Chapter 38: The Farewell and Arrival at the Estate

“See you later then.”

“Yeah! I’ll send the carriage on the scheduled date, so you just have to hop on when it arrives.”

“Yes. We’ll definitely meet again. I’ll be waiting.”

I said my farewells to Anne and Celian, who were seeing me off while carrying a bag full of my belongings.

Although we would likely meet again within a month, Celian acted as if it would be a lifetime before we’d see each other again, making it feel a bit overwhelming.

I extended my hand to Anne and Celian for a handshake. After all, we’d already had all sorts of conversations over the past day, so there was no need for a long goodbye.

It was better to say goodbye casually, as though we’d see each other tomorrow. A month is a short time when you think about it from a certain perspective.

Anne grabbed my outstretched hand tightly. The way she clenched it with her small hands gave a glimpse of her personality even in something as simple as a handshake.

Similarly, Celian firmly gripped my hand and shook it lightly up and down. After a couple of shakes, Anne seemed satisfied and released my hand with a bright smile.

Next was Celian.

Celian, still reluctant to part, hesitated to initiate the handshake. She was being stubborn, as she knew that after shaking hands, it would truly feel like a farewell.

At the start of the semester, we couldn’t have imagined being this close, but by the end of the first semester, we had become the closest of friends. I gently took Celian’s hesitant hand with both of mine.

After a brief shake, I let go, and as I did, Celian seemed unwilling to let go and slowly released my hand with outstretched fingers.

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

“Anne, Celie, see you after the break. Take care, both of you.”

Yuri, who had said her goodbyes earlier, also waved and boarded her carriage. I grabbed my bag and followed her, stepping into the carriage.

The carriage set off. Looking out the window, I saw Anne waving both hands high in the air, while Celian, with one hand modestly lowered, waved lightly with the other to see us off.

***

“By the way, this carriage doesn’t shake as much as I thought it would.”

“Well, it’s been enchanted with various spells. There are spells to reduce the shaking of the carriage, soundproofing magic, temperature control magic, and even simple barrier magic.

The maintenance costs are high, but it’s worth it. Most nobles probably use carriages like this.”

So, does that mean the carriage that Anne and Celian will send will be the same?

The only carriages I had ridden before were cargo carts used to transport goods in the village. Even the transport carriages used to travel between villages weren’t anything like this.

The ceiling even had magical lights, so there was no need to light candles. It really made me feel how high-class Yuri’s family must be.

For a moment, I was tempted to ask about the price of the carriage, but I knew it would probably be an absurd amount, so I left my curiosity unspoken.

“Would you like something to drink?”

While I was silently looking around the carriage, Yuri casually picked up a teapot.

Normally, I’d end up washing my face with tea on a carriage ride, but in this carriage, it seemed perfectly fine.

“Or we have cold drinks as well.”

Yuri opened a small refrigerator in the corner and handed me a juice. Looking at the carriage now, I was seriously considering whether it was better than the dorms.

I took the juice and quenched my thirst, stopping my wandering gaze.

“We’ll probably arrive by dinner.”

Luckily, Yuri’s estate wasn’t too far from the academy. The roads were well-paved, and with magical assistance for the horses and the carriage, we would arrive in just a few hours.

I knew some students had to travel for days by carriage to reach their faraway destinations. I couldn’t even imagine how horrible it would be to travel without magic like Yuri’s carriage.

It would be better for students from other kingdoms who use teleportation magic for special travel purposes between countries. Though they have to go through complex identity verification, it’s still better than traveling for days by carriage.

If not, depending on the region, students might even have to spend the entire break just traveling. In that case, it would be better to just stay in my dorm for the whole break.

The carriage arrived at the estate and carefully crossed the grounds, stopping in front of the mansion. Outside the mansion, several servants were already waiting, possibly having been notified when we arrived at the estate gate.

“Please leave your luggage to us.”

