A lecture hall at the knights’ academy was to be the location of a joint lecture for both knight cadets and squire cadets, starting early in the morning. After their vacation, Inglis and friends had headed to Illuminas while the remaining students had gone to Alcard with the Rangers, so it was the first time in quite some time that they were all gathered in the same place for a lesson.
“Phew. It’s great to be able to relax in a class for once. We’ve been so busy lately,” Rafinha said. Despite fighting the urge to sleep, she leaned on Inglis, who sat next to her.
“Don’t just doze off, Rani, pay attention.”
“But I’m so tired today for some reason. I didn’t even eat much at breakfast.”
“It seemed to me like you ate quite a bit,” Leone interjected. Inglis and Rafinha had exceptional appetites, so she and Liselotte had a hard time telling what a small meal was for the pair.
“In any case, I’m glad everyone made it back here safely,” Liselotte said. “It’s the first time in a while that things have calmed down.”
“Yes, those who went to Alcard don’t seem to have encountered any major problems,” Inglis said.
“Aww, it’s been so long, I wish I could have gone and seen Lahti and Pullum,” Rafinha said.
They chatted idly, waiting for class to start.
“Good morning, everyone!” Miriela entered the lecture hall with a smile.
“Huh? What’s up, Principal Miriela? You’re not here for special lessons, are you?”
It was unusual for Miriela to teach a class herself. Young though she was, she was firmly established in her role as principal and had many things to do beyond teaching class. It was only in special circumstances, like the enhanced-gravity orientation after the entrance ceremony, approval tests for special extracurricular activities, or commanding the defenses when Ripple had been summoning magicite beasts, that she taught directly.
“The principal being here does make me wonder if there’s some kind of situation,” Leone speculated, to which Inglis agreed.
“Again? Where might we be going this time?” Liselotte asked, a note of exhaustion in her voice.
“I want to go to the Papal League side of Highland next!” Inglis announced. “I want to fight Lord Evel, who took Fufailbane! And maybe spar with Highland’s pontifex himself. I bet he’s strong. He has to be strong, right? After all, he’s Highland’s top VIP!”
As Inglis’s eyes gleamed, Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte joined in strained laughter. Their faces made it clear that they knew that could not possibly turn out well.
“Hmm. It does give me a bad feeling when she shows up to teach unexpectedly,” Rafinha said, and Leone and Liselotte nodded in agreement. They apparently weren’t the only ones either, as the lecture hall was buzzing with moans and groans.
Hearing this, Miriela became frustrated. “And who might that be muttering? A volunteer for triple-gravity special training?”
“Of course! Yes! Me! Pick me!” Inglis’s hand shot up, and her eyes were gleaming. If there was a version of the enhanced gravity magic that placed an even weightier load upon the target, she wanted to study how the mana moved and was placed so that she could use it in her own training.
“You don’t need it, Inglis. After all, you were happy to see me,” Miriela said, grinning.
“Hmph... It didn’t work...” Inglis thought that she should have pretended to dislike the idea too.
“Ahem,” Miriela continued. “Er, I understand that you all seem to believe I bring trouble, but today I’m going to show you that that is not the case!” After clearing her throat, she smiled at the students.
“Huh? What is it, then? An extended menu at the cafeteria?!” Inglis asked.
“That’d be nice,” Rafinha said, “but I don’t think the principal would be here just to tell us that.”
Their question, though, was soon answered. “Today I’d like to introduce a new transfer student!”
“A transfer student? Hmm, I wonder what they’re like,” Rafinha asked, interest clear in her eyes.
“Come on in!” Miriela called out, and a young lady with pale aqua hair and elegant features entered the lecture hall.
“Ah!” Inglis gasped.
“It’s—!” Rafinha began.
“The imperial princess of Venefic, Meltina!” Liselotte completed.
Indeed it was her, though wearing a knights’ academy uniform. When the group with Ambassador Theodore had recently been in the Greyfrier sarcophagus, he had examined the devices holding Eris and Princess Meltina and concluded that though Eris could be left until the process completed with no likely ill effects, Meltina should be removed from her device immediately. Inglis and friends had helped to remove her, but Meltina had remained unconscious, and been brought to the palace to recover. It was pleasant to learn that she was already back on her feet, but her enrollment in the knights’ academy was a surprise.
“This is Meltina! Everyone be nice to her, okay? Especially you four—Inglis, Rafinha, Leone, Liselotte. Take good care of her.” Miriela smiled.
“Wow! A princess, a princess, a real princess!” Rafinha exclaimed.
“Rani, it’s probably best not to say that too loudly,” Inglis reminded her.
“Huh? But why?”
“Well, the principal didn’t introduce her as such, right? If everyone knows too much, bad things might happen. Even Lahti was keeping his true identity under wraps, right?”
“Oh, right, that’s true.”
“And Lahti is from Alcard, so even that wouldn’t have been as bad.”
