Doggone Academy
Chapter 52 Friends (3)

The middle-aged man cleared his throat before speaking.

“Please, go ahead.”

I asked politely.

“What exactly is the Songbird Club?”

“You must be from another territory. The Songbird Club is the oldest and most prestigious social club in Rigved.”

“Is there a condition for joining? Isn’t it possible to join right now?”

The manager replied with a slightly taken aback tone.

“Sorry, but it’s not something you can do with just the will to join. There must be an introduction and recommendation from an existing member. And there’s an appropriate review process as well.”

Ladies in the vicinity sneak glances at my face.

I let my hand, which was resting on Liria’s shoulder, fall slightly.

This was to make sure that the ring with the Eternia emblem that Silveryn had lent me was visible.

“Will we not be allowed even to look around if we are not members?”

“For the convenience of our members, we kindly ask other guests to leave. I am sorry, but you will need to leave.”

“Did you hear that, Liria? There’s nothing we can do. We’ll buy the dress somewhere else.”

“Yes…”

I tried to console her.

“Lady Erzebet wouldn’t think poorly of you for wearing plain clothes.”

Mentioning Erzebet, both Liria and the manager wore puzzled expressions. Naturally, as I had blurted it out without context, they wouldn’t understand.

“…?”

“When it’s time to prepare for the ball, I’ve been referred to a place to visit. If it’s really disappointing, let’s go there now. If we delay any further, the professor will be waiting.”

The manager had mentioned other qualifications aside from club membership, but I purposely did not ask.

It was a shot in the dark, but under these circumstances, questioning the qualifications and asking to be deemed eligible felt like begging to stay in the store.

Having become a disciple of a grand sorceress, I couldn’t embarrass myself like that.

I led Liria outside and headed toward where the carriage was waiting.

She seemed so fragile, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

“I’m sorry… It was greedy of me…”

Liria thought she had caused unnecessary shame not just for herself, but for me as well.

Being turned away at the door was a mortifying situation in aristocratic society, which prized honor, but since I had not lived as a noble, I didn’t take it as a terrible wound.

Curiosity suddenly struck me, and I asked.

“Did you just go to look, or were you actually planning to purchase with money?”

Thinking she was being scolded, her voice dwindled into a meek whisper.

“Well… I thought I’d be able to buy it with the money I’ve saved from working, but I really had no idea… I’m so sorry…”

“Hm, show me. How much did you manage to save?”

Liria hesitated for a moment before carefully taking out a small pouch from her bosom and handing it to me with both hands.

I received it and peeked inside.

There was a fair amount of silver coins—weighty. Considering Liria’s age, it was a significant sum.

But it was still far from enough. I had experience dealing in accessories to get by, so I had some idea of prices. High-end stores like this, which scrutinized clientele and limited access, often charged several times a premium.

I handed the pouch back to Liria and said,

“This amount would fall far short. Use the hard-earned money somewhere more worthwhile.”

“Yes…”

“And it’s not over yet. Walk with your shoulders back and head high. And no matter who calls out to you, don’t turn around until you get into the carriage.”

***

The young man and woman swiftly exited before the manager could pose another question.

A peculiar discomfort, difficult to articulate, lingered with the manager, Harvie.

Erzebet?

Mentioning that name so confidently had almost been unsettling.

Among those who didn’t meet the qualifications, there were quite a few cases where people used the names of well-known nobles or high-ranking officials to boast of connection, usually as a stunt.

Wasn’t it a bit too much for such a young man to be putting on airs? Speaking the name of Erzebet?

It seemed odd.

He sensed he was missing something crucial, and this feeling soon morphed into certainty.

Returning to his post, Harvie was approached by a lady.

“Who was that young man just now?”

“He won’t be returning. If you were inconvenienced, I will apologize on your behalf, madam.”

“There wasn’t some kind of misunderstanding, was there?”

Harvie narrowed his eyes and replied.

“What do you mean?”

“I heard that the grand sorceress’s disciple has entered Eternia recently.”

“I was already aware of this.”

“The rumors say he is rather handsome and quite receptive to socializing, more than anything else.”

“Yes, that’s correct, but…”

The social circle’s core was always the ladies who reveled in showing off and enjoyed gossip.

