Chapter 194
(Kyle Calendar Year 510: Age 17)
The Third Year of Academy Life
Translator : PolterGlast
Summer ended, and
autumn arrived. With the Supreme Tournament held in spring and numerous trips
back and forth between the Royal Capital and my domain afterwards, it felt as
though the months had flown by in the blink of an eye.
The expeditionary
training exercises for the Magic Tactics Research Department, requested by the
Headmaster, were held repeatedly, and it was becoming a regular event for the
mages to go to Teigoon for training.
Thanks to that, I feel
that the construction work has progressed significantly. Mary and Sasha
displayed their excellence without reserve, earning all their graduation
credits in two years, effectively putting them in the same position as special
scholarship students.
Therefore, from autumn
onwards, they will be based mainly in Teigoon, and in their place, Elan,
Christof, and others will come to the Royal Capital for half a year. Though
they are supposed to be students, they are acting almost as instructors,
handling matters at the academy and with the Royal Knights.
And, for the light-up
event requested by His Majesty, scheduled for the following month, Yoltia and
Bart are also in the Royal Capital.
Workshop Master Karl,
spurred on by the stern encouragement of the women, prepared 2,500 lanterns
within the deadline, exceeding the planned number. And Yoltia, along with the
staff she brought, is working out the execution plan day by day in the capital.
Partly because of
this, I often stayed in the Royal Capital, and since it was convenient for
meetings with the various mages, I frequently showed my face at the academy.
It's definitely not
because I'm worried about my younger sister, who newly enrolled in the academy
as a freshman, that I show up every day. I'd like to be able to state that
definitively, but...
"Lord Demon
Territory Count, I beg of you!"
A male student knelt
down before me in the academy hallway. Since the new semester began, how many
times has this happened?
"No matter how
hard I try, I can't buy a vial for my confession! At this rate... Please, I beg
you, help my path of love!"
Sigh, it's always
this. Well, it was my idea, so I do feel a little responsible.
Yes, the incident
began at the end of summer. The honey products, which had gained popularity at
the trade fair, went on sale at the antenna shop in the Royal Capital. What's
more, with a side story that pleased the ladies.
※
It was a common love
story, not just in the Kyle Kingdom.
Several hundred years
ago, a prince of the kingdom happened to eat a sweet made by the daughter of a
lower nobleman, was moved by its deliciousness, and went to meet her. That
encounter sparked a romance between them, and they nurtured a love that
transcended their statuses.
The prince, unable to
marry her due to the rules of royalty, finally resolved to renounce his royal
status and proposed to her, bringing a sweet similar to the one he had first
eaten, saying that his heart had been captivated since that moment.
Whether it's true or
not is unknown, but the story says that afterwards, the two lived together
happily ever after. And the name of the lower noble's daughter was apparently『Marle』.
※
Miseri and the others
twisted this story, known from nobles to commoners.
『On Saint Marle's Day, confess your love to the woman
you desire with a sweet gift that melts the heart! 』
Since the prince's
proposal was in early autumn, Miseri and the others arbitrarily named that
period Saint Marle's Day. And with this catchphrase, they launched a
large-scale sale in the Royal Capital of honey in small jars that pleased
women.
And then... on the day
of the sale, thanks to word-of-mouth from Yuka-san's friends and others,
customers flooded the shop, and it sold out in the blink of an eye.
Of course, at first,
it was mainly women who were buying it, unrelated to love confessions. But
after several additional sales, it gradually changed into something men bought
to win women's favor, and the main purchasers shifted to men.
And these
circumstances led to the male student's prostration.
In the beginning, I
too had been pleaded with by male acquaintances, felt sorry for them, and had
given away my spare vials. That was a mistake.
The rumor spread, and
after the nth prostration, I could no longer handle it.
"Sorry! I don't
have any left either. Keep this strictly confidential from now on. They say
there won't be any more shipments this month, but rumor has it, they'll be
restocked early next month. If word of this gets out, you won't be able to buy
any, so keep it absolutely confidential."
I had no choice but to
escape by saying this. This isn't... my fault, is it?
"B-r-o-t-h-e-r!
You've been saying you don't have any left recently, but surely you have a
portion to gift your cute little sister, don't you?"
"..."
My sister, who had
enrolled in the academy this year, had somehow appeared behind me. Depending on
my answer, she might transform into the Hannya
mask she inherited from our mother, with a scary smile...
Of course, I have
secured portions for Chrisia, Yuka-san, and Yuka-san's friends who cooperated
with the initial marketing... but please don't say that here.
"Sorry! There
really aren't any left...
Can you pretend that's
the case, publicly? Otherwise, even my cute little sister's portion will be
taken away... I have political obligations too. I have to fend off requests
from that side as well..."
Except for the first
word, I muttered quietly so that only my sister could hear.
"How cruel! Not
even having your sister's portion! I don't know you anymore, brother!"
Chrisia said this,
turned her face away, and walked off. Sticking her tongue out cutely so that I
would know it was an act.
"The Demon
Territory Count... has no blood or tears. He could at least give some to his
sister secretly..." "It's all about business first, isn't it. As
expected of someone with the blood of a merchant baron (now count), what a
demon..." "Damn it! In place of her unreliable brother, I'll buy it
and give it to Chrisia-chan as a present. Just you wait."
I could hear the
whispers of the gathered onlookers behind my back... My bad reputation grows
again...
"Why does it have
to be like this!"
I held my head at the
unnecessary collateral damage. I mean, I won't forgive anyone who tries to hit
on my sister without permission, though.
※
Due to these
unnecessary circumstances, the honey products sold smoothly—no, explosively—in
the Royal Capital. The antenna shop was a great success, and thanks to that,
sales of sugar and soap also grew rapidly.
