CH 108

Characters in this chapter:

Sapphiras Perfectio, 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge

Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier

Dylan, 4th year student, Percival’s childhood friend

Gabriel McMillan, Commander of the Order of Magicians

As the knights began their hurried post-processing, we were urged to move to the cafeteria. In the cafeteria, everyone is blue-faced and shaking. Some of the ladies are crying and there is a tragic atmosphere. At this rate, they’re going to be haunted by bad dreams for a while.

“My dear friend, Cait Sith.”

Cait Sith jumps out of the summoning circle, spins around in the air and lands on his feet.

“My master, you wanted to see me nya?”

“Yes. Would Cait Sith show off your cute side and make everyone here smile?”

“Yes, sir!”

Cait Sith curtsies like a gentleman and steps cutely while singing a jolly song.

I quickly waved my wand and let the light stardust and little flowers dance in the air. The sudden start of Cait Sith’s dance drew everyone’s attention.

Tatan, tatan, Cait Sith approached the ladies as he danced and took one of the dancing flowers and reverently offered it to them.

“Here you go, lovely lady.”

“……Well, for me?”

The tears of the young lady who had been trembling and crying just a moment ago had stopped completely. After all, cuteness is invincible. Cait Sith knows he’s cute too, so he makes the most of that weapon to show his affection. Cait Sith’s singing and dancing changed the air in the cafeteria, which had been filled with tension and anxiety.

Dylan-san whistles with a hoot, as if impressed.

“Percy, you’ve got a really terrific sidekick, don’t you?”

“……Dylan, help me out,”

“Roger that, roger that.”

Percival accompanies Dylan-san to the counter and asks the cook for something. After a while, tea was lined up one after another on the counter, and when the two received it, they handed it to each person while asking if they were injured. The slightly pompous Dylan-san’s smiles not only stained the daughter’s cheeks, but even the son’s cheeks were dyed.

The knight who had been fighting bravely just now politely handed her a cup of tea, she must have forgotten her fear. As expected of a knight who can be considerate.

After that, the redhead, who had heard the commotion about this time, came and made a fuss about how he wanted to subjugate the Wyverns too, but in general the cafeteria had regained its composure.

Even so, the effects of cute and beautiful knights are enormous.

“Which painting do you find preferable, Sapphiras?”

“Hmmm……this one. I think it’s better if the scenery is drawn rather than a person.”

I flip through the illustration book and point to a painting that looks like a river at sunset. I feel like the day is coming to an end, and it’s kind of nice.

Today is a private art history lesson with Percival Sensei1teacher.

“Well, let’s start with the area around the artist who painted this picture.”

“Yes.”

Reluctantly, I opened my art textbook. I’m not going to waste my time taking a supplementary exam. I’m not really enthusiastic about it, but since Percival is spending his precious time with me, I can’t say I’m unmotivated.

With great difficulty, I learn the names of the painters and their backgrounds. From there, I learn the names and backgrounds of artists who were friends and painters who were active in the same period.

As I repeat the names of the painters like an incantation with dead fish eyes, I spot Gabriel-san outside the cafeteria.

“Ah, it’s Gabriel-san!”

I get up from my seat and run to the window to call out to Gabriel-san, who was probably here about the wyverns.

“Gabriel-san!”

“Oh, Sapphiras-kun. You look well.”

“Oh……no……not so well.”

“Oh, dear, why?”

“Hey, Sapphiras. Don’t use the Commander of the Order of Magicians as an excuse to run away.”

Oh, I’ve been spotted.

Magician Commander, it’s been a long time.”

“I didn’t know Belisario was with you. Just in time. That thing the other day,”

Having said that, Gabriel-san uses magic to make a rippling sound to the extent that it doesn’t look unnatural, making it difficult for the surroundings to hear our conversation.

“It’s just like what Sapphiras-kun said, it was the dragon scale. It was exactly the same as the one that was stored somewhere.”

The ‘somewhere’ is probably the vaults said to be at the innermost part of the royal castle. 

“Could it be, it was taken out of that certain place?”

“No, as expected, it wasn’t. If that’s the case, what the hell is going on with national security?”

“Certainly……”

We’re trying to find out where it came from. And as for yesterday’s attack on the wyverns.

