Is This a Dream? (1)

Frey was a moderately pathetic man. When he worked as the head butler of House Katram, he kept that nature tightly under wraps, holding himself to a rigid standard.

His doting on the Young Lady was genuine, of course — but even that was simply a blunt instrument for expressing loyalty. So long as a head butler performed his duties properly, being hopelessly devoted to one's master was hardly a problem.

That carefully maintained facade, however, had been steadily fraying at the Academy. Unlike the Katram ducal estate, where powerful nobles came and went and one had to stay razor-sharp at all times, the Academy was full of people one could simply be friends with — equals.

At the estate, after all, he always disguised himself as an elderly gentleman when receiving guests. Acting the fool in that form would have dragged House Katram's dignity through the mud, so the tension never once let up.

But at the Academy, a little goofiness was perfectly fine. His abilities had already proven him every bit the Katram man he claimed to be.

Which is why —

When I was loitering in front of the Academy's main gate, got caught by Karl, and nearly jumped out of my skin, it was for that very reason. You would never see me looking like this at the Katram estate. Absolutely not.

"So, Young Master Katram. What exactly are you doing?"

"Shh. Shhhh!"

"There's no one in the direction you're staring at anyway."

"Just be quiet. I'm trying to decide whether or not to go inside."

"You look this ridiculous over something that trivial?"

Karl looked down at me with pure pity. I was taller than him, but the reason he was looking down was simple enough — the bastard had spoken up from behind without warning, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'd spun halfway around mid-leap, and then crashed straight onto the ground. My head was killing me.

"It's not trivial."

"You have to go to class either way. How is that not trivial?"

"Think about last week, Karl."

"Ah."

Karl's face darkened. He'd remembered. Or rather, judging by that reaction, the more accurate description was that he'd been actively trying to scrub it from his mind.

Last week, on a weekday, Airen had gone around without speaking a single word — just radiating cold air in every direction. Some students had fainted from sheer terror. That alone told you how far the shockwaves had reached.

"You couldn't come up with a solution?"

"I tried. But something major happened over the weekend."

"What could possibly be more major than Her Highness acting like that?"

"Knowing would put your life in danger, so you're better off not knowing."

The fact that the Young Lady had confessed to me was a secret I was taking to the grave. She seemed to have realized it was a slip of the tongue anyway, so it probably wouldn't happen again.

"I am the heir of a count's house, you know."

"And I'm from a ducal collateral line. What of it?"

The swagger was partly for show, too — another layer of camouflage for my real identity. A count was high enough to be called a lord in his own right, but still fell short of a ducal house. So I threw my weight around like a proper Katram.

"Haa. So what are you going to do?"

"That's what I need to figure out right now. Or — there is one option."

"Which is?"

"Leave Airen at the Academy and go home early by myself. Reason: chronic exposure to sub-zero temperatures resulting in poor physical condition."

"You think I'd just sit there and let that happen? I'd call it a fake illness until my throat gave out."

"I helped you with that golem incident last time, and this is how you repay me?"

"You used me for a bet. If anything, I was the one helping you."

"Hmm. Fair point. Then help me one more time."

"With what?"

"Stick with Airen in my place."

"I have no desire to become a sacrificial offering to Her Highness."

The hastily improvised Karl-as-sacrificial-lamb plan collapsed on the spot.

"Then what am I supposed to do at the Academy today? I've still got two days left on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠punishment I put on Airen."

"Wasn't it a full week?"

"You idiot. Of course that means business days."

"Busi… what?"

"Anyway — until Tuesday, Airen can only talk to me. And she won't say a single word to me either."

"So that mana for two more whole days?"

Karl shuddered. Fair enough.

Last week, Airen had given everyone a thorough demonstration of why the imperial family was the imperial family. We'd learned exactly why the Valencia Imperial House ruled a magic empire.

Simply by letting her mana leak out, she sowed terror through everyone nearby. Anyone with weak resistance had body parts freeze solid just from brushing past her.

Even some of the professors had been unable to conduct their lectures because of the mana she was pouring out. The first-year classes had been all but annihilated.

Karl fixed me with a resolute look.

"There's only one way."

"What way?"

"You must have done something wrong, Young Master Katram. Bow your head and beg."

"I spent the entire weekend thinking about nothing else. Conclusion: I did absolutely nothing wrong. That's objective."

"And whose objective perspective is that?"

"Lady Katram's."

Karl shut his mouth. He knew I was fond of the Young Lady — of Lady Katram — and that made it hard to say anything careless.

She was the Young Lady of House Katram, after all. A collateral branch member like me might get away with it, but if anyone got caught badmouthing her, it rarely ended well.

"A thoroughly reasonable perspective, I'm sure."

"Exactly. Which means there's no way to prepare. If something's gone wrong on Airen's end, there's nothing I can do about it from here, is there?"

"So you're just going to leave her walking around radiating that razor-edged mana?"

"It's not like I want to leave her—"

I didn't look. I didn't turn my head. But Karl and I felt the chill at the exact same moment.

We didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠need to see her. She was here. Airen was arriving for class.

"Damn it, Karl! Hide!"

"You think that pathetic cover is going to work?"

"I'll cast an illusion — just move!"

"I don't even know what I'm doing!"

