Dong——
A long bell rang once from afar. It was the bell from the spire atop the main building of Kaiserion Academy. It meant the long, long academy lunch period was ending and classes would soon begin.
As expected, today’s meeting had run longer than usual. Nigel furrowed his brow slightly and quickened his pace.
Though no professor would reproach him, the Empire’s Crown Prince, for being a little late to class, being tardy still pointlessly damaged his image.
“I’ll put this in your locker later.”
“Mm.”
Eden Lake bowed his head once with discipline, then walked toward the first-floor corridor of the main building. Freshmen classrooms were on the first floor, second-years on the second floor. And the rest on the floors above. It was a trite system, but seeing that there were no freshmen getting lost, it was perfect positioning for young children fresh from separating from their parents.
All the classrooms stood in rows in front of the corridor that was open with pillars, surrounding the central garden of the main building. Come to think of it, Kaiserion resembled a monastery in many ways. Both fundamentally confined someone and made them live a regulated life.
The academy corridor just before class was moderately quiet. Most students were already in their classrooms at least 10 minutes before class, not right before, so it was natural.
The students still remaining in the corridor were mostly those not particularly interested in class, or bastards loitering in front of classrooms even though they had no class.
It was when he stepped on the last block of the spiral staircase leading to the second floor.
Wheeeet—
A high-pitched whistle, noisy laughter, and boisterous voices filled the corridor. Such undignified behavior in the main building.
Nigel turned his gaze to confirm that someone’s face.
“Nigel!”
There was Rowen Ashfield sitting perched on the corridor railing. Rowen, who was sociable and well-connected at the academy, was always naturally at the center of a large group.
Just like now. He could feel the awkward glances of several students who only knew that Rowen was in the same year as Nigel. Among them, Rowen wore his characteristic refreshing smile as always.
‘Where did that brat from back then go?’
Nigel clicked his tongue. The Rowen Ashfield in his memory wasn’t like that. Seven-year-old Rowen, who had first set foot in the Imperial Palace ballroom, was a coward who sniffled while hiding tightly behind his nanny’s voluminous skirt, saying strangers scared him.
‘Oh my, His Highness the Crown Prince is greeting you. Come out quickly, dear.’
‘Nooo… I wanna go home…’
That tiny brat who had looked up at him covered in tears and snot—when had he grown so shameless and huge?
Nigel’s gaze lingered briefly on Rowen’s broad shoulders and relaxed smile. Others called Rowen the darling of high society and admired him, but to Nigel, the bastard was just an annoying friend he’d known since his snotty-nosed days.
“Class?”
At Nigel’s words, Rowen went “Hm?” and lifted his wrist slightly, pretending to check his watch.
“There’s still plenty of time.”
Plenty of what. There wasn’t even 10 minutes left.
“You look like you’re in a bad mood.”
“……”
Acting familiar again. The bastard’s bright blue eyes stuck to Nigel’s face.
“……”
As Nigel stood looking at Rowen as if annoyed, Rowen Ashfield’s glamorous blonde hair tilted slightly. Blonde hair and blue eyes, and he’s a knight aspirant to boot. Beyond typical to the point of being trite.
But didn’t they say classic things were always the most popular?
Unlike when they were young, the people around him cherished Rowen Ashfield and wanted to be with him.
Some of the gazes even went beyond interest to the persistent kind filled with affection. Liking Rowen Ashfield. Well, tastes varied in the world.
Actually, in Nigel’s opinion, Rowen Ashfield had exactly one advantage.
His pushover personality. Because of his frivolous personality that giggled saying anything was fine as long as it was fun, he was easy to take advantage of. If it weren’t for that personality, he probably wouldn’t have held onto the friend position for so long.
In fact, Rowen Ashfield was the only person who had been close to Nigel for this long.
“Nigel, are you okay?”
For Rowen Ashfield to have a serious face. Since enrolling at the academy together, he had meddled in all aspects of daily life as if he’d been deputized by May (the nanny who had cared for the Crown Prince since his birth).
Just like right now.
“Does your head hurt?”
Befitting someone learning swordsmanship, Rowen Ashfield knew how to hide his presence. The bastard who had approached right in front of Nigel in an instant covered Nigel’s entire forehead with his palm.
“……”
Rowen Ashfield was absolutely not an academy student taking medical courses.
The bastard was even a Swordsmanship Department student only honing swordsmanship, which required no intelligence whatsoever. Him taking temperature directly like this was ultimately a useless action.
The gazes of students who had been leaning on the academy corridor railing with Rowen turned this way.
“Remove it.”
