Chapter: 262
Since then, I haven’t been able to talk to Arthur.
When I try to find Arthur to talk, he always says he’s busy with a lot of work or has something urgent to handle outside. No matter how I look at it, it feels like he’s making excuses and avoiding me.
What the heck? Didn’t he say he had something to tell me in the first place? He said we’d talk once everything was settled, right? So why is he dodging me?
Could it be a case of late puberty? Now that he’s ascended to the throne, is he finally going through it?!
Hmm. Well, that doesn’t make sense. Logically thinking, it’s absurd for puberty to hit him now.
Even though Arthur is avoiding me with excuses, is he doing his job as emperor properly? The state of the Romanian Empire has been returned to normal.
No one opposed Arthur’s ascension to the throne, and the decision on what to do with the previous emperor’s son—not Arthur’s father but his uncle—was also made to prevent any further conflict.
Normally, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was executed to end his life, but I wonder if my words reached Arthur at all. Somehow, he managed to save his life.
In exchange, he joined the Church of Life and will now spend his life as a priest… Well, that’s better than dying, isn’t it?
Plus, thanks to Vivi’s orders, he won’t be left alone.
Most likely, he won’t be able to escape from the Church of Life as long as he’s alive.
And so, Romania started to normalize under Arthur’s rule.
Except for the famine.
Well, there’s nothing to be done about the famine. It has played a significant role in diverting public sentiment by putting the blame on the previous emperor, and now Arthur’s in charge.
Famine. Hmm. Hmm… Right. I guess as a final gift I could resolve the famine. If I use all the remaining magic power left in this wise man’s body to eliminate the famine, Arthur’s rule will become even firmer.
I think it’s a good idea. Yeah.
“But what is that guy so busy with? Ugh.”
At this rate, I won’t even get to see his face before we say goodbye.
I grumbled as I slipped out into the garden behind the castle.
A few people glanced at me as I passed, but no one dared to speak to me.
Honestly, I can’t blame them. Who would talk to a person wrapped in a ragged black cloth, hiding their face completely?
It’s only because Arthur played a big role in becoming emperor that he’s allowed to move around so freely.
“Hmm. I feel a bit guilty for lounging about like this.”
“Ah! S… Gaia.”
“Hmm?”
As I stepped into the garden, Vivi, who had been talking with several priests, spotted me and called out.
No, upon a closer look, it seemed that various priests serving different gods had gathered for an important discussion. Is it really okay for her to come over suddenly?
“The other priests are watching. Focus on your work, Vivi.”
“It’s alright! I’ve almost wrapped everything up! Right, everyone?”
When Vivi flashed a smile, the priests nodded with odd expressions. Hmm… Well, if Vivi says so, it must be true.
Even if it wasn’t, if Vivi wishes it so, then it will be so. That’s the privilege of being a Dragon Priestess.
“Then I’ll see you next time, Dragon Priestess.”
“Next time, don’t come yourself; send someone else. You all have a mountain of work to do, so there’s no need to handle trivial matters in person, right?”
Trivial matters…? The priests had extremely serious expressions, didn’t they? Hmm…
After bowing to Vivi, the priests also bowed to me before quickly leaving. Why did they bow to me too?
Hmm. Did they recognize me as Arthur and Vivi’s teacher? If that wasn’t the case, there’d be no reason for them to bow to this wise man’s body.
After all, it’s not really my true self. I’ve blocked all the magical power leaking from me, so they shouldn’t have been able to figure out my identity.
“By the way, what brings you here? Didn’t you say you were going to talk to your brother this morning?”
“Well. I was going to, but… Arthur had urgent business and rushed out of the castle, so I couldn’t speak to him. Seriously, the Emperor leaving like that… What could possibly be that urgent…?”
“Yes?”
“Well, I guess you have to understand that the Emperor position is a busy one. It can’t be helped.”
At my words, Vivi suddenly grabbed my shoulder, visibly angry, and began shouting.
“Forget that stupid excuse! No matter how important this country is! It’s not more important than your current teacher! NO! I’ll make that idiot talk to me even if it means a showdown!!”
“Vivi?”
“I just want to spend time with you too! What on earth is that fool up to! Gah! Seriously! You stay right here! I’ll be back with my brother in no time!!”
After unleashing a barrage of words, Vivi glared like a demon, picked up the Sephiroth Tree of Life next to her, and surveyed the area. She was probably trying to locate Arthur using her magic.
“Found you! You idiot!!”
