The First Night at the Academy (2)
Outside the window, the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.
"Uuuugh…!! Finally done."
"You've worked hard, My Lady."
Watching the fading light, Milia stretched her arms high above her head.
The academy tour that had begun with Arze had only just managed to wrap up after their final report to the headmaster himself.
"Worked hard? You're the one who got dragged all over the place the moment we arrived. You had it worse."
"I'm fine, My Lady."
Outwardly human, yet a dragon at the core. With a physique that far outstripped any ordinary man's, the day's exertions had been little more than a light stroll for him.
"Well, that's a relief, then. Let's see… I think we've visited everyone we needed to."
Arms folded, Milia let out a low hum of thought, then nodded and started walking.
"Come along. I'll show you the room you'll be staying in from now on."
"Yes, My Lady."
Schwarz followed Milia out of the main building. They passed through a corridor thronged with students spilling from classrooms, then walked for a good ten minutes along a long, straight path.
"Here we are. This is the student dormitory—and the place you'll be living from now on."
"It's enormous…"
Gazing up at the towering structure before him, Schwarz let out a quiet murmur of awe. The building easily rose more than ten stories; in sheer height it dwarfed even the academy's central main hall.
"Even so, every year there's a scramble because there aren't enough rooms."
"Uh… is it really all right? For someone who isn't even a student to take a room like this…"
"You don't need to worry about that. We went through the proper channels… for now, at least."
"…"
The casual "for now" niggled at Schwarz, but Milia simply flashed him a bright look and gave a cheerful thumbs-up, as if to say it was nothing to fret over. Best not to dig too deeply into that particular detail…
With that thought, Schwarz glanced at her. Milia pointedly avoided his gaze and set off toward the dormitory. He followed her inside.
The interior of the dormitory was far more ordinary than he had expected. A plain, unpretentious atmosphere, students in casual clothes gathered in small groups chatting here and there.
"It's a little different from what I imagined."
This was a world of nobles, after all. The classic scene of aristocrats sneering at commoners with lines like "We are nothing like you!" was practically a cliché. The sight before him felt unexpectedly normal.
"Inside the school, there are only students and teachers. That's one of Central Academy's founding principles."
"I see."
"Well… of course, there are still people who don't exactly welcome that ideal."
As Schwarz nodded in quiet admiration, Milia added the explanation. From the way she spoke, it seemed the sort of people he had imagined were not entirely absent.
"All right—hop in."
They crossed the corridor to its far end, where Milia stepped into a large cage-like contraption that looked for all the world like an oversized birdcage.
"This is…?"
"You'll see once you're on it."
Schwarz tilted his head at the unfamiliar device. Milia beckoned him in. He carefully stepped inside after her; the moment she pressed a button in the corner of the cage, it gave a heavy clunk and began to rise.
"Oh… this is…?"
"Neat, right? It's an automatic lift the Magical Engineering Department developed last year. Still in testing, so it's only installed in important places like the royal palace and the academy."
"Impressive."
An elevator, basically. Schwarz nodded to himself and watched the floors slide past outside the cage. Some students were gathered for a modest tea party; others played cards; a few sat apart, quietly reading. Aside from a handful of details, it looked little different from any dormitory he had known in his school days.
Wherever people live, it's pretty much the same…
The thought brought a strange sense of calm as he watched the scenes go by.
A short while later the cage stopped with another clunk. The doors opened and they stepped out.
"That rattling feeling is a bit much… but it's still better than climbing the stairs, don't you think?"
"I suppose so…"
Schwarz nodded as Milia gave a little shiver and a soft "Ugh." Climbing ten full stories every day would turn anyone's calves into tree trunks—that much was obvious.
They walked the quiet corridor to its end.
"Here. This is your room."
Milia stopped before a small door on one side of the hall and opened it. The room was neither spacious nor cramped—just right. A large window faced east. Inside were a plain, unadorned bed, a desk, and a wardrobe: a simple, unpretentious space. Neither more nor less than a perfect ten out of ten for a servant's quarters.
"Well? Not too small, is it?"
