10. Karelai Academy
10. Karelai Academy
"I-I-I... Wh-what do I do? I'm so nervous!"
"This is bad."
"Ugh, ugh! My lady, aren't you nervous? Is it just me?"
"I'm nervous too."
"My lady, you are completely terrible at lying!"
"...Hey. You're being loud, so wait outside."
"Hing..."
"Hurry up and get out. I'm changing."
"Shall I help you dress?"
"Stop saying crazy things and wait in the room."
"Nyeh..."
The year had changed twice.
Which meant the academy entrance exam day was approaching.
And, like this.
HUMMM—
My Tier had risen enough that I could draw out clear Mana outside my body.
"It is impressive, though."
I let out a despairing admiration as I looked at the cherry-blossom-colored Mana blooming above my hand.
The quality of the Mana, the quantity—everything was vastly superior to my Past Life.
And the growth speed was terrifyingly fast.
That's an absurd level of talent.
But.
Why does it have to be pink?
My hair, my eyes, my Mana—all of it is pink.
Well, I can accept that the hair and eye color are Eustetia colors and there's nothing to be done about it, but the Mana is a bit much, isn't it?
When I was Ronan, did all that overflowing testosterone just die or something?
"Ha..."
I sighed and looked into the mirror.
"I didn't get any taller either."
The black line drawn on the mirror.
My head, just barely reaching below it, told me my height.
Somewhere around 140cm.
I'd be short enough to be mistaken for a Dwarf if I stood next to one.
For a Martial Artist, a tall frame would be the one advantage, and I don't even have that.
Arisa, who was tall, had long limbs.
On the other hand, I'm short, so my limbs are short too.
My body's the same.
Still sleek, soft, with thin lines.
...Squishy.
I just couldn't put on muscle.
I stuffed myself with meat and milk like crazy and my height didn't change—does that make any sense?
Of course, my muscles did grow.
It's just that the amount is pathetic.
And my bone structure changed a little too.
A bit more feminine.
"Goddammit."
Grinding my teeth, I changed clothes.
Still, I consider it fortunate that my chest hasn't gotten bigger. It would only get in the way when fighting.
The one growth I'm satisfied with...
Looking at how my growth had stalled, I finished getting dressed.
Now, it was time to tie up my hair.
Hmm.
Still, I won't be able to see her for a while now.
I had been about to ring the bell to call Sara, but I immediately got up and left the room.
Grabbing the hair tie on the desk as I went.
"My lady, are you not tying your hair?"
Sara, who had been waiting for me in front of the door, tilted her head and asked.
Without answering, I shook the hair tie in my hand.
Sara understood the meaning right away, smiled warmly, and bowed.
"You've made a good decision."
"What good decision."
*****
Swish— swish—
The pleasant strokes of the brush swept through my hair, almost making me hum.
"What brought this on, making our Eli come ask her mother to tie her hair?"
I rolled the candy in my mouth to one cheek and opened my mouth.
"...It's not that some wind blew in. I won't be able to see you for a while. So... that, um... well. I wanted to do this."
"Fufufu. You missed your mother?"
"That's not it."
Even at my firm answer, Mother giggled.
Other people were one thing, but Mother was strangely difficult to deal with.
It's, how should I put it.
No matter what I did, I always felt like she had me completely at her mercy.
She sees through my thoughts to an uncanny degree.
On the other hand, I can't figure out what Mother is thinking.
Even I, who had dealt with many people and been backstabbed countless times, couldn't grasp Mother's true feelings.
Well... I knew perfectly well that she cherished me and cared about me.
"I expected as much, but it seems you're not worried. I've never once seen you studying. Will you be all right, Eli?"
"Yes. I'll be fine."
Studying.
I had studied together with Eurasia, but since I already knew everything, I quit as soon as we started.
Imperial history?
I lived through the era that appears in its background.
Demon ecology?
The human who killed the most Demons is me.
Besides that, there were many subjects like the history of the Sacred Relics and methods for subjugating Monsters.
I decided there was no need to bother.
Because it was written that if your combined practical and written score exceeded 140 points, you passed.
Just in case, I sent someone to check, and I received confirmation from the academy that my understanding was correct.
It meant that if I scored 100 points on the practical and just 40 on the written, I'd pass.
The subjects I'd get 40 points from would be imperial history and Demon ecology.
So I spent the remaining time focusing on personal training and sparring.
Thanks to that, Eurasia's fighting style changed to suit my taste.
To the point where even the original Eustetia Forms Eurasia had learned became faint.
