“S-so, s-so, so, so, s-so, without further ado! Please wait in this room!”
Contrary to her panicked cry, the older sister quietly closed the door with a soft thud. She seemed to be trying to escape from us, but at least she maintained basic manners.
“…What was that about?”
“Um, her reaction was even more intense than the soldiers…”
“Her complexion didn’t look good either. Is she alright?”
The future students were quite worried about the older sister’s unusual behavior.
“Hmm. Putting aside those suspicious gestures, I think the quality is quite good.”
“Woah!? F-Father-in-law, you noticed?”
Just as I had ushered my father-in-law, whom I had brought here with great effort, to a seat in the room, he suddenly started speaking as if nothing had happened. It caught me by surprise since there was no warning.
“Hmph, who do you think I am, my foolish son? Whether facing a human or not, I can estimate a certain level of skill with a single glance. That woman is quite something.”
“Ah, well, I wasn’t talking about that, you see.”
“What are you spacing out about? Isn’t the head of this academy coming soon? We are here as Bel-ra and the others’ guardians. Foolish son, you don’t have time to make such a face.”
“R-right…”
I was trying to mention my father-in-law waking up, but it seems he wanted to pretend he hadn’t fainted. Bel’s remark must have been a critical hit. It felt like denial, but observing my father-in-law, who was now acting like a proper guardian, he seemed to be treading very carefully with his words and actions. Bel’s admonishment was truly effective.
And about that administrative older sister, whom my father-in-law also mentioned earlier. As my father-in-law said, her behavior was a bit odd, but I could tell from my ‘Appraisal Eye’ that she was skilled enough to block it. I don’t know whose skill caused the ‘concealment’, but at least there is someone in the academy who can use an S-Rank skill. Hmm, I might consider enrolling myself.
—Knock, knock.
As I was fantasizing about my school life with Rion and the others, I heard a knock on the door. Then, the door opened.
“Excuse me. Did I keep you waiting?”
A woman with very dark skin entered the guest room, saying that. Her gray hair was tied up at the nape of her neck, and she wore glasses over her intelligent eyes. My first impression was one of a competent and dignified woman. And then my attention was drawn to her ears. They were long, as long as an elf’s.
“…No, we were just shown to our room, so please don’t worry about it. Um—”
“—Oh, my apologies for not introducing myself. My name is Art Desire. I am the Principal of Lumiest.”
Huh? She’s the Principal? I thought the Principal of Lumiest was a grandpa with a nice beard… Alright, I’ll ask Rion for help.
‘Rion, I have a question. Has the Principal changed recently? Wasn’t it a wise old grandpa, not a cool beauty like this?’
‘Ah, yes. It seems it changed last year. When the previous Principal retired due to old age, he appointed Principal Art as his successor.’
‘Ho ho ho.’
‘Also, Kel-ni, you said she’s a woman, but Principal Art is a man?’
‘Wh-wh-whaaaaaat!?’
In my shock, I let out a strange noise over telepathy. Thanks to my experienced Courage skill, I managed to prevent it from showing on my face or in my voice, but the shock was tremendous. I doubted my eyes and ears.
‘Ar-are you alright, Kel-ni? It’s understandable to think that way since she’s androgynous.’
‘I’m not really alright on the inside… but wait, wait! Is she, or he…!? I mean, she certainly doesn’t have a chest, but I just thought she was slender…! And Principal Art’s uniform, even though it’s not a skirt, is clearly women’s clothing! Appearing so dashing, why is he cross-dressing!?’
‘Hmm, I guess we just have to assume he’s into that kind of thing…’
‘That kind of thing!?’
No no, not like Pritia. If anything, the fact that she has outstanding looks makes it worse. Some guy is definitely going to misunderstand. …Huh? Could it be that S-Rank Adventurers are half cross-dressers? …I should stop thinking about it. Yes, let’s do that.
‘Also, as you probably noticed from her skin color and the length of her ears, Principal Art is a Dark Elf. Like Elder Nelras of the Elf Village, she seems to be much older than she looks.’
‘I-I see… Oh, come to think of it, this is probably my first time seeing a Dark Elf directly?’
‘I’ve read in books that Dark Elves are rarer than Elves, so maybe. Unless they’re visiting individually, there shouldn’t be any Dark Elf settlements on the Eastern Continent.’
‘Wow, I’m learning a lot. Hey, Rion, aren’t you surprisingly knowledgeable?’
‘It’s because Shutra-chan taught me a lot!’
Ah, so it’s because she often read books with Shutra, she gained that knowledge. Lately, Kuromel has been joining them a lot too. Could it be that my little sisters are more knowledgeable than me…!? Ah, well, I already admit complete defeat when it comes to Shutra.
‘Speaking of which, the name Art sounds familiar…’
‘You probably saw it in the Adventurer’s. Principal Art is also an S-Rank Adventurer—’
‘—Wh-whaaat!?’
I almost burst out laughing again. But I held it in, at least on the surface. Courage skill, I’m sorry, once again…! But now I understand completely that he’s a weirdo…!
Lumiest has one of the Western Continent’s S-Rank Adventurers belonging to it, and Rion and the others can get to know him by attending the academy. This is the first of the fruitful matters Shutra told me about. If possible, I was thinking of coming up with some excuse and having a little battle, but… hmm. As Principal, that seems quite difficult. I need to think of a way to fight him smoothly without endangering Rion and the others’ positions.
‘Is it that you didn’t want to know Principal Art’s battle style, so you only looked at the name in the Adventurer’s?’
‘Heh, as expected of my beloved little sister. You understand me well. But don’t worry, I don’t plan to lay a hand on him immediately.’
‘K-Kel-ni, depending on the situation, that statement can be very dangerous… It’s fine if it’s just in front of me, but be careful not to let Bel-chan hear it.’
‘Eh? As a battle maniac, isn’t that a rather rational statement?’
Well, if Rion asks, I’ll do it. But still, this is a man’s face. The world is unfair. How should I set the stage?
“…Is there something on my face?”
Oops, I can’t. I managed to suppress my emotions, but my gaze must have unconsciously drifted towards Principal Art.
“My apologies. Forgive me for staring, but this is my first time meeting a Dark Elf—”
“—I see. Well, you don’t have to say everything. It’s quite common for people to be captivated by this beauty. Don’t be shy. You can admire it with your eyes until you’re satisfied. Here, go on!”
Saying that, Principal Art struck a pose on the spot. Ah, this person is definitely an S-Rank Adventurer. I was convinced.
The cover image for “Dungeon Master 2” by Kuro Nagi is being released in the activity report.
