.｡.:✧ Chapter 19 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The butterfly effect.

No, to be precise, I vaguely recalled hearing that the butterfly effect was about the uncertainty of the future, not about the consequences brought about by specific actions.

Then, shouldn’t this be called a snowball rather than the butterfly effect?

I was certain that I had a good sense of self-objectivity.

Although others might see me as continuously receiving unwarranted kindness, I was well aware that I was just a shell that could disappear at any moment once the feelings of affection subsided, knowing the reason behind it.

It was similar to the principle of the so-called “rose-colored glasses,” where everything appears handsome and pretty in the early stages.

“No… I didn’t mean for you to actually barge in and start fighting.”

As I eavesdropped on the sounds coming from the other side of the door, I unconsciously muttered to myself.

Once those rose-colored glasses were removed, all that would be left of me was the hollow status of a noble. And not even a high-ranking noble like a duke or marquis who wields some power in the central political scene, but merely the son of a count in name only.

I was well aware of my place, so I had resorted to borrowing someone else’s power in an attempt to resolve things as peacefully as possible.

The result of that action was the current situation.

From inside, I could hear the sound of something breaking with a loud bang, their voices naturally rising, and I was the only one outside the door, unable to remain still, in a maddening collaboration.

The dilemma of whether I should go in and stop them or not didn’t last long.

With my eyes tightly shut, I placed my hand on the door and gently knocked, “Knock, knock.”

As soon as I knocked, the angry voices that had been on the verge of a fight inside the room fell silent, and now the die had been cast. Whether it turned out to be a blessing or a curse, I had to go in.

As if someone had pushed me from behind, I opened the door and peeked my head inside to assess the situation.

“……”

“……”

And the moment my eyes met with both Princess Elena and Grand Duchess Eileen simultaneously…

It was only natural for an awkward laugh to escape my lips.

“Haha…”

Of course, there was no notable reaction.

It wasn’t a reaction of “Why is he here?” as if they were in the middle of a fight, but rather a complete lack of reaction, a non-response.

The women of this world were truly fierce when they fought.

As I recalled the memories of my school days, which were now becoming hazy, I inwardly acknowledged this fact.

Were they telling me to go through them and stop this?

It was impossible, absolutely impossible.

The moment I saw the gazes flying towards my face, I could sense it. Even if they say you can survive entering a tiger’s den as long as you keep your wits about you, there were not one, but two tigers in there.

“It’s nothing. I just heard a loud noise, so… Ah! Please carry on!”

Bang.

And with those words, I hastily closed the door.

It was just a verbal argument, but there was something about it that made the onlooker’s knees buckle. Even though the women of this world were a bit more assertive compared to my previous life… It was also the first time I had witnessed a fight between them.

Anyway, asking me to go in and stop that was too much.

As I leaned against the wall, shaking my head, the door opened again.

“Can you come in for a moment too?”

Blonde hair and red eyes.

The facial expression of Princess Elena, who could be described as a typical Western beauty, was difficult to decipher. It didn’t seem like she was particularly angry with me, but her expression was utterly inscrutable.

“Me too?”

“Since it’s about you, it wouldn’t make sense to discuss it without you present.”

“Well, if you put it that way…”

If she insisted, I had to comply.

With an uneasy heart, I opened the door and entered the room again. Grand Duchess Eileen glanced at me briefly.

It was understandable for Grand Duchess Eileen to maintain a expressionless face, as rumors had it that her facial expressions rarely changed. But Princess Elena’s side was truly unfathomable, making it even more frightening.

It was like the saying that when a usually kind person gets angry, it’s even more terrifying.

“I’d like you to be honest with me.”

“Honest?”

“Let me put it bluntly. Are you dissatisfied with the curriculum of Mage Tonali… I mean, the Imperial Court Mage? For example, does his method not suit you?”

As soon as I sat down, a deep and direct question came flying at me.

Elena Esgelant, Eileen Nord.

The gazes of both the princess and the grand duchess of a nation were now focused on me. They had an attitude of listening attentively to whatever words came out of my mouth.

Well, considering that they had even regressed, they probably wouldn’t do anything to me even if I said, “To be honest, what I’m learning here sucks.”

Still, trying to speak in this situation made my face feel hot, and I fanned myself as I spoke.

“To be honest, there’s not enough time to rest.”

“And what else?”

“That’s all there is to it.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes. I have a conscience too, so I can accept around 9 hours a day, 45 hours a week. But yesterday, it was 11 hours. I couldn’t even get much sleep.”