Eurasia said she felt a little gloomy about that change, but I'm very pleased with it.
She actually got stronger too.
Though she still gets wrecked by me.
Anyway.
I wasn't the slightest bit worried about the entrance exam.
Passing is guaranteed.
According to Sara, I need to enter as the top student to keep up appearances, but I don't think there's any need for that.
The top few scorers apparently received scholarships or something like that, but I didn't need one.
That kind of thing should go to people who need it.
Apparently, noble children also refused scholarships.
On the other hand, Eurasia is aiming for a scholarship.
Of course, I told her Eustetia would pay her tuition. Sir Karon, the First Knight Order captain, said the same thing.
Even so, Eurasia indirectly refused, saying she would attend with her own money.
Then, aiming for the scholarship, she said that since she was doing it anyway she'd become the top student, and she worked hard while cutting back on sleep.
For a thought she had at seventeen, it's remarkably admirable.
"Is that so? Our Eli is amazing, isn't she?"
Before long, Mother finished brushing and tied my hair with skillful hands.
Not pulling at my scalp.
But not loose either.
"There. All done."
Then she gently stroked my hair.
Smack.
"Gah?!"
She kissed my cheek.
"At the academy, there's no formal distinction of status, so there will be plenty of uncomfortable situations. Of course, you won't care about that kind of thing, Eli, but still, be careful. Even if you don't start anything, you could still get caught in the crossfire."
"...Yes."
Rubbing my twin tails that hung below my waist, I answered, feeling awkward for no reason.
"Even if you only do good, when you're in a high position, you can't please everyone."
"Well... that's inevitable."
"And if you ever feel like you really can't stand it, you can just do as you've always done. You don't need to endure things because of the Eustetia name. Your mother and father will handle the aftermath, so don't worry."
Just keep doing what I've always done.
That means charge in headfirst when I'm pissed.
"You can do well, right?"
The entrance exam.
The academy.
Charging in headfirst.
I didn't know which of the three she meant, but I answered for now.
"Of course."
"Yes. Mom believes in our Eli."
"...Thank you."
The candy in my mouth tasted especially sweet today.
*****
We were leaving to take the exam that would be held three days later.
Since Eurasia and I were certain we'd pass, once we left today, we wouldn't return to the Eustetia Duchy until vacation.
So, we were saying goodbye to everyone.
I demanded to know from Sara why we had to do all this, but apparently it has to do with family honor and this and that, so we had to.
"...Eli. Even if you miss your father, you must endure it well."
Father, his eyes brimming with tears, held my hand tightly and sobbed.
The one who needs to endure missing someone is clearly Father, no matter how you look at it.
"Yes. But I'll come back during vacation, so you'll see me soon."
"V-vacation?!"
"Yes. Vacation."
"Wh-why won't you come home on weekends?"
"Why would I bother going back and forth? If you're really curious, we can just exchange letters."
Despair settled over Father's face.
"St-still... wouldn't it be better to see each other's faces?"
"Why go that far? Being apart and seeing each other after a long time makes it more special."
I giggled.
Bowed to Father.
Bowed to Mother.
I gave the Knight Order a knight's salute.
Then, the knights who had been comforting a wailing, sobbing Eurasia hurriedly returned the knight's salute.
Eurasia also saluted, sniffling all the while.
But why is she doing that when she's leaving with me?
"Anyway, I'll be going."
Just as I was about to turn around after my final farewell.
Father hesitantly approached and spoke carefully.
"Eli. Before you go, could I... could I hug you just once?"
If I don't even do this, Father will be really hurt.
And, well. A light hug isn't weird even for a son to do.
On the battlefield, I often saw knights hugging their parents when parting.
So, yeah. This much is fine.
I immediately turned and hugged Father.
Since Father is just under two meters tall, trying to hug him made it look like I was the one being held, but still, I was the one doing the hugging.
"Kh, sniff... Eli, thank you. Thank you. Be careful out there. If anything happens that you can't handle, or anything serious comes up, contact me right away. I'll do whatever it takes to help you."
"Yes... but don't throw away the family."
"No, if I can protect our Eli, I don't even need the family. So be sure to tell your father. Understood?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"Spend money freely too. Eat lots of delicious things with Eurasia. If you run short, contact me anytime."
"Thank you."
"See lots of sights, too. Be careful around carriages, people, and dark roads. All right?"
"Yes."
"And Eli. You are our family's cherry blossom. The only cherry blossom of Eustetia. Remember that your father—Turius Eustetia, head of House Eustetia—will always have your back."
