(POV change)
As soon as I opened my eyes, I first checked the alarm clock by my bedside.
Thankfully, it wasn’t time for the alarm yet.
I had set it just in case, but if possible, I didn’t want to disturb my friends’ weekend sleep.
I turned off the alarm, got down as quietly as possible, grabbed the clothes I had prepared the night before, and headed to the shared bathroom.
When I arrived and opened the door, I was startled.
The moment I opened it, a tall person with brown hair was leaning against the opposite wall.
Part of it was because it was so early that I expected no one to be there, but it wasn’t just that someone was present.
They were wearing a black suit that didn’t suit a bathroom at all, with a sword at their waist, and on top of that, a man… no, not a man.
With short hair, sharp eyes, and a height taller than most male instructors, I was momentarily confused, but there was no Adam’s apple.
“Who…?”
“The eighth Princess is inside. Wait.”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
I immediately stepped back out of the bathroom.
She must be the imperial guard of the princess I had only heard about in rumors.
I heard she was a second-year in the magic department, but since we’re in different departments and years, I had never seen her before.
Everyone who had seen the princess said she was incredibly beautiful, so I had been curious.
I felt a brief flutter of excitement at the thought that I might finally see her, but it didn’t last long.
What should I do?
Yesterday, the instructor told me to come to the main gate by 7:30 a.m.
Looking at the clock on the wall, it had just passed 6:10, so I still had some time, but I had once heard from friends that high-ranking nobles and imperial members take a long time to bathe.
I was just thinking that I’d wait a bit and, if it seemed like I’d be late, go to a bathroom on another floor when the door opened.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
I didn’t get a proper look at her face, but I bowed my head right away.
“Oh? Someone came to wash up at this hour? But why aren’t you going in…?”
“She tried to enter the bathroom earlier, so I told her to wait.”
“Shine, I told you not to do that.”
“But this isn’t even the bathroom you usually use. And coming alone this early to bathe is suspicious…”
“That’s enough. She’s being perfectly respectful. What’s suspicious about that? And you there, stop bowing too. Inside the academy, I’m just a student. There’s no need to observe imperial etiquette.”
“Y-Yes… yes.”
When I raised my head, I immediately understood why everyone who had seen the princess never held back their praise.
Her hair shimmered like sunlight, and her skin was pale white.
Her blue eyes looked like a lake you could be pulled into, and if angels from mythology really existed, I felt like they would look like this.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“Oh…sorry. You… you’re just so beautiful.”
I quickly lowered my head and apologized.
“You don’t have to apologize. Anyway, thanks for the compliment. You’re pretty too. First year?”
“Yes. Ranger Class B, Mei Levi.”
“Levi is your family name, right? I don’t recognize it. Sorry. You’re not from central nobility. Where’s your territory?”
“There’s no need to apologize. We’re just a baron family with a few small villages near the southern Arianne region, so it’s only natural you wouldn’t know.”
After I revealed my status, the guard standing beside her seemed to look at me more sharply.
Does she know my family?
No, I must be imagining it.
If she’s an imperial guard, she must be a high-ranking noble lady. There’s no way.
“Come on, that’s not how it works. If I didn’t know, that’d be disappointing. I’ll make sure to remember now, Mei.”
“It’s an honor that you’ll remember me.”
“You can just call me ‘senior’, you know. Oh, do you know my name?”
I’m in trouble.
I’ve definitely heard it several times, but maybe because she asked me so suddenly, I couldn’t recall it at all.
“Helena de Beluga.”
“Oh! I-I’m sorry. I did know it.”
“You just couldn’t remember, right? That’s a little disappointing. I thought I was fairly well-known in the academy…”
“I’m truly sorry.”
I bowed my head repeatedly in apology.
“I didn’t know the Levi family either, so shall we call it even? But you have to remember from now on, okay?”
The princess smiled brightly, adding that she would check next time, and then left.
Forgetting an imperial’s name…if this weren’t the academy, I’d have no excuse even if I were punished for disrespect.
Feeling relieved that the princess was lenient, I quickly washed up and got changed.
When I returned to the room and was about to leave after putting my changed clothes down, Ria who used the bed next to mine woke up.
“Mei? Isn’t it the weekend today?”
“Ah, Ria, did I wake you? Sorry. Mhmm, it’s the weekend.”
“Yawn, you had me confused since you were already up. Where are you going at this hour? The cafeteria doesn’t open until 8 on weekends.”
“Oh? I-I have… supplementary class.”
I was told not to let others know I was going out if possible, so I just said it was a supplementary lesson.
