CH 50

The cool breeze at night marked the end of summer and made it feel even more like autumn.

The people of the Heimer, Archelaus and Virgil families were all gathered in the living room at night, sitting in their places of choice or leaning against the table, sipping drinks.

“It’s nice to be able to get together with relatives like this for the first time in a long time.”

“Yes, truly. It is so wonderful to see Alice and Oluris in good spirits, too.”

That is what Grandpa Epidote and Grandma Flora said.

I was finally able to see them again this year–the former lord of the Archelaus Family…that is, my father’s parents.

Grandmother was a nice middle-aged kind old lady with the same blue eyes and pale light blue hair as my father’s, mixed with more white.

Incidentally, Grandma Flora’s family of origin was of the same bloodline as Aunt Felicia’s, so she and Brother Oluris were related to each other.

“I’m finally able to show off my daughter and wife and how well they’re doing…I was really worried about them until last year.”

My father lowered his eyebrows. Seeing this, Grandfather smiled, saying he was glad to see that he was feeling better.

My mother became a little teary-eyed, probably because she had been blaming herself for a long time, but she smiled softly at Grandma Flora’s kind words.

This time, the patriarch of the Virgil family, Uncle Appicchio, let out a happy voice.

“By the way, Miss Alice is really like an angel. After she was cured of her illness, she became even more cute… and, above all, she helped our son to recover. I can’t thank you enough.”

“I would also like to thank you again. My brother and the family have been able to reconcile, all thanks to Alice-sama.”

After saying that, Uncle Appicchio and Brother Will turn to me and thanked me again. I hurriedly asked them to raise their heads.

“Ah, no! All I did was create a trivial opportunity. The rest was due to the hard work of Brother Oluris and all of you.”

As I returned the sentiment, my father gently placed his palm on my head.

“Fufufu. Although I can’t deny that my Alice is indeed like an angel, I do think she is right. Oluris-kun himself has shown great courage.”

When my father said this, Brother Oluris, who was sitting quietly in a chair in the corner of the room, shook and quivered. He straightened his back, which had almost shrunk, and straightened his posture.

“…No, no. It was Alice who gave me the courage and the opportunity to make up with everyone…I’m really grateful to everyone who has watched over me, and especially to Alice…”

He seemed quite nervous about speaking in front of a large number of people, and after saying that much, Brother Oluris relaxed his shoulders with a ‘haah.’

Aside from the mysterious flow of talk that involved praising me, I snuck a glance at him and said, “You did your best, Brother!”

Then Brother Oluris, noticing my gaze, looked at me and smiled.

…Seriously, it was very cute.

I’m sure many people were relieved to see Brother Oluris in such a happy state.

“I can’t believe Alice will already be an academy student starting tomorrow. It happened so quickly.”

“Indeed. The months have flown since she recovered and celebrated a year ago.”

Uncle Oedipus and Grandpa Richtlite, who had slightly reformed tones, opened their mouths with deep emotion.

“I can’t wait to see how my and Will’s training will be demonstrated…”

Sister Thulite was swaying around and smiling suspiciously. Her glasses were gleaming, which was quite scary as usual.

However, I was truly indebted to Sister Thulite for all her help this past year. I thanked her again.

“Sister, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to take on the role of my tutor. I will never forget this debt of gratitude.”

It may sound a bit dramatic, but she had taught not only the five major subjects, but also a wide variety of lesson on etiquette, behavior, and common sense, all in order to ‘eradicate the label of a shadowy recluse.’ I can’t thank her enough.

“Fufu, you’re welcome. You have an uncharacteristic childlike intelligence that never ceases to amaze me…I had fun. I believe that Alice-chan will open up a new world of magic, so you can thank me for those achievements.”

“Haha…”

The word ‘childlike’ freaked me out for a moment.

And although I thought it was a heavy expectation, I was hopeful…I really wanted to master magic as well. I managed to make a clenched fist and nodded.

“I’m sure there’s a lot you might not be used to at the school, so…if it’s okay with you, you can always ask me anything, Alice.”

It was Athena-sama who said that to me, albeit quietly.

Onyx-sama also said the same thing to me in a bashful way (***T/N: in a ‘tsundere’ like way)

As I politely returned my thanks to them, I thought about my new life that would begin tomorrow.

The reason why the relatives had gathered in this way was because the adults would soon be returning to their territories. I’d miss them, but this also served as a sort of celebration for my entrance into the new school year.

Enrollment…Ufufufu. Enrollment into the magic academy!

I’ve at least studied all of the basics over the past year, but I haven’t been allowed to practice most of it live because it’s too dangerous.

I haven’t asked about the details of the classes because I wanted to enjoy them first-hand.

I had a wonderful night together with everyone. I was so excited that I was wondering if I might not be able to sleep well tonight.

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T/N: I wish I could be as excited about school as Alice is.