Chapter 98: Luden (5)

The streets of Luden, more splendid and filled with attractions than any other domain within the Empire, are always bustling with crowds.

As the entrance season for the Academy draws near, despite not being in the educational district where the Academy is established, over half of the people out in the commercial areas appear to be children of my age.

For the current students, the influx of new students marks the end of a long vacation, so it’s likely a mix of those wanting to enjoy the last of their break and the newcomers just arriving in Luden to explore.

The Estelia Academy, bearing the royal name, is situated within the Imperial Palace, but what is referred to here as the ‘Imperial Palace’ denotes a specific area rather than being particularly surprising.

It’s not literally surrounded by walls, but it’s an area exclusively accessible to those related to the royal family. In the heart of Luden lies a grand castle where the Emperor resides, but this is merely a part of the ‘Imperial Palace’, which refers to the entire area spanning several kilometers around this castle.

The ‘Imperial Palace’, almost a city within a city due to its size, mainly comprises the educational district centered around the Academy, excluding the actual living quarters of the royal family.

Fitting for a district that occupies a significant portion of the Imperial Palace, it houses numerous facilities, and it’s safe to say that most of the Academy students’ lives take place within this educational district.

Originally, the practice of gathering the lords’ children from various provinces for monitoring at the Academy during the Empire’s early days is said to be the origin, hence the rule that Academy students must reside within a designated area in the educational district.

Children from noble families like Elena and myself are required to live in dormitories, even if our families own buildings elsewhere, due to this reason.

Although times have changed and accusations like, ‘Why isn’t your child staying in the educational district? What ulterior motive do you have? You’re plotting treason!’ are no longer made, the royal family’s fundamental stance hasn’t changed, albeit they act more leniently than in the past.

The educational district is far from being a confined zone like a detention area, and if judged solely by the quality of its facilities, it could compete for a top rank within the Empire. This has led to its acceptance as one of the longstanding customs.

Unlike in the past, the number of commoner students who climb up through recognition of their talents in other educational institutions is significant. Now, it serves more as a space for noble families to scout talents.

Especially now, with the rise of pagans, parents are keen on having their children protected under the auspices of the royal family.

While Luden’s public safety is not poor, it’s a fact that it doesn’t match up to the areas directly managed by the royal family.

After all, isn’t being a safe hostage better than being a dead one?

“It’s quite cold, yet there are so many people outside. Well, it’s the end of the vacation, so maybe that’s to be expected.”

I entered one of the tea shops located beside the main road, ordered a cup of coffee, and watched the people passing by outside the window.

Despite being quite a distance from the educational district, the reason there were many students around is likely because most of the shops centered around the Alchemy Society are related to entertainment.

While the educational district has almost everything, it limits distractions due to its emphasis on academics. In other words, there’s relatively less to do compared to other places.

That’s why there are more students venturing out to enjoy themselves during the vacation when restrictions are lifted.

It’s not that students can’t leave the educational district, but spending time here involves a significant time commitment, making vacations the perfect opportunity.

And now, we’re at the tail end of that break.

It’s the peak time for the desire to enjoy the remaining leisure time to explode.

Not just for leisure, but since there’s an Alchemy Society here, students of alchemy might be buying supplies for their classes or engaging in related activities, ensuring a high foot traffic regardless.

Savoring the warmth of the coffee with a sip, I relished the flavor swirling in my mouth.

Had Elena been here, she would have likely recommended a caramel biscuit to accompany the drink. Alas, I was the only one seated here.

She must be wandering around the shops outside with Hailey right now.

Glancing out at the clock tower visible through the window, I remembered the promise made by the two on their first day in Luden, overheard by me from the carriage.

As evident, I did not accompany them on their outing.

Though they invited me, I had to decline. This outing was strictly a promise between Elena and Hailey, and I felt my absence would allow them to fully enjoy their time as friends.

I had no desire to obsess over every move of hers like Damian from the original story.

Had I joined them this time, I feared it might set a precedent for meddling in her affairs, a habit I wished to avoid for fear of becoming complacent. Despite a reduction since our first meeting, a certain madness towards Elena still lingered within me.

Occasionally, when standing before her, I’ve felt an uncontrollable urge, a reminder not to let my guard down despite an apparent truce with whatever resides within me.

This time, I decided to spend time with a friend of my own.

Having agreed to meet with Orcus upon my arrival in Luden, so I sent someone to the imperial castle to call him. My current seat in the coffee shop near the Alchemy Society was chosen for this reason.

Coincidentally, Orcus had chosen this location as our meeting spot. While I had hinted at wanting a coffee shop with decent coffee, I never expected it to be near where Elena and Hailey were headed.

It was truly coincidental. Really.

***

As the bottom of my coffee cup became visible, the tinkling sound of a bell hanging on the door announced new arrivals. Familiar warmth filled the room, but wait, two?

“Ah! Damian, you’re having coffee again?!”

“Noel?”

It was unmistakably Noel, despite the slight change in her hair color.

I didn’t need to ponder why she was here.

Beside Noel stood Orcus, his hair dyed similarly and capped with a hat. The reason for their presence was clear; I had called Orcus, and Noel must have followed, likely hoping to catch a glimpse of Elena, knowing that if I was in Luden, Elena would be too.

Noel’s gaze flitted around, searching for Elena upon spotting the empty seat beside me.

Hmm, Elena’s not here...

“Ha! You still fancy your coffee, I see. How’s the taste? I chose this spot because it’s somewhat well-regarded near the Edelweiss mansion.”

“It’s pleasantly bitter with a slightly sweet finish. The aroma’s good too. Why not try a cup?”

