“Crafting.”
Could I really not think of this one variable? The gold that had been gradually increasing suddenly clung together.
It looked as if time was rewinding, but surely no one other than me noticed.
Visually, it was too small a change.
“…Johann. What’s going on?”
“…There was a crack on the floor where Karina was sitting.”
“…What?”
I quickly grabbed Renny’s shoulder as she was about to move. If I had been just a little late, the speech would have been forcibly interrupted and the atmosphere would have turned chaotic. But I had already preemptively blocked the possibility of collapse.
We just needed to stand there as if nothing had happened.
“First, I’ve fixed it, so don’t worry. And calm down. The people around you will look at you weirdly.”
“No, there was an assassination attempt…”
“First. Calm down. You must not forget your composure.”
“…Sorry. I got too excited.”
“This year, many heroes have gathered here…”
I had blocked the first assassination attempt for now.
What would the second be?
I averted my gaze from Karina, who was reciting the speech she had prepared, and scanned the spectator stand for any suspicious reactions.
Thus, I could see the faces of those listening to Karina’s speech in detail.
An old man with clenched hands and closed eyes.
A young man staring blankly at Karina.
A child gazing at Karina with eyes full of admiration.
Even from a considerable distance, I could read their expressions without a problem.
…But I can’t see the one wearing the hood.
Well, there was surely no bold fool wandering around with a visible hood. If someone showed up so openly, they would either be crazy, or they could carry out the assassination without any witnesses.
For now, let’s assume the hooded guy was neither. I was worried about where he went, but I had informed the security force, so the investigators should be searching on their own. I need to focus on blocking the imminent assassination attempt.
It would be a disaster if I got distracted and failed to stop it.
“…Please show us your performance… Then, I will conclude the speech, hoping for everyone’s safety.”
Finally, the speech seems to be coming to an end.
I quietly approached Karina, who was letting out a sigh of relief while receiving the audience’s cheers, and whispered.
“Good job.”
“…Thank you.”
“You did great, Karina.”
Renny naturally pulled back the handles of the wheelchair. As I looked at the spot where the wheelchair had been, I noticed a very small crack.
It seemed that this part was intentionally designed with a flaw from the beginning, so it wouldn’t be possible to completely patch it up with repairs. Ultimately, it’s a method that would require the materials from my skill.
“Hey, guard. I need to talk.”
“What is it?”
The guard asked with a serious face upon my words. It’s really not that serious.
“The floor in the spot where the saint was sitting was intentionally weakened. Contact the architect guild and let them know to identify the person responsible for this area.”
“Understood.”
The unnamed guard I caught immediately exited the martial arts arena. Good to see someone who listens well.
“I’ll check the place where Karina will be sitting first.”
“Okay.”
I immediately checked around the special seat where Karina would sit. After checking whether anything was hidden in the chair and the state of the floor, I ignored the gazes of those around and told Karina and Renny, who approached me.
“There are no problems.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Wait? What happened…?”
Seeing Karina’s cute face filled with confusion, I explained the situation. The floor where she had been seated to recite her speech was poorly constructed. I mentioned that I had fixed it with my skill.
I also checked to see if there were any similar problems in the special seats.
Once I guaranteed that it was safe, Karina let out a sigh of relief.
“So that happened…”
“You don’t need to worry about it. It’s our responsibility.”
“Right. You have to stay here for about an hour anyway, so please sit and rest.”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. It’s something I should do.”
“Are you feeling shy about it?”
“…No.”
“Uh-huh. I’ll take that as a yes.”
Karina playfully stuck her tongue out. Her beautiful appearance matched her lovable tongue.
Ah, wait. Get a grip. You clueless idiot.
The VIPs were looking at me with curious eyes. It’s not my intention to stand out. I quietly stepped back a few paces from Karina, assuming a serious pose like the other guards.
Ugh. I want to see how well Lewis is doing, but it’s hard to catch a glimpse from this spot.
I tried to hide my disappointment and looked straight ahead.
—————-
“Compared to the dishes from the Imperial Palace’s head chef, this is nothing special.”
Get a clue, Prince Number 1.
I barely managed to restrain myself from slapping my forehead at the sight of Prince Number 1 boasting about the Imperial Palace.
