Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: A Mage's Ordinary Weekend (2)
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I finally devoured five egg tarts.
Only after stuffing the last piece into my mouth did I start to feel a bit more awake.
I patted my belly in satisfaction and swallowed that final bite with a gulp.
"Um, I know it's kinda late to ask, but..."
I was just suppressing a cough because a crumb seemed stuck in my throat.
The two people who had been watching me munch through the egg tarts one after another with fond smiles now approached hesitantly.
"What's your name, by any chance?"
They sure took their time asking, I thought.
Well, the timing had been awkward with all those sudden customers showing up.
"Me? My name is Lu—"
"Hey? Isn't that Luna?!"
At that moment, a cheerful voice called out to me from afar.
It was a familiar voice.
I whipped my head around, and through the gap in the crowd, I spotted Senior Estelle waving as she approached.
"Estelle? Wait, you know this girl?"
The male student blinked, looking back and forth between Senior Estelle and me.
Senior Estelle was suddenly right beside me, slinging her arm over my shoulder with a casual flick.
"Yup, of course! Let me introduce her. This is Lunaris Evermoon, my new apprentice!"
At Senior Estelle's words, the two froze with blank expressions.
They exchanged glances.
"Lunaris Evermoon? No way, the top freshman?"
"The one with rumors she's an upper mage?"
They spoke at the same time, and I found myself nodding awkwardly without thinking.
"Well, yeah, pretty much..."
A loud hiccup escaped me, followed by a sharp gasp.
Super obvious reactions.
"Is the rumor about skipping the entrance ceremony true too?"
"And that you've totally gotten on the bad side of the Linea Hall maids?"
I averted my gaze slightly and trailed off.
"That one's... kinda accurate too..."
My mouth felt a little sticky now.
Everything turns into a rumor, huh.
"Then the one about blowing up three academy buildings already?!"
"...I didn't blow them up. And it wasn't three."
I waved my hands frantically at the ridiculous claim.
Exaggerate much? I'm not some academy terrorist.
But thinking about it... the numbers did add up.
The magic hall auditorium, Linea Hall dorm, and yesterday's incident at the old Sepia Hall...
"Oh, it might actually be three."
"Eek!"
"Oh my god..."
The two students' faces grew paler at my sheepish admission as I scratched my cheek.
"Pfft! Haha! Look at my apprentice, already causing a ton of trouble!"
Unlike them, Senior Estelle laughed and patted my shoulder.
"It's fine, it's fine~ The Ma Engineering Department is all about accidents from professors to students. It's normal for something to blow up during experiments!"
"No, but still, demolishing three buildings with magic is a bit..."
The two pairs of eyes staring at me trembled mercilessly.
They'd been looking at me so warmly just moments ago as I ate my egg tarts.
Now they eyed me like I was a killer rabbit ready to slit throats at the slightest touch.
"Hey, if we're done here, mind if I take her with me?"
"Y-Yeah! S-Sure, go ahead!"
"Take her. Please, take her quick."
At Senior Estelle's nonchalant suggestion, they nodded vigorously like they'd been waiting for it.
"Um... I actually have other stuff to do..."
"Psh, we all know you'd just nap anyway. Come on, I'll show you something fun."
She ignored my opinion entirely, grabbing my arm and dragging me along.
For a total bro-con, her grip strength was surprisingly fierce.
"Nyaek?!"
And my body weight was way too light to resist that power.
*
Senior Estelle dragged me to a miscellaneous goods stall run collectively by Ma Engineering Department students.
This place had way more people than the others, displaying all sorts of bizarre parts and devices.
Surprisingly, there were more older folks who looked like professors than students.
A few stood in front of Ma Engineering items, droning on about potential and practicality—boring stuff.
"Hey, Estelle! Why'd you take so long? Break's been over forever."
A male student manning the stall spotted Senior Estelle through the crowd and immediately grumbled.
"We couldn't explain the Ma Engineering gear properly without you. You know how many potential sponsors we missed?"
"Sorry, sorry~ Not exactly a replacement, but I brought our shop mascot!"
She shoved me forward from beside her.
"This kid proved her sales skills at the next stall over."
"We're already swamped with people—bringing someone to draw even more crowds? What's the plan?"
