You Want Me to Tutor?
You Want Me to Tutor?
"Hm, time's already gotten away from us. That's all for today's lecture!"
I'd been so absorbed in class that lunchtime had arrived before I knew it. With a little exaggeration, I felt like I was about to starve to death.
Even during the lecture I'd been sneaking pages from the books I'd checked out, so I'd made a fair amount of progress.
[□ Under R&D: Maso-Energy Exchange Theorem]
Just a little more and I could sew the first button onto this otherworldly nuclear weapon project.
I couldn't do everything myself at the actual development stage. My role went only as far as establishing the theory and running preliminary experiments. The full-scale production phase demanded considerably more manpower.
That meant one thing. I had to gather people willing to cooperate with me.
Ideally, I'd want specialists covering multiple fields. Rote was already a Fire Mage, so that was fine. For an Earth Mage I could enlist Professor Herlein's help or Frey's. The problem was probably Water or Air.
To receive help, I first had to become someone who could help others. Which meant I had to prove my capabilities within the academy.
Showing off my talent through brawling wasn't my style. It wouldn't make me stand out much, anyway. This school was overflowing with students who excelled at combat magic.
So I would use the same method I'd used in my original world. First on the list was publishing a paper and getting it registered in academic circles.
Even while eating, I didn't take my eyes off the book. Just as I was deep in concentration, Rote stared at me with a blank expression.
"Hey, isn't that book difficult?"
"Huh? Uh... is it difficult?"
"That's amazing. Can all members of the Gold-Eye Tribe understand such complicated things without any trouble from childhood?"
"I'm not sure. I've never met another member of the Gold-Eye Tribe besides myself."
Even after the meal ended, I did nothing but read. Walking around was no different. I devoted only enough attention to the outside world to avoid bumping into anyone, and poured the rest of my senses into parsing the printed characters and following the equations.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Now what was that noise?
"Hey, you there! You can't walk around reading a book!"
A blonde female student blocked my path. Like Vermel's, her eyes were green.
She wasn't an elf. Not many humans could wield Air Magic.
Other distinguishing features: her skirt was slightly longer than the other female students', and she wore a deep orange armband on one sleeve. At this point even I had to recognize what was going on, however much I disliked it.
She was a member of the Student Council Executive Committee.
"You are...."
"You're the eldest daughter of House Saliere. And as for this one—the girl from the Gold-Eye Tribe who's currently the talk of the capital? They say you're the only perfect-scoring written examinee in Tillet's history."
The words themselves were ordinary, but her voice and intonation exuded refinement. Judging by the way Rote—who'd stood ramrod-straight even in front of the prince—now bowed her head, this was no ordinary person. Seeing Rote's attitude, I reflexively bowed my head in a silent greeting as well.
"I'm Aether."
"It's a pleasure. I am Shadiel Argana."
"If you're an Argana...."
One of the Four Great Dukes, House Argana. Among the upper nobility, they were renowned as the most upright family in the Empire.
That made sense. Air spirits, at their core, bestow their blessings only upon the virtuous.
"Commendable scholastic enthusiasm is all very well, but studies should be conducted at a desk. Understood?"
"Yes, understood."
My encounter with Shadiel ended there. I wasn't the only person she had to keep an eye on. She was busy spending her lunch break stopping students whose uniforms were untidy or who were carrying items that might interfere with their studies.
After our brief exchange with Shadiel, Rote and I bought a few reference books and returned to the classroom. It looked like it would be a while yet before I finished afternoon classes and could head home.
**
Immediately after afternoon classes ended, Clion boarded a gold-trimmed carriage and returned to the Imperial Palace.
Ordinarily, the recommendation was that all students live in the dormitories.
Clion didn't bother. He claimed it was beneath his dignity to dwell alongside vulgar commoners. The academy, apparently unwilling to challenge Clion's stubbornness on the matter, had simply told him to do as he pleased and left it at that.
By the time he arrived at the Imperial Palace, his father was away on external business and had no time to receive him. Without even offering a customary after-school greeting, Clion passed by the Emperor's office and headed straight for his own chambers.
Someone else greeted him in his father's stead.
"Oh my, isn't it His Highness the Second Prince? Have you returned from the academy?"
A leisurely voice. Clion knew very well who this voice belonged to. After all, he saw the man at least once a week without fail.
"Isn't that Duke Blanton? It's been nearly four days."
"Indeed. I trust you have been well in the meantime."
Jack Blanton. Among the Four Great Dukes, he was the head of the mage family that stood at the pinnacle of Water Magic.
Since he wore sunglasses, almost no one could see his aquamarine-colored eyes. Yet the surname Blanton alone was an indicator of just how deeply versed he was in manipulating water.