Despite one warning, Rowen paid no attention and only focused on taking his forehead temperature. Making a humming sound, he even placed the back of his hand on his own forehead, comparing temperatures.
Not removing it?
When he glared at Rowen Ashfield with a cold smile, he slowly withdrew his hand. He’d noticed that Nigel was genuinely annoyed at his meddling.
Nigel clutched his throbbing forehead. Though he always maintained a flawless appearance, he hated how he became a child reacting to the full extent of his irritation and anger when standing before Rowen.
“…Your temperature’s a bit high. Have you been to the infirmary?”
As soon as he heard Rowen’s words, a furrow appeared between his brows. Right, there was no way he’d have learned tact in that brief moment.
“I’ll stop by when I have time.”
Nigel said, clicking his tongue. Even so, he’d run out of the medication he took for migraines. The medicine the Crown Prince took wasn’t the type generally stocked at the academy.
Most of the time he sent Eden Lake to the infirmary on campus to get a prescription, and very occasionally he called his personal physician from the Imperial Palace to the academy for a direct examination.
“You should go right away. Not ‘when you have time.'”
“Don’t worry. I’ll have some time once the festival starts.”
Nigel roughly swept back with his fingers the bangs that had come down slightly because Rowen Ashfield had touched them without permission. He’d perfectly swept them back in the morning, but now it was annoying.
“What? Don’t tell me you’re putting off going to the infirmary because of the festival?”
“……”
What business is it of yours? After confirming Nigel’s cold gaze, Rowen Ashfield quickly added.
“You know, Nigel. I of course know how important and precious the festival is to you. But shouldn’t you take care of yourself while working? The festival is still a month away.”
“One week.”
“What? Has time passed that much already?”
Looking at Rowen, who seemed genuinely surprised, Nigel said bluntly.
“What exactly is your side preparing? No, are you actually preparing anything at all?”
At Nigel’s question, Rowen Ashfield’s face, which had been relaxed until now, stiffened subtly.
“……”
“……”
Hm? As Nigel’s eyebrow twitched, Rowen rubbed his chin with his fingers and said.
“Maybe?”
The meaning of the pause before his answer was all too clear. The bastard had absolutely no interest in the Swordsmanship Department’s administrative matters.
“Rowen Ashfield, answer properly.”
“…Nigel, I told you it’s scary when you call my name. I don’t have anything special to prepare. I just need to show up on the festival day and that’s it.”
“Who said you could be so relaxed?”
At Nigel’s words, Rowen’s hand movement stopped dead.
“…Why, is there something more I need to… do?”
Instead of answering, he raised his arm in front of the shameless-faced Rowen Ashfield and checked the watch on his wrist. Tick, tick, tick. Beside the second hand that a magic tool craftsman had wound from start to finish to make flow smoothly, he saw numbers decorated with jewels.
“More to do?”
The current time was 1:51 PM, a little past the usual lunch time. Nigel looked at the lukewarm-faced Rowen Ashfield with one corner of his mouth raised and said.
“One hour left until three o’clock. Still, since we have several years of affection between us, I’ll generously give the Swordsmanship Department one more hour.”
“…What? What do I need to do in one hour?”
“I told you to submit the interim settlement of gold costs used for festival preparations. Just in case you don’t know, I’ll tell you one more thing—as of yesterday, I just canceled one of the plays the Alchemy Department was preparing. It’s responsibility for abnormal budget execution. Without any reflection from last year.”
“……”
The color drained from Rowen Ashfield’s face. Unlike Nigel, being sociable, he knew how much effort the Alchemy Department was putting into the once-a-year festival play.
“Nigel, you… haven’t you heard the rumor that the Alchemy Department is secretly researching black magic too? What if you get cursed or something?”
Hmph, I snorted briefly and said.
“Idiot. There’s no such thing as black magic in the world.”
To make such a vulgar word as ‘idiot’ come out of my mouth. Nigel glanced at Rowen.
“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. Nigel, show some tolerance to the people around you. After you graduate from the academy, most of them will be imperial citizens working for you anyway.”
“Did you get gold from the Imperial Palace? It’s creepy because it’s exactly what my private tutor said every day, Rowen.”
Only after confirming that his words weren’t getting through to Nigel did Rowen Ashfield sigh and turn his head. Then he left one meaningful remark.
“Be careful, Nigel. I’m always worried about you.”
“……”
Who’s worried about whom. I shrugged my shoulders once, hearing his concern with one ear.
“Don’t be late for class. Rowen Ashfield.”
Then I turned my body the opposite way and walked down the corridor. It was nice to hear advice from my long-time childhood friend, but it didn’t seem important enough to be late for class.
