I walked down the hallway, being tugged along by Arcelia as we left the classroom.
From the windows in the hallway, I could see the vast grounds spread out, adorned with fountains and gardens.
If my previous self saw this, I might have mistaken it for a royal castle.
Well, that’s expected from the largest academy in the kingdom.
“So, by the way, I never really asked, but… aren’t we supposed to be living in the dorms?”
What caught my attention was what Arcelia had said earlier: “We’re heading back.”
When we first arrived in the city, we stayed at an inn, but I thought we’d be using the dorms adjacent to the academy from now on.
Or maybe we’re just moving our stuff from the inn to the dorms since we’ve still got our belongings there.
“I’m not living in any dorm.”
“Huh?”
“The dorm has a curfew. Considering future plans, it would just get in the way. So, I’ll be staying at an inn in the city. We can stick with the current one or find a different one.”
Looks like I wasn’t mistaken after all.
“I haven’t really cared until now, so I never asked, but… what are you going to do for the year? I mean, why are you even here at the academy?”
She’s not taking any classes, so it’s not like she’s here to study.
And she’s certainly not here to make friends.
Even though we’ll graduate after the practical exams, there’s still about a year before that.
I’m fine with casually registering as an adventurer and slaying monsters, but… what’s Arcelia planning to do?
“My purpose for enrolling at the academy is twofold.”
“Oh?”
“One is to study magic.”
“Hm? Does someone like you really need to study magic at this point?”
Arcelia is a genius.
She probably already surpasses the court magicians serving the kingdom.
And that was two years ago.
Now, at fourteen years old, she must be even more powerful.
“Well, I understand what you’re saying. I am a genius, after all.”
“Uh-huh.”
Normally, people who call themselves geniuses are unbearable, but… Arcelia is different.
Someone like her can say it, and I’d nod in agreement.
“I could certainly become stronger than anyone by my own means. But that would be inefficient.”
“Then why not just take the classes?”
“The classes are too basic. It’s all stuff I mastered when I was five.”
“Five… that’s impressive.”
I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Even if she says that, the academy’s curriculum is generally considered advanced.
And she mastered it by the age of five.
If anyone who didn’t know her circumstances heard that, they’d probably laugh it off as nonsense.
Once again, I was reminded of the sheer genius of Arcelia Oriondor.
“My real objective lies in the library.”
“The library?”
I looked down at Arcelia, surprised by her words.
“Books and writings are incredible. You can make the efforts of those who came before you your own in a short time. Especially the academy’s library. It should hold advanced information even I don’t know yet.”
“Ah… I see. I never really thought about it that way. Books are the crystallized efforts of those who came before… that’s a good way to put it.”
“…Not that it matters to someone like you, whose head is made of muscle.”
Arcelia turned her face away from me and shot out a biting remark.
“Hey, don’t underestimate me. I read books, too, you know?”
“And what kind of books?”
“…Adventure novels…”
“Heh, figures. That seems like your style.”
“Wait, hold on a second. You just looked down on me, didn’t you?”
“Oh, I’d never do that. Don’t go making baseless accusations. Adventure novels are respectable works. If you think I’m looking down on you, maybe it’s you who’s looking down on them?”
“This girl…”
She says things she doesn’t even mean with such a straight face.
Well, I find that part of her entertaining.
“At this rate, you won’t make any friends with that attitude, you know?”
“I don’t need friends. They’d just be a nuisance.”
“Hah, is that so?”
They often say that geniuses are lonely, and Arcelia certainly embodies that.
Well, at least she’s not lonely with me around.
And she’s still only fourteen.
It’ll be interesting to see how she feels about not needing friends in the future.
“What are you smirking about… It’s creepy.”
“You’re going too far, genius lady… Ouch!”
She pinched my side.
It seems she didn’t like being called “genius lady.”
I think it’s a good nickname, though.
“Now, let’s have a little chat.”
“…About what?”
“About what’s coming next. Sure, I didn’t ask, but you haven’t explained nearly enough.”
We were back at the inn where we’d left our things. I sat on one of the provided chairs while Arcelia sprawled out on the bedding.
“And… I still haven’t heard the second reason why you enrolled at the academy.”
I’d completely forgotten after we got sidetracked with the talk about books, but I still didn’t know the second reason she enrolled.
I didn’t mind being dragged around by her, but I would’ve liked to have been kept in the loop.
“…Sigh.”
Arcelia let out a long sigh as she lay on her back.
…I’d never seen her like this before.
Maybe she’s tired.
“The second reason I enrolled… was to leave the Oriondor family.”
“Oh?”
“I considered taking over the family… but I decided against it.”
“Wait, you were planning to take it over?”
“Yes, I was. It wouldn’t have been that difficult, really.”
This is surprising.
She’s saying this so casually, but taking over a marquis’s house is almost impossible.
Even I can’t think of a way to pull that off.
But Arcelia doesn’t say things like this lightly, so if she’s saying it’s possible, she’s serious.
“So why didn’t you do it?”
When I asked, she turned from lying on her back to her side, looking me in the eyes.
“…Because of you.”
“Me?”
Why me?
As I wondered in confusion, Arcelia continued.
“You’re going to become an adventurer, aren’t you? So, there’s no point in me taking over the house.”
“…Huh? What’s the connection between me becoming an adventurer and you taking over the house?”
Even if I become an adventurer, that doesn’t stop her from taking over her family.
There’s no direct connection.
“Eh… if you’re going to become an adventurer, then I’ll become one too, right? What else?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
We both stared at each other, dumbfounded.
Arcelia had a rare, slightly dumbfounded expression.
Well, I’m probably making the same face right now.
I had a lot of things I wanted to say, but for now…
“…Why would you become an adventurer just because I am?”
“…Why wouldn’t I?”
A long silence hung between us.
This indescribable atmosphere.
She said it so matter-of-factly that I started questioning my own understanding.
But no, I wasn’t wrong.
We’re different people, so there’s no reason we have to do the same thing.
“I’m me, and you’re you. We’re different people, so there’s no need for us to do the same thing.”
“—Ah, I see. So that’s how it is.”
“You understand now?”
“Yes, I understand now that you don’t understand.”
“Huh?”
Just as I thought things were getting weird… Arcelia stood up from the bed and approached me.
She stood in front of me as I sat in the chair.
There was a slight smirk on her lips, giving her an eerie look.
Arcelia grabbed my chin, lifting it slightly, and parted her perfectly shaped lips.
“I’m not leaving your side.”
“W-Why…”
“You’re the one who brought me back. You’ll take responsibility.”
Arcelia smiled seductively.
Her lustrous golden hair, sculpted face, and the faint, intoxicating sweet scent that made my head spin.
I realized then.
I’d somehow gotten myself entangled with a dangerous person.
