“Elenia, I think it’s about time you told me more in detail. Just who exactly is your mentor, this Sir Noah?”
I’m used to pushing myself, but urging others isn’t really in my nature.
Even so, I couldn’t let the topic of Elenia’s mentor slide.
It wasn’t about her hiding something or refusing to tell me—it was simply my insatiable curiosity.
Who could this person be, that even the imperial officer we briefly encountered recognized his name?
What had he done to earn a reputation as someone who couldn’t stay in one place for long?
And most of all, what kind of knight could leave fifty others crippled—or was it sick?
Anyway, in such a state?
Elenia, seemingly feeling the weight of my persistence, finally parted her lips to speak.
“First of all, please know that I wasn’t keeping this secret to make things difficult for Tyreal.”
“Of course, Elenia wouldn’t do that.”
“Thank you. Well, to explain… The reason I haven’t told you much about my mentor is, firstly, because I don’t even know much about him.”
“Excuse me?”
What?
You’re his student, aren’t you?
How can there be so much you don’t know about him?
My confusion must have been obvious on my face, as Elenia gave me a wry smile.
“That’s actually the second reason. Even if I wanted to know more, I couldn’t truly understand my mentor as a person.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“How should I put this… It’s like he came from an entirely different world. He speaks our language, and he looks like one of us, but there’s something unmistakably different about him.”
Elenia gave an awkward smile, apologizing for her explanation.
“Someone from another world,” she added, acknowledging how absurd it sounded even as she said it. But she insisted this was the only way to describe him, leaving her at a loss for better words.
“Another world.”
Amusingly, there wasn’t an elf here who could understand her words better than me.
After all, I, too, came from another world. I still carried those memories.
And if I exist here, it’s not impossible that someone else, similar to me, could exist as well.
“Even now, when I think about it… he was such a mysterious person in so many ways.”
As the capital drew closer, I managed to hear more about Elenia’s mentor.
And as those details accumulated, I began to arrive at a single conclusion:
Maybe I wasn’t the only one dropped into this unfamiliar world.
*
“Oh? You’re headed to the Academy as well?”
“Originally, we were just going as far as the capital, but we recently heard some new information.”
“That’s great! Then you can continue traveling with us!”
The baron’s children, whose lives I had saved in exchange for Gado, and the baron’s entourage were delighted to learn we were headed to the Academy as well.
They expressed their gratitude, saying they’d been wondering how to repay me for saving the lives of their precious family members.
At the very least, they said, they could offer us a proper meal once we reached the capital.
Naturally, Elenia and I tried to refuse.
We’d only fulfilled the baron’s request, and we had already been compensated for it.
But their insistence left us with no choice but to nod in agreement in the end.
To be honest, I was beginning to think it might be better to part ways with the people of the baron’s household.
It wasn’t because I disliked them, but rather because I was worried our presence might negatively impact them.
Hadn’t we already seen how others viewed those traveling with elves on the way to the capital?
At first, everyone seemed concerned for the people of the Baron’s household, but if this takes a wrong turn…
They could end up being branded as foolish humans who protect the Kanph instead.
And to make matters worse, from what I remember of the academy, it’s a place where ostracism and bullying are entirely possible.
I was concerned the baron’s children might suffer, but since they wouldn’t listen, there wasn’t much I could do.
So, I decided to be as cautious as possible for the remainder of the journey.
Even though I was the first elf to set foot in this empire’s capital, the very heart of its power.
Even though this was a massive city, completely unlike the quiet, secluded forest villages I was used to.
I made a special effort to avoid clashing with other humans or getting caught up in incidents.
“Ah!”
As we made our way to the academy after finishing our tour of the capital—
“Watch out!”
A sudden accident occurred when a carriage abruptly cut in front of the baron’s carriage, leading to their wheels colliding.
‘What the hell? Cutting in like that? Are they joking?!’
If this had been the world I originally came from, I would’ve immediately called a lawyer.
I quickly went to inspect the situation and found both carriages slightly damaged.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like anyone was seriously hurt, but the atmosphere was far from good.
“What on earth are you doing?!”
“We’re in a hurry! You were moving so slowly ahead, we had no choice but to overtake! It’s your fault for not moving aside!”
The coachmen, clutching their necks and jumping off their seats, were already locked in a heated argument.
It was clear they both took great pride in their masters and domains.
As voices grew louder, Maria, who had stepped out to assess the situation, finally spoke.
