Chapter 27

When Elliana opened her eyes, there was no sound of the Ice Golem’s thudding or the cold wind of the cave. Somehow, she had been moved to the Duchess’s bedroom in Dandelion, and it was her room. It was filled with furniture for dogs.

Eren and Yuvina.

The two children were looking at Elliana.

Startled, Elliana raised her small, fluffy body and nudged the blanket with her front paws.

“Woof? (What happened?)”

“….Elliana!”

Yuvina hugged Elliana’s tiny body tightly.

“Ellie, you woke up. I’ve never seen such a cute lion…”

As she wriggled in Yuvina’s embrace, Elliana let out a small bark, feeling troubled.

She wasn’t supposed to be discovered as a puppy… but it was bound to happen at some point.

“Woof. (I want to be a lion.)”

“Elliana is a puppy… I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Eren had seen dogs in books before. They were clearly different from lions.

“By the way, Elliana is the Duchess’… whoops!”

“That’s supposed to be a secret!”

As Eren covered Yuvina’s mouth, he whispered quietly.

“Oh, right. Anyway, if the Duke hadn’t saved you, it would have been a big problem, Elliana.”

“Woof? (Did Dad come?)”

Elliana’s eyes sparkled.

That’s right. She remembered being in the midst of the Ice Golem’s rampage and the snow and ice on the ceiling.

After that, her memory was a bit fuzzy, but she distinctly remembered vowing to protect the flag.

She thought she had been seriously hurt, but it seemed that everyone was safe thanks to her father’s rescue. Eren, Yuvina, and she herself, were all unscathed.

As Elliana pondered on her own, Yuvina gently stroked her head.

“Ellie, your fur is really soft. Your ears are perky, and your tail and front paws are adorable.”

Yuvina blushed as she looked at her. She had completely fallen for Elliana’s cuteness.

“I want to hug you and give you a kiss, Ellie.”

Elliana was happy, but she had no idea how to respond. It was a bit too soon for kisses, considering they had only just met.

Elliana turned her head and barked.

“Woof! (Let’s do it later!)”

However, Yuvina held Elliana so tightly that she had no choice but to squirm and escape.

When Eren warned Yuvina, Elliana jumped onto his lap.

“Don’t force her.”

“Ugh, okay. Sorry, Ellie.”

“Woof. (It’s okay.)”

Even Eren felt uneasy about the presence of the adorable Elliana.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. Can’t you turn back into a human?”

Eren raised an eyebrow and brought her back to the dog’s bed.

Elliana also wriggled and tried to transform into her human form.

Poof!

Pinkish smoke appeared, and soon Elliana poked her head out.

Even though she wore a necklace that activated her human transformation, it was still embarrassing.

“W-wait!”

Then Yuvina noticed the situation.

“Brother Eren, Elliana is a girl! Turn around or leave the room.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

When Eren briefly left the room, Elliana quickly emerged from the blanket. Thankfully, her clothes were still properly attached, thanks to the magic necklace, and she was well-dressed.

However, her dress was a bit flipped, so Yuvina gently fixed it for her.

“Now you can come in, Brother Eren.”

Eren returned with a sheepish smile. Elliana asked the two of them the question she was most curious about.

“What hwappen to our test? We cwollect all fwag? (What happened to our test? We collected all the flags…)”

“Thanks to Elliana, we all got 7 points each.”

Yuvina showed a sapling-shaped green badge with the number 7 written on it and smiled brightly. With her cheeks rosy as if she were blushing, Yuvina looked adorable.

“7 points is high, right?”

When Elliana tilted her head, Eren brushed his sky-blue hair and replied, glancing at her.

“It’s a bit disappointing. The maximum score is 10, and since all three of us came back together, we got the same score. That big ice golem was incredibly powerful. It could have been really dangerous.”

As Eren spoke with a dark expression, Elliana patted his shoulder and said, “It’s okay, let’s aiwm for a pewfect score next time. Anyway, we did it. Good luck from now on.”

