Logan woke up weakly, unaware of where he was, but he knew his body ached, causing him to groan.
"Young master Logan, are you awake?!" Ruri asked softly, her voice barely a whisper.
Before he could fully open his eyes, he felt someone tugging on his arm. The owner of the voice became clear after a few blinks—it was a young girl in maid attire.
"Yes… I think I am?" Logan said hoarsely, looking around the room somewhat dejectedly, thinking about the reality of his situation. He was trying to piece together what had happened to him, gathering bits and pieces of the events that led to his current state. Class reveal, speech, food, music, bathroom, balcony… drink, red-haired girl… Drink!
"It was the drink, wasn't it?" Logan shouted in exasperation, only making his headache worse. He tossed and turned a few times before it calmed down.
"Master? Are you alright?" Ruri shouted, concern evident in her voice.
Realizing he was only making a commotion, Logan cleared his throat, trying to calm himself in order to think about how he had gotten here.
"Yes, sorry about that. I'm fine, just have ah… mild headache. Also… how did I get here?" Logan spoke out, his voice barely audible.
Ruri nodded, her eyes filled with understanding. "About that, let me give this to you first. Ms. Rosengard told me it would help you when you awakened."
With great care, the young maid began to pour some tea into a small porcelain cup from a pot before continuing with the explanation.
"You see, hero, last night Lady Rosengard told me that you accidentally drank a cup of Ghostbrew and had to be brought back by a caretaker. I've been here all night to take care of you, so don't worry—you didn't say or do anything weird; I promise!" Ruri answered in a meek voice but with a serious attitude to show she was telling the truth.
Logan stared at her for a bit before nodding slowly. The tea he had taken in three sips seemed to be fast-acting, as he could clearly feel the heavy pulsing in his forehead begin to fade.
"Ugh, thank you. That will be all." He said with pain still in his voice.
Seeing that the tea seemed to help her master recover almost instantly, Ruri nodded before leaving the room to clean the cup and pot. As for Logan, he made sure that no one was around before slapping his leg. Having a stranger attend to him was bad enough, but acting foolish in front of the red-haired noblegirl yesterday was even worse.
He recalled a few of the things he had done, and what he remembered the most was talking—a whole lot of talking. Fragments of being carried off by the red-haired girl were also present in his memory before his consciousness faded, making him shiver in embarrassment.
What would all the other students say? What would his teacher say? All of this was whirling in his mind before he decided to get up and get ready. He was not only hungry, but nature was calling.
After changing to the clothes placed neatly at the end of his bed, Logan hesitated while grabbing the doorknob a few times before deciding to rotate it fully and open the door. He took a deep breath and exited the room, only to find the corridor empty, much to his delight.
Sometime later, after finishing his business, Logan noticed that no one in his class had awoken yet. The sunlight had yet to reach the building, so he guessed it was somewhere around six in the morning, and the chefs had yet to start cooking. This did not stop his maid, who had beckoned him to eat some soup she had prepared. Logan sent her away to rest before eating, noticing the young girl was yawning and clearly tired from watching over him throughout the night.
This felt strange for Logan, who was not used to having someone around, especially to the extent that they would stay up all night for his sake.
He finished his broth with bread before heading upstairs to avoid the others who would no doubt be coming down soon. Logan needed to think things through and figure out what he had to do next.
Upon arriving at his room, Logan heard a whistle from behind.
"Hey Logan, have you become a man already?" Someone yelled out towards him, a voice he didn't not know well.
Shutting his door quickly but quietly so as not to disturb Ruri if she was asleep, Logan entered and paced around. He knew it—others saw what he did and they probably got the wrong idea. Or did they? He didn't remember anything, not how he got here or what happened with the red-haired girl, or even what Ruri did. Was she closer to him this morning because he did something to her?
"No wait, she said nothing happened… Damn it, I will never drink again!" he murmured to himself, pulling his hair. He paced back to his bed before noticing a note beside it, which he quickly opened to read.
"Greetings Hero,
I hope the medication I gave your maid helps with the problems you will be having tomorrow. Don't worry about what happened at the party; I did my best to keep your dignity intact with a special trick of mine.
Now then, I hope you remember our promise and accept the help of my father, Earl Victor Rosengard. We will be sending a carriage midday in case you accept. All you have to do is give the envelope of this letter to Mr. Alric, who knows what to do with it. And don't worry about payment; it is an arrangement that all nobles have made, so Mr. Alric will do the same for any of the other students.
Sincerely Yours, Rubina Rosengard"
Logan rubbed his head a few times trying to remember the events that happened the night before. He recalled having accepted the Rosengard's help and even introducing himself to Rubina before he blacked out.
Weighting the pros and cons a few times he decided it was good to have a backer, as everyone in the class would probably have one and he also didn't want to rely too much on the king who could at any moment kick him out and toss him on to the street. He thought about the problems that could also arise from accepting some unknown benefactor, but in the end, he recalled the young girl Rubina who seemed genuine in her interest towards him.
He did not think it was his physical appearance though; it had more to do with what the oracle had prophesied about him and the powers he possessed. He also recalled the strange way others reacted towards his class.
"Tamer…" A word softly left the tip of his tongue. He could only guess that it had to do with controlling animals or monsters and helping them get stronger, just like his old video game.
Logan paced back and forth before deciding to send the letter to Alric. After calming down and thinking things over, he was sure that he had done nothing wrong by the contents of the letter and the way Ruri had acted that morning. Quietly exiting the room, he headed towards the reception area, where the main butler, Mr. Alric, was standing behind a desk.
"Ahh… Good morning, can you pass this to Earl Rosengard, please?" Logan said while clearing his throat.
Logan fidgeted under the main butler's stern gaze. Mr. Alric nodded while accepting the envelope before snapping his fingers. A nearby boy suddenly appeared and picked up the letter, received a few instructions, and then dashed away in a hurry.
"Will that be all, young master?" The old man spoke in a dry voice without emotion and bowed after Logan nodded to indicate no further need for his assistance.
Logan felt somewhat refreshed by the previous interaction; it was quick, smooth, and simple. It was only when he was heading to his room that he noticed people from his class staring at him.
He looked around quickly and noticed that Lisa, his teacher, or the idiotic trio weren't around. That was good enough for him. He struggled with the attention but managed to get back to his room without too much hassle.
After a few hours of doing nothing but reading an old book he found in the upstairs library and hiding from the rest of the world, Logan noticed that his maid had woken up. Somehow, she knew that he would need to go out and brought him the clothes he had come into this world with, much to his delight. He quickly took the beanie and nestled it right where it should be fixing his untamed hair.
Logan studied her for a moment, before speaking. "Thank you, Ruri…"
The maid, having been thanked, bowed with a smile. She seemed overjoyed for some reason to have a master, which Logan found strange. Yet he did not question it. He simply appreciated her kindness in silence not knowing how he needed to tackle the problem.
Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door. A butler announced that Mr. Rosengard's carriage was waiting outside.