The next morning, when I visited the young lady’s room, I was met with the sound of several adults groaning in unison.
"Ugh... Ryoma-kun, I’m so sorry... but could you... make that medicine for us again...?"
"I must ask the same of you. I drank far too much for a man of my age..."
"For me as well, if you would be so kind..."
They had been so overjoyed during the celebration that they had put away a staggering amount of alcohol. Looking closely, even Arone and Lilian seemed a bit pale. They had only joined in for a few toasts since it was a special occasion, but it seemed they didn't have much of a tolerance for drink either.
Among the adults, Sebas was the sole exception. He had matched the others drink for drink, yet he stood there looking as sharp as ever. Elia was also technically of legal age to drink, but she had sensibly stopped after a single ceremonial glass.
I repeated my actions from a few days ago, warping to the apothecary and the greengrocer to buy the necessary ingredients. Once I returned to the inn, I set to work concocting and administering the hangover cure.
After the medicine began to take effect, Reinhardt made a suggestion.
"Ryoma-kun... I hate to ask this of you, but could you look after Elia today?"
"We are in no state to do so," Reinbach added. "We simply don't have the energy to give her the attention she deserves right now."
"So, please," Elise said with a weak smile. "We’re counting on you."
They were likely giving us a chance to make some final memories before we had to part ways. If that was the case, there was no reason for me to refuse.
"Of course," I replied.
The three of them offered their thanks before retreating to the bedroom. It seemed their hangovers were truly as miserable as they looked. Once they were gone, I turned to the young lady.
"Well then, what would you like to do today?"
"Don't you have work to attend to, Ryoma-san? I wouldn't want to keep you from your business."
"I've already delegated most of the shop's operations to my staff. I only really need to check in during the mornings and evenings."
"...In that case, would you mind showing me what you usually do during the day?"
"I don't mind, but... are you sure you'll find that interesting?"
"Yes, please!" she insisted.
And so, with Elia following me and Sebas accompanying us as her guardian, we stopped by the shop before heading toward the abandoned mine.
Once we arrived, I began the process of waterproof cloth production just as I always did. The only difference was that I released the Rimul Birds from the Dimension Home first so they could fly around and play while I worked. Elia even helped me with some of the tasks.
As I worked, I started to wonder if this was really the best way to spend our time. I was trying to think of something else we could do together when she spoke up.
"What do you do next?"
"Nothing in particular. Once I instruct the Sticky Slimes to apply the adhesive fluid, we just have to wait for it to dry. The waiting period is actually quite long and boring. I usually spend this time training or making dolls."
"Is that so? I always imagined you were working tirelessly from dawn until dusk."
"Since the shop's been able to run without me, I've actually had quite a lot of free time. Do I really look that busy?"
"Well, you work every single day without any rest, so I naturally assumed."
"There are times when I'm just spacing out, honestly. I've spent a lot of time looking for ways to kill the hours. Sometimes I make stone materials for the house I plan to build. It's actually been quite relaxing."
"I see... By the way, regarding the stone materials—do you truly intend to live out here, Ryoma-san?"
"It’s better for the mine patrols if I’m nearby. Besides, I can fire off as much magic as I want for training without bothering anyone."
"When will you start the actual construction? Surely you don't intend to live in the mine tunnels forever?"
That was a fair point.
"I'll probably build a very simple shack out of stone or maybe dig a side chamber inside the tunnel to live in for a while. I can work on the actual house gradually over time."
"If that's the case, would you like to talk for a bit?"
"I'd love to."
We left the workshop and moved to a sunlit area outside. I fashioned a couple of chairs out of Earth Magic, and we sat down to talk.
"You're starting school this year, aren't you?" I asked.
"Yes. All children of the nobility are expected to enroll in the Academy in the Royal Capital at age twelve. It isn't strictly mandatory, but unless there is a grave reason, it looks very poor for a noble family to abstain."
"I see."
"...Truthfully, I don't want to go. But I suppose it can't be helped."
"Really? That's a surprise."
"Father, Mother, and even Grandfather say that if it weren't for tradition, there would be no reason to go. They would much rather keep me at home."
"Why is that?"
"The Academy’s doors are open to commoners as well, and many people enroll every year. While the school claims to treat everyone equally regardless of status, there are always those who cause trouble..."
Ah, the classic school drama tropes. Some things never change, regardless of the world.
"Furthermore," she continued, "everything taught there can be covered by hiring a private tutor. So as for the school itself..."
She trailed off, hesitating.
"As for the school itself?" I prompted.
"...They say the chances of finding something actually worth learning are quite low."
"Then what's the point of the school in the first place?"
"I'm not sure. My parents told me I should focus on making friends, but they also warned me not to let the Academy's atmosphere influence me too much. They said my grades don't matter as long as I continue the training they've taught me at home."
I was surprised to hear those three say something so cynical. I turned to Sebas for his take on the matter.
"For nobles or families of means, just as the young lady said, one can simply hire specialized tutors," Sebas explained. "Because of that, the Academy inevitably functions more as a venue for social networking. However, it remains a place where a wide range of knowledge is available to everyone, regardless of rank. Though, I don't believe you would have any need for such a place, Ryoma-sama."
"That’s why my father never invited you to go to school with me, isn't it?" Elia added.
