Chapter 2

Iced Coffee is the Best!?

Part 1

Princess Clementine wasn't even sure how it all came to this.

She remembered seeing someone blocking the Magical Academy's gate, looking all dejected by herself.

She remembered trying to give that girl a scare. Although she was a princess, she had a playful side to her, and maybe an innocent prank like that would be the way to finally make the friends she so dearly wished for.

She remembered how her Invisibility spell was seen through, maybe because she missed a spot or two.

She remembered how that girl... that girl laughed at her hair style, even if it was the same hairstyle her older brother praised.

She remembered how she let the steam get to her head, and rashly challenged that very girl whose name she didn't even know to a duel.

And that's where it all went wrong.

"H—hey, sorry about your hair. Next time, I'll do better at hiding my thoughts about your funn— hairstyle."

"Are you even regretting it? No matter. Royalty must never take back their words."

"Come on, I'll even treat you to lunch... half of it, anyways."

A chance to make a friend!

"N—no. Well then, I shall begin my introductions. I am Princess Clementine da Coruscanta Lara, second daughter to the throne, and a future student of the Special Class. You?"

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I don't wanna fight! The only magic I know is ice magic, so I can have my beloved iced coffee every day! See, I'm weak, right? No point fighting me, right? Please don't break my bones!"

D—did this person even know the meaning of pride? Seeing this unknown person groveling on the ground, pleading to be relieved from any pain, fueled the anger inside her heart to a scary level. How could such a coward like this even dare step inside the Magical Academy—no, her country? This person was shaming the many brave heroes who once attended the very same grounds.

Princess Clementine was set on delivering justice to the coward. Luckily, there was a curious crowd of onlookers, so public humiliation should be enough to teach this girl a thing or two.

"There is no escape. Run away, and I shall use my authority as a princess to off your head!"

"Mercy! Mercy, oh grand and majestic princess!"

"By my authority as a princess, I order you to present your name, so we may begin this duel in justice!"

"What justice..."

In truth, Clementine never had the authority to do any of those things she just said, but there was no turning back. Royalty must see things until the very end.

"Hurry!"

"Y—yes! I'm Fräulein Floret! I have nothing to back my name! I'm gonna be dropped to the F Class! I'm trash! So please, mercy!"

Infuriating. She still begged like a dog even with everyone looking. She was a stain to this country. But that name, it felt like she had heard them before. No matter, it must've been the name of some petty person.

"We have introduced ourselves. In the name of the Coruscant Royalty, let the duel begin!"

The coward was a timid person, so Clementine planned to scare her a bit with some small explosions. It was also good to inflict enough pain to teach her a lesson. Since she was a scaredy cat, she would probably run around to avoid the explosions, so an Area of Effect spell would be best.

As soon as she sketched up her perfect plan, the princess began her spell.

"Spellcast: Spread Explosion!"

And with that, she was connected to the World Euphonics, and her mind was filled heavy pressure and complex equations she had to balance out for her spell to successfully take place.

The World Euphonics. A mysterious phenomenon that governed the very laws of the universe. In order to tap its limitless potential, magicians used the stray Mana particles that spread out everywhere as a medium. And Princess Clementine had almost three times the amount of Mana Potential compared to the average person. More Mana Potential meant that spell equations were easier, more complicated spells could be attempted and it even became possible to cast two spells at the same time.

As for why it was called the World Euphonics, the forerunners of the Magical Theory allegedly heard a 'voice' the first time they successfully connected to it. Now, only those at top of the magical community could catch whispers of that 'voice'.

Finally, Clementine has finally finished balancing the equation in her mind, and the pressure on her mind disappeared without a trace. This was the only hole in her plan, she was weak when it came to Area of Effect spells, so it took time to ready one. But she also predicted that that coward wasn't brave enough to attack.

And she was right. Fräulein hasn't even moved a single step away. All she did was rummage her suit's pockets, maybe hoping to pull out something to defend herself. Laughable. Unforgivable.

