Episode 118
One week until the Academic Festival. The department representatives had been chosen.
Alberich, on the verge of becoming a Sword Master, was the Swordsmanship Department representative, and Llewellyn was the Academic Department representative.
They hadn’t been interested in the position before, but Elonia’s selection as the Magic Department representative had changed their minds.
Elonia, sitting at their usual table in Garden Fleur, asked them pointedly,
“Don’t you think it’s a bit much for all three of us to be representatives?”
The representative position wasn’t just about prestige.
The Lucid Academy Academic Presentation was different from other academies’.
Representatives from Gaia Academy, the most prestigious institution in Ravanta, would attend to scout promising students, and officials from the Imperial Palace and even the Temple would also be present to observe potential talents.
It was the highlight of the Lucid Academy Academic Festival.
And this year, Princess Elonia, the Empire’s only princess, had enrolled, and she had even been chosen as the Magic Department representative.
Everyone knew how much the Emperor adored his daughter. He would undoubtedly attend to witness her presentation.
Becoming a representative meant a chance to catch the Emperor’s eye! It was an opportunity no one wanted to miss.
And yet, three members of the Asta family had been chosen as representatives.
Llewellyn pouted.
“We have to be representatives too, since you’re one!”
“That’s right. The representative position is for those who are most skilled.”
Alberich chimed in. It was true, but it was like a chicken boasting about defeating a chick.
Elonia, though she sometimes treated them like children, knew they were both considered geniuses in their respective fields.
She was wondering what to do with these two when someone approached them.
“El, congratulations on becoming the representative.”
“Ah, Olivia… and Prince Simon.”
It was Olivia and Simon. Llewellyn, as expected, glared at them.
“How dare you talk to—!”
“Excuse me, Your Highnesses.”
Alberich quickly covered his mouth. He knew they weren’t enemies anymore. Llewellyn also knew, but he simply disliked Olivia. And he disliked Simon because he was a boy close to Elonia’s age.
Olivia, ignoring him, placed a hand on Elonia’s shoulder.
“El, I have something to tell you. Can we talk somewhere else?”
“Hey! Can’t you see Elonia is talking to me?!”
“Technically, I was also part of the conversation, Llewellyn.”
“Brother, come on!”
Llewellyn glared at Alberich, who had betrayed him, and Olivia, taking advantage of the distraction, whisked Elonia away.
Llewellyn, seeing the empty seat, shouted,
“Damn it, it’s all your fault, Brother!”
“S-sorry.”
Simon apologized, and Alberich effortlessly restrained his struggling brother.
Simon watched them, his eyes filled with a mixture of amusement and envy.
They bickered constantly, and yet, they were close.
His own brothers had always been competitive and hostile towards him. He had never had a brother like Alberich.
Alberich, misinterpreting his envious gaze, said politely,
“Don’t mind us. Please go with Her Highness.”
“Ah…! T-then…”
Simon, after a moment of hesitation, bowed his head and left.
He shouldn’t be envious of others. He had his own sister.
He hurried after Olivia.
“Simon, why are you so slow?”
Olivia, walking briskly down a deserted path, chided Simon, who was trailing behind her. Elonia was about to tell her to be nicer to him when Simon, smiling sheepishly, apologized.
“Sorry, Sister.”
“That pink-haired idiot was bothering you again, wasn’t he? I told you to ignore him.”
“Heehee…”
Olivia’s voice was a mix of concern and annoyance. Simon chuckled softly, which only irritated Olivia further.
“Don’t just laugh! Don’t be so naive! You’re only hurting yourself!”
“I know, Sister.”
“Do you really?”
Simon just smiled again. Olivia sighed and continued walking, her footsteps brisk and impatient.
“…?”
Elonia sensed a change in their dynamic. Olivia had always been distant and cold towards Simon, but now they seemed closer, almost like the siblings Elonia remembered from her past life. In fact, they seemed even closer than before.
She remembered them sharing cotton candy at the festival. A warm feeling spread through her chest.
They walked in a single file, choosing deserted paths. Elonia, recognizing their destination, was surprised.
It was her private training ground.
She had made it public, but it was still mostly used by her, perhaps because it had been built by the Emperor himself.
“Olivia, Simon, why are we here?”
“You’ll see.”
Olivia grinned, and Simon gestured for her to enter.
Elonia cautiously opened the door to the training grounds. Lucius was standing in the center.
Elonia approached him, her voice a mix of surprise and happiness.
“Lucius? What are you doing here?”
“I’m practicing for the Academic Presentation.”
“Ah.”
Elonia had forgotten about it, her mind preoccupied with the voice.
Coordinating a large-scale spell wasn’t easy, especially with opposing forces involved. It required practice.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Olivia and Simon turned to leave. Olivia’s demeanor towards Lucius seemed softer now, and Simon didn’t seem as intimidated by him either.
