Chapter 28

28.) The second princess is waking up early after a long time

Right now she, Alicia Bra Deer Sarkista, is walking through the road thatisbeing illuminated by the sun with trees as its decoration. On both sidesof the road stand bigclassrooms, I believe right now the lessonshavealready begun because therearefewerpeople walking around here.

It has been a year since Istarted living inthis academywhich is aplace thatisrich with nature and alsohas arefreshing atmosphere. This Kurushu Magic Academy is really a place that Icancall my second home.

Flaxen hair with strong determined eyes, a short body, and even though she is a delicate girl, her pride is so highthatits hard to get along with her.Alicia,even if you try to look more adult like by wearing a plain school uniform, forget being adult like, you are walking like a kitten thatisbeing threatenedby something.

Most studentshere will beloadedwith classesin the morning and willhave free time to playwith their friends in the afternoon. But for Alicia, her afternoonsarefilled with classes.

Of course there is a simple explanation for that

[Munyamunya, Fuha~~~desuwa!]

Sheis unable towakeup in the morning.

Thats why she skipsbreakfast every morning.

But there is alsothepossibility that she cantbeara crowded morning that lookslike a war zone inside the dining hall.

For that Alicia tobedeliberately waking up this early and walking this far, there is only one conclusion.

A tea party withthisSlow pigsattendant. That is the only thing I can think of.

She is walking while still half-asleep.

Many benches are aligned unevenly on both sidesof the street with people gazingather as she passedthroughthe street. But then sherealizedthere is a group of boys thatarelaughing while pointing at her. This is Alicia we are talking about;of course shewontignorethis.

Seeing that Alicia walking straight to where those boys are,the people on the street already thoughtthatsomething bad will happen.

Here goes another brawlThose are the thoughts ofthose people whom suddenly increasedtheirwalkingspeed,so they wont get involved in a troublesome mess.

The princess of Sarkista is famous for a certain reason; shegetsinto a fight too easily.

The boys that keep pointing at Alicia are sitting on a bench withasloppy uniform andanuntidy look.

[You there, your shirt is not tucked in, and your hair is really untidy. You are making Dariswho haslong tradition and historytocry]

[Well, well, lookwho iscoming; the princess of Sarkistaisreally strict isntshe.But my hair is not untidy, this is called fashion. So how about having a tea with me? Please(,)bless this poor soul that has to enlist into the military as soon as this poor soul graduatesfrom this academy next year]

[I have torefuse. I already have an appointment with someone else after this]

[Haha! You just got refused by Sarkistas princess! And that hair of yours is impossible to be called fashion, Geronimo! You should learn more about fashion when youget intoin the military!]

[But, I pray for your safety, its the least I can do]

[Hyahoo! Did you see that!? The princes

s of Sarkistawaspraying for my safety just now!]

If you count the studentsthatarestudying and all the attendantsthatthey brought tothisacademy,theirnumberswill easily exceed 2,000 people.

Of course there areothermagic academies inside Sarkista, but there is no way it can be this big.

InthisKurushu Magic Academy, theycovera lot of fieldsbesides magic; there are even alarge numberof greatpeoplethathavegraduated from this academy. And this academy not only looksforteacherswith magic capability, they also employ teachersfrom different fieldslike music or arts. On top of that, they will give those teachersa high salary even ifthey arentsomeone famous.

The academy itself wasconstructedon a land inside a thick forest, andissurrounded by four wallsthatareseveral times higher than Alicias height.Thats why I know this academy is really safe.

The forest just outside of this academy also harborssome monsters, but they aremonitoredtostayweak enough to bethestudents opponents during class, and there is also a rumor that there is a dungeon that is a few decades old inthatforest.

To come to this academy thatispractically outside her country, she made a few promiseswith her parentsso they willingly send her to this academy.

There are two things she promised to her parents.

One is she will fulfill her own needs by herself, and the other thing is shewontfight with other people.

It seemsthatas she continue walking towards her destination, she canstillhearthe voices of those boys thatsomewhat became more excited after talking to her.

[It really surprised me knowing she became that Slow pigs attendant. Moreover, Charlotte san is actually]

Alisa remembersseeing Charlotte for the first time after a long time at the city of Yolem.

Even though it has been a year since she came to this academy, it was the first time for her to know that Charlotteis alsoactuallyhere inthis academy.

That is becauseshe never once saw that Slow pig together withCharlotte.

She thinksit is weird for Charlotte to become someones attendant.

