Although the first day's tour of the Holy City had a few disturbances, the students seemed quite satisfied. We decided to stay the night at the imperial castle. Ayle and the others discussed the cityscape and the food they had tried in a guest room with an unusually high ceiling.
Shenley seemed quite nervous about staying in the imperial castle of her country, but the other students didn't seem particularly uneasy.
"I guess it's natural to feel nervous about staying in the castle. I'm a bit nervous too, so I understand."
As soon as Strass and Eliza heard me, they gave me a suspicious look.
"Are you really nervous?"
"You don't show it at all, Aoi-san."
With a wry smile, I stood up from my chair and said, "I'm human too after all. Okay, I'm going to take a walk to calm my nerves."
I left the guest room. The two soldiers standing outside noticed me when I opened the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I'd like to get some fresh air outside."
"Then please allow me to guide you."
One of the soldiers started walking in front of me. I'd have preferred to walk alone if they had just told me the location, but it seemed difficult to move freely within the imperial castle.
I walked down unnecessarily spacious corridors and opened a large double door on the first floor of the castle. What came into view appeared to be a lush garden. There was a fountain in the center and green hedges forming low walls.
It was exactly what someone would imagine a courtyard in a noble's mansion to look like.
In the courtyard, a young woman in a beautiful dress was walking by the fountain. She was dressed in a pure white outfit like a wedding dress, and her wavy golden hair swayed as she moved. She appeared to be in her late teens. Two soldiers in silver armor stood nearby, along with a woman who seemed to be a maid.
As I watched, the woman in the dress noticed me and turned around.
"Princess Rose." One of the soldiers guiding me knelt on the spot. It seemed she was a member of the imperial family.
Just to be safe, I quickly straightened my posture and bowed.
The woman called Rose raised an eyebrow slightly and asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"
I raised my head. "I am a teacher from the magic academy of the Verted Kingdom. My name is Aoi Konominato."
"Verted Kingdom… Does that mean Fiddiq Academy? You must be quite talented, though you seem rather young." Rose began to examine me with great interest and walked towards me.
The soldier kneeling in front of her hurriedly raised his head. "P-Princess Rose, Aoi-dono is one of the few senior teachers at Fiddiq Academy and has come to further enhance the magical standards of the Maple Leaf Holy Empire…"
The soldier explained as if to defend me, but when he met Rose's eyes, his demeanor changed. He became flustered and finally bowed his head again.
She narrowed her eyes and let out a soft harrumph.
"Senior teacher, I believe our country also has a magician in that position. Well, it's fine. More importantly…" Rose muttered as if trying to recall something and continued walking towards me.
She then looked down at the kneeling soldier's head.
"What were you trying to say to me? That she's a guest, so I should bow to her?" she scolded the soldier, her expression stern, her voice filled with irritation.
"N-no, not at all…!" the soldier stammered while trembling.
I felt sorry for him and wondered if there was anything I could do, but Rose suddenly began chanting. After a short chant, she pointed one hand at the soldier's head. "Know your place, [Ice Sculpture, Frozen]."
Ice began to form around the trembling, kneeling soldier.
I immediately cast a counterspell. "[Fire Circle, Red Circle]."
A red line traced a small circle around the soldier, and a thin wall of flames shot out like a laser beam, melting the ice instantly.
Rose seemed to have tried to encase the soldier in a block of ice, but he was unharmed.
The soldier looked around in surprise.
Rose lifted her gaze and stared at me with an expression devoid of emotion. "Was that a chantless spell? Or are you using a magical item equivalent to the imperial family's treasures?"
I met her gaze. "It was chantless."
She tilted her head slightly and smirked. "I see… Chantless… Chantless, huh?"
She repeated the word as if mulling it over, then turned her back to me. "That was interesting. You must visit the academy in the Holy City."
With that, Rose quietly walked away.