Doggone Academy

The beast was dead.

But it wasn’t as if anything particularly good had come of it.

There were no hidden treasure troves or artifacts with curious powers. The god of Barvisia was a parasite, feeding off the souls of magicians, leaving nothing behind once it was slain.

It hadn’t cured Vivi of her congenital affliction.

We had merely crawled out of the mire by the skin of our teeth.

This whole ordeal wasn’t about gaining something; it was a struggle to right a wrong.

My aim was to distract myself from memories I wished to erase, and in that, I succeeded.

All I had hoped for was to return in one piece before meeting Silveryn.

Yet it seemed Vivi had no intention of sending me back empty-handed.

On the second night after defeating the beast, as we sat by the campfire, Vivi, hugging her knees, asked me,

“Is there anything you desire…?”

“…No.”

“Speak your mind. You have saved the Duchy’s only bloodline. Even if you are from another country, of different race, even a criminal, it’s customary to bestow a reward fitting the deed.”

“I have not solved all your troubles, my Lady. Forming a bond with you is reward enough for me.”

I had no plans to take up residence in the Duchy. Once we safely returned, we would go back to our respective lives, each bearing our own burdens.

Vivi tugged at the rope tied to her wrist and said with a mischievous look,

“Do you think nothing I offer will be of help?”

“We haven’t yet escaped this place. It might be best to discuss such matters after we reach the Duchy.”

“You seem to be lacking nothing.”

“…”

“…No matter how great your teacher is, he cannot possess more wealth than the Duchy’s treasury.”

Vivi seemed to be left with an inexplicable reluctance, but I had my reasons for suggesting we wait until after reaching the Duchy.

Both of us were not in the best of conditions. Since it wasn’t over until we returned to the Duchy, I didn’t want to count my chickens before they hatched.

However, it seemed Vivi had an inkling that we would soon be returning.

The next day, we were discovered earlier than expected by the Duchy’s search party and were hastily transported.

The dozens-strong unit of magicians and knights were ready to kill me on sight until Vivi screamed herself hoarse, and only then was the chaos resolved.

The dumbfounded expressions of the search party when Vivi berated them are still etched in my memory.

Regrettably, that’s where my recollection ends. I had been force-fed a potion for treatment and plunged into a deep, enforced sleep.

It was a profound slumber I hadn’t felt in a long time. I didn’t dream, couldn’t sense time passing, and my consciousness was completely inactive.

***

Trisha was sprawled across her desk, eyes wide, idly twiddling her thumbs. She picked up random books to read, then scribbled aimlessly on the desk.

“I’m bored…”

Suddenly, she jumped up and threw herself onto the bed. She sniffed the bedding like an animal and then wrapped herself in the blankets.

“I’m bored…”

The difference now was that she was moping around in Damian’s room.

In a meaningless act, she punched the pillow with her fist.

“When will he come…”

***

The art club’s greenhouse was bathed in its usual refreshing sunlight. Most members stayed to continue their work even after club hours had ended.

The quiet greenhouse was filled only with the sound of brushes scratching against canvas.

Suddenly, a girl burst through the door, a parchment flapping in her hand.

“Hey, hey! HEY!! This isn’t the time for this.”

All the students painting turned to look at once.

It was Rosalyn, a third-year from the art club, who had kicked in the door.

She seemed not to care that she had completely ruined the serene atmosphere as she shouted,

“There’s crazy news. You all need to know about the insane person who joined our art club.”

She then ran straight to Haley, the club president.

“Look at this. You know Damian, the newbie, followed Lady Gainax, right?”

“…What about it?”

“Look.”

Haley took the parchment from Rosalyn and read it with a skeptical expression.

“This is… a letter from Torin.”

It was a letter from Torin, a third-year from the Combat Club who had also been dispatched with the noblewoman’s escort.

“Exactly. Torin told us all about what Damian did in the escort.”

“…”

The other girls put down their brushes and listened intently to their conversation.

Haley read the letter slowly.

“He beat down the Duchy’s knights like they were nothing…? Got on the wrong side of the lady? Did he cause trouble?”

“Ah, ah! Look at me being dumb. I brought last week’s letter. Anyhow, yes, he did cause trouble, but there’s more than that.”

Jenia sensed that this was something more serious and tried to interrupt Rosalyn,

“Hey, if it’s bad gossip, don’t spread it. Just talk among yourselves.”

Rosalyn shook her head vehemently from side to side.

“No, no, no, I’ve got to tell you. This is really important. Everyone needs to hear.”

“…?”

