My mentor might know something.
With that thought in mind, I headed straight to my mentor’s house. Normally, I would make an appointment first, but this time, that wasn’t an option.
Right now, I was using internal codes to dash forward.
Since the time for the carriage had already ended, I was using sorcery to race across the land.
I thought a reasonable amount of time had passed, but before I knew it, I had arrived at my mentor’s home.
“Phew… I’ve made it.”
I took a deep breath to steady myself. I had come in quite a rush, so the Prima Materia still hadn’t completely left my body.
“Alright…”
I knocked on the door three times, and as usual, Carla opened it in her maid outfit, though her expression seemed slightly surprised.
“Lord Ray? Was your visit scheduled for today?”
“No, I just wanted to talk to my mentor.”
“Understood. I will inform master.”
Carla went back inside.
Meanwhile, I looked up at the beautiful starry sky.
It was a bit cloudy today, but the moonlight still made for a lovely night.
I wondered if my sudden arrival was a bother. I thought about that for a moment when Carla opened the door again.
“Lord Ray.”
“Yes?”
“Please wait in the reception room.”
“Understood.”
“There’s a bit of preparation to do.”
“Preparation?”
“Yes. Women always want to be seen beautifully.”
She placed her index finger to her lips and smiled alluringly. Until now, I had thought of her as expressionless and emotionless, but since that incident in summer, I felt like the distance between us had slightly closed.
I was shown into the reception room and sat on the sofa, waiting. After about ten minutes, my mentor entered, with Carla pushing a wheelchair behind her.
My mentor lightly combed her bangs with her hand as he faced me.
“I will prepare some tea.”
As Carla stepped back, I immediately got to the main topic.
“Mentor, I apologize for coming so late at night.”
“No, it’s fine. But it’s unusual for you to come so suddenly, Ray. Is something wrong?”
“Actually—”
And I decided to share my concerns.
I explained that Rebecca-senpai had been acting strangely since the end of summer. I also mentioned Dina-senpai’s testimony.
My mentor brought her right hand to her mouth and entered a thoughtful pose.
“Tea is served.”
“Thank you.”
Carla placed tea for both my mentor and me on the table, then stood silently behind my mentor.
“The engagement of the Bradly family and the hidden face of Evan Bernstein, huh… I had only considered it a hasty engagement. But I have met Evan Bernstein.”
“What was your impression of him, Mentor?”
“Well, he definitely gives off the vibe of a noble sorcerer. Not in a bad way, but in a good way. I’ve heard he’s quite capable.”
“I see. So the engagement with Rebecca-senpai isn’t unnatural.”
“Well… the Bernstein family is upper-class nobility. Considering both his noble status and his qualities as a sorcerer, it seems balanced. But it does seem a bit early. It’s natural to think that… Carla, do you know anything?”
When my mentor asked Carla, she calmly stated the facts.
“As of now, I haven’t heard any bad rumors.”
“I see… Can you investigate?”
“A week should be sufficient.”
“I understand. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Understood.”
She lightly gathered her long skirt and bowed. I had heard that her family was involved in intelligence, but since my mentor was employing them, they must be quite capable.
I decided to wait silently for the information to be provided.
“However, Ray. I didn’t think you’d be so concerned… Could it be? Is it that you prefer Rebecca from the Bradly family over Amelia from the Rose family? But well… Rebecca is a fine woman. Good character, pleasant personality, and above all, graceful. She’s beautiful enough. Ugh… it’s making me a bit irritated.”
“M-mentor? What are you talking about?”
“Hm? Oh… it’s nothing. So, Ray, do you want to help Rebecca?”
“If she’s in trouble, I want to lend my strength.”
“…I see. You’ve grown up to that age, haven’t you? You were so small when I first met you… and now you want to help someone. Human growth really is swift.”
My mentor let out a voice that seemed to carry a sense of nostalgia as she took a sip of tea. Hearing that, I too thought that time really does pass quickly.
I met my mentor, met everyone, and experienced countless farewells on the battlefield.
Back then, I was always being helped by someone. It’s truly strange that I now wish to be of help to someone.
“So, what are you doing for the cultural festival? Knowing Ray, I bet you’re going to mess something up again?”
My mentor was grinning.
Of course, I conveyed the situation as it was.
“A maid café.”
“A maid café?”
“────!?”
Master made a puzzled expression, while Carla’s reaction was much more pronounced. Her eyes widened, and she trembled slightly.[TN: I am using Master and Mentor depending on the situation, but should I only use either Mentor or Master?]
“Are maids going to run a café?”
“Yes.”
“What’s so great about that?”
“According to Amelia, there isn’t a man who dislikes maids.”
“……Oh. Does Ray like them too?”
“If it’s a choice between like or dislike, I think I would say I like them. Carla-san looks great in a maid outfit, and I personally like it.”
““Eh!?””
“Is something wrong?”
Mentor stared intently at Carla, who had turned bright red. It was truly rare for the usually composed Carla to blush like that.
“R-Ray-sama is just joking…”
“No, when I was told we would be running a maid café, the first person I thought of was Carla-san. I do admit that I am drawn to maid outfits.”
“Ugh…!”
“Ray, don’t panic! That’s just an illusion! Wait, should I wear a maid outfit too?”
“Mentor in a maid outfit? Hahaha!! That’s a funny joke!!”
I couldn’t help but imagine it, and it was so amusing that I doubled over with laughter.
My mentor as a maid? Hahaha, a gorilla can’t be a maid! I thought to myself, but the next moment, an icicle appeared right in front of me.
“Huh? I’m going to kill you?”
“……I sincerely apologize.”
I promptly performed a deep bow on the spot.
Life is precious.
It seems I got a bit carried away. Mentor’s eyes were serious. They really looked like they meant to kill me. So, as usual, I humbly bowed down.
“However, a maid café… you guys come up with interesting ideas.”
“It was Amelia’s suggestion, but I think it’s a good one.”
“Amelia, huh… I’m keeping an eye on her, but is she really switching to that approach? Or is it just a pure hobby? I need to figure this out…”
My mentor muttered something in the latter half that I couldn’t quite catch.
“Mentor, what did you just say…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. On the day of the cultural festival, Carla and I will also go. I’m looking forward to it. Also, I’ll look into that matter on my end.”
“Thank you very much.”
After that, I was treated to dinner and then returned to the dorm.
As I made my way home alone, I looked up at the sky once more.
It’s a beautiful sky. However, it felt somewhat eerie… as if something was off.
The malice that was advancing in this kingdom. At that moment, I had no idea at all.
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