A letter heralding turmoil.

Half a year had passed since that incident.

The Vanklyft lands had transformed into a place others envied. The constant stream of sick people had gradually subsided, thanks to medicine now circulating in the capital.

Only one rumor had spread so widely it became common knowledge.

The young lady rescued from the Vanklyft family was not the lord’s daughter.

The one who’d been given the divine elixir was the hero’s daughter, so the rumors claimed.

Back then, I’d been traveling through the territory with my father and Sauvel.

We never did anything overt in public, but word slowly spread from those who came to the clinic for treatment.

My appearance was nothing like Raffilia’s—so different, in fact, that it was impossible to keep secret.

＊＊＊

“…From the capital?”

Lovell frowned, facing off against Sauvel, Isabella, and Lauren.

Shaking the letter handed to me by Sauvel with a suspicious wiggle.

…Sorry, elder brother. It seems someone’s sniffed out Elen’s whereabouts…

Sauvel, clutching his head as if utterly at a loss, turned to Lovell instead of Elen, seeking guidance.

Lovell glances at the sender's name on the letter.

There, it read "Tembar Royal Capital Academy."

"Shouldn’t you just ask the person themselves? Hey, Elen, Orie!!"

Sauvel and the others flinched, shoulders jerking at Lovell shouting toward the sky.

"Wait, hold on, Lovell!!"

Ignoring Isabella’s protest, Lovell maintained a cool, collected expression.

In the next instant, Elen and Orie appeared, saying, "What's wrong?"

Sauvel and the others couldn’t help but sigh.

……

"…Academy?"

"A place where humans learn, you know. Oh, and I went there too, by the way. All nobles are required to attend."

I didn’t really care about my father’s explanation, just gave a lazy "huh" in response.

"I'm a spirit, though."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Father chuckled casually. Mother, remembering her own student days with him, suddenly lit up and they both started reminiscing like old friends.

But Sauvel and the others were still clutching their heads. I tilted my head, wondering what the hell was wrong.

"...Elen, I'm sorry."

"What is it?"

"This letter means you've officially become a noble of this country..."

"Wait, that means..."

"I already had it corrected right away. Your older brother married into the family and isn’t even a citizen of this nation. But somehow, they won’t believe me…"

"Hmm... maybe they don’t want our country’s hero getting snatched up by another?"

Right now, Papa’s helping out with Sauvel’s territory. Now that I’ve confirmed even his daughter’s here, I figured I could focus on securing the daughter to keep Papa tied to this country for a few years—basically, using me as bait.

“It’s not Papa’s fault, is it?!”

“Ah, sorry, sorry!”

He chuckled, patting my head, wincing a little from the pain but clearly happy about it.

“I already sent a rejection letter to the academy… but they’ve been sending letters over and over again. Honestly, I’m starting to get worn down.”

Apparently, in this country, it’s standard for kids to attend academy between ages twelve and sixteen.

Raffilia started attending the academy two months ago.

I thought she’d give up after the opening ceremony, but apparently, she hasn’t learned her lesson—keeps sending letters, again and again.

“Now she’s even threatening to send a messenger claiming I’ve abandoned my noble duties…”

I blinked, wondering if this was all a bit much.

Fuh~n...

School, I guess.

That path she walked before—there were certainly memories of it being pleasant.

On the other hand, nobles might actually enjoy attending—after all, making friends and building connections is the whole point. Especially since Gadiel, who’s graduating this year, and his younger brother, Rasel, are currently enrolled at the academy.

Those eager to be personally involved with the prince would surely be delighted to attend the academy.

In Japan, a "gakuen" usually refers to a private high school, vocational school, or university. But in this world, a "gakuen" is more like a monastery—where one studies religious doctrine, as they do overseas.

The way things are run is mildly interesting, but honestly, I can’t help but wonder if there’s anything left to learn—after all, I’ve picked up everything from my father.

"...What's the point of me attending the academy, anyway? What am I even gaining from this?"