Alcard was traditionally friendly with Karelia. Although they had planned an attack on Karelia alongside Venefic, those plans had fallen through. A formal diplomatic apology had followed, along with immediate support for Prince Wayne’s plans of establishing the Rangers and acceptance of their presence within Alcard’s borders. With such close relations, even if Lahti’s true identity had become widely known, it probably would not have caused significant problems.
Meltina, on the other hand, was from Venefic. Unlike Alcard, Venefic had historically been Karelia’s enemy. People had a different perception of it than of Alcard, and Karelian forces had recently fought Venefic. Some even blamed the Prismer’s invasion on Venefic. If Meltina’s true identity was known, plots against her would surely follow. Rochefort and Arles, of course, were also from Venefic, but Arles was a hieral menace, a guardian of the people, and Rochefort was an exceptionally talented bearer of a special-class Rune. Some might resent them, but their capabilities seemed to silence public dissent. Meltina, on the other hand, presumably had no such answers.
“But we already know,” Inglis continued. “That’s why the principal told us to take care of her.” Rochefort and Arles would surely help, but Miriela had wanted students who would watch over Meltina as well.
“I see... There definitely has been a lot of trouble with Venefic lately...”
The two had contended with General Maxwell of Venefic in Illuminas recently. If his capabilities and power were turned toward an assault on Karelia, they would likely produce as much damage as the rime-bound Prismer had.
“So in a way, maybe she did bring trouble with her.” Inglis chuckled. “Not that I mind.” It wasn’t just Meltina either. Myce and the other Highlanders of Illuminas had been welcomed in the capital; recently, the number of potential flash points had increased significantly.
“That’s not good!” Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte insisted in unison.
“Now, Meltina, you can sit over there, right next to Rafinha.”
While they conversed, Meltina took Principal Miriela’s seat assignment and approached them. “I’d like to thank you all for your help recently. You saved my life... I’m truly grateful.” She bowed deeply and delivered polite thanks.
“N-No... I’m just sorry we couldn’t save the others!” Rafinha’s apologetic bow was just as deep.
So she has been thinking about that. She’s such a kind girl. Inglis couldn’t help but smile a little. To her, Rafinha really was a granddaughter to be proud of.
“Please, don’t trouble yourself over that. My own weakness is to blame. I will cherish this life of mine that they saved as well.”
Meltina smiled. “But I want to become stronger—in body and soul, such that I never see such a thing happen before me again... And to that end, I have much to learn here, I believe. Could you please aid me in that?”
“Of course! Right, Chris?” Rafinha asked.
“Yes. I’ll do my best to make sure you’re safe here,” Inglis said.
Meltina had been sold to Highland after political unrest in Venefic. Even though she had been saved, there was no place for her to return to, and hearing the circumstances, King Carlias and Prince Wayne had entrusted her to Miriela at the knights’ academy.
Depending on the state of future relations with Venefic, she might become important. Her safety was a priority for Karelia, as she might one day become integral to future relations with Venefic—say, if Karelia were to launch an attack on Venefic, in order to reduce resistance, Meltina could be placed in ceremonial command of not a Karelian invasion but of a war to overthrow the current regime and liberate the people of Venefic.
Meltina herself, having lost everything, surely couldn’t afford the not-insignificant tuition of the knights’ academy, but to the national treasury it was a value indeed. The expenses of a single individual were a cheap price. Inglis would have made the same decision, had she been in Carlias and Wayne’s shoes.
“We’ll do everything we can too! Just ask us anything,” Rafinha said.
“There may be a few surprises about this group, so keep an open mind...” Liselotte said.
“Well, that’s definitely the truth,” Leone agreed.
“Huh?” Inglis and Rafinha were nonplussed by Leone’s agreement.
Lunchtime would be the first of those shocking moments, Liselotte had assumed, and she had offered a friendly warning, but a few hours and a few classes later—
“Mmmmm, it’s tasty today too! ♪ Meltina, this is set A!” Rafinha said.
“Yes, it’s delicious,” Meltina replied.
“This is set C! I really like this one.”
“Understood. It’s excellent as well.”
Nom, nom, nom, nom!
They churned through dishes at an astounding rate even as they conversed. It had begun to seem like a battle to see how much food they could consume during their limited lunch break.
“Ahhhh, there aren’t enough veggies!”
“Not enough meat either!”
“Or eggs, or bread! There’s not enough of anything!”
A battle fought most fiercely by the lunch ladies, rushing back and forth as they cooked, even though they were veterans of campaigns against Inglis and Rafinha’s bellies.
“One last push! Two each of A through E!” Rafinha said.
“Count me in,” Inglis said.
“And myself as well,” Meltina followed with a calm expression.
“Now there’s three of them!” Leone gasped.
“Birds of a feather, indeed...” Liselotte replied.
For in the end, it was they who were shocked by the events of the day’s lunch.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login