Chapter 38: Joining the Table

After all the lectures ended.

Carl was lightly sparring with his second brother, Darius.

Clang! Clang!

The family’s secret sword style, the Fiore Style, clashed sharply.

As they sparred using secret sword techniques, they dueled alone, away from any outside eyes.

“Hm.”

Darius looked at his younger brother, who was receiving his strikes without difficulty.

‘He’s changed a lot since enrolling at Bayern.’

Watching Carl swing his sword in a fairly skillful manner made the corners of his lips rise naturally.

It had only been two weeks since the semester started.

No—if the entrance exam was included, perhaps it had been a bit longer?

It hadn’t even been that long since Carl arrived at Bayern, yet so many changes had occurred.

‘He was always quiet and solitary back at the mansion, so I was worried he wouldn’t adjust well.’

Not only did he unexpectedly achieve the top score in the written exam, but he also passed with excellent grades.

Now, even if barely, he had made it into the top-tier class, and even among them, he was reportedly showing a notably strong presence.

From what Darius heard, Carl had already made quite a few friends too, and that change in his younger brother brought him immense joy.

‘If you’re carrying the Leipzig name, this much should be expected.’

Indeed, blood could not be denied.

Both Carius and Darius had left a mark in the academy under the Leipzig name.

So it was only natural to have expectations for Carl as well.

The obvious improvement in his swordsmanship was proof of that.

‘……Of course, he still can’t beat me.’

Clang!

Carl’s sword flew out of his hand.

As he faltered and stepped back, now empty-handed, Darius raised his sword with a triumphant expression.

“You’ve improved a lot since coming to the academy, but it’ll still take you a hundred years to catch up to your big brother.”

“……I’ve never thought I’d caught up in the first place.”

Carl gave a bitter smile as he picked up his fallen sword, and Darius withdrew his blade.

“You’ve improved in every way, but you still lack spirit—spirit. The Leipzig bloodline should always brim with confidence. Still, you’ve gotten better than before, so I guess that’s enough.”

“Then I’m glad to hear that.”

“By the way, you heard that Carius went to the training camp, right? They say we won’t see him for the next three months.”

“He’s going to training camp for three whole months?”

“Well, it is that knights order after all.”

The knights order Carius joined after graduation was the ‘Raging Flame’.

Even within the empire, it was a renowned and prestigious knights order.

They underwent a three-month training phase as a selection process, and only after passing the subsequent test would one be officially knighted.

“We can still send him letters, so Carl, you write one. I’m too embarrassed to do that kind of thing.”

“Understood. I’ll say it was from both of us, then.”

“Yeah. Otherwise, he’ll whine that I didn’t send anything again.”

Tapping Carl’s shoulder with the back of his sword, Darius looked at him.

“So, I’m going to keep training like this. What about you?”

“I have a dinner appointment. I should get going soon if I’m going to prepare.”

“……Dinner appointment? With a girl, by any chance?”

“It’s Miss Laysis.”

“……”

Darius chuckled at that.

He had expected Carl to be passive in such matters, but it seemed he had already gotten close to a girl at the start of the semester.

Lowering his sword, Darius reached out, put his arm around Carl’s shoulder, and pulled him closer.

“Well then, should I pass on some of your big brother’s secrets?”

“……No need. And besides, you smell like sweat.”

“Don’t be so cold, you punk.”

Darius messed up his younger brother’s hair roughly and let out a hearty laugh.

“……”

***

At sunset.

Laysis was standing in front of the campus cafeteria, adjusting her bangs while looking at the glass window.

“Hm.”

Only after several determined tries did she finally feel satisfied, smiling and nodding to herself.

While she was at it, she also straightened out the creases in her outfit.

It was still the same Bayern uniform, of course, but the mindset mattered.

Soon, it would be time to meet Carl.

……It wasn’t particularly a date or anything like that.

She was simply treating him to a meal as a token of gratitude.

It was the minimum act of refinement required of a princess of a nation.

“Ahem. Ahem.”

Laysis cleared her throat.

Even so, she was glad she had mustered the courage to ask.

She had been worried about being rejected, but gaining the courage from the fact that he hadn’t ignored her message over the weekend helped her go through with it.

“……Alright.”

Preparation was perfect.

Just as she was about to compose herself and turn around, she was startled to find someone standing right next to her, watching her.

“Eek!”

“What are you doing?”

“……Ah, ah. It was you, Yuria.”

Laysis spoke in a calm voice, desperately trying to hide her fluster.

Why was she here, when she was normally stuck in the library studying until midnight?

“……?”

Yuria narrowed her eyes.

Laysis’s appearance seemed unnatural for some reason.

Like a doll with creaking joints.

But she soon brushed it off and lightly tapped Laysis on the shoulder.

“You haven’t had dinner yet, right? Let’s go eat. I came out early since I’m going to stay up all night.”

“Ah, the thing is……”

“What’s wrong? You’ve been all fidgety like a puppy needing to poop.”

“……”

At Yuria’s question, Laysis hesitated slightly before carefully opening her mouth.

“I have a prior engagement. For a meal.”

“……Ah.”

Yuria showed an awkward expression.

Unlike her, who had no friends besides Laysis, the latter had a sociable personality.

She probably had no shortage of people to eat with.

Just as she nodded in understanding, Yuria noticed something strange.

