Ch.356356. The Intent Behind Early Graduation (1)

“Are you done crying?”

Renias nodded silently.

She was still sniffling, but there was no longer any sign of anxiety.

Having cried as much as she needed to, pouring out all the emotions she had been suppressing at once, Renias was now in a much lighter state.

In truth, it wasn’t really proof of anything. It was merely a gut feeling, and tangible information remained out of reach.

Enough to naturally raise the question: can a lifespan consumed by Alcaide’s power ever be restored?

But now she could face it head-on. Having opened her eyes that were once closed and unplugged her ears that were once covered, she could now directly ask a credible doctor and examine the evidence of test results.

“Professor Dalia cited mana loss as the sign your parents showed as they gradually passed away. She said their mana was steadily draining due to their awakening as apostles when the divine power enveloped their bodies.”

Her lips blinked a couple of times.

It seemed like she wanted to say, “Ah, so that’s why.”

That was also the reason for the final item in this medical examination. It was to check whether the mana circuits were intact and whether the flow of mana was being replaced by something else that might be causing physical abnormalities.

After that explanation, Renias leaned back as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Since Dalia herself had checked these matters, there was no way the test results could be distorted. With no ominous signs and no reason to doubt the verification results, her tension completely dissolved.

Yet, one of her hands still maintained its grip, clutching tightly at his shoulder collar.

“I… was so scared. I really thought something might happen to you…”

The slender female body burrowed deeper into his embrace. Though her tension had eased, the aftermath of being immersed in such fearful memories, even momentarily, seemed significant, as she was acting more childish than usual.

“…Can’t you hold me tighter?”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be by your side.”

“Still… I want you to hold me more firmly right now.”

“Hmm…”

Wondering if applying more pressure might hurt her, he was deliberating whether to comply when Renias immediately whined for him to do it quickly.

“Right now… I just want to feel more deeply that you’re right beside me.”

Having recalled her fearful memories, the fragments of those memories had shattered into pieces, leaving behind aftereffects.

Yes. For now, indulging her would probably be the right choice.

Though the sensation against his chest was somewhat concerning… still, reassuring her came first.

“Tell me right away if you feel uncomfortable or if it hurts, Renias.”

“…”

“Renias?”

She seemed to flinch momentarily at the sound of her name.

He thought perhaps she was uncomfortable with him holding her so tightly…

“Reni.”

“Huh?”

“Call me Reni. I don’t like it when you always call me that way.”

Renias was puffing up her cheeks for an entirely different reason.

“Usually, shortening someone’s name is a pet name only allowed for special people, and I don’t know why I haven’t asked you to call me that until now. So try calling me that now.”

“It’s still unfamiliar to me…”

“Then you should keep calling me that until it becomes familiar!”

“O-okay. Reni.”

Junon found himself calling her that without even realizing it, as her cheeks continued to puff up. Fortunately, the silver rabbit’s cheeks didn’t seem to inflate any further.

However, having been psychologically cornered, confronted with a heavy truth, and then crying her eyes out, her body was also accumulating fatigue bit by bit. The fact that she had been playing around excitedly before bringing up this topic had also contributed.

“Mmm…”

Her eyelids began to droop gradually. She tried to rub her eyes to shake off the sleepiness, but with the time approaching night and the warm, cozy body heat being transmitted, it wasn’t easy to ward off sleep.

Junon removed Renias’s rubbing hands.

“You can sleep soundly, Reni. I’ll stay by your side.”

At those words, Renias blinked a few times before relaxing her body and leaning against him. She must have been quite exhausted, as she fell asleep immediately after closing her eyes.

Now it was time to return home.

***

“Mmm…?”

Blink, blink.

Still not fully awake, Renias opened her eyes to a familiar ceiling.

A soft, fluffy bed. A smooth, gentle blanket.

Her drowsy body always surrendered to this powerful combination, her eyes closing, so she could vaguely guess that she had slept deeply.

But now her head felt not just the pillow but also a mass of firm muscle. It was an arm pillow.

“Hehe.”

Renias grinned and rubbed her cheeks against his arm. She felt happy about repeating the end and beginning of each day in this bed.

Nothing could be happier than greeting night and morning in the same bed, and starting the day again with his arm extended.

Since they began living together, her mornings had always been like this. Not ending with softness and comfort, but starting another day with someone’s arm and the warmth transmitted from it.

Since that day, she hadn’t had a single nightmare. Once, it was because there was a hand to hold hers just like her parents’ hands, but now, just the fact that he was always by her side meant she no longer needed to rely on dreams.

However, instead of having bad nightmares, she developed a peculiar habit.

Before this morning arrived, there was always the night before. She would briefly close her eyes to recall how the day she fell asleep with him had been.

Waking up with a disheveled face, crawling into his embrace like a spoiled child. She would smile brightly, thinking, “So that’s how yesterday was.”

Thanks to that habit… she naturally realized.

“…Huh?”

Yesterday’s events. As soon as she recalled them, her disheveled hair stood on end, cold sweat trickled down, and her eyes flew wide open.

‘I, I yesterday… whaaat?!’

Tears welled up in her eyes. Her face began to burn as if on fire.

Sobbing and begging him not to die. And not satisfied with just that, crying her heart out in his arms. Insisting that he call her Reni instead of Renias. Stubbornly demanding that he use it until it became familiar.

