The Academy has regained peace once more.
The investigation was in its final stages, and after thorough searching, all remaining remnants of the monsters had been exterminated.
Fortunately, no further traitors had arisen within the Academy.
Of course, it was the Dark Cult that had planted a puppet close to the royal family. Although it was uncertain whether there were any spies lurking within the Academy, the conclusion was that at least no one involved in this recent attack was found.
This result was drawn from the joint investigation team of the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Southern Kingdoms after meticulous inquiries. It was hard to doubt this, and finally, the students of the Academy began to prepare for their delayed journey home.
The Academy had endured no peaceful days since the monster attack.
Students, who had regarded a classmate as a public enemy, suddenly celebrated him as a hero, while the imperial princess—who had instead become a scapegoat—wailed in a dazed state on the main street.
And above all, there was the chain of violence that had unfolded on that main avenue.
The perpetrator was the same man who had been elevated from public enemy to hero through the attack. His name was Ian Fercurus.
It was me.
To be honest, it had been a rather impulsive decision.
I had just barely regained consciousness after a long period in a comatose state. Yet here I was, finding the rescued imperial princess deteriorating due to past wounds, and I couldn’t help but feel incredulous.
Moreover, no one even guessed at the cause.
At least Neoris and the other members of the News Department seemed to have some understanding of the general circumstances. However, their authority had been delegated to me ever since the last attack on the News Department.
In other words, the Imperial Intelligence Department, which needed to show me utmost respect, had no means left to intervene.
In fact, there was some discretion despite everything, and I had hoped for some action, yet ideals and reality always showed differences.
After all, I had never confided my inner thoughts to the Imperial Intelligence Department. They must have had their own considerations and felt the need to keep things under wraps, so in the end, it was my own doing.
Thus, I had set out to untangle that knot.
The results were excellent.
Now, no one at the Academy harbored ill feelings toward the princess, and rather, there was even a growing sympathy for her. On the other hand, there were no disparaging remarks about me, so everything seemed to be going smoothly.
At least, that’s how it appeared on the surface.
That day as well, the Lady Virgin Saint had come early in the morning to scold me for abruptly leaving the infirmary.
With a face full of indignation, she raised her voice, only to show signs of confusion upon seeing me.
“Ian… didn’t I say that intense exercise was out of the question for a while…! Ian?”
Rarely, my hands were trembling uncontrollably.
I sighed but found it hard to conceal my anxious feelings.
Even so, I forced a smile so as not to show it.
“Ah, Lady Virgin Saint.”
“…Is something wrong?”
The Lady’s gaze, upon asking, had already turned cold. Suspicion was swirling in her light pink eyes.
And it was understandable. I had never trembled even in the face of life-threatening situations.
It might have been the first time for her to see me in a state of anxiety.
However, there are circumstances one can share and circumstances one cannot.
I still had no choice but to shake my head with a strained smile.
“It’s nothing. It seems the muscle pain hasn’t subsided yet.”
How could I tell her?
About the words Neoris had shared with me secretly early that morning.
That the Imperial Court was supposed to come to see me.
Although they said it would be in a few days, it was related to a matter concerning the bl**d Letter. Naturally, it was obvious that a person of significance would be sent in accordance with that importance.
At the very least, they would be the owner of the bl**d Letter.
And anyone of that stature would possess the power and authority to erase someone like the second son of a country baron without a trace.
No, it would be fortunate if they simply killed me without fuss.
With all sorts of charges of royal contempt, they could annihilate my family and torture me without a word.
It was supposed to be for saving the world, but undoubtedly, it would require a long process to make them believe that.
That aspect was weighing heavily on my mind.
The reason I was groaning and even trembling was precisely because of that.
Of course, I couldn’t explain all these complex circumstances to the Lady. Given our relationship, there might come a day when I could tell her the truth, but that day was not today.
Besides, even if I did speak, the Lady wouldn’t have the luxury to help. There were only a few days left.
So, I could only clear my throat.
“…It’s true.”
“Who said otherwise?”
The Lady was sneering at me, yet her light pink gaze did not leave my face for a moment.
Being scrutinized so closely felt unnecessarily burdensome.
In the end, I let out a long sigh.
“Lady Virgin Saint.”
“…Hmph, what is it?”
