The Tea House Incident and the Greenhouse Gathering

The tea houses in the Academy were as crowded as ever today.

A stray hiccup could have been heard at any moment.

However, the timing was far too coincidental to be dismissed as a mere accident.

“Did they hear us?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm—.”

Agniele remained indifferent regardless of whether someone had overheard their conversation.

Genea, however, could not let the matter go so easily.

There was a reason why the Duke’s conditions were meant to be kept secret.

It was the kind of information that would turn common rumors into something far more dangerous.

Genea lamented his own foolishness for letting his guard down and speaking so carelessly.

He should have been much more careful.

“I think it is better to check after all.”

“Hi-up—!”

As if testing the air, Genea spoke up, and at that exact moment, the sound of someone sharply inhaling reached them.

Now certain thanks to that transparent reaction, Genea started to turn his head to identify the source.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Suddenly, the water—!”

Bang, bang! Crash!

A sharp noise was followed by a chorus of screams.

Water erupted from every direction, turning the tea house into a scene of absolute chaos in an instant.

The server, startled by a jet of water shooting up toward the ceiling, dropped the teapot.

Students who had been enjoying their tea jumped from their seats, screaming at the bizarre phenomenon.

“What in the world…”

Genea stood frozen, unable to believe the surreal situation.

“Ah, hot—!”

While he was blinking vacantly, the tea sitting in his cup surged upward and slapped him across the face.

Though it had cooled down, the shock of it hitting his sensitive skin made him let out a yelp.

Wiping his face with a handkerchief pulled hastily from his pocket, Genea noticed Agniele.

Unlike everyone else, Agniele stood perfectly calm and dry.

“Why are you completely fine?”

“I blocked it.”

“With what?”

Instead of answering, Agniele held up a soaking wet handkerchief.

It was the one embroidered with the Lassias family crest that he always carried.

“That tiny piece of cloth could not have blocked a jet like that.”

“You just have to strike it with mana.”

“……This is why I cannot stand knights.”

Muttering with envy, Genea shook out his damp hair and sighed.

The fact that they had failed to identify the eavesdropper remained a thorn in his side.

Ensi let out a languid breath as he rested on his familiar bed.

It was a luxury to finally relax in his own space after such a long time.

The blankets smelled of sun-dried warmth, and the air carried a heavy invitation to sleep.

Since it was the weekend and he had no schedule, Ensi was about to surrender to the pull of sleep.

However, a gust of wind strong enough to make the canopy flutter forced his eyes open.

“Wind inside the greenhouse?”

An artificial scent drifted toward him.

Since he did not sense a trace of mana, the culprit was obvious.

Realizing sleep was no longer possible, Ensi sat up and placed his feet on the floor.

As if waiting for this moment, the canopy was drawn back in a gesture of forced guidance.

Ensi glared at the wide opening that was large enough for a massive man to pass through.

When he remained stationary, the quiet air became restless and the temperature began to fluctuate.

[This is not right.]

[Move, move.]

[That child is looking for you.]

Though the invisible entities circling him sent their voices, Ensi remained motionless.

When he went as far as closing his eyes as if he could not hear them, the spirits finally revealed themselves.

[How mean, you know we are here.]

[You can hear everything.]

[Pretending you do not know. You are truly too much.]

Despite the barrage of pure complaints, Ensi’s expression did not change.

The fact that these clever beings had come for him meant Donovan was not in immediate danger.

If he were, they would not have left his side to seek Ensi out.

They would have gone to Cyril, a healing priest, or stayed to save him.

They knew instinctively what could kill or save a human, even if they pretended otherwise.

“You should at least tell me where to go.”

[Where? Where were we going?]

[I do not know, but the child is looking for you.]

[So let us go. Come with us.]

The three spirits, shimmering in the green light of early summer leaves, spun around Ensi while talking incoherently.

Since the only certain thing was that Donovan was looking for him, Ensi lay back down on the bed.

[What!]

[Were you not coming with us?]

[The child is looking for you!]

“You said he is looking for me. Then he will be coming here.”

He did not want to risk missing each other by moving, though he knew the spirits would prevent that.

More than anything, he simply did not want to leave the greenhouse.

To Ensi, the world outside the greenhouse was filled only with dangerous elements.

As he reached his conclusion and yawned, one of the circling spirits settled irritably on top of his head.

[Hmph! If you go too, you can meet him faster!]

Upset that things were not going its way, the spirit tried to pluck at his gold-thread-like hair.

[No, that is the human the child treasures.]

[I know. I know that!]

[No, you do not. Get over here, now!]

The other two spirits rushed in, grabbing the one on Ensi’s head and dragging it away.

Ensi watched the bickering spirits float up toward the highest point of the canopy.

He knew Donovan would reach the greenhouse before their emotions caused any real chaos.

Listening to the sound of the whistling wind, Ensi lay idly until he sensed someone approaching.

“Lily?”

“……Hey, Ensi. Not a good afternoon.”

“Right, a good afternoon to you too.”

Ensi tilted his head, giving a standard greeting to the Lily who was pointedly saying the opposite.

“Why are you here?”

“I do not know. I was on a date with Nocturn and I got dragged here by these guys…….”

Lily stepped into the sanctuary and crouched on the floor, muttering gloomily.

The spirits seemed to think her reaction was part of a game, circling her head with bursts of clear laughter.

Lily let out a sobbing sound of frustration, but Ensi knew she was not actually crying.

“Ensi— are you not on my side?”

When Ensi continued to ignore her, Lily peeked her head up.

“Give up. Since when have they ever cared about our feelings?”

To the spirits, the priority was Donovan and no one else.

They only tolerated Lily and Ensi because Donovan would be sad if something happened to them.

“True.”

Knowing the truth did not make the annoyance go away for Lily.

While she hit the floor with her fists to vent, Ensi noticed a familiar spirit and beckoned it.

The spirit that usually played in the Sun Grass fields flew straight to him and settled on the bed.

This confirmed that Donovan was very close.

Ensi looked up and used his finger to steady a spirit that had tumbled backward.

“Argh! It was our first date in so long!”

“Oh…… I am sorry, Lily. I think I was so flustered that I did not communicate clearly.”

“—Donovan?”

Lily turned around in shock at the sound of Donovan’s voice behind her.

Donovan gave an awkward smile and scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

Lily finally sighed and waved her hand, realizing it was not his fault.

She blamed the spirits, or perhaps the author who made them so sensitive to Donovan’s emotions.

[He is here, he is here!]

[He is finally here. Everyone is together!]

[We brought them, right? Did we do good?]

The spirits fluttered toward Donovan, begging for praise.

Donovan reached out and gently stroked them.

“Good job. Thank you for moving for my sake, everyone.”

The spirits rejoiced at the kind words as if they had received a massive gift.

“So, what happened that made you flustered enough to trigger the spirits?”

Lily threw out the question while watching the spirits with a slightly bitter eye.

At that, the memory of the incident at the tea house flooded back.

Donovan’s face instantly darkened.