"This is more than enough for me. Thank you, My Lady."
As long as he could stay near Milia, any place would do. Schwarz answered with a faint smile to the concern in her voice.
"I'm glad to hear it."
She let out a short, relieved breath, then opened the door opposite and showed him the interior.
"And this is my room. Remember it well."
"Yes, My Lady."
Schwarz nodded. She went on to explain the dormitory rules he would need to follow: curfew from eleven at night until seven in the morning, what was permitted and what was not… Most of it was ordinary, everyday fare.
"That's everything you need to know. Any questions?"
"No, none."
He shook his head. After a full year of training under Robert, the Valentine family's head butler, memorizing a few simple rules was nothing.
"Good. I'm heading back to the General Affairs Office. You rest. You must be tired."
"What? There's no need for that…"
"That's an order. Understood? Rest well today. Starting tomorrow, there's going to be a lot to do."
"Ugh…"
She cut off his flustered protest with a firm warning. Schwarz let out a low groan. When she commanded, he obeyed. It was a simple rule—and for him, an absolute one.
"Understood, My Lady."
"Good. See you later."
In the end he sighed softly and nodded. Looking satisfied, Milia waved and walked off down the corridor. A moment later the lift rattled away with her inside. Schwarz stood watching for a long while.
"Nothing I can do about it."
Only when her figure had completely vanished from sight did he murmur the words, open the door, and step into his room.
"She's awfully late…"
Schwarz muttered as he stared out the already darkened window. Beyond the glass, stars glittered against a black sky. The clock hands were creeping steadily toward the eleven-o'clock curfew Milia had mentioned.
"Ugh…"
Still there was no sign of her. What if something had happened…?
Memories of the incident a year ago rose unbidden. He struggled to push down the dark thoughts filling his mind—but thoughts, once stirred, refused to be suppressed. The growing unease left him more and more restless. He wanted nothing more than to leave the dormitory and search for her at once, yet—
That's an order. Understood? Rest well today.
An order. For a servant, the master's command was absolute. Robert had drilled that into him for an entire year. But what good was an order if he failed to protect his master's safety?
"I have to go look for her myself."
Resolute, Schwarz nodded, gathered his clothes, and headed out of the dormitory.
And then—
"Lady Valentine?"
"Ah—w-well, um… y-your name was…"
Just as he was leaving, he spotted a familiar face and tilted his head. Unlike Schwarz, who had recalled her name at once, Neris was flustered, unable to remember his.
"It's Schwarz."
"Ah, right! I-I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. By the way, have you seen My Lady?"
"M-Milia?"
He answered as she bowed her head, then asked the question. Neris looked puzzled.
"Yes. Curfew is almost here, and she still hasn't returned."
"I-if it's Milia, she's sleeping in the General Affairs Office tonight."
"…What? What do you mean…?"
Schwarz's voice rose in confusion. Leaving a perfectly good dormitory room to spend the night in an office with no proper place to sleep—it made no sense by any standard he knew.
"Th-the work has piled up so much lately that she has no choice…"
"I see… Understood. Please take care on your way."
He bowed to Neris and set off toward the academy's main building. Retracing his steps through empty corridors, he arrived at the door of the General Affairs Office. Steeling himself for a scolding, he let out a short breath and knocked carefully.
"My Lady. It's Schwarz."
The sound of the knock echoed down the hall. No answer came from within. At the same moment a dark premonition flashed through his mind. Surely not… He carefully took hold of the doorknob.
With a soft click the door opened—and the sight before him made him suck in a sharp breath. There was no sign of Milia anywhere in the room. On the empty desk a single lantern burned brightly, casting its light over the surroundings.
"It can't be…!!"
Feeling his dread turn steadily into reality, Schwarz hurried toward the vacant desk. Many of the papers stacked high upon it still bore ink that had not yet dried—proof that Milia had been here only moments ago.
"What on earth…"
He had been a fool. No matter what she said, he should never have left her side. They had only just been reunited, and already something like this…
Regretting his own carelessness, he scanned the room—when suddenly:
—Rustle.
"…?"
