Library Date (1)
My daily routine at the Academy went roughly like this.
First thing in the morning, the professor in charge took attendance and began the lecture.
There were seven periods in total. For first-years, every single one of those seven was packed with required courses. Starting from second year, you finally got a little room to choose.
Classes began at nine in the morning—fifty minutes of instruction, ten minutes of break. Lunch at noon, and everything wrapped up by five in the afternoon.
Even the required lectures weren’t pure theory. This was the Academy that took the Empire’s raw gems and polished them into jewels. Practical lessons were mandatory even for first-years.
For the Magic Department, practical work naturally meant casting magic yourself. Some sessions covered safe, everyday applications, but today’s class was dedicated to practicing combat-oriented attack spells.
One moment of carelessness could cause an accident. Naturally, absolute focus was required.
And yet.
“Frey. Frey. Look at those two over there.”
“…….”
“I said look. Hello? Over here?”
“Haaaaaah.”
“People get hurt when they hear sighs like that, you know.”
Princess Airen kept chattering nonstop right beside me.
“Your Highness. Please be quiet so I can concentrate.”
“You’re already perfect—what’s there to concentrate on? I can do this with my eyes closed. Firebolt!”
Without even looking at the target, Princess Airen launched her spell. Three fireballs shot out and completely obliterated the scarecrow targets.
“See?”
“Yes, yes. Your Highness’s magic is truly magnificent.”
“You can do this much too. You could sit there doing nothing and still get a perfect score in today’s practical.”
“Haaaah.”
Unfortunately, Airen was right.
The other students had to pour every ounce of focus just to hit the targets; only the outstanding ones could actually destroy them.
But Airen and I—who might as well have been in a class of our own—could smash the scarecrows without any real concentration at all.
“Focus is still necessary. The more you train your concentration, the more it shines in unexpected situations.”
“Seems like you’ve got plenty already. How about sharpening your eye for people instead?”
“My eye for people? I’ve already sharpened that enough.”
I was the head butler of the Katram Ducal House. Even if I’d only held the post for two years, I’d seen every type of person imaginable.
The ducal house received countless guests, and I was the one who entertained them. Through all that hospitality I’d witnessed the many faces of the nobility, and by now I could read most people’s psychology at a glance.
…Though for some reason I still couldn’t read this princess at all.
“That’s just the arrogance of a Katram branch family member talking. I guarantee your eye still isn’t sharp enough.”
“As expected of the great princess. I’ll just live with my poor judgment, then.”
“That won’t do.”
“Why not?”
Airen jabbed her finger firmly into my side as she declared,
“My retainer can’t be some low-level insect.”
“I am not your retainer.”
“You will be, eventually.”
“Haaaah.”
At this rate the princess would keep babbling until the day was over.
“So what is it you want?”
“Look at those two.”
I followed the direction she pointed. Two people were struggling to land their spells.
Aaron Karim and Elena Rotnil. Two of the three who had nearly been killed by Airen’s ice-spike cage on the first day.
“Those two are mediocre.”
“Just getting into the Academy already puts them above ordinary mediocrity.”
“Still, compared to the other students they’re clearly below standard. Aaron is the eldest son of Viscount Karim’s house, yet no one expects much from him. Elena is being treated as nothing more than a political marriage tool by the margrave.”
So that’s why she could cast so mercilessly on the first day. She’d looked completely reckless, but apparently she possessed a fair amount of political insight as well.
Just as Airen said, the two of them were struggling even to hit the targets, let alone destroy them. Even accounting for the interference circuits laid throughout the practice field, it was pretty bad.
“And?”
“Let’s bet on which of them hits the target first. I’ll let you choose first.”
“That’s how you want me to train my eye? I don’t particularly want to, though.”
“If you win, I won’t speak to you for a whole week.”
“And if Your Highness wins?”
“You’ll have to hang out with me a little. Don’t worry—this time I’ll only ask to meet inside the Academy.”
There was no real downside for me. I already sat next to her all day long anyway.
If I won, I’d get an entire week free of Airen. Refusing would be pure stupidity.
“This is ridiculous. Fine—I’ll pick Aaron.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Because Aaron has more talent than Elena.”
Even from what I’d observed in today’s practical alone, it was clear.
Elena had failed her spells multiple times because of the interference circuits, while Aaron had successfully manifested his magic after only two attempts.
And right now, the one landing hits closest to the target was also Aaron.
“Your Highness made a mistake. Giving me first choice.”
“Hmm. So I automatically get Elena, then? But Frey—you’re mistaken about something.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve already won this bet.”
