NOVEL WEB Chapter 50
Chapter: 50
“Ho ho ho!”
“Is it that funny?”
“Did you forget the Nieshista Domain!?”
“Not exactly, but you’re just having too much fun.”
I was climbing a mountain with Ella.
Of course, I wasn’t really into exercise or sports, but the mountain behind the villa wasn’t extremely high.
It was really more like a leisurely stroll.
That’s why I could wander around the mountain with Ella like this.
“Hehe… It’s been so long since I’ve just roamed around a mountain after seeing nothing but plains!”
“True. Definitely… there aren’t any mountains around Nieshista.”
“Exactly! Of course, having flat land in the domain is better than having mountains, but sometimes, this is nice too!”
We were simply walking along the mountain trail, yet Ella was so happy.
Seeing her enjoy it like this was actually good for me.
“Yeah, it’s nice. Maybe because the sunlight isn’t too strong. It feels refreshing.”
“Hehe!”
It wasn’t like it was cool enough to forget it was summer.
It was just slightly cooler compared to the southern place I usually lived, and the sunlight wasn’t intense.
Ah, maybe it was because of the trees around us.
“This villa is definitely nice. Plus, there’s a lovely mountain at the back!”
Ella seemed to enjoy looking at the mountain’s trees as we walked.
Is it really that great?
It was cool, and honestly, just taking a walk in nature was fun.
“But why isn’t anyone coming out of the villa?”
“Um… that’s just how everyone is?”
“…What?”
“You know about sister Karen, right? She’s always quiet and introverted?”
“That’s true! That’s why she spends time alone at the Academy!”
“…Right.”
I had known about Karen’s personality for quite some time.
Of course, if I said let’s go, she would definitely come along, but that felt too forceful.
So it was just me and Ella together.
Rize… It’s been a while since she’s had a holiday anyway.
I figured I’d let her truly rest without doing anything.
And Ashley…
“Well, isn’t going around with just the two of us nice? I enjoy being with Ella.”
“Hmph… when did I say I didn’t like it?”
“That’s not it.”
Anyway, I was just spending time walking with Ella.
I had nothing else to do, and there wasn’t anything specific to do in the mountain with Ella.
“Speaking of which, did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“There’s supposedly an incredible person among the new students entering the Academy next year!”
“Incredible person?”
“It’s still a rumor, but… there’s a really amazing story going around. Didn’t you know that!?”
“Uh…”
It was a sudden topic, but it was intriguing.
Who could it be that everyone’s talking about?
Is some member of the royal family going to enroll?
But I thought all the royal members I knew either graduated or were already attending the Academy.
Other people… I couldn’t think of anyone specific.
“Who is it? It’s not the royal family, is it?”
“Hehehe…”
“Come on, tell me, Ella. Okay?”
Seeing Ella get so excited… it must be someone remarkable.
Of course, it’s not the royal family.
“Do you really think it’s not the royal family?”
“Huh?”
I didn’t understand what Ella was hinting at with her question.
“…Excluding the youngest prince, everyone has already graduated, right?”
“Hehehe… You really still don’t get it. You’re better off than before, but you still can’t get information from other noble families easily!”
“…Hmm.”
It was hard to refute that.
I’d improved since before, but it still felt similar.
I received a lot of information, thanks to the Information Guild, but…
“So what kind of information is it? Something like there’s a hidden royal family member in some weird novel?”
…That’s just too ridiculous.
I mean, come on, nobody talks about illegitimate children or something that sudden.
“…Right?”
“Hehehe…”
“…….”
Ella was smiling meaningfully.
Watching her, I became more and more concerned.
It just felt weird at face value.
No matter how much, even an illegitimate child from the royal family would…
“It’s a joke!”
“…Huh?”
“The royal family isn’t some strange organization. It’s an extremely strict place, logically, don’t you think!?”
“…….”
…Hmm.
I really hadn’t expected Ella to make such a joke.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised.
“So, who is it? The way you were talking, it seems pretty certain it’s someone famous among the students enrolling next year, even if it’s not from the royal family.”
“That’s true. The previous one was a joke.”
But who could it really be?
If Ella is reacting this much… it probably isn’t just from a count’s family.
“You know about the Moon God Church and the Sun God Church, right?”
“Uh… Of course! They’re super famous.”
The Moon God Church and the Sun God Church were really well-known religions in the Solkemia Empire.
I didn’t particularly have any interest, but they were indeed famous, and many believed in them.
