21.
“Ooh, they’re fighting!”
The Seventh Prince’s eyes sparkled as he watched the scene unfolding outside the train window.
Wizards and knights locked in a brawl—it was certainly not an everyday sight.
“Aaaah!”
“The wizard made the first strike!”
“Get out of the way, you bastards!”
“What a mess!”
“You weaklings! Daring to challenge knights!”
“Fierce! How absolutely fierce!”
Clang!
“A woman just got hit!”
The Seventh Prince’s reaction to witnessing the fight from the train was one of pure delight.
“Do wizards and knights always fight like this?”
“It’s a rare sight, Your Highness.”
“Really?”
Perched on Lancel’s shoulder, the Seventh Prince repeatedly clenched his fists and exclaimed in awe.
Only Laura, pacing nervously beside them, bit her nails anxiously.
Perhaps she could sense the escalating intensity of the battle.
“Should we intervene soon?”
“Hmm, that was fun.”
“We need to get going.”
“Well, I guess there’s no choice then. But how are you going to stop them?”
“That’s the thing.”
Lancel hoisted the sullen Seventh Prince onto his shoulder and boarded the train.
The cramped space was a cacophony of noise and shouting, with countless people bumping into each other. Loose items littered the floor, tripping anyone who dared to move.
“Your Highness, once we’re inside, could you repeat what I say?”
“That’s easy enough. But what exactly do you want me to say?”
“You’ll know when you hear it.”
Lancel kicked the door open with a thunderous crash.
BANG!
“Everyone, heads down!”
“Aha ha ha! Everyone, heads down!”
The Seventh Prince’s voice rang out, cheerfully echoing Lancel’s command. The chaotic interior of the train fell into sudden silence.
“Didn’t you hear him? Your Highness, please repeat yourself.”
“Everyone, heads down! Aha ha ha!”
.
.
.
“Academy students engaging in a brawl? Where has their supposed chivalry gone? What happened to the pride of a wizard?”
Lancel strode through the train car, his footsteps echoing against the groans of pain.
Behind him, the Seventh Prince followed with a wide, gleeful grin.
Inside the train, there were no longer nobles or commoners. Few dared to defy the Seventh Prince’s order to bow their heads—only royalty might have the audacity.
Even Aldehar, a member of a royal family, had been forced by Lancel to stand quietly in a corner, facing the wall.
“Mary.”
“Y-yes, Professor… eeek!”
Lancel casually sat on Mary’s waist as she remained bent over with her head bowed.
“Ugh… grrrk!”
Her legs trembled violently, and a groan of pain escaped her lips.
“Who started this? Tell me honestly.”
“The knights… they started it first… Ughhh…”
“Don’t talk nonsense! When did we ever—?!”
“Sit on her, Your Highness the Prince.”
“Is that allowed?”
“Gasp!”
Right and wrong didn’t matter.
Lancel’s only goal was to ride on Mary’s back and observe the struggling academy students’ reactions.
“Hah!”
He pressed down on Marigold’s back, preventing her from rising after she had fallen to the floor.
Lancel leaned down and spoke into her ear.
“Can you hold out like this until we arrive?”
A wave of despair washed over the crowd.
While playing with Marigold’s braided hair, Lancel spent a quiet moment with the Seventh Prince.
“The weather’s lovely, Your Highness.”
“Indeed.”
Only the sounds of pain continued to echo.
“Ah, what a killer day.”
“Is it that good?”
22.
Ssshhhhh!
A torrential downpour swept through the entire forest. Even a brief exposure would leave one drenched to the bone, such was the ferocity of the storm.
‘Where on earth has the beautiful weather gone?’
“Well, there goes our night training.”
It hadn’t been like this during the day.
Just hours earlier, the Department of Knights and Magic Department had been locked in a “hunting competition” under the blazing sun.
Red-collared rabbits had been released across the area, with points awarded to the department that captured the most.
It was something similar to a medieval-style game.
The final results were three hundred thirty rabbits for the Magic Department and one hundred fifty for the Department of Knights. This explained the Knights’ gloomy expressions since earlier.
Surprisingly, magic proved far more efficient for hunting than chasing after prey on foot.
Ssshhhh!
And then, as everyone was resting in their tents after returning from the hunt, this disaster struck.
Dark clouds, like those during the monsoon season, poured down endless sheets of rain.
