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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Let's Study Together!
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After our second meeting, Laura showed a fairly friendly attitude.
To the point where she would strike up a conversation first if I stayed quiet.
Someone might ask, "Is that really a friendly attitude?" in response to what I said—
But this was close enough to count as getting pretty friendly.
Because among all the people who would casually chat with me, now that I had become a noble, she was one of the rare few.
The only one who might try was Rita, my childhood friend and exclusive maid.
The other servants wouldn't approach unless I called them, and my family was standoffish by nature.
And as for friends...
"Hm."
...Let's leave it there.
There's no point in dwelling on a question with no answer.
But it wasn't entirely my fault that I had gone beyond "I don't have many friends" to "I'm a total friendless loner."
Sure, my communication skills were a bit lacking, and my impression wasn't the greatest—
But in my case, you had to consider that I had lived a life with almost no opportunities to even practice those skills.
The absurd diamond spoon I was born with in my second life.
Thanks to that cursed diamond spoon.
Dominica.
The family boasting the greatest power in the empire, one of the empire's only three grand ducal houses.
A family of this stature was bound to have a rumor or two floating around, but—
The Dominica family went far beyond that.
People said the Dominica family lacked any such thing as emotions,
And that if you so much as caught their eye, they'd drag you off to the family basement...
The Dominica family's reputation was so abysmal it was hard to fathom how such rumors even spread.
No, honestly, I could kind of see it.
I didn't know every move my family made, but I heard and saw plenty within the household.
But rumors were just rumors, anyway.
No matter how much people badmouthed us, a diamond spoon was still a diamond spoon.
It was infinitely better than being born a dirt spoon in a medieval fantasy world (with a side of serfdom).
If my second life had been like that, I would've been screaming for the status window the moment I could talk, only to get labeled a demon-possessed child and abandoned in the woods...
Anyway, that's not the point.
Why was I suddenly getting all introspective about my social circle?
Because the day Laura and I would enter the academy was fast approaching.
When I brought up the academy while strolling with her in the garden, Laura blinked in mild surprise.
"The academy...?"
"Yeah. Do you know it?"
"I've heard the name, but I don't know much about it. I've never even thought about going there..."
That made sense. Laura was the eldest daughter of Count Clarins, after all.
In noble families, the firstborn held succession rights regardless of gender.
So for her, who would one day become Countess Clarins, the academy was something that only existed in stories.
I explained slowly for her benefit.
"It's an institution for nobles without inherited lands. They build connections there, gain knowledge, and prepare for the future."
"So... a bunch of people get together to study? Together?"
"Yeah. It's not just studying—they say like-minded people form social clubs too. It's basically a mini noble society set up by the imperial family."
"A bunch of people studying together... and social clubs..."
Laura repeated my words with a dazed expression.
She looked beautiful even like that, but her face sparked a bit of doubt in me.
'She seems almost unfamiliar with the idea of people gathering to do something.'
To reiterate, she was the firstborn of the Clarins family.
As the heir, she would've been dragged to events with her parents since childhood.
So meeting people should be second nature to her.
'Then why that expression?'
I had no idea.
Even after our meetings piled up, she never shared much about herself.
But seeing that reaction, it seemed she had some circumstances she couldn't talk about—
At that moment, Laura's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"A place like that sounds fun! Could I go to the academy too, by any chance?"
Of course.
No, it would actually be a problem if she said she didn't want to go.
I tried to flash a light smile (it was tough since I hadn't smiled in ages) and replied.
"I have no intention of going alone and leaving my fiancée behind."
Laura smiled happily at my words.
The conversation continued on the topic of the academy.
"The academy is divided into several departments. Any subjects you're interested in?"
"Interests... Is there a class on witches, by any chance?"
"Witches? Not sure. It's been ages since their lineage died out... Though there might be something related in the magic department."
"Magic department? They teach magic? Not just the Magic Tower?"
"Not every mage in the world is in the Magic Tower. I hear they're classified differently. Don't know the details."
"Hmm... Sounds good! Then Leonardo will join the magic department with me, right?"
"No, I'm planning on the knight department."
Sticking too close might drag me into the story progression.
But Laura had apparently assumed I'd naturally join her department, and she looked shocked.
"How could you... I wanted to study together..."
She gazed at me with sad, pleading eyes as she said it.
The sheer impact nearly made me nod without thinking.
'Damn, my fiancée is too beautiful, causing problems like this...!'
In my previous life, I'd scoffed at tales of great undertakings ruined by a woman, calling them foolish—
But seeing that face, I totally got it now.
Yeah, if someone like her begged you with that face, you'd mess up your judgment.
But I barely clung to my reason and offered a gentle refusal.
"...You don't have to be in the same department to take the same classes."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm interested in magic too, so let's find some classes we can take together."
"Yes! Let's definitely study together!"
She beamed brightly as she said it.
I nodded dazedly at her smile.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Time passed, and the academy's opening day arrived.
I boarded a lavish four-horse carriage and headed to the academy.
When the invitation arrived, my mind had been too full of survival thoughts for much reaction—
But now that I was actually on my way, excitement stirred in my chest too.
'Reminds me of the first time I stepped onto a university campus after finals.'
Back then, campuses had seemed so novel and wondrous.
On the other hand, it also brought back memories of webnovels I'd devoured long ago.
The ones where a possessed regressor with future knowledge wowed everyone at the academy entrance exam,
And figures like the academy dean or genius mages would mutter meaningfully, "What's your name? I should remember it," upon seeing it.
'No entrance exams here, so nothing like that will happen—'
Still, thinking about it made me feel like something special was bound to occur.
Like maybe meeting someone from far away who approached me purely to build friendship, even hearing the name Dominica...
And I could see Laura's face again too.
With that thrilled anticipation, I arrived at the academy—
"You a freshman too? Same here... Oh. My apologies!"
"You... I don't recognize your face... Eek! D-Dominica?!"
"Dominica? Then that guy's the Little Iron-Blooded... I-I haven't said anything yet!"
My mere presence plunged the academy students into fear and chaos.
And I hadn't even done anything yet.
'The Dominica infamy is even stronger than I thought.'
I surveyed my surroundings with a somewhat dismal feeling.
Students whispering from a distance, eyeing me like an escaped beast.
They flinched and plastered on stiff smiles whenever my gaze reached them.
I held back a sigh at the sight.
'No making friends, that's for sure.'
Yeah, what friends at this point?
Just staying safe and sound was enough.
At least with no one coming near, there wouldn't be any assassins sneaking in...
I kept scoring these mental victories, wiping away invisible tears from my heart.
'Still, the situation isn't all bad.'
With things like this, personally scouting and recruiting someone would be tough.
But it wasn't enough to derail my plans.
The academy was fundamentally an educational institution, with classes held in lecture halls accordingly.
'No matter how scary the name Dominica is, they won't skip class in the lecture hall.'
They definitely wouldn't.
...Right?
As my confidence wavered, I turned to look for my fiancée.
Clarins was closer to the academy than Dominica, so she should've arrived first—
But for some reason, she was nowhere in sight.
'What's going on? She should've been here by now.'
No way I wouldn't recognize that face.
But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't spot Laura, so I set out to find her.
How long had I been wandering the grounds searching for her?
In the distance, I saw a crowd of people murmuring and gathering.
'What? Some kind of spectacle?'
Were they all crowding to gawk at Laura's face?
Someone like her could draw that kind of crowd.
With those half-joking thoughts, I approached the throng—
And was shocked to discover my guess had hit the mark.
'What is this situation?'
No, not exactly.
My guess was only a third right.
Pushing through the crowd, I found two men glaring at each other with Laura in between them.