[V13C21] A Cool Girl

Glenn Dudley lay sprawled on the bed of his home, idly gazing at the familiar ceiling stains he had known since childhood.

Given the pleasantly warm weather outside the window, Glenn had no reason to stay indoors. But today, he lacked the motivation to do anything.

The last few days had been truly tumultuous.

After transporting Gluttonous Zoe from Sazandol to the Royal Institute of Magic, Glenn volunteered himself as a mana supplier for the large medical devices.

Now, the project had finished their initial experiments and started moving onto the extensive verification process. Glenn’s role would be minimal from here on out.

“…”

Glenn turned away from the window, rolled over, and closed his eyes.

Everyone had worked hard to reclaim what was stolen by Gluttonous Zoe.

The Seven Sages and their disciples, as well as Cyril, Lana, Karina and many others. Countless members of the Magic Corps, the Dragon Knights, the researchers, and even Glenn himself. They had truly given it their all.

——But still, they failed to get back everything for Elianne.

Louis’s sacrifice had not been in vain. The experiments led to the discovery that Elianne’s skin could be stabilized by setting the medical devices to output a specific type of mana.

However, full stabilization could only be achieved if her skin was perfectly reattached in the exact same location. This was exceedingly difficult for her hair, due to all the tiny cross-sections they would need to realign.

Even worse, any reduction in Elianne’s mana would result in instability, so all of her hair would fall off again.

One of the researchers, Hilda Everett (apparently Monica’s foster mother), had put it this way:

“You can think of it like using two types of glue. The first is the subject’s own mana, and the second is the mana from the medical devices. It only remains stable if we have both… so it may fall off if the subject’s mana weakens.”

They had succeeded in reattaching Elianne’s skin thanks to the efforts of the researchers (and Louis’s sacrifice).

However, any reduction in her mana caused red streaks to appear across her skin. This could only be fixed by undergoing additional treatment with the medical devices.

While Elianne knew the basics of magecraft, she rarely used it. Her skin could be maintained as long as she refrained from casting spells.

But unfortunately, it was impossible to reattach her hair, and there was no guarantee that her skin would stay reattached forever. She would have to live in constant fear of her skin peeling off on its own.

(I promised Elly that I would get everything back… but I couldn’t do it.)

Glenn had failed to fulfill his promise to Elianne.

And yet, he was about to be granted the grandiose title of Magic Knight.

Glenn was in turmoil over his own uselessness, so how could he deserve such a reward?

Nobles across the country were gathering in the palace for the annual garden party, which had been slightly delayed.

Five days from now, they would be handing out the rewards for those who contributed to solving the Gluttonous Zoe incident. This doubled as the unveiling for the Dragon Slayer Mage, as well as Glenn’s appointment as a Magic Knight.

With nobles throughout the country attending, the garden party was sure to be a grand event.

(Can I just say no?)

Glenn wanted to refuse the title, but apparently, refusing such an honor without a good reason was considered extremely disrespectful.

A while ago, he tried consulting a fellow disciple to the Seven Sages, Hugo Galletti, about this matter. Hugo had immediately grabbed Glenn’s shoulders and firmly advised him against it.

“No, no, no, you can’t refuse something like this. They’ve already created the new position for you, so rejecting it is like spitting in the face of the royal family. Both you and your master will be screwed, like seriously.”

It’s not like Glenn had asked for any title, so this seemed unfair to him.

Depressed, Glenn started thinking about what he would say to Elianne the next time they met. However, his thoughts were interrupted when the door to his room swung open.

His two younger sisters rushed into his room without knocking.

First came Anna, a sixteen-year-old girl with the same dirty-blonde hair as Glenn, tied into a ponytail.

Next was Betty, a freckled fifteen-year-old girl with the same colored hair, except tied into twintails.

“Glenn-nii, Glenn-nii!” Anna shouted. “This is big! Super big!”

Following her, Betty spoke in a forced fancy tone, apparently trying to imitate the speech of noble ladies.

“Glenn-nii, here is a letter for you! It came by messenger instead of the usual mailman!”

Glenn sighed at the noisiness of his two sisters.

This was probably about his appointment as Magic Knight and the upcoming ceremony. The last things Glenn wanted to hear about right now.

