Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 18 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The Entrance Ceremony and the Student Council President

IN FACT, Linia began working as a maid in our house. I was perfectly content to let her fend for herself, but all things aside, Linia was still a friend. If she was in trouble, it was only right to help her. Obviously. 

Admittedly, I had considered throwing her to the wolves, but I didn’t follow through with it, which meant it didn’t count.

Also, Aisha was against letting her go free. After paying the enormous sum we did for her, she upheld that it would be a waste to throw Linia out. 

“I know you’re earning quite a bit, but money is still precious! I’m going to have Miss Linia work here until she pays off every last coin she owes,” Aisha insisted.

Orsted paid me irregularly, and usually in the form of magic items or magic stones. After living through time loop after time loop, he probably knew every secret in this world. Naturally, he could easily round up enough money to take care of me for the rest of my life. That didn’t change the fact that one thousand five hundred Asuran gold coins was a huge sum of money from my perspective. I mean, that was more than I paid for this house.

“Yeah,” Eris said, nodding along. “I don’t care if she is your friend, I’m not handing her over!” 

So she never had any intention of letting Linia go. If I had actually tried handing her to the slave traders, she probably would have stormed out, sword swinging from her waist, and killed them all before I could blink.

Still, I rebuked her for killing those men, slave traders or not. I didn’t care whether such people lived or died; I cared whether anything happened to Eris while she was pregnant. You never know. Murdering someone while pregnant could result in being haunted by evil spirits. I insisted that she settle things by invoking my name or Ariel’s the next time something like this happened. Although I knew that her sword would take care of the problem before she bothered to open her mouth every time, nevertheless. That was just the kind of woman Eris was. I’d pretty much given up trying to change that aspect of her.

“Well, I’m glad things turned out the way they did. That’s exactly how I’d have expected you to handle it,” said Sylphie. She had no qualms about hiring Linia. She knew that the two of us were friends, and in fact, she praised me for putting so much importance on friendship.

“Woof!” said Leo. 

I had no idea what he was saying, but Linia seemed to get it. “Ah, yeah, I understand, Lord Leo. I’m perfectly fine bein’ at the bottom of the totem pole, mew. I’ll do what I’m told, mew. Please feel free to work me to the bone!”

Linia expressed no confusion over the holy beast’s presence here. Apparently Leo had already explained it to her. I had no idea how exactly he’d relayed the situation, nor had I really asked much about what being a holy beast even meant in the first place. It sounded as though Linia would be beneath Leo in the hierarchy now, strange as that was. I kinda felt bad for her, being of lower status than a dog.

Linia’s salary was two Asuran silver coins a month, although one of those would go towards repayment of her debt, so she actually only received a single silver coin. As part of her employment, she’d be provided with meals and a place to sleep. Eris jumped in to say that she’d personally keep Linia in her room. Linia was supposed to be working under Aisha, but she was pretty much primed to become Eris’s personal pet.

Anyway, only one Asuran silver coin a month, huh? It was generous pay considering the cost of living around here. On the other hand, considering it only amounted to a single Asuran gold coin a year, she’d have to work here for the next thousand years to return what she owed.

“Are you really okay with this, Linia?”

“Ugh, well, beggars can’t really be choosers, and you did save me-ow. I hope you’ll take good care of mew for many, many long years to come.”

Linia was resigned to her fate. Like an antelope who found their neck in the jaws of a cheetah, she remained limply draped over Eris’s lap as the latter played with her tail.

Well, if she says it’s fine with it, I guess there’s no issue.

Roxy returned home shortly after that, and expressed no opposition. Like Sylphie, she spoke approvingly when heard I’d paid money to save my friend. At least until she heard the ridiculous amount it had cost, at which point she began eyeing me extremely suspiciously.

“Did you really want her that badly? Because she’s a princess or virgin or whatever?”

Fortunately, it didn’t take too long to dispel that misunderstanding, but as usual, no one had any faith in my downstairs brain.

***

The next morning, Roxy and I set out for the University of Magic. Since there were two of us, we decided to go by foot rather than ride on Dillo. The snow crunched under our shoes as we walked.

It had been a long time since I’d stopped taking classes there, and I’d also been given an exemption so I didn’t have to show up to our monthly homeroom, either. I had no reasons to go to campus any longer, but today, I had business with Zanoba and Cliff.

