"An orphan? A slave? No wonder they're so... filthy."
"Gaud damn, you're so annoying," Linnie finally spoke. "Alwyn, can't we go get something to eat already? If I have to listen to her crying for another minute, I think I'll seriously die."
Liora giggled at his addition.
"Oh, play nice, will you? You're her senior, so treat her well," Alwyn said, shaking his head and clicking his tongue.
"S-senior!?" she sputtered.
'Senior... hehe. Power—I have power over this girl! This noble girl! I'm her senior! Hehehehe...'
What devious thoughts...!
"But you're right," Alwyn continued, paying her little mind. "Why don't we all get something to eat, together?"
"That's a great idea!" The Duke said. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you. But it'll be good for Marielle and Prince Sylven to spend some time with you three. You'll all be spending plenty more time together from now on, after all."
The Duke shot his daughter a commanding look. Despite how kind he seemingly was, he was clearly fed up with her nasty behavior.
Linnie, though, knew it was only the parent's fault that a child could get so damn annoying.
The girl was silent, clearly upset, while The Prince just nodded in agreement.
The issue was—temporarily, at least—resolved. It seemed that the two nobles wouldn't argue any more, for now.
To be honest, Linnie was kind of hoping they'd get mad enough to refuse Alwyn's mentorship. He wasn't exactly excited to have two more peers, either. But they did no such thing.
And soon enough, the five of them were walking through the streets of Corvailles, looking for a place to eat.
"Why aren't we taking a carriage?" Marielle asked.
"Do you always take a carriage for simple things like grabbing some food? What are you, a damsel?" Linnie said, mocking her.
"You idiot! If anyone recognizes me, then we'll be swarmed. It'll become a total pain! And I am a damsel..."
"Then why'd you wear that?"
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"...Forget it."
She was wearing a poofy and colorful pink dress, embroidered and clearly very, very, very, expensive. It would've been extremely hard not to take notice of someone wearing such a thing.
The Prince's clothes, on the other hand, were quite... normal, actually.
"Hey, you're a prince, aren't you?" Liora asked.
"Um, yeah."
"Why don't you look like one?"
"...I don't know," he said, sounding a little somber.
"What's a prince doing becoming a wizard's apprentice, anyway? Wait, what's a prince doing becoming Alwyn's apprentice? And a lady, too!" Linnie said, suddenly realizing who the two kids walking beside him really were.
Marielle looked away, still in a bad mood.
"That's what I've been saying. Tch."
"I told you, Lin, I'm a pretty powerful wizard. No, I'm the strongest!"
He wrapped his arm around Linnie's neck, putting him in a chokehold.
"Let go of me, you fraud!"
"Fraud?"
"A strong wizard wouldn't nearly die from some lame sickness like you did. Even thinking about it gives me second-hand embarrassment. And then you sent me, your brand new apprentice, on some suicide mission. Wooow, you really suck, now that I think about it."
"Wha—you ungrateful brat!"
"Is that true?" The Prince asked, face pale.
Sweat droplets were forming on his forehead, and he wore a frown on his face.
"Of course it's not true! Actually, well—it was nothing, I swear, I swear~!"
The Prince looked like he was going to throw up.
"I don't think I'm hungry anymore..."
"Oh, stop being such a wimpy bastard, Sylven!" The Lady berated. "It was probably only a suicide mission for him because he's a weak idiot. Just look at him—I seriously thought he was a little girl when I first saw him."
Liora burst into a fit of laughter, and wiping tears from her eyes, she said:
"That's so true! When I first saw him, I totally though he was a girl, too! Aren't his eyelashes so pretty? They're just like a... a fair maiden's or something!"
'My eyelashes are pretty? 'Fair maiden'? What the hell is she talking about!? I don't look like a girl at all! Dammit, when am I gonna be able to grow a beard?'
"Yeah, yeah that's it. Lin here's a scrawny little wuss, isn't that right?" Alwyn said, tightening the headlock.
"Hell no I'm not!"
"Yeah you are!"
"I'm not, you annoying weasel! DIE!"
He slammed his elbow into Alwyn's stomach, finally escaping from the headlock.
"Linnie's definitely scrawny, but he's pretty brave, I think!" Liora said.
'Hehe, at least someone recognizes my bravery!'
"I mean, even though he's so small and fragile, he never gives up. When he gets all mad and tries to wrestle me, he doesn't give up even when I have him in a complete submission! And in the woods, against all these moose, he got thrown into the air at least five times. But he never ran away!"
"Damn you! I only lost to you once! And we promised to never speak about it again!"
"We did?"
'This bi—girl!'
"You seriously lost to her?" Marielle laughed. It wasn't too bitter, but perhaps out of actual amusement.
Linnie, of course, was in the dark as to what Alwyn and Liora were both doing. Perhaps Liora was doing it subconsciously. But what mattered was that their attempts at lightening the mood actually seemed to be working.
For Marielle, at least.
The Prince might've checked out after hearing that Alwyn 'left his apprentice to die in a suicide mission.'
"I don't know why you're laughing—you look like you couldn't hurt a fly," Linnie said.
"You insolent—"
"Lady Marielle, what's the point? There's no use in arguing. It's not like he knows... anything," The Prince said softly.
For some reason, that really irritated Linnie.
"Exactly, that's why he's insolent, hmph!"
"That's right... your father told me you're quite skilled in the sword," Alwyn said with real respect.
"Don't speak down to me like that. Father already told me that it's the only reason you even agreed to teach me."
"Aha, that's right~"
"You got any idea what they're talking about?" Liora asked Linnie.
"Not at all..." Linnie said. Then, he turned to Marielle. "I don't really care if you're good at swinging a sword around or not. We're wizards, so that means nothing. Wizards don't use swords, so..."
He snickered, shrugging and holding his hands up. This caused Alwyn to stifle a laugh and shake his head.
"Lin, you really are an idiot."
"Huh? Isn't he right, though?" Liora asked, scratching her head.
"No, he's not," Marielle laughed smugly. "I'm not like you guys. I'm actually special. I'm not learning to be a wizard. I'm simply learning magic."