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Chapter 40

No matter how often he took care of the wound, the rate at which he healed couldn’t keep up with all the expeditions he went on. But it wasn’t like the emperor was going for my sake, so I couldn’t complain about it.

I resigned myself to the situation and prepared to go, but the emperor turned halfway to look at me with his chin in his hand.

“Are there any more uncomfortable areas?”

“You look pale.”

Again with this.

Although there was a clear difference in status, was it necessary not to answer this much? Regardless of the question, I can’t have a proper conversation only by answering with what they wanted to hear.

When I pretended not to hear and tried to stand up to leave, the emperor patted the bed, beckoning me to sit.

‘You shared an almost-hug with him in front of other people today, and didn’t you carry him in the hallway?’

It was strange to act like a person who kept manners when there were only the two of us while acting comfortably in front of others.

After fixing my hair, I sat down on the edge of the bed. “What’s wrong?”

“Early graduation, you said you’d make it. How’s it going?”

“I’m trying.”

“I’m afraid I’ll die before you graduate.”

“I’ll try not to let that happen.” I looked at him, wondering if he had more questions, and he did.

“And the party?”

“What?”

“Isn’t it after the test?

“Oh, you mean the year-end party?”

“Yeah, didn’t someone ask you to come with them?”

Apparently, I mentioned that I was asked by Vincenzo. He remembered everything, really.

No matter how much information was filtered before it reached the emperor’s ears, he was the final decision-maker. He worked hard every day to assess the empire’s situation and even handled the undead that popped out of the dungeon. In the midst of all that hard work, he remembered the little things like the academy party schedule. And the story of the party companion.

How smart he was.

I shook my head in wonder and disgust. “I decided not to go.”

“Why?”

“As long as the person who broke into my room is not the same person as Xenon, I think there are a lot of people who are after me and I’m going to be careful from now on. Participating in an event where outsiders can enter is a risk that I don’t have to take.”

The emperor was lost in thought and did not speak for a moment.

“Do you mind if I go now?”

Without saying a word, he tapped his finger on my cheek, asking me to stay for a little longer. And soon, he said something interesting to me. “After you’re officially appointed as secretary, you’re going to have to spend all your time with me except sleeping and waking up.”

I was nervous about why this was making him smile.

Seeing me nodding slowly, the emperor quickly continued, “It’ll be your last memory, so let’s just attend the party.”

“…What? No, I’m really fine. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“No, I don’t think so. I insist.”

It felt like the academy was suddenly becoming far away. Of course, learning new things was fun, and making friends was fun, but… now I felt that my place was by the Emperor’s side. At least, I hoped so.

But the emperor didn’t give me any more time to refuse. “Let’s go. When you said you wanted to go to the academy, all you wanted was to graduate like this in a hurry. I’d be sorry if I don’t give this much to someone who’s going to devote their whole life to me.”

“Your Majesty…”

The emperor was stubborn in strange aspects, but sometimes he was considerate enough to melt people. The same was true when he ordered me to bring my shoes as a slave, and as the head of the academy, he provided me with a dress when I had nothing to wear when attending the banquet.

It was touching, but there was one more reason why I couldn’t go to the year-end party.

“But as long as I know there are people who are after me, I don’t think I should make trouble for you. And what if Vincenzo gets caught up in a dangerous situation when I’m with him…?”

“You won’t have to worry about that student. I’ll figure it out for you.”

“…What?”

“Can’t outsiders join as partners?”

“That’s right.”

“Didn’t you say it was a masquerade ball?”

“That’s true…”

“I’m coming.”

“What?”

“I’m coming.”

“Your Majesty…?”

The emperor was coming? Where? To an academy party?

I knew what that clear stare was. He wasn’t joking. He meant it. And I didn’t want to be the one to challenge his decision.

His red eyes crinkled up in a grin. “There will be no better escort than me, so no worries.”

“But, Your Majesty…….”

The emperor had been watching me and could guess what I wanted to say. He had a way of staring me down coolly whenever I tried to protest against his words.

He smirked. “I can’t sleep comfortably without knowing that the child who crawled into my palace is safe.”

“Your Majesty.”

“My life is on the line every day, and if my secretary is also at risk of death every day, I don’t know who will die first.”

