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Although I hadn’t spent much time in the Academy, it was the first time I’d seen such a relaxed expression on the Principal’s face. He seemed like a sage that had put down all of his worries. Would an expert who had devoted years to reaching the pinnacle of his field look like this?

Of course, I could understand him. As a magician of the Empire, especially as someone who served in the military, he must have encountered the Mage Duchess often. I had known her only for a couple of years, but I could easily guess how much struggle the Principal had gone through.

Just as he thought he’d gotten free of the Mage Duchess’s shadow after becoming the Academy’s Principal, seeing her unique magic being used by a student must have felt as if the world around him was collapsing. He must have had a myriad of thoughts. Was Louise a disciple of the Mage Duchess? Won’t she come and go from the Academy using that as an excuse?

It seemed like my words had erased the Principal’s anxiety. The Mage Duchess having entrusted Louise to me meant that the chances of her coming personally to the Academy were slim. And that was also good news for me. Hosting a Duke at the Academy?

‘Just thinking about it is horrifying.’

If I had to take care of a Prince, 2nd Prince of the Empire, a future Saint, and a Duke all at once, I would be declared innocent even if I escaped. If there’s any conscience in the judiciary, that’s how it should be. Would they be able to endure it if a Duke was lodging in the judicial office?

I shook my head at the bitter thoughts that came to my mind and tried to replace them with happier ones.

After ending the call with the Principal, I sent a message to the Vice Principal and Villar, telling them that I had returned. Their responses were touching. I was moved after seeing how worried they were about my well-being.

An elderly woman who might throw magic at me while talking, and someone I was thankful to but afraid that I’d make a mistake while talking to them. I felt satisfied knowing I could have a normal conversation with such people.

‘This is a properly-run workplace.’

The Prosecutor’s Office stressed me out. Half of my subordinates were useless bastards who were an embarrassment. I wonder what they would have done if I hadn’t raised them.

On the other hand, no one in the Academy was in a higher position than me, including the Principal. There were several nobles that I had to keep my eyes on, but that was only until their graduation. This was why I could stay here comfortably. The Vice Principal and Villar were normal work colleagues.

‘I guess there’s a reason why they say you realize it was spring only after it has passed.’

While I was at the Academy, I wanted to finish everything quickly to return to the Prosecutor’s Office. But once there, I realized that staying in the Academy was great. Dear Academy, I’m sorry for having cursed you before. I never knew I had such a warm spring right next to me.

As I was enjoying the spring, I realized that there was someone in the clubroom who shouldn’t be here at this time.

“Oppa, have you come back already?”

Louise, who was making whipped cream while hugging the bowl, greeted me with a bright smile as I hurried back into the clubroom. I wondered if I was late for club time, but that wasn’t the case. If it was club time, there was no way Louise would be here alone.

Worried that something might be wrong, I scanned the clubroom and met eyes with Erich, who was standing before the oven.

Ah, so Erich was here too. He seemed to have noticed that I was here after Louise greeted me.

“Ah, hyung. You’re back already?”

“Yes. But why are you both here so early?”

The unexpected situation surprised me a little. Of course, Erich and Louise being alone was great from my perspective, but taking into consideration my position, this was something I should be concerned about.

“The teacher in charge had something to do, so the class ended early. We had nowhere else to go, so we came early. We didn’t realize you wouldn’t be here, though.”

“You too, Louise?”

“We’re in the same class.”

Ah, that’s right. They were in the same class. I had forgotten that they were in the same class despite their practical skills being different.

When I nodded appropriately at Erich’s words, Louise, who was still holding the bowl, cocked her head and asked.

“But oppa, where have you been since early morning?”

She’s probably wondering why the club Advisor was away. Erich also seemed curious about the reason.

“I had some business to attend to. I’ve been out since early morning.”

“Yes? But I didn’t see you going out.”

“I told you to pay attention in class.”

Just like when I went to clean the dungeon, it seemed like she’d been watching outside the window and didn’t pay attention to her classes. Well, her future was very bright since she was the Mage Duchess’s disciple, but she wasn’t aware of that. Wouldn’t it be better for her to focus on her studies?

Maybe it was because I had pinched the 1st Manager earlier, so my hands were itching to pinch Louise. The 1st Manager was strong enough to endure it, but Louise might cry if I did that to her.

“Did you have to go outside, hyung?”

“Yes, to the capital.”

“Ah.”

Erich took over the conversation since Louise seemed embarrassed by my remark. She immediately accepted my explanation.

