[V13C23] Once Upon A Time, A Certain Man Ditched The Parade

Nobles dressed in their finest attire could be seen throughout the palace garden, either engaging in lively conversation or admiring roses and other flowers.

Their lively chatter came to brief pause when Glenn escorted Elianne into the venue, passing under an arch of rose vines.

Everyone glanced in her direction, and their smiles from viewing beautiful flowers turned into various expressions of curiosity, pity, or contempt. There was also a minority who seemed to be impressed.

――Impressed that Elianne dared to show herself in public, that is.

Elianne was the daughter of Duke Reinberg, so the rumors about her involvement in a magical-tool related incident had already spread through most social circles. The more well-informed ones knew that her skin was affected, and that she was undergoing treatment at the Royal Institute of Magic.

Even those not in the know quickly noticed her markedly short hair. She stood out greatly, as the noble ladies of Ridill never cut their hair short.

(I am here of my own accord. Lift your head, Elianne Hyatt.)

Reaffirming her determination, Elianne raised her head to see several women averting their eyes from her. Some of them were family friends or acquaintances that she had known since childhood.

Clearly, they were wondering why Elianne chose to attend the garden party.

Elianne was distantly related to the royal family, so she was used to being the center of attention. One smile was enough to make everyone look at her… But that was all in the past.

Now, she was merely damaged goods.

She felt herself shrinking under their gazes, and the blood draining from her limbs. Her legs started wobbling.

——Fear. Embarrassment. Depression. She wanted to run and escape from it all.

“Elly, Elly,” Glenn whispered, glancing around nervously. “I feel like everyone is staring at us…”

Had he finally realized the hostility surrounding them?

“…Is there a tear in my pants or something?” Glenn asked. “I haven’t worn these in a while, so they feel really tight…”

“…”

Glenn seriously believed that these hostile stares were directed at him, which could not be further from the truth.

Certainly, there were many nobles giving Glenn curious looks as well, but these held a completely different meaning. The stares meant for Elianne had more pity than curiosity, while the ones for Glenn were full of anticipation.

All of them wanted a view of the first Magic Knight in Ridill’s history. They wanted to talk to the young man who fought against the Black Dragon of Sazandol.

And yet, Glenn remained oblivious to his own value. His mind was completely consumed with concerns about his pants.

Elianne gathered her determination and hugged Glenn’s arm, causing him to let out a slight gasp of surprise.

This gave her a strange feeling of pleasure, as she had finally gotten revenge on Glenn for always surprising her.

“Today,” Elianne said, putting on her usual face. “I will be flaunting you.”

“Flaunting? …Me?”

“Now please escort me properly.”

Glenn, who was still surprised by Elianne grabbing his arm, walked with stiff movements. Meanwhile, Elianne maintained her usual graceful posture, making sure to hold her head at the perfect angle to make herself look the cutest.

Elianne had never been an unparalleled beauty, but she knew how to present herself.

After a bit of walking, the After walking a bit, Elianne spotted a familiar face: a noble who invested in the Royal Institute of Magic.

“Good day to you, Lord Rudol.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect to see you here, Miss Hyatt…”

Following a brief moment of surprise, the man returned Elianne’s greeting with an apologetic expression.

“I’ve heard the rumors. The past month must have been tough for you. I can only imagine how worried your father was.”

“Indeed,” Elianne replied. “My skin was in an absolutely awful state. I thought I might never be able to walk under the sun again.”

Elianne lowered her head, with tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Then, she shook her head, as if to shake off the tears, and put on a cute smile.

“However, our friends at the Royal Institute of Magic worked tirelessly to restore my skin. This is thanks to the Institute and everyone who supports them.”

As someone who invested in the Royal Institute of Magic, this man was included.

Elianne was attending the garden party to prove, with her own body, the success of the Royal Institute of Magic, and to attract additional sponsors.

The restoration of her skin was still imperfect. There was always the chance that it could fall off on its own someday.

Thus, Elianne needed the Institute to continue their research, and this was the best way to ensure that.

Elianne performed a curtsy and lowered her head.

“Please allow me to express my gratitude, as an apprentice researcher at the Royal Institute of Magic.”

Hearing that, Glenn gasped in surprise.

＊　＊　＊

“Elly, you want to be a researcher?”

Glenn asked this question as they went around greeting the Royal Institute of Magic’s sponsors.

In Ridill, many believed that it was shameful for high-ranking noble ladies to work. However, Elianne responded with a proud nod.

