bench, Mirandalette suddenly asked a question with a serious face. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°In other words, someone without a speck of Magic Power like Drossel would have an appropriate affinity with Magecraft then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Being a Magic Powerless is the greatest condition to be Mage.¡± ¡°Then can you let me see you use Magecraft once? I¡¯m really interested in your Magecraft!¡± Leticiel thought about what she should do for a moment. Seeing Mirandalette staring at her with eyes full of anticipation, Leticiel ended up conceding. There, within the deepest booth inside the practice space, was a shabby wooden target that was used for class yesterday. As Mirandalette had been using it for practice up until a short while ago, it was charred black here and there. When she thought about it, since her awakening in Drossel¡¯s body, Leticiel had only used a healing Magecraft yesterday morning, detection and memorization strengthening this morning and transcription just now. The fact that she now had an opportunity to use offensive Magecraft for the first time got Leticiel a bit excited. (Okay¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem like that target can hold out for much longer. Maybe a Basic Fire Formula with reduced power would be enough?) Leticiel held out her hands and a fireball of about 15 centimeters in diameter appeared before her. Originally, the fireball would have been twice as big, however, its scope had been reduced, which in turn also reduced its power by half. She then molded it into a long and narrow shape before shooting the fireball like a bullet. She paid extra attention to its speed as it could pierce the target if it went too fast. The fireball swayed through the air, leaving a trail of flame behind as it flew toward the target at a speed that was neither too slow nor too fast, as fast as a typical Magic. BOOOM!! A loud roar reverberated as the target burst into pieces. It was a flashier explosion than she had expected, but according to Leticiel¡¯s calculations, the fire bullet should have dissipated upon impact. However, after crushing the target, the fire bullet showed no sign of slowing down or decreasing in power as it continued straight for the wall behind the target. At the sight of this, Leticiel¡¯s eyes showed the signs of frustration for the first time. (¡­Huh? That target should have been able to stop a Magecraft of this level.) She quickly tried to reverse the fire bullet¡¯s movement vector at the very last moment, but she couldn¡¯t make it in time. The fire bullet crashed into one of the walls that enclosed the Magic Training Field. KABOOOM!!! A terrific thunderous sound reverberated as the ground trembled. The wall was covered in a cloud of dust, but it was clear that it had been blown away by the explosion. Even the ground around the point of impact had been slightly gouged out. It was truly a dreadful scene. Leticiel was shocked at the carnage before her¡­ or not. Instead, she was flabbergasted about the fragility of both the wall and the target. Wooden targets had also been used for Magecraft practice in the olden days, but they were all imbued with Structural Strengthening Magecraft. Something on the level of a Basic Formula would never have had any effect on them. Leticiel was racking her brain over the target¡¯s worthless level of fragility. She had already reduced the power of the Basic Formula by half, and yet the target was still smashed into pieces in an instant. Furthermore, as if the target hadn¡¯t been there at all, the fact that it had not slowed or weakened the bullet even by a bitleft her beyond speechless. It was only natural for her to wonder why the people of this age would be satisfied with a target this fragile. Would they not have to constantly replace to even be able to practice or something? Once again, her common sense was in stark contrast to that of the current world¡¯s, and yet, Leticiel still hadn¡¯t realized it. ¡°¡­Can, can I ask you a question¡­?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Just now, did you go all out¡­?¡± ¡°No? I thought I held back enough, but I guess my estimate was off because of how long it¡¯s been.¡± ¡°¡­Y-you were holding back¡­?¡± A shocked Mirandalette looked back and forth between Leticiel and the broken wall with an incredulous expression. ¡±Don¡¯t worry. With some more practice, you¡¯ll be be able to easily do something of that level.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually scared about being able to do that¡­¡± ¡°Why? You could just fix it if you destroy something, you know? ¡°No¡­ That¡¯s not the issue here¡­¡± The idea of an unknown power like Magecraft that didn¡¯t need Magic Power, something that could release power manyfold higher than Magic, even while suppressed. If anyone heard of it, they would scream out in terror. It wasn¡¯t something as simple as fixing something after you destroyed it. Realizing that she would graduate from being human once she mastered this power, Mirandalette began to worry about her own future. (First things first, leaving it like this would be bad¡­) After casting a sidelong glance at Mirandalette, who was turning into a stone statue, Leticiel faced the broken wall and promptly invoked Magecraft to repair it. Unbeknownst to Leticiel, whose back was to Mirandalette, the sight of the wall reassembling itself only further accelerated the girl transformation into a statue. ¡°¡­Drossel?¡± Suddenly, a familiar beautiful tenor voice resounded within the booth. Without even considering it could be someone else, Leticiel took her time to slowly turn around. Just like she thought, what she found was the handsome face of Sieg dyed with surprise. Leticiel wondered why in the world he would be in this place. ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on here? You were supposed to have no Magic Power, so why is the wall like this¡­¡± Contrary to her blank expression, deep inside, Leticiel was trying her best to think about what she should do but all she could do was to keep blinking her eyes repeatedly. ¡°Drossel, what exactly¡­ is that power¡­?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°I promise I won¡¯t tell anyone. So, can you explain it to me?¡± Being stared at by those green right eye and purple left eye caused Leticiel to blink both her red left eye and blue right eye. While she was worrying about whether she should tell Sieg or not, she remembered that she had just told Mirandalette about Magecraft earlier, so increasing the amount of people who knew about it by one wouldn¡¯t change anything. ¡°¡­That¡¯s, an extremely interesting story, or rather power.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. And I think it¡¯s better for the public to not know about it.¡± ¡°¡­? And why is that?¡± Hearing what Sieg said while holding his chin, Leticiel tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s because this power is too unusual. Think about it, a power that exceeds Magic in a world where Magic is flourishing, a power that doesn¡¯t require Magic Power in a world where nobles place great importance on Magic Power¡­ If it gets into the hands of commoners, it would be the same as giving them the power to overthrow the nobles.¡± ¡°That would be¡­¡± After the situation was pointed out by Sieg, Leticiel thought about the role of Magecraft in the current age for the first time. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right, since commoners don¡¯t have much Magic Power, it would be easy for them to master Magecraft¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Moreover, commoners don¡¯t have much knowledge about Magic. They don¡¯t really use Magic in their daily lives; it¡¯s something exclusive for the nobles so to speak. And because of that, commoners don¡¯t have any preconceived notions about Magic, so if they get their hands on this technique, it would quickly spread throughout the world.¡± ¡°I can see that¡­¡± ¡°If something like that happens, our government structure of nobles ruling over commoners would collapse. If the public know about this power, this country might¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Why if it isn¡¯t Sieg!¡± Before Sieg could finish his words, the voice of Lucas rushing into the training field rumbled toward them. ¡°What the hell? So that thundering sound had to be your doing! That¡¯s why I kept telling you to not go so far!¡± ¡°¡­My apologies, Dean. I¡¯ll be careful from now.¡± Lucas smacked his forehead with his hand and looked up at the sky before turning his gaze to Sieg as if goading the boy to say something. He then cast a subtle glance at Leticiel and Mirandalette. Even though she didn¡¯t know why Lucas glaring scornfully at Sieg, Leticiel decided to make full use of her status as a witness at the scene of the crime by making use of the conversational skills she had acquired in her past life to make Lucas drop the issue. She then gave the following fabricated account chock full of lies: Drossel and Mirandalette went together to practice after school. They coincidentally ran into Sieg at this booth. When the three started to practice Magic together, Sieg¡¯s Magic Power went out of control and led to the state of affairs. The reason Leticiel threw Sieg to the wolves was because Lucas had already misunderstood that he was the culprit. The person in question was making a bitter smile as his name had been used without his consent; Leticiel could only hope that he would forgive her when she apologized afterwards. Her fabricated testimony proved to be effective as Lucas was easily tricke¡­ no, persuaded. The incident was resolved without issue. ¡°That was a bit surprising. I thought you would tell the Dean about it.¡± As the departing figure of Lucas got farther and farther away, Sieg turned to Leticiel with a troubled smile. Seeing that serene smile prompted her to quickly avert her gaze. ¡°Drossel Noa Filiaregis is a Magic Powerless who can¡¯t use Magic at all. That fact is enough.¡± ¡°¡­Like I thought, it was something you didn¡¯t want others to know?¡± ¡°No, I only learned about the role of Magecraft because of you, Sieg. I don¡¯t regret telling you about it at all. More importantly, I¡¯m sorry for using you like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I believe that was the best course of action too.¡± The fact that Sieg wasn¡¯t angry made Leticiel let out a sigh of relief in her mind. ¡°By the way, what were you doing here, Drossel?¡± ¡°Me? I was teaching my friend over here about Magecraft.¡± ¡°N-nice to meet you! My name is Mirandalette Lulu Wald!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you too. I¡¯m Sieg Viollis.¡± Leticiel was keeping her eye on the two people exchanging greetings. The reason she had kept the Dean in the dark about Magecraft was to prevent the chance of any more rumors about her from spreading through the academy. Leticiel didn¡¯t want to be deeply involved with someone who stood out. In the academy, she was already known as the worthless Ice Demon. She had no interest in having extraneous information spreading around and attracting undue attention. The Dean had placed a gag order about the incident in the Large Conference Room. However, unlike teachers, she didn¡¯t expect something like that to work on students. She could see that even a tiny bit of information would spread in no time at all. Moreover, it was bad enough that she had acted recklessly on multiple occasions today. Luckily, it seemed that other students hadn¡¯t noticed; but she would need to be more careful from now on. Leticiel didn¡¯t hold any grand plan like proving everyone else wrong. She didn¡¯t care what those people thought about her in the first place. For that reason, she would rather have a quiet life rather than one under the spotlight. Magecraft was a technique that didn¡¯t exist in the current age. If the information about it happened to reach the upper echelons of the kingdom, it would be extremely troublesome for her. She wouldn¡¯t be able to live her life like before, and in the worst case scenario, there was even a chance of her being confined for life as a research subject, a life of being used by others that Leticiel abhorred. ¡°You two, can I trust you to not tell a single soul about Magecraft?¡± ¡°¡±Of course!¡±¡± Leticiel slightly lowered the surrounding temperature as she confirmed that Mirandalette and Sieg would keep the secret. The pair immediately straightened their backs and answered in the affirmative. ¡°Shall we go too?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s pretty late already! Thank you for today, Drossel!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Oh right Mira, you have to keep it a secret from your family too, okay?¡± ¡°I got it!¡± With a vigorous nod, Mirandalette left in such high spirits that her feet seemed to be skipping. As she gazed at Mirandalette¡¯s retreating figure, Leticiel thought that she should leave as well, and began to walk. However, as she noticed that Sieg hadn¡¯t moved from his spot, she turned her head around. ¡°¡­Sieg, you¡¯re not going home?¡± ¡°I live in the dorm, so I¡¯ll just head to lower campus straight through this wall.¡± While Sieg seemed to be joking, Leticiel only gave him a simple shrug while maintaining her never changing expressionless face. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you more about Magecraft later, okay?¡± ¡°¡­You want to teach me too?¡± ¡°Yes, the amount of people who know about it only went from one to two anyway. As long as you keep your promise, there shouldn¡¯t be any issue.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯ll keep it. Thank you very much¡­! I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± Hearing Leticiel words, Sieg¡¯s face beamed with delight. Unlike his usual forced, faint smile, it was a smile that seemed to come from the bottom of his heart. That slightly childish yet beautiful smile brought Leticiel¡¯s mind to a complete halt for a moment. After a few moments spent frozen, her mind resumed activity and she came to a single realization. (I see, the destructive power of a beautiful smiling face is nothing to joke about.) By the time she returned to her senses, the smile that looked like a blooming flower had already disappeared, replaced by a worried expression. ¡°Actually¡­ Your carriage should have already left by now, right?¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to worry. I can just use transference to return home.¡± ¡°¡­Is that also a Magecraft?¡± ¡°Yes. There are some restrictions on the location, but it can reduce travel time and distance to zero.¡± ¡°Truly an intriguing power.¡± Sieg smiled once again. While thinking that it might be lip service, Leticiel managed the almost impossible feat of maintaining her usual expression. ¡°Then I¡¯ll also be going now, Drossel.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s meet again tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Maintaining his refreshing smile to the end, Sieg gallantly left the Magic Training Field. After his figure had disappeared from her sight, Leticiel invoked a transference Magecraft. Transference was a Magecraft to create warp gates between two locations by utilizing the Mana around the user¡¯s current position and their target destination. However, it required the user to form an image of where they wanted to go, so they could only use it between places they had been to. Her surroundings distorted, and by the time it subsided, Leticiel was already in her own room. (¡­Excellent, I just need to use Magecraft a few times to refamiliarize.) While thinking that, she casually looked around the room and ended up making eye contact with the tailcoat-wearing man standing before the table. ¡°¡­Huh? My¡­ lady¡­?¡± Her exclusive butler¡­ Ruvik was surprised by the sight of his own master¡¯s back appearing out of thin air. She always came home along with Christa, yet she didn¡¯t return at all today. Thinking that his master had been acting strange lately, Ruvik couldn¡¯t calm down at all. He began to wander aimlessly around the residence, constantly checking back in on his master¡¯s room. He couldn¡¯t come up with a single reason as why she had suddenly appeared inside the room like a ghost. She had no Magic Power. She was not supposed to be able to use Magic. Beyond that, Ruvik didn¡¯t know such a grand Magic existed. Ruvik started mumbling incomprehensible words as his head was spinning in complete chaos. He was in such a state that he was completely taken in by his master¡¯s voice and words. ¡°Ruvik, you didn¡¯t see anything. I was already in this room when you entered it. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Drossel said those words to Ruvik. That he should pretend nothing happened. That he shouldn¡¯t disclose it to anyone. Ruvik gulped as he experienced an indescribable force from that gaze. Facing such a fleeting, yet awe-inspiring beauty, he was captivated by her dignified air. ¡°Your wish is my command, my lady.¡± Receiving confirmation of the highest degree, Leticiel heaved a sigh of relief in her head as she stared at Ruvik. She then remembered that he was Drossel¡¯s exclusive butler. The fact that he was in this room was nothing strange at all. ¡°I assume that you have a reason for it. And I don¡¯t plan to be unreasonable, but, could you at least tell me how you returned to this room, please?¡± Leticiel was at a loss. She had just heard from Sieg about the peculiarity of Magecraft in this day and age. She understood that she should be careful with the information. A long silence fell upon the room. In the end, Leticiel decided to explain the situation to Ruvik. As Ruvik had been supporting her since her transmigration, Leticiel had a certain degree of faith in him. ¡°¡­Okay. It¡¯s not something I plan to hide forever, anyway.¡± After confirming that there was no one else in the vicinity, Leticiel gave Ruvik a brief explanation about how she got home and the effect of that power. However, instead of Magecraft, she called it a ¡®strange power that¡¯s similar to Magic¡¯. ¡°I see, so it was like that¡­¡± After listening to Leticiel¡¯s explanation, Ruvik mulled over her words while making a complicated expression. ¡°However, what about the fact that¡­ you don¡¯t have any Magic Power, my lady¡­?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m but a commoner¡­ I don¡¯t have much knowledge about those things like nobles. Maybe¡­ that power is something you just learned at the academy?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Hearing Ruvik¡¯s timid conjecture, Leticiel accidentally leaked out a surprised voice. She was reminded of how Sieg had told her that commoners didn¡¯t have much knowledge about Magic. ¡°¡­Yes, well, it¡¯s something like that.¡± Leticiel reflexively said those words to dodge the question. While she did tell Sieg and Mirandalette about Magecraft, it was because they were her friends at the academy. It hadn¡¯t been long since they had known each other. However, Ruvik was different. For someone who had been serving ¡®Drossel¡¯ for a long time, she didn¡¯t know whether it would be a good idea to tell him she was ¡®Leticiel¡¯, or whether they could maintain the same relationship if he knew that she wasn¡¯t ¡®Drossel¡¯. The risk of losing an ally in the Duke¡¯s household full of enemies prevented Leticiel from revealing everything to Ruvik. Both about Magecraft and about her previous life. ¡°However, I want you to not speak of this to anyone. Not even to anyone in this household.¡± ¡°Understood, I vow that I won¡¯t tell a single soul.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ruvik.¡± While Ruvik was Drossel¡¯s exclusive butler, his employer was still the Duke. Even Leticiel didn¡¯t think he would hide this from his employer, but Ruvik had promised that he wouldn¡¯t even tell the Duke. It doesn¡¯t seem like this body is completely hopeless in terms of interpersonal relationship, Leticiel let out a giggle. ¡±By the way, I want to have dinner now.¡± ¡°Certainly, my lady. Then let us depart for the dining hall.¡± She headed out of the room with Ruvik in tow. En route, many servants who passed by Leticiel made a face that seemed to say ¡®Huh, since when did she¡­?¡¯ However, she continued walking with an expressionless visage as sturdy as an iron wall. While walking along the first floor corridor, Leticiel suddenly heard voices coming from outside and turned her eyes towards the garden. In the night-time garden were the figures of the other five members of the Duke¡¯s household. With Christa in the center, they seemed to be having a good time chatting and laughing with each other. The Duke¡¯s household¡¯s outdoor garden was a wonderful place. During the day, it was a brilliant garden full of vibrant colors. However, under the gentle glow of a moonlit sky, the garden was dyed silver, giving off the mystical feeling of a snowy landscape. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My lady, are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. I was just captivated by the garden¡¯s splendor.¡± ¡°I see¡­ huh? You mean over there?¡± ¡°My, what else is there beside the garden?¡± Hearing Drossel nonchalantly say that, Ruvik could feel a sharp pain beginning to torture his stomach. ¡°Um¡­ Everyone is also over there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, they are. And?¡± ¡°¡­Are you not going join them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going there. What makes you think so?¡± Whenever Drossel saw her family gathering like that in the past, she would have surely tried to join in. She would beg them to look at her as well, not just her younger sister. And despite the cold treatment she received even after her pleas, she would still cling to them. Even when it came to her fianc¨¦, the first prince, she would fawn on him whispering her love. When her little sister got close to the prince, she would always throw a tantrum. She would resort to verbal abuse, physical violence, or just simply cry. Ruvik reported this to his master without hiding anything. After hearing that story, Leticiel thought that Drossel was truly a hopeless girl. It seemed that Drossel wanted to be loved by her family and fianc¨¦. However, all her effort proved to be fruitless as everyone only thought of her as a nuisance. And they would continue to do so. ¡°¡­I see, I got it now. In other words, I¡¯ve been wasting my precious life on some worthless things until now.¡± ¡°Y¡­ yes?¡± ¡°I wonder why I was doing something so wasteful like that. Please have all my meals brought to my room from now on. If I have time to go to the dining hall, then that time would be much better spent on something I enjoy.¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, yes, understood¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go, Ruvik. I want to eat soon.¡± ¡°Heh? Yes?¡± As if looking at pebbles on the side of the road, Leticiel turned away from the Duke family. Her mind was fully occupied by thoughts of dinner as she already stopped caring about them. Ruvik followed behind her while pressing on his forehead. He had a hunch that this person would continue to freely use him from now on, and yet he treated it as if it was someone else¡¯s problem. Volume 1 - CH 3.5 Intermission: Memories of Distant Days The first time she met him was in the Royal Castle¡¯s courtyard. It was during the time she had her usual sword training in the garden, when he suddenly fell from the sky. He was falling straight at her from above. In a panic, she hastily used a levitation Magecraft and he avoided crashing into the ground as a result. He seemed to be a young lad a few years older than her. She stared at him with her eyes wide open. His face was decorated with black hair and eyes, an unusual color even in those days. His entire body was clad in that strange black, the clothes he wore were of a design she had never seen before. Because of that unusual appearance, she unconsciously raised her voice. ¡°Hey, you, where did you come from?¡± Upon hearing her words, he tilted his head making a face as if he was confused about something, as if he was about to cry. After looking around in a fluster, his face turned pale. ¡°@#$%#%&¡­!!¡± The words coming out of his mouth were in a language she had never heard before. For a person who suddenly fell from the sky to also be a foreigner was something beyond her expectations. As a result, she was at a loss on what she should do. However, she couldn¡¯t just leave things like this. Even if it was low, there was still a possibility that he was a spy from an enemy nation. ¡°¡­For the time being, let¡¯s go to my father. I must report to him about you.¡± Saying that, while he was still confused, she grabbed his hand, and began walking. The boy, who looked like he would start crying at any moment, didn¡¯t try to shake off her hand and simply followed her obediently. * * * ¡°Say, are you free today?¡± Over a year had passed since he had fallen from the sky. It was a clear day filled with gentle sunlight. She had come to the courtyard to meet him. In the meantime, he was reading a book under the usual tree. ¡°Eh? Well I¡¯m free¡­ but why?¡± Due to his efforts, in just a year of studying the language, he had dramatically improved to the point where he could now fluently communicate with the people of this world. ¡°You see! I¡¯ll be heading down to the castle town today to play!¡± ¡°Castle town¡­¡± ¡°Yeah! So you know, do you wanna come with me?¡± ¡°Can I¡­?¡± ¡°Of course! I wouldn¡¯t have invited you otherwise.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Okay. I¡¯m also interested in the castle town, so if it¡¯s fine with you, I¡¯d like to go there with you.¡± He closed the book he was reading and stood up. Saying he needed to change clothes, he returned to the castle. She decided to wait at the same spot and he returned shortly afterwards. Using the secret path from the Royal Castle, the two arrived in the castle town. It was the first time for the both of them, going out to play in the castle town. In the town that managed to keep its cheerfulness despite all the deeply-ingrained scars of wars, the pair were taught many things, things that they wouldn¡¯t have come to understand if they only stayed in the castle. In that town filled with a meager happiness amidst a cruel world where even wishing for peace was unreasonable, the pair enjoyed themselves to the point that they lost track of time. He was walking ahead when a handkerchief suddenly slipped out of his pocket. It was something she had given him some time ago. It seemed that he had also noticed that he had dropped it, as he came to a sudden stop and turned back in haste. Glad that he treasured something she had given him, she also reached out for it. His hand and her¡¯s arrived at the handkerchief at the same time. Those two hands touched each other lightly. And as if it was a stroke of fate, he and she simultaneously gazed at each other¡¯s face with eyes full of surprise. He and she both withdrew their hands and averted their gazes in unison once more. ¡°S-sorry!!¡± ¡°¡­N-no worries¡­¡± Neither he nor she could look the other in the face no matter how hard they tried, as they averted their eyes. The boy and the girl had realized it. The fact that they had fallen in love. * * * It had been five years since he had fallen into this world. He had grown from a boy to a fine twenty year-old young man. The once-young boy who caught the interest of the king was now getting more and more involved in the government. The policies he proposed, the tools he introduced, and the weapons and armor he created were all ground-breaking. They were all things that she and everyone else would never have been able to think of. Following his involvement, the kingdom¡¯s economy gradually strengthened, national power and military strength reached a level never seen before. It could be said that if the situation continued, the Kingdom would outpace its neighbors. And in the spring of that year, he and she got married. As someone adored by the people as the hero who used strange knowledge and tools to save the kingdom, the king gave his permission for the marriage. Under the adoring eyes of many people, the ¡®Great Sage of Salvation¡¯ and the ¡®Kingdom¡¯s Greatest Treasure¡¯ married each other. On that day, the entire kingdom was filled with festivities, the modest banquet continued on into the night. While listening to the never-ending clamor in the distance, he and she snuggled against each other in a faintly lit room. ¡°¡­I still can¡¯t believe it. Someone of unknown lineage like me marrying a princess.¡± ¡°Right? I also thought that I would just end up marrying some noble.¡± The sight of him narrowing his eyes to reminisce the past few years made her let out a small laugh. The girl he loved had become even more beautiful. She was now a woman so charming that anyone would turn their head around. The boy she loved had shed his childishness and had matured into a dignified man. While they were once the same height, he had surpassed her height without her realizing and grown manlier in stature. ¡°It was because you were always by the side of someone like me, who came to this world without knowing a thing.¡± As he revealed it hadn¡¯t taken much time for him to fall in love with her, she affectionately gazed at his profile. ¡°But you are a princess, and I¡¯m just a freeloader. We aren¡¯t fit for each other at all. That was why I had planned to cast this feeling into the deepest parts of my heart and have it buried with me¡­¡± Saying that, he gently pulled her body into an embrace. She entrusted herself to that chest without any resistance. ¡°Thank you for choosing me. I love you.¡± ¡°¡­I love you too. Don¡¯t ever let me go.¡± Gazing into his eyes full of passion, she entwined her arms on his neck. Without knowing who started it, their faces came together as they exchanged a kiss and melted into each other. The night they spent together quietly continued. * * * ¡°¡­Why?