Elinalise looked around with great interest. The city was much more prosperous than the last time she had visited.
At that time, the place was bustling, but it still felt like a somewhat isolated and discreet center of studies.
Now, however, there were street vendors in the streets, more buildings erected, and every kind of activity on every corner.
Ranoa's growing fame as the best University of Magic in the world had transformed the region.
She took the opportunity to visit the city's Adventurers' Guild and sell some Mana Crystals. On the way, she turned in a quest she had completed during her journey there.
After filling out the paperwork and receiving her reward, she left the premises and headed toward the Magic Academy.
Elinalise already knew, through rumors, that Rudeus's group had returned safely to the Central Continent, and they seemed to be doing very well, in fact.
After rescuing Zenith and Paul on the Demon Continent, the group split up.
Paul went to Milis with some companions, aiming to rescue Norn, while Rudeus set sail toward the North, heading for the Sword Sanctuary.
Crossing the ocean near the Celestial Continent, Rudeus and his group managed to find Sylphy's mother and rescue her.
But obviously they did not find Aisha.
Paul's group, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He ended up dying in combat, at the hands of the Beast God.
Even so, the final outcome was not as bad as it could have been.
At least they no longer had to worry about rescuing Norn from the Latreia House… since the Latreia House had been disbanded.
Elinalise did not know all the details of what had happened in Milis, but she had an idea.
Even though she had left when the war began, she still heard some things along the way.
She knew that, sooner or later, Tallhand would fully update her by means of a letter.
Her focus now, however, was elsewhere. She wanted to talk to Rudeus, Roxy, and Sylphy. After all, they probably didn't know anything.
Nor did they know that Paul was dead.
Upon arriving at the Magic Academy, Elinalise took the opportunity to complete her enrollment process.
Through prior contacts and her reputation as a high-ranking adventurer, the process was simple.
She chose the subjects in which she was interested—Intermediate Magic, Magic Combat Techniques, and also an elective on Magic Circles—and received her uniform.
After changing in the women's dormitory, she left the building dressed in the official Academy uniform.
Even with its modest, disciplined cut, the way the fabric fitted her body and Elinalise's graceful bearing made her attract immediate attention.
Wasting no time, she approached the first student she encountered along the way.
He was a short young man, with neatly combed black hair, carrying some books.
"Hello, handsome boy!" Elinalise said with a seductive smile.
"Where can I find Rudeus Greyrat?"
The student froze for a moment, widening his eyes at the sound of that name.
But, upon looking at Elinalise, he seemed to completely forget the question. His face flushed almost instantly.
"Uh-oh… hello, miss…" he replied, clearly nervous.
"Rudeus… he is not at the Academy at the moment. He is also an Adventurer, so…"
"I see…" Elinalise said, crossing her arms in a way that highlighted her chest even more.
"W-What are you looking for him for?" the boy ventured.
"I have news about his family!"
Upon hearing that, the boy seemed to relax a bit, relieved. Even so, his expression was one of total enchantment.
He couldn't stop looking at her face, her eyes, her smile… Elinalise as a whole.
"E-Excuse me, if it's not too rude to ask…" he said, looking determined. "What's your name? I'm Cliff Grimoire! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
He seemed a bit flustered in his words.
Elinalise laughed, finding all of it extremely cute. She replied with a gentler smile this time:
"I am Elinalise Dragonroad. Nice to meet you, Cliff!"
The boy's eyes shone, as if faced with the love of his life. It was as though he were hypnotized by her, totally captivated.
Elinalise, internally, already recognized that kind of look. It was a pure, sincere look and, precisely for that reason, the most dangerous for her.
"Can you tell me when he will return? Or where he lives?" she asked naturally.
"Oh, yes, of course! He won't come today, but I can take you to his house when classes end!" he offered readily, excited.
"You are new here, miss? Would you like me to show you around the Academy? I can give you a complete tour!"
He spoke with stars in his eyes, like a young man living in a dream.
Elinalise maintained a light smile, but hesitated a bit inside. Cliff seemed too sincere, too innocent.
She knew how her curse affected that kind of man. Therefore, she had never been interested in any kind of serious romance.
Still, she accepted the invitation.
"I would love that!" she replied with a wink.
Even without romantic intentions, she decided to accompany him. If he could take her to Rudeus's house, it would be a good opportunity.
As they walked through Ranoa University, Elinalise seized every opportunity to learn more about Rudeus's current life and that of his companions.
Cliff, excited to be in the company of such a charming woman, answered all her questions enthusiastically.
It was during this conversation that Elinalise received surprising news: Rudeus had married—not one, but two women.
The first was Sylphy, his childhood friend. That did not surprise her much. She had seen the bond between them when she traveled with them, a strong, almost unbreakable connection.
Sylphy was her granddaughter, although Elinalise had not revealed that information to her.
Still, she felt an intimate and sincere happiness for her.
The marriage to Roxy intrigued her more. It was not something she had expected, but it was not hard to believe.
Roxy had always been a reserved woman, but dedicated, and since she was rescued by Rudeus in the Labyrinth, Elinalise suspected something had changed in her.
Now it made more sense.
Cliff mentioned that Rudeus had bought a house and was living with the two wives. Elinalise, curious, asked:
"You mentioned that he is also an Adventurer?"
"Yes!" Cliff replied.
