Chapter 32

I kept glancing at the driver all the way back.

At first, I was too shy to really look at him, but the more that I did, the more I realized he was a great person. I clearly remembered the emperor saying that he could definitely use a sword imbued with magic. From what I learned in class, that wouldn’t have been easy. It goes beyond just using a magic sword, it means understanding the magic in it.

How did such an impressive person end up escorting someone like me? It felt excessive.

“Um… Sir…”

“What is it?” he responded in his usual reserved, professional tone.

“Thank you for your service. I think you would be better off escorting people more important than me.”

The knight looked at me, surprised. Then he seemed to think for a moment. “If you become a secretary, you’ll hold one of the most important positions in the imperial court.”

“That’s it, though. I really don’t know if I can graduate…”

“You’ll do well.”

“Haha…”

“You didn’t think I was the type to flatter other people insincerely, did you?” he continued calmly when he saw my half-hearted smile. “I’ve never seen anyone respond so cleverly to an attack as powerful as the one you suffered the other day.”

“But… I take magic classes.”

“It’s not just that. I think you have quick judgment and courage, regardless of your magical knowledge. You’re not a swordsman, nor a person who has fought on the battlefield, but you handled it impressively. Besides, it all happened so fast. Had I arrived a little later, I wouldn’t even have seen the attack. That means it only took you a minute or so to break the spell.”

I turned red and stared at my hands. Why was he complimenting me with such a calm face? I grew up in the back alley and wasn’t used to this.

He paused for a moment, then spoke again. “I learned through Celestia that the academy was not just useless. I am honored to serve such a talented person.”

Now I felt like my face was about to explode.

“Thank you for looking after me.”

He nodded. “I am not from the Empire.”

“Ah… Yes.”

It was obvious he was a foreigner from his pale complexion and yellow eyes.

“That’s why many people are reluctant to stand up for me, but you don’t seem to care about that.”

“Yeah… ”

Of course, I didn’t. I’m from another country too. I never even thought of mentioning it.

“From now on, please call me Vinius.”

“Okay, Vinius.”

Somehow, the unexpected conversation made me feel a little closer to him, who had always felt distant.

As soon as I got back to the palace, I put aside my schoolwork and started working on baking cookies. I had been so embarrassed yesterday that I couldn’t be productive. However, after talking to the emperor, we had been able to plan.

Anyway, I don’t know who picked up the cookies, but I had to assume the worst. Let’s say the empress somehow did it and found out they were mine. I would need an excuse to cover my tracks.

With no power and no influence, all I had were my wits. What I had come up with after a lot of thinking was another one of the pickpocket guild maxims.

‘The best place to hide stolen gold is to put it in a pile of gold.’

I quickly divided the cookies. My plan was to give them to everyone in the same packaging as the ones I had misplaced. I put them in small paper bags tied with ribbons.

Thanks to my quick hands, the work was finished quickly. However, the smell of fragrant vanilla kept enticing me, and I kept eating, and my stomach was full by the time I was done.

As I looked at the pile of bags, I was reminded of a folktale called Alibaba and the Forty Thieves.

I put the packages in the laundry bag and threw laundry over the top as a disguise. Then, carrying it on my back, I went to the kitchen and dropped them off in a pile. I spread a bunch of them along with a note saying, ‘This is a gift from His Majesty the Emperor to cheer up ♡’, and then I brought the leftover packages to the lounge used by the maids and the attendants. I also put the same note there.

This way, even if the maids testified, ‘Celestia brought us these cookies,’ they wouldn’t be able to say all of it was from me because everyone was eating it.

I was about to go back to my room after doing the job perfectly when I met Luana near the overpass.

“Oh, Celestia! What have you been up to here?”

“I just took a walk.”

Luana’s eyes twinkled and she handed me an unmistakable bag of cookies. “Look at this! Can you see this?”

“Uh.”

“It’s from His Majesty the Emperor! It must be true after all that good-looking people are also good-natured.”

“What are you talking about, Luana?”

“I recognized you from afar because your hair was shining so brightly. They gave cookies to the people we do chores with. I wasn’t planning to get any, but they just smelled so good…

Her eyes shining with excitement were just too cute that I couldn’t stop laughing. Luana glanced at me and took three cookies from her package and put them into my hand.

