Departure to the Capital

“Ensi—”

Ensi let out a weary groan and purposefully ignored Donovan, turning his head toward the carriage window. Perched atop Ensi’s head was the spirit from his greenhouse, wearing a wide, beaming grin.

“How could you make a new promise while I wasn’t looking…!”

“He was practically begging me not to leave him behind. How could I ignore that?”

Furthermore, they had grown close. It was impossible to coldly ignore a spirit that never forgot its promise and periodically shared its warmth with him. Thanks to this little friend, Ensi had been able to reduce his intake of Sun Herbs, which had made Cyril quite pleased. Since the spirit was useful in many ways, Ensi did his best to drown out Donovan’s lamentations.

“I know it’s just a casual promise, but still, still—! You shouldn’t make promises with beings from other dimensions so lightly. You know how dangerous it can be.”

Of course, since they were currently sharing a carriage, Donovan’s nagging was limited to verbal protests. Ensi rubbed his ears, which felt slightly stung by the lecture.

“It’s not like I signed a fraudulent contract, so it should be fine.”

“That’s exactly how people get tricked into fraudulent contracts! By letting their guard down!”

“I’ll consult you next time.”

Realizing that adding more to the conversation would only lead to a longer lecture, Ensi immediately backed down. Surprised by the quick surrender, Donovan let out a sigh and stopped his nagging.

“Anyway, Ensi, are we taking this carriage all the way to the capital?”

“Of course not.”

If they used a carriage to get to the Imperial Capital, it would take at least two months. The distance between the Academy and the capital was that vast. Taking a carriage would also mean sticking to the maintained main roads, forcing them to take the long way around.

“Right? We’re using the Transfer Gate, then? Did you make a reservation?”

“I don’t need to. I bought an annual pass.”

Since he often needed to travel for the merchant guild, Ensi had bought an annual pass rather than making individual reservations. It cost a staggering amount of money, but it was convenient enough that he had no complaints.

“Wow, the smell of money. It stinks of wealth in here.”

“Don’t be vulgar, Lily.”

“What? It’s fine when it’s just us. As long as I don’t act like this in public, right?”

“A leaky pot inside is bound to leak outside too, isn’t it?”

Luke frowned at Lily’s flippant fan-waving. In the first place, calling it “just us” was a stretch, considering a certain prominent figure was sitting right there in the carriage. However, Lily just snorted at Luke’s serious criticism. Seeing her ignore him so habitually made Luke’s eyebrow twitch.

“Setting that aside, Lily. Did you explain things properly to Nocturne?”

“Ugh… don’t even get me started. We had a massive fight this time.”

Sitting between the two who were—as usual—bickering, Donovan brought up a new topic in an attempt to save his eardrums. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great choice. The moment Nocturne’s name was mentioned, Lily’s expression crumpled.

“Honestly, I was in the wrong at first. I made the decision without consulting him. I understand why he’d feel hurt that I suddenly announced I’m taking a break from the Academy and going to the capital. But couldn’t he at least be supportive? I’m trying to help cure a close friend! It’s not forever; it’s just a year, maybe even six months. How could he call that a waste of time? He actually asked me if I knew how foolish it looked to cling to something impossible!”

No matter how much Lily loved Nocturne, it didn’t mean she was okay with everything he said. The moment she heard those words, she felt a white-hot flash of rage. Unable to control her anger, she had slammed her fist onto the table between them, shattering it into pieces, before storming out.

“That was rude of him.”

Agniell, who had been listening to Lily’s venting, twitched an eyebrow in disapproval.

“Right? I think so too! Nocturne was definitely in the wrong this time. No matter how angry he was, he should have watched his words!”

Lily vowed she would never be the first to apologize this time, but her expression remained stiff, clearly bothered by the fact that her last meeting with him had ended so poorly.

“Don’t just let your pride get in the way. Send him a letter later.”

“No, Ensi. This isn’t just a simple matter of pride. I won’t contact him unless he sends a letter first.”

Ensi, easily reading Lily’s true feelings, tried to nudge her, but she seemed to have made up her mind quite firmly.

“He might have just said it in the heat of the moment. I’m sure he didn’t mean it from the bottom of his heart.”

“Even so, I don’t think there’s any reason for Lily to reach out first. He needs to bow his head first this time. That’s the only way he’ll truly accept and reflect on his mistake.”

