Academy’s Second Seat

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"The Rebels, huh..."

Inside the central building, a middle-aged man listened to a report.

That man was McDowell Cliver, the headmaster of Liberion Academy.

As the face and representative of the academy, he had personally come to this place.

"Has the report been sent to the central authorities?"

In front of him stood the professor in charge of the midterm event.

"We've used a magic tool to send it immediately, and His Majesty the Emperor is aware. We informed him that Princess Rie is unharmed."

"It's fortunate that Astina acted quickly."

McDowell brought the coffee on his desk to his lips.

"By the way, Astina just made a few requests."

"Requests?"

"She asked if we could give her Andrei's sword, the ringleader of this incident."

McDowell shrugged nonchalantly.

"We can do that much. After all, it was Astina who caught him."

"Yes... I thought that wouldn't be a problem, but..."

"What else is there?"

McDowell casually took another sip of his coffee.

"She asked not to hand over Yeniel, one of the assassins and a student of the academy."

"An assassin?"

"She wants to use her as a double agent."

"A double agent..."

McDowell fell into brief contemplation.

He wondered if it would be possible.

If news of the captured Rebels had already reached the palace, the Rebels would be aware of it too.

Sending an assassin back to the Rebels so blatantly would surely arouse suspicion.

"Have you sent any other information about the assassins to the royal family?"

"No, nothing. We haven't even finished sorting out the situation yet, so we couldn't do that much."

After some deliberation, McDowell spoke.

"Call Astina and the assassin here. Let's hear their plan and decide."

"Understood. What will you do about the students now?"

The event wasn't entirely over.

There was an afterparty left.

However, it was unclear whether it should be held in this chaotic situation.

"I'll stay with the students."

"…You mean, Headmaster, you'll stay here?"

"Everyone must be tense and scared. Sending them back to the academy like this, they wouldn't be able to go on as normal. It would be better to laugh and chat with those who had the same experience here. I'll handle any unforeseen dangers."

"Understood."

The professor bowed to McDowell and left the room.

Luna spotted me waving my hand and hurried over.

"Rudy! Are you hurt anywhere? Where's Rie?"

She immediately scanned me for injuries and searched for Rie.

"Rie went with Astina for a moment."

"Then, nothing serious happened?"

I nodded with a faint smile at Luna's question.

"Thank goodness..."

Luna let out a sigh of relief.

She must have been very worried.

"Rudy, that's not fair."

"Huh?"

Luna put her hands on her hips and glared at me.

Her stance seemed to say, 'I'm mad at you!'

"You talked to Locke but didn't tell me anything!"

"Uh..."

"And you tried to handle such a dangerous situation alone!"

"..."

"You did wrong, didn't you?"

"Yeah..."

"Lower your head."

"Lower my head?"

Luna gestured with her fingers for me to bow my head.

I did as she asked, lowering my head.

Thump!

A gentle impact was felt on my head.

Luna had flicked my forehead with her small hand.

It wasn't painful, nor did it leave a bad feeling.

"You're getting one flick today. Next time, it'll be two. Be prepared. And..."

Her warm hand gently patted my head.

"You did well... I'm so glad you came back alive..."

I slightly raised my head and saw Luna smiling faintly.

"Rudy Astria."

Hearing someone call my name, I turned around.

Locke was approaching with Rie in tow.

She was still fuming.

"Are you still upset?"

I looked at Rie disdainfully.

"That guy should have been hit a few more times with a rock."

"He's going to be taken to the palace and tortured far worse than that. What's the point of being so angry?"

Attempting to assassinate the princess and openly declaring themselves as rebels meant they would face severe torture.

It was only natural to eliminate the root once the sprout was discovered.

Though they weren't exactly the type to be easily uprooted.

"That's not my job. I want to be the one to beat him."

"Right…"

I also had some annoying feelings towards Andrei, but since he was going to die soon, I thought it didn't matter much.

During our conversation, Luna asked Rie a question.

"Rie, are you hurt anywhere?"

Luna examined Rie's body as if she were her mother.

"No, I'm not hurt, just a bit tired."

Normally, Rie would have brushed her off, but she seemed to like Luna, so she just gave her a faint smile while being inspected.

While we were chatting, a professor's voice could be heard from a distance.

"Attention, students!"

Behind the professor stood several student council members.

"We're truly sorry about this incident. Due to our negligence, this disgraceful event has occurred. We sincerely apologize."

The professor and student council bowed to us in apology.

"The situation has been resolved, and the headmaster has personally come to inspect the premises. There's no need to worry about your safety."

The professor continued.

