On her way home, she stops by the market.
Eleanor was walking back, carrying a whole squash she'd bought cheap along with the lunchbox she'd retrieved from Louis, when she spotted a familiar trio in black robes. Court Mages.
She would rather not run into them since they were people who she didn't get along with.
With them coming right towards her, she'd be spotted sooner or later. But she hesitated since abruptly changing directions would draw more attention, and as a result the trio spotted her with no trouble at all.
"Oh-ho? If it isn't Stillus's little servant girl over there!"
The shortest man approached with an unpleasant smile. The other two fell in behind him.
Eleanor didn't know any of their names, but she was certain of one thing: they were the "type she disliked."
"I believe the Institute's lunch break ended a while ago. Shouldn't you be getting back?"
"It's a self-appointed holiday, y'know? I was feeeeeling a bit under the weather."
"I believe you said the same thing the last time we met."
"Well, Louis-sama shows up there practically every day, so I'm not feeling refreshed that often."
"Right, right. Even Louis-sama shows understanding 'please don't push yourselves when you're unwell.' Which kinda means it'd be a violation not to rest."
The man in glasses agreed with the short one and let out a thin smirk. The third, a plump man, stood behind the other two saying nothing, his eyes running over Eleanor's body as though he was devouring her.
They hated Louis.
The short man had had his talent for magic recognised at a young age, and it had been whispered that he would one day become the poster face of the Court Mages. He was supposed to have been the centre of attention, if only Louis, who was several years his junior, hadn't come along. The other two had also been talented and promising, and they resented Louis all the more for it.
Eleanor had heard the story, but that wasn't going to earn them any sympathy. She adjusted her tone and hid her irritation.
"Louis-sama is deeply troubled by your conduct. It would be best if you returned to the Institute at once."
"Yeah, right."
He stated flatly and decisively.
The short man, who'd dismissed Eleanor's "lie" in that flippant tone, kept the same shady smile on his face. His eyes narrowed, directing a snake-like, clammy gaze at Eleanor.
"You Stillus lot are all talk. There's no way in hell Louis-sama is losing any sleep over us, come on. I'd bet he doesn't even know we exist. Grinning away as if he cares about everyone, when he doesn't know his own subordinates' names."
"What lies in Louis-sama's heart is not something the likes of me could ever presume to fathom. And judging by how you've worded that, may I take it that you're sulking over your superior not remembering your names? Shall I put in a word for you? So long as the other person has not strayed from the right path, my master will lend an ear to anyone, equally."
"'Strayed from the right path'? You mean guys like us? That's harsh."
"My master isn't a clergyman. But since you are still Louis-sama's subordinates, I'm sure he would..."
"Ah, whatever. I don't care about this. Listen, servant-girl, this isn't the kinda thing we're tryin' to say."
The short man put a hand on Eleanor's shoulder.
Though he was short, that was only relative to other men. He was taller than Eleanor, and exuded intimidation that suited his taller stature.
She glanced around, and saw that everyone was pretending not to notice anything as they walked past. Since the very position of Court Mage is an expression of skill, no commoner would dare defy them.
The three men closed in on Eleanor and tried to drag her into a narrow side alley.
"Wait, let go..."
"Come on, it's fine."
"It's not fine! I need to get dinner ready."
"We won't take much of your time. Though, you probably won't feel like moving for a while, but I guess that'll depend on servant-girl's willpower, hmm?"
Her arm was yanked forcibly and the squash she'd been holding rolled away.
They didn't want to assault a woman. They just wanted to see Louis's frustrated face after they'd severely injured his servant.
And yet she couldn't even properly fight back, and she felt pathetic about her own helplessness, but there was simply nothing she could do.
"You're so cute, servant-girl, see, so actually, we had our eye on you."
"No...!"
Just as Eleanor was about to burst into tears without a shred of dignity,
Suddenly.
A sharp gust of wind raged around the trio and Eleanor. Dense cold air spiralled around the four of them, and the hand gripping Eleanor was shallowly slashed. It was the man wearing glasses who first realised that this wind, which felt as though invisible blades had been woven into it, was magic.
The caster of the wind magic took one step forward from the onlooking crowd and glared menacingly at the three men.
"Oh-ho, if it isn't Louis-sama's little sister."
"Good afternoon. I'm Onii-chan's little sister. Could you take your hands off our Eleanor?"
It was Lumina, on her way home from school. Her loosely wavy golden hair fluttered in the breeze and rested on her shoulders. She flicked it away and looked down at the men with a determined look.
Lumina Stillus. Even if her fame came from her brother's prestige, her magic itself was the real thing.
If she had gone out of her way to invoke magic out in the city, the city would be in an uproar in an instant.
The two women of the Stillus household had been harassed. And one of them was no servant; she was blood family.
The many ordinary citizens present would serve as witnesses. Even if the three men used magic here and won, there was no guarantee Louis wouldn't come after them next.
Most of the citizens who had been pretending not to notice what was happening stopped where they were and reproached the men with their eyes.
"Tch... and to think you were acting like you couldn't care less just a moment ago."
The moment they were sure of the Stillus household's victory, the citizens flipped the tables and condemned the men. It wasn't a commendable trait, but knowing it was an indication of Louis's power left her with mixed feelings.
Watching the backs of the men as they clicked their tongues and walked off, Lumina kept a stern expression.
"We'll have to report this to Onii-chan."
"... Okay."
Eleanor picked up the squash that had rolled away and jogged after Lumina as she began walking.
When they reached the house, she opened the door, let Lumina in, and followed in after her.
"Is it stewed squash today?"
"Summer squash salad. Half of it won't get used up, so we'll probably use the rest tomorrow. Then tomato soup and pilaf... What do you want to eat tomorrow? Risotto's off the table, we had it the day before yesterday."
