A Peaceful Daily Life
A Peaceful Daily Life
Irion savored his smooth daily routine.
Normally, around this time, every day would have felt like walking on thin ice due to Renoa's tyranny.
Since she was staying quiet, it was incredibly peaceful.
In fact, she wasn't just staying quiet; she was even acting friendly toward Elody.
Of course, being friendly didn't mean they were giggling or playing together.
But compared to the Renoa in the original work, who absolutely loathed Elody's very existence, this was practically at the level of being best friends.
Thanks to the Young Lady being by her side, other noble female students couldn't dare to treat Elody poorly either.
'How nice is it to see them getting along?'
With two pretty female students together, it was a picture-perfect sight. Just looking at them brought a natural smile to his face.
[It is good....]
Though, of course, there were things he didn't like.
It almost turned into a disaster when Iskalon suddenly branded Renoa as a witch.
He had managed to gloss over it at the time, but still.
'Renoa is a witch....'
This was, well, an established fact.
There was no way the Great Sage Iskalon's eyes were mistaken.
Since the Duke couldn't possibly be a woman in disguise, her late mother must have been the witch.
Judging by Aether's reaction, it seemed he also suspected to some extent that Renoa was a witch.
Irion had thought Aether was chasing her because she dabbled in black magic, but that wasn't it.
He was chasing her because she was a witch, and she just happened to have dabbled in black magic on top of that.
That's why, as soon as Elody was cursed, he immediately identified the culprit and fired off a bunker buster.
'I thought everything would be fine as long as she didn't touch black magic, but I didn't know there was such a surprise gimmick.'
Fortunately, it seemed Aether wasn't entirely certain yet. That was why the assassins in the capital were just testing the waters.
'As long as there's no hard evidence, it's fine. No matter if he's a Prince, he won't be able to harm Renoa on mere suspicion alone.'
In the end, there was only one answer.
He had to stick close to Renoa and keep a thorough watch on her, just as he was doing now.
If they could just get past this safely, the Edelheid family wouldn't be destroyed by black magic.
[What a truly desirable sight. To see two lovely disciples with miraculous talent sitting side by side, burning with academic passion. It feels as if my hardened heart is beating once again.]
Iskalon's slimy telepathy rang out, breaking Irion's train of thought.
"Hey, old man. Wipe your drool. I can hear your dark inner thoughts."
[Keu-heum! How dare you treat this Great Sage like some neighborhood drunkard! I was merely admiring the pure beauty and talent of those children!]
"Sure you were."
[Stop talking nonsense and focus!]
His behavior made him seem like a perverted old man, which tanked his reliability, but his skills were certainly the real deal.
Since they started learning magic from Iskalon, they grew more and more each day.
Ironically, the one showing the most remarkable growth wasn't Aether, Renoa, or Elody.
"Oh, it works."
It was Irion.
Between Irion's hands, a condensed energy the size of a soccer ball was spinning, emitting a faint golden glow.
What they were doing now was releasing mana externally and compressing it.
Irion had simply pulled the mana out and packed it together tightly, just as Iskalon had instructed.
It was a very light and simple sensation, like packing a snowball.
However, the air around them as they watched the result was frozen cold.
[You, you ignorant swordsman! How are you the first one to succeed!]
"What do you mean 'how'? You just told me to pull it out and press it down."
[Do you think that's as easy as it sounds?! Maintaining a constant density while exposing mana to the outside requires bone-chilling control...!]
Iskalon ranted, pouring out telepathic messages.
The others' gazes were also fixed on the sphere Irion had created.
"......Irion, weren't you a swordsman? How are you so good at this?"
"Exactly! I can barely manage to make a tiny one."
"No, even that is impressive."
All three of them had pulled mana out above their hands, but they couldn't maintain it consistently.
It would scatter at the slightest provocation or become jagged like a sea urchin.
Elody managed to maintain a spherical shape, but even then, it was only as small as a ping-pong ball.
"It just worked when I did what I was told. And I can do this too."
Irion manipulated the mana ball in his hand. It wasn't just a sphere; it became a square, then a star.
"Well, don't be too discouraged. Your opponent is me, after all."
