Chapter 30
The next morning, Silveryn and I stood in front of the mansion door to see off Erzsebet and the examiners.
We stood there until their carriages disappeared into tiny dots.
Silveryn said, "I heard you gave a gift to Erzsebet?"
"Yes. I gave her candy as you advised, and she seemed quite satisfied."
"Well done."
Silveryn hesitated for a moment before saying:
"...I heard you also gave a gift to that alchemy kid."
"Yes, thanks to that, I received a wonderful candy recipe. Fortunately, things worked out well."
From the candy recipe, the snowball rolled, and that led to receiving an artifact.
To be honest, I didn't know what curses the artifact protected me against or what effects it had, but just the fact that it was given by a great Magic Engineering scholar made me feel reassured.
However, after my answer, Silveryn didn't say anything.
Is there a problem?
Looking at her face, it didn't seem much different from usual, but the atmosphere was subtly different.
I felt a strange aura that was hard to put into words.
Come to think of it, I couldn't find any accessories on her today either. Had there been some change in her mood?
"Teacher, is something wrong?"
"Why?"
"You're not wearing your usual accessories."
She replied with her arms crossed, not meeting my eyes, "I don't know."
Just in that answer, her response felt strangely cold.
Does she not want to talk about it?
Or does it have something to do with me?
"...?"
Something's up. She seemed to be in a good mood yesterday, but something seems to have upset Silveryn overnight.
While I was racking my brain, she delivered new information.
"Oh right, we received an invitation from old man Popper of the Knight Order. He wants us to attend a social gathering tomorrow."
Ah, the social gathering.
I had completely forgotten about it, having only thought about the academy for a while.
"We can't refuse, can we?"
"No. It would be a bit troublesome. He's quite involved with us. And since you said you'd go, we have no choice."
That was right. After the ghoul subjugation, when I was offered to attend the social gathering, I had agreed without thinking.
"Uh... I don't have to dance or anything like that, do I?"
If I had to, I was planning to cut my Achilles tendon right away.
"They won't force you if you don't want to. But it's better to learn in advance. There are balls every semester at Eternia too."
Eternia... balls?
And they're held every semester?
This news struck me like a bolt of lightning from a blue sky.
"If you can't find a dance partner there, you'll become extremely miserable. The 'loser who couldn't find a partner' stigma will follow you throughout the semester. And importantly, partners who can't dance aren't popular."
This was the most terrifying thing I had heard from Silveryn so far.
Eternia suddenly started to scare me.
"Why are you speaking so seriously?"
"Well, experiencing a fall from grace at a ball might be a good experience for you."
"..."
After saying that, Silveryn turned around and went back into the mansion.
Her attitude seemed a bit strange today.
Liria, who had been watching this standing next to the maids, slowly approached me.
She took off the ring on her finger.
"Um... I'll hide this ring for a while. It's not because I don't like it. I just think it's better this way..."
After saying that, Liria put the ring in her pocket and quickly turned and went inside.
The maids looked at me and shook their heads slightly.
"..."
So, it is because of me?
***
Everyone in the mansion was busy for various reasons.
The maids had to prepare supplies for the long journey to Eternia, and I had to make plenty of extra potions since I wouldn't be able to use the production room for a while.
And amid this busyness, I made a request to the butler.
The butler was measuring my body for a tailcoat.
He asked with a puzzled expression, "You don't need to do this. If you need anything, I can just bring it to you."
"No. This is really important. Please sell this cloud iron ring and bring me something that matches the exact amount you get for it, no more, no less."
Since it was a quick sale, it probably wouldn't fetch its full value.
It was a shame, but buying a gift for Silveryn with Silveryn's money didn't make sense. It had to be something I put my own effort into for it to have meaning.
"And please keep this a secret from Teacher. At least until tomorrow night."
"Understood."
After sending off the butler, I sighed.
I had judged that Silveryn wouldn't need any items I crafted because she had so many flashy accessories, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
From now on, I'd have to be more careful about giving gifts.
I went back down to the production room. There, Liria was busy making griffin potions.
I joined her in the potion work. We couldn't take all six oak barrels of griffin blood with us, so we had to compress as much as possible into potions.
A day flew by as we prepared for the journey to Eternia.
***
The gentle sounds of violins and cellos echoed.
As our carriage advanced, the noise from the banquet hall became clearer.
The whispers about Eternia and such increased as people saw our carriage.
It wasn't an ordinary carriage but one with Eternia's seal prominently engraved, so it naturally drew attention.
Unlike me, Silveryn had a relaxed expression as if she had just stepped out for a stroll in front of her house. Well, someone like her must have frequented places like this countless times.
The carriage stopped at a certain point, and with a click, the door opened.
Silveryn got out first, and I followed suit. Dozens of antique carriages were lined up around us.
The social gathering was being held at the Knight Order's training ground.
People were gathered in small groups on the spacious lawn, holding wine glasses.
The servant who opened the carriage door guided us.
"The commander is waiting for you."
***
This social gathering wasn't simply about inviting people to enjoy a party.
Strictly speaking, it was more like a send-off ceremony wishing for success, and the protagonists of this event were Joyce and Felix, along with a few other knights who were leaving to take the entrance exam at Eternia.
