Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Cleanup and Vanishing in the Fog
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98
4
“…….”
I opened the door to the tea club room and then closed it again.
I couldn’t believe the scene before my eyes.
I took a deep breath and opened the door once more.
The tea club sub-room, which I was seeing for the first time since the semester started, felt like a homage to how it looked when I first visited.
Papers piled up messily, chairs and furniture scattered about, clothes rolling around on the floor, unidentified trash….
The chaotic sight made my mind go hazy, and I clutched the back of my neck.
How was anyone supposed to relax in that kind of mess?
“Sigh…….”
Just a little cleaning, just a bit.
I rolled up the sleeves of my uniform.
It was underground with no windows, but ventilation was possible thanks to the magic tools.
First, I circulated the stagnant air and pulled out a broom.
I sorted the papers and stacked them on the bookshelf, classified the scattered books and organized them.
I dusted off the clothes and hung them all on hangers.
No, there were hangers—why throw them on the floor?
It was incomprehensible.
I had no desire to comprehend it, so I focused on cleaning.
After sweeping and scrubbing for a while, sweat naturally started to pour out.
If I thought of it as rehabilitation after my convalescence, it wasn’t so bad.
Once the cleaning was finally done, a strange sense of satisfaction filled my chest.
“Phew, all done.”
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my wrist.
I’d worked up quite a sweat.
That was when the door to the tea club room burst open.
Kane entered with such vigorous cheer it was almost aggressive.
“Oh! As expected of Theo. You cleaned it up nice and neat!”
It was a greeting as fiery as his red hair.
It made the back of my head throb.
My gaze naturally shifted to Merrill, who had followed behind Kane.
“…You called me here for this?”
I narrowed my eyes as I asked, and Merrill frantically waved her hands in denial.
Her denial was so intense that the brim of her hat fluttered.
“I swear on the heavens, no.”
“Yeah, as if you’d ever lie…. I’ll believe you, considering your usual behavior.”
“Haha, Merrill does live a proper life normally, right?”
I was praising Merrill—why was Kane looking so proud?
“Kane-senpai, if you mess up the sub-room even one more time, I’ll request a club president change from the academy administration.”
“Suddenly…!?”
I had no intention of becoming president; I could just nominate Merrill instead.
She was more sincere about tea than anyone else in the tea club.
She suited the role better than Kane.
“Why make it such a big deal….”
“All you have to do is put things back where they belong after using them and throw trash in the bin. Simple, right?”
“Ugh, what happened during my break to make her so strict….”
“A lot happened. Really a lot. Thanks to that, I even got acquainted with Duke Lucius.”
At the mention of Lucius’s name, Kane flinched.
He seemed startled that his father had come up so suddenly.
“Acquainted, you say….”
“I got injured in the Hilfenberg territory, and he personally showed mercy by letting me recuperate at the ducal residence.”
There was some exaggeration and embellishment, but on the surface, it was true.
Kane’s face turned pale as he learned the truth about my week-long medical leave.
Kane and Lucius got along decently.
Among the duke’s children, Kane resembled Lucius the most, so their relationship was actually pretty good.
Perhaps wary of any unnecessary rumors, Kane eventually nodded.
His mouth was pursed in dissatisfaction, though.
“I’ll brew some tea, so relax.”
Merrill hung her hat on the hanger and headed to the kitchenette.
That area was relatively clean, so it hadn’t needed much tidying.
She must have maintained it regularly.
I sat at the table with Kane.
His dissatisfied expression didn’t last; soon, his nose twitched at the aroma rising from the kitchenette, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.
It really was a good scent.
A subtle sweetness underlaid it, topped with fresh notes and a rich depth.
Scents that wouldn’t normally blend easily were perfectly balanced.
They said it helped relax the mind and body, and sure enough, the tension in my shoulders melted away.
As I leaned back comfortably in the chair and savored the aroma, Merrill brought over teacups and a teapot.
Light brown tea poured steadily into the cup before my eyes.
Just as I was inhaling the suddenly intensified fragrance, someone politely knocked on the door.
“It’s open~.”
With Kane’s permission, the door swung open.
Peeking in from beyond was Noel.
“Huh, Theo…?”
“It’s Noel. What brings you here?”
Noel’s golden eyes widened in surprise at seeing me.
But only for a moment—he half-covered his face with the paper he was holding.
“I want to join the tea club….”
The tea club, of all things.
Originally, Noel had joined the shooting club.
I never imagined we’d meet like this.
“Have you always liked tea?”
Nod, nod. Noel nodded without the slightest hesitation.
“I’ve liked it since before. Actually, when I say I like tea… a lot of people look down on it, so I was going to join the shooting club… but I thought it’d be better to do what I want to do…….”
Noel trailed off with an awkward smile.
He seemed tense about whether his application would be approved, but somehow, Noel looked bigger in my memory than before.
His height and build were exactly the same, though.
It was clear he had grown.
The original Noel would have avoided standing out at all costs, joining the shooting club as a safe choice and staying as inconspicuous as possible.
Gaining the courage to do what he wanted regardless of others’ opinions was quite something.
“What do you think, senpai?”
“Of course!”
Thwack!
Kane slapped the table and stood up, looking around.
I could tell exactly what he was searching for, so I pointed to the middle of the display shelf.
She promptly fetched the stamp and slammed it down on Noel’s application.
“New members are always welcome!”
“We’ll need one more teacup.”
Merrill immediately grabbed another from the cupboard.
Before Noel could even savor the joy of joining, Kane pushed him to sit beside me.
A new cup was added right away, making the fragrance seem even richer.
