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“Ah, it’s you guys? You all arrived earlier than I expected.”

As I opened the door and stepped inside, Elteman greeted us with a warm smile. However, our attention was drawn not to him, but to the two people sitting across from him, and coincidentally, they were all familiar faces.

Though not in the best of circumstances.

Michelle Frank and Rebecca Rose.

It was an unexpected combination, and I couldn’t help but feel somewhat taken aback.

But upon looking at their backgrounds, it wasn’t entirely surprising.

Michelle was the daughter of the Frank Trading Company, the largest in the South, and Rebecca was the noble lady of House Rose, a prominent family in central politics. If one were to try and connect them, there was definitely potential for such a relationship.

However, considering Michelle’s calculative nature as the daughter of a trading company, she wouldn’t usually want to be associated with Rebecca, who had caused trouble with Elena. So seeing them both together was unexpected indeed. But if they had known each other before coming to the Academy, it was understandable—after all, Rebecca wasn’t exactly a cold-hearted person.

“Oh my, it’s been a while since we last saw you, Prince Damian and Lady Elena. Is this the first time we’re face to face since the Hunting Tournament? It’s such a pleasure to meet like this, especially since we’re in the same faculty but have no classes together.”

With both parties surprised by the encounter, it was Michelle who broke the slight tension with her words.

Perhaps her gentle tone reflected that she had nothing to be ashamed of. Beside her, Rebecca’s gaze toward Elena was still uncertain, but she didn’t show any strong reactions. Elena lightly responded to Michelle’s greeting.

“Yes, it seems so, Miss Michelle.”

I noticed Elena’s expression stiffening slightly as she looked at the two.

After all, meeting Rebecca like this probably wasn’t something she wanted. Having just been on a date moments ago, I quickly realized that Rebecca’s sudden appearance had dampened Elena’s spirits.

Elena could be a bit sensitive, after all.

Still, it wasn’t as if her discomfort was visible enough for others to notice, so the conversation flowed smoothly. Rebecca was treated almost as if she were invisible. That couldn’t be helped; if she were to interrupt, the atmosphere would surely grow tense. And Rebecca likely knew that too, which is why she kept her mouth shut.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you in the dormitory, but Miss Michelle, are you perhaps living in one of the additional buildings on campus?”

“Oh, Lady Elena, you lived in the dormitory? Yes, that’s right. Considering I have a stake in the business of the trading company, I find that living in a dormitory and managing it at the same time is a bit difficult. If you ever need anything, just let me know. As long as you can pay, I can get you anything.”

“Haha. I’ll remember that. Oh, is the reason you came here also related to that?”

“Yes, Professor Elteman mentioned he needed some items. He had a connection back when he was in the Magic Tower. Until recently, he was only drafting estimates, but now he’s made a rather large order.”

“….Let’s leave that topic for now, Miss Michelle.”

“Um, that was a bit long-winded.”

Michelle chuckled awkwardly and ended that topic of conversation.

Separately, as Michelle continued to interact with Elena and Elena reciprocated, Elteman looked at the two in amazement.

As far as Elteman remembered, Michelle was known for not being very sociable. So this must be a first for him to witness such a sight.

“This is surprising, though, Miss Michelle and Elena. I never expected you two to know each other.”

“Yes, at the Southern Hunting Tournament. Well, we didn’t get to talk much after that incident, but speaking of which, Prince Damian, how could you?! We’ve been acquaintances, and you didn’t introduce us! It’s nice you care for your fiancée, but don’t keep her locked away.”

Suddenly, the topic turned to me while I was conversing with Elteman, and I could sense affection dripping from her gaze as she looked at me, as if we hadn’t seen each other in ages.

Bringing up the time we spent together seemed unnecessary, considering everyone else here were acquaintances of mine, so I was momentarily baffled by Michelle’s sudden behavior.

Why was she saying such things out of the blue? Then I recalled that Elena was sitting next to me.

Realizing this made my heart race nervously at how friendly Michelle was being toward me. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so it was odd to feel this way. But Elena was quite sensitive, making me more cautious.

Moreover, since Rebecca, who had recently caused some tension for me, was right in front of me, I couldn’t quite predict how she might react to even minor provocations, so I held on tightly to my composure.

But perhaps my worry was unfounded. Elena did not react to Michelle’s bait. Whether she recognized it as a joke or not, Elena was waiting for my response with a gentle smile, just as she always did.

This situation felt oddly disappointing.

“You should have written to me beforehand then. If I remember correctly, the only letters I’ve received from Frank Trading have been about transactions.”

