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Chapter 236

The winter attire wasn’t significantly different from before. The biggest change was that the female students’ stockings were now black.

The activities of the Magic Research Club and my training with Ellen resumed their normal course. Despite Ellen’s concerns, I wasn’t too busy to keep up with my training.

There was always free time, and I considered my training very important.

So, this meant I could return to my early morning exercises.

“Hmm.”

It seemed that Adriana, my usual exercise partner, was absent no matter how long I waited in the main hall of the dormitory in the early morning. She had visited me a few times during my recuperation, often nagging me as well.

Since my recovery had taken so long, she might have assumed I wouldn’t be able to join her for early morning exercises and started working out alone.

So, I decided to go running on my own.

‘Now that I’m fully recovered, should I ask her if she wants to work out together in the mornings again? I don’t know, though. Is it really necessary?’

I’d reached a point where I could manage on my own, and frankly, I’d probably been Adriana’s training up until this point.

Morning workouts weren’t a commitment we’d made to each other, so even if we ended up working out separately after drifting apart like this, it couldn’t be helped.

‘Still, I feel, somehow... A bit sad about it.’

With these thoughts in mind, I raced through the early autumn morning of the Temple.

“Good morning, Reinhart! Let’s give it our all today!”

‘Ah, there goes Ludwig, always so annoyingly cheerful. Does he have some special ability to wake up like that?’

Eventually, I decided that it was better to address it directly rather than stew in uncertainty. After finishing my morning workout, I went to the second-year dormitory to find Adriana.

I spotted Rudina, whom I regularly meet due to Magic Research Club matters and approached her.

“Are you looking for Adriana?”

“Yeah. Where is she?”

To be honest, she was the easiest person to approach. However, I hadn’t seen her since we had both been off on our separate group missions.

‘But why is she making such a face?’

“She’s dropping out.”

“... What?”

Rudina’s answer was completely unexpected.

***

Adriana was dropping out.

It seemed she had already left the Temple.

After the group mission ended on Friday, the second-year students had the option to rest at the mission location over the weekend and return on Sunday.

Adriana had reportedly requested to return early, right after the mission ended. When the rest of them got back to the Temple, Adriana was already gone.

It seemed the only thing they could confirm was that she had informed their teacher about her intention to withdraw.

She’d been consulting with this teacher about it for a long time, apparently without telling anyone else. Adriana had been preparing to leave the Temple for quite a while.

Naturally, Rudina was even more shocked than I was since she always claimed they were friends but followed Adriana around like she was her big sister.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, I don’t understand...”

The second-year group mission had been an escape mission. It began with the students being scattered about in an artificially constructed maze. They then had to join up with their classmates, overcome various traps, and escape the maze.

Rudina’s Class A had won, she said.

“I don’t know, though. She just seemed really down throughout the mission.”

Though Adriana had been planning to leave for a while, something must have happened during the mission.

Rudina looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Adriana had left the Temple without explaining anything to anyone.

“If someone I consider a dear friend wants to be more than friends with me... What should I do....?”

Not long into the second semester, Adriana had said something like that to me.

She had seemed troubled then.

Had this issue festered and finally exploded?

Was this another incident born from the gaps in the original story?

I couldn’t be sure. Adriana was heavily influenced by me. But I didn’t care about the butterfly effect, or the gaps in the story.

Adriana was my friend, and now she was gone, leaving without a word.

I couldn’t just let it go. I needed to find out why.

“Never mind that. Do you know where she might have gone?”

I didn’t want Adriana to disappear from the Temple without me knowing why.

***

It was Tuesday. Adriana had left on the Friday that we returned to the Temple after the group mission.

She didn’t have a place to stay in the capital city. If she left the Temple, she would return to the monastery where she’d grown up.

The Art-Ouen Monastery in the Duchy of Saint-Ouen...

She had mentioned to me before that she’d been born and raised there.

Fortunately, the Duchy of Saint-Ouen wasn’t far from the capital. It was Harriet’s hometown as well as Adriana’s.

After classes ended on Tuesday, I hurried out of the Temple. I wasn’t sure if I could make it to the Duchy of Saint-Ouen and back in a day.

‘If it takes longer, well... I’ll find a way to manage.’

The disciplinary committee had my case on hold anyway, so missing a day or two of classes would probably only cost me some merit points.

If the disciplinary committee decided to impose additional penalties for this stunt during my probation, I’d honestly have no defense.

However, Mr. Effenhauser would still try his best to prevent expulsion.

“The Art-Ouen Monastery. Do you know where that is?” I briefly asked Harriet before leaving.

It seemed Harriet didn’t know the exact location of the Art-Ouen Monastery. After all, it was unrealistic to expect the duchess to be aware of every single building in her domain.

Massive warp gates were located throughout the capital, and I passed through one of them to get to the capital of Saint-Ouen, Arnaka. It was fortunate that the trip would only take one jump.

“Proceed.”

As I entered the massive warp gate, a thought suddenly came to me.

While the capital had many such Warp Gates that could be used immediately, this was pretty special compared to other cities where one would have to wait days to use a massive gate.

In other words, traveling there would be quick, but returning could take days due to the wait time at the gate. Plus, I didn’t have any imperial emblem on me or anything.

It might not just be a day; I could be away the entire week.

‘I shouldn’t be doing this.’

“Uh, uh oh...”

But my body had already passed into the warp gate. I had been too worried about Adriana’s disappearance.

I was too impulsive.

***

Once, Adriana had sighed deeply, worrying that Olivia might leave the Temple. Now, she had pulled that same stunt herself.

It was the perfect example of how unpredictable life could be. And that was why I found myself in a place I had never thought about until the day before.

Harriet should probably have been the reason for me to visit this place, not Adriana.