“I’m not quite sure about your definition of ‘sweetness’, so I’ll pass today. I’ve just escaped the clutches of coffee hell after being swamped with work these past few days. What about you, Noel?”

“I’ll have a milk tea!”

With a bright smile, Noel decisively declined the coffee, prompting Orcus to flag down a passing server and order a milk tea and a lemon tea.

It seemed both were skeptical about my taste for sweetness, a fact I accepted with a mix of sadness and resignation.

After all, it’s not the first time I’ve been burned by these two during their stay at the lord’s castle. Noel, in particular, seems to have grown increasingly wary of me since the hunting competition, reacting almost in horror at the sight of me enjoying coffee.

This one really seems sweet; why not give it a try instead of outright refusing?

Orcus, sitting opposite me, noticed Noel’s constant glancing around and commented.

“Elena seems to be absent today. Is there something going on?”

“Elena had a prior appointment today. And just because we’re engaged doesn’t mean we’re attached at the hip.”

“That’s true, of course. Got it. Noel?”

“Huh? Oh! Damian! I wasn’t...I mean, it’s not that I’m disappointed because it’s only you here! I’m really happy to see you after such a long time!! It’s just that I was expecting Elena to be here too...”

Caught off guard by Orcus’ remark, Noel’s face fell momentarily before she hastily attempted to justify her reaction, her hands fluttering in embarrassment. It seemed she realized how blatantly she’d been searching for Elena.

Knowing Noel, who grew up secluded in the Imperial castle without friends, I understood how special Elena was to her.

Assuming she’d meet Elena whenever meeting me wasn’t strange, given how inseparable we have been. This expectation from Noel was something I was well aware of, hence my decision not to join Elena and Hailey’s outing today.

Initially, I had planned to fill the time discussing work matters, as we did in our letters, but Noel’s presence made broaching the topic awkward. While it wasn’t a secret from Noel, Orcus preferred to keep her uninvolved in such matters.

Yet, that didn’t mean we lacked things to talk about, so we ended up chatting about various non-work-related topics we hadn’t covered in our letters. After all, if all we did was talk about work, that would be more of a business relationship than friendship.

Our conversation started with updates similar to those we shared in letters but soon veered into trivial daily experiences. It was a free-flowing discussion, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, laughing together.

This moment made me realize how isolated I had been in this world, devoid of friends. The simple pleasure of idle chatter was unexpectedly delightful.

It was a stark contrast to my previous life, where such interactions were mundane. How did things end up this way?

Reflecting on it, I had numerous opportunities to make friends if I had wished. Yet, the reason it turned out this way might be because, after becoming Damian, I was so focused on escaping fate that I never allowed myself any leisure.

“I think we’ve occupied this spot for quite a while. Shall we get going?”

“Already? Oh! Brother, you got that board game last time, remember? Let’s play that! That one!”

“We couldn’t bring it because you were in such a hurry to leave. If I had it with me, we would have started playing already.”

“Ah, that’s right, you mentioned getting a new board game. Well, we can play it next time we meet. It’s not like today is our only chance.”

“Sounds good. Let’s head outside for now. Staying in one place for too long seems to have made some people recognize our voices.”

True to Orcus’ words, many eyes were on us.

Given the concentration of faith and power within the Imperial family, it’s no surprise that they were somewhat of celebrities, especially in Luden, where Imperial events are frequent. Even commoners might recognize their voices.

We decided to casually stroll through the streets before parting ways, pondering what to do next.

Like the Tower of Dawn in Merohim, the stalls around landmarks favored by magicians always offered a variety of fascinating items, providing ample entertainment just by looking.

“That’s the Alchemy Society’s famed ‘Gold-making Cauldron’. Supposedly, it turns anything you put into it into gold, but its magical efficiency is terrible. The cost to operate it exceeds the value of gold it produces, so it’s rarely used outside of special occasions. Next to it is....”

With no expertise in magic, Noel and I relied on Orcus to act as our guide and explain the wonders we encountered.

Could it be because of the Alchemy Society established here, or is it the guide leading us to such places?

What I saw in Merohim were stalls straight out of Harry Potter, the quintessence of fantasy. Here, however, the booths feel like stepping into a science fair.

The various magical devices utilizing magical engineering on display, being demonstrated, feel oddly familiar.

Seeing autonomous golems powered by artificial spirits or technologies reminiscent of advanced AI developed by humanity in the late 21st century does remind me that this is indeed a fantasy world.

‘I wonder if Elena and Hailey are having fun?’

As fascinating and entertaining as many things here seem to me, they appear to diverge significantly from the interests of the two who came here for leisure.

I haven’t explored the entire street yet, so it might be premature to conclude, but I think it’s best not to include this place in the list of spots to visit with Elena next time.

“Ah?”

“Ah!”

Was it a coincidence?

Just as I thought of Elena, I sensed her presence, and Noel seemed to feel it too, reacting almost simultaneously.

Realizing Elena was nearby, a smile bloomed on Noel’s face.

She immediately ran in the direction where Elena was. I considered stopping her but figured it was getting late and about time to head back to the mansion, so I followed Noel.

“That’s a breakthrough in modern magical engineering... Wait, where is everyone going?”

Ah, I almost forgot.

At some point, I had been tuning out Orcus’ explanations and had momentarily forgotten about him. I stopped in my tracks, signaled for Orcus to follow, and then moved at a leisurely pace to ensure he could keep up.

Is she superhuman, or what? In the brief moment I was distracted, Noel had already moved out of sight.

Well, we’re headed to the same destination, so it shouldn’t matter.

I took Orcus, still puzzled, under my wing and slowly made our way towards where the girls were.

--- END OF CHAPTER ---

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