“Ahhh!”
Wait, was tapping her shoulder really something to scream about?
Unlike Hamil, who was merely surprised, the woman was truly terrified. She collapsed to the ground, wrapping her arms around her head and trembling.
Scratching her cheek, Hamil crouched in front of her.
“Uh… I’m sorry?”
Hamil apologized first. Regardless of the woman’s intent, it was true that she had startled her.
The trembling woman hesitantly looked up at Hamil.
Hamil flashed a bright, harmless smile.
However, the woman quickly averted her gaze to the ground.
“I-I’m s-sorry… I, I, um… P-please… leave… I-I’m scared of… men….”
Hamil tilted her head at the woman’s incoherent words, but upon hearing “men,” she suddenly realized something.
Is she afraid of men?
“My hair may be short, but I’m a woman.”
As Hamil rubbed her short, grass-like hair, the woman cautiously looked up at her again.
But instead of meeting her eyes, her gaze remained fixed on Hamil’s neck.
Realizing this, Hamil leaned back slightly, exposing her neck for the woman to see.
The woman visibly relaxed upon confirming there was no Adam’s apple. Her hands, which had been tightly clutching her head, slowly lowered.
Hamil reached out a hand to her.
“I’m Hamil. What’s your name?”
“I… I’m Lachik…”
As her thin, cold hand touched hers, Hamil grasped it as if shaking hands.
“Nice to meet you. Shall we stand up now?”
While holding her hand, Hamil gently pulled her up. Lachik wobbled but managed to stand.
“Do you live in the Duke’s estate?”
“…Yes.”
“Are you, by any chance, the Duke’s girlfriend?”
Lachik’s face turned pale, and she frantically shook her head.
“N-No! I’m a… m-mage!”
“A mage?”
Hamil thought for a moment before recalling something the secretary, Fred, had mentioned.
“Oh, the Guguma?”
Lachik nodded vigorously.
“That stuff is really delicious, you know?”
Remembering the bread made from Guguma seeds, Hamil smacked her lips.
“…You’ve tried it?”
“Yeah. I thought the purple bread looked interesting, so I gave it a try. It was so good! I even begged the chef for more, but he said they only harvested a test batch this year, so there wasn’t any left.”
Lachik nodded again.
“W-When it gets c-cold again, w-we’ll p-plant it a-again.”
“Right! I heard it’s available in winter. Ugh, I can’t believe I can only eat something that delicious for one season. That’s such a shame!”
Seeing Hamil express her disappointment so dramatically, Lachik’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Y-Your name… is H-Hamil, right?”
Hamil nodded.
“Yes.”
“A-Aren’t you a princess?”
Even though she had been staying inside, that didn’t mean she was completely unaware of what was happening in the Duke’s estate.
Lachik had heard that a wise scholar and a princess from another kingdom were visiting as teachers at the academy. And that princess’s name was Hamil.
She hadn’t realized it earlier when she was startled, but there couldn’t be two people with that name.
However, no matter how she looked at Hamil, she didn’t seem like a princess.
Hamil’s behavior was nothing like the noble ladies Lachik had occasionally encountered while carrying out tasks for the Mage Tower.
“Ah.”
Hamil scratched the back of her head.
“I am a princess, but not that kind of princess.”
“T-That kind of princess?”
As Lachik tilted her head in confusion, Hamil placed a hand on her shoulder and started leading her away.
“This isn’t the place to talk about it. Let’s go to my room. It’s not far from here.”
“Huh?”
Lachik was startled by the sudden suggestion, but Hamil just smiled and kept walking, gently guiding her along.
She didn’t even think to resist. Not that it would have mattered—Hamil wasn’t the type to let go just because someone struggled.
In no time at all, they arrived at Hamil’s room.
“Alright, just sit anywhere, even if it’s a bit messy.”
Hamil spoke casually and left Lachik inside, closing the door behind her.
Lachik blinked as she looked around the room.
