"Are you absolutely not joking?"
On the way to the Kuonji residence, Charlotte finally couldn't hold back her question as she looked at the girl and the bird before her.
"Starting mechanized magic now and joining Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinarts… you might fall completely behind. You could end up ranked at the very bottom, and if you're last, you won't even qualify for the Night Party."
Charlotte crossed her arms, tilting her head to gaze at the delicate girl beside her.
She's quite pretty, actually.
The girl shyly averted her eyes.
"Night Party?"
"You really don't know anything, do you?" Charlotte sighed, having calmed down somewhat.
"The Night Party or Walpurgis Night is a competition held at Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinarts. Everyone uses mechanized magic to attack each other until only one person remains—that one becomes the Demon King."
"And once you become the Demon King, you gain everything. Wealth, fame, knowledge, power…"
As she spoke, Charlotte pressed her lips together slightly, slowly clenching her hand.
A child with a past.
Alice glanced at Charlotte, then continued following her pace, carrying her luggage.
Charlotte was taking Alice to the school, as the Kuonji residence was located near the campus.
"Miss Alice, Miss Alice, who is this person?" The blue robin perched on Alice's head, Robin, piped up with a question.
Seeing Sigmund sitting atop Charlotte's head, Robin clamored noisily, unwilling to be outdone, demanding a spot up there too.
In the end, Alice, thoroughly annoyed, let the bird have its way.
She wasn't wearing a hat and hadn't really wanted Robin up there.
"Someone who owes me money."
"What?!" Even the bird's face showed clear surprise.
"Someone actually dares to owe Miss Alice money?"
He drew a wing across his neck.
"Should we…"
"Not necessary."
If I kill her, who's going to help me find the textbooks?
"Oh." Robin hung his head, deflating.
Watching this scene, a big question mark seemed to pop up above Charlotte's head.
"Are you… talking to the bird?"
Alice gave a slight nod.
"But all I can hear is chirping." Charlotte widened her sapphire-like eyes, covering her lips as she whispered to Sigmund on her head, "Can you understand it?"
"I cannot," the dragon's head shook.
Seems the problem isn't on my end.
Charlotte patted her chest, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
After carefully adjusting her own composure—a young lady's secret—she looked at Alice with a gaze full of concern.
This child… did she end up like this because she had no friends?
"That's quite a rude way to look at someone, you know." Sigmund swished his tail, tapping Charlotte's head. "It might be a form of magic."
"I know that," Charlotte retorted, covering her head, her voice a mix of embarrassment and indignation. "I just haven't seen it before and didn't realize right away."
Ignoring the antics of the two, Alice spoke up, "How much further, Miss Charlotte?"
"Just turn left ahead and you'll see the school." Charlotte rubbed her head, then asked casually, "Why are you coming to the school?"
"I live nearby."
"But if you're not enrolled, you shouldn't be allowed on campus, right?"
Charlotte voiced the doubt in her heart, but was met with only silence.
Faced with Alice's wordless response, Charlotte humphed, walked ahead a couple of quick, sulky steps, and turned the corner.
As soon as she rounded it, her question was answered.
Not far from the school, an old Western-style house came into Charlotte's view.
The two-story duplex design gave the house a strong sense of mystery, while the large floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor added a touch of modernity.
The garden surrounding it seemed long untended, weeds growing lush and green.
Charlotte stared in surprise at the distant house.
"Haven't you been to the school before?" Noticing Charlotte's astonished expression, Alice asked with a hint of curiosity.
"I only arrived in Liverpool today." Charlotte blinked, somewhat taken aback.
Even as the daughter of a Count, she had never seen a Western house built right beside a school.
Moreover, to have a house like this in central Liverpool, next to the world's top academy of magecraft—just where did this young lady come from?
Coming back to her senses, she saw Alice already heading towards the house, and Charlotte hurried to catch up.
Clang—
As Alice unlocked the outermost iron gate, the two girls, one dragon, and one bird entered the garden.
Looks like the bounded field is properly set up too.
Taking in the state of the garden, Alice gave a satisfied nod.
It's just that no one's been maintaining it.
Alice continued inward, reaching the main entrance of the house.
"...What's your name?" Charlotte suddenly asked.
Alice turned back, puzzled.
"What is it…" Seeing Alice's expression, Charlotte's cheeks tinged with red, and she turned her face away slightly, somewhat awkwardly. "It's just… I'm a little grateful to you. If not for you, who knows where this magic circuit would have flowed."
"Kuonji Alice." The black-haired girl's lips curved slightly upwards as she gave her brief introduction.
A pity that in the dim surroundings, no one could appreciate that faint smile.
"Kuonji… Alice?"
"It's a name from the East. Kuonji is the family name, Alice is the given name." Alice pushed the door open and stood to the side. "You may call me Alice Kuonji. Come in."
Charlotte nodded in understanding and stepped into the house.
Beyond the entryway was a front hall with no light sources of its own; the dim rays of the setting sun slanted in from the atrium on the second floor.
The slanted sunlight divided the hall into areas of light and shadow, and the fireplace by the wall was about to be swallowed by darkness.
Such a hall brought to mind a medieval castle.
Alice stepped onto the wooden floor, pushed open the door to the east, and switched on the lights for the eastern corridor.
With the arrival of a light source, Charlotte could easily observe the interior of the house.
Opening the nearest door, Robin flew in first and perched on top of the television.
The walls were adorned with luxurious patterns, the sofa exuded solemn dignity, and high-quality carpets covered the entire room.
If not for that television, anyone would think this was a room in some castle.
Not that a television was of much use in this era anyway.
Alice walked slowly to the sofa and sat down, then turned her palm upward in an inviting gesture toward Sigmund. "As per our agreement."
Charlotte, mimicking Alice, walked to the sofa and gently sank into it. The sofa's softness made her narrow her eyes contentedly.
Sigmund flew from her head into Alice's hand, whispering to her, "We've been traveling all day. Let her rest a little, please."
Alice gave a slight nod and began carefully analyzing the small dragon in her hand.
As soon as she probed inward, Alice discovered something unusual inside the little dragon.
"A strange element is drifting within it."
Alice voiced her query softly.
Hearing the question, Charlotte, who had been narrowing her eyes from exhaustion, opened them a bit wider and glanced at Alice with some surprise, replying quietly, "Sigmund's Magic Circuit, 'Magic Sword,' essentially generates and discharges the 'Extinction Element.' The element inside is that Extinction Element…"
The girl seemed willing to share everything she knew, but her voice was heavy with weariness, growing softer and softer until it finally evened out into the steady rhythm of peaceful breathing.
Perhaps because Sigmund was here, and they were right next to the school, Charlotte had quickly fallen asleep in the soft sofa.
Alice looked helplessly at Charlotte, while the small dragon in her hand wore a rather silly-looking smile.
Who knows how Alice managed to detect a smile on that little dragon's face.
"The agreement required her to be present. We'll stop here for today. You can hold onto the item for now." Alice set Sigmund down, placing the bag containing the Magic Circuit into the small dragon's claws, and spoke softly, "You can use the room on the east side of the second floor."
"But," her cool voice held a stern note.
"You must be clean."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.