With her silver hair, she was showing clear signs of sulking. It wasn’t a misunderstanding that she kept glancing at me as if asking me to acknowledge her feelings.
I thought, with Reto’s teachings on women, I had some understanding of the female heart.
But that illusion shattered effortlessly every time I faced new challenges. I could guess why she was sulking, but I had no idea how to soothe her.
It was natural to feel hurt when someone close kept something from her.
As I pondered what to do, I ultimately decided to evade.
My mouth brought up another topic.
“By the way, how is the imperial princess?”
“Oh, that woman…”
At my question, the Lady showed a somewhat displeased expression. She avoided eye contact for a moment and then looked at me as if realizing something and asked with a sly glance, “I heard you hit her. Were you perhaps worried about that?”
“No, well… it’s somewhat similar.”
To be precise, it was more ‘the bl**d Letter’ that worried me.
Hitting a royal on the main street could be seen as an insult to the royal family. However, since the princess had mentioned the ‘honor of the royal family’, it was unlikely the royal family would address it directly.
But the bl**d Letter was different.
It was no less than a symbol of the legitimacy of the Empire’s royal family. No matter how shocking it was to hit a princess in the street, it could never be more significant than news of the bl**d Letter being leaked.
This was an improvised answer I couldn’t explain in detail, yet the Lady seemed to understand and nodded.
It was because she knew well how terrifying the royal family was to the Empire’s nobles.
“Don’t worry too much. When I went to treat that woman, she was quite… messed up?”
Messed up?
I tilted my head, but the Lady only offered a meaningful smile.
“So, I gave her a little education and came back. I had to make sure nothing was said later.”
“…You didn’t do anything weird, did you?”
“Something weird? I just made her reawaken to her position. After all, the fact that you were seriously injured was due to her incompetence.”
A groan escaped my lips once again.
That was not incorrect.
The failure to manage close aides was ultimately the leader’s responsibility. The fact that the princess had left an opening that allowed the Dark Priest to infiltrate was indeed her fault.
Of course, it was a harsh statement.
To place such a heavy burden on a girl who had barely just turned adult was unreasonable. Yet, once born into royalty, rights and duties were equal.
One could not only choose one side.
Understanding that point, I sighed and refrained from adding further comments.
If things felt off later, it wouldn’t be too late to intervene then. Currently, the pressing matter in front of me was far more urgent.
As my complexion grew serious again, the Lady let out a peculiar sound.
Her light pink eyes had now narrowed slightly. Sitting on the chair next to my bed, she began poking my side with her finger.
“See? You’re hiding something. Speak up.”
“What would it matter if I told you?”
My detached voice seemed to intrigue her all the more.
Even becoming somewhat cute, the Lady began to persuade me with a slightly playful tone.
“Come on, tell me, okay? We’re close, right?”
“What do you mean by ‘close’?”
At my retort, the Lady put on an expression as if waking up from a daze.
But that was only for a moment, as she soon sighed deeply, as if she had not expected it.
Then, with a determined look, the Lady spoke.
“…Alright, if you tell me the secret, I’ll grant you a wish.”
“A wish?”
At my absent-minded response, the Lady nodded with a benevolent smile, the expression one rarely saw.
Her beauty was sufficient to make many men’s hearts flutter. My own heart was now beginning to race as well.
Yet the reason I was feeling this exhilaration was somewhat different.
It wasn’t simply in response to the Lady’s beauty; rather, a memory flickered through my mind.
I realized I had made a promise with the Lady.
That once everything was resolved and I returned, I would grant one wish.
The Lady seemed not to have recalled that memory yet. Instead, she unknowingly emphasized her own bosom, unaware she was in danger.
It was as if a butterfly caught in a spider’s web fluttered its wings.
The Lady’s tantalizing voice soaked into my ears.
“Yes, a wish… I’ll grant whatever you desire.”
I could no longer hide my anticipation and asked back.
“If it’s a wish, can I wish for anything?”
The Lady smiled as though she had expected that response. A line of enticing beauty etched itself upon her.
As her arm subtly raised, the curves of her figure became even more accentuated.
And then came the decisive blow.
“…Yes, of course. It’s a wish, after all.”
With that, there was no longer any reason to hesitate.
My hand reached out to seize the Lady’s firm physique.
