Chapter 10: Welcome Party

“Hmm, what should I do? I’ve never worn these kinds of dress before.” Folia stood in front of the dresses, unsure which to choose. There were more than 10 dresses, so it was natural for her to be at a loss.

“You can choose the one you like. I’ll help dress you up,” Raze said while putting on a light blue dress, the one that was gifted by her subordinates.

“Wow! Razé-chan, you look great!” Folia saw her and immediately gave a praise.

Checking her appearance through the mirror inside the closet, Razé smilingly said, “Thank you.” She rarely got to wear a dress, so she was genuinely happy to be complimented on it.

Razé: “Folia, hurry up and choose your dress. There’s not much time left.”

Folia: “Un!”

Folia chose a green dress that matched her eye color. The dress had an elegant design with wide sleeves, making Folia looked so lovely that she could be mistaken for a woodland fairy.

Razé used to work in the Military Intelligence Department, so she knew how to use makeup for disguise. She utilized those skills to braid Folia’s hair into half updo and applied makeup on her face. Since they need to put on the flower corsage somewhere, she pinned it to Folia’s hair.

Razé: “Perfect. So cute.”

Folia: “Wow! Razé-chan, sugoi[1]! Thank you!”

It’s all thanks to my experience in the Military Intelligence Department. Seeing the way Folia looked, it was the first time that Razé felt she wanted to praise herself for joining the Military Intelligence Department. She was not good at dressing herself up, so she indifferently adjusted her appearance and then they left for the party.

* * *

“Wow!” The main hall, which was full with rows of chairs during the entrance ceremony earlier, had been transformed into a party venue. The students dressed up for the occasion could be seen standing here and there, talking happily with each other.

Perhaps everything looked new to her, Folia’s eyes were shining brightly. Raze saw her reaction and shrugged her shoulder a little. This girl… she’s so vulnerable.

On their way to the hall, there were many boys glancing at Folia. Razé’s experience in the military had improved her five senses, or even six senses. She could easily decipher what those glances mean, and it was painful to watch. Those boys were keeping their distance because they were not sure about Folia’s background. But what would happen if they find out that she was a commoner? Folia was to be blamed too. She was like a young and pure saint, someone who didn’t know how to refuse, and it was making Razé worried.

“Ah, Carna-sama!” Folia saw Carna and waved her hand vigorously. Seeing her reaction, Carna widened her eyes and walked over in a haste.

Carna: “Folia-san, a lady should not wave her hand like that. It is improper.”

Folia: “So- Sorry. I got excited seeing you.”

Carna let out a sigh after seeing the downhearted look on her face.

Carna: “Anyway, you look good in this dress. And your hair too. I’m surprised.”

Folia raised her head cheerfully after hearing those words. She was a very expressive person. It would not be boring to watch her expression changing from one to another.

Folia: “Razé-chan helped me dressed up. Isn’t she great?”

“You did it?” Carna looked at Razé with widened eyes. “… Hmm, you did it again-”

“Huh?” Razé heard Carna muttering softly and wanted to hear the following words. But she was unable to because suddenly there were sound of fangirls screaming “Kyaa~” throughout the hall.

Folia: “Wh- What happened?”

Razé: “Those ikemen[2] aristocrats must have arrived.”

Carna: “I would think so.”

She couldn’t see it clearly because of the crowd, but Razé was confident without even looking at it. Then, just as she had guessed, Prince Ruben and his sidekick (Claude), together with the Prime Minister’s son, the grandson of the former Knight Captain and Luca Fein Streinge, the son of the Minister of Finance entered the hall walking through rows of girls.

Razé speculated that for the time being she could clear her role as bodyguard by watching over these group of guys, and also Carna and Folia too. Because of her memory of the previous life, she actually didn’t want to rank the students. But since this was a hierarchical society, she needed to set priorities.

As the Prime Minister said before, it was not good if the adult interfered too much as it would not help them mature. Razé also thought that she shouldn’t just help with everything. People might criticize her for overestimating herself because they were all at the same age. But she really was an influential person. She had gone through the wilderness of Baruda, fought against the ferocious and unknown monsters. Her self confidence was not an exaggeration.

Folia: “Oh, the lights-”

Carna: “It’s fine.’

It was as if they were purposely waiting for the prince and his group to enter the hall, the lights suddenly dimmed and the spotlight was focused onto the stage. It was a signal that the welcome party would begin.

“Good evening everyone. I’m the president of the student council, Bill Meth Gordon. First, I would like to congratulate all of you for entering this academy. The enrollment for this year has bigger scale, so the new students are more talented compared to the previous years. We were excited and have been looking forward to meet you all. Today is a commemorable day, the first day of your school life. With a mindset of a Centrior’s student, make sure to enrich your days in the future. We sincerely welcome you. Let’s have fun tonight.”