“You’re bluffing because you know you’re going to lose. I’ll allow one sentence a week.”
“Heh. Just wait and see.”
Practical sessions were allotted more time than theory lectures. Thirty minutes had already passed, so about an hour and a half remained.
Airen and I followed the professor’s instructions half-heartedly while watching the pair.
For the first thirty minutes everything went exactly as I’d expected. Aaron’s spells began grazing the target more and more, while Elena still couldn’t find her rhythm and kept launching magic far off the mark.
At this rate Aaron would hit the target first within ten minutes. I looked at Airen with smug satisfaction.
Yet for some reason she only smiled faintly, completely unfazed. Had she already given up?
Ten more minutes passed, and Aaron had reached the point where a simple adjustment of his zero would land a perfect hit. One more shot—no, even half a shot—and he would topple the scarecrow.
“Your Highness, it seems this bet is naturally mine?”
“Heh. Frey, you have a bad habit of not watching until the end.”
“What?”
“Look over there.”
Airen pointed toward the two. My eyes nearly popped out of my head.
For some reason Aaron had walked over to Elena. He was saying something to her.
He even took her arm and carefully adjusted her aim.
I could see it—Aaron’s mana overlapping with Elena’s body, guiding her along the correct flow path.
Following his advice, Elena fired once, twice. And on the fifth try—
Bang!
“Whoa!”
“See, my lady? Easy when you do it the way I said, right?”
“Thank you, Aaron! My head feels so much clearer!”
“Haha, it was nothing.”
Elena grabbed Aaron’s hands and bounced up and down; Aaron was grinning so widely anyone could see how happy he was.
“No.”
“Oh dear. I win, Frey.”
“This isn’t fair. It’s cheating. Completely illegitimate!”
“What’s cheating about it? As you can see, I didn’t interfere at all.”
“One more shot—just one more and Aaron would have hit it!”
“But he didn’t, did he? So I win, don’t I?”
“Uwaaagh!”
To lose my week of freedom like this! Aaron Karim, you little—!
“Haaaah. Fine. I lost.”
“Huh? What’s this? Don’t suddenly calm down on me.”
“It’s a noble’s composure.”
Actually a butler’s composure, but still. A butler had to remain calm in any situation. Otherwise he only caused trouble for his noble master.
“So why?”
“Why what?”
“Why Aaron lost to Elena.”
“You still don’t get it after watching that? Are you an idiot?”
“If I’m an idiot, then you wouldn’t want me as a retainer, right?”
“There’s value in educating you. I like that.”
“Tch.”
“For the sake of our little idiot, let me explain. Aaron wanted to look good in front of Elena.”
“Excuse me?”
I didn’t understand.
“Why wouldn’t he show off his own skill?”
“Because Aaron is from a viscount’s house, and Elena is from a margrave’s.”
“What?”
“I told you. The margrave treats Elena as nothing but a political marriage tool. She absolutely hates that. She wants to stand out and escape that fate. In short, she hates losing. On the other hand—”
Airen pointed at Aaron.
“Aaron also gets no expectations. But he’s the eldest son. Even if he’s somewhat incompetent, he still has the authority the family can put forward. His self-esteem is filled to a certain degree. Even so, he’s still a rank below Elena, the margrave’s third daughter. What do you think would happen if Aaron completely outshone her right beside her?”
“……Elena would feel terrible?”
“Exactly. But instead of showing her that he could dominate her, Aaron helped her.”
“Isn’t that the same thing? In the end Elena only hit the target because she received help.”
“It’s completely different. Think about it. Is someone who brags about their cake next to you the same as someone who shares an expensive cake with you?”
“Ah.”
“Aaron deliberately held back from landing a perfect hit and helped Elena instead, imprinting on her that he was useful to her. Even though she ended up receiving help, she was satisfied knowing she had a supporter right beside her.”
“Your Highness… you knew all of that before the bet even started?”
“Of course. I have quite a sharp eye—unlike a certain arrogant someone.”
“Kugh.”
I should have known. Back during Professor Violet’s illusion magic class, Airen had already calculated the entire situation perfectly before proposing a bet.
I should have realized it would be the same this time and prepared accordingly. My careless assumption had led to a complete defeat.
“Heh. Since I won, I’ll be counting on you again?”
“It’s only inside the Academy—what exactly are you counting on?”
“The library.”
“Pardon?”
“Come to the library with me. After classes.”
“…….”
Right then I had to admit I was an idiot.
No matter how you looked at it, there was no way Airen would ever propose a bet that had zero downside for me.
The Academy library.
That place was a den where mountains of grimoires waited—books that could assault your brain the moment you opened them.