Chapter 73

Today (09/16), this is my second post.

At that time, Laura was eating her lunch bread alone on a bench in the shade of a tree.

The sunlight, no longer scorching hot, felt pleasant.

It should have been a quiet and comfortable environment, yet Laura's heart was not at ease.

She sighed, not sure how many times.

As if to expel the turmoil in her heart.

(…sigh)

It was probably the loneliness of being alone that was causing this.

Because Alberto wasn't beside her.

What had been taken for granted was no longer so.

Laura couldn't reconcile this sense of dissonance.

(…I wonder how Alberto is doing right now…)

She knew.

That he was eating in the cafeteria with the new noble friends he had made.

Laura had continued to go to the cafeteria even after she stopped eating with Alberto. But seeing Alberto with the nobles made her feel a bit sad, so she stopped going.

(…Am I being sulky…?)

Laura disliked feeling this way.

Alberto was also trying his best in an unfamiliar environment. It wasn't good for her to have such feelings—Laura thought so.

But.

(…sigh)

The turmoil in her chest wouldn't go away, and the sighs kept escaping.

It was then that it happened.

"Um… are you Laura…?"

She was suddenly addressed by a voice she didn't recognize. It was very rare for anyone other than Alberto and the teachers to call Laura by her name.

"…Yes, that's me. Why?"

Laura looked up. A girl stood there.

A girl with light blue hair, wearing the school uniform. Her face was tense, reflecting her shy personality.

Laura knew her.

She was in the same class and was a commoner—

"Do you need something, Liz?"

The girl called Liz's face changed to one of surprise.

"Eh… even though we've never talked… you know my name?"

"I remember all my classmates."

Laura smiled gently. Although she found it hard to make friends, she had always made an effort to remember everyone's names at the start of each school year.

"Wow… I haven't memorized everyone yet… I don't talk much to boys or nobles…"

After laughing, Liz remembered something and apologized.

"Ah, sorry, sorry! Anyway, I have something to ask! I want to talk to you!"

"…Huh?"

Laura tilted her head at the unexpected turn of events.

"I want to talk to you! Laura!"

Liz suddenly blurted out, as if she had made up her mind to jump off a cliff.

Laura was surprised.

She never expected to hear such a thing.

But it wasn't unpleasant. On the contrary, it was very heartwarming.

"Sure, that's fine."

Saying this, Laura moved to the edge of the bench.

"Please, sit down."

"Thank you!"

Liz sat down next to Laura.

Then Liz started talking about herself. She was from a small village without any mages, and everyone in the village was happy that she had magical talent.

"So, I'm aiming to become a mage for the village!"

Those words resonated with Laura.

Because—

"I understand. I feel the same way. I also want to become a mage who can contribute to my village."

"Right! Yeah, that's what I thought!"

"You thought so?"

"Well, you see, Laura is famous, isn't she…?"

The vague word "famous"—

Laura understood the meaning. It was probably about her background.

"So, I thought you might also have a feeling for your village… and that you might be like me. I've wanted to talk to you for a while!"

"Is that so?"

Laura smiled.

It felt ticklish. It was the first time someone her age had expressed a desire to talk to her outside of her village.

"If that's the case, you should have approached me earlier."

"Yeah… but, you know, Alberto? That older brother was always with you."

Alberto was over ten years older and a man. It made sense that people might feel hesitant to approach her when she was with him.

"But recently, you haven't been with that older brother, right?"

"Yes, …well."

Laura's words were vague.

She wasn't sure what to say.

"Alberto is actually a noble, right? Recently, he's been hanging out with other nobles, but he can't really be with commoners… something like that?"

The moment she heard those words—

"Alberto is not like that!"

Laura couldn't help but raise her voice.

Then she immediately felt embarrassed.

(What am I doing! To a stranger!)

Laura hurriedly bowed her head.

"S-S-Sorry…! I didn't mean to!"

"That's okay! I'm the one who should apologize! I said something so rude!"

Liz also apologized, looking apologetic.

While trying to sort out her feelings, Laura chose her words carefully.

"…Alberto is not that kind of person. He is very kind. Alberto has gone through a lot—this is a crucial time for him to finally gain recognition from his peers. So, it's inevitable that we can't meet."

It was as if she was trying to convince herself.

Now that his noble status was known, it made sense that he couldn't neglect his relationships with other nobles.

A crucial time for Alberto—

Those words were a mantra Laura used to calm herself.

"When things settle down, we can talk again."

"Is that so… I see… You trust that older brother a lot, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. I trust him!"

Hearing Laura's words, Liz smiled.

"Hey, Laura."

"Yes?"

"Can I talk to you again if I want to?"

Those words felt good.

It was like a flower blooming in her chest. It didn't completely alleviate the loneliness of not seeing Alberto, but it did fill a small gap in her heart.

Feeling a bit ticklish, Laura replied.

"Yes, anytime, if you want to talk to me…!"

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

A few days later, our class was called to a room in the academy.

Philbus said,

"Today, we will conduct a test to measure your proficiency in offensive magic!"

…Proficiency in offensive magic?

What kind of test is this? I don't remember such a test existing ten years ago when I was here.

Kilria, standing next to me, laughed.

"A test in offensive magic… sounds interesting."

At that moment—

"Can I talk to you for a moment, Alberto?"

I was suddenly addressed from the side.

Turning my gaze, I saw a boy with blue hair and a well-defined face.

I remember… the top student of the year, Brain Milhis.

The student who fought the frenzied spirit with Fulin at Lake Biharnu.

Brain looked at me intently and continued.

"I want to challenge you in this test, given your performance in the previous battle."

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