"Whew… It's finally over."
Stretching his arms in an alleyway, Randy sighed in relief. Beside him, Liz let out a sigh of her own, muttering, "That's so unbecoming of you."
Still, she refrained from further scolding him—likely because she could sympathize with his feelings.
The reason? Midterm Exam
Math, history, ancient languages, and even the fundamental academic subjects like magical theory and magical physics—all crammed into a single day of relentless testing.
After surviving such a grueling ordeal, it was only natural to indulge in a little post-exam euphoria. Anyone, not just Randy, would want to bask in the relief.
"So, Randy, how did you do on the tests?" Liz tilted her head curiously. Randy's shoulder gave an involuntary twitch.
"Listen, Liz…"
"Yes?"
"A man… never looks back on the past."
Randy gave her a knowing smirk, but Liz's exasperated sigh didn't let up.
" So, you didn't do well." she concluded.
"L-Look! What's the deal with that Σ(Sigma) thing? It doesn't even make sense! That's not a number! Couldn't they have just given us fraction addition instead?" Randy protested, clutching his head.
"Why would it be fraction addition? That's elementary school material," Liz replied, her brow furrowing.
"I KNOW! I did it when I was little too!" Randy wailed, covering his face in frustration.
Liz tilted her head, puzzled by his overreaction.
But from Randy's perspective, he had every right to be upset. It was an unspoken rule of these things: test problems should stick to elementary-level arithmetic.
Who could've guessed that a math problem from another world would involve concepts like calculus-level lessons? Randy, who barely had the mental capacity for everyday survival, was certainly unprepared for this level of academic challenge.
Reality had been harsh from the start. Randy recalled how he first realized something was amiss during elementary education provided by the church when fractions came up.
"Wait, aren't we skipping some steps here?" he had thought. And from there, the difficulty had only escalated.
While he had relied on his past life's knowledge to scrape by in high school-level education, even that had its limits. Eventually, he entered unknown territory.
At this point, his only option was… well, to study. But for some reason, whenever he tried, he'd immediately feel sleepy. A tragic cycle.
"Boy, you've mastered my magical theory, haven't you?"
"…"
Randy averted his gaze without a word.
"You stupid!" Ellie's voice rang out as her eyebrows shot up in irritation.
"Do you have any idea how much effort I put into dumbing it down so even an idiot like you could understand?"
"Shut it! No matter how dumbed down you make it, some things just don't click!" Randy shot back.
Honestly, he wanted to tell her to cut him some slack. This ancient witch had dismissed even advanced magical theory as "child's play" and proceeded to teach Randy far more complex theories.
To Ellie, even the so-called "advanced" theories were nothing more than foundational. But for Randy, who struggled to grasp the basics, there was no way he could absorb such large theories overnight.
"I'd be fine starting with something simpler, you know!" Randy protested, pouting.
"What nonsense. The girl picked it up just fine," Ellie retorted smugly.
This was the worst part. Liz had absorbed everything with ease, nodding along with a casual, "Ah, I see."
Watching her absorbed knowledge like she was a sponge made Randy feel utterly defeated.
Ellie's perspective was clear: "If she can handle it, so should you."
"Seems like a birdbrain like you wasn't ready for the divine wisdom of a goddess like me."
"Guh…" Randy winced, a vein throbbing at his temple as Ellie's smug grin widened.
"Go on, birdbrain. Say something. If you can." Ellie cackled.
"Tch… You old hag…" Randy muttered, his face twisting in frustration.
"Hah! The nerve of this little twerp…" Ellie's smile disappeared, replaced by a glare.
"Oh, I mean it. You're the most ancient, useless bag of bones I've ever met! Just you wait—I'll find your decrepit body and shove you right back into it!" Randy shot back, his words dripping with venom.
"You dare call me a hag?!" Ellie's shout shook the alley, her fury reaching new heights. "Fool. I'd like to see if you can still say that after witnessing my explosives body."
The tense standoff between Randy and Ellie was broken when Liz, likely holding Ellie back, intervened, and a figure appeared from the other side of the street.
"Lord Randolph, shall we go?"
Taking advantage of the passerby's presence, Liz quickly urged Randy toward their destination before a second round of bickering could break out.