After passing through the path lined with magic-resistant bricks, rows of trees on either side, we found ourselves before the founding headmaster’s bronze statue. Seeing the cluster of buildings around us made me emotional. After all, when I first came here, I’d been afflicted with ED.

“All right, Rudy. I’m headed this way,” said Roxy.

“Okay! Work hard today.”

“You too, Rudy.”

As the two of us were about to go our separate ways, someone squeaked, “Ah! Professor Roxy is with a guy!” I glanced in the direction of the voices, and spotted a group of people moving between the dormitory building and main school building, pointing at us.

“Wait, don’t tell me. Is that Professor Roxy’s husband?!”

“What, so the legends are true?! That’s Mistress Norn’s older brother?”

“It’s my first time laying eyes on him. He’s surprisingly handsome!”

I was being treated like an exotic animal at the zoo. Still, I heard that last part. Handsome, huh? Hehehe…

I noticed Roxy staring pointedly at me.

No, you got it all wrong! I was just flattered to have a young girl praise me like that and was letting it go to my head, that’s all!

“Pardon me for doing this,” Roxy said as she suddenly slipped her arms around me, then turned to the students to flash them a peace sign.

“Aaah!” They squealed as they disappeared into the main school building.

“I’m making it clear you belong to me,” said Roxy, releasing me from her embrace. Her ears were bright red. Apparently, even though she’d done it of her own volition, she was now embarrassed. “W-was it wrong that I did that?”

I stared at her silently. Of course not. I did belong to her. If she wanted to brag about that, I more than welcomed it. In fact, my heart was pounding like that of a young girl deeply in love. I planted a kiss on her cheek, enjoying how soft her skin was.

“Wh-why are you doing that all of a sudden? At a place like this, even…”

“It’s a kiss to wish you good luck.”

“O-oh, all right then…yes. Well, message received. I will be off, Rudy.”

Stiffly and gallantly as a robot she marched toward the staff building. I watched her go before heading off toward the research building myself.

“A little too early, maybe?” I wondered to myself.

Cliff still hadn’t arrived at the research building by the time I got there. He was a parent now, so no doubt he was busy. On the other hand, Elinalise had promptly withdrawn from the university after giving birth. She had only enrolled to find a man anyway, so now that she’d found one and had a child with him, it was goodbye education. Many would judge her for it, but everyone had their own reasons for attending the university. Personally, I wanted to respect Elinalise and her choices.

Nonetheless, with Cliff absent, I had free time on my hands. Perhaps it would be better to visit Zanoba first instead. Although, considering it was early enough that even the diligent Cliff hadn’t arrived at the school, I might only be making a nuisance of myself.

Yeah, better to save my visit to Zanoba for this afternoon. Besides, showing up unannounced often ended in embarrassment for the both of us. It was better to stick to my original plan of visiting Cliff first before going to see Zanoba.

I had wandered outside, lost in thought. The snow crunched beneath my feet as I walked, and I soon discovered a crowd of people in the courtyard. I went over, curious as to why so many were gathered. The headmaster stood on a brick stage giving a speech.

“…Magic, however, is different. Magic has a future! We will retake the magic system that we have lost, and combine the current incantation style to bring forth a new evolution with which…”

Hm, I was pretty sure I’d heard those words before. It didn’t take long for me to figure out where—my own opening ceremony.

Wow, is it already that time of year?

Which year would I be in by now, anyway? My fifth year? No, my sixth? Although I only attended classes in my first and second year, I still wanted to attend graduation when it rolled around. Sylphie had similarly realized it would be a waste to not be around for hers after she withdrew from the university.

Come to think of it, if I’m a sixth-year student, that means Master Silent Sevenstar already graduated, I guess. I wondered if she had attended her own graduation ceremony. I couldn’t imagine she had. Nanahoshi had spent the past few years preoccupied with learning summoning magic. She hadn’t asked for my help yet, so either she was getting all the help she needed from Perugius or she simply hadn’t reached the experimental stage. 

In any case, apparently she’d only enrolled in college to use their facilities, so perhaps she wasn’t interested in attending her graduation. It was also possible she wanted to wait to have her graduation ceremony when she finally returned to Japan.

