Became a Medieval Fantasy Wizard

Chapter 271

Chapter 271

TL/Editor: raei

Status: 5/week mon-fri

Illustrations: none

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"Hello! Lady Kira!"

"Yes. How have you been, Lady Rubel?"

Honestly, life had been good for Kira lately.

Specifically, living conditions were good.

'...It's too comfortable.'

Kira waved to the female students greeting her warmly.

They squealed and giggled among themselves like fangirls meeting a real celebrity.

"Lady Kira! You're beautiful today too!"

"Really! You're so pretty!"

Kira handled the female students with perfectly practiced celebrity poise.

When she first entered university, such enthusiastic reactions felt awkward.

But at some point, Kira could genuinely handle the attention and admiration directed at her.

Not acting - genuinely.

'This place feels like another world.'

Brilliant sunlight poured onto the lawn.

Pigeons pecking at feed suddenly took flight at the sound of students' footsteps.

Watching the flock of pigeons cross the blue sky, Kira fell into thought.

Was this really the Holy Empire she knew?

At least, it wasn't Kira's Holy Empire.

The empire she knew was a civilization on the fringes where barbarism and violence overflowed, where human sacrifice happened without batting an eye.

But after gaining the status of [wizard] and becoming a university student with help from wealthy sponsors, her world completely changed.

Here there were no bandits, murderers, beggars, or wanderers.

She could eat warm meals at set times and sleep safely in bed without worry.

How was this even possible?

Kira still couldn't understand.

When such a good place existed in the world...

Why were bandits killing slash-and-burn farmers, kidnapping children to sell as foreign slaves just a short distance away in other domains?

'The world is unfair.'

Though she'd always known this, she realized it anew.

A gentle world for everyone didn't exist.

If Kira had been lucky enough to be born her father's legitimate daughter and lived wealthy...

Would she have become so serious about magic like now?

'...So. I must do my best.'

Once born, you have to accept the world's unfairness.

Kira renewed her determination.

Though born at the bottom, she would die looking upward.

Though luxurious, privileged life belonged to nobles.

Magic belonged to Kira.

"Your expression looks bad~? Do you have something troubling you?"

"Lady Elia."

Coming to her senses belatedly, Kira found Imperial Princess Elia standing before her.

Kira reflexively thought.

That woman has never gone hungry.

Never slept in grass under cold drizzling rain.

Never trembled at wolf howls while hugging her father.

"Just... thinking about the past."

Elia, like Kira, was wildly popular with other students.

But whenever Kira saw Elia, she felt more alienation than kinship.

Though both were popular, Kira and Elia were completely different.

Elia, raised in a noble family, naturally accepted university life's abundance.

But Kira found it hard to simply accept the clothes put on her.

She was an outsider.

How could an outsider like Kira enter university?

'...Magic.'

Unlike Elia who originally lived in this world, Kira needed a reason to stay in this 'other world'.

That was magic.

Studying magic harder and achieving higher - that was Kira's purpose for entering and her task going forward.

She couldn't forget her purpose by getting drunk on the crowd's adoration.

"I thought you'd come to the reading club... You must have been busy?"

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in that. I wanted to focus on my current studies."

Elia stared at Kira giving such a sharp response.

In the past, she would have thought 'There she goes again, Red Hair' at such a cold attitude.

But Elia somewhat understood Kira as a person now.

'I want to focus on studying~' wasn't the usual deflection bitches used...

She understood it really meant focusing on studies.

'Well. Still annoying though~'

That was that and this was this.

When none other than Imperial Princess Elia personally invites you to a meeting, you ignore it?

Is this some kind of power play? The thought came naturally.

Though she knew there was no malice, something she disliked was still dislikeable.

"Studying is good, but you should participate in school activities too~"

Ian calling Kira for something other than magic? No way, right?

But.

What if, just maybe.

If Ian was feeling some kind of 'loneliness'.

If research wasn't going well and he wanted emotional support from an old companion.

...Or if he had even stronger feelings.

'Wh-what should I do?!'

She just couldn't calm down.

Maria stared quietly at Kira's reddening face-

"Shall we go outside?"

And dropped one line.

#

As soon as they were out of earshot, Maria:

"You like Ian, don't you?"

"!!!"

Hit Kira right in the solar plexus.

Though not physically, a punch might have hurt less.

Maria's verbal violence - no, factual violence was... spicier than imagined.

Kira felt too dizzy to think straight.

"Wh-what are you saying? Maria? There's no way I-I'd like Ian! Hahaha...! We're just friends!"

"Ah ah. I see... How disappointing. He seemed to have feelings for you."

"...! Really?!"

Maria coldly mocked:

"No. That was a lie?"

"..."

Kira glared at Maria with a serious expression.

Maria and Kira weren't particularly close. They hadn't had time to become close, and neither was the social type.

"I won't forgive jokes that cross the line."

"I'm sorry. I just thought that you kept telling lies-"

Kira shouted in a sharp voice:

"Lies? You're really running your mouth! Who are you to judge whether my words are true or not?"

Maria calmly answered:

"I thought you had feelings for Ian. That was my conclusion from watching you all this time."

"...So?"

"But since you deny it. Yes. I must have misunderstood."

Maria smiled faintly.

Though it was her usual creepy smile...

Kira shuddered more intensely than usual.

Not knowing it might be an ominous premonition.

"Then only Countess Talian and I love Ian. Hehe."

"...?"

Kira blinked at Maria.

Though it was clearly Imperial language, she couldn't understand what she heard.

Could Maria somehow know higher level Maronius language than her!

"???"

That was impossible!

"Maria, what did you just..."

"I said I love Ian. Since that moment he first understood my true heart, I always have."

"..."

Kira belatedly understood why Maria's smile had been so creepy.

Maria wasn't afraid of others' gazes.

She didn't consider Ian's situation or her own position at all.

Just calmly.

Honestly confessing her true feelings.

People instinctively fear unfamiliar things.

Kira found Maria's attitude unfamiliar, and thus frightening.

"You... Do you even understand what that means?!"

"Hehe. Would you explain it to me?"

Kira opened her mouth then stopped.

She felt like retching.

That sticky, fearful emotion quickly turned to burning anger.

"You mean you'll steal Countess Talian's man!"

But Maria took Kira's glare incredibly calmly.

Kira trembled with fear again...

"Hehe. I'm hurt you'd understand it that way."

"???"

No, what's there to be hurt about! I'm right! You crazy bitch!

Kira was dumbfounded but couldn't bring herself to curse.

Because Maria's next words left her speechless.

"Just because Ian is with Countess Talian... does that mean he can't be with me?"

"..."

"Hehe. He can keep dating Countess Talian... and take me as a bonus? Why not?"

No way.

...Kira's world went black!