Those Who Wear the Crown Must Bear Its Weight

Luna must have taken my words from yesterday to heart.

She showed up in a neat school uniform.

“You said you liked this.”

What was with that fashion show all day yesterday?

“…Let’s go.”

‘Aren’t you supposed to be nervous or excited, usually?’

Inside the carriage.

Luna speaks up.

“By the way, I didn’t know Scarl was the master of the Aiden Guild.”

It was an unavoidable choice to face Shakline in Sanuf.

I spoke first, before Kasha, the vice guild master of Aiden, found it strange that she was following me.

‘Unlike my initial expectations, my relationship with Flare has also improved.’

“You didn’t think just anyone could live in a mansion like that, did you, Luna?”

“…I guess I did, once.”

On the way to Room 404.

As promised, Luna gets dropped off in front of Flare’s dorm, and I head to the faculty building alone.

Whether the academy cleaned during the vacation or not, I sit in the clean office chair and casually put my feet up on the desk as usual.

Knock knock.

The door opens, and standing there is the academy headmaster.

“Scarl Ver… Honorary Professor. Didn’t I tell you to put your feet down?”

I lower them slightly at his words.

“What is it this time?”

“It’s an order from Princess Sophia.”

Sophia?

“?”

“The Princess wishes to receive private tutoring from you.”

I stare at him with a ‘what do you want me to do’ look, and the headmaster sighs deeply.

“You. Do you even know any magic?”

‘I’ve raised plenty of mages.’

But suddenly? Out of the blue? I’m a swordsmanship professor, though?

“I know a little…”

“That’s enough. Then. Princess Sophia was the first to apply for private tutoring for the second semester. Understood?”

“Understood.”

What’s the big deal.

Did she send that guy here?

‘Did Flare make a bet? Those two are usually pretty close.’

“You should stop the habit of putting your feet on the desk like you do outside. The Princess will be popping in from time to time, too.”

Anyway, I got scolded again for putting my feet up.

When lunchtime arrives, Luna enters Room 404.

The top button of her uniform is undone, and her skirt is hiked up, revealing the curve of her thighs. Even though I want to nag her, I shut my mouth at her exhausted face.

‘Figures.’

There’s no way higher education would be easy for her at first.

Since it’s the second semester, they’ll be teaching beyond what was learned in the first semester, so the academy classes must be like indecipherable hieroglyphs to Luna.

‘x, y, alpha, beta… Horrible.’

“I’m back.”

I’ve been thinking about it all morning, and I’ve decided to minimize Hati’s role as much as possible in the second semester.

‘I’ve used him too much. He even followed me to Sanuf… Flare will understand if I say the schedule changed.’

“Luna. Was class manageable?”

Luna awkwardly smiles, lightly touching the tip of her index finger.

“…A little?”

She’ll never say it’s easy.

“What is that outfit―”

Sophia enters right after, so I quickly put on a serious face, clasp my hands together, and rest my elbows on the desk, making a triangle.

“I’m here too! Brother! Huh? Why do you look so serious?”

I lower my voice as much as possible.

“…Sophia.”

That’s because you suddenly came in!

Private tutoring hasn’t even started yet, so why are you here?

Luna says apologetically.

“Ehehe. I met her right in front. Scarl.”

Sophia wasn’t the end of it.

“Don’t close the door. I haven’t gone in yet! Professor! I’m here too!”

‘Flare too?’

It’s nice that they got close during the vacation, but I didn’t want my private space invaded like this from the first day of the second semester…

‘A man needs his personal space!’

I’m frustrated, but I try my best to manage my expression.

But was there ever this many people in Room 404 in the first semester? It’s a huge improvement.

There aren’t enough chairs.

The three of them are just standing in front of the only chair, as if they’d planned it.

‘How burdensome. Someone sit down.’

And Luna and Flare simultaneously thrust their private tutoring applications at me.

“I, I want to learn from Scarl too!”

Luna, who bit her tongue in front of her younger siblings, covers her face with both hands and keeps repeating, “What do I do, what do I do,” and Flare subtly pushes her paper out further, constantly nudging her sister’s shoulder.

“Hehe! Sis! What do you do when you bite your tongue? Professor! Here!”

I was planning on taking on Flare and Luna anyway.

‘From the first day. I feel a little resentful.’

I pick out only Luna’s application.

“Eh―?”

“Full capacity. Flare. Better luck next semester.”

The life of a popular professor.

“Nee―?! What does that mean!”

Oh, geez.

Sophia covers her mouth from the side, her eyes turning into crescents.

“Hehe! I submitted mine first!”

“Wha― When?!”

Luna is flustered and doesn’t know what to do.

“S, Scarl? C, Can’t Flare listen together?”

I make eye contact with Sophia.

It’s a good opportunity to mess with the two Heroes.

