HMWD 16

Chapter 16

An Uneventful Start (1)

‘Is someone talking about me?’

「Stop picking your ears. It’s disgusting.」

“It itches.”

「I told you not to do that with my body!」

Vivi squawked as she watched Ente lie stretched out in the swaying carriage, picking at her ear.

Melissa Tiony, known as the flower of high society, lying around in such an undignified position and poking at her ear!

Vivi nagged her relentlessly, terrified that someone might see her.

「I told you not to use my body carelessly! How can you do something so uncouth?」

‘Good grief, she’s noisy.’

Ente blew on her little finger and reluctantly sat upright.

The carriage was shaking so much that she had started to feel carsick, so she had lain down for a while. But Vivi was making an even bigger fuss than usual.

「How many times do I have to tell you to behave like a noblewoman? What noble lady in the world lies around in such an undignified position and picks her ears? Even a commoner wouldn’t do something like that.」

“No one’s watching. What does it matter? What’s so terrible about it?”

「I’m watching! I am! I don’t care what you do with your own body, but you can’t do that with Melissa Tiony’s body. Understand?」

‘And how gracefully have you been living, exactly?’

With an annoyed expression, Ente unfolded a handkerchief and draped it over Vivi’s cage.

「Take this off! I can’t see! Hey! I said take it off!」

It was laughable that someone with such a temper claimed to be the flower of high society.

Ignoring Vivi’s complaints, Ente looked out the window.

Several carriages larger than the one she was riding in were traveling alongside them.

The carriage carrying the Marquis and Marchioness was so extravagantly decorated that even calling it luxurious seemed insufficient.

The amount of luggage inside was enormous as well.

The Marchioness had packed as though she intended to move the entire Marquisate, and apparently that still wasn’t enough for her. She had summoned a tailor and ordered more than ten new outfits.

Not to be outdone, the Marquis had packed an armful of rare porcelain, paintings, and jewelry.

On top of that, they had loaded every piece of clothing and piece of furniture she might need, to the point that the carriage wheels looked ready to collapse under the weight.

‘I told them they didn’t need to go this far.’

Ente had tried several times to tell them that the dormitories would surely have most of the necessary furniture, but they were impossible to reason with.

Since she would not be seeing them much after the entrance ceremony for some time, Ente had eventually given up trying to persuade them and let them do as they pleased.

The result was seven carriages following behind her.

Ente sighed as she looked at the long line of carriages.

「Why do you keep sighing? I told you not to sigh carelessly.」

“I’m doing it because I’m troubled. Troubled.”

「What are you troubled about when everything turned out exactly the way you wanted? I’m the one who’s troubled to death.」

Vivi’s grumpy voice came from inside the cage. Ente chuckled and removed the handkerchief.

“What are you troubled about?”

「I’m troubled because I have to live with a bunch of ignorant and uncivilized mages.」

“Then go back to the Marquisate.”

「I can’t! Who knows what you’ll do with my body?」

Vivi clicked her beak insistently, saying that she had to stay close by and keep watch.

For Ente’s part, if she wanted to figure out how to reverse this possession, it was indeed better to have the original owner of the body nearby.

There was just one problem.

「Sit up properly. You’re wrinkling the lace.」

That incessant nagging was the problem.

Vivi never seemed to get tired. She chattered endlessly beside Ente’s ears to the point where Ente felt like she was developing a nervous disorder.

Should I tie her beak shut?

As Ente stared intently at the lace ribbon decorating the cage, consumed by a frightening desire, the carriage suddenly stopped.

“Excuse me. May I ask the reason for your visit?”

A gatekeeper of Castium knocked on the carriage door.

Ente held her admission certificate out through the window.

“I’m here to attend the Magic Academy entrance ceremony.”

After checking the certificate, the gatekeeper allowed the carriage to pass.

The thick fog that had covered the bridge on the day she came to take the entrance examination had completely disappeared.

「Is this Castium?」

“Yes. This is where we’ll be living from now on. What do you think?”

「The buildings look a little old, but it’s not bad.」

Ente chuckled at Vivi’s prim voice.

Just as they were nearly across the bridge, the carriage stopped again.

A young woman’s voice came from outside the window.

“Are you Lady Melissa Tiony?”

Ente poked her head out through the window.

“Yes, I’m Melissa Tiony.”

“The headmaster is waiting for you. Please follow me.”

At the woman’s gesture, Ente tilted her head and climbed out of the carriage.

