Tea and Suspicions
The etiquette of the tea ceremony was a refined culture reserved exclusively for the upper class. It was nothing like simply boiling tea leaves and drinking the result. Expensive tea leaves were required, of course, but more than the act of drinking itself, the process and formal procedures were what truly mattered. How one should pour the tea, which tea to drink in which situation, how to hold the teacup, whether it was acceptable to extend the little finger while sipping—the tea ceremony of the nobility placed the greatest emphasis on who could execute these rules with flawless precision. It was simply another means of displaying and comparing one's refinement.
—Slurp……
Benetric slowly raised the teacup to her lips. The sound of drinking was kept to the absolute minimum. Complete silence was impossible, so the proper volume was just loud enough for the drinker alone to hear. One must never empty the cup in a single gulp either. Two swallows were considered ideal. The correct way was to drink in measured portions so that a faint trace of aroma lingered at the tip of the nose.
—Clink.
Even when setting the cup down, no sound was permitted. The louder the noise, the more frivolous and light-minded the person was considered to be.
“Hmm. This is certainly an aroma the principal would approve of. It has the distinct character of rare leaves that can only be obtained here. Moreover, for tea, it carries quite a refreshing fragrance……”
After placing the cup down, Benetric continued her appreciative remarks in an elegant tone. It was customary, after enjoying the aroma, to savor both the taste and the scent. Closing her eyes, she focused on the fragrance drifting from the tip of her nose, recalling what the principal had said when presenting her with these leaves.
—The magical beast attack that occurred yesterday…… It may be connected to the human servant. That was why the principal had summoned her early that morning and spoken at length with a meaningful expression, linking yesterday’s incident to the Breeder.
—I had nearly forgotten about his existence since nothing unusual had happened for a while, yet suddenly magical beasts have invaded the academy…… There is ample reason for suspicion. The sense of incongruity I felt upon first meeting him was also quite unusual.
When Benetric first heard the principal’s words, she could not understand them at all. Connecting a mere criminal human servant to the invasion of magical beasts made no sense. How could a mere human possibly be involved? Yet the principal had repeatedly mentioned the Breeder, always referring to him only as “he,” never once uttering his name.
—If my guess is correct, he may be either the savior who will rescue this world…… or, conversely, an existence even more dangerous than a Demon Dragon.
The principal had continued with an even more shocking statement, her expression utterly serious. Benetric had been utterly dumbfounded. A human whose only talent was cooking was supposedly a savior or something on the level of a Demon Dragon? The claim was impossible to accept. Until that moment, she had simply assumed the principal had finally lost her mind.
—Benetric? Go and sound out that servant. If my conjecture is correct, he is…… not only skilled in cooking but also proficient in the ways of tea and martial arts. Furthermore, he should be able to use Dragon Speech with ease.
—Gulp……!
“So those words were true after all? I thought they were nothing but nonsense……”
The principal had given her these tea leaves precisely for this reason—to determine whether the Breeder was also knowledgeable in tea ceremony etiquette. For some reason, the principal seemed to know far more about the Breeder than she let on.
“Vice Principal? If it suits your taste, shall I pour you another cup?”
“……?”
The Breeder, having neatly poured tea into his own cup, asked the question while naturally employing Dragon Speech once more.
‘So the Dragon Speech he used earlier wasn’t a coincidence.’
He still remained unaware. Not only was he flawlessly executing Dragon Speech, but he was also unconsciously following tea ceremony etiquette he had never learned in his previous life. That was only natural. Countless years of habit and experience from tens of thousands of years had seeped into the Breeder’s current body. Thanks to that, he could now use Gourmet Feeding and Dragon Speech without conscious effort, and he had naturally become proficient in martial arts and minor etiquette as well. The Breeder of the past had been a human skilled in precisely these fields……
“Ahem! Um, Professor……?”
Yet the man himself remained oblivious. He merely watched Benetric’s expression, growing anxious when she gave no reaction.
‘Just how does the principal know all this? More importantly, this really might be connected to yesterday’s incident and the Breeder.’
Regardless, Benetric mulled over the principal’s words and quietly hardened her resolve.
