Liam was always telling her that a woman shouldn’t bow her head, so she was taken aback when he bowed his head to her.
After a moment, he looked up and leaned forward. “But by becoming independent so early, you’ve ended up with rather imbalanced knowledge. You’re an accomplished apothecary, but you have no common sense. Your name is famous as one of the Invited, but there aren’t many people who have met you, so you’re treated like some sort of legend.”
“A legend?”
So he said, but Sara didn’t want to meet that many people. An accomplished apothecary was all she wanted to be.
“Sara, you need to learn more. At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt to have the same knowledge that a knight trainee has.”
True, Sara had become independent so early that she’d never received any kind of education.
“You’re not young anymore, so I can’t force you to come with me like I once tried to do. For that reason, I’m asking you: What do you think about taking the knights’ classes with Ann?”
She hadn’t been expecting this suggestion at all.
“This time, I want you to decide for yourself, as an adult.”
Sara looked over at Allen and Kuntz. They had taken the knights’ classes last year and had suffered greatly from all the homework involved.
“It was hard for me since I don’t like to study, but I do feel like it made me smarter,” Kuntz said.
“I thought you would enjoy the classes.” This was Allen’s answer.
“Umm, I’ll be the only one older than everyone else. Is that okay? And I’m not gonna be a knight...”
“It’s fine. I doubt many people would assume you’re older than Ann.”
“Wha—?!” Sara’s head whipped over to face Ann. She might have been taller than Sara, but she was twelve!
“I’m way older than her! I’m an adult!” Sara insisted as Ann gave her a lukewarm look. That just pissed her off more.
“It doesn’t change the fact that you’re both beautiful ladies. Whether you’re large or small.”
That was not the issue. When Sara thought calmly about things, however, she realized that Liam was trying to give her an opportunity for an education. And he wanted her to make the decision.
Sara had been planning to go into the dungeon as an apothecary after leaving Ann with the knights. But she hadn’t yet become affiliated with the Apothecary’s Guild in the capital. So, for now, she was free to do as she liked.
Sara raised her head and looked straight at Liam. He was handsome as always. She might have had a bad impression of him because of their unfortunate first meeting—well, no, their second and third meetings were just as unpleasant—but he was always acting in the interests of the country rather than on his personal feelings. Even if Sara didn’t agree with his actions.
As Sara stared at him, Liam smiled.
“You always look straight at me, don’t you? You’re quiet, and you’re always hiding behind someone and trying not to stand out, but you never compromise. Could you believe in me this time, though?” His smile grew a bit strained. “That I’m only acting in your interest, I mean.”
Normally Haruto would have made fun of him right about now, but even he was silent at the serious look in Liam’s eyes.
Sara quietly said, “I knew what you were doing before, and the time after that, you did for me. I just couldn’t go along with you—because it wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
She’d never thought Liam was acting maliciously.
“But I agree that I’m lacking in common sense and general knowledge. I’d be grateful to accept your proposal, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it is.” Liam leaned back in his chair, looking relieved.
“So I can study with you even if I join the knights?”
“Sounds like it.”
“Yay!”
Seeing Ann overjoyed by this news made Sara happy too. It was strange to think that she’d come here only for Ann’s sake, but she had now been presented a new opportunity as well.
“So, why did you want us to come?” Allen asked Liam.
“When you forced your way into the lessons last year, frankly, I was annoyed. But the trainee knights who learned with you improved a lot.”
The knights had seemed very pleasant when Allen was forbidden from using his physical strengthening. It had looked like Allen and Kuntz were able to mix well with the trainee knights, Sara recalled.
“Plus, we adapted your shield magic for the knights, Kuntz, but it really is easier to learn with a good instructor. I felt that strongly when I saw your lessons at the guild.”
“Wait, you were watching?”
They’d done the shield magic classes right in the middle of the ten days, so Liam had come to spy on them, not just on the last day but apparently sometime in the middle as well.
Liam ignored Haruto’s comment and continued, “You can use the same kind of barrier as Sara, Haruto, and I imagine you can do whatever you like with shield magic as well. So, what do you say? Allow me to ask you myself this time. Allen, Kuntz, Haruto, would you like to train with the knights as instructors? We can work toward mutual improvement.”
“I’ll do it,” Allen answered quickly.
“You just want to be with Sara. But I’ll participate too, of course.” Kuntz had to add an extra comment.
“What should I do? I won’t go too far again, will I?” Haruto was hesitant, his voice low.
Allen and Kuntz clapped him on the shoulders.
“We’ll be with you, won’t we?”
“We’ll stop you if you screw something up.”
Haruto closed his mouth tight as if holding back what he wanted to say, then smiled goofily.
“You think you two can stop me?”
Allen chuckled. “I’ve got Sara, don’t I? I’ll rely on her if I need to.”
“Ah! No Sara! That’s against the rules!”
Why was she against the rules? Sara wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but in any case, they would all be together again starting tomorrow.
After touring the knights’ facilities, they all departed. Sara didn’t go straight home, though. She had to stop by the Apothecary’s Guild first.
She poked her head into the front of the guild a little nervously, not having given them a particular date she was planning on showing up. It was a little ironic considering how confidently she’d strode in with her personal request last time. In the end, she decided to be confident now even without a request.
“Umm, oh!” she exclaimed.
“Sara! I finally caught you!”
It wasn’t the usual sales girls sitting at the counter but Noel, almost like he was waiting for her.
“Why don’t you come in from the staff entrance like normal? You’re free to come and go as you please, Sara. Any apothecary of the capital’s guild is.”
She almost felt like he was subtly emphasizing her affiliation with the capital’s guild.
“I waited here ’cause I knew you’d come in through this door. My brother said so as well. You might try to just leave a message anyway.”
“I-I wouldn’t do that,” she said, not very convincingly.
“I’m not sure about that,” Noel said with a huff.
He brought her straight to the guildmaster’s office. Sara was a little intimidated since he’d grown even taller in the last year.
“Guildmaster! Sara’s here!”
“Finally showed up, eh?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
The guildmaster looked exasperated, but not as menacing as Noel, which she was relieved to see.
“So, is the new Invited settled in?”
“Yes. She joined the knights today. On that subject, though...” Sara told them what Liam had proposed to her and explained that she’d be attending lessons with the knights for the foreseeable future. “Actually, Konrad from the Hunter’s Guild asked me to do a plant survey of the central dungeon if I had time, but it looks like I won’t be able to do that for a while either.”
“Damn Konrad. He didn’t have to say anything. We were going to request the same thing.”
She didn’t think there was any reason for him to have to take his rivalry with the other guildmaster so seriously.
“I have plenty of things I want to do with Sara too, you know. I’m sure I could find new things if I went with her to investigate the plants growing in the depths of the dungeon.”
Noel seemed to have been looking forward to it a lot. He was immensely disappointed now.
“I’m a little inconvenienced by the lack of supreme healing herbs arriving from Hydrangea now, but I understand Liam’s perspective very well. There’s no rush on the plants, and education is important.”
“Yes, and Sara is rather lacking in this world’s common sense. Though that’s partly why she’s able to do things no one else has done. I’m impressed with my brother.”
The guildmaster agreed with Liam’s idea, and Noel sighed as if to say that there was no use in fighting this, given it was Sara they were talking about.
“That’s why I’m thinking I’ll act as an unaffiliated apothecary for now. Like Chris.”
Sara felt it was important to say this.