There was something that still worried me regarding Nanahoshi. My future self hadn’t gone into details, but he had mentioned her ghastly end. I’d have to pop in and check on her when I found the time. I could bring some rice balls and potato chips when I did.

“Next, our student council president has some words of her own for our new students.”

The headmaster’s speech ended while I was lost in thought. He kept one hand pressed to his wig as he retreated to the line of professors. Upon closer inspection, I spotted Roxy sitting in the middle. Her posture was perfect and dignified, befitting her role.

Aww… It makes me want to get up and brag to all the new students that this blue-haired beauty is my wife. Hm, should I do it? Should I announce it for all to hear?

“…It’s her.”

“That’s the university’s most renowned…”

“She’s so tiny. She’s not even an adult yet, is she?”

“Bet she hasn’t known the touch of a man, either.”

Now that the headmaster’s speech was over, the new students were whispering excitedly amongst themselves. 

What’s all the fuss about? I wondered. I glanced up at the stage and Norn was standing in its middle, with two people behind her: an extremely tall demon girl and an extremely muscular beastman.

“Hello, everyone. I was chosen this year to be the student council president. I’m a fifth-year, and my name is Norn Greyrat.”

Norn was the student council president? That was the first I’d heard of it. I did know she was in the student council, but her ascension to the presidency must have happened in sometime in the past months.

“While I’m still very inexperienced, I want to do my utmost to fulfill the duties given to me,” Norn said.

The crowd refused to quiet even when she started speaking. Norn didn’t have the charisma Ariel had that allowed her to silence everyone when she spoke.

Oh well, I thought. I’ll just have to use a little bit of magic to shut them up for her.

As I scanned my surroundings, I noticed someone eyeing Norn salaciously. I recognized him. Pretty sure he was in her fan club, in fact. But what the heck was he doing here? He definitely wasn’t a new student.

“Siiiiiiiiiilence!” echoed the beefy beastman’s angry voice.

The crowd instantly fell silent.

“Thank you, Gilbert,” said Norn.

“It was nothing.”

She continued with her speech. “You have come from all corners of the world to this university. Among you, I am sure there are some who have led lives I cannot even begin to imagine. However, while you reside at this university, you are a student here. That means you must conduct yourself accordingly and uphold our rules.”

I was also pretty sure I’d heard this speech somewhere before. Something about abiding by school regulations even if they differed from one’s own sense of what was normal. When I first enrolled, Ariel had been the student council president and had given a similar speech. It seemed like the general theme of the president’s speech was pretty fixed.

“…And that is all I have to say. I hope you all enjoy your lives here as students.” Norn bowed and left the stage. She walked with purpose, each step full of confidence and… 

Oh, our eyes met.

In that moment, she missed one of the steps and crashed to the ground. Snickers erupted from the crowd.

Ah, what a shame. If she’d only kept it up for a few seconds longer, they’d have all regarded her as a sophisticated student council president.

Strangely, the lewd gazes directed at her intensified after that blunder. The guy from her fan club seemed thoroughly pleased, too. Clearly this world didn’t lack for fans of clumsy girls, either.

So our student council president is only in her fifth year, huh? Norn sure had worked hard to get where she was. As her brother, I could hold my head up high. If Paul were here, he’d probably be hiding in the bushes with one of those super-telephoto lens cameras on a tripod, recording every second of her big moment.

It filled me with such emotion. Norn had poured her effort into so many things: her studies, swordsmanship training, and the student council.

That settles it. I’ve gotta give it my all, too. I need to do everything it takes to protect my family from the Man-God’s grubby hands.

“Hmph. So this is the Norn Greyrat I’ve heard so many rumors about? She’s a C. No, if I take her potential into account, perhaps a B,” said a nearby voice, completely destroying the sentimental moment I’d been having.

What the heck is this jerk’s problem? I turned to look, and was met with the sight of a devastatingly handsome man. He was probably only about fifteen himself. Long elf ears hid beneath his golden-blond hair and…did I mention he was devastatingly handsome? I’m talking Ariel-tier good looks here, with a face so dazzling it was near impossible to gaze upon him directly.

Okay, well, yeah. No wonder he was so conceited with a face like that. With those looks, he outshone even Luke, the most handsome of the Greyrat men. If this man was S-rank, then Luke would be A, and Norn would be about B.

