Chapter 77
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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 77 – Home Visit in the Name of Social Studies Field Trip
Royal Kingsland Academy.
This was the highest-level school in Ishtalika, and students were further divided into groups according to their grades.
Especially for the top two cla.s.ses, the path after graduation was always the one that led to an important inst.i.tution in Ishtalika.
The students of the Royal Kingsland Academy were indeed promising, but this case was too far-fetched.
This was what the local people thought at first.
“Then that’s all for the tour. Do you have any questions?”
It was after five in the morning.
Even though it was that early, they were still here doing their jobs.
“N-no… but I never thought Professor Kyle would be involved.”
His name was Roland. He was a 12-year-old boy who had recently entered the fifth grade at the school.
Like Ain, he had managed to stay in the first grade.
And this year, he finally managed to beat Butz in the rankings and climb to third place.
By the way, the first and second places were now held by Ain and Leonard, as was customary every year.
“There is no need to talk about it. After all, this work is full of secrets, so it would be wiser not to talk about it.”
Kyle adjusted his gla.s.ses as he said this. He has been the homeroom teacher for Ain and his generation since their freshman year. He was a professor of magic engineering.
But even Roland had never expected to meet him in such a place. After all, he had asked him a few technical questions just the other day.
“But I never expected it, really. Well, if you put it that way, I never expected to be called…”
The place where Roland was currently at was a huge facility about 30 minutes by water train from the royal capital, located along the coast. Here, the production of a certain structure was in progress.
“Your skills are highly regarded. You should be proud of it. In fact, as a professor, I am proud of you as well.”
“Um… Professor Kyle? I don’t think you ever praised me at the academy.”
“I believe that a rigorous education is what makes a person grow. There is no need to give you sweets yet, is there? But this is not the academy.”
“Y-yes… I see…”
The two of them were having such a discouraging conversation, but the facility was buzzing with numerous voices, and business was being conducted.
“You are working here today as a technician… albeit as an apprentice, in between your studies at the academy. I respect your skills. So… let’s dream big together!”
Kyle said and started walking, turning his body towards a large object.
“It’s really big…”
“This is a treasure that brings big dreams for us engineers and researchers…”
Around the room, there are many parts and pieces that have already been a.s.sembled. Among them, this “material” was even more amazing.
“The “Backbone of a Sea Dragon”… there is no material more suitable for ships than this. His Highness’ power has given people like us the opportunity to dream big. Roland, you should also be deeply grateful.”
“Yes. I believe you are right.”
Everywhere he looked, the facility was covered with the material of the Sea Dragon that Ain had slain.
It was unusual for a boy who was still in school to reach such a stage. However, it was also a sign of expectation and appreciation for him.
——A year has pa.s.sed since the Sea Dragon Ship project began. The project was progressing smoothly, and within the next few years, the completed ship would be ready to be unveiled to the public in Ishtalika.
＊＊＊
It was the same day that Roland had been in touch with the secrets of the country since that morning. It was after nine in the morning, and a group of students had gathered in the cla.s.sroom. …Looking at their faces, a few familiar faces could be found here and there. But perhaps only four of them, Ain, Leonard, Roland, and Butz, had managed to remain in the first cla.s.s together until now, in the fifth year.
“Roland. You look sleepy.”
“Uh, yeah… I actually had some work a little early in the morning.”
“What do you do in the morning? Isn’t that workplace dangerous? Why do they let you work at that hour?”
The things Butz said were in response to Roland. If he had known what it was about, he would not have said that…
“A-ahaha… I wonder.”
Roland felt indescribable. Actually, the current workplace was surely a good place to get close to Ain if he could find his way up to the chief executive. After all, the construction of the Sea Dragon is a national project.
——Ain knew that the Sea Dragon was currently under construction. But he never thought that Roland and his teacher were involved in the project.
“Well, take care of yourself, Roland.”
Leonard’s kind words went straight to Roland’s heart.
“Thank you, Leonard. I’ll be careful.”
“Speaking of which, why are we all here today?”
Ain didn’t know. He wondered why a group of students would gather today. But Leonard and the others seemed to know and explained it to Ain.
“Your Highness. I believe we are here today to discuss a social studies field trip.”
“…Huh?”
