“Thanks for lending me the carriage. I appreciate it once again.”
“Yes? Y-yes…”
Schlus and his attendant got down from the carriage, and the door went *bang* as it closed.
Left alone inside, Iris stared in a daze, her mouth slightly agape.
“Wha-what was that…?”
Did she see it wrong?
No way that could be.
She clearly saw it.
Schlus petting his attendant’s head.
Without an ounce of hesitation, no less.
Both the one doing the petting and the one being petted seemed so familiar with it, as if it wasn’t their first time.
“Is it a normal thing…?”
The employer and the attendant.
They’re the closest after family, so it’s not strange for them to be intimate.
So, it would seem natural for something like petting to happen?
“That can’t be, can it…?”
She thought that for a moment, but Iris shook her head in denial.
If it was between women, maybe, but between the opposite sexes, that kind of thing couldn’t be normal.
No matter how she thought about it, it was far too close.
Then again, could it be…?
“Are they…?”
A smile crept up on Iris’s lips.
Schlus’s attendant was certainly pretty.
Her face still looked youthful, but her mature body must have shaken the hearts of many a man.
Living under the same roof as such a beauty, wouldn’t it be instant to fall for her?
Though there was a difference in their statuses, they were both commoners, so there shouldn’t be any reservations.
“And then at that time…”
Additionally, Iris recalled a future she had seen not long ago.
The future where the single dorm room was ambushed.
In that future, Schlus successfully intercepted the attacker.
However, there was one thing he couldn’t protect. His attendant.
In that future, Schlus suddenly barged into the dorm building looking for Iris.
Carrying his limp attendant, he pleaded, tears streaming down his face, begging for her life.
When told that the already dead could not be brought back, Schlus cried out as if he had lost the world.
Looking back now, those tears, that agony was undoubtedly that of losing a loved one.
“Ahh… How sweet.”
Iris’s cheeks were cupped in her hands as she smiled in ecstasy.
To witness such innocent love.
She thought it was a good thing she had hinted at saving the attendant after all.
“But there’s no way it’s unrequited love, right?”
A thought crossed her mind, and Iris’s expression turned serious in an instant.
What if Schlus was in love, but his attendant felt nothing?
With the beauty of Schlus’s attendant, it wouldn’t be strange if noblemen lined up to propose.
If she chose some noble idiot chasing after wealth and stability…?
That couldn’t happen.
It would mean Schlus’s desperate love would end before it even began.
“Alright. This wasn’t in the plan, but… I’ll help just a little.”
Iris clenched her fist and made her decision.
To help Schlus’s love come true.
At least, she needed to make sure his attendant knew just how sincere his feelings were.
“Hehe. Do I really have to help with this? You don’t even know how grateful you should be for this…”
Yet for some reason, Iris felt a pang of bitterness inside her heart.
*
“Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes!”
Following Schlus as he strode forward, Emilia took a deep breath and walked.
While doing so, she didn’t forget to sneak glances at Schlus.
‘Why? Why is he so nonchalant?’
But there was no sign of agitation in Schlus’s gaze or stride.
Despite what just happened, he seemed utterly unfazed.
Emilia’s cheeks began to flush.
‘It was just an act…’
Her tense demeanor in the carriage was just a performance.
When the Crown Prince visited the mansion, she was so surprised by the unexpected encounter that she made mistake after mistake.
She thought she had no choice but to pretend to be agitated this time, to keep her consistency.
In reality, she was not nervous at all.
But the moment Schlus’s hand touched her head.
The moment that warm touch settled, Emilia felt her body heat up.
At the same time, the minimal tension melted away, and her ragged breathing stabilized.
She must have been trained to be hyper-aware of others’ approach and physical contact.
Yet strangely enough, Schlus’s large hand possessed a comfort and an unidentifiable strength.
‘But seriously, is he really unfazed…’
Feeling uncomfortable, Emilia shot a piercing glare at Schlus’s back.
How could he act nonchalantly after showing such questionable behavior in front of others?
The only reason Emilia could think of was one.
Schlus didn’t see her as a woman.
There was no other way he could behave so boldly as to cause a scandal in front of others.
Could it be he thought of her as a younger sister or a daughter?
From the start, plans relying on using her looks had zero chance of success.
That thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, almost making Emilia want to wrap her arms around Schlus’s waist right then and there.
