Chapter 61. Adorably Drunk (3)
Leopold stood still, watching Astrid’s retreating figure as she dashed toward Violet.
If he had followed her, he could easily have grabbed her hand or arm, but Leopold deliberately refrained. It was a novel sensation.
Astrid, embarrassed? It was so rare that calling it “uncommon” didn’t do it justice—he had never seen her like that before.
This new side of Astrid intrigued him, so he stood there, savoring the moment as he watched her grow smaller in the distance.
His gaze briefly met Violet’s at the far end, and when Violet gave him a playful wink, Leopold decided to let himself linger in that sweet aftertaste of the moment.
“Cadet Leopold.”
Ever since Akemilla had stopped hovering around him, another unfamiliar voice had started making its way into Leopold’s vicinity.
“Ah.”
The violet-colored hair was rare. It was a color achieved only by those deeply immersed in mana, individuals who had attained mastery in magical studies.
This meant the violet hair wasn’t natural but a transformation due to their craft. And now, this young woman with violet hair was looking directly at Leopold.
“Cadet Emilie. What brings you here?”
“I have a message from my father to deliver.”
“Is that so?”
Emilie von Jorgien. She was the daughter of Baizik von Jorgien, the head of the Mage Tower located in the empire’s eastern region, commonly referred to as the Magic Tower.
Baizik was a renowned magician who had once changed the course of the Continental War.
His daughter, Emilie, was no less formidable. While Baizik was known for his obsession with magic engineering, Emilie was widely recognized for her singular focus on pure magic.
“I see. In that case… hmm.”
It happened to be mealtime.
Lunch was approaching, and if they walked to the dining hall now, it would likely be time to eat by the time they arrived.
“Cadet Leopold, how about we discuss this over lunch?”
“Sounds good.”
As the Crown Prince of the empire and its future emperor, Leopold needed to maintain strong ties with the children of the Four Pillars of the empire.
Any strained relationship with one of them could directly affect the peace and stability of the entire empire, so Leopold nodded readily to Emilie’s suggestion.
Besides, he was hungry.
And Astrid and Violet were likely headed to the dining hall, too.
“Astrid is as lively as ever, I see.”
“Is that so?”
On their way to the dining hall, Emilie’s first comment was unexpectedly about Astrid, not the main topic at hand.
Thinking back, both of the times Leopold had spoken to Emilie at the academy had been related to Astrid.
The first was when Astrid had wandered off just before class, and Emilie had helped him find her.
The second was during the pre-graduation ball, when Astrid had reverted to her usual self and caused a scene involving talk of being a Crown Princess candidate. Those two encounters had led to their conversations.
“She’s the most unrestrained of the unrestrained, but her strength is undeniably fitting for the empire’s top heroine. It suits her reputation as the White Snow Leopard of the Snowfield.”
“Hmm…”
No, that wasn’t all there was to it.
“She could benefit from becoming more conscious of her role as a noble. If she wants to become Crown Princess, she’ll need to…”
“But that’s also part of her charm, isn’t it?”
Thinking about it, Leopold realized he didn’t actually dislike Astrid. It was more that, knowing she disliked him, it would have hurt his pride to admit he liked her.
Moreover, Astrid had changed a lot since coming to the academy. She had learned to lead others as a squad leader and, though still clumsy in Leopold’s eyes, had begun to demonstrate some ability to command.
Above all, her improved sociability was evident in her interactions with people like Eranya and Veracien. Even her restraint in dealing with Akemilla’s provocations showed significant growth.
“Oh my. There were rumors that you two got along terribly. Were they untrue?”
“Well… it was true, but…”
“I see. That does happen.”
Emilie nodded as if she understood, leaving Leopold scratching his cheek in embarrassment.
‘I suppose it does.’
Astrid, drunk and affectionate.
Astrid, drunkenly clinging to Leopold’s neck, laughing sheepishly.
Astrid, drunk and bawling, asking why he was always so cold to her.
They were all sides of Astrid he had never seen before.
“She’s quite pretty, isn’t she? Cadet Astrid, I mean.”
Emilie’s sudden, straightforward question left Leopold speechless. But his face betrayed him, and Emilie chuckled at his reaction.
“Ah, stir-fried noodles.”
“Yes. Do you dislike them?”
“No. I’ve never had them before, so I wouldn’t know if I like them or not.”
Leopold and Emilie set their trays down and sat across from each other.
