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The first encounter with Epheana Alenarr has come to an end, and finally, free time has arrived.

Being stuck in the carriage until now had left me feeling a bit sluggish. Traveling by carriage undoubtedly builds up fatigue. With Shione’s strong insistence, our sightseeing at the Academy was put on the back burner. We headed straight for our accommodations.

“Ray, how do you usually cast magic?”

“Is there really a specific feeling? You just think, ‘I hope this works,’ and entwine mana to release the magic.”

“Hmmm… Should I give it a try too?”

“Since you’ve already cast magic a few times, you should be able to grasp a simple spell in no time, Your Highness.”

The mana manipulation methods of knights and wizards were entirely different.

While knights primarily use methods to circulate mana within their bodies, wizards manipulate the mana internally and release it externally without alteration by imbuing it with their intentions. Since the necessary skills vary, focusing on one area alone can become quite overwhelming.

However, since Shione had mainly operated as a knight, she had probably felt the flow of magic after casting it a few times. I figured she wouldn’t struggle too much with a simple spell.

Encouraged by my words, Shione began her antics.

“Ugh…!”

In the middle of the street.

Shione extended her hand and opened her eyes wide.

Her silver hair shone in the sunlight, making her quite noticeable. With a pose resembling a mystical being, she focused on her palm and made a loud noise, attracting the attention of passersby. Yet, Shione remained unfazed.

After gathering all her strength, she eventually slumped down, looking like a pouting puppy. With her lips protruding, she wore a slightly sulky expression.

“…this isn’t working at all.”

“What kind of magic were you trying to use?”

“I wanted to create some wind like you, Ray! It’s hot, so it would be refreshing and nice.”

“If that’s the case, I think I can help. Would you come over here for a moment?”

“Like this?”

“Perfect.”

I placed my hand on Shione’s back.

As I carefully drew up my mana towards my palm on her back, I instructed her.

“Focus deeply on the image of the wind blowing as you circulate your mana following my guidance.”

“…Got it!”

“Oh, and as you’re about to release your mana, be cautious. If you resist, the magic might not come out right.”

“Be careful—”

The calm expression Shione wore suddenly shifted, as if she had swallowed a sour lemon.

The moment my mana led hers and coursed through her body’s pathways—

“Yah…Ooh…!”

With wide-open eyes, her small mouth was going through repeated cycles of opening and closing.

She reacted like a startled cat, and a gentle breeze began to flow over her palm.

However, the fact that magic resided atop her hand seemed unimportant in that instant.

With her cheeks flushed, Shione swiftly turned around to look up at me. Though she seemed to glare at me, her gaze wasn’t all that threatening, causing me to chuckle softly.

“What are you doing outside right now?!”

“Still, I succeeded in using magic, didn’t I?”

“Your expression gave everything away… I already knew that releasing mana would feel strange!”

“Did you catch me?”

“How could I not?”

It was impossible to be oblivious.

A small mana was tickling her pathways and bouncing around, creating an incredibly peculiar and ticklish sensation.

However, Shione reacted way more vigorously than I expected, causing laughter to bubble up uncontrollably.

I stirred the wind to cool down the warmth radiating from Shione’s head.

“Haah…”

It seemed that even the wind couldn’t fully cool her down.

Trying to avoid my gaze, Shione let out an unnecessary sigh and expelled the heat building up in her body.

At that moment, perhaps thanks to the earlier assistance, she managed to grasp the technique of creating a small breeze and focused on casting magic to cool herself down.

‘Did it get a little out of hand?’

It didn’t seem like it was that severe.

While I noticed her voice, which had been non-stop like a chirping bird, suddenly fall silent, I couldn’t help feeling a tad awkward.

Eventually, amidst the awkwardness, when I glanced at Shione, I thought,

‘…what’s up with her now?’

Is she really related to the Count’s family?

With her eyes resembling those of a sharp predator, as if she could easily take down her prey, Shione was staring at me so intensely that she had turned her head fully in my direction.

It appeared she had been waiting for our eyes to meet. With an unnerving speed, her lips curled into a sly grin. Like that succubus from the Marquis House who used to play tricks on me, she softly murmured.

