Chapter 37
Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: My Childhood Friend Has Gone Bad
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Come to think of it...
Time sure flies.
Before enrolling in the academy,
it felt like just yesterday that I was fidgeting through lessons at Ruena's mansion—
and now, less than a year remained until academy enrollment.
'Studying to get into the academy still doesn't make sense to me.'
I exchanged simple greetings and entered the Eliad mansion.
It used to be a place I visited as often as I ate,
but at some point, it had become as natural as breathing.
'Still... I used to be a bit conscious of their eyes before...'
Was it because I was now an officially invited guest by the Grand Duke?
Or because I'd been stuck to Ruena's side for over ten years?
The servants,
the Grand Duchess,
and even the Grand Duke himself.
They all seemed to take my comings and goings for granted.
Of course,
the Grand Duke's glare was...
still as sharp as ever, making my whole body freeze whenever I ran into him.
'What the hell did I ever do to deserve him glaring at me like he wants to kill me every day?'
At least...
the time he spent glaring had shortened, which was some small comfort.
The intensity had increased day by day,
so the total amount was about the same if you really thought about it...
But the Grand Duke, who used to ignore me completely, now at least exchanged greetings when our eyes met.
"You're here."
"Yes. Hello."
...That was the extent of our conversations,
but compared to being treated like I was invisible, it felt like tremendous progress.
A lot of other things had changed too.
I'd learned and built up so much over the flow of time.
First off, after getting fleeced by Trisha, I'd started paying attention to martial arts and physical training.
Noirs hated taking losses.
If I needed escorts every time I went out with Ruena,
it was better for me to get strong enough to protect her myself than to keep bleeding money from my wallet.
With that in mind, I'd thrown myself into training.
Getting stronger was a gain anyway, not a loss.
I used Eclipse sometimes,
and other times paid a price to borrow knowledge bit by bit for learning.
Of course, most of what I paid as a price was food or desserts I'd made myself.
A head chef who had manned a noble house's kitchen his whole life.
Plus—
over fifty years of internal energy.
The skill of a master who'd swept cooking competitions was worth more than mere money.
'Above all, people have less resistance to receiving food.'
Thanks to that, I could borrow the knowledge I needed much more easily.
My learning speed had noticeably improved as a result.
I'd say it was the most meaningful use of Eclipse.
'I hope the old man is doing well...'
A while ago, the head chef had passed away peacefully.
It hadn't been long since he'd recorded all the recipes he'd honed over a lifetime.
He'd always been the impatient type, past and present.
One day he'd been boasting about eating all my dishes,
and then he was gone before he could eat much, as if he'd finished all his business.
Still, it was a relief.
I'd been able to fulfill the wish he'd never achieved with my own hands.
I thought of his cookbook, carefully stored in a corner of the Noir mansion's kitchen, and smiled bitterly.
Anyway—
Thanks to the old man, studying and training had become much smoother.
Except for magic.
The result of nearly ten years of effort—
my mana stat had reached a whopping '30'.
30.
Enough to fire one or two firebolts before running dry.
So now...,
I decided to just pretend magic didn't exist in my life.
'The academy entrance exam is a lost cause.'
I'd heard they had courses for non-mages too, but
the entrance exam evaluated mages and non-mages the same.
'Well... it's a world that favors those with mana, so it's natural...'
One thing was certain: I was locked into at least Class C.
It was a blessing I wasn't the Noir heir but an awkward third son.
Word was that heirs and promising prodigies from noble families
competed bloody to get into at least Class A, or the special class.
Mediocrity was my life motto,
so avoiding that mess alone made life feel beautiful.
'Ruena... probably won't be in that situation...'
Unlike me, Ruena was the Eliad heir.
As the kingdom's top noble house, she'd have to enter the special class for the family's honor no matter what.
'Won't be in the same class at the academy either.'
From what I'd heard, people stuck to their own classes,
and lower classes were ignored or avoided.
We'd laughed it off before enrollment,
but nobles were exhausting in so many ways.
Even if I was one too.
Anyway, once we entered the academy, that's how it'd be for us.
Me in at least C,
Ruena guaranteed special class.
But...
Could that girl pull it off...?
Just the other day, she'd swung a sword and sent it flying far off into a tree.
I shook my head thinking of Ruena.
Time had flown by us quickly.
I'd changed, but so had Ruena, in quite a few ways.
Yeah...
She'd really changed a lot.
To the point where I wondered how she'd ended up like that.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ As I climbed to the second floor, a maid who spotted me bowed politely.
"Welcome, Master Celen."
"Ah, Ruena...?"
