Chapter 58
Elodie is my favorite character in [Lady Maker].
My favorite character is right in front of me.
I can talk to her.
If I miss that chance, I can't call myself a fan anymore.
Even if the future ahead is doom.
May I sit next to you?
Next to me?
Did someone else have this seat? If so, I can't help it...
Oh, no! It just happened to be empty. Please, have a seat. Heh-heh-heh.
With Elodie's peculiar, awkward laugh, she gave up the seat. I smiled back and sat down beside her.
I never expected Sir Knight to sit next to me. Since I'm a commoner, no one usually tries to sit with me.
Not at all. I'm a slave, after all.
What? A slave?
Seeing the bewildered Elodie, I tapped the restraint collar hanging around my neck.
Not a necklace?
As if.
I'm not some slave I freed who got all obsessed, so why would I wear a restraint collar as jewelry?
That unfathomable, natural air. Yep, she really was the Elodie I knew.
This is the mark of a slave.
Weren't you a knight?
That's why people call me a slave knight.
Wow, a knight who's also a slave. You're way more amazing than I thought. I'm from the country, so I don't really know much... Hehe.
Elodie scratched her cheek and smiled bashfully, looking embarrassed.
'This. This is what possession is all about.'
A heroine as soft and squishy as a marshmallow. This is why you come to another world.
Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Leon, a slave knight of the Edelheid ducal house.
Ahem! I'm Elodie! Ah. It's nice to see you again too, my lady?
Elodie's gaze drifted over my shoulder. At the same time, a chill ran through my body.
When I turned around, Rinoa was looking down at me with a cold expression.
You're here?
What are you doing?
Um, communicating with my classmate?
Goofing off with a girl while your master is working. You never cease to exceed my expectations.
Ahem, don't just stand there like that. My lady, please sit here too.
I patted the seat beside me.
Rinoa stared at me for a long while with emotionless eyes, then let out a small sigh and sat down.
Soon, a professor came in and gave a brief orientation on what would be taught and learned here from now on.
In the School of Magic, they don't just learn magic; they learn all sorts of things.
History, philosophy, mathematics, ethics, and so on—the basics needed to survive in this harsh world.
Like at a university, you just choose the lectures you want and attend them.
'Of course, that probably won't matter to nobles.'
They've already learned all of that back home from their families.
Instead, they'll probably open salons with their friends and spend all day killing time.
They won't care the least bit about credits or exams. They didn't come here to study in the first place.
Hmm...
Meanwhile, Elodie, a commoner, seriously pondered which lectures to take.
What's wrong?
There are so many classes I want to take. I want to take this one and that one, but time is limited...
I know that feeling very well.
You do?
Of course.
That's just how character-building is.
The turns you're given—or rather, the time—is limited, but the stats you need to raise are endless.
You want to raise mana, strength, intellect, and charm all at once.
But if you just grab anything at random, you'll easily end up as a jack-of-all-trades with no real specialty.
You have to lock in a clear concept and focus on your choices to raise a great character.
It's the basic principle of a character-raising simulation game.
As someone who had cleared every ending in [Lady Maker] and planned Elodie's schedule myself, I found those innocent worries adorable.
Shall I help you? I'm quite good at making schedules like this.
I wanted to draw up the most efficient schedule possible, based on all the big data I'd accumulated.
Really? If you help me, I'd be so grateful!
Elodie pushed the sheet listing the lectures toward me, her eyes sparkling.
An academy life where I get to huddle over course registration with my favorite character.
All my efforts were finally bearing fruit.
I was happy.
Leon.
That was, until Rinoa's icy voice came from beside me.
She was staring straight ahead. In other words, at empty space.
Then she slowly tilted her head at an angle. Her bangs fell forward, veiling her eyes like curtains.
...Why?
If you've come along as my familiar, shouldn't you be minding your master's schedule first?
Rinoa's face was as stiff as if carved from plaster.
But her eyes were flashing fiercely. The emotions flowing in through the bond were boiling over.
She was barely holding back her anger because there were so many nobles around.
What was she unhappy about this time?
Ah, my lady, you haven't finished your schedule yet either!
A bright, clueless, pure voice rang out.
Elodie peeked her head out over my shoulder and smiled brightly at Rinoa.
Then why don't the three of us make it together?
What?
I'm a commoner, so I don't really know which classes are useful. Do you have any recommendations, my lady?
......
Rinoa's green eyes trembled faintly.
She had dared to suggest sitting together with the daughter of Edelheid, the Empire's most prestigious house.
Before Elodie's uniquely pure naturalness, even Rinoa seemed to have lost the chance to brush her off, looking thoroughly flustered.
