Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Canteen Expansion (1)
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April had arrived.
Cherry blossoms and azaleas displayed their beautiful forms across the grounds.
On fine days, students would set out simple chairs on the lawns and enjoy tea time.
This was the period when the academy's new freshmen were gradually adjusting to university life.
I wasn't entirely sure, but there seemed to be plenty of special lectures for the newbies, and the salons were starting to recruit members.
And because of that, these were an utterly irritating annual recurrence for me.
These clueless idiots used every building on campus as a promotional tool for their salons.
Naturally, the outer walls and trees on the canteen grounds were prime targets too.
One night of sleep, and you'd wake up to flyers plastered everywhere around my home like a street food alley at dawn.
Playing at wizards, some even had flight magic that made them scatter if you tried to peel them off.
The popular salons ran on membership systems anyway, so without a recommendation, getting in was impossible.
And for hosting balls or exhibitions, they needed buildings—even if rented—so those had separate certification marks from their funded merchant houses or families.
Thus, the ones plastering ads like this were closer to your average club activities, with little ties to high society.
"Hmmm~."
When I went out in the morning to collect the flyers, Adella would stand beside me, scrutinizing the ones that caught her eye.
However, our little calf might have low wits, but her pride was subtly sky-high, making it hard to find a fitting one.
She pointed to a single sheet of paper in my hand and asked.
"What do you think of this one? It's a group for 'Research Activities on the Helzev Labyrinth'."
"Just pick something decent like this."
I pointed to the one buried underneath: 'Super Cowards' Haven'.
What kind of group names itself something like that?
"No way."
As expected, Adella made her refusal clear.
But her options didn't seem all that wide anyway.
"You've been kicked out of every single one after just a day, you know."
Indeed, the lingering halo from the confrontation war had drawn a flood of join requests to Adella just a few weeks ago.
But she shattered every expectation with spectacular flair.
In the classical music concert salon, her snoring birthed a muse all her own and drowned out the musicians.
In the art style research salon, she painted a vice piece titled 'Satan's Gate' with oils over three days and nights, transforming the entire salon into a devil-worship club.
She'd even joined one of the academy's most popular magic-related salons, only to inevitably rampage a 2nd-circle spell and send Professor Vincent—its supervising instructor—straight to the temple that very day.
Three days were all it took to silence the endless love calls.
"I left because I didn't like them. They just weren't big enough to hold my vessel!"
She was extra bitchy today.
In this peaceful April, one thing was certain: an invisible game of hot potato was underway at Pharenchia Academy.
"How about this one? It's a group for 'Investigating the Great War's War Heroes'."
Adella ripped off a flyer boldly stuck right to the door handle and thrust it toward me again.
It was her usual innocent demeanor, but one thing had changed about her.
The distance was subtly... closer.
"Looks like they do field trips to the history museum or the magic tower. Sounds perfect for skipping classes, right?"
A faint, fresh girlish scent wafted over my shoulder.
Her cufflinks weren't properly fastened, revealing a glimpse of white wrist from her sleeve.
A cape thrown on haphazardly, with the Four-Leaf Medal pinned crookedly.
Dirt clung to her shoes.
Even in this utterly defenseless getup, the brazen swell of her chest and the graceful curves dropping from beneath her skirt occasionally rattled my composure.
The Flower of the North Sea.
It was a nickname that suited her perfectly.
Come to think of it, her proportions were excellent, her bloodline top-tier, her face adorably pretty—the packaging was flawless.
The only problem was the contents.
"Teacher?"
Her upward gaze, body pressed fully against mine, brimmed with pure innocence.
Probably just me overthinking it.
Students didn't need as many supplies at the start of the semester, so the canteen had grown quieter by the day.
But I didn't spend that time idly.
Lately, I'd been planning to expand the canteen.
Ironically, it was because Darling the Luhillen Viscount had shelled out a hefty sum for popcorn during the recent confrontation war.
The plot of land stamped with my 'purchase' was far larger than the current building.
A few partition walls and some hammering, and expansion would be a breeze.
I planned to turn the extra space into a simple lounge cafe for tea and coffee.
The breads from the counter would sell well there too.
'The issue is the manpower shortage that always comes with business expansion...'
Truth be told, the canteen wasn't small, and covering it solo was getting tough.
So far, it'd limped along because there were no fixed operating hours.
But sudden absences like last time could happen anytime.
