Chapter 70 69: Nice Times

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This will be a bit short cause I have some things I need to get done today...

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The journey home was uneventful, the only major occurrence being us forcing the Marquess to sit outside of the carriage, along with her pile of materials from the Vermillion Bird.

As for what happened inside the carriage...

Well, Anput, Jahi and I enjoyed teasing Leone, with both Anput and Jahi letting their hands trail or 'accidentally' touch the shy girl, and we all laughed when she went beet red.

However, there was one time when Jahi went a little to far, her hand slipping from Leone's arms to glide across her chest. Leone hadn't enjoyed that, and I had to almost pull Jahi away from the girl when I saw her eyes slowly unfocus as she tried to get another feel.

Other than that, we just rested for the few hours, discussing the various things that happened over the months we hadn't seen one another.

Anput talked about how she had been thrown out of the palace a few times, dropped deep into the desert with nothing besides her sword and a small canteen of water to make her way home.

We all looked at her in surprise, before she just chuckled and said it was actually really easy, and that the large sand worms that traverse the desert are actually really tasty.

As for Leone, she told us about the various books on magic the Empress had gotten for her, which she had almost memorized as she tried to satiate her lust for all things related to magic.

After recounting our own tales, with Jahi alluding to our various nights together but never explicitly stating it, we started discussing the future, mainly what we should do for the next visit and what classes we are all planning on taking at the Academy.

Unsurprisingly Anput and Jahi had the same idea, being to take basic magic classes and focus mainly on their swordplay, with the only difference being Jahi wanting to take some classes on history while Anput wanted to take every class related to fighting that she could.

As for Leone and I, we were both going to be taking a lot of classes on magic, with both of us excited to learn enchanting and inscription. Leone wanted to take alchemy, and while I did enjoy cooking I hated exact measurements, so alchemy would never be my thing. Instead, I would likely join Anput and Leone with a blade class or two.

Other than the Academy, both Anput and Leone stated interest to purchase a place near the Academy, where we would all live together. That way we could avoid the small dorm rooms and have our own spaces to do what we wanted, instead of having to use the public areas at the Academy.

Of course, I asked "How much would one property cost in the Capital? Especially near the Academy?"

They all looked at me for a second, before saying "Millions."

Blinking my eyes a few times, I looked at each one carefully before asking "Would... would the Empress, Sultana, and Marquess be willing to put forward that much money... just so we can stay out of the dorms?"

Anput shrugged, Leone looked towards the floor, and Jahi pursed her lips.

"Does the Empress not own a property near the Academy? What with her being the Empress and having been around since the dawn of time..."

We looked at Anput, who yet again shrugged her shoulders after calling Leone's mother ancient.

"I... would have to ask."

After that mini discussion, we returned to talking about various things related to the Academy, before reaching home.

Stepping out, we looked towards the front to see the Marquess asleep, the large pile of monster materials bound with her magic.

Shrugging, we all made our way inside, where the Countess was waiting.

Not seeing her wife, the Countess sighed before walking outside.

Looking over one another, Anput said "How about we clean up before getting some food?"

Seeing us all nod, Anput made her way to her own room, while Leone set off towards hers, leaving Jahi and I alone.

Scooping me up, for the second time in two days Jahi carried me to our room, planning to work up another sweat before bathing.

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As we all sat around the table, enjoying the meal I had prepared for everyone, the Countess walked in, a few letters in hand.

"Well, here's the start of the annoying period of your life, Jahi. We have multiple invitations to various parties and hunting events, each a few days apart."

Placing them on the table, the Countess chuckled when she saw the dull gaze from her daughter, before adding "Well, it isn't just you either. Leone has been invited, and some have gone so far as to invite Anput! Aren't you all just so lucky?"

I watched in amusement as the two other girls sighed, their previous animation gone as they slumped their shoulders.

However, Anput looked up at the Countess, her eyes shining when she asked "Hunting Events? Like, how the Sultanate hunts Desert Worms or Bone Vultures?"

Shaking her head, the Countess chuckled as she said "Nope. Just plain old deer, rabbits, and birds. These 'hunting' events are usually hosted by the Nobility with weak magic."

Anput slumped further into the table, her obsidian eyes dull as she sighed.

Turning to me, the Countess' eyes shone with mirth as she said "And of course, you have to join them, and watch over them from the side~!"

That reminder that I wouldn't even be participating shattered the happiness I was feeling, only to make me ask "How long are we required to stay? Don't higher tier Nobility and Royalty get special privileges?"

Shaking her head, the Countess said "Nope. Instead, you are usually required to stay the longest, but... well, no one has the authority to stop you, as the only people above us are the two Duchess' and one Duke, as well as the Royal Family, but none care for these events that much."

Hearing that we all breathed a sigh of relief, happy we wouldn't need to stay the whole time in these boring events.

Leaving us to take in what she said, we all looked towards the letters.

Scooping them up, Jahi read through them before saying "Well, at least they are in a few weeks..."

Taking the letters from Jahi, Anput grinned when she said "And I am only invited to two of the six events!"

As she laughed, we all gave her glares, with Jahi standing up, a smile on her lips that never reached her eyes.

"Let's go spar, Anput~ "

Grinning, Anput placed the letters on the table before bouncing out of the room, oblivious to the fact that Jahi wasn't planning on taking it easy.

What followed was a few rounds of extreme combat, Anput having to put everything on the line to keep up. However, she enjoyed this more than usual, her grin wide as her eyes shone silver the entire time.

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So, I think I'll do like one or two of the events, another lemon or two, before starting the Academy. I never really had a set date for it, no age requirement, so...

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