Episode 80
“Did you hear? The princess blew up a storage shed during magic practice.”
“No way, that’s a lie. How is that even possible?”
“Yeah, the academy buildings are super sturdy. Especially the Magic Department buildings, they have extra protection spells.”
“No, it’s true. It’s under construction right now.”
“Whoa… Did anyone get hurt?”
“I heard no one was inside. It was an old, unused shed.”
A few days after the first practical exercise, the rumor that Elonia had destroyed a Magic Department storage shed spread like wildfire throughout the academy.
Elonia, overhearing their conversation, sighed softly.
She had already gained a fearsome reputation. She had killed Dolce (though officially, he had died of shock after being punished by Artius), defeated Gunnar in a duel, gotten Dianne expelled and other students suspended for badmouthing her, and now she had even destroyed a building.
‘Wait a minute, that’s not fair. I did kill Dolce, but officially, he died of shock after being punished by Dad.’
She also had a lot to say about the rumor of her defeating Gunnar.
Gunnar was a Sword Master.
Why wouldn’t they consider the possibility that he had gone easy on her, the princess?
Even in her past life, she hadn’t reached the Sword Master realm. There was no way she could defeat him now, at the age of nine, even with her past life experience.
‘Well, the suspension and the building destruction are true, but still…’
But as she had learned before, the details didn’t matter.
The rumor spread, and the Asta brothers also heard about it.
It was Wednesday, their weekly lunch date.
“Ahahaha, that’s hilarious! What are you going to destroy next? Tell me, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything.”
“Shut up, I’m not going to destroy anything!”
Elonia slammed her hand on the table, but Llewellyn’s laughter was unstoppable.
He was laughing so hard that he clutched his stomach and buried his face in his arms, then finally looked up, wiping away tears.
“Oh my god, my stomach hurts. But Brother, you’re not surprised? You seem so calm.”
“Her Highness already cracked a wall during her first visit to the academy. She’s always been exceptional, so this is nothing new.”
“What? Really? When we came here four years ago?”
Llewellyn looked at Elonia.
Elonia reluctantly nodded.
It wasn’t a secret anymore, so she might as well tell them.
“And it was me, not Alberich, who broke Dolce’s spine.”
“Whoa… That’s awesome! I’m so glad to hear that. Good job, El.”
Llewellyn, as if a long-held thirst had been quenched, ruffled Elonia’s hair excitedly.
Elonia glared at him, her grip tightening on her butter knife.
It was just a butter knife, but in her hand, it gleamed menacingly, as if it could slice through flesh.
Llewellyn, realizing the danger, quickly withdrew his hand.
Alberich, sipping his tea, casually remarked,
“So, you accidentally destroyed a building. It seems you have a lot of pent-up frustration towards Professor Caroline.”
“…I just lost control of my magic. It’s been a while.”
Elonia hadn’t used any offensive magic since the Dolce incident.
There hadn’t been any situations that required her to use magic, and her maids and knights had always handled any troublesome situations.
And her mana, dormant for five years, had grown stronger, almost reaching the level she had as Chelon. She had simply made a mistake, a slip-up she wouldn’t normally make.
“I won’t make the same mistake again.”
“El, can you please destroy something in the Academic Department building? Just one more time, by accident?”
“I said no.”
“Everyone’s scared of you, but they secretly want you to destroy their department’s building. The moment you destroy the entire academy, you’ll be the most popular student.”
“I don’t need that kind of popularity.”
Llewellyn grumbled.
But he wasn’t the only one who had made such a request.
At Garden Fleur, at the end of the week,
Olivia said seriously,
“El, can you please destroy the Academic Department building too?”
“…Even you, Olivia?”
“I want to enjoy the perks of being friends with the princess.”
“O-Olivia, that’s a bit…”
Garnethia, sitting beside Elonia, hesitantly tried to stop her.
Olivia, exasperated, retorted,
“What? Do you think the adults will scold a little kid for making a mistake? Especially the princess?”
“But still, it’s a bit unreasonable…”
Garnethia, despite her fear, spoke her mind.
The three of them had been having lunch together quite often lately.
Elonia had ignored the Asta brothers’ and Lucius’s warnings about avoiding the Heilan hostages.
‘No one wants to be friends with me anyway, so I might as well cherish the few friends I have.’
She had been worried about their compatibility when she first introduced them, but the three of them, despite their different ages, personalities, backgrounds, and circumstances, had one thing in common.
They were all friendless.
Olivia, despite her tough exterior, was surprisingly sensitive, and Garnethia, despite her timid appearance, was surprisingly assertive. They got along well without Elonia’s intervention.
And Garnethia had no prejudice against Heilan citizens.
Elonia, having finished her meal, reached for her pudding.
She took a bite and said,
“Honestly, if I could, I would destroy the Magic Department building first. Why would I destroy the Academic Department building? I enjoy my Academic Department classes. And the assignments are manageable.”
“You’re so strange. Do you actually like Professor Theodore?”
“He’s a good teacher.”
“A good teacher who’s about to give himself a heart attack from stress. He looks like he’s about to lose all his hair.”
“O-Olivia, people can hear you…!”
