The forest sat just beyond the gates of the Honorary Viscount Ebern estate.
Monsters dwelled within, but none were of significant strength. Local adventurers made a habit of culling them, and Rest himself often hunted there to hone his magic. As long as they avoided the deeper thickets, the woods were safe enough even for youths who hadn't yet come of age.
"Alright, let's go! Follow my lead!"
A group of five boys and girls entered the trees. Leading the way was a red-haired boy—Cedric Ebern.
The son of a Court Mage, Cedric gripped a magic rod in his right hand, stepping into the forest with supreme confidence. Trailing behind were two of his friends, both sons of lower-ranking nobles within his social circle.
Then came the two girls.
One wore her blonde hair in a ponytail, while the other’s silver hair flowed long down her back. Though they still possessed the innocence of youth, both were radiantly beautiful. They carried themselves with an innate grace that far eclipsed the three boys, marking them as high-born.
It was only natural; as daughters of a Marquis, their lineage was far more prestigious than that of their companions.
"Sister Viola..."
"It’s alright, Primula. I’m right here."
The blonde girl was Viola, and the silver-haired girl was Primula—twin sisters of the Marquis Rosemary House.
Their visit to the Ebern estate was intended to foster ties between the families. Their father, Marquis Rosemary, was the Chief of the Court Mages—the direct superior of Rest and Cedric’s father. Since the superior and subordinate both had children of the same age scheduled to enter the Academy next year, creating an opportunity for them to socialize beforehand was a logical step.
Cedric Ebern. I heard he was a magical prodigy, but as a person, he’s utterly pathetic. It's painfully obvious how he's ogling Primula and me.
Cedric is frightening. The way he watches us... and all he ever does is brag. I could never be friends with someone like that.
In truth, the result of this "socializing" was that the Rosemary sisters absolutely loathed him.
Cedric’s father had instructed him to woo one of the sisters at any cost. By securing a daughter of the Chief of the Court Mages, the man hoped to accelerate his own social climbing. Cedric himself had been smitten by the sisters' beauty at first sight and was already plotting how to make one of them his own.
This was precisely why he had insisted on taking his friends and the sisters into a monster-infested forest. He intended to show off by using his magic to elegantly dispatch foes, hoping to win their hearts with a display of power.
"Gii! Gii!"
"Oh, a goblin! Perfect. Watch me take it down with my magic!"
They hadn't walked far before they encountered their first monster. It was a bipedal creature with a child-like frame, green skin, and a completely hairless head—a goblin, the lowest of the low-rank monsters.
"Fireball!"
"Giiiiiiiiii!"
Cedric leveled his rod at the creature and invoked his spell. A fist-sized sphere of fire struck the goblin, engulfing its small body in flames. The creature collapsed, writhing in agony until its charred body finally went still.
"Hah! A mere goblin is an easy win. I took it down in a single blow!"
"As expected of Lord Cedric! What incredible power!"
"We could never pull off a spell like that!"
Cedric let out a triumphant laugh and stomped his foot onto the goblin's blackened corpse. His friends, the sons of Barons, showered him with sycophantic praise.
"......"
Cedric glanced back at the sisters, expecting to find them breathless with admiration. Instead, they looked on with cool indifference. His plan had backfired completely.
"Sister, that boy is..."
"I know, Primula. He isn't someone we can ever trust."
The sisters whispered to one another. As daughters of a Marquis, they had been subjected to calculating gazes and ulterior motives since they were small; they were keenly sensitive to such things. They could feel the unsavory nature of Cedric’s intentions.
We should tell Father to avoid any further involvement with the Ebern family. Even after we enter the Academy, we should keep our distance.
He seems competent as a mage, but his personality is terrifying. I don't want to go anywhere near him.
Cedric’s attempt to impress them had achieved the exact opposite. His arrogance over killing a weak monster and his delight in desecrating its corpse only filled the sisters with disgust.
However, having lived a life of total self-indulgence, Cedric failed to notice their reaction. If anything, he assumed he simply hadn't shown off enough yet. He pointed toward the dark heart of the forest.
"A mere goblin isn't even worth the practice. Let's head deeper in!"
"Um... even if these woods are normally safe, won't there be stronger monsters further in?"
"T-That's right, Cedric-san. Surely we've gone far enough..."
"Shut up! Killing weaklings is a waste of my time. It'll be fine—you have a genius mage protecting you!"
Cedric puffed out his chest and marched deeper into the woods. The young Barons panicked and hurried after him.
"...Sister, what should we do?"
"...Well, he has a point about the forest being relatively safe. I doubt anything truly dangerous lives here."
No matter how much they disliked him, their consciences wouldn't allow them to let the boys wander into potential danger alone. Feeling more like weary guardians than social peers, the Rosemary sisters followed the three boys into the shadows of the trees.