"Now that you mention it, he never did."
"Is it really unnecessary for me?" I asked.
"If you entered the Academy, Ryoma-san, you would undoubtedly top all your classes. You would draw far too much attention from the other nobles, especially in the swordsmanship and magic lessons."
"In both good ways and bad, it would surely lead to an increase in your troubles," Sebas remarked.
"That makes sense..."
"And that is why I'm not looking forward to it," Elia said with a sigh. "If it weren't for the customs, I think it would be much better to stay here and train with you."
I couldn't really argue with her there. I never found my own school days to be particularly enjoyable. Still, as the daughter of a Duke, I assumed she wouldn't have to worry about things like bullying. Or would she?
"I don't think I'll be bullied," she said, sensing my concern, "but I don't have anyone I would call a close friend. Everyone is either intimidated by my family’s status or afraid of my mana."
She had mentioned something similar back when we were looking at her Status Board. But was her mana really that frightening? People didn't seem to fear me for it.
When I asked, Elia’s expression clouded with a touch of sadness.
"In my case, it’s because of a mistake I made a long time ago..."
She had mentioned before that her mana was so high that she struggled to control it. Was that the cause?
"I think I was about five years old."
According to Elia, that was when she first started learning the fundamentals of magic.
"My best attributes were fire and ice, so I practiced freezing the water in a cup with Ice Magic, since that seemed relatively safe. But I would always end up freezing the entire table along with the cup."
So her power was simply too high for the scale of the task.
"I kept struggling like that, until one day, a boy slightly older than me came to visit. His parents wanted us to get along."
The mood of the story was shifting. As I listened, it became clear the boy was the son of a noble family with ties to the Jamil household. It was likely a setup for a future political marriage. The parents left the two children to play together while they discussed business, but the two of them had nothing to talk about. Eventually, they settled on magic as a topic.
"He was quite good at magic, and he offered to show me some. The Fireball he demonstrated at our training ground was very stable—completely different from my own. I accidentally said as much out loud."
The boy, wanting to show off in front of a girl, had invited her to practice with him, promising to teach her. But no matter how many times she tried, she couldn't get it right.
"Eventually, he started to get grumpy."
"He probably just wanted to look cool," I offered.
I could understand the boy’s feelings, in a way. But they were just kids. He couldn't have been older than a middle schooler, and there was no way a child could teach her better than the elite tutors her family employed.
Frustrated by her lack of progress and the boy’s souring mood, Elia tried even harder to succeed. She poured too much focus into the spell, and the resulting Ice Magic was overloaded with mana.
Unable to be contained, the spell burst.
"The mana went wild, and... I ended up freezing him."
Several parts of his body were encased in ice. Terrified, the boy had tripped and injured himself on the frozen ground. It turned into a massive scandal. Fortunately, his life wasn't in danger, and both sets of parents were reasonable enough to reconcile without blaming the children.
However, the rumors had already begun. Stories spread through the noble circles that the daughter of the Jamil family had a vicious streak and would attack anyone who displeased her—or that her magic would lash out of its own accord if she was offended.
"That sounds like a nightmare," I said.
"It was my own fault for failing to follow my instructions..."
I realized I had accidentally stumbled onto a painful memory. I wanted to change the subject, but doing it too abruptly would be awkward. Instead, I decided to share a similar experience of my own.
"You’ve been through something like that too, Ryoma-san?"
"Yes. It was back when I was still in my village. I was part of a group where the adults taught the village children swordsmanship."
I phrased it that way, but I was actually thinking about my P.E. classes back in Japan. Kendo had been a part of the curriculum, and I had messed up during the very first lesson of my first year.
"That day was just an introductory lesson."
We did warm-ups, learned how to put on the gear, and went through the basics. At the end, the teacher wanted to show the class what a real match looked like and asked for volunteers among the students with experience.
The teacher’s first choice was a bad one. The boy he picked was a famous athlete in the junior kendo world. He had won numerous tournaments and was a top-tier competitor. The teacher knew his reputation and called on him first.
Once he stepped forward, the teacher asked for someone to be his opponent. No one volunteered. No one wanted to be humiliated in front of the whole class by a champion. Before I knew it, I was the only one with my hand still raised.
"And so, we had a match."
To put it simply, I won instantly.
The boy likely wanted to end it quickly and lunged at me the moment the match started. I countered with a strike to his kote—his wrist. That was it. Within two seconds, he had dropped his shinai and collapsed on the floor.
"Even through the protective gear, I ended up breaking his wrist. The match and the class were over right then. After that, no one would agree to practice with me. Rumors started that I had hurt him on purpose."
In fact, the boy started claiming the very next day that I had been laughing at him while he was doubled over in pain.
I hadn't done anything of the sort. I was likely just standing there in shock. But since we were both wearing our men—our helmets—none of the other students could see my face clearly.
When the truth is a matter of 'he-said, she-said,' people believe the person they like more.
"He was way more popular than I was. Well, everyone had been avoiding me for some reason even before that happened, so I guess it didn't really change much in the end. ...Actually, now that I’m saying this out loud, it’s just making me sad."
"Oh, please don't be so down! I’m sure it wasn't your fault..."
I had completely botched the conversation. I was supposed to be the one cheering her up, and now she was the one comforting me.