Chapter 13

Gérard's incident became known throughout the academy by the end of the day. All the commoner students supported Gérard. Due to the class differences, they usually couldn't stand up to the nobles, so this seemed to be a good opportunity to vent their frustrations.

Most of the students from the Avairam faction acknowledged Gérard to some extent for protecting Ruby, but only to the extent that he was a commoner. More than anything, their animosity towards the Spelvia faction, to which Liam and the others belonged, was increasing.

On the other hand, the students of the Spelvia faction, recognizing the faults of their own, seemed unsure of how to deal with the openly hostile Avairam faction and the commoner students. Their stress was directed at Liam and the others, making their treatment harsher. The four bullies, who had been abandoned by their faction, were completely isolated within the academy.

As for Gérard, he was placed under house arrest in the dormitory until a final decision was made. It was true that he had broken the bones of two students. Although no one in the academy was defending Liam and the others, it was still unclear what the final punishment would be.

---

By the weekend, I visited the Ruby estate. Ruby had invited me to the family's townhouse in the middle of the week, when the aftereffects of Gérard's incident had not yet subsided. After class, I found Ruby standing dazed near the door. When I called out to her, she silently handed me an envelope sealed with wax.

On the way back in the carriage, I opened the envelope and found a card inviting me to the house, signed by her mother, Lily. I got my father's permission that day and replied to Ruby the next day, and here I was, at her house today.

Why did Lily invite me? When I asked Ruby about the reason she was being targeted by Quintus during our lunch, she suggested I ask her mother. Was I called here for that reason? She could have told me through Ruby; there was no need to invite me to her house.

---

The maid, Isabelle, rang the chime next to the front door.

I was a bit nervous. I had been to friends' houses before, but I had never been directly invited by a friend's mother. It was a strange situation when I thought about it.

The door slowly opened from the inside, and a maid appeared. Her expression was expressionless, almost mechanical. She led me to the sofa in the living room. Her calm and efficient manner was actually quite reassuring.

While waiting, I looked around the room. On the right side was a bookshelf, and on the top shelf were three dolls lined up. So they were here too. The last time I came for an investigation, I felt like I was being watched by dolls wherever I went. I felt uncomfortable as I sat and waited, and soon Lily entered the room.

"Welcome. I've been waiting for you, Roy."

Lily curtsied gracefully. She looked better than the last time I met her. Unlike the doll-like appearance she had then, today her expression was rich and lively. She must have been quite shaken after being attacked by Quintus.

"Thank you for inviting me, Madam."

I stood up and greeted her. We sat down on the sofa across from each other, and the maid from earlier served tea. There were two cups... Ruby wasn't coming, then? I had imagined a tea party with the three of us.

"Um, where's Ruby?"

"She's not coming. But that's fine, isn't it? I invited you, after all. Or are you unhappy about being alone with me?"

Lily narrowed her eyes and looked at me. It wasn't that I was unhappy, but rather confused. How many middle school students go to a classmate's house and have a tea party with their mother without seeing the classmate?

"Of course not. I was just a bit surprised."

"That's good."

Lily nodded in satisfaction. She picked up the teacup with her long, slender fingers and drank it gracefully.

"May I ask why I was invited today?"

When I asked, Lily slowly put the teacup back on the saucer.

"I was drawn to your eyes. I met you for the first time the other day, and you were different from what I imagined, which surprised me."

Lily said this with the innocence of a dreamy girl. The last time I met her, she seemed like a strong woman, but today she seemed young. Perhaps she had been putting on a brave face then, and this was her true self.

"My eyes?"

I was pleased to be complimented on my eyes. I quite like my own eyes.

My eyes have a somewhat mysterious color. The iris is a light blue, which is a common color, but the area around the pupil is yellow, forming a rare pattern. My father and grandfather all have blue eyes, and Elsa has a yellowish-green color, so it's the result of inheriting both genes.

"Your gaze is so insightful. The inorganic feel is really good. I knew Ruby and Elsa's child was the same age as you, but I didn't see your face until the other day. I didn't know you had such beautiful eyes!"

She was really fixated on my eyes. I felt like I had stepped into the house of a weirdo. I hoped she wasn't an eyeball collector.

"Thank you. By the way, you and my mother have been friends since school, right?"

Before she could gouge out my eyeballs, I changed the subject.

"Yes, from the academy to the royal research institute, we've always been together. But I'm sure Elsa hasn't told you anything..."

Lily's face looked a bit sad when she said this.

