Chapter 427
Chapter Title: The Eccentric Senior and the First Guests
-----------------------------------------------------------------
427.
The Flove family's territory was a peaceful, rural estate.
The estate boasted vast vineyards where high-quality grapes were cultivated.
The wine produced from these grapes was quite popular throughout the kingdom.
“Oh, wow. This wine cellar is incredible.”
Kyle exclaimed as he looked around the Flove family's main wine cellar.
“Isn't it? I was getting bored of waiting, so it's a relief they have some good wine, don't you think?”
Kyle turned his head toward the voice coming from one corner of the wine cellar.
His eyes widened when he saw the mage standing there.
“Senior Torua?”
“Hello, Kyle Thomas. Juen told me you helped her out a lot.”
Torua, a member of the Southern Magic Tower, greeted Kyle warmly, as he had been the mentor to Juen, the tower master's daughter.
“I just did what I had to as a mentor, that’s all.”
“What are you so excited about?”
“Hey, Leo. It’s Senior Torua. Senior Torua.”
Kyle said in an elated voice in response to Leo.
“She’s the beauty who was always competing with Senior Elena for first and second place in the Magic Department's popularity rankings until last year!”
“So?”
“While no one dared approach Senior Elena because she was scary, Senior Torua was kind to many of the younger students. Still, it was hard to even strike up a conversation with her as a first-year. To think I'd meet her like this after she graduated.”
As the vice president of the student council and one of the top five strongest students at Lumerne, Torua had been in a position that first-years hardly dared to approach.
This was especially true for Kyle, who had been perennially last among his peers.
Leo shook his head as he looked at Kyle's moved expression.
Smiling at Kyle, Torua set down her wine glass and approached him.
“What a good junior, knowing how to respect a department senior. Look, Leo. You should learn from your friend. What's with that lukewarm attitude toward your senior?”
“I'm not in the Magic Department.”
“True, you must be busy with your duties as student council president. In any case, I'm glad this year's president is from the Magic Department.”
Leo decided to just go with it.
He already knew that Torua was not someone you could reason with.
“Kyle Thomas. I want to repay you for the help you gave Juen.”
Torua extended both hands, took Kyle’s, and smiled.
Kyle looked shy as he gazed at Torua, who exuded a mature atmosphere.
“You really don't have to.”
“No, no. I’ll repay you. You're proficient in alchemy, so how about you and I test some potions?”
“It would be an honor to have your help, Senior Torua!”
“Yes, Kyle. What do you think is the most fundamental quality of a mage?”
“Inquiry?”
“Good, very excellent. And what action do we take to pursue that inquiry?”
“...Experimentation?”
“Incredible, just incredible.”
Torua clapped her hands in admiration.
At her reaction, Kyle scratched his head and smiled.
Torua, looking at him with a slightly flushed face, felt like a child despite being his senior.
“Then what's the most important thing in that experimentation?”
“Research, I guess.”
“No, a test subject.”
The moment he heard those words, Kyle sensed that something was very wrong.
“Kyle, you inherited Lord Dweno's alchemy book, right? Weren't there any dangerous potions in there, or maybe some with ambiguous effects that require a test subject?”
“No, there weren't.”
“Mhm, that’s a lie.”
Torua, who had already decided on the answer, smiled brightly at Kyle.
Kyle didn't hesitate; he ran.
But he was caught by Torua almost immediately.
“L-Leo! Help me!”
“Ehehehe! You're not going anywhere.”
Torua let out a witch-like laugh as she held onto Kyle, who was screaming with a pale face.
Leo looked at his friend with pity and said.
“You won't die.”
“Leo's right. Would I really kill a junior? You might feel like you're dying, though.”
“I don't want that either?!”
Leaving behind Kyle, who was screaming in terror, Leo exited the wine cellar.
If it weren't Kyle, she would undoubtedly latch onto him instead.
Leo knew all too well that a mage awakened to the joys of inquiry was the most troublesome existence of all.
‘Kyle, let's do a magic experiment.’
Leo shook his head, recalling Luna smiling brightly, her hands filled with all sorts of experimental tools.
A short while later.
Kyle, having barely escaped from Torua, came out of the wine cellar and asked.
“Why in the world is Senior Torua here?”
“I believe she was invited to be an instructor for the training retreat this time.”
“Senior Torua?”
“Yes. Besides her, Senior Lis, Senior Ulta, and Senior Jamua will be coming too.”
Kyle clicked his tongue at the news that last year's graduates were coming as instructors.
“Don't tell me graduates from other hero academies are coming too?”
“Wouldn't that be the case?”
“This is going to be insane.”
Kyle shook his head.
Last year's graduates from not only Lumerne but also Seirun, Azonia, and Demian were all hero candidates who had been making great strides since graduating.
To think that they would all be coming.
“I wonder if this is going to turn into another competition between the schools.”
Leo, who had planned this training retreat through Melina, smirked to himself.
‘Of course it is. That’s why I called them.’
***
That evening.
A second guest arrived at the mansion on the Flove family estate.
“Hmph, what a complete countryside estate.”
Eliza, standing before the mansion door, scoffed lightly and knocked.
A moment later, the door opened, and Reina appeared.
“Oh my? And who is this pretty young lady?”
“Hello, my name is Eliza Hergin.”
Eliza showed her respects to Reina, who greeted her warmly.