"He joined the Academy to deepen his knowledge, but wanted to keep his combat skills sharp, so he became an Adventurer. He is Rank S."
Elinalise raised an eyebrow, somewhat impressed.
"And Sylphy and Roxy?"
"They are also part of his group, but they don't always accompany him. Sometimes he goes on missions alone. Oh, and there is an archer who joins them from time to time… I think her name is Sara."
As they continued the tour, a voice echoed in the corridor:
"Cliff!"
Turning around, they saw a young man in a University uniform. His hair was brown and cut in a bowl style.
It was Zanoba Shirone, the Miko with Super Strength and prince of the Kingdom of Shirone.
Cliff turned to Elinalise:
"Zanoba! This is Miss Elinalise. Elinalise, this is a great friend of mine, Zanoba Shirone."
Elinalise made a light bow, acknowledging the prince's status. Zanoba, however, raised a hand.
"No need for formalities, miss."
He turned to Cliff.
"I'm close to unlocking the main circuit behind the doll's motor movement! I won't be able to assist Nanahoshi today. Could you replace me?"
Cliff looked at Elinalise, hesitating briefly, then replied:
"I'm busy at the moment, but I can talk to Derrick. He can help her."
"Great. I appreciate it, Cliff."
Zanoba departed quickly, already immersed in his thoughts about dolls.
Cliff, for his part, made a momentary detour, heading to the male dormitory.
There, he found Derrick Redbat, the Princess Ariel's Magic Guardian.
After confirming with Ariel, Derrick replied affirmatively: he was free to help Nanahoshi.
Returning to Elinalise, Cliff resumed the campus tour. The conversation between them flowed naturally.
Cliff asked countless questions about Elinalise's adventurous life, enchanted by her stories, while she took the chance to absorb more about Rudeus's and the others' academic lives.
After classes ended, the two met again to go to Rudeus's house. But before that, Cliff declared his romantic feelings to Elinalise.
And she let out a disappointed sigh, sad to have to break another innocent young man's heart.
---
POV: Sylphiette Greyrat
It has been more than two years since we arrived in the magical city of Sharia and began our studies at the University of Magic.
Well… Roxy became a teacher, but she has always been with us the whole time.
The last few months, in particular, have perhaps been the best time of my entire life, as I finally married Rudy.
Roxy had also married him, but I didn't mind much—I even enjoyed her company.
While I was cooking, she would prepare her lessons for the next day.
She was extremely dedicated when it came to teaching, no wonder Rudy always called her "Goddess of Wisdom."
The house we lived in was bought by Rudy and renovated by a dwarf. It was very cozy.
I heard they found an "automaton" in the basement of the house—at least that's what Rudy called it—and Zanoba was studying it diligently.
My mother, Liena, also lived with us, but she had gone out to restock supplies, which were running low.
When everything was ready in the kitchen, I observed with satisfaction: the food would probably be perfect by the time Rudy arrived.
So, I went to the living room and sat in front of Roxy.
"Roxy, what do you think of Sara?"
The question seemed to catch her by surprise, but she answered me:
"Uhh, I don't know what you're talking about…"
I raised an eyebrow, insistent.
"We need to present a united front with our decision. I want to be on the same page as you if something happens…"
The situation was very simple. Sara was in love with Rudeus. I had already noticed that some time ago.
Initially, she was very hostile, but many things happened. Rudeus saved her life more than once, and we often had adventures together.
She just hadn't said anything because Rudeus was already married.
And if I had noticed, then Roxy definitely had too.
Having married both of us at the same time, I was almost certain he was not averse to the idea of a third wife—even though he said he would not have a third woman, I knew him better than that.
Roxy sighed:
"I like her. If Rudy wanted to marry her, I wouldn't be against it… if he asks permission, of course."
I nodded:
"I agree. But we can't make it too easy, so it doesn't get out of control. We know Sara loves him truly, but that may not be the case for any other woman in the future…"
Roxy nodded:
"Right…"
At that moment, we heard animated voices at the entrance.
They were Sara and Rudeus. We stood up immediately to greet them and soon saw them.
Rudy was wearing his familiar leather armor and wizard's cloak, carrying the magic staff that had accompanied him since our time on the Begaritt Continent.
Sara was wearing light leather armor and carried a bow on her back. Rudy saw us and asked:
"Roxy, Sylphy, is Sara going to have dinner with us, all right?"
Some time later, we were all gathered at the table: my mother, Liena, Sara, Roxy, Rudy, and me.
Sara was talking about the monster they faced today—a tree Ent with the power to use ice magic.
It was no challenge for Rudy.
He had grown very strong over the past few years. Not only had he become a King in all magical attack schools, but he had also become much more proficient in magic overall, and in using it in combat.
We both received Demon Eyes—his was the Foresight Eye, which allowed him to see a few seconds into the future.
Relying on that, he could even defeat swordsmen, who were famous for their superiority in frontal combat.
Rudy was striving to become stronger so that he could protect us.
We still didn't know how Paul, Zenith, and Norn were doing—much less Aisha—but, if all had gone well, they would soon arrive in Sharia, or send a letter telling us the situation.
In any case, we were a bit anxious overall.
The dinner continued with a pleasant atmosphere. After all, it wasn't because we had problems that my life seemed less happy.
I couldn't wish for a better life than this.
-----
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