Chapter 10

EP.10 Omen – 2

"Alright. I'll visit within a few days."

Anyway, I can't go right away. There are things I need to do at the palace, and I have to prepare things for Lucille.

"Yes, thank you. And I..."

When I looked at her, the knight sighed heavily and cautiously spoke.

"Four months ago, I accompanied Sir Levantia as his squire on the battlefield."

"So?"

"...Sir Levantia... has been looking for the Sage every day. It's so heartbreaking... He's in so much pain..."

Her explanation continued. According to her detailed account, it seemed as if Levantia had completely changed.

Feeling sorry for this, the knight was urging me to meet her again.

It's easy to talk about other people's affairs.

It was quite a laughable situation.

Very few people know the relationship between me and the Hero Party.

The reason is simple.

I, and the few people in the kingdom who know, refused to reveal it.

The kingdom doesn't want it to be known because it would tarnish the kingdom's hope and lower the morale of the battlefield where they were deployed.

I don't like it either because if the process makes the monsters more active and causes more chaos, it would make it harder to achieve my goals.

There's no benefit in revealing it.

Therefore, the truth was thoroughly hidden.

Those who don't know this have always defended the Hero Party members whenever they came to see me or when they saw them in pain.

"Can't you at least... meet him once?"

The knight mustered up a lot of courage.

I looked at her stern face and praised her courage, but there was no reason for my response to change.

"What's your name?"

"Roxi Blaymanhart."

I smiled at her and said calmly.

"Why don't you mind your own business and do your job properly?"

"I'm sorry."

Shocked by my sharp reaction, Roxi bowed and disappeared as if fleeing.

At least she has a brain.

If the first approach of talking didn't work and she started making unnecessary noise, the second approach would be to solve it with a punch.

I watched the direction she went, put away the staff I had secretly taken out, and returned to my room.

"Still, to hear that Levantia has changed that much..."

It reminded me of when I met Claire not long ago.

Her, confessing her sins in front of me, rambling on.

Hmm...

When I go to the battlefield soon, I might not only meet her but also Evangelina...

I need to prepare myself.

The next day, during the regular class, I found Lucille.

As usual, I gave her magic instructions while having a casual conversation, just like always.

After confirming the basic magic Lucille could use, I tapped the table and said.

"I've assessed the princess's aptitude and skills over the past few days. The basics are there."

"...Yes. I did a little bit in the past."

"That's good. And last time, I asked you to try intermediate magic at the request of Sir Lukel. Did you learn it?"

"I did learn it, but... well..."

Her shoulders hunched. To use intermediate magic, one needs to be at a certain level. But what level can a homebody like her reach?

In the game, there are three main ways to level up.

The first is hunting.

The second is events.

The third is quests.

All three have little to do with Lucille, who is a homebody.

"I'm sorry..."

While I was thinking with my arms crossed, Lucille bowed deeply and became depressed again. The maids who saw her didn't know what to do, but that's not the important part.

Lucille's self-deprecation, though a bit better, was still quite severe.

This self-deprecation also needs to be broken.

Of course, I have prepared for this.

"Princess, if it's not too much trouble, can you give me some time?"

"Huh? Wh-what?"

"Let's go out together for a bit."

As soon as the training for the day was over, I went to see the queen. She accepted my request while working in her office, and as soon as I entered her room, I got straight to the point.

"I need to take the princess on a trip."

"...It sounds like you're planning to kidnap a royal."

"Where would I use a kidnapped royal?"

"You never know. Maybe you're planning to elope because of the class difference."

What a boring joke. The queen chuckled at my expression and shook her head.

"I can't allow it unless you have a clear purpose for going out."

"The princess lacks practical experience and socialization. I want to provide that."

"...Hmm. Is that a rule of life?"

"Yes."

The queen seemed quite conflicted. She tapped her fingers on the desk and, after a moment of contemplation while drinking tea, nodded.

"Since it's for the princess, I can't refuse. So?"

"Huh?"

"Can you at least tell me what kind of education you plan to give her?"

"Group project."

The queen looked at me blankly.

The heart of the palace is a special place even within the palace.

It has been the residence of the royal family for generations, and only those with special permission are allowed to enter.

The Lily Knights patrol every hour, and it is protected by the magic of the kingdom's mage, Sir Lukel.

This place, with dozens of traps in the corridors, can be considered one of the most important facilities in the kingdom.

While the sharp aura from the numerous traps and defenses pierced my body, I walked down the corridor.

Many people want to visit the royal residence, but few have actually been there.

I walked through the corridors of the White Rock Castle and arrived at the princess's room.

"What is it?"

As usual, maids were standing in front of the princess's room. They were dressed in white frills and black fabric, looking quite polite and well-trained, but in reality, they were trained assassins who secretly guard the princess.

They are the ones who would sacrifice their lives to protect the royal family in an emergency.

I smiled at them, who might attack me upon hearing my decision.

"Tell the princess that I have something to say about tomorrow's class."

Regardless of their original identities, I am the princess's teacher, and they are her maids.

