Pens Down, Swords Up: Throw Your Studies to the Wind Volume 3 (eBook)

Mao Nishiura (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
250 Seiten
J-Novel Club (Verlag)
978-1-7183-1590-7 (ISBN)

Infos

Across the kingdom, all eyes are on Allen Rovene, Class 1-A's mysterious new troublemaker. However, Allen's only got one thing on his mind: vacation! Between overcoming Godolphen's challenge and joining the Royal Order, he hasn't had it easy since school started-but summer's here at the Royal Academy, which means it's time to close the books and open the door to adventure. From exploring his new world to hanging out with his friends, Allen's determined to enjoy every last second his break has to offer-and with his newly invented magic up his sleeve, he's going to go wherever the wind takes him! Perhaps he'll run into a familiar face along the way...?

But before he can set off on his trip, Allen's going to have to confront the battle he's been putting off for far too long: a reunion with his terrifying sister, Rosa. And for some reason, his classmates have decided to come along for the show! Will Allen even survive long enough to experience the free-spirited summer of his dreams?

Textauszug

“See, we’re not asking you to read out the whole thing! If you’ve got nothing to hide, then open the letter and give us a quick overview—that’s all we want!” Fey added with a giggle. “But if you don’t get this under control soon, there’s gonna be some awful new rumors added to the legend of Allen Rovene—and I’d hate for that to happen.”

“Nearly every one of those stupid rumors about me has started thanks to you lot! Give me a break... Fine. I’ll open it, all right? So don’t spread any more weird crap about me!”

Seriously, what did I do to deserve this? I was trying to protect these guys by refusing to introduce them to Rosa... I sighed. I could probably safely read them the first page, and if it was normal enough, maybe the second as well. Then I could just pretend she’d written about how busy she was these days and hope the kangaroo court would be satisfied. I slipped my fingernail underneath the sticker sealing the envelope and tore the letter open.

At that point, I still hadn’t realized the full extent of Rosa’s anger—anger held at bay by a single heart-shaped sticker.

◆◆◆

“Man, I can’t believe we get to meet your sister! I’m kinda nervous!” said Al, cheerful as ever—a shining beacon of light in my newfound darkness.

Compared to Rosa’s normal missives, the letter I’d reluctantly opened earlier had been...unusual, to say the least. Instead of her customary tightly packed handwriting, each stroke no bigger than a grain of rice, today’s letter had featured giant words, scrawled across the pages in an ominous, deep-red ink—a color so similar to blood, I swore I could smell the metallic tang of iron rising from the pages. This was what the letter had said.

Page one: “I’ll be waiting at the estate today, okay?”

Page two: “If you ignore this letter,”

Page three was blank—not blank white, but blank red. The page was entirely coated in a deep, bloody red, and it felt sticky to the touch. I’d gulped when I’d seen it. Red papers used to mean you were being conscripted in Japan... Sure feels like I’m being called to war now.

I was terrified. Absolutely, positively terrified. The moment I’d seen the letter, I’d lost all capacity to worry about my classmates’ safety. I wasn’t brave enough to face Rosa alone—and I wasn’t brave enough to ignore her either. There was every chance my Class A compatriots would get caught up in the cross fire (if she didn’t just straight up murder them to get the adrenaline flowing), but my first priority was making sure I’d live to see another day, so I’d enlisted them as unwitting human shields.

“Er... Oh! Rosa says she’s free today—what an amazing coincidence! I’m going to go see her right now, so anyone who wants to come along can follow me! Chop chop!” My voice had been shaky—as had my hands—and everyone had regarded my invitation with obvious suspicion on their faces, but in the end, five of them had taken me up on my offer: Fey, Jewel, Kate, Al, and Leo. Fey had changed into a frilly, expensive-looking beige top—no doubt the work of some high-end designer—along with a neat pair of black pants. Jewel had also gone to swap her own clothes for a more luxurious outfit, returning in a chic navy dress that screamed “high-end boutique.” Altogether, it seemed like they were treating the outing with the same solemnity as an official meeting with a suitor’s parents or something. Of course, they don’t realize we’re about to step right into a battlefield...

Anyway, Fey and Jewel had just rejoined us in front of the dorm, bringing us back to the present and Al’s upbeat remark. I smiled at him. “No need to be nervous, Al—just keep up your usual carefree attitude. But you three—Leo, Fey, and Jewel—are you sure it’s okay that you changed your plans all of a sudden? Weren’t you guys saying you’ve been swamped with family obligations these past few months?”

“No problem at all!” replied Jewel, buzzing happily—and entirely unaware of her impending fate as a human sacrifice. “Everything has started to settle down as of late. Besides, I’d even skip a dinner invitation from the king himself over missing an opportunity like this.”