All the students were holed up in the tents they had set up in advance trying to escape the downpour.
“It’s actually a good thing,” Laura said, watching the torrential rain. “I heard they spotted bandits nearby.”
“Bandits?”
“Yes. The escort team monitoring the area earlier reported spotting suspicious individuals. With so many nobles around, I suspect they’re targeting them.”
“Those guys sure have some nerve.”
Perhaps they were planning to kidnap academy students from noble families and demand a hefty ransom.
Normally, such a scheme would have been impossible. But the situation was different now. If they’d been unlucky, one or two students might have been captured.
Far more people had come on this camping trip than expected.
‘Why did they insist on bringing all the students?’
Managing such a large group was a daunting task for just Lancel and Laura.
Laura’s remark that the rain was a blessing had stemmed from this. In weather like this, staying cooped up in tents was the safest option.
‘My camping trip is ruined.’
Of course, Lancel didn’t say it aloud.
The Seventh Prince, sound asleep and breathing softly, was currently lying on his lap.
The very person who had summoned all the academy students to this place.
“Then, Sir Lancel, please take care of Your Highness the Seventh Prince until the rain stops. I’ll be going now.”
“Are you running away?”
“Perhaps. Ha ha.”
As Laura left the tent, the only sound remaining was the rain.
Swish!
Then, not long after Laura had left, a familiar shadow appeared outside the tent.
“Professor Lancel, may I come in?”
“What is it?”
“This.”
The shadow brought in a rectangular object.
“It’s a sandwich. I brought it with me. You haven’t eaten anything today, have you?”
“…Come in.”
“Yes.”
With a cheerful reply, Marigold, soaked from the rain, entered the tent.
She glanced around the spacious tent, which was reserved for the prince and even had a fireplace and chimney inside.
“I didn’t realize you were staying in such a nice place… Ah!”
Spotting the sleeping Seventh Prince, Marigold quickly lowered her voice.
“It’s alright. I was told that once he falls asleep, he rarely wakes up easily.”
“I-is that so?”
Marigold cautiously settled down next to Lancel. Her rain-soaked hair shimmered in the firelight from the fireplace.
“This.”
Marigold carefully retrieved a sandwich from her arms. It seemed she had prepared it specifically for today, as the wooden box was filled with twelve neatly arranged slices.
“Did you make this for me?”
“……”
Marigold hesitated, her lips twitching as she considered her answer. After a moment, she nodded.
“I thought you seemed to like it last time…”
‘Now I feel bad for teasing her this morning.’
The red mark on Marigold’s forehead, a result of the scolding she received on the train earlier, was still clearly visible.
“…Alright. I’ll enjoy it.”
Lancel picked up a sandwich from the box she offered. Vegetables and meat were meticulously layered between the bread slices. It was clear she had woken up early to make it.
“Sir Lancel.”
“Professor.”
“Ah, Professor Lancel.”
“What is it?” Lancel replied, chewing on his sandwich.
For some reason, Marigold fidgeted with her hands, hesitating for a long moment before answering.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, I… Young Master Aldehar…”
“…?”
Aldehar.
The heir to the Kingdom of Lucia.
His name suddenly came out of Marigold’s lips.
Lancel almost couldn’t believe what he heard next.
“After the camping trip, I received an invitation to dine with him at his mansion.”
“…!”
‘All of sudden? Aldehar?’
The character known for being the most difficult to conquer—Aldehar, the heir of a foreign kingdom—had invited her to a banquet.
What on earth had happened to make this possible?
“Were you two close before?”
“No, it’s not like that. We’re just sometimes in the same study group, sometimes we work together on magic research, and sometimes he walks me back to the girls’ dormitory… That’s all. Nothing else happened.”
That was not just “that’s all.”
That was quite a lot.
If this were a game, it would practically mean Marigold had already completed his route.
If Marigold wanted to, she could probably marry him anytime. After all, the Young Master Aldehar himself had invited her to dinner.
‘You’re much easier to win over than I thought, Aldehar. Or did Marigold just get lucky with you?’
Lancel stroked his chin, his mouth hanging open in a daze.
“…I declined his offer,” Marigold said, her head slightly lowered, her eyes glancing up at Lancel.
“I told him I wouldn’t go.”
Perhaps it was the warmth from the crackling fireplace, but a blush had already crept up the profile of her face.
“…I see.”
