Doggone Academy

Chapter 30 The Social Gathering

The next morning, Silveryn and I stood at the front door of the mansion to bid farewell to Erzebet and the examiners.

We remained there until their carriage became a small dot in the distance, disappearing from our view.

Silveryn spoke.

“I heard you gave Erzebet a gift?”

“Yes. I followed your advice and gave her the candies. She seemed quite pleased with them.”

“Good job.”

Silveryn hesitated briefly before continuing.

“…And you gave that little alchemist kid a gift, too.”

“Yes, and thanks to her, I received an interesting candy recipe. Fortunately, things managed to work out well.”

The candy recipe turned into a kind of snowball effect, leading to an artifact.

I’m not sure what curses that artifact may block, nor do I understand its impact, but simply knowing a legendary magician gave it to me felt reassuring.

However, Silveryn has been silent since my response. Is there a problem?

Her facial expression seems the same as usual, but I can sense a subtle difference in the atmosphere.

It’s a strange, indescribable aura.

Thinking about it, she’s again without her usual jewelry today. Has there been some change in her sentiments?

“Master, is something wrong?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You’re not wearing your usual ornaments.”

She crossed her arms and didn’t even meet my eyes as she responded.

“I don’t know.”

Just that answer alone felt uncharacteristically cold for some reason.

Does she not want to talk about it?

Or is it something to do with me?

“……?”

Something is up. Yesterday, she seemed in a good mood, but something overnight seemed to have disturbed Silveryn’s peace of mind.

While I was deep in thought, she broke the silence with new information.

“By the way, we received an invitation from that knightly order’s Master Popper. He’s asking us to attend the social gathering tomorrow.”

Right, there was a social gathering. I had been so focused on the academy that I completely forgot about it.

“We can’t not go, right?”

“Hmm. It would be somewhat troublesome not to show up, considering we have our share of connections. Plus, you already agreed to go, so there’s no helping it.”

That’s right. I had absent-mindedly agreed to attend the social gathering when it was suggested after the ghoul hunt.

“Uh… There won’t be dancing involved, will there?”

If that were the case, I was ready to snap my Achilles tendon right there and then.

“If you don’t want to, they won’t force you. But it might be good to learn in advance. At Eternia, balls are held every semester.”

Eternia… Balls?

And they’re held every semester?

That was a bolt from the blue.

“If you can’t find a partner at those balls, it’s utterly miserable. The label of ‘the fool who couldn’t get a partner’ sticks with you for the entire semester. And just so you know, partners who can’t dance are not popular.”

That’s the most terrifying thing Silveryn has told me so far.

Eternia was suddenly looking quite daunting.

“Why do you sound so serious?”

“Well, experiencing a fall from grace at a ball could turn out to be a valuable lesson.”

“…….”

After saying that, Silveryn turned sharply and walked back into the mansion.

She seemed a little off today.

Liria, who had been observing from beside the maids, crept up to me quietly.

She removed a ring from her finger.

“Um… I’ll keep this ring hidden for a while. It’s not that I don’t like it. I just think it’s better this way….”

After saying that, Liria tucked the ring into her pocket and walked briskly back inside.

The maids shook their heads at me as I stood there dumbfounded.

“…….”

So, it’s because of me?

***

The mansion was busily preparing for various reasons.

The maids had to gather supplies for the long journey to Eternia, and since I wouldn’t be able to use the alchemy lab for a while, I needed to prepare plenty of potions in advance.

In the midst of all that, I made a special request to the butler.

He was taking my measurements for a tailcoat as he looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“You don’t need to go to all this trouble. If you need something, I can just bring it to you.”

“No, it’s really important. Please sell this meteor iron ring and bring me something that fits exactly within the amount earned from it.”

I’ll probably get less than it’s worth since it’s an urgent sale.

Although it was a pity, preparing a gift for Silveryn with Silveryn’s money defied reason. It had to be from my own effort to be meaningful.

“And please keep it a secret from the Master. At least until tomorrow night.”

“Understood.”

After sending off the butler, I let out a sigh.

I had assumed that Silveryn had too many extravagant ornaments for my craftsmanship to be of any need. It seems I was wrong.

I’ll have to distribute my gifts more thoughtfully in the future.

I headed back down to the lab, where Liria was busily crafting griffin potions.

I joined her with the potion work. Since I could not take all six barrels of griffin blood with me, I needed to condense as much as possible into potions.

With all the preparations for our journey to Eternia, the day quickly passed by.

***

The soft sounds of violins and cellos filled the air.

The closer we got to the banquet hall, the clearer the sounds of the gathering became.

Whispers grew louder as people noticed our carriage emblazoned with the Eternia crest.

Unlike me, Silveryn appeared as relaxed as if she were simply going out for a walk in front of our home. It was no surprise, considering she had probably been to such gatherings countless times.

The carriage came to a stop, and with a click, the door opened.

Silveryn alighted first, and I followed. Around us, dozens of old-fashioned carriages were lined up side by side.

The social event was being held at the Knightly Order’s training grounds.

People huddled in groups on the spacious lawn with drinks in hand.

A server who opened our carriage door guided us.

“Master Popper is waiting for you.”

***

This social gathering wasn’t merely about bringing people together to enjoy a banquet.

Strictly speaking, it resembled a send-off ceremony, celebrating the hopes of passing, with Joyce, Felix, and a few other knights as the event’s stars who would be headed to Eternia for the entrance exam.

They were continuously surrounded by a throng of young ladies throughout the event.

