Chapter 75 - Chapter 74: The Marquis's Order and the Capital Exploration
Day three at the Royal Capital's Magic Academy.
Mika was attending school as usual, walking with everyone from the Leventein Group.
Like yesterday, he was attracting an excessive amount of attention, but there was no point in worrying about it.
It would probably settle down eventually, so until then, he decided he had to either ignore it or get used to it.
"Mika Noisheim."
As Mika and the others were heading toward the classroom, they were suddenly stopped.
Turning around, a female knight with pink hair was standing there.
She was the one called Virone, the person who had been emitting an excessively piercing presence while talking to Cleiria yesterday.
"I have something to talk to you about. Can I have some of your time?"
There was no piercing presence, but instead, there was an atmosphere that brooked no refusal.
"Mika-kun..."
Rimliche looked at Mika with an anxious expression.
Mika slightly shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Rimliche.
"I'll be right back. Can you go ahead to the classroom?"
He sent a glance toward Murt and Cecilia, urging them to head to the classroom first.
Everyone, though confused, headed toward the classroom first.
"Sorry about this."
"No. So, is the talk going to be here?"
I'm getting a ton of attention, though.
The students in the hallway were murmuring a little, "What's wrong?" "What's going on?"
"It won't work here. Please follow me."
Saying that, Virone turned on her heel and walked off briskly.
Mika let out a sigh and obediently followed.
Please, just stop the trouble.
Muttering that in his heart.
Where Mika was led was beside the boys' dormitory.
It was between the boys' dormitory and the second school building.
There were two school buildings, and the one Mika and the others usually used was the first school building.
He had never been to the second school building.
Since it was a bit of a distance even to return to the classroom, depending on the content of the talk, he thought it was better to assume he would almost certainly be late.
"I apologize for taking your time."
"No."
Virone turned around and looked straight at Mika.
Although he felt a sense of intimidation from the seriousness in her eyes, Mika looked straight back at Virone.
Really, I only have a bad feeling about this... Please, spare me the trouble.
Virone was Cleiria's guard knight.
There was a high chance the content of the talk was about Cleiria.
Mika faced Virone while on guard, wondering what kind of talk it would be.
"It is about Lady Cleiria."
Virone started the conversation like that.
"She seems to like you very much. You understand, right?"
"Yes, well, that..."
She isn't even trying to hide it.
Anyone could understand that.
To be honest, he had never seen Cleiria talk to anyone other than Mika in the classroom.
Honestly, he couldn't say something like, "Yes, is that so!?" without it sounding insincere.
"But, a situation like this is truly troubling. Considering Lady Cleiria's position, it is not desirable for her to get too involved with just one student."
"Well, yes, that is true."
If someone from the Marquis's family only focused on one student, how would the surroundings perceive it?
Considering Cleiria's position, even if they were "friends," that relationship was never equal.
He didn't think Cleiria's current attitude was something done with those thoughts in mind.
"So, what I want is for you to keep a little distance from Lady Cleiria."
Saying that, Virone's expression softened slightly.
It was not a command issued with intimidation, but rather as if to say it was a request.
Hey, hey, hey, what if I get hated by Cleiria because of this!
Honestly, he couldn't just say, "Yes, I understand," easily.
Mika had been handling things so far, thinking it would be bad to offend someone from the Marquis's family.
He wasn't the one approaching.
Cleiria was the one coming to him.
In an extreme case, if he didn't have to worry about Cleiria's mood, he could just say, "Please don't talk to me."
If he didn't think about what happened after, that would be enough.
But, considering the influence afterward, he couldn't do such a thing.
That was why, even though Mika was struggling with how to respond.
Mika closed his eyes for a moment to think, then let out a sigh.
"Why me? Why not just tell her?"
That's right.
The one who should be careful is not Mika.
Cleiria should exercise self-restraint.
That alone would resolve everything smoothly.
Mika wouldn't get unfairly hated either.
It was a natural question for Mika, but Virone was wrapped in a tense atmosphere for just a moment.
Just a moment.
Virone's expression softened again.
"I have already advised Lady Cleiria many times, but... she wouldn't listen. That is why I decided to ask you."
Virone's expression was soft, and although she said "request," Mika understood from that brief moment of tension earlier that this was practically a "command."
"Who decided this? Is it your own idea? Or the Marquis's family's intention?"
"...It is the Marquis's family's intention."
Virone answered with a slight hesitation.
Had she been told not to say anything...?
If she had been told absolutely not to leak it, she wouldn't have said it here.
"Does the Marquis know about this? Is this the judgment of Marquis Leventein?"
If it was an order from that old man Marquis, he had no intention of going against it.
When Mika continued asking questions, Virone grimaced for a moment.
"...I cannot say in too much detail, but naturally, His Excellency knows about this matter."
If it was a matter the Marquis knew about, he had no choice but to accept it.
"I understand. However, how much distance should we keep? I can find a seat away, but if she talks to me, how should I respond?"
"Even so, keep your distance immediately."
Wait a minute.
"Are you saying to avoid Lady Cleiria?"
"...Yes."