Would he really still not see her as a woman after such a gesture?
What kind of reaction would Schlus have, she wondered.
Would he get angry and criticize her for acting improperly at the Imperial Palace?
Or would he give a playful smile and flick her on the forehead?
Or maybe he’d blush and be flustered…?
She wanted to find out but couldn’t.
Because she feared that their relationship might change.
‘Right. This is for the sake of continuing the Intelligence Agency’s mission.’
As an agent of the Intelligence Agency, she was afraid of changes in the surveillance situation, that’s why she couldn’t do it. Yes, that’s it.
Emilia reminded herself in her head as she walked.
Following behind Schlus.
*
“Emilia, from now on—”
“Yes, I know. I will conduct myself properly and definitely not embarrass Hainkel-san.”
“……”
Something felt odd about Emilia since earlier.
Was it because she accidentally patted her head?
She seemed genuinely sulky.
Then again, Emilia didn’t like physical contact…
He should tread carefully from now on.
[Quest: Enter the hall before the medal conferment ceremony begins.]
[Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆]
[Reward: 3 Shop Coins]
A quest window appeared before his eyes.
So entering the hall is all that’s needed to finish it?
What kind of quest is this?
Is someone going to grab me by the collar and stop me from going in?
This was by far the easiest quest ever.
“Schlus Hainkel, here.”
“Yes. Your identity has been confirmed. You may enter.”
There was no trouble entering the palace.
On the paper handed to me by the guard, it said “Medal Conferment Witness.”
Considering I was still the one receiving the award, it seemed like they decided to let me through this way.
So, I shouldn’t run into any guards from now on.
If I can clear the quest for free, then it’s all good for me.
“What’s that guy?”
“Isn’t he the top commoner from the Imperial University, the one in the rumors?”
“Is he attending as a witness? A commoner entering the palace, it’s the end times.”
I collected whispers from the overly sensitive nobles around me.
Really, they could go on about their noble pride while forgetting their own roots.
I wanted to shout at them, “You guys are nothing but scraps of text!”
But I held my tongue.
Time was short.
Ignoring the gazes pouring in from all around, I headed toward the hall with Emilia.
“Wait.”
“……?”
As I was about to pass through the door, a scabbard blocked my way.
I clicked my tongue and looked to the side to see a knight with a sneer, extending their arm.
Actually, there were two. One more on the opposite side.
Was this quest triggered by these guys?
“I can’t let you through here.”
“I’m here to attend the medal conferment.”
“I don’t think you understand. This isn’t a place for a commoner to wander around. I don’t know which noble you got your ticket from, but you can’t set foot inside. Turn around before you regret it.”
“……”
Considering their silver armor, they were clearly not part of the royal guard.
Must be from the Imperial Knights.
Looks like the message about me didn’t reach these damned bastards.
Wow. What should I do now?
I was so dumbfounded that I was beyond anger.
“Better step aside before it gets serious.”
“Hah. Serious? You’re the one talking nonsense. A filthy commoner like you breathing the same air as nobles is the real problem!”
“…… I think I’ve given enough warnings.”
Checking the time, it was five minutes before the event was set to start.
Now I had to get through this place by whatever means.
Clenching my fist, the guys realized something was off and shifted their stance.
“Is this guy nuts? He’s about to charge at a knight…!”
*Wham!*
I predicted the trajectory of the punch aimed at my shoulder and dodged.
Then I delivered a smooth counter punch.
Slamming my fist into his chin made him crumble to the ground.
“You little… You’ll regret this, commoner!”
The other guy’s face turned red with rage as he tossed aside his blade and rushed at me.
With incredibly swift speed, as if powered by some internal circuit…
‘What’s this? Why does he look so slow?’
The movement was too predictable and monotonous, so I could handle it without using any abilities.
Was it because I was now used to the physical prowess of monsters like Hertlocker and Trie?
I simply ducked and dodged his attack while delivering a sidekick to his torso.
“Ugh!”
He lost control of his momentum and slammed into the wall.
It looked like he took quite the hit as he clutched his waist getting back up.
I hoped he’d just give up and fall down like that drooling fool over there.
“Do you think you can lay a hand on a knight and get away with it?!”
“……!”
The guy charged again.
The issue was that his target wasn’t me, but Emilia.
And the problem was… Emilia was much more skilled in basic martial arts than I was.
