Marygold the Mage (7)
“Laura. As I mentioned before……”
“No.”
The woman in her thirties replied coldly, adjusting her glasses. Lancel hadn’t even finished his sentence.
“If you’d just consider……”
“I already said no. Putting the knight students and ours together for classes? What good does that do for the magic department? No need to think it over—I refuse.”
“If you think of it as a way for them to learn mutual understanding and respect……”
“If you teach that understanding and respect to the knights first—the source of all the discord—maybe we’ll get along someday. I’m busy, so if that’s all.”
“Laura.”
“No business here!”
“I heard you need research funding.”
“……”
Laura froze mid-step toward the door. He hadn’t wanted to go straight for the jugular, but no choice.
“You do, right?”
“Are you trying to buy me off with money……”
“Twenty gold coins.”
Laura’s eyes trembled.
“I know all about it, Professor Laura.”
Lancel smiled as he approached her.
“Your husband, Baron Coat—his sugar beet farm isn’t doing well, I hear. And right after expanding the fields threefold last year, that drought dragged on forever. The losses must be massive.”
“……How do you……”
“It’s not your fault, Professor. It’s Baron Coat’s—he took every coin you earmarked for magic research and blew it all.”
“I-I……”
“It must’ve hurt, all your efforts to become a court mage with this research.”
“……”
Her trembling eyes, her voice stripped of authority. Lancel could feel her defenses crumbling.
“Laura.”
He gently lifted her chin with his hand, revealing a pitiful face. His smile deepened.
“Twenty gold coins. No interest, no repayment deadline. I’ll lend it discreetly—Baron Coat won’t hear a whisper. How’s that?”
“Hic……”
Negotiation complete.
[Fri-Sat: Mutual Understanding Between Knights and Mages]
[Instructors: Laura Coat, Lancel Dante]
“Mutual Understanding Between Knights and Mages?”
The academy students stared blankly at the new course listing. Joint training with knights and mages—two days a week? They’d never seen anything like it.
“We’re not seriously training with those meatheads, right?”
“I heard there might be overnight camps sometimes……”
“Camps? Like sleeping outside?”
The mages recoiled instantly.
“Eek! Eating and sleeping outdoors? That’s barbarian stuff!”
“Ugh, I’m an indoor person.”
“Bugs, sunlight, dirt, grass……No, no.”
“No time for research, and now camps? Walking around outside?!”
“Damn, and it’s Professor Laura—no dodging this.”
“She’s terrifying.”
Having spent most of their lives indoors, the apprentice mages were already shivering.
The knights, of course, felt the opposite.
“Camps? Outdoors? Awesome!”
Smiles spread across the knight trainees’ faces.
“Just what I needed—itching for action!”
“Academy’s too stuffy, no matter how big.”
“Camping with mages? Means we get to watch those wimps whine outside.”
“Heh heh, two fun days a week ahead.”
“That damn brat Mary—I won’t let her off!”
The knights buzzed with excitement.
“Atchoo!”
And Marygold, sneezing heartily while eating her plain bread lunch alone.
The first session loomed one step closer.
……
“Listen up. No mercy if you lose to those mage weaklings. Especially not to that puny little Mary—don’t you dare lose to her.”
“Lancel?!”
Marygold felt betrayed right there.
“They’re really doing it?”
“Didn’t the headmaster say he’d approve if Lancel convinced one magic professor?”
“I didn’t think it’d actually happen. How’d he sway Laura? That strict woman……”
The headmaster and professors murmured, watching the academy training grounds.
Tension hung over the vast grassy field. The students, split into two groups, eyed each other. One side: burly knights. The other: slighter mages.
“If knights and mages could understand each other, how wonderful. That pure intent is why I created this training.”
Clap clap clap.
Professor Laura applauded with a blank face.
Lancel strode to the center.
“And the best way to understand each other? Clash head-on. Skin to skin, fist to fist, sword to spell.”
“You mean……”
Lancel scanned the crowd before speaking.
“Ten reps from each side, step forward.”
The field stirred.
“Any of you think you can handle those mages, those knights? Ten confident ones, front and center.”
“Sparring among ourselves?”
“First day—gotta feel each other out.”
“Ah!”