¡± He made a frail smile as he lay in her arms. When he tried to breathe, strange noises and red lumps spilled from his mouth. Red and purple liquids mixed as they trickled from the deep arrow wound on his chest. Even though she wasn¡¯t injured, her entire body was in pain. And the most painful place was her heart. ¡°¡­People, like me, have high Magic Power, and we can¡¯t do anything¡­¡± Life kept fading away from his body as he squeezed out those words. She kept on using healing Magecraft and detoxification Magecraft on him, but she knew that it was already too late. Magecraft wasn¡¯t an omnipotent power. For someone who had received a fast-acting poison and fatal wound, a miraculous Magecraft that could heal heal him didn¡¯t exist in this world. ¡°Why, why did you protect me¡­! I, I had already accepted my fate¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m begging you, don¡¯t cry¡­¡± His hand trembled as he gently reached out for her cheek, as if he was treating a fragile object with tender loving care. Despite the life rapidly draining from his face, he kept smiling until the bitter end. Like a pearl necklace that had snapped, tears streamed down both her eyes. Even though she didn¡¯t want to miss a single moment, his face still ended up becoming blurry. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll wait for you, so I¡¯ll be going ahead. I will only¡­ love¡­ you¡­¡± Saying those final words, as if it was the signal of his life coming to an end, his bloodied hand fell onto the carpet. A soundless scream resounded in the throne room dyed with blood. * * * In a dim room illuminated by the faint moonlight, the girl opened her eyes. Even though it had been a dream, even though she had already lost him, the bleak atmosphere combined with the melancholic glamor of the room further exacerbated her loneliness. ¡°¡­¡± As if to hide the two droplets traveling down her cheeks, the girl turned and pressed her face into the pillow. Volume 1 - CH 4 Remember when I said ETA is early next week? I meant its end of next week (I¡¯m really sorry about this). Anyway, nothing else to say beside here¡¯s another chapter of angery princess. Please do support the author/illustrator as always. P.S. No illustration this chapter. P.S.S. I decided to just make an update page instead of giving out any ETA. I¡¯ll be updating it every night. Editor: Muge Proofreader: Muge, Marv Waiting to show his artistic talent in the next next chapter: Muge Chapter 4: In the Former Seventh Research Building That morning, an uncomfortable sensation caused a drowsy Leticiel to reach for her cheeks, only to find a liquid of some sort. The cold droplet on her finger dully glowed as it caught the morning rays pouring into the room. She spent a moment staring at its glimmer before finally realizing it was a tear she had shed. (¡­It feels like I had a very painful dream.) Despite thinking this, perhaps because it was a dream, she couldn¡¯t remember what it was about at all. Wiping away the tears with the sleeve of her negligee, Leticiel got out of bed to get changed. After having breakfast in her room as usual, Leticiel informed Ruvik of what time she would be returning and invoked transference. It had been a week since her transmigration into this world. After she arrived at the academy, Leticiel casually stopped by the Great Library. After finding out about the place, she had been coming to the Great Library whenever she had time. While slowly weaving her way through the rows of bookshelves thinking about what she should read today, Leticiel suddenly recognized someone she knew by the windows. In a spot that was hidden behind the bookshelves, Sieg was indulging himself in the book he was holding. Under the gentle sunlight filtering through the windows, his green left eye sparkled, slightly concealed by his glossy jet-black hair. The Great Library full of books was a perfect match for his intellectual air. His figure was so picturesque that a painting of him just sitting there reading would sell for a fortune. (¡­Let¡¯s not bother him¡­) With that thought, Leticiel attempted to quietly leave without making a noise. However, as fate would have it, her first step caused the floor to make a small squeaking noise. Having his concentration broken by that sound, Sieg¡¯s gaze rose from the book to meet Leticiel¡¯s eyes. ¡°Good morning, Sieg. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to bother you.¡± ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t worry about it. I just got to a good stopping point.¡± Hearing Leticiel¡¯s apology, Sieg slightly swung his head sideways and formed his signature refreshing smile. ¡°How long have you been here?¡± ¡°Since morning. I wanted to get some reading material.¡± ¡°¡­ But isn¡¯t it already class time?¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really not going to class, huh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you right now, Drossel.¡± ¡°Oh right, now that you¡¯ve mentioned it.¡± Sieg made a bitter smile as he spoke, and Leticiel remembered she was in no position to talk as she was also skipping. ¡°What were you reading?¡± ¡°Ah, this? It¡¯s a book about astronomy. I really like the author. When I heard that a new book came in, I just couldn¡¯t contain myself.¡± ¡°Astronomy¡­ So you¡¯re reading a pretty complicated book again.¡± Walking up to Sieg¡¯s desk, Leticiel picked up the book at the top of the pile. It seemed to be a book about what kind of stars could be observed throughout the year in the Platina Kingdom. Leticiel opened the book and skimmed through it. By just flipping through the pages, she had already roughly memorized the contents of the book. Memorization Strengthening was truly a wonderful Magecraft. ¡°Ooh¡­ So the stars in the southern sky look like this¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, there are a lot of famous stars in the south. Have you seen this constellation before?¡± ¡°Ah, this one with the red stars, right? I saw it from my window last night.¡± ¡°Since its appearance about thirteen years ago, it can be observed only on the night of a new moon. It seems that it had appeared before in the past, but there weren¡¯t any detailed records about it.¡± Having finished the first volume, Leticiel picked up the second volume. Every time she turned a page, Sieg would chip in with his explanation. Stargazing wasn¡¯t anything foreign to people from a thousand years ago, but it had not been systematized into a discipline like this, which made Leticiel slightly curious. ¡°Could I ask you to read this book with me too?¡± Leticiel asked Sieg, as she was carrying the third volume that she had just skimmed through earlier. ¡°Oh? Are you also interested in astronomy?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems pretty fun, so I got interested in it. Or rather, I got excited because it¡¯s a discipline I didn¡¯t know of.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, go ahead. I have to say, you do like reading, huh?¡± ¡°I love it. Books can answer any question I have; they¡¯re more fun than anything else.¡± Leticiel made a peaceful smile. It was a genuine smile this time, a beautiful smile like a flower opening its petals. Getting caught up in that smile, Sieg also smiled. The boy and the girl didn¡¯t notice that those smiling faces were different than their usual forced smiles. *** The sound of a chime resounded through the silent Great Library. Thinking that first period had ended, Leticiel raised her head from her book to look up at the clock on the wall. ¡°¡­Eh?¡± It was a repeat of what had happened in the Large Conference Room. The hands on the clock were pointing at exactly ten minutes before noon. Indeed, the chime from just then marked the end of third period. Morning classes had all ended. (¡­Huh? That¡¯s strange. I got to the Great Library at around nine, right¡­?¡± With her eyes wide open, Leticiel looked down at the desk. There were more than ten books scattered on top of it. Indeed, there weren¡¯t just three books on the desk, there were more than ten. The number had somehow increased without her knowledge. Leticiel was stunned at how much of a bookworm she was. ¡°¡­Judging by your face, are you perhaps thinking that way more time has passed than you expected?¡± Sitting opposite of her, Sieg let out an amused chuckle as he watched Leticiel¡¯s expression. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re correct. I¡¯m pretty sure I got here around first period¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, I have to say your ability to concentrate is pretty amazing. I don¡¯t think there are many people who can focus on reading so much that three hours pass without them realizing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± Replying with a snap, Leticiel tidied up the books spread out on the desk. ¡°Anyway, since it¡¯s lunch break already, do you want to head to the cafeteria?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°Oh, I need to put these books back first.¡± ¡°Let me help you. Where did you get them?¡± ¡°Hmm, on the bookshelf behind the stairs.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The books were put away in the blink of an eye with Sieg¡¯s help. Leticiel said her goodbyes to David before heading to the cafeteria along with Sieg. The cafeteria was already in a state of chaos. It was no surprise, while Lucrezia Academy¡¯s cafeteria was about twice the size of the Great Library, it also accommodated students from all three years, as well as the faculty. ¡°It¡¯s so full of people as always, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, seeing this is enough to make me feel sick.¡± ¡°Ah, so that was why you didn¡¯t want to go the other day?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really like that. I¡¯m just bad with places full of people.¡± ¡°I see.¡± While an exchange like this was made with Sieg, Leticiel swept her head over the cafeteria to search for empty seats. With so many people inside the cafeteria, it was a task that proved difficult. However, thanks to her keen eyes, Leticiel found a bench for four by the window. ¡°Sieg, let¡¯s go over there. Or rather, there are no empty seats besides the ones over there.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re rig¡­¡± ¡°Aaah!!¡± As Sieg nodded and voiced his agreement, he was interrupted by the cry of a girl behind him. It was a familiar voice. It was the voice of¡­ ¡°Oh my, Mira.¡± Leticiel¡¯s friend, Mirandalette, was running up to the pair. Her brown hair was in a ponytail today. There was a smile on her face that also contained hints of amazement. ¡°Hi, Mira. You¡¯re as cute as ever today.¡± ¡°Coming from you, I can only hear it as sarcasm¡­ Oh well, thank you. Nice to see you too, Sieg.¡± ¡°Hello, Mirandalette.¡± Even though she was exchanging greetings like an upright lady, in the next instant, Mirandalette suddenly interrogated Leticiel. ¡°Anyway, Drossel! Where in the world have you been since this morning?!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I was in the Great Library like always.¡± ¡°Like always¡­ but Drossel, what about classes?¡± ¡°It depends on the subject. Do you want to head over there first? Someone might take those seats.¡± Putting an end to Mirandalette¡¯s interrogation, Leticiel made her way to the empty seats. As she passed by, the students seated on either side readily showered her with contemptuous glares. It was the usual negative reaction that Leticiel paid no heed to. Luckily, the trio secured the table without any issues. Relieved, Leticiel looked around on a whim and found Christa and Rochefort. They were sitting behind her at a table for six with several other people. Noticing Leticiel, Christa seemed to be surprised. On the other hand, Rochefort was glaring at her like usual. Leticiel gave a slight bow before turning her back against the pair. ¡°Uh¡­ Aren¡¯t we a bit too close to his Highness¡­?¡± ¡°Huh? It¡¯s not something we should pay any mind to. They¡¯re just strangers, after all.¡± ¡°¡­Are you sure? Technically, he¡¯s still your fianc¨¦¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s something neither of us have interest in, after all. It¡¯s best to leave it be, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°R-right¡­¡± Afterwards, the three took turns getting food from the counter before starting their meals. Leticiel and Mirandalette chatted about things like the topics of the morning classes or about the books Leticiel had read in the Great Library. Sieg also got caught up in the conversation and the trio enjoyed a peaceful lunch indulging in idle chatter. ¡°Today¡¯s dessert, hmm, looks like they¡¯ve changed it. It¡¯s not flan anymore.¡± Hearing Sieg¡¯s murmur as he looked at the menu, Leticiel tilted her head. ¡°¡­Flan?¡± ¡°Huh!? You don¡¯t know about flan!?¡± Unexpectedly, the person who snapped back at her question was Mirandalette. ¡°You absolutely have to try it¡­ or rather, if it¡¯s you, then you must have had it before! Flan¡¯s production process is quite complex so a low-ranking noble like me can¡¯t have it regularly, but it¡¯s delicious! The combination of the fluffy, sweet custard and the bittersweet caramel sauce makes for an exquisite dessert item!¡± Mirandalette¡¯s eyes lit up as she explained with fervor. Seeing the girl this excited made Leticiel¡¯s face twitch slightly, but she also became genuinely curious if it was truly as delicious as Mirandalette made it seem. ¡°¡­By the way, I¡¯ve been wondering about this for a while now, Sieg is a commoner, isn¡¯t he?¡± Mirandalette spoke the moment after Sieg had just left his seat to get refreshments. Leticiel, who was still eating, paused her hand when she heard that comment. ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°Well, Sieg doesn¡¯t have a middle name, right?¡± It seemed that in this age, only royalties and nobles were allowed to have a middle name. Back in Leticiel¡¯s time, commoners didn¡¯t have surnames, only royalty and nobles did. However, as commoners in the current age had surnames, middle names had become the distinction between nobles and commoners. ¡°But, what about the fact that only nobles can attend this academy?¡± Hearing Leticiel¡¯s doubt, Mirandalette drew closer and whispered into her ear. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s a rare occurrence, but sometimes commoners can enroll to this academy. They still have noble blood in them, but for familial reasons they can¡¯t be part of nobility.¡± ¡°My¡­¡± ¡°Most nobles don¡¯t like them, so they¡¯re not really welcomed here¡­¡± Sieg¡¯s full name was Sieg Viollis. Judging from the norms of the current age, Leticiel became aware of the possibility of him being a commoner with special circumstances. Sieg also said that he had never shown up for class before. Perhaps, if he really was here under those circumstances, Sieg was also someone shunned by everyone around him like Leticiel. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s with this atmosphere?¡± As an awkward silence had settled between the two, the person in question returned to his seat. In his hands he carried a tray with a piping hot cup of coffee and two steaming cups of black tea. ¡°I have no idea what you two like, so I just got black tea to be safe.¡± ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s fine. Thank you very much.¡± Trying to remain as calm as possible, Leticiel looked up to see Sieg¡¯s signature half-smile. Leticiel then brought the black tea to her mouth. She was in the camp of those who drank tea without adding anything. On the other hand, Mirandalette was dropping sugar cube after sugar cube into her tea. Huh? Wait a minute Mirandalette, how much sugar are you planning to put in there? ¡°¡­Of course! If it¡¯s something you want, I¡¯ll obtain it no matter what!¡± Sieg had been enjoying his coffee until the sudden declaration caused all expression to disappear from his face. He turned his head in a particular direction. Mirandalette, who was sitting next to Leticiel, also turned her head around before groaning with an unladylike ¡®Ugh¡¯. Wondering what was going on, Leticiel followed the other two and turned her head as well. What she saw was the form of the two love birds sitting at the table behind her. They were playing around without a care about their surroundings. The air around them seemed to give off a sickly sweet pink color. ¡°Wooow¡­ He must know that his fianc¨¦e is right next to him, yet he¡¯s still brazenly flirting with her younger sister like that¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s to be expected. It looks like the first prince had a crush on my sister from the start, while I¡¯m the most hated person in this school, right? Everyone must be thinking ¡®Serves you right¡¯, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°¡­You sure can say that easily, Drossel.¡± ¡°Because I have no interest in His Highness or what others think.¡± Looking at Leticiel who had returned to her food after just a few seconds, Mirandalette and Sieg exchanged a glance before sighing. Indeed. The current Drossel didn¡¯t care about the fact that her fianc¨¦ was being unfaithful, nor did she care about the fact that others were laughing at her. If anyone had asked her the reason, she would surely give the same answer. She simply didn¡¯t care. Mirandalette shook her head in frustration. Sieg looked at Leticiel with a bitter smile on his face. Leticiel attempted to continue her meal, but as it was her first time eating pasta, she was unable to use her fork effectively. The lunch break peacefully continued. *** ¡°Okaaay, we should get going now.¡± Sieg said while looking at the cafeteria¡¯s clock. The other students in the cafeteria had already stood up from their seats as they had begun to return to their classrooms. ¡°Good idea. Mira, what are the afternoon classes?¡± ¡°It will be more Practical Magic Studies, continuing on from second period.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a class I don¡¯t have to show up for, then.¡± Hearing what Leticiel said, Mirandalette became dejected. The phrase ¡®So you¡¯re skipping again?¡¯ was clearly written on her face. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like I¡¯m skipping class. I¡¯m just making better use of my time.¡± ¡°Even if you put it like that, skipping is still skipping. Haaah, okay, I understand. Then please feel free to make better use of your time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do. Let¡¯s meet again later.¡± ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the usual spot.¡± After exchanging a promise to meet after school, Mirandalette parted ways from Sieg and Leticiel at the entrance of the cafeteria. While seeing her off, Leticiel crossed her arms. I can skip class, but how should I spend my time until classes end? Should I just go to the Great Library and continue reading? ¡°What shall I do now?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know what do with your time, why not try going to the laboratory?¡± Sieg offered that suggestion to a troubled Leticiel. Like she thought, he also had no intention of attending afternoon classes. It seemed that in the morning, before Leticiel had come to the Great Library, Lucas had instructed Sieg to show her the laboratory. Now that she thought about it, since for the past week one thing kept happening after another, Leticiel had yet to set foot into Lucas¡¯ laboratory¡­ or rather, her own laboratory. It would be her base of research from now on, so she wanted to see it firsthand. ¡°Now that you mention it, I have yet to go there.¡± ¡°Do you want me to show you where it is?¡± ¡°That would be appreciated.¡± ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s go.¡± With that, the two headed side-by-side for the annex where the laboratory was located. As classes would begin soon, there were no students in the hallway, only a few teachers who were heading to their classes. Every time the pair passed by a teacher, they would give that teacher a slight bow and a small greeting. All of the teachers would then cheerfully return their greeting. It seemed that unlike the students, the teachers in this academy didn¡¯t bear any ill will towards Drossel. ¡°I didn¡¯t think the teachers would be this friendly to me.¡± ¡°Yeaaah¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure the teachers normally give all students the same treatment. Did you do anything, Drossel?¡± Hearing Sieg¡¯s question, Leticiel recalled what she had done this past week. The only things that came to mind were attending lessons normally, rewriting some Formulas, being summoned by two teachers, venting her frustration at the faculty in a grand way, attending more lessons and spending her time after school with her friend. Nothing out of the ordinary. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything big.¡± ¡°I see, so you did do something.¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with that reaction? You sound just like Mira.¡± ¡°Well, anyhow, the teachers have a better impression of you now, so that¡¯s a good thing, right?¡± As they spoke, the duo had already exited from the main school building through the side entrance and arrived behind the academy. Before them was a giant lake, and past it were many identical buildings all evenly spaced apart. As the sight filled their eyes, the pair continued on without speaking. The pair¡¯s silence wasn¡¯t due to a moment of awkwardness, but was instead a peaceful appreciation of the scenic view. Sieg entered the rightmost building. It was a two-storied building made out of brick with a staircase leading up to the entrance. As they approached the building, Leticiel thought that it didn¡¯t seem to be that big, but once inside, it appeared to be more spacious than she¡¯d thought, as most of it was empty. Both the walls and the floor were covered in dust and gave off an archaic air. ¡°It¡¯s quite bare, huh?¡± ¡°Yeaaah, this place used to be the Seventh Research Building. It was still used as a research institution about half a year ago, but due to the increase in the number of researchers, a new laboratory was built, and everyone moved over there. So this building isn¡¯t used anymore.¡± Leticiel looked out the hallway window to find a brand-new three-storied white building peeping out from behind the trees. Perhaps that was the new Seventh Research Building. ¡°Sorry, this is the only one available. The dean also wanted to prepare a better room, but every other research building was full¡­¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s fine, as long as I can do my research.¡± For Leticiel, she only cared about having a table, a chair and a bookshelf to do her research. Something like whether it was an old or a new research building would not dampen her mood. Rather, the fact that she would be alone in this place might be even better. Continuing up to the end of the hallway on the second floor, Sieg came to a stop before a door. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Opening the door, Sieg invited Leticiel into the room. It was a much bigger room than Leticiel was expecting. There was a grand desk on the far side of the room, before it was an expensive-looking coffee table and sofa. The wall was decorated with an empty bookshelf and a cupboard filled with various pots and utensils. There were also various paintings on the wall along with two doors that seemed to lead to other rooms. ¡°¡­It¡¯s more spacious than I thought.¡± ¡°Yeah, this used to be the dean¡¯s laboratory, after all. I dare say it¡¯s the biggest room in the Seventh Research Building.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t the dean move his laboratory to the new building? There¡¯s still a bunch of furniture in this room¡­¡± ¡°The Dean¡¯s laboratory was the last thing to be moved, and they only started on it a few days ago. In the end, they decided not to move everything, I think.¡± ¡°I see.¡± In other words, while the rooms were being moved, it was decided that Leticiel would join Lucas¡¯ laboratory. However, there was no room for her, so he decided to let her use this room instead. And in the end, the furniture was not moved and was left here instead. Leticiel looked around the room. ¡°So I can use this room however I like, right?¡± ¡°That I¡¯m not sure of¡­ There are many cases of unused research buildings being renovated and used as another facility. I heard that even my dorm used to be the Fourth Research Building. So there¡¯s a chance that they¡¯ll repurpose this building in the future.¡± Sieg made a troubled smile. However, Leticiel only cared about the fact that there were currently no plans to renovate the building, so she could use it as she pleased. ¡°Do you have a laboratory in the new building too, Sieg?¡± ¡°No, the Seventh Research Building is for people who focus on research relating to Magic. My focus is in the field of Science and Mathematics, so mine is in the Eighth Research Building.¡± It seemed that the research buildings behind the main school building were divided based on their fields of research. ¡°Then let me explain to you about the facility itself, too. First of all, this laboratory has three rooms. The innermost room has been prepared for you to do your actual research in. Meanwhile, the other two rooms can be used in whatever manner you wish. Some people use them as a storage or as an archive, and there are also those who put a bed inside and use it as a nap room.¡± What? I want to make a nap room too¡­! Leticiel was barely able to stop herself from voicing that thought. (It¡¯s truly a peaceful and quiet place. It¡¯s perfect for doing research.) Leticiel took a glance outside of the window. The vast lake radiantly sparkled under the sun, and past it was the majestic form of the main building and clock tower of the academy, completed by the lush green forest surrounding them. As someone who had lived in a war-torn world, Leticiel had never seen such a great scene of nature before. Even though the Museum, the Magic Training Field, and the Swordplay Training Hall stood inside the forest, their placement was masterfully chosen to blend in with the surroundings. Leticiel thought about taking a slow stroll through the forest sometime. ¡°So you¡¯re saying this room will be my research room?¡± Leticiel pointed at the door furthest away from the entrance. From its orientation, it was the room that would catch the most sun during the day. ¡°That¡¯s right. It used to be a storeroom, but it¡¯s been cleaned up to an extent. Please use it however you want.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡°Also, I have a message from the dean. He said that if you need anything, feel free to tell him about it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As if she couldn¡¯t wait anymore, Leticiel excitedly walked towards the door. Contrary to her usual calm, expressionless demeanor, her current impulsiveness reflected the typical behavior of someone her age. The sight of such an unusual Drossel caused Sieg to burst into laughter as he watched her. Although she had no idea why Sieg was laughing with no sign of stopping, Leticiel calmed herself down as she opened the innermost door. As Leticiel had a severe case of Magecraft Mania, a place where she could perform Sorcery Formula research was a place she would consider her home. In other words, she would much rather live in this research room than her own room in the Duke Filiaregis estate. Indeed, she was in the terminal stage. Inside the room was a compact white desk, along with two bookshelves and a cabinet against the wall. While it was quite empty, it also meant that she could customize the room as she wished. ¡°What a wonderful room¡­¡± ¡°Is it to your liking?¡± ¡°Yes. I can remodel it to my liking, it¡¯s a blank canvas to be filled with hopes and dreams! ¡° ¡°¡­You¡¯re really quite peculiar, Drossel.¡± Leticiel had no idea why Sieg seemed to be amazed. She wondered if she had said something weird. An empty room like this meant that she could furnish and design the layout in any way she wanted. It was impossible for her not to be excited. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll spend the remainder of the afternoon here to focus on Formula research. Is there a large amount of paper here, Sieg?¡± ¡°Uhhh, that box over there should be full of white paper¡­¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll head to the Great Library for a bit.¡± ¡°Hah?¡± Leticiel had already flown out of the laboratory by the time she finished her sentence. Time was a finite resource, and there was no time like the present. She was going to the Great Library to gather books about the current age¡¯s Magic Formulas. It had started a week ago. After discussing with the teachers about ¡®The ABCs of Magic (Sorcery) Formula¡¯ and having stated her desire to research that area to Lucas, Leticiel had been thinking about starting with a complete overhaul of the Formulas in this country. If she wanted to introduce a revolutionary concept that most wouldn¡¯t be able to believe, she would need to start by showing them how inferior the current Magic Formulas were compared to Sorcery Formulas. And to that end, her first step was to gather up books about Formulas to create a ¡®Summary of the Main Magic Formulas in the Platina Kingdom¡¯. Having utilized the superior ability of the librarian, David, once again, Leticiel returned to the laboratory with a large stack of books. ¡°¡­Welcome back. I have to say¡­ that¡¯s quite a lot of books. That tower of books you¡¯ve built might hit the doorframe, you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it won¡¯t hit anything. It¡¯s just enough to still get through.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably right, but I still can¡¯t completely believe it¡­ No matter how many Magecrafts you have at your disposal, isn¡¯t carrying that many books still a bit too much?¡± Saying so, Sieg trotted towards Leticiel and took about half of the books from her. Leticiel had used Body Strengthening Magecraft to help her carry the books, however, even with his knowledge of Magecraft, Sieg was unaware that she currently possessed superhuman strength. Leticiel set down the mountain of books next to the desk in the research room, with Sieg placing his half next to it. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m locking myself in here.¡± ¡°Got it. Then I¡¯ll head back to my laboratory as well. Let¡¯s meet again tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah, see you.