Chapter: 130
The journey from the Capital to the Academy was smooth. There were no boring ambush events, and unlike my first trip to the Academy, the roads were in good shape, making the trip quite comfortable.
Thinking back to that time when the road was a complete mess still annoys me. They took money for road maintenance, and that’s how it turned out? Of course, the money that disappeared eventually ended up being recovered by digging into the local governor’s assets.
Anyway, we arrived at the Academy without any problems. To be honest, I didn’t really miss it.
‘It’s so quiet…’
Entering the Academy, a quietness filled the air that felt strangely out of place when compared to the usual buzz of activity during the semester.
It was only natural, considering it was vacation time. Most students were back home, and without any student customers, the local businesses had slowed down a bit.
Unless the Academy was some kind of den that kept students around even during vacations, thankfully, it wasn’t that kind of place.
“The Academy can be this quiet, too.”
Turning toward the voice from across me, I saw Marghetta gazing out the window, an expression of genuine amazement on her face. It was a simple sight, but it made me smile.
“Is this your first time seeing it like this, Mar?”
“Well, I usually teleport for the opening ceremony, so I’ve never seen the Academy during vacation.”
Marghetta definitely wasn’t some rural noble, and there was no need for her to travel a long distance by carriage when she could simply hire a mage for teleportation.
“I’m sorry for making you go through all this trouble when you could easily teleport, Mar.”
“It’s okay. Traveling by carriage has its own charm, you know?”
With a sweet smile, Marghetta got up from her seat and slid right next to me.
“And it gives me more time to be with you, which I enjoy.”
“In that case, I’m glad.”
I awkwardly laughed at Marghetta’s words. She was now speaking so casually.
Since I opened up to Marghetta at the mansion, she’d become even more forward.
“Since Carl has been honest with me, I’ll be honest with Carl, too.”
A few days before our return to the Academy, Marghetta’s bold declaration had genuinely surprised me. Even though I was trying to avoid other women, I simply couldn’t ignore Marghetta.
If I was trying to pretend not to notice her while she was throwing her affection around so actively, I must’ve been blind or deaf! Was I really that good at suppressing my feelings?
Now that Marghetta had loosed her inhibitions, she had definitely become something else. In the past, even if I approached her slightly, she’d blush and fumble. But now she came closer first and unapologetically shared embarrassing thoughts.
‘Well, maybe that’s not true.’
Upon closer inspection, Marghetta’s face was faintly red, and her pupils were slightly trembling. So, it wasn’t like she was totally unaffected.
It felt like her resistance to embarrassment had simply increased—a significant improvement in itself.
“Thank you for spending your precious time with me.”
Gently holding Marghetta’s hand, I spoke, and the faint blush on her face deepened gradually.
I knew I was teasing her, but her shyness seemed both familiar and adorable.
“If it’s for you, Carl, I’ll even give you my li… lifetime.”
She stammered as she spoke, but her sincerity warmed a corner of my heart.
*
While all the others went to their lodgings, I headed to the main building since I had someone to meet. Even though most students had left the Academy, there were always some who stayed behind to keep watch.
“It’s been a while, Executive Manager. Have you been well?”
“Of course! I’m glad to see you’re still in good health, Principal.”
This was especially true for the man who governed and lived in the Academy. Wasn’t it terrifying when home and work were in the same place?
I felt a bit sorry for the Principal, but he didn’t seem too fazed. As long as he was okay, I guess that was all that mattered.
“I’m relieved there haven’t been any major issues. It would truly be unfortunate if something happened to the students.”
“I completely agree.”
Nodding along with the Principal, who was stroking his long beard, I couldn’t help but think that while I might’ve been involved in the events more directly than Sir Villar, he’d surely been just as anxious about the pastry club’s trip to the capital.
Having foreign royalty and a saint candidate within the Academy was already a handful; adding a trip to the capital onto that? Pure madness!
If something went wrong with the students, even if it happened outside the Academy, the Principal would still be held responsible. That’s how it worked for high-ranking officials, no matter how unfair it sounded.
“That’s right. You’ve done an incredible job, Executive Manager.”
Of course, he wouldn’t carry the weight of the responsibility as heavily as I did. The Principal likely understood this, hence his warm words of comfort.
“Oh, Prosecutors’ Office’s Executive Manager.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries and updates, the Principal suddenly spoke, as if something had come to his mind.
“I heard that a peculiar individual was included in the three countries’ escort forces.”
“Oh, is that so? That sounds intriguing.”
‘Damn it.’
Internally cursing, I tried to keep my cool. Until now, thanks to Sir Villar, I hadn’t had to deal directly with the escort forces of the three countries. But I’d heard that everyone except Sir Villar was being swapped out during the break.
