Chapter 64 – Ririi makes a racket

The longest a student can stay in the pride of the empire, the Nastassja magic school, is twelve years.

Students are underclassmen during the first six years, intermediate students the next three, and upperclassmen for the final three. The teachers in charge of classes change at each point, and suffice to say, they look for the best teachers to be in charge of classes in the final years.

Incidentally, when I, Sieglinde, and Medici were upperclassmen, the teacher in charge of our class was Miss Esmeralda. Students in other classes thought they were lucky not to have her, because of all the exaggerated anecdotes floating around, but our class was the best. When she retired, it was a great loss to this school.

That said, most teachers in charge of underclassmen are newbies that just joined the ministry of magic… But a clamor fills the classroom when someone wearing a robe enters.

“Eh… is that Miss Esmeralda…!? Why…? And doesn’t she look pretty much the exact same!?”

“I dunno. I heard she left the school.”

To be precise, she’s no longer a teacher, she’s a robe maker now, but Medici still raises her voice in surprise, because no one expected her to be here. Sieglinde also looks shocked over there in the corner.

She’s supposed to know the staff in the magic school, but she also looks surprised… What happened with Miss Esmeralda?

Miss Esmeralda slowly approaches the teacher’s platform and looks at the classroom from one side to the other.

Those deep eyes, despite their age, have the intensity of a bird of prey’s, and quickly silence the classroom. Someone who can silence even rowdy kids with one glare is actually a perfect fit for an underclassmen class.

“…”

She turns her sharp eyes to the kids’ guardians, and I feel like our eyes meet. I’m probably just imagining it.

And before I can think any more about that… A voice coming from where the kids are sitting breaks the silence and echoes throughout the classroom.

“Ah! It’s robe grandma!”

And unfortunately, it’s a voice I know very well. After all, the elf girl waving her hand at Miss Esmeralda is none other than my daughter, Ririi Frenberg.

“Ririi, be quiet, Ririi…!”

I warn her quietly, but obviously, she doesn’t hear it. She keeps waving her hand until Miss Esmeralda smiles back at her.

…I can’t help but be worried about her school life. I need to teach her how to be quiet so she doesn’t bother the teachers or the other students…

“Well then…”

Miss Esmeralda starts speaking, and a strange feeling takes over my body. It’s like I’m a student again.

“My name is Esmeralda Eisenburn, and I am the teacher in charge of this class. Hihi, I recognize some faces among the guardians. To think you are already parents… Time sure flies.”

She says as the edges of her mouth raise into a very cheerful smile.

◆

The sky is changing from a red to a deep black color by the time we get home.

“I didn’t know about it either. There was another name listed when I checked…”

“Well, I’m sure she did something. The name Esmeralda Eisenburn carries a lot of weight in the capital. It would be really easy for her to wrangle the position of teacher in charge of a class.”

Sieglinde played the part of Ririi’s mother today, so she ended up coming home with us.

Ririi’s tired from being excited all day, so I put her in bed, and come back to find Sieglinde looking kind of tired, and sitting on the couch.

“Forget that, give me something to eat! They treated me like some suspicious girl because of you!”

And Kaya is throwing a fit next to her. She never made it to the after-party, and we had to go get her from the guards’ place after they stopped her at the gate. She’s hungry, and in a very bad mood.

“All right all right. I’ll go get you something, so sit down and wait.”

I check what I have in the fridge to make something for her, and whip up something simple with eggs and meat. But I actually sprinkled Loretto’s special salt on that meat, and I guess its effect made her become frenzied, because she’s gobbling up everything really fast.

She’s like someone who’s been lost at sea and hasn’t eaten anything in days, but… Wait, didn’t she say she already spent the hundred thousand zeni I gave her for looking after Beary?

It’s funny how she’s the typical bumpkin that came from the middle of nowhere to the capital, but how is she planning to live?

It’s got nothing to do with me, but Ririi likes her, so I can’t have her die in a ditch somewhere. I should talk to Sieglinde about it some other time.

…Speaking of Sieglinde…

“…I know. Do you want to have that drink, Sieglinde?”

“That…?”

“The one your father made. I have one bottle left.”

That rare drink made in secret by the head of one of the leading families in the capital. I traded one bottle for Ririi’s staff, but I have another one in my fridge.

“I wanted to have it with you anyway. I’ll go get glasses.”

“Y-yes…”

“Me too! I wanna drink too!”

“Sure sure.”

I place the bottle, special salt, and glasses on the table… And Sieglinde is looking at me with a stiff look on her face.

…Why is she nervous?