episode_0110

Before the disciplinary committee convened.

Lying on my personal pillow and resting, I swallowed the snack Johanna fed me and spoke.

“I’ll be gone for a moment. You won’t run away like before, will you?”

When I said I was going out for a moment, Johanna seemed reluctant to let me go. She gently pressed down on my forehead as I lay on her lap.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m just going to the restroom for a moment. It won’t even take 5 minutes.”

Fortunately, Johanna didn’t stop me from going to the restroom.

It pained me to lie to Johanna, but there was no other way.

If I had my way, I would have thrown everything aside and just chatted with Johanna.

I pulled myself away from Johanna’s lap with the same reluctance I felt getting out of bed in the morning.

Less than a second after standing up, I felt the urge to lie back down, but I endured it with transcendent patience.

If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have been able to get away.

Of course, no one else would be lying on Johanna’s lap anyway.

‘Let’s finish this as quickly as possible and go back.’

If it takes too long, the disciplinary committee will begin, and then I won’t be able to lie on Johanna’s lap for long.

Of course, I lie on Johanna’s lap every morning too, but that’s that, and this is this.

When I lie down after training in the morning, I’m too exhausted to chat.

Most of the time, all I could do was nod or give short answers to Johanna’s questions.

After confirming that no one was around, I took out the communication device I used every night.

But the person I was contacting this time wasn’t Yerika, whom I talked to every night.

[What is it?]

A voice was heard shortly after the signal went through, and the Emperor’s image appeared on the communication device.

“…………..”

I was surprised to see the communication device.

It wasn’t that I was surprised to see the Emperor now.

In the first place, I had contacted the Emperor, so if someone else had answered instead of the Emperor, that would have been more surprising.

The reason I was surprised was…

‘Why are those people here?’

It was because of the two people behind the Emperor.

The black-haired man, identical to Clara and Joden, I had seen every day before entering the academy.

The platinum-blonde man, identical to Johanna, I had seen when I went to Duke Freya’s estate last time.

Duke Adelien and Duke Freya were staring intently at me through the communication device.

“Uh… are you busy right now, perhaps?”

I was momentarily stunned by that combination.

Just by looking at the combination, one could mistake it for a meeting about an important issue.

[I’m looking for documents to pass on to the Chancellor, but it’s not that busy.]

As the Emperor was speaking while scanning the documents.

Duke Adelien thrust his face into the communication device.

A bushy beard and a fierce face.

He looked like a bandit, but despite appearances, he was one of the Empire’s strongest mages.

[Hey! After all I’ve done for you, how can you contact the Emperor instead of me? You haven’t contacted me even once!]

It was a voice loud enough to make my ears ring.

It seemed even louder to the Emperor and Duke Freya next to him, as both covered their ears with their hands.

Duke Adelien was like a benefactor who helped me regain my sanity and taught me how to fight.

Contacting Duke Adelien, in that sense, could be considered polite, but…

“No, I can only contact you if the communication device is connected!”

I only got a communication device after entering the academy.

[Ah, was that so? Hahahaha! I seem to have forgotten for a moment, being busy with work lately!]

Duke Adelien scratched his head with an awkward laugh.

[Now that I think about it, are you sleeping well these days?]

Anyone else might think he said that to change the subject or simply to ask about my well-being, but it’s different when Duke Adelien says it and I’m the one hearing it.

He was probably asking if I was having nightmares, since there was no medicine for them.

“I’m sleeping soundly every single day. So much so that I don’t even want to get out of bed in the morning.”

[That’s good, then. Come visit my home sometime soon…..]

Duke Adelien’s words couldn’t continue to the end because someone pushed his face, which was pressed close to the communication device, with their hand.

[Move aside, I also have something to say to him.]

Duke Adelien’s face instantly vanished from the communication device, and Duke Freya’s face filled the space.

“It’s been a long time, Duke Freya-nim.”

[Who said ‘Father-nim’!]

“………..”

I hadn’t even uttered the ‘Fa’ from ‘Father-nim’…

As expected, this person isn’t normal either.

[What is our Johanna doing right now?]

Johanna is currently waiting for me, serving as my personal pillow.

If I told him the truth, Duke Freya would surely come directly to the academy and turn me into minced onions.

[How would that guy know? You blockhead, whose head is made of a sword.]

[What did you just say?]

Before I knew it, Duke Adelien and Duke Freya had started fighting.

The Emperor, seemingly accustomed to the situation, was checking documents, ignoring their fight behind him.

