A Peaceful Tea Time
Mana exhaustion.
It's a condition every mage passes through at least once.
It's so common that some people burn through their mana like it's an everyday meal, while others proclaim it a virtue of the mage's craft.
The symptoms vary wildly. Some simply faint on the spot; others end up bedridden for a month.
What determines the difference is mana capacity. The smaller the reserve, the harsher the backlash; the larger it is, the gentler the toll.
A mage with a capacity of 10 and one with a capacity of 100 can't help but differ enormously in their baseline rate of mana recovery.
In other words, a single moment of Luid's breathing was enough to draw in what would amount to an ordinary mage's entire mana reserve.
And yet even Luid couldn't fully escape the backlash of mana exhaustion.
I'm dizzy… nauseous… sleepy… I want to go to bed right now.
Luid blinked slowly as he walked along.
"Sleepy?"
Amelia, who had been watching him closely, asked. Luid looked up at her through half-lidded eyes.
"Ame, big sis."
"Yes?"
Luid rubbed his tired eyes and spoke.
"I used up the whole staff. Make me a new one."
"Ah, sure. That one lasted a while, huh."
Amelia glanced around at his words, then picked up a suitable-looking tree branch.
Hershey watched the scene with puzzlement as she took out her water flask — water laced with mana suppressant.
"This should do."
Amelia drew her sword slightly and began whittling the branch. She held it up to the sunlight, studied it for a while, then sliced off about a third of it with a clean snip.
Then she started rounding off the end.
Tick.
She sheathed her sword and handed over the branch.
"All done."
"Thanks."
"Cough."
Hershey choked on her water mid-sip.
"Th-that…… you're actually going to use that?"
Luid nodded and tucked the staff into his coat.
Hershey was so dumbfounded the words wouldn't come out properly.
For a mage, a staff was indispensable — an absolute essential.
Staves were typically imbued with the functions a mage truly needed: drastically reducing mana consumption, helping design spells with fine precision, and so on.
Needless to say, such things didn't come for free. No matter how fine a tree from Delin's Forest might be, it meant nothing without proper crafting.
But the person in question was Luid.
"…You can actually cast with that?"
"Big sis's sword is something good, so it's fine."
"It does seem… like something good, but."
What does that have to do with anything?
Hershey was thoroughly confused.
Amelia kindly supplied the explanation.
"My sword is named Califa. It is a blade forged from the power of a star. It is sacred in and of itself — it is said that merely touching it imbues one with a special magical aura. Since its affinity with Luid's magic is excellent, I am the one who crafts his staves."
Amelia boasted, if ever so subtly.
That's not it, though.
The truth was, Luid simply liked Amelia's wood-carving skills.
When Amelia carved wood, it came out silky smooth and wonderful to the touch.
Luid only ever used a staff for spells that demanded delicate mana distribution — not for amplification like other mages — so anything would do.
"So that's… what a holy sword is like."
Gulp. Hershey swallowed hard.
Maybe once we're closer, I'll ask her to make me one too.
"Ah, right."
Hershey suddenly remembered something she'd forgotten.
"Remember when Luid disappeared for a moment? Lady Ryan came by then and snapped off one of Adrane's Flowers. Is it all right if……"
Hershey couldn't finish her sentence.
Because Luid, who had been walking along nodding off, collapsed.
Before he could hit the ground, Amelia caught him.
"That's strange. He doesn't usually fall asleep mid-walk."
Amelia tilted her head and lifted him into her arms. Luid was snoring softly.
Her little brother's body was small. Amelia — the Sword Princess — possessed strength in a league entirely apart from ordinary people, but even accounting for that, he weighed almost nothing.
Hershey stared at Luid cradled in Amelia's arms while repeating He's so cute. I want to touch him fifty times in her head.
"So then — might I ask you to tell me about it?"
Amelia's tone was cold and clipped, utterly different from when she was with Luid.
"What would you like to know?"
Hershey, quick on the uptake, answered with a gentle smile. Amelia gave a small nod with her eyes and brought up the matter at hand.
"Luid has seemed deeply troubled lately. This is the first time I've ever seen him worry like this. Do you know anything about it?"
This is where I need to answer well.
Even leaving Luid aside, befriending someone like Amelia could only be a good thing.
But right now, more than that, she had to prove herself worthy of the role she fit best — Luid's friend.
"I can't say for certain, but I believe it most likely stems from what happened during the practical exercise a few days ago."
"You're saying the Academy's excessive punishment is the cause?"
