The first semester, which ended with the summer training camp.There was no separate closing ceremony for the vacation.“Okay~ then everyone, you’ve all worked hard~ let’s see each other next semester~”It ended with a few words of greeting from the professors in charge and the notices delivered to each student.If I had been living in a dormitory, I would have been able to feel the vacation atmosphere through ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) things like the dorm supervisors’ announcements or the servants coming around to move out our luggage, but since I had set up my living space in the Student Council Room, I couldn’t enjoy that kind of mood.I packed clothes, artifacts, cash, and gold bars into my suitcase to a reasonable degree and then slowly looked around the Student Council Room.“Nothing’s changed.”Taking in the Student Council Room with my eyes before leaving.If there was anything different from before, it would be the old-fashioned furniture I had bought thanks to having a bit of money to spare.I looked around the room and patted my pocket.‘I’ve packed everything I need.’There wasn’t really anything I was leaving behind.Just as I finished packing my things and was ready to leave, Ciel came to find me.“Are you ready?”She was wearing a maid outfit instead of her school uniform, an old-fashioned harmony of black and white, with a neat headband with frills on her head.Seeing in person a scene I had only ever seen through the in-game screen, it felt strangely moving.Since the semester was over, had she switched from student status to maid status?“The clothes suit you well. I’m done getting ready, so let’s go. The carriage?”“I sent a letter asking them to have it waiting at Dolores Port on the day the ship arrives.”The path from Union to the Dvralis territory was by no means easy.First, you had to take a ship from the Meteor Archipelago to a port on the continent, and even from there you had to ride a carriage at full speed for almost more than three weeks.‘…I can understand why Loen didn’t want to go to the Dvralis territory during vacation.’Summer vacation was roughly two months, and the time it took to go back and forth between Union and the Dvralis territory was about the same.If there were a warp system like in the game, that’d be one thing, but there didn’t seem to be anything like that.What Bell had said at the beginning of the semester about being late to class because her home was far away hadn’t been an empty excuse.In this world’s setting, if your house was far away, it really was hard to participate in the semester on time.I let out a sigh as I gauged the distance between Union and the Dvralis territory.‘When am I supposed to go all the way there and back?’Just thinking about spending all day in a carriage with my butt hurting made my head ache already.While I was thinking about the hardship of the trip home, Ciel spoke.“Come to think of it, before you leave, the Director said she wanted you to stop by for a moment.”The Director? Does she have something to give me?I nodded for the time being.“Got it, let’s go together.”***We visited the Director’s Office with all our luggage packed.As always, the Director, who looked like a steamed bun man, welcomed me.“Come in, Loen.”There was another guest in the Director’s Office besides us.“Freya?”She too had packed her things and come to the Director’s Office.The Director offered us seats and then opened her mouth.“The reason I called you two is nothing special. Since you’re both going back to your respective territories anyway, you two happen to be headed in the same direction, don’t you.”“The same direction, huh.”It wasn’t exactly wrong.We were currently at the Meteor Archipelago on the eastern side of the continent, and my destination and Freya’s were both located in the northwestern part of the continent.But… was that really a distance you could call “the same direction”?Even if the territories of Gunhilde and Dvralis were adjacent, there would be at least several hundred kilometers’ difference from main castle to main castle.As I was making a face like I was about to argue, the Director spoke breezily.“Just think of it that way. In any case, you’ve had a hard time recently with all sorts of things, haven’t you, Loen?”“I won’t deny that.”I really had gone through a lot.From the first day I possessed this world to the summer training camp we’d just had— I’d lost count of how many times I’d brushed past death.“In that sense, this Director wants to give you a gift. To Miss Ciel as well, and to Miss Freya.”“Why me…?”As Freya tilted her head, the Director shrugged.“I happen to be in debt to Sir Wodanaz in my own way. Just think of it as a small favor.”“So, what exactly is this gift?”A gift she was giving us after calling us in right before vacation. I was curious what it could be.“You’re so impatient. You’re going to like it very much, so just don’t be too surprised when you see it. Now then, everyone, stand up.”At the Director’s words, we meekly rose from our seats.“And pick up all the luggage you brought with you.”We also picked up the bags we’d put down on the floor.“Stack your hands together, the three of you.”Stack our hands?I didn’t really understand the order, but I did as I was told for now.The Director gave us a warm smile and said.“Good, now close your eyes and get ready to land.”“…”“Land, you say?”Freya and Ciel tilted their heads in puzzlement.Only, I had realized what the Director was about to do.‘No way.’Just then, the Director added.“Yes, ah, for the record, the spell is still incomplete, so even I don’t know exactly where you’ll end up. But it’ll still be much faster than going by carriage. Then, have a safe trip.”At the same time.Vwoom-.A blue magic circle appeared on the floor and a portal formed in an instant.It was a movement magic portal that linked one space to another.“Kyaak!”The three of us were carried off by the portal and dropped somewhere.***Tap-.We had let out a scream at the sudden, unexpected situation, but Ciel and Freya soon landed on the ground in cool poses.Maybe their athletic senses were outstanding, because even in this situation their bodies had moved reflexively.I didn’t have physical abilities on quite the same level as those two, but since I had realized the Director’s intention right before we took the portal, I was able to land safely as well.Thump-.Having landed safely on the ground, we looked up toward where the portal had been, but the portal had already scattered into particles of mana and disappeared.Freya stared blankly up at the sky where the portal had vanished.“What in the world is this…?”Ciel also blinked vacantly as if she couldn’t make sense of the situation.I brushed the dirt off my knees that had gotten on them during the landing and spoke.“A spatial movement portal, huh. The Director really went all out.”