Chapter 22: Recommended by Royalty.

Amelia provided materials as Sarju requested and verbally explained the parts she hadn’t yet organized.

“Um.”

Suddenly called back to reality by a voice, she looked up to see Kaido, the escort knight, watching her with a troubled expression.

“It seems it’s almost closing time for the library.”

At those words, she glanced around and realized the library had emptied without her noticing.

Julius was nowhere to be seen either.

According to Kaido, Julius had spoken to them earlier and left first.

Apparently both Sarju and Amelia had responded, but they had been so focused that neither remembered.

Kaido muttered softly that someone he thought was an ally had turned out to be “on the other side.”

(Which side is “the other side”…?)

She felt like protesting, but Amelia herself had to concentrate intensely just to keep up with Sarju.

She genuinely hadn’t registered Julius’s departure.

She worried a little whether she had been rude.

But Sarju’s thoughts ran so deep that what he actually put into words was only the tip of the iceberg.

That meant she had to anticipate his line of thinking and prepare relevant data from her own knowledge in advance.

Still, Amelia didn’t dislike this kind of tension.

In fact, being called “one of Sarju’s people” filled her with unexpected happiness.

She probably couldn’t bring herself to argue with Kaido’s remark.

While thinking such things, she tidied up the materials and left the library.

“Sorry for keeping you so late. I’ll walk you back to the dormitory.”

“Thank you very much.”

She had already learned that refusing would only end with him escorting her anyway, so Amelia accepted gratefully.

“Excuse me, but would it be all right to stop by the classroom first? I left all my things there.”

She had dashed out of the classroom at lunch and hadn’t returned since.

“Speaking of which, when I went to meet you right after classes ended, you weren’t there. Did something happen?”

“No, actually I spent the afternoon with Marie-sama. I heard a Special Class was being established, so I wanted to aim for it and asked her to teach me various things.”

She decided there was no need to mention that she had grown tired of her classmates, and left it at that.

“Special Class?”

Sarju didn’t seem to know about it—likely because it was a special measure created for him, and he hadn’t bothered to listen.

“Yes. Apparently even first-years can take the exam, though it requires a recommendation from someone.”

“A recommendation, hm.”

Perhaps she should muster the courage and ask Sarju directly, just as Marie had suggested.

With that thought, she opened her mouth to speak.

But—

“Then why not ask Father? He mentioned he wanted to meet you anyway, so it would be perfect timing.”

“…Pardon?”

The completely unexpected reply made her respond instinctively in her normal tone.

(Um… Sarju-sama is the Fourth Prince of this country, so “Father” would mean… His Majesty the King, right?)

She mentally double-checked.

Yet somehow, bringing a letter of recommendation from the King himself just to take the Royal Magic Academy’s exam felt… off.

It almost seemed like she might get accepted without even sitting for it.

That would defeat the purpose.

“Um, Sarju-sama—”

“Shall we go right now? Is it all right if we head there immediately?”

“No, I—”

She tried desperately to decline, but confusion left her tongue-tied.

Inadvertently, her eyes sought help from Kaido.

“Sarju-denka. Perhaps it would be better to first hear a detailed explanation of what this Special Class actually entails. Julius-denka would likely know the most about it.”

Receiving Amelia’s pleading glance, Kaido—who usually only offered sympathy—finally came to her rescue.

“You’re right. I did say Brother went back ahead.”

“…Yes. To the royal castle.”

Kaido made a face that clearly said “I’ve messed up,” but it was too late.

It seemed unavoidable now: she would be visiting the royal castle two days in a row.

And so, together with Sarju, she boarded the royal carriage and headed straight for the castle.

Even her own father probably hadn’t visited the royal castle this frequently.

( I’m just a provincial noble… how did I end up in this situation?)

She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Still, she genuinely wanted to learn more about the Special Class.

Deciding to view this as a good opportunity, she resolved to ask plenty of questions.

With that mindset, Amelia arrived at the royal castle, parted from Sarju who returned to his own quarters, and was once again guided to the same guest room as the previous day.

While waiting for Sarju and Julius, a palace maid prepared herbal tea for her.

Because it was her second visit, she felt noticeably more at ease than yesterday.

Then, perhaps having heard from Sarju, Julius arrived at the room first.

“Julius-sama. Thank you again for helping me earlier.”

She thanked him once more for intervening in the Lease incident.

“No need. You’re an important friend—it was only natural.”

He smiled warmly and took the seat across from her.

“It seems Sarju kept you terribly late. My apologies.”

“Not at all. I was so absorbed that I didn’t even notice when you left, Julius-sama. I should be the one apologizing.”

At her apology, Julius muttered the same words Kaido had.

“…Ah. So you’re the same type as Sarju, Amelia.”

Unsure how to respond, she gave an awkward smile.

Julius cleared his throat and refocused.

“You wanted to hear about the Special Class, right?”

“Yes. After hearing about it from Marie-sama, I decided I’d like to aim for it as well.”

Julius nodded and gave her a detailed explanation.

“The Special Class is a group within the Royal Magic Academy reserved exclusively for those with exceptional talent. Moreover, upon graduation, its members can simultaneously become researchers at the newly established Royal Magic Research Institute.”

It appeared His Majesty was serious about creating a full-fledged magical research facility.

“I had assumed it was simply a class within the academy focused on magic research. It feels far too heavy a burden for someone like me.”

“No. Personally, I was already planning to recommend you. As you might have guessed, the Special Class is being created with Sarju’s affiliation in mind. If you could belong to it—even just during your time at the academy—as his assistant, it would be a tremendous help.”

Having the qualification spoken of as a foregone conclusion by Julius as well left Amelia at a loss.

“I’m honored, but first I have to pass the exam…”

At her words, Julius looked genuinely surprised.

“You haven’t realized? The two of you mostly discuss the Renis territory, but occasionally you also talk about magical theory together, don’t you?”

“…Yes.”

It was true—there were times they discussed whether there might be more efficient ways to apply earth magic or water magic.

“The very fact that you can follow Sarju’s reasoning means you already possess相当高度な knowledge. You should have more confidence in yourself.”