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The day after I gulped down the tofu cake, heavy with turmoil and anxiety, I headed to the principal’s office. I was flanked by the two managers, whose presence stirred a tumult of emotions within me.

“Esteemed guests have arrived, I see.”

Upon confirming that the support staff was a white-haired woman and a blond man, the Principal began to speak softly. Though it was unlikely that the Principal had seen them before, he must have at least heard of their distinctive features.

At this point, I felt like a mountain spirit wielding a golden and a silver axe. But in reality, the Principal seemed more fitting for the spirit image than me.

I slightly nudged the two beside me, prompting them to bow and greet the Principal immediately.

“I’m Elizabeth Massello, the 1st Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office.”

“And I’m Lafayette Varon, 2nd Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office.”

Their usual unruly demeanor was replaced by a facade of politeness.

‘If only they were like this with me.’

Though their behavior was expected, it somehow irritated me. The Principal and I had the same level of position as a civil servant, and yet some treated me like a punching bag while others were treated with courtesy…

Of course, if they acted towards the Principal as they did towards me, I would have punched them.

“Welcome. Although you are here on official business and can’t be at ease, please feel free to ask for anything you need.”

I looked on, masking my annoyance as the Principal offered a handshake to the managers. Apparently, even jerks knew how to act.

“Please have a seat. It’s not polite to keep guests standing.”

Then, he began to make tea himself since the secretary had been sent out momentarily, leaving the most senior among us to do the work.

The 1st Manager rushed and offered to take over, but she returned after the Principal’s comment.

“What did he say that made you come back?”

“He said that moving around like that kept the body from stiffening up due to old age…”

At that, we quietly turned away. It was hard to argue with an elder who was using their own body as an excuse, especially when the listener was younger.

As we sat awkwardly, the 1st Manager broke the silence.

“I’ve never been to the Principal’s office even when I was a student, but here I am.”

My jaw almost dropped as I watched her fidget at the unfamiliar situation.

‘You seem like you’d be a frequent visitor to the disciplinary office.’

But I held that in, knowing that voicing that thought would likely result in a shrill protest about how dignified and proper she was as a student.

Still, there were probably tales of a white-haired female student who was notorious for her eccentricities if I looked into the academy’s seven mysteries. Although I felt curious, it was too frightening to look it up.

“You look like you’d be a frequent visitor to the disciplinary office.”

‘Oh.’

As if reading my mind, the 2nd Manager retorted sharply. It seems as if he never stops provoking people. I bet he also provoked her during their carriage ride and got hit.

“This tea has a rather fine aroma.”

The 1st Manager’s attempt to retaliate with a trembling fist was thwarted by the Principal’s appearance.

That bastard definitely planned this.

***

From today, Lafayette Varon, the 2nd Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office, is dead.

The Principal, truly befitting the man who governed the academy, secured a perfect identity in no time. It was so plausible that I even considered a fake identity for the 1st Manager.

However, the 1st Manager’s face was too well-known within the academy, making it odder for her to carry around a fake identity. We couldn’t exactly pass her off as Elizabeth’s twin sister,’ either.

Therefore, we gratefully accepted only the identity of the 2nd Manager—

“Hey, Charles, try to make the tea properly.”

“Mr. Charles, how do you expect to win the teachers’ hearts if you can’t even do this?”

And thus, Charles Steiner, assistant to the history teacher Gerhardt, was born.

“Guests. You’re hindering our research, so please leave us be.”

His words were polite, but the message wasn’t. Charles, formerly the 2nd Manager, began to brew the tea again, managing a forced smile.

‘Why does it suit him so well?’

Watching him, I couldn’t help but smile. The neatly groomed, glasses-wearing blond young man looked every bit the perfect scholarly aspirant.

But that only made it all the more hilarious since we knew the real him.

I turned my gaze from the 1st Manager, who was now nitpicking not just the results but the tea-brewing process itself, to Gerhardt.

“Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Gerhardt.”

Gerhardt had agreed to the Principal’s request to take on a temporary assistant teacher without knowing the full story, such as the Red Wave or the involvement of the Prosecutors’ Office.

“Think nothing of it. It’s a small favor compared to what I owe to the Prosecutor.”

“Haha, I’m glad I managed to incur a debt in advance.”

Gerhardt, with a smile so genuine it could warm anyone’s heart, had no idea that the snowball of his northern research would roll this far.

Had I asked another teacher to take in my acquaintance as an assistant, they would have felt both suspicious and burdened. An acquaintance of the Prosecutor? Why now? And so forth.