When even Luke, who usually took the opposing side of Lily, supported her, Donovan just gave an awkward laugh and fell silent. Seeing Ensi shake his head as if to say “enough,” it seemed it was best to just let Lily’s decision stand for now.

“Do you usually apologize first even when you fight?”

“Hm? Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know, Agniell. Of course I usually apologize first. Dragging things out just turns it into a pride war.”

“I see.”

“If I feel like I did something wrong, I always apologize first. Then Nocturne would apologize for the parts he messed up on too. We fought a lot, but thanks to that, we really learned how to reconcile. You should be careful, too. Just because you like each other doesn’t mean you won’t fight.”

Ensi, who had been observing the conversation between Agniell and Lily, raised an eyebrow at her final remark. As Ensi shot a warning look at her to stop talking nonsense, Lily whistled and turned her head toward the window, pretending not to notice.

“Agniell, ignore that last part.”

Ensi whispered to Agniell, who was sitting right next to him. However, no matter how much he lowered his voice, it was a cramped carriage. Lily, having easily overheard him, pouted.

“What do you mean? The last part is the most important. Especially for someone who looks like they’d just lock themselves in their room and stop talking if they got into a fight.”

“Ensi? He doesn’t seem like the type to do that…”

“I don’t know, I think Lily might be right. Fighting is a drain on one’s emotions.”

As far as Luke could tell, Ensi had a strong tendency toward avoidance, even if he tried to hide it. If a fight broke out, it seemed more likely that he would shut his ears rather than try to resolve it. Ensi leaned his head in his hand as he watched the group start to chatter excitedly.

“Why is everyone so hyped up?”

“Are we hyped?”

“Maybe so. How should I put it… it feels like we’re going on a trip?”

“True. Though it’s a feeling that will fade soon enough.”

“You’re enjoying yourself too, aren’t you?”

“That’s why I’m enjoying it while it lasts.”

Lily let out a chuckle at Luke’s comment that he could enjoy it freely because he knew it was a fleeting emotion. She felt he wasn’t wrong. Once they arrived in the capital and faced reality, this excitement would surely diminish.

“Young Master, we have arrived at the management office.”

“Very well.”

The servant sitting on the driver’s seat spoke, and the carriage slowly came to a halt. Ensi opened the door himself and stepped out before the servant could even move.

“Stay here. I’ll be back.”

“Have a safe trip!”

“I’ll be back soon, so don’t say anything unnecessary.”

“I’ll keep them in check.”

Despite Luke’s assurance, Ensi’s expression remained stiff. Usually, Luke was reliable, but Ensi’s gaze was skeptical. Even with that look clearly questioning his trustworthiness, Luke didn’t change his expression and simply nodded as if to say, “Trust me.”

Though his distrust remained, Ensi couldn’t stay forever, so he turned away. Lily waved until he disappeared from sight, then whipped the carriage door shut the moment he was far enough away.

“Agniell, when we return to the capital, you’ll be staying at the Lacius town house, right?”

“I should be.”

“Mmhmm, I thought so.”

“Won’t you be doing the same?”

“I will. But Ensi won’t.”

Knowing Ensi’s personality, she figured he wouldn’t have mentioned it yet. Lily’s hunch was correct; Agniell looked confused at the news that Ensi wouldn’t be staying at his family’s town house.

“What do you mean Ensius won’t be there?”

“If you want to see Ensi after we return to the capital, send a letter to me first. Ensi won’t be staying at the Allemier town house. I’ll pass your message to him.”

She wanted to just tell him where Ensi was staying, but that would be overstepping. Since it was up to Ensi to share his location, Lily decided to help within what she considered a reasonable limit.

“……Why didn’t he tell me?”

“No real reason. He probably just forgot.”

“Most likely. He definitely forgot. For Ensi, it’s just natural not to stay at the town house his family provided.”

“If it really bothers you, ask him directly when he gets back—ask him where he’ll be staying while in the capital. That should be enough.”

From the atmosphere, it seemed Agniell was the only one in the carriage who didn’t know where Ensi’s residence was. As Agniell started to sulk and overthink, Lily, followed by Donovan and Luke, stepped in to stop him.

Agniell blinked at them as they deduced the reason and even provided a clean alternative. He decided it would be better to ask directly, just as they said, rather than agonizing over it alone.