Doggone Academy

Liria?

She just watched me, as if protesting in silence.

At that moment, a curtain came down on the stage, signaling the end of a segment of the drama and transitioning to the next scene.

I tried to engage her in light conversation to ease her mood.

Have you ever seen a play before, Liria?

After closing her lips tightly for a while, Liria finally spoke as if she couldnt help it.

No.

How do you find it after watching? You seemed quite engrossed.

Its interesting a lot.

Her expression was complicated, as if she was frustrated that she found it very interesting. Perhaps because it was Trisha who brought us here, it bothered her.

On stage, someone sweeps the curtain aside. A woman with a dull complexion, wearing glasses, with her long hair sloppily pinned up, squats in front of the stage.

Then she points towards us and gestures for us to come closer.

Upon this, Trisha stood up and said,

The drama senior is calling. Keep watching! Ill be back soon.

As soon as Trisha left, Liria seemed more at ease. Liria was noticeably uncomfortable around Trisha.

The curtain lifted again, and the rehearsal resumed.

And Trisha did not return until the entire session concluded.

***

The stage emptied, and the audience seats gradually cleared.

Liria and I remained seated, waiting for Trisha, but she did not show up.

Liria was seemingly fatigued from waiting and began to nod off.

Liria.

Ah, yes!

She was jolted awake by my call, her eyes widening in surprise.

She must be really tired. Its about time to leave.

Wheres the carriage?

Its at the main gate. Being an outsider, Im not allowed to drive it into the premises

Next time, come in a carriage with Eternias emblem on it.

Yes!

And

I took off the necklace that could detect the presence of the dark mage and placed it in Lirias hands.

Wear this until I ask for it back.

Liria was shocked to see the necklace and held her breath for a moment.

Damian, this is

Just remember. If this necklace vibrates, take refuge at the professors house and send the Stitch to me. Oh, and for a while, dont leave the professors residence. Leave the grocery shopping to the servants.

Liria did not question the reasons but nodded vigorously.

Understood!

I couldnt stay with Liria all day to watch over her, and that sent a chill through my heart.

Shall we put it on now?

Yes.

Liria immediately grabbed the chain and attempted to fasten it at the back of her neck, but struggled as her hair kept getting caught in the clasp.

Damian

She then looked at me with a face that said she needed help.

Hand it over.

Her face bloomed into a smile she forcibly suppressed, then brightly responded,

Yes!

She handed me back the necklace, then arranged her hair with both hands and lifted it just enough.

I took hold of the necklace chain and reached out to Liria. She turned slightly, and I nearly embraced her as I worked to fasten the necklace.

It felt like a familiar situation.

As soon as the clasp clicked shut, a voice suddenly rang out from the stage.

What are you two doing?

It was Trishas voice. I worried about any misunderstanding and swiftly stepped back to my original position.

From the stage, Trisha came bounding down. Then she slumped at the edge of the stage, peering down at us. Luckily, it seemed she had not witnessed the scene.

I cleared my throat nonchalantly and said,

Ive been waiting for you. But since its getting late, its about time we leave.

Did you wait long? Then we should send off the maid now.

No, Im planning to go with Liria.

It was my intention to return to Silveryns residence. It felt wrong to send Liria back alone, and I needed to review Zverevs notes, which were evidence of his being used by the dark mage, at Silveryns residence.

Trisha tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Where are you going with the maid? Youre supposed to be with me!

I shook my head.

Im not going back to the dormitory; Im returning to the professors residence. I have some personal matters to attend to.

Trishas expression stiffened slightly. Without letting it show too much, she glanced at Liria before speaking.

Youre planning to hang out with her without me? Id be lonely by myself.

Well, you have Cecil and other friends at Witthrush Hall.

Cecil is always busy, and I decided to take a break from that group. One of her cousins kept pestering me. Im alone now. The drama club is over.

I want to go, too.

What do you mean?

I want to go, too.

You should be at the dormitory

When you were laid up, I got permission, too. It is Silveryns residence, right? The original home of the founding headmaster, so its said to be even safer than the dormitory. And its not far. They told me its fine if I just commute with you.

Trisha swayed her crossed feet and smiled at me.

So I want to go, too.

Why is she so stubborn? Its a bit surprising, but its not exactly impractical. If the school really did grant her permission as she claimed.

While I organized my thoughts, Liria gripped my shoulder tightly and tugged. She then appealed to me with an imploring gaze.

Damian, please

She was silently pleading, dont take her with us.

***

The sun had slanted, casting the sky in myriad hues. The carriage was passing along the golden Eternian riverside.

Despite Lirias discontent, Trisha had ended up accompanying us to the residence. I had visited Professor Ella to verify whether Trisha was lying, and after getting the confirmation that it wasnt a lie, I found myself unable to refuse Trishas request.

Lirias expression had been gloomy for a while, but now seemingly worn out by the days events, she leaned against the side of the carriage, half-asleep. Meanwhile, Trisha, sitting next to me, was carefree and absorbed in the view outside the carriage window.

Trisha let out a sigh in admiration.

Its really beautiful

Its as if youre seeing it for the first time.

Ive seen it a few times, but I could count them on one hand. I mostly passed through here in carriages without windows.

Carriages without windows. What could her true identity entail to have been treated that way? Even prisoners being transported are allowed to see outside through barred windows.

Whenever you or others want, you get to enjoy such views and go out on picnics or excursions, right?

Her voice carried a faint tinge of envy and loneliness. Seeing that, I somewhat understood why she insisted on coming with us.

The sunset poured into the carriage, basking the interior with a golden glow.

Sunsets can drag people into contemplation. Trisha seemed to be tinged by that very sentiment.

