---

“Then, be careful on your way back, Selian, and I’ll see you at the start of the semester.”

Since Selian wasn’t planning on going back until I left the capital, I decided to return first.

To get back to the academy, I had to spend my money on a cheap carriage, so I hesitantly asked the royal family for assistance, and they provided a carriage for me to return to the academy.

By chance, on the day I requested the carriage, there happened to be one heading toward Ferentz, allowing me to ride along with the royal family’s relay.

The carriage was already waiting, so I waved one last time at Selian, who came to see me off, and hurriedly opened the carriage door and hopped in.

As soon as I got on, it seemed like we were off, as if I had waited a while.

As I quickly reached out to wave out the window, the hastily departing carriage had already gone so far that I could no longer see Selian.

“I’m sorry for being late. Thank you for giving me a ride.”

I bowed my head in apology and gratitude to the person who was already on board and had accepted my request to share the ride.

The passenger, who was hiding their face beneath a robe, turned their head at my greeting and pushed their hat back to reveal their face.

“Boss?”

“When are you coming back?”

It was an unexpected appearance of Frecia. But was it only I who didn’t see it coming? Frecia spoke in a nonchalant voice.

“Are you done already? You did mention you came because the Emperor summoned you, right?”

“Yeah. It wrapped up a few days ago. I was waiting to go back together.”

If there’s a boss like that who cares this much for their employees, let them come out! Our boss is the best.

“But I’m so sleepy…”

Come to think of it, Frecia was originally a nocturnal human.

She must have had no choice but to stay awake during the day to see the Emperor, but a few days wasn’t enough to change habits built over a long time.

Frecia was rubbing her eyes with her tiny hands, trying to hold back sleep. But the drowsiness was too overwhelming, and her half-closed eyes were looking up at me.

I got up from my seat and moved to sit next to Frecia.

This was the perfect moment to put my learnings to use.

“Here we go.”

Suddenly, Frecia, looking at me with suspicious eyes, I slipped my hands under her arms and lifted her slightly.

Then, I gently moved her to the center of the carriage seat.

Next, I placed a hand on her swaying head, which had been bobbing just a moment ago, and slowly pulled her closer.

Supporting her head carefully, I rested it on my thigh.

Frecia was now completely lying back on the carriage seat.

With her head resting on my thigh, she looked up at me with drowsy eyes. I also leaned down to look at her.

“Elysia…?”

Here comes my secret weapon.

Gently placing my hand on Frecia’s black hair, I began to stroke it slowly. It was a careful and gentle touch, like petting a cat.

Just moments ago, Frecia had been looking at me with sleepy eyes full of questions, but they slowly began to flutter closed.

“Ely… sia…”

As she called my name with just four syllables, her voice grew sleepier with each syllable.

I don’t know how many times I stroked her hair, but Frecia soon fell asleep, breathing softly.

Watching this, I finally understood why Selian let me use her lap as a pillow.

Seeing Frecia trust me and sleep with her head resting on my thigh filled me with healing feelings.

If the chance ever arises, I want to do the same for Selian, Yuli, and Anne.

Though Frecia had already ventured into dreamland, I couldn’t resist stroking her hair a little longer and enjoying its softness.

*

“See you later.”

We arrived at the academy just as the sun was setting, and we parted ways toward our respective rooms. I headed to the dormitory, while Frecia made her way to the Magic Building.

I said “see you later” because it was about to be nighttime, and I would soon have to sleep, but since Frecia was nocturnal, she would be staying awake.

After sending her off, I returned to my room and started unpacking my bag.

First, I sorted and put away the clothes Yuli and Selian had given me, making sure not to mix them up.

Once I had organized the clothing, it was time for the underwear.

Before leaving, I had washed all but the one I was currently wearing, so the six pairs of underwear went straight into the drawer.

I also tidied up miscellaneous items, but there wasn’t that much to organize in the first place.

After sorting my bags, my room looked just the same as before I left, except for the closet being full now.

I did notice the bedspread was a little messy, so out of curiosity, I reached my hand under the bed.

While feeling around on the floor, I found the bag sitting in the dark corner under the bed where no light reached.

At least during the month I was away, it seemed no one had touched it, as it had gathered only a light layer of dust.

To check if anyone had opened the bag, I saw that the paper I had deliberately left slightly wedged in the gap remained untouched.

Still unsure, I entered the password I alone knew into the lock.

Inside the bag was the most dangerous and essential assassin outfit, in more ways than one.

After confirming that it was safe and sound multiple times, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, who would break into a room that they knew belonged to someone?

If caught, it wouldn’t merely result in a demerit; the possibility of expulsion would come into play.