What if one of the new recruits was a rebel challenging his authority? That would just make things tiresome for both me and Sir Villar. So I wished and hoped it would all go smoothly.
‘But if the Principal is mentioning it…’
How remarkable must this person be for the Principal to mention them personally? If the Principal was paying attention, that meant this person was either a high-ranking official or something truly out of the ordinary, perhaps even someone bold enough to question Sir Villar’s authority.
That would be a real problem. As far as negotiating partners go, Sir Villar was acceptable, and I hoped he’d stay that way until graduation.
“Here’s the list of the new recruits for the escort. I received it two days ago.”
The Principal handed me a few sheets of paper from a stack on his desk. Just two days ago, I had been busy passing time in a carriage.
Quickly running through the documents I received, I noted that Sir Villar was among the top five knights of the Armein Royal Knights. If anyone could pose a threat to him, I should at least know their name!
‘This is troublesome.’
In simple terms, it could only be a royal knight ranked higher than Sir Villar—but that seemed unlikely. If they were sending someone like that, they probably would have just sent Sir Villar home.
So maybe it was a high-level mage from the United Kingdom of Yuben? Or perhaps a cardinal from the Holy Kingdom?
Whichever way you looked at it, it was a headache. If their position was too high, it would be difficult for me to handle negotiations…
‘What was that just now?’
My gaze, which had been scrolling down, suddenly snapped back up. I felt like I’d seen something odd.
It was a name I’d never encountered before. As far as I knew, they weren’t a high-ranking official.
But the surname was familiar!
Perosa Ganelli
‘What the…’
What the heck was going on here? Why was the Ganelli name popping up here of all places?
I double-checked, taken aback by this unexpected revelation. Maybe it was something like Gadelina or Ganali, and maybe I misread it!
‘Nope, that’s not it.’
Of course, my conclusion remained the same. It was Ganelli, alright.
Stunned, I stared blankly at the documents. Perosa Ganelli, 17 years old, with citizenship in Armein.
It clearly stated below the name she was Villar Ganelli’s daughter. It wasn’t even a coincidence that they shared a last name. She was Villar’s daughter for sure.
‘Why?’
Why was Sir Villar’s daughter here?
It’s not common for any country on the continent to assign family members to the same mission overseas. Plus, the situation wasn’t so pressing that it required breaking such traditions.
“Isn’t it unusual? I was quite surprised at first, too.”
“Oh, yes. It really is unusual.”
The Principal spoke as I struggled to respond. Indeed, anyone would react similarly to me.
What kind of mission was deemed so crucial that the daughter would follow her father to another country? It was heartwarming to see her filial affection, but such displays weren’t necessary.
‘No wonder his expression was so dark.’
During our trip back to the Academy, Villar’s expression had been strangely somber.
I wanted to ask him what was going on, but I didn’t have a close personal relationship with him—just a professional one.
Sure, we had built some camaraderie through working closely together, but that didn’t mean it was enough to pry into his private life. Thus, I let it slide, not wanting to intrude.
“…It’s quite astonishing.”
That was about all I could say. It really was astounding.
Perhaps it was just that Villar couldn’t return home and was missing his family. Living in a foreign land can make anyone miss their family more than usual. That’s only natural.
But sending a family member overseas as a solution? What a bizarre way to cope. It wasn’t like he wished to see his family in his homeland; he wanted someone to share the hardships right there with him.
‘So Armein isn’t normal either.’
Armein also turned out to be a bit of a black country. To think that the two most powerful nations would both be troubled citizens, the future of the continent looks gloomy.
Could this be the average state across the continent? Am I missing something? Is every country truly at this level?
If so, is it really not better to be in the Empire? If they’re all troublesome countries, surely being in a more powerful one could have its upsides.
‘That’s frightening.’
The Empire as the nice country of this continent? What kind of world did Enen create?
*
The next day, the arrival of the new escort force from the three nations stirred up some commotion in the previously quiet Academy.
Welcoming them wasn’t something I had to concern myself with, but—
“If you have time, please visit the club room! How about having tea together?”
— Understood. Thanks for the invitation!
As I thought about Villar, who was about to meet his daughter, and recalled yesterday’s conversation with the Principal, I truly couldn’t just sit around anymore.
Even an unfamiliar person floundering in water inspires a compelling urge to help. And that feeling was even stronger with Villar, who I’ve known, for months!
I might not have much to offer, but at the very least, I could give him some comfort!
— Um, Executive Manager. I apologize, but may I bring one more person along?
And soon after I received Villar’s call, it dawned on me.
Villar was quite weak-hearted when it came to his daughter…
“Of course! The more the merrier at a tea party.”
You can do it, Villar!
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