Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Princess's Abilities - Part 1

There were two types of tests: written exams and practical exams, and the homeroom teacher said that the written exams would be conducted in the morning.

Perhaps due to being in a different world, there were significantly fewer subjects to study compared to my previous life, which allowed plenty of time for the tests.

Glancing discreetly at the princess's answer sheet so as not to be too intrusive, I noticed that she was solving the questions effortlessly, and I thought to myself that she was really intelligent, just like the game's setting.

The princess continued to solve the questions smoothly, using the remaining time wisely to review her answers multiple times. She was taking the test seriously.

"To be honest, my impression of the princess has changed."

As we finished the first test and entered the break time, I told the princess so.

Honestly, watching the princess in this world, I had doubts if the setting in that game was merely an afterthought.

In the game, I had never seen the princess studying.

On the contrary, I had a strong impression of her being a tomboyish princess who caused various incidents because she wanted to go outside.

But seeing today's princess, my image of her changed completely.

"Oh, why is that?"

"Because I honestly didn't expect you to take the test so seriously."

"Well, I suppose it's understandable to say that..."

"Considering how you usually are."

Having already spent several days living in the royal castle, I had experienced the princess's unreasonable demands a few times.

Perhaps that was the reason why my image of her was strongly associated with the "tomboyish princess" from when I played the game.

"Are you being rude by saying 'how I usually am'? Even as a member of the royal family, I fulfill my duties properly before enjoying my freedom, you know?"

"Even so, you know... Hey, Kuro, don't you think the same?"

"Well, I was also surprised, just like Jun-kun, to see how capable the princess is at studying."

Kuro also seemed to have not expected the princess to be good at studying, and when she honestly expressed her surprise, the princess's expression stiffened.

"You guys are quite honest, huh... Well, studying is for the sake of 'freedom.' If I can't do it, they'll make me have a private tutor, and that's bothersome."

"I see. So, you put effort into studying for the sake of being able to act freely."

There was a time when I said that I didn't need to study for a while, but my kind fathers always forced a private tutor on me and made me study against my will. Through that experience, I realized that it's better to earnestly apply myself to my studies for my own sake."

Learned from Failure.

"Princess," she said, and then it was time for the next test, so we fell silent again and quietly waited for the test to end.

Afterward, all the written tests were finished, and it was time for the lunch break.

The usual lunch at the academy is to eat at the school cafeteria, at least that's what I heard from the princess.

Though they could bring their own bento or even have a cook come to the academy to prepare lunch, it seems most students prefer to eat at the cafeteria to avoid the hassle.

"By the way, I heard from the soldiers that the school cafeteria has skilled cooks. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is. That's one of the reasons why I didn't bother making any special arrangements. If it had been terrible, I might have considered it, though."

With that said, the princess led us into the dining hall reserved for the royal family and top nobles.

It would be absurd for us to eat in the same place as everyone else, so this seems like the appropriate treatment.

The academy has many students, and even commoners can attend if they have the intellect and talent. It must be the academy's policy to keep nobility separated, even if only to some extent.

"Princess, it's been a while."

As we sat down, a female student appeared and greeted the princess.

...She must be the same year as the princess, but I've never seen her in the game before.

"Tiana, it's been a while. When did you come back here?"

"Just two days ago. My grandfather kept me until the last minute, so I was worried about making it to the academy on time. Um, are these the new guards for the princess?"

"Yes, that's right. The boy is Jun, and the girl is Kuro."

I, along with Kuro, were introduced by the princess, and we greeted the female student with a "Nice to meet you."

Given the context so far, I wondered if this person was a friend of the princess? As I thought about that, the female student smiled faintly.

"Nice to meet you, I am Tiana von Norfen. My father and grandfather are somewhat famous, but as one of the princess's guards, I'd be happy if you could treat me casually."

"...!"

For a moment, upon hearing the female student's name, I was surprised and barely managed to suppress the urge to scream.

The Norfen family, in the game, didn't play a major role, but they had some fairly remarkable characters in the setting.

The representative figure being the current head of the Norfen Ducal family.

A person highly skilled in magic, considered to be among the top five in the world. In addition to all elemental magics, they were one of the few who could use the rare attribute magic, "Spatial Magic."

Currently serving as the head of the Kingdom's Mage Corps, this person was trusted by the royal family to accompany the king on his visits to other countries.

Tiana, the daughter of this remarkable figure, didn't have much activity in the story, but she had achieved incredible accomplishments in the setting.

Since she didn't even appear in the game, I had no idea what kind of person she was, but standing next to the princess, I thought she was incredibly beautiful.

"Princess, if my memory serves me right, is she Lady Leon's daughter?"

"That's right. She's the beloved daughter of the kingdom's strongest mage. Moreover, she's the granddaughter of the former Mage Corps Commander, Lord Levin. If anyone looks at her the wrong way, she might turn them into charcoal."

"I absolutely won't look at her in that way. I still want to live in peace..."

In response to the princess's warning, I answered while trembling.

"Hime-sama, you shouldn't scare off your newly appointed guard."

"I didn't mean it that way. After all, he's the boy who bothered you. He's not at the academy anymore, and that would trouble me."

"That guy did go too far..."

Upon hearing the princess's words, Tiana looked downhearted.

"Princess, you can be quite cruel to make your friends sad."

"Ugh, Jun. Whose guard are you?"

While being glared at by the princess, I spoke, but she seemed to have realized she said something cruel and apologized to Tiana, who looked sad.