When he opened it, it was packed with gleaming magic tools. They were items from the imperial household’s own collection.

“Acceleration magic tools?”

“Funny, isn’t it? Plotting how to bring down the Magic Kingdom, and then using the things those bastards made.”

“Well... I doubt those bastards ever expected they’d be used like this. It’d definitely feel like getting screwed over.”

Peering into the box, the Emperor muttered,

“Yes, with about this much, let’s see.”

“......”

“It’ll take exactly ten days to go and come back, won’t it?”

Something about the way his eyes curved gently made Leviathan’s temper flare.

But this too was something only he could do.

Because he was also an imperial knight far more familiar with a sword than with a pen.

‘He really is a slippery old serpent.’

The recollection over, Leviathan leaped onto his horse without hesitation.

Since he was leaving in secret, his retinue was kept to a minimum. Even his face was hidden beneath a black robe.

“Make sure my daughter doesn’t get startled when you tell her.”

“Yes, yes, don’t worry. I already had it passed along that you left on official business within the Empire.”

The palace attendant bowed and opened the back way for him.

“Ah, and tell His Majesty to prepare to designate the holiday.”

“......”

The attendant did not respond to that next part.

Leviathan snapped his reins, his cloak billowing behind him. Three or four sleek military horses shot forward like a gust of wind.

Ten days.

Ten whole days.

‘By now, Ruby is probably... having fun, I wonder.’

Did she eat? Or is she just picking at her food because it doesn’t suit her taste?

‘My child....’

He should never have come back from that southern vacation spot.

Opening the pendant slightly, he let out a long sigh.

It really did seem like these were going to be ten very long days.

*****

“Did you meet Khalid okay?”

The moment I opened the door and stepped in, Sortie, who was sitting at the table, asked.

“Yep!”

I nodded and walked over.

“There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while....”

“What is it?”

“Khalid and you... what exactly are you to each other?”

All of a sudden?

My hand stopped short in the middle of pulling out the chair, and Sortie tilted her head innocently.

“No, it’s just, you two are together all the time. I got curious....”

I blinked, then answered without thinking much of it.

“We’re just childhood friends, though?”

“Hm? Really?”

“Why...?”

“Well, Titi has a boy childhood friend too. But they aren’t stiiill together all the time like you and Khalid are? They didn’t even come to camp together!”

Sortie said it with a little smile.

“Uh... is that so?”

When I said I was going to the Academy camp, Khalid had naturally stepped forward and said he was coming too. Neither Khalid nor I had ever thought that was strange.

‘Though after going outside, he did seem to want to come to the Academy even more.’

Anyway, being together like needle and thread felt natural for us.

‘But normal kids aren’t like that?’

Really...? Is that unusual?

“But Rubian, you need to finish your name tag quickly.”

The thought that had been puffing up in my head stopped at once at Sortie’s voice.

‘Name tag?’

Only then did I look down at the table.

Sortie was intently writing her own name in neat letters on a blank name label.

“You’re supposed to write your name on the labels and stick them to your things before the afternoon activities start. Didn’t you hear that when they were explaining the rules earlier?”

“Oh! Right. I remember now. I need to write mine quickly.”

“Hurry.”

Come to think of it, that was right.

When we came up to the dorm, we had received a few daily-use items, and among them were blank name labels.

The Academy, which considered fostering independence in its students one of its main educational goals, guided them to do most things for themselves.

Managing their own belongings was part of that too.

We had to write our own names on the labels and stick them onto important things ourselves.

The temporary badge to pin on our chest was the same way.

“But... Rubian, you seem to be really good at spelling.”

Sortie said that while watching me choose a pen.

“I felt that way ever since we started exchanging letters.”

My fingertips paused for just a second.

Pretending to stay calm, I asked back,

“Really?”

“Yeah. Since when did you learn?”

“Well, um... that’s....”

It was closer to simply knowing it.

Magic circles were a vast collection of countless languages.

Depending on how you interpreted them and rearranged them into what kind of formula, the resulting output would change.

So not just the Imperial language, but most languages were no problem for me to read and write.

‘Of course, that’s a secret.’

My family thought I had picked up the Imperial language and the common language earlier than children my age because I had read so many herbology books in Iosia.

Still, being too perfect would seem strange, so I deliberately misspelled very difficult words sometimes.

“I’ve just studied steadily since long ago! Especially the spelling-correction training I did at the Duke’s castle... I guess you could say it helped a lot....”

“Wow. Whose spelling did you correct that much? It must have been amazing training.”

“Mhm. Someone’s.”

I glossed it over and picked up my pen to write my name in the blank space.