¡± After waving goodbye to Sieg, Leticiel returned to her research room. She then closed the door behind her and sealed it shut using Magecraft. Above all else, Leticiel hated being interrupted in the middle of her research. Even in her previous life, she would often lock the doors to prevent others from freely entering. Having created a space for herself, Leticiel immediately set down a giant stack of paper next to the book she had placed on the table. She then opened the book and chose the Formulas to transcribe onto the paper. Incidentally, in the process of copying the Formulas, she invoked a Body Strengthening Magecraft on her arms to ensure that she wouldn¡¯t get fatigued for a long time. Leticiel only picked out Magic Formulas for Basic Spells from the books she brought. While drawing out and transcribing specific information from books one had never read was no easy feat, it was nothing for the ¡®Kingdom¡¯s Greatest Treasure¡¯. Magic was divided into five general categories: Basic Spells, Low Spells, Middle Spells, High Spells and Infinity Spells. Basic Spells covered the simplest Magic Spells; they only used Basic Formulas with straightforward variables. As knowledgeable as she was, rewriting all of the Magic Formulas by the time school ended was still impossible. Because of that, Leticiel had settled with her goal being the lowest grade of Magic, Basic Spells, as she began to remodel them with burning fervor. *** Just as the chime rang, Leticiel tossed the quill pen in her hand onto the desk. It wasn¡¯t out of frustration, but rather, because she had finished remodeling all the Basic Formulas for Basic Spells into the Sorcery Formulas she was familiar with. After tidying up the books in the room and gathering the sheets of rewritten Sorcery Formulas into a stack, Leticiel left the research room. As Drossel had no Magic Power, she couldn¡¯t try them out herself. She was thinking about asking either Lucas or Sieg to test out the Formulas. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± The first thing she saw after leaving the room was a person she had met in the second period on her first day as Drossel. It was the Magic Formula Studies teacher, Raven. ¡°Mister Raven?¡± ¡°Hello, Miss Drossel¡­ It seems that you¡¯ve settled into this laboratory without issue¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I did. But why are you here, Mister Raven?¡± ¡°I was interested in your laboratory¡­ So I decided to take a look to see how it looks like.¡± Hearing that, Leticiel¡¯s eyes seemed to light up. She looked up at the clock on the wall to find that the chime she had heard earlier marked the start of fifth period. That meant there was still an hour left before the end of school. ¡°Mister Raven.¡± ¡°¡­? Yes?¡± ¡°As someone who teaches Magic Formulas, perhaps you might be interested in contributing to its evolution?¡± ¡°¡­And what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve begun to do research for the systemization of the introduction to Formulas I talked about before.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°To tell you the truth, I was thinking about asking the Dean or someone else. However, I think that someone like you, Mister Raven, will be able to appreciate the greatness of my research results.¡± ¡°Why do I have a bad feeling about this¡­? ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to do anything weird at all. Just a test trial of these remodeled Formulas.¡± ¡°¡­This much!? ¡­Wait, wait a minute, Miss Drossel! I haven¡¯t said a single word about agreeing to do th©`¡± ¡°Well then, Mister Raven. Our time is limited, so let¡¯s head to the Magic Training Field at once.¡± ¡°No matter how you look at it, with this amount, my Magic Power would run out before we finish! That¡¯s unreasonable! At least get more people¡­ Actually, I never agreed to help with this in the first place, so stop dragging meeee!!¡± Afterwards, Raven would end up being the guinea pig for Leticiel at every opportunity, but that¡¯s a story for another time. One thing happened after another, and the test trial of the remodelled Formulas was completed. Leticiel had returned to her laboratory along with Raven, whose Magic Power had been run dry. Lucas was also present inside the room. It seemed that he had come to check on Leticiel. He had actually wanted to visit earlier, but he had some business to take care of first. ¡°¡­I see, so that¡¯s why Raven ended up like that.¡± Immediately upon returning, Raven was lifelessly sprawled out on the sofa as if he was a corpse. Regarding his subordinate with eyes full of pity, Lucas let out a sigh after hearing Leticiel¡¯s explanation. ¡°Oh well¡­ Looks like he¡¯ll live, so that¡¯s good enough.¡± With that, Leticiel gave him a short report about what she had completed. When the story finished, with his arms folded, Lucas gave a satisfied nod. ¡°What are you going to do now? Continue your research?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m meeting my friend after school, so I¡¯ll continue tomorrow.¡± ¡°I see. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± The parting words from that athletic body were spoken with perfect clarity. After seeing a beaming Lucas off, Leticiel herself also got out of laboratory. On her way to the Magic Training Field, Leticiel passed by many students in the main building. She noticed that the nobles in this time and age seemed to be quite busy, as they were all talking about their plans after school, such as attending private lessons, soir¨¦es, or parties. It appeared that an evening party was being held in some noble¡¯s house today, as it was the talk of all these noble sons and daughters. (Hooray for being shunned!) Drossel¡¯s family was neglecting her at any opportunity. This was most likely the reason why she neither had to take any private lessons nor show up to any soir¨¦e or party. Leticiel was ecstatic that she was able to freely use her time after school. ¡°Ah! Drossel!¡± By the time Leticiel reached the Magic Training Field, Mirandalette had already begun independent practice. Her usual level of energy would have been more than enough, but today, the sparkles in her eyes seemed to be shining even brighter. ¡°Mira, you seem especially motivated today, huh?¡± ¡°Yes! There¡¯s no tea party or evening party after this, so I can focus on practicing Magecraft!¡± ¡°Really? But I heard there was some kind of evening party happening today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably an exclusive one for high-ranking nobles. Those kinds of parties are few and far between, but I don¡¯t get along well with those elites, so I¡¯m glad I wasn¡¯t invited.¡± Saying so, Mirandalette assumed a triumphant pose with both her arms before forming a broad smile. *** On that day, upon returning to the residence, Leticiel noticed that the Duke household was wrapped in a restless atmosphere for some reason. ¡°¡­Say, Ruvik. Is something going on today?¡± Leticiel was standing by her room entrance with Ruvik next to her. Taking a glance at the servants bustling about the hallway, she raised a question to her butler. Ruvik himself had been also working with the other servants until then. ¡°Indeed. My lady¡¯s residence is holding an evening party today, so all the servants have been preparing for it.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Hearing Ruvik¡¯s explanation, Leticiel realized that Christa and Rochefort were the ones hosting the evening party she had heard about. It seemed to be an extravagant gathering befitting a party which only high-ranking nobles were invited to. However, despite hearing about it, Leticiel couldn¡¯t imagine such a party. After all, ¡®evening party¡¯ only existed as words back in the age she lived in. ¡°Will you be participating, my lady?¡± ¡°Of course not. It sounds like a pain.¡± For someone like Leticiel who didn¡¯t enjoy socializing with others, an evening party full of strangers could only be a tedious event. As the host¡¯s relative, it would have been customary for Leticiel to attend the party. However, that oblivious girl didn¡¯t know about such common sense. Hearing Leticiel¡¯s reply, Ruvik put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment before he began to grumble about something. ¡°But all the cooks are busy preparing food for the party tonight. The Master and the Mistress will be having dinner at the party too, so it¡¯s likely the cooks won¡¯t have any time to make dinner for my lady¡­¡± ¡±Oh? There¡¯ll be food?¡± ¡°Well, I said food, but it¡¯s more like light snacks. And there will be sweets and champagne prepared as well.¡± ¡°Sweets¡­¡± Suddenly, the image of Mirandalette smiling as she talked about sweets flashed through Leticiel¡¯s mind. She was reminded of the girl¡¯s fervent speech about the thing called ¡®flan¡¯, rekindling Leticiel¡¯s interest about the dish. ¡°Say, Ruvik. Will there be¡­ flan, at the party tonight?¡± ¡°Huh? Uhhh, there should be, I think. If you want, why not go eat them?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I just happen to be hungry, so maybe I¡¯ll have something at the party.¡± ¡°Underst¡­ Wait a minute! My lady, are you planning to attend in your uniform!?¡± Leticiel was made aware that showing up to the evening party wearing her uniform wasn¡¯t a good idea. She thought it was fine if she was only going there to have dinner. However, due to Ruvik¡¯s frantic insistence stopping her, Leticiel acquiesced and went back into her walk-in-closet. Having changed to an appropriate dress, she headed for the banquet hall where the party was taking place. The hall was filled with nobles clothed in gorgeous dresses adorned with various accessories. They were all enjoying friendly chats in the hall under the dazzling glow of the chandelier. Despite the spectacle unfolding before her, Leticiel¡¯s gaze was fixed on a table by the side of the hall. (¡­Huh? What¡¯s with this dish? It¡¯s so white¡­ I wonder what kind of ingredients they used to make it? But the dishes over there are all colorful. Maybe its main ingredient is some kind of vegetable? And this dish over here too¡ª¡± Leticiel¡¯s eyes were frolicking all over the table like a child seeing a myriad of dishes she had never seen before lined up next to each other. While being at a loss for choices, Leticiel began to silently eat the plate of food in her hand. The nobles surrounding her were staring as if they were witnessing something incomprehensible. Their reactions were understandable. As the relative of the host, she should have been seated at one of the seats of honor, yet, this girl was single-mindedly eating among the guests. ¡°¡­¡ªthat was why I made that decision at the time. To not let people look down on someone like me. There are more too, for example two years ago¡­¡± ¡°Geez, Rochefort. It¡¯s not good to tell your story without taking a break, you know? Here, please drink this and rest for a bit.¡± ¡°Ooh! Thanks, Christa! You¡¯re so kind!¡± While Christa and Rochefort¡¯s voices could be heard from the other side, Leticiel, who currently only had her eyes for food, filtered out their conversation like background noise. Her mind was fully devoted to enjoying the unknown foods before her. ¡°Now that I think about it, isn¡¯t your elder sister, Sareenah getting married soon?¡± ¡°Yes, your Highness. Lately, even my elder brother has been busy helping with the preparations for her ceremony.¡± The cheerful voice of Christa went into Leticiel¡¯s right ear and straight out the left as the girl was busy stuffing herself full with flan. While she was half in doubt about what Mirandalette claimed, after trying some herself, Leticiel realized that the girl hadn¡¯t been exaggerating at all. The moment it entered her mouth, it began to melt, and as it intertwined with the sauce, it created a unique sweet taste with a tinge of bitterness. ¡°¡­Elder Sister Drossel?¡± While she was indulging in the bittersweet taste of the pudding, someone called out to Leticiel. She finished her last mouthful before turning around to find Christa and several other girls looking at her. Their faces looked like they couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. ¡°Why are you¡­ here at this party?¡± It seemed the fact that Leticiel was attending the party was a surprise to Christa. ¡°The host of this party is the Duke household¡­ or to be precise, you, right? So is there something wrong with me showing my face here?¡± ¡°N-no, no, but I mean¡­¡± It had turned into a situation of answering a question with a question. Unable to respond to Leticiel¡¯s flawless reasoning, Christa was left speechless. An air of silence filled the space between the two for some time. ¡°¡­Um, Elder Sister Drossel, what were you having just now¡­?¡± ¡°Flan.¡± ¡°F-flan?¡± Leticiel had no idea why Christa¡¯s eyes were wide-open, as all she had done was answering the question that had been asked. Despite trying her best, Leticiel couldn¡¯t fathom why her sister would be surprised here. ¡°But Elder Sister, I thought you disliked sweets?¡± ¡°I just felt like eating flan today. I mean, don¡¯t you sometimes feel like eating a lot of sweets?¡± ¡°Y-yeah, you¡¯re¡­ right¡­¡± Hearing Leticiel¡¯s reasoning, Christa¡¯s eyes began to lose focus. As if thinking about something, she stopped speaking and sank into silence. ¡°Hey, Drossel! Christa was kind enough to check up on you, and yet you can¡¯t even answer her clearly. What the hell have you been up to?!¡± A boorish voice entered Leticiel¡¯s ears. Leticiel turned around while slightly knitting her eyebrows to find Rochefort staring daggers at her. ¡°¡­Hm? And what did you mean by that?¡± Seeing the clear displeasure on her face, Rochefort¡¯s glare grew even sharper. ¡°You, I¡¯ve been watching you for a while now. You¡¯ve been up to something!¡± ¡°Even if you asked me that, I simply showed up for the party to have a meal, you know?¡± ¡°You!?¡± Hearing such a shameless answer, Rochefort¡¯s shoulders began to tremble. It was common knowledge that evening parties were for nobles to socialize and exchange information. The food prepared was merely for show as eating them would ruin their makeup. However, Leticiel was oblivious to those facts. ¡°To think that you don¡¯t even know how disgraceful you were acting, and you call yourself a member of the Duke household! You wretch! How dare you participate in this party so shamelessly!¡± WIth that, Rochefort let out a snort full of disgust. However, that only served to make Leticiel more confused. ¡°I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re saying, Your Highness. Is there something wrong with me, a member of the Duke¡¯s household, participating in a party hosted by the Duke¡¯s household?¡± Because of Rochefort¡¯s shouting, all the surrounding nobles turned their heads towards the pair out of curiosity and were surprised by Leticiel¡¯s face. ¡°Wait, that person¡­ could she be Drossel?¡± ¡°Huh? By Drossel you mean, that Drossel? I¡¯ve attended these evening parties for years now, and this is my first time seeing her face.¡± The whispers kept increasing, but Leticiel paid them no heed as she continued talking. ¡±Your Highness, did you know? In the olden age of chaos, people didn¡¯t have grand mansions or lavish food like this. All they had were constant life-or-death wars as well as the power to defend themselves. However, even in that age, nobody would fail to respect another, regardless of their gender or lineage; every single soul was their own person.¡± For Leticiel, that was simply common sense. However, it seemed to be a foreign idea in the current day and age as the audience began to chatter among themselves as if it had left a deep impression on them. Perhaps it was the fact that this way of thinking wasn¡¯t mainstream in a kingdom with a rigid noble society like this. ¡°It¡¯s true that I technically hold the title of Your Highness¡¯ fianc¨¦. However, before that, I¡¯m a person named Drossel Noa Filiaregis. It¡¯s a blessing for the Duke household to receive so many distinguished guests today. In front of those guests at such a wonderful party, wouldn¡¯t you say it¡¯d be better for you to act as a role-model by showing your magnanimity?¡± In reality, Leticiel thought it would be easier to directly tell him ¡®I¡¯m not your tool or anything, you bastard, so stop telling me what to do¡¯. However, the other party was still a prince and there were many nobles witnessing this charade. In the end, Leticiel bit her lip and stated her opinion in a composed manner. ¡°¡­Tch¡­¡± Leticiel¡¯s words had prevented Rochefort from being able to say anything. His eyes began to wander as he tried his best to find a response, yet not a single word came out of his mouth in the end. The guests who noticed the situation began to take peeks in Leticiel and Rochefort¡¯s direction as they secretly whispered among themselves. Taking a glance at the current state of the banquet hall, Leticiel decided that it was about time for her to withdraw. She had been able to try most of the dishes that she wanted to eat, and she would only remain the center of attention if she stayed. ¡±I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. Everyone, please enjoy yourselves.¡± With some brief parting words, Leticiel promptly left the banquet hall while ignoring all the voices and eyes chasing after her. ¡°I have to say, Drossel is truly a wise person just like the rumors.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve never seen her in any social event before, so I didn¡¯t know about that myself. But that speech and her demeanor must have been carefully thought out. How wonderful.¡± ¡°She did seem to be a bit peculiar. But she looked so dignified when she boldly admonished His Highness.¡± Even after Drossel¡¯s exit, the commotion in the banquet hall continued on for some time as everyone was whispering about her. Amidst that crowd, Rochefort was muttering his grudge against his own fianc¨¦. While silently waiting by his side, without a single expression on her face, Christa continued to stare in the direction her elder twin sister had left with eyes cold as ice. Volume 1 - CH 5 Chapter 5: The Wheel of Fate is Turning ¡°¡­One¡­! ¡­Two¡­!¡± The wooden sword swung downwards, cutting through the air. Around the time when students should have been taking third period, the figure of Leticiel repetitively practicing swings could be seen. She was wearing pants for ease of movement. The location this was taking place in was the Swordplay Training Hall. Leticiel had come to practice the martial arts her father had drilled into her back in her previous life. She had been here since the start of first period. Even as a Magecraft genius, if Leticiel couldn¡¯t match an enemy in hand-to-hand combat, she wouldn¡¯t be able to win any fights. Therefore, she was doing strength and endurance training in the training hall by herself. Her current body was that of a sheltered noble girl. When she had first begun, just as one would expect, she would have been out of breath after just a few swings. However, as she had gained more muscle, she could now continue to train for longer periods of time. A month had passed since she had begun to live as Drossel. In that period, she had spent every day to its fullest. Almost all human contact had been broken off at her own home, as only her exclusive butler, Ruvik, would enter her room. Furthermore, beside her own room, she would only show herself in the kitchen, the library, and the garden. Her family also adjusted their schedule to avoid her. While Leticiel didn¡¯t know why they behaved like that, she believed that it wasn¡¯t far off from her usual treatment anyway, and paid it no heed. At the academy, Leticiel would spend her time until noon buried by the books in the Great Library, or practicing martial arts in the Swordplay Training Hall. In the afternoon, she would lock herself in her laboratory to focus on her research. And then after school, she would head for the Magic Training Field to teach Sieg and Mirandalette about Magecraft. As the result of a month of training, just as Leticiel had expected, both Sieg and Mirandalette began to show their talents as Mages. For Mirandalette, while no single Element stood out for her, she had flawless control over Magecraft of every Element. On the other hand, even though Sieg was better at using Magic for some Elements, he excelled at Void Element Magecraft. At the same time, Leticiel¡¯s Formula research had been progressing favorably, as she was in the process of completing her rewrite of all the Low Spells. Compared to the other ranks, it seemed that Low Spells and Middle Spells were the most abundant in number, hence it had taken her this long. Besides Formula modification, she had also been developing new Magecraft. While she had been reporting all of her findings to the Dean, the two of them kept her discoveries in absolute secrecy. The only other people who knew about her discoveries besides them were Sieg; Mirandalette; Raven; and Valtorana (Mister Sparkly), who was shrewdly dragged into the mix. Finally, Leticiel hadn¡¯t once shown her face in class in the past month. For someone who loved reading to the point of spending the majority of her time reading in the Great Library and at home, the lessons taught at the Academy were merely child¡¯s play to her. Indeed, she had reached the same conclusion that Sieg had. It had proved to be a good decision. Over the past month, she had rarely even met her classmates, let alone been the subject of their insults. The teachers didn¡¯t get angry or worry about her. On the contrary, they would often visit her laboratory to chat while bringing her refreshments. Leticiel didn¡¯t know if it was because they liked her or if they had other motives. ¡°Third period should be ending soon, huh?¡± Leticiel asked herself while swinging the wooden sword with all her strength. While there wasn¡¯t any clock in the training hall, she made a guess based on the noises coming from the other side of the wall. Unlike the outdoor Magic Training Field, the Swordplay Training Hall was indoors. However, it was also divided into many booths and a class was taking third period in the booth next to Leticiel¡¯s. Placing the wooden sword back on the rack, she then changed her clothes in the booth¡¯s changing room before cheerfully heading for the cafeteria. Even if she didn¡¯t show up for class, Leticiel would make sure to have lunch with her friends. She believed that going out of her way to eat lunch alone despite having friends would be too pitiful. Leticiel arrived at the cafeteria before the end of third period. Because it was still during instructional hours, not a single other student was in sight. The girl headed straight for the well-lit table for six by the windows. On that table was a handsome black-haired boy. Leticiel¡¯s comrade-in-truancy, Sieg, was idly gazing out of the windows while bathing in the gentle sunlight. He would always do this to secure a good spot. ¡°Hello, Sieg.¡± ¡°Hm? Drossel? You¡¯re here earlier than usual.¡± Sieg blinked his eyes as if surprised by Leticiel¡¯s appearance. Looking at that face, Leticiel couldn¡¯t say she didn¡¯t know the reason why. For the past month, Leticiel had spent almost every day lost in her own world without noticing the time. It was normal that Sieg would have to search for her and drag her over to the cafeteria. ¡°How unusual. For you to come here on your own before the chime¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I got distracted earlier than usual today. Days like these also happen, you know?¡± Leticiel got to the table and sat down. The pair then began chatting in an empty cafeteria. It seemed that Sieg was researching about numerical formulas in his laboratory. He had planned to visit the machinery room at first, but he had to call it off due to a sudden inspection. As Leticiel began to doze off in the warm sunlight, the chime rang. And with that, the last person in her group of close friends flew into the cafeteria. ¡°Good morning! Drossel!¡± ¡°Hi, Mira. Your energy level is at 100% like always, huh?¡± ¡°Eh!?¡± Seeing Mirandalette¡¯s eyes opened wide, Leticiel let out a giggle. *** The rest of Leticiel¡¯s day had passed without any trouble. As the sun was going down the western skies, she and her friends were in the usual booth. ¡°You should be able to use this level of Magecraft without a Sorcery Formula now. Now, try using this Water Formula.¡± ¡°Okay! Um¡­ I think it¡¯s like this©`¡± ¡±¡­My head hurts¡­¡± ¡°Sieg. Did your image get caught up with Mira¡¯s Magecraft again!? Close your eyes and calm down. Drive that image of the Water element out of your head at once!¡± In the Magic Training Field, Leticiel was helping out her two friends (mostly Sieg). While Leticiel and Mirandalette had been practicing here every day, Sieg only showed up once in a while whenever he felt like it. However, their training regimen were fundamentally different. Mirandalette was striving to be able to freely use Magecraft from every Element. On the other hand, because Sieg¡¯s Magic Power in the Five Basic Elements was so high, he had to deal with various constraints. Particularly, when he and Mirandalette practiced together, her Magecraft would sometimes influence the image in his head. He was trying to use Void element Magecraft just now, but the image of the Water element appeared in his head and caused his body to suffer from a Mana Rebound. ¡±Didn¡¯t I tell you that it¡¯d be best for you to practice separately?¡± ¡°You did. But in this world where Magic is commonplace, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything if I couldn¡¯t at least overcome this.¡± Sitting on a bench with ragged breath, Sieg formed a smile on his face. Leticiel could only wish that he¡¯d stop pushing himself as she gazed at that poor state. Leticiel was sitting next to Sieg as she used a Healing Magecraft on him. While his argument was sound, she wondered if he realized that it would be in vain if he broke his body in the process. Incidentally, Sieg¡¯s Magic Power measurement results were as such: Leticiel had to do a double take when she first saw it. The normal Magic Power average was between 50 and 60, and anything over 100 would be considered high Magic Power. And yet he held Magic Power ten times that of those normal values. Furthermore, Leticiel had never met anyone with such a contrast between their proficiencies. With this variation in Elemental Ratings, it was no surprise that it¡®d be difficult for him to strike a balance between Magecraft and Magic. ¡°I understand where you¡¯re coming from, but nevertheless, it¡¯s still not a reason to go this far. You should know by now how violently the Magic Power of the Five Elements in your body reacts to Magecraft by now, right? You¡¯ve been injured so many times already.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And I¡¯ve told you about this so many times, the difference between your abilities is too extreme. Even when you¡¯re not planning to use Magecraft from the Five Elements, you still need to pay utmost attention when you handle Mana. I understand your desire to use both Magecraft and Magic. But if something happens to you then it would all be for naught.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Luckily, Magecraft and Magic aren¡¯t that much different in their structures. Once you master calculation processing step, you should stop suffering from Mana Rebound. In other words, you won¡¯t go anywhere if you keep rushing like this.¡± ¡°¡­Sorry.¡± Sieg reminded Leticiel of her past self. In order to not show others her weakness, she tried to resolve everything on her own, but that only led her straining herself even further. The person who admonished and saved her back then was Nao. Taking care of Sieg like this made Leticiel understand a bit more of what had went on in her husband¡¯s mind. Sieg couldn¡¯t form a single word to refute Leticiel after hearing what she had to say. Averting his eyes, he disheartedly let out a few apologetic words. It was a reasonable reaction for someone who hadn¡¯t been scolded much before. However, the scene reminiscent of a downcast puppy was somewhat adorable. ¡°I think your desire and drive to better yourself is very admirable. However, you have all the time in the world. There¡¯s no reason to burn yourself out, so try to pace yourself to avoid that. I will always be here to help you.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you very much.¡± Hearing Leticiel¡¯s scolding and seeing her smile at the end, Sieg opened his eyes and let out a defeated smile. Leticiel continued to stay by Sieg¡¯s side to use Healing Magecraft on him. He had closed his eyes once again, but his expressions were more at peace than before. ¡°Drossel, how is Sieg doing?¡± ¡°Looks like he¡¯s fine now. His condition¡¯s stabilized and the fever from before has disappeared.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great to hear!¡± Hearing Leticiel¡¯s words, Mirandalette patted her chest inf relief. At that moment, Sieg, who was lying back against the bench, turned his eyes to the two and said. ¡°¡­Can I take a walk around the training field? I want to calm down.¡± ¡°Yes, of course you can. In that case, let¡¯s all take a break and go for a stroll.¡± Leticiel readily agreed to Sieg¡¯s request. Even if she knew that he was fit to continue, she had no plans to do as unreasonable as immediately resuming their training. Leticiel¡¯s group left the Magic Training Field together. The field was located to the left of the main building, and behind it was a vast forest spreading out as far as the eye could see. There were various greenhouses and breeding pens that belonged to teachers and researchers who used them for biological research, which were generally off-limits for students. ¡°Wow¡­ So there¡¯s even a place like this in the academy.¡± ¡°Yeah. When the weather¡¯s clear, you can even see the setting sun in the evening.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! I want to see it with you two sometime!¡± While walking along the wall dividing the Magic Training Field and the forest, the three enjoyed their idle chatter. As a princess who had to protect her citizens a thousand years ago, Leticiel didn¡¯t have much of a chance to enjoy normal conversations like these with people of her age. Spending time with her friends was refreshing to Leticiel. ¡°You wretch! What are you doing there!