I’m an Ordinary Returning Student at the Academy

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

Chapter 166

As Karl left the southern Empire with the new holy relic, heading to another destination,

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Mother!”

Eloise was having tea with none other than Countess Ceylon.

The relationship between these two was quite peculiar.

One was a former member of the Elven Special Forces, and the other was a former Imperial secret agent who had literally ‘dismantled’ elves.

Although they hadn’t clashed directly, due to the nature of their professions, they couldn’t be unaware of each other.

It was fortunate that Eloise had never targeted humans.

If they had been in a position to kill each other, the situation would have been even more awkward.

“Aren’t you scared of me?”

The countess had even asked that directly when they first met.

It was a story, half-rumored, half-true, among the family’s servants that she had given Friedrich an elf’s head as a gift when they were dating.

“Not at all! Why would I be scared of Karl’s mother?!”

Of course, for Eloise, who preferred humans over her own kind, there was no reason to be afraid.

Instead, her goal was to score points here, widen the gap with other women, and conversely, narrow the distance with Selena.

‘According to the information I’ve gathered, Karl cherishes his family. Especially his sister, Rikata, who he’s very close to. And Rikata is said to be the spitting image of their mother…’

In other words, winning over the countess would naturally bring her closer to Karl.

Besides, isn’t it said that a wife should win over her in-laws to have a comfortable future?

‘This is the right thing to do for our future child.’

Eloise was well aware of her biggest weakness.

Race.

Yes, that’s the problem, being an elf. Karl had been hurt too much by those damn Kanfras.

And that pain likely extended to his parents, the count and countess.

Honestly, what parent would like the people who hurt their child?

Even Eloise would chase down and kill anyone who hurt her future child.

Anyway, there were two ways to overcome this weakness.

One was to win Karl’s heart, and the other was to make everyone around Karl accept her.

So, it made sense to start by winning over the countess, who had fought the most with the elves.

If she could overcome the most difficult mountain, the rest would naturally follow!

“I could pour the tea for you, Mother.”

“No, dear. If you’ve fought alongside Karl even once, you’re a friend of our family. It’s no trouble at all to pour tea for a friend.”

‘Thank goodness.‘

She was truly grateful that she had been on that train. If she hadn’t, it might have been difficult to score points like this.

“And you also served alongside the Crown Princess on a mission.”

“That’s right. Although she wasn’t such an esteemed person back then.”

“Surely, you’ll keep what you saw of our Crown Princess back then to yourself, won’t you?”

‘Ah, that.‘

Eloise smiled brightly and decided to answer tactfully.

Saying ‘Yes, I understand’ or ‘I’ll forget it’ was not the best answer.

An ordinary person might have answered that way. But she was a woman who had been in the special forces.

“Oh my? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mother. What did I see?”

“…Fufufu.”

‘Ehehehehe! Mother is laughing with satisfaction! Yes! I scored another point! See that, Lav!? This is what a prepared daughter-in-law is like. Huh?! Don’t you dare mess with me!’

Inwardly chuckling, Eloise continued to chat enthusiastically with the countess.

* * *

“…Hmm.”

“Lady Lavrenti? Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. I was just lost in thought for a moment. Please continue.”

Meanwhile, Lavrenti was touring the territory under the guidance of the Friedrich County’s servants.

On the surface, it seemed like she was simply a guest, wandering around out of curiosity.

However, her sharp senses as a skilled sharpshooter and survivalist were working overtime.

‘Winning favor is important, but it’s also crucial to know what kind of place this is. Preliminary reconnaissance in enemy territory is essential, Eloise.’

To be precise, it wasn’t quite accurate to call it enemy territory, but with rivals present, she’d let it slide for now.

Even if she could somehow handle Selena, the other two women, one elf and one former princess, were considerable adversaries in Lavrenti’s eyes.

And so, Lavrenti spent her mornings with the count and countess, and her afternoons touring the territory, meticulously preparing for the future.

“It seems that section of the canal will need repairs this year.”

“Ah, we were actually planning to start the repairs this year. How did you know?”

“Perhaps it’s because I’m a commoner that such things catch my eye. I apologize if my comment was presumptuous and caused any offense.”

There were commoners among the count’s servants.

