Once again, as always, Louis was dozing off with a pillow made not of regular feathers but of a rare down from Amelia. It was a famous brand product favored by the wealthy nobles in the realm.
“Hmm.”
Louis tossed and turned, trying different positions, but nothing seemed comfortable.
“Ah…”
He let out a frustrated sigh.
Unable to bear it any longer, he sat up and glared at the pillow. While he could tolerate the discomfort when sleeping on books, the subtle uneasiness of this modern pillow was unbearable.
“This is driving me crazy.”
– Rustle.
At that moment, he heard the sound of someone approaching through the woods.
“Could it be Amelia?”
But it wasn’t her. It was a professor with impressive white beard and hair, walking through the forest.
The professor looked surprised as he saw Louis.
“Hehe, so you’re the fairy living near the Lake Delin,” he said with amusement.
Though they were meeting for the first time, Louis felt like he knew who the professor was.
“Professor Pernel?”
“Oh, you know my name even though you never attend my classes? Well, half right, half wrong. My name is Richard.”
Richard Pernel, an alchemy professor, and Louis had heard that he was a peculiar character.
“Did you come to catch me?” Louis asked.
“Although I’ve always been interested in the fairy living by Lake Delin, that’s not why I’m here today,” Richard replied.
He stood beside Louis, pointing to something.
“Have you heard of the Adrane’s Flower?”
“No.”
“It’s a rare flower that blooms in areas with high mana concentration. An excellent alchemical material.”
A blue frozen flower was precariously blooming near the lake.
“That icy flower is called Adrane’s Flower,” Louis thought. He had seen it frequently, a fascinating and rare flower blooming in abundance near the lake.
“It’s rare, but there are so many here,” Louis commented.
“Well, Lake Delin has the highest mana concentration in the world. Even an extraordinary flower like Adrane’s is not that surprising here,” Richard explained.
He went down and carefully picked a few of the flowers. Then, he showed them to Louis.
“But you can’t take too many at once. You’re limited to three a day. The flower needs to maintain a certain number to grow properly,” Richard said.
“I see.”
Richard drew a gentle arc with his hand.
“If you keep an eye on it, will you do it? Although it seems like you have nothing better to do,” he asked.
“…Sure,” Louis replied, choosing to comply rather than be bothered or forced to attend classes.
“I’ll see you later, then. Perhaps in the classroom.”
Of course, Louis had no intention of going to the classroom, but he nodded respectfully as Richard passed by.
With his head bowed, he saw the pillow in front of him.
“Well, he’s a professor. Maybe he knows something,” Louis thought.
It would be better than overthinking it alone. He quickly caught up to Richard.
“Professor Pernel.”
“Why so formal, Christopher?”
Richard deliberately called him by his middle name, in response to Louis addressing him as “Professor Pernel.” But Louis didn’t really care about that.
“What’s the best material for a pillow, aside from goose feathers?”
Richard blinked in surprise at the unexpected question but responded as a conscientious teacher.
“Hmm… while duck feathers are also commonly used for pillows, that’s not the answer you’re looking for. You don’t need to ask an alchemy professor about such things.”
That was true. Louis nodded.
“I want a special material that fits my head shape.”
“Ah, in that case, you’re looking at ‘Life Nymph’s Feathers’ or ‘Phoenix’s Feathers.’ But it’s almost impossible to get your hands on Phoenix’s Feathers. They’re one of the Four Great Beings, you know?”
“Does that really matter?”
“Heh, it does. If someone unauthorized approaches their nest, they’ll be engulfed in flames. Do you want to risk your life at such a young age?”
“Then what should I do?”
“You should knock on the door politely. We’re supposed to be intellectuals, aren’t we?”
Louis scratched his head as if he found it troublesome.
“Walking all the way up there?”
“That’s the only way you can get Phoenix’s Feathers. They won’t open the door for someone undeserving. That’s why there’s a crystal made of a magician’s tears in front of it, which only those with qualifications can pass through.”
“Just having a single strand would make it possible to fulfill any wish. The Phoenix can endlessly duplicate its feathers, which hold eternal life within them,” Richard said, looking towards the faintly visible spire of the skyscraper-like structure in the distance.
