■
They materialized in one of the many guest rooms within the Imperial Castle, reserved for dignitaries attending the ceremony.
Arl led Kirsi over to the sofa and gently guided her to sit. She sank down limply, lips trembling faintly, staring blankly ahead.
“Ah… Master… I…”
“It’s okay. Just breathe slowly.”
Arl spoke calmly, then turned away to hide his mouth. He quietly activated the telepathy spell, careful not to let Kirsi notice.
‘——Kei, what’s the situation there?’
‘So far, the ceremony is proceeding without issue,’ Kei’s surprisingly cheerful voice reported back. ‘Though the atmosphere in the hall is absolutely frigid.’
Arl felt a pang of guilt, thinking of her holding down the fort back at the reception.
‘Sorry. I’m putting you through a lot.’
‘Don’t worry about it. Anyone who insults Senpai deserves to be ejected. Although, I admit, my heart skipped a beat when that troublesome fanatic almost blasted him with magic. How is she? Has she realized she nearly caused a catastrophe? Is she trembling with regret?’
‘…Have you picked up clairvoyance now?’
‘No, just predicting how I would feel in her place. ——However, we don’t have much time until the main event of the ceremony, <Noah>’s performance. Think you can calm her down by then?’
‘Yes. We’ll be back in time. Keep things going until then.’
Ending the telepathic connection, Arl turned back to Kirsi. He froze.
“Hk… hic… uhh…”
Fat tears were rolling down Kirsi’s cheeks. Arl panicked at the sudden outburst.
“Wh-What’s wrong!?”
“…S-Sorry… I’m so sorry… Master…”
Her choked sobs finally revealed the reason for her tears. Kirsi was the lead mage of the White Whale Academy, <Noah>. While Arl was technically the Master, the revered Saint Kirsi was the public face of the organization. In official settings, her words and actions carried significant weight and responsibility. Her behavior directly reflected on <Noah>’s reputation. And regardless of the provocation, she had nearly unleashed destructive magic on a nobleman during a major state ceremony.
“I… I caused trouble for you, Master… I’ve… shamed <Noah>…”
She wept, consumed by regret. Perhaps, as her Master, he should reprimand her.
“…No. You didn’t cause any trouble.”
But Arl knew he didn’t have the right. He knelt down, meeting her tear-filled gaze. When that noble had insulted Kirsi… Arl had felt the same surge of anger.
“If you hadn’t gotten angry first, I probably would have blasted him myself.”
“——! …Uh… ah…”
After a sharp intake of breath, realizing his words were absolution, Kirsi broke down completely, crying like a small child and throwing herself into his arms.
After a little while, the flood of emotion subsided. Kirsi, still nestled against Arl’s chest, sniffled softly.
“…Sorry, Master. I got your clothes wet…”
Arl was now sitting on the sofa with Kirsi held close. It felt a bit like comforting a child, but despite her words, she was still clinging tightly to his clothes, unwilling to let go.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“Wah… Master…?”
Arl gently eased her back, then guided her head to rest on his lap.
“You must still feel drained. Forcing magic like that puts a huge strain on the body. You need to rest and let your internal magic flow settle.”
It was a plausible excuse, but mostly just an excuse. Normally, Arl would never act so familiarly. Knightly etiquette strictly forbade unnecessary contact with a lady. But seeing Kirsi’s red-rimmed eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to push her away. Feeling awkward and unlike himself, but recalling his recent interactions with Prima and Rosetta, he tried to emulate their dynamic.
“Sorry it’s just a bony knee, but… consider it my ‘punishment’ for making you worry.”
“…I’m not a little kid…”
Kirsi mumbled, but her lips curled into a soft, irrepressible smile. She tentatively took his hand and placed it on her head. Understanding her silent request, Arl began to gently stroke her hair. A quiet murmur reached him.
“…This is nostalgic.”
“…Hm?”
“A long time ago… when you were teaching me magic… I always got so worn out, you’d let me rest my head on your knee.”
Her words brought back distant memories. Five years ago, when he’d first met the young mage.
“Back then… I couldn’t even control my magic power properly…”
“You used to train until you collapsed from magic exhaustion,” Arl recalled. “I wasn’t used to teaching either. Looking back, I probably pushed you too hard.”
“No. It made me happy,” Kirsi said, a hint of pride in her voice. “Because of you… I could become a real mage. If I had stayed locked up in the Astron house… I wouldn’t have become anything at all.”
The Astron name belonged to a prestigious lineage of mages, a high noble house. Noble authority was proven by bloodline, ensuring status by producing many heirs. Kirsi was the fifth daughter and the youngest of ten children. Most of her older siblings were prominent mages. With the succession secured, Kirsi had been born with a specific purpose: to strategically preserve the bloodline through marriage.
“Marry someone important, have mage children… ‘That is your duty,’ they always told me. ‘That is your only worth.’“
“…Your treatment by the Astron family was unjust. Their words hold no truth.”
Her situation hadn’t been an exaggeration. Born into a mage family, she was never seen as a potential mage herself, just kept semi-imprisoned in the mansion, sometimes even chained to prevent escape. It was a past that must be painful to recall, yet Kirsi spoke calmly.
“Yeah. It’s okay now. Because you saved me, Master.”
“…Just to be clear, if you feel any gratitude, it should be directed towards Fina… Her Highness the Princess.”
The Empire wasn’t monolithic. Power struggles constantly simmered beneath the surface. Princess Eilfina herself was no stranger to these schemes. Back then, she had investigated the Astron family’s corruption and abuses—including their treatment of Kirsi—and declared them unfit for nobility. She had dispatched Arl, her trusted Imperial Knight, to dismantle the house. That was how Arl had rescued the young, imprisoned Kirsi.
“I may have been the one to get you out, but if it weren’t for Fina’s orders, I never would have known you existed. After the Astrons fell from grace… she was the one who arranged for you to be placed in the orphanage.”
“Mm. I’m grateful to the Princess… but… you were the one who taught me magic at the orphanage, Master.”
Kirsi pouted slightly. Ironically, the girl deemed worthless as a mage by her family only discovered her talent after she renounced the Astron name. At her own request, Arl began teaching her – the beginning of their ‘Master and student’ relationship, which lasted until he left the capital after the Great Collapse. Though he certainly hadn’t expected her ‘gratitude’ to manifest as founding a massive magical organization in his name.
“I taught you the basics, but reaching your current position leading the Academy… that’s purely the result of your own hard work. You don’t need to tie everything back to me.”
“Mmm… Master, you’re so stubborn.”
“That’s a new one…” Better than ‘knight-idiot,’ maybe. Arl managed a wry smile as Kirsi looked up at him with slightly narrowed eyes. He knew now how important he was to her, to all three of them. But he also knew… he would eventually have to leave the capital again. The thought made his words naturally take on a gentler, almost advisory tone.
“I just don’t want you to feel obligated. You’re not the same person you were back then. You can live for yourself now, not just for someone else. Even if… even if I have to leave the capital again someday—”
“Don’t say that.”
Kirsi cut him off sharply, her voice unusually firm.
“I… I haven’t even begun to repay you yet. I haven’t healed you. The debt I owe you… I could spend the rest of my life, forever and ever, and still never repay it.”
She took a determined breath, puffing out her cheeks slightly.
“Just watch, Master. I’m going to make up for this. I’ll perform perfectly at the concert later. I’ll show everyone just how amazing my Master’s student is.”
Her earlier fragility was gone. Arl was glad to see her recover. His vow to be a worthy Master was sincere. And yet… he averted his gaze slightly, as if dazzled.
“…Yes. I’m looking forward to it.”
Join the Discussion