"My mother doesn't talk much about her social life, but I've heard about you a few times."

"Really!?"

Lily's eyes lit up.

"Yes. I've heard that she had a friend who always acted with her during her student days. They always took the top two spots in exams, right?"

"That's right! As a researcher, Elsa is the best, but during our student days, I was a bit better at studying. But just being good at studying doesn't make you an excellent researcher. After starting research at the university, Elsa was truly amazing. She stood out even among the elite at the prestigious Alcum University... I wonder if I'm putting too much pressure on you by praising her so much?"

There was no negative emotion in Lily's voice when she talked about Elsa. She seemed like a girl eager to talk about her boyfriend to her best friend. It was easy to forget that she was a victim of a brutal crime.

"It's purely a pleasure to hear my mother praised as a researcher. As someone who aims to follow the same path, I respect her."

"Oh, I knew it! You want to be a great researcher like Elsa, don't you! I'm sure you will be. After all, you have the same eyes as Elsa."

Again, the talk about eyes. She probably meant it as encouragement, but it was hard to take it sincerely from her. I gave her an ambiguous smile.

"The magic wave you discovered the other day is quite a topic at the institute."

It was a pleasure to hear that my discovery was a topic of discussion at the top research institute in the country. I felt my cheeks relax.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Like mother, like son. Elsa didn't seem to mind either."

"My mother isn't like that."

"But it's true..."

"Anyway, is the research on the application of magic waves progressing at the institute?"

"Of course. And not just at the institute. I even apply it to my hobby research."

"Hobby research?"

"Yes. It's really revolutionary to be able to send information over long distances without wires."

Indeed, the greatness of wireless communication is recognized by those who understand it. But wait, is it even allowed to conduct research on the application of magic waves outside the institute? The existence of magic waves is supposed to be kept secret by the state for military and national defense purposes. My paper, which was supposed to be published in 'Charmed,' was censored for that reason. The other day, Lucas criticized me for using magic communication in my speech at the academy.

"But is it allowed to conduct research on the application of magic waves outside the institute?"

"Hehe. Let me tell you something. Natural phenomena can be used freely by anyone."

"Huh... Oh!"

That's right. Why didn't I realize it before? Magic waves are just a natural phenomenon. Like light or gravity, the phenomenon itself cannot be restricted. I didn't invent magic waves; I discovered them. The state restricts the methods and devices used to generate magic waves, not the phenomenon itself. In other words, there are no restrictions on generating magic waves by other means.

In fact, the improved version of the magic communicator uses a new magic wave generator based on a magic circulation system. The improvement aimed to produce stable magic waves with a small amount of magic, but it seems I was unknowingly exploiting a loophole.

The state probably wants to keep the existence of magic waves secret from the public. But that's not my concern. If they want to ban it, they should enact a magic wave law. However, doing so would be the same as publicizing the existence of magic waves, which they can't do.

Now that I think about it, my father's threat was just a threat.

"Thank you for the information. I appreciate it."

When I expressed my gratitude, Lily smiled warmly.

Lily told me a lot about Elsa that I didn't know. Most of the stories were from their student days, and it was clear that they were very close. The more I listened, the more I felt that they were truly good friends. It seemed like a good thing that they were now working together at the same institute and had children of the same age.

"Madam—"

"Call me Lily."

"…Lily, do you work together with my mother at the institute?"

"Not always, but sometimes we do joint research. When we do, Elsa is always the leader. She's always the lead author on papers. But I have no complaints at all. After all, what could be better than being able to do research with Elsa?"

"You're right."

While I couldn't deny that she was deifying Elsa, I couldn't argue. I had heard from many people about the greatness of Elsa as a researcher and wanted to learn from her if I had the chance. All the papers I read by Elsa at the university were excellent. It was frustrating not to know what she was researching at the institute.

I decided to ask Lily what kind of research she and my mother were doing. I tried to probe casually, but she was unexpectedly tight-lipped, and it seemed impossible to get any information out of her.

In fact, I suspected that the research Elsa and Lily were doing at the royal institute was the reason Quintus targeted this house. While most of his crimes were random, this time he specifically targeted the Ruby family. The owner of the house was the victim, but if Elsa and Lily were working together, it changed the story.

Four years ago, during the summer break, Quintus attacked the carriage we were in. It happened on the way to the country house in Bernash. It was clearly aimed at one of my parents. If my father had lost to Quintus, Elsa would have been the next target.

The fact that both Elsa and Lily, who were working together, were attacked by Quintus seemed too much of a coincidence.