Leticiel grabbed Audrey’s hand from behind before it could begin its downward arc. “Pardon me. I saw you trying to slap someone for absolutely no reason, so I felt the need to step in.”
“O-Ow, that hurts! Let go!” Twisting back, Audrey tried to shake off Leticiel, who had a strong grip on her arm and wouldn’t let go. But it was impossible for a simple noble lady to escape Leticiel’s grip, as she had enhanced her grip with a spell.
“I happened to pass by this door and was surprised to see a group of ladies inside trying to extort items for ridiculous reasons,” Leticiel said mercilessly and without any hesitation.
“Wha…?!” Audrey ogled at her in disbelief. “You… Take that back this instant! Apologize right now for treating me like a thie… Owwww!” Leticiel tightened her grip and Audrey’s words were cut off with a scream.
“Then why did you try to take Veronica’s mother’s brooch from her? Wouldn’t you say that it’s too good for you?”
Audrey’s words died in her throat, unable to snap back as Leticiel used her own words against her. The blood had drained from the other two noble ladies’ faces in the wake of Leticiel’s anger.
“Plus…” Leticiel released Audrey’s hand, the girl rubbing it with tears in her eyes. Her friends finally ran over to her. “If you have something to say, wouldn’t it make more sense to say it directly without using such roundabout and underhanded methods? Especially if you’re friends, as you say.”
“I—I won’t forgive you for this! You’d better watch out!” After spitting out that line, which only served to make her sound like a sore loser, Audrey flew out of the music room with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her groupies hurriedly chased after her.
“U-Um, thank you!” Veronica said, looking up at Leticiel from her seat on the piano bench. Leticiel gave a slight shrug as she looked at the door, which Audrey and the others had disappeared through.
“There’s no need for you to thank me. I just hate people who do that sort of thing. I refuse to let them get away with it when I see them.”
Of course Lucas had asked for her assistance, but that was more like a bonus. Leticiel had genuinely wanted to help Veronica.
Aristocrats nowadays must have a lot of free time, Leticiel thought, remembering back to the time when she had helped Mirandalette. The nasty girls who’d been bothering her had strange quirks and had made meaningless sarcastic remarks too.
“More importantly, I have a favor to ask of you, Miss Veronica.”
“O-Okay!”
“Could you please play the piano again?”
Veronica had been trembling in anticipation, wondering what she’d be asked to do, but Leticiel’s words seemed somewhat anticlimactic. “Th-The piano?” she asked.
“Yes. Actually, I heard you playing on my way here. It was an absolutely lovely sound that put my heart at ease. Not that I know much about music.”
Leticiel’s expression wasn’t teasing at all; she was entirely serious.
It had been a long time since someone had complimented Veronica’s piano skills. “I-I’m glad! If you don’t mind my playing…I’d be happy to.”
Following her word, Veronica spread out her music score and performed for Leticiel. Taking a seat by the grand piano, Leticiel closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the tune. When she cut off her sight and focused with only her ears, she felt strange, as if she were floating on a sea of music.
When the performance ended, Leticiel opened her eyes and asked, “Miss Veronica, do you like to play piano?” She’d never played before, but she assumed that it took a lot of practice to be able to play that well. She wondered if it was possible to become this talented just by taking lessons.
Removing her fingers from the keys, Veronica looked down. “I’m not sure. I used to play for my family. But…they never once complimented me…”
“I see. But I like your piano playing, Miss Veronica. Please allow me to listen again at another time.”
“O-Of course!” Veronica nodded vigorously, clenching both hands into fists. She must have been extremely pleased by Leticiel’s comment, a complicated smile that was both happy and embarrassed gracing her lips.
It seemed to be the key to making Veronica open up, as she gradually told Leticiel about her family while plinking on the keys.
Veronica was Duke Valentine’s daughter, but she was the daughter of his mistress, making her illegitimate. Her mother died not long after giving birth and her father had taken her in, but she didn’t fit in with her family due to her difference in lineage. Her relationships were so strained with the people there that she had chosen to move into the student dormitory when she entered the academy.
“I see… That must have been tough.”
“Plus, I can’t use magic at all,” Veronica continued. “And I enjoy gardening, but that just made people dislike me even more.”
“What? Miss Veronica, you like to garden?”
“Y-Yes. I know the daughter of a nobleman shouldn’t be playing in the dirt. It’s filthy…”
“That’s not true. I enjoy looking at flowers, but I’ve never raised any on my own. You’re amazing.”
Veronica, who wasn’t used to being complimented, shyly averted her gaze after hearing Leticiel’s genuine praise. She had probably always been searching for someone who would acknowledge her.
“I-I’d better go to class. U-Um, thank you…very much!” The clock showed that there were five minutes until the start of classes. Veronica hurriedly packed up her music score and closed the piano lid, smiling at Leticiel and thanking her before leaving.
Once she was alone, Leticiel’s thoughts turned once more to the current situation. Veronica was undergoing attacks called “bullying” by a young noble lady named Audrey and her clique. She used to have Lucas’s support, but Audrey and the others had cut that off.
I see. So this is what war is like in this day and age…
The current situation fit neatly into a war scenario. All alone in the music room, Leticiel very seriously came to a crazy conclusion regarding the definition of “bullying.”
After classes had ended and Leticiel had gone to the sorcery research lab as usual, she and Tuvalu were looking things up in the library together when she said, “Hey, Tuvalu. May I ask you something?”
“Yes. What is it?”
“What sort of a disease is magical power saturation?”
She hadn’t asked Lucas about it when he brought it up, but it was a disease that hadn’t existed a thousand years ago. Naturally, the ever-inquisitive Leticiel was curious about it.
“Magical power saturation is a disease characterized by one’s inability to release magical power to the outside world. Basically, it makes you unable to wield magic. Most cases are congenital. Since it’s a problem with one’s physical body, it’s almost impossible to fully treat.”
“Does that mean it’s seen in people with high magical power?”
“No, that’s not necessarily the case. It’s unrelated to one’s levels of magical power. But the higher your magical power is, the more susceptible you are to the disease. It doesn’t matter much to nobles with low magical power or commoners who don’t use magic in the first place.”
Tuvalu amicably told her about magical power saturation. Because he had been researching sorcery for so many years, he had read quite a number of books and references. Therefore, unlike Leticiel, who was extremely knowledgeable only in specific fields, he had gained a wide range of knowledge over various topics.
Magical power saturation was not as rare as having no magical power at all, but it was still uncommon. People with high magical power levels were more susceptible to it and, because of that, much attention was placed on the investigations into its causes and the development of treatment methods. Since Leticiel had lived when sorcery was at its peak, she had never paid any attention to whether or not her magical power levels were high or low. Plus, she’d never thought about trying to release it from her body, so it was no wonder she had no idea about the disease.
“However, it seems like the level of inability to release magical power depends on the individual. Some people can release a little, while others can’t release any at all. Some people can even release magical power through a specific medium,” Tuvalu continued.
Leticiel gave a short nod to Tuvalu’s explanation. “I see. It seems complicated.” She began processing the information she had gained. The unique handicap that was magical power saturation, the situation Veronica had found herself in, the general of the enemy forces named Audrey…
Well, if the other side wanted war, Leticiel would be ready to attack.