“Oh, Miss Leya, you simply mustn’t fidget!”
“But…”
“There’s no ‘but’ about it. Besides, if you’d just cooperate a little, Miss Leya, shouldn’t something as simple as styling your hair be finished by now?”
“…………”
‘Ah, that’s true, but… honestly, you said the exact same thing ages ago!’
‘I was planning to head to the Mage Association to practice magic right away, but you suddenly waylaid me!’
‘And to make matters worse, why haven’t you left even though you’ve said pretty much everything there is to say? Instead, you’ve just made yourself at home, earnestly insisting on helping me with my hair. Sigh…’
“However, speaking of which, Miss Leya, your hair is truly remarkably well-maintained! It feels incredibly soft and smooth, and it carries a faint, fresh fragrance!”
“…………”
‘Uh… really? Me, the one who barely spends three minutes washing her hair, maintaining it? This is truly…’ Leya found herself utterly at a loss for words, unsure how to even begin to retort.
Yet, one point absolutely needed correction. In fact, she had wanted to bring it up for a long time.
“Hey, Elina, just call me Leya from now on. Adding an honorific always feels so strange.”
“Hm? Not at all!”
Remaining behind Leya’s chair, Elina continued to playfully run her hands through Leya’s beautiful silver hair, expressing her own viewpoint.
“I truly adore this feeling. And precisely because you are Miss Leya, I simply cannot be so impolite as to call you by your given name directly!”
“Huh? What kind of logic is that?”
“Hehe, it’s Elina’s own logic~”
“…………”
“…You absolutely can’t?”
“Yes!”
****
Approximately ten minutes later…
“Erm… well, Miss Leya, are you satisfied with this hairstyle?”
With a strangely excited heart, Elina nervously held out a small mirror to Leya.
“Uh…”
Influenced by the atmosphere, even the usually casual Leya couldn’t help but swallow. She ultimately had to feign a serious, solemn expression as she took the mirror.
“Good… good… good…”
“Eh? Um…”
‘Could she dislike it?’ Thinking this, Elina instinctively clutched the hem of her short skirt, her palms beaded with sweat as she anxiously watched Leya.
“It’s… it’s beautiful!”
“Eh?”
“Truly! I’ve never seen such a beautiful maiden with my own eyes… Oh, no, no, no, I mean, such a beautiful *hairstyle*!”
Cough, cough, cough…
That was a close call! She nearly made a slip of the tongue! Tsk, tsk!
But truly, Leya, who had never bothered with her appearance before, had no idea her hair could look like this.
Although it was still generally long and straight silver hair, not significantly different from before, how to put it… the difference was like that between a pampered housecat and a stray.
One was meticulously cared for by its owner daily, appearing neat, beautiful, and adorable. The other looked as if it hadn’t been groomed in days, its fur disheveled and wild, giving it a lazy, unkempt appearance. The mere difference in their aura was striking.
Indeed, when combined with Leya’s inherent beauty, it almost made her forget her current identity. Cough, cough, cough…
“Ah… is that so? I’m so glad if you’re satisfied.”
Elina let out a sigh of relief, her face breaking into a radiant, heartfelt smile.
At the same time, Elina noticed that the previously closed bedroom door had opened a crack, perhaps due to a gentle breeze. Through the slit, the first thing that naturally caught her eye was the large back of an elf lying on the bed—or rather, to be more precise, a head of splendid golden hair.
However, having already been aware of Erica’s presence, Elina showed no particular surprise. Instead, a wooden sword leaning against the desk captured Elina’s attention even more.
****
Meanwhile, in the city of Volantis, at the Mage Association.
Inside the President’s office.
Upon a small, round table, typically laden with magic books, two individuals now sat opposite each other. One was, of course, Edwin, Leya’s all-too-familiar, albeit eccentric, master. The other was not entirely a stranger; after all, despite some unpleasant memories, he had met Leya once before.
Harvey Edgar!
As for why Harvey was here, one had to consider Alcius. Alcius had gone to great lengths to win Edwin over to his side—or rather, to secure the support of the entire Volantis Mage Association behind Edwin.
Firstly, he promised to bestow upon Edwin the title of [Duke of Volantis], granting him direct jurisdiction over nearly a hundred vassals within the entire Volantis province and the power to mobilize at least ten thousand troops. In essence, Edwin would instantly transform into a formidable regional magnate!
This was especially significant given that the political system here bore a striking resemblance to Leya’s previous life’s medieval West. Aside from the necessary taxes to the king and manpower for wars, he would virtually become the undisputed emperor of the region, wielding administrative, financial, and military power. It was truly an impressive offer.
Secondly, the respect shown was more than ample. Hadn’t Alcius recently sent a personal letter, handwritten and signed by him? Its words conveyed the utmost deference. Of course, one might argue that a mere letter counted for little. Indeed, it might not. So, Alcius promptly dispatched Harvey.
And who was Harvey? He was the eldest son and first heir of the [Edgar family], a great noble house commanding nearly a hundred thousand troops in the north, renowned as the [Sword of the Kingdom]!
To put it in simpler terms, the next prospective Grand Marshal, Minister of Defense, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces was personally paying you a visit—you, a grand sage of a remote province with only the empty title of an Earl. Was that not an immense honor?
As for why Alcius didn’t come himself, that question is a matter of individual perspective and wisdom. Their statuses differed too greatly, after all. A mere Earl should, by rights, be a vassal to a Duke, and that Duke should be a direct vassal to the King. ‘My vassal’s vassal is not my vassal.’ In such a situation, a prince, as a leader, should be even more mindful of their words and actions. If Edwin, who hadn’t even become a Duke yet, received such preferential treatment, how could the other Earls be convinced? They might argue, ‘Edwin has the Mage Association, but I have my earldom. A large earldom, at least, governs hundreds of thousands of people and can summon ten thousand soldiers. How am I any less than Edwin?’
Therefore, choosing Harvey to handle this matter was the perfect solution, which was precisely why Alcius brought Harvey here in the first place, despite the latter’s notoriously unpleasant disposition.
“Hmm… you’re Edwin, right?”
As expected.
Harvey casually glanced around the room, looking everywhere but at Edwin, even speaking with his head tilted. He displayed not an ounce of respect for Edwin. And this was considered good behavior. Alcius had repeatedly admonished him beforehand, causing him to rein himself in considerably. Otherwise, given Harvey’s personality? To condescend to meet an old man with neither status nor position? Ha! What kind of joke was that? Not kicking him like last time would mean he was in a good mood. Of course… that was assuming a furious Edwin didn’t use Holy Fire magic to roast his legs.
“Uh… that would be this old man, hehe…”
Facing such an individual, Edwin’s attitude naturally wasn’t much better. He cut straight to the chase, “May I ask, Young Master Harvey, what brings you here this time?”
However, before he could finish.
“Oh… put that aside for now. I’m not in a hurry. Right, more importantly, I’ve recently heard… that you seem to have taken on a female apprentice named Leya?”