Then, as sleep overcame her, her eyes just blinked…

-‘You can sleep soundly, Reni. I’ll stay by your side.’

Hearing those words, she had fallen fast asleep.

It was too embarrassing. Looking back, she felt like she had acted no better than a child.

And… just hearing that voice echo made her whole body tingle.

Due to emotions she couldn’t control, not only embarrassment but something else was making her heart pound.

“Eh?”

“Hmm. Somehow you seem a bit feverish today?”

In the meantime, Junon’s hand touched Renias’s forehead. While she could somehow hide her flushed face with her hair, she couldn’t hide the heat itself.

If Renias could feel Junon’s body temperature, then conversely, Junon could feel Renias’s. It seemed that the heat rising from her like steam as she recalled her behavior yesterday had been fully transmitted.

“Maybe you stayed outside too long yesterday? If you’re catching a cold even in summer…”

“Ah, ahaha! Brother, that’s not it…! Wh-whoa?”

“What’s wrong? That was dangerous.”

Renias tried to distance herself from Junon’s hand but seemed to have forgotten how narrow the bed was and almost fell to the floor. Fortunately, Junon quickly sat up and grabbed her waist, but… it had the opposite effect.

The silver rabbit’s face, already unable to withstand her wildly beating heart, turned completely red.

“H-hwaaa…”

“Reni? What’s wrong?”

“Hiccup…!”

*Psssshhh*

With his voice carrying her pet name to her ears, she was like a pressure cooker that had finished cooking.

If there had been a place to hide, Renias might have wanted to hide for a moment. But where could she hide in this small house? Despite Junon grabbing her shoulders and shaking her several times, she continued to hiccup and couldn’t regain her composure, so she had to be carried out.

That day, Dalia laughed for a long time when she saw Junon rushing in, carrying Renias like a princess, with a dazed expression.

***

The principality’s top priority was the restoration of Levrant Academy.

In every aspect, Levrant Academy was a core institution of the principality, and with it collapsed, the country could hardly function. Thanks to the Grand Duke, who had finished his recovery and was running around giving orders to prioritize construction, the academy was able to recover quickly.

As a result, the main institutions of Levrant Academy were the first to return, and although not as much as before, student education was taking place. I too had successfully re-enrolled as a fourth-year student and was attending the remaining academic period.

Of course, I was diligently participating in various sparring sessions and lectures, but I was still wandering because there was no sign of a career path. Well, that’s natural—how could I have thought about a career when I was just focused on surviving?

I was a bit worried because I wasn’t prepared at all for entering society, but fortunately, due to the current situation, the sequence of restoration-education-graduation was taking longer. Especially the graduation process was extended, so I didn’t have to worry about my career right away. The period was leisurely enough that I could start thinking about career concerns from the restoration period.

So I wasn’t particularly concerned. Until I found something I wanted to do.

However.

“I never expected it to be this fast.”

Should I say the restoration speed was too fast? The restoration was so rapid that all 7 buildings and 16 wings of Levrant Academy had returned to their original state. I also heard that Levrant’s streets, walking paths, and even the surrounding nature were being restored to their original state.

It would be impossible to complete the restoration in such a short period even if they maximized the use of the principality’s army and workers.

Yet, for such speed to be achieved…

“Of course it’s because we helped!”

“We know best that cooperation is necessary for survival, so it’s only natural to help at times like this.”

“…”

“Hey, besides, now I understand how humans construct buildings. It’s quite unique.”

“Mmm. Human formulas are indeed precise. It’s clearly different from the methods Seirens pursue. To think there’s a way to enhance stability by engraving formulas even on buildings. This is something we should learn from.”

Seiren. Lakan.

Thanks to their help, the restoration of Levrant Academy could proceed even faster, and the time to choose a career path was brought forward even more.

“Hmm… this feels fishy.”

It’s not that this is bad or anything. Clearly, the recovery of Levrant Academy is positive both for the principality and for a fourth-year student about to graduate.

But I can’t help but smell something suspicious, especially when I’m being recommended for early graduation and then…

“Oh, isn’t this a professor appointment certificate?”

“Hoho. Impressive. A professor at that age.”

Professor appointment certificate?

…Surely, that’s not mine? I thought.

But… the appointment certificate that was in my hand until just now is now in their hands.

“No, when did you take…”

-Chirp.

“…It was you. You took my appointment certificate.”

The culprit, oddly enough, seemed to be this lizard.

“Haha, congratulations! Should we send a wreath for becoming an academy professor at that age?”

“Hmm, a professor. Then he’ll have a private room, so we should make and send a decent table or something!”

“…I don’t need either, so please stop. My head is already killing me because of that.”

At that, the Seiren elder and the Lakan leader returned the appointment certificate, tilting their heads.

“Hmm? You became a professor because you have the ability, so what’s the problem?”

“Early graduation from the academy and a professor with a commander background. What’s there to worry about?”

“I think it’s a perfect fit. Don’t you agree?”

“Of course, of course. It makes perfect sense.”

With the two of them carrying on like this, my head was throbbing.

“That’s only if you think about it simply. It’s my first lecture, and how do I know whether I’ll do well or not?”

That’s right. The reason I received this professor appointment certificate was due to Professor Muniher’s suggestion that I try working as an academy professor after going through an early graduation process, as attention might be drawn if I lost my affiliation after graduation.