Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 175: Academy Life Looks Difficult
As soon as Axel sat down, tea was brought to him. Among the servants, he seemed to have been firmly recognised as one of my friends already. Axel picked at the sweets and happily commented on how good they were.
“Tomorrow is my swordsmanship-practice day. I should stretch properly when I get home.”
“I’ve been waiting for it! Today’s training was so boring and tedious.”
“Come on. You shouldn’t call training under Commander Yeongseon boring and tedious.”
If that story reached the Knight Commander’s ears, wouldn’t he be angry?
And if it reached his son Ovidio, he would definitely take notice.
“Oh. That’s right. Julius won’t be at magic practice tomorrow,” Ijidol said, sounding disappointed.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Axel teased. “Julius left you half-dead, and you still want to practise magic with him? Don’t tell me you…”
“When I practise with Julius, I feel like I’m actually getting much stronger.”
“You too, Ijidol?”
The two of them looked at each other and nodded.
Then they both turned towards me.
Oh no. What was with those eyes?
I didn’t want them looking at me with that much respect, as though I were some kind of master. I pretended not to notice and quietly drank my tea while eating another sweet.
After that, we exchanged information before heading home.
It was useful hearing things from ordinary households rather than only nobles. The weather had been getting colder lately, and apparently colds were becoming more common. I advised them to wash their hands and gargle regularly.
I should tell the children at the orphanage the same thing.
I’d visit on my next day off.
If I made more noble friends, they would probably start inviting me to tea parties and similar gatherings. I would attend when necessary, of course, but spending time at the orphanage suited me much better.
It was easier on my shoulders.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome back, Young Master Julius.”
The townhouse steward greeted me.
“Brother Alex isn’t home yet?”
“Today the academy is selecting the new student council officers. The handover is taking place afterwards as well, so I expect Lord Alex to return late.”
Had the question shown on my face? The steward neatly supplied the answer before I had to ask.
“I see. Then we should make sure we don’t burden Brother Alex when he comes home tired.”
As I said that, I gave the servants a pointed look that clearly meant, Don’t report anything that will burden him.
Ah.
They looked away!
They were absolutely planning to report something, weren’t they?
I didn’t think I’d done anything troublesome today.
Brother Alex finally returned after dinner. He looked thoroughly exhausted.
“Welcome home.”
“I’m home, Julius. Have you been a good boy… and stayed quiet?”
Why had he rephrased that halfway through?
That wasn’t good.
Oh well. One day I would work hard enough to regain his trust.
“I’ve been perfectly good. Is your student council work finished now?”
“Almost. There may still be one or two things left to do. Why?”
“I thought it might be time for you to start preparing for your final examinations.”
“I see. Now even you’ve started worrying about me.”
Brother Alex smiled while raising one eyebrow.
Oh. Maybe he hadn’t wanted me to bring that up.
While I was feeling slightly put out, he turned to the servants.
“You can give me today’s report tomorrow. Thank you for your work.”
The servants bowed their heads at his words.
So this was how you won the hearts and loyalty of your household staff.
I had learned something useful.
Apparently Brother Alex had already eaten elsewhere. Would he simply take a bath and go to bed?
No. He would probably study for his examinations first.
Academy life really was difficult.
I decided to stay in my room so I wouldn’t put any more strain on him.
But I didn’t have much to do.
What should I work on?
Perhaps I could think of a better way to train Ijidol’s magic. Unless I found something more efficient, his current mana reserves would sharply limit the amount of practice he could do. I certainly couldn’t use my own abnormal mana capacity as the standard.
First, increase Ijidol’s maximum mana.
Then make Magic Arrow so familiar that he could use it unconsciously.
That would give him confidence, and from there we could move on to practising more advanced magic.
With that in mind, I spent the rest of the evening designing a new training method for Ijidol.
“Good morning, Brother Alex.”
“Good morning, Julius. You look energetic today.”
“I feel fine. You look a little tired, though.”
Dark circles had formed under his eyes.
I couldn’t help chuckling.
Academy life really did look hard. Being a student wasn’t easy at all.
Brother Alex ended up laughing with me.
“Your turn will come eventually.”
“I’d rather it didn’t.”
We laughed together, and the gloomy atmosphere cleared in an instant. It felt as though some brightness had returned to Brother Alex’s face.
“Today is your swordsmanship-practice day, correct? How’s it going?”
“No problems. I made a friend, and we practise together.”
“I’ve heard. Axel Holmqvist, isn’t it? His family is a prestigious one that has produced unit commanders for the Royal Knight Order for generations. You have a good eye for people.”
Brother Alex looked pleased.
I’d never heard of him associating with bad people either, so perhaps he had a good eye for character himself.
What about Brother Cain?
Well, he’d successfully won Lady Meeka Raniemi’s affection, so perhaps he had a good eye too.
Though in his case, it might just be wild instinct.
“Brother Alex, I’m thinking of visiting the orphanage on my next day off. May I?”
“I don’t mind, but has something happened?”
“There seems to be a cold going around the royal capital. I want to warn the children about it, and I’m planning to bring some soap as well.”
Brother Alex nodded, apparently satisfied with the explanation.
“Very well. I’ll arrange the soap.”
“Thank you.”