Freedom at Last
Now that I thought about it, entering the academy had always been Einy’s dream.
She was one of those rare kids who actually enjoyed studying. She might even end up surpassing me.
“Yeah, we’re heading out soon. It’s a wonderful place, so you can look forward to it.”
“When are we leaving?”
“Probably in three or four days? I’ll be having a video call with the dean tomorrow… Sir Hansen, when did you say the mage would arrive?”
“As early as tomorrow, no later than the day after.”
Communication magic through a crystal ball always required a mage on hand.
They could have used the Magic Tower, but that offered zero guarantee of privacy. Important people therefore tended to keep personal mages on retainer.
Once the mage arrived, my first order of business would be securing the dean’s approval for Einy’s enrollment.
A strange feeling suddenly washed over me. The moment I pictured Hansen taking Einy back to Dmitry…
I identified the feeling almost immediately. I was finally going to be free. What a relief!
“Hehe. Hear that, Einy? Before we leave, make sure to write a letter for Sister Arnel. Leave it at the inn and she’ll see it eventually.”
“Okay! Can I write to the uncles too? To Uncle Ash, Uncle Chad, and…”
“Do whatever you want.”
“Sister, you look like you’re in an exceptionally good mood.”
“Is it that obvious?”
Einy didn’t seem particularly sad or upset about parting ways with me.
If anything, she looked almost happy that I wouldn’t be her guardian anymore. Not that I could blame her—there hadn’t been many pleasant moments while she was stuck with me. She’d been kidnapped, for starters.
“Um… Miss?”
“What?”
“I only just remembered—hasn’t the Spirit Magic Department at the academy been shut down?”
Hansen leaned in close, gently tugging my elbow as he whispered directly into my ear.
His voice was barely audible, clearly worried Einy might overhear.
“It hasn’t been shut down. There just aren’t any students.”
I answered in my usual tone, completely unbothered.
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“It’s not! The facilities are still perfectly intact.”
“…But there’s no instructor, is there? As far as I know, after you began self-study, Sir Iel returned to the palace.”
“You’re well-informed, aren’t you?”
“Then how exactly do you plan to enroll her in the Spirit Department?”
Good grief, he worried about every little thing. I crossed my arms and gave an exaggerated shrug.
“Master Iel always said that teaching a talented student like you would be the joy of his life, a true reward he might never experience again.”
“Um, Master? Iel may have phrased it politely, but from what I remember, it sounded more like he was saying he hoped you would meet a student exactly like yourself and suffer.”
There was no point hiding it. Shamelessness was one of my greatest talents.
“…So Sir Iel has no idea he’s about to gain another student?”
“How could he? I’ve only just reestablished contact with the dean.”
“Miss…”
“It’s always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Surely he wouldn’t turn down a small favor when his long-lost student had returned alive?
Now he would have another gifted pupil. Our Master Iel was truly blessed.
After all, his first disciple had been none other than Jeanie Crowell. I could only imagine how proud he must be. He really had chosen his students well.
I felt genuinely proud of myself.
Where else could you find a disciple who cared so much for her teacher?
It was late, after Einy had fallen asleep, when I introduced Hansen to Ash’s group.
I casually explained that he was a knight I’d known back home, but they didn’t look entirely convinced.
“Since the young lady owes you all a debt, allow me to buy a round.”
With only the adults left, alcohol and snacks naturally appeared on the table.
“I don’t remember owing anyone anything.”
“Thank you for looking after our young lady.”
“Hansen, are you deliberately ignoring me?”
Hansen seemed utterly convinced that I had caused Ash’s party no end of trouble.
Aside from leaving Einy with them about ten times and asking them to handle the aftermath of the rescued slaves, I really didn’t think I’d burdened them much.
Even as I glared at him, Hansen stubbornly headed off to buy more beer. While I grumbled, Ash, who was sitting beside me, spoke in a quiet voice.
“You and Sir Hansen… seem quite close.”
“Of course we are.”
“Would it be rude to ask exactly how close?”
“Not at all. We’ve known each other about ten years?”
“Ahem, so… what sort of… relationship…?”
What sort of relationship? None at all. Hansen was a knight, but he had never sworn loyalty to me. It took me a moment to realize what Ash was really asking.
“Eek! What exactly are you imagining?! How old do you think Sir Hansen is?!”
“He looks like a healthy man in his mid-thirties.”
“…That’s ridiculous! There’s no way we’re in that kind of relationship!”
I often forgot, but in this world a ten-year age gap was hardly an obstacle to romance.
Among nobles, twenty-year differences were common, and the gap could swing either direction regardless of gender.
