A Lazy Guardian and the White Lion of Sirionella
At the very moment Arina boarded the magic train bound for the Mendelssohn Grand Territory with her friends, Kain was yawning so widely his mouth seemed ready to split, perfectly fused with the sofa as always.
The Academy Tournament opening ceremony was tomorrow. He wasn’t a participant like Arina, so there was zero reason to head there early and prepare. Of course, there wouldn’t have been any issue with a guardian tagging along the way Marily had brought a whole entourage of attendants.
What’s the point of squeezing in with the kids?
They would be busy enough today, their heads spinning from all the discussions to prepare for tomorrow’s matches. On top of that, the little one already had a timid streak and tended to get extremely nervous. As the opening ceremony drew closer, her face would probably drain of color from a heart she couldn’t keep under control.
In that case, it would be far better to show up midway through the tournament or simply join at the end. Even if he went, there was nothing for him to do among the children. The parenting book he’d read stated that in these situations, kids wanted to show their guardians how well they could perform. There was no need to appear early and add pressure by making her feel she had to do a good job.
Should I just leave around dawn?
The opening ceremony began at ten in the morning at the Mendelssohn Indoor Gymnasium. Pride had already sent the entry ticket to his smartphone, so all he had to do was scan the code. The magic train ride to the Mendelssohn Grand Territory took roughly four hours, so departing around four or five would let him arrive with time to spare.
With that thought, Kain set his smartphone down for a moment and rose from the sofa. He stretched until his joints cracked, loosening his stiff body, then scratched his belly as he slowly shuffled toward the kitchen where the refrigerator waited. He pulled out a bottle of cold water, took a swig, and suddenly let out a small “Ah” as something occurred to him.
Now that I think about it, if it’s the Mendelssohn Grand Territory, that one will be there.
Sloth of the Seven Deadly Sins. The one who spent at least twenty-three of every twenty-four hours lying in bed. The one so thoroughly steeped in laziness that she carried out the underworld tasks Pride forced on her without ever leaving her mattress. Back when Kain had unified the entire continental underworld and was pondering where to settle down, she had been the one who passionately sold him on the convenience and merits of the Ellemental Kingdom.
Nominally his subordinate, but in a sense it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her Kain’s hikikomori mentor. From what he’d heard in passing, she was living in the Mendelssohn Grand Territory these days. Incidentally, the goblin escape incident at the monster park in Mendelssohn territory earlier this year had apparently been a mishap caused by her dozing off while half-heartedly carrying out one of Pride’s orders…
If even Pride has half given up on her, that says everything.
Pride flipped his eyes inside out and charged forward without caring about fire or water whenever anything involved the Death King. If even he had thrown in the towel, there was no need to elaborate on just how hopeless a sloth she was.
Kain crushed the empty water bottle with a crunch and tossed it into the recycling bin. Then he let out another massive yawn and trudged back to the sofa. The sight of him flopping down again and picking up his smartphone was the very picture of a jobless freeloader.
Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.
They weren’t going to meet. If it had been Pride, the man would have somehow found out and come prostrating himself in an overbearing Grand Salute, but Sloth was different. Separate from her loyalty to him, she clearly wouldn’t care whether he visited the Mendelssohn territory or not. She had no intention of leaving her room, and Kain had no intention of seeking her out, so even if he went to the Mendelssohn Grand Territory they probably wouldn’t cross paths.
Thinking so optimistically, Kain once again spent the day idly wasting time exactly as usual.
Giant trees planted at regular intervals throughout the city. Countless overpasses crisscrossing the sky in every direction. A metropolis that cleverly separated pedestrian paths from roads used by automatic carriages into upper and lower levels, creating an atmosphere distinct from the capital Raymond despite being another major city—the Mendelssohn Grand Territory.
If one had to make a comparison, while the capital Raymond stood at the forefront of the continent as the center of magic engineering, the Mendelssohn Grand Territory could be called an eco-friendly city designed around the harmonious coexistence of nature and magic engineering.
“The population is probably higher in the capital Raymond, but the actual land area of the city itself is wider here.”
Unlike the capital, where skyscrapers soared high enough to pierce the heavens in order to house a dense population, extremely tall high-rise buildings were extremely rare in Mendelssohn, which had focused on developing its overpass network.
“Well, it’s not as if one form is inherently better or worse than the other.”
Each had its own advantages and disadvantages. Separating sidewalks and roadways above and below might look efficient and pleasant now, but it also created drawbacks—sunlight was blocked from reaching the ground, the sky appeared somewhat cluttered, and so on. Of course, the Mendelssohn Grand Territory had mitigated some of those flaws by planting street trees and creating pleasant scenery, but that was only possible thanks to the capable governance of the Mendelssohn Grand Duke. It didn’t change the fact that other cities would find it difficult to imitate this design.
“I see.”
Arina nodded as she listened to Marily explain the characteristics of the Mendelssohn Grand Territory in the manner of a tour guide. The cityscape visible from the transparent elevator—itself a modification of part of the bridge supporting the high overpass—certainly seemed to reflect the Grand Duke’s meticulous consideration in many places once Marily pointed it out.
A prime example was the luminous magic circles installed on the floors of the overpasses. They bathed the city in light like streetlamps, compensating for the sunlight blocked by the structures above. Just the annual maintenance costs alone appeared staggeringly high.
Perhaps it was because she had studied alchemy. The saying “you see as much as you know” seemed true; while she had been moved by the exotic atmosphere of Vivaldi Territory itself, this time her gaze unconsciously lingered on each individual system that made the city function.
