What's Maria's mom's name? And if she doesn't have one, which one should I choose? It'd be pretty awkward to keep calling her "Maria's mother" all the time.
The palace was bigger than any man-made building Maria had ever seen in her life. From the gates, it seemed to even dwarf the mountains one could see in the horizon, though maybe that was just a matter of perspective.
Or not. Maria was a commoner, so she didn't really travel a lot and the times she left her small town could be counted on one hand, maybe two if one were to count when she and her mom went to the neighbouring ones to sell their things and the like.
It easily left the Academy in the dust, of this Maria was quite certain, and for good reason. After all, the Academy grounds were relatively new compared to the house of the royal family. The architecture reflected as much, with the massive towers and positively thick walls that made up its, for a lack of a better word, body. It reminded Maria a lot more of the ancient dungeons than a normal building, even with the pristine conditions the walls, windows and doors seemed to be in. It was as if this singular building was the epitome of wealth and power, a sight to present the might and influence of Sorcier as a whole.
A sight her mother didn't seem to appreciate, if the hard-pressed lips on her face were any indication.
Though expected, Maria couldn't help cringe inwardly. She was pretty sure she would have a similar reaction had she not attended the history lessons the Academy offered, and the private ones Katarina-sama's group offered for the airheaded lady and -hopefully to a lesser extent- Maria's own lack of knowledge.
She would never have guessed the palace was this imposing for the same reason Sorcier had to spend so much effort getting wind mages reunited every year, or why droves of earth and water mages could be seen following the paths of rivers and bending the surrounding areas from time to time: Because the presence of mages was the only thing keeping nature as complacent as Sorcier's inhabitants were used to.
The palace was built at a point in history in which the proto-Sorcier land was still actively trying to kill its people, so they had to build stronger and bigger structures to have a chance at challenging the elements.
And while making the palace look as cared for as it looked wasn't necessarily part of it, the truth still was that this was a monument to the might, craftiness, and sheer determination of the people that once lived there. It made Maria a bit proud, to be honest. And grateful to her magic, for once, because otherwise she would not know these things, and she would probably disapprove of the blatant display of power and wealth the palace looked like at first sight.
Which, incidentally, was one of the things Maria's classmates would choose to make fun of her.
"...So you're telling me they needed to build it so big because of the rain?" Something Maria wanted to prevent at all costs happening in front of her bemused mother.
"Well, yes." Maria discretely eyed the nobles passing by before continuing "It's just 'the rain' was strong enough to punch through buildings like we're used today, back in the day."
Granted, that was a gross oversimplification. But it would do for a crash course at the moment. The materials, time spent building it, and how it was maintained were all irrelevant to both Maria and her mother. So that was the extent of what the light mage explained.
It did little to ease the growing anxiety in the woman's chest, as leaving behind their home in the hands of some random people was easier said than done. The two blondes had too little, and no amount of comforting words would make Maria's mom let her guard down even for a moment.
Even Maria had half her mind set. It wouldn't be surprising that they would find nothing when they came back home, though the light mage also understood this mindset wasn't one she should harvor. After all, they were Gerald-sama's people. Even if her commoner linage screamed that they shouldn't leave what little they had in the hands of some noble-appointed people, she would place her trust in the prince's competency.
Her mother didn't share such complacency when it came to trusting nobles, but that was to be expected. Maria just wished her worries didn't rub off onto her, since it was kind of a big deal that some strangers were managing things while they weren't there.
Maria shook her head. She had been summoned alongside the young aristocracy to continue the lessons she was due in the Academy. Granted, she never thought they would take place in the royal palace. But in the grand scheme of things, there weren't a lot of places that would serve the purpose of taking the Academy's place.
If not for the size required, then because of the importance of the place itself.
The Campbell were led to the meeting point, deep in the halls that made for the corridors of the palace. Servants ran amidst the grouping nobles as they carried things required elsewhere and exchanged information in their masters' stead. Though they carried their duties with professionalism, not a single accident happened in their watch.
One of the maids even managed to catch a rather expensive-looking vase from falling because of some unruly child. The girl didn't even protest as the thing landed flat on her stomach, even when it was bigger than her torso and head combined, and pulled herself up and the vase on its pedestal in two swift motions.
There were a lot of those, but even one being destroyed would mean the destruction of objects that were easily thousands of magnitudes more expensive than anything Maria could buy. She honestly almost passed out when it happened, but fortunately nothing happened and she was allowed to keep breathing with relief.
It made Maria acutely aware of the exquisite embroidery that even the carpets boasted. The paintings and statues, as well as the masterful details everything had in their design. Even the walls and arcs were carved with various symbols and figures. Some Maria recognized as magic symbols, others she had absolutely no idea what they were, and yet some more were obviously important people's mugs but that were unrecognizable to the light mage.
"Like what you're seeing? Gerald has it in his mind his face will, one day, be carved out there."
"Alan-sama!"
The women were startled by the appearance of the prince, though the guy simply grinned for a moment after his little prank. He nodded when Maria bowed, but she knew he was the same as ever straight away.
"Wait… Alan-sama…?" Her mom blinked a couple of times, just realizing who it was when she was facing his feet.