“Everyone said she was top-tier in this school, so I was hopeful, but…that’s it, hm?”

Whatever the reality of it was, it still wasn’t right for him to make comments like that. He was handsome, sure, but looks weren’t everything.

I mean, look, there’s a bunch of upperclassmen glaring this way. They obviously think Norn is the best in the world. Oh, and uh…now they’ve called some friends over. I had no idea where they’d been hiding, but there were three of them now, and they were peering at him as they talked.

“Bro, that dude is yikes, for real.”

“For real for real? He was talking smack about Norn? No joke?”

“Legit. For real for real.”

That was the gist of their conversation. Ignore that I’ve dubbed over their actual voices with my own little rendition.

I hated bullying, and this elf boy was only a puny first-year. But at the same time, the fan club guys hated my guts, so they probably wouldn’t listen to what I had to say. They’re already looking over this way like, “Please don’t even try to stop us. This is our fight.” They looked like they’d also drag me to the rooftop and rough me up if I didn’t toe the line.

“If that’s all she amounts to, I bet her older brother, Rudeus, is nothing special, either,” the elf boy added.

I couldn’t argue that point; I was nothing special. But let’s leave me out of this, okay? I already know my looks can’t match up to yours.

He turned his head and our gazes met. “You agree with me, don’t you?”

Huh? He’s asking me?

“Well, sure, I guess,” I said, not entirely sure how to respond. “Rudeus is no big deal, I suppose. But Norn is really doing her best, you know?”

“Hah,” snorted the boy. “Oh, sorry. I forgot that the people of this city are all terrified of Rudeus. But you needn’t worry. My name is Rayfort. I’m the son of the elf village’s chief, Magnafort. You won’t have to suffer under the thumb of Rudeus’s oppression anymore.”

Thank you for the polite introduction, but that just made it awfully hard to introduce myself. Now what? Guess I can call myself Ruquag Mire for now?

“I’m not like the rest of you or even Norn,” he continued. “I’m a scholarship student. The only one in the last few years, in fact. Not that it should be any great surprise; I have been undertaking special education to become the next elven chief.”

Ah, makes sense. So he’s like Linia and Pursena. This little prince must have traveled far from the Great Forest to come here and learn about distant human society.

“I swear, I will be top dog at this university. And that Norn girl? I’ll make her my woman.”

Yeah, that was one thing I wasn’t going to allow. No matter how rough he might have it in this new environment, he wasn’t allowed to take Norn away that easily. Her big brother wasn’t going to simply stand by and watch.

“All you need to do is stick with me. I promise you’ll be duly rewarded.”

“…Riiight,” I mumbled back.

Was that speech supposed to convince people to become his lackeys? I didn’t see how it was compelling at all, but there were no small number of envious gazes boring into me. 

I was more concerned that this man was planning to organize against Norn. As Norn’s older brother, what was I supposed to do? Was it better to nip this problem in the bud so the boy didn’t have a chance to oppose her? Or was that overstepping? Was that me being too overprotective? Norn had secured a spot for herself in the university on her own. Rayfort claimed he was a candidate for future chief of his village, but he didn’t hold any political influence in this country. Besides, if he tried anything, the fan club would intervene. I felt like leaving him to his own devices would work out fine, but was that really the best course?

“I can’t let that slide,” said a voice, interrupting. Someone had swooped to my rescue. I peered over my shoulder, trembling with anticipation, but… 

Who the heck are you?

“Name’s Mi’nal, son of the dwarven chief Bi’nal.”

A new student by the look of it. As conceited as he was, he was only half my height, and very clearly had the face of an adult man, with a tiny beard growing in. The man was quite obviously a dwarf, as he claimed.

“Think you’re the only scholarship student? Hah! Guess again. I’m a special student too, starting this term.”

Ah, so that’s the part he was objecting to.

Rayfort’s eyes widened as he peered down at the dwarf. “Mi, I can’t believe it’s you!”

“Ah! Ray, it’s been a while!”

It seemed the two were already acquainted. The elven and dwarven territories bordered one another. So it wasn’t surprising they’d seen each other before, since they were both sons of their respective chiefs.

“So what you mean to say is we’re the only two scholarship students this year?” Rayfort tried to clarify.

Mi’nal chuckled. “Nope, that’s not right either.”

