Unexpected Elf #1
The past of Lebechia had been far from peaceful with Pirot and the Minas Elf Kingdom alike.
There had been occasions when the Minas Elf Kingdom had allied with Pirot to launch an attack on Lebechia, and also when Lebechia itself had struck the elves to secure its northern flank before the war against Pirot escalated.
The two sides had stabbed and stabbed again at each other in an endless cycle.
That, quite simply, was the relationship between Lebechia and the Minas Elf Kingdom.
Yet the world had long taught that there were no eternal enemies.
Then came the sudden shift.
Elves who had once clung fiercely to a hardline policy toward Lebechia abruptly discarded it entirely.
They extended their hands, not merely signing a peace treaty but forging an actual alliance.
Moreover, Lebechia withdrew every soldier from the border region, while the elf side even granted key figures permission to enroll at Minerva Academy, signaling their firm commitment to the new alliance.
And among those key figures, the one who topped the list of honor was none other than…
Charlotte Monzen Heinrich.
The princess of the Minas Elf Kingdom.
That was the elf girl standing quietly before me right now, gazing at us with those serene eyes.
“I was introduced by Professor Milaze Eindhoven.
I was wondering if elves have many interests.”
“No… I do have a lot of curiosity, but I was simply… going to ask this elf student something or other…”
“Professor said the topic is a thesis.
That makes it important, right?
If someone unfamiliar with our kind handles such an important document, instead of genuine understanding we’d only end up stirring up endless arguments.
So I thought it would be far better to have someone who truly understands our Minas side offering help.”
That was exactly what Professor Milaze had said.
She was right.
In some ways it was genuinely beneficial.
Still, having the princess herself appear out of nowhere and demand to chat right away was enough to leave anyone flustered.
Lucian, Rie, and even Senior Michael could not hide their surprise.
Alliance or not, the subtle tension between Lebechia and the elves remained undeniable.
That was why elf students at the academy had learned to stay close enough to the human side without ever crossing into open conflict.
Yet here stood Charlotte, the princess and the very heart of that elf contingent, announcing her presence with a flourish.
From what we had heard, she almost never spoke first, and when she did she kept replies brief and to the point.
Right now she looked every bit the ordinary student.
“I’d like to discuss the part of your help that I can actually provide.”
“Huh? Uh, right now?
Princess?”
“Yes, right now.
And you can call me Senior.”
“Ah, I see, Senior Charlotte.
But the people I’m already talking with…”
Clearly Senior Charlotte’s gaze was fixed on me and Rie, completely missing Senior Michael.
Even treating Rie as a junior, Michael was a third-year, senior to her.
So I had expected him to clear his throat and step in, but Michael seemed utterly uninterested in volunteering.
“Sorry, Senior Charlotte, but this place isn’t empty.
Senior Michael, a third-year, is here as well.
You should at least show him respect.”
Rie shot back with a cool, crisp tone far sharper than mine.
Only then did Charlotte’s eyes finally catch on Senior Michael.
She let out a soft “Ah…” and pressed a hand to her chest, bowing her head.
“I’m sorry, Senior.
I didn’t notice you at all.”
“Uh… no, it’s fine.
With a first-year sandwiched between two third-years, it’s only natural.”
“I’m sorry.
Once something catches my attention I forget everything else around me.”
With that, the princess turned back to me.
“I don’t want to touch on sensitive subjects.
That’s why Professor Milaze said I’m the perfect person for the job.
Anyone who knows nothing is bound to make mistakes, but someone who does know knows exactly where the line must not be crossed.”
“I understand what you and Senior are saying, but…”
“I’ve been wandering the academy for half an hour looking for you.”
—
“I’ve been wandering the academy for half an hour looking for you.”
She grabbed my hand without warning and pulled me upright in one smooth motion.
Looking at her slender frame, I could never have guessed that kind of strength lurked inside.
She tried to drag me away toward another location.
“W-wait! Senior Charlotte, what is this—?”
“How rude!”
—
I knew it.
I had known it all along.
Rie slammed her hand on the table, eyes blazing with a cold fury I had never seen before.
“You said you’d speak with Lucian first.
There’s still a guest here, and the conversation isn’t finished yet.”
“…Am I being rude?
I was bringing someone who’s actually struggling with a thesis topic to talk about something serious, while all you two are doing is chit-chat.”
“Dragging someone along without even asking permission is rude, Senior Charlotte.”
“Ah… really?
Then…”
She released my hand and finally met my eyes.
Only now did I truly see her.
Rie was like a pure, happy angel; Charlotte radiated something sharper, colder, yet no less beautiful.
“Lucian Theodore von Deodore.