Then she whipped up a strong gust of wind, lifting Sephiroth into the air, sitting on it, and flying off in an instant.
Probably off to fetch my brother.
I’ve told her countless times to refrain from using magic to create winds and fly around, but she just doesn’t listen. The strong gust is truly a nuisance.
“You’re a troublesome child, honestly.”
Alright. So… um.
The rock fragments at my fingertips began to gradually fall away. Ah. Has that much time already passed?
Hmm… The remaining time isn’t today or tomorrow… If I play it carefully, it should be tonight at best.
This body! I’ve used it for a long time!
I took a quick look around the garden where Vivi departed. Hmm… Alright. I’ll leave this body in the corner of the garden.
Let’s leave it behind and aim to sculpt it into a statue.
After all, when a human dies, they build a grave, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a grave for this body as well.
Let’s leave it in a secluded corner of this garden, so that Arthur and Vivi will know this teacher is always watching over them.
I began to slowly maneuver the wise man’s body, which was moving sluggishly, towards the corner of the garden.
A place where few people tread. Maybe due to the densely growing trees, not much sunlight seeps through.
Hmm. It reminds me of the deep forest where a wise man used to live. This might just be suitable.
I elevated a flat rock of an appropriate size and settled down on it.
Well. While I’m at it, why not solve Romania’s famine? Let’s see… I’ll draw some of the magic power left in my wise man’s body and release it into the ground through the rock.
The body itself might be reaching the end of its life, but since magical power is ageless… a significant amount of power from the wise man’s body began to spread into the earth.
Well, if it’s insufficient, I can always use a bit more of my power. Just have to keep it balanced. Balance.
As I spread my magic power through the ground like this… um. For some reason, the legs of the wise man sitting on the rock began to meld with it.
This is a bit unexpected. Is the wise man’s stone body merging with the rock as the magic flows? Hmm…
Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.
While I spread my power across most of Romania… something underground reached out to the edges of my magic.
That thing, startled by my magic, that burrowed into the earth was… um? What was that? A living creature?
Is it a monster underground? Something like a sandworm? Or a dwarf digging in the ground? No, a dwarf wouldn’t be startled by my magic and run away.
Well, there’s no need to stress about it. One unknown creature is merely a trivial issue.
As I spread my magic across most of Romanian territory, my lower body became completely integrated with the rock.
At this rate, I couldn’t budge an inch. Should’ve at least tried to find a better position.
Sitting here like this is rather dull, you know.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Lucius Altrius III, the newly crowned emperor, known as Arthur by his sister and teacher, found himself in quite the predicament.
“This stupid brother!!!”
Suddenly, his sister Vivian appeared, throwing a punch right at him!
“Ugh!”
It was a powerful blow that would’ve shattered bones on a regular human. However, for Arthur, who had strengthened his body with magic, it was a trivial attack.
“Idiot! Fool! Coward! Chicken! Rat! Is the emperor’s seat REALLY that important?! To the point of leaving your teacher alone!!”
“Vivi, what on earth! Ugh!”
As if her fierce punches weren’t enough, Vivi brandished the Sephiroth like a blunt weapon. If anyone from the Church of Life were to witness this, they’d be horrified, but thankfully, there was no one else in sight.
In a remote part of Sirius. A small trinket shop located in an area with few people.
Using the royal knight order, I had secured this area, preventing others from getting close.
“Idiot! Fool!! Moron!! Pig! Imbecile!!!”
“W-wait! Let’s find out the reason first! The reason!!”
“Why does it matter, you idiot!!! Don’t to your teacher right now!!!”
“I-I was going to see the teacher anyway! I just finished gathering everything…”
“What nonsense!!! It’s because of this idiot that my time with you is reduced! This is so unfair!! Give me back my time!!!”
Arthur pretended to flinch in pain as the branch of the Sephiroth poked at his vital point. In reality, it didn’t hurt at all.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this! You! Aren’t you supposed to be getting information from the priests at the temples?!”
“Does that even matter, you fool!!!!”
Smack!!!
The Sephiroth hit Arthur squarely on the forehead.
“You don’t have time to see your teacher!!!”
“What?”
“Go to him right now, you idiot! If you don’t want a lifetime of regret!!”
“What do you mean, you won’t have time for your teacher!”
“There’s no time to explain! No! It’ll be faster if I just drag you along!!!”
Saying that, Vivi conjured a magical rope and wrapped it around her brother before latching him to the end of the Sephiroth.
Then she soared off again on the Sephiroth, flying towards the castle.
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