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As we arrived at the flower fields guided by the teachers, the sight greeting us was certainly something worth coming here for.

An unnaturally vast field was cleared out inside the forest and blooming full of multicolored flowers. It seemed that the fields closest to us were just the idle ones, so the Cosmos flowers that were our goal did not bloom here. Even so, white clovers that were proof of rich land were blooming in profusion here.

That carpet of white and green was gently fluttering under the influence of June’s wind. It was a refreshing sight that made us forget that we were in a humid season.

“Wow!”

Seeing that sight the girls raised wondrous voices. Even Letina and Michelle were no exceptions. Of course, neither was I.

“Amazing, there are flowers everywhere!”
“Yeah, amazing.”
“These are just idle fields, right? Then I wonder if we can pick some of them?”

Seeing the white clovers Letina started fidgeting around. She seemed to be holding back the urge to rush towards them. Cortina looked at them in smiles and issued the next instructions.

“Okay, okay, attention! This Kevin domain, you see, is a territory that has opened up when a hero of old defeated a Giant.”

Cortina started narrating the anecdote related to this domain. It was a fresh experience for us to hold lessons among grasslands. Apparently, this domain was under an attack of a Giant Zombie. Then the hero of that time called Kevin drove it back and was awarded this territory where he cleared the lands.

There was a big valley in the west of the village, where the Giant is assumed to have been subjugated. The fact that there was a Giant Zombie meant that Giants lived there. Many Adventurers were lured by Giants’ treasures and the village prospered.

However, Kevin who took over this land believed that such prosperity wasn’t destined to last long, and thus, he decided to cultivate the flower fields as local specialties. As Raum was a kingdom surrounded by forests, large quantities of the same type of flowers were quite valuable.

After telling the rough history to the kids, Cortina ended her lecture with a clap.

“Okay, that’s it for the lesson. Let’s eat some lunch now, shall we? I received permission to enter the fields so we can enjoy our lunch there. After that, I have to talk with the one taking care of the plantations.”
“Teacher, can we pick some flowers?”
“Sure, I have permission for that. But don’t pick the Cosmos flowers that are on the other side, okay?”
“Okaaay!”

Hearing the word lunch, even the boys all rushed inside the flower fields. They spread open the picnic blankets in a self-first manner, formed groups and opened their bags.

Letina and Michelle grabbed my hands and lead me inside. Matisse followed us a step behind; a behavior that was much like her.

Michelle and Letina who practiced with me had more stamina to spare compared to the other kids. As such, they prioritized diving into the grassy plains instead of opening their lunchboxes.

“Woow, it’s soft!”
“Good grief, Michelle, your clothes will get dirty you know?”

Letina said all that, but she herself plopped down on the grass. The grass left green stains on her academy uniform, but she didn’t seem to mind it at all. Rather, the smell of the crushed grass was making her feel better instead.

It brought about a refreshing feel as if seeping into their tired bodies.

“Doesn’t this remind you of our village, Nicole?”

As they were holding my hands, I ended up diving into the grass against my will. While I was lying on my face unlike them, a somewhat lonely mutter of Michelle reached my ears.

Indeed, this abundant nature reminded me of my northern homeland. Me aside, Michelle moved to Raum with her entire family, so she did not really feel homesick until now.

But even so, she still had friends there that she ended up parted with. She always had that mischievous nature and often played with boys in the fields. Even when we were attacked by Kobolds back then, she was together with me.

These nostalgic grasslands probably reminded her of the friends that she had left behind.

“Yeah. Maybe we should go to the northern kingdom on our next break?”
“Huh, would that be alright?”

You needed about two weeks to reach the United Three Nations from Raum with a carriage. This was roughly how long it’d take to reach some other kingdom too, so it wasn’t like we came from an especially distant one. There were students from various countries in the Magic Academy of Raum.

There were many among them that returned back to their homeland during vacations. But those were mostly nobles that could afford pricey teleportation devices.

When it came to less wealthy ones, their round trip would consume most of their long-holidays, so most tended to give up and instead spend it in the lodging house or dormitories.

Michelle’s family wasn’t wealthy enough to afford teleportation, so they did not leave Raum even during the long breaks. Naturally, since my parents frequently visited me, I never considered returning back either.

“If we ask mom, I’m sure she’ll take us there. Or we can ask Lord Maxwell instead.”
“I see. It wouldn’t be a problem for your parents, Nicole. I feel a little jealous.”
“Uh… R-really?”

I felt like I made a slip of the tongue there. I was born into a somewhat… Or rather, an unbelievably blessed family. By all rights, leaving the kingdom was a serious event in itself. My senses became numb since my parents came and went as if nothing.

Unlike me, Michelle’s was an ordinary huntsman family. They weren’t in a position where they could go back to their homeland so easily. Perhaps my statement earlier sounded as if I was showing off that it was an easy thing to do.

“Um… Sorry.”
“Hmm, for what?”
“Well…”

She would never say it aloud, but I felt bad about it, so I apologized just in case. Letina read the mood and didn’t make any unnecessary comments. She used to be noisy before, but it seemed that she had learned to read the mood.

Given her conduct, it was not long until she would become a famous lady of high society.

“Hey, everyone. Let’s eat before it’s too late, okay?”

Matisse cut into our conversation. She wasn’t training her body like we were, so her stomach was already reaching its limit. She cheerfully spread the blanket and put the luggage on it.

“Ah, sorry. Let me help.”
“It’s okay, I’m already done.”

The blanket was already spread and so was her lunchbox. All we needed to do was bring our own lunch boxes over. She had already done everything in our stead.

“M-My apologies. I’ve done something inexcusable during my excitement.”
“Letina, you are always excited.”
“That’s not the case!”

There was a homesick Michelle and the attentive Matisse. I went to tease Letina to brush aside the guilt I felt towards the two.

And thus, I opened my lunchbox that had Finia’s heart and soul put into it, we commenced our lunch.