Academy (19)
Maybe it was because we'd secured our lodgings a little early, but there was nothing left to do.
"If you're bored, why not take a look around the village?"
Hmm… the village really was pretty, I had to admit.
"Should I?"
"Yes. I'll rest here, so go on ahead."
Huh? She wasn't coming with me?
"What about you, Sis?"
My older sister glanced toward Sister Mary. She was clearly worried about her. No matter how leisurely we'd taken the journey, it must have been hard on Sister Mary, who'd only just gotten out of bed.
"Well then, I guess I'll be wandering around on my own."
"Do you really think you can go alone?"
Sister Mary gave me a meaningful smile. Wait—Sister Mary wasn't going, and neither was Sis. Who exactly was I supposed to go with?
I roughly sorted my things and reached for my spear.
"Leave the weapon."
"Why?"
"It'll only trouble the villagers."
Fair enough… wandering around a peaceful little village with a weapon in hand would look pretty strange. And since I could use magic, I could protect myself just fine without one.
"Is that so?"
I set the spear I'd been about to take back against the wall. Heading out unarmed felt oddly awkward somehow.
Even during my adventuring days, even when I stayed in towns, I'd always carried a weapon. Trying to walk around without one now left me feeling… off.
"And take off your clothes."
"Wh—Sis?!"
Take off my clothes, out of nowhere? What was she talking about?!
"I'm doing laundry."
Ah… laundry? Well, three days' worth of dirty clothes had piled up.
"Do I have to?"
I'd only just put on a fresh set this morning…
"Hurry up."
I didn't even have anything else to wear, and she was suddenly telling me to strip—I was completely flustered. Ignoring my protests, Sis rummaged through the bag and tossed clothes at me one after another.
"Uh, Sis?"
"Change."
The clothes she'd handed me were… a skirt?!
Was she seriously telling me to put on a skirt right now?
"I-If possible, I'd rather have pants…"
"Those are the clean ones."
Well, of course they were clean—I'd never worn them…
"Fine…"
She didn't look like she was going to back down until I changed. In the end, I did as Sis wanted and switched outfits.
A skirt… At first the resistance had been fierce, but after wearing a nun's habit and skirts here and there, the aversion seemed to have faded quite a bit.
"Have a nice walk."
I opened the door and stepped out of the room.
"Haa…"
I really did sigh.
Well then—time to head outside?
I went down the stairs and left the inn.
"Going out for a stroll?"
"Young Master?"
The one waiting for me was the Young Master. Well, he probably didn't have anything to do either.
I at least had options—alchemy, reading, studying holy magic—but the Young Master was on his own, wasn't he? He must have been bored.
"Yeah, something like that."
"Then allow me to escort you."
He gave a slight bow, one hand settling behind his back as he offered me the other.
It was a dashing pose, though a little overwhelming. Still, this wasn't the first or second time he'd done this, and I'd left my weapon behind—having him along would help.
"Yeah, yeah."
I lightly rested my hand on the one he held out. After doing this a few times already, I could manage it naturally enough myself.
Together with the Young Master, I toured the village. Given the hour, no one was working, and everything was quiet.
"It really is a romantic little village."
The Young Master said nothing. It was a comment based purely on appearances, after all. What was it actually like? Judging by the explanation he'd given me earlier, it was probably a rather dull place.
Its one advantage was safety, I supposed?
We walked at a leisurely pace near the wheat fields.
"Wouldn't this be a wonderful place to spend a peaceful old age?"
"Perhaps so."
The village was so quiet that we grew quiet ourselves.
We wandered here and there. Whether out of wariness toward outsiders or something else, no one approached us. Only when we left the center of the village and reached the outskirts did we finally see people.
"Kids."
About ten young children were running around, playing hard. Then the little girls spotted us and came scampering over.
"Prince!"
They looked at the Young Master beside me, called him a prince, and stared up at him with sparkling eyes.
The Young Master looked slightly flustered. Well… he was handsome, wasn't he? A great deal of him matched the descriptions of princes in fairy tales.
Tall stature, golden hair that shone brightly in the sunlight, clear blue eyes that called to mind a pure lake—and his looks needed no further comment.
And his clothes? Compared to the ordinary outfit I was wearing, his had patterns and accessories that gave off an air of refinement. It was the kind of attire you rarely saw in a plain village like this.
Studying the Young Master's face in detail, I found myself oddly irritated all over again. If the me from my days as a man had stood next to him, I'd have been called a squid on the spot.
It was only natural that little girls looking at someone like him would think of a prince. Come to think of it… the real prince was also a blond with blue eyes, wasn't he? He was decent-looking in his own way, but his expression had been foul.
Same blond hair and blue eyes, but the Young Master was clearly the better-looking of the two.
"Are you a prince?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, little lady, but I'm no prince."
"Huh? You're not a prince?"
"I'm afraid not."
