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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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He raised himself up with a disheveled face.
The fact that he couldn’t remember when he had fallen asleep suggested that he had simply dozed off at some point yesterday while sitting blankly.
Naturally, when he looked around, no one was there.
He habitually tried to locate Arwen as usual, but remembering what he had said yesterday, he sat blankly for a moment before tidying his unkempt hair.
“…It wasn’t a dream.”
He spoke aloud, but his voice was somewhat hoarse, and as if vehemently asserting that yesterday’s events weren’t a dream, they vividly came to mind even when he closed his eyes for a moment.
He got up, drew back the curtains, and turned on the lights.
Looking at the clock, it was still early dawn.
Although he had slept deeply enough not to even dream, the still jumbled, unorganized thoughts tumbled about in his mind like a carelessly kicked ball.
It was a morning filled with many thoughts.
Feeling that if he just sat there blankly, unnecessary thoughts would keep coming up, he made an effort to tidy up the room, wash up, and prepare to go out.
Well, in reality, the only place he had to go was the laboratory.
If he didn’t continue the research he had been doing, there wasn’t much else for him to do.
As he headed to the lab, contemplating whether to cut his hair which had grown long enough to completely cover his neck and was starting to bother him, he frowned automatically.
Of course, neither his mentor nor Sylphia were in the lab, but the sight that greeted him made him grimace.
“They really ransacked the place.”
His desk, his mentor’s study, Sylphia’s space.
Without distinction, the lab had been turned into a complete mess, presumably ransacked during the investigation.
Though slightly annoyed at the utter chaos of the lab, he rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning.
After all, those who made the mess were never the ones who cleaned it up.
This was why Muggles… No wonder the Death Eaters went around cursing Muggles.
While cursing the higher-ups who had recklessly made a mess under the pretext of investigation without knowing what was what, he re-shelved the books strewn about and gathered the scattered papers and materials, stacking them neatly.
The morning passed just by organizing the now ownerless laboratory.
It felt like it took about three hours, and when he checked the clock on the wall, the time was roughly accurate.
Thanks to this, he was able to forget about miscellaneous thoughts while focusing on cleaning, and his earlier worry about how to react if Sylphia suddenly came in proved unnecessary as not a soul showed up.
After roughly wiping away his sweat with a handkerchief, he sat down in the organized lab, thinking about whether to continue the research he had been doing, even though he might not make much progress, when—
“…So you were here. I went to your room but you weren’t there, so I came to the lab.”
“Serin?”
A now familiar face entered the lab, breathing heavily.
It was Serin, who had been assigned as his guard during the knight order’s regular training last time, and who had been Elena’s guardian knight when Elena first came to inspect the territory.
At this point, there was only one reason he could think of for her to be looking for him, and he hesitated for a moment. Sure enough—
“Her Highness the Princess is looking for you.”
“…I thought as much.”
“And… Her Highness the Crown Princess is with her as well.”
Things were unfolding exactly as Sylphia and Arwen had predicted, without a single deviation.
Perhaps they had predicted it accurately because they had already experienced this future once.
But it wasn’t like he could just say he didn’t want to do it because things were going off track, or that he wouldn’t do it.
That would just be whining like a child.
He let out a small sigh as he put on his outer coat that he had taken off.
“I’ll go. Where are they?”
“…In Her Highness the Princess’s office.”
There wasn’t much to prepare, so he simply put on his outer coat and followed Serin towards Elena’s office.
His steps weren’t particularly light.
Though unintentional, the atmosphere was heavier than expected, so neither he nor Serin spoke.
Only the bare minimum of businesslike conversation had taken place.
Both Elena’s office and the laboratory were located in the detached palace, so they quickly arrived at the office.
As Serin stepped aside in front of the office, he knocked on the door.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
As soon as he heard Elena’s voice, he opened the door and entered.
Inside the office, Elena was sitting with a serious expression.
The Crown Princess sitting next to her was an added presence.
However, to him, it didn’t look like a genuinely serious expression due to the gravity of the situation, but rather an intentionally crafted one.
If it were a truly serious expression, her mouth corners wouldn’t be slightly turning up as if trying to suppress a smile.
As suspicion began to creep in that maybe she was in on this too, judging from Elena’s expression, he bowed his head since the Crown Princess was present.
Elena lightly waved her hand.
“There’s no need to be so formal. What’s between you and me… Come and sit down.”