The label of a prospective Eternia student whetted the nobility’s greed and vanity.

If these individuals were to become real students of Eternia, they would turn into incredibly valuable connections.

And there was one person everyone was anxiously awaiting.

The biggest catch of this quaint village social.

The reason so many nobles had gathered in this small hamlet.

It was Eternia’s professor Silveryn and her apprentice.

On one side of the bustle, a path cleared and two individuals walked by.

One could recognize them without any mention; their striking features were just as rumored, without any exaggeration needed.

Countess Sinatra’s only daughter and Master Popper’s niece, Nancy, felt indifferent upon hearing Damian was arriving.

Though Popper had offered to arrange a meeting with Damian, she had promptly refused and requested an introduction to someone else instead.

She believed she had already encountered Damian.

The swordsman she met before, wielding a mysterious sword inscribed with runes cutting down ghouls, had a somewhat brute appearance, unlike the rumors.

Having her fantasy shattered, she had quickly declined and was now mingling with someone else.

Joyce already had a match considered for betrothal, and the one she ultimately selected was Felix.

Even though Damian was an apprentice to an academy professor, he was still just an Eternia aspirant, same as anyone else.

She saw greater potential in Felix, the largest and most confident member of the Knightly Order.

Felix tirelessly expounded on why Damian wasn’t anything special, and his theory came across as quite convincing to Nancy.

While she was mingling with Felix at the banquet, Nancy noticed a crowd gathered in one area and felt curious.

At the center, there were two attractive young people walking by, and what caught her eye was a handsome man with brown hair.

Nancy pulled Felix along, squeezing through the crowd to her cousin who was spectating.

“Just who is everyone making a fuss over?”

“The top connection at this social gathering…”

“So who is it?”

“Who else but the archmage Silveryn and her apprentice Damian.”

Damian?

He looked nothing like the man she had seen before.

At that moment, Nancy realized there must have been some misunderstanding.

“…Wait, just a moment!”

Nancy threw down her glass and dashed straight to the VIP room where Popper was.

Felix, clueless about what was happening, could only watch as Nancy rushed away.

***

Entering the VIP room, Popper greeted them with open arms.

He kissed Silveryn’s hand to show his respect and gave Damian a handshake filled with notable vigor.

“Thank you so much for gracing us with your presence all the way from afar.”

Silveryn responded with nonchalance.

“You’re too kind.”

Popper led them to the reception sofa. He sat facing Damian with a contented smile.

After an exchange of small talk, Popper made a discreet cough and called a servant.

“Let them in now.”

Shortly afterward, the doors to the VIP room opened and two young ladies entered.

“I have someone I’d like to introduce to you.”

As they stood next to Popper, the introductions followed.

“This here is my youngest daughter Bologna and my niece Nancy.”

Popper’s daughters curtseyed in greeting.

“It’s a genuine honor to meet both of you, whose reputations precede you from Weisel.”

Silveryn outright ignored the greeting, and Damian acknowledged it with a hesitant face.

Popper said to Damian.

“I’ve heard that balls are also held at Eternia. Along with your swordsmanship, I am very much looking forward to your dancing skills.”

Damian, with an expression of discomfort, replied,

“The only dance I know involves the sword.”

Popper laughed heartily, slapping his thigh.

“Hahaha! Seems you’re no different from the other swordsmen. Back in my youth, I was the same. Fought bravely against beasts, but trembled at the knees in front of a dance floor at balls.”

Popper continued.

“There is a good reason for arranging this seat. Nancy, Bologna, could you teach Damian a few dance steps? Since the grand wizard and I have some urgent matters to discuss, it wouldn’t be proper etiquette to leave our esteemed guest alone.”

Both Bologna and Nancy nodded vigorously.

Damian’s face paled.

As the two led Damian out, Silveryn spoke up.

“You’re being rather blatant here, Popper.”

Popper gazed pensively after them and said,

“In a few years, they’ll be of marriageable age; there’s no harm in them getting to know each other.”

“Well, I think it’s a bit early,” Silveryn retorted.

“Haha, and here I thought you might even meddle in your apprentice’s marriage affairs.”

“There are plenty of chances to meet someone in Eternia, and as you can see, Damian is not someone who needs to worry about missing out. If anything, the problem might be the opposite – he might catch someone too early.”

“I’m aware that Damian has no surname. If he were to gain the backing of a prestigious house, wouldn’t it allow him to stand tall in the ruthless world of Eternia?”

“Aren’t I here to support Damian?”

Realizing his gaffe, Popper coughed awkwardly.

“Ahem, being in a professorial role as you are, you can’t look after everything concerning that young man.”

Popper wasn’t entirely insistent.

Now that they would be in Eternia, the dynamic between them would change to that of professor and student; it was no longer possible to openly care for him as before.

Yet there were many ways in which Damian lacked, and his biggest vulnerability was his status.

His station made him susceptible to political strife, which could leave him crushed without the means to resist.

While Silveryn was present, there was no concern, but the problem would arise when she was absent.

If Damian were to gain noble patronage, it could protect him from political threats.

It was crucial to forge as many alliances as possible in Damian’s favor.

Someone like Popper would be a good start.

He might have been cunning, but at least he wasn’t malevolent.

Silveryn cut to the chase.

“So, what is it that you want?”

Running his hand through his beard, Popper replied,

“Hoho, straight to the point I see. I’ll be direct then. I would like to offer my support to your apprentice on this occasion.”

NOTE: 20 more chapters to catch the previous TL…

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