I was stunned by the sight that greeted me as I stepped out of the Warp Gate.

The Duchy of Saint-Ouen was known for its highly-developed magic, and its capital, Arnaka. Though not as grand as the imperial capital, this place was still magnificent.

“What is this?”

My mouth hung open at the view of the vast city and the castle towering at its center.

The area was mostly flat, but in the middle of that plain, a mountain rose abruptly.

It seemed like the mountain had been cut in half, and a palace built atop it. It was so striking and overwhelming that I wondered how it was even possible.

A white palace carved from the mountain...

It was a place Harriet had often mentioned.

The White Palace, Arnaria... It was overwhelming in scale, yet somehow gave off a delicate air—a grand and beautiful palace.

“Damn, they could definitely have afforded to give me some money.”

I knew the Duchy of Saint-Ouen was a powerful principality, but I didn’t realize they had that much power.

Just like the ancient castle of Epiacs, Harriet lived in a palace, not just a mansion.

The difference between a small room and a mansion and the difference between a mansion and a palace... The latter was far more overwhelming.

No matter the difference in social status, it didn’t truly hit you when we were all students at the Temple. We studied in the same environment, ate the same food, and shared the same classrooms daily.

However, seeing such a grandiose palace that towered over everything else even from afar brought it all into perspective.

‘Thick-Skull... You really are a princess... I feel a bit, well... sorry. When I get back, I’ll, well... treat you better. Living in such a place, always looking down on everyone... It makes sense that you’d be so imperious.’

For someone who had grown up being treated with the utmost respect, it was only natural she’d cry when I called her “Thick-Skull” and teased her into pouting.

The more I saw how beautiful Arnaka and Arnaria were, the more I realized how many difficult things Harriet had had to accept.

‘Still, this “Thick-Skull Harriet” I’ve created is way cuter now. She’s my masterpiece.’

I shook my head. ‘Enough with these sentimental thoughts.’

While I was curious about the interior of Arnaria, I had no business there, unless Harriet invited me someday.

For now, I needed to find the Art-Ouen Monastery.

***

Unfortunately, the Art-Ouen Monastery wasn’t in the capital of the duchy.

I felt like I had come without much of a plan. There was no way I’d be able to make it back to the Temple by the next day.

The only saving grace was that the monastery wasn’t in some remote village without a Warp Gate, which would have cost even more time.

I’d walked into a temple in Saint-Ouen and asked straightforwardly, and found out the monastery’s location.

Traveling through a medium-sized Warp Gate in Arnaka, I arrived at another major city within the duchy, Elsion. I didn’t know what kind of city Elsion was, but it was certainly large.

There wasn’t anything like an information center, so I had to ask my way around even after arriving there.

Magic trains only existed in the capital, so travel in this city had to be either by carriage or on foot.

‘Still, couldn’t they at least install some trams?’

“...”

I felt quite deflated after learning where the Art-Ouen Monastery was.

A monastery wasn’t like a church. It wasn’t frequented by worshipers. So, it was located on the outskirts of the city. Whether by carriage or on foot, it would take a significant amount of time to get there.

I truly realized just how fortunate I was to live in a well-connected place like the capital.

‘Magic trains. Magic trains are truly wonderful...’

With these thoughts in mind, I walked on diligently.

***

I didn’t take a carriage. I didn’t know where to find one, and looking for one would probably cost me more time.

The one thing I was confident in was my stamina, so I walked briskly through the streets of Elsion and out of the city.

I followed the road that led out to the outskirts.

I hadn’t expected to find myself walking along the outer roads of a significant but unfamiliar city in the Duchy of Saint-Ouen until that very morning.

The journey was quite long, and it was already dusk. I had no torches or lanterns, but thanks to the enhanced night vision my abilities offered me and the moonlight, I had no trouble seeing my surroundings.

I was a little worried about running into bandits, but I had Tiamata with me. No matter how holy it was, it would work just fine for taking down such people if necessary.

I found it strange that such thoughts came to me so naturally now.

Walking several kilometers at a brisk pace wasn’t an issue for me. I was now fully recovered.

I was far stronger than I had been in the first semester. Credit for that went mainly to Ellen, and then to Adriana. However, it was Adriana who had influenced me first.

I had been the kind of person who was impossible to like. I was rude to seniors, got beaten up, and acted deceitfully and in a cowardly manner to get back at them.

Even though I had been someone who was hard to get along with, Adriana still tried to talk to me and helped me when I was about to enter a reckless duel, though her reason was that if I’d lost too pathetically, others might blame her classmates for bullying someone so weak.

Adriana was the kind of person who would reach out to someone like me, who wasn’t worth associating with.

She had been the first person in the Temple to help me. She kept working out with me, and helped me become at least somewhat decent as a person.

She helped me even before Ellen did.

I didn’t know what was going on, but I wanted to understand why Adriana felt the need to leave the Temple.

From a distance, I could see a building sitting atop a hill at the end of the road. Since there were no other buildings around, I was sure it was the Art-Ouen Monastery.

***

The term “ancient castle” seemed more fitting for this place than for Epiacs.

Epiacs did not feel rough or rugged because it resembled a palace built in an ornate architectural style. While the snowy landscape around it lent it a harsh and gloomy air, it didn’t have the austere look of this place.

The monastery before me was massive and imposing, and reflected the ascetic lifestyle of its inhabitants.

Monks living in a monastery were different from priests in a typical church. Rather than focusing on the external world, they dedicated themselves to religious practice and personal cultivation, living a life separate from the secular world as a close-knit faith community.

Nuns or monks living in such a place... The Art-Ouen Monastery was where Adriana had grown up. This was essentially a convent.

Therefore...

—This is a restricted area for men.

“No, wait a minute!”

—The door cannot be opened.

Men were not allowed into the convent.