When I returned to school, I took care of the plants and prepared dinner. Today’s menu was French onion soup, salted pork steamed with herbs and spices, and a vegetable quiche. I prepared Mr. Vil’s share too, but I wasn’t sure if he’d show up. Right when I finished cooking, he arrived.
“I’m back,” he said.
“Welcome back,” I smiled.
That felt like an exchange between family members, and the thought alone embarrassed me to no end. Mr. Vil must’ve thought the same, since the corners of his ears were turning the faintest shade of pink. Flying squirrels swarmed toward him, grabbing his back and arms with sheer looks of enchanted delight on their little faces. Mr. Vil didn’t seem to mind becoming their perch. Is he used to animals clinging to him or something?
I’d hoped that at least one of them might mistake me for a tree and land on me, but none of them dared to come close. Ugh, I’m so jealous of him! Look at all the animals around him! Gem again came to my rescue. It formed a table and some chairs for me to set the dishes on, and Mr. Vil and I sat around the food. The French onion soup had finished baking just as he arrived, so it was still piping hot.
“I highly recommend today’s soup,” I said.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I stewed an entire onion into the soup and sprinkled some cheese on top. I baked it just a bit to let the cheese broil.”
“A baked soup… I’ve never experienced that before.”
And of course, I couldn’t tell him that it was my favorite dish in Japan. Mr. Vil seemed unsure how to eat it and watched me take the first bite. I sank my spoon into the soup and scooped up some onion. The onion was soft and melty since I stewed it for so long, and it easily gave way to my spoon. I took a spoonful, the cheese stretching with my soup, and carefully placed the bite into my mouth. The soup was hotter than lava. I had to huff a few times to cool it in my mouth, but the taste was divine. The tender onion slices and rich cheese were amazing. Old reliable. The same great flavor that I know and love.
“It’s hot, so be careful,” I warned.
“All right,” Mr. Vil said.
He carefully placed a spoonful into his mouth. His eyes grew wide for a moment before he nodded along and reached for another spoonful. We ate in silence, only stopping for breath when we were finished.
“How was it?” I asked.
“I’ve never had anything like it before,” Mr. Vil replied. “The soup was delicious.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Then I’m happy I made it. For dessert, I made some apple biscuit pie, and we shared what happened at the marquess’s manor between bites.
“I’ve decided to switch bases to the marquess’s manor from here on out,” Mr. Vil said.
“That seems wise,” I replied.
After all, he’d been poisoned for years without ever noticing it. Clearly, someone at school was the culprit, slowly chipping away at his life. The mere thought of not being able to trust anyone was terrifying. With the culprit at large, it was dangerous and scary for him to remain at school. Mr. Vil said that he’d sneak around a bit. He would carry the minimum number of items out of his room to make it seem like he still mostly stayed at school and would only head to Marquess Leviathan’s manor at night, when everyone was fast asleep.
“I could’ve stayed at the manor today, but I wished to speak about this with you, Ritual,” he said.
“So, you dropped by for my sake?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
Don’t get conceited. He probably feels a sense of responsibility as my instructor. I can’t think that I’m special to him, because I’m not. That’s all this is.
“Will you report this to the headmaster or director?” I asked.
“I’ve got no plans to do so,” Mr. Vil answered.
At this point, he could trust no one. Everyone at the school was a potential suspect, and Marquess Leviathan advised him to keep a tight lid on this information. It was best if very few knew.
“You’re right,” I said. “You should trust no one, not even me, and keep a watchful eye.”
“You’re the last person I’d doubt,” he remarked.
“I’m just saying it as an example.”
“I know.”
If you knew, you didn’t have to refute me. But when he looked at me with his deadpan expression, I didn’t know how to react.
“Maybe it’s best if you didn’t leak any more information to me, either,” I advised.
“Why would you say that?”
At once, his tone turned icy and cold, like he was censuring me. A shiver ran down my spine, and I struggled to speak.
