Chapter 36: The guardian of 30 children

“Mmmhmmm….”

I rubbed my eyes as I slowly got up from my bed.

“Good morning, Lumina-sama.”

Hearing Emilia’s voice, I responded with a weary tone.

“Uuuu… Good… morn—ing.”

While I continued to rub my eyes, I tried to recall what had happened before I slept. As memories came back, I groaned and asked Emilia about what had occurred after I fell asleep.

“Like you said, the Principal announced that there would be no school for a few months. The exact date for reopening remains unclear.”

“Is that so?”

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“Yes. We wouldn’t have known about it if it weren’t for George-sensei.”

I tilted my head and asked, “What did he do?”

“When the Principal made the announcement, he didn’t include us. Thanks to his persistence, we general students are now included in the break.”

Learning of his efforts, I gave a wry smile and said, “He really cares about his students, huh? I wonder if there’s something we could do to thank him for all his hard work.”

“You really are kind.”

“Really? Thanks.”

I threw off the sheets and stood up from the bed. Noticing I was now in sleepwear, which I hadn’t worn before sleeping, I wondered how I ended up in these clothes. My gaze turned to the smiling Emilia, and a sudden chill ran down my spine.

(Let’s just say I woke up in the middle of the night and changed my clothes… Yes, that sounds better.)

Forcing a new explanation into my mind, I sighed and shared my plans with Emilia.

“Then, after I change, I’m going to go back home. I haven’t seen my mother for five years.”

Despite the long separation, we kept in touch through weekly letters, and I always replied.

“Today?”

“Yes, I plan to leave today. Are there any problems?”

“… There’s a bit of a problem if you go home so quickly, Lumina-sama.”

“A problem?”

I echoed her words, urging her to continue.

“It concerns the students who became your servants.”

When she mentioned the students, I finally remembered the 200 students.

“Hmmm… Have you already told them about the school break?”

“Yes. Since they finished packing their things yesterday, they’re ready to leave anytime.”

Tilting my head, I asked, “Then why do you look so worried?”

“As you know, half of the students are commoners. Among them, about 30 came from orphanages like me. They all wish to accompany you when you return home.”

“And?”

“Some of the noble students want to know where you live, Lumina-sama. In addition to Liza and the others, there are also some students who are children of high-ranking nobles.”

I was speechless when I learned that my servants included children of high-ranking nobles, aside from Vertical Rolls and her companions. Seeing Emilia’s serious expression, I realized there was more to her concern.

Who is Liza? Is she the white-haired one with a beret, or is that Vertical Rolls? Since Emilia mentioned Liza before the other students, she must be one of the six.

As I mulled over this, Emilia continued.

“There are also children of influential merchants who have considerable sway in the merchant guild. Finally, 70 other commoners want to become your guards and are planning to make uniforms to accompany you.”

“I see… So, what does this have to do with my homecoming?”

Emilia cleared her throat and made a tired face before saying, “Since you’re now our master, you’ll need to sign official documents to become the guardian of the 30 students from orphanages.”

When I heard this, I couldn’t help but react.

“Wait! I’m still 12 years old! Why do I need to become the guardian of 30 children!?”

“It’s because you’re their master.”

“Ah…”

I wanted to argue, but she was right, so I couldn’t come up with a good retort.

“There’s no issue with the children of minor nobles since they only need their parents’ permission. However, the children from high-ranking noble families are a different story.”

“Don’t tell me…”

My eyes widened as I realized what might happen. Most high-ranking nobles throw grand parties when their children ally themselves with another noble, especially regarding their future. The host of the party is usually the noble they’re serving.

“Judging by your shocked expression, you understand…”

“But my family has a very low rank! We can’t throw a party that meets the high standards of high-ranking nobles! We’ll go bankrupt!”

“Ah, don’t worry about that, Lumina-sama.”

“Why shouldn’t I worry? Tell me!”

Since it involved money and the potential bankruptcy of my family, I questioned Emilia urgently.

“The children of the big merchants will host the party.”

“R-really?”

“Yes.”

“Haa~ That’s a relief…”

I placed a hand on my chest and breathed a sigh of relief as I sat back on the bed.

“It’s not entirely good, Lumina-sama.”

“… Eh? Why?”

