Chapter 90
Recently, there've been three... no, four culprits disturbing my sweet sleep.
First, there's one especially annoying one called Arke.
It always hovers within ten meters of me, pestering me nonstop for mana.
If I let my guard down even a little, it immediately goes wooong—buzzing and loudly making itself known, no different from a cat meowing for food.
And not just any cat—an extremely picky one at that.
Speaking of cats, the second culprit isn't any easier to deal with.
It's none other than Nebula's egg, which I impulsively bought at the magic tower auction because I wanted to teach that black mage bastard a lesson.
This thing is no different from Arke when it comes to devouring mana.
What's more, it's even fussier than Arke—it won't take in natural mana at all.
It's a picky eater that only gobbles up the mana in my body, which is a real pain.
Honestly, I meant to get rid of this damn magic beast egg ages ago.
I even took it to Senior Gaios, planning to make egg tarts out of it for real, but this thing had to be rock-hard.
Not only could I not crack it with a sword, it wouldn't break even when I blasted it with magic.
Instead, it just devoured all the mana coating the sword and all the mana forming the spell.
In the end, I gave up on cooking it and just brought it back as is.
Anyway, because of those two, I never once slept through a full 24-hour stretch during this vacation.
If it weren't for them, I could've slept like a log for the entire break. What a shame, what a shame.
And there are two annoying problems too, though nowhere near as bad as Arke and Nebula's egg...
“Ugh—”
I opened my eyes, my head still on the pillow, and rolled my stiff neck from side to side.
"Already 7 o'clock..."
The third culprit.
The academy's protective barrier kicked back into full operation when vacation ended and second semester began.
This damn barrier had one utterly ridiculous function attached to it.
It suppresses my ability to manipulate mana from 7 to 9 a.m.
Of course, it hardly affected my magic. I could just draw on nature's mana anyway.
But feeling heavy and stiff was seriously annoying.
At seven on the dot, it feels like someone is clamping a hand over my nose, and I wake up on my own.
And the moment the barrier activates...
-Knock, knock.
"Miss Lunaris, it's time to wake up."
As if on cue, Odette's voice came from outside the door.
If I keep wriggling under the covers without answering, the door opens and Odette comes into the room.
"It's been ages since vacation ended. How are you still doing this? It's time to go to class."
If I sleepily whine that I'm still debating whether to attend lecture, Odette would.
"Freshmen are required to complete every course except the elective liberal arts classes, aren't they?"
...and hit me with that brutal fact bomb.
Then I remind this stubborn head maid of the supreme law that skipping the first week of classes is the unspoken rule.
Then she'd sigh softly, say she understood, and head back out while insisting I must go tomorrow—that was the scripted routine between me and Odette, our daily WWE.
...That should have been how it went.
-Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking on my door rang out again today as always.
"Doesn't it get tiring coming to wake me up every morning... when you know full well I won't get up anyway?"
I let out a long yawn and pulled the blanket up over my head.
Today would probably be no different.
...But then.
-Click, creak.
The sound of the door opening feels especially ominous today.
Before long, one set of footsteps entered the room, then two, three...
No, wait. Ten? Twenty? How many people are coming in here?
I cracked my eyes open and peeked my head out from under the blanket to check the situation.
"...Did a war break out or something?"
Wow, it's been a while. The maid corps, fully decked out in anti-magic armor. Come to think of it, I used to see them every weekday before vacation.
But not just maids—seeing knights in full plate armor come swarming in was unexpected.
...Well, I guess it doesn't matter.
Whether one person comes or a hundred, whether it's a knight or a swordmaster, it doesn't matter.
I'm not planning to get out of bed anyway.
And I've got confidence I won't be dragged away.
"Miss Lunaris."
At the head of the maid-and-knight coalition was, as expected, Odette.
"It's time to get up."
Her wake-up call sounds even more menacing than usual.
As if she were saying she'd put up with this as long as she could.
Yep. Definitely UFC today.
"So... I keep telling you."
I muttered, sticking only my mouth out from under the blanket.
"Because the first week is orientation..."
"The first week is already over. Today is Monday of the second week."
Odette cut me off sharply.
"...It's already been that long?"
A week. Gone in a flash.
“Yes, that's right. And according to the dormitory study-support regulations, we maids and Princess Celestina's escort knights will be providing full support for Miss Lunaris's morning preparations.”
