Off to the Academy (1)
It had been an entrance exam full of incident after incident, but in the end, Ethan and I had both succeeded in gaining admission to the Academy — he to the Swordsmanship Department, and I to the Department of Magic.
And, as a bonus, I'd confirmed the fates of the key players of both departments as well.
I couldn't exactly wait around for the rest of the Academy's entrance exams, which stretched on for over a week, so the two departments Ethan and I had tested for were all I'd been able to verify. Still, of all the characters I did check on, the one that rattled my nerves the most was, once again, the protagonist's name.
Gehmajoshegigwat Volt.
Just thinking it made me feel as though my mental stats were taking a hit. Honestly, anyone who saw a name that looked like someone had face-planted onto a keyboard would come to the same conclusion.
Now, no matter how absurd a name the Hero went around with — one he could barely even pronounce himself — it didn't actually affect the game Luminor Academy itself. The only difference was whether the player got a little more immersed playing from the protagonist's perspective, or just treated the game like a game and slapped something together carelessly.
And Geh-mah-whatever — that bastard's name was, to anyone with eyes, firmly in the latter camp.
If he were truly puppeting a protagonist character as if playing a game, it wouldn't have mattered one bit. Who cares what you name your own character? But unbelievable as it may sound, this world was a living, breathing reality — and I simply could not bring myself to trust a Hero who, in real life, went around with a name like that.
Not that the world would care whether I trusted him or not. The people of this world would treat the strangely named protagonist as an ordinary Hero all the same.
And I, too, would have to respond to that Hero as normally as humanly possible whenever we crossed paths. Because deep down, I was already certain: getting tangled up with a fellow transmigrator like that could only end badly.
"Gehmajoshegigwat Volt. Gehmajoshegigwat Volt. Gehma-jok... Geh—Gehmajoshegigwat Volt..."
If I so much as fumbled the pronunciation, I'd be suspected of something for sure. In Luminor Academy, no matter how bizarre the protagonist's name was, it counted as a perfectly normal name — so stumbling over it would be just as dangerous as butchering it.
Since I had to head back to the Academy starting today, I needed it drilled into my head beyond any doubt.
"...Gehmajoshegigwat Volt. Okay. Got it."
With that, my plan to avoid entanglement with the protagonist was more or less complete. Even if I ran into him, I'd play the role of the 'dim-witted maid Lilith' and respond as blandly as possible. And if Ethan ever tried to pull me into some strange connection with the man, I'd cut that off then and there.
Clothes and daily necessities for the roughly four months I'd be spending at the Academy, study tools, emergency funds, supplies for maid duties — everything I needed to pack, I had packed with certainty. Which meant it was now time to board the carriage bound for Luminor Academy.
To enter Act Two — the true main story of the original game, Luminor Academy: The Age of Sword and Sorcery.
I've mentioned this once before, but Luminor Academy's main story is divided into five acts. Excluding Acts One and Five, which serve as the prologue and epilogue, the real meat of the game begins with Act Two — the Academy enrollment arc.
In other words, for Ethan and me, Luminor Academy's main story began today, the day we departed for the Isle of Knowledge.
It might have felt a little unfair — barely a week after traveling to the Isle of Knowledge for the entrance exams, we had to turn around and head straight back — but the Blackwood Territory actually had it relatively easy. Nobles whose estates sat at the far reaches of the north or east, or commoners who couldn't easily procure a carriage, had no choice but to stay put on the Isle of Knowledge, waiting out the gap between the exams and the dormitory move-in.
The Blackwood Territory's proximity to the Isle of Knowledge was a genuine blessing at times like this.
"All ready, maid?"
"Yes, young master. However, there may yet be something missing from the luggage I've prepared for you, so I recommend a final check before we depart."
"I checked last night. Besides, the only things that really matter are the Academy uniform and my sword. If I need anything else, I'll just buy it there."
"Understood, young master. Isabel has already gone down to the entrance to load the luggage, so everything now rests on you alone."
"Right. Then let's depart. If we're careless and leave late, we might end up camping out in the middle of the road for a night."
...Camping events were bad news — high probability of bandit encounters. Not a fan.
Ethan was right; leaving as early as possible was the best move in every respect. If we actually ran into bandits, things would get very uncomfortable, in more ways than one.
And so Ethan, his luggage packed for four months at the Academy, hurried down the estate's central staircase toward the entrance of Blackwood Mansion — where the assembled servants of House Blackwood waited to see the three of us off.
"Safe travels, Master Ethan."
"Right. I'm leaving the estate in your hands for a while, Dietmeier."
"Have no concerns. Should you or the Head of House return at any hour, the mansion will be managed to receive you without the slightest lapse."