After a polite nod acknowledging the meal, they began eating. The noodles had a pleasant taste. The seafood aroma, the texture of the pork, the chewy noodles, and the well-seasoned sauce all revealed the chef’s meticulous effort.
“It’s incomparable to the meals from the first week here.”
“I agree…”
Emilie shuddered slightly, as if recalling those times. It seemed all the cadets shared the sentiment—the food back then was truly dreadful, an experience that both Leopold and Emilie mutually acknowledged.
“So, what message does the Marquis of Jorgien wish to convey?”
“Oh, that.”
Slurping up a strand of noodles, Emilie put her fork down momentarily.
Though her meal wasn’t finished, it seemed what she had to say wasn’t suitable to discuss with a fork in hand.
“He wishes to meet you sometime soon. He’ll likely visit for an audience and hope you’ll meet with him then.”
“The marquis wants to meet me?”
Baizik von Jorgien.
The Mage of Magic Engineering. His title sounded almost redundant, but it was one Baizik had coined himself.
Dissatisfied with merely mastering magic, he prided himself on deriving magical engineering from magic itself. That was Baizik.
“It seems he’s completed a new prototype.”
“He wants my thoughts on it, then.”
Before the war, Baizik had created the Magic Pack, a backpack-like device originally meant to eliminate the casting time of low-tier spells.
However, the burden of wearing it far outweighed its benefits. Most dismissed it as an odd toy or ridiculous equipment.
Kreutz, however, had seen its potential. Back when Einthafen was still a kingdom, Kreutz had visited Baizik, offering unlimited research and development funding in exchange for improvements. Thus, the Magic Bracelet was born.
Through repeated research and development, the cumbersome Magic Pack was transformed into a lightweight bracelet.
The Magic Bracelet’s portability and ease of use, combined with its ability to skip spellcasting for low-tier magic, allowed the rise of Magic Knights, who wielded the bracelet and a rapier as their primary weapons.
This innovation enabled Einthafen to establish a new branch of forces, the Magic Knights, who could handle both heavy cavalry operations and rapid skirmishes.
Baizik’s development of the Magic Bracelet earned him the title of marquis, and now he had apparently created a new version and intended to present it to Leopold.
“All safety checks have been completed; only the power test remains,” Emilie continued.
“I see.”
If that was all, it didn’t seem like a difficult matter.
***
Violet placed her fork on her empty tray and smiled at Astrid.
“I’m not interested in becoming Crown Princess. I want to be a soldier. I plan to follow in my father’s footsteps and become the admiral of the Naval Corps. To do that, I’m sorry to say this, but you becoming Crown Princess is the best option. The Miterien ducal family already has immense influence, and making you Crown Princess won’t elevate it any further. If the Jorgien or Uraid families were to claim that position, though, it would cause serious problems.”
“Hmm. So, are you offering to help me?”
Astrid blinked, staring blankly at Violet.
It was an unexpectedly good offer. There was nothing to lose.
【What are you doing?】
‘Why? Is something off? Do you sense anything suspicious?’
Perhaps the real Astrid, the sharp and perceptive Astrid, might catch something she was overlooking. Sweet deals often came with hidden poison…
【You should agree right away!】
…Or maybe not. Astrid sighed inwardly, dismissing any hope of keen insight from that voice in her head.
“I’ve heard that you and His Highness Leopold don’t get along, but after yesterday, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Do you remember crying your eyes out?”
【What is she talking about?!】
“…That wasn’t a dream…?”
“What? A dream?”
Violet’s eyes widened briefly before she burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as if she had heard the funniest thing in the world. She laughed so hard it seemed she might fall off her chair.
“Ah, sorry, it’s just too funny. Anyway, you seem to like His Highness Leopold. Am I wrong?”
【Say yes! Quickly!】
‘But what about our deal?!’
It was an impossible situation. If she said yes, Violet would relentlessly push the matter.
If she said no, Violet might drop the topic altogether, and that wasn’t a desirable outcome either.
‘…Would it really be that bad if she did drop it?’
On second thought, perhaps not.
“In any case, if you’re aiming to become Crown Princess, you shouldn’t hesitate.”
“W-What are you talking about?”
In response, Violet pointed behind Astrid. Following her finger, Astrid turned to see Leopold sitting with Emilie, sharing lunch.
“W-What are they doing?!”
Astrid shot up from her seat.
【W-Wait! Hold on!】
The voice in her head tried to stop her, but Astrid ignored it completely.