"Your family, you know, is surprisingly affectionate. You don't see families like yours very often these days."
The mage, who had been gazing through the window of the carriage Father had lent us as we traveled away from the Frah territory, suddenly spoke.
"They're so different from what I expected that they've completely shattered my preconceived notions about nobles."
"Isn't that what preconceived notions are meant for? To be shattered?"
"Do you think people develop prejudices for no reason? They exist because they're generally accurate. Ugh!"
The mage stretched both arms above her head, loosening her stiff muscles.
After twisting her body from side to side a few times, she let out a deep breath, raised her head, and looked at me.
"Phew! Your father even lent you such a luxurious carriage for your departure. And that little sister of yours, who was so fiercely angry with me, looked as though she was about to burst into tears when you left. At her age, girls are supposed to find their older brothers disgusting or absolutely detestable."
"...You seem to know quite a bit about how younger sisters feel."
"That's because I have an older brother myself. He's an absolute nuisance, I tell you."
Hmm-hmm.
She continued humming to herself while twisting her stiff body this way and that.
Eventually, she sank deep into the backrest, practically melting into it like a slime.
"Anyway, now that you're officially a student of Academia, I'm going to speak casually with you. That's all right, isn't it?"
"I don't mind."
When I shrugged indifferently, she gave a small chuckle.
"How can you be so easygoing? That's hardly the reaction I'd expect from an obnoxious young nobleman."
"...I've just always been this way."
"Really? I suppose the world truly is a big place. I thought all nobles were like those insufferable ones in the Imperial Capital, but now I've met a young nobleman who's surprisingly laid-back. By the way, are you perhaps—"
She opened her mouth as though something had occurred to her, but stopped before finishing the question.
Instead, she simply smiled.
"Ah, never mind. Is there anything you're curious about? Believe it or not, I'm your senior. You can ask me about life in the Imperial Capital or Academia. I'm doing you quite a favor here, you know. According to the rules, guides and incoming students aren't supposed to exchange information."
"Why is that?"
"Because it can lead to requests for special favors."
As she uttered those words, an unmistakable look of disgust spread across her eyes.
However, the expression vanished almost immediately, concealed beneath a cheerful smile.
The transformation was so practiced that I almost wondered whether I had imagined it.
"Apparently, things like that used to happen quite often. Academia was founded to provide equal education to talented individuals regardless of social class, but as always, there's a gap between ideals and reality, isn't there? In principle, once noble children enroll in Academia, they're supposed to receive exactly the same treatment as commoner students. But before those noble children actually arrived at Academia, there used to be a loophole in the rules."
"Because guides are exposed to the authority and influence of the noble families those students belong to, they might offer information in exchange for favors?"
She nodded lightly in agreement.
"Exactly. Do you really think commoners and nobles become equal just because people keep shouting about equality? It's all nonsense. Commoner students need employers willing to hire them after graduation, while noble students either inherit their families' estates or become the employers of those same commoner graduates. Apparently, that caused quite a bit of trouble during Academia's early years."
"You said it used to happen?"
"That means the problem has mostly disappeared, to the point where they only need to warn students assigned as guides about it. After His Imperial Majesty stepped in and dealt with the matter, those incidents stopped happening... At least, people stopped openly demanding favors. There are penalties for it now, after all."
"I see."
Her expression seemed to contain a complicated mixture of emotions.
Perhaps realizing that I was quietly studying her face, she suddenly turned toward me with a bright smile, like an actress slipping effortlessly into character.
"So! It's just an old rule left over from something that happened in the past. But a rule is still a rule, and I could be punished for breaking it. That's why I'm telling you I'm doing you a favor. I've taken a liking to you."
"Thank you for your kindness."
"Think nothing of it, Young Master."
I merely gave a wry smile at her teasing response before quietly turning my gaze toward the scenery outside the carriage.
Lush green trees swept past us in a peaceful blur.
Winter had only recently ended, leaving the sky clear and the birds chirping peacefully.
Perhaps I might even spot a bear or some other animal emerging from hibernation among the trees.