Without further ado, she fired the explosion spells she gathered around her hands, ordering them to hit Fräulein and the area around her. She wasn't even thinking of holding back. An ear-splitting explosion reverberated throughout the open field, forcing the onlookers to cover their ears in pain. Large amounts of dust were thrown in the air, bringing the visibility of the field to an absolute zero.

With that, it was over. Princess Clementine was confident in her victory. Her enemy's safety was the last thing on her mind. She has done something to be proud of in the name of justice. Totally.

That's why, she didn't mind that prick-like sting she felt on her neck. It must've been a stray debris. Yes... it must be... and this heavy drowsiness that suddenly came over her... was surely just her being tired... she has done a lot of things today, after all...

And the last thing on her mind was regret that she didn't get to see that coward's dead body.

Part 2

"Hey Fräulein, did you know? The punishment for killing royalty is the genocide of your entire family tree. What will you do if they come for me?"

"You can fend them off yourself anyways. A—and I didn't kill her! I know princesses are dangerous people! I even had a leftover tranquilizer dart stashed in my pocket! Look, she's waking up! See?"

"Indeed."

Princess Clementine's head was in a haze. She was lying down on a soft bed. Above was a white ceiling. She could hear muddled voices talking in the background. She vaguely recognized that voice.

And that's when she remembered.

"That coward!"

She shot herself straight up, and her body quickly entered into battle mode. The only reason she calmed down the next moment was thanks to that warm hand, warm as sunshine, placed on her forehead.

After snapping out of her confusion, she realized she was still confused. Because, look, she was still seeing doubles.

There were two of the cowards. No, only one. The person who held her palm on her forehead, the one with the same visage as that coward, was anything but that. She emitted an aura of regality, and her smile was fit for a queen.

Maybe she must be dreaming. Somehow, she used the face of that coward to create her ideal self. The irony.

When that person drew her hand away, Clementine was brought back to reality. She blinked several times to confirm whether what she was seeing was an illusion or not.

It wasn't an illusion. After all, the coward's suit was tattered, and her hair was a mess. But she could not see a single wound on her skin. How did she come out from that explosion unscathed?

"Good afternoon, your highness. I am so sorry about the commotion my twin sister caused. Is everything in place?"

"Y—yes, thank you very much."

Thanks to that warm smile of the other Fräulein, she managed to compose herself enough to maintain her dignity as a princess.

"Thank you very much for attending to my needs. As you may have heard, I am Princess Clementine da Coruscanta Lara, the second daughter to the throne. May I ask for your name?"

"I am Fraulein Floret, twin sister of Fräulein Floret. Pleased to meet your acquaintances. If I'm not mistaken, we will be comrades in the same class."

Everything clicked. Fraulein Floret. The prodigy who took the number one spot in the entrance examinations. Someone who held vast magic, and had great character.

How did such a noble have a cowardly twin sister?

"Anyways, in the end, what happened to our duel?"

"Hah? Oh, you suddenly slept in the middle of it. So I dragged you to my room."

Princess Clementine must've been tired. It was luck that saved the coward. She convinced herself of these two facts, because she knew there was no way she could be defeated when she was on the side of justice.

Looking around, she found herself in a small vacant room with two beds. She realized that this must be the student dorms. A room that housed two. A room fit for a plebian.

"Also, sorry. That I laughed at your hairstyle, I mean. Really. Yeah."

"It is fine. In deference to your sister's position, I shall overlook it. I also believe I was acting a bit childish back then."

"Good! We're good, right?"

"Yes, everything has been forgiven. But I hope you change your cowardly ways one day."

Just for a moment, Princess Clementine thought she saw the prodigy Fraulein's smile twitch. But it must have be her imagination.

"Yeah, next time I'll try a different approach."

"Fräulein, I believe her highness wants to rest both her mind and body. She did collapse in the middle of a duel, after all. We should give her time to rest. Come, let us leave the room."