Regardless, the fact that they safely passed the test swelled Elliana’s heart with pride.

Elliana extended her hands, which she couldn’t help but hold out to Eren and Yuvina.

They were small and soft hands that no one could resist.

“…Me too.”

“Please take care of me too, Yuvina.”

Eren blushed slightly, and Yuvina also smiled brightly. Elliana smiled back at the two of them, her tail wagging. Just then, Sarah entered and spoke.

“Lady, I’m glad you woke up safely. Oh, by the way, His Excellency asked me to bring you some delicious snacks.”

“Yes, bwing it to me. My fawvorite. (Yes, bring it to me. My favorite.)”

“Ah, pudding?”

“Yes!”

As expected, Sarah knew her well. Elliana shyly nod her head.

Elliana looked at Eren, who had sky-blue hair, and Yuvina, who had light blonde hair. None of them had silver hair, so they might face some persecution from other lions. However, they were undoubtedly lionesses and good-hearted children.

Although they had only spent one day together, Elliana could tell that these children had pure hearts.

‘I’ll invite these kids to my round. I’ll treat them with pudding and take care of them.’

Concealing her thoughts, Elliana licked her lips as she saw Sarah bringing desserts from the trolley.

Various types of pudding dishes were soon placed on the table.

There were milk and custard puddings, strawberry, banana, and cocoa puddings. Sensibly, it wasn’t just pudding; there were other treats as well.

Mini choux pastry filled with smooth whipped cream, bite-sized chocolates and madeleines, cookies, and an abundance of fruits.

Even Yuvina, who admired the grand table, sparkled with her eyes.

“Wow, it looks delicious. Can we eat all of these?”

“Ywes. It’s a tweat and you should eat well. (Yes, it’s a treat, and you should eat it well.)”

As Elliana encouraged them to try the puddings, Eren chose cocoa pudding and Yuvina chose strawberry pudding.

Elliana picked custard pudding for herself. Using silver spoons, they scooped a generous bite of their puddings. The fantastic taste of the creamy and smooth pudding spreading in their mouths made the three children exclaim with delight.

“…It’s the taste of happiness. I’ve never had such delicious pudding before.”

Even Yuvina, who melted into a puddle, quickly emptied her plate and started choosing the next pudding.

Even the composed Eren made a humming sound while savoring the flavor.

Watching the two children with a proud expression, Elliana thought she should repay the chef who made the pudding later.

Thus, the first day of their lessons at the Icewood Education Center passed.

.

* * *

Meanwhile, the children of the Stem Class had also finished their exams and were gathered in front of the bulletin board, chattering and checking the announcements.

The exams had determined their new rankings.

Swordsmanship, Magic, Elementalism*.

*TL/N: ??? is the raw, now sure about the exact translation but it’s magic that deals with spirits

Once again, Ian was ranked first overall, and the difference in scores between him and Cedric, who was ranked second, was quite significant.

It was almost an overwhelming level. Then, one of the children murmured, “Even if Ian had chosen something other than magic, he would still be ranked first.”

“Yes, that’s right. Oh, there’s Ian.”

As a chilly aura filled the air, Ian appeared, and the children quickly split into two sides as if a path was opening for him.

Most of the children had silver hair, but Ian’s hair, in particular, had a colder and more chilling glimmer.

His blue uniform suited him perfectly, and his sharp, long eyes, pointed nose, and red lips gave him an air of superiority that made people forget he belonged to the same race as the others gathered here.

Without even trying to create a round or attract followers, they naturally formed around him. That was why his round usually consisted of girls.

Thump, thump.

Ian approached the bulletin board and glanced at the paper posted there.

He didn’t look to check his ranking but focused on something else.

The list of new students who passed the entrance exam for the Seedling Class.

Elliana Crovache.

Eren Crovache.

Yuvina Crovache.

The names of the three were written on the paper. Only then did the children’s attention shift to the list of new students who passed.