Recently, Ain had been confronted with a number of troublesome situations. Among them, Heim’s case, in particular, was deeply ingrained in his mind. Thinking back to the matter with Viscount Sage, he realized that a lot of things had happened.
And now a social studies field trip?
The distance between the two was so great that it didn’t feel right. In fact, he had never heard of such an event at this school before.
“Social studies field trip…? What kind of peaceful, school-related event is that?”
“Your Highness. This is a school.”
“I was a little confused. It is indeed a school.”
Because Ain only has friends who are out of the norm for his age group, he sometimes forgets that it is an academy. Ain was still in his fifth year and a respectable student with a sixth year still to go.
“I thought you might have some contacts on the subject.”
“I see. By the way, where are we going? Where is the first group going?”
“Ain, you haven’t heard anything, have you? It’s free. We can choose whatever we want.”
Butz replied instead of Leonard. Hearing that, Ain lamented in his heart, “Not only the free cla.s.s system, but it’s free here too…”
“This group is too free.”
“Most of the time, we can’t go inside the castle, but we can go to the buildings by the castle or something like that… like the big trading companies or the state facilities. The White Rose Station is also a popular place to visit.”
“I don’t want to see any of the facilities at the castle. I’m serious.”
Roland mentioned the past cases, but as for Ain, he would like to refrain from visiting the castle. After all, it was his house, and it didn’t make much sense.
“If so, it’s the big trading companies. The most popular one is the August Trading Company.”
“Please spare me the August Trading Company as well. It’s hard to go there in many ways.”
The daughter of the trading company was his a.s.sistant, and considering that, he would like to refrain from going there as well.
“Hey, hey, Ain! You’re being selfish!”
“Please understand, Butz.”
“Then, let’s see… White Rose?”
By process of elimination, White Rose was a strong candidate? As for Ain, he had no complaints about White Rose.
“It’s a nice station, you know?”
“Yes, it is, isn’t it, Your Highness?”
“I know… Geez.”
“Haha… W-well, it’s certainly one of the best stations, so I think it will be a good learning experience.”
The group of four was probably on their way to the White Rose. At least, it seemed that way until noon.
A few minutes later, their teacher, Kyle, appeared in the cla.s.sroom and began explaining the social studies field trip. He told them to pick a destination within the week and come back to tell him about it.
Maybe they could go to the terrace and think about it together. That was exactly what Ain thought.
＊＊＊
“Hey Ain. Cheer up… you don’t have to be so depressed, okay?”
“I never thought it would be like this.”
At the terrace where the four of them often gather, they were eating there when the seats became available in the late afternoon. There was only one person who seemed a little out of sorts.
“Well, Your Highness… we are honored, aren’t we? We are very happy to hear you say so… That’s why.”
“That’s right, Ain-sama! So cheer up. Even after the words of the Prime Minister, you don’t have to be so depressed…”
The reason for Ain’s depression is the social studies field trip. After homeroom, Ain and the other four were summoned by Professor Kyle, who told them a story.
“W-well, it’s just like a home visit from me!”
Thanks to the Prime Minister’s kind words, the social studies field trip had been arranged for the four of them. The place was the royal capital and the White King’s Castle. After pa.s.sing through the gates of the castle, they were to tour the facilities inside.
The tour was to include a thank you for accompanying Ain through his ordeal during the monster training. It was difficult to visit the castle… but they received an invitation from Warren to visit the facilities inside the castle gates.
Of course, the three of them were delighted. There were many important facilities and people inside the castle gates. In that sense, there was no other place like it to visit.
It was a special treat, but just this once… and Warren had decided.
“If this was going to happen, I’d still rather be at the August Trading Company…”
When it came to castles, everyone was there. It’s really where everyone was… not just the whole family, but Krone, Chris, etc.
“(Let’s give Katima-san something and make sure she doesn’t leave the lab. House arrest is best.)”
On the day of the event, the spoiled cat must not be released. That was the most important thing.
“There was nothing you could do, Ain. You’d better make sure you’re ready by next month.”
“I never thought I’d be ready to go to my own house…”
The social studies field trip was in a month. Ain had to be ready by then to be prepared, to compromise, and then to give up.
“Hey, Leonard! Come to think of it… I don’t have any clothes that would allow me to go to the castle!”
“Don’t worry, Roland, I’ll lend you something.”
Roland was quite excited, despite Ain’s feelings. He was relieved to have a reliable friend like Leonard.
