Ah, So You're a Maid Too?
Ah, so you're a maid too?
Monday. The day one reclaimed vitality through a weekend of rest and stepped into a brand-new week.
It was also the day the first-years of Aegis Academy began their first field training.
The silent political war among the three nations had left the teachers unfairly overworked, yet for the students who had finally grown used to academy life, it was a day that opened a new event—thrilling and heart-pounding all at once.
But every miracle in this world demands a price equal to its wonder.
The miracle of the students' happiness required just such a price, and those who paid it were, as always, the teachers of Aegis.
"This is utterly absurd!"
In the academy conference room, amid the heated back-and-forth of the faculty, one teacher jabbed a finger at a document stamped with the royal seal of the Alphas Kingdom and raised his voice.
"Aegis aims to be a pan-continental academy that recognizes neither borders nor race. Yet Aegis is not merely an academy—it is the most vital institution of Lyceum, under the patronage and oversight of the Magic Tower. And now they send us a demand like this? Even if we were the ones who first asked for aid, this request from the kingdom has already crossed the line from a request into provocation—or outright threat!"
The reason for the uproar was singular: a single letter from the Alphas Kingdom.
"You have to consider the kingdom's position as well. The Empire's railway is already inside Lyceum. From Alphas's standpoint, they can very well ask why the Empire is allowed and their kingdom is not."
"How can you compare the railway to this?!"
"Then how are they different?!"
In ages past, countless cities and nations on the Lipus Continent had blazed like stars only to gutter out like candle flames.
Yet the Alphas Kingdom—the very first nation of the Lipus Continent—still shone brilliantly after the passage of many eras and ages.
The land of beauty founded by Ruton Toal upon the foundations laid by the great chieftain of the Av clan, Baruka Toal: Alphas.
It had lost its place as the most radiant nation on the continent to Ephios and had endured the humiliation of allowing Ephios the title of Empire.
Even after that disgrace, however, none could deny that Alphas still possessed the longest history and remained a great power that moved the hegemony of the Lipus Continent.
And now, inside the conference room, a debate raged between the pro-Empire teachers and the pro-Kingdom teachers.
No matter how much Lyceum proclaimed political neutrality, the teachers of Aegis were human beings, not dolls.
Absolute neutrality was impossible; whether thick or thin, every person inevitably revealed a political leaning in one direction or another.
The teachers of Aegis shared the common goal of "preserving the teetering peace of the continent," yet differences of personal disposition or viewpoint made disagreement inevitable.
"Haa..."
The instructor of Eagle Class, Agram, stared at the letter stamped with the kingdom's seal and let out a deep sigh.
Agram Heistitch, war hero of the Alphas Kingdom.
Though he had chosen Lyceum over the kingdom, he could not abandon his homeland entirely.
Even a man as mild-mannered as he found that blood still pulled toward blood.
Thus he had often quietly sided with the kingdom faction whenever the Empire and Kingdom camps of teachers quarreled—yet this time even he could not step forward lightly.
Request for Entry of the Flying Knight Order of the Alphas Royal House
What the hell is that damned king thinking...!
The magic city of Lyceum.
Also known as the inviolable city of Lyceum.
Though it sat at the very heart of the continent, Lyceum's long survival was not solely due to its own power.
It endured because, under the banner of prioritizing continental peace, it had maintained a stance of absolute political neutrality.
A city that belonged to no one, and therefore a city that no one could invade.
A city that could never become yours, yet could never become anyone else's either—and thus a city no one dared attack lightly.
That was why Lyceum endured.
And now the kingdom's blasted king was requesting entry for a knight order into that very Lyceum.
Not just any knight order—the Flying Knight Order, the very symbol of the kingdom!
From Lyceum's standpoint the request should have been dismissed as pure nonsense. The problem was that, a few years earlier, the Empire's railway had been laid inside Lyceum.
The Imperial railway was no longer a mere means of transport; it had become the Empire's power and its symbol.
An entire "Railway Knight Order" had even been formed to protect the rails, and people already spoke of it—alongside Bargan's Holy Knight Order—as one of the strongest knight orders on the continent.
Through the rails laid inside Lyceum, the Empire had secured a path by which it could send the Railway Knights whenever it wished.
The railway link between Lyceum and the Empire had not been a decision of those two parties alone; it had been permitted by the Three Kingdoms Conference with the approval of both the kingdom and the allied states. Yet no one could have granted that permission with a pure heart.
They must have swallowed blood and forced themselves to allow it.
That was why Aegis could not casually reject the kingdom's request either.
If they did, people might conclude that Lyceum had already gone over completely to the Empire.
"Why are you all fighting so hard?"
The door to the conference room—where no conclusion had been reached and only quarreling filled the air—opened, and a newly appointed teacher whom no one present could ignore walked in.
A "newcomer" in name only; by experience and influence he outstripped every other instructor.
"Whew, this meeting room is a complete mess."
Sage Willie R. Garcia, the man who had slain the Poison Dragon Hydra and attained the rank of Sage.
At his entrance, unease rippled through the kingdom-faction teachers while the corners of the Empire-faction teachers' mouths curved upward.