Given that Erich was my family member, he knew that it wasn’t uncommon for someone living off the country’s wealth to be summoned to the capital. A Civil Servant has to go in a rush when called, even if you were doing something else.

What was regrettable was that it wasn’t a work-related issue. I was summoned for committing a violation of a Duke’s privacy. That was quite embarrassing to talk about, so let’s keep silent about it.

‘Seeing how he understood immediately after I mentioned the capital, he’s almost a civil servant.’

I suddenly began wondering about Erich’s future. Erich was more than enough to be considered a prospective slave. But did I need to pass on my job to my younger brother? Also, Erich had grown up looking at the patriarch and me, so I wonder if he’ll easily come to this side of the world.

“Hyung?”

Ah, was I staring too much?

If I honestly told Erich, ‘I was contemplating whether to make you a slave,’ the distance that had narrowed between us would widen once more. Even I would cut ties with a brother who was considering selling me into slavery.

Fortunately, I had an excuse, so I motioned for Erich to come closer. No, it wasn’t an excuse. It was something I was curious about. In the meantime, I liked how he obediently came as told. It seemed like we were finally starting to have a brotherly relationship.

“There’s only two of you, so why aren’t you a bit more proactive?”

“I was going to, but there’s three of us now.”

As I whispered, Erich also replied in a low voice.

You were going to? Don’t make me laugh. I’ve seen you more than enough to know that you wouldn’t do anything.

“There’s some cream in Louise’s face. Didn’t you think of cleaning it?”

“Ah, that? I was planning to tell her once she was done whipping.”

“…”

I would’ve cursed him if he wasn’t my younger brother.

“Go and wipe it off for her.”

After saying that, I slightly pushed Erich toward Louise, and he seemed flustered. When Erich turned around in confusion, I jerked my chin at him to tell him to go, and he started walking away.

‘You fool.’

Even if he did everything he could, he would still be at a disadvantage. Yet, he couldn’t even seize an opportunity that was given by the heavens to get closer. It was too frustrating. I felt sorry for Lather, who asked me to stay neutral, but that wasn’t a problem as long as I wasn’t caught.

* * *

Erich, who’d been heading toward Louise, felt a nagging discomfort. Something was off. Something was strange, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

‘Has it always felt like this?’

When he looked back, Carl, who was looking at him, gave him another nod. His mouth was shut, but his eyes seemed to be cursing at Erich, ordering him to move faster. Erich quickly turned his head forward, but the discomfort only grew.

The strange sense of oppression he felt whenever he looked at Carl and the atmosphere that made him shrink wasn’t as strong as before. It hadn’t completely disappeared, but it was bearable.

There was a reason for this change. In yesterday’s match, he wanted to earn the approval of his only brother, and he was certainly able to get a positive response. It felt like he had gotten something more important than the Academy grades. It also felt like he had peeled off a layer of his brother’s shell.

‘He feels different.’

He had gotten a bit closer to the person whose recognition he wanted. He said to himself that he would move forward without trying to feel suppressed. That’s why it was natural for the pressure he felt from him to decrease. Or that’s what Erich thought. But the explanation couldn’t be so simple. There was something else mixed in.

‘The butler?’

The closest thing he could find was the feeling he sometimes got from the butler. There was that sense of sadness you feel when you see someone who looks tired, unkempt, and overworked. That’s what he felt for Carl.

But it wasn’t a feeling you could get from seeing someone who was simply tired because of the sheer amount of work. He knew that Carl had a lot of work. After all, the patriarch of the family also had a lot of work. It wasn’t a sadness one could feel from someone who was suffering because of overwork. There was something else.

It was as if a piece of the puzzle had gone missing. However, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t think of that missing piece.

‘I really don’t know.’

Fortunately, it wasn’t an urgent matter. His fear of Carl hadn’t increased either, so he could take his time to think about it. His view of his only brother seemed to have normalized a bit.

“Louise, there’s cream on your cheek.”

“H-huh?”

As Erich took out a handkerchief to wipe the cream on Louise’s cheek, he saw her ears turning red.

‘So simple actions like this can also have an effect…’

* * *

He kept looking back, so I was worried he would just come back. Thankfully, it seemed like my brother wasn’t that stupid.

‘This isn’t a big deal.’

It really wasn’t, but I couldn’t help but be happy. It was like seeing a child who didn’t know the ABCs suddenly reciting the alphabet. Of course, he wasn’t even at the level of reciting the ABCs yet, which was quite frustrating.

More than that, I’ve been feeling drowsy since a while ago. I meant to rest my eyes when I got to the clubroom, but maybe I should just take a nap now. I should ask someone to wake me up if anyone else comes.