Return to the Royal Capital
It looked like my hospitalization had left me taking a far longer leave from the academy than originally scheduled.
The attack itself had naturally reached both the palace and the academy, and the moment the academy received the report, Professor Leonora had raced over from the ducal residence at full speed.
"My goodness! How did this happen?!"
Upon arriving at the ducal residence, Professor Leonora took one look at my bandaged form lying on the sickbed and turned ashen with shock.
Her face was clearly bewildered, so it seemed the details had not yet been shared with her.
In my stead, Riel guided the professor to another room.
At least until I stabilized, returning to the academy would be impossible.
According to the doctor’s assessment, it would probably take about five more days.
Even with the expensive potions and Alicia’s priestly holy power poured into my treatment, this was the result, so one could imagine how serious my condition had been.
…Well, if the attackers who had struck us were elves, then they had suffered similar injuries.
The final elf who had struggled to the last had deep wounds and was still unconscious.
There had been talk of using potions or holy power to accelerate healing, but Eve had opposed it, insisting only to keep them alive, so they remained breathing.
The very act of attempting to assassinate Riel with the resolve to die had clearly ignited Eve’s rage.
The other two were locked in prison, answering interrogations without resistance.
Eve had wanted to kill them on the spot, but the presence of Princess Aine here made it impossible.
Thanks to their elven nature, at the very least they would survive.
The Marcos Empire, one of the continental great powers.
The empire openly declared itself a protector of elves, a nation bound by strict treaties on elven wanderers and mercenaries.
An empire that protected elves was now trying to kill a noble of the kingdom.
As a royal, Princess Aine would have to formally protest to the Marcos Empire and decide their fate.
If the person responsible here had been Eve, she could have quietly eliminated them and claimed they had died in the skirmish.
They knew this, which was why they submitted to interrogation so readily, and Eve was furious about it.
"O."
Bored from being alone in the room, I turned my gaze toward the window and noticed a group of people entering.
The servants and knights in this residence were already limited, but recently even more people who did not belong to any of those categories had appeared.
Riel explained what had relieved my curiosity.
"Those are your old academy classmates from when you were in school."
Andrew the Duke’s friends from his academy days were the ones.
Not only current servants, but even the retainers who had supported the ducal house were in a state of shock, leaving the ducal residence unable to function properly.
To handle the situation, Andrew had gathered the young men of third sons and below who needed to leave the house from among the friends he had kept an eye on during his school days.
Well, if they were people notable enough for the duke’s successor to notice, they must be quite capable.
I had actually met one of them before.
"O, all by yourself?"
And just as I thought that, one of them entered the room.
"Gilbert, you should at least knock before coming in."
"Ah… sorry, I forgot again."
Gilbert Reyme.
A person I had only met yesterday.
The third son of the Reyme Count family.
When I heard the name Reyme, I thought of Sherry Reyme, the girl in the same class.
It seemed almost like a resemblance had come to mind.
When I mentioned the name, he had responded with great enthusiasm.
"You know Sherry?"
"No, we’re just in the same class."
Sherry Reyme had always been with her friend Raiza Bruin.
They had followed the other duke’s daughter in our class, Carlena Grace, but since Carlena hated Allen intensely, they had come to dislike him as well.
Perhaps because of that, Carlena Grace had once approached me, whom Allen had treated so poorly.
"You must be suffering too."
It was only that much, but still.
Sherry Reyme had only seen me once at that time, so she could not be considered an acquaintance.
"Where has Lady Riel gone?"
"I was wondering why Professor Leonora came to find her at the academy, but she went with her."
"Ah~ That makes sense. If someone is injured, the homeroom teacher must check on the student’s condition and process a medical leave."
"You know that well?"
"I’ve been through it a lot."
This person had been a student at the academy who once boasted the top martial arts grades.
The problem was that he had caused so many incidents at the academy that he had a hard time graduating.
After graduation, he had no intention of using his martial skills anywhere and simply played at home.
Then, at a friend’s call from Andrew, he had come running.
In truth, he had a very deep understanding of martial techniques.
I also considered myself knowledgeable about martial arts, but this person was even more so.
…Was he not quite on par with Senior Iris?
"So, how are your injuries?"
"Yes. The big wounds seem to have calmed down. Thanks to Duke Andrew for bringing the medicine and Priest Alicia for using her holy power."
"Haha, the wounds you took while protecting Lady Riel, right? Andrew has no reason to save on money."
In truth, the ducal residence would need a great deal of money moving forward, yet Duke Andrew had fetched the medicine without hesitation and had worked hard on my treatment.
Moreover, even the healing through holy power, which was inefficient and not often used, had been added, and my wounds had recovered at an astonishing rate.
"Hey, the moment I mention it, you came back."
Hearing Gilbert’s words, I turned my head and saw Riel and Professor Leonora entering the room.
Gilbert had been about to stand up to leave when he met eyes with Professor Leonora and his own widened.
"Eh? You… Leonora?"
"Gilbert? What are you doing here?"
