Episode 114
“I never expected a visit from you, Lucius.”
Caroline, though smiling, eyed Lucius, who had secretly sought her out, with a sharp gaze.
Lucius smiled. He hadn’t expected to come here himself.
If he could have handled this alone, he wouldn’t have come. But if what he had heard was true, he needed her help.
He spoke, getting straight to the point,
“I have a request, Professor.”
A month after the successful Madicte Harvest Festival,
The Asta brothers, initially furious at Elonia for hiding the truth about the prayer altars, had eventually backed down. They were no match for her stubbornness.
She had defied even Artius and risked her life. She wasn’t going to be intimidated by two overprotective brothers. They seemed to have formed some sort of alliance and reluctantly retreated.
And today,
They brought Elonia their course recommendations for the next semester.
Elonia, about to open Caroline’s letter, looked at their recommendations and couldn’t hide her disbelief.
“‘How to Win an Argument’? What kind of class is that?”
“Don’t you think it’ll be fun?”
Llewellyn seemed frustrated that he had never won an argument against Lucius. Elonia shook her head and looked at Alberich’s recommendation.
“‘Lying Down Meditation for 60 Minutes’? That’s just a nap. And it’s during the afternoon, the sleepiest time of the day.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? It’ll be relaxing.”
Alberich replied shamelessly. Elonia sighed, taking their recommendations.
“I’ll take them since I promised. But are these even real classes?”
“Of course they are. It even has the professors’ names. Professor Theodore and Professor Gunnar.”
That was what made it suspicious. Why would department heads teach such trivial classes?
Elonia, dismissing them with a wave of her hand, finally opened Caroline’s letter. Or rather, she tried to read it.
Caroline’s handwriting was atrocious. She had to squint to decipher the words.
“Her handwriting is terrible.”
It was much worse than her first recruitment letter. She must have used magic to make it look presentable back then.
Anyway, this was what the letter said:
[To Her Highness, Princess Elonia,
I hope this letter finds you well.
Things are progressing smoothly on this end.
Thanks to Garnethia’s hard work, the magic tools are complete. And just so you know, I personally escorted her back to the Bereta estate and spoke with Marchioness Bereta.
The installation of the devices is also complete.
I thought the Theology Department would be the most difficult, but thanks to Professor Julietta’s cooperation, it went smoothly.
Most of the brainwashed professors have also returned to normal.
It seems Professor Julietta and Lucius were quite active during this time.]
Elonia sighed in relief.
‘So far, so good.’
The real challenge would begin in the second semester.
The Theology Department was under Lucius and Julietta’s control. Lucius, as an apostle, was immune to the prayer altars, and with Valerian there, Julietta wouldn’t be brainwashed again.
And the Magic Department was safe with Caroline.
Her main concern was the Academic and Swordsmanship Departments. That was why she wanted to take classes with the Asta brothers, to protect them.
Elonia continued reading.
[We’ve identified a few more brainwashed students among those who remained at the academy during the break. I’ve requested special transfers for them through Headmaster Endymion. We’re planning to isolate them by transferring them to the Theology Department.]
Artius had already told her about this.
She had been worried that Julietta was overdoing it, but she was the one who had suggested isolating the brainwashed individuals. She couldn’t back down now.
Elonia turned the page.
[You’ve experienced so much during your first semester and your first summer break.
I won’t offer you false reassurances.
But I believe you’re on the right path.
I’ll end my report here, wishing you all the best.
May the glory of infinite mana be with you.
Sincerely,
Caroline.]
Elonia stared at the encouraging words, as if she could hear Caroline’s voice through the messy handwriting.
“Caroline…”
She had initially disliked her, but she was actually quite kind and caring.
A smile touched Elonia’s lips, then she noticed something.
There were still a lot of pages left. Was the letter already over?
She found a postscript at the bottom of the last page.
[P.S. Assuming you’ll be taking my classes next semester, I’ve attached a course schedule.
I used my authority as the department head, so you don’t have to thank me.
I look forward to seeing you next semester.]
“Huh…?”
Elonia, her face paling, quickly flipped through the remaining pages. As Caroline had said, they were all course schedules.
And they were all upperclassmen courses.
Caroline had gone easy on her before, thinking she was just a child, but now that she knew Elonia’s true identity, she had thrown all caution to the wind.
“She can’t just be nice, can she?”
Well, she could always drop the classes.
Elonia was about to tear up the schedules when she noticed a different type of paper.
It was a high-quality parchment, and the moment she saw it, she couldn’t help but curse.
“That crazy…”
Caroline had included Elonia’s second-semester schedule, beautifully decorated with flower drawings, her handwriting miraculously legible.
And as if that wasn’t enough, she had even enrolled Elonia in all the classes, using her authority as the department head.
Elonia didn’t even have to bother planning her schedule. All she had to do was wait for the semester to begin.