He grumbled, then suddenly stared right through me.
"Well, she is cute, I guess."
"If you're thinking of hitting on her, give it up."
"Why? She taken?"
"Nah, but looks can be deceiving. She's seriously terrifying."
"Haha! What, is she that rumored top freshman or something?"
Senior Estelle rolled her eyes playfully and chuckled.
"Yup, exactly. Lunaris Evermoon. My new apprentice."
"...You didn't bring a mascot. You brought a shop bouncer."
The guy cleared his throat awkwardly and straightened up.
Proper manners drilled in.
Senior Estelle burst out laughing at his reaction.
Then she leaned toward me, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Get why I brought you here?"
"To help with the stall?"
"Not to make you work or anything. Just wanted to let you browse."
I glanced around.
Definitely full of intriguing stuff.
Couldn't tell what most did just by looking.
But a close look might reveal homages to modern conveniences from my past life.
Not impossible—this was a fantasy world based on the original novel, not plain medieval stuff.
They had beam projectors projecting thoughts, so why not others?
"So what are you doing here, Senior?"
"Kinda a side gig? Part-time job vibe..."
Senior Estelle picked up a random gadget from the floor and grinned.
"As you can see, selling Ma Engineering stuff I make in my spare time. No point letting it pile up in storage."
I snuck another peek at the wares.
I wasn't an expert, but I could tell the quality wasn't top-tier.
Hard to imagine the Ma Engineering Department's star making clearance-bin tools.
"Senior Estelle, there's a rumor you made Ma Engineering gear officially recognized by the palace. True?"
"Huh? Where'd you hear th— Oh, right. It's such a famous rumor, no avoiding it if you try."
Not from digging, just original knowledge, but anyway.
"Eh, that was just luck. Experiments don't always succeed."
She paused, looking around.
Confirming no one was listening, she whispered,
"Truth is, everything here is from failed experiments."
"...Huh?"
My surprised voice slipped out, and she quickly pressed a finger to her lips.
"Shh. Can't let customers hear."
She winked mischievously with a giggle.
"Great success always follows dozens, hundreds of failures."
I stared blankly, then nodded slowly.
Her fearlessness toward failure was kinda impressive.
"Anyway, can't just toss failures. I tweak the usable ones and sell 'em here."
Senior Estelle shrugged.
"Scholarships don't cover living expenses. And sometimes I wanna buy premium materials, not just academy basics."
She had this surprisingly pragmatic, resilient side.
Made her feel oddly relatable.
...Such a diligent person.
How the heck does she end up in that dangerous mess?
Still couldn't wrap my head around it.
*
When I entered Elterion Academy, I scheduled biweekly remote check-ins with Vice-Captain Albert Marselin of the Imperial Mage Corps.
A pain, but necessary for palace funding.
Today was the first regular report.
I infused mana into the communication orb, reflecting on the past two weeks.
"..."
Sigh.
Nothing to report?
Really uneventful. No clue what to say.
-Haaaah...
But the deep sigh from the orb sounded seriously displeased. Vice-Captain had plenty to say to me.
-Um... Miss Lunaris?
Lots he wanted to say.
Good thing faces weren't visible.
Eye contact would've been awkward as hell.
-I sent you to clean up incidents, not cause more. What am I supposed to do with this?
"Ahaha..."
-I've already gotten two reports. Two.
Our vice-captain seemed so gentle and mild during entrance exam results.
Now he was pissed.
-Demolishing a classroom wall during a class with the princess? Starting a magic duel with Dean Raymond Cloud in her dorm? What were you thinking?
...Wow.
Didn't seem like big deals at the time.
But phrased like that? Total catastrophe.
-Half-jokingly, rumors are circulating the palace that I planted someone to assassinate the Third Princess at the academy.
"There were circumstances, you know."
I yawned lazily and continued.
"And by making such a spectacle, doesn't it divert attention from Her Highness? Preventive effect."
-...You always have a clever excuse.
A sigh packed with every emotion.
-So, have you gotten closer to the Third Princess?
"...Ah."
Cold sweat broke out.
Forgot all about it.
Two weeks since Elterion Academy started, tomorrow's week three.
Yet I hadn't even spoken to Her Highness.
Not made her acquaintance.