Chapter 63

That night.

As I was thinking about what I needed to prepare for tomorrow, there was a knock on the door of the room I had been assigned.

"Okay, okay... Iifa?"

Thinking it was a servant, I opened the door to find Iifa standing there in her nightgown.

She looked a bit uneasy and said,

"Seika-kun... actually, um... a maid came to my room just now... and said that Prince Cecilio is calling for you..."

"...Huh? You? At this hour?"

"She said he wants to talk to you..."

I grimaced.

Hey... there's a proper order to these things, you know.

First, he should send a love letter or something... No, that's from my past life.

Even if I were to give a hundred concessions, you should come yourself, how high and mighty do you think you are... No, that's also from my past life, and he was a prince, not a prince in this world.

No, no, calm down. I'm getting confused.

But what is that prince thinking? You're not his lover or his maid. Besides, is this really the time to be thinking about women?

"What... what should we do..."

To Iifa, who looked like she was about to cry, I waved my hand and said,

"Ah, you don't have to go. I'll tell the... Prince from me."

"U-um, okay. That... that's fine."

"...Are you, maybe, worried about being alone in your room?"

"Um, yeah."

Iifa nodded.

Even though she was given a guest room, this is the residence of the Protostar governor, after all. It's understandable.

"Then, do you want to stay here?"

"! U-um, okay."

"Alright. Come on in."

I smiled and welcomed her in.

For some reason, I remembered how in my past life, the disciples who had lost their parents or been displaced by war were afraid to sleep alone and would sleep next to me or the other disciples.

However, in this case, it's a bit... I don't know where to look.

I guess she does look thinner in her uniform. Thinking about it, Iifa has grown up, so it's natural...

No, I shouldn't think about this anymore.

As I turned off some of the lights, I said,

"Iifa, you can use the bed. I'll stay up a bit longer, so I'll sleep on the couch later."

"Wh-what! I'm sorry. I'm just a servant..."

"It's fine. Kids shouldn't be so polite."

"B-But, Seika-kun is younger than me... So, um, can we... sleep together?"

"Eh?"

"Y-You see, the bed here is big enough for two people..."

I smiled a little at Iifa, who said this hesitantly.

"Alright, then. If that's the case, I'll go to sleep too."

As I turned off the lights, Yuki, who was on my head, moved and whispered in my ear,

"Ah... Master Seika. If that's the case, I'll go somewhere else..."

"...? Why? Rather, if you go out now, you'll be seen, so don't."

I whispered back, and Yuki, after a moment of silence, moved back to my head. What's with you?

After turning off the last light, Iifa, who had been stiff next to the bed, said,

"P-Please take care of me."

"What...? Just get in, come on."

As I lay down and pulled back the covers, Iifa quickly slipped in.

Gazing at the canopy, I thought.

I'm a bit worried about leaving Iifa here alone after we enter the mountains. I'll leave a spirit familiar here just in case. I won't be able to pay much attention to this place, so I'll set up a proper ritual.

The room was lit only by moonlight.

Unlike in Japan, the nights in this world are quiet even in summer.

There are no rice paddies, so no frogs or insects to hear.

This might be a good opportunity to talk.

"Iifa."

"Y-Yes!"

To Iifa, who let out a startled voice next to me, I said,

"What do you think of Prince Cecilio?"

"Eh...?"

Iifa's voice was tinged with confusion.

"What do I think... I don't really have any particular thoughts..."

"Have you thought about joining the Prince's harem?"

"Eh... I-I haven't thought about it! Why would you suddenly ask that..."

"If you're holding back because of me, it's okay. You can be honest."

"W-Why... D-Did I cause you so much trouble?"

"Eh?"

Iifa said in a trembling voice.

"I-I'm sorry about yesterday... I'll work harder to use magic properly. I'll study the official language and make sure I can read it! S-So..."

"No, no, that's not it. It's not like that."

I turned to face Iifa.

Even in the dim light, I could see that her eyes were wet.

I reached out and wiped them with my fingertips.

"It's a misunderstanding. I didn't mean that you were a bother."

"R-Really? Then why..."

"I don't think it's a bad thing."

