Chapter 81
The 〈Star-Seer Witch〉 Mary Harvey encouraged Monica to stay the night, but Monica politely declined. After all, tomorrow was the day before the school festival.
Classes generally weren't held on the day before the school festival. However, students putting on events and student council members had to show up to prepare for it. Monica also needed to make an appearance once before noon.
After walking a short distance from Mary's mansion, a yellow bird descended from the sky. When it spun around on the spot, it instantly transformed into a beautiful woman in a maid's uniform. It was Lewis's contracted spirit, Rin.
"Did you enjoy your wine, women, and song?"
At Rin's choice of words, Lewis furrowed his brow deeply.
"Please, whatever you do, don't say that in front of my wife."
Leaving his pregnant wife at home and indulging in wine, women, and song would look far too bad.
Rin nodded seriously at the grim-faced Lewis.
"Yes. I'll report to Madam that 'Lord Lewis was drinking while surrounded by handsome young men.'"
"It seems I'll have to retrain your manners... But before that, there's a job to do. Take 〈Silent Witch〉-dono to Serendia Academy."
Lewis could use flight magic to travel at high speed, but Monica could only use it for little more than jumping.
The journey from Mary's mansion to Serendia Academy would take half a day by carriage, but with flight magic, it took no time at all.
(Maybe I really should practice flight magic...)
As Monica was thinking this, Lewis said as he fastened the buttons of his coat again,
"What 〈Star-Seer Witch〉-dono said about being unable to read the Second Prince's fate concerns me somewhat."
"...Yes."
"The intruder from the chess tournament is scheduled to be sent to the royal capital soon. Once he arrives, we'll be free to interrogate him to our heart's content... We'll use any means necessary to make him spit out the mastermind. There's something about that intruder that bothers me."
As he spoke, Lewis cracked his gloved fingers. His hands were delicate and beautiful, like a nobleman's, but Monica knew that he had a formidable punching callus at the base of his middle finger.
Monica secretly sympathized with the intruder who was about to be interrogated by Lewis.
"My fellow Sage-dono, be sure to stay on your guard at the school festival. As a precaution, I'll lend you this useless excuse for a maid, so use her as much as you like."
"This excellent head maid, Rinsbellfeed, will take care of assisting 〈Silent Witch〉-dono."
Rin did not so much as blink at Lewis's insult and introduced herself as the head maid. Her thick skin was almost worth emulating.
Lewis glared at his thick-skinned contracted spirit and gave a small cough.
"Also, I'll be attending the festival myself. Partly for security... though I have other business as well."
Having Rin, who could cover a wide area, and Lewis, who excelled at barrier magic, come to the festival would be incredibly reassuring.
When Monica bowed to Lewis and said, "I'm counting on you," Rin muttered,
"...Shouldn't Lord Lewis be the one bowing and asking for your assistance?"
Lewis silently kicked Rin's leg while maintaining his smile.
＊ ＊ ＊
Rin's flight magic was somewhat different from the kind used by human magicians.
Ordinary flight magic wrapped the caster's body in a thin, membrane-like barrier, then carried the caster through the air. Rin, however, created a hemispherical barrier around herself and could move everyone inside it at once.
It sounded simple, but maintaining a hemispherical barrier while traveling at high speed for an extended period was utterly impossible with a human's magical capacity.
That was probably why Lewis valued Rin's ability so highly despite constantly insulting her.
After thirty minutes of continued travel through the sky, Rin looked down at the ground and spoke.
"We will arrive at Serendia Academy shortly."
"Wow... That's fast..."
"In that case, may I inquire about your preferred landing method? Specifically, we offer the 'Tornado Kick Landing Method,' the 'Headspin Landing Method,' and the 'Giant-Wheel Charge Method.' The key is reshaping the barrier to make it easier to spin..."
Was the landing she and Lewis had made in the old garden one of these methods?
None of the three methods Rin had mentioned inspired anything but ominous feelings, so Monica quickly said,
"P-please use the safest landing method!"
"Very well. Decelerating now... Oh?"
Rin, who had been looking at the ground, abruptly tilted her head ninety degrees to the side.
The eerie reaction, like a doll with its head lolling at an impossible angle, was Rin's way of showing that she found something suspicious.
"I have confirmed a suspicious carriage parked near the boys' dormitory at Serendia Academy."
"Huh?"
"Shall I land in a position from which we can reconnoiter the carriage?"
Rin's flight magic moved the entire hemispherical barrier, so it was not suited to scouting through a wooded area. The hemispherical barrier would hit the trees and make a great deal of noise.
They would need a somewhat open area to land quietly.
Monica thought for a moment, then gave Rin instructions.
"Could you maintain the barrier in this position? I'd like to try some 'far-sight.'"
"Understood."
Far-sight magic was like using a telescope. It was difficult to see the target if there were obstructions or while moving.
After confirming that Rin had fixed the flight magic in place, Monica activated far-sight without chanting.
The carriage quietly parked near the boys' dormitory at Serendia Academy was relatively small, a simple two-wheeled carriage with little ornamentation—but Monica quickly realized that it was equipped with advanced magical devices.
(A simple defensive barrier over the whole carriage, and a soundproofing barrier too... They probably used something to dampen vibrations around the wheels as well... Is it meant for a noble's incognito outing?)
The driver wore a hat low over their face and had a scarf covering their mouth, so Monica could not see their face clearly. Was someone riding inside the carriage?
As Monica strained her eyes, she saw someone slip out of the boys' dormitory and approach the carriage.
He was a tall man wearing a hooded cloak. A glimpse of black hair could be seen through the gap in the hood.
Monica let out a small cry.
Even with his hair a different color, that perfectly proportioned body was unmistakable! There was no way she could mistake him.