No matter how wonderful something is, if you see it every day, you become immune to it. I prefer to see it occasionally, just like now.

Will I ever come to take such a view for granted as my everyday scenery?

She speaks as though she hasnt many days left to live, despite being so young.

Im no position to feel sympathy for Trisha. Once Silveryn returns, my free time will come to an end.

We dont have to worry until the sun completely sets. Just enjoy the moment.

That was a reminder to myself as well. For now, I decided to forget about the dark mage, Zverev, Luna, and to leave my concerns about Silveryn as is.

Trisha gazed at me intently for a while, lost in thought.

Whats on your mind?

Nothing.

Trisha turned her head back out the window.

Then, she seemed to spot something strange along the riverside and fixed her gaze on it.

What is that?

She pinched my forearm as if to tell me to look as well.

Hmm?

Over there, on the sandbank is that creature a fantasia?

I turned my gaze toward the window too.

Just as Trisha had said, there was a single white horse on the riverside, quenching its thirst. Its silver mane shimmered in the light of the setting sun, and it had a horn protruding from its forehead.

It clearly differed from a regular wild horse in its bearing.

Now that I think of it, Silveryn had mentioned that griffins, pegasuses, and unicorns come down here.

Its definitely not an ordinary horse

Isnt it a pegasus?

Trisha knocked on the coachman seat with her fist. The carriage came to a halt, and seizing what seemed the perfect opportunity, she exclaimed,

Lets go. They say all fantasia creatures that come to Eternia are friendly! I want to see it. I want to see it!

She tried to bolt out of the carriage door, but I grasped her wrist to restrain her.

We dont know what it is, so lets go slowly!

To my surprise, Trisha grabbed my hand in return and pulled me out of the carriage.

Youre coming with me!

I was almost dragged out, given her inexplicable strength despite her slender frame.

Ah, Damian!

As I was being pulled out, Liria too exited the carriage in haste.

Trisha led by holding my hand in front, and Liria followed, clutching the sleeve of my clothing from behind. In such a formation, we crossed the golden sandbank.

Her innocent excitement somewhat triggered my nostalgia, and I found myself unable to resist.

As we reached the end of the wide sandbank, only about ten paces from the mystical beast, Trisha came to a halt. She carefully observed the creature and then said,

Its a pegasus, right?

It doesnt have wings, so its not a pegasus but since it has a horn, it must be a unicorn.

Really? What do unicorns like?

I dont know.

I had no knowledge about fantasias. I turned to Liria and asked her,

Do you know anything, Liria?

I dont know much but Ive heard about research on unicorns

What did they find?

Theres an old wives tale that unicorns are fond of young maidens. Because of that, some alchemists received patronage from noblewomen to research the connection between unicorns and youth potions But once the results came out, the patrons filed complaints, and the research data was discarded.

Why?

Im not sure, but I heard that research which doesnt promise money often ends up that way.

Confident in her approach, Trisha said,

Apparently, they dont like men. Damian, stay here. Ill try.

Releasing the hand she held with mine, Trisha moved forward. She whistled to catch the unicorns attention.

The unicorn, which had been drinking from the river, glanced sideways at Trisha.

She reached out her hand and slowly closed the distance step by step. The unicorn, showing interest in Trisha, stretched its neck out towards her.

After sniffing Trishas hand, the unicorn seemed to let its guard down and began to nuzzle against her body.

See, it worked!

Trisha hugged the unicorns neck, happily stroking its soft fur.

The fur is so soft. Oh, its cute!

I had been ready to act if the creature showed the slightest sign of aggression, but thankfully everything seemed to go smoothly.

Liria, who had been watching quietly, became curious and slowly approached the unicorn, squatting down. Without realizing it, she let out an exclamation of wonder.

Wow

When Liria extended her palm, the unicorn, unbothered, licked between her fingers.

Eek!

Startled, she scampered back to hide behind me.

Trisha, hearing the scream, turned her head our way and looked at Liria with mild displeasure.

Then, as if something suddenly occurred to her, she spoke up.

Oh right. Did you know? Two weeks from now, we have our first common class on fantasias.

Really? You seem to have heard something about it.

Yeah, they call animals with magical abilities fantasias, and if such an animal lives long enough, its said they can become local deities or high-level spirits. Thats why its advantageous to have spirit-handling ability. A drama club senior told me that.

Wait, spirits? If Trishas right and its really related to spiritism, that could be quite troubling. My compatibility with spirits is not good.

So the spiritists were all excited. Damian, do you know how to handle spirits?

I replied with a somewhat resigned tone.

Ive made a contract, but not yet. Had I known, I would have focused more on intensive training.

No, even with continuous dedicated training, I doubt I would have made any significant progress.

Lucky for you. I wish I could handle spirits too. How do you train for spiritism?

The professor says to just feel and enjoy nature. If only it were as simple as it sounds.

Trishas expression betrayed her confusion as well.

The unicorn, having had its fun, now moved away from Trisha toward the waters edge.

Where are you going!

She followed in mild distress, discarding her shoes swiftly to wade into the water after the unicorn.

The unicorn dipped its head towards Trisha as a farewell gesture, then started gaining speed.

Like magic, it galloped over the waters surface, its elegant movements cutting across the river to disappear into the forest on the opposite bank.

Surprised by the unforeseen magical ability, the three of us could only gaze blankly as the creature vanished.

Trisha looked in the direction the unicorn had disappeared and said,

It really isnt a common animal

Seeming regretful, she splashed aimlessly in the water reaching up to her calves.

Lets go. Its getting late.

Just a second.

Trisha bent down to scrutinize the riverbed and said,

Huh? Come here. Has it left something behind?

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