From the crack of dawn until a very late lunch, I had been solely focused on alchemy research for a full 11 hours.

Even if it wasn’t a night shift or a three-shift system, no company would require you to come to work at 4 a.m.

Upon further reflection, I realized that this was an issue I should definitely raise. Waking up at 4 a.m. and being told to just focus on research with almost no personal time?

Even for a graduate student, that level of workload was so exceptional that it was a wonder no complaints had been filed with the labor department.

Perhaps it was because my mindset was more focused on the memories of my previous life rather than this one. Anyway, that level of labor was uncommon even in this era where human rights consciousness was shattered.

Princess Elena, who had been listening attentively to my words, furrowed her brow.

“…Is that so?”

For a moment, I thought she might be angry and shrunk back a little, but then I realized that I hadn’t done anything wrong to be summoned here.

I maintained a confident attitude, as if I had nothing to yield to.

“I might as well take him to the Nord Duchy myself. It could be better that way.”

“Cousin, please, I beg you, keep your mouth shut when I’m thinking. Your intentions are so obvious that it’s too obvious.”

And just in time, as if to demonstrate that point, Grand Duchess Eileen chimed in from the side, and Princess Elena retorted irritably.

Tap, tap.

As she tapped a pen lightly on the paper placed on the table, lost in thought, Princess Elena began to write something down with an elegant handwriting.

In one fluid motion.

Princess Elena, who had written without hesitation in a manner befitting that phrase, rolled up the paper and handed it to me.

“Take this, Rudrick.”

“…What is this?”

“It’s a letter expressing my opinion that your curriculum needs overall adjustment. Submit it to Mage Tonali when you return.”

I had accepted the rolled-up paper in a daze, but that meant I could put an end to my absurd graduate student slave life that averaged 16 hours a day just by handing this over.

Perhaps noticing the sparkle in my eyes, Princess Elena chuckled.

“You seem very pleased. It was my oversight not to inform you in advance. I apologize to you as well.”

“Ah! No, there’s no need to apologize.”

“I’ve instructed him to reduce the time itself and adjust it in a way that ensures your creativity, so Mage Tonali will make the necessary adjustments.”

Princess Elena nodded her head, and Grand Duchess Eileen, who had been watching from the side, shrugged her shoulders. Then, at an angle not visible to the princess, she winked at me.

As if asking, “How was it?”

Grateful that she had come rushing the very next day to resolve the issue, despite being the grand duchess of a nation, I gave a thumbs up at an angle not visible to the princess.

Nice advice.

Now I was liberated. As I was giddy with excitement at the thought of bringing the princess’s order to that damned mentor of mine, Grand Duchess Eileen, who had been observing my reaction with her arms crossed, spoke up leisurely.

“Once your magic reaches a certain level, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to come to the north once to gain practical experience.”

“Cousin, cut the crap.”

And as soon as those words left her mouth, the princess’s expression turned serious.

“Why would you take Rudrick to that dangerous land where barbarians are constantly rising up and magical beasts are eyeing the walls?”

“Elena, listening to you, one would think the Nord Duchy is not a place fit for human habitation.”

“Isn’t it a difficult place for people to live? If practical experience is needed, it would be much better to accompany the knights when they regularly exterminate magical beasts. Why go all the way to the north?”

Correction.

I wasn’t liberated yet.

It seemed that Grand Duchess Eileen and Princess Elena were about to start round 2 again.

And I, the unfortunate one sandwiched between them like a sandwich, had stopped in my tracks just as I was about to quickly deliver this order.

It appeared that the relationship between the princess and the grand duchess was worse than what was known to the public.

Even if they were cousins, it wasn’t normal for them to fight like this every time they saw each other’s faces.

‘Sigh. I’m caught in the middle again.’

Why were they constantly bickering like this? They weren’t children.

As I stood there, unable to do anything, lost in thought…

Knock, knock.

Even though the Second Princess’s office wasn’t supposed to be a meeting plaza, there was another knock on the door from outside.

This time, the gazes of the three of us, including myself, turned towards the door simultaneously as it opened, and the first thing that entered was a head of blonde hair, identical to the princess’s. The vivid hue made a strong statement, impossible to miss.

And next was a healthy tanned complexion and eyes sparkling with intrigue.

Blonde hair and tanned skin…

‘…Golden Sun?’

“Oh, Your Highness the Princess. And even Your Grace the Grand Duchess? What brings everyone here…?”

As I had that rude thought, the Golden Sun who had entered through the door faltered. To be precise, it was upon seeing me.

…What, were you a regressor too?

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