By those standards, Hansen and I were perfectly plausible as a couple. But I still hadn’t shaken off my old sensibilities—if someone was more than five years older, I simply couldn’t see them that way.
“Is that so? You two seemed rather special, so…”
“Special how?”
“Like fiancés, perhaps.”
“That’s going too far! Not only are we not engaged, I’ve never dated anyone in my entire life!”
Counting my previous life, I boasted over thirty years of single status.
Seventeen plus nineteen equaled thirty-six… That was a little depressing.
It wasn’t exactly shameful, but it wasn’t something to brag about either. Maybe I should subtract ten years for childhood and coolly claim sixteen years without romance?
Yeah, yeah. Nobody dates in elementary school anyway, so this mental victory… Wait, damn. Come to think of it, both Iruse and Mia already had fiancés when they were eight years old.
That’s nobility for you… and I’m a noble too, aren’t I!
“…What about you?”
“Pardon?”
“Ash, have you ever dated anyone?”
“…No.”
When I suddenly asked with a serious expression, Ash grew equally serious in response.
“Fiancée?”
“None.”
“Have you ever kissed?”
“…No. Huh?”
“Sigh… What a relief. We’re comrades! Nice to meet you, friend. Keep living that wholesome life!”
Knowing I wasn’t the only one felt incredibly reassuring.
I was just starting to feel a sense of kinship with Ash when Lox, as usual, ruined the moment.
“Miss Jeanie, could you please stop putting strange thoughts in Ash’s head? It’s not that he couldn’t date—he simply chose not to.”
“What?! So you’re saying I couldn’t?!”
“Wow, what a foul temper! And stop grabbing my collar every time you get upset!”
Oh dear, when had I grabbed his collar?
Without thinking, I gave it a violent shake.
“You’re the one who keeps saying things in the most irritating way possible! I’ll have you know there are men who chase after me!”
“Whoever they are must be cross-eyed or completely imaginary!”
“You have a real talent for saying you want to die in the most roundabout way possible, don’t you?”
Lox had a gift for annoying people by speaking the truth. And although he was a man, his strength was roughly equal to mine.
We wrestled back and forth over whether I would release his collar when Hansen returned, suddenly overcome with emotion. He spoke as if deeply moved.
“You all seem to get along so well! I’m truly relieved! I’ve been so worried because it always seemed like you couldn’t make friends!”
“Hansen! Stop saying unnecessary things!”
“Sniff… Hansen is relieved.”
“This old man—!”
It was perfectly natural that I barely managed to stop myself from telling him to get lost back to Dmitry immediately.
“Now that I think about it, the village was rather chaotic. I heard there was a major battle in the mountains behind the village a couple of days ago?”
The moment Hansen brought up the topic during our relaxed drinking session, the entire table fell abruptly silent. Even the usually tactless Chad was just picking at snacks, which showed exactly how sensitive the subject was.
“I heard there were an enormous number of casualties. The bodies were torn to pieces, so they couldn’t even determine how many had died.”
“……”
“A large slave trader supposedly vanished overnight. The village was so noisy it was easy to overhear things. Rumor has it they incurred the wrath of a dark elf.”
The more Hansen cheerfully chattered about this unusual topic, the quieter our group became. But drunk on alcohol, he failed to notice the change in atmosphere.
“According to eyewitnesses, a giant blue snake swallowed the entire area, followed by a storm and massive waves. Every escaped slave claimed a woman had freed them… Perhaps a female elf?”
“Hansen.”
“When I return to the capital, I’ll finally have an interesting story to tell my colleagues…”
“Don’t. It has nothing to do with me, but.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll keep it short. This has absolutely nothing to do with me, but I’d prefer you didn’t spread any rumors in the capital. I’ve been bedridden with illness until just now, understand? So this is a story I know nothing about.”
With each clearly enunciated word, Hansen’s eyes grew wider until he finally spat out his beer.
“…Miss!”
“What! What is it!”
“Even without that, the dean already said… he was anxious about what kind of trouble you might cause… and urged me to come quickly…”
“I told you it wasn’t me! Why are you looking at me like that?! Do you have proof?”
Why did no one ever believe in my innocence! Was I really such a problem child? …Oh. I was.
In the past I had frequently caused accidents that nearly killed me. The only difference now was that I was the one doing the killing.
Hansen seemed to reach the same realization belatedly and grew solemn.
His expression suggested the alcohol had lost its flavor, but that had nothing to do with me.
I was a good person who could live without laws.
Why would laws be necessary? My fists were right here.