Ch. 9 - 【Another PoV】 Speyside and Strass

【Speyside】

Despite my high popularity and reputation among noble-born students and the fact that I had been teaching advanced water magic classes since this year, I made an unexpected blunder.

If things had continued as they were, I would have reached the status of senior teacher within a year or two.

However, this mistake was significant.

I had never seen the principal angry before, nor had I heard any such stories. Principal Glenn was always calm and had a generous personality. That was the impression I had of him.

But when I told the principal about this incident, he had definitely looked at me with displeasure.

It was more of a look of disappointment than anger or as if he was looking at something trivial.

That look was directed at me.

I had clearly left a bad impression. All the achievements I had accumulated as a teacher were now in vain.

I hurried into the town to search for the girl I had sent away.

"Damn, where could a girl go alone? An inn… No, the sun hasn't set yet. She looks like a country bumpkin. There's a good chance she's exploring the city. In that case, she might be on the main street."

Why did I have to desperately chase after a commoner girl with bad eyes?

I bribed the guards to look for inns facing the main street while I walked around trying to find her myself.

However, I couldn't trace her at all. Of course not. In a crowd of people walking around, no one would remember a plain commoner.

We might have passed by each other nearby. Thinking this, I walked up and down the main street again.

As the sun set, I still couldn't find her, so I returned to the academy.

"Damn it… She might have stayed at a cheap inn on the back street. I should have searched there from the beginning. Come to think of it, she wasn't wearing anything special."

While angry at myself for not realizing it sooner, I walked down the path illuminated by lights and met an unexpected person.

It was Strass, a fellow teacher from the same grade. He was a lower noble from the Baron Clyde family of the Verted Kingdom. But by some trick of fate, he could use superior wind magic.

Well, leaving magic aside, his lack of elegance and refinement was typical of a lower noble.

Usually, I wouldn't even make eye contact with him, but since he was more like a commoner, he might know the whereabouts of that girl.

Come to think of it, they both had bad looks in their eyes.

"… Strass-dono, may I have a word?"

When I called out to him, Strass frowned and gave me a glare. It enraged me so much that I considered killing him, but it would be shameful for a member of the Earl Ord family to get angry at such a lowly person. I had to endure it.

"… What is it?" Strass said in annoyance.

I clenched my hand and forced a grin. "Oh, today, a woman with black hair visited the academy. For certain reasons, I am looking for that woman. Of course, I have no foolish feelings, but I have a reason to find her. She's just an ordinary citizen and has a plain appearance. Have you seen such a woman?" I asked, enduring my anger.

Strass sighed shortly, crossed his arms, and answered, "Speyside-dono, if you're talking about a woman named Aoi, whom you refused entry, I took her to the principal. She is supposed to stay in the teacher's dormitory starting today. That's all."

With that, Strass passed me by indifferently, showing no respect.

"W-w-what!? W-why you!?" I couldn't control myself and shouted in anger.

Then Strass glanced at me over his shoulder and snorted. "… It’s because you turned Aoi away."

What he said left me speechless.

Ignoring me, Strass walked away silently. Even though noble ranks were considered irrelevant within this academy, his attitude was far too disrespectful.

But I didn't have the energy to point that out and yell at him.

"Damn it. How do I recover from this blunder…" I groaned, holding my head with one hand. Because of that woman, things became troublesome. "… I will definitely get my revenge."

【Strass】

She was a strange girl… no, a woman.

Now that I think about it, despite her youthful appearance, she had the courage to remain calm in the face of a sword. Normally, if someone were about to be enslaved by thugs in an alley, they would be terrified.

But Aoi wasn't flustered or frightened.

That meant she had the confidence to handle the situation.

"… In a situation where a sword is pressed against you, you can't even chant."

I stood by the stream flowing through the academy. In the darkness, the lights reflected on the rippling water created a somewhat fantastical scene.

I extended my hand forward, palm facing outward.

A chant with two verses left my lips. "[Fairy Lamp, Light]."

As I used the spell and expended a faint amount of mana, a soft light floated in the air.

It was one of the beginner magic spells, and all new students started their lessons with this spell.

This applied to transfer students as well. In the case of transfer students, the lessons involved reducing the usual five-verse chant to cast the light.

Academy mages could reduce it to two verses, and the principal could supposedly cast it with one verse.

But no matter what, people couldn’t use magic without chanting.

That meant that mages were at a significant disadvantage in close combat. Needless to say, this applied in close quarters as well.

In fact, I wasn’t sure if the principal could, but I couldn't discern the moment Aoi cast her water spell.

"… I'd like to have a discussion about magic with her sometime…"

Not only about the chanting process but also about her thoughts and opinions on magic research.

Thinking about that, I suddenly realized I was smiling. "… This is the first time I've been this interested in someone."

Watching the water surface reflect the light, I chuckled.

【Eliza】

As the sun set, I realized I had run out of snacks for my drink, so I headed to the tavern in front of the academy.

"Drink, drink, drink, it's all about the booze. Morning drink, noon drink, evening drink, night drink, and nightcap, every day is happiness."

Humming a dwarven drinking song while walking, I noticed a light floating above the river.

And there was a man with his face illuminated from below by the light…

"… Eh, scary!? What's up with that guy?! Oh, it's Strass-san! Wow, he's smiling! Why is he smiling alone with a [Fairy Lamp, Light]?"

Seeing such an incomprehensible scene, I shuddered in fear.

However, I noticed something about Strass standing by the river at night.

Strass, who always had a stern face and bluntly stated the obvious, had many enemies. He usually didn’t talk to anyone and spent his time quietly.

So, today's conversation with Aoi and me must have been quite enjoyable for him.

Was he thinking about Aoi and me and laughing alone at night?

"… Hehe, as expected of me, the lovely witch princess of the dwarven country! To think I managed to captivate Strass-san!"

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