Is she going that far?
That was no longer just keeping a distance.
No matter that it was an order from the old man Marquis, this was too much.
It would hurt Cleiria.
But----.
"...So, it is an order from Marquis Leventein?"
"Yes, that is right."
Mika confirmed once more and let out a sigh.
"I understand. I will follow the order."
Mika answered only that, and with a heavy weight in his chest, he returned to the classroom where the lesson had already begun.
Lunch break arrived, and he finished his meal in the cafeteria.
No matter how tired he was, no matter how cloudy his heart was, eating was a separate matter.
It was a technique learned at the academy in the Leventein domain, and it was helpful in times like this.
Everyone else also prioritized eating first.
Even if they wanted to ask Mika something, they put it all aside for later.
"So, Mika, are you going to explain?"
After everyone finished eating, Cecilia started the conversation.
Cecilia was often the one to lead the conversation at times like this.
He should give her the title of "Assault Captain of the Leventein Group."
"You told us that things like that were bad, yet you are doing it yourself. What is going on?"
After finishing his talk with Virone, Mika had gone straight to the classroom.
Once inside, he didn't look at Cleiria or the Leventein Group at all, but first searched for an empty seat near the entrance.
There were several empty seats, and Mika silently took one of them.
A teacher from the academy gave him a light reprimand, but he apologized obediently.
And as soon as the class ended, he went outside the classroom.
He had not had any contact with the Leventein Group children until lunch break like this.
"As usual, I cannot say any details. ...You understand, right?"
Mika leaned back against the chair and looked up at the ceiling.
"This morning, right?"
Rimliche asked Mika with an anxious expression.
A secret meeting with Cleiria's guard knight.
The reason for Mika's sudden change in attitude could only be that.
He didn't know what they had talked about, but if it was an order or pressure from the Marquis's family, he had no choice but to obey.
"For now, please leave me alone for a while. None of you want to carry a secret to the grave, do you?"
When Mika said that, Messerite and Polnard turned pale.
Well, it was a bit exaggerated, but it was no good to be interested and stick one's nose in.
It was about time to switch to independent action.
He decided to change the distance from the "Best Friends Leventein Group" a little and increase the time to act freely.
"...Leave me alone? Does that mean we can't be together?"
Rimliche looked at Mika with sad eyes.
"That's not exactly it, but I want to move easily. Well, let's eat together as usual at lunch."
Saying that, he smiled at Rimliche, but Rimliche's expression did not brighten.
It was the same for the others, and a heavy atmosphere hung in the air.
"This won't continue forever. The situation is always changing. By next week, it might be back to normal."
Mika spoke with an intentionally cheerful voice.
Even so, he could not change the heavy atmosphere.
After school, Mika returned to the dormitory alone and quickly.
It was not a situation he had wished for, but since it was so, he thought he would do what he could within this situation.
Click, he opened the door to his dorm room.
"I'm back. I'm going out."
While saying that, he threw his duffel bag onto the upper bunk of the bed.
Bang.
Basal, who was putting away the issued gym clothes in the dresser inside the room, looked up.
But by then, Mika was already gone from the room.
"...Huh? Lord Mika...?"
Basal stared at the door, bewildered for a while.
"Well, for now, it's time to explore the Royal Capital."
As Mika went down the dormitory stairs, he activated "Limiter Off" and "Absorb."
He immediately manifested [Physical Enhancement] and grimaced at a momentary feeling of nausea.
Once he reached the dormitory entrance, he increased the output of [Physical Enhancement] fourfold and sprinted at full speed.
Running against the flow of students returning to the dormitory, he burst out through the main gate.
Several carriages for pick-up and drop-off were waiting in front of the academy, but he passed through them and ran straight to the Second Wall of the Royal Capital.
From the academy's main gate to the Second Wall was about one kilometer.
The streets were connected, and houses, restaurants, and general stores lined the surroundings.
Actually, Mika had heard a little about the Royal Capital from Ninetiana.
Ninetiana seemed to have been to the Royal Capital several times, and she had given him some preliminary knowledge, saying, "It's better than knowing nothing."
The Royal Capital had main streets extending in eight directions from the Royal Castle.
East, West, South, North, and the four directions in between, meaning Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest, all had main streets.
It seemed the Guild used to be on the West Main Street, but he didn't know about the branch that was recently built.
And the main street closest to the Magic Academy was the Southeast Main Street.
Mika reached the Second Wall and showed the soldier on guard his left wristband.
The checkpoint at the Second Wall was not that strict; if he raised his left wristband to face height and walked, he could pass without being stopped.
On Mika's left hand was a bracelet engraved with "Istora Magic Academy."
It was a bracelet with a beautiful luster like platinum, which he also wore at the Magic Academy in the Leventein domain.
It was proof that he was a student of the Magic Academy, distributed to the class children on the first day of enrollment and made to wear it there.
"Oh, this is the Royal Capital."
Mika passed under the gate and gazed at the cityscape of the Royal Capital.
The main streets were incredibly wide.
And although it was bustling with many people, it was not as crowded as Sarbengeal.
