Chapter 25

After finishing my conversation with Ariel, I returned to the dormitory.

All students at Alessia Academy basically used dormitories.

Except, of course, for the Imperial Princess and the Saintess.

Naturally, there were differences among the students.

Wealthy noble students didn’t use the standard dorms; they stayed in ones with better facilities.

This is it.

This would be the dormitory I’d use until I graduated from the academy.

Because most of the students who used this building were nobles, I remembered it being called the “Royal Hall” in the novel.

The Royal Hall was a stately stone building, with hallways laid in red carpet, decorations engraved with the imperial crest, and long windows glowing with the golden light of the setting sun.

Students were gathered here and there, chatting in small groups or relaxing in their rooms.

When I stepped inside, the eyes of the students outside turned toward me.

I had felt it during the Princess’s birthday as well, but I still wasn’t used to those kinds of stares.

Especially when they weren’t friendly ones.

Ignoring their gazes, I continued walking forward.

My room was located at the end of the corridor, in a quiet corner with large windows.

Oh?

As I opened the door and stepped in, a spacious and pleasant room unfolded before me.

One wall featured a bookshelf and the crest of House Bernard; it had a soft bed, a fireplace, and even a private bathroom.

On the desk lay neatly arranged stationery and letters bearing the crest of House Prodenteia, and a faint scent of herbs lingered in the air.

It was a space both familiar and unfamiliar.

It was obvious that someone had tried hard to make it feel like the room I used to live in.

The maid from House Bernard… no, Leena said she had prepared everything.

According to my father, Leena had come here a month before I entered the academy and prepared everything I might need.

If that were the case, then everything in this room must have been arranged by Leena.

Even so, I still found it puzzling.

The Leena I remembered, Aslan’s childhood friend who had eyes only for him, had gone this far just for me.

I still couldn’t quite believe that the protagonist’s childhood friend had become my personal maid.

Hmm.

I slowly walked over to the desk and began reading through the letters bearing the crest of House Prodenteia.

Countless letters exchanged between Ariel and me.

It seemed likely Leena had deliberately placed them there, and I figured I should start by using them to piece together my memories with Ariel.

While I was reading through the letters, I heard a knock.

Knock knock—

“Young Master, are you inside? It’s Leena!”

A somewhat familiar voice.

When I told her she could come in, a girl with pink hair and blue eyes stepped into the room.

I didn’t clearly remember Leena’s face due to the lingering effects of the high fever, but her pink hair and the way she called me “Young Master” were enough for me to figure out who she was.

“Leena?”

Saying her name gave me an odd, dissonant feeling.

“Oh? You recognize me? I heard you lost your memory.”

“It’s true that I’ve lost my memory, but I do know about you.”

At my words, Leena gave a faint smile and stepped into the room.

“You don’t remember, but you know about me?”

“Well… just that you’re my personal maid. Sorry about that.”

“Oh no, it’s fine. I’m sure your memories will come back soon.”

As she spoke, Leena glanced around the room, taking in the scenery.

“Do you like the room? I tried to make it as close as possible to the one you used to have.”

“I like it a lot. You must’ve gone through quite a bit of trouble.”

“Come on. Compared to me, you’ve had it much harder, Young Master! It must be tough, losing your memory, right?”

I forced a smile.

That was because I knew all too well that what I was going through was nothing compared to what others had suffered.

I knew just how miserable it was to be the only one left remembering precious memories once shared with someone else.

Before I knew it, Leena had brought out cleaning tools and started sweeping the room.

The soft glow of the evening sun, the lingering scent of herbs, and Leena’s presence gradually eased the awkwardness of the situation.

“Thanks to the Count’s consideration, I was able to enroll in the academy as well, Young Master. Originally, I was only supposed to set up the necessary supplies for the dorm and head back, but he said someone needed to look after you since you’d lost your memory…”

“But academy enrollment must’ve already closed, no?”

“For a house like Bernard that produced a court mage, something like that isn’t a problem at all.”

