Chapter 60:

Chapter 60:

The summer vacation at Privia Academy lasted from mid-June to August, spanning almost two months. It could be considered quite long, but it was a natural occurrence in many ways.

There were no amenities like air conditioning here, and the children needed time for family education as well.

Students usually returned home or stayed at the academy with fellow students who were in similar situations – whether their homes were far away or there were family disputes.

Among the third-year students of the Travel Club, only Stephen would return home, while Janice and Cheryl would stay at the academy.

Cheryl had a work-study scholarship, so she had to work at the academy during the vacation, and in Janice’s case, instead of going home, someone from her siblings would come to the academy to spend time with her.

“You seem really happy, Janice.”

As the members of the Travel Club gathered in the shabby room before the summer vacation, they observed Janice with strange eyes as she hummed a tune and swung her legs like a child on a chair.

In response to Phillip’s question, Janice snorted at him as if asking, ‘What do you mean?’ without saying a word.

“Well, is it? I don’t feel happy at all.”

“... I see.”

Phillip decided not to say anything further.

Then, Janice, who had been itching to explain the reason for her happiness, pursed her lips with a pouty expression.

“I’ve called you all here before the vacation to introduce new members who will join the Travel Club and to deliver a message to you.”

Cheryl’s eyes widened at Phillip’s announcement.

“New members?”

“Yes. Gather around, everyone.”

Following Phillip’s instruction, Lua’s friends entered the room. When Hailey Baroun and a beautiful girl entered, Janice opened her mouth wide in disbelief.

“... A princess? And Hailey Baroun?”

Camilla had become a student at the academy, but she had only taken a few liberal arts courses. Rumor had it that she hadn’t decided on her career path yet.

In truth, whether she learned swordsmanship or magic, it probably wouldn’t make much of a difference for a princess like her, but she seemed to be putting a fair amount of effort into her deliberations.

“She... Oh, no, I’m sorry! Is she the princess?”

Cheryl blurted out without thinking and then corrected herself while patting her own lips. She had already heard about it from Janice.Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

Stephen wasn’t surprised by the princess’s existence either, but the fact that Camilla was involved in club activities was quite astonishing.

Philip placed his hand on Camilla’s shoulder, as the pupils of the children who witnessed the disrespectful gesture shook without respite. However, neither Philip nor Camilla seemed to care.

That meant one thing.

Camilla was okay with it.

“I believe you all are aware of Camilla. While her status isn’t ordinary, during her time studying at the academy, she’s just a student. I hope you’ll look out for her. And Hailey Baroun, starting from next semester, will also be joining us, so I hope you’ll get along well with him too.”

“Hello, Seniors. I’m Hailey Baroun.”

Hailey politely bowed his head to the third-year students. His dignified demeanor exuded the bearing of nobility, which made Cheryl and Stephen feel awkward. Just looking at him made them feel inferior.

“I’m Camilla Velopair Calaria. Please take care of me, Seniors.”

Camilla greeted them leisurely. Cheryl, who sensed something beyond elegance in her, couldn’t help but express admiration. Camilla’s gaze seemed to blend consideration for others with a subtle charisma.

‘Oh my... I’m in the presence of a princess.’

But Janice was different. She had already witnessed the princess’s indescribable behavior alongside Lua.

‘I wonder if the royal bloodline is just different. If that happened to me, I probably wouldn’t leave my bed for days.’

It was a slightly different kind of admiration.

“And the message I have to convey is that I will remain at the academy during the vacation, but for about a week after the vacation starts, I will be away. If there’s anything that requires my assistance or if you want to visit me, feel free to do so. With that said, enjoy your vacation.”

When Philip mentioned that he would stay at the academy, Cheryl and Janice were the most pleased. They, too, planned to stay at the academy.

In order to give the children time to get to know each other, Philip was about to leave when he heard Janice call out.

“Instructor?”

Cynthia Morrela opened her eyes wide and glared at Castler, but he only flinched slightly.

“I’ll enjoy it in moderation, my love. How about you join us too?”

As he removed the stopper from the bottle, a fragrant scent spread throughout the reception room. Even after smelling the aroma, there weren’t many who could refuse.

Philip knew that this alcohol was so expensive that it was equivalent to a professor’s salary for a year. Not drinking it would be a waste.

“If it’s not uncomfortable for the Instructor...”

Cynthia Morrela seemed to be quite concerned about her origins. Philip responded as if asking what she meant.

“I would be much happier if the lady were present with us.”

And so, the drinking session began.

Philip and Castler got along quite well, and as is often the case with such meetings, their initial determination not to overindulge in drinking somehow flew out the window.

After emptying six bottles of high-end wine and whiskey worth dozens of gold coins, Castler was almost intoxicated.

Being a former magician, his mental fortitude was quite strong, but unfortunately, his physical body was that of a frail magician.

“Well... little brother. You’re only twenty-two? That’s... around the same age as our Janice...”

One of the spells that could be cast with alcohol was changing the way he addressed someone. Castler’s way of addressing Philip had suddenly changed from “Instructor” to “little brother.”

“Haha. Is that so.”

Philip chuckled mildly. His body seemed to have a natural resistance to alcohol. No matter how much strong liquor he drank, he only felt slightly dizzy, his wits remained intact.

Castler nodded as if he appreciated Philip’s attitude.

“Yeah... that’s the kind of attitude I like... I just left my little brother... you know? Kiddo!”

Watching their interaction, Cynthia Morrela let out a deep sigh.

“You’re quite drunk, my love. Isn’t that disrespectful to the Instructor?”

“Disrespectful... you say? How enjoyable this is right now... What’s the harm in it? Too bad, so sad. If only I didn’t have this task to do, I could have drank all night... those darn elf hunters...”

As her husband rambled about his work, a surprised Cynthia Morrela burst out, “Dear!”

Castler, whose senses had suddenly returned, winced as if his head were about to split, and pressed his temple.

“Oh, oops, I misspoke, I guess. But it’s not really a secret, and there’s no need to raise a fuss about it. It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong.”

He waved his hand and apologized to Philip. The way he addressed Philip had suddenly reverted to “Instructor.”

“I’m sorry for ruining the mood. Actually, I took on a task from the Joseph Association. When this is over, you might feel a bit uncomfortable, Instructor, so let me explain. It’s a job to capture slave hunters targeting elves. Deluan Joseph, a woman considered to be the future head of the association, asked me for a favor.”

Philip blinked upon hearing those words.

“Deluan Joseph? The branch manager of the Capital City Calaria branch?”

“Oh, you already know her? Actually, I wanted to introduce you to her, Instructor. I thought it might be somewhat helpful to establish a rapport before the upcoming grand meeting... Ugh, my head.”

‘What an incredible coincidence...’

Philip marveled. Deluan’s fate this year was becoming intriguing; she seemed to have bad luck.

The moment Castler uttered those words, Philip could roughly sense what Deluan’s plan might be.

“Uh, Lord Castler. It might be a bit impertinent to say this, but...”

“Oh, please go ahead.”

Philip swallowed a gulp of saliva before speaking. He could taste the alcohol in his mouth.

“That woman is going to meet her downfall soon.”

——-

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