“Spatial movement… is something like that possible?”“Normally, it’s impossible.”With humanity’s current capabilities, it was impossible. But if it was the Director, a great mage, this kind of near-miraculous magic would be possible.‘Though still, setting me aside, to use magic this openly right in front of Freya and Ciel like this.’Maybe she thought there was no longer any particular need to hide her identity.Maybe it was because, even if she claimed she’d borrowed the power of the floating ship, there was a possibility her power had been exposed during the process of subduing Kral.Or maybe she trusted Ciel and Freya.Ciel asked me.“Lord Loen, wasn’t the Director just a figurehead?”“A figurehead, huh. You could see it that way, but strictly speaking, you can think of her as being in a similar situation to me.”Someone who possessed tremendous power, but was hiding that power and wearing an empty title for the sake of the greater good.I answered in the sense that Hengarde’s situation and mine were similar.“So that means she really is a figurehead.”“…”Ciel didn’t seem to see it that way.Meanwhile, Freya still couldn’t believe we had come all the way here with spatial movement magic and demanded an explanation from me.“No, what exactly is this space magic? Loen, do you know something?”“I don’t know the details either. I just know that the Director’s skill with magic is quite good. Still, don’t go talking about it elsewhere. She doesn’t particularly like it being known.”“Well, yes…”Freya wasn’t the type to repay this kind of favor from the Director with malice, so she would keep her mouth shut.“Anyway, where are we?”I lifted my head and slowly looked around.An environment somewhat different from Union.Refreshing, clear air and a coniferous forest soaring up toward the sky greeted us.The color and firmness of the soil also differed from the land in Union.As Ciel stroked the tree bark, she spoke.“This is a Churian tree. It really does seem we’ve been dropped on the opposite side of the continent.”“It was sudden, but we’ve saved quite a bit of time.”“That’s right.”On the assumption that the Director had moved us close to our territories, we had saved roughly three weeks.Not only had she saved us time, she had reduced the suffering we would have gone through traveling by ship and carriage.In other words, we had received a pretty amazing gift.Since I had more or less figured out the situation, it was time to get moving.I spoke to Ciel and Freya.“For now, let’s follow the road. Once we come across a village, we’ll be able to tell where we’ve landed.”“Yes.”And so, we gathered our luggage and started walking along the mountain path.I didn’t know how long we walked with birdsong and the chirping of insects as background music.We encountered human habitation just as the sun was starting to set in the west.For something in a mountain valley, it was a fairly large-sized village. It seemed about two or three hundred people lived there.‘I don’t know where we are.’I looked around the village, but I couldn’t tell exactly where this was.The number of cities and villages implemented in the game was extremely limited.This village might be a place that wasn’t implemented in the game.“Yaaawn.”As our group approached, a man at the village entrance who’d been yawning with a spear in hand jerked to his senses.“Wh-who goes there?!”He seemed to be some kind of village guard, and he pointed his spear at us and shouted, but—“L-Lord Loen?!”He quickly stiffened, then hastily bowed his head.The man prostrated himself on the ground and banged his forehead on it like he’d committed some crime.I frowned as I looked down at him.‘Who is this guy?’Dropping to his knees and prostrating himself the moment he saw me.The fear and terror he showed didn’t feel all that pleasant.Just then, Ciel spoke to me.“This is Moorfit Village… it is within our Dvralis territory. It’s about a three-day walk from the main castle. It would take around a week to get to the main castle of the Gunhilde territory.”Ciel approached the prostrated man and held out her hand.“Don’t do that, please stand up. Don’t worry. Lord Loen has changed.”“I-is that really true?”“Yes.”The man stole glances at me and then, his face still showing clear fear, slowly stood up.Once on his feet, he clenched his fists and, mustering his courage, asked me.“W-what brings you here, Lord Loen?”I pointed at the school uniform I was wearing and answered.“It’s vacation, you see. My sister called me back to the family, so I stopped by on the way.”“…”He pressed his lips together tightly for a moment, then cautiously asked.“…Shall I call all the villagers?”Why would you suddenly call all the villagers?“Don’t do anything unnecessary.”“Ah, understood.”Watching the man stammer and tremble, I sighed inwardly.I couldn’t help but wonder just how much Loen had tormented them normally for things to be this bad.‘And besides that.’It was only because I’d stayed so long in a special place called Union, but originally, this was what the relationship between nobles and commoners was like.I just wasn’t used to it because I’d gotten used to modern thinking and the horizontal relationships inside Union.I spoke to the thoroughly intimidated man.“By any chance, is there a room where the three of us can stay for about a day? You can take us to the village chief.”“O-of course. I will guide you to the village chief right away. Please, come in.”And so the three of us followed the man into the village.Once we passed through the fence and entered inside, a pastoral village greeted us, with several log houses, and here and there fields and small livestock sheds.Quiet and peaceful, it was a beautifully picturesque medieval rural village.Only, the moment we entered the village, I could also feel a strange mana scattered around.Knock, knock-.On the outskirts of the village.The man who had led us there carefully knocked on the door of a log house.“Village chief, it’s Henry. I’ve brought Lord Loen and Lady Ciel, and a guest.”“…”No answer from inside the log house.After we waited for a moment at the door—Creak-.The door opened and an old man with a stubborn-looking face appeared.But the moment he saw me standing in front of the door, he widened his eyes.“…”Grip-.The old man then gripped his cane tightly and bowed his head to me.“Welcome, Lord Loen. It has been a long time. This old villager offers his greetings.”I had no memory of seeing this old man, but I answered appropriately for now.“Yes, it has been a while.”“It has been a while since I last saw you as well, Lady Ciel. And the one behind you… must be Lady Freya.”Freya widened her eyes and asked.“You know me?”“How could an old man in the mountains like me know someone like Lady Freya well? I have merely seen you once or twice from afar. Don’t just stand there, please come inside.”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.