“Well… I have nothing to say about that. I’ll be sure to write more often from now on. Of course, I’ll send one to you, Elena, so you have to reply well, okay?”

In response to my words, Michelle admitted it readily. She likely didn’t push further because Elena was indifferent in her response. With Michelle’s interest in continuing the conversation waning, our dialogue ended naturally there.

Our conversation with Elteman seemed to have reached its end quickly as well.

“You should receive the ordered items by the end of this month. If you wish to purchase additional items or need other items sourced, feel free to reach out anytime.”

“Yes, I’m always grateful, Miss Michelle. By the way, the payment seems to have decreased slightly since earlier…?”

At Elteman’s question, Michelle shot me a glance with a sly smile and replied, “You could say that’s a ‘friend discount.’ The House of Kraus is among our top-tier clients. Also, since we owe Prince Damian a few favors, I thought it would be nice to offer some benefits hoping that you and Professor Elteman can grow closer.”

She winked at me, prompting Elena to glance at me, while Elteman began looking at me with a strange expression.

This woman really…

*

Once the discussion with Elteman wrapped up, Michelle and Rebecca immediately left the Research Lab. However, they weren’t the only ones leaving; Elena, who had been seated, followed after them.

Though she claimed she had something to discuss, I couldn’t help but feel anxious reflecting on the last incident. While I didn’t mind Rebecca too much due to the lack of familiarity, Michelle was a bit tricky since I considered her a friend.

Well, Elena would manage on her own, I suppose.

Given that she had been calm just before, it seemed unlikely she would provoke Michelle.

In any case, only Elteman and I remained in the lab. Considering I originally intended to come alone, it felt oddly serendipitous.

“Haha, I’m sorry. I completely forgot I called Michelle here regarding the Academic Forum. Were you waiting long?”

“No, not really…”

“Are you worried about Elena leaving just now? If so, you don’t need to worry too much about that. Speaking of which, Elena has changed a lot since I last saw her. I suppose I’ve been too disconnected from everyone.”

“You’ll manage better from now on. Both of us will be here for several years, and things like before won’t happen again. If you get too lost in your research, I’ll make sure to bring you back to your senses, so don’t worry.”

“Oh, um… thanks.”

The atmosphere between Elteman and me didn’t get awkward just because Elena was no longer there. Initially, there was a straightforward question about my relationship with Michelle, but clearing up the misunderstanding was easy enough. Honestly, there wasn’t much to hide about my acquaintance with her, so I shared everything honestly.

I told him how I once saved her from a monster when we were kids, and that’s how we became acquainted. Nothing particularly significant.

After mentioning that, Elteman looked at me with an oddly lonely and pitiful expression, the reason for which I couldn’t understand. He shook his head a few times before speaking again.

“Surely the House of Kraus is different. Thirteen? You were defeating monsters at that young age? What the heck was I doing at that time? Probably just reading dusty old books in the Magic Tower.”

“Well, we come from a warrior lineage. For a mage, brute strength isn’t all that important, right? It’s just a difference in fields.”

I replied that way while scanning Elteman’s lab.

Given the department, it seemed there were a lot of machine-like devices visible at a glance. Many looked like they could belong to the Middle Ages, but given it was a mage’s lab, some things were even comparable to the modern world I lived in.

As I was curiously examining the lab, Elteman seemed to realize that our conversation had strayed far from what we had initially discussed the previous night.

He reached towards a cluttered pile of junk with a playful smile and said to me. Yet, siblings sure are similar; Elteman and Elena had quite similar smiles.

“Watch closely.”

As Elteman moved his arm in a peculiar manner, the heap of junk began to wobble. For a moment, I wondered if he was using telekinesis, but the energy he radiated felt minimal.

It wasn’t that his magic wasn’t functioning at all; rather, a minuscule amount of magic seemed to be relaying signals. And I soon realized that what I had felt wasn’t just a feeling.

After a few moments of wobbling, something shot swiftly towards Elteman from the pile of junk. For a split second, I considered whether to dodge, but Elteman looked so confident, I decided to wait until it got closer.

Just in case, I prepared to bat it away.

When the distance between Elteman and the incoming object was just a few centimeters, I was finally able to discern what it was.

It was a glove.

I couldn’t tell for sure if it was made of steel or some other special alloy, but it looked like it was made of metal. Its design resembled something a knight in full plate armor would wear, but that wasn’t what was important now.

What mattered was how precisely and smoothly the glove was slipped onto Elteman’s hand.

It had initially appeared too large for him, but it now seemed perfectly sized for his hands as if it were custom-made.

No, wait a moment…

“How is it?”

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—!!!

I answered Elteman’s question with an enthusiastic round of applause in response.

 

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