Chapter 5: The Hat Ceremony
CHARLES was sitting at the breakfast table when a shiver coursed through his body.
“A chill just ran up my spine for some reason,” he said, teeth chattering. Both Ark and Leo looked up at him, puzzled.
“In this heat?” Ark remarked.
“Did you catch a cold, Master Charlie?” Leo asked dubiously.
Summer was now well underway. They were lucky to be surrounded by a cool forest, but soon became drenched with sweat with the slightest physical exertion, regardless. Lille had come up with a product called a Wind Propeller, a small item that produced a magical breeze. The shop had been selling at least one a day of late.
Although Lille’s growth spurt had slowed, the fabric at the bust and hips of her clothes was gradually stretching tighter and tighter. The change in her size wasn’t too much of a problem when she wore her summer clothing, but her long-sleeved dresses probably didn’t cover the whole length of her arms anymore. Just as the seamstress from The Three Needles had predicted, it seemed she would need to order new clothes for winter.
“I made some hot ginger tea. Would you like some?” Lille asked, offering a mug to Charles.
“Yes, thank you, Lille. I don’t think this is a cold, though,” he said. He had barely touched his breakfast, and his skin was unusually pale. He looked so unwell that it was hard to believe him.
“If it’s not a cold, what is it? Some other illness?” Leo asked, concern clear in his gaze. Ark was peering at Charles with worry, too.
Stumbling over his words, Charles had started to mumble, “It’s p-probably—” when he was abruptly cut off.
BANG BANG BANG!
“Eek!” he squealed, eyes wide as if he had seen a ghost. Someone was knocking on the front door. Hard.
“That’s unusual. The shop’s another matter, but it’s rare that anyone comes knocking on the house door,” Ark observed.
“What’re you so scared of, Master Charlie? It’s no big deal. I’ll answer it,” Leo said casually as he stood up.
Charles desperately latched onto his arm with a tight grip. “L-Leo. If anyone ever knocks on our door, tell them I’m not home. I’ll find somewhere to hide, and you can—”
“What?” Leo gave him an exasperated look.
Suddenly, the knocking punctuating their conversation went silent.
“…Did they leave?”
The instant Charles breathed a sigh of obvious relief, a roar boomed through the air and the front door flew open. No—the door was ripped open, off its hinges.
“Charles. You’re not pretending you’re not home again, are you?”
A low, measured voice reverberated throughout the house. It almost shook the ground beneath their feet. Behind the broken, empty door frame, an old man stood in the center of a howling tornado. With his long, silver hair and unnecessarily extravagant robe, he appeared to be a very grand, dignified man. His beard was so bushy that his mouth was completely obscured.
“N-No, o-of course not! I’d n-never do such a thing,” Charles stuttered, rooted to his chair as his eyes darted nervously around the room.
Leo was also stunned, gaping like a fish as he struggled to find words. Since no one else seemed able to talk properly, Lille realized she had to stand in.
“Um… Good morning,” she said to the old man, rising from her seat. She approached him and curtsied politely, at which point the immense gale swirling around him subsided.
“…Hmph. I’ve never seen you before. Who are you?” He narrowed his eyes.
“My name’s Lille. I’m one of Master Charlie’s apprentices.”
Slowly, he studied her from head to toe. He was quite imposing, perhaps thanks in part to his large height and sturdy physique, and his direct gaze was strong enough to pin someone to the spot. Lille chose not to look away, however; she could sense kindness deep within his light purple eyes.
“Very interesting,” he declared. “It’s rare that I meet someone who doesn’t shy away from me. I see Charles has found himself a fine apprentice.”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a matter of not being intimidated. She was simply frozen in place, unable to control her body.
“Th-Thank you, Master August…” Charles said weakly, finally staggering over.
“Master August…?” Lille blinked, looking between the two.
Charles was still deathly pale, hugging his shoulders. Meanwhile, August proudly threw out his chest and glared at Charles intensely. Lille had never, ever seen Charles like this before.
“Oh, right… Lille, Leo, this is Master August. He’s my adoptive father and former teacher. He’s also the director of the academy,” Charles said by way of introduction. Lille supposed he was referring to the huge magic school that Ark had told her about. If so, that meant August was a very prominent figure in society.
“Don’t you think it heartless to go out of your way to ignore your ‘father’ and ‘teacher’ every time he tries to visit?” August snapped.
“Th-That’s not what happened…” Charles protested. Lille opted not to mention that Charles had tried to run away mere minutes ago.
“I simply thought I should check in on you, as it’s been quite a while. I can see you’ve taken two apprentices under your wing in that time. And I’ve never seen that familiar of yours before. You didn’t inform me of any of these things,” August said, glowering.
“I apologize,” Charles said sulkily. “I thought it’d get in the way of your work.”
“Do you truly think you can handle educating youngsters? When you can barely handle your own daily life?”
“You have a point, Master August…” he moped.
“I see. In that case, I’ll reside here for a while. Not for your sake, but for your apprentices’. Prepare a room for me at once,” August commanded resolutely. Upon hearing those words, Charles muffled a panicked shriek.