"...Yes."
"Lastly, be careful of men. Our Eli is so pretty and cute and kind that this father—"
"Agh! Stop! Stop!! I get it, so let go."
I squirmed and pushed Father away, then nodded vigorously.
"I get it, so don't worry so much. And I won't get a boyfriend even with a knife to my throat, so stop worrying about weird things."
At the words that I would absolutely never date a boyfriend, the brightest smile spread across Father's face.
"Ha, hahahahaha! Right. Understood. Thank you, Eli."
What's he thanking me for...?
And.
They're all going to be brats, so what romance?
No, seriously. Why the hell would I date a man? Am I crazy?
I am a man.
Even if my body is like this, I am a man.
Inside me, the manly Ronan with testosterone still pumping lives on.
Besides, including my Past Life, I have no intention of dating in this life either.
I'm busy as hell trying to kill the Demon King, so what romance?
The academy is a place for learning something.
It's a sacred ground of learning.
And you date in a place like that?
Those people are all rotten.
They keep saying it's an era of peace, an era of peace, and now kids these days date even in places of learning?
In my day, I couldn't even dream of that.
The world's gone to hell. Gone to hell.
Tsk, tsk.
As I clicked my tongue inwardly, Mother, who had been behind Father, spread her arms.
"Eli?"
I let out a small sigh and ended up hugging Mother too.
"You remember what I said earlier?"
"Yes."
"Good. Still, I can't help being worried."
"I understand."
"Fufu."
Mother, who had been rubbing her cheek against mine, whispered in a very small voice.
"Eli. The Eustetia family has many collateral branches. You'll probably meet them at the academy too. They'll be easy to recognize. Their color is paler than yours, but in the end, they carry the same Eustetia color."
With those words, Mother pulled away from me.
She only said there were collateral branches and didn't continue, but I completely understood what she meant.
So this time, I answered with sincerity.
"Don't worry."
"Okay."
Mother also nodded, carrying the feeling that she trusted me.
After that.
The carriage carrying a total of three people departed, including Sara, who had strongly insisted she would attend to me until the entrance results came out.
The coachman is Sara.
Apparently she knew how to drive a carriage too.
"Sniff... sob... My lady, you're not even crying..."
"Why would I cry? It's not like I'm going off to die."
"But still... it's sad... hic."
"Everything's sad to you. Wipe your nose. Don't drip snot in the carriage."
"Uuu... thank you..."
Eurasia blew her nose hard into the tissue I handed her, then rummaged through her bag.
Then she took out something wrapped in a small cloth.
Wondering what it was, I waited quietly until Eurasia opened it.
"...Why did you bring eggs and cookies?"
It was a pile of eggs and cookies.
No, she could have told another servant and had them put it in a proper container—what's with the shabby cloth?
"Huh? Of course I had to bring them! Especially boiled eggs are an essential item you can't leave out on a carriage trip! Here, drinks too!"
"...Really?"
Has that kind of culture developed these days?
We didn't have that in my day.
No, even if people did pack food, they didn't pack fragile things like eggs or cookies.
At most, it was jerky or dried-out bread scraps.
And alcohol to warm the body.
"Here. My lady, have one too. I brought one for you as well."
"Did you boil these yourself?"
"Yes!"
I hesitated for a moment, then accepted the egg Eurasia offered.
And the moment I tapped it against the carriage wall to crack it—
"Huh? Hey, you! This isn't even cooked!"
A lump of undercooked egg ran down the wall.
"Oh no! I'll eat it!"
"Wh-what? Huh? You actually just gulped that down. Why are you eating something that fell on the ground? Are you some kind of beggar?"
"Eek... it's a habit... sorry. And it didn't fall on the ground yet..."
"I used to do that too, so there's nothing to be sorry about, but you're a knight—what kind of habit... haa. Forget it. Don't eat stuff like that from now on."
"Hing..."
"What 'hing.' I'll buy it for you, so don't eat stuff like that from now on."
"Gasp. My lady, you're so cool."
Leaving the beaming Eurasia behind, I looked out the window.
The sky was clear, and the weather was cool.
"My lady. This time it's a really cooked egg."
"Piss off. I'm not eating it."
"But it was probably cooked really, really well! The yolk would be moist and the white soft and tender. How good would that be?"
"...Then you peel it for me, Eurasia."
"Heehee. Yes!"
As for the egg Eurasia had boiled and peeled for me herself...
It was a little undercooked, but it was delicious.