40 – Sunset Academy
“Why are you so downcast? Is there something uncomfortable?”
“No… It’s nothing… hahahaha…”
“Really? Alright then.”
Sitting in a soft chair, absentmindedly looking out the changing scenery through the window, she forced a smile in response to Eriel’s words.
‘Why am I…’
Avoiding Ariel’s gaze that seemed to observe me intently, I fixed my eyes outside the window. The reason for trembling inside the swaying carriage.
That’s because Ariel and I were currently on our way to Sunset Academy.
What is Sunset Academy? It is the most outstanding and sophisticated institution of education throughout the empire. Beyond all nobles, it is the ultimate educational institution admired by commoners as well.
Just being a graduate of Sunset Academy allows one to be treated with respect anywhere on the continent. It is an academy with such prestige.
And there I was, a mere ordinary person, not a noble or anything, heading towards that prestigious educational institution following Ariel.
The incident occurred last night. Before Ariel left, in response to the command, “Prepare for tomorrow,” I, bewildered, sought out the butler, Everton, to understand the meaning of those words.
“Ah, Mr. Venice. You will be accompanying Miss Ariel to Sunset Academy from tomorrow onwards.”
When I conveyed the situation to Everton, a simple answer came back as if I were going to play in front of the house.
“…..What?!”
Of course. Faced with the shocking news that I had to go to school again, I stood still in that spot for over 30 seconds.
School. I really disliked that place. What was there to enjoy about going to school?
The satisfaction of cultivating knowledge, a mundane daily life with newly made friends, delicious meals, and so on. There might be many reasons if you look for them.
However, none of those reasons applied to me.
Cultivate knowledge? You can do that without going to school. And why do I need to gain knowledge anyway?
Making new friends. This was nearly impossible for me, who had a very limited social circle. I only got along with friends I had known from the beginning.
Delicious meals? The meals at our school were disgustingly tasteless.
There might be countless other reasons if you look for them, but anyway, I disliked the space called school.
Perhaps that’s why I reacted like a wet cat when I heard the news of going to a place similar, no, identical to the academy, like water touching a cat.
“Sigh…”
However, naturally, I had no choice. Refusing Ariel’s command would only result in her silently staring at me with those chilly eyes.
And don’t worry about going to the academy to study, it’s just going as a servant, said Master Everton…
If it was just going to school, I could have conceded a hundred times. Even if I hadn’t conceded, I would have had to go anyway, but still.
“…………”
“Cough, cough.”
That’s why I was quietly looking out the window of this uncomfortably awkward carriage, after rushing to get ready from early morning the day before.
“Well… it won’t take long, so let’s endure a little.”
The carriage I am riding in right now is a carriage that can run faster than a horse using some kind of amazing technology. It would be easier to understand if you think of it as a car. The ride was similar too.
Didn’t some expert from a workshop discover a technique using magic stones? It must be a technology that utilizes that.
That’s why this carriage was several times faster than the carriage I rode during my time in the Scar Mercenary Corps. Being able to use such a carriage must be thanks to the Eriell family.
“Cough… cough.”
“Miss Eriell, have you caught a cold?”
“…Cough. Yeah. Seems like it.”
Eriell had been coughing incessantly since earlier, and now she looked tired. It seemed like she had caught a cold due to the extremely cold weather.
Eriell must have grown up in the cold northern region all her life, so she can even catch a cold.
“Miss, cover yourself with this coat.”
“…………”
“Hurry. My arms hurt.”
“….Thank you.”
As I handed her the coat I was wearing and shivered, Eriell reluctantly took the coat and put it on top of her outerwear.
“Cough… cough.”
And so, I gazed out of the window in the quiet stillness, occasionally hearing a cough, as the landscapes outside swiftly passed by. Before I knew it, I could hear the coachman’s shout that we had arrived at the academy.
***
“Wow………”
As I opened the door of the carriage, an indescribably huge building appeared before my eyes.
It seemed even larger than any landmark from around the world, its white base harmoniously blending with all sorts of colors.
So this is the continent’s finest academy.
Overwhelmed by a feeling I had never experienced before, I stood agape, staring blankly at the academy building.
“What are you doing? Let’s go inside.”
“Ah, yes.”
Roused back to reality by Ariel’s voice, I hurriedly followed her towards the grand entrance of the academy.
“Stop. Please stop.”
Standing in front of the majestic gates of the massive walls were guards in steel armor and holding iron spears.
The mana emanating from them, and their obviously well-trained physiques, made it clear they were no ordinary warriors.
“Please show your badge to prove you’re an academy student.”
“Here it is. And this is my butler.”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Ariel took something resembling a card from her pocket and handed it to the guard, who then placed it against a glass orb that looked like a device.
Beep-
-Academy student. Ariel Frost. Welcome.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Well then, please enter.”
“Yeah. Good job. Let’s go, Venice.”
As the dry voice of a sophisticated woman echoed from the glass bead, the guard lowered his head in greeting and stepped aside.