But Gerhardt had seen me looking out for Christina, whom I had no connection to and who, at least at that point, I didn’t realize was the Minister’s niece.

So, he probably just thought I was helping someone else again. Good people tended to be viewed positively no matter what they did.

“Christina will be happy to have a junior after such a long time.”

At that, I looked at Christina and chuckled.

“Mr. Charles, give it to me. I’ll do it.”

Christina, who usually had a solemn complexion, seemed noticeably brighter as she took Charles away from the haranguing of the 1st Manager.

One would think she’d be happy to offload her menial tasks onto a new junior, and yet she volunteered herself. It reflected her intent to protect her valuable junior.

‘She truly is the minister’s relative.’

She wasn’t just any relative; she was the Minister’s niece-in-law, which explained her upright nature.

“Thank you, Ms. Christina.”

“Hehe, feel free to call me senior for now.”

“Understood, Senior Christina.”

Her already bright complexion seemed to glow even more. Could she be any happier?

“Ms. Christina was an assistant without juniors or seniors. The few juniors that did come didn’t stay long.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Perhaps catching my puzzled look, Gerhardt explained, and I let out a sigh. In summary, it’s as if she’s been dealt a bad hand.

Being a master’s student was tough enough without also having a complicated service record. It was too much of a burden for one person to bear.

‘And it’s only temporary.’

Charles was just a temporary junior, expected to stay for a week or two at most. Yet, seeing how cherished he was, it was clear how starved for juniors she had been.

“Seeing her care for him like that reassures me she can be trusted with him.”

“Haha, don’t worry. While the study of history may be difficult, it’s not a field where people are the difficult part.”

That was relieving news. At least Charles wouldn’t end up throwing away his disguise due to interpersonal issues.

‘The problem is him, though.’

I had no doubts about Gerhardt and Christina’s characters, but Charles… doesn’t sit well with me. Anyway, the character of the 2nd Manager was worrying.

But if he was sane, then he’d restrain himself. He did his job well, and I had already mentioned to him that Christina was the Minister’s niece.

This was the conversation we had while the 2nd Manager was transforming into Charles and when we were on our way to Gerhardt’s lab. The 2nd Manager’s usual smirk stiffened at that comment.

Meaning that if he messes up, it could eventually reach the minister’s ears through the grapevine.

The 2nd Manager, or rather Charles, seemed to understand, nodding his head with a bitter expression. After all, teasing an Executive Manager and inciting the Minister’s wrath were entirely different matters.

‘He’ll do fine.’

Even now, it was evident that he tensed up whenever Christina spoke to him. It might look to others like a junior startled by a senior’s call, but…

Yes, he’ll manage. As long as he had a bit of common sense, he’d do just fine.

***

The Executive Manager and the 1st Manager left without hesitation, abandoning me.

Such heartless people. They just go off to enjoy themselves.

‘Talk about bad luck.’

I had planned to get along with the lab members and roam around the academy. Even if it was a temporary identity, building a minimum level of interpersonal relationships was essential for smooth operations.

But what were the odds of being stuck with the minister’s niece among the only two people here?

‘If she had just been his niece.’

I wouldn’t have had to worry if it were just the minister’s niece. The minister disliked seeing his close kin use his influence, so he was rather stern with them.

But a ‘niece-in-law’ was different. Even the most ruthless and cold-hearted people hesitated when it involved the beloved kin of their spouse.

‘This is why marriage is a bad idea.’

Even the most meticulous people developed weaknesses once they married. There was a reason why I preferred to just enjoy dating.

“Mr. Charles, you’ve worked hard. Please sit down and rest.”

The person who had complicated my thoughts cautiously approached and spoke.

Rest? What have I done to deserve rest?

“I haven’t really done anything yet—”

“You’ve worked hard by making tea. It’s normal to just sit quietly and adapt on the first day.”

Christina, the niece-in-law, chuckled, and I could only nod in response. Was there such a culture in this lab?

‘This is going to drive me crazy.’

I instinctively felt it. Going outside the lab would be harder than I thought.

It looks like I’ll have to remain as the lab’s totem until the senior is satisfied.

‘Why didn’t I realize this sooner?’

I resented the Executive Manager. He should have shared crucial information before we arrived at the academy. If he had, then I could have thought of an appropriate way to handle it.

It’s the Executive Manager’s fault if my work gets delayed. I’ve decided to just think of it that way.