At Amelia's pointed question, Hershey shook her head.
"No. Luid himself said the matter didn't concern him at all. He isn't the type to hide his opinions, so I'm sure he meant it."
"Then what?"
What if I'm wrong? Am I overstepping by even bringing it up?
Hershey hesitated for a moment, but the odds of that being the case were vanishingly small, so she spoke with confidence.
"Do you remember a commoner named Justin?"
"Yes. As I understand it, he was the one against whom Lady Hershey displayed a splendid spell."
"When that man challenged you to a duel, Luid's expression visibly hardened."
While every eye in the room had been fixed on Amelia and Justin, Hershey alone had been watching Luid — because at that moment, she'd been wracking her brain for the right words to break the ice.
"His strange behavior began from that point as well. I don't know the exact cause, but……"
It was why Hershey had personally come to visit. Of course, the fact that she'd dared to point a finger at Amelia — someone she could never presume to challenge — was part of it too.
"Perhaps he simply didn't like a commoner presuming to request a duel with you, Lady Amelia?"
Hershey offered the guess based on her own experience.
After all, of everyone she'd ever met, no one's temperament resonated with her own quite like Luid's did.
"Hmm. My brother keeps his own sense of decorum, but he never concerns himself with anyone else's. Even at home, he never shows so much as a flicker of anger, no matter what mistakes the maids make."
…You've never once gotten angry at a maid?
Hershey didn't go out of her way to lord over her servants either, but she was hardly merciful when it came to their blunders. She thought Luid must be extraordinarily kind.
"However, I believe you're right, Lady Hershey. There is no doubt the cause lies with him. Justin. I will remember that name."
"No, please. He is far too insignificant a person for you to involve yourself with, Lady Amelia. I beg you — leave this matter to me."
Amelia abruptly reached out and patted Hershey on the head. Hershey's eyes went wide.
"I merely intend to remember the name. There's no need for you to concern yourself, Lady Hershey. Hmm……"
Amelia's eyes curved into a smile.
"It is a comfort to have someone as wise as you by Luid's side. I suspect we'll be seeing a great deal more of each other. Might I call you Hershey?"
For a noble to ask permission to use someone's given name was an unspoken declaration: I intend for us to be close from now on.
This isn't a dream, right?
Hershey nodded her head up and down in a hurry.
"Yes, yes! Of course, Lady Amelia."
**
Luid was sleeping the deep sleep of the dead, drooling away.
He tossed and turned, as though his bed were uncomfortable.
This spot isn't great.
Though it might look like he'd nap just anywhere at Delin's Lake, Luid's sleeping philosophy was in fact strict.
First, the ground had to be flat. And the slope had to sit higher toward his head than his feet.
The spot he was lying on now was far too level. In times like these, there was nothing better than rolling around in search of the perfect position.
Luid began rolling to the right. And before long—
Thud.
"……."
He'd fallen on the floor.
Luid sat up, clutching his ringing head.
"This is my house."
It wasn't the faint lake shimmering with blue light, but a room furnished in an antique style.
"Since when was I home… ah, right, big sis must have carried me in."
Muttering to himself, Luid got up and headed outside, rubbing his chest. His mana was about half full.
He'd heard that an ordinary mage needed four or five days to recover their mana, but apparently he didn't need anything close to that. By tomorrow, he'd be fully restored.
When he emerged into the central hall, a maid with a familiar face bowed her head.
"Good morning — ah, welcome back, young master."
The maid bowed her head with a soft smile. It was Sherry, Luid's personal maid. She was holding a broom, apparently in the middle of cleaning.
Of course, cleaning was something a single flick of her fingers could handle, but Sherry flatly refused to use magic in the capital, claiming there was nothing here worth doing anyway.
"Where's big sis?"
"She is presently enjoying a conversation with our guest, Lady Hershey."
"…Hershey? She came too?"
"Yes. As it turns out, she is the owner of the mansion across the way."
What a stunning coincidence.
Luid had never imagined she'd be living right in front of his house.
But Luid remained unaware that half of the villas in the capital belonged to House Minerva.
Luid walked briskly in that direction.
"Um — young master?"
"Hm?"
"Are you headed to see the young lady?"
"That's right."
Sherry said with her ever-helpful smile:
"On any other day it might pass, but with a guest present, wouldn't appearing in your pajamas be terribly rude?"
"We're close, so it's fine."
"Wouldn't it be rude?"
"……."
"It would be rude."
Sherry was still smiling.
