episode_0098

I leave Raven and Lisia behind and head to my destination alone.

I pass through the cities smoothly and finally enter the palace where my father will be.

As I was thinking about the next schedule, something uneasy suddenly crossed my mind.

It was the memory of his father telling him the reason why he decided to go to college.

“You don’t know how it will help you later. I’m sure you know what this means, and I’ll leave the university work to you. Hey.”

“Yes, father. Don’t worry.”

-joy.

There was a small snort that only he could hear as he answered that way.

There was only one person who could openly say and do something like that to the princess. It was no one else, but the crown prince who was also my brother.

It was a family that seemed to have united as one thanks to facing an external enemy for a long time.

But there was no way this bond would remain intact even after everything was over.

A child who knew nothing would not know this, but he already knew how corny this family was.

It had been a long time since I had seen my family’s faces while I was in college, so it was a fact that I had put away in the back of my mind at some point.

My father even openly told other heirs to the throne that he wanted to divorce.

Conrad, the crown prince, seemed to be a bit impatient because he could not inherit the emperor’s throne, whether his father knew it or not.

The reason why the imperial family was able to maintain the appearance of a family was not soft emotions such as love.

Instead, it was due to the responsibility that came from their position, the authority of the imperial family, and the fear that they would be mercilessly preyed on by greedy nobles if they were scattered.

This was why I envied Lisia, who maintained a family-like relationship with Raven more than anyone else, despite denying that they were family.

That’s why I felt impatient.

‘I need my own force.’

Just as I was about to offer words of encouragement to Raven.

Ironically, the thoughts I had at that last moment were the same thoughts I had when I first arrived at Alpen.

“No, let me join you for a moment.”

Therefore, the answer was half given out of impulse and the other half out of impatience.

I believed Raven when he said that he was an expert in treatment.

It was because he trusted Lisia, who had been his friend until now.

It was something he would never have done. Even if I told my self from a few years ago this, I wouldn’t believe it.

How can you trust someone so easily with just human trust? From the moment I became aware of it, my chronic mistrust of humanity began to rise, but unlike other times, it quickly subsided.

That’s because I was confident in myself.

The idea was that Raven would act according to his inner standards before pursuing greater power or money.

Beyond being rare, he was a type of person whose very existence was questionable.

If you hadn’t seen it and experienced it yourself, you wouldn’t have known.

Of course, neither the crown prince nor the emperor would know this fact.

This was worth taking advantage of. He was less powerful than the emperor and had less money than the crown prince.

Nevertheless, it was a rare opportunity to gain the upper hand.

So, do good things that do not go against the doctrines of the church.

Giving charity, things like that. Because I was confident in that kind of acting anyway.

In this way, you gradually build up your reputation and morality stack so that later on, when the time comes, you will think it is better to follow them.

Anyway, the good reputation of the people that followed as a by-product was nothing bad, so it was a good thing.

Raven was not a saint, and even if I died or woken up, I could not read her inner thoughts.

No matter which direction he looked at, there was absolutely no fault that could be criticized. Therefore, I was confident that he would fall for this ruse without any hesitation.

“… Huh?”

‘Something is strange.’

But when I thought about it again, hmm.

Is it a ruse or something? If you’re just doing good things without any evil intentions… Isn’t he just a good human being?

The gap that exists between my past self, who was a member of the imperial family and made up schemes that lacked humanity, and my present self became awkward.

The question that arose from that gap became silent and inadvertently leaked out of my mouth.

*****

Lisia turned her head at the exclamation that felt harsh for some reason.

Heine was there, looking as troubled as always. The difference from usual was that it felt like I was looking at a mountain in the distance.

Heine would show his emotions directly on his face and in his actions.

It wasn’t like that when I first saw it, but now the emotions revealed have become so rich that they can function as a readout of the situation.

Because Heine was like that, he could tell as soon as he saw him next to him.

‘Ah, another strange thought.’

It was the fierce expression he made when he fell into a logical error.

Although it is said to have decreased a lot now, it was also a phenomenon that often appeared when meeting other people in college. Did you say that you’re not that used to meeting people without a specific purpose?

Still, the way to deal with it that I knew was simple.

Slowly approach and tap from behind.

“… Ah, Lisia.”

“Are you awake, Your Majesty?”

Still, I felt a little relieved. In the early days of admission, I worked hard to persuade him to stop attempts to touch the dark power of immunity.

You’ve grown as expected, Your Highness. Now you can rest assured that you will not become a student of the law.

Although it wasn’t fun being alone with Raven, it was true that I was a little excited at the thought of having a somewhat rewarding date.

However, for the first time in a while, she was not ugly enough to stop Her Majesty the Princess from doing something good.

Moreover, even if he tried to do something, Heine spent less time with Raven than with himself.

All you have to do is simply watch to see if Raven is looking elsewhere.

Above all, there was one thing that was reassuring.

Even if Heine gets married, he will be connected to other countries’ royal families or influential nobles of the empire so that he can have many political goals.

Looking at it objectively, putting aside all reputation, Raven, who was just a knight, was no match for him based on status alone.

It is called a noble marriage, and unlike a knight who returns his land upon death, at least unless he is a noble with hereditary land –

‘… Wait, not anymore, right?’

Come to think of it, I heard that Raven is the count’s illegitimate son.

The fact that the emperor mentioned it meant that there was a possibility that he could inherit that position in his own way.

He had no ill feelings towards Heine, who remained his friend despite the difference in social status.

She also still seems to act based solely on Raven’s value as a knight.

They say that a knight is treated like a knight, but I didn’t want to argue about that.

Just, just.

‘No matter how much we are friends, there is a line that is not tolerated.’

Lisia muttered words that she could not reach.

And if something like that really happens, Raven is also at fault for deliberately giving herself the opportunity to do that.

then-

“No, no.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing, Your Highness. I just have a slightly strange thought.”

Is it because I let my imagination run wild when I was in college without Raven?

I caught the thoughts that were extending to extreme assumptions and put them back in place. Then I shook my head and shook off those dark thoughts.

Good thoughts, pure thoughts.

*****

There was nothing bad as long as the princess helped.

In the end, if only the two of them are left, there are only two pairs of hands, but if Heine is with him, his attendants will also come along.

So the next morning dawned soon after.

“Early Bird!”

“Weather!”

I woke up early and was waiting, ready to go out first, and soon I heard a shout indicating that I had woken up.

I took Heine and Lisia, who shared the same room with me, and went to visit the magistrate who had appeared as the village representative the day before.

The most necessary thing for treatment is appropriate medication and treatment.

However, there is one fact that many people overlook: reputation and authority must come first.

Even if someone offers medicine for free, who knows whether that person might be a quack.

If you pick up food incorrectly, your internal organs will become distorted and you will run to the bathroom, but you need to be more careful when it comes to medicine, which is one piece of paper different from poison.

“Is what I heard correct? You mean relief work?”

“Yes.”

“Are you saying that Her Majesty the Princess is also doing this?”

“You heard everything correctly. If you are anxious because we are outsiders-”

“No, could that be possible? It’s just because I admire the good will of everyone, including Your Majesty.”

In that sense, we were in a good situation.

The lineup of groups formed on the spot for relief work was unusual.

Although they do not have a degree because they did not graduate, there are as many as two students who are worth more than just the fact that they entered the saint’s class. And one of them is even a princess.

And although it doesn’t really get any extra points, I look like a security guard from the outside.

The village representative, who took all of these into account and made a quick estimate, told me:

“If it’s Lord Raven… I can believe it.”

“… … ?”