Just after Serraphila walked through the school gate, someone addressed her with a crystal-clear voice.
“Are you Serraphila?”
Yes, I am.
She could have turned around and answered immediately, but that would have been inelegant.
Instead, she waited half a moment before moving. It was important for an imperial lady to avoid disturbing her skirt, her hair, or her hat. Not that she was wearing a hat that day.
Serraphila slowly turned around, according to imperial etiquette—and froze.
The girl before her was pretty and had an attention-grabbing figure. But most stunning of all were her eyes. They shone like clear amethysts.
Serraphila had never witnessed such gorgeous irises. She had seen many different types of beautiful people in her life. But none could compare to the person who faced her. The girl was the most radiant person she had ever met.
“My name is Serraphila,” she said. “Who are you, my stunning, amethyst-eyed beauty?”
“Oh, uh… I’m Elva.”
“Miss Elva… Understood. I shall carry that name in my heart until the day I die.”
“Oh really…”
Elva cleared her throat so she could start over. She was thrown off by how similarly the girl behaved to the boy with the eye mask who’d given her this request.
She’d just have to adjust her expectations. A lot of sorcerers were eccentric; a quirky personality was no reason to avoid someone.
“Kunon asked me to look after you. You know him, right?”
“Yes. He is a wonderful gentleman who wears an eye mask.”
“Yeah, he’s a gentleman, all right. He told me about you, hoping I would take you under my wing as a fellow earth sorcerer.”
Thank you, Kunon! I’m eternally grateful!
The lady’s education Serraphila had received trained her to never let a speck of emotion show on her face. Imperial ladies were modest and never betrayed their feelings unless the situation truly called for it.
“You’ll observe me in close detail, won’t you?!” This time, however, a smidge of excitement might have slipped into her expression.
Elva smiled gracefully. “Uh, sure. Yeah, I’ll do that. Anyway, wanna come with me?”
“Yes! I’d follow a lovely lady like you anywhere!” Perhaps a little emotion had poked through, too.
Elva smiled, satisfied.
✦ ✦ ✦
“What is this…?!”
It turned out Elva’s beautiful countenance and amethyst eyes weren’t the only surprises Serraphila was in for that day.
The giant ship before her took her breath away as well.
The lack of a mast to catch wind or a figurehead to prevent disaster on the open seas made it look incomplete. But it was undeniably a ship.
As expected of magic school. This place was full of surprises even for Serraphila, a full-fledged imperial lady.
The lovely Elva had taken her to a stout tower. It wasn’t tall, but it was a large building.
What is this place? she wondered.
It didn’t look like a school building… But that hardly mattered.
“This device is called a magic airship. It can fly,” Elva explained.
“It can fly?! You mean, like, through the heavens?!”
The ship sitting before the tower was much more shocking.
“That’s right. I’m about to leave with my factio—er, friends—on an expedition to gather materials for magic. We do this at the beginning of every school year.”
“That sounds fun.”
So this girl was going to spend time with her friends.
As a lady from a high-ranking noble family, Serraphila wasn’t too accustomed to such experiences. She had hoped she might find the opportunity to change that at this school.
“Do you wanna come, too, Serraphila?”
“Yes, absolutely!” There was no way she could turn down an invitation from Elva!
“Oh, really?”
Elva hadn’t expected her to say yes. She had only offered in the flow of conversation, meaning it as a joke. She certainly hadn’t foreseen such an immediate answer.
“We’ll be gone for about two weeks. Are you okay with that?”
“Oh… That might be difficult…”
That was less than ideal. Serraphila hadn’t done anything to prepare for a trip. She didn’t have luggage, a change of clothes, or any daily necessities. Even more troubling, she hadn’t said anything to her servants.
She may have been an imperial lady, but she was still a child. She would need permission before she could leave on a trip that would require her to sleep away from home. Especially when that trip would last two weeks.
“I want to go with you, and I’m really interested in this ship, but I suppose I can’t go on a trip like this on such short notice. I’d really like to, though…”
“Don’t worry. I figured you wouldn’t be able to.”
Elva had only been joking, after all. Now she regretted asking and making Serraphila feel bad.
But a moment later, everything changed.
“We’re about to leave, Elva.”
“…!”
A girl with a ponytail approached them. The sight of her shocked Serraphila speechless.
She was gallant and projected strength reminiscent of a bolt of lightning. Her azure eyes weren’t the strong blue of the imperial family’s— they were somehow more ephemeral. And yet those soft eyes belied their owner’s indomitable aura.
“…Hm? Who’s this?”
The girl’s azure gaze turned toward Serraphila, whose heart fluttered.
Those soft irises housed obvious strength. Serraphila was dazzled by the mysterious contrast.
“She’s a new student named Serraphila,” replied Elva. “I brought her here on Kunon’s recommendation. Should I not have?”
“No, it’s fine. The timing is bad, though. We’re about to leave on our expedition.”
They were leaving. That meant it was already time to say goodbye…
“I’m going!” Serraphila shouted before she knew what she was doing. “Please let me join you!”