Volume 7 Chapter 1 The End of Spring Break is a Little Bit Exciting
Spring ── the season of both new beginnings and goodbyes.
It's a truth that holds, even in another world.
Many young people, filled with hope, come knocking at these gates once again this year.
The Pharos Royal Academy.
Commonly known as the Royal Academy.
Located in the capital of the Kingdom of Alexandria, this academy took in top students from both within the country and abroad... it was one of the most prestigious schools on the continent.
But now, not even the name of Pharos Royal Academy, or the Kingdom of Alexandria itself, remains.
Just 2 weeks ago, the kingdom fell to the Empire's invasion, and the capital was overtaken.
The former kingdom's direct-controlled territory has now been renamed into the Alexandria Autonomous Region of the Gratze Empire.
And, along with that, the name of the Royal Academy was changed as well.
It is now known as the Alexandria Branch of the Maximilian Imperial Academy.
A change in the name of such a historic school didn't exactly cause widespread outrage... at least, not as much as you'd think.
Of course, there are some teachers and students who are unhappy.
But in the end, the capital fell, the war was lost... so no matter how much some of them complain, it won't change a thing.
Besides, the academy is already behind schedule.
The teachers, united in their efforts, decided that the school needed to reopen as soon as possible for the new students coming this year.
And so, the reopening was confirmed.
Compared to their hard work, changing the academy's name is just a small thing.
Still, with the schedule delayed, just recently they announced that the opening ceremony and the first day of classes would be held on the same day.
In time for the school's reopening, Randy and the others, along with Harrison and Rita, returned to their rented house in the capital ── no, Alexandria City.
For Liz, this was after regaining Ellie's body.
For Harrison and Rita, it's been since the end of the third term since they've been back in the rented house, but nothing much seems to have changed.
And that's not just about the house. Even the streets and buildings visible through the window are the same.
Life is continuing smoothly, with no major disruptions, right after the war...
Either the Empire's rule is going far better than expected, or the Kingdom's government was in worse shape than anyone thought.
Randy and the others don't know the full story, but what really matters is that the academy is reopening and the town is just as it always was.
Randy and his companions walked along the familiar town. If anything was different...
"Who could it be?"
"Lady Elizabeth... is here, you see."
...it was just Randy walking to school with 2 beauties, Liz and Ellie.
The gazes they drew might have been even more intense than when Liz first came to the academy.
"I figured it would be like this, but damn, we're attracting attention."
"Ellie is quite lovely, after all..."
"Coming from you?"
Liz averted her eyes from Randy's narrowed gaze.
The two weren't just messing around like this because they were flirting.
It was because of Ellie.
They wanted to ease the tension with a normal atmosphere.
The attention was probably as intense as it had been since the public execution.
And then there was Ellie's personality.
If she was in a bad mood, she could blow the entire area away.
Liz and Randy subtly glanced at the walking time bomb, doing their best to act normal.
But... what Randy saw in his eyes was Ellie, walking gracefully with a dignified air.
"Did she eat something weird?"
"I have no idea. Maybe she's 5 seconds away from exploding."
While they whispered, Ellie smiled and said, "You two..."
Ellie's smile, even better than Liz's, caused a small "wow" from the crowd... but Randy and Liz both gasped, "Eep!" as a vein popped in her temples.
"You... what do you think of me?"
Ellie's smile was still in place, but there was a cold pressure in her words. Randy and Liz exchanged glances and said, "What do you mean...?" at the same time.
"A hungry little witch?"
"An ancient sweets master?"
Ellie, hearing their evasive answers, said, "You've got guts," and caused her hair to sway with magical power.
"Idiot, not here..."
Because Randy and Liz panicked, they drew even more attention.
Seeing the stares, Ellie frowned slightly, then put on a composed face.
"I was trying so hard to look like a lady, trying not to stand out."
Randy and Liz exchanged glances, smiling, as they watched Ellie speak with practiced ease.
"Don't need it. Don't need it."
"Exactly. You're going to stand out anyway."
Liz leaned in towards Ellie, her face breaking into a wide smile. "Have you forgotten at the people?"
"Let them talk about us."
And that was the first time Randy had brought Liz and Ellie to the academy.
No matter what they did, people would talk.
So, they should just let them.
Those people wouldn't matter to them anyway.
Ellie remembered, and gave Randy a mocking smile, typical of her.
"Speaking of which, there's someone who said they'd shut them up with their strength, but they haven't shown us that strength yet, have they?"
Randy choked on the words, giving a pained smile at the direct hit.
"W-well, things are really starting now!"
"Oh? Should I get my hopes up?"
Ellie, peering at him, was no longer the noble lady she had been moments before.
Randy, seeing her usual expression, looked away, saying, "Just watch."
The 3 of them were instantly attracting more attention than before, but none of them cared about those rude stares.
The topic of conversation among Randy and his friends, who were finally back to normal, or even more lively, was about the day's events.
"After the opening ceremony, the entrance ceremony's in the afternoon, right?"
"We third-years are supposed to help prepare for the entrance ceremony after the opening ceremony too."
Liz showed Randy and Ellie a sentence from a letter she held from the academy, saying, "See?"
The two of them sighed simultaneously, their eyes fixed on the sentence, which had been written with a different ink.
"How troublesome..."
"They dare to boss me around."
Randy was annoyed, and Ellie was huffing. They weren't interested, but only Liz could rein in the two of them.
"You two, the first-years are coming. We need to be good role models."
Randy and Ellie sighed in resignation at Liz's puffed-up cheeks, as the academy's large gates came into view.
The sight of the gate meant one thing: the number of students heading there had exploded. The curious stares now fixed on Randy and his 2 companions were nothing like the ones they'd gotten while walking through the streets.
Of course, some of those stares were from familiar faces...
"Senior Randolph!"
"G-good morning!"
...Cory and Annabelle, the good-hearted duo, were the first to rush over.
Cory looked like he'd grown a bit since they last met.
"Cory, you got bigger?"
"Yes! I grew a little taller, Senior Randolph!"
Even though his body had changed, Cory's smile was still pure and radiant.
With that refreshing grin, Cory, along with Annabelle, turned to Ellie.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Eleonora."
"F-First Saintly Lady, it is a pleasure..."
As the two bowed their heads, Ellie let out a dry chuckle, saying, "No need to be so formal."
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