There was someone else hiding in Mi’nal’s shadow. It was a young boy, who must have also been a dwarf—no. He was most likely a human, just very young. About ten years old, from the look of him. His features suggested he was from Asura, and…hm, I felt like I’d seen that face before.

“Go on, introduce yourself.”

The boy stammered, “M-my name is Grannel Zafin Asura. I’m the second son of Asura’s First Prince Grabel Zafin Asura.”

That was surprising. This boy was actually Grabel’s son, huh? What was he here for? Revenge? For what happened in Asura? Was he supposed to be an assassin sent to take me down? Seemed a bit late for that. And would they really send someone so young to do the deed?

“Um, my father seems like he’s on the verge of losing his bid for the throne, so he figured I’d be in danger if I stayed…”

Aha! That tracks. Grabel must have realized Ariel might take his son’s life, so he sent him away. If this was his second son, then perhaps his oldest had been sent to another country? No, something wasn’t right about that. Ranoa Kingdom was sympathetic to Ariel’s cause. Perhaps he’d been sent here as Ariel’s hostage. And not that this aside is necessarily important, but was there some rule I didn’t know about saying that every big shot’s son had to announce their father’s name?

“I see, so you have your own complicated circumstances.” The elf boy nodded to himself. “I was actually chased out of my village after some incidents, so I guess the three of us are in the same boat.”

“Excuse you,” the dwarf sniffed. “I wasn’t chased out of my village for any special reason. I’m the third son, that’s all. Since I’ve nothing to inherit, I decided to take my chances here.”

“Yes, yes. I understand. Everyone has their secrets that they don’t wish to share. I am sure you heard that one certain rumor, didn’t you?”

“You did too?!”

The handsome elf boy—crap, what was his name again?—threw his arms around Mi’nal and Grannel’s shoulders. “Well, we’re all scholarship students here. Let’s look out for one another, yes? If we throw our lot in together, coming out on top at this school will be no mere dream. Agreed?”

“Right…”

“Um, well, I hope we can be friends,” Grannel muttered awkwardly.

I had no idea what was going on, but at least the new students were making fast friends at the entrance ceremony. Such a beautiful scene. As for the elf boy badmouthing Norn, well…I’d let that slide for now. People had a habit of trying to carve out a niche for themselves when they first started school. If I thought of those remarks about Norn being B-rank as the mutterings of a pre-adolescent who thought he was hot stuff, I felt more amusement than anger. Above all, I wished them luck.

“Ohooo! I see there’s a bunch of people gathered again this year, mew!”

A voice burst through the crowd, ruining what was otherwise a sentimental scene. I recognized that voice. It belonged to someone who, a few years back, had been one of the university’s worst delinquents.

A girl with cat ears had her hands stuffed in her pocket as she pushed through the crowd, intimidating those she passed as she made her way toward me. Linia. She was supposed to be attending to her duties back home, so what had she come here for?

“Isn’t that Mistress Linia?”

“Who?”

“You know, the head honcho a few years back.”

“You mean the delinquent?”

“But why’s she here? She should’ve graduated already.”

Whispers erupted around us.

Linia made her way straight to me. “Heya, Boss.”

“Hello yourself. What did you come here for?”

“Lady Roxy forgot her lunch box, so I came to deliver it, mew. I dropped by the staff room and they said she’d be here.”

That made sense, although it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. Aisha must have worked fast to send Linia so quickly. Or perhaps Roxy forgetting her lunch wasn’t all that rare. Incidentally, I hadn’t packed lunch, either. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to eat home-cooked food for lunch. I’d opted out of doing it today since eating out with friends was, in my opinion, just another facet of communication.

An awkward silence fell as I noticed the two boastful boys from earlier—the dwarf and elf—were suddenly averting their eyes and staring nervously at the ground.

“Hey, what the devil is going on? I thought she’d gone back to the Great Forest.”

“Well, that’s what I heard.”

“Huh?” Grannel interjected anxiously, glancing at the other boys’ faces. “What’s going on?”

“Hm?” Linia finally took note of their presence. She amiably waved a hand at the two boys. “Heya, Ray, Mi.”

The two flinched and glanced the other way. Apparently the three of them already knew each other.

“Hey, hey. When’d you guys make your way here from the Great Forest, mew? Hasn’t it been like a whole ten years? Man, how the time flies, mew. Doing well for yourselves? Hey! Why’re you looking away like that? I’m over here!”

