[V9C2] Shake Once = "Enjoy", Shake Twice = "Get Out"

Two years ago, the Second Prince was suspected of being swapped with an impostor, and an investigation into him was conducted by the Supreme Council. There, the Silent Witch saved a young man named Isaac Walker with the help of her friends and collaborators.

Naturally, these collaborators knew the true identity of the Second Prince, but a few were not informed of what happened afterwards: him becoming the disciple of the Silent Witch.

Some, like Elianne Hyatt and Robert Winkel, simply never got the opportunity to learn, while others were intentionally kept away in the dark.

According to the Vice President of the 75th Serendia Academy Student Council: “I don’t see any reason to tell that man. He would only become a nuisance to His Highness.”

According to the Secretary: “Why should I have any reason to tell him?”

According to the General Affairs Officer: “Um, well… I don’t think it’s really my place to inform him of such personal matters…”

Thus, the other student council members unanimously agreed to not tell a certain man about the current state of Prince Felix.

——Elliott Howard.

He had been a friend of the real Prince Felix, as well as the first one to notice the identity swap. Based on that incident, perhaps it would be fair to call him Isaac’s nemesis.

＊　＊　＊

Elliott stepped down from the carriage and walked through the residential area of Sazandol, frowning as his hair was tousled by the sea breeze.

He held down his hair with one hand and carried a note in the other. Written on the note was “Mage Countess Everett” followed by an address.

Elliott’s frown was not because he was lost. In fact, he was about to reach his destination, the house of the Silent Witch, very soon. The problem had more to do with the Silent Witch herself.

(How am I supposed to interact with that Little Squirrel…)

Monica had been known as ‘Miss Norton’ in Serendia Academy, but Elliott often called her by the teasing nickname of ‘Little Squirrel’ instead. However, her true identity was that of the Silent Witch, one of the Seven Sages, the most powerful mages in the country.

(Well, I guess ‘Mage Countess Everett’ would be the correct title for me to use. I still can’t believe that Little Squirrel is really a countess…)

Elliott believed in a strict class-based ideology, and Monica held a much higher position than him. Therefore, it was only natural to show her the proper respect.

But after having witnessed many of Monica’s antics and peculiar-sounding screams, he found it difficult to feel any respect for her.

In fact, Elliott had hardly spoken to her the last time they met, during Monica’s secret appearance at the post-graduation party. Talking to her simply felt too awkward.

(Oh yeah, I heard Cyril met her a few times for work… Speaking of which, what about him?)

As Elliott recalled that handsome face of his nemesis with a frown, his eyes spotted the exact same face right in front of him.

“…What?”

Elliott stopped in his tracks and rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

What he saw was Isaac Walker holding a toolbox while chatting with a white-haired old lady, apparently Monica’s neighbor.

“Walker-san, how can I ever thank you for this? You even fixed the gutter in addition to the fence. I’ve been unable to handle these things since my husband passed…”

“Don’t mention it,” Isaac replied. “I’m grateful that you always look out for Monica. Oh right, I’ll be away for a while, so…”

“Yes, yes, I know. I’ll make sure to invite her over a meal every now and then.”

“That would be a great help. Monica sometimes forgets to eat and ends up collapsing.”

“Hehe, don’t worry about it. I’m always happy to have a young face at the dinner table. Oh, by the way, I made an apple tart earlier. Please take it as a thank-you for the carrots the other day.”

“Thank you very much, Mrs. Knolles.”

The man who had the same face as the Second Prince of this country was dressed in a simple shirt, trousers, and vest, exchanging friendly words with an elderly neighbor.

After receiving the apple tart, he departed the neighbor’s yard with a toolbox in his right hand and the plate in his left… before pausing once he noticed Elliott.

“…”

“…”

Elliott pondered over his next words. Perhaps he should berate the good-for-nothing servant for not doing his job, or maybe a sarcastic comment would be better, such as, “Well, well, if it isn’t the Duke of Erin, it seems you have discovered a new hobby.”

As Elliott was still considering his options, Isaac simply put on a smile and walked past. Then, he promptly entered the Silent Witch’s home and closed the door, making sure to properly lock it.

That scumbag had dared to ignore Elliott with a smile.

Elliott rushed over and began slamming the door.

“How dare you run away as soon as you see my face! And why the hell are you doing here in the first place!? Playing the good neighbor!?”

There was no response. Isaac was pretending to be away from home.

“You damn good-for-nothing servant…”

As Elliott trembled with anger, a hushed voice came from behind him.

“Um, Howard-sama… W-Why are you here?”

Elliott turned around to see Monica wearing a casual spring dress.

Having forgotten the internal turmoil from a few minutes ago, Elliott approached Monica, grabbed her shoulders firmly to prevent her from escaping, then put on a wicked grin.

“Hey, servant! Do you care what happens to this squirrel!”

“Huh? What? Um, um…?”

Before Monica could understand what was going on, the door to her house slowly opened to reveal Isaac, who gave Elliott an indifferent glance before smiling at Monica.

“Welcome back, Monica. Is he your guest?”

Elliott wanted to punch Isaac from the bottom of his heart, if not for him wearing the prince’s face.

＊　＊　＊

(W-What on earth is going on…?)

Despite being in her own home, Monica was curled up on a chair and trembling in anxiety.

Meanwhile, the guest, Elliott Howard, sat on the opposite seat while scowling with crossed arms.

