“Yay!” he cried happily. “I’m so excited! Thanks!” He swiftly pulled out a notebook. “Here. I copied this to review. If you return it to me after the last class, I’ll get tomorrow’s notes copied down here, too.”
“Really? Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yup.”
I gratefully took the notebook from him. “I tried to review by myself yesterday, but it was way too difficult for me.”
“I bet. If I didn’t have a private instructor helping me out, I would’ve been lost, too.”
I skimmed the notes, and, to my delight, the part I was stuck on last night now made perfect sense. I was so elated that I almost shouted, “Yes! Yes! I can read the book now!” Thanks to Ehr’s support, I could understand lectures without issues, much to my relief.
When lunch rolled around, we stayed in the classroom since all the other students had left. I had a magic bottle, a thermos essentially, and I poured us each a cup of tea. When Ehr looked in his basket, he gasped with awe and surprise.
“This looks amazing! Is this all mine?!”
“That’s right,” I said. “Do dig in.”
I ate these dishes with Prince Rena that morning, so I knew they tasted good. Ehr stuffed his cheeks, and it was nice to see him eat so voraciously. He finished off his food in a flash.
“That was amazing,” he said. “You’re a genius!”
“I’m honored to receive such high praise,” I said.
I can spend lunch in peace if I make a bento. I’ll make one tomorrow, too.
Once classes were over, I tended to my usual duties in the greenhouse. During this season, I was raising a ton of herbs that the second-years used for ointments during their lessons. They resembled plantain plants, which looked like weeds, but they were splendid herbs that were useful for potions. Even if I picked a basketful, they’d be used up in a day.
I stepped outside when I spotted a Steller’s sea eagle, Professor Whipp’s familiar, resting on the signpost of the Garden Plant. It was clearly waiting for me. The professor had told me I needn’t drop by for a report today. This familiar would deliver the herbs for me.
“I-I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” I said.
I bowed respectfully as I offered the basket to the eagle, raising it high in the air like I was making an offering to a god, and the eagle gripped the handle with its talons before it flew off. Once it was gone, I pressed a hand against my chest and breathed out a sigh.
When I saw that eagle up close, its face was sharp and terrifying; I couldn’t help but tense up. It left behind a few feathers, and I wanted to make quills out of them. I leaped with joy when I collected three whole feathers.
When I turned around, Gem was right behind me. I could hardly feel its presence, and my heart almost jumped out of my chest. Please don’t do that, Gem, I prayed. It stared at me intensely, and I wondered if it was angry that I gathered the feathers when it flickered as though it was trying to tell me something.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
It whirled around and rolled away. It stopped midway, turned back, and flickered at me, signaling me to follow, and so, I did just that. As I walked along, I spotted someone in the Garden Plant glancing around curiously.
“Oh…” I muttered.
This area was a part of Professor Whipp’s research room, and students were generally not allowed inside. Usually, only the professor or Prince Rena dropped by, and I rubbed my eyes to make sure that it wasn’t a trick of the light or something. A tall man stood a short distance away with his back turned toward me. I couldn’t tell his age from behind, but several birds were perched atop his shoulders and head, and a few hedgehogs scampered past my legs, presumably headed straight for him. I was shocked; I’d never seen hedgehogs in the Garden Plant before. For a moment, I wanted to know who he was and why he was so beloved by animals, but my mind immediately went to another man who seemed to be blessed with this amazing gift.
He looked familiar; I’d met him before in the courtyard forest and spotted him again at Marquess Leviathan’s manor. He was wearing a black mantle decorated with a golden chain, just as he had before. Only now did I notice that his golden filigree was in the shape of a two-headed eagle—the school crest of Vizer. He wasn’t intruding. He had ties to this school somehow.
“U-Um,” I called.
The man whirled around, his handsome face unmistakable. In his hands were a few textbooks for first-years. Wait, is he…
“Um, are you perhaps the private instructor sent by Professor Whipp?!” I asked.
“Huh?”
“I’ve been behind on my lessons, and I really need some help!”
Thank goodness! I was so happy that tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Why are you crying?” he asked.
“T-To tell you the truth, I’ve been so scared of my grades falling,” I said. “I just can’t keep up with the rest of the class.”
I never thought that I was smart, but I’d been making potions for ages, and the merchant also viewed me highly. I was sure that I could at least keep up with classes, and admittedly, I was being naïve. The lessons were designed assuming there was a private instructor to help out; I was inevitably left in the dust.
“I’m so glad that an instructor is here to help…” I wept.
He kindly handed me a handkerchief that was pleasant to the touch, and I gratefully took it to wipe my tears.
“I’ll wash the handkerchief and return it to you,” I said.
“No need. Just toss it.”
Do high-ranking nobles not reuse their handkerchiefs? Or is it considered trash now since I, practically a commoner, used it? The instructor emanated an air of high nobility that was reminiscent of Prince Rena’s aura. Why’s he a private instructor? Isn’t their salary low? And why is he aiming to become a professor? Usually, a man of his status could’ve easily become a professor through a recommendation from the director himself. Maybe he has his own reasons… I won’t pry.
“Oh, I haven’t given you my name,” I said.
“You’ll tell me?” he asked.
Huh? Wait, right… When I first met him, I think I said something like I didn’t need to give him my name before I fled…
“Since you’re my teacher, I think it’s only right to introduce myself,” I said.
“Very well. Go on then.”
He sounds awfully high and mighty, but with birds on his head, he doesn’t feel very intimidating.
“I’m Misha. Misha von Ritual.”
“Ritual…” he muttered. “Ah, the family on the frontier who owns the Lawlife lands.”
“That’s us!”
Even a few professors had never heard of my family name, but I was happy that he had.
“I’m Vil…” he trailed off and gazed into the distance before he turned back to me. “Just Vil. Call me Mr. Vil, or teacher.”
“O-Okay,” I stammered.
Looks like he doesn’t want to state his family name. He must be in a complicated situation of his own.
“Mr. Vil, I’ll be in your care from now on!” I beamed.
“Sure,” he replied.
When I offered a hand, he looked a bit troubled but gently shook it.