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Join the ServerThe layered clothes, like gift wrapping, were stifling and uncomfortable beyond measure.
Apparently, it would be troublesome if his doll came back from outside looking shabby.
Killian insisted on the lavish attire, saying this was one thing he absolutely wouldn’t compromise on.
On the other hand, perhaps because it wasn’t a special event like a ball, the little one who usually preferred to dress similarly to me was, this time, wearing his usual clothes without copying me.
“Rudan!
They say there’s a fountain straight ahead!”
El spread out a cloth map and pointed into the distance with his staff, chattering away.
I tucked the identity badge Killian had given me into my pocket and followed him.
When he’d first suggested coming here, I was sure he had a clear purpose in mind, but watching him now, you’d think he was on a picnic.
“We’re just looking at the fountain and then going inside.”
“Yes!”
He answered well enough.
Well, it wasn’t a bad feeling.
Occasionally walking around a place like this was nice.
Since coming here, I’d been holed up in the castle, the Tower, or that cottage for so long that the well-maintained paths were somewhat refreshing.
“Why do you like fountains so much?
Never seen one before?”
“Ugh…… I just like water.”
El said that and averted his gaze.
A lie.
He seemed to have a reason he didn’t want to tell me.
This felt strange.
The kid who had been glued to my side with sparkling eyes almost every hour had a secret from me now.
Like watching a child entering puberty, it gave me an odd feeling.
Still, I didn’t want to pry into something he didn’t want to talk about.
“I should take you to the sea sometime.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow!”
As I followed El, who ran off with an exclamation, the fountain he’d mentioned came into view.
The stone statue—a figure of undetermined gender sitting on a uniquely shaped tree, cradling a water jar—was carved so delicately that even the texture of the thin, flowing fabric felt vivid.
Water spouting from the jar fell onto the surface and spread outward in a cycle.
The kid, who had arrived first, stuck his hand into the pooled water.
“It’s freezing!”
“I’d imagine so.”
Pouting at my lackluster response, he pressed his lips into a duck beak shape, then released them and voiced a casual question.
“Who was that statue carved after?”
“Hmm, probably a divine figure.”
“Kirios?”
When I’d only heard the name, I’d imagined a burly, dignified man with a long beard, but it was different from what I’d thought.
El shook his head.
“It’s not fixed to one specific figure—they made it so it could be seen as either Secreta or Kirios.
This academy has a peace treaty, after all.”
People here lived with so many considerations.
Thinking that, I could see the sculptor’s struggle in what I’d only thought was an exquisite statue.
Still, it looked good, so I supposed that was fine.
While we were admiring the fountain, the people passing by were all wearing similar clothes.
Uniforms, probably.
Thanks to that, we stood out conspicuously in our different attire.
Moreover, the students would flinch and bow their heads in greeting whenever our eyes met.
‘I didn’t realize my face was so well-known.’
The more widely known a person was, the easier they became gossip fodder.
I was planning to find and contact someone connected to Nieta, so having so many eyes on us was not a good sign.
On top of that, El was on edge, reacting to every passerby.
He’d already turned his head five times at the slightest sound to check who it was.
“Let’s head inside soon.”
“Okaaay…….”
He seemed uncomfortable.
El looked slightly disappointed as he pulled the large hood of his cloak down over his head.
His small face was completely hidden, making him look from above like a kid in a Halloween ghost costume.
From the outside, it looked like a grand mansion, but once inside, the building style was somewhat unique, but the structure itself seemed not much different from the universities I knew.
Just then, an elderly man passing through the corridor showed interest in us.
“Kitty?”
What.
“Ah, that couldn’t be.
It’s been quite a while since she graduated.”
The old man muttered to himself, then raised his downcast gaze.
When our eyes met, his eyes, lined with age, widened.
“Lord Rudan?
What brings you all the way here?”
“I have some things I’d like to look into.”
“Oh!
This old man happens to be free right now.
