Chapter 22
The student council's work wasn't difficult, but the mental strain was overwhelming.
After finishing her meal and bath, Monica returned to the attic room in the girls' dormitory and collapsed face-first onto her bed.
"Yo, Monica. Rough day?"
Nero climbed onto Monica's back and stepped on her shoulder area with his front paws. It was a little too weak to call a massage, but the feeling of his soft paw pads kneading her back was still pleasant.
Monica closed her eyes blissfully and let out a long sigh.
"...Today, Ashley-sama... worked me to the bone..."
"Ashley? Oh, I get it. The chilly bro who always yells in that shrill voice, right? So how badly did he work you over? Is he stricter than Louis-Louis Rumpapah?"
"Hmm... maybe about one-hundredth as strict as Louis-san."
"Is your classmate a demon?"
Cyril Ashley was curt and abrasive toward Monica, so dealing with him was certainly tiring, but his instruction was thorough. He had made a list of everything she needed to know, and whenever she asked about something she didn't understand, he explained it properly. Cyril was utterly devoted to Felix, so as long as Felix had ordered him to do it, he would take good care of Monica.
Compared to him, Monica's fellow Seven Sage, 〈Barrier Magician〉 Louis Miller, was the sort of man who mercilessly slapped her every time she stammered and sometimes blasted her with large-scale attack magic. Cyril, who had declared that he would shove ice into her mouth, was still kind by comparison.
As Monica drooped at the memory of those nightmare days being worked to the bone by Louis, she heard a tapping sound.
"...The window?"
When she lifted her head, a small bird was perched on the attic window. It was a beautiful bird with yellow and yellow-green feathers. Perhaps it had escaped from some noble's home, where it had been kept as a pet for its beauty?
The little bird tapped on the window again. It did not seem frightened even when the black cat Nero approached the window.
Thinking that might be the case, Monica opened the window. The little bird flew into the attic, circled the room once, and landed on the floor.
Its body became enveloped in tiny particles of light, and in the next instant, it transformed into a human figure.
Standing there was a tall, slender maid. Monica had seen the beautiful, somewhat doll-like young woman several times before.
"...You're... Louis-san's..."
When Monica murmured this, the maid pinched up the hem of her skirt and bowed before introducing herself in a flat voice.
"I am Linsbellfeed, the contracted spirit of 〈Barrier Magician〉 Louis Miller. Please call me Rin."
Since she'd just been talking about Louis as though he were some kind of demon, Monica unconsciously straightened her back.
The fact that Rin, Louis's contracted spirit, had come to visit Monica presumably meant that she wanted a report on how far Monica had progressed with her mission.
"Um, you're here for a report on my mission... right?"
"That is part of it, but first... I have an urgent message from Louis-dono."
Urgent—in other words, an important message that had to be delivered immediately.
Monica and Nero held their breath, wondering what on earth the message could be.
Rin opened her mouth without changing her expression.
'I, Louis Miller, have, on this occasion...'"
"O-on this occasion...?"
Rin replied with a single sentence.
'Become a father.'"
"We don't need to know that! We really don't need that information! That's just a personal message, isn't it!?"
Even when Nero shouted, Rin showed no particular sign of being disturbed and simply nodded.
"Yes. With his wife pregnant, Louis-dono has become rather a giddy ponchi."
"...A-a giddy ponchi?"
When Monica repeated the unfamiliar word, Rin nodded solemnly and said, "It is giddy ponchi."
"Apparently, it is an expression peculiar to the western regions, with 'ponchi' meaning 'young master' or 'young gentleman.' Accordingly, it is used for someone who has become giddy and carried away."
"I-I see..."
"Ever since I saw it in a book, I had wanted to use the word at least once. I am deeply moved to finally have the opportunity."
Rin spoke of being deeply moved, but her expression remained as blank as ever.
It was difficult to tell how serious the spirit was.
"Um... please tell Louis-san and his wife congratulations from me."
"You should be angry, Monica! That wicked magician dumped a troublesome mission on you while he gets to be all giddy! You have every right to be angry!"
