Oran Knight is out (1/2 chapters for today)
Summer Vacation Departure!!
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**Today’s Diary**
The day after the showdown with Bianca and Lamie-senpai was the closing ceremony.
The students gathered in the auditorium, listening to the slightly long, precious speech from the vice-chairman of the school, eagerly waiting for that moment.
So, when the vice-chairman said, “So, don’t overdo it too much. That’s all!” I think it was inevitable that cheers erupted at that moment.
It’s been just under 3 months since I came to this school.
The season is summer.
The arrival of summer vacation.
—
After the closing ceremony, I returned to the classroom. As I was preparing to go home, Bianca came over to my desk, put her arm on it, and looked up at me with a challenging gaze.
“Let’s have a showdown as soon as the summer vacation is over.” (Bianca)
“Can’t it wait a little longer?” (Lux)
I responded with a wry smile.
Bianca had come to my desk yesterday and said the same thing. It drew quite a bit of attention from those around us, wondering what had happened. However, as promised to Rita-san, the matter of the recent showdown was a secret.
Bianca was explaining to everyone that “As fellow snipers, I declared him my rival,” but it wasn’t making any sense.
On my end, when I was asked by my Catrap friends or by Roy-kun from the seat behind me, “What happened?” I vaguely brushed it off with, “Well, after talking to Lamie-senpai, it seems like she recognized me as a rival”.
Since Bianca was known in the class as being fond of Lamie-senpai, it seemed like the story settled with, “Apparently Lux was liked by Lavitomivia-senpai and ended up clashing with Bianca”.
That’s not entirely wrong though.
Leaving behind the parting words, “As soon as the summer vacation is over! Absolutely!”, she moved away from the desk.
“She’s really passionate.” (Sonia)
Sonia, who had been watching from the seat next to mine, spoke to me.
“She’s really a handful.” (Lux)
As I turned to reply, I saw Sonia with her cheeks puffed out.
Is she… in a bad mood?
“If it’s such a hassle, you should just refuse.” (Sonia)
Sonia spoke with her lips pouting, but I had promised during the duel.
I can’t really say that to her. So, when in trouble, let’s just blame Lamie-senpai. It’s her fault in the first place anyway.
“Actually, it was a request from Lamie-senpai, so I couldn’t refuse…” (Lux)
“I see…” (Sonia)
For Sonia, Lamie-senpai wasn’t someone she didn’t know. Given the forcefulness she had shown during the competition, she should have been able to believe it. Besides, she had also been treated to sweets from Todd’s shop. As expected, though reluctantly, Sonia also accepted it. Even though it was a promise, I felt a bit guilty about the lie, so I thought I’d treat her to something next time.
“More importantly, did you hear from Maria about the departure?” (Lux)
Maria had been absent from school for three days, and she was preparing for the departure. This wasn’t just for Maria. Almost all noble students had been off for about three days. Apparently, nobles had their own preparations to make.
So, it was a half-day off three days ago… I wonder if Lamie-senpai doesn’t need to prepare? Well, since it’s Lamie-senpai, it’s probably fine.
“I haven’t received any particular notice, so I think the plan is as scheduled.” (Sonia)
Sonia, slightly in a better mood, answered. At that time of year, the children of nobles all began their return to their family homes. The mode of transportation they used for the return was a carriage. And of course, since they were nobles, a fair number of carriages were needed.
There were at least 3 nobles per class, in 3 classes, across 3 grades in the school, so at least 30 noble children used carriages all at once. If each person needed 3 to 4 carriages, that was easily over 100 carriages, and that many people to operate them. In the village where I used to live, there weren’t even 100 people. Just to send the noble children home, more people were mobilized than in my village…
Yeah. It’s a bit ridiculous.
Regardless of my thoughts, for the coachmen who drove the carriages, that was the best time to earn money. It was said that every year at that time, coachmen from nearby towns gathered in Rodon City.
As unbelievable as it sounded, Maria had told me that even with that, there were still shortages, double bookings, and changes in plans due to power dynamics among the nobles, causing major confusion every year. If there were any changes in plans, they would be communicated through Sonia to everyone traveling together, meaning me, Heinz, Rita-san, and my younger sister Noris.
By the way, after returning home, Hana would head directly to Maria’s house from her own home, so if anything came up, she would hear about it then. Maria had said, “I think we’ll probably be fine”, because her family, the Bell Household, was a historically renowned household. Still, since you never knew what might happen during the summer vacation chaos, we were instructed to always be ready to depart at any time.
