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OPI Chapter 300: Magic Academy, Secrets, and a Journey to Tarbes
🕑 Added 2025-03-05 23:20:53 +0000 UTCKingdom of Tristain, Tristania, Royal Palace.
At this moment, in the great hall of the castle, Chelsea was half-crouched behind Louise, discreetly observing the young princess who was sitting on a throne with a regal bearing.
She was a girl with a beautiful face and a slender figure, with an innate elegance. On her head rested a white tiara set with three emeralds, and her short hair, a peculiar shade between purple and red, contrasted with the deep blue of her eyes.
At that moment, Princess Henrietta was looking at a letter in her hands, sent by Prince Wales. Her gaze reflected a mixture of sadness, concern and helplessness.
A few moments later, a few tears slid down her cheeks.
“Your Highness!” Louise looked at her with regret. She wanted to say something to comfort her, but the words stuck in her throat. As a noble, she fully understood the importance and necessity of political marriages. But if one already has someone in their heart, the pain that comes with this situation is unimaginable.
"I'm fine."
Henrietta approached Louise and, unable to contain herself, hugged her tightly. Despite her tears, she smiled.
"Thank you... Thank you very much, Louise. Thank you for bringing me his letter."
They both hugged each other for a long time, crying silently until they managed to calm down and slowly separate.
Henrietta wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her hands, stood up, looked at Chelsea, who was speechless, and gratefully said in a very soft tone, "You may stand, Lady Chelsea."
"Many thanks to you and your colleagues for saving Prince Wales's life."
Chelsea sat up with a smile and replied with a phrase she didn't even believe: "Good people deserve a long life. We just did the right thing."
Just as she had anticipated, the words caused Henrietta's smile to grow more radiant and her expression more affable.
"Prince Wales has suggested in his letter that you enter our magic academy, and I see no objection. I will inform Headmaster Osmond so he can make the necessary arrangements."
"I am infinitely grateful for your generosity, Your Highness, but I have one more small favor to ask of you. I hope you can grant it to me."
"Oh?" Henrietta looked at her curiously. "Tell me."
"I would like to request your permission to become Lady Louise's companion. Thanks to her magic, we were able to overcome the language barrier and communicate." Chelsea paused, then turned to Louise with a mischievous smile. "Also, Lady Louise is really adorable. I'd like to spend more time by her side~"
"What?! I-I... it wasn't a big deal... I just used the silence spell a couple of times." Louise blushed, fisting the hem of her skirt nervously.
"Hehe." Henrietta covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. "That's right, Louise is adorable. Very well, I grant your request."
She smiled sweetly and added, "From now on, you can be with Louise anytime, anywhere."
Louise, hearing this, immediately became alarmed. "Y-Your Highness! I-I already have a familiar, I don't need a follower."
"But Mr. Hiraga Saito is a man," Chelsea quickly interjected. "There are certain things he would find uncomfortable to handle. That's what I'm here for~"
Henrietta nodded in understanding. "That's true, it makes sense. You should accept it, Louise."
"Okay then."
Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Louise had to agree a little uncomfortably.
To her surprise, Chelsea immediately came over and gently took both of her hands. Looking at her with a bright smile, she winked at her and said excitedly, "Then, I'll be in your care from now on, Miss Louise~!"
"O-oh…" Louise, embarrassed, nodded timidly, showing no trace of the fierceness she had when dealing with Saito.
Moments later, Louise and Chelsea left the castle and boarded a carriage headed to Tristain Magic Academy.
Since the school was located on the outskirts, the trip took almost an hour.
During the journey, Chelsea, in her attempt to get along with Louise, used all her verbal skills to get closer to her. Thanks to this, the relationship between the two quickly grew closer, filling the journey with laughter and lively conversations.
At the same time, Chelsea took the opportunity to learn more about this world through Louise.
Not long after arriving they went to the office of the director of the Academy.
Behind the desk sat the old principal.
After listening carefully to Louise's account of her journey to the Kingdom of Albion, Principal Osmond nodded gravely.
