The aftermath of that incident shook the continent.

Just as the Crown Prince had hoped, it became a grand display of the Empire’s might, a power that upheld the divine mandate. It was a spectacle unlike any other, so it was only natural that everyone at the Academy had been left utterly speechless.

And of course, panic followed once those stunned witnesses spread the word across the continent. Which meant that, from a propaganda standpoint, it was flawless.

They can’t remain calm after hearing about that.

Meteors appearing out of a clear sky, and a sword strike powerful enough to cleave them apart—just hearing it sounds insane. It was the kind of nonsense people would dismiss as a tall tale… except it wasn’t. It wasn’t nonsense at all. There were countless witnesses, countless recordings, and hard evidence from every angle.

Even better, the majority of those who witnessed it firsthand were on our side. Sure, the Academy had opened its gates to outsiders, but they had to be either highly influential or extremely obsessed with combat arts to make the trip to the Imperial Academy.

This meant that the audience was full of sword and magic maniacs, the perfect crowd for what we pulled off.

Thanks to this, while most outsiders at the Academy were dumbfounded, they were also thrilled by the performance. To them, it wasn’t a terrifying show of force that threatened their safety—it was pure, unfiltered martial artistry at its peak.

Of course, not everyone was crazy. I’m sure there were a few who felt genuinely threatened, but it’d be hard to raise objections when they were surrounded by roaring fans. After all, no one wanted to be the killjoy.

And everything turned out fine in the end.

With all the buzz being spread by people who supported us, the performance ended up benefiting not just me and Beatrix, but the Empire as a whole. Even the Crown Prince, who nearly had a heart attack when he first heard the reports, quickly pivoted and launched a full-blown PR campaign once it became clear that the foreign diplomatic channels had gone quiet.

To be honest, it probably wouldn’t have mattered even if they had gone into overdrive. Bluntly put, there was nothing the other nations could do even if they saw this as a terrible provocation by the Empire. Impose sanctions? Declare war?

While it might have been different if this happened right after the Empire’s succession dispute, the Empire that had just swallowed the North was not a country that would falter at the opposition of mere Eastern kingdoms.

“So, can’t you forgive me?”

“No.”

I guess not.

I hung my head at Mar’s firm response. If she couldn’t let it slide, there wasn’t much hope…

I thought we’d get through this smoothly.

It felt bitter. The whole thing had gone perfectly. We showcased our strength far beyond what even the Crown Prince had envisioned. The Empire’s might was glorified across the continent, and even the Crown Prince had chosen to reward us rather than punish us. It seemed like a perfectly concluded event.

Of course, I couldn’t deny that it was an excessive act, so there could have been some disciplinary action. But with the entire continent going wild over this incident, even that possibility disappeared.

Using this incident as a reason to discipline me would be like admitting that the incident at the Academy was not the imperial family’s intention, but a spontaneous act by their subjects.

In other words, imposing discipline would be the imperial family admitting they couldn’t control Beatrix’s and my power. So, both Beatrix and I could get away with it without any consequences.

Officially, that is.

“Just because everything ended well doesn’t mean it was okay. If things had gone even slightly wrong, you or Beatrix unnie could’ve been blamed if things had gone wrong.”

Privately, we couldn’t get away with it.

“Depending on how it’s interpreted, it could be seen as an act of intimidation against foreign dignitaries. An act done with good intentions could have backfired.”

“I’m sorry…”

I could only apologize over and over again because she was right.

As Mar said, things had worked out surprisingly well for now. Both Beatrix and I were enchanted by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and acted recklessly, but it was an action with many potential problems if we thought about it rationally.

It would have inevitably become troublesome if someone had panicked at the sight of meteors above their head and formally protested. While we might have achieved the goal of displaying our power, we would have also shouldered the responsibility for the commotion and gained notoriety for our eccentricity.

“Well, baby seems to be reflecting on his actions, so how about forgiving him now? Both of us have understood it, and this won’t happen again.”

Meanwhile, Beatrix, who had been watching from Mar’s side, cautiously spoke up. Originally, Beatrix should have been kneeling beside me and receiving Mar’s scolding, but—

“I’m sorry. That magic was a spell my father never completed, so I always wanted to use it someday.”

At the unexpected mention of a father-daughter legacy, Mar let out a long sigh and quietly turned her scolding in only one direction—mine. How could anyone criticize a daughter who just wanted to show people the magic she completed that her father couldn’t? They’d be seen as a cold-blooded person without any empathy.

“Reflecting?”

Then, Mar’s gaze turned to Beatrix.

Was it just my imagination? For a moment, Beatrix seemed to shrink back.

“You’re reflecting too, right, unnie?”

“O-Of course. Certainly.”