“From the 100 noble general students, about 40 come from high-ranking families. Since their children’s servitude to you is why the party is being held, you may need to meet each of those 40 parents who are either high-ranking nobles or wealthy merchants.”

Tears began forming at the corners of my eyes as I imagined how embarrassing and nerve-wracking the party would be. Being sponsored by the child of a merchant added to the pressure. I had to fulfill this high-ranking noble custom because I had become the master of their children.

Curious about who this person was, I asked Emilia to arrange a meeting with her today.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll contact her.”

As Emilia made a screen to contact the person, I flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

“Although she’s quite energetic in class, she went pale when I mentioned she’d be meeting you. I wonder if she’ll be alright.”

While I stared blankly, I heard Emilia mumble to herself. Though it hurt, I had grown used to people reacting this way whenever they met me, except for Vertical Rolls and her companions. Despite my efforts, it seemed they always reacted this way.

“Hey, Emilia… remember yesterday’s duel?”

Bored while waiting, I decided to start a conversation with Emilia.

“Hm? Yesterday? Actually, the duel was two days ago. You’ve been asleep for an entire day.”

“Eh?”

“Everyone was very worried about you, Lumina-sama. I had to insist that Liza and the others return to their rooms to rest.”

I sat up on the bed.

“So, you’ve been here for two days? Are you okay? Weren’t you also a participant in the duel, Emilia? You should rest too.”

Emilia smiled and said, “I rested yesterday. Since Liza stayed with you all day, I was able to rest during that time.”

“… I see.”

“In case you’re wondering, Liza is the person you usually call Vertical Rolls, Lumina-sama.”

“I-i-is that so? I-i-it’s not like I forgot Vertical Rolls’s real name, Emilia. I know who Liza is, okay? You don’t need to remind me.”

“Well, that’s good.”

Emilia made a mana stool and sat beside me.

“Sorry, I got sidetracked. Let’s get back to the topic. I think I know what you want to say about the duel.”

“Remember last year? When we first discovered this magic?”

“Yes.”

Emilia nodded vigorously.

“Back then, we were still quite ignorant about regular magic, so we kept the ‘Null Element’ magic a secret because we thought it was too powerful… or so we presumed.”

“I see where you’re going with this, Lumina-sama. Since there’s still a lot we haven’t tested with ‘Null Element’ magic, there’s much we don’t know.”

I closed my eyes and recalled the battle.

“The reason we didn’t spread this magic was because it was easy, flexible, and strong. But now that we understand regular magic’s true strength, I can’t help but laugh at how ignorant we were.”

“Yeah…”

“If only we had shared this magic last year, it could have advanced much faster by now. Back then, it was just the two of us. We didn’t discover ‘Ethereal Shift’ until later. Thanks to Victoria—sorry, Victoria—we learned about it.”

“Yes.”

As I created four balls and materialized them into the four basic elements, I said, “Remember that disaster I mentioned?”

“I remember, Lumina-sama. You talked about an invasion by other races, correct?”

“Yes. I don’t know where or when they’ll attack, but I’m certain it will happen. Before that occurs, we need to accelerate the development of this magic.”

Emilia tilted her head and asked, “How?”

“For starters, we need to address the consumption of surrounding mana by normal magic. Next, we should apply our knowledge of science to magic. Last year, we were too relaxed and didn’t conduct live tests for Physical Enhancement using Null Element magic or how to concentrate mana more efficiently.”

I paused briefly before continuing.

“We can’t afford to be as complacent as we were. We need to research and develop this magic quickly.”

“I understand. However, please don’t overburden yourself, Lumina-sama. You have servants—please delegate some of your work to us.”

“Okay, I’ll rely on you. However, let me handle applying healing magic to injuries. My knowledge of biology might be useful.”

“Biology? I’m not familiar with that, but yes, I understand.”

*Knock* *Knock*

“E-excuse me! As

Emilia-sama requested, I, Fate Amethyst, have arrived!”

“Oh? It seems she’s here.”

“Yes, excuse me for a moment.”

Emilia stood and walked towards the door while I composed myself and sat on the bed in a dignified manner. The person behind the door was the daughter or son of the wealthy merchant who would sponsor the party. I needed to present my most dignified appearance to ensure they wouldn’t withdraw their support.