Chapter 14

The room that Arnold led me to was located on a corridor facing the courtyard. Without any explanation of what the room was used for, Arnold simply said, "We'll meet again later," and left for somewhere else.

Feeling somewhat dissatisfied with such a casual tour, I opened the door in front of me. Inside, I found not Kasper, but a girl around my age.

As soon as she saw me, she stood up from the sofa. Her red braids swayed.

"Ah, I'm Chelsea! Chelsea Gower. Nice to meet you, fellow new recruit!"

The girl greeted me with a friendly smile.

As I felt the tension in my body dissipate, I extended my right hand.

This girl, Chelsea, being my fellow new recruit meant that there were only two of us who passed this year. We would likely be going through training together. It was a relief to find her so pleasant.

"I'm Laura Ampere. Nice to meet you, Chelsea."

She firmly shook my extended hand and then vigorously shook it.

From her lively smile, I could tell she had an energetic personality. Her tone was also very clear and direct.

"Where are you from, Laura?"

"A small village called Eme. It's a rural area with nothing much. How about you, Chelsea?"

"I'm from the village of Richel. It's also a rural area with nothing much!"

Chelsea laughed, and it seemed that we shared a similar background, which made us feel more at ease with each other. We continued chatting, discussing the exam we had just taken, our favorite methods of compounding, our hometowns, our favorite foods, and our impressions of the capital city. Our interest in each other never waned, and we naturally brought up new topics. Initially, we were somewhat reserved and cautious, but as our conversation progressed, we became more relaxed and our laughter mingled.

"Ah, you two are together. Did you get delayed? I'm sorry."

The door opened, and Kasper appeared.

Chelsea and I quickly stood up from the sofa. Our timing was perfectly synchronized, and we couldn't help but exchange a smile.

I thought Chelsea would make a good friend.

"Congratulations on passing, both of you! I'm Kasper Clausen, and I'll be your supervisor. Starting tomorrow, you'll be working as royal apprentice alchemists..."

I swallowed hard at Kasper's words. It was a joyous moment, as I had been working hard to reach this goal, but I was also nervous.

From tomorrow, I would be a royal apprentice alchemist.

As I was savoring this fact, Kasper suddenly called out to the closed door.

"Lina, you can come in now!"

A few moments passed, and then there was a knock on the door. It opened.

A beautiful woman with pale blue hair appeared. She was a bit too young to be called a woman, yet too mature to be called a girl.

Blinking her long lashes, she looked at Chelsea and me, and then said,

"My name is Lina Bevelstam. I'm your senior, two years ahead of you."

She introduced herself with a calm and composed voice that matched her mature appearance.

Lina Bevelstam. Lina-senior. She must be 16 years old, and also Arnold's fellow new recruit.

Chelsea and I hurriedly introduced ourselves, and she smiled warmly at us, looking us in the eye.

I felt relieved to have such a kind senior, but just as I was about to sigh in relief, she asked a question.

"By the way, are you Arnold's girlfriend?"

Her golden eyes were not glaring at me, but she wasn't smiling either. However, her lips were curved in an elegant line.

"Are you Arnold's girlfriend?"

"Huh!?"

Before I could fully understand the meaning, a confused exclamation escaped my lips. It was so loud that I was surprised myself.

Chelsea and Kasper were also surprised, their eyes wide. But the senior in front of me didn't break her smile; if anything, it deepened.

Her smile was beautiful, yet it had a certain intensity. The air around her seemed to be charged with tension.

Feeling intimidated by her intensity and the atmosphere, I hastily opened my mouth.

"W-Why would there be such a rumor? Arnold is an apprentice alchemist, right?"

My question was answered not by the senior in front of me, but by Chelsea next to me.

"Arnold isn't an apprentice! He's a genius who became the youngest royal alchemist this year!"

"Really?"

—This was news to me.

Arnold, who was called "Genius-kun," had become the youngest royal alchemist. The Arnold I had just met was no longer an "apprentice."

If he had told me this, it would have been helpful. Perhaps in the alchemy community, the appearance of a genius was a topic of conversation, and Arnold himself was known to be the one I knew. Unfortunately, I had been living in a secluded village—

As I was thinking about this, Kasper, who had been observing quietly, exclaimed in surprise.

"Really!? I thought Laura had been Arnold's girlfriend for two years..."

"No, no, that's not true!"

What are you saying, Kasper?

I suppressed the urge to laugh and instead gave a wry smile. As I looked at Kasper, who was still surprised, I vaguely recalled something from two years ago.

—Are you Arnold's girlfriend?

I remembered being asked this before and denying it. But as I dug through my memory, I recalled that Veik had interrupted my denial.

So, Kasper hadn't heard my denial. Perhaps Kasper was the source of the rumor?

As I silently pondered this, the blue-haired girl said brightly, "Oh, so that's not true!" and then turned to us again.

"Nice to meet you again, Laura and Chelsea."

Her smile was beautiful, and her voice was very clear. This made the intensity of her previous smile stand out even more.

It didn't seem like she was just asking to confirm a rumor. But it also didn't seem like she was openly hostile.

The atmosphere around her had been unsettling, but it didn't feel like it was directed at me. Perhaps I just wanted to think that.

Lina-senior had some feelings for Arnold. That much was clear. If those feelings were affection, then her question made sense. But it still didn't sit right with me.

No matter how much I thought about it, I wouldn't get an answer. "I'll show you to your room!" I decided to let it go when I heard Kasper's words.

***

"This is your room. Feel free to arrange the furniture as you like."

The room we were shown to was cozy and well-lit. Chelsea and I would be living together from today.

There was a bunk bed, two desks, and a large closet built into the wall. It was a comfortable room.

We looked at each other and nodded. To have a good living arrangement, we needed to cooperate.

"Kasper's room is next door, so feel free to visit if you need anything."

After giving us this information, Kasper left the room, saying, "Take it easy today."

As soon as we were alone, the tension I hadn't realized I was holding in my shoulders dissipated.

"Chelsea, do you want the top or bottom bunk?"

"Bottom is fine. I'm a bit embarrassed, but I don't sleep well. If I'm noisy at night, I'm sorry!"

"Ahaha, really? That's okay, I'll take the top then."

We unpacked our belongings, chatting as we did so.

I had brought a reasonable amount of clothes, but when I laid them out, they seemed rather dull. I wondered if it was okay to say that they were from the small village of Eme, but they did look inferior compared to the clothes worn by people in the capital. When I got my salary, I would go shopping for new clothes.

—When we had finished unpacking, Chelsea suddenly spoke.

"But it's good."

"What is?"

"That my fellow new recruit is someone like Laura. I was worried that I might get a cold or scary person."

Chelsea's smile had a hint of unease.

At 14, leaving home and coming to the capital alone, it was natural to have such worries. Even I felt a bit sad when I said goodbye to my parents and Lukas.

We would be living together, sharing a living space, and going through training together. While it might be too much to say we would be like family, I wanted to build a good relationship. I was sure Chelsea felt the same way.

I stood up and approached Chelsea, extending my hand again.

"Nice to meet you again, Chelsea."

"Yeah, let's work hard together, Laura!"

—With such a lovely fellow new recruit, my days as a royal apprentice alchemist began.