For a moment, Emilia seemed surprised and looked at me, but quickly realized I was too far away to help, her expression shifting.
Her eyes turned cold, like those of a merciless assassin.
“First, you’ll deal with this girl—! Grrrr?!”
Another guy sprinted toward me in a ridiculous manner, but Emilia used that speed against him and slammed his arm down, throwing him to the ground.
With his back hitting the floor, he looked dazed, his eyes rolling back.
I couldn’t help but think he would be left unable to walk again.
Call it karma.
“Ah, no! It’s not like that…! I just learned some martial arts briefly!”
“……”
I merely looked over, and Emilia began to wave her hands, spouting excuses like a rapper.
“Is ‘just briefly learned’ supposed to be this effective?”
“Ah, well, um…”
“Pfft… I’m feeling reassured. I might just leave my back to you at this rate.”
“T-thank you.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, easily fooled by Emilia’s cute lie.
She might seem meticulous, but she had her clumsy sides too.
I was pleased to discover a new facet to the character I had created.
“Let’s go.”
“And what about these guys?”
“If they know they messed up, they’ll keep their mouths shut. There shouldn’t be any aftermath.”
These knights got their faces beaten in by a commoner student and a maid.
If they actually had any pride, they wouldn’t dare boast about it.
So, there was no worry about any trouble arising from it.
Leading Emilia, who kept glancing back, I finally stepped into the hall.
[Quest Complete]
[You are awarded 3 Shop Coins as a reward.]
Having successfully entered the hall, I scored those coins sweetly.
The hall resembled a massive theater.
But the size was incredibly vast…
With hardly any tall buildings outside, it didn’t hit me until I saw the internal spaciousness—just how enormous the palace was.
Especially if this place was just one of several similar buildings.
The Imperial University was indeed huge, but the palace was probably several times larger.
“His Majesty the Emperor is entering soon. Please sit down.”
We found a suitable place.
There was no way to get Emilia a seat.
It seemed she was supposed to stand at the back along with all the attendants.
As Emilia moved to the back, other attendants stared at her from different angles.
I hoped she wouldn’t create any incidents from there.
Emilia was so talented; I wasn’t worried about her getting upset and causing a scene.
If anything, she should be worrying about me.
“His Majesty Gustav Friedrich von Freya enters.”
An elderly man with white hair, using a cane, appeared on the podium with Aria.
Nobles stood up in unison to pay their respects.
I was about to rise too. Really.
‘Screw it. Of all times… aah.’
But suddenly my legs cramped, preventing me from standing.
The intense stares pouring in felt overwhelming.
What if I got branded a traitor just like this?
Once the Emperor stood on the podium and gestured, the nobles resumed their seats.
They all moved with such graceful posture, as expected of nobles.
“Quite a crowd we have gathered.”
Gustav chuckled as he opened the ceremony.
Not revealing any information about the medal conferment, a substantial number of nobles had gathered.
Counts, marquises… even one who looked like a duke was present.
The Emperor seldom used the term ‘important.’
The fact he had highlighted this event as ‘important’ suggested something significant.
“I have an announcement before the medal conferment begins. The Crow’s Henderson has been confirmed dead.”
Whispers began to fill the hall.
Glares that had been boring into me turned towards the podium.
I had a feeling they might return to me…
“Five days ago, Crow’s Henderson infiltrated the Imperial University and was killed by one person. Today’s conferment is to honor the hero who intercepted Henderson. Now, I will call upon the award recipient…”
*Bang!*
At that instant, one of the doors to the hall burst open.
The door through which we entered.
Emerging from that doorway were—
“Schlus Hainkel! That commoner, how dare he assault a royal knight!”
It was the two knights from earlier, blood streaming from their noses.
Seriously, weren’t they even a little embarrassed to report being beaten up?
Do they not even feel humiliation…?
Accompanied by other knights, they advanced towards me with grim expressions.
“Sorry for the disturbance. I’ll just take this commoner out…”
“Schlus Hainkel, step up to the podium.”
The Emperor’s voice reverberated throughout the hall.
The grip of the knight who had seized my shoulder instantly froze.
Looking up, I saw his face had turned pale, which was quite the sight.
“Let go of me.”
“Ah… Yes!”
Finally, the knight released his grip and stepped back.
I shook off the spot where he had touched me, rising once more.
As expected, eyes were all fixed on me.