¡± As the trio turned the final corner to complete a lap around the field, a loud voice suddenly rang out, causing all emotion to drain from their faces. The expressionless girl turned her head to find Rochefort and his followers glaring at her. There had been zero contact between Drossel and Rochefort for the past month. They had neither met each other at the academy or at the Duke¡¯s residence, nor had they exchanged any letters. Leticiel¡¯s eyes were ice-cold as she stared at the fianc¨¦ that she hadn¡¯t met in a month. Inside her mind, Rochefort was nothing more than a ¡®troublesome existence¡¯ she didn¡¯t want to be involved with. ¡°What can I help you with, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Hmph! The nerves you have to pretend that nothing is happening! Seducing another man even though you have a fianc¨¦, how fitting for the disgrace of the Duke¡¯s household!¡± ¡°¡­¡± It seemed that Rochefort was under the impression that Leticiel was enjoying a tryst with Sieg. Unwittingly, she looked at the first prince as if he was some pitiful thing. There was not a scrap of romance in the current situation, not to mention that Mirandalette was also with them. She wondered how in the world he had managed to come to this conclusion. At that point, it was already too late for Leticiel to call this prince an idiot. She could only call him a maggot who had spent the last month flirting indiscriminately with his fianc¨¦e¡¯s younger sister. ¡°B-But Your Highness¡­ There¡¯s another person beside those two©`¡± ¡°Quiet! Bastard, you dare to speak up at me!¡± One of his followers, a glasses-wearing boy, pointed out the existence of Mirandalette. However, Rochefort was so full of himself that he immediately disregarded that idea. The timid-looking follower glanced toward Leticiel as if frightened. He slightly lowered his head, just enough so that the rest of his group didn¡¯t notice. Even though her expression hadn¡¯t changed, Leticiel certainly noticed his gesture. While she had thought that every single one of that idiot prince¡¯s followers were idiots themselves, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡°Hmph! But you¡¯re right. It seems that you¡¯re also mingling with that infamous dunce of a lower-ranking noble! You should be ashamed as fianc¨¦e of this first prince!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seemingly realizing that Rochefort was referring to her, the girl standing next to Leticiel lowered her head while clutching her shirttail. Unlike the golden line sewn on Leticiel¡¯s shirttail, the line being crumpled in Mirandalette¡¯s grip was a color that denoted her status, black. Something inside of Leticiel snapped. She could care less about what he had said about her. However, Rochefort had insulted her friend. (Say, can I beat this man up? It¡¯s fine for me to beat him up, right? Or rather, it¡¯s better for the world if he¡¯s beaten up, no?) Ignorant to Leticiel¡¯s silent rage, Rochefort formed an arrogant smile. His eyes that gazed down at her were the same as ever; they were filled with contempt. ¡±With all due respect.¡± Despite meeting Rochefort¡¯s glare, her eyes were clearly showing her disgust, and without any facial expression, Leticiel plainly stated her thoughts. ¡°If you think you are in any position to call me ¡®the first prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e¡¯, then I suggest you try some soul searching first.¡± ¡°What!¡± Rochefort didn¡¯t even attempt to hide his surprise. It seemed that the thought of her retaliating had never crossed his mind. ¡°Wretch! Even if you¡¯re a good-for-nothing, it still doesn¡¯t change that you still belong to the Duke¡¯s household! Getting involved with something like a lower-ranking noble would only further lower your non-existent reputation!¡± ¡°Even if you say that, Your Highness. A country is something built upon the shoulders of its citizens and its many lower-ranking nobles. Despite that fact, you choose not to interact with them just because of a difference in social status and academic ability. That¡¯s very short-sighted for a royal, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± In truth, this was one of the ideals Leticiel held even during the previous age. She believed that while royalty controlled a country, they could only do so because of all the citizens and nobles under them. She also believed that the same ideal still held true even in the modern day. The reason the minority, the high-ranking nobles, could live leisurely like they did was because of the people under them. ¡°Y-you wretch! Don¡¯t get carried away!¡± Unable to contain himself, Rochefort¡¯s glare grew sharper as he rushed at her, as if attempting to grab the girl. Simply dodging that attack was easy as his movement was too dull. Without sparing him a glance, she began her counterattack and invoked a Magecraft on the ground. Vines made of grass crawled up his legs; he was caught without even being touched. ¡°Gaah!¡± Taken by surprise, Rochefort tumbled face-first onto the ground. Staring down at the dirtied Rochefort with eyes cold as ice, Leticiel walked towards him step by step. ¡°H-h-how! Why did you! If you know what¡¯s good for yo©`¡± Holding onto the label of ¡®incompetent¡¯ until the very end, Rochefort returned to his usual presumptuous behavior as soon as he recognized her approach. However, that miniscule confidence was inconsequential to Leticiel. She took what was left of it and smashed it to pieces by creating five spears of ice around her. ¡°Uoohhhhh!!?¡± Letting out a strange shriek, Rochefort frantically attempted to flee. But Leticiel had no intention of letting him do so. With a swing of her hands, the spears were released, flying towards the bug before her. His body barely avoided injury as the spears pinned him to the ground. ¡±I wouldn¡¯t try to move if I were you. I already went out of my way to avoid your face, so don¡¯t blame me if you get hurt, okay?¡± ¡°H-h-hiiii!!?¡± Before Rochefort could decide on whether he should run or not, Leticiel stooped down and matched his gaze. An ice-cold Leticiel slowly narrowing her mismatched eyes of different colors pushed Rochefort¡¯s mental state over its limits. Something like his pride as royalty was no longer in his mind. ¡°Your Highness. Although I don¡¯t enjoy doing unproductive things like conversing with you, I will leave you with just this.¡± ¡°U-u-unproductive, you say¡­!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say this frankly so you have nothing to bark back about. Well then, Your Highness. You said I¡¯m seducing a man even though I have a fianc¨¦. Then what about you, who has a woman waiting by your side to serve you even though you have a fianc¨¦e?¡± As he heard those emotionless words, Rochefort¡¯s shoulders stiffened. He didn¡¯t expect her to flatly ask him to think about his own position as someone who was yearning for someone else before chastising her and Sieg. Not only was Rochefort unable to form a single word against her sound argument, he was looking at her as if he was at his wits¡¯ end. Being shut down by her argument was understandable, but Leticiel wondered why he was that shaken. ¡°Sh-she is¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t need to say anything. She¡¯s just a ¡®close friend¡¯, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If Your Highness can have a ¡®close friend of the opposite sex¡¯, then why can¡¯t I have one? And what does Your Highness have to say about the fact that you insulted my friends?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°U-uh¡­¡± ¡°Your follower told you as well, didn¡¯t he? That there was someone else present with us. Why didn¡¯t you bother to observe the situation? If you had used your eyes for a bit, you would have seen her right away, right? Are your eyes just there for show?¡± ¡°Th-that, is¡­¡± ¡°Furthermore, Your Highness didn¡¯t even think about the fact that you¡¯re friends with your fianc¨¦e¡¯s little sister as well¡­ But I suppose she¡¯s just a ¡®close friend¡¯, right? Some nerve you have, to talk about me like that. You should look at yourself in the mirror first.¡± ¡°H-hiii!¡± The first smile Leticiel directed at her fianc¨¦ was one as cold as ice. The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped, and the sound of Rochefort¡¯s teeth chattering could be heard. The phenomenon wasn¡¯t because Leticiel had lost control of her power, but rather because she had invoked Blizzard on purpose. At this rate, she would be able to fully control her body¡¯s Phenomenon Interference Power within two months. The moment Leticiel deactivated her Magecraft, Rochefort scrambled away as if his behind had been lit on fire. Despite being unable to form a coherent sentence early, his pride still enabled him to spit out an empty threat. ¡°Y-y-yooou will regret this!¡± ¡°You two, are you okay?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­ U-um¡­ Drossel¡­¡± Leticiel raised her voice towards an absentminded Mirandalette and Sieg. ¡°Perhaps, what His Highness said just now is on your mind?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± In Lucrezia Academy, there were some differences between the uniforms of those belonging to high-ranking noble households and those of the rest of the student population. Those high-ranking households consisted of the Duke and Marquis households as well as parts of the Earl households. There were various lines on the uniforms that denoted a student¡¯s status, which were located on the shirttail and cuffs, as well as the hem of the skirt or along the side of the pants. Those lines would be golden for high-ranking nobles and black for every other student. ¡°You should ignore his baseless rambling. I became friends with you two simply because I wanted to. Something like your status is completely irrelevant to me.¡± Leticiel clearly asserted her intentions as if it was a matter of fact, prompting both Sieg and Mirandalette to stare at her with their eyes wide open. ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for today. You two don¡¯t feel like continuing after that either, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Taking Mirandalette and Sieg¡¯s mental states into consideration, Leticiel signaled the end of the training session. After using Transference to return home, Leticiel thought about refreshing herself and headed for her private bathroom. However, just as she returned from the bath, Leticiel¡¯s ears picked up on some noises from outside of her room. ¡°Hm?¡± Bang, thud. Leticiel guessed that it must have been the sound of someone hitting the wall close to her room and falling onto the ground. Wondering about who it was, she quietly approached her door and placed her ear against it to discern the situation outside. ¡°You, how many times do you think this makes it?¡± ¡°M-my deepest apologies! Madam! Please forgive me!¡± Leticiel could hear the voices of two females. As sounds alone were not enough to ascertain the situation, Leticiel stealthily opened the door and began to peep through the small gap. Before her eyes was the scene of a maid lowering her head to the Duchess. The Duchess was in her usual extravagant dress, thickly caked in layers of makeup, while concealing her mouth with a folding fan. On the other hand, the maid was in a pitiful state as her entire body was trembling. Perhaps she had made some mistake, however, it wasn¡¯t normal to be that frightened. ¡°It seems that you wish to be dismissed? Well, it¡¯d certainly be much better to hire someone capable instead of keeping you around?¡± ¡±N-no! I beg of you, Madam! Anything but that!!¡± The Duchess seemed to be sneering as she declared that. Without even looking at her, Leticiel knew that the maid had turned deathly pale as soon as she had heard that. It seemed that she couldn¡¯t afford to lose her job. Leticiel thought about leaving it at that as she had no interest in the events unfolding before her. However, when she realized that she wouldn¡¯t be able to rest until the charade had finished, she promptly decided to intervene. ¡°How do you do, Lady Diane. I didn¡¯t think you would have the time to dawdle here as the Duchess.¡± Quietly opening the door, Leticiel called out to her so-called mother with her signature uninterested attitude and tone. Diane didn¡¯t even hide the fact that she was surprised by Drossel¡¯s sudden appearance. The question ¡®Why is she here?¡¯ was written on her puzzled face. Seeing her face, a thought came to Leticiel¡¯s mind. Perhaps Diane had forgotten she was near Drossel¡¯s room. Indeed, it was very much possible with that family of hers. ¡°¡­What did you just say about me¡­¡± ¡°Miss Maid over there, could you please tell me your name?¡± Ignoring Diane, Leticiel turned her head towards the maid. As if she was startled by the sudden question from the Duke¡¯s daughter, the maid stumbled over her words as she answered the question. ¡°M-my name is Nicole¡­¡± ¡°I see. Then Nicole, why were you being scolded by Lady Diane?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry about Lady Diane. I¡¯m the one talking to you right now.¡± Hearing Drossel nonchalantly giving her permission to ignore the mistress, Nicole¡¯s face became completely frozen. Diane¡¯s glare grew sharper as she stared at the girl¡­ to be more precise, Drossel. However, Drossel showed no sign of noticing it. (No, it¡¯d be impossible to ignore her right now¡­) Despite having such a thought, Nicole knew it would be wise to not voice it out loud. ¡°N-no¡­ It was n-nothing¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Well¡­ Perhaps she was saying something like ¡®You¡¯re worthless when you can¡¯t even clean properly¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­!?¡± Nicole gasped as if she was about to ask Leticiel ¡®How did you know?¡¯, but she held back at the last second. In reality, Leticiel simply made a guess based on the cleaning tools that were laid next to Nicole, but it seemed that she had hit the bullseye. ¡°I was wondering what in the world would make someone like the Mistress of this residence angry¡­ but it seems that it was just something pointless.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Furthermore, I can¡¯t seem to find a single dirty spot around this area. With all due respect, Lady Diane, where is the dirty spot that you spoke of? Could I ask you to point out its location?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I dare say¡­ You were finding fault with a servant? But there¡¯s no way the ¡®Flower of High Society¡¯ would do something as undignified as that, is there?¡± Leticiel continued while keeping a blank face. As the rationale she had been given was unshakeable, Diane simply glared at the girl with disgusted eyes while concealing the rest of her expression with her fan. However, Leticiel simply brushed off that stare. Despite being a spectator, Nicole couldn¡¯t help but be nervous at the sight of Drossel acting nonchalantly before those razor-sharp eyes. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°You¡­ what have you been calling me?¡± Leticiel was surprised by that forceful subject change. It appeared that Diane was shaken by the fact that Drossel was calling her by her own name. (Hmm¡­ Perhaps that¡¯s what was bothering her?) However, Leticiel simply tilted her head as she couldn¡¯t understand why Diane was so shocked. For her, calling the woman who treated her as if she shouldn¡¯t exist ¡®mother¡¯ was a ridiculous idea. Past that, Leticiel didn¡¯t consider Diane to be her mother in the first place, so referring to the woman as she had was perfectly logical. ¡°Yes? It¡¯s ¡®Lady Diane¡¯, is there anything wrong with that?¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± Leticiel plainly responded as if it was completely normal. Hearing that, Diane¡¯s folding fan began to shake. She then took one last glare at Drossel before storming off. (Huh¡­?) The sound of loud, unladylike footsteps echoed down the hallway. Leticiel realized that that woman was angry. (Oh my¡­? She seemed to be really displeased, did I do something she didn¡¯t like? Oh well, we rarely meet each other anyway.) Once again, Leticiel simply brushed off anything she had no interest in pursuing. ¡°U-um¡­ Thank you very much!¡± The moment Diane¡¯s figure disappeared from their view, Nicole made a deep bow. However, Leticiel gently shook her head to stop Nicole. Leticiel had never intended to help out the girl; it was merely a byproduct of her own selfish desires. It wasn¡¯t something she should have been thanked for. ¡°I simply did that for my own satisfaction. You don¡¯t have to lower your head like that.¡± ¡°No¡­ Even if you said that, Lady Drossel, you still saved me in the end. And I¡¯m extremely grateful for that.¡± Nicole quickly shook her head. According to Nicole, she had been the subject of Diane¡¯s baseless scolding for the longest time. Not only that, the other members of the Duke¡¯s household as well as the servants would only look on and laugh at her out of amusement. Leticiel was the very first person to reach out to help her like this. ¡°I really didn¡¯t do much¡­ but well, you¡¯re welcome. Do your best at work, okay?¡± ¡°Yes¡­!¡± Hearing Drossel¡¯s words, Nicole let out a bright smile. It hadn¡¯t been long since the girl had started working at the Duke¡¯s household. As a result, she could neither do her job perfectly, nor could she get along well with the others. Her employers would call her worthless while her seniors at work would ridicule her for being incompetent. Without knowing Nicole¡¯s circumstances, Leticiel would never have known how grateful the maid was for her words and actions. ¡°¡­By the way, Lady Drossel. Earlier, you were calling the Madam, Lady Diane¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I did call her that. Was there something wrong with that? I¡¯m certain it¡¯s her name.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct, but¡­ she¡¯s your mother, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be sure to call her ¡®Mother¡¯ when it¡¯s appropriate.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the main issue here¡­¡± To Nicole, the statement that came from Drossel¡¯s mouth was so ridiculous that she couldn¡¯t help but blurt out the first thing on her mind. *** As the gentle morning sun peeped into the room, Leticiel opened her eyes. (¡­Aaah¡­ I fell asleep without changing my clothes¡­) Her realization came as she looked down at her body and found herself wearing plain clothes instead of nightwear. Leticiel remembered that after she had taken a bath last night, her usual reading time began. However, she had no recollection of what had happened afterward. It seemed that she had fallen asleep somewhere along the way. Leticiel got up to inspect her clothes more thoroughly. And just as she had expected, it was full of creases. She then invoked Magecraft to remove the wrinkles while letting out a sigh. Leticiel was suddenly reminded of the fact that unlike Magecraft, Magic couldn¡¯t be used in daily life like this. (They probably have to do everything by hand¡­?) When most of the wrinkles had disappeared, the sound of two knocks resounded throughout Leticiel¡¯s room. Thinking that it should have been Ruvik visiting her at such a time, Leticiel answered with a ¡®Go ahead¡¯, not paying much attention. ¡°E-excuse me.¡± However, the person who entered wasn¡¯t Ruvik. Looking at that unexpected person, Leticiel was frozen in place before she could finish getting out of bed. The person who had entered the room was Nicole, the maid who Leticiel had saved from Diane last night. Drossel and Nicole didn¡¯t have a master-and-servant relationship. In the first place, Leticiel had just only met the girl for the first time yesterday. Leticiel couldn¡¯t think of any reason why Nicole would be here at this time. While Leticiel was still confused about the situation, Nicole stated her reason for coming to Drossel¡¯s room. It appeared that Diane had reported what had happened to the Duke. And they had decided to sweep everything under the rug, that was to say, they would just pair the incompetent maid with the incompetent daughter. Furthermore, their motive was also to harass Drossel by sending an incapable servant to take care of her. ¡°Because of that, I¡¯ll be working as Lady Drossel¡¯s exclusive maid from today on.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Leticiel gave a half-minded response after hearing Nicole¡¯s side of the story. In reality, Leticiel had no need for a maid. However, as she also had no reason against having one in the first place, she simply accepted the situation. Furthermore, unlike the other maids, Nicole held no prejudice against Drossel. Leticiel came to the conclusion that having the girl serve her wasn¡¯t a bad idea. ¡°I got it. Then I¡¯ll be counting on you from now on, Nicole.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± After exchanging a few mutual words, the pair promptly began Leticiel¡¯s morning preparations. Despite having an exclusive maid now, what Leticiel had to do still remained the same. Just like usual, she changed her clothes in the walk-in closet before getting her appearance in order. The only difference was having her clothes selected by Nicole, who would also do her hair. ¡°My lady, are you not going to put your stockings on?¡± Nicole asked while holding in her hands an article of clothing that looked like black pants. It was the same one Leticiel had seen on her first day as Drossel, those mysterious small pants. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s this thing. It¡¯s part of your uniform according to the academy¡­¡± Hearing what Nicole said, Leticiel realized that Mirandalette would always cover her legs with some kind of black pants. So that thing is called ¡®stockings¡¯. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not putting that on. It looks troublesome.¡± Touching that thing called stockings, Leticiel shook her head. She noticed that the material was elastic and that it would make her legs more slender. However, she also thought they would definitely feel unpleasant to wear. Looking back into her memories, she remembered that some students had them on while others didn¡¯t. In that case, stockings weren¡¯t something required by the rules. ¡°As you wish!¡± Because Nicole accepted her decision without any further questions, Leticiel was reaffirmed in her belief that the stockings were not required. ¡°Now that I think about it, Nicole. Is there a reason why you didn¡¯t want to be dismissed no matter what?¡± Sitting at the dresser in the walk-in closet, Leticiel inquired the maid who was combing her silver hair. ¡°Hmm, are you referring to yesterday?¡± Nicole placed the comb back onto the dresser as she replied. The mirror¡¯s reflection showed her face forming a small sad smile. ¡°To tell you the truth, I have a sick mother at home. My father passed away too soon, so I began working in the capital the year I turned twenty. After moving from job to job, I ended up getting hired by this residence. I¡¯m the main source of income for my family, so if I¡¯m dismissed, I¡¯ll be unable to pay for my mother¡¯s living and medical expenses¡­¡± ¡°¡­My apologies. I shouldn¡¯t have asked that.¡± ¡°No, no! You don¡¯t have to feel sorry at all! Nobody has ever asked me before, so I¡¯m happy that I was able to share my story with someone.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ sure?¡± ¡°Yes. I also escaped my dismissal because I was assigned to my lady. I¡¯m truly grateful for that¡­ Okay! Thank you for waiting!¡± Nicole had finished styling Leticiel¡¯s hair while they were talking. How fast¡­ wait. Leticiel was staring at her reflection in the mirror. The person in the mirror was an unequaled beauty whose features contained both the beauty of a mature woman as well as the cuteness fitting her age. Even before Leticiel¡¯s transmigration, the original Drossel¡¯s looks towered above even the other members of the Duke¡¯s household. And on such a beauty¡¯s face was now a thin layer of makeup that further accented her features. Her perfectly straight and glossy silver hair was braided into a half-up and decorated with a simple ribbon. ¡°Your facial features were so perfect that I¡­ ended up going all out!¡± ¡°R-right¡­ Th-th-thanks¡­¡± Leticiel, who was stuttering, thought that it wasn¡¯t bad at all. For someone who had lived in the age of chaos, Leticiel was indifferent to being fashionable. She had neither had the time for it, nor could she set aside the time for it. And even after she had become Drossel, because it had been too bothersome, Leticiel would only wear the bare minimum amount of clothes, put no makeup on, and just let her hair flow straight down. ¡°Things like hairstyles and makeup¡­ Females are quite intricate¡­¡± ¡°Um, you¡¯re one as well, Lady Drossel¡­¡± Leticiel murmured as if deeply impressed, and in turn, a smile emerged on Nicole¡¯s face. ¡°Nicole¡­ Perhaps you have high fashion sense?¡± ¡°Oh, no, not at all¡­ I once worked at a barbershop.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how you¡¯re able to do this¡­ You¡¯re quite talented after all.¡± ¡°Th-thank you very much¡­¡± Having her skills recognized for the first time in the Duke¡¯s household, Nicole¡¯s cheeks turned slightly red. The pair then enjoyed their idle talk. While their conversation was taking place, a knock sounded through the room. It was Ruvik, who had come with a cart that carried Leticiel¡¯s breakfast. ¡°That really suits you, my lady.¡± Noticing Leticiel differed from her usual appearance, Ruvik did a double take before immediately forming a smile and complementing her. Leticiel¡¯s morning routine then continued as always. She read while she had her breakfast, and when the time came, she grabbed her bag and prepared to go to the academy. Leticiel told Ruvik when she planned to return home before invoking Transference. That morning, Lucrezia Academy was in total chaos. The entrance hall was blocked by students standing in a daze as gasps of wonder and amazement spread throughout the crowd. Their eyes were all focused on a single female student with waist-length silver-hair done in a half-up. In stark contrast to their reactions until then, both male and female students were bewitched by the exquisite beauty of the ¡®Ice Demon¡¯. Her thin makeup along with her simple hairstyle like that of a commoner¡¯s didn¡¯t detract from her beautiful and elegant looks in the slightest. In fact, they further elevated her features to an awe-inspiring level. The current state of the hall was simply a natural reaction. ¡°Hmm¡­ Where should I go today?¡± Within that chaos, only one single person¡­ the main subject of attention paid no heed to her surroundings. Without a sign of slowing her steps, she voiced such a carefree thought to herself. In reality, Leticiel could somewhat feel the stares directed at her. However, while they were harmless, the stares showed no sign of decreasing so she decided it was best to just ignore them. ¡°Okay¡­ Yesterday was the Swordplay Training Hall, so today will be the Great Library¡­¡± As she became lost in her thoughts, her long eyelashes sloped downwards, her ethereal beauty turned both male and female students into statues. Without batting an eye at the entranced students, Leticiel maintained her act of a disinterested bystander. Invoking her masterclass ignoring skill against the students who were all frozen in place, Leticiel weaved her way through the crowd. *** ¡°Damn it! She, how dare she humiliate me like that¡­¡± Rochefort spat out his frustrations. He was stomping around the lake behind the main school building. While classes were in session, Rochefort was in no state to learn anything. His mind was consumed with rage from the disgrace he suffered the other day. ¡°If only Drossel didn¡¯t exist, I would be engaged to Christa¡­ Why? Why is that bitch my fianc¨¦e¡­!¡± Rochefort continued as he swung his leg and kicked a small rock. It flew violently through the air before splashing into the lake. Rochefort and Drossel became engaged due to an imperial decree. It was announced out of the blue three years ago, when Rochefort had been summoned by the king. Back in those days, Drossel¡¯s reputation wasn¡¯t particularly good. The fact that her family mistreated her behind closed doors was an open secret. While many nobles valued her high intellect, an equal amount of nobles mocked her for her status as a Magic Powerless. ¡°Your engagement to the daughter of Duke Filiaregis, Drossel, had been decided.¡± Rochefort couldn¡¯t deny the fact that Drossel¡¯s abilities were a cut above the rest. However, the thought of someone with no Magic Power being a member of the royal family was something he couldn¡¯t accept. Not only that, when they had met each other during the marriage interview at the Duke¡¯s household, Rochefort¡¯s impression of Drossel was the worst. Despite it being a marriage interview, she barely talked or changed her expression. Instead of being with a person, there was an uncanniness to her, as if he was speaking to a breathtakingly beautiful doll. In the Platina Kingdom, five households were granted the peerage of Dukedom, and were collectively referred to as the Five Houses. The prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e could have been chosen from any of the Five Houses. But instead, the king had chosen a Magic Powerless for Rochefort. With just that one sentence from the king, Rochefort understood everything. That his own father had no expectations for him. ¡°That old bastard treated me like I was worthless¡­¡± Rochefort had heard that one of the reasons Drossel was chosen was her red eye. Red eyes were exceedingly rare in this kingdom. It was said that people with red eyes would undergo a great change after they turned thirteen. When that happened, their future would split into two paths. One path would bring misfortune to the world. The other would bring salvation to the world. Instead of choosing an ordinary noble daughter, the king believed that Drossel, who had the potential to change his son, was a better fit. However, Rochefort didn¡¯t believe in such a baseless legend, and only saw it as an excuse. ¡®If my father doesn¡¯t expect anything of me, then I don¡¯t have to meet his expectations¡¯ With such thoughts, Rochefort began to act however he pleased. Despite continuing his relationship with Drossel out of obligation, the distance between the two drifted further and further apart as Drossel¡¯s uncanny behavior didn¡¯t change in the slightest even after becoming his betrothed. As a result, Rochefort¡¯s feelings were easily swayed toward Christa. Every time he made the required visit to the Duke¡¯s residence, he would end up meeting Christa too. As Rochefort had already began to harbor feelings for Christa from his marriage interview with Drossel, it was only natural that they would grow close. Drossel¡¯s sudden change in personality was also around that time. She would throw a tantrum at every little thing. However, once she calmed down, she would nestle close to him and whisper in a sweet voice. Using that revolting behavior as his opportunity, Rochefort further distanced himself from Drossel. Away from the person who he had hated from the start, he was completely absorbed in fooling around with Christa. ¡°I¡¯m the first prince of this country. Nobody can oppose me.