‘Why does the headmaster want to see me? Could he be someone who knows me?’

Castium had had very little contact with her, but it wouldn’t be strange if there were at least one person there who knew her.

Ente followed the woman without much suspicion.

If possible, she hoped the person might be someone capable of solving this strange phenomenon.

The headmaster’s office was located on the highest floor of the Magic Academy building.

As soon as she reached the floor where the office was located, Ente sensed a powerful flow of mana.

It was a warning directed at reckless intruders or outsiders who might enter without knowing what they were doing.

‘He’s a suspicious fellow.’

Ente smiled faintly to herself.

When she knocked on the door, the large wooden door slid open.

Gildenstern, who had been standing by the window tending to his plants, greeted her warmly.

“Welcome, Lady Melissa Tiony.”

Gildenstern put down the cloth he had been using to wipe the plants and approached the doorway.

He was an imposing man with a particularly impressive bushy beard.

Ente was slightly disappointed that she did not recognize him, but she showed nothing on her face as she entered the headmaster’s office.

The room was more cramped than it appeared from outside. A work desk, a sofa for receiving guests, and dozens of potted plants filled nearly every available space.

Judging by how much smaller the interior was compared to the other floors, Ente suspected that a Warp Portal had been hidden somewhere out of sight.

“I’ve heard quite a lot about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Gildenstern extended his hand.

From his appearance alone, he looked considerably older than her, but in reality, he was probably a mage who had lived far fewer years than she had.

His use of informal speech was not particularly pleasant, but there was nothing she could do about it, so Ente bowed her head.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Melissa Tiony.”

She greeted him as politely as possible and straightened herself, but Gildenstern still had not withdrawn his hand.

With a forced smile, Ente reluctantly took his rough, thick hand.

A strange smile appeared on Gildenstern’s face as he held her hand.

‘Why is he smiling like that? It’s creepy.’

“It’s been a long time.”

‘A long time?’

Ente tilted her head and repeated his words in her mind.

Had Melissa Tiony known this man?

If that was the case, she needed to be careful so that he would not become suspicious.

“Have a seat.”

Gildenstern gestured toward the sofa.

“What did you call me here for?”

Ente sat down and asked rather boldly.

Gildenstern gazed at her with a strange expression.

His gaze was so persistent, as though he were trying to see straight through her, that she found it extremely uncomfortable and looked away.

Gildenstern spoke with a faint smile in his voice.

“I heard that Lady Tiony was the top-ranked student in this year’s Magic Academy entrance examination, so I wanted to see you in person.”

“It’s nothing particularly impressive.”

Ente waved her hand dismissively.

“There’s no need to be so modest. I heard you achieved the highest score in the academy’s history. My expectations for you are very high.”

“Ah, yes…….”

‘Why is he giving me all these unnecessary compliments?’

Suddenly, Vivi’s words came to mind.

‘When the count praises you, you should say, “I don’t know what to do with myself after receiving such praise from you, my lord.” You can’t say it stiffly. Cover your mouth slightly and smile with your eyes. Add a little nasal tone to your voice for better effect.’

Ente gathered her courage and covered her mouth with one hand.

“H-Headmaster, I don’t know what to say after receiving such praise from you.”

“……?”

“…….”

……This definitely wasn’t right.

Ente lowered her flushed head and covered her face with both hands.

Gildenstern broke the silence with a hearty laugh.

Her embarrassment doubled.

Clearing his throat, Gildenstern smoothly changed the subject.

“When did you begin learning magic?”

“A very long time ago…….”

Ah, no. She couldn’t say that.

Ente nearly answered without thinking, but managed to stop herself just in time.

Reminding herself that she was not Magnus but Melissa Tiony, Ente corrected her answer.

“……I’ve wanted to learn for a very long time.”

“I see. So you mean you have never actually studied it?”

“No, I’ve never formally studied it.”

I’m sorry, Master.

Ente looked at Gildenstern with a slight pang of guilt.

“How remarkable. To possess such extraordinary talent without ever having been exposed to magic even once. The Empire nearly lost an extraordinary talent.”

“Ah, yes…….”

‘Why does he keep saying such unnecessary things?’

Unaware that Ente was desperately looking for an opportunity to escape out of embarrassment and boredom, the headmaster spoke again.

“If you have never studied magic, then you must also be unfamiliar with controlling mana.”

“I’ll have to work hard and learn from now on.”