Dude, are you completely clueless? The face of the academy cafeteria’s chef is pale with fear. You can clearly see he’s worried that he might get beheaded if this goes on. While being the first prince of the strongest kingdom on the continent might mean you have no need to care about others, still.
…And this is why you might get yourself killed.
“Well, it’s a dish made with great care.”
“Oh, of course it is. But it’s a bit disappointing. For a festival like this, we need something that matches it…”
No matter how much Karina hinted at him to mind his words, Prince Number 1 didn’t seem to care at all, and the urge to slap him became stronger and stronger.
Maybe I should give him a little smack before he gets himself killed.
Ultimately, the annoying lecture of Prince Number 1, who couldn’t be stopped by anyone, began to gain momentum, heading straight for absurdity.
“…Saint, you are a noble being. For such a being, isn’t it strange to only have two guards? It wouldn’t be odd to bring along the knight order… And certainly, it would be better to be protected by royal knights rather than those incompetent guards.”
Before long, he might just end up with nonexistent offspring.
“Thank you for your kind words, but I’m perfectly fine as is.”
“You are underestimating your worth.”
…Is there any way to brainwash the assassins so they can’t carry out an assassination on this guy?
If I could brainwash Rue, I could easily set that up.
“…It’s getting close to the time. I’ll be taking my leave now, Prince Luke.”
“It’s a shame that we can’t converse more… If you don’t mind, how about a cup of tea before you go…”
“Unfortunately, I have a lot of work to do.”
Karina firmly cut off her speech as if she could no longer endure it. Only then did Prince Number 1 close his mouth, looking regretful.
Prince Number 1 is such a chatterbox; the future of this country is genuinely bleak.
Anyway, we left the cafeteria and headed towards the liberal arts department classroom first. Since today’s schedule had us reciting speeches at all the department events, the sooner we moved, the more time we’d have to relax in the evening.
“First, we’ll finish at the liberal arts department event, then head to the magic department, alchemy department, and finally the theology department.”
“There are many places to go.”
“But it will all be over once the speeches are done. Tomorrow, we’ll just stroll around, attend the prayer for the Feast of Saint Sabrina in the theology department, and then finish with the theater performance and campfire event at night… And on the last day, all we need to do is the finals of the martial arts tournament and the closing ceremony speech in the morning!”
“It seems small yet big at the same time.”
Listening again, the schedule was unexpectedly tight. I didn’t feel well to begin with, and now I had to complete this schedule. Do they not know Karina is sick?
“This is already reduced as much as possible. Since Karina’s health isn’t great…”
“The Feast of Saint Sabrina is a precious day, so I can’t easily miss it just because I’m unwell. I appreciate the concern, but I have to do it. It’s my first duty as a saint.”
“…I see. But if your health deteriorates, be sure to let either me or Renny know immediately.”
“Understood.”
If only we could talk peacefully like this. Unfortunately, we had to head to one of the largest classrooms in the liberal arts department with Karina.
There, we needed to recite a speech commemorating the event prepared by the liberal arts department.
“I wonder if Millia is doing well.”
“If it’s Millia, she should be fine.”
It’s just that she can be a bit reckless, but she seems to be doing okay on her own. Just a few days ago, she had gone out to play with friends.
She might actually be the most social person among those in Yeomyeong-gwan.
As I wandered about with such thoughts, I started to see a familiar door. The door was adorned with quite a bit of decoration, along with a bright red arrow pointing towards it.
…What is this?
This isn’t what I knew.
There was definitely nothing like that in the game.
What the hell happened here?
“Johann?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, I’m a bit taken aback… What is the liberal arts department planning to do?”
I needed someone to explain this baffling situation.
“I heard they were doing something new this year… not just the poetry recitation like every year.”
“I heard they’re doing something like a café…”
“Welcome, Master!”
…Oh my God.
I stared at Millia, who was wearing a maid outfit that looked eerily familiar and was smiling cheerfully. Millia pointed to the door with both hands, which was rather unlike her usual self.
“Saint! And guard! I’ll guide you!”
“…I feel like this genre is all wrong.”
My lamenting murmurs scattered into the air.
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