…Well, truthfully, my family wasn’t one to be taken lightly either.

The people connected to me might include the saintess, the duchy, and the imperial family, but House Bernard itself was a traditional noble house of great mages and had produced a court mage as well.

No wonder Lumina feels threatened.

Given that Ariel and I were now connected, I could somewhat understand the imperial family’s stance.

“Since it’s the first day you’ve moved in, there isn’t much to clean. I’ll be heading back now! I’ll drop by once a day to clean for you!”

“Where are you staying?”

“Ah, I’m not staying here. I’m in the same dormitory as the regular students. Thanks to you, Young Master, I even got to see the Royal Hall!”

Leena replied brightly with a confident smile.

That was a relief.

It seemed she had adjusted to this life quite well.

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave now!”

Just as Leena was about to step out of my room—

“…Wait.”

I stopped her for a moment.

She was someone who had seen me up close, someone who knew who I was before I lost my memory.

It felt like a waste to let her go just like that.

But before that…

“Aslan. Have you met your friend?”

At my sudden question, Leena looked at me in surprise, then quietly lowered her gaze.

“…No, I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Why not?”

“Well… I guess there’s no real reason to?”

That was an unexpected answer.

Considering their relationship, it wouldn’t be strange for them to meet right away.

“I’m now a maid of House Bernard and your personal maid, Young Master. It wouldn’t be acceptable for me to meet with a man outside the household without your permission.”

…Well, I hadn’t planned to restrict her that much, but if that’s how she saw it, then so be it.

“And… that would be an act of betrayal against you, Young Master.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

Leena let out a quiet sigh, then, as if she had made up her mind, she began to speak.

“You may not remember, Young Master, but I’m someone who owes you a great debt.”

Leena paused for a moment and looked into my eyes.

“You were the first to let me live by my own will. That’s why I’m here. Because I chose to be.”

Once again, I couldn’t find the words to respond.

I still couldn’t recall much about my relationship with Leena,

But I felt like I was beginning to understand why I had brought her to my side.

The picture was starting to come together.

For some reason, Leena and I had crossed paths, and that had led me to bring her to the Bernard mansion.

However, I couldn’t remember what that reason was or how it had all happened.

Still—

“That doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you tomorrow.”

“Ah… but my spirit isn’t in a state to fight yet…”

What a joke.

In the novel I remembered, she had overwhelmed her opponents with a spirit that had three white tails.

Compared to that, my dark magic was still at a basic level.

I did have a spirit under my command, but I had no memory of summoning it or seeing its full power.

After all, I couldn’t use dark magic freely in a territory where my father who was a court mage resided.

“Anyway, I’d like to know how I managed to bring you to the Bernard mansion. That process….I want to understand it.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s something I can’t tell you.”

“Hm?”

“Just because I explain it doesn’t mean it’ll become your memory.”

Leena’s expression had turned far more serious than before, and I quietly nodded my head.

“From the beginning, it should come back to you on its own. I’ll wait until your memories return.”

Leena, who had said that, slowly walked toward the door of my room.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

In that confident tone of voice,

there was a hint of longing—

and it probably wasn’t just my imagination.

***

In the special room reserved for the imperial princess, Lumina who was its sole occupant quietly read over the notice that had flown in.

The combat training class scheduled for tomorrow.

All first-year students were, by default, required to participate in combat training classes, but the imperial princess and the saintess, as special exceptions, were exempt from that obligation.

However—

That doesn’t mean I can just skip it.

She didn’t plan on actually taking part in the battle, but she was thinking of going to watch.

Originally, I intended to watch Ariel’s training…

A match between Ariel and a boy named Aslan.

The initial plan had been to assess Ariel’s abilities, and to divert the attention focused on her toward someone else.

But this one’s more intriguing.

A match between Ethan Bernard and Leena.

She wanted to see, with her own eyes, the power of that boy named Ethan who had caught her attention.

A butterfly quietly landed on her windowsill, then took flight.

The small breeze stirred by its wings brushed against her cheek.