Let’s go somewhere quiet and talk about that thesis topic and the relationship between our elf side and Lebechia.
Will you permit it?”
“…”
I had no idea what to make of this woman.
Was she rude, or simply reckless?
Or had something simply come loose inside her brain?
If she were eccentric or vicious I would have dismissed her on the spot, but she listened to everyone else perfectly.
“Professor Milaze told me you were the one who needed help the most.
You’ll get a wonderful experience, and as one of the academy’s top students you’ll learn plenty.”
“Uh, Senior Charlotte?
Ever since we started, Professor Milaze keeps coming up…”
“Yes.
Professor Milaze Eindhoven asked me to do this.”
“Does that mean Professor promised you something?
Why are you being so eager…?”
“No.
She simply asked, and I wanted to grant her wish.”
“…”
She had a kind heart.
Or maybe not.
She seemed utterly self-centered at first glance, yet when I looked at how she spoke and thought, she really did appear to be a little girl who only ever focused on one thing at a time.
So right now she was simply honoring Professor Milaze’s request with all her heart.
Wait.
Why call her “Professor” but not “Senior”?
Everyone else calls the faculty “Professor.”
Why single out Milaze?
“Senior Charlotte, I noticed you call Professor Milaze ‘Professor’ rather than ‘Senior.’”
“Yes.
She’s a wonderful person.
She taught me so much.
So I call her Professor.”
“You must really like Professor Milaze.”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“She’s wonderful.
She taught me so many things.
Back in the kingdom they say you can’t do this, you can’t do that, but here the Professor does everything.
She’s wonderful.”
It was exactly the way a five-year-old would react when someone asked, “Is our kindergarten teacher great?” and the child beamed, “Yes! She’s great!”
I had to pay Professor Milaze a visit and sort this out.
While I rubbed my temple, I invited everyone to sit.
The conversation with Rie and Senior Michael wasn’t finished, and whisking Senior Charlotte away now would be rude to Michael and only fan the flames with Rie.
“What’s this?”
“This?
It’s hot chocolate.
Wait, you don’t know what this is?”
“Yes.
I don’t know.
My guardians said humans are too immersed in worldly things.”
Elves didn’t care much for sweetness, did they?
Most fruits were barely sweet or sharply sour, and their teas carried refreshing or aromatic notes.
How could they not enjoy the taste of life itself, the blessing the gods had sent?
The elves looked pitiful indeed.
And right now one of them sat right beside me.
“It smells wonderful.
The color is strange though.”
Charlotte kept tilting her head, examining the drink from every angle.
Her eyes were growing wilder by the second, so I decided to send one of us off first.
“Senior Michael, if you really want to talk to my sister, I can pass on the message.
But if that causes trouble with my sword instructor for the entire year, will you be all right?”
“Ah… I thought about that, but… still, I’m in a bit of a hurry…”
“There’s plenty of time.
Think it over first.
If you still want to talk to Fleta Unni, come tell me.
She’s been pestered by Father about when he’ll finally let her meet her future son-in-law.”
Flustered, Michael waved his hands.
“It’s not like that!”
Yet I could see right through his excuses.
Who would actually be happy with that?
That was Senior Michael’s problem, not mine.
Once the purpose was achieved, Senior Michael stood up.
With Rie and now Charlotte both present, the fastest way to help me was for him to leave immediately.
At least on the surface he was reading the room correctly.
The rest worried me.
“It’s fine, right?
Fleta Unni—Fleta Instructor—without even asking…?”
“Anyone else would cut you down without hesitation, but Senior Michael is a good person.”
“Uh… true.
He even passed the knight exam on the first try.
More than that, he always wants to learn even when he loses.
He’ll probably be satisfied with Instructor Fleta’s teaching.”
So I gave a positive answer.
If some Pirotian suddenly barged in demanding “Introduce me to your sister,” I would have smashed the hot chocolate straight into his face—rather than into Rie’s, of course—then filmed an entire morning drama while lecturing him on how dangerous it was to covet what isn’t yours.
But before I could finish, Charlotte tugged at my sleeve.
“…”
“It’s so delicious.”
“Huh?”
“T-this is so good.
Humans… people in the kingdom eat this?”
“Uh… yes.
People in the kingdom enjoy it all the time.”
“N-no way… This is a gift from the gods…”
Charlotte’s whole body trembled as she licked the sticky sweet liquid from her lips.
Her reaction was far too entertaining.
Before I could say anything, Rie suddenly screamed “Kyaa!” and shot to her feet.
“Senior Charlotte!
D-did you just use the cup Lucian was drinking?!
That’s not allowed!
That’s something only I can do!!”
“Huh? What does that even mean?”
Today was already giving me a headache.