Crap, this could get bad. She has that look in her eyes that she always does when she starts picking a fight with people. The kind of look a cat gives to the prey it’s stalking. And now you’ve got that poor boy Grannel shaking in his boots.

“Sorry, I think you have the wrong person,” Rayfort insisted.

“Y-yeah, those aren’t our names,” Mi’nal agreed.

“Say what?” Linia’s hands shot out, clamping down on the tops of the two boys’ heads and turning them toward her. Her voice was low and threatening. She sounded exactly like the school bully who corners you and asks you to spot him the money for a train ticket.

“Trying to tell me you’ve forgotten me? Guess it has been a while, mew. Guess it makes sense, mew. You boys don’t have very good memories, do ya?”

I suddenly understood the relationship between them. Linia and Pursena must have been the leaders of their little band, and these two were their underlings. Pretty ironic that she still acted awfully arrogant after she’d become a slave.

“N-no, perish the thought!” Rayfort quickly shook his head. “We just heard rumors that you’d gone back to the Great Forest, so we were sure you had to be someone else.”

“R-right,” Mi’nal eagerly agreed. “You look absolutely gorgeous when Miss Pursena isn’t around, so we didn’t recognize you for a second there. So, uh…have mercy, please.”

All right. I think it’s about time I put a stop to this.

The other first-years were watching from afar, full of fear. If their first impression was that the university was a terrifying place ruled by violence, it would reflect poorly on the school. This place was the first institution of education Roxy had ever attended, which made it sentimental to me. Admittedly, this school was pretty much the only higher place of learning in this world, but it didn’t make it any less special.

Just as I was resolving to step in and help these cute little first-year boys from the big bad delinquent…

“Hey, someone’s coming!”

“But why…”

“I-Isn’t she…”

Again, the crowd around us began chattering noisily.

Someone made their way through the cluster of people and over to me. Norn, the student council president, kept her brows drawn solemnly as she approached, her light blonde hair—inherited from our mother—bouncing with every step. The tall demon girl and the muscular beastman I recognized from earlier on the stage were close behind. Seeing them reminded me of Ariel.

So proud of you, Norn!

Yes, she’d flubbed it a moment ago, but this time she only had to deal with Linia. Just give her a few stern words and then everyone will see what a majestic a president you really are. Don’t worry, I won’t let Linia talk back. Your big brother will stand right behind you and shut her down.

“Big Brother!”

To my surprise, Norn slipped right past Linia and came to a stop before me, both hands on her hips. She was fuming as she glared straight up at me. “What are you doing here at the entrance ceremony?!”

Wait, so Linia was getting a free pass for her behavior? Not that I was going to let her get away with bullying those poor boys, so it didn’t really matter, but still.

“Uh, you know. This and that.”

“I was so shocked I tripped on the stairs, you know! Ugh, seriously, how embarrassing…”

“Uh, yeah. Well, your speech was great. You killed it up there. Father must be watching from heaven and—”

“That’s not what I want to hear right now!”

I was trying to praise her and just pissed her off more. How depressing.

“What are you doing here, bullying these new students, huh?!”

“Sorry?” I stared at her.

Bullying? Me? Surely you’re joking. I glanced around at the crowd. All gazes were focused on Norn and me. The way people looked at her made it clear they looked to her for protection, whereas they regarded me with fear. How strange. They were acting like I was some kind of villain.

“Tell me,” she demanded, “what did these poor first-years do to you anyway?”

“N-nothing. Although, they did bad-mouth you a bit…” Something about her being an inferior B-rank or something, right? Yeah… I think?

“I am perfectly used to hearing those kinds of things already, so knock it off! You have them all terrified!”

I blinked at her. “Well, they’re terrified because of Linia.”

“And you’re the one who set her on them, aren’t you?!”

Oh, Scheiße. So that’s what this is about? That’s how everyone else sees this? That I’m the evil school underboss and Linia is my right-hand thug? Well, crap. I guess I have my past actions to thank for this, huh?

“In fact, I already heard, Big Brother!”

“Heard what? From who?”

Your big brother is already on the verge of tears over here. Are you really going to kick a man while he’s down?

