Lin Edenborough stopped the moment our eyes met, then turned to look this way.
The moment she stopped, the two people following behind her also turned their gazes toward me.
“…You.”
“Yo, long time no see.”
“…What do you mean, long time no see? It hasn’t even been two days.”
“Well, I just felt like saying it.”
When I greeted her with a calm expression, waving my hand, she shook her head and approached me.
“What reason did you have for skipping class again yesterday? Missing school two days in a row—what are you thinking?”
“There were reasons for everything. They say truly illustrious people never know a day of peace, and that’s exactly my situation.”
“You say such strange things I’ve never heard before. Anyway.”
Thrust.
Lin Edenborough thrust her hand back, introducing the students who seemed to be escorting her.
“Say hello. These are students from the same Department of Mysticism, and ones who will someday become my retainers.”
“…Hello.”
“It is an honor, Lord Jin Prah of House Prah.”
“Retainers?”
When I tilted my head, questioning her introduction, Lin Edenborough slowly turned and offered a more precise explanation.
“The lady here on my left has experience working in a distinguished noble house. She said that once she graduates, she wishes to come to our Edenborough house as a maid, so I permitted it.”
“N-Nice to meet you. Lord Jin Prah, I-I’m Plu.”
Plu, who stood to Lin Edenborough’s left with a purple bob cut, bowed her head to me.
Her voice trembled, but the way she bowed her head and controlled her gaze showed a practiced skill that could only be seen in those who had experience serving nobles.
“The gentleman here is a squire whose father holds a hereditary barony. Since he said he wishes to become a knight of our house, I am currently giving him the opportunity.”
“It is an honor to meet the scion of House Prah, so renowned for its knights. I am Sham Jabil, second son of Sir Jabil.”
He gave a bow.
In contrast, Sham, positioned to Lin Edenborough’s right, had a solid build and the rigid air unique to knights, true to his introduction as a knight’s second son.
No, hold on. Academy life had only just begun about a day ago, yet she had already gathered retainers for herself?
And impressive-looking ones at that, even if I couldn’t tell what they were truly made of.
“You’re really something, Lin.”
“What do you mean?”
“That even after getting an earful from the headmaster at the entrance ceremony, you’ve still gathered people to follow you.”
“Urk.”
When I reminded her of the situation at the entrance ceremony, Lin Edenborough’s cheeks flushed red and she momentarily sealed her lips into a small triangle.
“You know that at the Academy, we’re all students of equal standing, right? Yet if professors or other students see you gathering people to play at nobles like this, it won’t look good. You really don’t think things through, do you?”
When I narrowed my eyes and questioned her as if interrogating her, Sham Jabil, who had been standing behind her, stepped forward as if to protect her.
“Please forgive my rudeness in interrupting your conversation, Lord Jin Prah.”
Sham Jabil bowed his head to me, asking for forgiveness as he stepped forward.
Seeing him like that truly overlapped with the image of Sir Hans, who was tasked with guarding my younger sister, and I couldn’t help but admire it.
“Oh, you really talk like a knight of a noble house. Where did you learn to do that?”
“As the young lady explained, I was receiving training from my father to become a knight. If only another two years had passed, I would have entered another knight’s service as a squire and begun my life as a knight… but God bestowed a special talent upon me, which led to my enrollment here at the Academy.”
Sham wore a subtle expression in which regret over his derailed life plans coexisted with joy at having formed this connection in such a special place.
“Even so, I am nothing but truly grateful to God, for I have been granted the honor of finding one whom I may call my master.”
“…You really talk like a knight.”
“You flatter me.”
It wasn’t a compliment.
He was a guy who truly spoke in an old-fashioned, stick-in-the-mud tone just like the old knights of my house.
What era does he think this is, going on about giving thanks to God or having been granted the honor of finding a master?
The Empire had long since ceased to be a nation of knights and become a nation of soldiers.
Knights were now merely one of the declining and obsolete professions.
Perhaps that might be true for the head of a powerful knight house like my father, but the other powerless and impoverished knight houses had long since enlisted in the military or found other means of survival; I hadn’t realized there were still people like this outside of our house.
The world truly was vast, and oddballs survived with remarkable tenacity.
I hadn’t expected to meet someone my own age with such an old-fogey mindset at the Holy City.