“Yes, though I am currently nothing more than an apprentice… That said, someone with experience getting attacked by an ancient artifact is a precious asset, so they wouldn’t want to let go of me. They ended up accepting me surprisingly easily.”

That was a lie. Elianne had great difficulty persuading her parents and the head of the institute. There were still many researchers who did not approve of her working there.

But Elianne didn’t want to remain a powerless patient, just waiting for others to help her.

(I am Elianne Hyatt, the proud daughter of Duke Reinberg.)

She currently lived in a mansion in the capital with several servants supporting her, all prepared by her father. This was her first time working, so she had much to learn, and she needed time to adjust to life in the capital.

Surely, there were many people laughing at her behind her back, calling her a foolish and naive girl. In fact, some of the nobles she greeted today had failed to conceal their sneers.

(What does that matter?)

Glenn had helped Elianne regain her lost skin, as well as her pride, so that she could stand up again.

There was nothing wrong with a lady cherishing a gift from her loyal knight.

“You know, Glenn-sama, I’m not very familiar with the royal capital. Could you show me around sometime?”

Elianne tilted her head cutely and made the request with upturned eyes.

“Sure!” Glenn replied. “I know a bakery with delicious bread! Also, a place that’s good for dried fruit, and a restaurant where you can eat a lot for cheap, and…”

“Oh dear, only food? Please look into the theater and apparel stores too.”

——”A theater, she says?”

——”With that hair?”

A few whispers and chuckles from the onlookers entered her ears.

In situations like this, the appropriate response was to brush it off with a carefree smile, pretending not to hear anything.

But Elianne was unable to do that. This turned out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

(Oh no…)

Her stress and anxiety over the past few days had pushed her to the limit, and her tears began to overflow.

(I’m crying…?)

Elianne quickly lowered her head and hid her tears behind her fan, but suddenly, she felt her feet leaving the ground.

Glenn had lifted her into his arms.

“Glenn-sama?”

Chanting an incantation, Glenn kicked off the ground and activated his flight magic.

As the two ascended into the sky, the hem of Elianne’s skirt and the ribbon in her hair fluttered in the wind.

The nobles participating in the garden party looked up in surprise, starting a slight commotion.

“The garden party was supposed to be about the flowers,” Glenn said, looking down once they reached the height of the palace’s roof. “We haven’t gotten to enjoy them at all.”

Prompted by Glenn, Elianne also directed her gaze downwards. An entire field of roses spread before their eyes. They were red, pink, yellow, orange, white… All the colors of early summer.

“See? This is the best spot to view them!”

This feeling of the wind against her cheeks seemed oddly nostalgic. It reminded Elianne of the time Glenn lifted her at the school festival.

“Jeez! You really never change!”

Elianne laughed from the bottom of her heart.

It wasn’t proper for a noble lady to laugh so hard, but that didn’t matter, as Glenn was the only person watching.

＊　＊　＊

Mary Harvey, Bradford Firestone, and Silas Page were discussing the parade for the Sage Appointment Ceremony in a room of the palace.

Silas was the star of the show, so he made sure to double and triple-check the itinerary. Forgetting the schedule was not an option.

Meanwhile, Mary looked out the window and exclaimed, “Oh my!”

“Whoa,” Silas gasped, also looking out the window. “Isn’t that the Barrier Mage’s disciple… Glenn, right?”

Glenn was dressed in formal attire and carrying a young lady into the sky with flight magic.

He seemed to be attending the garden party, so why did he need to use magic? Silas scratched his head in confusion.

“How nostalgic,” Mary murmured with a hand on her cheek. “A certain someone once skipped their own Sage appointment parade to go for a stroll in the sky with their lover… It looked just like that.”

This only left Silas more confused.

“Oh yeah,” Bradford followed, crossing his arms. “He even made his ten years younger colleague cast an illusion to cover for his absence…”

A certain someone in the Sevens Sages with a colleague ten years younger? It did not require much thought to figure out who they were referring to. Glenn’s master, Louis Miller the Barrier Mage.

“What a guy…” Silas sighed.

“Silas-chan, please don’t do the same thing as him, okay?”

“…Yeah.”

Silas nodded and gave another look outside, where Glenn and the young lady were happily laughing together.

A young man and woman flying under a pleasant blue sky and white clouds, with an expansive garden of roses beneath them.

The scene looked so picturesque. Even the fancy window frames of this room seemed like the frame of a painting.

View the latest chapters at seeker142.github.io