"Y-Your Highness!?"
The person who had slipped out of the boys' dormitory was unmistakably Felix.
Once Felix climbed into the carriage and closed the door, it began to move quietly.
"There's a pleasure district in that direction. Is he sneaking out for some nighttime fun?"
"Wh-what, wh-what should I do...?"
Monica clutched her head. She should stop Felix, but the carriage had already started moving.
Monica was Felix's bodyguard. There was no way she could simply let him go.
"I feel bad leaving Nero behind in the dorm... Rin-san, please follow that carriage."
"Understood."
＊ ＊ ＊
Just as Rin had said, the carriage carrying Felix stopped in the pleasure district of the nearest town to Serendia Academy. Once he entered the town proper, tailing him with flight magic would be difficult.
After asking Rin to land quietly and safely, Monica followed Felix on foot.
Monica had Rin transform from a beautiful woman in a maid's uniform into a little bird and hide inside her clothing. After all, Rin's human form attracted attention whether she appeared as a man or a woman.
Monica pulled her hood low and cautiously followed Felix's back.
Despite being nighttime, the pleasure district was astonishingly bright. Suspicious stalls lined the streets, while male touts and flamboyantly dressed women called out to passersby.
The large crowd was probably because provincial nobles had come to stay in the towns near the academy for Serendia Academy's school festival. The touts busily called out to those wealthy visitors, but they paid Monica no attention. She was dressed so plainly that it was only natural. To them, she probably looked like nothing more than a maid out on an errand.
After getting out of the carriage, Felix removed the hooded cloak he had worn when sneaking out of the boys' dormitory. In its place, he paired a stylish frock coat with a hat and strode confidently down the street.
He casually browsed the stalls, waved back with a relaxed smile at prostitutes blowing kisses at him, and brushed off the touts with ease.
His behavior was nothing like that of a young man unused to nightlife or a noble who had just arrived from the countryside. It was the behavior of someone accustomed to having fun.
(He seemed to sneak out before, too... So he really is used to this.)
That fact did not particularly disappoint or disillusion Monica.
In the first place, Monica had not the slightest idealized image of Felix as a wonderful prince, so whether he went out carousing or chased after women made no difference to her.
She did find it surprising, though. Felix always maintained a calm, amiable manner, and yet he was cautious and a perfectionist. Anyone could tell from watching him work in the student council.
The fact that someone like Felix was cutting loose in this way gave Monica a strange sense of incongruity.
(In any case, I'll guard His Highness until he safely returns to the dorm...)
Perhaps because she was thinking about that, the moment she looked away, Felix's back had vanished.
"Ah..."
Monica hurried after him. She searched the crowd for the black-haired young man in the stylish coat and hat, but she couldn't spot him.
"Rin-san, I'm sorry. I lost him..."
"I will search from above. Please wait a moment."
Rin, transformed into a bird, flew out from inside Monica's clothing and rose into the sky.
Monica decided it would be best to wait quietly until Rin found him, so she moved to the edge of the road.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Young lady, it isn't wise to go out at night without an escort."
When Monica turned in alarm at the familiar voice, Felix was standing there.
However, he had removed the hat and coat Monica had been using to identify him and was holding them in his arms. When Monica opened and closed her mouth soundlessly, Felix wore the mischievous expression of a child who had successfully played a prank and put the coat back on.
"Amateur followers usually rely on what someone is wearing as a landmark. Take away the hat and coat, and they fall for it right away."
The black hair, unlike his usual color, was apparently a wig. Pressing it down with his fingertips so it would not slip, Felix deftly put his hat back on.
"Now then, what brings you to a place like this? Could you perhaps be meeting someone in secret?"
"N-no, I, um, it wasn't a secret rendezvous or anything. I just saw Your Highness and got curious, so I followed you..."
"That's quite a distance from the dormitory to here, isn't it? How did you follow me?"
There was no way Monica could say that she had followed him through the air with flight magic.
As her eyes spun, Monica racked her brain for an excuse she was not used to making.
And the result of the country's foremost magician, the Seven Sages' 〈Silent Witch〉, racking her brain with all her might was this:
"I-I'm a delinquent, so I was out having fun in town tonight! Then I happened to spot Your Highness..."
Felix remained expressionless and silent for several seconds. Then, in the next instant, he let out a sudden snort of laughter. His shoulders trembled faintly.
"A delinquent... You? Heh-heh, I see. Then we're the same, aren't we? Fellow delinquents."
"Y-yes! Fellow delinquents!"
"Then here's my proposal. Why don't we go out on the town together? Having someone to enjoy the night with makes it twice as fun."
It was an offer Monica could not have hoped for. This way, she could guard Felix openly.
"Y-yes! Please take care of me!"
Monica bowed with such seriousness that she hardly seemed like a delinquent, and Felix narrowed his eyes as a quiet chuckle rumbled in his throat.
"Ah, you really are full of surprises. I never imagined I'd find a companion for my last chance to let loose."
"...?"
When Monica looked up at Felix suspiciously, he gave her a mischievous smile unlike his usual gentle expression. As he smiled with the corners of his eyes lowered slightly, a hint of allure absent during the day seeped through.
Felix touched a finger to Monica's cheek, then bent down and peered into her face.
"Here, call me Ike... all right?"
"I-Ike-sama?"
Was it a play on his middle name, Ark?
As Monica rolled the unfamiliar name—'Ike-sama, Ike-sama'—around her tongue, Felix pressed his index finger to her lips.
"Not Ike-sama. Just Ike. We're fellow delinquents, aren't we, Monica?"
"B-but..."
Felix smiled, showing his white teeth, and held out his hand.
He looked utterly delighted.
"Come on, Monica. Dawn will be here before you know it. Let's have as much fun as we can tonight."