Volume 2 - CH 3

I had an unexpected incident on my way home, but I heard that Rille-nee had an even tougher day.

During her interview, an explosion suddenly occurred in the training grounds where people were practicing their magic swords and injured soldiers were brought in one after the other.

I heard that a magic stone had gone out of control.

Gis-nee uses magic stones like it was nothing, so I had no idea it was that dangerous.

Naturally, there was no time for interviews and Rille-nee was sent out to nurse the soldiers since there weren’t enough nurses. I can only say thank you for your hard work, Rille-nee!

But she was able to show her ability and courage thanks to the explosion and was hired on the spot.

I knew she could do it. She hasn’t been nursing injured guys every day for nothing.

After the commotion was over and when she was about to go pick me up in the evening, Chancellor Leonard came to the medical department and followed her to the school.

He then invited us to his mansion that day and treated us to a feast.

The Chancellor had manipulated it so that the Prince could casually mingle with the students in the exam hall… What is with this nation?

A week later, without any unexpected developments or troubles, my acceptance letter was delivered to the inn as scheduled.

We are going to have fun in the capital after the exam!

… Or so I thought, but we didn’t have much time to spare.

The entrance ceremony is scheduled to take place a month after I received my acceptance letter and Rille-nee is scheduled to start working around the same time.

Our priority was to set up a place to live and buy all the necessary items. We won’t have much money to play in the capital after that.

We knew nothing about the stores in the capital, so the kind Chancellor Leonard is giving us a tour.

“It is nice to meet you, Ojou-samas! My name is Connie. I am a maid!”

A cheerful woman with golden brown hair pulled up in a ponytail arrived at the inn just as we were finishing breakfast.

She was short and looked young. She was wearing a plain skirt and not a maid uniform, so I wondered which kid had come to visit us until she introduced herself.

Anyway, Rille-nee and I, who were only carrying our wallets, quickly followed Connie out of the inn.

“I would like to show you to some places I recommend for lodging and shopping, but first let me ask you what you would like to do!”

Connie-san’s voice was loud. Is it because she’s excited, or is she normally like this? Either way, I could tell she is a cheerful person.

“Can you show us where we could stay first? I think that would be the most difficult place to choose.”

“Okay! Then, please come this way!”

Connie-san turned east.

She spoke to us, who were half a step behind her, as she walked.

“I heard that Aime-sama will be living in the dormitory at the Magic School, so are you searching for a place for Ridill-sama?”

“Yes, that’s basically it.”

The Magic School is a boarding school.

So, I will be parting with Rille-nee for the first time ever, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t be seeing her at all during the two years of Magic School.

“I plan to come home during the holidays. If possible, I would like a place where we can live together after I graduate.”

Eventually, I want to buy a house in the capital, invite Gis-nee to stay with us and the three of us will live there. I will have to endure and be patient until I have enough money saved up.

“Would you like adjoining rooms if the two of you will be living together?”

“Hmm, I don’t mind if we share a room either.”

“I’d prefer we share. It feels strange to have separate rooms in the same building.”

Perhaps because she’s been living in cramped spaces since her birth, but Rille-nee doesn’t want to have her own room.

“Oh yeah, I don’t think we’ve ever slept in separate rooms, have we Rille-nee?”

“You’re right. I wonder if I will be able to sleep alone.”

“Ah~, me too.”

It wasn’t because I was too scared to sleep; it was simply a matter of being used to sleeping in the same room as someone else.

Connie-san listened to our unsure conversation with amusement.

“You sisters sure get along well! If it is just the two of you, then I can show you a good and inexpensive place to stay!”

“Really? Thank you.”

Rille-nee suddenly spoke up when our destination was decided.

“Hmm, Connie-san, you can drop the suffixes from our names.”

That was also something that bothered me.

Connie-san blinked in surprise, “Eh?”

“I cannot do that! You two are the Master’s guests.”

“But we’re just commoners, and we’re a bit embarrassed to be addressed with -sama attached to our names…”

Rille-nee was shy. Yup, that’s how she really feels. I also continued.

“We’ll stand out downtown if you add -sama to our names. Could you speak to us normally?”

Connie-san, you talk loudly after all. The sisters, who are dressed like commoners, are being treated in a strangely respectful manner, and people passing us have been looking at us strangely since a while ago.