"How obnoxious."
"Wow. I just felt a new emotion. Could this be what they call jealousy?"
While the two were keenly feeling the gap in talent, Renoa was silently doing her own work.
"Young Lady-nim, aren't you frustrated?"
"About what."
"About Irion-nim being better than us. We're supposed to be the mages...."
"Not particularly."
Renoa had known for a long time that Irion was excellent at mana manipulation. She wasn't surprised anew.
Furthermore, Renoa's thoughts on this were consistent.
"Irion is mine anyway."
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
"The more outstanding Irion is, the higher my reputation will rise. There's no need for foolish jealousy."
Feeling inferior and jealous toward Irion was a thing of the past.
Renoa had matured.
She had become able to prioritize logic without being swept away by momentary emotions.
Therefore, she no longer felt jealous seeing Irion's achievements or growth.
She had said it without much thought in that sense, but.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
The looks Elody and Aether were giving Renoa were strange. Elody, in particular, was covering her face with both hands.
[This green swordsman brat. He was acting all cool in front, but behind the scenes, he was doing all sorts of enviable things!]
"I know why you're saying that, but she didn't mean it in the way you're thinking."
Irion and Iskalon bickered back and forth.
Only Renoa seemed unable to grasp the situation.
"What are you all talking about? Speak clearly."
"Um.... Young Lady-nim? That part about Irion-nim being yours. What exactly did you mean by that?"
"He's a slave, so it means he's my property as his master. Is there any other interpretation?"
"Is that really all you meant?"
"Stop stalling and just say it."
Elody said with a beaming smile.
"I thought you were making a lover's declaration, like 'Irion is my man, so don't anyone else look at him!'"
"......What?"
"I was thinking the same thing. A poignant love that transcends the status of slave and master. It's a romance of the century that would turn the Imperial social circles upside down."
Aether went even further, adding his mischievous two cents.
Only then did Renoa realize the nuance of the words she had carelessly spat out, and her eyes shook violently.
But that was only for a moment; Renoa quickly regained her composure.
"It's not like that. I was purely talking about ownership in a master-servant relationship. Don't be stupid."
"Young Lady. I'll keep it a secret from those around us, so don't worry too much. Love that transcends status, it's quite romantic, isn't it?"
"......."
"I apologize. That was a slip of the tongue."
Faced with a murderous gaze she had never encountered before, Aether immediately backed down.
Soon, Renoa turned her head at the flow of mana she felt behind her back.
Before she knew it, Irion had turned the mana he was playing with into the shape of a heart.
"I'm not exactly thrilled, but if Milady wishes, I shall try my best."
The air around Renoa wavered.
-Swaeek!
A blade of wind sliced the mana heart in half.
Renoa growled in a suppressed voice.
"Just once.... Just try opening your mouth one more time."
"......Mouth."
He got beaten up.
"I should just cut your tongue out or something. A knight only needs to be good at swinging a sword."
"Hing."
Irion had tried to play a little joke and suffered miserably for it.
Since it felt like he might actually become a sword-swinging doll if he joked again, he decided to stop here.
'For today.'
After some time, it would reset like a daily mission. He could do it again when her anger gauge dropped a bit.
'Joking with Renoa.'
In the past, he wouldn't have even dreamed of it, but her personality had certainly softened.
And since she had a bit of a tsundere streak, she was fun to tease.
"You there."
It was while the two were walking down the hallway. A middle-aged man called out to them.
He was wearing the instructor uniform of the Knight Academy. His gaze was fixed accurately on Irion.
"Were you calling for me?"
"Indeed. Are you the slave knight?"
"That is what I'm called. What is it?"
"I am Valdek, an instructor at the Knight Academy. I came because I have a favor to ask of you."
A favor from a Knight Academy instructor. Irion felt fatigue before curiosity about what it could be this time.
"If you have time to spare, could you spar with the students?"
"Me?"
"I have heard much of your skill. You showed a good performance in the last duel as well."
"Well...."
"Sparring with you will be of great help to the students. Above all, it will foster their desire for improvement."