If the departure goes as planned, we’ll leave Rodon City tonight. I’m scheduled to meet up with Noris in the evening, and then we’ll head to Maria’s house. Since there hasn’t been any contact from Sonia, it seems like everything is on schedule without any issues.
“I’ll head back to the dorm, get ready, and then wait in front of the south gate.” (Lux)
When I told her that, Sonia replied with a simple, “Okay”.
—
For the first time in a long while, or perhaps for the first time ever, I was going to part with my beloved rifle (Counter) for an extended period. It wouldn’t be right to bring my rifle (Counter) along on this trip, so I decided to leave it with the dorm mother.
The dorm mother was quite accustomed to this, so she took my rifle (Counter) to a storage room that I could only access through her room and with a key to the entrance. Additionally, the locker where my rifle (Counter) was stored also has a lock, and I kept the key with me. No one could access it until I got back. It was a very secure setup.
After thanking the dorm mother, I headed to the dorm entrance where, besides Heinz, Ratt-kun and Frank were also there to see me off.
“Well then, I hope you both have a great time after the holidays.” (Lux)
We exchanged those farewells, and Heinz and I made our way to the south gate of the academy. When we arrived at the south gate, Sonia wasn’t there yet. We passed the time while waiting. Leaning against the wall next to the gate, I absentmindedly watched the clouds drift by as several cheerful voices passed us, and they were people who were carrying their luggage.
“The academy’s Seven Mysteries, you know…” (Heinz)
Heinz muttered as if talking to himself.
“The Seven Mysteries?” (Lux)
It seemed that Heinz had been quietly gathering information about the Seven Mysteries.
“Yeah. The third of the Seven Mysteries. I heard something a bit interesting.” (Heinz)
“Oh? What kind of story?” (Lux)
“You know the lake in the practical training area, right?” (Heinz)
There was an artificial lake in the practical training area, a remnant from when this place used to be a noble estate.
“Yeah, I know it.” (Lux)
“Well, it seems like something happens when there’s a heavy rain.” (Heinz)
“Something? Like what?” (Lux)
“Who knows? You won’t find out until it rains.” (Heinz)
“When there’s a heavy rain, it’s dangerous to go near the water. I wouldn’t recommend it.” (Lux)
“Yeah, they say the same thing back in my hometown. Do not to go near the water during a downpour.” (Heinz)
I’m glad Heinz didn’t insist on going to check it out.
“Maybe we’ll figure something out even on a sunny day. How about we check it out when we get back?” (Lux)
“Yeah, let’s do that.” (Heinz)
As we continued chatting, Sonia came running up to us.
“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?” (Sonia)
“Not really. Shall we go?” (Heinz)
We then met up with Noris at Rita-san’s house and headed toward Maria’s place.
“…It’s huge.” (Sonia)
That was our reaction when we saw Maria’s temporary residence in Rodon City. A grand gate, a spacious garden, and an elegant building.
Nobles really live in a different world.
Hana was waiting in front of the gate, looking a bit lost.
“Hana, have you been waiting long?” (Heinz)
Heinz called out to her.
“I just got here as well, degozaru.” (Hana)
She replied.
“You could’ve met up with Maria first.”(Lux)
I said.
“It took a bit of courage to enter this house alone…”
She admitted.
I can understand why.
With everyone gathered, we rang the bell at Maria’s house. It was answered by her butler, Sebas.
Despite us being children, he politely invited us into the house and said, “Please wait a moment in the drawing room while the young lady finishes her preparations”, before serving us tea.
As we were unsure where to sit, Heinz, spotting the sweets, took the lead and plopped down on the sofa, prompting the rest of us to find our seats as well. While enjoying the sweets and tea, Maria appeared.
“Thanks for waiting! The carriage is here, so let’s get going! Did anyone forget anything? Hand your luggage to Sebas!” (Maria)
Clearly excited for the trip back home, Maria was a bit more energetic than usual. Following her instructions, we all trailed behind her.
—
Three carriages were lined up in front of the gate. We climbed into one, where soft leather sofas greeted us. There was even a table in the center of the carriage, stocked with snacks.
While we would mainly stay in inns along the way, the carriage was equipped so we could sleep inside if anything unexpected happened. As we eagerly explored the luxurious interior of the carriage, we heard a horse neigh, and the carriage began to move slowly.
Our summer vacation had begun.
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