But Siena said nothing, simply walking with her eyes fixed on
the ground.
Shirone’s heart felt heavy as he watched her dejected
figure.
If not for that accident in her childhood, she and
Armin might have developed a beautiful relationship.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to blame Armin for suddenly getting
married. To ease the guilt of his cherished younger sister, Armin had chosen to
distance himself from her life.
Nade grumbled, clearly dissatisfied with the atmosphere.
“Tch. You really can’t tell what’s going on between a man and a woman.”
“It can’t be helped. Not everything in the world goes
according to plan.”
“Damn it! She’s always so cold at school, but honestly,
I hate seeing her like this.”
Clenching his fists in indignation, Nade quickened his pace to catch up with Siena.
“Professor.”
“Hmm? Yes?”
“We’re hungry. Since we’re already out, buy us dinner.”
Siena
looked at him with an
expression of pure disbelief. The trespassing they had committed today was an
offense worthy of severe school discipline. In such a situation, to coolly ask
her to buy them dinner was absurd.
“You certainly have a thick skin. You can actually think
about food in this situation?”
“What does it matter? Even if we’re going to be
disciplined, we should do it on a full stomach. After all, we’re learning magic
just to make a living, aren’t we?”
Shirone chimed in.
“That’s right, Professor. Let’s eat before we head back. I’m hungry too.”
Iruki added, “On that note, if I may make a suggestion, I think it
would be best to head toward the noble district. The academy is close by
anyway, and I know a very delicious and expensive restaurant in that area.”
Siena
lost even the will to be
annoyed. Her students’ attitude was brazen, but she had a vague idea of why
they were acting this way. She didn’t particularly want to return to the academy in this
mood either. Besides, today was a holiday.
“Fine, I get it. You must be tired from all that mischief,
so let’s eat. But be prepared for what’s coming once we’re back at school.”
“Hehe! Yes, ma’am!”
Nade
turned back to his friends
and winked. His primary goal was to cheer Siena up, but he was also calculating that stalling for
time might help smooth over their punishment.
The noble district was lined with all sorts of
luxurious shops. Iruki led Siena to the most resplendent establishment of them all.
Standing before the six-story building, Shirone’s jaw dropped.
Since it was frequented by prominent nobles, the
entrance was on another level. Pillars carved from whole tusks of white ivory
supported the balcony ceiling, and marble statues of mythical divine beasts
stood guard on either side like sentries.
Restaurant Gold Cupid.
It was a top-tier restaurant where every dish came
with a premium price tag.
“Whoa! Even I haven’t been here before. We’re really living it up today.
Shirone, let’s
go in.”
“Huh? Well, um...”
Shirone glanced at Siena. As expected, she was looking up at the sign with a
wry, pained smile. It made sense, given this was the most expensive restaurant
in the vicinity. Above all, there was no way Iruki would have chosen such a
place unless he intended to bleed his teacher dry.
However, Siena didn’t get angry. Instead, she let out a sigh as if giving
up and walked coolly into the entrance.
“Fine. Let’s eat here.”
“Ooh! Our Professor! Your generosity is truly on
another level!”
Iruki joined in on Nade’s flattery.
“How foolish. You shouldn’t judge the Professor’s character on such a small scale. For a 6th-class mage, a place like this is somewhere she can walk in
and out of as easily as a restroom. Isn’t that right, Professor?”
“That’s enough, just get inside. But we’re eating and
then going straight back to school.”
Being in a noble-only restaurant for the first time,
Shirone was stunned by the sheer scale revealed once they crossed the
threshold. As if by magic, the size seen from the inside was completely
different from the outside.
Tables were sparse enough to feel like a waste of
space, and on one side sat a bar decorated with all sorts of crystal lamps.
Naturally, the patrons were nobles, and it was clear
from their jewelry alone that they were the movers and shakers of Creas.
“Shirone! Over here!”
Lost in a daze, Shirone headed toward the table where
his friends were calling. Nade and Iruki glanced around occasionally, but they didn’t seem particularly nervous.
A waiter approached to take their order. He had a
greasy look with his hair styled in a swallow-tail, and the lingering way he
looked at Siena made
Shirone and his group quite uncomfortable.
At school, they were teacher and students, but out
here, a man was supposed to escort a woman. However, the waiter didn’t pay the slightest bit of attention to the students,
keeping his gaze fixed solely on Siena.
“Welcome, milady. Thank you for visiting Gold Cupid. It
is truly an honor to have such a beautiful person grace our establishment.”
The flirting was one thing, but it was obvious he was
intentionally ignoring the boys.
Tch.
They call this a top-tier restaurant, but how do they train their staff? What a
joke, as if the Professor would ever be interested in a playboy like you.
Nade’s blood began to boil. His eyes scanned the
prices on the menu. He would order the most expensive dish. He intended to show
up the waiter who was treating them like children.
Iruki mindlessly ordered a string of course meals.
Emboldened, Nade ordered
another course.
Shirone was still agonizing over the menu. To be honest,
they were all dishes he didn’t recognize. How was he supposed to know if a braised
Olaris was meat, fish, or a monster’s tongue?
However, being quick on the uptake, he calmly ordered
the same thing as Nade. He felt uneasy about the menu Iruki had chosen.
As dishes reserved for VIPs were ordered one after
another, the waiter’s face gradually turned pale. His first thought was whether
they actually had the ability to pay. While every dish was premium, there was
more than a threefold difference between the lowest and highest-priced items.
If these children, ignorant of the world, were making a mistake, they could end
up having to pay twelve times the expected price.
The waiter glanced at Siena with an anxious eye. But she seemed unbothered,
choosing her own meal.
“I’ll have the Dasco course, please. And a bottle of
Limunes.”