¡± Drossel hadn¡¯t even once dared to defy Rochefort, even before or after her change. And yet, she had made use of her Magic to oppose him. Moreover©` ¡°¡­Wait a minute? She shouldn¡¯t have any Magic Power at all¡­¡± Realizing this, Rochefort suddenly felt a sense of discomfort. He was certain that Drossel had used Magic at that time. Thinking back on it, such a feat was impossible for someone with no Magic Power like her. ¡°And¡­ She has been acting very strangely this past month. It¡¯s like she¡¯s another person¡­¡± Letting that sense of discomfort take over, Rochefort began to question it further. She had stopped losing her temper as of late. And at around the same time, she had begun to stop showing up to class. Finally, even though she would have followed him everywhere in the past, these days, she wouldn¡¯t so much as look at him and Christa. Rochefort thought that she had reverted to her original personality, but that wasn¡¯t the case. The original Drossel would always care about what others thought of her. However, the current one showed not the slightest sign of concern for others. Not only that, she seemed to show no awareness that how her actions were unbecoming of a Duke¡¯s daughter. ¡°¡­I see, so she must be a witch¡­!¡± Having thought it through, Rochefort arrived at a single answer. A sudden change in personality, the absence of awareness as a Duke daughter, and using Magic even though she shouldn¡¯t have been able to. Trying to make sense of those peculiarities, Rochefort couldn¡¯t come up with an explanation using his common sense. Furthermore, the person responsible for this miserable state of him, the country¡¯s first prince, was none other than Drossel. He was certain that she was a calamity that brought misfortune to everyone associated with her. ¡°Actually¡­ I think the Museum has a sword that was used to kill witches¡­¡± As someone who loved weapons, Rochefort had deep knowledge about the arms and armor in the Museum. Because of the incident from the other day, Rochefort knew that Drossel was strong. He believed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight her without the Witch Slayer that had the saint¡¯s divine protection. Having made his decision, Rochefort immediately set out for the Museum. He had to strike down that witch as soon as possible. ¡°You, the person standing over there! Bring me the Holy Witch Slayer in this Museum!¡± ¡°Eh? Ehh?? I-I need to report to the director first¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not needed! I told you, bring it out at once!¡± Rochefort seized the curator in the entrance hall and shouted. Unable to go against the orders of the first prince, the curator guided him to the vault. ¡°This is, the Holy Witch Slayer¡­¡± Rochefort snatched the long rapier presented to him by the curator. ¡°I will gain the saint¡¯s divine protection with this sword in hand, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yees¡­ You need this incantation to receive the divine protection¡­¡± ¡°Then tell me that right away!¡± Grabbing the small scroll from the curator¡¯s hand, Rochefort immediately went through its contents before raising the corners of his mouth into a smirk. ¡°Hmph! With this sword and incantation, I can¡­!¡± Without an ounce of doubt, Rochefort believed that he could take revenge on Drossel. Volume 1 - CH 6 Chapter 6: The Witch and the Suspicious Looking Beast It had been two days since the incident with Rocheford. Leticiel had just arrived at the academy after using Transference, and she walked straight towards the Great Library. After she had entered the library, Leticiel couldn¡¯t find any signs of Sieg around. She guessed that he was probably doing research in his own laboratory. ¡°Hoho, you¡¯re here again today?¡± ¡°Yes, I came here to finish the book I was reading yesterday.¡± ¡°In that case, how about you try this book too? I think it will be helpful.¡± ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll take you up on that, thank you very much.¡± After chatting with David about books for a bit, Leticiel headed for the bookshelves to gather her reading materials before going off into her own world. The book she was currently reading was about the creatures that inhabited the Astraea continent. Despite being an illustrated book, it was more enjoyable than she had thought. In fact, there was a mountain of various illustrated books atop her table. Whenever Sieg was with her, he would make sure to drag Leticiel back to reality in time for lunch; however, he wasn¡¯t in the library today. And sure enough, by the time Leticiel removed her eyes from the books, lunch break had already been underway for some time. ¡°¡­Oh, oh no. It¡¯s this late already.¡± The old Leticiel wouldn¡¯t have cared about the time; however, she now had friends waiting for her. The girl returned all the books on her desk back to their shelves before quickly leaving the Great Library. She didn¡¯t want to make Mirandalette and Sieg wait for her. The annex containing the Great Library was opposite to the cafeteria, with a courtyard between them. Walking down the hallway towards the cafeteria, Leticiel suddenly ran into Christa as her sister was walking down the stairs. ¡°¡­Oh my? Why, if it isn¡¯t Elder Sister Drossel.¡± Noticing Leticiel, Christa formed her signature sweet smile. Leticiel reacted by wondering when was the last time she had met Christa face to face like this. Even inside or outside of the academy, the only people she interacted with were her friends and Ruvik. ¡°What are you doing at this place?¡± ¡°A teacher asked me to help him prepare for a class and I just finished. What about you, Elder Sister? You didn¡¯t show up for class. What were you doing?¡± ¡°I have been reading in the Great Library this whole time.¡± Hearing Leticiel¡¯s answer, Christa let out a ¡®hmm¡¯ as if she wasn¡¯t that interested in that topic. ¡°So¡­ Is that why you¡¯re only heading to the cafeteria at this time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Is there something wrong with it?¡¯ ¡°No, not at all. I just thought that since you hadn¡¯t once touched a book in the last few years, you would only be able to read books that were very simple and easy to understand.¡± As the hustle and bustle of the cafeteria could be heard in the background, Leticiel and Christa met each others¡¯ gazes in an empty corridor. ¡±Oh that¡¯s right, Elder Sister. Do you still remember the evening party incident?¡± Maintaining her smile, Christa asked the question in the gentlest tone of voice. Leticiel tried to read her expressions but couldn¡¯t discern her intention in bringing up the topic. ¡°Yes, I do remember. Is something the matter?¡± ¡°Why did you decide to attend the party that night?¡± ¡°Hm? I just felt like showing up, you know? Do you have any problem with it?¡± ¡°Tch! That wasn¡¯t what I meant! After all, you¡­!¡± As Christa was about to say, ¡®You¡¯re supposed to be banned from all social gatherings¡¯ , the confused expression on her twin elder sister¡¯s face made her stop herself just in time. It should have been something Drossel knew herself, yet she was acting as if she was completely unaware of it. Her elder twin sister had been behaving like an entirely different person. Dealing with her both at home and at the academy had taken its toll on Christa, and she couldn¡¯t help but raise her voice in exasperation. Clueless to the reason behind the frustration seeping out on Christa¡¯s face, Leticiel decided to strengthen her guard. Oblivious to the shift in her sister¡¯s stance, Christa introduced another topic to break the silence. ¡°Elder sister, if I remember correctly, you spoke back against His Highness Rocheford in the banquet hall on that night, didn¡¯t you? Don¡¯t you think it was improper to admonish the first prince in such a public location?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Leticiel didn¡¯t feel a single ounce of remorse about what she had said to Rocheford. In the first place, Leticiel felt that she had done the right thing by trying her best to hold back because he was the prince. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything wrong. He was speaking in such a manner to his own fianc¨¦e in public. That would only serve to cast doubt on his dignity as royalty. As the first prince of this kingdom, he should be acting as an appropriate role model, right?¡± ¡°But, he¡¯s truly a wonderful person with many good qualities. You just don¡¯t know it, elder sister.¡± In response to Christa¡¯s words, Leticiel couldn¡¯t, in any stretch of imagination, think of a way that Rocheford could be called wonderful. Leticiel reflected on what she had seen, but all she could remember was Rocheford using foul language, cheating with his fianc¨¦e¡¯s sister, mocking those of lower status, and brandishing the shield at the Museum. There wasn¡¯t a single good impression among them. ¡°¡­I see. So you¡¯re with him because you think that he¡¯s a wonderful person.¡± Leticiel¡¯s sudden mutters caused a puzzled expression to flit across Christa¡¯s face as she tried to discern why her sister had said something like that. ¡°¡­Indeed, but why?¡± Leticiel came to the conclusion that while she couldn¡¯t see Rocheford in a positive light no matter how hard she tried, Christa must have truly believed he was a wonderful person to stay with him like that. She was reminded of the lesson her parents had taught her countless times before, that she shouldn¡¯t judge a person by their cover. Leticiel was certain that even Rocheford had a side of him that he would only let Christa see. ¡°Hmmmmph. Well, you¡¯ve spent much more time with His Highness than I have, so it must be something he would only show you.¡± Leticiel voiced her honest thoughts. It was merely a logical conclusion, taking the lesson from her previous life into account. ¡°¡­What?¡± However, her words had shaken Christa to the point that her tone changed. Unable to grasp the meaning behind Leticiel¡¯s words, Christa could only squeeze out a single word. She lowered her head, causing her bangs to hide her expression, clenching her fist to the point that blood could come out at any moment. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± Without minding Christa¡¯s strange state, Leticiel said a few words before entering the cafeteria. Her friends were most likely already waiting for her inside. Searching for Sieg and Mirandalette within the chaotic cafeteria, Leticiel was oblivious to the fact that Christa¡¯s eyes were following her back. Those eyes were filled with deep, dark emotions. *** There was a vast forest within Lucrezia Academy¡¯s grounds. The edge of the forest by the academy was a well-lit and peaceful spot, but if one were to venture deeper into the woods, the dense foliage would transform it into a dark and gloomy place. And within that poorly-lit forest was the figure of Rocheford clutching his chest as he tottered through the sea of trees. In his other hand was the drawn Holy Witch Slayer sword that he had taken from the Museum. Normally, the silvery snow-white blade would reflect the sunlight, giving off an air of divinity. However, due to the current lighting conditions, it only gave off a dull shine. ¡°W-why¡­ H-how¡­ In this place!¡± Rocheford bit his lips as he muttered incoherent words. He was putting all the blame of his current situation on Drossel, or rather, the Witch. Rocheford was this country¡¯s first prince, while she was simply his fianc¨¦e¡­ a decoration decided by the king. If only she hadn¡¯t defied him, if only she¡¯d known her place, then he wouldn¡¯t be in such a situation. Dragging his feet along as if running away from something, Rocheford cursed Drossel in his mind. ¡°Shit! Faster¡­ fasteeeer.¡± Rocheford kept a frantic pace as he forced his weary legs to keep going. He didn¡¯t know where he was going or where he was heading. He simply continued to move his feet to get away from terrifying thing chasing him. ¡°¡­!?¡± His chest was already throbbing with pain, but a sudden sharp pang rang through his chest as if he had been stabbed by a blade. The extreme pain forced Rocheford to stop in his tracks. He let out a soundless scream before collapsing onto the ground. ¡®No, not yet. I can¡¯t stop here.¡¯ Despite voicing that thought in his head, Rocheford¡¯s consciousness faded away. A shadow appeared above his unconscious body. The sinister shadow was much darker than the shadows of the trees around him. For just an instant, the Holy Witch Slayer in Rocheford¡¯s hand emitted a suspicious glow. *** The strange incident that would destroy their daily lives came out of the blue. That afternoon, while she was focusing on Formula research in her laboratory like usual, a sudden thunderous explosion that was out of place at the academy reached Leticiel¡¯s ears. ¡°¡­What was that?¡± Quickly putting her pen down, Leticiel looked out of the research room¡¯s window. She could see a cloud of dust rising from the forest near her research building, in the direction of the Museum. ¡°¡­!¡± Instantly coming to the conclusion that something must have happened, Leticiel grabbed onto the window frame and leapt out without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Rather than leaving through the rooms and going down the stairs, this was a much faster method. Negating the impact of her landing with a wind Magecraft, Leticiel softly touched the ground and ran off towards the cloud of dust. The moment she entered the forest, she began to pick up the faint sound of explosions and the howling of wind. Leticiel rushed ahead while carefully pinpointing the source of the sounds. As she grew closer, the louder the explosions and winds became, and now she could also hear the yelling of male voices as well. ¡°Everyone! Use Magic to hold him back! We need as many people as possible!¡± ¡°Be careful! Don¡¯t cause too much damage! Hey, how are the injured?¡± Leticiel arrived at a small clearing within the forest. Peeking through the trees, she saw that Lucas and many other teachers had gathered in the clearing, their faces filled with frustration as they fired Magic at the rampaging being before them. That being was a gigantic beast that seemed to resemble a saber-toothed tiger clad in an ominous, pitch-black aura. It was so big that calling it twice the size of Lucas, who already had a large build, was no exaggeration. Along with its massive body were long, sharp fangs, and two deep crimson eyes that had no whites. Despite Lucas¡¯s and the others¡¯ effort to restrain the beast with Magic, the beast continued its rampage without a care for the attacks. Moreover, when she focused her eyes, Leticiel noticed the figure of a person collapsed by the beast¡¯s feet. That person was Rocheford. He was lying facedown on the ground while holding some kind of sword in his hand. The beast continued to rampage above him without showing any intention of moving away from that spot. There seemed to be a makeshift field hospital in the corner of the battlefield where the injured were gathered for first aid. On closer inspection, there were several teachers receiving medical treatment and a male student lying down. Feeling that she had seen the boy¡¯s face before, Leticiel then remembered that he was one of the followers who were with Rocheford the other day. ¡°Excuse me, can I have you tell me what happened here?¡± ¡°Huh¡­!? Miss D-Drossel!?¡± Leticiel showed her face at the field hospital and asked about the current situation. She had decided against suddenly showing up on the battlefield for now as it would just sow confusion among the teachers. ¡°Why are you here¡­ It¡¯s very dangerous here, you should leave at onc©`¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to refuse, there would be no reason for me coming all this way if I did that. So, can you tell me what¡¯s the cause of this? And what kind of beast is that?¡± Seeing Leticiel¡¯s sudden appearance, the teacher standing by the field hospital opened his eyes wide. He tried to ask her to leave, however, Leticiel simply shook her head. She had shown herself in the first place thinking she could be of help, there was no way she would just abandon the teachers and run away at this point. The teacher hesitated at first, but in the end, he acquiesced when Leticiel kept repeating her questions in a forceful tone. ¡°We don¡¯t know all of the details ourselves, but it began when the Museum¡¯s staff contacted us about strange noises coming from the forest. The Dean then investigated the source, and we found His Highness collapsed on the ground©`¡± To sum it up, while looking for the cause of the strange noises, they had come across the collapsed Rocheford. The teachers then tried to help him, but the beast appeared out of nowhere. Without knowing the situation, they were forced into a fight. ¡°We couldn¡¯t let anything happen to His Highness, so we¡¯ve been trying our best to rescue him. But it doesn¡¯t seem like that thing wants to move away from him¡­¡± ¡°I see, so that¡¯s what happened¡­¡± Having heard the situation, Leticiel turned her eyes back to the battlefield. She wondered whether it was because the prince was by the beast¡¯s feet or simply because the difference in power was too great. But the fact was clear that the teachers¡¯ Magic had no effect on the beast. While the teachers had an overwhelming advantage in numbers, they spent all their Magic Power on spells that had no effect, and one by one the they exhausted their power. ¡°I¡¯ll go join them. Please take care of the injured.¡± ¡°¡­Huh? Wait! Miss Drossel!?¡± Leaving the teacher¡¯s words behind her, Leticiel jumped into the fray. Every teacher in the clearing was surprised by the silver-haired girl¡¯s sudden appearance. While ensuring the teachers were not in her path, Leticiel created a small whirlwind in her hand. Following its creator¡¯s wills, the whirlwind swiftly stretched until it had turned into a gigantic spear. Leticiel raised her arm high towards the sky before swinging downwards in one quick stroke towards the beast. As if it had been thrown, the wind lance howled as it ripped through the air towards the beast. Having heard the sharp sound of the atmosphere being torn apart, it turned its head towards the source at the same moment the lance struck its massive body. ¡°Gyaahhhhhh!!¡± As if metals were grinding together, a harsh screech reverberated through the clearing. The wind lance had pierced straight into the beast¡¯s left eye. The beast continued to scream after the wind lance had dispersed as it searched for the one who had stolen its sight. Reflected in the beast¡¯s remaining eye was the figure of Leticiel preparing her next Magecraft. As if it had realized what had happened, it turned towards her, ignoring the teachers that had been its opponents until now. The beast¡¯s eye was filled with bloodlust as it marked Leticiel as its target. Reacting to the sharp, supersonic claws coming down at her, Leticiel invoked Transference Magecraft to dodge them. Not only as a means to shorten travel time, Transference also served to provide emergency evasion in combat. Despite requiring a fair amount of concentration to use, at Leticiel¡¯s level, it was something that could be invoked in an instant. The beast let out an annoyed cry before it immediately gave pursuit. While just moments ago it had taken care to stay close to Rocheford, it had now seemingly abandoned that notion. The teachers wanted to take advantage of that gap to rescue Rocheford. However, as they feared that doing so would further provoke the beast, they couldn¡¯t get close to him even if they wanted to. With that in mind, Leticiel knew that her only option was to fight the beast in the clearing. Luring it away from the clearing wasn¡¯t an option; if she tried to lead it around the forest, she would risk damaging the Museum along with the various important items housed inside it, and if she tried to lure it out of the forest, she would risk dragging in other students. Deciding that she must first seal the beast¡¯s movement in order to save Rocheford, Leticiel invoked her Magecraft on the ground as she borrowed the power of the trees. The surrounding trees rustled as they began to respond to Leticiel¡¯s Magecraft. There was no wind blowing, but the sound of foliage moving gradually grew louder, and before long, the air inside the whole forest began to shake. Even the massive beast was no match against the torrent of trees and foliage rushing at it from all four directions. It tried to break through the trees at first, however, in just under a minute, it had been robbed of its freedom. ¡°Please use this opportunity to rescue His Highness.¡± After she had confirmed that the beast had been imprisoned within the cage of trees, Leticiel informed the teacher closest to her. The teacher, who had been gaping at the cage of nature, snapped back to reality and ran towards Rocheford. Following suit, multiple teachers joined him. They all thought that it was safe to rescue the first prince. ¡°Gishaaaaaa!¡± Just before the teachers reached Rocheford, the beast let out a deafening roar from the cage. The unpleasant roar reverberated through the forest as the ground shook. It was a much louder and more ominous roar than everything until now. ¡°W-what was that!?¡± ¡°L-l-let¡¯s just get His Highness to a safe place first¡­¡± The teachers corrected their postures while covering their ears. They then tried to pick Rocheford up. However, in the next instant, crimson geysers erupted from their bodies. While watching the crimson liquid flow out of them, the teachers collapsed onto the ground without knowing the reason why. ¡°¡­!?¡± Rocheford was standing up. In his hand was a silver sword dyed with a bright, scarlet liquid. In that instant, Leticiel had deduced the truth of the situation and clenched both her hands. If she had thought about it for just a little bit, she would have noticed something was off. The beast had been moving as if to protect Rocheford. It wasn¡¯t using him as a shield at all. ¡°¡­our fau¡­¡± A low muttering could be heard. The source of the murmur staggered closer in Leticiel¡¯s direction with the bloodied sword still in his hand. ¡°¡­It¡¯s your¡­ It¡¯s your fault¡­ that I¡­! The moment Leticiel entered Rocheford¡¯s view, as if his sluggish movement had been an act, he laid bare his resentment and swung his blade. ¡°I¡¯m the first prince of this country! Don¡¯t you dare defy me, you¡¯re just the unwanted child of the Duke¡¯s household!¡± The downward slash was stopped by a wall of light as a shrill noise resounded. Through the semi-transparent barrier, Leticiel stared into the hazy flame of hatred in Rocheford¡¯s eyes. ¡°If you didn¡¯t exist! Then Christa would have been mine!¡± His eyes were glazed over, and yet, Rocheford kept on baring his resentment towards Leticiel. Her barrier let out a flash of light and Rocheford was flung away from the counterattack. As if he didn¡¯t feel any pain at all, Rocheford immediately rose back to his feet and charged at her once more. ¡°Die! Die! Die! Disappear, wretch! You¡¯re the biggest thorn in my side!¡± Compared to the soldiers who had attacked Leticiel in the previous era, while Rocheford¡¯s sword was extremely slow, it had an unthinkable amount of weight behind it. However, as his movements were too simple, Leticiel simply utilized the force of that boring straight-forward charge against him and flung him away. ¡°What is going on here!!?¡± The exasperated voice of a young boy appeared the moment Leticiel had flung Rocheford away. Leticiel turned to find Sieg standing in the battlefield. It seemed that he had rushed here, as he was gasping for air and had sweat running down his face. ¡°Sieg! Take care of the teachers for me!¡± The teachers who had been injured by Rocheford were being treated by the other teachers. However, it seemed that since either their wounds were too deep, or their healing Magic were insufficient, their treatment had shown very little progress. Because Sieg lacked any Light Element Magic Power, he had an extraordinary compatibility with healing Magecraft. Combined with the fact that she had previously taught him healing Magecraft¡¯s Formulas, Leticiel judged that Sieg was the only person who was capable enough to heal those teachers. ¡°¡­! Understood!¡± Sieg stared blankly at Leticiel for a moment before noticing the scene of teachers frantically performing treatment. He immediately realized what he needed to do. While Sieg was helping with the treatment, Leticiel confronted Rocheford once again. Leticiel could hear the sound of ripping and tearing from inside the wooden cage. It was only a matter of time before the beast would be free again. ¡°Die, die, die! Go to hell! Drossel!¡± Rocheford charged straight at Leticiel once again. ¡°Shut up. Can you behave for a moment?¡± And who do you think I¡¯m fighting to save in the first place? Holding back those words, Leticiel canceled her attack Magecraft and invoked a body strengthening one instead. She still didn¡¯t know why he was acting like that. She grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground before immediately delivering a chop to the back of his neck. After confirming that he had lost consciousness, Leticiel thought she had incapacitated Rocheford. ¡°Gugaaaaah!¡± However, without a moment of rest, with a timing that couldn¡¯t had been more perfect, the beast¡¯s cage made an air-splitting noise as it broke apart. The wreckage from the trees made rumbling noises as they pierced deep into the ground. The emancipated beast¡¯s eye was enveloped with intensifying fury as it sprung straight at Leticiel. The beast let out an enraged roar. It had already stopped caring about everything else in the clearing. The only thing reflected in its eye was the figure of the abhorrent silver-haired human, the one who had robbed it of its sight in one eye and its freedom. It was now rampaging for the sole purpose of revenge. (This is¡­ not good.) Leticiel knit her brows as she skillfully avoided the beast¡¯s onslaught. While it was a blessing that it was focusing solely on Leticiel, the fact that it wasn¡¯t paying attention to its surroundings made the area around it very dangerous. As the teachers had been fighting with the beast before Leticiel¡¯s arrival, there were many injured teachers and students around the area. They were unable to retreat for the time being. (Something bad might happen if the others don¡¯t withdraw soon¡­) Just as she thought about it, her worst fear happened. At a location a short distance from the the battlefield, Sieg was treating the teachers who had been severely injured by Rocheford. However, it still wasn¡¯t a safe zone. Intending to make some distance before charging at her again, the beast leapt back and landed right beside Sieg¡¯s group. ¡°Sieg!¡± The beast swung its claws in a blind rage at Sieg and the others. As she was too preoccupied with being the beast¡¯s target to help other people, Leticiel called out the name of the person she could trust the most in the group. Because of the beast¡¯s deafening roar, Leticiel wasn¡¯t sure whether her voice had reached Sieg or not. ¡°¡­!¡± Instinctively sensing his impending doom, Sieg released a Magecraft towards the approaching claw reflexively. A pale ashen light burst out, a different color than that of the Light Element. That light caused an earth-shattering impact as it crashed into the beast¡¯s claw. ¡°Gieeeee!!¡± For the first time, the beast¡¯s scream was filled with fear as its claw crumbled away like sand. The same beast that had been shrugging off all the Magecraft fired at it let out a scream of terror after it had received Sieg¡¯s Magecraft. (¡­Void Element¡¯s Counter Magecraft¡­?) What Sieg had used was something Leticiel had taught him during their training sessions after school. Realizing the possibility that the beast was susceptible against Void Element Magecraft, Leticiel created a Void Element cannonball in her palm and shot it at the beast as a test. ¡°Gyiiiiii!¡± The beast writhed in pain as it let out a distressed scream. As it was merely a Magecraft bullet, it didn¡¯t deal massive damage like Sieg¡¯s Counter Magecraft, but it was clear that the beast was vulnerable to the Void element. (¡­Let¡¯s try fighting it with Void Magecraft for now¡­) Leticiel decided to go through with that plan to quickly end the battle. While she had been focusing on evading until now, Leticiel shifted her combat strategy to a more proactive and offensively oriented approach. Incidentally, Sieg¡¯s group had managed to retreat deeper into the forest while carrying Rocheford. Leticiel now only needed to stay away from the forest for them to be safe. ¡°Well then¡­ shall we finish this?