Karl scrambled over and crouched beside me. I immediately wove an illusion spell over us, concealing our forms.

Illusion magic comes in several varieties. Spells that manipulate a target's nerves to show them a phantom. Spells that bend the surrounding light to create a mirage. And so on.

The former only affects those caught in the spell, but it's powerful. The latter can fool most people, though the realism is weaker. For hiding, though, it was more than enough.

To anyone looking, Karl and I would appear as nothing more than an ordinary clump of shrubbery inside the Academy grounds.

Clack. Clack.

She was coming. For reasons unknown, an irritated Airen was coming.

Her blue hair and eyes caught the sunlight and shone brilliantly. Her stride was regal, radiating the full dignity of an imperial princess.

Airen strode boldly through the Academy's main gate — and walked straight toward us with a distinctly cheerful gait.

Wait. Toward us?

Karl shot me a frantic look.

Young Master Katram!

She's just out for a stroll through the garden, that's all!

The moment I thought it, Airen stopped right in front of us. And grinned.

"Idiot Frey. There's mana clinging to this exact spot."

"Ah."

"Ah."

Ssshhk. The illusion dissolved, revealing Karl and me. Airen frowned at Karl and started to open her mouth — then turned her gaze to me instead.

"I'm only supposed to talk to you, Frey."

"Enjoy your private time together!"

Quick on the uptake, Karl shot to his feet and bolted into the Academy with a whoosh. That bastard! Couldn't he have been a little slower on the uptake just this once?

Left alone, I rolled my eyes around frantically. What now? I'd been trying to avoid running into Airen. I still had no idea why she'd been angry last week. Was I about to spend another two days getting blasted by bone-chilling cold—

Wait a second.

"Huh?"

"Frey, what is it?"

"You're… talking to me right now?"

"Yes. I am talking to you?"

"Why? Why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'? Talking only to you was the condition of the punishment, wasn't it?"

"Then what was last week about?!"

"Ahh, last week?"

Airen's smile shifted slightly. Something about it felt… relieved. Satisfied, even.

"The consultation went well."

"Consultation? With whom?"

"That's for me to know. More importantly — let's get to class."

Whump! Airen latched onto my arm and squeezed. The soft, warm pressure against my arm was no joke.

"A-Airen?!"

"What are you doing? Come on, let's go."

"No, my arm — aaagh."

And just like that, I was dragged into the Academy.

Along the way, I could feel countless pairs of student eyes locking onto us. Some in shock. Some sparkling with interest.

Professors we passed cleared their throats with pointed ahems. Of course they did. Airen had never gone around openly clinging to me like this. At most, she'd held my hand while walking.

And even that hadn't been the sweet, mutual hand-holding kind — it had always been Airen hauling me along. But now she was beaming, arms wrapped around mine, pressed right up against my side as we walked…

This was way too much. Seriously. Every single pair of eyes in the place was on us.

"Um, Airen?"

"What?"

"It's a little warm. Could we walk a bit further apart?"

"There. Better?"

A pleasantly cool stream of mana flowed out from Airen's body! The sweat that had actually been running down me vanished in an instant.

"Ahaha."

That day, the students and professors of the Academy endured a different kind of ordeal.

They had to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠watch Airen stuck to my side all day long. And not just stuck — a thoroughly, radiantly happy Airen.

"Alright, Frey! See you!"

"Y-yeah."

Exhausted in an entirely new way, I trudged back to the ducal estate. I needed to look at my gentle Young Lady and heal—

"Frey!"

"Young Lady?"

The moment I returned to the estate, the Young Lady came flying out in her nightclothes. And then she grabbed my hands tight.

"Perfect timing!"

"Y-yes?"

"I'm going to give you a massage!"

"Excuse me?"

I couldn't make sense of a single word she'd said. While I was still processing, she dragged me straight to my room, made me lie face-down — and climbed on top of me!

Squish.

No. Don't feel it. Frey. Do not feel the Young Lady's thighs. Ah, but she's so thin it might actually bring tears to my eyes.

"I read about a massage technique in a book that revitalizes a person's body! I'm going to do it for you, Frey!"

"W-wait just a moment, Young Lady. I really shouldn't be receiving something like—!"

"Hup!"

"Hhk."

Whether she'd actually read such a book or not, one press of her fingers and my whole body went limp and loose.

"This… this… blub?"

No. Something was wrong.

"Kyaaak! Frey! Your body!"

Splash, splash.

The Young Lady hurriedly scrambled up. But why was there a sound of water splashing?

Ah.

"Blubblubblubblub."

"Frey! Frey! F-Father!"

Transformed into water by a mysterious pressure-point technique, I only returned to normal after Duke Katram had broken into a cold sweat working on me.

The next morning. Magic class at the Academy.

I'd arrived at a near-dawn hour and was slumped over my desk. Something was off, though.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Are you stalking me?"

Why was Karl here? Why had he come to school this early? He shrugged.

"I came early to work out a new logic circuit."

"Ah. Right. But listen, Karl."

"I'm listening."

I said it with complete seriousness.

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing when happiness drains all your energy?"

Karl stood at a slant and looked down at me. Then he said:

"Did someone drive a needle into your skull?"

Well…

I couldn't exactly say no.