One week since the end of the traitor subjugation.
During the past week, Raniel was busier than ever. Messages poured in from every direction, and she had to organize the progress and extent of the damage from the subjugation and prepare for what’s next. It was only natural.
They had crossed a significant mountain called the traitor, but the war wasn’t over yet. If anything, crossing that mountain meant they had to stay even more vigilant. To prevent the knights from becoming arrogant. To ensure discipline didn’t slack.
“Hoo…”
As Raniel exhaled deeply while reading through a mountain of letters, her assistant, Kalt, who had tired, dull eyes while sorting documents, finally spoke up.
“Why the long face since earlier? Did something happen, Senpai?”
Late nights… I mean, the Sword Master, Kalt.
Pouring fresh coffee into his empty cup, Kalt glanced at Raniel, asking what could possibly be the issue this time.
“What do you think?”
Raniel pointed at the towering stack of letters.
“These are all invitations, which is the problem.”
“Invitations… you say?”
“Yeah. They’re asking me to attend a grand banquet to celebrate the subjugation of the calamity, begging me to please participate this time.”
Is it really necessary for me to go?
They can just chat and have fun among themselves. Kalt smirked at her mumblings. She had been the type to get cold feet about banquets since forever. Raniel preferred twisting a beast’s neck on the battlefield over participating in such events.
“Let’s see…”
Kalt picked up an elegant letter and began speaking.
“This one says that if you refuse to participate again, they plan to visit the battlefield personally to bow and greet you, so they’re looking forward to a positive response…”
“That’s exactly the issue. This isn’t a joking matter!”
“Well, it’s not entirely surprising.”
Kalt shrugged his shoulders.
“During the past few years, as a hero, you haven’t shown your face at such events even once.”
“I was busy back then.”
“Yes, but while you were busy, they didn’t make many strong requests either… I guess they think this case is too precious to let pass.”
It was a grand event, the subjugation of a calamity.
The traitor, Gletus. Now that one of the calamities that had tarnished human history had fallen, they must feel it was time to hold a banquet. That seemed to be their judgment.
“More importantly…”
Kalt glanced at the pile of letters.
“There must be quite a few people wanting to express their gratitude towards you. Look at this.”
“And what’s that?”
“Letters sent from nearby small kingdoms, federations. Seeing how fancy the stationery is, it’s obvious they’re from high-ranking individuals.”
“…Why them?”
“Why them, you ask?”
Kalt pointed to a map set aside in the barracks.
“Over the past few years, you’ve reclaimed, expanded, and purified the lands. Among them are areas that used to be their territories. It’s only natural they want to express their gratitude since you’ve helped them regain their lost history.”
“Well… I suppose that’s true.”
“So, what I’m saying is,” Kalt cautiously opened up to Raniel.
“How about taking this opportunity to visit?”
Raniel’s eyebrows narrowed sharply at his suggestion. Kalt broke out in a cold sweat under her piercing gaze, hurriedly adding to his words.
“W-Well, it’s a chance to visit the royal capital after a long time. With the traitor defeated, the Demon Lord’s Army has also been weakened…”
Seeing Kalt trailing off, Raniel pressed her brow. With her chin resting on her hand, she let out a long sigh.
“You have a point. There’s no real justification for refusing the banquet invitation, and visiting the royal capital does sound nice…”
“But…?”
“If I go to such a gathering, it’ll be a hassle.”
Raniel groaned.
It’s different from giving a speech in front of knights. She despised the pretentious atmosphere of banquets. Every single place was filled with chatter; everyone kept glancing at each other’s faces with worry.
“If you could visit our family once…”
“By the way, the Trias family has maintained a good relationship with our Litetten family since long ago…”
“My daughter possesses excellent magical talent; if you could visit and have a look, I’d offer a generous reward…”
Recalling the banquet right after the subjugation of the Black Dragon, Raniel sighed as if the ground could swallow her whole.
“Just imagining it makes me feel nauseous.”
