"Huh? Enrolling in World Mage Academy Babel? Me?"
As I let out a thoroughly bewildered cry,
"Yes! In principle, Royal Guards are knights. And when a knight is a minor, they are legally required to attend an educational institution designated by the kingdom."
Rose gave a self-satisfied nod. Judging by her smug demeanor, she had known this all along and deliberately kept quiet.
"I am merely a provisional Royal Guard anyway. What does an educational institution have to do with me?"
At my age, playing student was the last thing I wanted to do. Doing so now felt utterly absurd. Above all, I was no minor—I was a bona fide gentleman of one hundred thousand years.
"There is no issue. The paperwork has already been processed. Come, let us depart at once!"
Taking my right hand, she began walking.
"Hey—listen to what I'm saying!"
Paying no heed whatsoever to my protests, she boarded the carriage parked outside.
Faf, Mew, Anna, Zack, and Asta were already seated inside. They were fully prepared to go. Good grief...
Well, so be it. Rose was a student at Babel and thus obligated to reside there. Furthermore, the authority of the various royal families held little sway in Babel, making it an ideal hunting ground for bandits and assassins. In particular, the sheer shortsightedness of the Gilbert faction's pawns was mind-boggling. There was no telling when or where an ambush might strike.
If Rose were to die, nine times out of ten, Eastend would be seized by greedy nobles. I had played a major role in establishing that territory. Handing it over to scum was entirely out of the question. For the time being, staying by Rose's side was the wisest course of action.
Besides, traveling by the rhythmic sway of a carriage for the first time in a while was not a bad prospect. In truth, I had been overworking myself with territorial management—a task entirely against my nature. I might as well treat this as a well-deserved vacation. The reason these companions chose to travel by carriage rather than having Phoenix fly us was likely out of the same consideration.
◇◆◇◆◇◆
After about two weeks of being jostled along in the carriage, a towering spire piercing the clouds came into view. That was the Tower of Babel. It stood as the core of Babel, the world-renowned educational institution. Mages and swordsmen from across the globe flocked to this land, yearning to enter that very tower.
Naturally, I harbored not the slightest desire to enter such a pointless structure. The true essence of a swordsman lay strictly within combat. In a sense, what truly mattered was how selflessly and purely one could swing a blade. Authority and honor were, in a way, at the exact opposite pole of genuine strength. One was far better off without them. Then again, an incompetent man like me would surely be turned away at the door anyway.
As the carriage rolled into the city of Babel,
"There are so many people!"
"So many people indeed!"
Faf and Mew leaned out of the carriage window, their eyes sparkling as they looked all around in wonder.
Even I had not anticipated quite this many people bustling through the streets. It was a massive crowd, and nearly half of them were youths. It was only natural for Faf and the other to be so excited.
"Now then, once we secure our lodging, let us have a meal! I shall show you to a wonderful eatery here in Babel."
Rose placed her hands on her hips and gave a playful wink to Faf and Mew.
"Yay! Food! Food!"
"Yay indeed! It's food indeed!"
"Yummy food!"
"Delicious food indeed!"
As Faf and Mew frolicked with unrestrained delight inside the carriage, everyone watched with wry smiles and began preparing to disembark.
The lodging facility we arrived at under Rose's guidance was situated in the southwestern district of the city. Compared to the lavish, opulent storefronts in the city center, the shops lining these streets had a distinctly commoner feel. I presumed this southwestern area served as a residential quarter for ordinary students, distinct from royalty, nobility, and wealthy merchants.
Judging by how intimately Rose navigated the neighborhood, she likely stayed here on a regular basis.
Rose was royalty, after all. The quarters officially allocated to her by Babel would never have been placed in a district like this. She had surely chosen this place of her own accord to serve as her base in Babel. As always, it was an unconventional mindset unthinkable for royalty from a nation steeped in authoritarianism.
Well, no matter how magnificent a building might be, a place filled exclusively with stuffy, refined aristocrats was suffocating. Personally, I found this district far more comfortable.
I stepped into the inn alongside Rose.
While she handled the check-in at the front desk, I leaned back against a wooden pillar near the entrance, taking in our surroundings.
"Ah—Kai Heinemann!"
Glancing toward the female voice that had called out, I saw a girl with a blonde bob cut pointing directly at me.
This girl was... Laila's cousin, Lumine, if I remembered correctly. Like me, she was a useless Gift Holder who had endured a terrible sense of shame and alienation.
Laila was the kind of person who had never changed her warm demeanor toward me, even when I was saddled with the worst Gift possible, "The Most Incompetent in the World." Naturally, she had treated Lumine with the exact same kindness, doting on her dearly.
"Yo. Long time no see."
When I gave a casual wave of my right hand and flashed a broad grin, Lumine stared at me in stunned silence for a moment before snapping,
"What is with that fake smile? It's, like, totally gross!"
Stepping back with an expression of sheer disgust, she spat out those harsh words. Judging by the look on her face, she genuinely meant it.
To be fair, lately even that brute Zack had frequently joked that whenever I smiled, I looked like a demon or the Demon King grinning and warned me to cut it out. Could he have actually been serious? No, no, of course not. Lumine and Zack simply had skewed perceptions. That had to be it.
"Is that so? And what are you doing here?"
At any rate, I decided to swiftly steer the conversation away from that uncomfortable topic.
"Like that's any of your business!"
She looked away and crossed her arms. She hadn't changed a bit. Lumine trusted Laila—or rather, it would be more accurate to say she distrusted every single human being aside from Laila. There was no way she would have visited this city on her own. If she was here, Laila had to be around as well.
Laila, huh? How nostalgic. Perhaps I should pay her a visit sometime. Just as that thought crossed my mind,
"Kai Heinemann! Don't you ever dare get involved with my elder sister again!"
Hurling that parting shot I had heard countless times back in our hometown, she turned on her heel and dashed up the stairs to the second floor.
Hmm. It looked like Rose had finished the check-in procedures, so I suppose I should get moving as well.