The imperial capital’s magic school, Nastassja, is said to be the one with the most history behind it in the capital.
A lot of people that graduate from it go to work for the ministry of magic, administrative organizations, or popular magic item brands. As a result, most people in important positions in the capital came from there. When you consider that students aren’t picked for their social standing or talent, it shows how high the level of the school’s education really is.
As for students who graduated in recent history, we have Sieglinde, who is known as the youngest ever assistant to the chief of the ministry of magic.
Back when I was in school, the most famous female graduate was without a doubt Miss Esmeralda, but Sieglinde might have taken that title from her. Judging by people’s reactions to her walking around the city, it’s clear that everyone knows her face.
And that Sieglinde is currently… Standing still in the middle of the large gate of the magic school, with eyes from parents, children, and school employees fixated on her.
“Is that assistant chief Sieglinde…? She has a child…?”
“Incredible. She has such a tough job, and has a child on top of it.”
“Miss Sieglinde… Is married… Uu…”
It’s clear why she’s drawing so much attention. She’s walking to the entrance ceremony wearing her uniform and holding Ririi’s hand, just like she’s her mother. When the two of us walk with a child in the middle and holding her hands, there’s no way anyone sees anything other than a happy family.
I look at Sieglinde, and it looks like she can hear people’s whispers around us, because her face is red all the way to her ears. Further back there’s Kaya, who caught an employee of the ministry of magic and is saying ‘I’m with the ministry of magic! Will you take me to where the food is?’ while puffing out her chest. Why is she always so smug?
“W-what is going on…?”
I don’t think Sieglinde thought she would attract this much attention. There are shades of bewilderment among all the embarrassment.
…The moment I saw her in her uniform, I kind of figured this would happen. It’d be one thing if it was a plain uniform, but her white cloak makes her instantly recognizable as an officer of the ministry of magic, and stands out a lot.
“Daddy, hum… Mommy…?”
Ririi is confused because we stopped all of a sudden. She’s so interested in the magic school, that she hasn’t noticed all the eyes on us.
“She called her mommy! She really is her child…!”
“Uu… But I’ve adored her ever since she joined the ministry of magic…”
“Oh cheer up… But who’s the guy next to her?”
“Hn?? Wait, isn’t that kid an elf…?”
“Hey! I really am with the ministry of magic. Miss Sieglinde over there said I could come in!”
The gossip heats up every time we so much as move.
…I don’t think it’ll do us any good to stand here any longer. We should keep going.
“Hey Sieglinde, snap out of it and let’s go to the auditorium. Ririi, don’t let go, okay?”
“Okay!”
“Y-yes…”
We leave Kaya, who is having trouble with an employee, and head to the auditorium where the entrance ceremony will be taking place.
◆
“Daddy! There’s so many people!”
Says Ririi, who is sitting down, but also restlessly looking around. The magic school’s auditorium is big enough to easily fit over a thousand people, and more than half that number of parents and children are already here.
I look around, and see many more kids curious about their surroundings. Everyone has bright expressions brimming with hope.
“These are all your classmates. I hope you get along.”
“Classmates?”
Sieglinde takes over and answers Ririi’s flat question.
“That means you’re all going to be studying together. Well, some of them won’t really take their studies seriously, but…”
She says as she looks at me.
…What, I didn’t take school seriously?
I’m about to respond, but then I see Sieglinde looking around, with her eyes squinting like she feels nostalgic.
“We haven’t been here in a long time, Weiss. Don’t you feel nostalgic?”
“I guess I do. To be honest, I don’t really remember it too well.”
What I remember the most from my school days was annoying Sieglinde, and her looking after me. Pretty much all my memories of this place include her, and that’s mostly because I’ve been seeing her a lot ever since I got back to the capital. Back when I was in Zenith, I didn’t even remember being banned from a high-class brand and owing Sieglinde.
I’m pretty sure that if a classmate said hi to me, I wouldn’t remember who it was. Well, that’s not going to happen right away anyway.
…Or at least it shouldn’t.
“Hum… Weiss, right? It’s been a while. I didn’t know you were back.”
A wealthy looking mother and child sit in front of us, and the mother turns around and says that with a happy expression. Needless to say, I don’t remember her face at all.
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