Chapter 11
“Phew...”
Quietly, I spritzed some perfume I’d bought at the general store onto my wrist and tidied my hair.
I hadn’t even realized so much time had passed, but before I knew it, the day of the tutor interview was just around the corner.
I’d thought it was a rather unusual way of doing things, but considering that Grand Duke Kaide Kalinix in the original story handled matters quickly and efficiently, it wasn’t entirely hard to understand.
And since the tutor notice clearly said interviews would begin at one this afternoon, I could walk to the Grand Ducal estate at an easy pace and still arrive on time.
Unlike modern job postings, it didn’t say when they’d send a message about whether I’d been accepted, when I’d start work, or how much the pay would be.
There wasn’t a single detail like that, so I’d wondered if it was a scam. But at least, the people I’d seen in the tavern on the guild’s first floor hadn’t seemed like the sort to lie, so I slowly made my way to the Grand Ducal estate.
“Hmm... I’ve learned a fair bit about etiquette and manners, but... I’m still nervous all the same...”
When I slowly reached the garden in front of the estate, I began to see the guards stationed at the entrance.
“Please stop. What business do you have here?”
“Ah, well, the notice said interviews for the tutor position were starting today, so I came hoping to interview... Was I supposed to send a letter or something first?”
“No, please wait a moment. Hey, could you go tell the Grand Duke there’s someone here who’d like to interview?”
“Understood. Please wait here.”
After that brief exchange, one of the guards went inside the estate. I watched him for a moment, then quietly turned my head.
I thought the people guarding the entrance to the estate might know if any other candidates had shown up.
So I casually asked the guard standing in front of me.
“By any chance, have there been any other applicants besides me? It’s the young lord’s tutor position, so I thought people would come from all over~”
“Let’s see... No one else has come yet, so you’re probably the first.”
“...Is that so? That’s surprising. I thought people would usually come from all over to interview for a position like this.”
Come to think of it, the notice had been posted rather quietly. Perhaps they hadn’t intended to advertise outside Karts.
I’d have to hear the exact reason directly from the Grand Duke himself, but the fact that I was the only applicant was an odd bit of news.
Why were there so few applicants? I couldn’t think of any particular reason.
‘Well... knowing I’m the only one here makes me even more nervous. If I fail, I’ll be proving I’m that inadequate...’
As I stood there with an awkward smile, one of the guards returned from the estate and beckoned to me.
“Please follow me this way. His Grace said I should show you in.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
I gave a small nod at his offer to guide me and quietly began walking.
As I looked around, I saw a flower garden filled with roses and other flowers, and a gardener tending to the plants.
The trees swaying peacefully in the gentle breeze made the whole place feel quite tranquil.
I felt strangely out of place, as if I were the only one who didn’t belong here. But I was living in this world now, too.
“Follow this path through the garden, and you’ll reach the reception room in the annex soon. If your legs start to hurt, please bear with it just a little longer.”
“Ahaha... I’m fine. You don’t need to worry so much~”
I’d wondered whether I should at least pretend to look a little tired, but I wasn’t tired at all. Saying otherwise felt like lying for no reason, and my conscience pricked at me, so I told him I was fine.
It seemed that even when I polymorphed, my body retained a dragon’s distinctive stamina and durability.
Wait, or is stamina a different matter?
Well, anyway, the important thing was that I didn’t feel particularly tired right now.
The walk to the estate hadn’t been especially short, but it hadn’t been long either. After about seven minutes, I could already see the way inside.
“Go in here, and you’ll find the reception room in the annex. His Grace will be waiting inside.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for showing me the way~”
I bowed lightly, and the guard returned a small bow before heading back to his post at the entrance to the garden.
Then, watching him walk away, I took a moment to catch my breath before quietly knocking on the annex reception room door.
Knock, knock—
Along with the light sound of my knock on the wooden door, I heard a chair scrape inside. Before long, the door opened, and the Grand Duke of the North, Kaide Kalinix, stood before me.
“Please come in. You’re here for the tutor interview, aren’t you?”
I’d seen him before as an NPC in the game, but this was my first time seeing him in person, so I began taking in his appearance.
He was around thirty-five, still closer to a young man than a middle-aged one, and looked quite youthful—much younger than he’d appeared in the game.
His silver hair and distinctive blue eyes made it easy to see where Aiden had gotten his looks.
Aiden had emerald-green eyes, while Kaide’s were blue. That was the difference between them.
“Ah, yes, that’s right. Then, if you’ll excuse me...”
I bowed lightly to show respect, then quietly entered the reception room and sat across from him.
“Hmm... Do you like tea?”
“Yes. I’m not particular.”
Even before I woke up here, one of my hobbies had been brewing and drinking black tea.
Tea was one of the things I liked, and I was sure that was still true now.
“Miguel, bring us two cups of tea. Our guest has no preference, so choose something most people would like.”
“Yes. I’ll bring it right away.”
Hart Miguel, the head butler of the estate and an impeccably well-groomed gentleman, nodded and left to brew the tea.
Then, as if he’d confirmed we were alone, Kaide quietly began asking me questions.
“So, let’s start with your name.”
I’d thought we’d make light conversation until the tea arrived, then sip it as we continued talking, so he seemed more abrupt than I’d expected.
As I’d thought, Kaide was showing that he wasn’t particularly adept at conversation or interpersonal relationships.
He was almost certainly a good person, and fundamentally very kind, but he struggled to express himself.
That was plain to see, not just in the game, but now that this world was real, too.
But my name...
I couldn’t very well tell him I was Mircania, so I racked my brain and came up with a plausible name.
“Kana. My name is Kana de Glacia.”
“Kana... All right, Miss Kana. How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-one...”
Before coming here, I’d been twenty-three as Harang, so I felt a little self-conscious about claiming to be younger than I really was.
But Kaide seemed to interpret my hesitation differently. He smiled and spoke again.
“At twenty-one, you could take on other kinds of work. Why are you trying to become a tutor at such a young age?”
“I thought... of the work I can do right away, this would be the most worthwhile.”
“Hmm... Apart from the etiquette and manners instruction mentioned in our notice, what other work would you be able to do for us, Miss Kana?”
“...If I needed to cook, I could do that, and I’d be happy to provide basic counseling, too.”
I still had the knowledge from things I’d studied in the past and had planned to pursue as a career, so I could do those things well enough.
Especially if all I had to do now was look after a nine-year-old boy.
“Hmm... Do you happen to know why we’re looking to hire a tutor?”
I thought about it for a moment, then shook my head.
No matter how much I’d loved Icarus Chronicle and how closely I’d followed it compared to any other game, I couldn’t remember little details like that.
And now that this place had become reality, I didn’t want to deceive the people living in it alongside me.
“No, I don’t know the details. But I came to this interview because I wanted to work as a tutor at the Grand Ducal estate, so I can’t say I haven’t wondered about it.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Miguel quietly came over, set down a plate of cookies and two cups of tea, then quietly left the reception room.
It was probably his way of showing the courtesy of not interrupting our conversation.
“...Then this may take a little while. Would that be all right?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
At my assent, Kaide nodded, carefully took a sip of tea, and set his cup down.
I could only wait, quietly watching him in suspense, wondering what kind of story he was about to tell.