“Really? Hmm, but I cannot call the Master’s guests by their names. How about we compromise? I will call you Ridill-san and Aime-san. Is that alright with you two?”

“Yes, thank you.”

We compromised for the time being.

I think Connie-san is around our age, and I secretly hope that she will be a valuable friend to us in a city full of strangers.

Especially for Rille-nee, since I won’t be around much.

Perhaps that was why Chancellor Leonard had sent Connie-san to us.

“――― Here we are!”

Connie-san pointed exaggeratingly in front of a house on the side of a large street near the southeast gate of the capital.

It was a plain two-story wooden house that didn’t look like it had many rooms from the outside.

“It is a bit old and small, but the area is safe and there is a market nearby, so it is convenient for shopping! Also, the owner is a woman, and she only accepts female lodgers! And the most important thing is that the owner serves very tasty food!”

Connie exclaimed excitedly. Is it that good? Wait, have you eaten it before?

“Connie-san, do you perhaps live here?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact! I worked at a restaurant around here before I became a maid.”

“You became the Chancellor’s maid then?”

“Yes! Master hired me when he visited the restaurant.”

Why did he show up at a restaurant downtown? And why did he hire a waitress from that restaurant?

Connie smiled bitterly when she guessed the questions I had.

“Master has a habit of picking up people who are highly capable in some way. In my case, I think it was the fact that I am strong for a woman that caught his eye. I was carrying many plants and bottles of alcohol when he came in.”

“… Hah?”

“Most of the people in the mansion were hired by the Master himself. There are many other talents who Master takes care of and helps.”

What is he, a talent collector?

I thought he was a kind man for helping us commoners who had nothing, but if he even hired a waitress from a restaurant, then he must have a hobby of scouting people.

“Who’s been screaming outside?”

At that moment, the door opened, and a person appeared from inside the house.

It was a well-dressed middle-aged woman with long, wavy, tied up grey hair. She was not as tall as Gis-nee, but still quite tall.

She was wearing an apron and holding a wooden ladle in her right hand. She must have been preparing lunch since there was a nice aroma coming from inside.

“Anna-san!”

Connie screamed the woman’s name. She must be the owner of the boarding house.

The moment I realised this I reflexively gave a thumbs up.

“Rille-nee, let’s rent a room here!”

It was an instant decision.

I had no complaints about this place from the moment I heard Connie’s explanation, and I felt that I could leave Rille-nee here with this lady who seemed like she could even bounce back a cannon.

After that, we properly introduced ourselves and were shown to an available room.

There were two beds in the room and a desk. There was no space to move around, but it was large enough to sleep and study in.

There was no bathroom, but breakfast and dinner were included in the rent, and the monthly rent is cheap. The only other lodgers were two working girls. We were visiting in the middle of the day, so we couldn’t meet them, but we heard that they are good people.

Anna-san raised her son by herself and is a reliable woman over 40. She accepted us with open arms.

“You can move in tonight if you want.”

“Really?”

I will gladly take her up on her offer since it would save us money on lodging.

Anna-san told us that she would have the room ready by nighttime, so we told her that we would bring our luggage around at that time and Connie-san showed us around the nearby market until then.

“There are two markets in the capital, one in the west and one in the east! There are stores in other places, but the stalls are concentrated in the market! This is the place to go if you want to shop and eat!”

We had already entered the market, but I could still hear Connie-san’s explanation clearly even with all the noise.

The first market that Rille-nee and I visited was in the west, but the east market was just as lively and festive with endless rows of stalls.

“Please tell me if you need anything! I’ll show you where to get it!”

“Then, can you tell me where to find paper? Oh, and ink too.”

These are the most necessary consumables for school.

“School supplies? Then, this way!”

The store we were heading for stood in a quiet ally off the side of the market.

I chose the cheapest paper; the one with the roughest surface. I want quantity over quality.

They sell paper but not notebooks. I’ll have to make my own notebooks. There are stores that make notebooks for a charge, but well, I’ll make it myself.

The store also sold ink and pens. I didn’t buy them since I didn’t need them today, but I knew that I could get all the school supplies I needed here.

“Is there anywhere you would like to go, Ridill-san?”

“Well, do you know of any second-hand clothing stores?”