"Thank you very much for your consideration. I shall leave by my own as soon as I regain enough strength to walk to my own dorm."

The twins gave a short respectful bow, and silently left the room. Princess Clementine sighed. What an eventful day it was.

Princess Clementine wasn't even sure how it all came to this.

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

She howled. From her mouth came screams from the very depths of her soul. Her eyes became bloodshot, and blood began to trickle from her eyes.

"H—HELLPPP ME! AAHHHHH! SOMEONE, HE— AAHHHHHHHHHH!"

What was once a princess was reduced to a rag as her whole body convulsed on top of the bed as if possessed, it was a sight that made her former dignity seemed like a joke. Unbelievable pain struck her head, her hands, her stomach, every single part of her body. It felt like a thousand needles thrashed around every part of her body inside out.

It was pain that made her seek death.

"K—kill me... someone kill me... stop this pain... AAAHHHHHH! STOP ITTT!"

Although she was in that state for only a minute, but surely, it was pain that would scar the princess' life forever.

Part 3

As soon as the twins left the room, Fraulein casted a weird spell on the door that made Fräulein curious.

"Hey, what's that spell you casted? Is that some sort of locking spell? Why do you want to lock the princess inside? You're planning something evil, aren't you?"

"Please don't jump to hasty conclusions like that, Fräulein. It was simply a silence spell. We wouldn’t want the princess to be disturbed by the students moving in, would we?"

"I guess. But what about my roommate? She's supposed to be the one who took last place in the examination, you know? I plan on teaching her as someone who scored higher."

"Really now? As long as you don't overdo it. Worry not about your roommate. I've heard from Miss Lila that she'll arrive tomorrow at the earliest. And please stop causing trouble for me, picking a fight with a princess like that. And I heard she even casted a spread explosion without holding back. If you weren't careful, you would've died."

"Yeah, sorry. I'll try to make it up to her."

"I have some business to attend to, so if you excuse me. How about you wander around the academy grounds for a bit? There are many wonderful sights here to behold. At least until the princess wakes up."

"... I'll do that. Well then, see you tomorrow, Fraulein."

"Until then, Fräulein."

After wandering around for a bit, Fräulein found herself under an apple tree in the academy garden. There were many things she had to think about. She stared up, up above the sky, and was reminded of a very crucial fact:

It really was another world.

Above was the eternally blue sky, without a trace of any clouds nearby. It was always like this. It couldn't be helped. This country was high above the world, floating freely up above the clouds, after all.

For Fräulein who grew up in the modern world, this country was weird. No, it's not about the place itself. The architectures in this country was strikingly similar to eighteenth century France back in her own. Trains were the main transportation between towns. Even the Magical Academy had a big clock tower similar to the Big Ben. That part was fine. Rather, it was kind of cool.

But the problem was the existence of magic. Everyone was dependent on magic. From the crops they harvested to the air they breathed, everything depended on magic. The country would literally collapse without it. It's been two years, yet she never got used to the uncanny feeling she had about magic.

And from the day after tomorrow, she was to learn more about it. Fräulein wished from the bottom of her heart that she would understand the magic her twin sister so dearly loved. It was one of the reasons she attended the Magical Academy in the first place.

"Spellcast: Small Ice."

As she said those words, a warm and welcoming feeling enveloped her mind, and an ice cube promptly landed on her open palms. This was the only magic allowed for Fräulein Floret. It was magic she gave it her all, similar to the devotion her twin sister had, or even more.

Fraulein would say that casting spells without equations were impossible, a contradiction to the laws of magic. But how would she know? Magic in itself was already a contradictory existence that ignored the very laws of physics.

Maybe that was why she was wary of it. She, who lived her life subjected to the very laws that bounded her, was now given a chance to destroy them. It was a scary thought. Magic was scary.

But she would learn magic nevertheless, for the sake of the betterment of her iced coffee. And her sister too, of course.