‘Maybe because I don’t have much strength in my arm yet, but I still can’t write neatly.’

It always comes out so crooked....

‘Still, I should write my name tag properly!’

Whew—deep breath complete.

“All right!”

The moment I pulled myself together and wrote the very first letter!

Thud thud thud thud!

“Eek!”

Ruined....

“All right, everyone, gather in the front courtyard of the dormitory!”

“Huh, already?”

Sortie sprang to her feet, pinning her temporary badge to her chest.

I stared down at my name tag with a despairing face.

“What do I do? It’s ruined.”

“Oh dear. You’ll have to ask for another one.”

On my white name tag, there was only one meaningless worm-like squiggle. And I had only managed to write “Ru—” so far....

‘It can’t be helped. I’ll just have to ask for a new one later.’

Hngh. Pouting, I pinned the ruined badge to my chest for the time being.

*****

Camp activities had begun!

The purpose of the trial camp was, just as the name suggested, to let us experience Academy life in advance.

So the schedule was made up of simple, easy class activities, getting acquainted with the professors, and experiencing the Academy’s facilities.

Under a great autumn tree, girls gathered here and there in little groups, greeting one another while wearing the uniforms issued for camp. It seemed the boys weren’t here yet.

‘This really feels like a fancy private school.’

It somehow felt like a fresh experience.

As I slowly approached the group, a familiar name suddenly brushed my ear.

“Do you think Lady Rubian Zebbert really isn’t coming?”

Sortie and I both stopped walking and exchanged blinking looks.

“I quietly asked one of the professors, and they said she did register.”

“Hm, that’s strange. There’s no way silver hair like that wouldn’t stand out.”

‘Are they talking about me right now?’

Without realizing it, my ears perked up.

“She vanished so quickly at the Spring Festival banquet, and I thought this time I’d finally get to become friends with her!”

“To be honest, I was curious about her face.... I heard the rumor is that she has a very big complex about it, so she kept it covered.”

“Really?”

Wait, my face had that kind of secret?

“To be honest, I signed up for camp because I thought the young lady would come. My mother told me to get close to her.... She didn’t even come to my tea party....”

A tea party? How could I go if I didn’t even know about it!

“To be honest, I thought she was rather cool at the Spring Festival awards ceremony. Didn’t she look incredibly cool, just taking the first-place prize without saying a word?”

That was only because I was too nervous to speak....

“She does have a bold side, doesn’t she? Ah, what a shame! The masked young lady!”

The girls smacked their lips regretfully.

I got embarrassed and couldn’t bring myself to go any farther, just pursing my lips.

It was really too embarrassing to walk up and say, ‘Hello. I’ve returned after taking off the mask!’

‘What do I do....’

I was just drawing shadows with the tips of my feet, caught somewhere between vague embarrassment and awkwardness, when—

“Kahahah!”

An irritating burst of laughter hit my ears.

When I turned my head, a group of boys was walking this way. They looked mischievous at a glance.

“Ugh, they’re so loud.”

“Let’s go over there. I don’t want them picking a fight.”

The girls nearby quickly moved away and cleared out.

Whether that happened or not, the group kept coming closer in a noisy cluster. The boy at the very front stood out especially.

‘Uh... I know him.’

Looking more closely, I remembered seeing him in passing at the Spring Festival.

The boy dressed up like a gaudy peacock.

‘His name was....’

“Hey, Haben, did you buy new shoes? They look insanely expensive.”

Ah, right. Haben Abellus!

“Yeah. You guys can’t even imagine how much these cost!”

The boy named Haben swaggered proudly and stuck out one foot as if to show off his shoes.

The glossy black dress shoes even had little jewels set into them as decoration.

“As expected of the House of Abellus....”

The only thing the Academy issued was the uniform.

So shoes, handkerchiefs, personal accessories, and the like had to be brought individually, and that seemed to become a subtle way of showing off one’s family wealth.

‘Since ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) even commoners can enroll at the Academy as long as they pay tuition.’

Full of self-importance, Haben turned his gaze and happened to spot us. A grin spread over his face like he had found an entertaining toy.

“What, it’s Sortie.”

“Hello, Haben.”

“And who’s that next to you? Hmm....”

That blatant gaze ran over me from head to toe. The very last place his eyes landed was my badge.

“Ru...u...? What is this? Did you write it with your foot?”

You little—

Just as I bristled and was about to open my mouth, Haben snickered and looked at Sortie.

“You really are too easygoing. Coming all the way here and still getting friendly with a commoner?”

I blinked slowly.

...A commoner?

‘Ah, me?’