“This early, without even eating? That’s rough. Take care.”
I told her to go back to sleep and left the dorm.
When I checked the time, it was already 7:25.
If I ran at full speed, I could just barely make it.
I hurried down the dorm stairs and cut across the empty campus, deserted on a weekend morning.
Even though I ran all the way to the main gate without stopping once, I wasn’t that tired.
The distance from the dorm to the gate is quite long, so it would’ve been exhausting before, but I could clearly feel my stamina had improved, which made me feel proud.
“Mei, you’re one minute late.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I woke up early, but something came up while I was going to wash.”
“I told you to come with time to spare in case something like this happened so it doesn’t affect the schedule, but…”
“It really couldn’t be helped.”
Worried he might think I was making excuses, I told him about running into the princess in the bathroom.
“You forgot the princess’s name? Are you out of your mind?”
“She asked me so suddenly that I couldn’t remember… I seriously thought I was going to die. Her guard was glaring at me so fiercely too…”
“You should be grateful the princess is lenient. Anyway, I understand the situation, but you still have to pay the price for being late, don’t you?”
“I-Instructor?”
“We’ve still got time, so let’s do some morning exercise.”
I had just run here, and now he was telling me to run again.
Hoping he might go easy on me, I looked at him with the most pitiful expression I could manage.
“What’s with that look? Go to the main field over there and run five laps. Move!”
“Y-Yes!”
***
You could’ve gone a little easier on her. She hasn’t even eaten.
It’ll spoil her.
Didn’t you say she’s not a kid?
Then it’ll spoil the adult.
While joking around with Ark as I waited, Mei returned before long.
She had left looking like she was about to die, but after running five laps, her breathing wasn’t that ragged, and she didn’t look completely exhausted.
The past week of intense training had clearly paid off.
Still, this alone wasn’t enough to guarantee a win against Amelia in the bet.
“Follow me.”
“Yes.”
I led Mei toward the main gate.
After showing the pre-approved outing pass, I left the academy with Mei.
Normally, during the semester, students’ outings and visits are strictly controlled.
Even for family events like weddings, permission is rarely granted, and it’s usually only approved when an immediate family member is critically ill or has passed away.
But if an instructor accompanies them, it’s not particularly difficult.
I had already gotten permission, saying we were going out to get weapons for tournament preparation.
No one questioned it much, which made sense since the proper way to buy weapons is to see them in person.
That said, Mei seemed a bit more excited than usual.
“Feels good to be out?”
“I never imagined I’d get to leave like this during the semester.”
The way she smiled in response showed that she really was just another student after all.
“I see. Where’s your home?”
“My home? It’s in the Arianne region, but it’s such a small place with no real specialties, so you probably wouldn’t recognize it even if I told you.”
“The Arianne region is part of the southern territory. I was stationed in the south for quite a while, so I know most places.”
In reality, I’m an orphan from the Holy Kingdom, but my personnel records say I served in the Carlos Duchy.
“Really? Because of your accent, I thought you were from the capital.”
“Didn’t I say at the start of the semester that I was in Sainty before coming to Veliyard? Before that, I was stationed in the Carlos Duchy, so I know most places in the south. Is it near the coast?”
“No, it’s near the Kalabinz Mountains, between the Peyton Viscounty and the Carlos Duchy.”
“I’ve got a rough idea. Is there a gate in your territory?”
“There isn’t one in our territory, but there’s a gate in the Peyton Viscounty about two hours away. But why are you suddenly asking about my home?”
That’s not too far. Good.
“Then it won’t take too long. Go visit home.”
“H-Home? Weren’t we going to buy weapons?”
She looked completely startled.
“You just need to be back by midnight tomorrow. We’ll still buy weapons, but before that, there’s somewhere I need to go. Give me your address, and I’ll come pick you up tomorrow afternoon.”
“Um…”
She didn’t seem very happy about it.
Usually, people would be glad if you told them to go home, wouldn’t they?
“Are you not on good terms with your family?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t have any money…”
That’s a bit much.
I told her I’d buy the weapon today, but I expected her to at least say she’d contribute something out of courtesy. Saying she has no money at all…
“Did you not bring your wallet?”
“No, I have it, but it’s far, so it’s a bit expensive.”
Huh? It’s not like we’re traveling across the entire continent. It should cost at most under one gold. Calling that expensive is surprising.
Isn’t Mei a noble?
Students from noble or wealthy families usually bring plenty of money when they enroll.
Plus, there’s a small branch of the central bank on the first floor of the academy’s main building, so they can withdraw the allowance their families send monthly.
