The Girl Who Hacked The Magic System-Chapter 103 - Childish reactions

Lovelace and I are having breakfast together in my quarters in the palace. It’s the last day before the entrance exams at the Royal Academy.

"Any signs of the vampire, Lovelace?"

"No. He hasn’t shown up since that day. He might have even gone away from the city altogether."

The vampire that had been feeding on the King for months before our arrival had his nest inside a new dungeon on the outskirts of the capital.

But he disappeared the day we spotted him in the throne room, and we haven’t managed to find him ever since.

"Normally his mana would be noticeable from a distance, but..."

"There are no traces of his mana in the city, though there are some places that are shielded. Lovelace, do you think that the Church might be shielding him?"

The spaces inside the temples and, sometimes, even below them, are completely shielded from both magical perception and our deep listening.

"It’s a possibility, though normally vampires would be repelled by any holy regalia."

"We don’t know the nature of those places under the temples. Especially the big one under the main temple."

"From what I gathered in the library, it’s some sort of catacomb where the holy men of the Church are buried."

"Catacombs? That sounds very undead-ish."

"It does, indeed."

"Couldn’t we go take a look in there?"

"If the court wizard forced entrance into the sacred spaces of the Church, it would be a huge problem for everyone."

"I think that you phrased that badly."

"Huh? What do you mean, Aurea?"

"The correct way to phrase it would be: if the court wizard IS CAUGHT forcing entrance..."

"Oh, right."

We both chuckle, though it’s a bit of dry laughter. Messing with the Church is no small deal.

"I bet that even if the vampire is not in those catacombs, there’s a chance some of your memories are stored there."

"I’ve been thinking about it, and I agree. There isn’t much information available about that place, so they might be hiding something important in there."

"Going back to the vampire issue. He was acting in the city under the guise of Martius and participating in meetings with the Pontifex and the Duke. Do you think that they knew about his nature?"

"Duke Addlington could have been fooled by him, but I doubt that the Pontifex wasn’t aware of it. And his targeting the king might have been in collusion with the Church."

"If we find a way to prove it, it would be a huge blow for the Church."

Seeing my excited face and my vicious smile, Lovelace sighs.

"You are sounding like a royal already, Aurea."

"Can’t help it in this case. The Church poses an existential threat against my mother and me. We outmaneuvered the Pontifex in the plaza that day, but he will probably want to excommunicate Mom again."

"I can’t deny that. But it doesn’t change the fact that you seem to have been fitting into your social position lately."

"I thought of fighting it at first, but then I gave up. I still hate being a royal, but maybe I can use that to achieve our goals, so I might as well play my part."

"If that’s what you wish, Your Highness."

"Hey, not fair! You are my dear friend, so don’t start with that ’Your Highness’ bullshit."

Lovelace’s laughter seems to have become easier these days. She has also been smiling more and interacting a bit more with people.

If this feeling in my chest is not happiness, then I don’t know what it is.

:::

The following day, the crucial day of the exams, I’m with both my mothers in a carriage, headed to the Royal Academy to have the exams. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

"Nervous, Aurea?"

"A bit, Mom Levy."

"I think that you will handle the exams perfectly, Aurea. You are very intelligent and already really powerful. I don’t think that you have to fear not passing the exams."

"I don’t think that’s what Aurea is concerned about, honey."

Lillian saw right through me and quickly dispelled Levinna’s misunderstanding.

"Yeah... I’m worried about the whole ’school’ thing. Having to live here, away from you all, not being able to see you two or Lovelace for days at a time."

"But you’ll be able to come to the palace every weekend to see us."

"Two days per week is not enough."

It would be more tolerable if I commuted from home to school every day; this live-in thing is not nice.

"But you’ll make a lot of new friends in the school. You are still young; there are lots of things to learn and see about the world."

"The friends part is one of my main worries, to be honest. I don’t want to be surrounded by people sucking up to me just because of my social status."

"Well, there’s no avoiding that, from the moment you were born as royalty."

"I confess that I was more comfortable with my social status when I was just a runaway slave."

Mother Lily is chuckling while Levy and I hold the conversation, holding back some laughter. This is a serious matter, Mom!!

"I’m sorry, Aurea. You are just too cute when you act your age."

Huh? Am I acting my age?

Lillian sees the question in my face and answers it.

"Yes, that’s a very childish reaction to going to school. It’s kinda unexpected, coming from you, but that’s what makes it even more cute and funny."

Ugh. Am I being childish right now?

Thinking back, I always loved going to school. Even when I was bullied and couldn’t stand my classmates, the simple act of going to class and learning new things was amazing.

Why am I having this reaction now? Is it really just because I’ll be facing the reality of my social status?

I mean, that’s certainly a big part of it. I always hated nobility and royalty, as well as the bourgeoisie, billionaires, etc. So, being a part of it is unsettling.

But is it just that? Or is there something more to it?

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