"Accommodations and a banquet are provided inside the building. Those who are tired may return to their rooms to rest, while those who are hungry can proceed to the dining hall! If any students are injured, please head to the infirmary!"

It seemed the rebel situation had been somewhat resolved.

With the headmaster present, there was no need to worry too much.

If they thought there were still rebels nearby, they wouldn't let the students rest here; they'd send them back to the academy.

After the announcement, students gradually entered the building.

Once I saw people moving, I turned to Rie.

"Rie, do you want to go in and rest?"

Since she said she was tired, it seemed best for her to rest in her room. She had survived in the wild for five days and had been running around tense, so she must have been exhausted.

However, her response was different.

"No!"

Her stomach growled.

Grasping her hungry stomach, Rie's eyes lit up as she declared,

"I'm going to eat."

***

After finishing our meal, we went outside to let our stomachs digest.

The sky had already darkened, leaving only the moonlight and the dim glow from the building.

"Ugh... I'm so full..."

"You should've eaten in moderation. Suddenly eating that much could make you sick."

Rie seemed to be in pain from overeating.

On the other hand, Luna's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"I... I've never eaten food like this before... I can't believe such dishes exist in this world..."

Luna was still reeling from the splendid feast.

She wasn't the only one.

I, too, secretly marveled at the meal.

I thought I was fed up with Western cuisine and needed to eat Korean food.

However, I was wrong.

I was tired of low-quality food, not Western cuisine.

The steak, salad, and stews had all been divine, melting in my mouth.

I experienced a sense of wonder for food I had never felt even in the modern world.

However, I couldn't show my amazement outwardly.

As a noble, I had to act as if I had tasted such food before.

"Oh, right!"

As we walked, Luna suddenly clapped her hands and stopped in her tracks.

"I have something to show you."

"Something to show?"

Upon my question, Luna nodded and quickly dashed to where she had left her bag.

She rumwizardd through the bag and pulled out a scroll.

"A scroll?"

Rie cocked her head at the sight.

Luna grinned and ran back to us, unfurling the scroll.

"Hehe... Ta-da!"

Rie and I scrutinized the scroll.

A square magic circle.

It looked similar to the one Luna had first created but was more intricate and featured a few additions.

"Hmm... Light magic, and... duplication..."

Rie slowly read the magic circle.

"I'll show you what it does! Sit down here!"

Luna told us to sit in front of a tree, then stepped back slightly.

She attempted to tear the scroll when Rie asked, her head tilted.

"...Is it okay to use a scroll like that?"

I somewhat agreed with her statement.

Considering Luna's financial situation, even though the scroll didn't appear too expensive...

I had been giving Luna a considerable amount of money for her research, but it still bothered me.

"It's a reward for our hard work!"

Luna cheerfully replied and tore the scroll.

Immediately, countless lights spread from the scroll.

The number of lights was incomparable to Luna's initial creation.

The lights dispersed around us and began to rise into the sky.

Like releasing lanterns, countless lights soared into the heavens.

"Wow..."

Rie couldn't help but marvel at the sight.

"Wow, what's that!"

"Whoa...!"

Similar sounds of admiration echoed from others who saw Luna's magic.

Luna quickly came to my side and gazed up at the sky, then asked me,

"Pretty, right?"

"...Yeah, it's beautiful."

The black sky, embroidered with colorful lights, was stunning.

The fatigue that had been building up seemed to dissipate as we watched.

We stared at the sky, lost in its beauty for several minutes.

A few minutes later...

Thump-

Rie, who had been gazing at the sky beside me, rested her head on my shoulder.

"What's up?"

I glanced sideways and saw Rie, snuggling closer.

"She must be really tired."

Luna smiled at the sight.

"Should we head in now?"

As I said that, I tried to carry Rie.

"Wait a moment!"

Luna reached out to me.

"...Why?"

"No, no! You can't do that! Not when a girl is sleeping!"

Luna stuttered out her words.

I was confused and glanced back and forth between Luna and Rie.

"What should we do, then?"

When I asked Luna, she hesitated and seemed to be deep in thought.

Finally, she made up her mind.

"I, I'll carry her!"

"...You?"

Rie was shorter than Luna.

She should be enough to carry her...

Well, if she wants to do it, no need to oppose her.

"Alright, go ahead."

"Y-Yes!"

Luna started walking with Rie on her back.

Her struggling figure was pitiful to watch.

Having carried Rie before, I knew she wasn't particularly heavy.

After watching Luna for a while, I opened my mouth.

"...Do you need help?"

"No! I... uh... can do it!"

And so, Luna carried Rie to the room, groaning under her weight every step of the way.

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