“I acknowledge that we were unable to speed up due to being unfamiliar with the area. But overtaking without assessing the situation? That was dangerous!”
At that, a woman stepped forward from the other side, her demeanor instantly raising alarm bells.
Her fiery red hair looked like blazing flames, and her sharp eyes exuded a vicious energy.
Unlike Maria, she was dressed in extravagant attire, suggesting she was from a prominent family.
“You lot. You’re on your way to the academy, aren’t you?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Then you should know this is the busiest season of all, yet you were dawdling like you had all the time in the world.”
“Well, that’s…”
“Oh, right. My mistake. You mentioned this was your first time in the capital.”
The red-haired woman glanced at Maria and covered her mouth, laughing mockingly.
From Maria’s perspective, she had put significant effort into her attire, but to that woman, it likely didn’t measure up at all.
Just from the difference in their outfits, it was clear what her intentions were.
“Well, well. In that case, I suppose it makes sense. Heading to the academy, yet unaware of the academy’s affairs or the capital’s news? Haha, we’ll just have to be understanding, won’t we?”
Hmm.
No matter how I look at it, that scene definitely looks like that.
“They’re really acting like someone from a rural territory. Ugh, so unfitting.” They’re mocking her, aren’t they?
Maybe it’s because I’ve only been around decent people until now, but seeing something like this is a bit shocking.
“Well, anyway, since we look like fellow academy students, shall we introduce ourselves? I’m Elliot, the second daughter of Viscount Rozena, who directly serves Count Ponturena of the Empire. And you?”
“…I’m Maria Heiner, from the Barony of Heiner.”
“Heiner, Heiner… Ah, that small estate by the Great Forest.”
Was it just my imagination, or did she really put extra emphasis on the word small?
No, it’s definitely not just my imagination. Maria’s stiffening expression is clear evidence of that.
More than that, her introduction…
She really knows how to get under someone’s skin.
What?
The second daughter of Viscount Rozena, who serves Count Ponturena?
If anyone heard that, they’d think she was a count’s daughter or something!
But no, she’s just the daughter of a Viscount.
“All right, Maria. Even though I’m in a hurry to get to the academy to meet someone, I admit we were at fault for cutting in, so let me offer my apologies. As the second daughter of the Rozena family, I extend my sincerest apologies to you, Lady Maria of the Heiner Barony.”
“…”
“And if compensation for the carriage is necessary, just let me know. I can pay for it, no matter how much it costs.”
She’s not offering to cover the repair costs out of kindness.
No, she’s belittling it, as if saying, “How much could that carriage even be worth?”
Her expression, her gaze, her voice—everything reeks of mockery.
It feels almost exaggeratedly similar to how our kind treated humans back in the day.
“But you know, our carriage was damaged too. While suddenly cutting in was obviously wrong, your fault is just as clear for moving slowly in an area where everyone else is speeding.”
“I already explained that it was because I’m new to the capital and unfamiliar with the roads—”
“Then you should’ve walked instead of taking a carriage. Do you think it’s okay to drag your feet in a place where everyone else is rushing and then say, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong’?”
Well, she’s not exactly wrong.
Looking at the road, the carriages are certainly moving fast.
It does seem like this time of year is especially hectic because of academy admissions.
But she said she’s new to the capital.
Shouldn’t that be something the barony side takes into consideration?
Man, have I just been around too many nice people lately?
Her intentions are obvious.
She starts with an apology to silence Maria, only to keep hammering her down afterward.
She keeps emphasizing, “You’re just a country noble who doesn’t even seem noble.”
It’s as if she’s skillfully concealing her own flaws while constantly digging into the facts to humiliate Maria.
Watching this any longer is starting to make me feel irritated, so I decided to intervene.
Elenia seemed like she wanted to stop me, but since I came along as part of this group, ignoring this any further didn’t seem right.
“Excuse me…”
I was about to say something polite, but then I decided against it.
This wasn’t the time to showcase the elegance of the Elven race—it was a time to demonstrate the meaning of force.
“Excuse me.”
“Who dares interrupt while the masters are talking…? Oh, oh?”
Up until now, I had been wearing a hood, quietly standing in the back.
It seems they mistook me for a member of the baron’s entourage.
Too bad they guessed wrong.
“If you’re the one who caused the accident by cutting in, you shouldn’t have anything to say, even if you had ten mouths.”
Indeed, in this world, sharp words paired with pointed ears seem to work better than mere kindness.