Elonia, staring at the absurdly decorated schedule, slumped to the floor, defeated.
The first day of the second semester arrived.
Elonia, stuck with another jam-packed schedule, left the Imperial Palace, her face sullen.
“Caroline, I’ll get you back when I become Empress.”
She gritted her teeth, her anger simmering.
She could understand the heavy workload during the first semester. It was her own fault for taking so many classes.
But she deserved a break, didn’t she? How could Caroline bombard her with even more classes after discovering her true identity?
The Asta brothers, who were riding with her, tried to comfort her.
“Well, it’s because you’re so talented, El.”
“Yes, having a good relationship with the professors is important at the academy.”
Their reactions were strangely subdued.
Elonia suddenly remembered the schedule Caroline had given her. It included the classes she had promised to take with them.
She glared at them suspiciously. Llewellyn stammered,
“W-why?”
“You’re the culprits! You told Caroline! You told her I wasn’t going to take her classes next semester!”
“No way!”
“How else would she know about ‘How to Win an Argument’ and ‘Lying Down Meditation’?”
Those were the nicknames Elonia had given to the two classes.
She was certain. They were the culprits.
Alberich, raising his hands in surrender, said,
“Your Highness, please calm down and listen to our explanation.”
“You were the ones who told her!”
Elonia grabbed them both by the collar and shook them. How could they do this to her after seeing how much she had suffered?
Brothers were useless.
Llewellyn, sweating profusely, explained,
“We didn’t want you to suffer! But the academy isn’t entirely safe! Those brainwashed people might snap at any moment! So we thought it would be best for you to spend more time with trustworthy adults, so His Majesty… uh…”
“…Dad?”
“Llewellyn…”
Alberich facepalmed. Elonia pieced together the situation.
Artius was overprotective, and he had also mistakenly assumed she was romantically interested in someone.
‘He’s using the professors as shields!’
That was why the department heads were teaching such trivial classes. They were on Artius’s side.
That sly fox.
She wanted to turn the carriage around and march back to the palace to confront him.
But she couldn’t skip class on the first day.
She was already enrolled, and if she missed more than four classes, she would automatically fail.
Elonia, defeated, slumped in her seat.
“W-well, at least we have two free periods a week thanks to those classes, right?”
“‘How to Win an Argument’ isn’t a free period. ‘Lying Down Meditation’ is.”
Alberich and Llewellyn tried to cheer her up, but Elonia ignored them.
She arrived at the academy and dismissed her knights.
“Rica, Ethan, good work. You’re dismissed.”
“R-right now?”
“Of course, right now.”
Ricardo and Ethan, sweating nervously, stood by the carriage as Elonia held the door shut.
The Asta brothers were still inside.
She was about to send them back to the palace when their savior appeared.
“Elonia!”
Garnethia came running towards them.
Elonia’s face lit up at the sight of her friend.
“Garnethia, how have you been?”
“I’ve been well, thanks to you.”
Garnethia, her cheeks flushed, smiled shyly. Then, she whispered,
“And thanks to Professor Caroline, Mother didn’t scold me too much. Thank you so much, Your Highness.”
Elonia’s anger dissipated slightly at her friend’s innocent smile. Garnethia took her hand and suggested,
“Our first class is the same, right? Let’s go together!”
Garnethia, having grown up under constant scrutiny, was perceptive. She had already assessed the situation and come to the rescue.
She subtly gestured to the four troubled figures behind Elonia, her eyes saying, “Leave them to me.”
If Aaron was the savior of the Imperial Palace, Garnethia was the savior of the academy. Ethan bowed her head gratefully, and Ricardo, opening the carriage door, allowed the Asta brothers to escape.
By the time Elonia turned around, they were gone.
“Hey! Where did they go?!”
“Our apologies, Your Highness!”
Ricardo and Ethan quickly climbed onto the driver’s seat and drove away.
How could they do this to her?
After all she had done for them?
Elonia stared at the retreating carriage, her heart filled with betrayal.
“Don’t be mad, Elonia. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not mad.”
“Liar…”
Elonia glared at Garnethia, who had mumbled her protest.
Elonia walked briskly towards the Magic Department, Garnethia trailing behind her. After a while,
Elonia stopped abruptly, and Garnethia bumped into her.
“Ow. What’s wrong, Elonia?”
“It sounds like there’s a commotion over there.”
Elonia pointed towards the Central Building. A sense of unease washed over her, and she quickened her pace.
“Elonia, wait for me…!”
Despite her short legs, Garnethia was surprisingly fast, but Elonia still reached the Central Building first.
A large crowd had gathered.
Elonia pushed her way through the throng of people and saw a boy, his fist raised in the air, shouting,
“We protest the discrimination against the Theology Department!”
Elonia, recognizing the boy, gasped.
It was Valerian.