Knowing that there were only six cookies in each package, it seemed too much to take half. Besides… my stomach was already full of those cookies…

“You weren’t able to get any cookies because you’re too busy working at the academy these days, were you? I’ll give you this. Don’t give it to anyone else, okay?”

“No, you don’t have to―”

“You always give me good things when you get them. I’d love to share these with you.”

‘Oh, what’s this?’

It wasn’t a big deal, but I teared up a little. I didn’t want to show it, so I blinked away the tears and accepted the cookies.

“Thank you for the food, Luana.”

“You’re welcome. I have to go over there to finish my work.”

“See you again.”

I came back to my room once I saw Luana walk away.

At first, I was filled with regret for being forced to leave my hometown, but now I didn’t feel as lonely. I felt an attachment to this place grow as I became friends with more and more people. My heart was very warm.

***

8. Intruder

As I got off the carriage and went back to my room, I felt strangely tired. While climbing the stairs, the sensation grew stronger and made it harder to even walk.

I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary all day but I was so tired. Like someone who hadn’t slept properly for days.

However, I fell down the stairs and couldn’t move. I forced myself to lift my feet and somehow managed to climb up to my room. I barely reached the soft bed, and I laid there without even thinking of changing my clothes. My mind quickly grew dim. I didn’t even have time to even think about a blanket.

***

“Are you awake?

I tried to force myself to open my eyes at the unfamiliar sound, but it didn’t work. Why did I feel so heavy? It didn’t feel like my body. Even moving my eyelids felt like too much.

“Did I use too much?”

Oh, I didn’t mishear.

Even though I was lying down with my eyes closed and head spinning, that was undeniably a man’s voice. I’d never heard that voice before

There was a strange man standing in my room, which was not normal unless this was a dream. I tried to understand what was happening. I was sure that there was something wrong because it couldn’t be normal to feel this heavy.

I couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but after much struggling, I managed to open my eyes.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to turn my head to see the figure. Who was it?

His appearance was familiar. The hooded man had dark blue eyes and red hair, a common sight in Goldina. His face was also slightly darker than that of the people of the Empire, so that was likely the case. But it was not someone I knew.

Those cold eyes stared at me to make sure I had opened them. Did he see the questions in my eyes? He suddenly opened his mouth.

“It was hard to find you in a place like this.”

You ‘found’ me? What the hell? In my room? How the hell? And why the hell?

They likely didn’t have any good intentions, otherwise, my body wouldn’t be feeling so wrong.

“This is…” With a lot of effort, I was able to speak, albeit weakly. He frowned in what seemed to be confusion, and I made another noise.

“How am I supposed to…” That was all I managed to eke out before my voice gave out again.

“I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

Me?

“Are you the one who committed the unspeakable act?”

He made an incomprehensible sound and then continued to speak in a language I didn’t understand. My eyelids got heavier and heavier, and I even wondered if this was a dream.

“You must have been lonely in an unfamiliar land all this time. Come with me. I’ll take you back to where you were supposed to be.”

Me? Did I feel lonely? While I was trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about, a small blue flame rose from his fingertips and became an electric ball.

Oh my. I’ve seen that before. Although all electric balls looked the same, the color and size of the spheres tended to be slightly different depending on the characteristics of the caster. I had a knack for observing such subtle magical streams. Perhaps this was the person who attacked me yesterday.

It seemed like he noticed my searching gaze and he spoke, the voice strangely all-encompassing. “I am the messenger of the underworld. Hear my message.”

Messenger? My head hurt. Who were the people looking for me? What insanity was this, to show up and take my bodily autonomy away like this?

Was this all a dream?

I tried to rouse myself, but even after moving, nothing seemed to happen.

Without warning, he carried me―

Bang!

I heard an explosion loud enough to wake me up if it really was a dream. I flinched and closed my eyes, but when I opened them again the man in the black hood was nowhere to be found. Only the emperor stood there, a flame flickering in his hands. He extinguished it and gathered me into his arms.

What had happened in that short period of time?