“Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!!”
Crash—!
After the meeting, Zelos stormed back to his room and started venting his frustration over what had just occurred by smashing and kicking around random decorations.
For someone who took delight in the despair and suffering of others, this failure left an especially bitter taste.
Zelos’s twisted method of approaching those consumed by jealousy or revenge, pretending to grant their wishes, only to guide them toward deeper ruin was a reflection of his own inferiority complex.
In fact, the reason he hadn’t harmed Princess Asteria was because watching the princess wither away under the neglect of her own father, the Emperor, perversely satisfied his vile desires.
He had similarly approached the Saintess situation, embedding his own desires into the mission to eliminate her. But everything was derailed by the sudden appearance of the Aura Lord.
“Damn it, that bastard! I won’t let this slide!”
“Sir Zelos.”
Just then, one of his subordinates arrived. Remembering that he had ordered them to gather information on Mars Noctus, Zelos broke into a sinister grin.
“You’re here. I trust you brought everything on that Noctus bastard?”
“Yes. As instructed, I focused primarily on the people close to him.”
Zelos curiously skimmed through the information handed to him.
“Oho… is this true?”
“Yes. It has been confirmed that she has already left the Noctus household.”
“Is that so… hehehe.”
Ignoring the disciplinary order placed on him, Zelos reveled in thoughts of how to exact revenge on Mars, the one who had humiliated him so thoroughly.
***
The day the Academy reopened after the break.
Though it hadn’t been that long, the kids I hadn’t seen in a while gave off a sense that they’d grown in some way.
With a string of incidents occurring recently, it seemed many of the students had come to realize that the Academy wasn’t the perfectly safe haven they once thought it was. As a result, more and more of them were showing signs of mental maturity.
It’s awkward… but not a bad change.
At a time when the Heavenly God Church was about to begin its full-scale activities, such growth was more than welcome.
If these kids matured quickly, they might even be able to take over some of the responsibilities I’d have to shoulder myself.
After exchanging a few quick greetings with my classmates and heading to the training grounds I’d missed so much, it seemed like I was about to jump back into a swordsmanship class—
“Mars. You’re exempt from swordsmanship classes from now on.”
“…Huh?”
I was kicked out of the class.
Well, to be precise, it would be more accurate to say I was no longer considered a student.
“I mean, as your professor, there’s nothing left I can teach an Aura Lord like you.”
So said Professor Idrus, our homeroom teacher and the instructor for first-year swordsmanship.
Apparently, over the break he had developed a new, more structured and advanced curriculum, but none of it felt suitable for someone at my level, so he struggled with how to include me.
Instead, he asked me to work as a teaching assistant rather than a student where I would help him monitor students’ movements and techniques and offer personalized advice through sparring.
He even said that students might find advice from someone their own age more relatable than from a professor and earnestly requested my help.
It sounded like a hassle, but in the end, I accepted.
“…So, Mars Noctus, who was enrolled in this class, will now be assisting me as a teaching assistant. If anyone has complaints or questions, now’s the time to speak.”
Thankfully, there weren’t many objections.
There were a few students who seemed hesitant about learning from a peer, but most were either intrigued by me or genuinely excited at the idea of learning swordsmanship from an Aura Lord.
“Um… I have a question.”
Just then, a male student raised his hand.
“Permission granted. What is it?”
“Uh… is it okay to ask how Noctus became a Lord at our age…?”
At that question, everyone, including the professor, turned their heads to look at me.
“Well… it’s not anything that special, so I can tell you. But it’s something that’s both incredibly simple and incredibly difficult at the same time.”
As I said I’d explain the secret of how I reached the level of a Lord, the room fell completely silent. Everyone focused their full attention on me.
“It’s simple. Overcoming your ‘heart demon’ by your own will. That’s the qualification to become a Lord.”
“Heart demon?”
“Yes. Sooner or later, each of you will encounter a limit in your abilities. And by ‘limit’, I don’t mean something like slow progress. I’m talking about fundamental problems. Flaws in talent, shortcomings, or even trauma.”
In my case, I couldn’t even hold a sword because of trauma from a past life. But thanks to the Count’s words, I had a moment of realization and broke through that wall of limitation myself, stepping onto the path of an Aura Lord.
“If you come to truly understand why you want to wield a sword and what you wish to accomplish with it. If you can embrace even your weakest parts and gain a true understanding of your own life, you’ll be able to reach the path of an Aura Lord.”