[So, why did you contact me? It’s not just to ask about my well-being, is it?]

To get back to resting on Johanna’s lap as quickly as possible, I recounted what happened with Daron and that I had to go to the disciplinary committee soon.

[Do you wish for me to help you at the disciplinary committee?]

“No, I can handle the disciplinary committee myself. The problem is if someone from outside intervenes in the disciplinary committee.”

“Outside, huh…” the Emperor mumbled, then tapped his desk and pondered for a moment before speaking.

[Are you planning to remain in the Empire even after graduating from the academy?]

“Yes. It seems there’s no better place to live than the Empire.”

It was a sudden question, but the answer came immediately.

All the connections I had made so far were in the Empire. I had no intention of living in another kingdom, unless it was just for a short trip.

The Emperor raised the corners of his mouth and then spoke.

[Then Loki, become my disciple.]

“Uh… aren’t I already your disciple?”

[To be precise, from now on, you are officially my disciple.]

I quickly caught on to the meaning of the Emperor’s words.

Indeed, if it were revealed that I was the Emperor’s disciple, it would become impossible to pressure me with power.

The person I was currently most concerned about was Count Ganurabra, the family of Daron’s fiancée and one of the academy’s sponsors.

But if it were revealed that I was the Emperor’s disciple, I wouldn’t need to worry about Count Ganurabra.

“How do you plan to reveal it?”

[I will go myself and say it……]

[No, wait a minute! If it’s about that, shouldn’t I be the one to do it, not the Emperor? I was the one who taught you first anyway.]

“By the way, Clara-ssi is highly likely to attend this disciplinary committee.”

[I’ll make an exception just this once.]

Duke Freya and the Emperor stared at Duke Adelien, who had answered immediately, with dumbfounded expressions.

“Just talk, please, talk. Who said that family problems can usually be solved entirely through conversation?”

From my perspective, it was a problem that could be easily resolved with a conversation, but both Duke Adelien and Joden refused to talk.

[Pfft! Hahahahaha!]

The Emperor and Duke Freya laughed at Duke Adelien, who was being scolded by me.

[Quiet, do you know the heart of a father with a daughter? It’s because it’s not the right time to talk yet.]

“What kind of timing takes over six months to grasp? If you had called Clara-ssi and talked to her back when I treated the Duchess, this wouldn’t have dragged on for so long.”

[I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you.]

Duke Adelien covered his ears and pretended not to hear.

It was disgusting to see Duke Adelien, who looked like a bandit, act like that.

After that, I continued to tell Duke Adelien to talk with Clara, and Duke Adelien continued to pretend he couldn’t hear me.

Duke Freya kept asking various things about Johanna until the Emperor yelled at them to go outside and chat, so the call was finally disconnected.

‘It took longer than I thought.’

I checked the time and hurried.

I had intended to just talk to the Emperor and hang up, but because Duke Adelien and Duke Freya were there, the conversation became prolonged.

‘This is all Duke Adelien’s fault.’

For such a large man, he became timid whenever it concerned Clara.

Arriving at the door of the classroom where Johanna was, I took a breath, carefully opened the door, and went inside.

“…………….”

Johanna’s posture and position were perfectly identical to when I left.

As if time had stopped after I left.

Johanna looked at me, who had returned late, and silently patted her lap.

I received the signal and carefully lay down on Johanna’s lap.

Johanna lowered her head and whispered into my ear.

“…My knees hurt.”

“I’ll move right now!”

My conscience beginning to shatter, I tried to get up in a hurry, but Johanna pressed down on my forehead, preventing me from doing so.

She was clearly pressing gently with her finger, but I couldn’t move my head at all.

Johanna’s hand trailed down my nape.

It was the first time I realized that ticklishness and coolness could be felt simultaneously.

“You were just going to the restroom, why did it take so long?”

“W-well… why did I get… late, I wonder?”

“The student council president came by earlier and said the disciplinary committee would convene in 10 minutes.”

That meant Johanna had less than 10 minutes left to be like this.

“…I wanted to stay like this longer.”

My conscience pricked me!

I quickly racked my brain.

“We can do this again after the disciplinary committee is over!”

“Really…?”

“Yes! Of course. I’ll finish that disciplinary committee in a flash!”

Johanna finally seemed satisfied, removing her hand from my neck and stroking my hair again.

I let out a long sigh of relief inwardly.

Yes, with this, everything was resolved.

“…Will you be lazing around at my house in a year…?”

Ah….