The place where Labyrinth Academy stood was a city in the central Empire called Astrum.
The distance from the Molten Barony at the southern edge of the Empire was more than three weeks even on horseback. Considering that one had to rest along the way, it was a journey of a little over four weeks.
Four weeks was a long time, but that did not make it difficult. If anything, Lena, Lady Eleonore, and I were able to enjoy ourselves as we got to know one another better.
Even so, I had worried that some problem might arise, but fortunately, not a single incident occurred.
When I thought about it, it was only natural.
A paladin over two meters tall was riding a horse as large as a bull, so no ordinary monster or bandit would have dared lay a hand on us.
Thanks to Lady Eleonore, we were able to enjoy quite a bit of free time, and we made the most of it.
I taught Lena everything I had learned from Master about using mana without holding anything back, and Lena taught me the secret footwork of the Kurdan tribe for the sake of my simple movements.
And most importantly, I had become able to control the repulsion between the Red Blood and divine power to some extent.
To be precise, perhaps it would be better to say the Red Blood had adapted to the presence of divine power.
‘What a relief.’
If it had continued clashing with divine power, living at the Academy would have been difficult.
I swept a hand over my chest in relief.
By the time we arrived in Astrum—
“Look, Aschen! I can put mana into my sword now!”
“Oh, that’s amazing.”
Compared to the Sunset Arrow, the color was faint, but the shortsword in Lena’s hand was clearly glowing orange.
When I saw it and expressed my admiration, Lena shrugged her shoulders.
“It bothered me that I couldn’t block the troll’s attack before. So I practiced like my life depended on it, and now I can do it.”
“Haha, then it was worth teaching you how to operate mana.”
“That goes for me too, Aschen.”
Jabbing me in the side with her elbow, Lena pointed at my footprints with her hand.
“Unlike before, your footprints are much lighter now. It’s proof that your footwork has reached a certain level.”
“You taught me, Senior. I should at least be able to do this much.”
“Hm-hm, right?”
At my answer, Lena burst into a satisfied laugh.
It was a pure smile I could never have seen in the barracks. Watching it warmed my heart.
A moment later, perhaps because she had laughed too much, Lena’s face flushed slightly as she whispered softly to me.
“You know, Aschen. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“You gave me the chance to dream again, and you even brought me with you. And everything else too. Thank you, Aschen.”
“There’s no need for that, Senior. If it weren’t for you, I would have died fighting the troll too. Please think of this as me repaying that debt.”
“…All right. But I’m definitely going to repay this favor.”
Just as Lena finished speaking and turned her gaze forward again, Eleonore, who had been keeping silent, opened her mouth.
“That is Astrum.”
Where her gaze indicated, a magnificent cityscape spread out, grand enough to be visible even from afar.
It looked nothing like the places where we had lived until now.
As I looked at it, I felt my heart begin to pound.
‘That is Astrum.’
The Empire’s second city, and the place where the Academy stood.
And also the place where our new lives would begin.
I quickly spurred my horse toward it.
**
“Wow!”
At the sight of a great city she had never seen before, Lena kept exclaiming in admiration.
The Molten Barony had also been fairly prosperous compared to the surrounding territories, but it could not compare to Astrum, a major city.
If one compared only the size within the walls, it was more than five times larger than the Molten Barony. On top of that, sanitation was thoroughly maintained, so to Lena, it must have seemed like an entirely different world.
“Look, Aschen. That huge fortress in the center of the city is apparently the Academy building! The walls are glowing with mana! And over there next to it…”
Watching Lena get excited like a child, I found myself smiling without realizing it.
‘That’s right. A smile suits Lena best.’
Bringing her with me really had been the right decision.
I repeated that to myself in my heart.
At that moment, Lady Eleonore dismounted and approached us.
“I have reserved your lodging. It is the inn at the end of this street, so it should not be hard to find.”
“Lady Eleonore, you aren’t coming with us?”
At Lena’s question, Eleonore shook her head.
“I have a report that must be finished by the end of the day. And… one interview I do not wish to attend. We will meet again after evening.”
Having finished speaking, Eleonore was already moving somewhere before we could answer.
I watched her gradually receding figure for a moment, but soon withdrew my gaze and looked at Lena.
Eleonore was probably in such a hurry because she had to report to her superiors on how to handle my situation.
But even so, there was nothing more I could do.
‘For now, let’s just enjoy ourselves.’
“Look, Aschen. I’ve never seen that snack before. Let’s try it!”
Watching Lena make a fuss as she pointed at a bear-shaped sweet, I slowly moved my feet.
**
The principal’s office of the Academy.
Eleonore stood there in a form different from usual.
Without the Order’s paladin armor, her appearance gave off an entirely different impression.
Her height, which had been over two meters, had also shrunk to somewhere in the late 170s, and while her physique still showed signs of training, she no longer looked as massive as before.
With a neat uniform on top of that, she truly looked like a young noble lady.
Before her, an old mage sat in a chair, reading through documents.
The man’s name was Abel Invocamus.
The principal of this Academy, and the greatest archmage in the Empire.
He read through the documents Eleonore had handed him as though he found them interesting. At last, when his gaze reached the end of the papers, Abel opened his mouth.
“A descendant of blood, is it? You’ve brought me quite an interesting child, Miss Eleonore. No, since you’ll be a professor starting next semester, should I call you Professor Eleonore?”
“As you wish. The title is not a very important matter.”
“Then, Professor Eleonore. Why did you recommend this man for special admission? Judging from what you wrote in the documents, you seem to have taken quite a liking to him.”
Eleonore remained silent for a moment, recalling Aschen as she had seen him over the past four weeks.
