The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knightโs Rampage Through Another World
It was well past noon by the time the entire exam schedule had wrapped up.
With my mind and body completely exhausted and my stomach growling, I met up with Twina and Nora.
We headed straight for the student cafeteria on campus.
There are cafeterias near the classroom building, near the dorms, and one for faculty and staff, but we went to the one near the classroom building.
Naturally, the cafeteria was packed with the freshmen who had taken the exams today.
Among them were some familiar faces, like Bullfighting-kun and his entourage, but Klaus wasnโt there.
Maybe he didnโt have an appetite since heโd apparently taken a beating to the stomach (?) during the practical exam.
Or maybe heโd gone somewhere else?
In any case, I figured he probably wouldnโt dare come over and talk to us with Twaina and Nora here.
โWhoa, itโs crowded in here.โ
โAh, Lord Gerald! Thereโs a table over there.โ
โNora, nice one! Letโs grab that spot then.โ
โIโll watch the bags, so you two go order the food. Iโll have the โMeat Sauce Pastaโ I saw on the sign by the entrance. And donโt forget to put sugar and milk in the coffee that comes with it, of course.โ
โYes, yes, as you wish, Swordmaker sama.โ
โWell then, shall we go order our food?โ
Leaving Twina, who looked a bit tired from having to deal with the unfamiliar ordeal of an exam, at the table by the window, Nora and I went to get our food.
The sugar and milk are right by the counter, so as long as I just add as much as I can, it should be fine.
The dining system here involves ordering whatever you like from the counter next to your table and picking up your food right there.
The area behind the counter is the kitchen, where I could see several middle-aged women bustling about, stirring dishes in large pots and efficiently plating up the ordered meals.
Since the food is prepped in advance and the menu only has about a dozen or so items, I suppose this system works well enough to keep things running smoothly.
In the back, I could see large pots and cauldrons placed on a massive stove, with hot steam rising from them.
Oh, that stove is a magical device that generates heat.
My family home didnโt have that kind of equipment, so we used to just stoke the fire with firewood in a traditional hearth.
As expected of a knight academy in the city. Theyโre really on the cutting edge.
โโฆโฆโฆโฆโ
While waiting for our order, Nora gazed around the back of the kitchen with sparkling eyes.
She looked just like a child faced with a pile of toys.
โIs this your first time in a place like this, Nora?โ
โAh, Iโm so sorry, Lord Gerald. Iโve made a bit of a spectacle of myself.โ
โNo, donโt worry about it. Itโs never boring to watch chefs moving so efficiently, is it?โ
โHeheโฆ Thatโs true. Back at my parentsโ house, if I tried to enter the kitchen, the head butler or head chef would scold me, so this is the first time Iโve been able to really take a good look.โ
โAre you interested in cooking, Nora?โ
โHeheโฆ For a woman, itโs only natural to want to cook for the man she loves.โ
โI-Is that so?โ
When she says that while staring intently at me, it makes me feel a little awkward.
Or rather, do noblewomen actually cook their own mealsโฆ?
Well, I suppose that depends on each familyโs customs.
That aside, I can feel a sharp gaze piercing through me from behindโit hurts.
Is that intensity coming from Twina?
Even a goddess like her probably canโt hear our conversation over this commotion, so itโs likely just a gaze waiting impatiently for us to place our food orders.
ใโ
I return to the table carrying food for the three of us.
โIโve been waiting for this, Gerald.โ
Twina had been slumped over the table as if sheโd grown tired of waiting, but when we approached, she moved only her head to say that.
โTwina sama, thatโs quite improper.โ
โHmph, Alisa isnโt watching here. Just let me be.โ
Nora frowned slightly and scolded Twina, but she didnโt seem to care.
Well, looking around, I could see a few students here and there who looked exhausted, regardless of gender.
Itโs not like Twina is particularly sloppy.
โLetโs eat first. Come on, Twina, wake up.โ
After placing a tray of pasta with meat sauce next to her, I sat down beside it.