Because of the clear difference in status, I spoke casually, and they accepted it as a matter of course and knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door opened abruptly.

"Teacher?! What is it at this hour?!"

She looked surprised. With wide eyes and a flushed face, she blinked at me. I turned my gaze from her and took off the robe I had draped over my shoulder, offering it to her.

"Eh?"

Was she about to go to sleep? Lucille was wearing something light and airy, like a butterfly's wings, and a nightgown that revealed a bit too much.

"Ah..."

Lucille's face turned red. Like her long hair that fell to her waist, her face turned red in an instant. She sat on the floor, trying to cover herself, and couldn't even take the robe I offered.

There's no choice.

I draped the robe over Lucille's shoulders.

Compared to my large build, her small frame was easily covered by the robe.

"T-thank y-you..."

Lucille, who spoke in a barely audible voice, bowed deeply.

She seemed quite embarrassed by her immodest appearance, so I didn't need to bring it up. I continued as if I didn't notice.

"I plan to go out for a bit tomorrow morning. It's an outdoor class, so please prepare."

"...Huh? Huh?"

Lucille still seemed confused and didn't understand what I was saying. While she tilted her head, one of the maids, who understood, asked politely but with a cold tone.

"Outdoor? Sage, that is..."

"I have the queen's permission."

Upon hearing this, the maids quietly stepped back. The queen's permission.

In other words, their covert surveillance was implicitly allowed.

"And I hope you refrain from unnecessary actions."

"...Understood."

Surveillance is allowed, but interference is not tolerated.

The maids accepted my message for now. Whether they will do the same tomorrow is another matter.

"Outside... Can I really go outside?"

"I'll be going with you."

"R-really? As a princess, inspecting the kingdom..."

"No."

I took out a bag I had brought. I bought it when I went out earlier.

When I opened the bag, a mage's robe and a staff appeared.

Lucille, alternating her gaze between the items and me, tilted her head again.

"Why... this?"

"I'll explain in detail tomorrow. Have a good night."

I waved to Lucille, who still looked confused and finally managed to greet me.

The next morning.

Lucille, dressed as a novice mage, hesitantly came to the garden. I was waiting for her, and we immediately went outside. There was some interference on the way out, and the maids followed in disguise, but it wasn't a problem.

"Where are we going?"

"Let's keep the destination a surprise."

It was Lucille's first time going out so early, so she was quite curious. Of course, she was also quite nervous, as she didn't let go of my sleeve.

I took her to the Adventurer's Guild.

"Welcome, Sage."

"What quests are currently available?"

"Eh... Well..."

"I also want to register this person as an adventurer. Her name is Lucille, and I am her guarantor."

"The Sage's guarantee is enough. Here are the available quests."

While I was selecting a quest of the difficulty I wanted, Lucille, who had been staring at me blankly, finally came to her senses and asked.

"T-teacher? What is this..."

At that moment.

"Ah! Sage! Is that you, Sage?! Wow, to meet you here again! I'm so happy! Today feels like it's going to be a good day from the start! Oh? What you're holding... Oh! Mushroom gathering! I applied for that too, but no one else did, so I thought I'd have to go alone! Great! Let's do it together! Together! Ah? Who is this? Is this your student? Wow, she looks like a good fighter, just like you. But did you know? I'm also like you..."

A bright voice accompanied by an overwhelming amount of chatter rang out.

It was the overly cheerful werewolf enchanter boy I had done a quest with before.

Lucille's mouth dropped open at his appearance, and I immediately accepted the quest.

"U-um. T-teacher. I-I. Is this... Are we really... taking on an adventurer's quest?"

"Yes."

"I-I don't know if I can do it..."

Seeing Lucille's worry, I smiled.

"I think the princess is better than him."

Lucille was so happy she didn't know what to do, wriggling her body.

It's always important to praise someone with low self-esteem.

And our werewolf boy, who always has flowers in his head, grinned and started talking enthusiastically.

"No, Sage, how can you say such a thing?! But you have the right to say it, Sage. Oh, have you heard the news lately? Strange monsters are appearing in the battlefield where the Hero is. I wonder what they give when you defeat them? I really want to try. Oh, by the way, last time with the priest..."

Lucille, who had been staring blankly at him, who had been talking non-stop and spreading his carefree positivity, looked at me with a tired face, slightly covering her ears.

How about it?

Was I right?

——-

Author's Note

Thank you very much for the support from 3secondnovel. The answer to your inquiry is that such an achievement does not exist.

Hello, I'm MalMal.

Thank you to all the readers who have enjoyed my work.

I'm sorry, but I will be switching to a one-post-per-day schedule to review the plot and story and for my daily life.

When I have some buffer and free time, I will try to post more frequently.

Additionally, some readers have expressed a desire for a happy ending.

All my previous works have had happy endings, and this one will be no different.

I don't like anything other than happy endings...

Also, there will be no NTR, so I recommend other works to those who prefer that genre.

Have a good night, and I'll see you tomorrow.

Updates will be at 10 PM daily. I will post an announcement if there is a break or delay.

Thank you always.