I said.

Breaking the promise with Mabel is painful, but... I should talk about this properly.

"Even though it's just a vassal state of the empire, it's still the harem of the royal family. Normally, you wouldn't be able to enter even if you wanted to, unless you were the daughter of a powerful noble. It might be tough without a sponsor, but I think you can make it. You made so many friends at the academy despite the difficult position you were in because of me... If you want, I can arrange for your release in Astiria. You can stay in this country if you want."

"I don't want to do that..."

"Of course, you don't have to decide right away. You probably have some attachments to the academy. But think about it. You're almost an adult, after all."

"..."

Iifa wiped her eyes and smiled at me.

"Thank you for thinking about me. I'm really glad you're my master."

"..."

"Even though I don't really want to... I'll think about it a little."

"Alright."

"Good night, Seika-kun."

With that, Iifa turned away.

I looked at her profile for a moment, then lay back down and closed my eyes, whispering,

"Good night, Iifa."

****

The next morning.

When I woke up, Iifa was already gone.

The sun was fully up. I had overslept a bit.

"Master Seika... Wasn't that a bit harsh?"

As I was getting dressed, Yuki, who was sitting on the table, spoke to me.

"What do you mean?"

"About last night. Telling her she can join the harem if she wants to... Yuki has gradually started to feel sorry for that girl..."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Didn't Yuki tell you before... that the slave girl likes you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

I fastened the buttons on my shirt, feeling exasperated.

"Are you still bringing up that old gossip from over a year ago?"

"Yuki can tell. That girl has been in love with you since then. Of course, she still is."

"...I doubt it."

Yuki is strangely interested in human romantic affairs and seems to have preconceived notions. I sighed and said,

"Listen. This is Iifa's decision. Whether she accepts the invitation or not is up to her. I don't intend to interfere unnecessarily. I'll leave it to Iifa."

"What is that... that belief-like thing..."

Confused, Yuki asked, and I hesitated before explaining,

"...Do you remember that girl who was my disciple? The one who was good at astrology and cooking?"

"Oh, the pretty one."

"Right. There was a young noble who would come to my house frequently, clearly for her."

"Yes, I remember. The girl seemed to enjoy talking to him and didn't seem to mind."

"Right. But I scolded him once."

"Ah... Yes. You told him something like, 'You're coming too often,' in a slightly scary tone..."

"From that day on, he never came back."

"..."

"Do you remember what happened after that?"

"......She stopped talking to you for about ten days..."

"To be honest, that was quite a shock to me."

"You were very upset, Master Seika."

"It was the first time a disciple had disliked me so much."

I remembered how she cried and said, "I don't know you as a master." I wondered if that's how a father feels when his daughter dislikes him.

I was relieved when she started coming back.

"Anyway, since then, I decided not to interfere in my disciples' personal matters. Iifa isn't a disciple, but the principle is the same."

"Hmm..."

Yuki thought for a moment.

"That's fine, but... isn't this a different situation? The slave girl really likes you..."

"Even if I were to concede that point..."

I sighed again and said,

"Iifa is almost fifteen. She understands that a marriage partner isn't chosen based on likes and dislikes, even if it's a lover."

"Hmm... What you say is true, but the girl isn't of noble birth. She can choose her marriage based on love."

"Exactly because she isn't of noble birth. She can't rely on her family, so it's better for her to marry into a wealthy household. Besides..."

I hesitated and added,

"...Love often follows later."

"Hmm... Huh?"

Yuki's ears perked up.

"Master Seika, could it be... that this is from your own experience?"

"Hmm... Well, yeah."

"Y-You... were married before?"

"For a short time when I was young."

"Wh-What!!"

Yuki suddenly exclaimed.

Leaning forward, she excitedly asked,

"What is this! I've never heard of this before!!"

"Well, I never said it."

"Why didn't you tell me such an important thing!"

"I-I didn't have the chance... and besides, it's not that important..."

"I'm curious, I'm curious! How old were you, Master Seika? What was your wife like? How did you get married? How did you whisper your love to her?"

"Ah... Stop it, stop it."

I covered my ears.

I shouldn't have said anything.