The messiness of the bed was probably due to my preoccupation with packing my bag and neglecting to tidy it up.

Sipping warm milk while sitting on the chair at the table, I finally began to feel that I was back home.

Actually, to be precise, it’s just the dormitory room, not my home, but still, it’s the first room I decorated to my taste in my life, so I have an attachment to it.

However, soon after, worries and sadness welled up within me.

Despite my efforts, my first-semester grades hadn’t reached the level I desired.

The grades were already out, and I had searched for scholarships that I could apply for numerous times, looking for any kind of support.

What I needed to focus on the most were three things.

Food expenses, tuition fees, and dormitory fees.

But all of them were uncertain situations.

As for food costs, with the part-time income from Frecia, I could mostly cover that. In fact, I even had enough left over for living expenses.

Next was the tuition.

Though I wasn’t able to receive full exemption due to being slightly behind Selian, thankfully, I could still get some support.

Honestly, I had hoped for at least a half reduction, but my absences in the middle seemed to have caught up with me in the end.

Still, there’s a way out; considering the compensation I received during the recent demonic race invasion incident, there seemed to be a way to cover the tuition.

However, as everyone knows, Griffin Academy’s tuition fees are quite ferocious.

After paying it, the remaining money would decrease drastically.

Even so, it was still a considerable amount for living expenses, but when considering the possibility of situations like this, it didn’t leave me with much surplus at all.

Thus, I had no choice but to continue living frugally.

And this led me to ponder a lot regarding the last issue, the dormitory.

At least for dormitory fees, I could receive some support. The problem was that the dormitory that was exempt from fees was a four-person room.

Compared to a four-person room, a two-person room is significantly more expensive, and a one-person room is in a ridiculous price range.

It’s not just double or quadruple; the difference is staggering.

In the end, only two options remained for me to choose from.

I could dip into my emergency funds a bit and go for a two-person room, or I could avoid touching my emergency funds and go for the four-person room.

For me, the fewer people living together, the easier it would be to hide my secrets.

Especially when it comes to the Master-Servant Mark imprinted on my body or the assassin outfit hidden in that dark corner.

Since there’s still time before the second semester registration deadline, I’ll need to think about it for a while.

*

After Elysia returned first, I too made my way back to the mansion.

In the past, it would have been a cozy room for me, but the fact that Elysia wasn’t here made it feel extremely desolate.

Instead of staying at home, I wanted to return to the dormitory right away and be with Elysia, but the duties and responsibilities of a noble and the obligations of a child were holding me back.

Of course, thinking of Elysia, I could easily throw such thoughts away, but considering that it might be helpful to Elysia later, it’s not something to dismiss entirely.

Therefore, during the remaining vacation, instead of staying in my room, I decided to use the room Elysia had stayed in at the mansion.

It was slightly disappointing that the bed in the dormitory, which Elysia had used for months, didn’t still have her scent, but I figured I could endure it just fine.

Knock, knock.

As I sat in the chair where Elysia had sat, sipped tea from the cup Elysia had used, and lay down on the bed where Elysia had slept with my eyes closed, someone knocked at the door.

Feeling a little regretful, I got up from my seat and opened the door to find my butler, who was covering my chores.

“Miss, we’ll handle your registration for the second semester just like we did in the first semester.”

The matter brought up was regarding the registration for the second semester at the academy.

Since the academy exemptions had covered various costs with the scholarship for top students, I didn’t need to pay any money. I only had to register.

Even so, honestly, I wouldn’t have to personally go to register at all.

After all, others would expertly take care of everything on their own for me, just like when I first enrolled at the academy.

“Just a moment.”

But doing that would make all my efforts from the first semester meaningless.

Thus, I stopped the butler from leaving.

“I’d like to request a two-person room for the dormitory.”

By claiming the top spot, I ensured I wouldn’t qualify for a full scholarship, and

“Are you sure? Living with another student could be more inconvenient than you think.”

I had a desire to share the joy of eating delicious food, but I had intentionally made things tight financially by seeking only the most expensive dishes,

“It doesn’t matter. After all, I’ll be living with a friend.”

And, having received ample compensation from an accident in between, I had intentionally provided slightly incorrect answers to questions that were likely to come up during exams, in order to reduce any scholarships I might receive,

“I understand. I will proceed with your request for a two-person room as you mentioned, Miss.”

None of those efforts could be wasted.

“Then, if you need anything, please call for me.”

Once the butler confirmed they were gone, I lay back down on the bed and hugged the pillow Elysia had used tightly.

“Elysia…”

From the second semester onward, we’ll be together all the time…

 

---