She had thought so even back in the barracks, but he was not a wicked person. Rather, he cared for his comrades, and when he fought, he was a man who understood honor.
However, she herself could not be certain about the power he carried.
“That man may be good, but the power he bears is dangerous. That is why he must be guided properly.”
“So you placed him in the Academy where you yourself will be a professor, is that it? Hmm, not a bad decision.”
At her words, Abel nodded as though he understood and snapped his fingers. Then a teapot filled with black tea and cups approached Abel as though they had grown legs. As he poured black tea into his cup, Abel gestured to Eleonore.
“Then from this point on, this is a question not for Professor Eleonore, but for Paladin Eleonore. Ah, before that, would you care for a cup of tea?”
Looking at the teacup that had somehow arrived in front of her, Eleonore shook her head.
“No, I am fine.”
“Is that so? What a shame. These are precious tea leaves I went out of my way to ask the duke for.”
After lamenting as though he truly found it regrettable for a brief moment, Abel’s amber eyes gleamed sharply as they turned toward Eleonore.
“I respect your judgment as a professor. But the mainstream opinion in the War Order has been different recently, has it not? As I understand it, they have focused on delivering more ‘judgments,’ following the example of the Justice Order.”
“I do not agree with that.”
“Why not?”
“The War Order has always acted to prevent unnecessary sacrifices that occur in war. If we were to behave like judges, endless war would break out across the world. I would rather not see that.”
As he looked at Eleonore, who spoke calmly, Abel tilted his teacup without saying anything for a while.
When his teacup began to show its bottom, Abel let out a faint sigh and covered his eyes.
“If that is what you think… very well. I will accept him through special admission. But if possible, do try to avoid involving the Order in Academy matters. I am already tired enough with the incidents that occur at the Academy alone.”
“Understood.”
“Then would you leave now? I would like to savor the taste of the tea I just drank a little longer.”
Eleonore bowed her head to Abel and immediately made her way out of the principal’s office.
Left alone in the principal’s office, Abel murmured softly.
“A descendant of blood arriving together with a paladin of the Order. What a truly amusing coincidence.”
Recalling the taste of the black tea lingering at his lips, Abel gave a bitter smile.
“I should ask for more tea leaves. This year is going to be truly exhausting.”
**
After leaving the principal’s office, Eleonore immediately left the Academy and headed toward her next destination.
‘I want to rest.’
Even though they had merely conversed, meeting Abel always exhausted her.
When she faced his amber eyes, it felt as though her mind was being read exactly as it was.
‘Still, it is better than the place I am going next.’
Just thinking about conversing with the person she was about to meet made her head throb.
Joshua, captain of the First Paladin Order.
He was one of the people she hated most.
She would rather head to her lodging at once and rest than speak with him, but as a paladin of the War Order, the truly unfortunate fact was that she could not.
Letting out a deep sigh, Eleonore walked slowly.
About thirty minutes later, despite her slow pace, she eventually reached her destination.
The Astrum branch of the War Order.
Everywhere glowed with a soft light, but there was one room uniquely shrouded in darkness.
At the center of that room, Joshua was staring at a bizarrely shaped knife with an expressionless face.
“You’re late.”
Without even looking at her, Joshua opened his mouth while admiring his knife.
“Yes, I am late.”
“That is hardly a respectful attitude toward your superior.”
“You are not my superior.”
Tak.
As soon as Eleonore finished speaking, Joshua placed his knife down on his table.
It was a simple action, and yet for some reason it seemed steeped in the smell of blood, causing Eleonore to frown despite herself.
With eyes that brought an alligator to mind more than a human, Joshua cast a cold gaze toward her.
“The captain of the First Order is meant to lead all knight captains in times of emergency.”
“That is in times of emergency. Right now is peacetime, so you are not my superior, Sir Joshua, captain of the First Order.”
At her words, the corner of Joshua’s mouth twisted.
“Arrogant. And you only became a paladin captain two years ago.”
“The length of time is not important. What matters is one’s current position.”
Joshua and Eleonore looked at each other without saying anything for a while. No words passed between them, but their gazes were sharp enough to cut each other down at any moment.
In the end, Joshua spat out his words with an irritated look, as though he found it bothersome.
“The matter of Baron Molten. Why did you not report it?”
“That matter is to be resolved at my discretion.”
“Yes, it is. If you had returned after handling the matter properly, that is.”
Joshua picked up the knife he had placed on the table again and began wiping it.
At his attitude of drawing a weapon while speaking to her, Eleonore furrowed her brow.
“What is it you wish to say?”
“Who are the ones who came with you?”
“They are simply Academy entrants. You should know that I have been appointed as a professor starting next semester.”
At Eleonore’s dignified attitude, Joshua bared his teeth at her.
“Is that truly all? I heard you brought them from the Molten Barony.”
“They happened to live near the place where the incident occurred. Is there some problem?”
“There may be, and there may not be.”
Holding the knife that had no more place left to wipe, Joshua’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Eleonore.
“Those brats aren’t involved with heresy, are they?”
“No, neither of them is a heretic. I guarantee it on my name.”
“That had better be true.”
Pressing the knife’s blade into the table, Joshua whispered to Eleonore.
“If it isn’t, I’ll cut off your head myself.”
“If you can, then gladly.”
With those words, Eleonore turned her back and left Joshua’s room.
On the way to the lodging, Eleonore stared blankly at the street. The same street as always felt irritating today for some reason.
‘This is exhausting, truly.’
Moving her heavy feet, she sank into thought.
With this, the immediate matter facing Aschen had been resolved. But what kind of figure that man would show from here on was something only God could know.
‘Lord, please grant him a chance.’
Suddenly feeling that she missed the time she had spent walking the road with the two of them, Eleonore hurried her steps toward the lodging.