Regarding sugar, some
stores requested direct transactions individually and concluded sales
contracts. Sugar produced in Teigoon is gradually encroaching upon the sales network
for sugar flowing in from the Empire.
It was the same for
soap. The domestically produced (Teigoon) high-end soap was very well received,
mainly by noblewomen.
And some restaurants
in the Royal Capital began to stock the low-priced soap and disinfectant as a
set.
It could be said that
the results for the first year were more than sufficient.
※
The light-up was also
very well received.
On the night of the
Queen's birthday, lanterns that colored the ground with flower petals were
lined up not only in the first district where the Royal Palace is located, but
also in parts of the third and fourth districts, fantastically coloring the
night of the Royal Capital.
Here too, we
implemented a little trick.
First, among the 40
mages transferred from the Restorationist faction to the Royal Knights, there
happened to be a Light Mage. I negotiated with Knight Commander Gouras and
borrowed him. Since we had been dispatching various mages as instructors for
the knights' training, I received his consent with a ready 'yes'.
The moment His Majesty
the King invited the Queen onto the palace balcony and showed her the light-up,
the Wind Mages made a large quantity of prepared flower petals dance in the
sky. The aforementioned Light Mage then illuminated them with a band of light.
A fantastical space
spread out in the night palace, captivating everyone.
The Queen was greatly
pleased, His Majesty the King was also pleased with the surprise presentation,
and the light-up became an annual event. Furthermore, requests for light-up
presentations flooded in from influential nobles who had seen it and from
nobles who had heard the rumors.
We decided to accept
these applications and conduct them as a set with peddling activities for soap,
sugar, and other products.
Of course, mixed into
this event team is Raphael's subordinate intelligence unit. This way, they can
openly go to the domain capitals of influential nobles and conduct intelligence
activities to gather information from various regions.
These activities also
began to contribute financially, becoming one of the pillars of revenue that Miseri
had spoken of.
※
My academy life, like
this...
Well, it's already my
third year, but have I actually lived much of a student-like life beyond the halfway
through my first year?
I get that feeling,
but let's not worry too much about it.
"You must not
neglect your sword training. Training to protect your life—this alone, you must
carry out every single day without fail."
The Commander
constantly tells me this, so I diligently adhere to it. For that reason,
whenever I have time, I show my face in the knight training course classes in
the morning and have Sigur and Karla as my sparring partners.
In these two years,
these two have changed greatly. At first, they were always timid and
overwhelmed by the atmosphere, feeling out of place, but recently they carry
themselves with confidence.
"Strive
diligently so that you can take my place at any time."
Anne apparently told
them this, and the two of them had been diligently devoting themselves to their
training.
Karla, in particular,
exuded a dignified and gallant atmosphere reminiscent of Anne, and in
swordsmanship, she had already surpassed both me and Sigur, climbing to the top
of the academy.
Even I, who had been
undefeated at the academy, finally lost to Karla in a mock battle. Her
swordsmanship, deflecting blows without relying on force and adding
counterattacks when she saw an opening, was captivating even to watch.
"M-my apologies!
I accidentally got serious..."
Wait, does that mean
you weren't fighting seriously until now? The first time I lost to her, I was
quite shocked, but it's also true that it felt refreshing.
"No, no, I'm
happy to see how much you've grown. But please don't hold back against me next
time either."
"Yes, I also wish
to catch up to Anne-sama soon."
No, you've already
surpassed her... Her slight airheadedness was also amusing.
As for Sigur, he has
reached a level worthy of the rank of Sword Master.
"Thank you for
your instruction! I couldn't land a single point today either, but I'll do my
best so that one day I can land even one!"
"Yeah, keep at
it..."
In contrast to Karla,
Sigur's sword style somehow resembles the Commander's. I, being accustomed to
sparring with the Commander, can somehow manage against him, but that is purely
thanks to familiarity. If I were facing him for the first time, I would likely
lose.
Incidentally, it seems
that no one other than myself and Karla can win against his swordsmanship,
being toyed with instead.
I think the day will
come when I will have them accompany Anne as her aides and guards.
And so, after working
up a sweat in the morning, it has become something of a daily routine to work within
the academy after lunch.
Later today, I plan to
discuss the defense of Ishtar with Alexis at the academy. When it comes to war
with the Empire, this region still has many challenges. We need to repeat
discussions on strengthening the town's defenses and the operation of the
longbowmen.
After that, with
Yuka-san joining, we'll consider the curriculum for training Wind Mages in the
Magic Tactics Research Department... This was also something requested by the
old fox and Knight Commander Gouras, who had taken notice of the Gorman
domain's leap forward in the Supreme Tournament and her performance.
Once that's finished,
I'll consult with Chrisia about the deployment of reception centers within the
Count Solis domain, as she requested. My sister is troubled because my father
has dumped the construction and operation of the new domain's reception centers
and shooting ranges entirely on her. She has apparently consulted with Claire
many times, but for someone who would dump such responsibility on a cute little
sister who is still a student, it is necessary to thoroughly prepare the
documents and corner them. I intend to scheme in various ways to make sure my
father does his fair share of the work.
And finally, a meeting
with the mages who have come from Teigoon to the Royal Capital's Magic Tactics
Research Department for half a year in shifts...
Huh? As I thought, the
academy really has become my workplace... It's partly because I've taken
advantage of the Headmaster's kindness in letting me freely use one of the
academy's private salons, but...
Even Knight Commander
Gouras and others always come to the academy to visit me, not my mansion...
For a moment, the face
of a certain old fox, who had succeeded in enclosing me within the academy and
was laughing heartily, floated in my mind.
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