Professor Leonora looked at Gilbert with startled eyes as well.
Riel, caught between them, had also looked surprised.
"Professor Leonora, you two know each other?"
At Riel’s question, Professor Leonora snapped back to her senses with a bright smile.
"Ah… yes, we were classmates when I attended the academy."
"Eh? So Professor, you were classmates with my brother too?"
"That makes sense. I wasn’t that close to him, though."
Professor Leonora trailed off with a murmur, ‘He was a son of the ducal house, after all, so it was a bit awkward…’ and Gilbert said,
"Iya, you became a professor after all. You used to sing about becoming a teacher even in the academy days."
"Meanwhile, I heard you were still unemployed, Gilbert. What brings you here?"
"Haha, don’t tease me? I’ve got a job at the ducal residence now."
Watching the two converse, Riel stood there blankly for a moment before walking over to me at a brisk pace.
"The talk with the professor is over. According to the doctor’s advice, I can return to the academy after resting for five more days."
"Yes, Riel, are you all right?"
"Yes. She said she would arrange for me to stay here as your caregiver as well."
As we were talking, Professor Leonora who had been chatting with Gilbert a moment ago addressed us.
"I’ve heard the story from Lady Riel. Lord Wentos."
Professor Leonora smiled.
"Your action of trying to protect Lady Riel is something that deserves praise as a nobleman of the kingdom, but please take care of yourself as well."
"Yes. Thank you for your concern."
"Not at all. Then, I’ll see you again at the academy in five days."
With that greeting, Professor Leonora left the room.
Gilbert, who invited her to come by for a cup of tea on her way out, followed her.
Riel, having seen them off, turned back to me and said,
"So, we’ll focus on your treatment for the next five days."
"Five days… it’ll probably be pretty boring."
I frowned as I said that, and Riel smiled.
"It’s fine! I’ll stick to you the whole time and take care of you!"
Riel’s face as she spoke was flushed with color yet somehow looked happy.
The days of recovering from my injuries passed in the blink of an eye.
Even so, with Riel glued to my side and chatting as a companion, there was never a dull moment.
In addition, many people came to visit me lying on the sickbed.
Most of them were Andrew’s old academy friends.
The talents Andrew had summoned to the ducal residence to take on various duties.
Among those who showed interest in me, well, not exactly me, but those who took an interest in the Wentos ducal house.
Still, most of them were children of nobles, so forming connections could not hurt, and I had built some friendships.
One of them had even tried to introduce me to a cute younger sister he had.
"......"
"...Ah… sorry, let’s forget that."
Receiving Riel’s cold smile and sharp glare from beside me, I quietly left the spot.
…It seems you have become strong enough to drive someone away just with your gaze, Riel.
In any case, five days passed quickly while I was busy with Riel’s care and meetings with other noble children.
Once my movements became stable enough not to cause discomfort, I was riding the train heading toward the royal capital, Gransen.
While Phyllis supported me, Riel followed behind, and behind her, Luca carried the luggage.
Luca, grunting as she hauled the four of our bags, looked a little pitiful, but Phyllis dismissed it as part of the training.
Meanwhile, the people seeing us off at the station presented quite a splendid sight.
Rachel the Duchess, now able to move around, Duke Andrew, and Eve.
Princess Aine, the royal, and Priest Alicia.
They had come to see off the five of us boarding the train.
Yes, five of us.
When my eyes landed on the fifth, she looked at me as if to ask why.
"Why?"
"No, are you really all right to come to the royal capital?"
"No problem."
It was Rillu, the elf.
She had been planning to head to the royal capital with us.
"I have lived as the guardian of the World Tree. It will be the same for the World Tree yet to be born."
"Th-that’s right."
Indeed.
Her goal was none other than the Seed of the World Tree entrusted to Riel.
It was her mission to protect that seed, and that was why she had decided to follow us to the royal capital.
However, I could not know how she would live in the capital, but Princess Aine had dealt with that matter.
And in Aine’s case,
"Leave it to me."
"Eh?"
"Those bastards who attacked you, I’ll make sure to impose a severe punishment on them somehow."
She was burning with enthusiasm for the negotiations with the empire.
Eve, Princess Aine’s subordinate, also seemed to have thoughts on the elves’ disposal, so it would be best to entrust that side to her.
"Kyou."
"Ah… yes! Duchess!"
Rachel the Duchess looked at me.
Her gaze was incredibly warm.
"Thank you for protecting my daughter. I’ll ask you to take good care of Riel from now on too."
"...Yes! Of course!"
"Next time you come, you may call me Mother, they say?"
"Mother?!"
At Rachel’s words, Duke Andrew beside me shouted in astonishment, but Rachel only smiled.
Duke Andrew looked at me with a complicated expression but soon wiped it away.
"...Well, I’ll leave my sister to you."
"Of course."
After that, we bid farewell to Eve and Priest Alicia as well, and we headed toward the royal capital, Gransen.
To wrap up the academy classes that still had only a short while left until summer break.