"The Reconquista movement, you say? Religion is always a tricky business… But since their leader has been captured, I suppose Prince Wales will have fewer problems to solve."
He gave Louise a kind look. "It must have been a tiring journey. Now, get some rest."
However, Louise made no move to retreat. There was some hesitation on her face before she finally spoke, “Um… Principal Osmond…”
"Hmm?" The old man looked at her curiously.
"Do you know what descendant of the Void means?"
"Eh…?" For a moment, the Principal looked surprised.
Louise lowered her gaze slightly and explained, "Someone called me that once, although… my memory is a bit fuzzy, and I don't remember who it was."
Her words also piqued Chelsea's curiosity, who looked at her with interest.
Osmond pondered silently for a moment before replying, "The Void refers to an ancient system of magic that was long lost, different from the four known elements: fire, water, earth, and wind."
Louise was stunned. “A… a kind of legendary magic? But if it’s so powerful, why…? I can’t even use basic magic…” She squirmed uncomfortably, feeling embarrassed.
Osmond calmly raised his hand, indicating that she did not need to continue. "You do not need to explain further. I understand. But I see… so Gandálfr is that…"
Louise and Chelsea exchanged puzzled glances.
However, the Principal didn't seem interested in pursuing the topic any further. Instead, he turned his attention to Chelsea. "Speaking of which, let's now talk about Miss Chelsea. Before her arrival, I had already received Princess Henrietta's letter."
"Since you have no foundation in magic, you will start from the first year. However, due to your status as Louise's companion…"
"You will be allowed to follow her freely when she leaves the academy. But, personally, I hope you take your magical studies seriously. For someone who is not of nobility, this is an invaluable opportunity."
Chelsea nodded determinedly. "I understand. I will do my best to learn magic. Thank you very much for this opportunity, Principal!"
Previously, she had explained that her ability to transform was simply an innate talent of hers.
Although it wasn't something common…
In a world where magic existed, it wasn't something people considered too strange.
...
Tristanian Academy of Magic
At this moment, Chelsea was in her dorm assigned by the academy. She was in front of a mirror, looking at her reflection while adjusting her new uniform.
"Magic, huh? Sounds interesting... I hope I can learn something. Cheer up, Chelsea!" she said to herself with a radiant smile.
She was fully aware that, in the future, she would have to explore and gather information about worlds unknown to the world government.
If she wanted to survive this task, she had no choice but to constantly strengthen her skills.
"Mmm... what a pleasant climate. This country and its world seem too peaceful... almost to a fault."
Just as Chelsea opened the window to air out the room, she saw Louise wandering around the lawn, as if she was looking for something.
'Right! I have to keep an eye on her. If anything happens to her, even if Captain Biba doesn't tell me, I'm sure they'll hold me responsible at the base...' she thought to herself.
Without hesitation, she jumped out the window.
"Louise!"
From a distance, Chelsea saw Louise standing in front of a small, two-story red-roofed house, chatting with a man in peculiar attire: he was wearing a tall white hat, clothes of the same color, and a red scarf tied around his neck.
Without a doubt, he had to be one of the chefs at the academy.
"Chelsea?" Louise looked at her strangely. "What are you doing here? Freshman classes are starting soon."
"I'm your escort. I can't just let you walk around unsupervised, can I?"
"Oh... well, I guess you're right," Louise replied, though her expression immediately changed to one of indignation. "You know what?! That dog that's been in heat for a thousand years named Saito has gone to Siesta's house! How dare he! How... how...!"
As she spoke, her tone changed from anger to resentment, and finally to a mix of sadness and frustration.
Chelsea cocked her head in thought. "Mmm... I don't know who this Siesta is. But if she's bothering you so much, why don't we go check it out for ourselves?"
In theory, to ensure Louise's safety, it would be best to keep her within the academy.
But, in her opinion, the first thing was to gain her trust.
And what better way to become her friend than to help her catch her 'cheating lover'?
"Hmm... And why would I go looking for that lecherous dog?" Louise started with her typical proud attitude, but then she put a hand to her chin and fell into thought. "Although... I think I've heard of the town of Tarbes somewhere..."
