The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall

Episode 81. Let’s Have Tea (2)

At the Academy, there were midterm and final tests. Each academic year was divided into two semesters, with both a midterm and a final in each semester.

In total, there were four years and eight semesters. Each semester’s midterm and final tests inevitably had failing students, and failing three times—whether consecutively or not—would result in being held back a year.

It meant attending the same year with juniors.

No one was expelled for repeated failures. They would simply continue to be held back. 

This meant attending classes with juniors one year, two years, even three years younger, depending on how often they failed.

“…You do understand this, don’t you, Astrid?”

“I study! I refuse to end up in such a situation!”

‘…Wouldn’t it just be better to drop out?’

As Astrid listened to Leopold’s words, she had a deep conversation with the real Astrid inside. Dropping out wasn’t an option just yet. 

At the very least, she agreed she needed to see the Crown Princess Selection through to the end before even considering quitting.

“But what do I do when I don’t want to study?”

“Who studies because they want to?”

Leopold frowned slightly, staring at Astrid. Honestly, who in the world enjoyed studying? Leopold certainly didn’t.

Staring at books made him sleepy. Not just sleepy—it made him notice things he wouldn’t otherwise care about, like the patterns on the wallpaper or the number of decorative swirls on the ceiling. 

Strange distractions like that plagued him as well. But wasn’t pushing through all that what studying was about? Didn’t everyone endure it?

“Well, Emilie says she finds studying fun.”

“That’s beca—no, forget it. Let’s drop that topic.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say Emilie had lived for magic for twenty years. If such a person had been utterly crushed in a direct battle of magic versus physical combat, her pride must have been even more shattered than her defeat.

‘Is she naïve, or just thoughtless…?’

Probably both.

Leopold sighed, concluding this in his mind.

Honestly, the more he thought about it, the more he blamed his future father-in-law—Wolfgang. How had he raised his daughter to become such a battle fanatic?

There were rare individuals like her. Those who didn’t need strategy or tactics. Those who could be dropped alone into the battlefield and still devastate everything in sight, single-handedly turning the tide.

Astrid was one of those people. Leopold had heard rumors but hadn’t believed them until he saw her in action.

From the very first class, she overpowered Varian, the instructor. Then she defeated Emilie, a mage, barehanded. Even Violet, the daughter of the Southern Naval Fleet Admiral, had been no match.

“Uh, Viol—huh!?”

Astrid’s voice, tinged with surprise, pulled Leopold out of his thoughts. Her wide-eyed gaze was fixed on something behind him.

It was Violet.

That unmistakable short black hair and radiant brown skin belonged to Violet. But her demeanor today was shockingly demure.

“What is she doing here?”

“Uh… Astrid?”

Violet was clinging tightly to Ashray’s arm, even linking elbows. Ashray, who usually stood tall and confident, now appeared slightly hunched and utterly flustered.

“Ashray!”

Astrid waved her hand. Violet, who had been about to wave enthusiastically, paused and settled for a modest shoulder-height wave paired with a soft smile.

“…What’s with her?”

“Astrid, isn’t she your sister?”

“She is, but I don’t know why she’s here. What’s going on?”

Both Leopold and Astrid wore equally confused expressions.

“Lord Baizik?”

“Yes, I heard he’s here.”

“Hmm… It must be a serious matter if your uncle sent you directly.”

Ashray kept sneaking sideways glances while holding his teacup. Violet’s unwavering gaze, firmly fixed on him, was becoming overwhelming. 

At the same time, he wasn’t sure whether it was appropriate to discuss the strange happenings in the North here.

“Astrid, why don’t you and Cadet Violet step outside for a moment?”

“Well, I—fine. Alright.”

Astrid didn’t like it. She was curious why Ashray had come all the way here and what had happened. But seeing how Ashray kept glancing at Violet, and knowing that Violet was blushing while murmuring, “How can even scars look so masculine?”, Astrid couldn’t just leave things as they were.

“Violet, let’s step outside for a bit.”

“Huh? Oh my, sure. Since it’s my dear, dear, best friend asking, I’ll gladly comply.”

What’s gotten into her? Astrid grabbed Violet by the arm and dragged her away.

“Oh dear, Astrid. No need to pull so hard; I’ll go. Well then, Sir Ashray, see you later?”

“Ah… y-yes…”

Ashray offered a sheepish smile as Violet finally left.

“Alright, now let’s hear it. Lord Baizik is indeed here, but as you know, he isn’t someone you can meet on a whim.”

“Well, to begin with…”

Ashray explained how he had lost the letter Wolfgang had written for him. 

He didn’t know when or where, but he realized it was gone only after arriving at the Academy.

‘…This must be genetic.’

Leopold rubbed his temples, sighing quietly. Supposedly, Astrid and Ashray weren’t blood-related siblings, but their shared absentmindedness made it hard to believe.

‘There’s something odd about Wolfgang’s parenting.’

That thought lingered.

“Just explain the situation. What happened?”

“Well, you see, in the northern part of our northern territory, there’s a perpetual snowfield…”

“…I wouldn’t know that, would I?”

“Ah, right. Anyway, there’s a small tower that’s been reported there recently.”

The scouting team’s initial report had suggested it was likely a small altar built by barbarians. However, when they tried approaching it, they found it impossible to get closer.

Barbarians often built structures like that, so it hadn’t seemed noteworthy at first. But when Ashray visited the site, the scouting team noted that the tower had grown significantly since their last sighting.

The tower was no longer small. It was decorated and structured in a way that seemed far beyond what could be dismissed as a simple altar.

Moreover, no matter how close one tried to get, the tower remained out of reach.

Ashray had returned to the mansion immediately to report this to Wolfgang, convinced that this was no ordinary tower.

Since then, every expedition revealed the tower growing larger. Eventually, it became surrounded by monsters, as if they were guarding it, preventing anyone from approaching.

“So, reluctantly, I’ve come to seek the help of the esteemed mage, Lord Baizik.”

“I see… If it’s physically inaccessible, magic might indeed provide a solution. Astrid must have been disappointed to miss this.”

“My father said the same. He often mentions that things wouldn’t be so troublesome if Astrid had been there.”

“Yes… That makes sense. This matter is something Lord Baizik should hear about directly. By the way, are you already acquainted with Cadet Violet?”

“Oh, Violet?”

Leopold’s expression turned curious. Violet was Astrid’s peer, and Ashray was younger than Astrid. The casual way Ashray referred to Violet felt odd.

“There’s an age gap, isn’t there?”

“Well, that is—”

“I felt it. I’m telling you, it was destiny.”

“…Did you eat something bad?”

Astrid stared warily at Violet, who clasped her hands tightly and gazed at her with fervent determination.

Violet’s eyes burned with intensity, an unyielding focus on Astrid.

“Let’s make a deal. I’ll help you—more than ever—make things work with Leopold. I’ll do everything in my power. In return, you have to help me.”

“And what exactly do you want help with? Be clear.”

Violet locked eyes with Astrid and enunciated each word deliberately.

“Help me devour Ashray.”

“What in the world…!”

Astrid was at a complete loss for words.

【She’s lost her mind. Completely, utterly lost it.】