I lifted the 138 cm tall princess.
As soon as I lifted her…
“Airplane~”
“Hey!!!”
I spun her around several times.
“And now, up you go!!”
“Do you want to die!?”
I pretended to throw her high, but only let her go slightly.
“Whoa, now you’re trying to stand on me?”
“You, you…! If this were the Ercy Empire, your head would…!”
“Watch your tone.”
“!!!”
Evangeline, whose face was flushed with excitement, immediately shut her mouth.
Even though it wasn’t really her fault, she averted her eyes, now even more embarrassed.
‘Look at this?’
I had a feeling her lady-like way of speaking was a bit awkward, and it seems that was just an act.
“Hey, Princess.”
I quietly put Evangeline down.
“This is Esdinas Academy. Whether you’re an emperor or a commoner, once you enroll here as a ‘student,’ everyone is equal, regardless of status.”
“…”
“So, you don’t need to carry yourself so heavily as a princess. You can relax at the Academy. Especially since the Old School Building is a place with fewer other academy students around.”
At the moment, it was just me, Yunia, Ludmila, and Evangeline—four of us.
“If you keep acting all ladylike and princess-like, then I’ll have no choice but to treat you as one, instead of as a fellow teammate and classmate.”
“…”
“Or, would you rather I treat you as a princess instead of a student?”
“Uh…”
I deliberately lowered my voice, asking coldly and calmly.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”
“If that’s what you want, I, Red Sol Phoenix, sincerely apologize for my rude actions earlier.”
“T-that’s not it!”
As expected.
“I-I just…!”
The mask—or should I say, her mask—slipped off.
“…Hey! Why do you act like you’re so high and mighty?!”
Evangeline started pointing at me, shouting.
“I was trying to approach you politely, but then suddenly, you grab me and spin me around like an airplane! Who does that?!”
“Me.”
“You little…!”
“Sorry. You reminded me of my little sister.”
“I’m 17!!”
“Still younger than me.”
If she acts like a younger sister, why not treat her like one?
‘Looks like one of the writers has a thing for little sisters.’
Outwardly, she speaks like a composed noble princess, but in front of me, she acts like a tomboy younger sister?
‘Interesting taste, to say the least.’
I can’t help but feel concerned about the twisted desires of the creators behind this.
And at the same time—
“If I were just a bit taller, you’d be calling me ‘big sister’ instead of ‘little sister’!”
“Oh, really?”
They’ve given her a complex about her height.
“You realize where you’re standing right now, don’t you?”
I pointed to where I had put Evangeline down.
“You’re standing on a chair right now and we’re at eye level. If I take away the chair and we measure again?”
“Hey, you…!”
“Or should I lift you back up again?”
“Ugh…!”
Evangeline glared at me with trembling hands, then soon turned her gaze away.
“How long are you two going to keep watching?”
She turned her head toward Instructor Esta and Marchioness Ludvecia, perhaps hoping they would intervene.
“My apologies. But I didn’t think Phoenix was wrong, so I stayed silent.”
“Excuse me?”
“Princess Evangeline di Ercy. If we consider you simply as ‘Student Evangeline’, then I believe that attitude is the most appropriate posture for an Esdinas Academy student.”
Whether Evangeline had been seeking intervention or punishment from Instructor Esta, the fact is, my actions weren’t an issue in the context of the academy.
“Student Phoenix’s physical interaction may have been a bit much, but as an instructor, I’m glad to see students getting along well.”
Actually, it’s quite a commendable act.
“No, no! Instructor, aren’t you supposed to be on my side? This, this person treated me like a child, tried to give me a piggyback ride, and everything!”
“That’s actually preferable.”
“Whaaaaat?!?!”
Evangeline’s voice rose sharply.
At the moment, she couldn’t grasp Instructor Esta’s reasoning and briefly misunderstood, thinking she was in the wrong.
If, during the process of me lifting Evangeline by her armpits and giving her an “airplane ride”…
‘Instructor Esta had been watching from below.’
If my mana had gathered below and caused a dangerous situation, Instructor Esta would have kicked my shin without hesitation.
But that didn’t happen.
Instructor Esta knew I was handling Princess Evangeline with a ‘pure heart’, lifting her up and down without any ill intentions.
Since there was no ulterior motive, all that remained was a somewhat rough gesture of camaraderie between academy students.
“If you have siblings, this is exactly what it would be like~”
“Marchioness … Ludvecia?”
Marchioness Ludvecia placed her hand on her face and smiled bitterly.
“Though they’re the same age, twins are often like this. After all, it’s said that ‘ordinary siblings’, unlike nobles, are born with a desire to harm each other, right? Haha.”
Words that Ludvecia Habsderk would never have said flowed out of her mouth.
Perhaps her time away from the Habsderk family, as the Marchioness of Ludvecia, had allowed her to shed the curse and tradition of Habsderk, enabling her to understand normal sibling relationships.
“Get along well, Princess Evangeline. I’ve spoken with Phoenix, and he’s definitely not a bad person.”
“Thank you, Marchioness Ludvecia.”