Rosalyn detailed the events that befell the escort passing through Barvisia. Damian, the detested one, the festival in Barvisia, the knights losing their minds, and the assault on the noblewoman.

“That’s what Damian said right to the noblewoman’s face. He was just going to cool his head.”

The story continued.

“……When the entire escort went mad and the noblewoman was certain to die, guess who saved her?”

“…Could it be?”

“Damian, that newbie, jumped in and saved her all by himself.”

While the tale sounded like that of a great hero, rumors always tend to be exaggerated. Haley listened, then questioned dubiously,

“Isn’t that a bit embellished?”

Rosalyn thumped her chest in frustration and said,

“No, the atmosphere in the Duchy is no joke right now. The full story is kept secret for security reasons—don’t know what it is, but it seems there was another serious incident. And there, Damian fought to the very end, protecting the lady. They both reappeared after being missing in Barvisia for over a week.”

“…That’s true?”

“That’s not all. There’s more, more…”

Rosalyn stopped to catch her breath and swallowed before continuing,

“The noblewoman, who usually keeps her distance from men, did something she’s never done before with Damian. That very guy she used to torture and detest saved her without holding a grudge, so what do you think?”

Haley replied with a hint of sarcasm.

“…Maybe her pride was hurt more?”

But Rosalyn almost shouted in exasperation,

“No! She’s totally smitten!!”

Rosalyn’s voice echoed loudly, and the greenhouse became deathly quiet for a while. The mouths of the listening girls slowly opened in disbelief.

If it was true that the noblewoman was smitten, they knew well what would follow next.

Then, from behind the concealing greenery at the back of the greenhouse, the sound of something shattering rang out.

“Ah, that scared me.”

“Who’s there? Can someone check it out?”

A second-year student hesitantly approached the source of the noise and returned after checking the area.

“It’s just a broken glass pot. Looks like someone dropped it…”

“What? No one’s there?”

Haley immediately got up and went to check. Glass fragments were scattered all over the floor.

“…?”

As the junior had said, there was no exit nearby, yet no one was there.

To Haley, it looked more like someone had thrown the pot deliberately rather than dropped it. Perhaps a malicious prank? It seemed like someone was venting their intense anger.

***

When I awoke, it was not in a rain-drenched swamp nor the jolting interior of a carriage.

The first thing I saw as consciousness returned was the golden shimmer of bed curtains.

The chandelier overhead was adorned with dangling jewels, tinkling softly as the breeze from the window caused them to collide.

Even the window frames were gilded. I’ve worked with metals and jewels, but I’ve never seen such golden windows before.

I sat up in bed.

Then I was momentarily lost in the majesty of the sprawling cityscape outside the window. Is this the capital of the Duchy of Ulyssia?

Then something tugged at my left wrist.

Where Vivi’s rope had been was now a thick shackle, anchored to the floor. What’s this about?

My belongings. All artifacts, including my wooden sword, were neatly arranged beside the bed.

And on the side table lay a golden call bell. I immediately grabbed it and shook it.

Someone came rushing in response to the bell.

A man in a crisp servant’s uniform entered. He bowed politely to me.

“You’ve awoken, I see. It’s a true honor to meet you, Sir Damian.”

“Where am I?”

“You are staying at the Riteskillis Palace, located in the heart of Grandcardia, the capital of the Duchy of Ulyssia.”

I lifted my left arm and shook the shackle slightly.

“Is that so? It seems there’s been some misunderstanding; could you please release me from this?”

“I apologize, but I do not have the authority to do so. You are detained here as a prisoner.”

“A prisoner, you say…?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Under whose order?”

“We simply follow the laws and regulations of the great Duchy of Ulyssia.”

“….”

I think I know who’s behind this.

He looked at my face, smiled wryly, and added,

“To be precise, ‘He’s an unpredictable man of uncertain action, so find some pretext to hold him’. Thus, we’ve closely reviewed your actions and found them in breach of our laws, which is why you are now detained as a criminal.”

There’s only one person who would say such things. It was Vivi’s command.

Even children would see that I am not a real prisoner. What kind of prisoner lives in such a luxurious palace?

“I have a place I need to be.”

“We’ve sent the Duchy’s statement to Eternia, and they have acquiesced.”

“…”

I need to get to Silveryn, not Eternia. The longer I delay, the more classes I miss.

“You will soon face trial.”

“A trial?”

I thought this was all just a pretext. Why go through the motions of a trial?

He smiled contentedly and said,

“Yes. And the Grand Duke Gainax himself will attend the trial.”