¡± As if those words marked the final showdown, the beast let out a roar filled with pain, rage, and fear as it kicked off the ground. Reading the beast¡¯s every movement, Leticiel evaded backward and to the right. When they passed by each other, she shot out the various Magecrafts she had prepared. Left, right, up, down. Magecraft of various Elements strengthened by Void Element assaulted the beast¡¯s body. The air shook as the beast let out a pained roar with every strike. Like water flowing through a river, the stream of Magecraft from Leticiel¡¯s hands showed no sign of stopping. When she ran, sharp blades of wind howled through the air; when she swung her arm, a torrent of lightning rained down from the heavens; when she kicked off the ground, the earth warped into any shape she desired. As if nature itself had become her ally, she advanced on the beast. Like a dancer whose grand stage was the battlefield, Leticiel¡¯s form was so mesmerizing that any observer would be left speechless. ¡°This is the end¡­!¡± Unable to withstand Leticiel¡¯s bombardment, the beast¡¯s limbs gave out. Leticiel wasn¡¯t someone who would miss that opportunity. She unleashed a new Magecraft at the immobilized beast. It was a Compound Magecraft made of Light and Void Elements. Mana from the atmosphere began to swirl and coil around each other in accordance to Leticiel¡¯s Formula. While Void Element Mana was invisible, it had the effect of stimulating and strengthening the power of Mana from other Elements. Enhanced by Void Element¡¯s Mana, a blinding sword of light began to assemble itself at the girl¡¯s fingertips. As if she was wielding the heat of the sun itself, light particles trickled down like sand in the desert, and the air around her began to shimmer as heat hazes formed. The beast let out a howl. Leticiel didn¡¯t know whether it was trying to intimidate or appeal to her. The only thing she knew for sure was that the beast was trembling at the massive, pure-white sword reflected in its crimson eye. Leticiel swung her arm down towards the beast. Following the movement of her arm, the silvery-white blade dropped down from the heavens and sunk into the beast¡¯s body. Gouging through its flesh, smashing through its bones, the sword of light severed the beast in half. An unearthly high-pitched cry echoed through the cloudy sky. Clouds parted making room for the sun¡¯s rays to peek through the gap, shining on the beast¡¯s dissolving body as it left its death throes behind. The beast faded away, leaving no trace behind as if it hadn¡¯t been there in the first place. Only the traces of the tragic event remained to tell the story of what had happened. For a while after the beast had disappeared, every person in the forest simply stood there, speechless. Swallowed by the shock from the battle that had unfolded before them, they simply stared at the back of the ¡®incompetent¡¯ noble daughter as her silver hair fluttered in the wind. *** ¡°Well then¡­ where do I even start?¡± In the Dean¡¯s office located within the annex, with one elbow on the desk and his fingers pressing down between his brows, an exhausted mutter escaped Lucas¡¯ lips. The only ones in the room besides Lucas were Leticiel and Sieg. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just ask the questions you want answered?¡± ¡°I only said that because I have too many things I want to ask!¡± Despite being the culprit of the current situation, Leticiel acted nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened. Looking at that shamelessly brazen attitude only caused Lucas¡¯ headache to intensify. Since the commotion with the beast in the forest had ended, the other teachers were now running around trying to clean up the aftermath. After he had given out the necessary instructions, Lucas summoned Leticiel and Sieg to his office. ¡°¡­Anyway, can you start by explaining what that power you used was?¡± ¡°Sure. It¡¯s a power called Magecraft that doesn¡¯t seem to be used in current age.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I really have the worst luck this year.¡± Lucas held his head in his hands. It was a natural reaction. Just like Leticiel had said, Magecraft was a technique that didn¡¯t exist in the Platina Kingdom. Lucas wondered how in the world the girl had gotten her hands on that unknown technique. In just a month¡¯s time, she had already crushed what he thought was common sense into pieces. ¡°¡­Then, do you have any ideas about the incident surrounding His Highness the First Prince?¡± As someone who had been pulling one outlandish act after another, Lucas speculated that Leticiel would perhaps know something about the beast incident. ¡°Unfortunately, no, I have never seen anything like that monster before. I was only able to kill it thanks to the hint Sieg gave me. Anything beside that is beyond my understanding.¡± However, the silver-haired girl simply casted her red and blue eyes down and slowly shook her head. Her normally blank face was exuding a complicated expression filled with frustration and irritation. It seemed that she truly didn¡¯t know. ¡°Oh¡­ Anyway, I have to say I¡¯m pretty impressed that you managed to suppress something at that level using Magic.¡± Thinking about leaving that topic alone for now, Lucas turned towards the girl before him and raised his voice intending to start a casual chat. ¡°No, like I said, it¡¯s not Magic, it¡¯s Magecraft. Well, it does look like Magic. However, unlike Magic, the lower your Magic Power, the better you can use it. And if we go into the specifics, regarding the Formulas©`¡± ¡°Stop. Stop, stop, I¡¯ve already heard all the essential parts. So don¡¯t try going further into it!¡± Noticing that his words had inadvertently flipped a weird switch inside Drossel as she began to enter ¡®Evangelist Mode¡¯, Lucas frantically stopped her. Lucas knew that Drossel would be in a bad mood after being interrupted like that, however, he couldn¡¯t let her talk on and on for hours on end again. He wouldn¡¯t let the tragedy at the Large Conference Room repeat for a second time. ¡°¡­Why haven¡¯t you told me about Magecraft until now?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ve never asked.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯m an idiot for asking that. Or rather, I¡¯m an idiot because I didn¡¯t ask right, right?¡± Hearing Drossel¡¯s answer, Lucas dropped down onto his desk as if he had given up. ¡®I can¡¯t do this anymore¡¯, he thought. He simply couldn¡¯t think of any way to deal with her. A technique called Magecraft that shook the entire realm of Magic, Formula remodeling that went against all common sense. In his ten year tenure as Lucrezia Academy¡¯s Dean, Lucas had never seen a student as frighteningly haphazard as the girl standing before him. However, the most frightening fact was that not even half a year had passed since she had begun attending the academy. Lucas honestly felt like crying despite being a middle-aged man. He would make sure that he would have enough sleep every night, and yet the headache he got every day only grew stronger and stronger. ¡°¡­For the time being, don¡¯t go blabbering about Magecraft¡¯s existence to others.¡± ¡°Of course. I have no plans of spreading it around, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± ¡±Yeah¡­ I¡¯m not going to expect anything.¡± Looking at Lucas rubbing his forehead, Drossel slightly tilted her beautiful, doll-like face. (¡­Why are you making that confused face? Whose fault do you think it is in the first place¡­¡± Despite inner complaints, Lucas didn¡¯t confront Drossel because of his sense of responsibility as the Dean, as well as his good-natured disposition. As the Caretaker of the Genius, Lucas¡¯ road of suffering had only just begun. *** A few hours had passed since the start of Lucas¡¯ questioning. After it was finally over, Leticiel and Sieg exited the Dean¡¯s office with a tinge of fatigue on their faces. ¡°Drossel¡­ how are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. How about you Sieg? Are you tired?¡± ¡°I was just standing there, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± The entire student body had already been informed of the incident with the beast. While they hadn¡¯t been told about what had actually occurred inside the forest, due to the incident, the academy would be closed for the rest of the day. As Leticiel and Sieg were making their way to the Dean¡¯s office, the noble households had already sent carriages to pick up their sons and daughters. ¡°Ah! Drossel! Sieg!¡± As Leticiel just thought about going home for now, a certain brown-haired girl rushed towards the pair from the front. ¡°Oh? Mira?¡± The figure of Mira bobbing as her hair fluttered in the air gave Leticiel a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. However, she was still surprised that her friend was still at the academy. ¡°Why are you still here? I thought you had already gone home.¡± ¡°What are you even saying? I was worried about you two, so I¡¯ve been waiting here!¡± Without any hesitation, Mirandalette got straight to the point. Leticiel was slightly taken aback by that reply. Mirandalette was more concerned about Leticiel than her own personal safety. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry for making you worry, Mirandalette.¡± ¡°Sorry, Mira. And, thank you.¡± Leticiel and Sieg looked at each other and let out a small troubled smile. They¡¯re the friends I¡¯ve made in this world. Even though she had resolved to not involve herself with others after her transmigration, after spending gentle days showered with kindness from them, at this moment, Leticiel reaffirmed her true feelings. Volume 2 - CH Pr Volume 2. The Spirit King¡¯s Visit Prologue: A King and a Father In the heart of the capital Nirvan lay the royal castle, Veatrice. And inside the King¡¯s Office, Oswald was listening to the Chief Secretary¡¯s report. ¡°Is there any new information regarding the disappearance of the 11th Platoon?¡± In the Kingdom of Platina, the Chief Secretary worked under the Prime Minister and acted as the head of the Executive Officers. As the position of Vice Prime minister did not exist in this Kingdom, the Chief Secretary was the second highest counselor to the king. ¡°My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. We haven¡¯t found anything yet¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ Report any leads to me as they occur, then.¡± While still holding a quill in his hand, Oswald let out a groan. A few days ago, the 11th Platoon mysteriously disappeared during a military exercise near the border. As it was an unprecedented event, an investigation was launched without any delay, though nothing had turned up so far. ¡°Aside from that, apparently the citizens and guards of Jord had a scuffle with each other.¡± ¡°That border town again, huh¡­ Have spies monitor citizens¡¯ movements.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± The Secretary bowed before leaving the office. While still moving his quill, Oswald let out a deep sigh. From mass disappearance to civil unrest, the country had been filled with unsettling incidents lately. Suddenly, the sound of knocking came from the door. Without stopping his hand, Oswald gave the permission for the person on the other side to enter. ¡°Excuse me, Your Majesty.¡± An indigo-haired woman wearing a dress entered the room. Her grey eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment when she noticed Oswald. On the other hand, Oswald was relieved upon realizing who had entered. ¡°Aah, why if it isn¡¯t Cordelica.¡± ¡°My apologies for bothering you when you¡¯re busy, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. So, why have you come here at such an hour?¡± As the Second Queen, Oswald was slightly surprised to see Cordelica come to his office so early in the morning. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve come here to report to Your Majesty about Prince Rocheford.¡± Those words were enough for Oswald to drop his quill without realizing. He had been paying close attention to Rocheford¡¯s situation since yesterday. The last thing he heard was that the prince had continued to scream and act violently at irregular intervals since arriving home after yesterday¡¯s incident. ¡°Did anything happen to Rocheford?¡± ¡°Not at all, he finally managed to calm down at around dawn and is sleeping soundly right now. I came here to report to you about that¡­¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Oswald heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Cordelica¡¯s words. After losing his mother, Rocheford had been taken care of by Oswald¡¯s mistresses. Since the Queen had passed away, as the Second Queen, Cordelica shared the duty of performing various official businesses with the Third Queen. In addition, because the Third Queen had a weak constitution, Cordelica would force herself to make time to look after Rocheford every day. Keenly aware of how busy she was, Oswald always felt grateful to Cordelica. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for bothering you again¡­¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, Prince Rocheford becoming like that is my fault. If only I had paid more attention to him¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault at all. The one responsible for his behavior is me.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Silence befell the room. They both knew that they had spent most of their time on official business and didn¡¯t spend as much time with Rocheford as they wished. It was already beyond the point of thinking that they should have done differently. ¡°¡­Anyway, Your Majesty. It¡¯s quite unusual to not see Sir Sirius in this room.¡± ¡°Oh, if you¡¯re asking about Sirius, then he¡¯s heading to the Filiaregis estate with Tsubaru. They¡¯re delivering my letters to the Duke and Drossel.¡± After writing the letters last night, Oswald entrusted them to Sirius and Tsubaru first thing in the morning. By this time, the pair should have already arrived at the estate. ¡°My, perhaps you want to meet Miss Drossel?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She was one of the main players in the recent incident, so I need to hear the story in detail from her.¡± As he said that, Oswald glanced at a certain stack of papers on his desk, which were clearly different compared to the other documents strewn about. It was the periodic report that Tsubaru had presented to him this morning. Oswald had spent many years researching about ¡®a certain power¡¯. He knew from the periodic reports that the research had come to a complete stop about a year ago, due to a lack of information. Naturally, as it was a lost power where almost all documents about it had been destroyed, Oswald had never thought that reviving it would be a simple task. But, after learning about the power Drossel displayed, he was hopeful that it could break the current stalemate. However, on the other hand, she was also one of the reasons for Rocheford¡¯s current predicament. Oswald couldn¡¯t tell Cordelica that he was looking forward to meeting Drossel. ¡°¡­Your Majesty, what do you plan to do with Prince Rocheford?¡± Oswald¡¯s thought was interrupted by Cordelica¡¯s question. Even though he had learned that Rochford was the person responsible for the monster incident yesterday, he had yet to announce the punishment for the prince. Oswald stopped moving his hand and cast his eyes downwards, and slowly put his quill on the table. ¡°He forcibly removed a relic from the museum out of his own self-interest. Furthermore, he also inflicted a great deal of damage to the academy. I have no intentions of letting him get away scot-free.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± Oswald sunk into his chair. It was already impossible for Oswald to let the current Rocheford inherit the throne. Perhaps it was necessary for him to summon the Second and Third Prince back to the Kingdom. Cordelica painfully gazed at him, but she couldn¡¯t say anything other than call out to him. Oswald picked up his quill for the second time, and as if to break away from the current topic, he began doing paperwork once again. ¡°I will take my leave then. Please, please make sure that you won¡¯t regret your choice¡­¡± As Oswald showed no sign that he would take his eyes off the documents, Cordelica let out an anxious smile. Before long, the solemn sound of a door closing reverberated through the room. Oswald let out a small sigh. He stood up from his chair and walked towards the window behind him. ¡°She must have seen through me¡­¡± Oswald knew that she must have realized it after he forcibly cut the topic short. And after realizing it, she showed him that she had nothing else to say. ¡°I¡¯m still too soft, huh¡­¡± As a King, he must give an impartial punishment to Rocheford, but Oswald couldn¡¯t stop his own personal feelings from affecting his decision. Having no expectations for him, giving that girl to him, it was all for the sake of his son, and yet, all of it had backfired. How could he even call himself a king? ¡°More, just a bit more¡­¡± Outside of his window was the townscape of the royal capital. Gazing at that magnificent scene spreading out before him, Oswald let out a small murmur. ¡°I, will surely make this kingdom a great kingdom¡­¡± That was Oswald¡¯s greatest wish as a king. The same promise he had made to his dearest who had given up her life for him. Oswald put his right hand into his pocket. The hard and cold sensation of metal could be felt from his fingertips. ¡°¡­Josephina.¡± As the face of the late mother of the First Prince appeared in his mind, Oswald tightly grasped an unused pendant inside his pocket. Volume 2 - CH 1 Chapter 1: An Audience with the King Despite the fact that the previous day had been filled with chaos, Leticiel woke up feeling refreshed at the usual time in the morning, as if nothing had happened. Squinting in the morning sunlight, she squirmed out of her bed and began to stretch. While it was a good thing that she had managed to subdue the mysterious monster, there were still many unanswered questions regarding the chain of events of the incident. As a result, Leticiel had chosen to stay behind even after the investigation into the connection between the origin of the monster, the reason behind Rocheford¡¯s sudden change, and the sword that he had with him. She had spent her time afterwards joining the teachers inspecting the scene of the incident, as well as poring through the books in the Great Library, but she hadn¡¯t been able to obtain any significant clues. By the time she came to, the once crimson sky had already turned pitch black. Holding back her frustration of being unable to find anything, Leticiel reluctantly returned home and dove straight into bed. Ruvik was fuming at her for returning so late, and if Nicole hadn¡¯t forced her back out of bed, she most certainly would have just fallen asleep in her school uniform. ¡°Good morning, my lady.¡± The person who had just entered the room was her exclusive maid, Nicole. As only Ruvik and Nicole would enter her room now, Leticiel didn¡¯t mind that she had been unable to hear the maid knocking on the door. Perhaps because her family was still the family of the ¡®First Prince¡¯s Fianc¨¦e¡¯, they had been given the gist of yesterday¡¯s incident. By the time she had arrived home, the residence was already in a restless state. As Leticiel had no interest in dealing with her family, she decided to ignore their knocks and pretend to be away. However, the assaults on her door had continued late into the night. Good grief, can you not bother me when I¡¯m sleeping? Irritated by the fact that she had been woken up several times, Leticiel placed a Noise-Canceling Magecraft onto her room¡¯s door. ¡°Morning, Nicole.¡± ¡°Let me assist you with your preparations, my lady!¡± Unable to understand why Nicole was in such high spirits, Leticiel tilted her head. It was just a normal school day, so she only needed to put on her uniform and go to the academy as usual. ¡°¡­Nicole, why do you seem so happy when it¡¯s just to put on my school uniform?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it, my lady. Early this morning, a notice arrived, saying that the academy will be closed due to yesterday¡¯s incident.¡± Leticiel blinked her eyes blankly. It was easy to see that with many teachers injured from the battle, and with the cause of the incident was still undetermined, there was no way that classes would be held. However, Leticiel had simultaneously also deduced the reason why Nicole was in such high spirits. In any case, she had just been pressured to let the maid dress her up. ¡°I, I¡¯ve realized something! My lady, you will shine brightly like a diamond with just some polishing! Since today you will be in your normal clothes rather than a uniform, I¡¯ll make you sparkle!¡± Nicole¡¯s intense insistence caused Leticiel to take a step backwards out of reflex. Indeed, since there was no school, Leticiel would have to spend today in plain clothes. ¡°Um¡­ Nicole, can you calm down for a minute? I, I actually don¡¯t care about what clothes I wear¡­¡± ¡°What are you saying, my lady!? Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re unaware of your own charm!? In that case, I¡¯ll make it my life¡¯s mission to showcase your beauty, your grandeur, your charm to the Master¡­ no, to the territory¡­ no, to the entire kingdom¡­!¡± Nicole¡¯s true intentions burst forth. Despite her utmost effort in forming a displeased expression, Leticiel was powerless against Nicole¡¯s unfaltering smile. And just like that, she was dragged away into the walk-in closet. After letting Nicole have her way for half an hour, Leticiel stepped out of the closet. Her body was radiating an aura of sublime beauty. While a sense of deep fatigue could be felt from her expression, even that had been skillfully disguised using makeup. (¡­Perhaps Nicole is the only person I can¡¯t go against.) While admiring Nicole¡¯s sense of style, Leticiel was also coming to terms with the fact that she was weak against the maid¡¯s will. ¡°¡­Come to think of it, Ruvik¡¯s still not here, huh?¡± Leticiel raised a question after glancing about the room. Usually, he would have arrived with breakfast by the time she had finished dressing up. However, he was absent from the room at the moment. ¡°That¡¯s indeed strange, I don¡¯t think Ruvik would be the type to be late¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Perhaps he ran into some trouble? I¡¯ll try looking for him.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Nicole gave a firm nod. And with that, Leticiel entrusted the room to her maid and left. As it was a straight line from her room to the kitchen, she walked down the familiar hallway while searching for Ruvik. ¡°Bastard, it¡¯s all your fault!! Do you understand!!? How dare you say that you don¡¯t know when you¡¯re her exclusive butler!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!! It only turned out like this because you didn¡¯t stop her, you know!!?¡± ¡°My¡­ deepest apologies.¡± Suddenly, she heard a man shouting around the corner ahead. Listening more closely, Leticiel realized that she was hearing the voices of her parents whom she hadn¡¯t heard from in a long time. And accompanying them was Ruvik¡¯s voice. And sure enough, once she stealthily peeked around the corner, the scene of the Duke and the Duchess shouting angrily at Ruvik entered Leticiel¡¯s eyes. Noticing the cart by her butler, she assumed that he had been enroute to her room. ¡°¡­¡± Emotions disappeared from her face in a blink of an eye. Threads of ice formed at her feet and crackled as they slithered down the hallway to snag the couple¡¯s feet. ¡°Wh-What!!?¡± ¡°Aaaah! What is this thing!?¡± By the time Scarrow and Diane noticed the strange phenomenon, both of them already had one of their feet enveloped in ice. And when they tried to pull out in a panic, the couple lost their balance and tumbled down in an unsightly manner. ¡°Good morning, Sir Scarrow, Lady Diane.¡± The person who had appeared to greet them was none other than Leticiel. While there was a faint smile on her lips, her eyes told a different story. ¡°May I ask what you are doing to my butler? I went looking for him because he was late, and this is what I find?¡± ¡°Eeek!!¡± ¡°If you want to say something to me, then please feel free to say it to me directly to me. I¡¯m not someone who wouldn¡¯t listen to others, you know?¡± Leticiel slowly walked towards the Duke and the Duchess. ¡°D-Don¡¯t come any closer!! You monster!! ¡°But I can¡¯t talk with you face-to-face if I don¡¯t come closer, right? And it¡¯s fine, the monster is long gone now.¡± ¡°Eeeeeek!!!¡± The couple cried out in unison. Perhaps because they couldn¡¯t run away, they fearfully stared at Leticiel as if she was the devil or the incarnation death itself. Scarrow and Diane¡¯s faces got paler and paler with each step Leticiel took. It was as if the entire scene was a comedy sketch. ¡°E-Excuse me, Master¡­¡± But just before the punchline could play out, a timid voice rattled out. It came from an older butler standing a few meters behind the Duke and the Duchess. ¡°The Prime Minister¡¯s here, and he wishes to speak with you¡­¡± ¡°Th-The Prime Minister!?¡± ¡°Yes, he said that he has come with a personal message from His Majesty¡­ He¡¯s currently waiting in the parlor.¡± ¡°I-I-I¡¯ll be there right at once!¡± As she couldn¡¯t keep the skit going with a guest waiting, Leticiel released her Magecraft and began to head off¡­ ¡°E-Excuse me, with all due respect, Lady Drossel, the Prime Minister has also requested for your presence¡­¡± Realizing she couldn¡¯t take her leave, Leticiel let out a sigh. She then decided to just show her face before returning to her room. ¡°Ruvik, you can go back to my room first.¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± ¡°Understood. Please take care, my lady¡­¡± While still looking a bit worried, Ruvik followed his master¡¯s instructions and disappeared down the hallway with the cart. After making sure that he was gone, Leticiel then began to move herself. Following behind the Duke and the Duchess, who were walking so fast they might as well have been running, Leticiel arrived at the parlor. Once they entered, the Prime Minister, Sirius, stood up from the sofa and greeted them. ¡°Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet me.¡± ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s nothing at all. We¡¯re always pleased to welcome you.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll keep it brief. I¡¯m only here today to deliver a personal message on behalf of His Majesty.¡± ¡°A personal message¡­ you said?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Sirius then presented two rolled-up pieces of paper bound with a string that were addressed to Scarrow and Drossel respectively. After receiving her letter, Leticiel untied the string and ran her eyes through the contents. While it was a very long-winded letter, the gist of it was to apologize for Rocheford¡¯s behavior during the incident, and that the king wanted to speak with her directly. ¡°Miss Drossel, as His Majesty also wishes to speak with you, may I ask you to come to the royal castle as well?¡± Leticiel tied the letter back up before turning towards Sirius. ¡°When does His Majesty request my presence?¡± ¡°Please come to Veatrice tomorrow. His Majesty said that he¡¯d like a meeting at noon.¡± ¡°I understand. In that case, I will be there tomorrow at noon.¡± After agreeing to the arrangement, Leticiel began to return to her room, as she had no other business left. Just before she left, she took a glance behind her to find Scarrow and Sirius speaking with each other. Standing behind Sirius was a young boy with ashen blond hair who was taking notes. Noticing her gaze, he looked up and gave her a small nod. (¡­That boy, I think I¡­) The curly-haired boy with black eyes disappeared from Leticiel¡¯s view as the door closed. She could feel a sensation of d¨¦j¨¤ vu while thinking about his face. It was natural, after all. She had already seen him before among the injured during the incident yesterday. While she had grown a bit interested in him, the current Leticiel had no room to think about it. Leaving the parlor behind her back, Leticiel headed back to her own room where Ruvik and Nicole were waiting for her. *** The day after Sirius¡¯ visit, Leticiel was on a carriage heading for Veatrice. As she stared idly out of her window, on the edge of her vision was another carriage. Inside of that carriage was Scarrow, but as she couldn¡¯t care less, she ignored it and focused on the town¡¯s scenery instead. The two carriages entered the royal castle¡¯s grounds without being stopped by the guards, and then stopped before the main entrance. ¡°We¡¯ve been expecting you, Duke Filiaregis, and Miss Filiaregis as well.¡± A young man waiting before the gate gave a polite greeting as Scarrow and Leticiel alighted from the carriages. He appeared to be one of the chamberlains. ¡°Please, follow me. His Majesty is waiting in the reception room.¡± Guided by the chamberlain, Leticiel set foot into the castle. As one would expect of something that could be said to be the heart of the kingdom, the duke estate was no match for the castle¡¯s extravagance. Even Leticiel, who thought that she had already gotten used to flashy ornaments and dazzling furnishings after the past month, was blinded by the castle¡¯s decor. After a short walk, the party arrived before a single door. ¡°Please wait here for a moment.¡± The chamberlain knocked on the door before them. ¡°Your Majesty, Duke Filiaregis and Miss Filiaregis have arrived.¡± ¡°Let them in.¡± Hearing that muffled voice coming from the room, the chamberlain silently opened the door and showed the two inside. It was a room twice the size of the duke estate¡¯s parlor. The wallpaper and the carpet were filled with gorgeous patterns and embroidery. The materials were of such high quality that anyone would be able to understand it through even the slightest touch. In the center of the room was a large round table along with four sofa chairs placed around it. And sitting on one of them was the Forty-Seventh King of the Platina Kingdom, Oswald Draco Alesta Platina. And on another sofa was the Prime Minister, Sirius. ¡°Long time no see, Drossel.¡± Oswald began to talk to Leticiel in a casual and relaxed manner. On the other hand, Sirius was making a serious face. ¡°It has been a long time, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Glad to see that you¡¯re doing well. I think the last time we met was during the new year ball?¡± ¡°¡­Indeed, I believe so, Your Majesty.