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Join the ServerInside the President’s office on the second floor of the Magic Association, in Volantis City.
Unaware of the events unfolding below, Harvey continued his desultory conversation with Edwin.
Despite the inherent awkwardness that had permeated their talk from beginning to end, Harvey had, at the very least, not forgotten Alcius’s earnest instructions before his departure.
Seeing that time was pressing, he finally spoke.
“Let’s put a stop to this discussion about Leya, then. It seems, Master, that apart from your apprentice’s name, you genuinely know nothing else about her…”
“…………”
Unable to refute, Edwin merely stroked his beard in silence.
Even a mere surname would have sufficed, yet Edwin had never pressed Leya for details.
He had no desire to delve into the unknown depths of her background. Still, Edwin himself was now quite perplexed. Given Leya’s familiarity with the Blonde Sword Princess, it seemed utterly illogical that she would be completely ignorant of magic.
After all, she was accompanied by a Level 3+ martial artist! Realistically, even if her family hailed from a lineage of Knights—the typical designation for powerful martial families—she shouldn’t have been utterly clueless about magic upon their first meeting.
Moreover, if she truly came from a knightly household, Leya’s physical constitution should not have been so remarkably poor. Edwin had once tested Leya, and the results indicated that her physical prowess was no different from that of the lowest-ranking commoner.
Thus, Edwin now harbored a suspicion that Leya’s true identity might simply be that of a ‘maid’ following the Blonde Sword Princess.
Such a conjecture was undeniably audacious. Yet, who could argue that it wasn’t the most plausible explanation for Leya’s current situation?
Though, the idea of a mere maid casually handling such ‘important’ magic books, in Edwin’s estimation, and scribbling freely upon them, was also quite baffling.
“Alright, my time is limited, and I’ve wasted enough of it here. Let’s get straight to the point!”
“…………”
‘Wasted enough of it,’ he said. Two veins throbbed involuntarily on Edwin’s forehead.
‘Are you implying I invited you here, you insolent brat!?’ he thought.
‘Truly… if not for the trouble you’d cause, this old man would have long since knocked some sense into you with my staff, teaching you the meaning of respecting your elders and cherishing the young.’
“My purpose in coming here is quite simple, actually…”
[Bang, bang, bang—]
“Uh…”
Silence fell.
“Young… Young Master, this… this time, it’s truly urgent, and I had no choice but to come up again!”
“…………”
‘Hah… urgent?’
Harvey offered an inscrutable smile, but this time, he did not interrupt the soldier’s message from outside the door.
“Um… Young Master, there’s a girl outside. She asked us to bring something for you to see. She said that once you see it… you will… you will…”
“Oh? Interesting… you will what?”
“Uh… you will regret the words you just spoke…”
“…………”
“…………”
A profound silence descended.
Not just outside, but even within the office, an unexpected quietness settled.
It was so still that one could almost hear the faint, suppressed snickering of someone downstairs.
The first sound to break this stillness, however, was a rather exaggerated burst of laughter from someone within the room.
“Ha… haha… hahahahahahahahaha!—”
[Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—]
As if feeling that his outburst wasn’t enough, Harvey couldn’t help but applaud.
“‘Something’? Hahaha—Excellent, truly excellent! Something that can make this Young Master regret his words…”
“What is it? A regret potion? Hahaha—”
“Uh… Young Master, it’s a sword…” The soldier outside answered honestly, despite his trembling voice.
“A sword?”
Now it was Harvey’s turn to be stunned. A sword that could make him regret his words?
His father’s sword? Or Alcius’s?
Truthfully, only those two swords came to Harvey’s mind when he considered weapons worthy of such a claim.
However, both of those swords should currently be in the northern stronghold of Avakan City. How could either of them appear here? It was impossible for his father to contact him; he was reportedly leading an expedition to the Kingdom of Gasol. There was no reason, nor time, for him to engage in such an act.
The Sixth Prince was even less likely. He and Harvey were in the same city. Any matters could be handled via a magic communicator, as they weren’t beyond communication range. Why would he send someone all the way back north to retrieve a sword, only to have them rush back just to give Harvey a ‘show of force’?
After much deliberation, Harvey, still unable to fathom it, spoke towards the door.
“Intriguing… bring it in! Let this Young Master see whose sword possesses such confidence…”
Yet, his words had barely faded.
With a soft [Creak—], the door swung open.
Slowly, appearing alongside the soldier who seemed to be struggling to hold the weapon in his hands, was indeed a sword. But it was…
“It… it’s her!!!!!!!!!?”
****
“Uh… Miss Leya… sh-should we… perhaps, just call it a day?”
Walking along the path to the President’s office on the second floor.
Elina glanced ahead, then behind, before finally lowering her head and gently tugging on Leya’s skirt. She spoke in a hushed whisper.
Of course, if she could, Elina would have liked to speak louder!
But honestly, how could anyone relax when surrounded by formidable-looking soldiers, each with a long blade at their hip, radiating an intimidating aura?
Well… that might be true, but it was also possible, as evidenced by the person in front of her.
Leya, glancing left and right, casually whistled. Even after hearing Elina’s words, she merely waved her hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry, Elina, everything will be fine. Soon we can head to the magic training room, trust me!”
“Uh…”
“Oh, it seems we’ve arrived. Well, Elina… wait for me just outside the door, just for a moment. Yes, it should be very quick!”
“Then… Miss Leya, please be careful!”
“…………”
She had already stepped one foot into the room, but Elina’s words made her pause.
Turning back, Leya mysteriously placed a finger to her lips, smiling.
“Hm… his reaction will determine whether I need to be careful!”