“So, what did you step between Lin and me to say?”
“Yes. As one who will become the young lady’s retainer, it is my duty to step forward against insults and rudeness directed at her.”
He paused for a moment, then spoke with an expression of resolve.
“Therefore, I ask that you acknowledge the insult you spoke earlier and apologize to the young lady.”
At Sham’s words, I suppressed a hollow laugh that I hadn’t felt in a long time and let out a small chuckle.
“You’re not even someone who’s received the official accolade, yet you run your mouth like that. Aren’t you ashamed to say such things?”
“…”
At my sharp criticism, Sham merely kept his head bowed and begged my pardon.
At first glance, it might seem that I had suddenly lost my temper and hurled abusive language at him, but neither I, nor Sham, nor even Lin Edenborough watching from the side could react rashly to my words.
Because we nobles were well aware of the rights and duties possessed by knights.
Especially me, having grown up in a knight house, all the more so.
“…Yes, just as you say, Lord Jin Prah, I am well aware that my current appearance must seem like an unsightly spectacle to one so noble. Even so, I cannot overlook an insult to the one who will be my master.”
“Oh, if you were truly a formal knight who had received the accolade, that would have been an impeccable justification. But hearing it from someone who is not yet a formal knight is truly a pitiful sight.”
At my sneering tone, Sham made no excuses and merely looked at me with a stiff expression as he spoke.
“I request a duel for my young lady’s honor.”
“…”
Right. I had known an aspiring knight would say that.
But did he really need to go this far for Lin Edenborough, whom he had only met a day ago?
Had she brainwashed him or something?
Just what had happened during the day I was sucked into that grimoire?
Or perhaps Lin Edenborough’s competence was greater than I thought.
“You know full well that this isn’t something to be said lightly out of vain bravado or a momentary emotion, right?”
“…Yes. So please say it here and now: if you lose the duel, you will apologize to the young lady who is to be my master for the insult you made earlier, and treat her as an equal ‘noble’ going forward.”
“Now that we’ve enrolled at the Academy, we’re all fellow students. So I can accept the first part of your request, but not the latter. Lin Edenborough and I are no longer nobles under Imperial law.”
“Yes, it is fine if you accept only the former.”
“Clever.”
I glanced aside.
I turned my gaze behind me to look at Isil.
She had nearly finished the food I gave her; her front plate was empty, and she was munching on the food remaining in her cheek, watching this direction with great interest.
“*Munch munch*… *Gulp*. Don’t mind me, Jin.”
“You’re really carefree. Your friend is about to fight a duel, and you were watching while eating?”
“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve seen something this entertaining.”
“Haha.”
I let out a hollow laugh at Isil, who was looking at me with eyes full of anticipation, then turned my head back.
Hmm, I’ve decided.
“Fine, I’ll accept that duel.”
“…Truly?”
“Why? Did you think I’d refuse?”
“…”
“Ah, you’ve got that stickler personality, don’t you? Then I suppose you can’t answer my question.”
Sham Jabil wore an expression that said he truly hadn’t expected me to accept his duel proposal, even though he didn’t say it aloud. I smiled refreshingly at him and spoke.
“Let’s meet at the training ground near the main building after today’s classes are over. Is that alright?”
“…Very well. Thank you for the opportunity to witness the swordsmanship of House Prah.”
“Don’t cry about getting beaten too badly. I don’t want to see a grown man shed tears.”
“…Then.”
At my provocation-that-wasn’t-a-provocation, Sham merely kept his head bowed and followed Lin Edenborough, who was leaving, moving to the opposite side of where Isil and I were seated.
He didn’t say anything, but it seemed my provocation had gotten under his skin.
I had seen him biting his lip even before greeting me earlier.
“…Jin.”
“Hmm? Ah, don’t worry. I may have let my swordsmanship slip a little, but someone like that brat—”
“That’s not it. This is delicious. It’s from that flatfish you got earlier, right?”
“…You really aren’t worried at all, are you?”
“Nope.”
Isil glanced briefly at the group of Lin Edenborough far off in the distance, then shook her head and spoke.
“…Attacking someone who defeated a demon is about the stupidest thing you can do.”
Having uttered what sounded like a proverb passed down among witches, Isil soon reached out for more fish.
It must have been really delicious.
Yeah, eat up.