As I was about to get off the carriage, following Yuri who had already descended and grabbed my bag, a butler who had been waiting by the side spoke to me. Since I didn’t think they would open my bag, I handed it over willingly.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Of course, it’s our duty, you don’t need to say it.”

The butler slightly bowed his head in acknowledgment and, with a bit more humility than before, took my bag. It was his job, so what could I do?

I wouldn’t be staying at the mansion for long anyway, so this level of distance was enough.

“Miss, the master is waiting for you. Shall we go right away?”

“Yes, I’ll just change my clothes and go up. Please give El the best room.”

“Yes, understood.”

The senior-most butler, having received the instruction, began giving various orders to the other young servants.

“Well then, El, I’ll come to your room later. Let’s go see Father together.”

“Okay, see you later.”

After parting with Yuri, I followed the maid who was guiding me. The mansion was quite large, and it seemed easy for someone unfamiliar to get lost.

“You’ll be using this room.”

Following the maid inside, I found myself in an extremely spacious room. In fact, calling it just a room didn’t do it justice; it was big enough to be considered a house.

When I opened the door, I found myself in what looked like a living room, and there were other doors leading to more rooms, suggesting there were several other rooms within.

“How would you like us to handle your luggage? Would you like us to arrange it for you?”

“No, just leave it here in front.”

“Understood. Also, if you need anything, simply ring this bell. It’s magically connected to us, so you’ll receive an instant notification, and we’ll come to visit right away.

You can call us anytime, even at night, for anything, no matter how small.”

The maid bowed and left me alone in the room. After confirming she had gone, I opened one of the doors connected to the living room and hurried inside.

To be honest, I urgently needed to use the bathroom. After drinking juice on the carriage, I was already on the verge of bursting when we arrived at the mansion.

When I was a man, it wasn’t that difficult to hold it in, but now that I was a woman, holding it became much harder. I never expected to feel the difference between men and women even in something so trivial.

Anyway, after taking care of what I had been holding in, I came out of the bathroom and noticed the large room I had been assigned. I opened one of the doors, and it led to a bedroom.

The first thing that caught my eye was the enormous bed, which seemed excessive for just me. I opened another door, and this time it was a walk-in closet.

Even though I had only brought a few outfits, the closet was spacious enough to feel like overkill. There was also a study and a parlor room for entertaining guests.

I wondered if it was even appropriate to call it a guest room with a parlor inside.

The windows were also positioned perfectly to let in plenty of sunlight. This room was definitely the “best room” Yuri had mentioned, and it felt quite fitting.

After finishing my exploration and organizing my few belongings, Yuri came to visit me.

“So, how do you like the room?”

“I like it, but it’s honestly too much for me…”

“It’s the room I always used when I was little, so don’t feel too burdened. I heard there won’t be any other guests visiting during the break anyway.”

As I looked around the room again with a bit of awe, Yuri spoke up.

“I’m going to see Father now, would you like to come with me?”

“Of course, I have to go.”

As a guest, it’s only natural to greet the head of the household. If I tried to avoid the meeting because it was too much, it wouldn’t be polite and would inconvenience Yuri, who had kindly invited me.

“Do you think it’s okay to go in my school uniform?”

“My father doesn’t care about things like that. A school uniform will be fine.”

I had considered changing into the clothes I bought with Celian the other day, just in case it wasn’t appropriate, but thankfully, that wasn’t necessary.

Following the butler who was guiding us, Yuri and I walked for a while before stopping in front of a very impressive-looking door. The butler lightly knocked, and we heard a voice from inside.

“Come in.”

The butler opened the door wide but stood outside, ushering us in instead.

Inside, the room resembled a study where work was being done. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with various books, and in the center of the room was an elegant desk. And sitting behind that desk was a man.

“Yuri.”

The man, who had been sitting, called out to Yuri as he stood up. He was Craig Atilea, the head of the household. Even though he was just sitting at a desk, he felt immense, especially considering he was one of the eight Sword Masters in the continent.