I Secretly Healed the Illness of the Twin Princesses While Wearing a Mask, and Now the Entire Kingdom Is in an Uproar ~Please Stop Trying to Expose the Street Healer~ - Chapter 11

A few days after everything that happened with Duke Arnall.

“A magic tournament?”

“It’s an event next month. The nobles show off their power to everyone in and outside the kingdom. The prelims is a battle royale, and the main event is a tournament.”

“Oh.”

It was lunchtime.

While I was eating grilled-meat curry in the school cafeteria, my sister spoke to me.

“This time, you and I will be working as members of the Medix Viscount family. We’ll join the Health Committee students and treat the injured people.”

“On paper, I can only use healing magic good enough to fix hangnails, though.”

“You’re doing odd jobs.”

“That’s a relief.”

A magic tournament.

Is it like a sports day? No… most of the participants are second and third-year, so maybe it’s a bit different.

Still, an academy-wide event sounds kind of fun.

“…By the way, Asuku. I heard you’ve been skipping classes lately.”

“I’m not skipping.”

“Your homeroom teacher complained. They said you never come to class and just stay in the library all day.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I see. If you don’t understand, then I guess there’s nothing I can do.”

My sister smiled sweetly and gently grabbed my hand.

A sound came from my hand, one that absolutely should not come from bones.

“Big sister, my hand is making cracking noises.”

“It’s okay. Your big sister will hold your hand until your memory loss gets better. Gently.”

“I’ll confess, so please let go. You’re crushing it.”

She was still smiling as she released my hand.

“First-year classes are all basics, and they’re not interesting at all.”

“That’s true. We’ve been taught healing magic and all kinds of magic since we were little; first-year lessons feel boring.”

“That’s why I study on my own in the library. And look, Princess Christina permitted me to read the forbidden books.”

“Ah… the reward for helping convince His Majesty to break the engagement between Princess Christina and Duke Arnall.”

“That’s right.”

Ever since entering the Magic Academy, I’ve been thinking about new types of healing magic, stuff that could even fix the middle-school syndrome.

While reading through the books in the forbidden archive, I learned about two magic types that might be possible.

“I’m interested in the mental magic and memory magic written in the forbidden books.”

“Stop that.”

“Why?”

“Think about why the books about those two kinds of magic are in the forbidden archive.”

Hmm, I see.

“I still don’t get it.”

“…Right. You’ve never been good at thinking too deeply.”

“I guess.”

My sister sighed and said, “That wasn’t a compliment.”

Then she reluctantly started explaining the two magics.

“They’re banned because they’re too dangerous.”

“Too dangerous?”

“Mental magic is exactly what it sounds like. Magic that interferes with the mind. Depending on how you use it, you can brainwash someone or break their mind and turn them into a shell. A long time ago, there was an evil woman who tried to control the royal family with mental magic. Memory magic is pretty much the same.”

“Whoa, there really are bad people in this world.”

But banning magic just because it causes trouble feels strange to me.

If someone stabbed a person with a kitchen knife, would we ban kitchen knives from being sold or used?

That would be ridiculous.

Magic is the same.

Mental magic and memory magic can be dangerous, but their value depends on the person who uses them.

Just like a kitchen knife can make delicious food when used the right way, these two types of magic would be very important for healing people’s hearts.

…Maybe I should secretly learn them without telling anyone.

“You’re making a face that you will secretly learn it.”

“Gyah.”

“…You just said that out loud. Anyway, mental magic and memory magic were lost long ago.

Give up on learning them.”

Now that she mentioned it, I did search everywhere in the forbidden archive, but never found any detailed books about those two magics.

So they really must be lost.

“Fine. I’ll give up… for now.”

“…The ‘for now’ worries me, but anyway, go to class. You’ve become famous in a bad way among some students.”

“Why?”

“You got into the student council through connections, even though you’re not a high-ranking noble, you almost made the duke’s son look like a woman-chaser, you skip classes, you sleep in class… People envy you for a lot of reasons.”

“Right.”

“That part, I can still tolerate. The real problem is the people calling you a failure.”

From the outside, I am from a famous healing-mage family, but I can only use weak healing magic. It’s not strange that people think I’m useless.

But my sister clearly does not like that opinion.

“Don’t worry. I taught the ones calling my Asuku a failure what fear worse than death feels like.”

“So scary… Big sister, don’t trouble Lucan-senpai too much, okay?”

“…Why are you suddenly bringing up Lucan?”

“What do you mean? It was Lucan-senpai who helped clean up the mess when you beat the duke’s son’s underlings half to death? You shouldn’t trouble your friends.”

When I said that, my sister looked a little annoyed.

“She’s… just someone I share a room with. That’s all.”

“Big sister, tsundere characters aren’t popular anymore. And you’re already a socially awkward loner―”

“Watch your words?”

“Ahem. Ahem. I mean, big sister is a noble, perfect, one-of-a-kind heroic type that normal people can’t understand… but that’s different from being isolated, right?”

“…That’s true.”

My sister has a personality that’s basically “tsundere,” so she doesn’t make friends easily.

On top of that, even from her little brother’s point of view, she’s extremely pretty.

Because of that overwhelming beauty, many people get nervous around her. So with her difficult personality and her looks, it’s hard for her to make friends.

That’s why I want her to treasure the few friends she does have, like Christina and Lucan.

“Well, I’ll keep it in mind.”

She looked a little unhappy but was still nodding.

Good, good.

“…By the way, Asuku. What have you been eating this whole time?”

“Grilled meat curry set. It’s super good. The Hornbull meat and the curry made from the dandruff of a monster called a Spice Dragon go really well together.”

“Is that strange food?”

“It’s not.”

And, right then.

“Franc-sama, Asuku-sama. May we sit with you?”

“P-Princess Christina…”

“Mm, it’s not just my sister. I’m here too.”

Christina and Victoria suddenly appeared in the cafeteria and sat across from us.

Servants carried out many dishes for them.

I’d heard from Garu that royalty get a full-course meal at the academy cafeteria, but seeing it in person.

I’m jealous.

“Mm, Asuku. What is that?”

“This? It’s grilled meat curry.”

Victoria was sitting across from me as she stared at my curry like she was studying it.

“…It smells really good.”

“Do you want to try some?”

“Give me one bite.”

“Then give me a piece of that super-thick steak.”

“Mm, then. Only one piece.”

We traded a bit of each other’s food and took a bite.

Oh wow, delicious. As expected of a royal lunch, this giant steak is insanely good.

“Hehe, it seems Asuku-sama and Victoria get along very well.”

“T-that’s right, Princess Christina.”

“…F-Franc-sama. If you don’t mind… would you like to try trading bites of lunch with me, too?”

“Eh!?”

“I thought that doing something like this feels very friend-like. O-Only if you want to!!”

“…No, I don’t dislike the idea.”

My sister and Christina began trading parts of their lunches like friends and enjoyed themselves.

…Well, the one having fun was basically just Christina.

Still, it was a very peaceful lunchtime.

About a month later, the day of the Magic Tournament finally arrived.

◇　◇　◇

Afterword

One-Point Story

Author: “I’m so jealous! Trading lunch with a cute girl!? I wanted a youth like that too!!”

A: “Even if you say that to me…”

If you thought, “They’re still not giving up,” “I’m curious about that grilled meat curry set,” “Christina and Victoria are so cute,” please leave your thoughts, bookmarks, ★ ratings, or reviews.