Or rather, the level of crowding in Sarbengeal was abnormal.
Was there too much population for the area of the city?
"This place is incredibly easy to live in, isn't it?"
Mika looked around, his eyes darting everywhere.
However, it seemed the rent was insanely high.
The rent was said to be about double inside and outside the Second Wall.
For now, Mika's immediate goal was to get a grasp of the Southeast Main Street to some extent and find the Adventurer's Guild.
After that goal, he would grasp the two districts adjacent to the Southeast Main Street.
For the time being, he intended to explore the Royal Capital with these as his goals.
He had not grasped all the districts in Sarbengeal either.
First, he intended to roughly decide the scope of his activities and start by grasping the surroundings.
"First, I'll just dash through the main street lightly."
From the Second Wall to the First Wall was about three kilometers.
Six kilometers round trip.
He was surprised that he could say "run lightly" about that distance.
Mika glanced at the shops facing the main street and flowed through lightly for now.
And before he had gone even halfway, he discovered the Adventurer's Guild.
"Surprisingly close. It's lucky that it was along this street."
Having the Adventurer's Guild on the Southeast Main Street was fortunate.
If so, he should be able to make a habit of visiting shops like weapon stores along this street.
Peeking inside lightly, the floor was wider than the Adventurer's Guild in Sarbengeal.
As expected of a newly built branch, the floor had few scratches and was very clean.
However, as the advance information suggested, it was quite crowded.
It wasn't a long line stretching outside the guild, but it was crowded enough to make one tired of waiting.
The adventurers waiting seemed irritated at having to wait, so the atmosphere was not good.
It seemed Yunressa and the others had been poached because of a lack of manpower, and it looked like it would be a tough day every day.
"Maybe I should show my face during the day."
He wasn't in a state where someone could just say, "I just came to see you."
He didn't want to interfere with work, so he decided to show his face next time.
"I have to solidify my footing quickly myself."
Mika was a bit short of money right now.
He had spent money on souvenirs for his hometown visit and had also given some to his family.
It wouldn't become a problem immediately, but he had absolutely no margin.
Unless he cleared quests, even fixed ones, as soon as possible and earned money, he wouldn't feel secure.
And unless he also grasped the weapon stores, armor stores, and tool stores, he would be in trouble when the time came.
With the base moving from Sarbengeal to the Royal Capital, he had to restart various things from scratch.
"...I don't hate it. Or rather, I kind of like it."
There had been several times he moved to an unknown land due to a job transfer.
He had even been sent to a countryside town where a hot spring resort was nearby, but he quite liked driving around those unknown lands in a car, looking for restaurants and the like.
He was happy to find delicious shops, regretted going to bad ones, and found it enjoyable to build a new life that way.
He was quite famous within the company as someone who "liked transfers."
...Apparently, most people dislike transfers.
Mika proceeded along the Southeast Main Street to the First Wall for now.
There was no gate at the First Wall, and it seemed he could not enter District 1 from here.
"What's inside here?"
Mika opened his mouth wide and looked up.
The First Outer Wall was over ten meters high, looking as high as or higher than Sarbengeal's city wall.
By the way, the height of the Second Wall was about seven to eight meters.
"The Second Wall is seven meters, the First Wall is ten meters. How high are the castle walls?"
Unfortunately, he had never seen the Royal Castle or the castle walls.
Maybe he should secretly fly over and take a look next time.
"If I get caught, it won't be a joke. I'd better not."
There was probably no concept of airspace infringement yet, but he couldn't complain even if he was shot down.
Even without anti-air missiles, he didn't know what [God's Miracle] existed.
If there was meaning in taking the risk, he wouldn't hesitate, but it was too dangerous to do just for fun.
Having reached the First Wall, Mika turned back and went along the Southeast Main Street again.
This time, he moved a little slower than when he came, and whenever he found a weapon store or armor store, he took a quick look inside.
The prices were all similar everywhere, and there were no particularly cheap shops.
He probably thought the quality was on a similar level, but honestly, Mika couldn't judge the quality of goods.
The prices were not much different from Sarbengeal, so choosing a shop near the guild would be the safe bet.
For now, he just hoped to avoid bad shops.
"Well, for the first day, that was pretty good."
He returned to the Second Wall and took a breather.
He had found the guild and roughly grasped the various shops.
"Maybe I'll try going a little off the main street tomorrow."
In Sarbengeal, he ultimately couldn't find the Blacksmith District.
The advice that if you want quality weapons and armor, you should go to the Blacksmith District was currently not being useful.
He would be living in the Royal Capital for six years, so he wanted to slowly challenge things he couldn't do before.
"There are so many things I want to do."
Life centered around the academy was too troublesome.
It was an incredible condition with a bed, meals, and an allowance, but couldn't he quickly become independent and focus solely on being an adventurer?
Still, now that he could act even after school on weekdays, his freedom was gradually increasing.
If he didn't rush and solidified his footing carefully, surely the path would open up.
"Well, I'm hungry too, so I'll go back."
Mika muttered that, turned his back on the twilight city of the Royal Capital, and passed under the gate of the Second Wall.