Watching Beatrix nod hastily, Mar let out a short sigh and nodded.

“…Alright. If anyone’s at fault, it’s also me for not stopping you both. And the imperial family seemed pleased with it, so it’s not really my place to judge.”

“No, Mar. Thanks to you, I was able to realize how reckless I was.”

Mar’s expression softened a bit as I spoke with so much humility that it was almost no different from groveling.

Thank goodness.

For a moment, I thought the whole thing had blown up so badly that she wouldn’t even want to see my face again.

Relieved, I glanced over at Beatrix. Catching my gaze, she also nodded gently with a relieved expression.

We should have dropped just one after all.

Actually, Mar wasn’t angry because we used meteors above people. As I just mentioned, Mar agreed to that action itself.

The problem was that we lied about the number of meteors we would drop. We promised in the president’s office to drop only one, but thinking it wouldn’t be fun with just one, Beatrix and I made a secret agreement right before the closing ceremony to drop a few of them.

It was crazy. Living with a beast’s mind was not something a person should do.

From now on, let’s try to avoid surprises as much as possible.

Time flowed smoothly after the inter-class competition, the main event of the second semester. Originally, the Academy schedule didn’t have much special going on except for the club fair, school trip, and inter-class competition.

Instead, the action moved outside the Academy.

“Congratulations.”

— Heh, thank you.

Fortunately, it was a positive event rather than a negative one.

What a world.

Seeing the 2nd Manager grinning like a kid, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of mental whiplash.

This guy… as a father?

This morning, I hurriedly contacted the 2nd Manager after hearing from Elizabeth that his child had been born. It was surprising enough that the Crown Prince became a father, but now the 2nd Manager, too?

What is going on in this world?

Of course, unlike the 2nd Manager who wasn’t a human offspring, his wife Christina was a perfectly normal person, so they could have a child. But imagining a child growing up with ‘Father: 2nd Manager’ written on their registry was incredibly confusing.

“Did you say it’s a boy?”

— Yes, he’s a beautiful son who looks half like me and half like Christina. I think he’ll break many girls’ hearts when he grows up.

“Too bad he inherited his dad’s worst trait.”

I meant it sincerely. Considering this bastard spent his pre-married life swanning around the capital as a shameless Casanova, I felt genuinely concerned for the kid. Hopefully, he only got the looks and not the personality.

However, the 2nd Manager just laughed it off like it was a joke.

This bastard.

He was always hard to damage with words, but he’d gotten even tougher lately. Must be the whole ‘head of the household’ glow-up or something.

After laughing for a while, the 2nd Manager seemed to remember something and continued.

— Ah, and we’re thinking of holding a banquet once Christina recovers a bit. Would you have time?

I nodded immediately at those words. Like him or not, you show your face when a subordinate has a baby. That’s just basic decency.

“Let me know when you decide on a date. I’ll come right away.”

— Well, what an honor to have the Minister of Inspection and the Minister of Finance grace our gathering.

“You bastard.”

I involuntarily cursed at the 2nd Manager’s natural critical hit. I wasn’t a minister yet—just minister-designate.

Damn bastard.

It was frustrating. To be teased by a subordinate because of an unwanted promotion, who should I share this pain with—?

…

Should I promote that bastard too?

The thought suddenly occurred to me. I, the Executive Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office, was a minister-designate, and I planned to take the Senior Manager as my ministerial secretary. That meant that all positions above the 2nd Manager would be vacant.

It might be too much to make him a director, but I could at least make him a Senior Manager, right?

Yeah, that’s not a bad idea.

I felt a wave of calm wash over me. If I’ve got a subordinate who can smile and sincerely congratulate me on a promotion I didn’t even want, then the least I can do is return the favor with a promotion of their own.

I smiled faintly as I came to that resolution. Then, the 2nd Manager, perhaps sensing something ominous, hurriedly wrapped up the call.

— Then, I’ll see you at the banquet in the capital.

“Sure.”

Look forward to it. I’ll bring news of your promotion as a gift.

The next morning, I knew as soon as I saw the communication crystal vibrating with a purple light. It seemed like I wouldn’t be seeing the 2nd Manager at the banquet, but today.

And, as always, my gut feeling was right. The message flying into my device made it very clear I’d need to head to the capital right away.

Ha.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the word ‘abdication.’ I’d been bracing for the abdication bomb to drop sometime soon, but I was hoping it’d at least wait until next year.

…I’m not the only one surprised.

Looking closely, I noticed the message was filled with typos despite being so short. The person sending it must’ve been in a real panic.

Just imagining the poor Executive Manager of the Imperial Household scrambling to handle everything in place of the now-vacant Minister of the Imperial Household filled me with a sudden sense of solemnity.