“You’re an enthusiastic student.”

Apparently pleased with her answer, Gildenstern smiled again.

“By the way, have you prepared for the entrance ceremony? Traditionally, the top-ranked student gives a speech as the freshman representative at the entrance ceremony.”

“A speech at the entrance ceremony? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Ente had only been told that she would be the freshman representative, so she was startled to hear that she had to give a speech.

‘If I’d known this would happen, I would have held back a little.’

She hated standing in front of people and spouting words she didn’t even mean.

She had never had to do such a thing even when she was Magnus.

As she regretted not settling for second place, which would have kept her from attracting so much attention, Gildenstern added,

“There’s no need to feel pressured. You simply need to talk about how you feel about entering the academy and what kind of attitude you intend to have during your time here.”

That didn’t sound too difficult.

She hated troublesome things, but after making the Marquis and Marchioness come all the way to Castium, she could endure that much effort.

Ente nodded.

“All right. I’ll do it.”

“I’m counting on you.”

When Ente readily agreed, Gildenstern smiled and stood up.

Wondering if she could leave now, Ente shifted in her seat, but Gildenstern brought something from his desk and held it out to her.

“I have a gift for the top-ranked student.”

“A gift?”

In Gildenstern’s hand was a small obsidian bracelet.

Before Ente could even ask what it was, Gildenstern fastened the bracelet around her wrist.

The moment it was put on, the bracelet emitted a transparent light and disappeared.

It was a mana stone that was almost impossible to feel once worn.

Ente looked at Gildenstern in confusion.

“It’s a bracelet with an excellent mana-stabilizing effect. It’s much better than the mana stabilizing stone you’re wearing.”

Gildenstern pointed toward the mana-stabilizing necklace around Ente’s neck.

Ente forced a smile and looked at the bracelet around her wrist.

‘You bastard.’

What Gildenstern had placed around Ente’s wrist was a mana-control stone designed to prevent magical beasts from going berserk.

Because it had been made for magical beasts, it was almost never used on humans.

There were rare cases in which inexperienced mages who struggled to control their mana voluntarily used control stones to help themselves become accustomed to controlling their power, but using one on another person was strictly prohibited.

This was a much higher-grade item than a control stone designed for magical beasts, so it would not interfere with her ability to use magic for the time being.

However, if she used more mana than the limit set by the caster, the excess mana would rebound against her.

‘If I tell him to take it off right now…….’

Even if she was the top-ranked student, it would be suspicious if Melissa Tiony recognized a mana-control stone.

Especially when Gildenstern was already clearly suspicious of her abilities, getting angry would only make things worse.

In the past, she could have simply dispelled a toy like this.

But now, she did not have enough power to nullify Gildenstern’s magic.

Ente bit her lip so hard that it nearly bled.

Gildenstern smiled as he looked at her with knowing eyes.

“I look forward to seeing you at the entrance ceremony. You may leave now.”

Ente left the headmaster’s office with gritted teeth.

The woman who had guided her there and then disappeared was waiting outside the door.

Ente wanted to snap at her and ask what the hell this was all about, but there was no point taking out her frustration on someone who wasn’t human.

So she merely followed the woman while breathing heavily through her nose.

“Where are we going?”

“I will escort you to the conference room.”

“What about my parents?”

“They have been escorted to their rooms.”

Ente had nothing more to say after hearing how efficiently everything had been handled, so she continued following the woman.

The invisible bracelet on her wrist continued to irritate her.

‘Should I cut off my wrist?’

If this had not been Melissa’s body, she would have done exactly that.

It was not uncommon for mages to lose a limb or two.

If necessary, they could simply attach an animal’s limb in its place.

But Melissa, a noble young lady, would never be able to tolerate living without her wrist.

‘I’m not a criminal. Why am I wearing shackles?’

Since Gildenstern had placed it on her, she would not be able to remove it unless she found a mage with greater magical power than him.

And if she wanted to find a mage more powerful than the headmaster of the Magic Academy, she had no choice but to go to the Wizard’s Tower.

She now had one more reason to go to the Wizard’s Tower.

Ente walked on, sighing heavily.

When they arrived in front of the conference room, loud voices could be heard from inside.

The guide knocked on the door and then disappeared like a mirage once again.

Ente stood there blankly, thinking about the automatic door to the headmaster’s office.

Suddenly, the door swung open right before her eyes.

Ente looked at the man who had opened the door in surprise.

“Lady Tiony?”