Clothes were scattered everywhere.
Crumpled papers and rolling pens littered the floor.
Dried fruit peels lay around, as if someone had been secretly snacking.
Stacks of cups were piled up in one corner.
Rather than a room, it looked more like a garbage dump.
Suddenly, the door swung open again.
“Why aren’t you sitting? Come on, over here.”
Hamil walked in, carrying a tray with a teapot and teacups, likely fetched from a servant.
She kicked some clutter aside with her foot, creating a makeshift path, then tossed the clothes off a chair and onto the bed.
With one swift motion, she swept all the trash off the table and onto the floor, making space for the tray.
“There, sit here.”
Lachik hesitated but eventually sat on the chair where the clothes had just been.
As Hamil poured her some tea, she spoke cheerfully.
“I’m just not very good at cleaning.”
Lachik glanced around the room again.
This isn’t just “bad at cleaning”—this is a disaster.
“…D-Don’t you have m-maids?”
“Nope. My master insists I should be able to do everything myself. So when I live outside, I have to take care of things on my own. Here, drink up.”
Hamil placed the warm teacup in Lachik’s cold hands.
The warmth slowly seeped into her fingers.
“Believe it or not, this is after I cleaned up a bit.”
“…Oh.”
Lachik’s expression made it clear she didn’t believe that at all.
Hamil pouted.
“If you look closely, there’s a system to it. Clothes go here, recyclables go there, and trash goes… well, everywhere.”
She drew three large circles in the air with her hands.
It seemed like she was trying to explain some kind of organization system, but it made no sense at all.
Seeing Lachik’s utterly confused expression, Hamil dramatically slumped her shoulders and sighed.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. I have no idea how to clean.”
“N-No, that’s not—”
Startled by Hamil’s sulking expression, Lachik hurriedly set down her teacup.
“My master always says you have to live in a trash heap to learn your lesson, so he strictly forbade me from hiring a maid. But honestly, I don’t even know where to begin with cleaning.”
“Uh, um…”
“This is actually my best effort at tidying up.”
Lachik’s pupils trembled violently.
This… this is her idea of cleaning?
Mages often became so absorbed in their studies that they neglected cleaning or organizing.
Because of that, the rooms of the mages in the tower were always a mess.
But this was on another level.
This wasn’t just messy—this was an outright landfill.
Hamil glanced at Lachik’s reaction before continuing, pretending to be even more dejected.
“Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to live like this. If I end up getting sick, then—”
“I-I will!”
Lachik suddenly exclaimed in panic.
“Huh?”
“I-I’ll help you…!”
Hamil’s eyes sparkled as she grabbed both of Lachik’s hands.
“Thank you! I never expected to meet such a kind soul today!”
“Uh? Uh?”
Lachik blinked in confusion at the sudden shift in Hamil’s attitude, but before she could process it, Hamil shot up from her seat.
“But I can’t make a guest do all the work! Just give me instructions from over there. I’ll follow them exactly!”
“Uh… so…”
“What should I do first? Huh? Huh?”
Pressed by Hamil’s overwhelming enthusiasm, Lachik instinctively responded.
“O-Open the windows.”
“Yes, ma’am! Opening the windows now!”
Hamil flung the windows open, letting in the fresh spring air, which quickly cleared out the room’s stale atmosphere.
“T-Then… you should start by… cleaning up the trash.”
“Yes, ma’am! Understood!”
Grabbing a trash bin, Hamil swiftly began picking up the garbage scattered across the floor.
She moved so quickly, it was as if she had been preparing for this moment all along.
In no time, the trash bin was filled to the brim.
“What should I do with this?”
“P-Put it outside.”
“Got it!”
Hamil answered cheerfully and placed the trash bin outside the door. Then, following Lachik’s hesitant instructions, she continued cleaning the room.
“All done!”
Lachik blinked.
The room had become spotless in an instant.