Would you grant me the honor of helping a distinguished guest?”
Modesty had its limits.
This excessive deference was merely uncomfortable, and thanks to the Confucian spirit engraved in my soul, even more so.
To see an elderly grandmother bowing and scraping before me—what a world.
“Very well.”
But there was no reason to refuse help if it was offered.
If it didn’t seem right, I could just cut it off and leave.
The old woman introduced herself as Ananke, a professor and amulet maker, and led the way, saying there was a separate space prepared for honored guests.
“That person seems a bit strange.”
El whispered quietly, only for me to hear, clearly not liking her.
I gave a slight nod in agreement.
He kept trying to hide behind me, as if he didn’t even want her to see him, which made walking quite inconvenient.
She must have clearly seen that ridiculous sight, but she acted as if she saw nothing.
“Here we are!”
Her robe fluttered as she spread her arms and turned around.
I shifted my gaze toward the direction she was guiding.
“Wow.”
It seemed I’d definitely followed a properly strange person.
***
The space, surrounded entirely by glass with the outside scenery fully visible and us visible from the outside as well, instantly sent my sense of security plummeting.
Yes, this was a glass greenhouse.
Despite being a place for honored guests, it was difficult to offer any kind of impression.
Unidentified plants I’d never seen in my life filled the interior, and the sounds of small creatures scurrying about came from all directions.
Look at that—even our little one was shooing away a snake that had come nearby with his staff.
“The child has a tender heart, so please treat him gently.”
The old woman coaxed El in a kind tone.
“Okaaay.”
El answered obediently, but he didn’t seem to be taking her words seriously.
At any rate, the table in front of me and the square stones decorating the path here certainly showed careful attention.
The tea she served was fragrant too.
Not that I knew the taste—I felt too uneasy to consume tea from a stranger in an unfamiliar place, so I only pretended to drink while just smelling the aroma.
“So you see, there’s a significant difference between properly understanding the principles and not knowing them at all.”
And Ananke had been pouring out persuasive words, urging me to enroll in the academy, ever since I sat down.
“That makes sense, but……
Absorption-type wizards don’t typically need formal education.”
“That’s an outdated notion that doesn’t suit the times.”
This was driving me crazy.
I’d hoped to find some clue or someone I could use here, but I didn’t want to go through the trouble of enrolling just to poke around.
Twelve years of compulsory education and graduating from university was enough.
What academy?
“If a powerful Absorption-type wizard like Lord Rudan would stand firm here, it would make it easier for the next generation to cross the threshold of magic…….”
The old woman, who seemed to have taken a direct hit from the bombardment of time, spoke passionately with eyes sparkling like a child’s.
I did feel a bit sorry for her, but I didn’t have time to keep listening to boring stories I wasn’t interested in.
In times like these, there was no choice but to recite the magic spell.
“The Tower Lord won’t allow it.”
“Ah…….”
“He wishes for me to always be by his side when needed.”
This was a lie, but at least the old woman before me had no way to verify it.
“And the reason I came here today isn’t for myself, but for this child.”
Surprised by the foul tone, the subject of the conversation flinched.
“He’s a child who wandered the streets alone without parents, and he admires Nieta’s wizards.
I brought him here because I thought the academy could help him achieve what he wants.
As you know, I’m an Absorption-type wizard, so there’s not much I can do for him…….”
The old woman’s eyes grew slightly moist, perhaps moved by the child’s pitiful circumstances, and then she opened her eyes wide and asked.
“If Lord Rudan were to put in a word, they’d take him in readily enough, wouldn’t they?”
Sharp.
Damn old woman.
“That’s true, but this child also lacks common knowledge about magic, so he needs to understand what exactly it means to become a Nieta wizard.
From the child’s perspective.”
“Ah, in that case, either enroll him or…….”
“Or?”
“I believe I can lend a hand.”
You’ve got to see this next! The Only Ice Flower will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : The Only Ice Flower
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