“I think it’d be better if you called me ‘Mama’ instead~”
“Thank you, Mother.”
“…”
Marchioness Ludvecia, who had been playfully smiling, suddenly widened her eyes and blushed.
‘This is quite a dilemma.’
On one side, there’s a 138 cm girl who fits a certain archetype of preference, with a strong Academy vibe.
On the other side, we have a woman who, while not related to in my original form, has a soul deeply intertwined with the -Habs- possession.
“Instructor Esta.”
“Yes?”
In the end, I had no choice but to ask for a helping hand.
“It seems it’s getting late. Now that everyone has gathered, shall we head back to the academy?”
A plea for escape.
“Let’s do that.”
Luckily, the time really was approaching evening.
“Thank you for your time, Marchioness Ludvecia. Next time…”
“We’ll see each other during the next practical session. I’ll prepare a banquet in my estate then. So, until next time, Special Class students?”
Marchioness Ludvecia waved her hand toward me.
“Until we meet again, try not to die and stay alive.”
Leaving behind a slightly ominous warning.
* * *
On the way back to the Academy.
The distance from the terminal platform to the Old School Building of the academy was about 5 kilometers, so we set off at a brisk pace.
“Huff, huff, huff…!”
“You need to work on your physical endurance, Evangeline.”
“You…!”
Midway through the journey.
Evangeline was sweating profusely, breathing heavily, and sat down on a bench, unable to continue.
“A carriage, huff, or at least some transport…!”
“There’s no such thing. Who dares to ride transport recklessly within the Academy grounds?”
Instructor Esta sternly ignored Evangeline’s plea, pointing down the main road.
“Student Evangeline, are you a magician?”
“O-of course…! I’m, huff, a descendant of a Grand Mage…!”
Though the relationship between being a descendant of a Grand Mage and being a mage herself seemed irrelevant to me, talent does tend to be hereditary.
“As a puppeteer…!”
“Puppeteer?”
Now that was an interesting profession.
“It’s not like you’re playing with dolls, is it?”
“Obviously not! …I mean, of course not… Ugh, seriously.”
She tried to maintain her lady-like demeanor but quickly grew frustrated, standing back up.
“I don’t have it right now, but a package with the puppet I control is on its way. Once it arrives, you’re going to regret this.”
“So right now, you’re completely defenseless?”
“What… what are you doing?”
As I leaned my back toward Evangeline, who was sitting on the bench, she kicked me lightly in surprise.
“Y-you’re not seriously telling me to get on your back, are you?”
“If we’re late for dinner, Yunia won’t like it.”
“What?”
“We made a deal to always eat dinner together as a team.”
It wasn’t just dinner—unless we had other commitments, it was an unspoken rule among the Old School Building students to eat together.
Originally, it was a promise Yunia and I made.
“And another thing. Among our teammates, there’s also [Cutting Wind].”
“…”
“[Cutting Wind] takes mealtimes very seriously—balanced diet, proper mealtime, everything. She’s an A-rank adventurer with strict self-discipline. If she finds out her meal schedule was ruined because of you…”
“I’ll cooperate.”
Evangeline climbed onto my back, sounding sulky.
“Hm?”
“What are you doing?! Are you seriously…?”
“Didn’t you say you were a puppeteer?”
I stood up with Evangeline on my back.
“Are puppeteers’ bodies also like dolls?”
“Huh?”
“You’re much lighter than I expected.”
“…What nonsense.”
Evangeline pinched my shoulder tightly, seemingly annoyed.
“Stop talking nonsense and hurry up!”
“So should I send the bill for carrying you to the Ercy Empire’s royal palace?”
“It’s not free?!”
She reacted sharply to my joke.
“How much?”
“Let’s see… one gold per hour?”
“Then…”
Behind me, I heard the rustling sound of Evangeline pulling something out.
“Does that mean 24 gold will get me carried around for a whole day?”
“…”
Jingle, Jingle.
It’s not like I really needed the money, but still.
“You don’t plan on walking on your own?”
“If I can pay to get carried around like this, why not?”
Evangeline smiled and nestled comfortably on my back.
“Alright, let’s go! To the special class of the Academy!”
“…”
And just like that, I had unintentionally become a mode of transport.
“Hm? What’s the matter, Instructor?”
“…Oh, nothing.”
Instructor Esta glanced briefly at me from below again, tilting her head as if something was puzzling her.
“I can see that’s definitely not your type.”
“Of course.”
I held onto the confused Evangeline as I followed quickly behind Instructor Esta, who was now walking ahead.
“I prefer to let them grow before ‘devouring’ them.”
“…”
“Isn’t that right, originally…”
Just like with bread.
“When you let dough ferment, it rises and expands, and it’s at its best when it’s bigger and fully developed.”
Since Evangeline is a heroine, the way to approach her should match her personality, but I could adapt the strategy to my own style.
-P*do’s Breading. It’s not just breading, it’s “coming of age”. Phehe.
In other words.
– Grow bigger!
Like bread dough that ferments and expands with time.
From 138 cm…
To a fully developed 168 cm.
