Cyril lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, Rhamn lying by his side.
That message from a month ago now makes a lot more sense.
Who knows what mages will do once they find out about this? Maybe they will dissect my body to find out how it all works... I don't think being a noble will help against some of the more crazy ones.
"Want to visit the city center in search of answers? It's unlikely the principal will meet you any time soon if she is the one who sent that letter."
...The academy said they'll take us to the Tower. It's not far from my home, I'll go there then. Cyril turned his head to the side.
It's a long trip to reach the center. We can't miss studies, and we should focus on getting used to Morpho for now.
Rhamn reappeared at this side as well, staring him in the eyes. A red butterfly flew up and soon landed between them.
She made a thumbs-up and nodded. "That's the spirit!"
The butterfly fluttered her wings as if sharing the sentiment.
Briefly glancing at Morpho with a smile, Rhamn looked at him and continued, "Do you want to go outside and buy a few things for Morpho? We don't have anything in here for her life."
Cyril pushed himself up on his hands and looked outside the window.
It was a sunny weekend, the sky was completely clear with not a single cloud obstructing the blue.
Might as well...
He slowly got up on his feet and moved to prepare for this outing.
Morpho flew up and landed on his shoulder, radiating gratitude.
Any misgivings about missing out on studying or training immediately melted away within Cyril.
...
On the way, few people paid attention to the unusual red butterfly.
It wasn't uncommon for the nobles of the Empire to have pets of unusual color or form.
Recently there was even a trend among mages to keep a flying magic creature as a pet to exchange letters with each other.
Some people were particularly obsessed with this and used all kinds of spells to increase the efficiency and secrecy of such deliveries.
In the city, if one stares at the sky long enough, they will see a blur or two—delivery birds racing to deliver packages or letters.
While only occasionally getting the curious glances from his fellow students, Cyril reached the station and boarded the manarail.
Thankfully, there are no rules forbidding animal companions on board.
"Even if there were, you only need to state your noble status, and the wretches working here will have to let you do as you want." Rhamn appeared on the neighboring seat as Cyril sat down.
That might be true. Few people are brave enough to go against noble families.
I might've even done something similar in the past...
He let out a sigh, to which the butterfly on his shoulder lightly tapped him a few times with her insect legs.
"Thank you." Cyril whispered, then turned to look at the scenery to pass the time, Morpho following his gaze shortly after.
Soon her wings drooped just a little lower, her compound eyes observing the passing sea of buildings.
"The view is not the best, sorry."
"In the future we'll take you to see much better sights than this grey." She turned towards Cyril, staring at him in close proximity. "Right?"
Cyril could only nod in agreement, the butterfly immediately fluttering her wings in return.
...
After a short ride, they've exited into a relatively open area. It was a square with a fountain in the middle, its perimeter lined with all kinds of shops and cafes.
People in the academy talk about this place all the time.
Cyril thought as he walked out of the station, occasionally catching sight of students in familiar uniforms among the crowd.
We should find something fitting here.
Morpho jumped back and forth between his shoulders, observing their surroundings with her compound eyes.
Rhamn walked by Cyril's side, in her hands a list that appeared out of nowhere.
"We should buy a comfortable bed for her, definitely snacks as well... then maybe some toys?" She mumbled while quickly writing something down with a solemn expression.
Do we need that much?
Cyril stated, glancing at a long list in her hands that wasn't really there.
"Of course we do! Do you agree, Morpho?" Rhamn pointed her pen at the insect.
The butterfly immediately fluttered her wings, as if to announce, 'I do!'
"There you go." The list in her hands disappeared into nothingness as Rhamn crossed her arms with a smug look.
Alright then.
Cyril replied with a barely perceptible smile and continued strolling on the streets while avoiding the more crowded sections.
Their pace was slow. They didn't hurry and explored the area.
They've entered store after store. Acting on nothing more than Rhamn's and Morpho's whimsy, Cyril bought quite a lot of different things.
The bags in his hands kept increasing in quantity. There was a great variety of snacks, a small human statue that Morpho had taken a liking to, as well as a few small pillows and common children's toys.
