Chapter 43
It was night, yet the Academy's light and heat had not faded.
The Academy's research wing, whose lights never went out at any time of year, was like a lighthouse. Countless scholars must have been racking their brains and devoting themselves to their studies inside.
Even apart from the research wing, the Academy's nights were always bright. With tens of thousands of people living here year-round, it was more than large enough to constitute a bustling district all on its own.
The splendid building before me now was no exception. Soft light streamed from it, proudly asserting its presence.
It was one of the Academy's dormitories. Only those among the high-ranking nobles who could afford its exorbitant fees and possessed exceptional abilities were allowed to move in.
Named after the Great Conquering Emperor, Aidalos Hall retained an old-fashioned atmosphere even at night. It was said that the servants waiting on the students outnumbered them several times over.
I was staying in a noble dormitory myself, but Aidalos Hall was on another level.
My room was merely a single-person room of a size suitable for one occupant. I had heard that each room here rivaled a mansion in size.
The fact that only a few dozen people lived in that sprawling building gave me some idea of its extravagance. Standing before Aidalos Hall, I swallowed dryly. Needless tension made my fingertips feel stiff.
There was only one reason for me to visit Aidalos Hall, where I had no connections: Delphine Yurdina had invited me.
She was the heir to one of the Empire's five great houses and one of the Academy's foremost talents. She had every right to reside at Aidalos Hall, and no noble in the Empire would turn down such a privilege.
She was the only person who would have summoned me to this luxurious dormitory. In other words, I had been invited into none other than Delphine Yurdina's private space.
A man and a woman meeting alone at dead of night—in a woman's room, no less. No matter how I looked at it, the situation felt strange, but we had already made an appointment.
Even so, after hesitating for quite some time, I was about to step forward without a second thought, as befitted a proud Imperial noble.
That is, if not for someone who had followed close behind me.
With a firm tug, someone seized the hem of my clothes as I was about to take a step. My gaze naturally went over my shoulder.
A beautiful girl with gray hair and deep-blue eyes stood there, gazing at me with slightly watery eyes.
It was Seria. A sigh escaped me.
“Seria, I told you not to worry.”
“B-but still……”
Seria lowered her head and began to fidget. Even so, she did not loosen her grip on my clothes.
She had been like this ever since she heard that I had an appointment with Senior Delphine. Even after evening training ended, she had followed close behind me, repeating nothing but ‘Be careful.’
I wasn't going to meet some high-ranking magical beast, and Senior Delphine was surely a cultivated and learned noble lady, so I couldn't understand why Seria was acting this way.
Whenever I asked Seria the reason, out of sheer frustration,
“My sister is the sort of person who can't rest until she gets whatever catches her fancy. Even if she has to take it from someone else.”
Could she have meant that Delphine had taken a liking to my hand axe?
If so, I wouldn't mind selling it to her for a reasonable price. The heir to House Yurdina would not be short of money, so I might even get a good price for it.
Yet that attempt at reassurance only made Seria look crestfallen. I felt awkward, since she had never looked at me so desperately before.
As a noble, I couldn't break my promise, and since we had agreed to meet alone, I couldn't bring Seria with me, either.
There was no helping it. I spoke to Seria in a firm tone.
“Seria, it's time for me to go. Surely you don't want to saddle me with the dishonor of breaking my promise?”
“I-I suppose not……”
Perhaps my stern tone made it impossible for Seria to hold me back any longer. Looking dejected, she slowly relaxed her grip on my clothes.
She looked quite cute like that. When we first met, she had shown me nothing but a face as cold as ice, but before I knew it, she had begun displaying quite a range of emotions.
And the fact that I was the only person to whom she showed those emotions gave me a vague sense of satisfaction. I shouldn't feel that way.
I suppressed the murky desire lurking in my heart. Then, as I always did when reassuring Seria, I took her hand in both of mine.
This had already happened several times, but whenever I held her hand, Seria looked at me with startled eyes. Whenever that happened, I spoke to her with heartfelt sincerity.
“I'm only going because there's something I want to ask Senior Delphine and confirm for myself. I won't let her take anything from me, so don't worry, Seria.”
“……Yes. Since it's you saying it, Senior Ian, I'll believe you.”