“If you’re thinking about the banquet held right after the Black Dragon subjugation, isn’t this a bit different?”
Kalt had attended the banquet celebrating the Black Dragon subjugation alongside Raniel. He could vividly recall her crumpled expression amid countless nobles and bitterly smiled.
“Who would dare to propose anything to you like last time? If they did, they’d get curses thrown at them from all sides.”
Raniel—no, Rania van Trias—was now a hero of human history. Although there would be those who want to ride on her reputation, doing something as ridiculous as that in public would likely lead to being buried six feet under.
“And also…”
“I got it, I got it.”
After Kalt’s desperate persuasion, Raniel finally raised both her hands in surrender. She tapped the table and muttered.
“Fine. I suppose… I’ll just have to attend once to avoid any future complaints. I also have people I need to meet in the royal capital.”
With a sigh, Raniel pulled out a piece of stationery. Seeing her inscribe words with magic, Kalt clenched his fist inwardly.
‘…Just as planned!’
The reason Kalt desperately convinced Raniel was simple.
It was to get a vacation for himself. While Raniel headed to the royal capital, he thought of taking a nice rest under the pretext of guarding the battlefield.
‘The mountain of piled-up work can ultimately only proceed with Senpai around. If Senpai goes to the royal capital, I can also get an extended break…!’
As he recalled six hours of sleep, Kalt was smiling inwardly when Raniel let out an “Ah.”
“Kalt, you have nothing to do, right?”
“…Excuse me?”
“All these tasks can only progress with me. If I leave, you’ve got nothing to do.”
In that case, Raniel boldly said.
“Come with me.”
“…Did I catch that wrong?”
“What are you misunderstanding? I said come with me.”
“I must guard the battlefield…”
“What are you guarding? With the remaining manpower here, we could probably break Skebal’s skull five times over. Plus, you just said it earlier; the Demon Lord’s Army has weakened, and the battlefield is rather laid back.”
Caught by his own words, Kalt broke into a cold sweat. He had to think of an excuse, but sadly, being the Sword Master, Kalt didn’t possess the transcendent speed of a transcendent Mage.
One second, two seconds, and then three seconds.
The limited time given was up.
Raniel removed her hand from the stationery.
“I wrote that we’re attending together.”
Snap, Raniel snapped her fingers.
The completed stationery disintegrated into dust. Kalt stared at the scattering papers with a hollow expression.
“What? You look so glum.”
“It’s nothing… just… nothing at all…”
Kalt swallowed his tears of blood.
—
After completing the minor tasks requiring attention on the battlefield, Raniel headed towards the royal capital with Kalt. They arrived about two days early from the day of the banquet.
“…Where are you going?”
“I have some places to visit.”
“What about the person waiting outside? It seems like quite a few people were sent from the royal family…”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
“…”
Leaving all those arrivals to Kalt, Raniel opened the window and leaped outside. Not to the center of the royal capital, but to the outskirts. Specifically, to where the Apuria Academy is located.
“Kelharlem.”
“Ah, you’re here.”
In a nearby forest near Apuria.
Kelharlem, who had been reading while sitting on a tree stump, looked up. He had arrived at the royal capital a few days earlier than Raniel. Seeing the now-freed Kelharlem, Raniel smiled.
“Looks like you finished all the procedures?”
“You’re talking about the procedure to confirm I no longer harbor any madness? Thanks to the letter you wrote, they practically just stamped my papers without a hitch.”
Kelharlem shrugged his shoulders.
Normally, it would have been a very tedious procedure, but the moment Raniel personally handed over her written letter, the inspectors and knights treated him like royalty. They skipped the thorough checks altogether and stamp-stamped away, so…
“Thanks to that, I can live comfortably in the royal capital. I appreciate it.”
“It’s nothing. It’s just something I had to do.”
As she mumbled that, Raniel surveyed her surroundings.
The forest near Apuria.