I didn’t know if I should be ecstatic or worried about the escort drivers who had to deal with the emperor’s random schedule.

“I see.” I nodded helplessly.

*** 

It had already been a week since I last left my room. Stuck inside, I clung to writing assignments every day. Now, only the last assignment, Xenon’s, was left.

I should have looked into the report when I was told to “see if I could handle it”. So many things were required, I wrote back and forth in a situation where I felt like I was going to die buried in the data I researched. Organizing the investigations was a task in itself, but the amount of data that needed to be collected and written was enormous and my fingers felt like they were going to break.

I woke up from a flicker of sleep and woke up to my feet on the bed. It was almost impossible to tell how many days it has been since I slept well. It would have been great to have the magic of recovery at times like this.

“I’m dying.”

I even gave up attending the academy for the rest of my time until I finished my graduation assignment. Instructor Xenon, who knew I was being threatened in this regard, had seen the situation. In addition, if it was possible to graduate early anyway, there was no need to fill up the attendance period.

Now there was really no turning back. I couldn’t say that it was too hard for me. The emperor was already thinking of introducing me as a candidate for secretary, and he couldn’t do that for someone who hadn’t fulfilled the minimum requirements of the academy.

While doggedly completing the tasks without knowing whether the sun was rising or setting, I sometimes wondered why instructor Xenon had given me such medicine at that time.

When I looked back on the past, I felt conflicted about the decisions I had made.

I was wrapping up this assignment, so I could spend my time investigating Instructor Xenon.

What the hell was he doing, and why the hell did he do it to me?

Even with my complicated thoughts, the pen kept moving. While writing homework, I fell asleep, woke up again, wrote again, and ate the meals that Luana brought me.

What would have happened if Luana hadn’t stopped by to take a look at my meals from time to time? In addition, these days, I felt like I was getting rid of all my fatigue after eating with friends. It was surely because confiding in trusted people relieved stress.

As I was massaging my hands, I found another pile of homework on my left and before I knew it, I was writing the last sentence of the last chapter.

[…So, 201 spells were labeled as prohibited magic.]

After I put the period, I was so moved that I read the last page again, and then I put the lid on the inkwell. There was a huge mountain of work next to me that I didn’t know how I finished all of it.

All I had to do now was make a hole in the paper and tie it up… I could do that later…

“Done!” I had never felt better than when I collapsed onto the bed with a feeling of refreshment. I felt so proud that I had managed it.

I didn’t know what would happen at graduation. The number of people who were able to graduate early was appropriate for how difficult the requirements were.

I laid down and fiddled with the badge pouch the emperor gave me. It was thanks to that that I was able to pull through.

Knock, knock, knock~

Knock?

I didn’t bother standing because I thought I’d be Luana as always. “Yes, come on in.”

When I saw the door open and the emperor walked in, I woke up in surprise. My room looked terrible right now. It was either a room or a pile of books. Why would he come at a time like this?

I had no energy to even try fixing the room, so the most I managed was to a weak greeting

.

The emperor stood and folded his arms, glancing at the only chair in my room where I used to sit, now covered in books. “I thought you looked busy these days, but you’re lying on your back.”

“I’m just lying down.”

“I’m leaving for the South in about five days from tomorrow,” he informed me, something he started to do at my request.

But did he really have to come in person?

I nodded. “For what…?”

“The merger seems to have been roughly completed, so I’ll be going over to give the dungeon a check.”

I thought it was frequent, but really, the speed at which dungeons opened these days was fast.

The damage to civilians hadn’t occurred yet, but I didn’t know what was going to happen at this rate. If the undead just kept coming back, that would be a big problem.

I should have said goodbye, but I leaned over and pointed to a pile of papers. “I’ve done my homework, Your Majesty.”

“Hm?”

“I’m done with my early graduation assignment.”

He glanced at the untidy stack that made up the mountain of my assignments. “That’s a huge amount. Indeed, the requirements are so strict.”

I knew I had to be humble, but I couldn’t manage.

My eyeballs were about to fall out while I was doing the homework, and my fingers were still numb and sore to the point that I couldn’t pick up my pen properly.

I read so many letters that I even felt like words were floating around in my brain.

“Yeah, there’s a lot. This is not a task that everyone was asked to do.”

The emperor laughed. “You look happy.”

“That’s because I’ve done it all.”