They were constantly surrounded by many young ladies.
The label of prospective Eternia students stimulated the greed and vanity of the nobles.
If these people really became Eternia students, they would become tremendous connections.
And there was someone all the nobles were waiting for.
The biggest catch of this social gathering.
The reason so many nobles gathered in this small rural area.
It was Eternia's Professor Silveryn and her disciple.
And on one side of the noisy training ground, people parted to make way.
Two people, a man and a woman, passed through the center.
They could be recognized without any fuss. Their striking appearance made it feel like the rumors circulating weren't exaggerated at all.
Nancy, the only daughter of Count Sinatra and niece of Knight Commander Popper, was indifferent to the news of Damian's arrival.
Popper had offered to arrange a meeting with Damian, but she had flatly refused. Instead, she had asked to be introduced to someone else.
She thought she had already met Damian.
The swordsman who had cut down ghouls with a mysterious sword engraved with rune letters, whom she had met before, had a somewhat rough appearance, unlike the rumors.
Because her fantasy had been shattered, she had declined the meeting early and was mingling with others.
Joyce already had a potential marriage partner, so in the end, Nancy had chosen Felix.
Even if Damian was the disciple of an academy professor, he was still just an Eternia aspirant.
She saw more potential in Felix's large build among the knights and his confident personality.
Felix had expounded at length on why Damian was nothing special, and his argument seemed somewhat convincing to Nancy.
While mingling with Felix, Nancy was puzzled to see a crowd gathering in one part of the banquet hall.
At the center, a man and woman with striking appearances were walking. And what caught her eye was a handsome man with brown hair.
Nancy pulled Felix and squeezed through the crowd to ask her cousin who was watching:
"Who on earth are they?"
"The best connection at this social gathering..."
"So, who are they?"
"Who else could it be? It's the Archmage Silveryn and her disciple Damian."
Damian?
He looked completely different from what she had seen before.
Only then did Nancy realize there had been some misunderstanding.
"W-wait a minute!"
Nancy threw down her glass and ran straight to the VIP room where Popper was.
Felix could only watch Nancy, not knowing what was going on.
***
As they entered the VIP room, Popper welcomed them with open arms.
He kissed Silveryn's hand in greeting and gave Damian a firm handshake.
"Thank you for gracing us with your presence after such a long journey."
Silveryn spoke indifferently, "It's nothing."
Popper guided them to the reception sofa. He sat down with a pleased smile, facing Damian.
After exchanging some trivial greetings, Popper cleared his throat and called a servant, "Tell them to come in now."
Soon after, two young ladies entered through the VIP room door.
"I have some people to introduce."
As they stood next to Popper, the introductions continued, "This is my youngest daughter Bologna, and my niece Nancy."
Popper's daughter and niece curtsied.
"It's truly an honor to meet the two of you, whose fame is well-known in Wiesel."
Silveryn ignored them completely, while Damian reluctantly accepted their greeting with a sour face.
Popper said to Damian, "I hear there are balls held at Eternia too. I'm very much looking forward to your dancing skills as well as your swordsmanship."
Damian said with an awkward face, "The only dance I know is with the sword."
Popper laughed loudly, slapping his thigh.
"Hahaha! You're no different from other swordsmen. I was the same when I was young. Brave in front of magic creatures, but my legs would tremble at balls."
Popper continued, "It's worth arranging this meeting. Nancy, Bologna, could you teach Damian some dance steps? I have some urgent matters to discuss with the Archmage, and it would be impolite to leave our esteemed guest alone."
Bologna and Nancy nodded repeatedly.
Damian's face turned pale.
As the two led Damian out, Silveryn spoke, "You're too obvious, Popper."
Popper looked intently at where they had gone and said, "They'll be of marriageable age in a few years, so it wouldn't be bad for them to get to know each other."
"I'm not so sure. I think it's a bit early."
"Hehe, do you intend to interfere even in your disciple's marriage prospects?"
"There will be many potential matches at Eternia, and as you can see, Damian isn't the type to worry about missing his chance to marry. If anything, the problem might be marrying too early."
"I know Damian doesn't have a family name. Wouldn't having the backing of a prestigious family help him stand tall even in the harsh environment of Eternia?"
"Are you worried about Damian's backing when I'm here?"
Realizing his mistake, Popper cleared his throat.
"Ahem, given your position as a professor, you won't be able to look after everything for that child, will you?"
Popper wasn't being too unreasonable.
Now that they would be in a professor-student relationship at Eternia, she couldn't openly take care of everything like now.
However, Damian lacked many things to handle everything on his own.
His biggest weakness was his social status.
Because of that status, he was easily embroiled in political issues, and if involved, he was at great risk of being crushed without being able to resist.
There would be no worries when Silveryn was around, but the problem was when she would be absent.
If Damian had noble, protective forces, they could protect him from political threats.
They needed to create as many forces favorable to Damian as possible.
Someone like Popper wasn't a bad start.
While cunning, he wasn't evil.
Silveryn spoke directly, "So what do you want?"
Popper stroked his beard and replied, "Hehe, you're quick to the point. I won't beat around the bush. I'd like to take this opportunity to sponsor your disciple."