Siena
wasn’t much of a drinker, but she occasionally enjoyed
cognac when she was feeling blue. Limunes was a distilled liquor with a subtle
scent of vanilla; it was expensive but popular among women for its clean
aftertaste.
“Oh? Professor, you’re going to drink?”
“Why shouldn’t I? You boys go around picking locks and barging into
people’s homes, yet I’m not allowed to have a drink?”
Nade
offered a sheepish laugh.
“Haha, I suppose that’s true. Oh, right! It is your day
off today, isn’t
it, Professor?”
Watching the waiter walk away shaking his head in
disbelief, Shirone and his friends exchanged knowing glances and smirked.
However, as their reason slowly returned, a flicker of anxiety touched their
eyes. Realizing that all four of them had ordered full course meals, mental
price tags began to tally up automatically. Only then did they worry if they had
been a bit too bold, but Siena’s expression remained unbothered.
The income of a 6th-class mage placed one within the top ten percent of noble
society. Furthermore, since she was employed at the Alpheas Magic Academy, one of the Kingdom’s five most prestigious institutions,
she was more than capable of
enjoying her life without ever having to touch the wealth of the Olipher
school.
Come
to think of it, she really has a successful life.
A life spent pursuing dreams rather than chasing
money. However, as the son of a mountain hunter, Shirone knew better than
anyone that such a path was never as easy as it sounded.
With four different course meals ordered, a relentless
parade of dishes began to arrive at the table. Customers at other tables glanced their way with looks of utter
disbelief at the sheer volume.
Unconcerned, Shirone and his friends were hell-bent on
snatching bites of each other’s food. Though Nade and Iruki were nobles and Shirone had learned his
share of dining etiquette, dignity was a worthless currency among friends.
Forks and knives practically flew across the table,
but Siena
simply watched her students
eat with gusto and laughed.
Once their hunger was sated and the flavors began to
fade, they naturally shifted to discussing magic, as was fitting for students
of the academy. It was a pleasant and productive time for Siena
as well. Laughter never
ceased, and her gloomy mood had lifted, meaning Nade’s plan had worked perfectly.
“Hehehe. Professor, allow this unworthy disciple to
offer a drink to his respected teacher.”
“Hmph! Do you really think that will make me go easy on
you? I’m only staying quiet because we’re at the dinner table. Be prepared for
what happens once we’re back.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Here, please have some.”
Nade’s exceptional sociability shone through even here. Siena
didn’t seem to mind, accepting the drinks as they were
offered. Since the cognac was quite strong, Shirone asked with concern.
“Professor, aren’t you drinking too much?”
“Heh, it’s fine. This much doesn’t matter.”
“Absolutely. You’re a 6th-class mage; you wouldn’t be defeated by something as trivial as alcohol.”
Nade
was agreeing with everything
Siena
said, looking as though he
would believe her even if she claimed a fork was a trident.
“Oh? You’re certainly desperate. But really, it’s all
right. I have a high tolerance for alcohol.”
Under Shirone’s worried gaze, Siena
downed another shot of the
strong liquor straight.
One hour later.
“Hey, you! You, I’m talking to you! Nade.”
With the table cleared of dishes, Siena
leaned her elbows on the
surface, her face flushed red as she swayed unsteadily. Meanwhile, Shirone and
his friends sat bolt upright, breaking into cold sweats.
In just one hour, the bottle of cognac had been
drained to the last drop.
Siena’s tongue was heavy, and her eyes had slightly lost
their focus. Unable to even turn their heads, Shirone and the others merely
shifted their eyes to exchange glances.
We’re
in trouble. The Professor is drunk.
After mumbling something in a low voice, Siena suddenly let her head drop. Fearing she might fall
from her chair, Nade hurriedly grabbed her arm.
“Professor, are you all right? We should head back now.”
“You little rascal!”
Snapping her head back up, Siena
ruthlessly pinched and
pulled Nade’s cheek. His cheek stretched like dough, and Nade
winced in pain as he was
yanked toward her.
“Ow, ow, ow! That hurts!”
“I told you to listen to me. I want to be a kind
teacher like Professor Ethella, too. Stop getting distracted by strange things
and study hard!”
“Yes, yes! I understand, Professor! It really hurts!”
“And Shirone, Iruki. You two!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Shirone and Iruki straightened their already rigid
backs even further, assuming a perfectly disciplined posture.
“The same goes for all of you. I won’t forgive you if you think you can just breeze through
life on talent alone. I don’t care if you think I’m a bad teacher. I simply won’t have it.”
“No one thinks you’re bad teacher. So please, try to focus.”
“Phew. Yeah, I know. Why do I do this to myself? Ugh.”
Siena’s
eyelids fluttered
half-closed before her head dropped. Ultimately, she ended up using her folded
arms as a pillow and buried her face into the table.
“Professor, you have to wake up. Professor? We haven’t even settled the bill yet.”
“I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”
“Professor?”
Siena
didn’t respond.
Nade
looked at his friends with a
blank stare. It was obvious they didn’t have a plan either. As they were struggling to
figure out a way out of this mess, two men who had been observing them from the
opposite table walked over.
“The lady seems to have had quite a bit to drink. Shall
we call for a carriage?”
A dapper-looking young man addressed
Siena. Behind him, a
handsome man wore a sly, oily smile.
The gazes of Shirone’s group turned icy all at once. They had been aware of
them since the moment they arrived. They knew these men had been leering at Siena
and trading lewd remarks
from the start.
“Professor? Professor, please, wake up.”
The best move was to wake her and get out as fast as possible. She looked as though she might sit up for a second, but she couldn’t maintain it and collapsed back onto the table. Hearing the word “Professor” from Nade, the man’s eyes lit up as he began to pester them further.