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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 173 - Summer Vacation at the Duke’s Manor (4)
How should I put this? It was horrifying.
Hindrasta’s appearance, that is.
Not that she looked literally horrifying.
Hindrasta’s body, after all, was practically an illusion.
But the sheer mismatch between her attire and the setting was nothing short of jarring.
At a luncheon hosted by one of the Empire’s most prestigious noble families, she alone had shown up in such an embarrassing outfit—only to then ask why no one else had changed.
The Duke, along with everyone else present, sat frozen in stunned silence, their eyes locked on Hindrasta.
The only one who reacted with any semblance of rationality was Kaiden.
Without a word, he raised a single finger—forcing Hindrasta to turn around and march right back up the stairs.
"H-Hey! What’s going on?!"
"Could someone please assist that rather clueless student, Sophie, in selecting more appropriate attire?"
At Kaiden’s request, Merilda immediately stood and hurried after Hindrasta.
It was only after Hindrasta had disappeared from view that the room finally exhaled, sighs of relief echoing from every direction.
"I… I apologize."
I really didn’t want to have to do this, but I had no choice but to apologize to the Duke.
"She’s one of my students, but since she was raised in a mercenary company, she still lacks proper etiquette and, well… basic social awareness."
"Haha… It’s fine…."
The Duke chuckled awkwardly, though his expression suggested he felt anything but fine.
When Hindrasta returned, she was dressed properly.
Her face, however, was filled with unmistakable discontent.
I shot her a sharp glare, biting my lip in warning, and she quickly took her seat without further protest.
With that, the Duke resumed his speech.
A standard expression of gratitude for our presence, followed by a wish for the continued success of the academy—nothing out of the ordinary.
And then, the meal began.
The food was excellent.
Every dish was delicious, and anything even remotely lacking was immediately taken care of by the attendants stationed beside each seat—so much so that it was almost overwhelming.
Hindrasta, naturally, attempted to grab her food with her bare hands, only for Merilda—seated beside her—to sternly correct her and hand her a fork and spoon.
Over at the far end of the table, Brogg and Kazador tore into their meat like starved men and guzzled down beer by the barrel.
Meanwhile, Orendi, seated next to Kaiden, continued bombarding him with questions throughout the meal, and Kaiden, ever patient, answered them all with a gentle smile.
The sheer intensity of their academic fervor… Mages really are insane.
Now that I think about it, the Imperial Palace’s Chief Mage was the same way.
When Kaiden unsealed his magic and offered his apologies, the Chief Mage had declared that he would forgive everything.
On one condition.
If Kaiden refused to join the Imperial Magic Department, he would at least serve as a personal consultant.
In other words, whenever the Chief Mage encountered an obstacle in his research, he wanted to be able to write to Kaiden and receive a proper response.
If Kaiden agreed to that, the Chief Mage would forget everything that had happened and keep it all a secret.
I had pulled him aside afterward and asked, Are you really okay with this?
And his answer had been priceless.
"I now have the chance to receive private lessons from a Grand Mage. Why should I care about the past?"
…They’re all mad. Every single one of them.
Ismera, for her part, was thoroughly enjoying the selection of elf-friendly vegetarian dishes.
Vegan meals were a rarity in this world—most of the time, elves were forced to settle for raw greens.
Kirrin was eating just as well as always, and the other professors also seemed content with their meals.
The only exception was Knightley.
She barely touched her food, picking at it with a clear look of dissatisfaction.
Considering her strained relationship with her father and the fact that she had run away from this house, I thought that might be the reason—
But no.
She wasn’t glancing at the Duke, seated at the head of the table.
She kept throwing wary glances toward the entrance.
Was she expecting someone?
Then, the sharp click of heels rang through the air.
A woman entered.
"Knightleeeey!"
A soprano voice rang out, calling Knightley’s name.
The woman had golden hair and blue eyes, nearly identical to Knightley’s—to the point that, at a quick glance, one might mistake them for the same person.
The loud sound of heels striking the floor came from the knee-high riding boots she wore.
Her attire consisted of pristine white riding pants, a tailored jacket adorned with gold buttons, and a matching hat and gloves—clearly, she had just come from horseback riding.
Who was she?
There was only one possibility.
Knightley’s mother.
"Haaah…."
Knightley let out a deep sigh, rubbing her forehead.
"Is that any way to greet your mother?"
Striding up to Knightley, her mother grasped her daughter’s cheeks in both hands.
"Let me take a look at you. Have you lost weight? Your skin looks dry. I told you to wear a wide-brimmed hat when you go out in the sun!"
"Ugh, seriously…!"
Knightley groaned in frustration, prying her mother’s hands off her face.
Then, her mother turned to scan the room and asked,
"By the way, where is this ‘Dian’ fellow? Or was it ‘Ian’? The one you—"
"Stop! Stop talking! Please!!"