“It’s like the whole city has been divided into a first floor and a second floor.”
The first floor was an eco-friendly urban space similar to Raymond National Park. The second floor contained the magic train platforms, airship docks, and sky roads for automatic carriages. If Kain had been present, he would have clicked his tongue and grumbled, “To create one efficient city, how much money are they wastefully burning in all the wrong places?”
“Mm, that’s an extremely accurate comparison.”
Marily gave a satisfied smile and nodded at Arina’s analogy.
“The sky roads of this city spread out in four major branches centered on the Mendelssohn Grand Duke’s residence in the middle of the territory.”
Although overpasses spread across the sky like a vast spiderweb, only four main roads led out of the city. All the others were merely side routes for getting around inside the city itself.
“Considering the location of the Mendelssohn Indoor Gymnasium, we should be in the eastern sector.”
Just as Marily said, when they stepped out of the elevator a sign came into view.
Mendelssohn Grand Territory East Side Train Platform
“Everyone! Please gather over here!”
They had just stepped off the elevator and were taking in the city when Professor Karlsen’s voice called from a distance. His tone was excessively bright, yet his haggard face was anything but. Gathering the students beneath a nameless giant tree, the professor unfolded a single sheet of heavily crumpled A4 paper and spoke.
“The lodging we’ll be using during the Academy Tournament is the Sunshine Sky Hotel. It’s a five-minute walk from the hotel where Professor Frankhorn’s group is staying.”
Whoa. Had he really written all the necessary information on that one crumpled sheet of A4? The professor in charge of the student council team appeared to have recorded everything in a luxurious notebook. The stark contrast made Jeon Raydel sweep a hand down his face, unable to hide his dismay.
“Professor Clara will be staying in the same lodging as us for the time being. If any physical abnormalities occur—no matter how minor—knock on the door of room 403 at any time, whether it’s night, day, or dawn.”
At Professor Karlsen’s words, Professor Clara’s expression crumpled fiercely. This bastard. Who gave him permission to run his mouth like he’s doing us a favor?
He’s dead. This bastard.
Professor Clara’s shadow twisted into something hideous for an instant. Yet her face wore a languid, benevolent smile. As expected of the underworld’s greatest assassin, her ability to conceal her true feelings was flawless.
“Especially you, student Arina?”
“Yes?”
“You don’t need to feel any burden at all, so don’t worry about being rude if it’s the middle of the night. Just kick the door open with a bang.”
Was this a joke? Should she laugh? At Professor Karlsen’s forced cheerfulness, Arina offered an awkward smile and glanced at Professor Clara.
“Please visit without hesitation~”
But unlike before, Professor Clara’s face after hearing those words was perfectly serene.
It’s fine if it’s the young lady.
She might even end up scolding herself for failing to notice beforehand if the young lady became ill. She had zero intention of opening the door for the other brats whether they were sick or dying, but for the young lady the door would always be wide open.
“Right, then shall we go catch some taxis? The platform isn’t far from here, so let’s walk with some spirit!”
Having apparently delivered all the important notices, Professor Karlsen stuffed the crumpled A4 sheet back into his pocket and turned around.
“Ah!”
It happened the moment the students began following him. Another magic train must have arrived; the crowd of people disembarking from the elevator had grown somewhat congested, and Arina bumped shoulders with someone. She let out a short cry and started to fall, but Jeon Raydel quickly caught her.
“Are you all right?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Fortunately she didn’t seem injured. Jeon Raydel breathed a sigh of relief, then glared at the other party with eyes as cold as ice. Following his gaze, Arina turned to look as well.
“......”
White hair that stuck out in every direction like a male lion’s mane. The most striking feature was the boy’s blank, four-white eyes that held no emotion beneath a somewhat dazed expression.
“......Sorry.”
His tone was completely flat. After delivering that desolate apology, the boy indifferently walked past Arina and Jeon Raydel.
Staring at his retreating back, Marily spoke quietly.
“Judging by the uniform, he appears to be from Sirionella Private Academy.”
Unlike Benedict Academy, a national institution founded by a great noble of the kingdom, Sirionella was a private academy established by an individual who possessed the qualifications of a great mage and had received royal permission. Among such schools, Sirionella wasn’t quite on Benedict’s level, but it was still a prestigious academy frequently mentioned by many people.
“Is he a participant in the tournament?”
“Most likely.”
Jeon Raydel, who had once again meticulously checked Arina’s body for injuries, answered Marily. His coldly frozen gaze followed the lion-mane-haired boy’s back as it moved farther away.
I’ll remember this.
To think he had nearly injured Arina. Although an apology had been given, it hadn’t contained a single ounce of sincerity. Jeon Raydel clenched his fist tightly, vowing to repay the debt during the tournament.
Should I kill that bastard?
Meanwhile, there was one person even more furious than Jeon Raydel. This time her expression management seemed to be failing. Professor Clara kept letting out soft “uhuhu” laughs. Sharp killing intent scattered around her like invisible blades.
“Please hold back, Professor Clara.”
Perhaps realizing that failing to stop her this time would lead to real trouble, Professor Karlsen desperately grabbed her arm and pulled her back while cold sweat ran down his spine. He shouted toward the students with all his might.
“Come, come! Let’s get going! Everyone!”
At Professor Karlsen’s frantic cry, the students slowly tore their eyes away from the lion-mane-haired boy and followed after him once more toward the taxi platform.