Episode 36: Interlude Before Enrollment

Siegfried kept his conversations with Evan to a minimum within the palace. Only after leaving and climbing into the carriage… did he finally recount the recent events to Evan.

“The Royal Military Academy…?”

The Royal Military Academy. As its name suggests, it’s an educational institution for training officers—those who will command the military. The eligible age for enrollment ranges from 18 to 27, and the program lasts three years.

Most students are second or third sons of nobles, individuals of knightly rank, or commoners selected for their potential. For someone like Siegfried, who is already the head of a noble house, enrolling in the academy is a rare case.

“So… you’ll be away from the Kreving estate for three years?”

The Royal Military Academy is a boarding institution located in the southern part of the Kirchien Kingdom, far from the Kreving earldom. Once enrolled, opportunities to return to the estate would be scarce.

“I have no intention of staying in a place like that for years. Let’s say… three months until graduation.”

“Graduating in three months? Is such a thing even possible…?”

Evan had never heard of anyone graduating from the academy in such a short time.

Siegfried’s enrollment was arranged as a special admission by the king’s decree, but even so, most would assume a stay of at least two years.

“Well, I’ll make it happen. …Looks like we’ve arrived.”

The carriage stopped in front of a mansion in the noble district. Built of white brick with a meticulously maintained garden, this residence was familiar to Evan. And for good reason—it was the Kreving earldom’s townhouse in the capital.

The nobles of the Kirchien Kingdom are divided into ‘court nobles,’ who reside in the capital, and ‘provincial nobles,’ who live on their estates. The Kreving earldom falls into the latter category. However, it’s customary for provincial nobles to maintain a townhouse in the capital.

Evan had assumed Siegfried would rest at this townhouse.

(Lord Siegfried has been working tirelessly… and it seems he faced tense moments during his recent audience with His Majesty. Please, take some time to rest.)

That was what Evan had been thinking. But the sight of a merchant-like man waiting in front of the mansion made him reconsider.

“Lord Kreving, you’ve arrived promptly.”

The merchant greeted Siegfried with a refined smile.

“Lord Siegfried, what is this about…?”

“Since I’m in the capital, I figured I’d sell off the needlessly extravagant furnishings in this townhouse. I arranged a meeting with the merchant beforehand.”

Evan let out an inward sigh of astonishment.

In the short time since receiving the king’s summons, Siegfried had conquered a dungeon, revived the vampire Celestina, and even secured a deal with a merchant.

There was never any waste in Siegfried’s actions.

—Or perhaps the opposite was true.

Siegfried’s way of life, centered on ‘elevating the role of a villain,’ might seem irrational and wasteful to those with ordinary sensibilities.

Yet, to pursue that ‘wasteful’ purpose… Siegfried eliminated all inefficiencies and devoted everything to it. Sometimes, even his own life.

It could hardly be called a sane way of living. But…

(This… is the way of life I could never choose, isn’t it?)

It wasn’t normal, but… that very abnormality made it pure. Evan narrowed his eyes, as if gazing at something dazzling.

◆

A few days after Siegfried’s audience with the king in the capital.

Lake Roden, formerly part of the Arving marquessate. That day, snow danced across the lake, adorning it.

It wasn’t a fierce blizzard, but the weather wasn’t inviting for a stroll. As a result, few customers visited the maid café by Lake Roden’s shore.

The quiet interior had only a few occupied seats. Into this atmosphere stepped a man. He was greeted by a black-haired woman wearing glasses—Irma Shire. As always, she welcomed the guest with refined courtesy.

“Welcome home, dear master…”

Raising her head after a bow, Irma caught sight of the man’s face and gasped.

“L-Lord Siegfried…”

Standing before her was a young man with silver hair and blue eyes—Siegfried von Kreving.

“W-Why are you here…?”

“I’ve been enrolled in the Royal Military Academy. Before that, I thought I’d check on the maid café.”

Siegfried briefly surveyed the interior.

“How’s it been? No more customers like Hetayn causing trouble?”

“N-No, thanks to you, Lord Siegfried…”

Word had spread of Siegfried thrashing Hetayn, and since then, no customers had dared to act rudely.

“Good.”

As an afterthought, Siegfried added:

“By the way, about Hetayn… he’s fallen.”

“F-Fallen, you say…?”

“Yes. Do you know Patrick’s former wife?”

“Yes, I believe… it was Lady Margherita, wasn’t it?”

As a former maid of the Arving marquessate, Irma was acquainted with Margherita. She remembered her arguing shrilly with Patrick before their divorce.

“When I told Margherita that a low-ranking noble had acted disgracefully in the Arving marquessate’s villa, which she’s set to inherit, she immediately brought the matter to the high magistrate.”

The Hindemid family is a marquessate. The power gap between them and Hetayn von Hakusela, a mere baron, was stark. Hetayn had already been stripped of his barony and had his assets seized, leaving him destitute.

“Honestly, I thought Margherita’s greed made her a lackluster ‘villain’… but that same greed makes her easy to handle.”

“To think such a thing had happened…”

Unable to hide her shock, Irma met Siegfried’s villainous smile.

“Did you think I’d let someone who tried to harm you walk free?”

“…!”

Irma’s heart leapt at his words. For a moment, she almost forgot to breathe.

“T-To go so far… for someone like me…”

Irma knew she lacked any sort of glamour.

Dutiful and caring, Irma was well-liked by the café’s maids.

But her plain appearance and inability to charm others meant she was never valued by her superiors during her time as a maid in the Arving marquessate.

In fact, when she dared to voice her opinions, believing it was for the best, Patrick had snapped, “A mere maid shouldn’t meddle!”

Siegfried leaned in, peering into her face.

“Listen, Irma. Never say such things again.”

His voice was low.

“You are someone I’ve deemed worthy of serving under me. To belittle yourself as ‘someone like me’ is to deny my judgment. Are you saying my eyes are blind?”

“N-No…!”

“Then hold your head high. Declare that you are a maid worthy of serving Siegfried von Kreving.”

“Y-Yes…!”

Irma straightened her back. Siegfried gave a satisfied smile.

“Good… Now I can leave things in your hands with confidence.”

Siegfried turned on his heel.

“While I’m at the academy, the maid café is in your charge. If anything feels beyond your ability, contact me immediately.”

With those words, Siegfried vanished into the swirling snow.

Irma stared at the closed door, her eyes glistening, unable to look away.

A gentleman watching from a distance murmured:

“…Ah, youth.”

“Huh?”

A maid with flaxen twin-tails passing by tilted her head curiously.