Chapter 44
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Mage of the Four Seasons Council (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-You've really done an outstanding job this time, Miss Lunaris.
A voice emanated from the palm-sized LCD panel: Vice-Captain Albert's.
The first long-distance call test for my 'Magic iPhone Walkie-Talkie ver' was, for the moment, a success.
-I've already heard all the details. You stepped in quickly before the mago-golem could rampage and suppressed it. You handled the matter perfectly.
The vice-captain showered me with praise until his mouth went dry.
But honestly, I wasn't all that impressed.
It felt awkward getting this much acclaim for taking down just one golem.
If anything, my first encounter with Her Highness the Princess had been far more suffocating.
"Eh, it was nothing much. It was just sturdy, so I crushed it with overwhelming mana output. That's all."
-Hoho, nothing much? The design schematics you submitted as evidence turned the Imperial Research Institute and even the Mage Tower upside down.
"Huh? That much?"
-If it had been completed according to those plans, it could've become a truly dangerous weapon. Theoretically, it would've been impervious to both swords and magic.
Suddenly, it hit me: if it was that impressive a weapon, the Empire might want to research it themselves.
"Just to be sure, you're not planning to study it and mass-produce it, are you?"
-Funny you should mention that. The idea actually came up, centered around the Mage Tower.
See? I knew it.
True to form for the Mage Tower, they go cross-eyed at anything mysteriously magical.
-They wanted to study the ancient magic circle while also bolstering the Empire's military strength.
"Hmm~"
But it failed, of course.
If it had succeeded, the original story would've mentioned it at least once.
And sure enough, Vice-Captain Albert muttered regretfully.
-The problem was, they discovered a fatal flaw during analysis.
"A flaw...?"
-If completed as designed, it would've been a monster that endlessly sucked in mana from the atmosphere.
"...!"
-In the worst case, the entire Imperial territory could've become a barren wasteland due to mana depletion.
Senior Estelle's account of how she obtained the golem's schematics suddenly came to mind.
It was shortly after the academy entrance ceremony when some shady person handed them to her, urging her to research diligently.
Vice-Captain Albert seemed to be thinking the same thing as he let out a deep sigh.
-Well, it's unlikely a single academy student knew about the risks... We're looking into the person who gave the schematics to Miss Estelle separately.
He murmured gravely about how it might be connected to the rumors of a resistance plotting to overthrow the Empire.
But I saw it differently.
The magic circle forming the core in the schematics felt sloppy, sure, but there was no malice in it.
"I wouldn't say it's hard to see the schematics as having a flaw..."
-Hm? What do you mean by that, Miss Lunaris?
"Well... You could just etch a few magic circles on the core to limit the mana absorption rate. Easy fix."
Of course, "just etching" them casually would give me a splitting headache, but it was still far simpler than converting it into a portable mana charger.
"Sure, the power output would drop a bit, but stability would skyrocket... Yawwwn."
I yawned lazily, muttering absentmindedly, when a loud cough came clearly through the walkie-talkie from Vice-Captain Albert.
-You're the only one who could casually talk about overlaying interfering magic circles on a completed one... Come to think of it, you submitted these schematics yourself, didn't you?
"Well... yeah?"
-You must've looked over the contents thoroughly before submitting. Did you copy them down somewhere?
"Why bother with something that tedious? I'd rather sleep in."
-Aha. So you memorized the whole thing wholesale.
"Whaaat..."
I couldn't exactly deny it.
What was I supposed to do? It just stuck after one read-through.
"...I forgot it all anyway."
If I admitted the truth, it'd just lead to unnecessary hassle, so I brushed it off vaguely.
Got proof I memorized it?
What could they do if I insisted I didn't know?
-Sigh. Fine, let's say that's the case. With your personality, you wouldn't go out of your way to build something like that anyway.
As expected of the vice-captain. He knew me too well.
-Anyway, enough about the golem... I hear you're getting along splendidly with Her Highness lately.
"Eh, we've gotten somewhat acquainted."
-Haha. More than somewhat, from what I hear. Word is you're practically glued at the hip these days.
He was right.
During my suspension, I'd spent a good chunk of my daily routine with the Princess, closing the distance between us considerably.
Lately, she was even calling me "Luna" like Senior Miriel did.
And she was subtly—no, blatantly—insisting I drop the formal speech... It was getting burdensome.
-So why avoid Her Highness all this time if you get along so well now?
"I wasn't deliberately avoiding her..."
-Is this some strategy? That push-pull thing trending in high society?
"It just happened that way. More importantly, how do you know so much about it?"
Then what was the point of my regular reports?
-Ah, well, I'm personal acquaintances with the captain of Her Highness's guard detail. We catch up now and then.
A dry chuckle came through the walkie-talkie.
-Not long ago, he was sighing nonstop about how tough academy life was for the Princess. But last time he contacted me, he was grumbling that she's too close to you now and it's worrying.
"Ahaha..."