“Um, like, what if I get kidnapped?” I eked out. “If someone threatened me to speak with a blade pressed against my throat, I’d probably spill the beans without a second thought.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Mr. Vil said. “I’ll protect you, Ritual.”
Now, his tone was warm and kind, and the differences in his demeanor almost gave me whiplash. I’m not even sitting that close to him, but he makes my heart race… He’s got the charisma and looks to make people swoon. But it’s so weird… Rudolph was just as handsome as Mr. Vil, and yet, he never made my heart skip a beat like this. I shouldn’t dwell on this feeling much longer. I’ll shove it away in a corner and pretend I never noticed it.
“Uh, on my end…” I started. “Right! Yes, thank you for lending me your sister’s dress! I’m so very grateful.”
“Don’t mention it,” Mr. Vil replied. “It’s no big deal.” Despite his words, he crossed his arms and gave a triumphant smile, as if he were happy to be thanked.
“The marchioness said that she’ll have it ready by the ball.”
“Then you’re all set on that end.”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
When I tried to draw our conversation to a close, Gem, who was my table and chair, flashed red like a warning signal.
“What the?”
“Did something happen?” Mr. Vil asked.
A TV-like display suddenly sprouted from the table, and I watched on with confusion when Gem projected a video onto its screen.
“What?! Gem…” I started.
“What is this?!” Mr. Vil asked.
Moments later, the display showed me heading out of Marquess Leviathan’s manor to board the carriage when Count Raid rushed at me—the exact scene that had occurred earlier in the afternoon.
“Is this a record of what happened earlier today?” Mr. Vil asked.
“So it seems…” I muttered.
“I’ve never seen records shown like this before.”
“Y-Yeah…”
While crystals, mirrors, and other forms of magic could project videos in real time, that was a rarity in this world. Of course, I’d seen stuff like this countless times back in Japan; I was more shocked that Gem could basically serve as a video recorder.
“That’s Count Raid…” Mr. Vil observed.
“Yes,” I said. “He mistook me for the marchioness, it seems.”
“I had no idea this happened… Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Er, um, truth be told, I totally forgot about it while I was making dinner. I think my hunger took precedence…”
Mr. Vil let out a lengthy sigh. “I didn’t think that he had even made contact with you and the marquess…”
“In my case, I think it really was just a coincidence.”
It seemed Mr. Vil knew of Count Raid. He’d been the director of Vizer for a decade until Grand Duke Lindenburg, the current director, took the seat.
“He’s probably desperate to regain the director’s seat for this election,” Mr. Vil muttered.
“His eyes were bloodshot,” I said. “It was frankly a bit scary.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean for you to go through something like that.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
My simple question caused his eyes to widen ever so slightly, a subtle sign that he regretted a slip of his tongue.
“Er, had I been with you, I think you could’ve avoided an encounter with him,” Mr. Vil said.
I don’t doubt that he wants to protect me, but I suspect he has another reason… Is there some problem between him and Count Raid? Some sort of feud? Or maybe it’s an issue between their families. In either case, I should play dumb and let it slide.
“So, shall we start studying?” he asked.
“Tomorrow, we’re supposed to do some volunteering, so our class will be held outside,” I explained. “I don’t think I have to review anything. I’m sorry. I should’ve said that sooner, so you wouldn’t have had to come all the way here.”
“No, even if there was no lesson today, I would’ve dropped by to speak with you anyway. I should apologize for making you prepare dinner for me.”
“Oh, but I quite enjoy eating with you, Mr. Vil.”
“You enjoy eating with me?”
“Yes. You always talk about interesting topics, and it’s funny to see you act totally fine despite being covered by flying squirrels.”
Mr. Vil gasped and stood up. He gently peeled every flying squirrel off his body and placed them onto a nearby tree.
“Go on. Go back into the forest,” he said solemnly.
Yep. Straight out of a fairy tale.