“Next year, it’s rumored that two saints from the Moon God Church and Sun God Church will be entering the Academy.”
“…Saints?”
“Yeah, they’re about the same age as us now. I heard the chances of their enrollment next year are pretty high, and the young nobles were talking about it.”
“Hmm…”
Honestly, it didn’t really concern me much.
To be frank, they were people who didn’t particularly relate to me.
Still… having not just one, but two saints coming in is kind of interesting.
It feels super fantasy-like.
“Oh.”
It’s evidently a fantasy theme anyway.
*
“How was the walk?”
“It was nice. I definitely feel like we live well here.”
And indeed, I felt that way.
Regardless of anything else, I really believed choosing this villa and the mountain at the back was a great decision.
After just about an hour with Ella?
I was just sitting on a rock midway during the stroll, but even so, I enjoyed it.
“Rize, were you resting well?”
“Thanks to you, Young Lady, I was able to.”
“Then I’m glad. What’s everyone else doing?”
“Ashley is sleeping, the lady is resting in her room, and Lady Rosalyn is reading a book.”
“I see…”
Well, we weren’t very close anyway.
I expected that.
“Hmm… By the way, Rize.”
“Yes, Young Lady?”
“That outfit you’re wearing looks pretty.”
“…….”
I could tell they weren’t planning to do much without me around.
And since Rize was no longer Maid Rize but just normal Rize from yesterday.
Rize, wearing a plain white dress, looked truly beautiful.
If I could take a photo, I’d want to.
“I wish you wore clothes like this more often.”
If only Rize went around looking this cute and pretty all the time, it’d definitely be better.
It was a shame Rize always wore maid outfits.
Although Rize looked stunning even without them, this casual outfit I rarely saw was nice too.
“Hmm… I’m a bit bored, should we go see sister Karen?”
“Lady Rosalyn should be on the first-floor terrace.”
“Really? Then let’s go together.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
And so, I left my room and went down to the first floor with Rize.
I’d already spent quite a bit of time with Rosalyn earlier in the morning, and Ella was resting a bit since coming back from the mountain, so I decided to visit Karen.
Honestly, it wasn’t for any particular reason… I just felt a little bad leaving Karen alone.
After all, even though we had chatted all night yesterday, we hadn’t spent much time together since it was our first time meeting in a while.
“Sister Karen, what are you doing?”
Especially since I had nothing else to do?
“Oh… I was just sitting and resting.”
“Is it okay if I sit next to you?”
“Of course…! You can sit!”
“Rize? Sit next to me. You’re not a maid right now?”
“…Understood.”
I sat down, but Rize instinctively tried to stand behind me like she normally would.
I had to say something.
“Ah, did you enjoy the mountain…? You went with Ella, right?”
“Yes, it was nice. It was definitely cooler than the southern place I usually stay. The mountain was really clean as well.”
“I see…”
“Do you want to go tomorrow, too?”
“Me…?”
“Yeah. I originally thought of going for a walk in the mountains together, but everyone stayed up too late talking last night…”
Everyone ended up sleeping in too late, so it couldn’t be helped.
Well, even if it wasn’t that, it wouldn’t really work for everyone to walk together in the mountains.
…Especially since Ashley kept sleeping.
“Tomorrow, I want to take not just Ella but also Rize along, and I’d like you to come with us too.”
“…If Camelia wants to…”
“Then we’ll go together, right?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
Hearing Karen’s reply made me already look forward to tomorrow.
Rosalyn, who was tired from the carriage ride, had rested well today.
Aside from Ashley, it seemed all of us could go to the mountain behind together.
…If Ashley joined, it would definitely be fun.
Of course, if Ashley herself declined because she was sleeping, I’d certainly understand.
After all, she was the one who installed the Air Conditioning Magic in every room of the villa, including mine.
“Ah, sister. Did you hear? They say the saints from the Moon God Church and the Sun God Church will be enrolling in the Academy next year.”
“Oh… that talk?”
…What’s this?
Did she already know?
“Did you know it?”
“Uh… Well, I’m a student of the Academy…”
“…I thought you wouldn’t know.”
She hadn’t told me that.
Honestly, I didn’t have much interest in who was entering the Academy, plus the information I received from the Roseaki family didn’t cover that type of news.
I didn’t feel betrayed or anything; that was for sure.
Though I was a bit surprised.
“…A saint, huh?”
It’s definitely intriguing enough to catch my interest.
Although, it wouldn’t be something relevant to me at all.