When was the first time I truly realized that the world I'd been born into was a fantasy world?
Was it when I saw Father beat an enormous bear to death with his bare hands?
I still remembered how astonished I'd been when he sent a bear, more than twice the size of the polar bears I'd seen at zoos in my previous life, flying with a single punch.
Father had looked so majestic, like a legendary hero, that I'd been deeply moved by the sight.
For a while afterward, I'd devoted myself wholeheartedly to training to become a knight.
Of course, I'd eventually become thoroughly sick of the almost masochistic training and fled.
If nothing else, it had been an important experience that taught me one painful lesson.
Even in a fantasy world, nothing came without effort.
"Isn't there anything you want to know?"
"...How does someone become a mage?"
"Huh?"
I tore my gaze away from the monotonous scenery beyond the carriage window and looked toward her.
For some reason, she seemed rather startled by my question.
"When we first met, you introduced yourself as a mage, didn't you? Does attending Academia mean I'll be able to become one too?"
"Hmm... Now that's an unusual question. Most incoming students ask about the sleeping accommodations, what food is good, or whether there are any handsome or beautiful seniors around. Things like that."
"Those things don't particularly interest me. More importantly, does my question violate that... rule you mentioned?"
I carefully watched her expression as I asked.
Although she'd said she liked me enough to answer my questions, there was a good chance she wouldn't reveal information that was genuinely restricted by the rules.
Of course, if she refused to answer, that would paradoxically tell me just how important my question was.
Still, I didn't want to cause trouble for someone who had shown me kindness.
"Hmm? No, no. I was just surprised because nobody's ever asked me that before. You really are... unusual, aren't you?"
Fortunately, it seemed my question didn't concern any particularly sensitive information.
But unusual?
"You think asking how someone becomes a mage is unusual?"
"Yes. You see, mages have something of a reputation for being eccentrics. People who do mysterious things without producing anything particularly useful, I suppose? So most students who enter Academia aren't necessarily aiming to become mages. They're more interested in obtaining an Academia diploma and securing a respectable position somewhere. An Academia diploma is worth far more than a letter of introduction from most nobles. You could almost call it a key that opens the door directly into the Empire's upper class."
Apparently, the perception of mages in this world was rather different from what I'd encountered in the fantasy novels and films of my previous life.
Normally, mages were treated as walking strategic weapons.
Rather than merely submitting to the control of those in power, they often established their own governing organizations and ruled entire regions as powerful authorities in their own right.
Magic Towers, Archmages, and the like.
Those were the standard concepts I was familiar with.
Did this world not have mages who could launch fireballs from their hands, summon lightning from the heavens, or even call down meteors?
"But instead of asking the usual questions an incoming student would ask, you're curious about how to become a mage. Pfft! You really are interesting."
"...Could I hear the answer to my question?"
"Hmm? Ah, right. Well, it's something you'll find out once you enroll in Academia anyway, so there's no reason to hide it. Excuse me!"
She lowered the carriage window, leaned her upper body through the opening, and called out.
"Excuse me! How much farther until we can stop somewhere and rest?"
The coachman driving the carriage shouted back in response.
"We'll be coming to a clearing where we can park the carriage soon! Just about enough time to drink a quick cup of tea, and we'll be there!"
"Ah, thank you!"
After finishing her conversation with the coachman, she turned toward me.
I was still staring at her in bewilderment.
She gave me a playful wink.
"Once we get out of the carriage, I'll 'show' you the answer to your question."
"Show me?"
"That's right. Seeing something once is better than hearing about it a hundred times, isn't it?"
After making that cryptic remark, she took one look at my puzzled expression before humming cheerfully and sinking back into her seat.
She looked exactly like a mischievous older sister who had just found a new way to tease her youngest sibling.
Apparently, she had no intention of telling me anything just yet.
And so, with my curiosity still unsatisfied, the carriage continued along the peaceful mountain road.
For some reason, the fragrance of the forest carried by the breeze through the open carriage window seemed even more refreshing than before.