‘Brother. I’ll assist you.’

‘Got it.’

I raise my eyebrows and check my nails.

“Luna. It’s unfortunate, but private tutoring can only be done by two people per professor. This semester ends with Sophia and Luna.”

Of course, there’s no such clause.

In the first place, the fact that an honorary professor of swordsmanship accepted Sophia, a student in the magic department…

“I don’t want to―!!”

Flare’s face turns bright red, and her gaze, breathing heavily, starts with me, then goes to Luna, then to Sophia, and stops at the most manageable classmate.

“Hey! You! I told you not to cheat!!”

As soon as Flare raises her hands, Sophia makes a surrender declaration like a knife.

“I, It was a lie.”

With Sophia’s quick betrayal, the arrow returns to me.

“Professor―!!”

“Scarl. You shouldn’t play pranks like this. I was so surprised.”

I got scolded by Luna and Flare.

As an apology, they told me to buy them lunch.

‘In the first semester, when I ate as Scarl, I would eat the set menu at the faculty cafeteria.’

The second semester starts with an outing.

I’m dragged in front of the school.

“Buy us food! Food!”

Sophia seems excited and tackles her with a small sigh.

“Flare. I told you to be quiet. Everyone’s looking here.”

“It’s because of you.”

“Well, I am a bit.”

Seeing them like this, I realize how close Sophia and Flare are.

Luna is standing next to me in her school uniform, looking demure…

Sophia smiles at me.

The many people who were there during lunchtime spread to both sides as if the Red Sea was parting.

Wow. The Princess is eating out for the first time, isn’t she?

Probably? She almost always eats in the first-year cafeteria, doesn’t she?

Are the two next to her friends? They look like first-years, so they must be friends?

But who’s that guy? Is he a bodyguard?

Idiot. Princess Sophia enjoys academy life purely without any security personnel. How down-to-earth she is as royalty.

There he goes again. A member of Princess Sophia’s guardian association. Ugh.

That person. Isn’t he the professor who became a swordsmanship professor last semester? His name was Scarl, right?

Ah. Right. He’s our department professor. I heard he hardly ever comes out of his lab, so it’s hard to see his face?

It seems like it’s because of Sophia, who’s eating lunch outside for the first time, but the problem is that the students’ gazes towards me aren’t kind.

Flare and Luna are the same classmates, so it’s understandable, but why is Professor Scarl suddenly there? Those kinds of looks.

‘From the second semester, a professor suddenly hanging out with three female students, including the Princess…’

Even the horrified gazes of the other professors far away.

Scarl’s tanned skin, the subtly spreading bad reputation befitting his fierce impression, and the suddenly increased number of female students after the vacation. Even with the Princess added.

I can’t even imagine what kind of strange rumors will torment me.

‘I shouldn’t go outside of Room 404 for the time being.’

The headmaster isn’t going to come again, is he?

Still a quiet street.

For the second semester lunch, I was guided to the same familiar room in the high-end restaurant that Hati first took Flare to.

Flare steps forward and skillfully orders.

“Please give us the short course with clam chowder and vegetable pickles.”

It seemed like she was ordering while being conscious of me.

‘It must be because of my order.’

“I’ll have that too.”

When I chose the same menu as Flare, the remaining two also chose the same thing.

“Me too.”

“I’ll have the same thing too, Baron.”

The manager bows more than 90 degrees, unlike usual, as if he’s burdened by Sophia’s status.

“Four short courses with clam chowder and vegetable pickles. Order confirmed. It is an honor to serve the Princess. Then.”

It’s almost impossible for the hero party to gather here in the first semester of the second year, but.

‘It’s possible because I’m here.’

The meal came out quickly as always.

She was demure when the food came out, but it gets noisy as soon as everything is out and the staff leaves.

Flare takes a big spoonful of soup.

“I missed this taste!”

Luna also ate quietly, as if it suited her taste.

“…It’s delicious.”

“Have…some too, Brother.”

Sophia stirred her soup and suddenly gave me an orange from the fruit that came out as a service.

‘Originally, Flare should be awkward like Luna, but…’

Maybe it’s because she’s been to Hati so often, but she didn’t look awkward.

Rather, she’s a kind younger sister who teaches Luna, who keeps looking at me because she has difficulty with the procedure of using cutlery?

‘…Hasn’t Luna been to places like this often with Flare?’

I didn’t give them so little that they would be lacking when they went out to play.

Compared to her awkward gestures, her use of forks and knives is overly skilled.

“This place is nice.”

“Not bad, Flare?”

Luna and Sophia have admiring expressions.

‘Well. It’s the most delicious restaurant in front of the academy, after all.’

I give her a compliment too.

“It’s delicious. Flare. I didn’t know you knew places like this?”

Flare mashes the ice cream that came out for dessert with a spoon.

“…Of course.”