"Yes. She's still sleeping."
"As expected."
I nodded slowly and stood in front of Ruena's door.
Waking her up had somehow become my specialty, like I was her alarm clock.
My technique had improved to expert level by now.
The door opened—
and there was Ruena, sleeping just as always, clutching a pillow tightly.
'It's her own room, but...'
Her defenseless posture had zero dignity.
A splayed-out mess that was hard to believe belonged to the Eliad heir.
The closer academy enrollment got, the more I worried about her.
Would she even wake up in the mornings?
Would she screw up and lose all face from clumsiness?
Would she cause an accident in the entrance exam and end up below C class instead of special?
'Well... not my problem.'
My job was to wake her up, so I focused on that.
"Ruena."
"...Uuuun."
"Get up. It's morning."
"...Un."
The burrito rolled up in blankets while hugging her pillow
wriggled at my urging before slipping deeper under the covers.
'Knew it'd be like this.'
I quickly unrolled the bundled blankets.
"...Hnyaang."
"Get up."
"Cooold..."
"Move around after getting up and it won't be cold. Hurry up."
Ruena reluctantly stirred and stretched.
I felt quietly proud for waking her earlier than usual,
when she rubbed her eyes and crept toward me, grabbing my clothes tightly.
"Un... Morning, Celen."
"Yeah. Good morning."
"Wake me up."
"...Alright. Let's get up."
As always, I took her hand and pulled her up.
Once out of bed, she buried her face in my chest and nuzzled.
"Uuun... sleeepy..."
"Sleepy or not, you have to get up. First lesson starts soon."
"Celen... where's the bathroom...?"
"Right there. You had your eyes open until just now—why close them again?"
"But... my eyelids... are trying to beat me..."
In the end, I took her hand and led her to the bathroom today too.
I filled the sink with warm water,
checked the temperature with my hand, then stepped out.
"Wash your face. Don't fall asleep again."
" Yeees..."
Fortunately, I heard water running, so at least she'd splashed her face.
Splash, splash.
Listening to the steady water sounds, I thought.
'How did the kid end up like this...?'
She'd definitely been quiet and sharp as a child,
but at some point turned into a clingy airhead where spoiling was daily life.
'...Is she really the Eliad heir?'
Sighs kept escaping from worrying about her,
but maybe this was her true nature.
With her father's pressure easing
and the house atmosphere softening, her tension had relaxed, revealing her real self.
Her suppressed childlike side might finally be showing fully.
Honestly...
Comparing when I first met her to now,
she was more needy and tiring, but now was way better.
Much more honest,
natural,
and even cuter than before.
...Just a little.
As I cleared my throat, the bathroom doorknob turned.
"Celen—."
"All washed?"
"Un."
Ruena came pattering out with a damp face.
Without properly drying off, she shoved her face into my chest.
"Hey, don't get my clothes wet."
"Un... Celen, dry me."
"You could've at least brought a towel."
"...Ah, right."
What to do with this airhead.
I sighed, fetched a towel from the bathroom, and dried her.
"Ehe—."
"Feels good?"
"Yeah."
Her nonstop nodding made me smile despite myself.
Seeing me, Ruena grinned widely and proudly pointed to her hair tied in two round buns.
"Look. I did this?"
"Good job. But... won't it mess up before you change?"
"......Ah?"
It didn't take long for pride to turn to despair.
Her face visibly deflated.
Looks like I'd have to fix her hair again today.
"Got it. Change and I'll tie it for you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Really. But hurry and change."
"Yeah—!"
"Wait, your face isn't dry yet."
She only moved this fast when she wanted to.
I shook my head watching her dash to the dressing room.
A moment later—
I tied Ruena's hair as usual.
Once done, she looked at me expectantly.
"How's it?"
"Cute."
"Ehe."
And so...
we attended lessons together as usual,
ate together, chatted about this and that, and before we knew it, the day was done.
As always, I left the mansion with Ruena seeing me off.
"Ah, I can't come tomorrow."
"......Ah?"
"Family business. But I'll come early the day after."
"Un... Without Celen tomorrow... who'll wake me...?"
"Think about waking up by yourself..."
She'd started handling some Grand Duke house duties as heir lately, yet couldn't manage this small thing alone—it was ironic.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Eliad mansion after Celen left.
The warm atmosphere vanished in an instant,
replaced by the solemn tension and cold air befitting the Eliads.
Ruena ordered the steward to bring the reports she needed to handle today.
"Bring them."
Her voice held no warmth.
Without Celen by her side, Ruena was the ruthless, perfect Eliad heir.