“…Just put it on the table.”

“Open it right now!”

“Please!”

Glenn tried to turn his back to them, but his sisters started slamming his back repeatedly. Or rather, this was probably the work of the rough and energetic Anna.

Betty was usually well-behaved, but even she kept waving the letter in front of Glenn’s face.

The white envelope was clearly of the highest quality, and the sealing wax had some sort of pattern imprinted on it.

“Please take a look at this seal, Glenn-nii. A silver wolf without a crown, and crossed swords under an upward-facing crescent!”

“And? I have no idea what that means.”

“The wolf is the emblem of the royal family! The removed crown means someone who relinquished his right to the throne!”

Apparently, Betty had actually studied a bit of heraldry in her pursuit of acting fancy.

Putting that aside, the implication was obvious. Even Glenn could get the hint.

“So you mean…?”

Glenn sat up from the bed, as his two sisters voiced the answer in unison.

“You’ve been invited to a tea party by…”

“…The one and only Prince Felix Arc Ridill!”

Glenn dropped his jaw in surprise.

＊　＊　＊

One day after receiving the letter, Glenn found himself walking through the corridors of the palace, guided by an attendant.

They were currently holding the garden party, an event signaling the beginning of the social season. Well-dressed nobles had visited from all over the country to enjoy tea parties, evening balls, and flower viewing.

Glenn was wearing the same formal suit that he wore at the Serendia Academy dance party. Since that was two years ago, it felt slightly stiff and uncomfortable.

All of the nobles were giving Glenn curious looks.

(I don’t fit in at all.)

Glenn quietly suppressed a sigh.

He had visited the Magic Corps on several occasions as Louis’s disciple, but he was not accustomed to the palace or noble mansions. The last time he stepped foot in such a fancy building was while attending Serendia Academy.

(Oh, I guess Elly’s place counts too…)

Glenn recalled the time he visited the mansion of Duke Reinberg over winter break, only to get more depressed.

Had he grown at all since then?

(Is there any way to cancel the Magic Knight title? Maybe I can ask the President for help…)

As Glenn struggled to find a solution, he noticed that the attendant guiding him was standing in front of an open door. A lavishly decorated tea room unfolded before him.

A huge window draped with bright red curtains spanned the back of the room. This gave a complete view of the palace garden, putting the blooming roses on full display, as well as the many people enjoying the garden party.

There was a tea table set up next to the window, in the perfect location to enjoy the view, with three people already seated.

The first was the handsome Second Prince, Isaac Walker. He was currently using the face of Felix Arc Ridill, and wearing an extravagant formal suit.

The second was the Silent Witch, Monica Everett, adorned in a cute light-blue dress.

And finally, the third was a young lady with short, wheat-colored hair tied into a bun, dressed in a pink dress… Elianne Hyatt.

Glenn froze the second he saw Elianne. No one told him that she would be attending this tea party.

The Royal Institute of Magic had managed to restore Elianne’s skill to normal, but only on the surface level. There was not a single blemish on her fair face at the moment.

However, her condition could hardly be called stable. If she were to spend any mana, the illusion would fall apart in an instant.

As Glenn stood frozen in the doorway, Isaac greeted him with a gentle smile.

“Hello there, Dudley-kun. Thank you for accepting my sudden invitation.”

“…Hey.”

Glenn slowly approached the round table, and the attendant pulled out a chair for him. His seat was between Isaac and Monica, in other words, directly across from Elianne.

Unable to look Elianne in the eyes, Glenn shifted his gaze to the right to see Monica looking tense for some reason.

Isaac gave a signal with his eyes, then the attendant nodded and left the room after serving Glenn’s tea. Now, only four people were left in the room.

The conversation was about to fall into an awkward lull, but Isaac opened his mouth to prevent this.

“Congratulations on your tremendous achievements, Dudley-kun. I am honored to have studied alongside you at Serendia Academy.”

Receiving such praise from Isaac only made Glenn feel more guilty.