Prepping for that by hiring a reliable part-timer wouldn't be a bad idea.
Whatever—construction came first.
In the late afternoon before sunset, I closed up the canteen early and headed out of the academy.
I'd handle the hammering myself, but materials for the work and various cafe fixtures needed sourcing from merchants.
Selecting vendors like the bakery that delivered bread weekly was ideal, but with so many items, I had no intention of shopping around on foot.
That was best left to someone who knew the ropes better than I did.
A gentle hill and woods a bit removed from the city center.
The grand manor facing south belonged to the Luhillen Viscount—Penheim's richest man and lord of Pharenchia.
I entered the grounds as if it were natural. The guards spotted me but didn't interfere.
I wasn't here to see Darling. She was still at the academy.
Thud thud thud!
I knocked with the brass lion-head ring, and soon the door opened.
A neatly dressed butler with graying hair emerged from within.
He bowed deeply upon seeing me.
"It's been a while, family head."
"Quit with the family head nonsense. I'm here for something—mind if we talk?"
"You're welcome. Please, come in."
The old butler's name was Bill.
A loyal man who'd served the previous Luhillen Viscount for ages, he was Darling's closest confidant.
He wasn't just a mansion manager.
To lighten her load from academy life and lordly duties, he handled the merchant operations too.
"The lady of the house will return in about an hour. Care to join for dinner?"
"Guess I should head out before then."
Minus his habit of calling her the lady of the house and treating me like her spouse, he was a perfect butler.
"Did you walk here?"
"Yeah."
"Did you perhaps mention to any acquaintances that you were coming...?"
"Shouted it from the rooftops."
Last time, the carriage wheel had buckled for some reason, making the return trip a hassle.
Like his mistress, he occasionally extended shady tendrils, but his work was impeccable.
In the guest receiving parlor, a maid brought simple refreshments and tea.
I ignored them and got straight to business.
"Expanding the canteen this time. Need you to procure construction materials and a few fixtures."
"What for?"
"Serving simple tea or coffee."
"Oh ho, skilled in the tea arts as well? In that case, from one of our merchant-owned shops..."
"I'll handle staff myself. Don't worry about that."
He nodded to my request without the slightest hesitation.
"Prepare a list of needed items, and I'll have them delivered to the academy by wagon next week. Need interior design drafts too?"
"Pretty ones would be nice."
"I'll commission an expert then."
This wasn't some neighborhood tavern, after all. With nobles' discerning eyes, meeting basic aesthetic standards was a must.
"Here, payment."
"Haha, no need. This merchant house and mansion will all be yours someday—why take it now?"
"Won't happen, so quit yapping and take it."
I forced the pouch bulging with silver coins into Bill's hands.
Strictly speaking, it was all from Darling's purse anyway.
Disposing of it swiftly made for fine social contribution.
Business done, I stood promptly.
This crafty butler had said an hour, so Darling would arrive in thirty minutes.
No point risking a run-in and her usual tantrum—I'd head straight back to the canteen.
"Then I'm off. Thanks for handling it."
"I'll prepare a carriage."
"No need."
"At least let me see you out..."
Bill insisted on following me all the way out of the mansion.
A few servants were visible in the garden, watering flowers, but their numbers were few compared to the Luhillen house's prestige.
Finding the reason wasn't hard.
From the start, there was only one person in this mansion they attended to.
As I exited, my eyes caught two stone markers placed in the finest spot, overlooking the vast Pharenchia plains.
On the continent, countless bodies went unfound after the Great War.
Hence the custom: for graves without remains, adorning them with the deceased's personal effects and vibrant flowers to soothe the grief.
Cenotaphs for the missing.
The previous Luhillen Viscount hadn't died in the Great War itself, but his remains were never found.
And that was the heart-debt keeping me from being too harsh on Darling.
"Still no luck?"
"Yes. For seven years now, they've been turning over that western forest where monster waves hit every spring, but no progress."
"......"
"Don't trouble yourself over it. They were already gone by then, and all of Pharenchia was on the brink of ruin. Without you, Lady Darling would have perished too."
Bill's comfort didn't lift my mood much. What if I'd been just a bit more careful?
Before Pharenchia Academy was even built. Back then, anything demon-related made me utterly merciless.
"Take care, Louis."
Even after years of the old butler's sincere gratitude, that bitter regret lingered at my lips.
The girl's sobs as she dug through the ashes barehanded in the charred Black Forest still haunted me.