Just as Agram was a hero of the kingdom, Willie was the hero of the Empire—the man who had defeated Hydra and saved the Empire.
"What, you're fighting over something as petty as letting the Pigeon Knights in?"
Pigeon Knights—the mocking nickname for the kingdom's proud Flying Knight Order.
The moment the word left Willie's mouth, the kingdom-faction teachers sensed they were finished.
Naturally, smiles of victory bloomed among the Empire faction.
Yet the words Willie spoke next completely reversed both sides' positions.
"Come on, just approve it. The old ma— ... the Association Head already signed off on it anyway."
Why had every other class bound for the kingdom already departed, while only the classes heading to the royal capital remained behind in Lyceum?
That question was answered only after Owl Class—and every member of Eagle Class, who were likewise bound for the capital—had gathered.
"That's..."
When Willie and Agram sent a signal through a magic tool, white horses with magnificent wings began to soar across the sky toward them.
Their coats were so pure that the sunlight seemed to bounce off them in dazzling reflections.
"Teacher... don't tell me..."
Among the students of Aegis, there was not a single fool who failed to recognize those white horses.
They were the Flying Knight Order—the aerial cavalry unit hailed as the strongest knight order of the kingdom.
Their unexpected appearance sent a stir through the students.
Why had the kingdom's very symbol appeared at the precise moment the students were supposed to set out for the capital?
Noir turned trembling eyes toward Willie; Willie simply nodded as if to say her guess was correct.
"Greetings, students of Aegis."
Once every winged pegasus of the Flying Knight Order had touched down, the knight who had led the formation dismounted and addressed the gathered students.
"Belga Pong Hartan, Captain of the Second Company of the Flying Knight Order."
After the brief self-introduction, Belga swept his gaze over those assembled in the open ground.
The appearance of a man with long, wind-tossed sky-blue hair only intensified the students' murmurs.
Belga Pong Hartan.
A genius knight who, at the young age of twenty-five, had become the youngest captain in the Flying Knight Order.
His exploits during the kingdom's civil war at the age of seventeen—while he was still a boy—were still spoken of with awe; he was the kingdom's rising hero.
"It has been a while, Sir Agram. And this is my first time meeting you, Sage Garcia."
"Hey."
Even when Belga offered his palm for a handshake, Willie did not bother to hide his irritation and answered half-heartedly.
Belga's brow twitched at the reaction, yet he had not become captain of the Second Company for nothing.
Despite Willie's open disregard, the smile on Belga's face never faltered.
Fuck. If he weren't a Sage I'd have flipped him already!
Of course, only his expression remained composed; inwardly, rage boiled at Willie's attitude.
Belga was a man who had walked the elite path at a measured pace and risen as a hero.
Having never known failure, he possessed an arrogant nature—yet even he could not display that arrogance before a Sage.
"Belga Pong Hartan..."
Meanwhile, there was one person who could not maintain composure at the sudden arrival of the kingdom's hero.
I never imagined the kingdom would play such a strong hand.
The Empire's imperial princess: Lucia von Melizeus.
Officially she was an exchange student from the Empire. In truth, everyone already knew she was an envoy sent to pressure Lyceum and deepen ties with the Empire.
And yet, fully aware that Lucia was at Aegis, the kingdom had dispatched the Flying Knight Order here.
It was as good as the kingdom sending a threatening message not only to Lyceum but to the Empire itself.
A message that they would no longer tolerate the Empire's actions inside Lyceum.
"From this moment, we of the Flying Knight Order shall escort the students of Aegis all the way to the royal capital of Prache."
"Hah."
Belga's sweeping gaze came to rest on Lucia.
Lucia was not so dull as to miss that blatant stare.
Under the eyes that seemed to watch for her reaction, she forced a leisurely smile onto her lips.
The Empire's princess being escorted all the way to the royal capital by the kingdom's knight order...
It was hardly a pleasant picture, yet Lucia decided for now to move according to the kingdom's intent.
After all, the princess who had likewise enrolled at Aegis would already be heading toward the Imperial capital under the guidance of the Railway Knight Order.
If she fled this situation now, the losses would outweigh any gains.
Whoa. Pegasi...
I had heard that the kingdom possessed a knight order that rode pegasi, but this was the first time I had ever seen one in person.
"Prrr-rrr!"
The moment every gaze focused on it, the white horse tossed its mane with pride.
The great wings at its sides were dazzlingly splendid.
As the knight who had introduced himself as Belga flipped his long hair and drew the students' attention, the pegasus lifted its head haughtily and looked down upon them.
Hoh...
That posture of offering its back for its master, of taking pride in its master's figure...
The arrogant personality was a bit of a problem, but wasn't that pegasus a kind of maid as well...?
Yes—its body was even white and black.
Definitely a maid.
To think a flying maid existed in this world!
"Heh heh..."
"Pruk?!"
"Hm? Siesta? What's wrong?"
The pegasus whose eyes met mine suddenly began backing away, trembling all over.
Startled by his beloved steed's sudden strange behavior, Sir Belga hurried over, yet the pegasus's trembling would not stop.
Hmm. Even though its master was worried, it still shook like that...
As a maid, it clearly still needed more training.
While we stayed in the capital, I felt the need to have a private conversation with it at least once.