Elonia asked,
“Did something happen between you three?”
“What?”
“No, it’s just… you seem closer…”
Elonia trailed off, seeing Lucius’s smile.
Lucius nodded.
“It’s thanks to you, Your Highness.”
“Me?”
Elonia’s eyes widened. She hadn’t done anything to help them become closer.
Lucius, without explaining, held out something to her.
“What’s this?”
It was a simple, thin silver ring.
He showed her his left hand. He was wearing an identical ring on his middle finger.
“It’s connected to my power. We can’t be on stage together, so we’ll use this to synchronize our magic.”
“I see.”
Elonia, understanding immediately, tried the ring on her fingers. It fit perfectly on her index finger. She already had the detection ring on her left hand, so she put it on her right index finger.
She suddenly remembered the meanings associated with rings worn on different fingers. The right index finger symbolized…
“A goal that must be achieved.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I just remembered the meanings of rings.”
“Ah.”
Lucius nodded. Elonia smiled and added,
“The left middle finger symbolizes responsibility and trust.”
“I see. It seems I chose the right finger.”
Lucius smiled back. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled.
Elonia suddenly thought about the voice, the voice that was always lurking behind him. She wanted to ask him about it.
But,
“Your Highness?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s start practicing.”
Elonia shook her head, dismissing the thought. Lucius looked at her with concern, but he didn’t press the issue, and they began practicing for the Academic Festival.
Their secret training sessions were held in the late afternoon and early evening. The Theology Department had self-study sessions in the dormitory, and Elonia had private tutoring sessions as the Magic Department representative, so this was the only time they could meet.
Elonia would receive two hours of instruction from Caroline, and then she would train with Lucius.
And today, six days before the festival, was their last training session.
Elonia cautiously opened the back door of the training grounds, checking for passersby, then emerged.
“Lucius, the coast is clear. You can come out now.”
Lucius quietly followed her out.
Their secret training sessions were finally over. It was thanks to Julietta, who had been working tirelessly to deprogram the Theology Department professors, that they had been able to train, even in secret.
“Lucius, you’ve worked hard.”
“It was nothing.”
Lucius smiled gently.
Elonia was still anxious. It wasn’t just about whether her body could handle the strain of the large-scale spell, but also whether her magic would be enough to save everyone.
Lucius, sensing her anxiety, said,
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. You’ve already saved me with your magic.”
“Lucius.”
“Just as success doesn’t erase the memory of failure, failure doesn’t invalidate success. Please remember that.”
Lucius’s eyes crinkled at the corners, a warm smile on his face.
Elonia was speechless. His words were exactly what she needed to hear.
She couldn’t hide her joy and gratitude. The sun was setting, painting the sky in hues of orange and red.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Lucius.”
Elonia said goodbye, but Lucius, instead of replying, gently tugged on her robe.
“What is it?”
Elonia asked, puzzled. Lucius, his head bowed, said,
“Your Highness, I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Please don’t hate me.”
“…?”
Lucius, his eyebrows drooping, forced a smile.
Elonia couldn’t understand his request. Why would she hate him? He was helping her.
“Is it because of the good luck charm? It’s fine. We talked about it.”
Lucius smiled silently. He was acting strangely today.
Elonia patted his arm reassuringly.
“Are you nervous?”
“A little.”
“It’s okay. Everything will be fine.”
“Yes, it will.”
Lucius smiled, but his smile seemed forced and unnatural. He was definitely nervous.
Elonia, seeing his anxiety, was about to offer more words of comfort when Lucius, as if urging her to leave, stepped aside.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Lucius.”
“Until tomorrow, Your Highness.”
Lucius watched her leave, his back to the setting sun. He remained there until she was out of sight.
The sun had completely set, and the stars began to appear.
And so did Alexia.
[Lucius, are you really going through with this?]
Her voice was filled with an unusual anxiety. Lucius, his voice firm and resolute, replied,
‘Yes. I have to.’
[Elonia will be hurt.]
‘…’
He knew. But he had to do this.
[Lucius, let’s stop this. Please?]
‘It has to be done. Just like you had to return here, in this form.’
[…]
Alexia fell silent. This time, it was Lucius who asked,
‘Alexia, can you bear to see the princess used by Heilan again?’
No, she couldn’t. Alexia finally surrendered.
[I’m sorry. For burdening you with this.]
‘It’s better to end this quickly, now that I’ve started.’
[Then I’ll forgive you for calling me an old woman.]
Lucius almost choked at her unexpected words.
‘…You remembered that?’
[Of course.]
Alexia chuckled softly. He wouldn’t have said that if he had known it was her.
Lucius looked up at the starlit sky.
Tomorrow, the Academic Festival would begin.