The 'desire for improvement' Valdek spoke of wasn't simply growing by using the bitter taste of defeat as a foundation.
The core was 'I lost to a slave.' No matter how strong the opponent, losing is bound to be frustrating, and if it's to a slave, that feeling would be even more intense.
"I don't particularly want to."
Knowing that, Irion had no reason to accept the proposal.
In the past, he might have done it to increase his proficiency, but now he had reached a level where exchanging blows with students wouldn't even tickle.
It was a waste of time.
He'd rather go hang out with Elody.
"Do it."
But from the side, Renoa lightly trampled over Irion's opinion.
"Milady...."
"As someone standing in a high position, one must know how to bestow talent upon subordinates."
"Haah...."
Bestow talent, my foot.
Renoa's personality might have softened, but Irion knew better than anyone that her heart wasn't that kind.
It was obvious this was a strategy to use him to raise her own standing.
Irion, who could not refuse his master's command, eventually headed to the Knight Academy half-forced.
He sparred without rest with dozens of students.
Renoa sat not far away, leisurely watching Irion spar.
"Kyaa, look over there! Who is that knight?"
"They say he's the Edelheid slave knight. The one who defeated Young Lord Rubelius with just a finger the other day."
"Waa, I see. No wonder he's different from the others."
From a nearby seat, she heard the conversation of female students who appeared to be from the Knight Academy.
"Do you know his name?"
"No. Why?"
"He's totally my type. I'm going to ask for his name as soon as it's over."
At those fussy voices, Renoa clicked her tongue inwardly.
On the outside, she remained perfectly composed, but her mood was rapidly becoming unpleasant.
The fact that their blatant and excited gazes were following Irion was strangely bothersome.
Suddenly, the nonsense Elody had brightly tossed out during magic practice flashed through her mind.
The words about Irion being her man, so don't touch him.
'That's ridiculous.'
Renoa dismissed it without hesitation.
This is not affection.
It was closer to possessiveness.
Just as one wants to own a valuable object, it was merely a desire to possess Irion, who was a slave.
Of course, there was a sense of shame in even feeling possessiveness toward a slave, but what could she do?
Irion's skill was beyond doubt.
So, she would admit to possessiveness. But it was definitely nothing more than that.
Yes, there was absolutely no way she liked him.
Absolutely.
However, once started, Renoa's thoughts continued without end.
Had she felt this way when Irion talked to Aether?
Had she felt this way when Irion was friendly with the other candidates?
No.
She hadn't thought much of it then. It was an emotion that only arose when he was friendly with women.
If that was the case.......
'Jealousy...?'
Me?
Toward that mere slave brat?
It's an absurd leap of logic.
How could she, the Young Lady of Edelheid, the greatest magic family in the Empire, harbor such an ugly emotion toward a mere attendant?
So, this isn't something like jealousy. It's irritation. Irritation toward Irion, who doesn't understand his miserable situation despite being a slave.
Surely, that must be it.
Renoa shook off the distracting thoughts cluttering her mind and began to review Iskalon's teachings.
Pull mana from the mana circuit. Compress the mana that tries to scatter and lose control into a single point.
It seemed simple, but it was a technique requiring high concentration.
Beads of sweat fell from her forehead.
She unknowingly frowned.
It felt like it would scatter at any moment, but she didn't give up.
She was an Edelheid. She might not know about Irion, but she couldn't fall behind Elody, a commoner.
She could certainly achieve this much.
Just as Renoa, having put in so much effort for a long time, was on the verge of succeeding in creating a small sphere.
—Ping.
Suddenly, Renoa's vision distorted unpleasantly.
The shapes before her blurred like spreading paint, and her vision flickered into darkness for a moment.
"......?"
Renoa frowned reflexively in panic. When she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and opened them again.
Her vision had returned to clarity as if nothing had happened.
'......What was that?'
Renoa narrowed her eyes and blinked a few more times.
As expected, she felt no abnormality. It wasn't accompanied by dizziness either.
It was just that for a very brief moment, she couldn't see.
'Maybe some dust got in.'
Thinking it was probably due to the dust blowing from the training grounds, Renoa brushed it off as nothing significant.