‘I should report back immediately upon returning.’
*
“……”
Benetric stared at me intently. I wished she would simply finish her tea and leave, but she showed no sign of rising. Had I perhaps brewed the tea incorrectly?
‘No, that’s impossible.’
She had just been praising the aroma and the rarity of the leaves at length. So why was she staring at me so heavily?
“Vice Principal? If it suits your taste, shall I pour you another cup?”
“……”
Once again, she offered no reply. If something displeased her, she should just say so. This silent staring was far more unsettling……
This wouldn’t do. I needed to change the subject before the atmosphere grew any colder.
“…Ahem! By the way, Professor, you mentioned the duty roster system for the Rest Lounge earlier, didn’t you?”
“Ah, hmm…? Yes, I did.”
Only now did Benetric respond, her glasses shifting slightly as she answered, her gaze still filled with doubt. From her reaction, it seemed she had been lost in thought—unsettlingly, thoughts related to me.
If that was the case, the only option was to keep talking until those thoughts scattered.
“Would it be all right if I arranged the duty rotation myself?”
“Why is that? Do you already have specific hatchlings in mind?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Hmm? Already befriending the hatchlings despite being human?”
“It might be presumptuous to call it friendship, but there are young ladies who have been of great help to me.”
“Ah, I see. You mean Sofia and that new student, don’t you?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“As expected. Now that I think about it, Raylin and Sonya also assisted you during the pilgrimage activity. Why would those two help you……? Could this also perhaps……”
Once again, Benetric muttered to herself before suddenly falling silent. Her eyes, now fixed directly on mine, held something beyond mere suspicion—something resembling certainty. I had no idea what it was, but I needed to smooth things over quickly. Being suspected for no reason was the last thing I wanted.
“I-It’s nothing special. They simply offered help because they felt sorry for me……”
“Well, fine. As long as you’re getting along, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“That’s right. With the help of the young ladies who work well with me, I believe I can provide even more satisfying desserts.”
“Hoho, you certainly have a way with words. Very well. I plan to operate it with two students per team by year, so you may decide the pairings yourself.”
“Really? Thank you!”
Good. I hadn’t expected her to agree so easily. This put my mind at ease. Even if I couldn’t pair with the other girls, there was no reason to refuse working alongside my contracted partners.
“That aside, Breeder?”
“Yes? Did you call for me?”
“I have something to ask you.”
“What is it? I’ll answer to the best of my ability.”
“What did you do yesterday? You didn’t join the students on patrol duty, did you?”
“Pardon……?”
I was genuinely surprised by the sudden question. For a moment, I thought yesterday’s events had been exposed. But from Benetric’s tone, it seemed she only had suspicions, with no concrete evidence.
‘Is she trying to probe me?’
From what the girls had told me, my name was supposed to have been left out of the reports. So how……?
“You’d better answer honestly. Our investigation has already turned up more than a few suspicious points.”
“That’s not true. Yesterday I helped Lamji and spent the entire day resting in the night-duty room.”
I denied it outright. I had no desire for things to become complicated, and there still didn’t seem to be any solid evidence or circumstances against me.
“I see. So that’s what you’re claiming……”
—Screech!
“Ah? Vice Principal?”
Benetric rose from her seat, her words trailing off. I had braced myself for further questioning, but she suddenly turned to leave as though something urgent had come up. She was withdrawing far too readily.
“You’re saying yesterday’s events have nothing to do with you?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Very well. I understand for now. The details will become clear in time, I suppose.”
“……?”
—Tap, tap, tap……!
With the sound of her heels, Benetric departed after leaving those cryptic words behind.
“Are you returning now?”
I followed her to the entrance out of courtesy and opened the door.
“Thank you. Yes, I should be going. Thanks to yesterday’s incident, I’ve been quite busy.”
“I see.”
“Ah, by the way, Breeder?”
“Yes? Is there something else?”
“I nearly forgot.”
What now? Couldn’t she just say everything at once?
“……Make sure to be especially thorough with tonight’s roll call.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. I’ve heard that a student who failed to return will be coming back today.”