The last time Monica had seen Elliott was at the secret gathering during the post-graduation party. They had barely spoken to each other at that event, so this reunion only felt even more distant.

(Ike… Did you tell Howard-sama that you were here…? Probably not…)

After all, Elliott Howard was an advocate of a class-based hierarchy, so he despised those who didn’t know their place.

Elliott believed that nobles should act like nobles, and commoners should act like commoners. He would naturally be disgusted at Isaac ignoring his duties to study under the Silent Witch.

Unable to bear the awkwardness any longer, Monica began fidgeting with her fingers on her lap. At that moment, Isaac, who had been in the kitchen, returned with a tray carrying an apple tart and tea.

Isaac placed a slice of apple tart in front of Monica and Elliott, sprinkling a dash of cinnamon on Monica’s portion, followed by a vigorous double shake to give Elliott’s portion a generous shower.

Elliott immediately scowled at Isaac.

“…Oi.”

“I received this from our neighbor, Mrs. Knolles. Please enjoy.”

Elliott rescinded his scowl by lifting the corners of his mouth into an obviously forced smile, then turned to Monica.

“You know, Little Squirrel. There was once a nasty servant in Duck Crockford’s mansion who persistently added cinnamon to only my sweets.”

“Huh? Um, okay…?”

“That asshole knew I absolutely hated cinnamon, but he just kept doing it, especially when my father was present.”

While still maintaining an unwavering smile, Isaac interjected in a gentle tone, as if reminiscing about the past.

“If I recall correctly, your father Count Darsby was quite strict. He paid particular attention to his son’s picky eating habits.”

“I knew you were doing it intentionally…!”

“Intentionally? I would never. Someone must have mistakenly informed the cook that you prefer sweets with extra cinnamon.”

“Damn you…!”

The verbal battle between the constantly smiling Isaac and the clearly furious Elliott only grew worse from there. Monica was already shaking at the hostile aura radiating from both.

Apparently, their relationship was more strained than she had thought. It was quite surprising that they had managed to keep it hidden during their time in the student council.

Either way, Monica needed to do something about it, so she offered her tart to Elliott.

“Um, I like cinnamon, so… W-Would you like to exchange?”

Without a word, Elliott swapped plates with Monica. Then, he began meticulously scraping off even the slightest bits of cinnamon with his fork. Any cinnamon sticking to the fork was carefully wiped off with a napkin. His hate for cinnamon was truly intense.

“Well, guess what, good-for-nothing servant. His Highness always said he liked cinnamon and offered to secretly switch with me.”

“The poison testers might faint if they heard that.”

“I don’t want to hear that from the guy who literally spiked my food with cinnamon.”

As Elliott scoffed in exasperation, Isaac responded with complete composure.

“It seems I must offer you my deepest apologies, Elliott-sama. I was under the mistaken assumption that you loved cinnamon all this time.”

Despite the politeness of his speech, Isaac did not even attempt to hide the sarcasm in his tone, which caused Elliott’s temple to twitch.

Noticing this, Monica turned to Isaac in shock.

(For some reason, Ike seems really childish today…!)

Elliott had already begun eating his tart while Monica was thinking this, so she got to nibbling at her cinnamon-covered tart while asking a question.

“So, um… Howard-sama, what business do you have today…?”

“A magical dedication for the festival,” Isaac answered in place of Elliott. Then, he turned to Elliott with a smirk. “Am I correct in assuming so, Viscount Howard?”

“Hmph. Well, if you know that much, then I guess you’re actually doing your job to some extent.”

Monica paused her nibbling and blinked a few times before voicing her doubt.

“Um… Viscount?”

“I was recently granted a title, since I now govern the town of Rainfield,” Elliott answered.

Rainfield was located slightly northeast of the capital, right in the halfway point between rural and urban areas. Apparently, the town was famous for having many craftsmen of musical instruments.

Due to this influence, Rainfield developed a vibrant music scene, which led to it having a disproportionate number of orchestras given its size.

“There’s a small forest outside of town, which has a temple dedicated to the Spirit King of Wind, Shefield. And they’re holding a festival soon.”

While Ridill had many temples for worshiping the various Spirit Kings, there were actually only a few dedicated to the Spirit King of Wind.

The most common target of worship was, of course, the Spirit King of Light. Next were the Spirit Kings of Earth and Water, who were beloved by farmers, followed by the Spirit King of Fire due to his popularity among blacksmiths and warriors.

In comparison, many legends depicted the Spirit King of Wind as a whimsical figure, so few revered him enough to the point of wanting to worship him in particular.

That said, the Spirit King of Wind governs music and the arts, so it made sense to have a temple dedicated to him in a town with so many musicians.

“This festival is a large-scale event that only happens once every ten years. After offering songs and prayers at the temple, we perform a magical dedication, so…”

Magical dedications were performances where mages showcase their magic during festivals or similar events. Though typically handled by advanced mages, the Seven Sages received such requests a few times a year.

Since such requests often involved appearing in public, they were usually taken up by the Starseer Witch, the Barrier Mage, or, if it required some flashy fireworks, the Artillery Mage.

Naturally, Monica’s aversion to crowds meant that she had never performed a magical dedication.

Noticing the tense expression on Monica’s face, Elliott awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he continued.

“…I want you to handle the magical dedication.”

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