"Finral!" one of my instructors called out to me.
"Hm? What is it, sensei?"
"Your family has sent you a letter. Take it."
A letter from my family?
"Thank you," I respectfully bow as I receive it.
Sensing that it's something not so important, I opened it on the spot. Surely enough, I was right. The letter contains nothing but nonsense from my father. Barely reading the whole thing, I pocketed it immediately.
Father would be visiting the capital soon, so I will confront him then. I'm certain Eria-sama would be here too in the near future, but it would be preferable for her to arrive at the same time as him. There's no doubt I will be able to convince him of my plan with her by my side.
"Is it true you've fought the Dark army!?"
"You're amazing, senpai!"
Isn't that...?
As I continue on my path, I saw a familiar person in the gallery. It was Chester-senpai. He's supposed to be on some kind of business, so I'm surprised to see he was back.
Chester's household rank is just below mine. He's the son of a full-pledged Marquis. While it's not as much as the Royalty and us Dukes, he still holds a lot of authority in the academy.
"Kuku! It's true. I indeed fought plenty of them."
As boastful as ever...
Even among the academy's nobility, he's known as a loud eccentric. No matter how small the feat was, he would loudly boast about it. Still, he was popular as he's always able to back up his stories. He's a very capable mage.
Chester is one of the Royal Court Mage's apprentices, which means he's also one of the few people with the closest chance to inherit his title. That makes him my rival. In the future, I'll make him aware of that.
"Hm?"
As I was unintentionally staring daggers at him, Chester suddenly met my eyes. He glared back at me.
Now I've done it... That was rude of me...
Acting out of character, Chester asked his admirers to leave him alone. He made up an obvious excuse and waited until they were gone. Then completely catching me off guard, he walked over to me.
"Kuku... What could possibly be the reason you're staring at me like that?" he asked with a crude smile on the corner of his lips.
"Excuse me, I was just curious," I apologized with a slight bow.
I might have the higher rank in nobility than him, but he's still my senior in the academy. And we might become rivals in the future, but I will still have to keep my respect. I can't exactly act unfavorably towards him.
"Curious, huh?" he grinned as if he had found something funny in my words. "Well, you should be," he said.
"Senpai?"
"Are you aware of the place I've been sent to?"
"Not at all."
I was uninterested, so I didn't care to know.
"Heh? Since you're glaring daggers at me, I thought you had a clue. Fine, I'll tell you. I've been sent to Root. You know, the place under that militaristic Baron."
"Eh...?"
"I've met your master there. Eria—the elf heroine, right?"
My mind went blank for a second—hearing the name of the town I spent my vacation in, and more importantly, the name of my master.
"You've met Eria-sama...?"
"Umu, and now I totally understand why you're keeping quiet about her. A great body and a nice personality. One hell of a woman, isn't she?" Chester said, a hint of lust crawling on his face.
Seeing his disgusting expression, the worst case scenario violated my mind.
Other than being known as an eccentric, Chester is also infamous as a womanizer...
I hate to say it, but Eria-sama is an easy target...
Put two and two together, and I would naturally come to the conclusion that...
"Tch! What are you... How did you know her...?"
"As I said, I met her while I was doing my mission. After that, well, let's just say that we've spent a lot of intimate time together... She took care of me and obediently obeyed my every command..."
Once again, Chester boasted a crude smile. We're on the same height, but the pressure he's putting onto me right now make it seem as if he was taller. He's surely attempting to intimidate me.
"Obey you? Are you certain you're not merely mistaking that person for Eria-sama?"
"No, I'm not..."
"Eria-sama is very important to me, so if you've bothered her in any way..."
"Tch! Your eyes are getting dangerous. What the hell are you thinking?"
I glared at him to convey my thoughts. As long as it involves Eria-sama, I won't tolerate anything. I won't hesitate to cross any line for her.
Seemingly understanding what I wanted to convey, Chester finally removed the unpleasant look on his face. Then after remaining quiet, he let out a frustrated sigh. Just like that, the atmostphere around him completely changed.
"Ugh! I get it, I get it! I didn't think it would work so well... I thought you would only get jealous or something..."
"Huh...? What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying that I'm intentionally trying to rile you up. Hmph! That woman seems to have completely captured you. You're reminding me of that brat."
"Rile me up...? And what are you trying to achieve by doing that?"
"I thought it would be fun."
T-This bastard...
"But it's true that I've spent a lot of time with your master. If you're curious or has some questions, let's talk about it later. I still have some business to attend to."
"No, I want you to tell me everything now."
"As I said, I don't have the time."
"You bastard! Even though you're claiming you're only acting, I still really hate that face you've made! Unless you tell me everything about your time with Eria-sama now, I won't calm down!" I clenched his collar tight as I told him so.
"Y-You're crazy!" Chester frightfully screamed.
Eria-sama not only trained me in magic, she also trained me physically. I continued her routine even after we seperated. I was improving my body and stamina so I can keep up with her in bed.
I can easily beat up this senpai of mine right here and right now.
"S-Shit! I really don't have the time right now! Fine! Eria's in Rusceah now! So just talk to her!"
"E-Eh...?"
Hearing his words, I immediately dropped his collar.
The heat in my head cooled down, and my tensed body loosened. I completely froze for a moment. Then once the moment settled, I felt excitement well up in my stomach.
"She said that she wanted to surprise you, so I was keeping it a secret," Chester said as he awkwardly fixed his collar.
"R-Really?"
"Tch! I didn't know you were a crazy person. It's true. Your master's here."
So Eria-sama's in Rusceah? And he said she's going to surprise me? But I ruined it now, haven't I...?