“Isn’t it a dragon flute?”

“Oh my, as expected of Sapphiras-kun.”

The only thing I can think of that would attract dragons like that would be a dragon flute.

As the name suggests, the dragon flute is a flute that summons dragons. It emits a sound similar to the high-pitched voice that a dragon uses to calls its companions. However, it is impossible for a wyvern to fly from Mount Paluum to here just because you blow a dragon flute.

The dragon flute can only be heard within a few kilometres at most. If that’s the case, it means that the guys who blew the flute did it in relay. And the question is, who blew the flute here? The current security of the academy is better than before, so suspicious people can’t get in.

“The adviser says it might be the knights guarding the academy.”

“Ha?”

“He says it’s impossible for a student of the academy to get hold of a dragon flute.”

The Earl seems to really want to fight with the knights. However, judging from Gabriel-san’s appearance, it seems that the only one who fights with the knights is the adviser.

“But isn’t it possible for an academy student to do it if he has a collaborator? To assume it is the knights at this stage is…”

“Sapphiras, that’s enough.”

Percival hugs my shoulder.

“Percival?”

“I’m sorry, Commander of the Magicians, but can we talk about this after the attainment test? If we start talking about it now, Sapphiras might put the exam aside and stick his neck out.”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. It’s that time of the year already, isn’t it? I understand. We’ll continue after the exam. If Sapphiras-kun has to take a supplementary exam, I’m likely to get scolded by His Excellency the Duke as well. Continue after the exam is over. Besides, the case might be solved by the end of the exam.”

Gabriel-san closed one eye, waved good luck with the exam and went away.

“Sapphiras, I know how you feel, but let’s focus on the exam now.

“Oh, oh.”

Percival knows my personality perfectly. No matter how much I decide not to get involved in this or that, no matter what I do, my attention is pulled towards the commotion.

“You can’t concentrate here. If you want, you can study in my room. I can at least offer you a cup of tea.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

I gratefully accepted Percival’s offer. It’s true, it’s hard to concentrate in the cafeteria. After all, I can see a red-haired guy coming towards us right now who looks like he’s going to get in our way. We hurriedly left the cafeteria before we were spotted and headed for Percival’s room.

“You can have that table.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

In Percival’s room, which I hadn’t visited in a while, I was once again face to face with art. It’s just me and Percival, so I have no choice but to concentrate. I’m very serious and I’m trying to get my head around the life of a painter, which I’m not particularly interested in. I’d still be more interested in continental history.

“Let’s see, what were the principles of this Roch and Rocan who lived together and had a falling out?”

I ask Percival, who is preparing tea in the small kitchen for the private room.

“Ah, impressionism. I think you’ll find more about them in the pages that follow……”

Percival stopped making the tea and went to the trouble of coming over to my side and turned over the book. The fresh aroma of lemon and mint softly tickled my nostrils. Percival smells as good as ever.

I can’t help but lean my nose towards Percival, who is standing by my side.

It’s not nice to quote a dead guy, but Gilliam, my ex-fiancé, always smelled like a strong perfume. Not only Gilliam, but sometimes I pass someone in the corridor who smells too much. It might be a perfume from some luxury maison, but if he wore the scent so unprincipledly, it wouldn’t have been classy at all. I wonder if the person sprinkling the smell has a stupid nose. No, maybe it’s because they’ve become stupid that they’re wearing perfume as if they’re being bathed in it.

In that respect, Percival smells so naturally that you want to take a deep breath. It’s like being in a forest.

“Sa-Sapphiras?”

“Ah, sorry. Percival has such a pleasant smell, I just thought of…….”

“……Is that so?”

“Yeah. The fresh scent of lemon and mint. It’s pleasant, I like it.”

but if I wore the scent so unprincipledly, it wouldn’t have been classy at all.

”…… Percival? What’s wrong?”

“No-nothing. I’m going to go make some tea, and you can read on from that page.”

“Yeah.”

What’s going on? What did I say that was so weird? But I just said it smells nice, I didn’t say anything to offend him, did I?

melon: omg get tgh already you two!! It should be happening soon…

Also extra chapter today because I finally finished that commission2I’m so happy with how he came out I was working on and I’m in a good mood. Sharing some good vibes~