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Thinking back to the time when the road was a mess still annoyed me. They wasted money in the name of road maintenance, didn’t they? Of course, the disappeared funds were eventually recovered by raiding 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.’

The quietness of the Academy as we entered felt oddly out of place considering the usual bustling activity during the semester.

It was only natural since it was the vacation period. Most students had gone home, and without student customers, the businesses around here had slowed down a bit.

It would be different if the Academy was a den that kept students even during vacations, but the Academy fortunately wasn’t like that.

“The Academy can be this quiet, too.”

As I turned to the voice from across me, I saw Marghetta looking out the window with an expression that seemed genuinely amazed. It wasn’t anything special, but it brought a smile to my face.

“Is this your first time seeing it like this, Mar?”

“Well, I usually teleport in time for the opening ceremony, so I’ve never seen the Academy during the vacation.”

Marghetta certainly wasn’t some rural noblewoman, and there was no need for her to travel a long distance by carriage when she could simply hire a mage and teleport.

“I’m sorry for making you go through all this trouble when you could teleport easily, Mar.”

“It’s okay. Traveling by carriage has its own charm, you know?”

Marghetta smiled warmly and got up from her seat, then sat down next to me.

“And it gives me more time to be with you, which I enjoy.”

“In that case, then I’m glad.”

I awkwardly laughed at Marghetta’s words. She was even speaking so casually now.

After I opened up to Marghetta at the mansion, she became even more proactive.

“Since Carl has been honest with me, I’ll be honest with Carl, too.”

I was genuinely surprised by Marghetta’s bold declaration a few days before we returned to the Academy. Even though I had been trying to avoid other women, I couldn’t help but be drawn to her.

I must have been blind or deaf to pretend not to notice her when she was so actively showing her affection. Was I really that good at hiding my feelings?

And now that Marghetta had removed her restraints, she had certainly become extraordinary. In the past, she would blush and panic even if I approached her just a little, but now she would come closer first and say embarrassing things to me without hesitation.

‘I guess that’s not true.’

Upon closer examination, Marghetta’s face was slightly red. Her pupils were also trembling. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t shaken.

It was just that her resistance to embarrassment seemed to have increased, and even that alone was quite an improvement.

“Thank you for spending your precious time with me.”

I gently held Marghetta’s hand and spoke, and the faint blush on her face gradually deepened.

I knew I was teasing her, but her shyness felt familiar and cute.

“If it’s for you, Carl, I’ll even give you my li… lifetime.”

She stammered as she opened her mouth, but her willingness to open up warmed a corner of my heart.

***

While the others all 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 people who steadfastly stayed behind to keep watch.

“It’s been a while, Executive Manager. Have you been well?”

“Of course. I’m glad to see that you’ve been in good health too, Principal.”

This was especially true for the man who governed and lived in the Academy. Wasn’t it an intimidating combination when the workplace was also their home?

I felt a bit sorry for the Principal, but it seemed like he didn’t particularly care. I guess it was okay as long as he was fine with it.

“I’m glad there haven’t been any major issues. It would be unfortunate if anything happened to the students.”

“I agree.”

I nodded in agreement with the Principal, who spoke while stroking his long beard. Although he was less involved compared to Sir Villar or me, he was also one of the people who had been nervous about the pastry club’s trip to the capital.

Having foreign royalties and a saint candidate within the Academy alone was already a handful, but to add a trip to the capital on top of that? It was pure madness.

If something happened to the students, the Principal would still be held responsible even if it happened outside the Academy. That was the role of a high-ranking official, no matter how unfair it seemed.

“That’s right. You’ve worked hard, Executive Manager.”

Of course, he wouldn’t shoulder the responsibility as fiercely as I did. The Principal knew that and offered words of comfort.

“Oh, Prosecutors’ Office’s Executive Manager.”

After exchanging a few more words of greetings and catching up, the Principal suddenly spoke as if he remembered something.

“I heard that a peculiar individual was included in the three countries’ escort forces.”

“Is that so? That sounds interesting.”

‘Damn it.’

Contrary to my outward appearance, I instinctively cursed inside. Thanks to Sir Villar, I hadn’t crossed paths with the three countries’ escort forces until now. However, I heard that everyone except Sir Villar had been replaced during the vacation.

It would be exhausting for both me and Sir Villar if there was someone who would challenge his authority among the new escorts. So, I just hoped that it would pass quietly.