As if Rinoa's confusion meant nothing, Elodie even stood up and wedged herself between me and Rinoa.
What classes are you taking, my lady? Advanced mana circuit course...? It sounds incredibly difficult just from the name, and you're planning to take that? As expected of a lady of your standing, you're on a whole different level!
Her attitude was a world apart from flattery or any sycophantic bootlicking with an ulterior motive.
It was nothing but pure admiration and curiosity directed at the noble lady before her. She was the exact opposite of Rinoa.
Perhaps that piqued her interest. Rinoa gazed steadily at Elodie.
You... a commoner, and yet you speak to nobles without fear.
Ah, I'm sorry. I was famous back home for being a chatterbox. Was that perhaps rude...?
Elodie's voice suddenly drooped.
If she were a puppy, her tail and ears would have been hanging limp by now.
Rinoa looked down at Elodie for a moment, then let out a short sigh.
Forget it. Better than a slave who abandons her master.
No, but you learned everything from your family, didn't you, my lady?
I tried to speak up out of injustice, but Rinoa immediately shot back.
Even if your mouth is crooked, you should still speak properly. Has a tutor ever come to your manor?
No...?
Huh. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen Rinoa learn anything from anyone.
She always just read books by herself.
I taught myself everything, from A to Z. By myself, without anyone's help. Don't put me on the same level as those run-of-the-mill nobles. It's offensive.
Hmm...
Wow! You taught yourself all that difficult stuff? My lady, you're even more amazing than I thought!
No need to make such a fuss. This is just basic stuff.
Rinoa casually swept her hair back behind her ear.
Was your name Elodie?
Yes!
How much magic have you learned?
I taught myself too. But I didn't have a teacher or books, so I just did whatever I could.
How did you do anything by yourself without even books?
Um, just by instinct? I thought I wanted to use magic, and it worked.
What?
Rinoa might not know it, but when it came to magical aptitude, Elodie was an out-of-spec genius with the very best talent in this world.
Even without knowing the complex structure of mana circuits or magic formulas, if she just thought, 'I wish a fire would break out,' then fire would appear.
For that reason, Elodie's Archmage route was ridiculously easy. Training came with extra buffs.
Put more simply, it was 'baby mode.'
'That's why Rinoa hated it so much.'
A nobody in her house too.
A nobody even among the noble crowd.
Then where could Rinoa find a boost to her self-esteem?
Magic. That's what I'm talking about.
Her last shred of pride, self-worth, and confidence itself. Of course she'd be furious that a mere commoner had taken that from her.
So you're saying you don't have even one basic skill. Then you should start from the fundamentals.
Fortunately, she still hadn't noticed Elodie's potential. Thinking it was just a child's bluff, she kindly chose classes for her.
This should be about enough.
Thank you. You're taking them too, right, my lady?
I...
I stared at Rinoa as her voice trailed off. She must have felt my gaze too, because she looked at me warily.
I immediately understood why she was acting that way.
You complained that I didn't make your schedule for you, so you're not about to say something absurd like not taking any classes now, are you?
......I was planning to take the classes.
Exactly, of course you should. Hand it over. I'll do my best to make your schedule. My lady, do you know what a 'cosmic free period' is?
You're dead.
I'll make sure you spend four whole hours at the academy with nothing to do.
***
After making our schedule, we submitted application forms to the professors in charge of each lecture.
Some classes were ones I'd take with Elodie, and some were not.
Still, I arranged the schedule so we could at least have lunch together.
Eating lunch alone at school.
That's worse than being a slave.
It's lunchtime anyway, so let's go to the cafeteria. I hear the academy food is really good.
You. You talk as if you've actually eaten at the academy.
That's because in the game, whenever Elodie ate, she said it was delicious.
You can't make such a happy face if it's not tasty.
Even the crown prince and nobles attend here, so if the food were bad, wouldn't that be a problem for the academy?
...That's not wrong.
Rumor has it the vegetables are incredibly fresh. Apparently, that's because the ingredients are cultivated in the back of the cafeteria by herbology students who use mana to improve the strains—
That rumor is true, right?
I enthusiastically explained it to Rinoa and Elodie like some anime nerd talking about a show he knows.
Elodie chimed in and responded at every turn.
Rinoa was half listening, half not, but since she didn't scold me for being noisy, she was listening in her own way.
And so we were heading side by side toward the cafeteria.
Hey, you three. Mind if I join that little group of yours?
...Your Highness?
Gasp! Someone super high-ranking...!
Prince Aiter walked toward us with a friendly smile.
What is this now.