Luid stared at her for a long moment, then slowly faded from view.
Transparency magic.
Sherry's smile gradually shrank.
"Young master."
Then, moving as if teleporting, she thrust her hand out beneath the railing.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Sherry seized Luid by the back of the neck, hoisted him up, tucked him under her arm, and vanished into the house.
**
No matter how many times it happens, it's mortifying.
Dressed by Sherry, Luid found the cuffs of his shirt too snug and undid the buttons.
Having his clothes changed by another person — by a woman, no less — was something he never got used to, no matter how many times it happened.
He entered the banquet hall with Sherry. Hershey, who had been chatting with Amelia, rose from her seat at once.
"You're awake?"
"How long did I sleep?"
Amelia thought for a moment, then said:
"Hmm… seventeen hours?"
"Then I didn't sleep much. Hey, Hershey. Are classes at the Academy done?"
Luid hopped up onto the tall chair. Only then did Hershey sit down as well, nodding.
"Yes. Thanks to Lady Amelia's kind invitation, I've only just arrived."
Hershey beamed and produced something.
"A visit gift. Tea leaves imported from Cayman Territory. A black tea with wonderfully deep flavor — perfect for enjoying in the morning."
"Thank you, Hershey. I'll enjoy it."
Amelia accepted the tea leaves.
The two of them seem to have gotten closer, huh.
Luid noticed that the honorific "Lady" had dropped away.
Beside him, Amelia cleared her throat.
"Ahem — Sherry. Bring out the tea."
Sherry, who had been stationed by the door, stepped forward and took the leaves. She went straight off to brew the tea.
"Still — a maid for such an enormous mansion is rather surprising."
Hershey said, glancing around. "Surely it's difficult to manage."
"To be precise, there is a butler as well. However, he is kept busy with affairs outside and rarely visits the house. All matters concerning the residence are handled by Sherry."
"…A single maid covers this entire mansion? Is that even possible?"
Hershey's eyes went round.
Amelia maintained her composure.
"Sherry is a capable maid, after all."
What Hershey had meant was: How can just one maid manage a mansion this size?
But Amelia deliberately deflected.
Luid shot Amelia a sideways look.
She doesn't want it getting out. Well, fair enough — her pride would take quite the hit.
Luid decided to keep Amelia's secret.
Before long, Sherry appeared carrying teacups and politely set them down before Hershey and Luid.
The corners of Amelia's mouth twitched violently.
"Sherry."
"Yes."
"Mine…?"
Amelia's eyes were pleading.
But Sherry was merciless.
"The young lady must serve herself."
Hershey's eyes flew open wide, mid-savor of the tea's aroma.
Luid, as though he'd predicted it, sipped his tea without so much as a blink.
"……."
Amelia bit her lip and glared at Sherry.
"On a day like this… couldn't you bend a little? A guest is here for the first time."
"I have no obligation to do so. I was given orders to attend to the young master and no one else."
Such were the rules of House Windsor.
The moment an heir steps out of the grand mansion in the North, their heir trial begins.
All they are given is a measly 20 gold and an accompanying examiner.
They are then scored on how they navigate those abysmal circumstances.
Naturally, none of it applied to Luid.
"You are surely grateful even to be staying in this house at all, young lady."
"…!"
Amelia was able to stay in the mansion in her capacity as Luid's guardian.
The Duchess of Windsor had issued special orders: protect Luid under any and all circumstances.
In other words, hers was, strictly speaking, the status of an escort knight.
But he couldn't expect this treatment at other times — and to be treated this way even in front of a guest?
Amelia ground her teeth as she spoke.
"Do — do you really plan to answer for this when we return to the North?"
"Then is then; now is now. If you're so determined to drink tea brewed by my hand, win it by your own skill."
"…I was going easy on you because you're Luid's maid, and this is what I get."
Amelia smiled — terrifyingly — and cracked her knuckles.
Rolling up her sleeves, she strode toward Sherry. Sherry, just as accustomed to this, settled into a fighting stance. A brawl broke out within moments.
Hershey, utterly unable to parse the situation, wore a blank expression.
Bang! Bang!
The concussive sound of their fists colliding rang out vividly.
Pillars swayed, and dust came raining down.
Luid murmured quietly.
"So peaceful."
"Is — is this normal life for House Windsor…?"
"Perfectly normal."
Luid sipped his tea at leisure and thought to himself.
This really has a wonderful depth of flavor. Good tea.
As expected — peace was the greatest luxury of all.