Her etiquette was impeccable, as she knew that Reina was a senior who had graduated from Lumerne long ago.
“Ah, I remember now. You're a student from the Summoning Department, right? Please, come in.”
Reina welcomed Eliza cheerfully and led her into the mansion.
As they passed through the main entrance and headed to the living room, they found Leo and Kyle there.
“Ooh, Eliza.”
“Hmph, so you were here first, Kyle Thomas.”
When Kyle greeted her happily, Eliza just scoffed.
“You're early. The gathering isn't until tomorrow morning.”
“I despise crowds. Well, I'm not thrilled about being with you either… but I figured Kyle Thomas would be here early.”
Eliza spoke in her characteristic sharp tone, then greeted Reina.
“Thank you for your guidance, Lady Reina Flove.”
“You must be tired from your journey. Please rest comfortably.”
Since the Flove estate didn't have a warp gate, one had to travel a long distance from a neighboring territory.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Eliza bowed gracefully, befitting the heir of a renowned hero family representing the northern region of the continent.
Then she approached the sofa in the living room and sat down next to Kyle.
Seeing this, Reina covered her mouth and smiled.
Eliza began to groom her nails and said.
“Tea.”
When Kyle just stared at her blankly, Eliza spoke.
“I already purchased your errand service for the next semester, you know?”
“Ah, that's not valid during the break.”
“Hmph.”
Eliza reached into her clothes and pulled out a white piece of paper held between her index and middle fingers.
“I will serve you with utmost devotion, Young Lady.”
Kyle snatched the check and hurried off.
“Leo Flove, since this training retreat is being held in your territory, I assume you've had some discussions with the Dragon Lord?”
Eliza said, still tending to her nails.
“What's the plan for the retreat?”
“The goal is for everyone to get at least a little closer to their own ideals during this retreat. In your case, Eliza, your first goal was to form a contract with a Pegasus, right?”
“Hmph, just because you contracted with a Pegasus, you speak as if it's so easy.”
“Aren't the preparations for the contract all finished?”
Leo grinned.
“The medium and the contract target are already prepared, aren't they?”
The Hergin family had a long history of forming contracts with the three great Mythical Beasts.
Among them, Eliza had the aptitude to be a contractor for a Pegasus.
Just as Leo said, the Pegasus and the medium for the contract had been prepared from the moment she became the heir.
“All that’s left is for you to be ready, isn't it?”
“You.”
Just as Eliza was about to get worked up at Leo's provocative words.
“You shouldn't, Young Master Leo. Miss Eliza is rather straightforward, so if you provoke her like that, she'll immediately do something reckless.”
“Aaaaaah?!”
Eliza shrieked in surprise at the voice that came from right beside her.
Somehow, Chen Xia was now sitting next to her, smiling brightly.
“Xia! How many times have I told you not to startle me by appearing so suddenly!”
As Eliza glared and shouted in a high-pitched voice, Chen Xia cupped her own cheeks and said.
“But your surprised reactions are so cute, Miss Eliza.”
“Please stop finding them cute.”
Eliza looked slightly repulsed by the hint of sadism in Chen Xia's eyes.
“What's going on?”
Reina came into the living room after hearing Eliza's scream.
Chen Xia stood up and performed the traditional Eastern greeting of covering her left fist with her right hand.
“Hello, Lady Reina. I am Chen Xia. We met once before, do you remember?”
“Of course, I remember. I've heard a lot about you since then, too.”
“Did Young Master Leo speak much of me?”
Chen Xia asked, her eyes wide, but Reina shook her head.
“No, it was Kyle.”
Kyle, who had brought a tea set by then, made a V-sign at Chen Xia.
While Kyle handed the tea set to Eliza, Reina asked.
“So, Miss Xia, what is your relationship with my son?”
“I am assisting Young Master Leo with all my body and soul.”
“Pfft. Cough! Cough!”
Eliza, who had been sipping her tea, involuntarily spat it out.
“What! You're a student!”
As Eliza's face turned red and she stammered, Kyle smirked slyly beside her.
“Leo is a benefactor to Xia. What are you imagining… Ugh!”
Eliza jabbed Kyle in the side with her fist.
Hearing Chen Xia's words, Reina placed a hand on her cheek, a slightly troubled expression on her face.
“Son, first you had Celia working as your maid, and now an older girl says she's serving you with body and soul. Mom's a little worried about your tastes, dear.”
“What do you mean, a maid?”
Kyle, who was clutching his side and groaning, widened his eyes.
Leo sighed at his mother's words.
“Celia volunteered to be my maid because she lost a bet, and Xia insists on doing this even when I tell her not to. What does any of that have to do with my tastes?”
“What do you mean about Miss Celia?”
“What about Celia Jerdinger?”
Chen Xia and Eliza both asked at Leo's words.
“Last year, Celia served as Leo's maid for a short while. It was so adorable. I even took pictures, want to see?”
“Yes! I bet she looked so cute.”
Chen Xia said with a bright smile, and Reina went to find the photos.
Eliza, too, seemed interested as she glanced in Reina's direction.
Watching this, Leo said.
“My, our classmates get along so well.”
“What does?”
“They're always trying to find a weakness to tease you about.”
“And that's what you call getting along?”
Kyle, still clutching his side, looked dumbfounded.
“Of course it is.”
‘It’s going to be chaotic tomorrow.’
Kyle shook his head, picturing Celia shouting with fire in her eyes.