‘……Something feels off.’

There were things only women could notice about each other.

Her makeup was thicker than usual, and her hairstyle seemed to have been styled with extra care.

She even seemed to have changed into a fresh uniform.

All in all, it was very, very different from her usual self.

‘Hmmm?’

Could it be she’s going to meet a guy?

No, that wouldn’t make sense.

Laysis wasn’t the type to show interest in men.

But this atmosphere was unmistakably……

“Miss Laysis? And even Miss Yuria.”

Suddenly, Carl appeared.

At his abrupt appearance, Yuria stepped back in surprise.

Since they were in front of the cafeteria, she was about to ask if he came to buy coffee, but Carl widened his eyes slightly and spoke.

“Ah, is Miss Yuria joining us as well?”

“……Ah.”

“……Oh.”

Both Laysis and Yuria froze in place.

Laysis made a regretful expression for not speaking first, and Yuria was surprised that Carl was Laysis’s dinner companion.

‘……You didn’t even reply to my message.’

To be honest, a wave of disappointment came first.

Was the magic study proposal she mentioned at the library just empty words?

Or was he only trying to win her favor?

Even earlier during the lecture, she pretended not to notice her message being ignored and talked to him like nothing was wrong.

She knew it was a one-sided complaint, but now that she realized Carl was Laysis’s dinner date, it made her feel as if a friend had been stolen from her……

“This is great. Ah, I’ve already made a reservation at the restaurant. It shouldn’t be a problem to add one more.”

“……Ah, I was supposed to treat you.”

“I had some leftover meal tickets. Since they’re expiring soon, I thought I should use them. Sorry I didn’t mention it earlier.”

“No, that’s fine then.”

“That’s a relief.”

Carl nodded with a faint smile.

Of course, no such expiring meal tickets existed.

The moment he saw Yuria next to Laysis, he spontaneously changed the plan.

‘Going with just her wouldn’t be bad, but having Yuria join offers a lot of benefits.’

On top of that, if news spread that he had dined alone with the princess of the Kingdom of Alforam, it would just bring trouble.

In many ways, bringing Yuria along was the wiser choice.

“Let’s go. I’ll lead the way.”

Carl pointed outside the academy as he spoke.

“……Well, if you say so. But are you sure it’s okay?”

Yuria cautiously turned her head and asked Laysis.

Worried she might be intruding.

Startled, Laysis quickly shook her head.

“No. I’d be glad if you came along. ……I was a little nervous, too.”

Nervous?

Yuria let out a dry laugh inwardly.

It was a word that didn’t quite suit someone like Laysis, who always maintained a calm atmosphere.

‘……Don’t tell me she’s actually interested in Carl?’

What had she said to her before?

Doubt had piled into curiosity, and that curiosity had somehow turned into attention or something along those lines.

“L-Let’s hurry. If we delay any longer, we’ll get caught in the curfew.”

“I-I’m coming too!”

As Laysis began walking ahead, Yuria hurriedly chased after her.

“……”

Carl paused in place for a moment, his eyes fixed in the air as he moved his lips faintly.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he followed behind Laysis and Yuria.

“……So that means you haven’t properly used the Archive yet.”

“That’s right. Because of that, I couldn’t even check the messages I had accumulated.”

“No wonder. You really looked like you didn’t know.”

Beatrice Street.

The place spread out in front of Bayern Academy was known as one of the most bustling areas in the region.

It was always crowded in the evenings, not just with cadets from Bayern, but people from all over the capital as well.

But that posed no problem for Carl.

He had already bought out a reserved spot, even paying extra to make it theirs.

Right now, they were enjoying a meal in a quiet restaurant while soaking in the atmosphere.

“……Yuria, did you also message Carl?”

“Carlos actually spoke to me first at the library. He said he wanted to start a magic study group. I had a few things I wanted to ask him, but I didn’t expect he wasn’t even using the Archive.”

Yuria responded nonchalantly while slicing her steak.

Even in the Magic Tower, she hadn’t made any friends apart from her mentor.

The magic she was learning was in a particularly difficult field, and there were no peers her age who could keep up, so conversations didn’t go well.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason, but up until now, Laysis had been the only one to break through Yuria’s outer shell.

……No, should Carl be counted now too?

“……”

Yuria glanced up at Laysis and Carl as they chatted.

‘Carl, huh.’

She didn’t mind the nickname.

Abbreviating names was a common thing.

But she thought it was the first time she’d seen Laysis omit a title when calling someone.

‘I thought I was the only one.’

Men were always addressed with ‘-kun’.

Women with ‘-yang’.

As a princess of a kingdom, she always added titles to maintain formality and show respect.

But with Carl, that was omitted.

Was it an unconscious expression of affection, or a deliberate choice?

She didn’t know which it was, but either way, it wasn’t something to take lightly.

‘……Well, not that I’m interested in that sort of thing.’

She had a secret wish.

A magic she must perfect, dedicating her life to it, and a goal that must be achieved through it.

Until she accomplished that……

“Yuria?”

“……Hm?”

“Did you stay up all night again? You look spaced out.”

“It’s nothing. Just got lost in thought for a moment.”

Poke.

Smiling at Laysis’s question, Yuria shook her head and stabbed her steak with her fork.

Yeah, this is enough for now.

She would enjoy this peace.

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