“Miss Roxy told me a few moments ago. She said you’re keeping Mistress Linia as a…as a slave! What in the world are you thinking?”

Oh, that.

“Okay, sure. She might be a slave. But I’m not treating her like one; in exchange for shouldering her debt, I’m having her repay what she owes by working around the house. There’s nothing skeevy about it,” I said flatly.

Norn frowned and pursed her lips in a pout.

That’s right! I saved Linia. I ain’t got nothin’ to feel bad about, ya hear me?

“Nornie,” Linia interjected. “Everything the Boss is saying is true, mew. He basically saved my butt, mew.” She rubbed her hands together and slid up to us, as if trying to ingratiate herself. The two boys, meanwhile, visibly relaxed.

Norn glanced at Linia and sighed. “Oh really? Well, I suppose you don’t look like you’re in a sorry state, so it must be true.”

Good, she believed us.

“But since you have already graduated, Mistress Linia, I would appreciate it if you would please stop causing troubles at the school!”

“I wasn’t causing any problems, mew. I was just saying hi to a few familiar faces I recognized from a long time ago.”

Norn glared up at her, looking about as intimidating as a kicked puppy. Adorable.

“Okay, okay. I get it, I’m in the wrong, mew. So many people were looking, so I got a little carried away is all, mew.”

Norn’s lips drew taut as she continued staring up at Linia, who for her part scratched her head awkwardly. Apparently Linia didn’t count this as an actual fight. Maybe she might have just stopped herself shortly after anyway and declared, “Just pulling your tail, mew! You boys make sure you don’t slack off, mew!” And maybe that would have been the end of it. Though the boys truly had been terrified of her.

Norn turned her gaze from Linia to me. “As for you, Big Brother, while it flatters me that you’re trying to protect me, I would like to request you not take it too far. I can take care of myself, I’ll have you know.”

“Yes’m, as you say!” I bowed, prompting the crowd to ooh and aah.

“She actually made the Rudeus Greyrat lower his head!”

“Our student council president is really made of tough stuff.”

“Ah, Nornie is so cute.”

Was it really that rare for me to show deference to others? I felt like I apologized and prostrated myself on the daily. Well, whatever. If something so trivial was enough to bolster Norn’s reputation, nothing would make me happier.

As silence fell again, I glanced back at the three first-years, who were all paralyzed with their eyes fixed on us.

Norn turned toward them. “Um, so who are these boys?”

“Scholarship students, apparently.”

“Oh, yes. I heard there would be three this year. Ahem.” Norn paused to clear her throat. She pinched the edge of her skirt and curtsied politely. “A pleasure to make your acquaintances. I am the current student council president, Norn Greyrat.”

The only one of their number with enough wits to form a response was the shortest, who said, “Um, I’m Grannel Zafin Asura, the second son of Asura’s First Prince Grabel Zafin Asura.”

“We are pleased to have you here, Lord Grannel. It must be difficult for you, coming to a foreign country with which you are so unfamiliar. While I am sure many will have much to say about your upbringing and familial history, it is nothing you need worry about. If anything troubles you at any point, please do not hesitate to come to the student council. Once any person becomes a student, we are dedicated to acting as their ally. It matters not where you came from—we are here to support you so that you may dedicate yourself to your studies in peace.”

Those words, formal and stiff as they were, came right out of her mouth without a single fumble. I suspected she must have practiced this spiel, given how gracefully she spoke. She gave another elegant curtsy.

“Uh, yes, of course.”

“Well then, I bid you an enjoyable time at the school.” Norn wrapped up their conversation and walked off.

Young Grannel stared after her, completely dumbstruck. He wasn’t the only one; I was frozen solid too. In the short time since I had last seen her, Norn had become even more impressive. I could only guess she was taking etiquette classes.

That said, if she could already handle herself with that much grace, there was no way she’d be undermined by a couple of first-year upstarts. In fact, Rayfort had been trembling in place, his eyes glued on me for several minutes now.

Not wanting to get any further entangled in their affairs, I grabbed Linia and decided to leave the scene. She could leave Roxy’s lunch box in the staff room on her desk or something.

Three new scholarship students enrolled in the university at the same time Norn took the student council president seat. The next generation was taking the reins at the school, and with that, brand-new changes were sure to follow.

Contemplating this, I parted ways with Linia and made my way back to Cliff’s research room.