Isaac Walker had been present when they recovered Gluttonous Zoe, but this fact was hidden from the public. Those who didn’t know about his true identity, like Melissa and Silas, were given the following explanation:

“Isaac Walker works for Prince Felix, so publicizing his master-disciple relationship with the Silent Witch could lead to political turmoil and unnecessary speculation. Thus, we want to keep his involvement a secret.”

As a result, Isaac was unable to receive any reward.

“President, I…”

Even as Glenn fumbled over his words, Isaac maintained a calm demeanor and waited for him to continue.

Feeling a stare from Elianne, Glenn clenched his fists under the table and continued.

“I… I want to refuse the Magic Knight title…”

“Why is that?” Isaac asked.

“Because, I…”

Because he failed to fulfill the promise he made with Elianne.

Because he didn’t want to be acknowledged while Isaac received nothing.

Glenn found himself unable to put his feelings of guilt into words, especially since the individuals involved were right in front of him.

Meanwhile, Isaac turned to Monica.

“Lady Everett. How would you describe Dudley-kun’s performance from your point of view?”

“Eh!? R-Right! Um, he was really, really…”

Monica was initially flustered, but she took a short pause to collect her thoughts and correct her posture.

“This bold young man challenged the Black Dragon of Sazandol head-on with skillful usage of multiple-reinforcement formulas. His performance was nothing short of magnificent, Your Highness.”

Monica let out a deep breath, causing Isaac to chuckle slightly as he turned back to Glenn.

“…As you can see, Monica Everett of the Seven Sages seems to have a very high opinion of you, Dudley-kun.”

“But! But I…”

Glenn paused again, unable to find the right words.

This silence was broken by the clinking of a teacup returning to its saucer.

“Oh goodness, how long do you intend to complain!”

Glenn raised his head toward the source of this scolding, meeting eyes with Elianne.

Her usual lovely face was nowhere to be seen, as she was glaring at Glenn in anger.

“You think you can refuse the honor of saving me? That is far too insolent, even for you, Glenn-sama!”

Glenn was dumbfounded.

Elianne was always like a gentle flower. He had never seen her using such strong language before.

“I am standing here today because you restored my skin,” Elianne continued in the same haughty tone.

“But, your hair…”

“My hair will grow back. Until then, I plan to enjoy fashionably short hair.”

Her shortened hair was currently pinned into a bun and adorned with ribbons and flower accessories.

Elianne brushed her fingers against one of those ribbons.

“Just now, I was asking Silent Witch-sama about a trading company she is familiar with. I intend to order hair ornaments from them, ones suitable for shorter hair.”

Monica vigorously nodded in agreement.

“…Elly,” Glenn muttered, still half-stunned. “You seem… a lot cooler now.”

“Ugh! You’ll never understand a woman’s heart, will you!”

Elianne glared at Glenn with pouted lips. Now this was a familiar sight to him.

“Your Highness,” Elianne said, turning to Isaac as she covered her mouth with her fan. “May I be excused to go enjoy the flowers of the garden party?”

“Yes, of course. This garden is the pride and joy of the royal family. Feel free to enjoy it at your leisure.”

“Thank you very much. Now, Glenn-sama…”

Elianne’s blue-gray eyes turned back to Glenn.

“Would you mind escorting me?”

Glenn did his best to recall the etiquette lessons he learned at Serendia Academy, but ultimately failed. All he could remember was Cyril scolding him.

He walked over to Elianne and awkwardly extended his hand.

“Um, may I take your hand…? Is that right?”

“I suppose I can give you a passing grade, just barely. Shall we?”

Elianne took Glenn’s hand and stood up from her seat. Her posture was dignified and perfect, as unexpected of a purebred noble lady.

Again, Glenn could not help but think about how cool Elianne looked right now.

And to him, “cool” was the greatest compliment he could give a woman.

＊　＊　＊

After Glenn and Elianne departed the tea room, Isaac smiled at Monica.

“Those two should be fine now.”

“Right.”

Monica nodded as she sipped her tea, enjoying the refreshing aroma of flowers.

Meanwhile, Isaac opened his pocket watch and checked the time.

“Well then, we probably have enough time to take a look at the garden, but I think we should continue this tea party a little longer.”

Closing his pocket watch with a snap, Isaac put a smirk on the face of the handsome prince.

“The other stubborn guy should be arriving soon.”

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