Once Bill finished his speech, the senior students started handing out goblets to the new students standing nearby. The slim goblet that shines in silver looked expensive.

“Here you are.”

“Th- Thank you.” Folia hunched her shoulder and took the silvery goblet. Razé was quietly keeping an eye out in a different direction by herself. She was looking at a rectangular table with round white tablecloths and covered with rows of food. Ever since she entered the hall, the good smell had stimulated her appetite.

Razé: “I’m very hungry so I’ll be at the buffet table right after this.”

Folia: “Huh?”

Razé spoke what she had been thinking. She was fascinated by the food on the table. She was a decent elite soldier and earned good money, but she felt awkward to enter a restaurant alone with her appearance. Besides, she had to avoid attention and keep a low profile because sometimes she had to get involved in spying activities. Therefore, she rarely had a chance to eat at a high-end restaurant. So now, she couldn’t stop looking at the foods on the table.

The party was held for the students to get to know each other, but Razé couldn’t afford to worry about that. There are precious preys right in front of me, rarer than S-class monster. If I don’t eat it, how can I say I’m a soldier? I couldn’t. (?) My dear comrades, I will eat these preys on behalf of you guys…

Her left hand held a goblet. Her right hand held forks and plate, not sure when it got there. She casted a glance and confirmed the location of the preys. She locked on it. In case of emergency, she prepared escape route ABC. The preparation was completed. Now she only had to wait for the signal to start the battle …

“A toast to the guidance of Heavens.” Clink. The soft sound of the elegant silver goblets colliding vividly echoed in Razé’s mind.

Razé: “See you later!”

Folia: “Ra- Razé-chan?!”

She left the flustered Folia to Carna, and walked over to the buffet table as if she was drawn by it. The fact that she was a commoner and was nowhere near as good as the aristocrats will soon be revealed. She didn’t care much about other people reaction and chose to move forward. She was a professional spy. She acted nonchalantly, and gracefully piled up food onto her plate.

From today onward, she would enjoy the freedom and safety of this school as a student. If she held back from the beginning, her future would be tough. As a commoner who crave to learn and entered this academy, she should be more brazen. Well, that didn’t mean that she was going to treat them in a rude manner. Razé had no plans to forget her loyalty as a soldier. Of course, it was for her own future.

“This is so nice…” Raze looked at the food that she had managed to collect in fascination as she stood by the wall to avoid getting in other people’s way. She poked the tender meat with a fork and put it in her mouth. “Wow.”

If I stay here, I can eat such a tender meat, bread, fresh vegetables and even desserts… I must make sure not to cause any trouble and get myself expelled from the school. Razé ate her food happily. She stood alone by the wall in a party. She might seem like a pitiful person that nobody cared, but her aura of happiness was blossoming.

Folia: “Oh, Razé-chan. You are here?”

After she had eaten most of the dishes on her plate, Folia and Carna came to her side. Razé looked at Folia with widened eyes. In just a short time, she seemed to be so tired.

Razé: “What happened? Did you get sick surrounded in a crowd?”

Folia: “No. Because I said that I know healing magic, lots of people came to talk to me… I was a little surprised.”

Carna: “It can’t be helped at first. You’ll get used to it. But you have to learn to end a conversation and avoid forcing yourself.”

Folia: “Yes… Thankfully you were there, Carna-sama.”

Folia was a cute girl and her specialty was rare, so it was only natural that she would draw attention. Carna seemed to be accustomed to this kind of place, but she was the daughter of the Foreign Minister. The number of people that she had to interact with were much more than normal people. It must have been tough on her. It’s hard being an aristocrats, Razé thought to herself while stuffing potatoes into her mouth.

Folia and Carna also took a break and decided to hang out with Raze by the wall and had something to eat.

“Is that enough?” Razé rounded her eyes when she saw the two girls only had few dishes on their plate. It was less than half of the amount she ate.

Carna: “I’m refraining from eating too much because my face get fat fast.”

Folia: “This is the usual amount I ate when I was in the church.”

Razé: “I see…”

Razé felt shock like she had been hit in the head. ——Maybe my pursue for luxury was too much… If I eat too much here and become fat like a pig, it could hinder my mission. Aargh. This is as harsh as an interrogation training.

After distressing for a while, she decided to not eat another dessert.

[1] sugoi: A very commonly used word, it is a compliment that mean ‘you’re so great’ or ‘awesome’. ↩

[2] ikemen: Japanese slang meaning good looking guy. ↩