‘But if the Principal mentions it…’

How remarkable must this person be for the Principal to mention them personally? If the Principal was paying attention to them, that meant that they must either be a high-ranking or exceptional individual, perhaps even a formidable figure who questioned Sir Villar’s authority.

That would be troublesome. Sir Villar was an acceptable negotiating partner for me, and I hoped that he would stay that way until graduation.

“These are the escort replacement unit’s details. I received them two days ago.”

The Principal handed me a few papers from the stack on his desk. It was hard to believe that I was spending my time in a carriage only two days ago.

I quickly scanned the documents I received. Sir Villar was among the top five knights in Armein’s Royal Knights. If anyone could threaten him, I’d know their name at least.

‘This is troublesome.’

The simplest explanation I could think of was that it was a royal knight of higher rank than Sir Villar, but that was unlikely; if they were sending someone like that, they would have sent Sir Villar home in the first place.

Then, was it a high-level mage from the United Kingdom of Yuben, or perhaps a cardinal from the Holy Kingdom?

Regardless of who it was, it was going to be a nuisance. If their position was too high, then it would be difficult for me to handle them during negotiations—

‘What was that just now?’

My gaze, which had been scrolling down, suddenly shot back up. I felt like I had just seen something strange.

It was a name I had never seen before. As far as I knew, they weren’t a high-ranking figure.

However, their last name was familiar.

Perosa Ganelli

‘What the…’

What the heck was going on here? Why was the surname Ganelli appearing here of all places?

I repeatedly double-checked, completely unexpected by the sudden appearance. Maybe it was something like Gadelina or Ganali, and I misread it.

‘No, it’s not.’

Of course, the result was the same. It was indeed Ganelli.

In shock, I stared blankly at the documents. Perosa Ganelli, 17 years old, and a citizen of Armein.

It clearly stated under the name that she was Villar Ganelli’s daughter. It wasn’t even a coincidence that they shared the same last name. It was Villar’s daughter, alright.

‘Why?’

Why was Sir Villar’s daughter here?

It wasn’t common for any country on the continent to assign family members to other countries for the same mission. Moreover, the situation wasn’t so urgent that it would require breaking such conventions.

“It’s unusual, isn’t it? I was quite surprised myself at first.”

“Oh, yes. It’s really unusual.”

The Principal spoke as I struggled to come up with a response. Yes, anyone would react like me.

What kind of mission was so important that the daughter would follow her father to another country? It was touching to see her filial piety, but there was no need to express it this way.

‘Somehow, his expression has been dark.’

During our return to the academy, Sir Villar’s expression was strangely dark.

I wanted to ask him what was going on, but I didn’t have a close personal relationship with him apart from work.

We did build some internal camaraderie from working together, but it might not be enough. So, I just let it slide, not wanting to intrude on his private life.

“…It’s an amazing thing.”

I couldn’t say anything else. After all, it was indeed astonishing.

Maybe it was because Sir Villar couldn’t return to his homeland and his family missed him. After all, it was only natural to miss your family and be missed when you lived in a foreign land. That was a given.

But sending the family to a foreign country as a solution was a bit extreme. This was no longer about wanting to see your family in your homeland; rather, it was about wanting to have your family go through hardships with you.

‘Armenians aren’t normal either.’

So Armein was also a troubled country. The future of the continent was bleak. To think that the two most powerful countries on the continent were troubled countries…

Was this the continental average? Was I missing something? Were all countries at this level?

In that case, wasn’t the Empire a better option? If they were all troubled countries, then wouldn’t it be better to be in a more powerful one?

‘It’s terrible.’

A continent where the Empire was considered a fairytale land. What kind of world did Enen create?

***

The next day, the arrival of the replacement unit for the three countries’ escort caused a bit of a stir in the quiet Academy.

Welcoming them was a matter that didn’t concern me personally, but…

“If you have the time, please come to the club room. How about having tea together?”

— Alright. Thank you for the invitation.

As I thought of Sir Villar, who would meet his daughter today, and what I had heard from the Principal yesterday, I couldn’t stay still.

Even if I didn’t know someone, I couldn’t help but want to help if I passed by and saw them drowning. Not to mention Sir Villar, whom I had known for months.

There might not be much I could do to help, but offering some comfort was the least I could do.

— Um, Executive Manager. I apologize, but would it be okay if one more person joins us?

And soon after I received a call from Villar, it became clear to me.

Sir Villar was weak-hearted when it came to his daughter…

“Of course. The more people there are, the more enjoyable the tea party is.”

Hang in there, Sir Villar.

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