If she had helped, it might have made sense. But all she did was sit and give a few directions.
“Lachik?”
“Ah.”
Snapping out of her thoughts, Lachik lowered her head.
Hamil tilted her head, meeting Lachik’s gaze.
“Are you scared of me?”
“Huh? N-No!”
“Then why are you looking down?”
“I-I just… get n-nervous making eye contact with people.”
Hamil grinned widely.
“Hey, but you said I wasn’t scary. So, look up.”
With calloused fingers, she gently lifted Lachik’s face.
“See? I’m a completely harmless, kind, and gentle woman. Sure, I wield two swords and might have swung them at some bad guys before, but I’m still pretty nice.”
To emphasize her innocence, Hamil placed her hands under her chin like a flower and blinked exaggeratedly.
Lachik let out a small giggle.
“You laughed!”
“Ah…”
“Don’t worry, I’m not mad. I’m happy about it.”
Still smiling, Hamil reached into her pocket and extended her fist toward Lachik.
“Give me your hand.”
Confused, Lachik hesitantly opened her palm.
A single candy, wrapped in pink paper, dropped onto it.
“This is a gift. I give these to Lady Rose as a reward for good training, but since you smiled, I’ll give you one too.”
Lachik stared down at the candy.
Hamil puffed out her chest proudly.
“That’s the most popular candy in the kingdom. My master bought it, and I totally stole it, but it’s not too sweet—it’s just right.”
Lachik gently clenched the candy in her palm.
“T-Thank you.”
“Aww, no, I should be thanking you. If you hadn’t helped today, I’d still be living in a literal trash heap.”
Lachik let out another small laugh.
“Since you’re a mage, are you also a teacher at the academy? Oh, I’m going to be a swordsmanship instructor.”
“N-No, I-I’m not… I’m not a teacher.”
“Why not? If you can make Guguma, you must be really skilled.”
Lachik lowered her head slightly, but before she could fully look down, a hand gently rested on her forehead.
“Ah, ah, there you go again. Look me in the eyes when we talk. Your eyes are so pretty, you know? They sparkle like gemstones.”
Hearing such a compliment for the first time in her life, Lachik’s face turned bright red.
“You’re embarrassed! Hahaha! Have you never been complimented like this before?”
“N-No…”
“Why? That makes no sense. You’re seriously pretty.”
Lachik’s face turned even redder, as if she might burst. Desperate to stop Hamil from teasing her further, she quickly spoke.
“F-Fine, I’ll look at you. Just stop…”
“Good.”
Lachik bit her lip, trying to suppress her embarrassment, and slowly lifted her gaze.
However, her eyes darted around nervously, unsure where to focus.
Still not looking directly at me, huh?
Hamil debated whether to push further or let it go. In the end, she decided to move on and return to their previous conversation.
“So, why don’t you want to be a magic instructor?”
“…I-I’m n-not… good enough.”
“What do you mean you’re not good enough?”
Even though their conversation had been short, Lachik’s lips already looked dry.
Noticing this, Hamil handed her the slightly cooled teacup again.
“Here, take a sip and then try explaining again.”
Like a robot following a command, Lachik obediently took a sip of tea before speaking.
“I… I don’t think I’m… good enough to teach someone else.”
“Alright, Lachik. Take a deep breath in.”
Lachik inhaled deeply, her chest rising.
“Now exhale.”
“Whoo…”
“Good. Now try speaking slowly, at a comfortable pace.”
To guide her, Hamil even raised her hands and moved them up and down in a calming rhythm.
Lachik stared at Hamil’s hands before carefully forming her words.
“I… don’t think I’m experienced enough… to teach anyone yet.”
“That was great!”
Hamil beamed at her.
“But what exactly do you think you’re lacking? You’re a mage who can make Guguma, aren’t you?”
“Well…”
Lachik’s eyes shifted, as if searching for an answer. Just as she was about to respond—
“KYAAAAH!!”