[Well, this is a somewhat closed academy, so if there is one or two strange thingshappeninghere,I wont be surprised]

Kurushu Magic Academy is a school thatissurrounded with strong wallsfrom all sides, and the only wayin and outfrom it is the gate that leadstothehighway to Yolem city.

[To be harassed by other people It cant be helpedif she is that persons attendant]

I have heard this from some friend; the piggy dukes attendant, Charlotte, is quite famous in this academy.

Even though she is a commoner, her beautiful face really stands out. On top of that, she isthatSlow pigs attendant.

The rumoursabout her spreadoutaroundtheacademy. Whether itwasbecause ofcuriosityor jealousy, she received some light harassment from other people.

For Aliciato being ignorant of what was truly happening, shefeltashamed.

If she knewaboutit, she could havedone something tohelp her.

[But shedoesntneed to worryabout itanymore. Because,bybeing my friend, there will be no other things she needsto fear!]

Thats how Alicia thinks.

If somehow Charlotte has a friendly relationship with her, the harassment towardsher will stop.

After all, Alicia is the princess of Sarkista, one of the southern alliance pillars.

Even if everyonebadmouths herand calls herthe last royal familymember, she is stillfromthe royal family! THE ROYAL FAMILY!

[Miss Sarkista!? What are you doing in a place like this!?]

[I just want to meet a friend of mine]

At least, she still has a power to makeallthe girls dorm manager to bow down to her.

Alicia met Charlotte for the first time when she was only six year old.

No matter where wewent,the obedient silver hairedCharlotte, I, and Slow pigwouldgo together, even though hewasnta pig at that time anyway,we always followedSlow pigsstepswherever hewent.

Iwasntreally sure at that time, but I remember I still have something that makes me worried about her even now.

[Eetto, which room of the second floor is it again?]

She once askedone of Slows knights,the onethat lookedlikehe wasa fearless and serious man,andonly remembershim answering, [Shehassomehow became an Attendant apprentice here] withabitter smile on his face.

An Attendant Apprentice?

That girl?

At that time,that girls newexistence really surprised Alicia a lot.

It seems Charlotte wasfoundby Slow pig in an illegal slave market in one of Dening householdsdominion.

I think he said he helpedher because shewasso young at that time and he wantedher toaccompanyhim.

When shegraspedthe circumstances, Alicia agreed with it while thinking:

Its really like him doing something extraordinary like that.

[I think its here. Ehem,Charlotte san! This is Alicia! I know it is still early, but Ihavecome to meet you!]

[Wha, Alicia-sama!? Pardon me, butIam not prepared yet!]

When Charlotte heardAliciasvoice, she was in the middle of tidying her own room.

Itwas outside evenofher wild imagination to think that Alicia became so excited to even come so early in the morning like this.

[I will come in!]

Just before the doorwasopenedcompletely, Charlottemakessure to scan her room once again in case therewas someembarrassingitem leftaround visible.

[]

And then, she stopsher eyes on the stuffed toy on topofthe bed.

It isanold stuffedtoythat evenhadits colour faded. It is the same stuffedtoyshe had since she was small.

Not good, that one is not good.

Iwouldbe soembarrassedif she saw that one.

If it is known that I still sleep with stuffed toys in this age,itwill be too shameful.

Not good Charlotte.

You need to hide Braddy away.

Alicia-sama will certainly think of me as a child if she finds out about that stuffed toy.

Whatcouldhappen if Alicia-sama found that stuffed toy?

At that time Charlottewasstarting to imagine whatwouldhappen if Aliciasawher stuffedtoy.

You are a child! Charlotte san is certainly a child! And its a pig! Just likehermaster,Slowpig!

Just by imagining that scene in her head, Charlotteswhite face(was?)dyed crimson red in an instant.

Its bad.

This is really bad.

It reallywasa mystery whatwasbad, but it was really bad according to Charlottes splendid delusion.

[Lets hide it for now]

Then, Charlotte strongly pushed her pig stuffedtoyinside her bed sheet. (Ed: a pig!!11, well that explains a lot)

And quicklywenttotherooms entrance to open the door.

[Im coming! Alicia-sama!]

[Slow-samawasalways thinking hard what to give to Alicia-sama as a present whenever your birthdaywascoming]

[I know, but that brooch he gave me reallyhadno fashion sense at all]

It was a brooch that was given to Alicia on her seventh birthday.

Even though she saidthat broochhasno fashion sense at all, nothing at all, Charlotte can remember clearly that Alicia, even now, alwaysworethe brooch even on important days.