¡± While the conversation was taking place, Scarrow quickly crossed through the room with his gaze fixed on the floor and sat on the sofa directly across from Sirius. Leticiel headed for the last empty sofa before lowering herself onto it. She then began to carefully observe Oswald. Dark-brown hair and crimson eyes along with a short moustache. She found Rocheford¡¯s resemblance in his facial features and almond-shaped eyes, however, Oswald was exuding an aura of solemn dignity that was beyond her expectations. Truly a king of a nation, it was no surprise that he had been governing this kingdom for over twenty years. ¡°Well then, shall we cut right to the chase? I¡¯m sure you have already guessed why I¡¯ve summoned you here today. Indeed, it¡¯s about the uproar from the other day¡­¡± Oswald stopped his words. Leticiel gazed at him intently, waiting for what he would say next. But, Oswald suddenly lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯d like to apologize to you for the trouble Rocheford has caused you this time. And, I would also like to tell you that I¡¯m truly grateful to you for saving that son of mine.¡± A small gasp could be heard in the room, however, nobody had the presence of mind to determine whose it was. Even Leticiel was at a loss for words; she never expected the king to start the conversation by lowering his head to a duke¡¯s daughter. Leticiel knew that the power and status of a king in this age of peace were unlike her previous age, and even the nature of the nation was different. However, she also believed that it was universal common sense that a king mustn¡¯t easily lower his head to anyone. And yet, it was happening before her very eyes. Even Leticiel was able to understand that Oswald was showing the highest degree of sincerity from a king to a subject. ¡°Please raise your head, Your Majesty.¡± Leticiel said as she lightly shook her head. She couldn¡¯t have a king lowering his head in front of his subjects. ¡°At that time, I was only doing it out of my own self-interest. It is not something that deserves your gratitude, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± After hearing Leticiel¡¯s words, Oswald slowly raised his head. His face was filled with a bitter smile. ¡°As his father, I really should have been the one to guide Rocheford, but he¡¯s the memento of the queen¡­¡± Tightly gripping his hands together, Oswald slowly began to speak, and Leticiel wordlessly listened. As only a small amount of stories about the royal family would circulate the public through books, their personal lives were shrouded in mystery. ¡°His mother passed away when Rocheford was only five. It seemed her death weighed heavily on his heart¡­ From that point on, he began to change, little by little.¡± As if reminiscing about bygone days, Oswald¡¯s eyes stared into the distance as he put together his story. His face was filled with a deep sense of sadness and regret. ¡°Feeling pitiful for him, I, along with everyone, tried to pamper Rocheford with all our hearts. Hoping that he would stop feeling hurt, hoping that he would recover¡­ But, that only served to harm him. Failing to properly guide him, I¡¯ve truly failed as a parent¡­¡± Oswald let out a soft sigh that revealed a brief opening. Instead of a king, the feelings of a father flickered deep in his eyes. ¡°This is just my opinion, but I think Rocheford really resembles the queen, resembles Josephina¡­ I love Josephina from the bottom of my heart. That¡¯s why I kept seeing the image of my most beloved in him.¡± Yesterday, after meeting Sirius, Leticiel had spent the entire day investigating Oswald. As she didn¡¯t have Drossel¡¯s memories, she couldn¡¯t afford to meet the king without knowing anything about him. He was born as the eldest child of the king, and was imprisoned in the northern tower for a period of time. However, around twenty years ago, his younger brother, who had since become the king, died without leaving an heir behind. As a result, Oswald succeeded him as the next king. Oswald had three consorts, and one by one, each of them had bore a prince for him. However, after the queen¡¯s death, he refused to take either of the two consorts as the new queen. While he treasured his consorts equally, the only one he loved was the late queen. While investigating Oswald, Leticiel also came across information about Rocheford¡¯s past. During his childhood, he used to be a normal child, without any problematic behavior. However, everything changed with his mother¡¯s death, as he started to act more and more arrogantly. In almost every book she could find about him, they would all severely criticize him for abusing his authority. But thinking about it now, Leticiel thought that perhaps Rocheford had his own circumstances and issues. Nevertheless, that would still not change her perception of him. ¡°May I ask, Your Majesty, but it has been eleven years since Her Majesty passed away, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Oswald only said a single word, but that was enough to know what he meant. Eleven years ago, the Platina Kingdom had been at war with one of its neighboring countries, the Lapis Nation. The war broke out in the northern front, in a region called Sphilia. Oswald had managed to prevent it from spreading to other regions and brought it to an end without much bloodshed. Due to those feats, the citizens extolled him as a great king. However, during the course of that war, he had lost his queen, Josephina. ¡°Due to my incompetence, many had to sacrifice themselves in order to prevent the sparks of war from spreading throughout the country. Even Josephina too¡­ I couldn¡¯t protect her¡­¡± Oswald began to take out something from his pocket. It was a golden pendant. He gazed at it with a deep sorrow in his eyes. Guessing that it must have been a memento of the queen, Leticiel gently casted her gaze downwards. ¡°Your feelings are not unfounded, Your Majesty. I believe that they are natural thoughts for a king and a father to have.¡± Upon understanding Oswald¡¯s feelings and his conflicts as a king, Leticiel lightly grasped her hands together and calmly began speaking. ¡°And, I also believe that His Highness did not harbor any ill will. However, it is a fact that many of the faculty at the academy were injured, and even students were dragged into the incident. As a member of the royal family, I believe that he must take responsibility for those acts.¡± Opening her eyes again, Leticiel stared straight at Oswald with her heterochromatic eyes. Those eyes of hers were filled with determination. Oswald reacted to that piercing stare by gazing back at her with great interest. ¡°¡­What you said is certainly correct. The root of that incident sprung from how I¡¯ve followed my personal feelings so far. I¡¯m truly sorry that you were placed in danger as a result.¡± Oswald had heard from the report that most of the teachers around the scene had witnessed Rocheford swinging his sword at Leticiel with clear intent to kill during the battle. The king then began to ask the girl before him. ¡°I want to respect your opinion, Drossel. Tell me, what is it that you want?¡± Hearing that question, Leticiel slowly blinked her eyes while slightly casting her gaze downwards, as if deep in thought. ¡°I ask that you to annul my engagement with His Highness. An engagement is something that binds partners together to bring a peace of mind. However, my engagement with His Highness has only brought him pain. In that sense, I want to stop being something that ties him down in the future.¡± Leticiel had no interest in the position of being a member of the royal family. To her, being able to live a peaceful and uneventful life was more than enough. Furthermore, if she were to be frank, Rocheford¡¯s personality was completely incompatible with her own, and she believed that Christa was the perfect fianc¨¦e candidate for him. Having heard the girl¡¯s request, Oswald began to stroke his chin and before long, he slowly nodded. ¡°I see, very well. Let¡¯s annul your engagement with Rocheford. Sirius, can you give me that?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Following Oswald¡¯s command, Sirius presented a piece of document to the king. It was the engagement certificate with Drossel and Rocheford¡¯s names written on it. And then, before Leticiel¡¯s very eyes, Oswald tore it up and threw it away. ¡°Under the name of the king, I hereby annul the engagement between Drossel Noa Filiaregis and Rocheford Belarc Alesta Platina.¡± Hearing that declaration, Leticiel gave a sigh of relief in her mind as she no longer had a reason to be involved with Rocheford anymore. ¡°Actually, I have something I wanted to ask you about. What in the world was that power you used at the academy? It wasn¡¯t¡­ Magic, was it? After all, I¡¯ve heard that you have no Magic Power.¡± With those words, Leticiel began to cautiously observe Oswald. She wanted to figure out the motive behind his words. Why would he want to ask about that? What was his goal in asking that? Oswald didn¡¯t falter in the slightest when faced with Leticiel¡¯s questioning gaze. He simply sat there, waiting for her answer. There wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of greed or ambition in his gaze, just a pure desire to obtain power for the sake of justice. ¡°You are completely correct, Your Majesty, that wasn¡¯t Magic.¡± ¡°Then, how does that power operate? If it doesn¡¯t need Magic Power, then what does it use?¡± ¡°It uses matter in the atmosphere surrounding us.¡± ¡°Matter in the atmosphere, you said. Hmm¡­¡± Oswald pondered what Leticiel had said to him. He believed that what she controlled was something close to the power he had been seeking. ¡°You probably knew this already, but the Magic in our country has reached its limits. The Ministry of Magic has continued to spend every day developing and restructuring it, however, they haven¡¯t managed to come up with anything new for a few years now.¡± Oswald paused and furrowed his brow, making a displeased face. ¡°However, according to Lucas¡¯ report, your Sorcery Formulas seem to hold great potential. Eleven years ago, I couldn¡¯t protect our troops. That country was using some mysterious power, and our Magic had no hope of matching it. Thinking about it now, it may have been something similar to what you used.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Leticiel¡¯s eyes lit up for an instant, but Oswald didn¡¯t notice it. He was simply forming a conjecture of what had happened based on what he had just learned. It wasn¡¯t intended to hold any significant implication. (Some mysterious power? What in the world is that, then¡­) Nothing was adding up for Leticiel. Oswald must have realized long ago that that power wasn¡¯t Magic. However, if it truly had been Magecraft, then he would have come across its inner workings through his research. In other words, since he didn¡¯t know about how Magecraft operated, the mysterious power he was referring to might have been something else entirely. ¡°But that¡¯s not the end of it. Lately, trouble has been brewing around our country¡¯s borders once more. In order to protect this kingdom and its citizens, I must raise our military strength as much as possible.¡± Leticiel finally realized Oswald¡¯s objective. Due to pressure from neighboring nations, and the fact that Magic research had stagnated, he had been spurred on to develop a new power to protect his own kingdom. ¡°So in short, Your Majesty is thinking about using my power to protect the kingdom and the citizens?¡± ¡°Indeed. As a king, I have a duty to protect this kingdom¡¯s peace and its citizens. I believe the power you hold can be the trump card to overturn our current predicament. I implore you, can you lend me your power?¡± Oswald¡¯s words struck a chord with Leticiel. As someone who had lived in turbulent times, she knew how precious something like peace was, and could sympathize with his wish for it. (Moreover¡­) Several faces appeared in Leticiel¡¯s mind. Mirandalette, Lucas, Ruvik and Nicole, and finally, Sieg. In her previous life, she wasn¡¯t able to protect the people she held dear, and the person she loved. Because of that, she wished to not let the same happen in this life. Oswald¡¯s request was in no way disadvantageous to Leticiel. Or rather, it even coincided with her own wish to continue her research. The girl firmly gazed straight at Oswald. Their eyes quietly met each other¡¯s. ¡°I understand, Your Majesty. I will lend you my strength.¡± ¡°I see, thank you for your cooperation. I¡¯ll prepare a research facility for you. And, I will also provide as many buildings, personnel, and funds as you want. Will that be enough for you?¡± Oswald seemed relieved that Leticiel had accepted his request. His proposals were very attractive, however, she shook her head without a moment¡¯s delay. ¡°My apologies, Your Majesty, while I am grateful that you will be providing for the research funds, I don¡¯t think a large-scale specialized facility will be needed. My current arrangement at the academy is more than enough for something like Formulas research. All I would like to ask for is the permission to remodel the former Seventh Research Building, as I¡¯m the only one using it.¡± Having transmigrated, Leticiel had many things she wanted to do in her life. One of those was to devote as much time into Sorcery Formula research as she wanted. She was even open to the idea of doing research all her life, but the idea of holing herself up in some facility to do research didn¡¯t fit her personality at all. To her, something like doing research could be done anywhere. ¡°I understand. If you put it like that, then I¡¯ll leave it to your discretion. And with that being the case, since you will have full authority over that research building, can I entrust you to be its manager?¡± Hearing Oswald¡¯s proposal, Leticiel brooded over it for a moment as she tried to figure out how to refuse him once again. She simply wanted to be able to conduct research, nothing else. ¡°That would be a great honor, Your Majesty, however, I believe that the position is far beyond my area of expertise. I would like to be able to focus on my research, so if I could, I would like to request that the position be given to the Dean, as the building is within the academy grounds.¡± Oswald stroked his chin as he thought over Leticiel¡¯s suggestion for a moment. ¡°¡­That certainly makes sense. Alright, I¡¯ll contact Lucas about that.¡± Oswald lowered his hand and gave Leticiel a nod, signaling the joyous moment when Lucas¡¯ workload increased. ¡°I¡¯m really grateful to you for accepting to do research for the sake of this kingdom.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t mention it, Your Majesty. I simply do what I must do.¡± Leticiel lowered her gaze just for a moment before staring straight ahead once again. The negotiation wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°However, in exchange for that, I have two requests I would like to make. Is that fine with you, Your Majesty?¡± Leticiel stared at Oswald with a dignified gaze. Noticing the look in her eyes, Oswald was overwhelmed for an instant. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Having received Oswald¡¯s permission, Leticiel took a small breath before stating her requests. ¡°I would like to request the right to access books within the kingdom. From normal books circulating in the mass market to banned ones stored in restricted archives, I would like to request the permission to access all of these materials.¡± ¡°¡­Right to access books, you said?¡± ¡°Yes. Including the books in the library of the royal castle. Every book, regardless of whether they are public or private.¡± A thousand years ago, Leticiel had certainly reached the limits of Magecraft. However, that was simply the limit of the Magecraft of that time. A thousand years had passed since, and there were now other techniques. She believed that she could achieve new breakthroughs in her research by utilizing some of their aspects. She was also interested in the mysterious power that Oswald had just mentioned. Because of that, she needed to obtain as much information as possible. Her desire was something that would benefit both parties, but it seemed that Oswald hadn¡¯t expected her request at all. ¡°¡­Asking for something like that, what are you even planning to do?¡± Oswald¡¯s tone of voice dropped a pitch lower. It was natural that a king would grow suspicious when asked for something like that by a mere duke¡¯s daughter. ¡°I understand that what I have asked for seems odd. However, as I will be undertaking research for the sake of Your Majesty, I simply want to obtain the greatest results possible.¡± Not only Oswald, but Sirius was also glaring daggers at Leticiel as well. Yet, she kept facing straight forward and continued without any hesitation. ¡°Information is indispensable for more advanced research. I implore you to understand that I have no desire for confidential documents regarding the administration of the kingdom, only information that might be necessary for the research.¡± Oswald fell into silence after hearing what Leticiel had to say. It was true that there were no highly sensitive documents stored within the royal castle¡¯s library. With that being the case, there was no downside for him in accepting her request. ¡°¡­Very well, then. I¡¯ll grant you the right to access all of the books as well as all of the documents within the kingdom. Do make good use of it.¡± After careful deliberation, Oswald nodded. However, there was one place he couldn¡¯t give Leticiel access to. ¡°However, I can¡¯t grant you access to the castle¡¯s restricted archive as that place contains books and documents concerning state secrets. Are you fine with that?¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you for granting my request.¡± Leticiel accepted Oswald¡¯s judgement to be perfectly reasonable. No nation would be foolish enough to give access to its national secrets willy-nilly. ¡°No, this is all for the sake of our Platina Kingdom. Then¡­ what is the other request you want to make?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, if you would allow it, I would like to request a residence in the suburbs. Not the duke estate, but rather a peaceful and quiet place where I can focus on my research.¡± Scarrow, who hadn¡¯t spoken a single word until now, as he had been completely out of the loop, twitched upon hearing Leticiel¡¯s words. She continued to ignore him despite catching his reaction in the edge of her vision. She had been reminded time and time again that the Duke¡¯s household loathed her, or rather, Drossel. There would be no way in a million years that he would be against her request. (I already got the engagement annulled, if I can get out of that household, it¡¯d be the cherry on top¡­) For Leticiel, there were only two options for activities at the duke estate: to sleep or to read. However, as she had finally completed all the books within the estate, so there was no longer any reason for her to remain there. ¡°Hmm, very well.¡± Oswald nodded. In his view, he only cared about keeping the Magecraft research as a state secret, and with him being to able to check on its progress at any time. Providing a new residence for the girl would not be disadvantageous for him in any way. He then turned his eyes towards Scarrow. ¡°I have no objections to her request, but what about you?¡± ¡°¡­None at all, Your Majesty.¡± There wasn¡¯t an ounce of strength in his words or voice; only the speed of his reply was appropriate. It seemed that he really wished for her to leave. Or rather, being able to rid themselves of that cursed child must have been a dream come true for the household of Duke Filiaregis. They could only feel fear towards the daughter that had made even the king lower his head to her. They were ignorant of everything, from the existence of Magecraft, to the concept of Sorcery Formulas, or even the worth of their loathed, unwanted child. Nothing at all. They hadn¡¯t even once attempted to look at what was in front of their eyes. From the past to the present. That was why they readily pushed their responsibilities to her onto Oswald, without even noticing how valuable of a card she was. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be making arrangements for the residence and servants.¡± After confirming with Scarrow, Oswald turned back to Leticiel. Responding to Oswald¡¯s words, Leticiel slowly shook her head. Of course, she wasn¡¯t declining the residence that Oswald was providing for her. ¡°I am very grateful for your consideration, Your Majesty. However, I do not wish to bother you with providing servants for me.¡± In order to be able to live anywhere, Leticiel had pretty much mastered all housework. If she had to be frank, she didn¡¯t need any servants at all. ¡°But, how can you go about your day without them?¡± ¡°In regards to that, if you would listen to my selfish request, I would like to bring with me two servants named Ruvik and Nicole, who are currently in my service at the duke estate. For me, those two alone are enough.¡± While she felt that she didn¡¯t need any servants, Ruvik and Nicole were special cases. Leticiel didn¡¯t view them as servants, but rather something closer to housemates. She wanted to have people she could trust by her side. ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°Or rather, having a large amount of servants prepared for me would only serve to hinder the research.¡± Leticiel pressed on against a bewildered Oswald. Back in the warring age, even royalty didn¡¯t have the luxury to employ a large amount of servants. As a result, Leticiel wasn¡¯t fond of the idea of living with strangers in her home, as she believed it was a place for one to feel at ease. Filling it with servants that you didn¡¯t know and being forced to keep up appearances in front of them would defeat that purpose. As someone who marched to the beat of her own drum and was capable of doing all sorts of housework herself, a large number of servants were nothing but a hindrance. Facing the girl who wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer, Oswald turned towards Scarrow once again. ¡°Scarrow, she¡¯s saying this, but I want to ask for your opinion. Are you fine with it?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, Your Majesty.¡± Once again, Scarrow gave his answer without a second thought. Perhaps, because he was finally able to get rid of Leticiel after sixteen years, just one or two servants for that was a small price to pay. ¡°Very well. Then, I shall immediately make preparations for both the residence and the research institution.¡± ¡°My deepest gratitude, Your Majesty.¡± And with that, the audience between Leticiel and Oswald came to an end as both parties reached an agreement on terms that would best serve their interests. ¡°Thank you for coming all the way here today. If there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯d like to talk with you again.¡± ¡°That would be a great honor for me, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Let me escort you out.¡± ¡°There is no need, I would hate to impose on you any further, Your Majesty. Well then, if you would excuse me.¡± After giving Oswald a deep bow, Leticiel courtly exited the reception room. She could hear the sound of Scarrow¡¯s footsteps behind her, but she paid it no heed. She actually wanted to use Transference to return right away, but there were many others inside the castle, and above all else, Scarrow was with her. Leticiel didn¡¯t want him to see it and complicate things. As a result, she quietly returned by carriage, the same way she came. *** ¡°¡­So to sum it up, you two will be moving to a new residence with me.¡± ¡°Even if you say, ¡®to sum it up¡¯, we don¡¯t know what was summed up in the first place¡­¡± Leticiel was in her room. Having returned, she suddenly said those few words, having thrown all the important details out the window. Faced with such sudden news, Nicole was visibly confused, while Ruvik seemed like he had already given up. Yet, he readily agreed. ¡°I would much rather serve you than the Duke¡¯s household, my lady. I will go wherever you go!¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± However, Nicole seemed to be at a loss. Leticiel then remembered hearing that she couldn¡¯t afford to lose her job due to her family¡¯s situation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. His Majesty will financially support me, so you two will receive a higher wage than before. I¡¯m relying on you two, after all.¡± ¡°Huh!? H-how did you know what I was thinking!?¡± ¡°You told me about your mother after all, Nicole. That¡¯s why, don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± Leticiel opted to omit the other reason, which was that Nicole tended to wear her heart on her sleeve. As Nicole was putting her hands up to her cheeks in shock, Leticiel let out a wry smile at her. ¡°I don¡¯t care about my wage. Being able to serve my lady is more than enough for me.¡± ¡°My, that won¡¯t do, Ruvik. I appreciate your feelings, but I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to accept it.¡± It was true that Ruvik had been serving her since the very beginning, however, taking that for granted and paying him next to nothing was something Leticiel could never allow herself to do. She believed that one¡¯s kindness must be returned with an appropriate level of gratitude and compensation. ¡°U-um! I will also go with you, my lady! I¡¯m your exclusive maid, after all!¡± Seeing Ruvik retorting that he would continue to serve her regardless, paired with Nicole showing her pure desire to follow her, Leticiel let out a small smile at her two trusted servants. ¡°Thank you, Ruvik and Nicole.¡± ¡°Wait, my lady, since we are changing residences, that would mean the closet would have to be emptied out¡­? But then, how will I dress you up¡­¡± ¡°¡­Hm? Wait a minute, Nicole. That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?¡± Leticiel didn¡¯t have the self-confidence to wear the large variety of dresses and accessories within the closet. As a result, she was thinking of taking the opportunity to slim down her wardrobe to a certain extent. ¡°What should I do¡­ My lady is still a diamond in the rough. Not being able to bring out your beauty would be a travesty!¡± ¡°¡­¡± However, unable to bear seeing Nicole acting like the world was coming to an end, Leticiel made up her mind to just bring everything with her instead. ¡°Really, my lady!? You won¡¯t throw away anything inside the closet, right!?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ I don¡¯t mind either way¡­¡± ¡°Thank you very much, my lady! I¡¯ll put my utmost effort into showing the full extent of your charm to everyone from now on!¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± When faced with Nicole¡¯s beaming face, Leticiel could only let out a bitter smile. Despite knowing that she had probably dug her own grave, Leticiel acquiesced, thinking that it¡¯d be fine as long as Nicole was happy. *** ¡°Your Majesty, are you really fine with that?¡± Sirius asked Oswald with a serious face. They were the only ones left in the reception room after Drossel and Scarrow had retreated. ¡°Yes, that was as good as we could get. For the time being, we both got what we wanted.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Oswald replied without hesitation while crossing his arms and leaning against the sofa. He believed that he had managed to obtain the best possible result. However, Sirius was still knitting his brows. ¡°Still, have you considered that you may have compromised a bit too much, Your Majesty?¡± Facing Sirius¡¯s tone, which was slightly tinged with criticism, Oswald let out a long sigh as he shook his head. He agreed that if they were to look only at both parties¡¯ statuses, as a king, Oswald might have conceded too much with the Duke¡¯s daughter. However, in terms of results, what he had given away was pittance compared to what he had gained. ¡°I take pride in being able to take the necessary steps to further this kingdom. I don¡¯t mind if compromising will grease the wheels. Considering what¡¯s to come, it¡¯s but a trivial price to pay.¡± ¡°That might be true, but still¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, there¡¯s no downside for us in the first place. The top-secret documents are in the restricted archive¡­ or rather, in the hands of the Privy Council. There won¡¯t be any problem at all.¡± ¡°¡­As you will it, so it shall be.¡± Sirius sounded reluctant, as if he still couldn¡¯t agree to what Oswald said. The room fell into silence for a while before he broke it once again. ¡°Your Majesty, if I may ask¡­ What are you planning to do with His Highness, Rocheford?¡± Oswald easily guessed what Sirius was getting at. It was about the punishment for Rocheford that he had kept putting off. ¡°Rocheford has been in deep distress since yesterday. However, as that¡¯s simply a consequence of the incident, I won¡¯t be taking that into consideration for his punishment¡­¡± Oswald let out a sigh. Rocheford was still acting unlike himself. Just when it seemed like he had gone mad as he lashed out indiscriminately, he would begin to pour out tears while mumbling incomprehensible words. Due to that unstable state of his, he was currently being supervised in his room. However, as nearly all noble households had learned about the incident, Oswald understood that this was the only time where he couldn¡¯t afford to cover up for his son. After just having an audience with Drossel, Oswald could feel a small amount of resolve inside him. He turned to Sirius and firmly opened his mouth. ¡°For Rocheford¡¯s punishment, he will forfeit his right to the throne, and in addition, he will be banished from Nirvan. When his condition improves, he will be sent away to live in the Luce region. That is my order.¡± Having heard Oswald¡¯s verdict, Sirius slightly widened his eyes, as if it was something beyond his expectations. ¡°Are you really fine with that, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Indeed. That is my decision.