Ch. 95 - Cote and Rose

In the audience chamber, I received permission from Diageo, and the event was clearly witnessed by members of the magic academy and the magic research laboratory. With this, I should be able to study Maple Leaf's magic without anyone reproaching me.

Although some people asked various questions, which took some time, the meeting with Diageo came to an end.

Awald and Crown asked for my opinion on the magic they were researching, and Balblair asked for advice on the academy's lectures and magic circles.

As these requests were in line with my wishes, I immediately agreed.

If you were looking for the latest magic, you should visit the magic research laboratory. However, in order to raise the level of magic in Maple Leaf, it was also important to go to the academy.

Therefore, I suggested to everyone in the dining hall that we would alternate between visiting the magic academy and the research laboratory from tomorrow on. However, everyone seemed to be more concerned about something else than where we would go today.

"… Um, why are you here, Princess Rose-sama?" Eliza asked timidly.

Rose, who had raised a spoonful of soup to her lips at the other end of the table, looked up. "I guess I could answer that it was out of curiosity."

Then she resumed her meal.

Everyone exchanged glances.

Rose had suddenly appeared while we were eating together, and with her accompanying guards standing slightly behind her, she had silently taken a seat. We had been chatting casually about the topics I had discussed, but her sudden arrival made it impossible for anyone to continue the conversation.

"What's going on here?" Strass asked.

I tilted my head in puzzlement as well. I had a vague feeling that she had shown interest in me before, but she didn't seem like the type to do something like this.

Perhaps because I didn't answer, no one spoke for the rest of the meal.

Then Rose suddenly said, "We have met somewhere before, haven't we?"

Her eyes narrowed at Cote.

Now that I think about it, Diageo had also mentioned something about recognizing Cote.

With Rose's words, everyone's eyes focused on Cote.

He bowed slightly with a wry smile. "Princess Rose, I never expected you to remember me."

Rose's eyes narrowed even more. "There was a review conference in the Verted Kingdom three years ago. You and I should have been there. No royal would forget someone who might be important in the future."

"My apologies. Princess Rose, you remain as intelligent as ever…" He bowed his head slightly.

But Rose raised a hand, cutting him off. "Is that a sarcastic remark? You stood out among the candidates present at the time. It was obvious to everyone, so I remember hating being compared to you."

Then she raised a hand to her face and cast a spell. With a single verse, she activated an ice spell, and an ice block appeared in her palm.

"Since ice magic seemed to be the only magic I had a chance of mastering, I studied and researched it desperately even as a child. Thanks to that, I ended up being called the most skilled ice magician in Maple Leaf."

"Isn't that impressive? To receive such recognition at your age, His Majesty must be very proud," Cote praised her wholeheartedly.

However, her expression remained unchanged. She melted the ice in her palm and lowered her head slightly. "Well… His Majesty would have been happier if I had learned the etiquette of a lady. But since I surpassed the court magicians in magic, he never said anything about it."

At Rose's slightly lonely murmur, Cote fell silent for a moment.

Feeling curious, I asked, "… The ice spell you just used wasn't created by changing the properties of water, was it?"

When I asked this, everyone's shoulders slumped, and Rose let out a small laugh.

"That's right. This is my original spell that creates ice directly. It just makes the ice a little bit faster, but it doesn't have a lot of significance," Rose said self-deprecatingly.

I shook my head. "No, that's not true. As I said about Awald's magic, this spell is a very good research subject to explore the potential of chanting."

I turned directly to the sitting Rose. "Rose-san, would you like to come to Fiddiq Academy? If you want, I can teach you magic. It might help you with your concerns."

"My… concerns?" She looked puzzled.

I nodded firmly. "Yes. If you become a great magician renowned not only in the Maple Leaf Holy Empire but in all Six Great Nations, even with average ladylike manners, you will still be able to get married. You won't be left on the shelf."

I spoke with a clenched fist in front of my chest, while Rose's eyes widened in surprise as she froze in place.

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