At lunchtime two days later, as Alicia was taking a simple meal with Miranda, Samuel appeared, his complexion noticeably pale.
“Alicia, there’s something urgent I need to discuss.”
He came straight to their table and addressed her abruptly, without so much as a greeting. Sensing that something was amiss, Miranda glanced at Alicia.
“I’ll make sure I’m back in time for the next practical session. Miranda, you should go on ahead,” Alicia said.
“Okay, then I’ll—” Miranda began, only for Samuel to fix her with a serious look.
“Ah, Lady Miranda. I was rude to you the other day. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Samuel Rossner of the Magic Knight Division. There is something I would very much like you, as a magic student, to hear as well.”
“Me…?” Miranda’s eyes widened in surprise, and she slowly sank back into her chair.
“Alicia, is that magic mirror real?”
The blunt question caught her off guard, and Alicia burst out laughing despite herself.
“What’s so funny?”
“I just didn’t expect you to actually go,” she said with a soft laugh. “So—what did you see?”
At that, Miranda looked startled and spoke up.
“The magic mirror… you mean the one on the fourth floor of the clock tower?”
“Do you know something about it?” Samuel asked.
Miranda hastily shook her head.
“N-no. Almost no one in the magic department believes the rumors about a mirror that shows the future. I went to see it myself when I enrolled, but it was just an ordinary mirror.”
“Did you go at two in the morning on the night of a full moon? Or was it during the day?”
“During the day. I commute from home, so there’s no way I could enter the academy at two in the morning.”
“I see. When I went during the day, nothing happened either. But when I went last night, it was completely different from before. I don’t understand it. Alicia, as someone who has experienced it, I want to hear your thoughts.”
At Samuel’s words, Miranda stared at Alicia in alarm.
“I believe the conditions matter—the phase of the moon, the location, and the time,” Alicia answered carefully. “With the mirror placed there at two in the morning on the night of a full moon, it may fulfill the activation requirements of a magical artifact.”
“And why are you so interested in a clock tower ghost story, Samuel?”
The sudden interruption made all three of them look up in surprise. Brian was standing behind Samuel, holding a tray laden with roast chicken and stew.
“Fine. I’ll listen to your story, Samuel,” Brian said.
“Stop talking down to me, cousin.”
It was the first time Alicia had heard of any connection between Samuel and Brian.
“Cousin…?”
“My mother’s elder sister married into a ducal house in the neighboring kingdom of Greymore,” Samuel explained.
Alicia had known Brian was a noble from their encounter at the ball, but he was so approachable that she had never imagined his status to be that high.
(Come to think of it, he did properly introduce himself as Richter. I can’t believe I forgot the name of a neighboring ducal house…)
From the very beginning, he had been so natural and unassuming that she had never noticed.
“Ah, Alicia. Please, keep treating me the same as always,” Brian said quickly.
“But I was rude to you even at the ball–”
“It’s fine, really. Don’t worry about it!”
“At the ball?” Samuel shot Brian a sharp look. “What happened?”
“Quiet. Nothing worth mentioning. More importantly, if that mirror is a cursed magical artifact, let me investigate it too.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Brian, the next full moon is still a month away.”
“You’re the ridiculous one. Fortunately, the magic department has crystals capable of detecting even minute traces of mana. We should bring one and examine it.”
Brian replied smugly, prompting Samuel to snort.
“Don’t underestimate me. I brought a mana-detection crystal both during the day and at night.”
“Hey—did you take academy equipment with you? Those things are expensive!”
“Of course not. It’s my own. My father may be the Chancellor, but my family has served this country as magic knights for generations. Owning one is hardly unusual.”
As Brian and Samuel glared at one another, sparks practically flying between them, Alicia and Miranda exchanged glances.
Their afternoon practical session, for which Alicia and Miranda were paired together, was fast approaching.
“Um, I’m sorry, but we’ll need to excuse ourselves here. Our practical session is about to begin. Brian, Lord Samuel, if you’ll excuse us?”
At Alicia’s words, Samuel frowned slightly before answering.
“I’d rather you didn’t—but fine.”
“And why do you keep talking down to Alicia?” Brian snapped.
“Then why do you call Alicia, who has a fiancé, by her given name?”
“That’s the custom here.”
“In that case, Alicia, may I start calling you Alicia as well, starting today?”
“What?”
At Samuel’s words, Alicia felt a crease form between her brows.
“Then you should call me Samuel too.”
“You’re in the Magic Knight Division, Lord Samuel.”
“You’re really cold, you know.”
Alicia and Miranda rose from their seats with identical sighs.
As they hurried toward the practice rooms, Miranda said weakly,
“Being a noble sounds exhausting. All those connections…”
“Perhaps. From the moment one is born, You’ll be surrounded by countless restrictions. You’ll never lack food, but there are power struggles, falls from grace, ruin. Women can’t choose whom they marry and are used as tools by their families. If you’re framed, you can even be executed.”
Miranda shuddered.
“That’s terrifying. I used to admire nobles because you’re so elegant and beautiful, Alicia, but… I think I’ll pass.”
It was the first time anyone had ever admitted to admiring her.
“I admire you, Miranda,” Alicia said.
“Huh? Why? You transferred in and took top marks right away! And you’re incredibly beautiful too.”
Alicia laughed.
“That’s not true. I’m just an oddball who likes studying. I’d happily spend my entire life shut up in the library. And during practicals, your free thinking always amazes me—you help me so much.”
“Haha, hearing praise like that from you is embarrassing. But I’m just another oddball who loves experiments too.”
Laughing together, the two girls entered the practice room side by side.
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