Iโd ordered the โMinced Meat Grill Setโโฆ minced meat mixed with aromatic vegetables and spices, shaped into patties, and grilledโin short, a hamburger steak set. Judging by the aroma, the sauce was demi-glace. Not bad.
Well, the only downside is that the only option for a side dish is bread instead of rice, but Iโve gotten used to it.
Apparently, you can get rice in the capital, so once life at the academy settles down, I might consider cooking for myself.
โIโm ready to eat.โ
After muttering that, I cut the meat with a knife and brought it to my mouth.
The tasteโฆ yeah, itโs delicious.
Of course, perhaps because they have to cook large quantities of ingredients and serve them quickly to the students, itโs not the kind of elaborate dish youโd find at a hotelโฆ but even so, it had a comforting flavor.
โโฆ! Itโs delicious!โ
Across the table, Nora, who had just taken a bite, let out a delighted exclamation.
She ordered a stew, similar to pot-au-feu.
Itโs vegetable-heavy rather than meat-heavy, but the vegetables are cut into large chunks, so it looks like itโll be satisfying to eat.
Actually, for someone of noble birth, Nora seems to like down-to-earth dishes.
Is it because theyโre a novelty to her?
And as for Twina, who requested pasta with meat sauceโฆ
โHey, Twina, your uniform.โ
Just as I feared, sauce had splattered onto her uniform.
Itโs not that she eats poorly.
She had a napkin covering her chest, and she was carefully twirling the pasta with her fork and quietly bringing it to her mouth.
But with pasta sauce, no matter how carefully you eat, itโs going to splatter when it splatters.
And unless you have precognitive abilities, thereโs no way to know where that splattered sauce is going to land.
Incidentally, in her case, for some reason, it had ended up on her collar, cuffs, and shoulders.
It was a total disaster.
I mean, how come her napkin is still completely white?
Thatโs actually pretty hard to do, isnโt it?
But Twina didnโt seem to mind much; after tucking into the pasta with relish, she wore a smug look on her face.
โMofu ha hi ha hi. Hofu ha ho ho ha fu fu he hi hi ho ho ha.โ
โWhy donโt you swallow whatโs in your mouth before you talk?โ
But well, I got the gist of what she was trying to say.
Because right after that, Twinaโs upper body was enveloped in a faint light, and the sauce stains vanished completely.
Yeah.
Purification magic sure is convenient.
โSpeaking of which, how is my older sister doing?โ
As we poked at our food and chatted aimlessly for a while, Nora suddenly brought up that topic.
The student cafeteria wasnโt just filled with freshmen; here and there, we could see students who looked like upperclassmen who had served as exam proctorsโ assistants today.
Of course, Alissa should be on campus helping with the exam administration, but she wasnโt anywhere to be seen here.
It seemed Nora had assumed that if Twina and I were here, Alissa would show up too.
โAh, my sister has to compile the results of todayโs exams.โ
I swallowed the food in my mouth before answering.
Alissa is in charge of general affairs for the student council, so even though she isnโt out on the front lines, sheโs still busy.
Right after the exams end, she probably doesnโt have time to eat.
โThe entrance ceremony is tomorrow, right? Theyโre going to announce the grades and class assignments afterward, so she says she has to get everything done by then. When I saw her yesterday, she was complaining that she wouldnโt be able to return to the dorm until tomorrow night.โ
โWellโฆ Iโm sorry to hear that.โ
Nora must have been picturing her in her mind, because her expression turned slightly sympathetic.
Mind you, there are only a little over 100 new students at the Royal Capital Knight Academy.
If sheโs used to administrative work, the workload probably isnโt that heavy.
More than anything else, the most time-consuming part seems to be deciding which students to assign to which classesโฆ
Apparently, the top students in particular are selected not only based on exam scores but also through discussions involving the academyโs faculty and the student council, so depending on the year, the meetings can sometimes drag on until dawn.
โฆWell, assuming that getting into the top class requires high grades, they apparently take various factors into account, such as conduct, personality, and family background. So, for a guy like meโfrom a knightly family in the sticks, with average magical power who went on a rampage during the practical examโitโs none of my business, of course.