However, in that situation, where they were guiding a guest, everyone present had been granted a title by the count.

If a mere commoner acted too presumptuously in front of them, it could be offensive. So when Lavrenti apologized, the servants waved their hands in unison.

“Please, don’t say that. You are a guest of the Adelheit family and the young master’s guest. And besides that, you’ve fought for the Empire.”

“We all serve those who have fought for the Empire. How could we treat Lady Lavrenti, who is similar to them, as a lowly commoner?”

They say that a family’s servants naturally resemble their master.

And who was Count Friedrich? A noble who silently devoted himself to his duty.

He was a man who had repeatedly declined promotions and even a discussion of elevation to a higher title, despite his numerous achievements.

Honor over power.

Duty over privilege.

Not what he could receive, but what he could do.

The Countess held the same values, as did his eldest daughter, Rikata.

And now, Karl, the heir, prioritized these values above all else.

Therefore, the servants also held honor in high regard and valued duty.

In that sense, it was unthinkable to mistreat Lavrenti, a hero who had bravely fought on the battlefield, fulfilling her duty to defend the Empire.

“On the contrary, we are grateful for the opportunity to serve another hero of the Empire.”

“Please, don’t say that. In front of my master, I’m just a sharpshooter.”

“Master, you say?”

The servants looked at each other, slightly bewildered.

Observing their reactions, Lavrenti thought to herself, ‘Good, just as planned,’ while feigning ignorance on the surface.

“Ah, I haven’t explained, have I? Actually, Karl Adelheit, the heir of this county, is my master. He taught me many things when we were on the front lines, including marksmanship, which is how I became a sharpshooter.”

“Oh!”

“I’ve never heard that before!”

“Is that so?”

While the other servants were impressed, the head butler alone seemed a bit flustered.

It was understandable.

Unlike the others, he knew Karl’s peculiar secret.

‘The young master’s shooting skills are so bad that anyone would… Sigh.’

How could Karl, with such skills, have taught Lavrenti to become the Empire’s best sharpshooter?

The head butler muttered to himself that this was the greatest mystery of all time as he followed Lavrenti.

* * *

“Hahaha. That sounds like Karl. That rascal, pretending to be uninterested while charming all these beautiful women.”

“Th-that’s not true! Count! Karl is just—”

“I’m just kidding. Don’t take it too seriously, Princess… ahem, Lady Lefia.”

When Count Friedrich first met Lefia, he was secretly worried.

Even though it was an unavoidable and unique situation of war, it was the count himself who had destroyed Lefia’s maternal family.

Few people died, but their influence had greatly diminished. They almost collapsed right after the war.

Lefia was now face to face with that monster, the Baba Yaga they spoke of.

And she wasn’t just meeting him and leaving, she had come to stay as a guest in the monster’s home.

The reason was Karl, but he would be gone for a month, leaving her to face his parents.

Count Friedrich was worried that Lefia might be uncomfortable, but…

“Both my grandfather and uncles, though they met Baba Yaga as enemies, remember him as a fellow warrior. They said all those who crossed swords with him were honorable knights, and they would like to share a drink and a laugh with him someday.”

She was forgiving, and although not entirely fearless, she had the courage to overcome it.

As a woman of Lasker, she certainly had backbone.

By their standards, she might be considered delicate, but from this side, she was more than enough.

Thanks to her, the count was able to talk about the past without much worry.

Beside him, Lefia responded with smiles and appropriate interjections.

“So, Lady Lefia.”

“Yes, Count?”

“How much do you like my son?”

“…Eh?”

“If you didn’t, there would be no reason for you to come to our house, would there?”

Was the question too direct? Lefia, momentarily unable to process the conversation, let out a confused sound.

Then, finally regaining her composure, she asked if she had heard him correctly.

“C-Count, I’m so sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment—”

“You heard correctly, Lady Lefia. Do you like my son?”

“Th-that…”

“For your information, there’s already the daughter of the Marquis of Nafplion by his side, and there are others as well. I’m asking if you’re truly okay with that.”

That was Count Friedrich’s way of looking out for her. Lefia knew that.

So, after a brief moment of contemplation, she lowered her head and nodded slightly.

“Hahaha!”

“P-Please don’t laugh, Count! Hmph!”

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

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