“Elena, this is now an official setting.”
“Didn’t you agree to this, sister?”
“That’s why I said it’s an official setting. Don’t forget that while I may be your sister in private, officially I am the Crown Princess.”
“And I am the Second Princess, of course.”
Elena smoothly deflected the Crown Princess’s stiff words and gestured for him to sit down.
The conversation that was about to unfold was… well, predictable.
The position of Court Mage had become vacant due to an unfortunate accident, so how would he feel about taking that position instead?
And as he had expected, the Crown Princess, instead of Elena, looked at him and began to speak.
“Rudrick Weiss. We have called you here to inquire about your thoughts before proceeding.”
The Crown Princess, whom he hadn’t had many chances to see up close, had a face and impression that made him think this is what Elena might look like when she grew a bit older.
Unlike Elena, who couldn’t completely erase her playful side despite her stiff voice and businesslike attitude, the Crown Princess exuded a natural dignity.
With the idle thought that she would be a typical stereotype if she wore glasses, he responded with as much courtesy as he could muster.
“…Please inquire.”
While his relationship with Elena was close enough that she would laugh off even if he pointed fingers at her face, the situation with the Crown Princess was a bit different.
One should know one’s place.
“You must be aware of the incident where your former mentor, the Court Mage, passed away due to an unfortunate accident.”
“Yes.”
“We are conducting a primary investigation to determine exactly what kind of accident it was. We plan to invite mages through negotiations with the Magic Tower and practitioners, so once the mages from the Magic Tower arrive and begin a full-scale investigation, we’ll reach a conclusion about what happened. However…”
The Crown Princess trailed off, then added while looking at him with clear eyes.
“The position of Court Mage is not one that can be left vacant for long.”
“…”
He remained silent, just listening to her words for now.
It would be sufficient to decide how to answer after hearing everything.
“The position of Court Mage is filled solely based on ability, regardless of background or gender. The Empire acknowledges its importance by providing treatment equivalent to that of a marquis, along with unlimited activity expenses. Do you know why?”
“…I’m not sure.”
“It’s because the position itself functions as a deterrent. A matter that would require dispatching two or three knight orders can be handled single-handedly if the Court Mage steps in. The prerequisite of being a great mage or having equivalent skills to ascend to that position is due to this reason, in exchange for such treatment.”
The Crown Princess’s explanation, put simply, meant that with great power comes great responsibility.
The responsibility was being treated as the ultimate weapon that could be used in the right place at the right time, and the power was the numerous preferential conditions obtained upon ascending to that position.
What could be more exceptional than being provided with treatment equivalent to a marquis regardless of background or gender?
The simple conclusion was that with such exceptional benefits offered, one must live up to expectations.
“And since the milk has already been spilled, so to speak, it would be most fitting for the disciple to succeed the master. That’s why we’ve called you here.”
Elena chimed in from the side.
Judging by her words, it was slightly ambiguous, but at least Elena seemed to have no connection to this incident.
From Elena’s perspective, it appeared she had simply chosen to support my appointment as the next Court Mage given how things had turned out.
“…So, Rudrick Weiss, we have decided to prioritize appointing you as the next Court Mage. As you know, due to Her Majesty’s grave condition, all matters large and small have been entrusted to me. This means I hold the decision-making power. The only thing remaining is your decision.”
The Crown Princess, after shooting a quick glance at Elena, turned her gaze back to me and concluded.
The choice was given to me.
If I said I wouldn’t do it, my name would be removed from the priority list, and they would turn their eyes to other formidable candidates befitting the Empire’s Court Mage position.
“…I’ll do it.”
So I nodded slowly.
While it seemed like I had a choice, paradoxically, the choice wasn’t really mine.
I knew well that if I stubbornly refused here, it would be nothing more than venting my anger, simply setting up an opposition to protect my pride.
After all, even though I hadn’t wanted this, I found myself in this situation before I knew it.
Thinking about it this way, I couldn’t help feeling slightly annoyed that I wasn’t some great sage, but just an ordinary civilian.
However, I wasn’t stupid enough to outwardly show my displeasure, so I struggled to maintain as expressionless a face as possible while giving my answer.
“As expected.”
And as if she had known I would answer like this, the Crown Princess nodded and added,
“Then, let us begin the process of verifying those skills.”
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[Hmmm i wonder if the crown princess will join the harem?]