“Olivia, eat your food.”
Elonia silenced her by shoving a spoonful of pudding into her mouth.
She then fed Garnethia as well, earning a grateful look.
Olivia, after swallowing the pudding, grumbled,
“Pudding in the middle of a meal? Seriously?”
“I’m done with my meal.”
“I can eat pudding while eating, Elonia.”
…Garnethia had strange eating habits.
Elonia had a pretty good idea why, but she decided to ignore it.
Elonia, having finished her pudding, stood up.
“Sorry, I have to leave early today.”
“Huh? Do you have somewhere to be?”
“Yes, I have a meeting with Professor Caroline.”
“Ah, because of the building?”
“I think so.”
Elonia sighed softly.
She had managed to avoid a scolding on the day of the incident, but knowing Caroline, she wouldn’t let it slide just because Elonia was the princess.
“Elonia, please be careful…!”
“Don’t worry, she’s the princess. She can just blame it on Caroline.”
…Where did Olivia even learn to talk like that?
She had a pretty good idea.
It was the same tone Llewellyn used after learning how to curse from Ricardo.
Llewellyn and Olivia were both in the Academic Department, so they must have interacted and influenced each other.
Elonia chuckled, realizing that Llewellyn and Olivia were surprisingly compatible. She had always felt a strange sense of familiarity between them.
“Excuse me, Professor.”
Elonia opened the door to Caroline’s office.
Caroline, seeing her, stood up with a smile.
“Welcome, Elonia.”
It was a surprisingly welcoming reaction, considering she had called Elonia here to scold her, but Caroline was eccentric, so she could probably scold her while smiling.
Elonia sat down.
A teacup flew out of the cupboard and landed gently in front of her.
Caroline poured her some tea, then spoke.
To Elonia’s surprise, Caroline didn’t scold her.
“Elonia, I’m so glad I recommended the Magic Department to you.”
“What?”
Elonia was so taken aback that she blurted out a stupid question.
“Didn’t you call me here to scold me for destroying the building? Are you being sarcastic?”
“Sarcastic? Do I seem like the type to beat around the bush? I’m quite direct, you know.”
“That’s true, but…”
“I was actually impressed. You managed to destroy an academy building at such a young age.”
“…”
What was this crazy old woman talking about?
Caroline was a Magic Department professor, and repairing the building was her responsibility. And yet, she was happy about it?
Elonia didn’t bother hiding her confusion.
Caroline burst into laughter.
“I’m so lucky. If I had discovered you any later, I would have lost you to that stuck-up Theodore, or even that stubborn Gunnar. I heard you defeated him in a duel?”
“That’s not true. Professor Gunnar went easy on me.”
That was why Elonia had felt insulted, despite winning.
But Caroline had a different perspective.
“Oh, how about this? If it had been a real battle, Gunnar would have been dead the moment he showed mercy. You would have been the one to survive.”
“It’s a pointless hypothetical scenario since we’re not at war.”
“You’re so pessimistic for someone so young. Such a shame.”
Whatever.
Elonia gave up on having a normal conversation with Caroline.
Caroline continued her rambling.
“Anyway, you’ve proven your excellence in areas other than swordsmanship. I enjoyed reading your reports, and your midterm exam results were impeccable. There’s no end to learning, as they say. I’m learning new things even at my age.”
If she wasn’t here to scold her, then what did she want?
Elonia narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Caroline, a knowing smile on her face, picked up her teacup.
“To be honest, I was skeptical when you said you wanted to take upperclassmen courses. Even with a perfect score on the entrance exam, I thought it would be too difficult for you. But I, Caroline, was foolish to underestimate you.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a compliment, of course.”
“Uh… Thank you, Professor.”
Elonia leaned back, her expression wary.
Caroline, unfazed, chuckled and clasped her hands together, her eyes closing as she spoke, her face beaming with pride.
“Honestly, I don’t think you need the standard curriculum. And after you so efficiently demolished that building during our first practical exercise, I made up my mind.”
Her playful smile vanished, her gaze turning serious.
“To be blunt, Elonia, I’m offering you a chance to skip a grade.”
“…Skip a grade?”
Elonia couldn’t believe her ears.
Skip a grade?
She hadn’t even finished one semester.
It was way too early for such a conversation.
“It would be a waste of your talent to spend three years on the basic Magic Department curriculum. Time is precious, like mithril.”
“You overestimate me, Professor. I’m content with my current progress.”
She had already broken the record for youngest enrollee.
She didn’t want to stand out any further.
Elonia’s refusal was firm.
Caroline, although she had made the offer, seemed to have expected her rejection. She nodded.
“I thought you might say that. You don’t seem to appreciate your own talent.”
“That’s…”
“Humility is a virtue. But excessive humility only hinders your progress. Why choose the difficult path when there’s an easier one?”
An easier path?
Elonia thought she was already on the easiest path, compared to her past life.
“You’re going to be the Empress one day. Graduating early would be beneficial for you.”
“…Empress?”
Elonia, becoming the Empress.
She had been aware of her status as the sole heir to the throne since her reincarnation, but she had never considered her future as the Empress before.