A presence behind him. Schwarz turned. At the same instant a figure burst from the darkness and lunged straight at him.
"Ghk!?"
An unexpected ambush. A fist flew toward his face; he raised an arm with a low grunt. A dull impact rang out, and a force far too strong for such a small frame shoved him back a good ten centimeters.
"Tch…"
A tingling numbness ran through his arm. For a blow to register even against a dragon's body, this was no ordinary opponent. He fixed his gaze on the figure before him—and then:
"Schwarz?"
"My Lady?"
Seeing Milia standing there, Schwarz's voice came out utterly blank. Hers was no different.
A short while later.
"What? That was all?"
Seated at the desk, Milia let out a helpless little laugh, as if she couldn't believe him.
"What do you mean, 'that was all'? Do you have any idea how badly you startled me?"
Schwarz grumbled back at her.
"Looks like I've been underestimated. Did you really think some two-bit assassin could do anything to me?"
"I don't think you're the one who should be saying that, My Lady…"
That day a year ago—if Schwarz had not been there, Milia would not be alive now.
"That was then, and this is now!"
She shouted, cheeks flushing; even she could not deny the truth of it. For all her words, she felt a quiet gratitude toward him. It meant he still held her that dearly.
"Anyway… what do we do? It's past curfew. We can't go back."
"Well… nothing for it. We'll just have to sleep here for now."
"Will you be all right?"
Even though it was spring, the nights were still quite cold. Inside the General Affairs Office their breath was already visible in the chill air.
"Of course I won't be all right. But I have a plan, you see."
She rose from her seat as she spoke. Schwarz looked puzzled. There was not even a fireplace in the office; he could not imagine what method she had in mind.
"Just wait a moment. I'll be right back."
"If you need something, please tell me. I'll fetch it…"
"It's fine. Just wait a little."
He called after her as she moved, but she only waved a hand lightly and disappeared into a small side room.
"Ugh…"
At the same time an inexplicable sense of foreboding brushed through his mind. Surely nothing too strange… He was shaking his head at the thought when—
"Ta-da!"
"That's a blanket."
What Milia brought out was a large blanket big enough to cover two people with room to spare.
"And what exactly do you plan to do with—ah…"
Surely not…
He tried desperately to deny the idea that had just formed in his head—when:
"What are you doing? Come over here already."
"Um… My Lady… that seems a little improper…"
Watching her sit on the sofa, blanket already draped over herself, and beckon to him, Schwarz's voice turned awkward.
"What's the problem? We used to sleep like this all the time when we were little."
"Well, that's true, but…"
That was before I could turn into a human…
He could not quite bring himself to say it aloud. Milia giggled, stood, took the hand of the hesitant Schwarz, and led him to the sofa. He had no choice but to be pulled along helplessly.
"Besides, there's no fireplace. If we sleep apart, we'll catch cold."
"Ugh…"
He let out a low groan. He should have just stayed put in the dormitory after all… The regret came far too late; there was nothing he could do now.
"Come on, come on—don't sweat the small stuff."
"Haa…"
She looked thoroughly pleased with herself. Schwarz sighed softly and leaned back against the sofa. Headstrong as ever—then and now, she never changed. Not that he disliked it. If anything, that very sameness brought him a deep sense of relief. The Milia he remembered and the Milia before him were still one and the same.
"It's nice sleeping like this again after so long. Don't you think?"
"Yes… it is."
He nodded as she pulled the blanket over them. A brief silence settled between them.
"My Lady…?"
Seeing her completely still, Schwarz tilted his head.
"Haa… haa…"
"…"
Soft, even breathing. She had already slipped into sleep. Schwarz's expression turned blank with disbelief. She had closed her eyes and dropped off almost instantly. Just how overworked did a person have to be to fall asleep the moment their eyes shut?
Watching her show no sign of waking, he let out a short breath, gathered the blanket that had slipped down, and carefully covered her again.
"Good night, My Lady."
I'll have to work hard from now on.
With that quiet thought, he gazed at her a moment longer, then spoke the words in a low voice and slowly closed his eyes.
And so the first night at the academy passed.