By the way, this whole situation and the lines both I and Odette are spouting give me a strange sense of déjà vu.
"If you get up willingly even now, we will also respectfully, and with due courtesy, help you get ready for school."
Odette continued her warning in a cold voice, one hand on her waist.
"If you insist on staying in bed... we may have to handle you rather roughly."
At Odette's signal, the maids and knights took one step forward.
The way they stomped their feet in perfect unison was uncanny.
What, had they all gone through some kind of group training or something?
Come to think of it, the start of first semester had felt exactly like this, too.
The only difference then...
...was that this time, it wasn't just maids—the knights who had been knighted by the imperial family had all come too.
"Are you really okay with this?"
And I'm not the pathetic freshman who would just lie down and take it anymore.
"What... are you talking about?"
Facing Odette's solemn expression, I let out a long, languid yawn and said.
"Linea Hall might end up getting smashed to pieces."
At my words, Odette's eyebrows shot up.
"Even if Linea Hall, no, the entire academy, were to collapse.
But this iron-blooded head maid would not back down.
"It is our duty as maids to make sure Miss Lunaris is seated in class on time."
Yeah, that's our Odette.
"You live such a tiring life..."
The moment I flipped over onto my side.
"Formation A-3! Everyone, quickly subdue Miss Lunaris!"
Odette shouted.
The very moment the maids and knights all charged toward the bed at once.
-WOOOONG!
Arke, which had been floating gently around me, suddenly began making a bizarre noise.
At the same time, the colors of the space inverted.
The ceiling vanished.
The floor and the walls too.
The scenery of the dorm room disappeared, as if submerged in black ink.
Countless stars were embedded in that darkness like grains of sand.
"Uh, uh...?"
The knights who had rushed in front came to a halt.
A river of stars flowed beneath their feet, and the far-off cosmos stretched above their heads.
It was a strangely familiar sight—this was the very scenery I had unfolded at the investiture ceremony.
Of course, it hadn't been my will. The thing had just seen it and copied it exactly.
It had even used my mana as is.
"D-don't be fooled! It's nothing but illusion magic!"
One of the knights running in front raised his voice and stepped onto the Milky Way.
Splash—stars splattering beneath his feet, just as he was about to reach toward me with his gauntleted hand.
A red light flashed from the tip of Arke.
One star in the night sky—no, dozens of them—deviated from their orbits.
A meteor shower soon poured down like rain.
-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!!
"Agh?!"
With a heavy explosion, the knight was hurled backward in a sorry heap.
The knights, realizing it had enough force to dent a steel plate, stared dumbly with their mouths open.
-WEEEEEEEENG!!
The moment the stars started pouring down, an earsplitting sound rang from outside the window.
It was an alarm blaring from the academy's protective barrier.
"...Seriously."
I'm wide awake now.
"Control your power a little. Is there any need to show off to the whole neighborhood?"
I gave Arke a little bonk with my fist, and it shuddered as if wronged.
Seriously, if you're going to gulp down that much mana, at least earn your keep.
Anyway, the area around us was a complete mess.
Following the knight who first charged me, the others all tried to grab me too, only to get hit by meteors and tumble back.
"A staff that moves by itself..."
"At this rate, it's practically like fighting two archmages!"
Then, voices murmuring from somewhere reached my ears.
"What? What blew up this time?"
"Did somebody raid the place or something?"
"A top-tier magical reaction has been detected near Linea Hall!"
"Whoa. What in the world is that pitch-black thing...?
"W-who on earth?!"
"Who else would it be? That brat Lunaris probably caused another incident!"
Narrowing my eyes and peering outside, I saw students and faculty members surrounding Linea Hall and murmuring among themselves.
And then, right after that.
"Haa, honestly. I did hear you'd be properly up against the head maid starting today, but..."
Someone slowly stepped into the world I had made—or rather, the world Arke had made.
It was none other than Dean Raymond.
"I never imagined I'd have to step in personally on the very first day."
...This is getting a little troublesome.
I scratched my head vigorously and stretched out.
No chance of sleeping any longer.
I groped out with my hand and snatched Arke, which was floating lightly beside me.
"..."
"..."
In the suffocating silence,
Dean Raymond's and my gazes tangled in midair.