"Lilith Rosewood. Isabel Grace. Attending to Master Ethan is your duty, so I trust neither of you has forgotten a maid's responsibilities."
"Yes, Head Maid."
"Lilith Rosewood, especially. You may now hold noble standing as a branch member of House Blackwood, but you remain the young master's personal maid — so I expect you to give that role your very best. As far as I'm concerned, you are a maid of House Blackwood before you are ever a noble daughter."
"You needn't worry, Head Maid."
"...One only needn't worry when one is given nothing to worry about."
...Well, fair enough. I did owe Melissa the Head Maid quite a lot, in more ways than one.
She was also one of the precious few who continued treating me exactly as before, even after I'd become a noble daughter. Honestly speaking, being addressed as 'young lady' by the other servants while still wearing the same maid uniform didn't feel great — if anything, the Head Maid's and Dietmeier's unwavering consistency was far more of a comfort to me.
The same went for Isabel and Katharina, who still saw me as their friend and colleague.
"T-take care out there, Lady Lilith...!"
"I will, Senior Katharina."
"A-and Isabel too.... G-go on and serve Master Ethan and Lady Lilith well, o-okay...?"
"Yes, Senior Katharina!"
The moment the Head Maid's farewell ended, Katharina rushed over to Isabel and me with her own send-off. Today, somehow, that poor crybaby maid's face looked even more pitiable than usual.
"Thank you for spending so many years with a clumsy fool of a maid like me.... I-if it hadn't been for you two, Lady Lilith and Isabel, I-I probably would've spent my whole life being pushed around by Aria and Alicia...."
"A clumsy fool? Senior Katharina, neither Lilith nor I has ever thought of you that way. Not once."
"...Anyway, it's not like we're parting forever, you know. We'll be back at the mansion for summer break once the first semester ends. Why are you crying like this is a permanent goodbye?"
"S-still.... U-until now, I managed because the two of you were here.... And now suddenly you're both leaving for the Academy, and I— huaaaAAAAHHH...!"
"Haah..."
"Don't cry, Senior. There, there."
It must have been because we'd once worked together as a rookie maid trio, but Katharina simply couldn't bring herself to let Isabel and me go easily. Unlike ten days ago, when she'd only been seeing me off, this time she was losing Isabel too — and her emotions had finally boiled over.
In another two or three years, Katharina would be eligible to rise into the senior maid ranks herself, though I had my doubts about whether someone that fragile should really be elevated to senior maid of a ducal house. Not that her work speed and technique weren't still the fastest and most reliable among the three of us.
But thanks to Isabel soothing her with all the warmth of her nature, Katharina eventually managed to dry her tears and send us off with a smile.
And so the three of us — Ethan, Isabel, and I, our farewells finally exchanged — at last climbed aboard the carriage bound for the Academy.
"Finished with your goodbyes?"
"Yes. My apologies for keeping you waiting, young master."
"It's fine. We'll be apart for the next three months — you should take all the time you need to talk things through."
"A fair point, young master. All the same, I'd prefer we depart before we grow any later."
"Fair enough, maid. And Isabel, get in already."
"Yes, Master Ethan!"
Isabel clambered up behind Ethan and me with a positively radiant expression. Apparently, the prospect of visiting the Academy under her status as my personal maid delighted her immensely.
Well, an ordinary commoner would almost never have occasion to set foot in the Academy even as an exclusive maid, so I couldn't fault her for being excited.
Incidentally, the reason Harold hadn't come out to see his son off was simple: while Ethan and I had been away taking the entrance exams, Harold had left on some outside business and hadn't returned yet.
Which meant the final sparring match between Ethan and Harold had fizzled out unresolved — and naturally, since Ethan had never won that duel against Harold, there had been no groping of my chest either.
Harold still hadn't come home as of today, the day of our departure. So with any luck, I could expect at least another three or four months free of chest-groping arrangements. If Ethan tried to set new conditions with me — or offered new terms just to lay hands on my chest again — I intended to refuse him on every count, thoroughly.
My days of being groped twice a week in front of this man were over. At least for the duration of the Academy semester.
I was still mulling over such things shortly after we boarded, when the carriage bearing the Blackwood crest rolled forward with the crack of a whip and the clatter of hooves.
Three souls aboard: one new student of Luminor Academy's Swordsmanship Department; one exclusive maid accompanying her young lady into the Academy; and me — a new student of the Magic Department who was, at the same time, the young master's personal maid, a creature of bizarrely split identity. The carriage rolled along the southwest road, carrying us onward.
Toward Luminor Academy — where both the meetings I had anticipated, and the ones I hadn't, were all waiting for me.