“Thanks, Leonard! I’m sure I could cover it with a coat or something if it were winter, but it’s already early summer. As expected, I don’t have any clothes like that…”
“I think it’s time for you to get some such clothes, too, Roland.”
“Oh… indeed. I’ll go shopping after I get paid.”
“That’s what I thought, my goodness. Well, I don’t mind going shopping with you.”
Ain looked at them blankly. The two of them were having fun, Roland and Leonard, and when he looked at them, he was a little frustrated that he was not really having fun.
He would like to pretend to be sick, but it would be difficult.
“I’ll tell you what, Ain. If you decide to mysteriously not partic.i.p.ate, I’m going to tell Professor Kyle about it.”
“M-mysterious non-partic.i.p.ation… There’s no way I’m going to be that sneaky, is there?”
“You look a little panicked. Good grief, it’s an event you’ll get credit for, so make sure you attend.”
‘I see. There was no way out. In order to graduate properly, I had to be patient and attend the event’, Ain thought.
“(… If this is going to happen, I should have thought about traveling to Baltic earlier.)”
Ain was currently adjusting his schedule, so he was unable to go out on a new investigation. The adventurer’s city of Baltic, including the former Demon King’s territory, was an area with many dangers.
Therefore, a lot of meetings were held, including this one, much more than when he went to Ist.
Once these discussions were completed, Ain would move on to the next stage of the investigation. Krone had reported that it was not a far-fetched story and that it would be completed soon.
“Hey, hey! Let’s go together, Butz and Ain-sama!”
“You’re in a good mood, aren’t you? So? Where are we going?”
Roland was strangely energetic. He was so looking forward to the social studies field trip. Butz was surprised by his energy and asked him to continue.
“When I borrowed some clothes from Leonard, I thought we could go somewhere and have some fun while we’re at it!”
“Oh? Then why don’t we just go to Leonard’s house?”
“Hey, wait a minute, Butz. I don’t think I can invite His Highness to my house! It’s not that big a house!”
The conversation about going out to play was going on without his knowledge, which in itself was not a bad thing. Ain agreed.
“No, you’re from a duke’s family… How can you say you’re not worthy?”
“I-it would not be appropriate for an ordinary n.o.ble to invite royalty!”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that…”
For Leonard, who grew up with a strict father, inviting royalty to a n.o.bleman’s home would be outrageous. He had no idea what kind of reprimand his father would give him if he did.
As for Ain, he hoped he wouldn’t have to worry about that, but it wasn’t that simple.
“Your Highness should consider your position a little more…”
He ignored Leonard and clapped his hands together as if he had reached an agreement.
“Sounds like fun; let’s go play at Leonard’s house.”
“Your Highness?”
“Okay. That’s the plan, then. When shall we do it?”
Looking at the lamenting Leonard on the side, Ain also started to have fun. In contrast to the tension of a few minutes ago, Ain showed a joyful appearance.
“Let’s make it the next holiday. Five days later, right? Okay, Leonard?”
Roland wants to be early. Therefore, he asks about the last holiday.
“…Geez, do what you want.”
“Five days then. I’ll bring you something.”
“What are you bringing, Butz?”
“Ain. The price for such things is fixed. Meat.”
“I see. Meat. That’s a good reference.”
Ain was convinced. The two performed their comedic exchange in front of Leonard, who let his mind wander.
A few days ago, Ain thought he would not have time to rest for a while. But he found time to enjoy the company of his schoolmates. It was a great opportunity, and he decided to enjoy it.
“Well, I’m looking forward to it, Leonard.”
“…I’m beginning to have heartache… Your Highness.”
“Hahaha! It will be fine! It’s not like my grandfather or anyone else will be there!”
“If His Majesty were present, I’m sure much of my lifespan would have been lost.”
Leonard’s tinkering should be a big deal. Sometimes, he thinks it is, but Ain was so pleased with his reaction that he just kept on doing it.
——A social studies field trip to a place he called home.
That didn’t seem like much to look forward to, but going to Leonard’s house became something to look forward to. And Leonard, on the other hand, is a little afraid of the day that is coming.
Even though Leonard’s father had the opportunity to meet the royal family at the castle, it was a different story when they came to his house. When Leonard returned home that night, he informed his father and mother, and they were in the same state of shock.