“It’s a shame we have different accommodations, Ray.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“If we had shared a room, I would have never even considered such mischief.”

…That’s not something you say within a family.

I suppressed those words, ensuring they never escaped my lips.

“Well, we have over a month, so it doesn’t really matter.”

The moment I brought it up, it felt like I’d be the one getting hunted.

*

After a full day of rest, the next day, Shione and I headed to the cafeteria to use the meal tickets we had received as a gift from Siabel.

There were various types of meal tickets available, ranging from meals for commoners and lesser nobles to expensive meals for bourgeoisie who weren’t poor enough to scrimp on their food. Looking at the array of meal tickets made me realize just how expensive the one Siabel gave us was.

“Commoners would need quite a bit of resolve to buy this, I think.”

“…I was surprised by how expensive it was too.”

“Are you referring to the Count’s Young Lady?”

“What of it? Being frugal is a virtue for nobles.”

Yet apparently, nobles who proclaim frugality seem to be wearing luxury brands all the time.

Regardless, Shione didn’t particularly enjoy shopping like other nobles do. Throwing a fit occasionally just to get a single pot for planting flowers was about the extent of her desire. Being accustomed to inexpensive, small pots, the ticket being a bit pricey must have struck her despite being from the Count’s direct line.

But be that as it may.

“I should use the meal tickets I received.”

What good comes from hoarding them? They wouldn’t benefit us at all if left unused. Plus, it wouldn’t feel right to save something that Siabel generously gifted us.

So, we handed in the meal tickets, and a staff member promptly guided us to our seats.

Since we had paid quite a hefty price, it seemed they intended to show us to a proper place rather than a cramped spot where multiple people were mixed together.

“This place seems to be filled with only nobles around.”

“Only wealthy merchants or nobles could afford such expensive meal tickets, right? Maybe we should try something more ordinary next time?”

“Sounds good.”

We were seated on the second-floor terrace. It let in just enough sunlight, while a refreshing shade kept it from being blinding, making it absolutely perfect.

The atmosphere was noticeably quieter than the first floor, with patrons made up of nobles or suspiciously wealthy commoners.

From our slightly separated seats, I could hear one common trait in their conversations.

‘As expected, it’s quieter than the first floor, but the chatter never ceases.’

Their commonality lay in being sensitive to rumors and news, forming connections through such discussions. It seemed especially persistent that ties made within the Academy held quite the significance.

This place acted much like a hub for gathering information for mercenaries within the Academy. As a result, we managed to eavesdrop on their various conversations and gather quite a few important tidbits.

“Did you read the newspaper this morning?”

“The newspaper? Not yet, was there some special article?”

“They say an investigator assigned to look into a recent disappearance case was murdered.”

“…An investigator murdered? Aren’t the investigators at the Academy all wizards of at least the rank of lieutenant?”

“Apparently, the investigator was treated after an attack—”

The pronouncement of an investigator being murdered drew both Shione’s and my ears toward the conversation.

Since I’d already heard something from Sion.

“…Ray, that investigator… I think it’s the one Sion mentioned. But that can’t be true, right?”

“It seems that the investigator treated after an attack, and being a wizard as well, the chances it’s the same are quite high.”

“Indeed, we should definitely stay cautious, as Sion advised.”

I agreed with Shione’s words.

An investigator being treated. A wizard found murdered within a specialized institution would suggest a high-risk assassin lurked within the Academy.

And seeing how cautious they were in their low voices, I began to concentrate on enhancing my hearing through mana, tuning into their conversation.

“Moreover, this is something I heard privately from an acquaintance of the reporter… they found a strange mark on that corpse.”

“A mark? How utterly gruesome. It sounds like the murderer had the audacity to do such a thing and remain free.”

“Exactly. They said it left marks like the teeth of a beast that gnaws on skulls.”

Upon hearing that detail about the mark, my body immediately stiffened.

Sharp beastly teeth. The marks drawn among the crushed flesh or skull were reminiscent of what I’d encountered in the past, back in those dungeons.

‘Could it be that damned Gluttony Demon?’

This represented the fourth demon I had encountered.

 

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