174: Weiss and Carta (1)

"Sorry about this, Carta. I’m sure you had plenty of other things you wanted to do during Summer Vacation (Estarm)."

"Not at all! Really, not at all! I had absolutely nothing to do! I was just... you know, sitting around meditating by myself! Yep!"

"I see. Well, that’s a relief then."

"Y-yeah!"

She must have been incredibly bored, I thought. For some reason, her cheeks were flushed a bright red.

Carta and I were currently being rattled around in the back of a carriage. Our destination was the Royal Capital. Cynthia was apparently there on family business as well, so there was a chance she’d join up with us later. Since I’d left the Messenger Bird in Lilith’s care, she likely already knew I was headed for the city.

"You’re so kind, Weiss-kun," Carta said. "I bet Belk-kun is going to be thrilled."

"Well, I am his senior, after all," I replied, trying to sound the part.

It had all started with a single letter. It hadn't come from Belk himself, but from House Friede—specifically, Belk’s father. To put it simply, he wanted me to give his son and his son's childhood friend some training.

To my utter shock, my own father, Agate Fansent, had signed the bottom of the letter as well. I’d had no idea, but apparently, the two of them were old acquaintances.

House Friede was a prestigious, blue-blooded lineage that had served as the Royal Family’s personal guards for generations. In the Original Story, Belk never intended to enroll at Noblesse; he was supposed to be fast-tracked through the elite course. He was slated to meet Allen during the final stages of the story, where they would butt heads before eventually teaming up against a common enemy. It was a minor sub-plot, not even part of the main narrative, so it had taken me a while to even recall the details.

But that all changed when he saw me at the tournament and decided to enroll in Noblesse instead. Basically, it was a massive pain, but I felt responsible for derailing the kid's entire life. He was already plenty strong, but I figured I should give him a few pointers to ensure the future didn't go completely off the rails. Well, that and the fact that my father had personally asked me to do it.

That was why I’d reached out to Carta. Flight Magic was an incredibly difficult technique that neither of us had fully mastered yet. I’d already planned on practicing, so I figured I might as well send her a letter and invite her along.

"——♪ ——♪"

Yeah, she must have been seriously bored, I mused. She was humming a little tune to herself, looking quite pleased.