That lit the fuse. Dozens of knights surged forward at once.
“I’ll do it!”
“Me. You sit it out.”
“Latecomer sits—duh!”
“Back off if you know what’s good for you.”
The knights bickered over spots, while the mages stayed silent.
“……”
They glanced around, waiting for someone else to volunteer.
“No one from that side?”
The mages averted eyes. Knight jeers flew.
“Heh, bookworms as expected. Not one steps up.”
“Mages don’t shine in war for a reason.”
“Scared of us, eh, Professor Lancel?”
Lancel caught Marygold’s expression shift.
“Mary?”
“For real?”
She stepped forward, using her long staff for support.
“Mary. Knew you’d show, you rude commoner brat.”
Chilling tone. From the son of Duke Mond—Weibel Mond. A thick smile crept across his face as he glared at Marygold.
“One punch wasn’t enough? This time, I won’t stop at bruises—so don’t run.”
Weibel Mond, who’d once grappled with Marygold. He still nursed the humiliation.
“Hmph.”
Marygold scowled, ignoring him, flashing Lancel a pouty look.
“Hm.”
Then.
“If no one else, I’ll do it.”
A delicate-looking boy stepped from the mages.
“Can I, Professor Lancel?”
“No reason not to.”
“Alright then?”
Blue bob-cut hair, calm smile, teardrop mole. He sidled up to Mary.
“But if something goes wrong, not my fault. Controlling magic output’s trickier than it looks.”
Casual confidence. Tension rippled through the hyped knights.
“Aldebar Ro Lukia.”
A famous name already. The magic department’s sole royal, a genius with off-the-charts talent. Everyone had seen Lukia Kingdom’s grand carriage procession on his arrival—a bloodline even dukes envied.
“Nice to spar with you, Miss Mary.”
Aldebar smiled warmly at her.
They know each other?
Lancel stroked his chin. A named character from the game, the ‘Vassal Prince.’
Hard to recruit, almost emperor-level. And he’s already chatting her up? What’ve you been up to, Marygold.
“Aldebar himself?!”
“No way he loses to rookie knights.”
“Continent’s youngest 4th Rank mage, you idiots.”
Mage confidence soared.
“Those bastards……”
Knight eyes blazed.
“Guess I have to join if Aldebar’s in.”
“Me too. Always hated those knights.”
A few more followed, filling ten quickly.
“All set?”
Lancel eyed both sides, then turned to Professor Laura.
“Needs a wager for fun, though. Thoughts, Professor?”
“Agreed.”
Laura feigned thought, eyes closed. As pre-arranged.
“Losers clean winners’ dorms until next class? What say you, Sir Lancel?”
“Cleaning?”
“Yes. Knights lose, they scrub our students’ dorms for a week. Thoroughly. No complaints.”
“Ho, sounds good. Servants get a break from chores.”
“Always thinking of the little guy, Sir Lancel.”
Cleaning. Shock spread.
A bet?
Scrub their dorms? Those pigs’?
Ultimate humiliation!
Lose and it’s eternal shame!
Only Laura and Lancel’s laughter broke the silence. Realizing the professors meant it, tension spiked.
“No losing this.”
“Got it. You focus.”
Knights’ eyes burned.
“We win this.”
“Aldebar! No mercy!”
“Mary. Don’t lose this time.”
“……Yeah.”
Mages steeled too.
“Listen up. No mercy if you lose to those mage weaklings. Especially not to that puny little Mary—don’t you dare lose to her.”
“Lancel?!”
Marygold’s eyes flew wide at Lancel’s pep talk to the knights. Tears welled.
Lancel ignored her completely. Here, he was team knight.
“Win and make those stinky mage brats clean your dorms. Got it?”
“Yes sir!”
Knight spirit roared.
“Oh dear.”
Laura chuckled, turning to mages.
“Hear that? Lose, and you scrub knight dorms a week. You know how filthy they are.”
Horror spread.
“Knight dorms……”
“Breathe the air and get pregnant……No!”
“Eeeek!”
Especially the girls paled.
All but one.
“I won’t lose.”
Marygold gripped her staff tight, eyes aflame.
“I’ll win. For you, Lancel!”
Lancel gave a wry smile. Right on cue, Marygold.