She’s acting like we’re going on a field trip or something... Jewel’s overjoyed mood aside, it seemed unlikely she’d have to abandon the outing midway. Reminding them of who they’re about to encounter is probably the nice thing to do, though.

“You’re probably already aware of this, what with the Red Carpet Incident and all, but my sister gets real scary when she’s mad. To put it bluntly, once she gets going, even all of us together wouldn’t be able to hold her back. Please just act normally—and whatever you do, don’t try to provoke her on purpose, all right?”

“Is that right?” Leo replied, his eyes sparkling with idiotic delight. “It’d be uncivilized to provoke her intentionally, of course, but I’d like to ask her for a friendly bout at the very least.”

Lacking the words to respond to this stupid statement, I ignored Leo entirely and turned back to Jewel. “Can your holy magic resurrect the dead?”

She shook her head. “Magically bringing the dead back to life is impossible. I’ve only ever heard of such magic in particularly dubious myths and legends...” Jewel sighed. “I know the first rule of the Emissive Magic Club states mages must pursue the impossible, but it’s not something I’ve been able to start researching yet. I’m sorry.”

So probably not a possibility, then—but even so, she’s still planning to give it a shot. Love the attitude, Jewel. This calls for a little positive reinforcement.

I nodded. “Well, resurrection magic is the highest form of holy magic, after all. Keep at it, but don’t stress yourself too much. Although, since it’s impossible for now... Leo, if you plan to ask my sister for a duel, I’ll need you to sign an oath stating you won’t hold our family accountable in case of serious injury or death. Probably better to write your will too while you’re at it. She’s never been the type to hesitate before laying into someone, so if you’re unlucky, there’s a definite chance you could die.”

In response to my grave warning, Leo simply shrugged, turning his palms face up as if to say, Surely you’re exaggerating.

I tried to warn you! Everyone here is a witness!

“I kinda want to go back to the dorm...” Al mumbled, uneasy. I threw my arm around his shoulder, holding him tightly. I could do without the premonitions of worsening peril that Leo’s behavior—and that of the girls—was stirring up within me, but Al’s happy-go-lucky attitude would be essential to my survival here. I couldn’t let him escape, no matter what.

“Shall I send for a car?” Jewel suggested, but I turned her down, and we set off by foot. It didn’t take long for our little party to reach the Rovene city estate (a term that seemed altogether too grand for what was essentially a run-of-the-mill house with a tiny garden). My fingers trembled as I pushed the buzzer.

Rosa came flying out of the front door mere seconds later, a blur of color in her pretty green dress dotted with white flowers.

“Er... Hi, Rosa. I’m home.” My face twitched as I forced out the words.

In spite of—or perhaps oblivious to—our obvious company, Rosa sank to the ground and burst into tears.

What Really Happened During the Red Carpet Incident

With great, painstaking effort, I somehow managed to calm Rosa down and suggested we relocate inside the house. She looked up, her face streaked with the fading rivulets of dried tears. She was still sniffling as she replied, “Um... I never expected you’d be bringing all your friends along all of a sudden, and, er...the house is a little untidy... Could I have a few minutes to clean up first?”

Oh, right... I should have known. Rosa had been left to her own devices in the capital for four months straight now; the house would be a pigsty. As I regretted my lack of foresight, Fey came to the rescue.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Roseria. My name is Feyreun von Dragoon—I am one of Allen’s classmates at the Academy and an aspiring magical craftswoman. I’ve wanted to meet you ever since I laid eyes on your magnificent research from your time at our Noble College. Please, don’t worry about the state of your fine residence, tidy or otherwise. A magical craftswoman’s base of research will always look disorganized to the untrained eye, and I’m sure there are many things you’d rather not move around. If it pleases you, shall we have a barbecue in the garden instead? I already asked my men to arrange for the equipment and provisions, just in case. It’s the least we could do after showing up with such a large party unannounced.”

It was odd to hear such a normal introduction and proposal coming from Fey of all people, but realistically, I supposed she was the head of an elite noble family and a future marquess. She’d have to be capable of appearing reasonable and respectable when the situation demanded it, even if I never got to see that side of her.

Of course, I knew the house wouldn’t be covered in scattered research and half-built prototypes like she’d implied. It was just the...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 30.9.2025
• Reihe/Serie: Pens Down, Swords Up: Throw Your Studies to the Wind
• Illustrationen: Mao Nishiura
• Übersetzer: Mao Nishiura
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Schlagworte: Academy • aristocrats • Isekai • Light Novel • Magic Academy • male protagonist • Reincarnation
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-1590-2 / 1718315902
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-1590-7 / 9781718315907