This was technically my third meeting with him. Little did I know that Mr. Vil was the son of the director, Grand Duke Lindenburg, and also the head prefect of this school.
“How are you feeling lately?” I asked.
“Fine,” Mr. Vil replied. “The medicine is being sold regularly again.”
“That’s good to know.”
He had an extreme coughing fit during our initial meeting, and I’d been worried ever since. Professor Whipp had gotten permission from the school for me to work, so I was able to make potions on the side. I was relieved to hear that he was slowly getting better as a result. Just when I thought our time together for the day would end with exchanging introductions, he said that he’d teach me right now.
“What dorm are you in, Ritual?” Mr. Vil asked.
“I don’t belong to any dorm,” I informed him. “I’m staying in the Garden Plant’s caretaker cabin.”
“Are you serious?” His eyebrows soared in surprise.
“Did Professor Whipp not tell you?”
He furrowed his brow and shook his head. “I’m just confused about the whole situation. Can you elaborate for me?”
“Sure. Oh, um, have you had dinner yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Then would you care to join me for a meal while we talk? I’ve got a potato pie and some soup prepared.”
“Prepared? Do you cook for yourself?”
“I do. I live here by myself, and I’ve got no dorm parent.”
“Why are you living like this?” He shook his head. “I suppose you’ll answer me later.”
“I will.”
I tried to invite him inside, but he remained as still as a statue.
“Is something wrong?” I asked gingerly.
“If you’re the only one living here, I can’t possibly enter your home unsupervised,” he said.
Right, there’s a rule among high society that young, unmarried men and women can’t be in a private room together. Mr. Vil must have that rule hammered into him to the point he abides by it even when no one is around.
“Then I’ll bring out the table and chairs,” I offered. “We can have class outdoors.”
“I suppose that works,” Mr. Vil allowed.
Lugging furniture around was a pain, but I didn’t want nasty rumors to swirl about us and inconvenience him.
“Then I’ll bring them out in a moment,” I said.
“No, I will,” he insisted.
“But you can’t enter my house, right?”
“If you stay right where you are, I doubt there’d be any issues.”
“Oh… Okay.”
Meanwhile, Gem decided to make itself useful. It rolled between Mr. Vil and me and transformed into a table and chairs.
“Whoa, that’s amazing!” I gasped.
The surface of the table had Gem’s face, and when I praised it, it beamed happily and proudly.
“What is this?” Mr. Vil asked.
“Oh, Gem’s my familiar,” I replied.
“I can see that. I mean that it doesn’t look like a normal slime.”
“Gem’s a jewel slime, a spirit.”
“A spirit?!” He gasped and stared at Gem with disbelief. “I’ve never seen a student with a spirit as their familiar.”
“Yes, Professor Whipp did mention that it’s been five years since she’s seen one as well.”
“Am I dreaming?”
Is it that rare to see a spirit familiar? I feel like the surprise hasn’t sunk in for me.
“I’m surprised by how blasé you are, even though you’ve got a spirit as your familiar,” he remarked.
“It’s not unusual to see spirit-like creatures roaming Lawlife,” I shrugged. Spirits felt like neighbors to me. “Um, I’ll prepare the food in a flash, so could you wait here?” I asked. “If you’re thirsty, I can bring you a drink.”
“No, I’m fine,” Mr. Vil replied.
“All right.”
I asked Gem to warm Mr. Vil up so that he wouldn’t be cold. My spirit looked like it was up to no good, so I decided to give it a warning.
“Don’t be mean, okay? You mustn’t burn him,” I warned.
Gem immediately warmed up the seat for Mr. Vil, and he looked at my familiar, astonished.
“My back and bottom feel warm…” he murmured.
“That’s Gem’s power.”
I was certain that he wouldn’t catch a cold outside thanks to Gem’s help, so I went inside to prepare dinner. I just needed to bake the potato pie, and the vegetable soup simply had to be warmed up. The most cooking I had to do was make French toast. I had some slices of yesterday’s rock-hard baguette soaking in a mixture of milk, sugar, and egg. I prepped them the moment I returned from class, so I knew that they absorbed the mixture nicely.
I melted some butter in a frying pan and added my slices. When they turned golden brown, they were done. I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top and garnished it with pieces of mint and a skewer of oranges to make it look a bit fancy. All the while, my soup had warmed up, and my pie was done too. Since we were eating outside, I sliced up the pie and added some leftover orange slices to my drink for a nice, fruity tea. Once that was all done, I brought the dishes outside.
The sun was already setting, and it was getting dark out. Gem glowed faintly, so we didn’t have to worry about the light. The birds, perhaps done for the day, had left Mr. Vil’s side. I was secretly worried about the birds being around since dinner was vegetable soup made from chicken stock—I felt a bit awkward drinking that around them. But thank goodness they’re gone.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Vil,” I said.
I told Gem I was laying some plates out before I placed the dishes in front of my private instructor. Mr. Vil’s eyes turned wide.
“Did you make all this yourself, Ritual?”
“I did.”
“Why is the daughter of a noble so skilled in the kitchen?”
“Er, well…”
Because I was a commoner in my past life. Obviously, I did regular chores from cooking to cleaning and laundry, but I can’t say that… He won’t believe me. I need a proper excuse.
“I did some charity work at an abbey, and the nuns there taught me,” I lied.
“I see…”
I was relieved that he bought my lie.
“We should eat before the food gets cold,” I urged. “Please, have a bite.”
“All right.”
I went for the steaming-hot bowl of vegetable soup first. I used the leftover scraps I had, and the vegetables were soft and practically melted in my mouth. It was a simple but comforting taste. I wasn’t sure if the son of a noble household like Mr. Vil would take a liking to my food. He noticed my nervous gaze as he took some spoonfuls.
“It’s good,” he said.