“The Phoenix’s Nest is at the far end.”
“Thank you.”
“…Are you going right away?”
Louis was eager to get a new pillow. There was no reason for hesitation.
“Heh heh.”
Richard chuckled and squinted his eyes.
“Christopher.”
With his incredible speed, Louis had already turned into a black dot.
“Hmm.”
Richard grinned, watching Louis rapidly approach the Phoenix’s Nest.
“You’re going to get demerits, my boy.”
“That nobleman, he talks so much.”
Louis murmured to himself after glancing back while flying.
——————
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Suppressing his drowsiness, it felt like a downpour of words pouring into his ears.
He thought the professor would be worth looking for when he couldn’t sleep later.
In any case, after arriving at the Phoenix’s Nest with his flying magic, Louis touched the ground with his feet.
The height was dizzying; clouds were almost within reach.
“The nest is…”
There was no need to search; the Phoenix was right in front of him, staring directly at him.
The most striking thing was its long and beautiful feathers. They emitted a radiant glow of red and gold. Its beak and claws were golden, and its eyes sparkled like precious gems.
“This is a Phoenix.”
To actually face the legendary being in person…
“My pillow.”
The feathers looked so soft and comfortable.
Throughout the day, the Phoenix observed the unwelcome intruder.
“Kraak, kkaak, kkaaaak!”
– Who are you to dare enter without even knocking?
The Phoenix flapped its wings, spreading them threateningly, as if flames were rising from its feathers, pressing against Louis.
Louis walked towards the Phoenix with a nonchalant expression.
“Kkaaaak!”
– Foolish human! Do you think this is safe?
“Can I take just one feather?”
The Phoenix flapped its wings furiously.
“Kraak, kraak! Kkaak, kraaak!”
– There are no feathers for arrogant humans like you! Get out of my territory this instant!
Naturally, Louis, who couldn’t be understood, tried to pluck one feather.
The Phoenix withdrew and flapped its wings fiercely.
A blast of cold wind filled with mana struck Louis.
He covered his eyes with his right arm to shield them from the icy wind.
“Kkaak!”
– I warn you. If you come any closer, you’ll suffer from frostbite for three years.
The Phoenix was a familiar summoned by the head of the family, a supernatural being that protected and assisted the magician. It was considered a lifelong companion for the magician.
Of course, it was aware that Louis was an academy student, so it wouldn’t launch an attack that could harm his life.
“Oh, it’s not that bad.”
Louis waved his hand as if he were annoyed.
Mana with enough power to chill ordinary humans to the core gathered around him.
“Kkaak!”
Startled, the Phoenix flapped its wings in an attempt to defend itself.
But the enormous burst of mana had surprised it, and it attacked too fiercely.
In the end, the powerful attack had no impact on Louis.
“Oooh.”
Louis was perfectly fine, unaffected by the ice-cold wind.
In fact, he was enjoying the refreshing breeze.
“Indeed, natural resources are different. I should come back in the summer.”
It’s like having an air conditioner.
With that thought, Louis waved his hand again, and the icy wind dissipated in an instant.
“Now, is it my turn?”
Although there was no actual damage, Louis still realized that the cool breeze was an attack. He extended his arm as if he was about to cast a powerful sleep spell to put the Phoenix to sleep momentarily.
“Kkaak… kraak!”
– This amount of power… You are serious, human.
The Phoenix stared at Louis with a firm gaze.
The Phoenix was one of the Four Great Beings, possessing an ancient pride.
Reluctantly, the Phoenix made a decision.
“…Kkkak.”
– Take this and go. I apologize.
“Huh?”
The Phoenix offered one of its feathers to Louis.
Louis bowed his head politely. His curly hair made him look a bit pathetic.
That’s right.
The Phoenix had lived for tens of thousands of years.
It understood that some things in this world couldn’t be solved solely with pride.
Without a doubt, Louis was an academy student. It knew that attacks that could threaten his life were out of the question.
“…Kweh.”
The Phoenix handed one of its feathers to Louis.
The head bowed politely. The fluffy, fiery feathers looked somewhat sorrowful.
Yes.
The Phoenix was an intelligent being that knew some things couldn’t be resolved by pride alone.