“This is a new tea I procured.”
“The aroma’s great.”
I was still a novice with tea, but I could tell the scent was excellent.
Compared to the Federation tea I’d gotten from Bayford last time, this suited my taste more.
“What kind of tea is this…?”
Noel cautiously asked, cradling his cup in both hands.
Merrill replied with a rare proud expression.
“I made it myself, so it doesn’t have a name yet.”
“You made it yourself?”
“Yeah, so there’s still a lot to refine.”
To think she liked tea so much that she made her own.
As the tea in my cup suddenly seemed different, Merrill added softly.
“Got time this weekend?”
The weekend would definitely leave me with free time.
Merrill was the one initiating an invitation for once.
Curious about her purpose, I nodded first.
5
“The fog’s thick.”
“Especially today? It’s not usually this bad.”
Merrill shrugged in the fog so dense it was hard to see even a step ahead.
I couldn’t even tell if she’d really shrugged.
“That’s how it has to be for the tea leaves to develop a deep aroma.”
“Kane-senpai, that’s new to me.”
“I heard that somewhere too. Not sure where, though!”
Kane strode confidently even through the fog.
He deftly avoided the trees jutting out unexpectedly.
I dodged trees as well while scanning our surroundings.
This fog-shrouded place was Popuri Forest.
It wasn’t as dangerous as the Forbidden Forest, but the persistent fog—even at midday—kept people away.
Naturally, monsters and wild animals lurked here too.
Our reason for entering such a forest was, of course, Merrill’s invitation and request.
She needed help cultivating the tea she’d served us in the sub-room, the one she’d made herself.
That’s why not just me, but Kane had come along too.
Merrill was serious about tea, no doubt.
“I’m not sure if the thick fog really improves the aroma, but tea leaves grown in Popuri Forest are high quality.”
“See? That’s our Merrill talking. Can’t be wrong!”
Kane’s voice brimmed with smug pride, obvious to anyone listening.
No matter how you looked at it, the president and member roles seemed reversed.
“By the way, senpai, you’re a third-year—aren’t you busy?”
“What’s being a third-year got to do with being busy?”
“The third-years I know are swamped with job hunting.”
Esterro Academy was a four-year institution.
Fourth-years were busy with employment activities, though.
Most third-years dove into job prep early in their second semester, like Louis.
“Ah~ that? I don’t need to prepare separately~!”
“That’d tick off the other seniors.”
Well, Kane was part of the Hilfenberg ducal family.
With Kuhn already tapped as heir long ago, he could graduate and live worry-free forever.
Of course, instead of lounging, Kane aimed to become a knight….
“Aren’t you aspiring to be a knight, senpai?”
“Right you are. You know your stuff?”
“I picked it up while staying at the ducal residence. But knighthood demands more than just skill, right? Especially knowledge and etiquette.”
Pure skill alone topped out at regular soldier.
To become a knight required proper etiquette, plus essential battlefield knowledge.
Knight-aspirant students thus slaved twice over—body and mind—with sword and spear training, plus strategies, tactics, and etiquette.
“That’s true, but I don’t need to. It’s already settled—I’ll join a knight order right after graduation.”
“Settled, huh….”
“Kane-senpai, you won the Mullat Contio last year, right? That’s the perk.”
Merrill’s explanation jogged my memory.
The year-end Mullat Contio was a highly prestigious event.
Naturally, the privileges for winners matched its fame.
Special recruitment to a knight order was one of them.
If they wished, winners could opt for the Magic Tower or other institutions too.
That’s why Mullat Contio champs were known for rising high—unless they died young.
It was an event so unrelated to me that I’d forgotten.
“Heh heh, now you see this president’s greatness?”
Kane puffed out his chest proudly.
I often forgot, but he was, in his own way, the strongest third-year.
Rustle. An unnatural sound echoed through the fog.
Kane instantly drew the spear from his back.
I gripped my magic sword.
Visibility was poor in the fog.
Before I could deploy spatial magic, something shot out from the mist.
I hastily leaped back as a rabbit the size of a person’s torso unleashed a jet kick where I’d stood.
“Giant Rabbit!”
“Then there’s gotta be at least ten of them!”
True to its name, the massive Giant Rabbit lived in packs.
Normal rabbits were herbivores, but these lived up to their name by being carnivores.
I swung my magic sword, but its hide didn’t cut easily.
During the day, I couldn’t draw out the sword’s full power anyway.
Having just risen from my sickbed—and with the sword’s warning—I couldn’t summon Night either.
Our goal today wasn’t rabbit hunting regardless.
As long as I could drive them off, not killing them was fine.
I laid the flat of my blade sideways and thrust hard into the charging Giant Rabbit’s armpit.
The blow struck its nerve cluster perfectly; it shrieked “Kieee, kiii!” and fled into the fog.
Kane swung his spear, the whoosh cutting through the mist.
Soon, the presence of Giant Rabbits vanished completely from around us.
“Looks like they’re all gone.”
I caught my breath and sheathed my magic sword.
Even so, coming to such a perilous place for tea leaves….
Merrill was even more serious about tea than I’d thought.
“Theo!”
Suddenly, Kane grabbed my shoulder and shouted.
I’d been startled by his abrupt emergence, but facing his panicked expression sharpened my senses acutely.
“What’s wrong, senpai? Something happen?”
“She’s gone!”
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“Merrill—she’s gone!”
Only then, as I reflexively deployed spatial magic amid his desperate cry, did I realize.
In the thick fog of Popuri Forest.
Merrill was nowhere to be seen.