Although single old bachelors and potbellied noblemen thirsty for women frequently attended social clubs, they were neither particularly welcome nor able to dominate the scene.

Young ladies were periodically brought in, though they, too, weren’t warmly welcomed.

The top priority for recruitment were the hot topics of conversation—young and promising men.

Harvie had already been made well aware of a list of persons of interest.

The grand sorceress’s aforementioned disciple was one of the biggest catches in society. Several clubs had already put significant effort into establishing a connection with him.

“So, if the rumors are accurate, he has brown hair, is exceptionally handsome, wore an Eternia ring… or am I mistaken?”

“He had an Eternia ring?”

That was something Harvie had failed to observe.

“Yes. And there’s been an Eternia faculty carriage waiting in the square for a while now…”

A cold sweat trickled down his back as if he had been struck on the head with a hammer.

Was the man who was just turned away the grand sorceress’s disciple?

The grand sorceress… damn it, the grand sorceress! No wonder he spoke of Erzebet so casually.

This incident could become a reason for him to outright reject a future invitation to the social club.

If it came to the worst, both the store’s reputation and its relationship with the club could…

***

Someone shouted from behind.

“Wait a moment, please!”

Liria flinched briefly, but I pushed her forward.

“Keep going.”

Unsure of what was happening, Liria timidly followed my word without protest.

Ignoring the urgent calls, we went towards the carriage.

I opened the carriage door first, gesturing for Liria to get in.

As she was about to step in, someone from behind called out again.

“Please wait a moment!”

It was only then that I stopped Liria.

“Now, Liria.” Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NøᴠᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“Yes?”

“Turn around now.”

We both turned at the same time. The middle-aged man we had seen earlier, along with two clerks, was rushing towards us in haste.

Stopping in front of the carriage, they were panting yet tried to maintain composure, straightening their backs.

“Ahem… it appears there was a small misunderstanding.”

“What do you mean?”

“We have maintained a good relationship with Eternia for many years. We have been providing the finest clothing to graduates and even the newcomers, encompassing all of Eternia. Our history with Eternia has been a source of enormous pride for our store over the decades.”

“…?”

The middle-aged man gestured to one of the clerks. He mopped his brow with a handkerchief and said,

“This is a gift, a modest apology for the indiscretion.”

The clerk handed me a large flat black box.

“There’s no need for this, but…”

“No, we insist. Should you have the opportunity, please visit our ‘Stallion and Acacia Flower’ again. We will tailor a ceremonial robe for you without any charge.”

The man sensed my hesitation and grew more adamant.

“Our ‘Stallion and Acacia Flower’ has the best tailors in Rigved creating clothing from the finest fabrics imported from the empire. I dare say, you won’t find anywhere better.”

“We’ll consider revisiting in the future.”

“We hope to see you again and sincerely apologize once more, especially to the radiant young lady. As you seem busy, we will take our leave now…”

The middle-aged man bowed politely and led his clerks away.

Liria stood stunned as if time had stopped, her expression bewildered.

“Get in first.”

Only then did Liria board the carriage with stiff movements.

I handed the map Silveryn had drawn to the coachman and climbed aboard myself.

Tapping the carriage window as a signal, we started to move forward slowly.

I passed the gift box I had received to Liria.

“Open it.”

“…Me?”

When Liria opened the box and saw the contents, she gasped, covering her mouth with both hands in shock.

Inside lay the purple dress she had coveted.

“How did…”

I couldn’t tell whether she was overjoyed or horrified.

“You didn’t… pay for it all, did you?”

“…Of course not.”

***

The carriage came to a halt in front of a large building.

It was one of the most expansive plots I’d seen in Rigved.

I stepped down from the carriage and looked up.

There seemed to be about ten chimneys from which steam was endlessly billowing out.

A large, sturdy iron door firmly barred the entrance while robust-looking doormen stood guard.

As I ascended the steps and stood before the entrance, the doormen blocked my path.

“Show your invitation.”

I presented the Eternia ring, saying, “I am here with an introduction from Lady Erzebet.”

The doormen exchanged looks, communicating silently.

Soon after, they opened the door and allowed me entry.

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