-Well, I'm sure you'll handle it fine... But if I may offer a bit of unsolicited advice out of old-man worry: don't get too close to the Third Princess.
The offhand remark, dropped casually as if it were nothing, carried real weight.
"Didn't you tell me to get friendly with her before?"
-I did say that, but I didn't expect you'd get this close.
Vice-Captain Albert continued with a sigh.
-Getting deeply involved in Imperial affairs never ends well. Factional infighting—if you get tangled up wrong—doesn't stop at mere annoyance.
"Wha~t? I'm being careful."
Truth be told, I wasn't too concerned.
The original story didn't delve deeply into Imperial power struggles anyway.
Main-level episodes involving other royals besides Princess Celestina were:
The Crown Prince, said to be missing, returning at the head of the Black Mages.
The Second Princess suddenly assassinated, with the First Princess implicated.
And the Second Prince trying to swallow up Senior Miriel's family.
...Wow, listing it out like this, a lot does go down.
The silver lining: amid all the Imperial chaos, things around the Third Princess and Kyle stayed surprisingly quiet.
Classic youthful hot-blooded growth story.
Classic academy harem tale...!
No room for headache-inducing political intrigue.
Of course, I couldn't completely let my guard down.
Who knew what happened beyond Kyle's line of sight.
Plus, the butterfly effects from my timeline tweaks were unpredictable.
-If things get messy, just join the Imperial Mage Corps. You know there's nothing as politically safe as an Imperial agency?
"Even if you say that, I'm not joining the Mage Corps."
-Argh. That was my ace in the hole, and you won't budge.
Vice-Captain Albert let out a wry, regretful chuckle.
-Well, the talk dragged on, but the point is: you're doing exceptionally well right now.
The polar opposite of his sighs early semester about me only causing trouble.
-Keep it up just like this. Tend to academy matters, look after the Princess, attend lectures, do your research.
So you're saying it's fine to keep skipping lectures on the sly like now?
Is this official permission from the vice-captain?
-Oh, and this Magic iPhone? Magic Walkie-Talkie? Whatever you call this magitech communicator—its performance is top-notch. Impressive.
"Ah, it's still unfinished."
-Is it? The audio quality is pristine, mana efficiency outstanding. I love it. Honestly, I'd deploy it Empire-wide as is.
"No video yet. Anyway, once it's done, mind testing it for me?"
I glanced down at the walkie-talkie.
On the transparent glass panel powered by mana, an incomplete circuit flickered faintly.
It even smelled faintly burnt—still full of issues.
With so much demanding my attention,
I had no bandwidth left for Imperial enemies or court intrigues.
*
"Lady Miriel, did you see? The exam results just went up on the student council hall bulletin."
In the salon of the main Political Department building, where poli-sci students gathered,
Students began buzzing at the news someone brought.
Elterion Academy's long-standing tradition: after every exam, plastering all students' rankings and scores for all to see.
A barbaric custom utterly ignoring student privacy.
The administration trotted out excuses like ensuring fairness and transparency for scholarships and top dorm spots.
Truth was, it was just to whip lazy nobles into shape.
Commoners were already the type to risk life and limb clawing for top grades.
Nobles, though? They coasted through life without studying and ignored nagging to hit the books, noses in the air.
But they obsessed over face and honor.
So if they heard some kid from a neighboring fief cracked the top ten while they wallowed in the bottom, they'd have no choice but to crack a book.
Another reason: to solidify the influence of top scorers—especially department heads—in the academy.
After all, authority stemmed from visible numbers and rankings.
"Lady Miriel's name was right at the top, as expected!"
"Congratulations, milady~"
"And not just among second-years? No one in the whole academy could top her."
Miriel smiled faintly out the window, unmoved by the praise.
"Well, as it should be."
Some departments had fierce head-to-head races, but in second-year poli-sci—where she held ironclad reign—no one could touch her.
The gap with second place was so vast it felt embarrassing to even call it competition.
So exams were beneath her notice.
By second year, no one got worked up over midterms anyway.
A year at Elterion taught you the first exam of the year was no big deal.
Of course, the freshmen must've been dying throughout.
It was their first academy test—determining if they'd get thrashed by family elders or not.
Plus, the glorious "Top New Student" title from entrance exams
could flip to "Top First-Year" with a new owner.
Miriel set down her teacup and asked,
"So, how'd the other years' tops do?"
"Same as always. The third-year student council president, fourth-year Sir Gaius—all dominant."
One of Miriel's hangers-on reported eagerly.
She seemed thrilled her admired lady addressed her directly.
"But... the first-year top spot looks shaky."
"Oh? Tell me more about that."
Miriel's eyes narrowed with interest.
She rarely took notice of anyone.
And Lunaris was one of the precious few to catch her discerning eye.
If Lunaris had yielded top spot,
it was probably because the duties bored her and she tossed it on purpose.
She'd totally do that.
So steadfast, Miriel chuckled inwardly.
That said... was there really a first-year who could edge out Lunaris?
...Doesn't seem like it.