We don’t have that kind of thing here…

"Nothing here."

There’s nothing, is there?

"Elen, I taught you myself, didn’t I?"

"I learned from you, that’s for sure~"

Sauvel and the others stared wide-eyed at my father’s words. I blinked in confusion—why were they making such faces?

"Because my daughter remembers everything so effortlessly, it’s just… fun, I couldn’t help myself…"

The way my father grinned, teasingly, left Sauvel and the others utterly speechless.

"...Brother, what on earth is going on here?"

When I asked for details, it turned out my father had been considered a prodigy—even a genius—within the academy itself. The fact that he was already speaking of teaching me in the past tense, as if I’d already learned from him, hit me like a slap.

I must’ve looked utterly bewildered. To me, it had just felt like getting explanations about this world from my father—nothing more, nothing less. But now it turned out I’d actually been taught *more* than what the academy normally offered. The truth was finally out in the open.

"Elen’s already memorized everything the academy teaches. There’s even a class on communicating with spirits and making contracts at age fourteen… but she’s a spirit herself, so that’s kind of redundant, isn’t it?"

"I have no intention of getting involved with the human world beyond these lands anymore..."

Father and I looked at Sauvel at the same time, grinning like we were silently urging him to keep up the effort. Sauvel sighed again, deeper this time.

"The only real problem is that the royal family attends, and my daughter and Gadiel’s daughter are enrolled too..."

I glanced at Father, and he looked back. Mother just blinked, still blissfully unaware.

I really didn’t want to see Raffilia again. There was just no getting around it—our personalities clashed in ways I couldn’t explain.

I’d even been made to cry before, so maybe that’s where the discomfort started.

It’s been two months since they enrolled. In that time, the two of them have apparently managed to cause all sorts of trouble. Honestly, I was floored.

“Hey, you. What did she say again? A prince from another country attended the academy for a few months, didn’t he?”

“…………”

Mother was checking something with Father.

I had a vague memory of that setup.

“Is there some kind of exchange program like that?”

“Ah, yes, that’s it.”

Mother smiled sweetly. But Father’s mood instantly soured.

“Elen won’t be going to the academy.”

Father’s flat declaration made me tilt my head. He’s been saying that all along—so why the sudden explosion?

“Send my darling daughter into a den of men?!?!?”

Father suddenly went full berserk.

Mother had quietly accompanied Father during the years he attended the academy.

Seemed like she’d had a blast the whole time.

"Was so much fun watching, you know~. You’d probably have a blast too, Elen-chan~"

According to Mother, spirits have eternity ahead, so it’s not unreasonable to take a little interest in human society.

But, Mother… you only found it fun because you were just watching from the sidelines, aren’t you?

If there’s any benefit to me attending school, it’s only things like making human friends—nothing more. And since both Father and I are dead set against wasting time, we both just wrinkled our brows and said, “No way~.”

Honestly, what’s with you saying “stay away from royalty” all the time, then suddenly suggesting this? I’m stunned.

Still, she’s worried I might get curious about the human world and vanish without a word.

Rude. I wouldn’t—well, probably wouldn’t—do something like that…

I knew I had a habit of tuning out everything around me once I got interested in something—so I couldn’t really argue back hard enough...

Then, without so much as blinking at my flustered self or my thoughtful father, Mother flashed that sweet, innocent smile and delivered the final blow.

“Elen-chan, Elen-chan…”

“Yes? What is it?”

“This academy? It’s pretty big—kinda like a castle run by the scheming ones. Surrounded by forest, and the men here sometimes learn noble hunting out there. And on the outskirts? There’s a lake too. The way the forest reflects in the water, with the castle sitting right in the middle—it’s absolutely stunning~”

“……!!?!”

I might’ve said it before, but I’ve always been head-over-heels for castles as buildings.

“Should we consider studying abroad?!”

I raised my hand, all excited about “social studies,” when Father’s low, drawn-out “Oooh~rreee~” cut right through me.

This would later mark the beginning of even greater upheaval.