Knightley shot up from her chair, practically shrieking.
An incredibly improper act for a noblewoman—but she didn’t care in the slightest.
Ignoring all decorum, she began pushing her mother toward the exit.
"Go, go! Why are you ruining the mood by coming here?!"
"Oh my, oh my! This is my house! Am I not even allowed to come and go as I please?"
"People are eating, Mother!"
Only after successfully shoving her mother out of the dining hall did Knightley return, cheeks flushed, clearing her throat awkwardly.
"Please, don’t mind her. Continue eating."
"Who is Professor Dian, exactly?!"
"GET OUT!!!"
Her mother had poked her head back in.
Knightley promptly dragged her away again, disappearing beyond the door.
…What the hell was that?
"Why is she asking about Dian?"
Kirrin asked, her mouth still full.
How should I know?
# # # # # #
After the meal, we were given the opportunity to explore the estate.
Of course, that only meant the mansion and its immediate surroundings—just a tiny fraction of the duchy.
But even so, this place was breathtaking.
Hindrasta, Lina, Felimia, Ismera, and Merilda decided to visit the lake.
Even though it wasn’t an actual beach, its sheer size made it feel like the sea, and with the summer heat, they were eager to make the most of it.
Ismera’s decision was somewhat surprising—she had never had the chance to visit the ocean or anything like it before, so she wanted to experience it at least once.
Brogg and Kazador were still drowning in alcohol, so they were out.
Anna was heading to the stables and pastures to admire the Duke’s horses.
"Ehehe… I’m so excited…."
I had never seen her this thrilled before.
Kaiden, surprisingly, had received permission to visit the Duke’s main stronghold.
There was an archive filled with ancient texts, and he wanted to sift through them.
Naturally, Orendi was tagging along.
For him, this was like a physicist being given unlimited access to Einstein.
Waiver, on the other hand, was joining the Duke on a hunting trip.
"Mind if I come along?"
I had never been hunting before.
Not in my previous life, and not here either.
Back when Linus and I roamed together, we mostly raided enemy camps rather than hunted. And during my time in the Demon King Slaying Special Force, Celine always handled the hunting.
I had tagged along once, just to see her in action—and it had been ridiculous.
She would kneel on one knee, close her eyes, and loose an arrow. The damn thing would weave through the trees on its own, dodging every obstacle, before hitting its mark with unerring precision.
Then Linus and I would just run over, retrieve the kill, and that was that.
So this time, I actually wanted to try hunting for myself.
"Let’s see the famed skills of the Quorina hunters in action."
"Gladly. I’d love to see how skilled a medalist with a hundred horned beast kills really is."
We laughed as we mounted our horses.
At the Duke’s suggestion, we had opted for horseback travel instead of a carriage—to properly embrace the spirit of the hunt.
"Been a while since I’ve had a good warm-up."
The Duke, now armed with a bow and quiver alongside various other gear, rode up beside us, grinning.
"It’s been ages since I’ve had a real hunt."
"Couldn’t you just go with your noble friends?"
"Bah! What fun is that? A real hunt needs people who’ve fought in actual battles."
Well, he had served in the war.
His contributions weren’t particularly notable, but as one of the noble commanders, he had at least helped hold the front lines.
Just as we were about to set off, a voice called out.
"What are you doing over there?"
Looking over, I saw Kirrin, standing off to the side, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot.
"Me? I, uh…."
It was obvious.
She hadn’t been invited anywhere.
She wasn’t particularly close with the other professors, wasn’t on familiar terms with the students since she was the headmistress, and found Kaiden intimidating while Ismera made her uncomfortable.
Well. Guess I had no choice.
"Want to come with us?"
"Huh?! Me?!"
Kirrin blinked in surprise, pointing at herself.
"Your Grace, would that be alright?"
"Ahaha, of course! By all means, Headmistress, please join us."
Even so, Kirrin hesitated, fidgeting indecisively.
So I rode up to her and extended a hand.
"Come on. What else would you do here by yourself?"
"W-Well… I don’t like hunting, but I do like Dian… I mean—no, no! That’s not—!"
"Yeah, yeah. Just get on. Everyone’s waiting."
"O-Okay!"
Grabbing my hand, she easily leaped onto the saddle.
Not that she had even needed the help.
As we finally set off for the hunting grounds, the sound of galloping hooves rang out behind us.
Turning, I saw Knightley’s mother riding toward us at full speed.
…What the hell was she doing here?
Riding right up beside me, she flashed a dazzling smile.
"You must be Professor Dian?"
"Ah, yes. That’s me. Nice to meet you. I’m Dian, the academy’s Head Combat Instructor and Knightley’s former personal tutor."
"Just as handsome as I heard! No wonder Knightley—"
"Pardon?"
"I think I finally understand why she wanted to change her arranged marriage partner."
"Excuse me…?"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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