“Of course! We also have many tailors here! And stores where you can buy reasonably priced ornaments!”

“Oh, I’d love to try some of the capital’s famous fruit pies!”

“Certainly! I know the perfect place!”

Connie-san knew many stores where we wanted to visit and showed us around the outside and inside of the market.

We had a little time on our hands now that we had found a place to stay, but not a lot of money to spare. We ended up gazing at the fruit pies, which were expensive, but that was fun too.

“It’ll be dark soon. Do you have any place you want to visit to end the night with?”

Connie-san asked and Rille-nee and I both pondered about it. Then, I answered first.

“Is there any place around here where we can see magic tools?”

We walked around town all day, but I didn’t see any magic tools. I had heard that the magic stones are controlled by the palace, so I was expecting them to be used for something around town.

But Connie-san was surprised.

“Magic tools? Only soldiers of the palace have such things.”

“Only soldiers? You mean like in weapons?”

“Yes. You are talking about magic swords and things like that, are you not?”

“I am, but are those the only things that are magic tools?”

Only weapons?

But I knew that I was questioning her too much. I realised that I was troubling her, so I decided to stop talking about it.

Hmm, I wonder if I can learn more about this in school. At least in Giedt’s case, his magic tool wasn’t in his weapon. I wonder if it’s just not common knowledge.

We couldn’t think of anything else to do in the end, so we returned to the inn, grabbed our stuff and moved.

Connie-san showed us around the capital until the entrance ceremony and we got the general layout of the capital in our heads while buying all the things we needed.

I learnt that in addition to the market in the west, there was also a racetrack there, a huge temple in the north that was off-limits to everyone who wasn’t royalty, but people were allowed to pray at the entrance, a harbour, and an arena used for festivals in the east near our lodging.

There are far more people and stores here than in other cities, so there are also theatres and other entertainment facilities around. All these things overwhelmed me, but led me to the conclusion that this was like any other city.

We are going to live here from now on.

We were off to a good start thanks to Chancellor Leonard and Connie-san. I feel like we’ll do well here.

“It’s finally happening tomorrow.”

“It is.”

A month passed by in the blink of an eye while we were hecticly getting ready.

Rille-nee and I were lying in our beds on the night before the entrance ceremony. We talked under the tiny candle that Anna-san had given us.

“I wonder if I can do my work properly in the palace.”

Rille-nee will start working the day after tomorrow. I know she must be feeling anxious, but this wasn’t new to me, so I laughed it off.

“You’ve already worked there before! You should have more confidence in yourself.”

Rille-nee’s job title isn’t a doctor, but an assistant doctor. She is going to be something like a nurse.

There is no one who could be called a doctor in this nation except for those who work in the palace. The ones in town are called pharmacists [1]. ‘Doctor’ is an official title given only to men who have passed the exam and are allowed to work in the palace.

However, their actual job is to prepare and prescribe medicine, there isn’t much difference between a doctor and a pharmacist. Of course, Rille-nee can do this!

“Rille-nee, you’re talented. And the interviewer was a kind old man, wasn’t he?”

“But I’ll be assisting someone else. I wonder if I can get along with him.”

“I’m more afraid of you getting along too well with him. Rille-nee, you fall in love too easily.”

“I told you, you were misunderstanding things! You think too much.”

“Shouldn’t you be more self-conscious?”

“That’s called younger sister’s bias, isn’t it?”

I was being serious but Rille-nee wasn’t listening. I wonder when she will become more self-aware.

“How about you Aime? Are you worried about school? The other students are all nobles.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve already talked to the Prince, after all. I’m not nervous about the other nobles.”

“You’re right.”

Rille-nee put a hand on her mouth and let out a giggle.

“You’re more likely to have someone troublesome like you than me.”

“Eh~? No way. Honestly, I don’t think I have a cute personality.”

“But you’re pretty cute?”

“That’s bias.”

I said and we both laughed.

――― Yup, it’s alright. We’ll both be fine.

I’ll be home on the holidays, and I’ll rush here if something happens. We have people we can rely on too.

I’ve been with Rille-nee this whole time, so I’m sad that we’ll be spending a lot of time apart, but I’m not that anxious about it.

But I was reluctant to part with her, so we spent the night talking about trivial things until the candle burnt out.