[Slow-sama even searchedten or so shopsuntil hechosethat brooch you know! After that, Silva san and Cloud san complaineda lot about that event. That is how much Slow-samathoughtabout how important Alicia-samawas!]

The thing they mostly talkedabout is their past.

Like when the three of themwerehaving a picnic together or an adventure with the two knights they knew well. Or when theywentto the city toshoptogether, or when they werehearing stories of his failuresfrom the past. Or when theywentto the capital of Daris to attend the ball andwatchthe famous theatersplay together.

Charlotte and Alicia, even though their view pointsof the pastaredifferent, they still remember it clearly to this day. And they cant stop talking about it.

And, asexpected, the topic turned to the piggy duke.

[Slow pighasreally changednow. He even takes his diet seriously. Really, I cant understand him at all Hmm,sincealong time ago,I have been unable tounderstand how he thinks But this time, its really hard todigest it]

Complain after complain came out from her mouth without restrain.

It ishisfault that Alicia turned into someone like this now.

They talked about how people wouldmake fun of her when some students hear about Alicia being the Piggy Dukes a.k.a. the Wind Wonder Childs former fianc or how, if se was not laughed at, the students who heard that rumor would ask her numerous times about the truth about her past..

They both talk about their happyand unpleasant timesnonstop.

[It really brings me so much trouble Ah, no. Im sorry; it seems I have been talking nonstop. Its not like because I was interested in him, Charlotte san]

Alicia finally noticed.

Since when did I start talkinglike this?

She became soembarrassedwhen she realized thatshemostly talkedabout that Slow pig.

[Alicia-sama seemstoalwayshave beenlooking out for Slow-sama since youenrolled intothis academy]

[Tha-that is well, former YES, he is my FORMER fianc! Former you know! Its important,so rememberthat!]

Alicia has beentalkingexcitedlyabout her past.

No matter if itwasmagicorcultural studies, I have never won against your past self, even though I have receivedall kinds of training and education as the princess of Sarkista Well, I admit that you are amazing that you could make me fall for you.

That is why I cant help it to reminisce about the past so much.

Yeah, I cant help it.

And afterIsaw how he is now, what can I do.

I cant help remembering many things from the past.

Its just as if

[He turnedback to his former self]

Charlotte looksatthisgirl who was her masters former fianc.

This is maybe, perhaps its possible.

[Alicia-sama, your face is turninga bitred]

[N-N-NA! Nothing! There is nothing! Its just so hot today! This room is quite hot! Charlotte san! You need to ventilate here more!]

Excitedly, Alicia standsup and opens upthe window as wide as she can, and while thinking how she can change the topicrightnow, she looksat Charlottesroom.

It is such a tidy room, and there is almost nothing here except the things that she needs.

The mostconspicuousthing inCharlottesroom is the amount of booksinsideabig bookshelf.

It seems there are a lot of booksthat Aliciahasnever seenbefore, and she movedin front of the bookshelf.

Because it is a small room,with only a few stepsshereachedher destination.

[Youseemto love bookssince a long time ago Charlotte san. And youseemtostill read a lot Ah, this one really brings back memories! Because Slow pig became obsessed with the story, he got scolded]

Alicia picksa book from the bookshelf and showsit to Charlotte.

[This is a story about the empire and Sekhmet, The Black Dragon. I also orderedthissamebookwhenI knew that Slow pigboughtthis story book. This book is quite old; I remember having a hard time finding this book]

[Slow-sama,wasobsessed?]

Charlotte thinkshow strange itwasfor her master to become like that.

There is almost no onethatknowsabout the existence of the empire there should be no book telling about this old empire in either Daris or Sarkista. Even if there is somethingwrittenabout it wont beinteresting.

[This book was given to Charlotte san on your birthdaywasntit?]

No, there is one.

It was still interesting no matter how many times I read it.

But, what kind of relation does it have?

[He was searching everywhere for Charlotte sans favorite book, even in Cloud san and Silva sans town bookstore. Afterhefailed finding it in the normal bookstore, he found this interesting book sold at a second hand bookstore.You cant just read the book here,or so he was scolded by the shopkeeper that saw him gettingabsorbedreading this book.]

It was just a fairy tale.

It was just an old book sold in a second hand bookstore that shouldnt draw any attention.

But this is not just a story book, when Charlotte sawthatthis book was sold atthatsecond hand bookstore she really wanted to buy it.

[If I remember correctly, the story is about Ah, I remember! Its about the black dragon Sekhmet and the empire princess]