The Young Master put on the gentlest smile in the world and stroked the girls' hair. Th-That…! Was he a lolicon?
They were little kids, sure, but they looked about ten years old. In other words, old enough to tell right from wrong to some degree. Doing something like that to children that age? It was the perfect setup for a misunderstanding.
"Big brother, you're so cool."
Looking into the girls' eyes, I could see they were completely smitten.
Ugh, what was I supposed to do about this?
As the girls clustered around the Young Master, the abandoned boys drifted over toward me. Their hesitant little reactions were adorable. And seeing those faces full of discontent, I felt a twinge of guilt. They'd been playing just fine until a pair of spoilers showed up—of course they were upset.
"Big sis, can you take your boyfriend somewhere else?"
The youngest-looking boy grabbed hold of my skirt as he spoke.
B-Boyfriend?! What on earth was this kid saying?!
But I understood the feeling, at least a little.
These were children who lived together in this village. Barring something unusual, they would grow up and marry someone from this very group. Some of them might already have a girl they liked. Even if not, from the boys' point of view, the Young Master had just stolen their friends away.
The Young Master was only doting on them because they were around the same age as his little sister… but thinking about these kids' futures, I really ought to put a stop to this soon.
The other boys kept a bit of distance, watching carefully. They weren't only watching the Young Master—they were gauging my reaction too. Probably because of the girls.
I'd better wrap this up quickly.
"Young Master?"
"Yes?"
The girls were hanging off his arms in a frenzy. And he was happily playing along with them.
"Let's head somewhere else."
At my words, the girls shot me resentful looks. If we stayed any longer, things between the kids really would turn sour.
"I'm sorry, little ladies."
The Young Master carefully pried the children off.
"Hing, do you have to go?"
"Play with us!"
The girls tried their cutest pleading, but the Young Master was firm. Having only ever seen his kind side, I found it strangely novel.
"I'm sorry."
Apologizing, stroking their hair, and smiling at them… From where I stood, a few of those kids were definitely going to come down with a case of lovesickness.
The moment the Young Master was free, I took him by the arm and led him elsewhere.
Once we moved toward the hill on the village outskirts, the children were quickly out of sight.
"I apologize."
"What is there to apologize for? I just feel bad for the kids."
"Pardon? Why should you feel bad for them?"
This man… he really didn't get it, did he?
"Who knows? Maybe you should think about it a little."
I left the Young Master behind and started up the hill. Little by little, the full view of the village came into sight.
He followed after me with a look of genuine incomprehension.
"Could you explain the reason to me?"
The Young Master wore the expression of a man who'd committed some crime.
"You really don't know?"
Well, as a noble, had he ever even had to worry about something like this?
"You went and planted pointless dreams and hopes in those children."
"Hopes, you say?"
"Yes. A commoner child living in this village—how do you think they'll grow up?"
The Young Master said nothing.
"There's a very high chance they'll marry a man born in this same village and live out their lives here, don't you think?"
To children like that, the Young Master's looks were poison.
"I suppose so."
"And to children like that, a handsome man like you is pure poison."
They end up dreaming for no good reason. I want to marry a man like that too. An impossible dream.
If they were a little older, if they knew even a little of the world, they might understand it was impossible… but what could children barely ten years old possibly know?
The Young Master pressed his lips shut.
"Isn't the same true of you, Miss Julian?"
"What?"
What was this man talking about?
"M-Me?"
"Yes. The boys kept sneaking glances at you the whole time."
He said it with a faintly smug look. Back when I was a man, my appearance had been thoroughly ordinary—but now… well, ordinary was no longer a word that applied.
"Ahem! Still, I didn't go over and approach the kids the way you did."
"Hearing you put it that way, it does seem I made a mistake."
I knew he'd only done it because they reminded him of his little sister, but still…
"They reminded you of your sister, didn't they?"
He gave a bitter smile. Honestly, I still didn't understand why he insisted on following me around and putting himself through all this.
We reached the top of the hill. The already lovely view of the village spread out even more beautifully before us.
"It's really wonderful."
A cool breeze drifted past, the scenery was lovely, and there was even a tree casting shade nearby—everything about it stirred the heart.
I took a step forward.
Wouldn't our village look just as fine from a slightly elevated spot? I found myself imagining it.
Thoughts of home spread a quiet longing through my chest.
"Yes. Truly wonderful."
When I turned to look at the Young Master, he was staring straight this way.
It was a gaze that felt as though it had been fixed on me the entire time.
"Ahem!"
A little embarrassed, I cleared my throat and turned away again.
Time had slipped by without my noticing—the sun was already sinking. The village, already lovely, grew even more artistic as the sunset settled over it.
I was still admiring the ever-changing face of the village when a sound reached me from far off.
The chatter was so grating it interfered with my enjoyment of the view.
"Oh? We have company."
The person who appeared was a woman.
A woman with pink hair much like my own…