Nothing else was necessary. Blanton was capable of making even magic beasts prostrate themselves like dogs by his name alone.
"By the way, what's that thing you're holding?"
"Ah, this? It's a water gun."
"A water gun...?"
Duke Blanton waved around a toy the size of his palm. A crudely made toy gun. Every time he pulled the trigger, a stream of water shot out instead of a bullet.
"I was on a business trip to the Beastkin Federation and spotted something amusing, so I bought one at the duty-free shop. I do hope my daughter will like it."
"Well, I suppose you do show a rather childish side from time to time, Your Grace."
"Hoho, I'm honored to hear you say so. My eyesight's been growing dim lately, and I'd just been thinking time truly spares no one."
Blanton was one of the few people who could trade jokes with Prince Clion. So much so that rumors circulated that he was a genius at handling the Second Prince, to the point of holding the reins on the man made entirely of lust.
Even in the conversation they'd just had, a misdirected point could easily have drawn Clion's displeasure. The living, breathing Clion was like the fuse of a living, breathing bomb. Blanton was about the only person in the palace who knew how to handle that bomb properly.
Instead of getting angry, Clion clicked his tongue and thereby ended the previous topic of discussion. A few seconds later, he brought up a new subject.
"Well. That aside. Do you by chance recall the matter of the Gold-Eye Tribe slave I arranged to purchase from Duke Haspelt?"
"Yes, I know of it. Did you not attempt to purchase her, even at the cost of ten thousand gold coins? Rumors of her surpassing beauty are rampant throughout the court."
"Don't even mention it. I'd never set eyes on a member of the Gold-Eye Tribe before, but I can confidently state there's no other bitch like her."
"Then why have you yet to bring her into the palace? A fair amount of time must have passed since you concluded your agreement with Duke Haspelt."
The moment he heard that, Clion's brow furrowed. Something unpleasant had definitely happened.
"Because Duke Haspelt enrolled that member of the Gold-Eye Tribe in Tillet, that's why!"
"Oh, and this is after the contract was fully settled?"
"Yes! She's clearly trying to screw me over! If one of the four pillars upholding the Empire has a mouth this loose, how is that of any use, Jack?!"
"No, it certainly won't do. His Majesty the Emperor ought to hold Duke Haspelt accountable for this blunder."
"Father is refusing to respond to the matter. That's exactly why I'm about to lose my mind right now!"
Clion thumped his own chest.
"Isn't there some sharp trick we can use?"
"If that is what you wish, then there is no need to settle scores with Duke Haspelt in the first place. What Your Highness desires is, ultimately, that girl from the Gold-Eye Tribe, is it not?"
"It is."
"Take several thousand gold coins and approach the girl tomorrow. Go and say this to her: you will feed her and give her lodging to her heart's content, so she should quit the academy and become your personal attendant."
"I see. So you mean to lure her with money. Come to think of it, there's nothing in this world that gold coins cannot resolve. I'm glad I spoke with you, Jack."
"It's worth attempting, at the very least. Then I shall take my leave at this point."
Having finished thanking Blanton, Clion dashed to his personal vault and withdrew five thousand gold coins. That was an enormous sum—enough that not only commoners, but even most nobles couldn't easily lay hands on it.
The original thirty thousand gold coins he'd intended to give Duke Haspelt had partly been meant to preserve her dignity. But now that he'd completely burned his bridges with Haspelt, his expenditures would likely be lower instead.
"No woman should be able to resist this much."
Grinning, Clion lay down on his bed.
**
Right after afternoon classes ended, I was assigned a dormitory.
First I had to retrieve the belongings I'd left at Professor Herlein's place. After informing Rote, I returned to the mansion and packed up about forty kilograms of military-style luggage.
Most of the weight came from Magic Paper and Magic Stones. The rest was daily necessities.
The money I'd earned to pay tuition had also vanished, so my wallet was light now. A few silver coins at most. If things stayed like this, I'd have to find a part-time job before a month passed.
The luggage was heavy, but not so heavy that I'd collapse trying to lift it. I bundled up the bags and returned to the academy. Even on the way back, I remained absorbed in my reading.
[You received a warning and yet you still haven't put the book down.]
As long as I didn't get caught, it was harmless enough, wasn't it? And in any case, there was no chance the student council would be roaming around at this hour.
"You got back sooner than I thought."
Rote and I were sharing a room. I wasn't sure if I'd lucked into this. Probably the assignments had been sorted by exam scores.
The moment I'd unpacked, I took out a pen and paper. While I was filling the page with formulas, Rote approached. She wore an expression that said she had something on her mind.
Her lips parted slightly, then she sighed and rummaged in her pocket. From inside her clothes, Rote produced two silver coins.
"Would it be all right if you tutored me?"