They even visited a pet store where they surprised the clerks working there by letting Morpho choose a terrarium. After a long process of trying them out, she picked a box-shaped one with an open roof and fake plants inside of it.
Good thing they had a delivery option. I don't think I can carry much more...
Cyril thought as he observed the number of bags lying by his side.
Due to Rhamn's strong insistence, they were now sitting outside a cafe close to the fountain, taking a break from walking.
"We should do things like this more often." Rhamn sat opposite him, her arms supporting her chin as she observed the butterfly on the table.
Morpho was eagerly sipping on a tray of sugar water, graciously provided by the cafe.
...We have a lot to do. We can't let ourselves get distracted too much.
Cyril took a sip of his coffee with such thoughts. Once he lowered the cup, he was met with a complaining gaze from Rhamn.
"It's important to keep a balance of work and rest, only then can optimal results be achieved."
"What is it you want, anyway? To restore the Thorne's family reputation by becoming a powerful knight? That doesn't seem that fun."
Cyril froze in place, coffee almost falling from his hands. He stared at Rhamn's bright red eyes that seemed to pierce him whole.
...My goal is to finish my studies with the best result possible. Anything beyond that is still under question.
He placed the cup on the table, his face recovering its stillness.
Morpho observed his actions and, with a twitch of her antennae, started to slowly move closer.
"Hmm." Rhamn pursed her lips, then her eyes brightened as she sat straight. "Oh, now that I think about it, building a perfect reputation seems like a good idea."
"While being feared back in Ailanthus is fun, that's only one half of being respected. We should also be worshiped, that seems fitting!"
Cyril silently observed her behavior, sighed, and raised his cup of coffee.
Let's switch the subject...
Just as he was about to take a sip, Cyril noticed a butterfly now sitting at the edge of the cup.
"What are you doing?" He quietly whispered, keeping his hand still.
Morpho briefly looked at him, then switched her attention towards the dark liquid inside of the cup itself, her antennae twitching in the process.
Feeling her intentions, Cyril lowered the cup back on the table while shaking his head, "You can't drink this."
"Caffeine is toxic to insects, true, but Morpho can freely consume it."
How come?
Cyril halted his process of trying to get her away from coffee, shooting Rhamn a glance.
"While she may look like a butterfly, Morpho actually isn't one, so normal rules don't apply to her."
Cyril observed Morpho slowly lowering her body inside of the cup.
Then what is she?
Rhamn lightly shrugged, "Someone very special and unique. Morpho is Morpho."
I see...
Cyril let go of the cup and nodded towards the exited non-butterfly.
"You can try it then."
Morpho immediately took a quick sip of the mysterious liquid.
Then, just as quickly, she stopped and bolted up, beginning to make wobbly circles in the air.
"What's wrong!?" Cyril stood up from the table, on his face a frown.
Before he could ask Rhamn any questions, the butterfly landed back near her tray and greedily sucked in sugar water.
As he felt a profound feeling of disgust coming off from her, Cyril sighed and sat back down, his face calm once more.
"She just didn't like the taste~"
Cyril ignored her and retrieved his own drink, continuing like nothing happened.
They sat in the cafe for a bit, slowly enjoying their weekend.
...
There are really a lot of students here.
Leaning in his chair, Cyril observed the people in familiar uniforms coming and going.
"We aren't the only ones spending our weekend here." Rhamn observed together with him, "I even see some first-years here... oh?"
Is that Cedric?
Cyril noticed his classmate in the crowd. He was in a hurry to follow someone, on his face a frown.
Following what he was pursuing, Cyril discovered another familiar student with blond hair and black eyes.
Leo Arken? What is happening here?
"It must be something exciting! For the past month we've never even seen Cedric frown once, but now he is fuming!" Rhamn's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Leo, the terrible loser, decided to vent his frustrations outside the academy! That must be it!"
"Can we follow them? I want to know how it plays out!"
You only want to see a good scene...
He shook his head and got up from the table, grabbing the many bags lying at the side.
Morpho soon landed on his shoulder, her compound eyes staring intently at the disappearing students.
Leaving money on the table, Cyril carefully followed after the two before they disappeared completely.