Come to think of it, this was the same place. When Kelharlem initially visited Apuria, they chatted here. It felt like it was just a few years ago, but now it seemed like a distant past.
‘Life’s a trip.’
I never imagined it would come to this.
Thoughts like that ran through Raniel’s mind as she pointed to Apuria.
“Shall we go?”
Emerging from the forest toward the Apuria Academy.
It was Raniel’s former workplace and would now become Kelharlem’s new workplace. As she made her way, Raniel suddenly chuckled.
“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.”
Winter was fading, and spring was arriving.
As she witnessed the scene where leaves and petals blossomed on the bare branches, Raniel walked along the tree-lined path to Apuria. Since the semester hadn’t started yet, there weren’t many people residing in the academy.
“Uh…”
“Excuse me, are you…”
But there were some people, after all.
Raniel smiled lightly at the wide-eyed gazes directed at her. Passing through those who were almost gasping, as she entered the academy, someone came out to greet them.
“It’s been a while, Rania van Trias.”
The headmaster of Apuria Academy, Aaron van Tailent.
“And, Kelharlem Bel Artiya.”
He replied with a smile.
“Welcome to Apuria Academy.”
—
In the headmaster’s office.
“I’ve read the letter you sent ahead. I have also confirmed the recommendation letter you sent, Rania.”
Aaron nodded as he placed the stationery on the table. While his hair had thinned more than a few years ago, the benevolent smile on his face hadn’t changed.
“I’ll make arrangements for you to start working from the next semester. It’s certainly something to celebrate.”
“Isn’t there any special procedure? I didn’t expect it to be settled so quickly.”
At Kelharlem’s question, Aaron smiled wryly.
“Aren’t you a more established educator than I am? Apuria Academy itself was founded based on the inspiration from the former academy city, Artiya. Since you were the headmaster of Artiya, shouldn’t we be welcoming you?”
More than anything, Aaron continued.
“We happen to be short on professors who can teach Mana Trading Studies. Rousel alone has too much on his hands.”
“I did raise the standards a bit.”
“That isn’t entirely inaccurate, so I can’t just laugh this off.”
While Raniel shrugged, Kelharlem fiddled with the teacup on the table. He seemed to sense something off.
“I appreciate the offer. However, Headmaster Aaron, what I’m concerned about is…”
Kelharlem slowly opened his mouth.
“This is a prestigious academy. It is an academy where not only talented children but also various noble heirs study. If I, known as a Braver, were to teach here…”
“There’s bound to be some noisy stories that arise, won’t there?”
“About that…”
Aaron glanced over at Raniel.
Raniel shrugged and answered.
“I wrote the recommendation letter myself. So, I confirm there are no risk factors regarding you being entirely liberated from madness.”
She declared firmly that no more tedious processes or skeptical eyes needed to be directed at him. Raising concerns about Kelharlem’s qualities and safety was tantamount to challenging the authority of ‘Rania van Trias.’
“What good are prestige, honor, and authority? They’re meant to be used at times like this.”
“Well… I’m grateful.”
Finally easing up a bit, Kelharlem shot Raniel a side glance as she smirked.
“Considering all the hard work you’ve done on the battlefield, live comfortably in your retirement. If anything comes up, just send a letter. I can write as many recommendation letters as you need.”
After having a conversation for a while, Raniel slowly got up from her seat. She had met the headmaster after a long time, and she had seen the scenery of Apuria; it was about time to save the suffering Kalt.
As she stepped out of the dean’s office and walked through the Apuria campus, Raniel suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“…”
Her gaze slowly drifted to a shop.
The shop’s door was half-open. A rich coffee aroma wafted through the open door. Despite brewing countless cups of coffee on the battlefield, it was an aroma that couldn’t be imitated.
Raniel glanced at her watch.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
After a long deliberation, Raniel made her decision. She moved toward the open shop.
Sorry, Kalt.
I’ll buy enough for both of us.
“It’s been a while, Allen!”