At my words, Professor Idrus looked as if he had some idea of what I was talking about and began pondering deeply.
The students, on the other hand, simply tilted their heads in confusion, clearly still not fully grasping the meaning.
“Haha. I guess you could say I was lucky. An unexpected opportunity led me to that realization. But I’m sure a similar chance will come to each of you as well.”
“Then what kind of realization did you come to, Noctus?”
“Ah, that’s a bit… hard to explain. It’s due to personal reasons.”
How could I possibly explain that I reincarnated and overcame that trauma?
After that, perhaps thanks to my advice, there was even an incident where every self-help book in the library was checked out. Unfortunately, though, no one seemed to fully grasp the meaning behind that realization.
***
“I’ve heard the rumors. They say you’ve become a teaching assistant and are helping with swordsmanship classes.”
“The rumors spread fast. But your way of speaking has changed again, hasn’t it?”
I happened to run into the princess on my way back to the dorm after class, and we walked together, chatting as we went.
I didn’t expect the rumors to spread this quickly.
Then again, it’s no surprise. If an Aura Lord is giving first-years guidance with their swords, word is bound to get around fast.
Even after class, people kept hanging around me. I figured they were probably upperclassmen hoping to ask for guidance.
“Ahem… Well, I’m still not quite used to this speech. His Majesty pushed for my participation in the imperial succession, which allowed me to return to public life. Rebuilding from scratch is tough, but I’ve done it once before, so it’s not impossible.”
“…So, you’ve decided to become emperor again?”
I recalled the true dream she had once shared with me.
I couldn’t help but worry. Had she decided to give up on that dream again?
“Do you really think I’d give up on that dream?”
“No, well… It’s just that you were the one who said all that, and now you’re saying you want to be emperor…”
“Fufu. Are you worried about me?”
I turned my gaze away, feeling a bit embarrassed for no reason, and the princess who seemed to be amused by my reaction smiled brightly, showing her white teeth.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of giving up on anything. I just have to become a good emperor and a good mother at the same time, don’t I?”
“…That won’t be easy.”
Her ambition was admirable, but it would be incredibly difficult.
Even for someone as capable as her, she lacked a solid support base, and gaining the people’s trust in such chaotic times wouldn’t be easy.
On top of that, for someone who likely still carried unhealed wounds from her childhood, fulfilling the duties of an emperor while also being a good mother would present great challenges.
“Didn’t you say you’d protect me?”
“…I did.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”
The way the princess said it so naturally like that… left me momentarily stunned, to the point where I forgot to breathe myself.
Not because I disliked it or found it burdensome, but simply because I was amazed that she trusted me this much.
And… somehow, I didn’t mind that trust.
“I won’t say something as light as ‘It’ll be easy’. I don’t want to measure your dream with such cheap words. Instead…”
“Instead?”
“I’ll support you.”
“…That’s enough for me.”
Her soft chuckle came with a smile that, unlike before, felt truly genuine. And it was incredibly beautiful.
Unlike the somewhat awkward and forced expressions she used to wear, the happiness now radiating from her seemed to come from the heart, and knowing that I was the reason for it gave me a strange sense of pride.
“Come to think of it, you haven’t talked about pollo lately.”
“Huh? Oh, well… as you know, things have been a bit hectic lately.”
Well, that was true.
Even I had been running around all over the place, barely keeping up while solving incidents.
“If you ever need anything, just let me know. I did say I’d take responsibility, so I’ve got to do my job as your love consultant, too.”
“…I know you’re not doing it on purpose, but honestly, times like this really make me want to punch you.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, there you are!”
Just as I was about to ask what she meant, the princess let out a sigh and a familiar voice reached my ears.
“Saintess?”
“Hehe. I’ve been looking all over for you. I went to the classroom, but they said you’d already left.”
She was slightly out of breath, probably because she’d been running to catch up with me.
Still, her face was lit up with a smile. She was clearly happy to see me.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to trouble you.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine!”
“But why were you looking for me…?”
“Ah, right! I wanted to introduce you to someone, Brother Mars!”
“To me?”
The Saintess wanted to introduce someone to me?
Considering how she’d become afraid of meeting new people since the incident, the fact that she was now actively trying to introduce someone made me even more curious.
Then, the Saintess stepped aside and revealed the person behind her—
“This is Luna, my new personal maid!”
“…Huh?”
Wait a second. Luna?
What are you doing here?
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