"Ehhhh... but we've got summer squash!"
"But we've got this and that is a bit of a stretch for connecting anything and everything to risotto."
"Booo. Then, then, something Onii-chan likes."
"... Pumpkin cream stew in this season is a stretch... and this is summer squash..."
"Eleanor really values seasons. Honestly, I haven't the faintest idea what the difference is with this 'chestnut squash' thing."
"Taste-wise it's not that different, but it's about the difference between a May Queen and a Danshaku." [1]
"May Queen? Danshaku?"
"You wouldn't know what they are. Don't worry about it."
"Okaaay!"
Obedient as ever.
"By the way, don't you think stew does the trick in summer? In a small country to the east, they have a festival where men compete to drink hot tea as fast as they can in summer, to prove their 'manliness.' A legendary mage by the name of Tanaka-san, who's been the champion for fifty years drinks two thousand cups a year, has just turned 150 thanks to the power of tea!"
"That boy is making things up again. Oh well, stew... I guess I could make some."
"Yaaay! Stew, stew!"
"Today it's salad, soup, and pilaf."
"Yaay, salad and soup and pilaf!"
"You really live life cheerfully, don't you..."
In this world, the bell rings three times a day. A little while ago, the evening bell had sounded.
Eleanor had been in the kitchen, draining the water from the onions she'd been soaking.
She'd been shaking them with sharp rustle, rustle motion, but muttered "ah" and stopped.
Eleanor is sensitive to Louis's magic. She'd just sensed that he had used a teleportation spell at the palace.
She began to boil water and prepare the tea leaves.
At the entrance, a magic circle roughly two metres in diameter glowed blue.
An ancient script was inscribed in the space between the outer circle drawn in thick lines and the thin-lined inner circle inside it. Within the circle, a large hexagram was drawn. It was the simplest of the magic circles in Louis's possession.
And it was this very teleportation magic that had been one of the achievements that earned him the title of Chief.
Although there are teleportation spells in the Institute that teleport people to border checkpoints and various research sites, ancient magic circles were cumbersome to use. He had rewritten them.
And together with that came the following regulations:
- Those who have either provided appropriate identification or passed examinations at a set standard are permitted to open a magic portal at their own home.
- The magic circle will automatically inspect the belongings of the traveller. If foreign objects are detected, the object and owner will be teleported to a designated underground chamber. They must ring the provided bell to summon the guards, and undergo a physical inspection.
- Those who cannot use magic may apply for a transit pass at the Institute. The magic circle responds to the magic infused into the document.
The third regulation in particular was greatly welcomed by those in the military who had families who lived far away from where they were posted.
Naturally, Louis himself could use teleportation magic as much as he liked.
When Louis, having teleported to the entrance, stepped into the living room, his little sister was there with her chin resting on her hand, engrossed in her book.
"Did you take another book from the study?"
"It was cited in that book you were writing a while ago, so I got curious. I didn't touch the forbidden shelf, promise! Oh, and welcome home!"
"Yes, I'm home."
As he returned Lumina's greeting, there were light footsteps down the corridor. The one who came in, as Louis had expected, was the fairy he'd met earlier in the day.
"Welcome back. Tea's almost ready. Would you like some?"
"Yes, please."
Taking the black robe from his hand, she said curtly, "Right" and headed back out into the corridor.
Eleanor who had hugged little Louis and attentively tended to Lumina, had also said with a straight face, "I don't interfere more than necessary. In a fitting-for-a-housekeeper sort of way." Apparently she remembers that "principle" of hers now and again.
Whether declining to lean on anyone is a Japanese virtue or simply stubbornness, he doesn't know, but sometimes he thinks of her as a cat that won't quite take to you. Louis looked at the door she had gone through and softly narrowed his eyes.
This was a little after that.
"Eek!?"
--- What on earth!?
Eleanor returned to the living room with the tea and shivered at the chill in the air.
Louis was smiling cheerfully. He sat down with his legs crossed; his posture alone gave him the air of nobility, but he looked every bit like a Great Demon King to Eleanor. Level one, equipped with a cloth tunic, a wooden stick, and a pot lid. She felt like a hero who'd been thrown into battle against the final boss while clad in nothing more than a sheet of paper.
Since she didn't know what to do with the tea she'd brought, for now she carried out her original task and poured the contents of the pot into a cup. She confirmed the deep amber of the liquid. Fearfully, she set it down in front of him. She couldn't hide the trembling of her hands.
Louis, who had watched with a smile, waited until Eleanor had placed the teapot on the table before opening his mouth.
"I heard something interesting from Lumina. You were hassled by those guys? While you were on your own?"
When Eleanor glanced at Lumina, all she got back was a smile very like Louis's.
"Let's make tonight's practice a little harsher."
"Why!? Today was unavoidable. It wasn't as though I asked to be targeted."
By "harsher" did he mean some sort of punishment? She'd been dragged into it entirely through circumstances beyond her control. Eleanor's unaccepting protests were quietly silenced.
"Eleanor... Elly."
Called by her pet name, Eleanor's eyes wandered.
"I'm fully aware it isn't your fault. But if they're picking fights with you, you should learn how to defend yourself."
"Mhm."
"Tomorrow is a day off, so it should be fine to stay up a little later. It's been a while since we've actually fought on Nild Hills."
"... Urgh."
Having said what he needed to say to Eleanor, Louis let his gaze drift dangerously with, "Even so, what I cannot forgive...," and glared off into the distance. Nothing was actually there, but the figures of his subordinates, currently deep in their rebellious phase, flashed through his mind.
"Should I do something about those three idiots eventually?"
"Onii-chan, that's a problematic statement."