The academy provides uniforms and most daily necessities, but there’s also a shop, and merchants from the capital regularly come to sell clothes and accessories.
It’s not like she’s a landless minor noble like me. She has an inheritable title and territory, so she should be well-off.
Like Ark said before, sometimes those who have more are tighter with money. Maybe her parents are a bit stingy.
“I’ll cover the travel expenses.”
I pulled out a ten-gold coin from my inner pocket and handed it to her.
“Th-This is ten gold? Instructor, that’s too much.”
“I don’t have any smaller change.”
“I’ll go exchange it right away.”
“Forget it. I didn’t even have breakfast, so we’ll need to grab something to eat on the way. And since we’re going to visit them after such a long time, we should bring something with us.”
“Th… thank you. I’ll tell my parents and pay you back.”
“There’s no need to repay me. It’s pocket change for an instructor.”
Oh, trying to look cool?
Ark was being sarcastic again.
Honestly, if I’d had a five-gold coin, I would’ve given that instead, but I only had a ten-gold coin on me.
Still, I couldn’t just say that outright and make myself look cheap.
After about ten minutes of walking, we arrived at the nearest gate to the academy.
Even though it was early morning, the line was fairly long which was unsurprising for the capital. But I was able to pass through quickly after showing my academy instructor ID.
Since the gate to the Arianne region would activate before the one to my destination, I ended up sending Mei off first.
“Hmm, it’s a two-hour trip, but with the carriage interval being an hour, that’s quite long.”
I had a rough idea since her territory was near the Kalavins Mountains, but it must really be out in the sticks.
“It’s the countryside… There are plenty of cargo wagons, but I suppose that wouldn’t be suitable, right? Or if you tell me the time, I can come back to the capital to meet you.”
I was about to tell her to do that, but then I shook my head.
It had been a couple of months since she last saw her family, so it would be better for her to spend as much time with them as possible.
“Arianne region! Those heading to the Viscounty of Peyton or the western territory of the Duchy of Kalos, departure in three minutes! Please line up in front of Gate 11!”
“Instructor, I’ll be going now. Thank you.”
Just as Mei bowed and turned to leave, I stopped her.
“If you’re going, you should at least take this with you.”
I opened my subspace and held out a small flask I had prepared in advance.
“What is this…? No, don’t tell me this is….”
“It’s a tonic. If you stop taking it, the effects diminish, so I prepared it separately.”
At the word “tonic”, Mei made a distressed face, but in the end, she took it, bowed once more, and disappeared into the gate.
Well then, I should get moving soon too.
My destination is Anov.
It’s a border city at the eastern edge of the Beluga Empire.
To be more precise, it’s the East Great Forest adjacent to Anov, which is why I sent Mei home first.
The East Great Forest is inhabited by elves and other races, and while it’s not as dangerous as the north, it’s still crawling with all kinds of monsters, making it difficult to search for medicinal herbs while looking after Mei.
But why was I suddenly heading to the East Great Forest?
It’s all because of me.
Considering Mei’s rate of improvement, I estimate her chances of becoming the representative at around sixty percent.
Among students who are still rough around the edges, even just having good stamina can give a significant advantage.
But if we can solve Mei’s lack of mana, that could become one hundred percent.
A few methods came to mind, but they all take too long, so with only two weeks left until the representative selection, they’re not viable.
Just as I was thinking I’d have no choice but to leave the remaining forty percent to luck, Ark offered a suggestion.
He said that in the era he lived in, there was a herb that, when consumed, could significantly increase one’s mana.
I’d heard the rumor that consuming a dragon’s heart, something straight out of legend, could increase mana, but this was my first time hearing about such a herb.
I was skeptical, but Ark insisted I should trust him.
He said he hadn’t planned to tell me because he didn’t like my attitude, but after seeing me genuinely teach Mei this time, he changed his mind.
Even if it does exist, wouldn’t such a herb be extremely rare and hard to obtain? When I asked, Ark said he could use a specialized tracking spell.
“Those heading to the eastern border city of Anov, please line up at Gate 2!”
It was time.
At the staff member’s shout, I stood up from my seat.
Ark, you’re sure we can really find it once we get there, right?
How many times are you going to ask? Have you lived your life getting scammed?
I trust you. I’m just making sure.
I trusted Ark.
The relic I sold for a high price before. I found that by following his advice.
Ark, what was the name of that herb again?
Maybe he got annoyed from me asking too much, because he didn’t respond.
It was something with “mountain” in the name…
Was it called mountain ginseng?
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