Nero waved a paw and squawked his objections, but Monica wanted to offer her sincere congratulations. Whatever her feelings toward Louis, she had received a great deal of help from his wife, Lady Rosalie.
Rin nodded and said, "I shall convey your message," then reached inside her clothes and pulled out a sheet of paper.
"Now that the main business is concluded..."
"You call that the main business!?"
Ignoring Nero's retort, Rin spread the paper she had taken out across the desk.
The following words had been scrawled on it in Louis's handwriting:
'I am well aware of how utterly useless you are at giving verbal reports. Write down all important reports on this paper and give them to Rin.'
As expected of a fellow Sage, Louis knew Monica well. He understood that when she gave a report verbally, she could not convey even half of the important details.
"I am the carrier pigeon for this mission. If you have any reports or messages for Louis-dono, write them here and entrust them to me. I shall deliver them to Louis-dono at once."
"...Um, what if I don't have anything in particular to report?"
"In that event, I shall remain in this attic indefinitely."
"I-I-I'll write it right now!"
Monica hurriedly moved the lamp to the desk and sat down in the chair.
Fortunately, she had a fair amount to report. Being selected as a student council officer was a major step forward in her bodyguard mission. This was certainly something she could report with pride.
As she pondered what else she could report, Nero's whiskers began to twitch, and he looked outside the window.
"Hey, the area behind the boys' dorm feels kind of chilly."
"...Huh?"
When Monica was unable to understand what Nero meant, Rin spoke up.
"There is an ice magic signature behind the boys' dormitory. It does not appear to be intentional spellcasting; rather, the magic is running wild and leaking out."
A bad feeling sent a chill down Monica's spine.
The first person who came to mind when she heard about ice magic was Cyril Ashley.
"...Rin-san, is the ice magic reaction outside the boys' dormitory, rather than inside it?"
"Yes, outside. It is slowly moving out beyond the dormitory grounds."
If this magical reaction belonged to Cyril, would someone as serious-minded as him really sneak out of the dormitory at this hour?
But regardless, as the Second Prince's bodyguard, Monica could not overlook an abnormal situation near the boys' dormitory.
"I-I'll go see what's happening..."
"But how are you going to get out of the girls' dorm? You can't use flight magic, remember."
"Aah!"
Nero was right.
Flight magic required a good sense of balance, making it one of Monica's weak points, given her utterly terrible athletic ability.
Experienced practitioners could fly freely through the sky, but for Monica, the most she could manage was a slightly higher-than-normal jump, like when she climbed over the fence surrounding the old garden.
"...Ugh. What am I going to do...?"
Monica opened the window and looked down at the ground.
Her room was in the attic of a four-story building, so naturally, it was very high up.
She could jump from here and use wind magic at the moment of landing to soften the impact. But that didn't make it any less frightening.
As she looked down from the window and trembled, Rin tapped her on the shoulder.
"In that case, leave it to me. I am a spirit of wind, so flight magic is my specialty."
How reassuring!
Monica looked up at Rin with admiration, and Rin placed one foot on the window frame as she spoke.
"However, my master has assessed that 'high-speed travel leaves much to be desired in the landing department.' When landing, steel yourself and grit your teeth to brace for the impact."
"Please go slowly!"
Monica hugged Nero to her chest and screamed.
＊ ＊ ＊
"...Your Highness."
In Felix's room in the boys' dormitory, his attendant Will called out to him uncertainly.
Felix was seated on the sofa drinking tea. He set his cup back on its saucer and looked at Will.
"...Is it Cyril?"
"Yes. I can sense a strong ice-magic reaction outside the dormitory."
"Can you tell where exactly it is?"
"...I'm sorry. I can only tell the general direction."
Will lowered his eyebrows apologetically. But it couldn't be helped. Will's specialties were things like blinding spells and illusions, and his sensing abilities were not particularly strong.
"Well, what should we do? We can't just leave it alone... Shall we go take a look?"