☆☆☆
"You're both late!"
"Sorry, Cecily," Liz apologized with a smile, bowing her head.
Cecilia returned the smile. "Well, that's fine."
Behind Cecilia stretched a long line of women, all queued in front of a brand-new, white building. In the brick-laden royal capital, the bright Mediterranean-style building stood out prominently.
According to Liz, this design was characteristic of her hometown in the Blauvelt territory.
And as for what this pristine building was?
"Yeah, it really does look perfect for beauty products," Randy remarked, gazing up at the building.
As he said, it was a store designed to sell beauty products. The first store had already opened in the Blauvelt's territory, followed by a second in the Hartfield territory.
Interestingly, the Victor territory had opted for a more local approach, selling the products through general stores—a very Victor-like method.
Now, at last, the beauty products had made their way to the royal capital.
With Liz and Cecilia's advertisements already having a strong effect, this store was to be the first building in the royal capital that selling beauty products
The reason Randy and his companions were here? They had been summoned to this building by a certain individual.
Though they arrived on time for the meeting, Randy couldn't help but focus on the bustling activity surrounding the store.
"It feels so rewarding to see it open like this," Cecilia remarked, gazing up at the building.
Liz nodded silently in agreement. Having visited the site several times during renovations, the two of them felt a wave of emotion seeing it finally come to life.
"It's incredible how thriving it is," Liz commented in amazement, watching the crowd.
Indeed, the area was buzzing with a line of customers and onlookers, creating quite an energetic atmosphere. None of them had the courage to dive into the store, which had turned into a battleground for women vying for products.
Emerging from the chaos was a figure with pink hair, clutching a paper bag protectively. It was undoubtedly Catherine, who hurried over to them as soon as she spotted them.
"That's Lady Evans, isn't it?" Liz asked.
"Indeed," Cecilia replied.
Unlike the two women, who watched Catherine with somewhat troubled expressions, Randy seemed impressed as he looked back at the building.
(Well, if it's the Marquis, this approach makes perfect sense.)
As Randy pondered the Marquis's strategy, a woman emerged from what appeared to be a service entrance at the back of the building.
"You must be Lord Randolph and Lady Cecilia. And…"
The woman glanced at Liz but said nothing further. Judging by Liz's expression, they were not strangers.
(Ah, I see. She can't use 'Lady' in a public setting, but calling her 'Miss' would also be inappropriate.)
Smiling wryly at her loyalty, Randy confirmed his identity.
"My lord is waiting. Please, this way," the woman said, gesturing toward the building.
She was likely a member of the Marquis's household.
Guided by the woman, Randy and the others entered the building. The lively noise of the store faded as they ascended a staircase and arrived at a door.
"The guests have arrived," the woman announced, knocking lightly.
The door opened silently from within. As they stepped inside—
A straight sword was suddenly thrust toward Randy's face.
The blade stopped just short of his nose, the wind from the motion ruffling his bangs.
Liz and Cecilia froze in shock, but Randy remained completely still. He locked eyes with the man wielding the sword, both of them wearing calm smiles.
"Big Brother! Why—" Liz shouted, but Randy stepped in front of her protectively.
"As a guard, do I qualify?" Randy asked with a smile.
The man, whom Liz had called her brother—Cedric—lowered his sword and smiled in return.
"May I ask why you didn't dodge? You knew, didn't you?"
"There wasn't any killing intent behind the sword," Randy shrugged.
"Impressive," Cedric remarked, sheathing his sword.
"You can sense that much?"
"I've been trained," Randy replied with a wry smile.
Cedric chuckled and extended a hand. "I apologize for testing you. I'm Cedric, Liza's older brother."
Randy shook his hand, introducing himself. Seizing the opportunity, he let a faint trace of killing intent leak out for a brief moment.
The air grew cold as Cedric and the woman guiding them stiffened slightly. But Randy quickly dispelled the aura, smiling cheerfully.
"So, as a guard, do I qualify?" he repeated, his smile widening.
Cedric responded with a broad grin of his own. "Without a doubt. Thank you for protecting my little sister."
There was no mistaking the sincerity in Cedric's gratitude.
The young man with androgynous features similar to Liz was still smiling happily as he held Randy's hand.
——
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