Following Ariel, I passed the guard and finally entered the interior of Sunset Academy through the massive door.
“….Wow.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Beyond a well-maintained small garden, I was literally overwhelmed by the sight of the vast interior. A height that seemed higher than several dozen floors of an apartment building, with no end in sight.
More splendid and beautifully decorated than the dazzling exterior. Red carpets adorned every path, and exquisite portraits and paintings decorated the surroundings. Each piece of furniture seemed to be worth more than a few sheets of gold.
Literally, a sight befitting an educational institution representing the empire.
I may not know many landmarks on Earth, but it seemed more outstanding, sophisticated, and beautiful than any other space and building. That was the impression I had.
Lowering my raised head, I looked around. Everyone passing by was wearing white-like uniforms, probably the academy’s student attire.
However, upon closer inspection, those who were talking with passersby and those who seemed uninterested in anything were all focusing on one place.
The protagonist found in the direction of those gazes was…
“….Me?!”
No, of course not. Why would anyone give attention to an ordinary person like me?
– Hey, isn’t that Lady Ariel?
– Oh, really? She’s here after a few months? No, is it a few years?
– This is amazing…! To see Lady Ariel in person…!
– …But who’s the one next to her? He’s quite handsome, isn’t he?
Naturally, the gazes were not directed towards me but to Ariel. Those who seemed like novices either mumbled or admired while looking at Ariel. Some, for reasons unknown, seemed moved.
“Hmm. Ariel Frost, the charming. If I may speak, I am Khan Ventra. The first son of the rising Vent Territory!”
At that moment, there was a man approaching us, or rather Ariel. He had shiny orange hair and was quite a handsome young man, though a bit ostentatious.
“………..”
Ariel, after casting a brief glance as if observing a fly, attempted to ignore and pass by. However, the man introducing himself as Khan Ventra blocked Ariel’s path.
Lines of tension appeared on Ariel’s smooth forehead, and there was a slight movement of the lips. However, Khan Ventra, who introduced himself as Khan, continued to speak, seemingly unaffected.
“Oh, Ariel Frost! I’ve heard a lot about you…! They say you’re the most beautiful flower on the continent…”
… Geez, what a line. Is he trying to make me cringe?
As if becoming the male lead in a play, Khan Ventra placed one arm on his chest and pointed to the sky with the other. With a face soaked in superiority, he gazed at the sky.
“Ariel Frost, give me a moment-“
“I’m not interested. Let’s go, Venice.”
“…No, it’ll only take a moment! So, um…”
“Step aside.”
Now, Ariel was openly showing disdain. I was being led away by Ariel, ignoring him, but I felt something ominous behind me.
“Because of that insignificant guy-!”
“Wha… what?!”
Suddenly, I felt my body being pulled backward. It wasn’t just a feeling; it was a fact. Khan Ventra, with an angry expression, grabbed my body and tossed me backward.
I couldn’t resist and ended up falling.
“Ouch…”
“Look carefully. Rather than that nobody, I-!”
“……Now. What are you doing?”
Karl Vent, who seemed about to take a step towards me, froze upon hearing Ariel’s voice, more chilling than ever.
“E…Ee-e-e-Ariel, my dear…?”
“Don’t call my name with that filthy mouth.”
As mana began to converge around Ariel, the space around her churned like a storm in an instant. Due to the overwhelming flow of mana, the very air seemed to gain weight.
Karl Vent could barely manage sporadic shallow breaths, unable to withstand the surging mana currents.
“Karl Vent. Remember this. And never appear in front of me again.”
Sizzle-
Unable to withstand the intensified mana, Karl Vent revealed his white eyes and, frothing at the mouth, collapsed unconscious.
“Venice. Are you okay?”
“Y-yes… thank you, Miss Ariel.”
“Noted.”
I took Ariel’s extended hand, stood up, and looked around. Although my body trembled slightly from Ariel’s emitted vitality and mana, I felt somewhat accustomed to it now.
“So, where are we going from now on?”
“My room.”
“….Ah.”
Upon hearing the words spoken as if it were obvious, I looked around. To my surprise, the numerous onlookers who had approached to see Ariel began to murmur.
– Are the two of them going to be in the same room…?
– What on earth…?
– …Hmm. It does seem to suit them.
“…Regrettable. If it weren’t for Ariel-nim, I would have taken the initiative.”
Although I couldn’t make out exactly what they were murmuring, it seemed to be mostly about Ariel and me.
“…Huh.”
The murmurs of the apprentices grew louder when they noticed Ariel’s expression, a mixture of satisfaction and a mocking smile, as if he had heard something amusing.
“…Sigh…”
I let out an involuntary sigh. Without doing anything, I felt like I had become the protagonist of rumors. I’ve always felt that despite being a noble, Ariel seems unaware of such things.
Please. I fervently hoped that no false rumors would spread as I followed Ariel.