"Yep, Alan Stuart. Responsible for a lot of things, yet accountable for none. Working with your… I want to say, daughter? It's been a pleasure." The prince quickly reverted to his casual tone after making the motions of a proper greeting. It made eyes turn in his direction, but no one approached him since two of his guards were eyeing everyone menacingly.
"I… Yes. Thank you! I…"
"Ah! Please don't kneel. I hate when people do that." Alan-sama quickly took Maria's mom by the arm before she could get down.
"Mom, please!" Maria blushed while acutely aware of the stares "You're embarrassing Alan-sama."
The woman didn't know what to say. Maria had told her about her little adventures in the student council, but for a townsfolk like the Campbell matriarch, it was incomprehensible that her daughter had bonded with the most powerful of nobility as if they were equals. She didn't precisely doubt her child's words, but she held the feeling that there was more to it than simple friendship from the noble's part.
"No, no. Nothing of the like." Alan-sama scowled "It's just, y'know, why bother?"
And yet again, this nonsensical excuse slapped the woman like a wet fish jumping on a fisherman's boat. She didn't know how to respond to that, so she didn't at all. Choosing instead to stand properly and let the teenagers catch up in peace.
The laid back prince then led them to the chamber where the king would be giving his speech. Alan-sama proceeded to spoil it for the Campbell, seeing as he was not attending since he wasn't interested in hearing the long-winded announcement he had heard his dad practice for over a week non-stop.
Basically, he would be confirming that the palace would be used to replace the Academy and classes would continue where they were left off (save for teachers that felt that going a bit back was necessary, though that was left to their own discretion), with the nobles that did not reside in the capital being granted a place to live within the palace, or in its vicinity similar to how the dorms worked.
Lessons would also be bolstered, with private tutors being pulled from the roster of a few influential families, and mages from the Magic Ministry to make up for the inconvenience caused on that fateful day. The two student council members also avoided talking about it as much as possible, but that meant Maria couldn't ask about Katarina-sama's wellbeing without engaging in increasingly complex chases to play around the subject.
"As for you, Campbell-san. We're figuring things out, but you may stay with Maria-san if you so wish." Alan-sama informed the woman with a shrug "Gerald and I will vouch for you if it comes to it, but I don't think dad will have any complaints."
"But what about the people we left behind? Won't you need them for anything?" Maria knew it was more her apprehension than actual worry about the subjects left at home, but she still didn't interrupt her mom or raise the subject.
"Nah, guess that's more like their vacation than anything." Alan-sama chuckled a bit darkly, almost as if he found the very idea funny "And Dan-sama gave a person or two as well. So unless you got stormed with more than ten people, they are dispensable."
"Wait, even Ascart-sama?" The name made Maria perk up involuntarily, making her realize she did not recognize any mop of black hair among the crowd.
"Yeah, Nicol got rid of a maid this way… Ah! Don't tell him I told you." Alan quickly scratched the back of his head awkwardly "Don't worry though, she's so competent she hasn't gotten herself fired, even with her rather… Questionable hobbies."
Maria blinked, a certain unwanted conversation with Nicol-sama flashing in her mind in an instant.
She stared at the prince with wide eyes.
"How bad?" She whispered, confusing her mother and probably making her panic inside. But the woman wouldn't or couldn't show it in front of the prince.
He, in turn, got closer to her until his lips were almost touching her ear.
"She is the reason Nicol checks on the furniture before sitting down." This confused Maria greatly, as such a quirk in character was hardly noteworthy, and nor she had noticed the older Ascart did. However, as her mind raced to put the pieces together she remembered a piece of information she had heard from the people that were supposed to work while Maria was gone.
Oh.
"Maria…?" Oh, no. She was making a face. The light mage quickly put up her most reassuring smile. She was so not going to tell her mom, though. So the silence clung in the air when she refused to say anything.
"A-Anyway! I'm glad to have found you, Alan-sama." Said the girl while trying to change the subject "We would have gotten lost without your help."
"No worries." Said the prince, eager to change the subject as well "I used to get lost a lot when I was a kid, but you'll get the gist in no time."
"I hope so… Will we be meeting after the speech? I haven't seen the rest of the student council since we left the Academy… And Sirius-kaichou even before that."
She was informed about what had happened, more or less, in a letter by Gerald-sama. But Maria was still in the dark about what happened to Keith-sama exactly, and about what had happened.
Now, Maria wasn't a genius, or did she think she was an important person in any way. But she worked with Gerald-sama for a while, and Maria knew the prince would answer her questions and tell her about whatever he had in mind. Maria would lend him her strength, of course. No matter what, since the news didn't seem to bring Katarina-sama a lot of joy. If they joined hands with the rest of the group, they surely would be able to do something to help Katarina-sama deal with her situation.
Except, Alan-sama didn't seem to be on the same page as Maria. As his expression was more of confusion than understanding.
Maria mirrored his expression. It wasn't every day Alan-sama couldn't read the mood, so the light mage found it weird he didn't catch her meaning.
"I'm sorry, but..." Speaking of which, the prince quickly understood Maria and explained what was wrong "Who are you talking about?"