Only then did Seria seem somewhat reassured. She nodded, her cheeks faintly flushed. Her beauty seemed to shine even more brightly at night. Having the respect of such a lovely junior was an incredible stroke of luck.
Thinking that, I stepped forward again. The interior of Aidalos Hall was so splendid and old-fashioned that I couldn't help but marvel.
It was only the lobby, yet dozens of servants bustled about, attending to their duties. The steward who greeted me at the entrance was one of them.
He said Senior Delphine had already told him about me and bowed politely. Then, with practiced ease, he took the lead and began guiding me.
It was smooth, efficient service. Like a country bumpkin seeing a city for the first time, I looked around in every direction, taking in Aidalos Hall's interior.
How many more chances would I have to see Aidalos Hall? This might be my last opportunity. So I pressed every detail of its interior into my memory all the more carefully.
I planned to boast about it to Leto and Celine later. I would tell them about the interior of that mysterious Aidalos Hall. It would make an interesting story for the two of them, who, along with me, made up the Empire's trio of low-ranking nobles.
As I walked along thinking that, I soon found myself before a door. It was far too large to be the door to a room occupied by only one person.
Knock, knock. The steward who had guided me rapped on the door, then spoke in a low voice.
“Lady Delphine Yurdina, Lord Ian Percus, whom you mentioned the other day, has arrived.”
No answer came from inside. Instead, the door opened on its own. I widened my eyes in surprise, but the steward seemed utterly unimpressed, as though he had seen it thousands of times already.
He bowed to me and gestured inside with one arm. It meant I should enter.
I drew a breath. This was Delphine Yurdina's private room. A guilty thrill came over me as I stepped into that secret space, which she would not open to just anyone, and made me hesitate for a moment.
But I soon shook my head and cleared away my distracting thoughts. She was a woman bold enough to invite a man she had met only recently. She probably did not consider me particularly special; perhaps, to Delphine Yurdina, her private room was simply another social venue.
With those thoughts calming me, I entered Senior Delphine's room, only to be greeted by—
“……Long time no see, ‘Hand-Axe Young Master.’”
It was Senior Delphine, sitting in a disheveled posture with nothing but a robe draped over her body.
Soft crimson light from the room illuminated her snow-white skin. Her crimson eyes held a languor as thick as honey, and her lips were alluring.
Her radiant golden hair had not lost its luster even in the darkness. The robe clung to her body, revealing her feminine curves.
For a moment, my head spun. A rich fragrance filled her room. I couldn't even identify it; the only thought that crossed my mind was that it was simply the scent of a woman.
It took me quite a while to regain my senses. I'd been gazing, transfixed, at the ample cleavage visible between the folds of Senior Delphine's robe. As soon as I finally came to, I jumped and shouted.
“No, no, no… Even so, you should at least put something on!”
As I said that, I immediately turned my gaze away, but Senior Delphine's expression did not change in the slightest. She took a sip of the wine in her glass and asked me in a puzzled voice instead.
“……Why?”
She asked it with a slight tilt of her head.
Her question left my mind blank for a moment. Why? There were plenty of reasons. Flustered, I began stammering them out.
“No, um… I'm a stranger to you, and as the heir to House Yurdina, you should take a little more care with that noble body of yours……”
“Do you find it unsightly?”
“No! I mean, you're beautiful, but……”
As my lecture on the importance of chastity trailed off, Senior Delphine let out a quiet chuckle.
Her blood-red eyes quietly held me in their gaze. She had noticed me avoiding her gaze in embarrassment while sneaking glances at her, and a satisfied smile formed at the corners of her mouth.
“Then look to your heart's content. It is probably a rare work of art… What was that old saying? ‘A pearl lost in the vast sea,’ was it?”
Then she slowly rose to her feet. I heard the soft fabric of her robe brush against itself with a rustle. I even had the impression that a little more of her snow-white bare body had been exposed.
The closer Senior Delphine came, the more restlessly I backed away. But it was no use.
She walked without a sound and had soon reached the spot directly in front of me. She gave me a hazy smile.
“Welcome to my room, Ian Percus.”
Only then did I begin to understand Seria's warning, at least somewhat.
The warning to be careful around Senior Delphine.
I felt as though something was about to be taken from me. Cold sweat trickled down my back.