¡± At first glance, the punishment seemed harsh. However, it was the best way for Oswald to protect Rocheford. By stripping him of his right to the throne and removing him from the capital, the king would be able to keep his son away from both the dispute for succession and the gazes of the nobles. ¡°I want to question him about the incident myself. But when even the best doctors in the kingdom have given up on his condition, I doubt that it¡¯s something that can be cured in a day or two. So for the time being, I¡¯ll have him sent to somewhere peaceful to recuperate. And upon his recovery, I¡¯ll bestow that territory upon him.¡± ¡°¡­As you wish, Your Majesty. I will announce that.¡± The Luce region was a remote northern region under the direct control of the royal family. It was a barren region with neither a specialized industry, nor any sort of natural resources. However, it was also a peaceful place far detached from the troublesome and prejudiced high society. As he wanted Rocheford to at least be able to live in peace, it was the biggest compromise Oswald could have made as a king. ¡°However, in that case, we must summon the other princes back.¡± Currently, the only prince in Nirvan was Rocheford. Both the second and third prince had left the country; however, if Rocheford¡¯s right to succession was to be revoked, then there was a need to call at least one of them back. Not having an heir to the throne in the country was also a problem for Oswald. ¡°Certainly, that must be done. Prepare the messengers at once, Sirius.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± In accordance to the royal decree, the prime minister left the room. Alone, the king let out another long sigh before standing up, as he needed to return to his office. *** Lucrezia academy was still closed the day after Leticiel had her audience with Oswald. ¡°¡­Huh? The preparations have already been completed?¡± Leticiel blinked blankly after hearing Ruvik¡¯s report. She was in the middle of reading a book she had taken from the estate¡¯s library. ¡°Yes. A messenger from His Majesty arrived moments ago.¡± It was to inform Leticiel that the new residence that she¡¯d requested had been readied for her. However, since it still needed to be furnished, she would have to wait until the next day to move in. As it had only been a day since her audience with Oswald, Leticiel was unable to hide her surprise. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too quick? We only discussed it just yesterday.¡± ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re surprised, my lady?¡± ¡°No, rather then being surprised¡­ it¡¯s more that I was surprised.¡± ¡°So in other words, it¡¯s still the same thing¡­¡± Certainly, Leticiel would have liked it to be ready as soon as possible; however, she also expected that it would have actually taken some more time. ¡°Anyway, I got it. Thank you.¡± Leticiel stood up, leaving the book she was reading still open on the table. ¡°My lady? What are you planning to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m preparing to move. I planned to leave this place the moment His Majesty contacted me.¡± As she couldn¡¯t use Transference to go to a place she hadn¡¯t been to before, Leticiel had no choice but to head to the new residence either on foot or by carriage. Moreover, since Ruvik and Nicole were moving with her as well, they¡¯d need time to get ready. In the end, there was no harm in starting the process ahead of time. ¡°Understood. Then, we shall start packing.¡± ¡°Yes, please do so. What about the carriage? Shall we ask the Duke to provide us one?¡± ¡°It seems that His Majesty will provide it for us.¡± ¡°My, that¡¯s great to hear then.¡± As she was discussing what to do afterward with Ruvik, Leticiel could hear the approaching sound of someone running along the hallway. Before long, the door to her room swung open without a knock. ¡°My deepest apologies for being late, my lady!¡± The person who had just entered was Nicole. It seemed that she had been in a great hurry as her hair was a bit disheveled and her skirt had slightly ridden up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be in such a rush, Nicole.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry! I only planned to rest in my room for a bit, but I ended up falling asleep¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Actually, since you always seem to be so busy, it¡¯s fine for you to take more breaks, you know?¡± ¡°That will not be possible! As I am your exclusive maid, I will always be by your side, my lady.¡± Nicole enthusiastically declared while striking a confident pose with her arms. Leticiel couldn¡¯t help but let out a wry smile when faced with such a sight. ¡°Are we starting to pack things up already, my lady?¡± ¡°No, let¡¯s have dinner first. We¡¯ll discuss it more afterwards.¡± ¡°As you wish. Please give me a moment.¡± After Ruvik left, Leticiel decided to first estimate the amount of luggage she would have and began to scan around the room. The room was decorated with splendor fitting of a noble¡¯s daughter. However, as the furnishings in the room were from the Duke, and Oswald had already prepared everything in the new residence, she couldn¡¯t take any of the furniture with her. For that reason, Leticiel began to look through the items inside the furniture around her room. While there were a lot, most of the items were stuffed into the shelves. On the other hand, many of the other pieces of furniture only contained empty drawers. After looking through everything, she believed that the two things that would take up the most space in her luggage would be the dresses in the walk-in closet and the books crammed onto the bookshelves. Taking a look at the walk-in closet again, she couldn¡¯t help but think about how ridiculous its contents were. It was filled with clothing and accessories provided by the family that had neglected her. They were all for the sake of raising ¡®Drossel¡¯s¡¯ marketability, but it proved to be a near-futile effort. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, my lady.¡± As Leticiel gazed at the stunning sight of the dresses neatly lined up next to each other, Nicole suddenly spoke up. ¡°What is it, Nicole?¡± ¡°We will be bringing everything in this closet, right?¡± ¡°Indeed. Is anything the matter?¡± ¡°No, my lady. It¡¯s just, I was the one who suggested it, but¡­ how do we carry all of these with us?¡± Nicole¡¯s worry was reasonable. Normally, to move the amount of dresses in the closet alone would require a large wagon. Even with the king¡¯s support, something of that scale wouldn¡¯t show up. Faced with that question, Leticiel answered while counting the number of dresses. ¡°You¡¯re right. This amount is a bit too much, so we¡¯ll also use Magecr¡­ahem, Magic.¡± When she almost said Magecraft out of habit, Leticiel managed to correct it with a fake cough. She judged that it was still too early to tell Nicole about Magecraft, as it hadn¡¯t been long since the girl became her exclusive maid. ¡°¡­Magic?¡± ¡°Yes, a Magic to create a small subspace.¡± While saying so, Leticiel created a small sphere atop her palm. It was the subspace entrance that she had formed by manipulating Mana. A subspace was a space that existed in another dimension beyond the current world. While living organisms couldn¡¯t be stored within it, anything else could be placed inside, with its capacity limited by the user¡¯s ability. By using the subspace, a much larger amount of luggage could be transported than by hand. Furthermore, after they arrived at the new residence, everything could be retrieved as needed. It wasn¡¯t a flawless Magecraft, but Leticiel would also be using a carriage for the move. As a result, they should be able to move some of her luggage using the subspace without much trouble. ¡°This much should all fit into the subspace. It¡¯s perfectly safe since I¡¯m the only one who can access the entrance. We can just take things out whenever we want when we¡¯re there.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­¡± ¡°However, since making it too big would put too much of a strain on the user due to the calculations required, so it¡¯s important to stop at an appropriate size.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Despite Leticiel explaining it to her, Nicole could only let out blank responses. There seemed to be a question mark floating above her head. (Hmmm, I guess explaining it out of the blue like this would make it hard to understand.) As it was evidently clear that Nicole wasn¡¯t understanding anything, Leticiel concluded the explanation of the Subspace Magecraft and decided that she would take the time to properly explain it if such an opportunity ever arose. ¡°¡­Like I thought, my lady is really amazing.¡± As the silence turned awkward, Nicole took the plunge and nonchalantly praised Leticiel. Faced with eyes filled with both doubt and respect, Leticiel let out a wry smile. ¡°I have only started serving my lady recently, but, I¡­ I can already feel how vast the world is!¡± ¡°Y-Yeah. It must be really eye opening, right¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Leticiel knew that Nicole simply insisted on praising her despite not being able to understand the concept of a subspace. While having mixed feelings about that fact, Leticiel stepped out of the closet. Although they would only start packing the day after, Leticiel had already begun to feel a bit nostalgic as she looked over the room once more. She had no attachment to the duke estate, but as she had spent almost all her time at the estate in the room, she somehow felt that she would miss it. Thinking about how the preparations had been going on without trouble so far thanks to the Subspace Magecraft, Leticiel suddenly came up with the idea that something in the room might contain a clue to uncover Drossel¡¯s memories. She opened the drawers of the writing desk to check. Inside were pens and ink that the past her must have used, along with some mysterious papers. Since Leticiel didn¡¯t know which items held important memories, she decided to just bring them all over to the new residence regardless if they were memorabilia or just simply junk. However, she planned to sort through them again before that. Leticiel made a bitter smile as she thought about the fact that the amount of luggage had increased for no good reason. It made it seem like she was a hoarder. ¡°A day should be enough to pack everything. Can I ask you to give me a hand, Nicole?¡± ¡°Yes! I would love to!¡± When she had finished looking around the room, Leticiel sat down onto the sofa. And as if he was waiting for his cue, Ruvik entered the room with her dinner on a cart. ¡°Thank you for waiting, my lady.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ruvik.¡± Ruvik then lined up the dishes onto the table as Leticiel began to enjoy her dinner. *** On the next day, Leticiel was sorting through the luggage in her room as she had planned the night before. ¡°My lady! What should I do with this?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ It¡¯s the same thing as these, so you can throw it away if you want.¡± Leticiel was sitting on the sofa as she went through her personal belongings with Nicole. Before them were items sorted into piles on the table while the floor was covered in piles of books. It would have been much faster if Leticiel were to also use her Magecraft. Unfortunately, as Nicole had been very excited about helping her with packing since early morning, Leticiel didn¡¯t have the heart to let her maid down. In the end, the two of them neatly gathered the items together. ¡°But I have to say, my lady¡¯s belongings are a bit too unbalanced¡­¡± Nicole murmured and slowed her hands. It was true that while Leticiel had quite a collection of belongings, most of them were books to better herself, along with numerous pointlessly flashy accessories. There weren¡¯t that many items with signs of actually being used, or items that recorded her thoughts and feelings. And even with that said, they were mainly tattered books that she had read countless times. ¡°You¡¯re right, but I¡¯m planning to bring everything I own with me, is there something wrong with that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong, but still¡­¡± Unlike Nicole, Leticiel didn¡¯t stop working and continued at a quick pace. She was sure that these items had been bought haphazardly by her family in order to raise ¡®Drossel¡¯s¡¯ value. However, since all of the items could still be used, she intended to make use of them regardless. After placing an accessory case onto the mountain of luggage, Leticiel stood up to stretch as she felt stiff from sitting in the same posture for a long time. ¡°Hm?¡± In that moment, she caught sight of Nicole placing a booklet atop the pile of books. It was a scene Leticiel had seen countless times since the morning. However, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of the booklet for some reason. (Is that a¡­ diary?) Leticiel had told Nicole beforehand that every book and notebook in the room would be moved to the new residence as they were filled with memories. Her reasoning for doing so was because they might contain writings about Drossel¡¯s past, so it was perfectly normal for Nicole to sort it like that. However, even though Leticiel was sure that it was the first time she had ever laid her eyes on that diary, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of nostalgia from it. Something in her head pulsed as the sound of her heartbeat rang in her ears. ¡°But what should we do with this amount of books? It would take too much space to move them like this¡­¡± Nicole¡¯s troubled voice pulled Leticiel back to reality. She then followed the maid¡¯s gaze and stared at the mountain of books piled on the floor. ¡°Huh? Oh, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m thinking about moving them in some sort of large container.¡± While putting all the books into the subspace was a tempting idea, it wasn¡¯t an all-powerful tool. Besides the space limit, there was also a weight limit to consider. As Leticiel¡¯s subspace had already been filled with all the dresses and accessories from the walk-in closet, she was unable to add the books on top of that. ¡°If I remember correctly, there should be an unused suitcase in the warehouse. I shall go get it!¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Nicole dashed out of the room. After the door had closed, Leticiel looked at the diary from earlier. Its pages were being turned by the breeze coming in from the opened window. Leticiel set aside what she had been doing and reached out to pick the diary up. The diary was rather small and had a cute appearance, with a small floral pattern drawn on the cover. It didn¡¯t have many pages, but when Leticiel flipped through the diary, she found that while each entry was quite short, every page had been properly used. The name ¡®Drossel¡¯ was delicately written in the upper right corner on the cover. Judging from the dates in the diary, it was written about ten years ago. The log of daily occurrences were so neatly recorded that nobody would expect that it had come from a six-year-old child. Dear diary, Mother got mad at me again today. She said that I¡¯m an eyesore. Even if she told me that, I couldn¡¯t say anything back to her. What am I supposed to do? Dear diary, I made my first embroidery today! It didn¡¯t look good since it was my first time. I¡¯ll practice even more so I can sew beautiful flowers next time. Dear diary, People got angry at me again. It¡¯s father this time. Are my efforts just not enough? I need to try even harder. Dear diary, It looked like there was a tea party. But, I wasn¡¯t allowed to go out. It looked like everyone had fun playing with Christa. I wanted to play too. The diary was filled with feelings and questions toward her parents and siblings, the joy of being able to do something new, as well as a child¡¯s honest emotions and wishes. Judging from the writing style and the contents, Leticiel believed that Drossel must have been an honest and pure girl around this time. However, by the time Leticiel awoke in her body, Drossel¡¯s reputation was that of a quick-tempered and heartless noble¡¯s daughter on top of being a Magic Powerless. What in the world was the cause? What happened to ¡®Drossel¡¯? ¡°¡­No! Stop!¡± Suddenly, a young girl¡¯s voice resounded in Leticiel¡¯s head. She didn¡¯t hear it through her ears, but rather, it was a voice from within her mind. ¡°¡­!¡± Leticiel dropped the diary out of shock, hitting the ground with a thud and with its pages open. In the very next moment, a pang shot through her temple, accompanied with a white flash. An unknown scene began to play. There were only two young girls shown, as if they had been torn out of the gray world around them. The two girls were staring at each other with their eyes wide open. A girl with pinkish blonde hair was sitting on the ground, while a silver-haired girl simply stood there without moving, as if in shock. The girl on the ground had a small cut on her upper left arm. The silver-haired girl tried to reach out with trembling hands, but she immediately covered her face and crouched down in pain. ¡°Big Sis! What have you done!?¡± Another white flash wiped away the scene. After it had subsided, she was looking at her room from a bird¡¯s-eye view. While it resembled her current room, this room was barren, with the bare minimum amount of furniture. The room reflected in her eyes was a mess with accessories, tools, clothes, and pieces of paper scattered about. In the center of the room was a silver-haired girl hugging herself with her small hands, and her shoulders shook every time she took a breath. She was surrounded by three adults. They were looking at the small girl with eyes full of fear and shock, as if they were looking at a monster. The three people seemed to be saying something, but their voices didn¡¯t reach Leticiel. Another flash of light covered the scene, but when she expected another scene to play, it all simply disappeared with the light, the same way it had begun. ¡°Wh¡­at¡­?¡± Leticiel murmured as she slowly touched her forehead to find a small amount of sweat. Even if Leticiel tried to look at it logically, she couldn¡¯t help but feel nostalgic about the scenes and voices from just earlier. They might have been Drossel¡¯s memories, but she couldn¡¯t recall anything else. Her head was full of questions, from when those incidents had happened, to what had led up to that, and even the question of how the young girl felt amidst all that. As a sense of haziness filled her mind, Leticiel let out an exhausted sigh and looked at the diary that had fallen onto the floor. ¡°¡­Hm?¡± Crouching down to pick up the diary again, Leticiel noticed that there was a single envelope caught between the opened pages. She thought that it must have been something quite important to keep it in an old diary. After pulling out the envelope, Leticiel closed the book and extracted the contents of the envelope. ¡°Dear Drossy, Yesterday was really fun! Let¡¯s play again sometime! ¨C Al¡± There was a small piece of paper inside the envelope. It was written in childish handwriting using brief words. (¡­Who¡¯s this?) Leticiel was confused by the name written at the end of the letter. She had never heard any mention of this ¡®Al¡¯ person. She then tried to check the back of the letter on a whim, but it was simply blank. Leticiel deduced that ¡®Drossy¡¯ must have been Drossel¡¯s nickname. However, she had no clue about the relationship between Drossel and this child. Just who is this person? As her thoughts wandered about trying to make sense of everything, the sound of two knocks came from her door. Deciding that she wouldn¡¯t remember anything even if she kept thinking about it, Leticiel cut off her train of thought. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± Upon receiving Leticiel¡¯s reply, Ruvik entered the room holding a tray with a tea set on top. ¡°How about taking a break, my lady? I¡¯ve brought tea with me.¡± ¡°Alright, I do feel a bit tired.¡± Ruvik prepared a cup of black tea and handed it to Leticiel. The steam rising from the cup sluggishly shimmered in the air from the gentle breeze coming in from the window. ¡°Since you¡¯re tired, how about some sugar to go with your tea, my lady? They say that sweet things can help relieve fatigue.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ it¡¯s fine, I like it like this.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. You¡¯ve always preferred to enjoy your black tea as is.¡± Ruvik let out a nostalgic smile. Leticiel gazed at the small condiment pots lined up on the tray, thinking that Drossel was similar to her. ¡°I thought Nicole would be assisting you with the packing today.¡± ¡°She just went to the warehouse to get a suitcase.¡± After she finished drinking, Letciel returned the teacup to the table. She then placed her hands on the sofa before sensing something by her fingertips. It was the diary she had just been looking through. ¡°¡­Say, Ruvik.¡± Gazing at her toes for no specific reason, Leticiel suddenly muttered. ¡°Yes? What is it, my lady?¡± ¡°Does the name ¡®Al¡¯ ring any bells for you?¡± Leticiel tried asking Ruvik about the name she had seen in the letter. As Ruvik had been serving as Drossel¡¯s exclusive butler for a long time, she thought that he might know something. ¡°¡®Al¡¯¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I found a letter from a child with that name in an old diary.¡± Leticiel then handed Ruvik the envelope. He carefully took out the letter inside and unfolded it. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard this name before¡­ I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be of much help to you.¡± After spending some time wordlessly staring at the contents of the letter, Ruvik slipped the letter back into the envelope and returned it to Leticiel while shaking his head. ¡°I see. I just wanted to try asking. It¡¯s nothing important anyway, so don¡¯t let it get to you.¡± ¡°My apologies, my lady. I started serving you when you were around six years old, so that person might perhaps be a friend from when you were even younger.¡± Without letting it show on her face, Leticiel was surprised that Ruvik had been serving Drossel for that long. She then returned the envelope to its original location in the diary. Ruvik was the person who she had believed to be the most knowledgeable about Drossel. As even he had no idea who ¡®Al¡¯ was, Leticiel was at a dead-end in her investigation. And in the first place, with her only clue being ¡®Al¡¯, Leticiel had no way to identify if the sender was a boy or a girl. ¡°Still, I believe the paper used for the letter and the envelope was of high quality. So the sender may have been the son or daughter of a noble.¡± ¡°You¡¯re knowledgeable about stationery, Ruvik?¡± ¡°This is merely a conjecture, but it feels similar to the high-quality paper this household uses for just about everything.¡± ¡°Ah, that makes sense¡­¡± Leticiel stood up from the sofa while replying to Ruvik. She approached the open window and spread out her arms to bask in the warm breeze and the fragrance of grass in the early summer. ¡°¡­Oh?¡± As she was resting her chin in her hand, idly gazing at the garden on the ground floor, Leticiel noticed that the flowerbed at the edge of her vision had become empty. Looking back through her memory, Leticiel felt that the flowerbed was filled with white carnations just a week ago. However, now there were only about two unknown, peach-colored flowers blooming in it, nothing else. ¡°Ruvik, what do you make of that unnaturally empty flowerbed? A few strange flowers are blooming in it.¡± ¡°¡­I see them now. Maybe they¡¯re a new type of flower?¡± While looking down at the garden from next to Leticiel, Ruvik also tilted his head. Deciding to take a closer look at the flower, Leticiel headed down to the garden with Ruvik. ¡°Ah, my lady.¡± When they arrived at the garden, they happened to pass by Cloud, who was carrying a large watering can. Cloud continued for a few more steps before coming to a stop and making a U-turn. ¡°How can I be of service to my lady today?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m just here to ask you about an unfamiliar flower I saw blooming over there.¡± Leticiel pointed at the flowerbed in question, prompting Cloud to turn towards it. ¡°Oh, those ones? Those are rune flowers, native to northern countries. They¡¯re quite hard to find in Platina since they¡¯re quite fragile. As a result, they¡¯re popular among nobles.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Leticiel walked up to the flowerbed and reached out her hand to touch the pale pink petals. They were quite soft, similar to rose petals. They felt like they would be crushed if she put any force into her fingers. ¡°That¡¯s right, my lady. Excuse me for asking this, but I heard that you will be moving to a new residence in the suburbs in accordance to His Majesty¡¯s orders. Is that true?¡± As Leticiel was observing the flower, Cloud suddenly asked her. ¡°Oh my, you knew about it too, Cloud?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the talk among the servants at the moment.¡± ¡°I see. And yes, I should finish packing up by tomorrow.¡± Leticiel then told him about her new residence, and that she would be moving as soon as she finished with the preparations the next day. ¡°Is that so¡­ So my lady is really leaving this house.¡± ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s what I wished for, and I think it¡¯s also what the Duke¡¯s household wanted.¡± There were people who were nice to her like Ruvik, Nicole, and Cloud as well. However, the rest of the servants treated her similar to how her family treated her, and it was troublesome to deal with them. Because of that, she had no regrets in leaving. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a shame that I won¡¯t be able to see this garden anymore.¡± Leticiel muttered as she touched the flowers swaying with the breeze. There were only three things she enjoyed in the estate: reading books in her room, gazing at the garden from her window, and actually strolling through the garden itself. She was rather attached to the garden. ¡°I¡¯m sure the flowers are satisfied knowing that you treasure them, my lady.¡± Cloud cast his gaze downwards. After having been silently observing Leticiel and Cloud the whole time, Ruvik raised his voice with a slight hint of reservation in his tone. ¡°Cloud, I¡¯m moving into the new residence with my lady. How about you join me as well?¡± Cloud slightly widened his eyes in surprise after hearing Ruvik¡¯s suggestion. While it was unexpected, Leticiel didn¡¯t mind that the butler had done it without discussing it with her beforehand. While most of the servants had given her the cold shoulder, Cloud was one of the few who had helped her. However, Cloud quietly shook his head. ¡°I appreciate your feelings, but my family has been serving the Filiaregis House since my father¡¯s generation. And I have been serving this house since the previous Duke. Not only that, I¡¯m also the head gardener and the other gardeners rely on me. I¡¯m sorry, but I must stay here.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Then I won¡¯t bother you any more than this, it¡¯s your life after all.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we won¡¯t see each other again. How about we go drinking again some time?¡± ¡°Now that takes me back. We did a lot of drinking in your room back in the days.¡± Squatting down before the rune flowers, Leticiel stared at Ruvik and Cloud as they reminisced about the past. She knew that they were good friends, but she didn¡¯t know how they got to know each other. ¡°Say, Cloud and Ruvik, have you two known each other for a long time?¡± Surprised by Leticiel¡¯s question, the two servants looked at each other. Before long, Ruvik began talking. ¡°Yes, I met him around the time I began to serve you, my lady.¡± According to Ruvik, when he began working at the estate, he had an inferiority complex about his commoner¡¯s background. Cloud, who was just a gardener at the time, had looked after him and helped him through those times. ¡°Because his father was the head gardener back then, Cloud would serve as a gardener for multiple houses instead of the Duke exclusively.¡± ¡°Since you can work as a gardener without being attached to a house.¡± ¡°Right. Because of that, he wasn¡¯t here most of the time. However, he had the chance to ask the servants working at the other houses to teach me how to be a butler. He really saved me back then.¡± ¡°I see¡­ So I have Cloud to thank for Ruvik being an excellent butler.¡± Ruvik looked away after hearing Leticiel¡¯s teasing words. Seeing the butler acting like that, Cloud began grinning. Afterwards, Leticiel asked Cloud various questions about the flowers in the garden because they were new to her. As the season was changing to summer, he and the other gardeners were in the process of rearranging the flowers. After they had spent enough time to walk a lap around the garden, Leticiel cut her questioning short and began to return to the residence. ¡°Oh, right. Do you happen to know anyone named ¡®Al¡¯?¡± As she was leaving, Leticiel suddenly asked Cloud as if she had just remembered. She thought that since he had apparently been working at the estate longer than Ruvik, he might actually know something. ¡°Is that a friend of yours, my lady?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I think.¡± Leticiel added a murmur as she wasn¡¯t confident due to her lack of memory. However, Cloud didn¡¯t notice it and began stroking his chin in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think I do¡­ I used to move from one job to another, so I don¡¯t really know about who you hung out with, my lady.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I understand, thank you.¡± ¡°Head gardener! Do you have a moment?¡± Suddenly, the voice of a gardener called out for Cloud from the direction of the garden. ¡°I¡¯m coming! My apologies, my lady. I¡¯ll have to take my leave now.¡± ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m sorry for bothering with your work.¡± Cloud made a quick bow before trotting towards the gardener. After Leticiel and Ruvik had seen him off, they began to return to the residence.