Chelsea watched the scene and understood Louise's personality even more.
She was, without a doubt, a noble young woman who had grown up surrounded by comfort and attention. A proud girl who had fallen in love with her own familiar but refused to acknowledge it. Fortunately, her heart remained kind.
Moments later…
Chelsea was walking behind Louise when they came across a bald man with glasses, dressed in a blue-grey robe and holding a long staff.
He was at the entrance of the academy, organizing things in a carriage.
"Good morning, Professor Colbert. I would like to ask you to take us with you to the village of Tarbes," said Louise in a polite voice.
"Hmm?" Professor Colbert looked at her curiously. "Miss Vallière, what business do you have there?"
"Eh… well… you're going in search of the Dragon Ruins, right? I'm very interested in the subject, so I thought we could accompany you as your assistants…"
Louise spoke in a tone of false indifference, but her gaze betrayed a certain nervousness.
"I don't know if it's a good idea. The place I'm going could be dangerous, and besides…"
Professor Colbert seemed about to reject the proposal when Chelsea intervened with a smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Colbert. I am Chelsea, a first-year student and, by order of Princess Henrietta, Lady Louise's companion."
"Oh, nice to meet you…" replied the professor, somewhat surprised.
Chelsea continued matter-of-factly, "You see, Louise just wants to find Mr. Hiraga Saito, who traveled to Tarbes Village with Miss Siesta. But she has no idea where that place is~"
"Ah!" Louise blushed and, alarmed, motioned for Chelsea to be quiet. Then, she looked hurriedly at the professor and exclaimed, "No way! No way! I'm really interested in the Dragon Ruins!"
"Hahaha… sure, sure… well, then let's go~" Professor Colbert said with a smile, accepting the request without further objection.
He walked to the carriage and prepared to leave.
Louise frowned and, still staring at Chelsea, muttered in annoyance, "Chelsea, you're such a fool..."
Chelsea winked at him, amused. "And wouldn't you rather do this than have been rejected?"
Louise opened her mouth to respond but found no words.
The rest of the trip was uneventful.
The three of them traveled in the carriage to the town of Tarbes, but upon arriving they discovered that Hiraga Saito and Siesta were not there yet.
In order not to delay Professor Colbert's mission, they decided to accompany him to a cave in the mountains behind the village, where the Dragon Ruins were supposedly located.
Chelsea wasn't too interested in dragons. After all, how many hadn't she seen already?
Later inside the cave, the group encountered five people who had followed them: Hiraga Saito, Siesta, Guiche, Tabitha, and Kirche.
It was then that they received from Siesta an ancient map, passed down in her family for generations.
Following the directions on the map, they managed to get out of the labyrinth of tunnels.
To their surprise, they found themselves in a hidden valley, full of trees and lush vegetation.
The place had such a peaceful atmosphere that it seemed like a lost paradise.
Shortly afterwards, Professor Colbert, map in hand, led the group to a huge wooden cabin hidden deep in the valley. Its size was comparable to that of a warehouse.
At first glance, it was obvious that the building had been abandoned for a long time. The facade was covered with green vines and the iron lock on the main door was completely rusted.
Near the hut, Hiraga Saito found a moss-covered tombstone. Cautiously, he ran his fingers along the surface and quietly read the characters engraved on it: "Japanese Naval Ensign, Sasaki Takeo. Rest in peace in this strange world."
Louise, who didn't understand anything of what was written, looked at it in amazement. "Can you read those symbols?" she asked curiously.
Saito stared at the tombstone and nodded. "Yes. It's Japanese, the language of my country."
In the crowd, Chelsea's eyes reflected the same surprise.
Meanwhile, Professor Colbert raised his wand and cast a spell on the rusty lock.
With a metallic, dry sound, the lock broke.
Louise, Guiche and the others approached with great anticipation, eager to discover what was hidden inside the cabin.
But when Saito and Chelsea saw what was inside, they were shocked.
A fighter aircraft.
