Chapter 67

After returning home from the imperial tour, which had been filled with many events, I too found myself deep in thought.

The Empress was pregnant with an imperial heir.

On top of that, the Emperor seemed to want to pass the throne down to that heir.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone so far as to try and completely take away Iris’s achievements.

To become Emperor, one needed the support of the people which could only be earned through accomplishments built up during their time as Crown Prince or Crown Princess. The nobility also had to recognize her as one of their own and willingly stand by her side. Only then could the transition to Emperor proceed smoothly.

A ruler rejected by both the people and the nobility often ended up being deposed at an unprecedented speed.

No, in many cases, they didn’t even get the chance to ascend at all. They would have their position snatched away by other children in the line of succession.

Such was the nature of imperial power struggles.

That was the reality.

But this was something that should never have happened to Iris.

The Empress should have remained nothing more than a background character, never even showing her face. The Emperor should have guided his only child, Iris, to build her achievements and form connections with the nobility so that, in the end, she would take the throne.

That was the only way for the game to reach its predetermined conclusion. Whether that was a bad ending or a good ending.

Right now, this situation was like an obstacle blocking the game from progressing at all.

“Hey, Theo. You look pretty troubled again today. Come on, talk to me. Your big brother here will listen to everything!”

Marty who was lying on the bed next to mine was spouting nonsense as usual. I simply ignored him and continued my train of thought.

As long as Estelle could get a positive reaction from the Holy Emperor regarding the plan to credit Iris, there wouldn’t be a major problem.

If that worked, they could use it as a stepping stone to secure the Emperor’s oath, allowing them to push for various other things.

But from what I could tell, the game had already veered off course to some extent.

I would do my best to prevent what I could and solve what I could, but there was no way of knowing what kind of unforeseen variables this distorted game might bring.

For the first time since entering this world, a chill ran down my spine.

This was a game I already knew.

I had always assumed that because I knew everything, I would be able to stop any disaster before it happened.

That was why I had remained calm, why I hadn’t hesitated to enter the academy.

Even as a mere extra, I had befriended Estelle and Iris because, in the end, I believed I could handle everything.

“If a new situation unfolds…”

I wasn’t sure how I should respond when that happened.

“Huh? What did you say, Theo?”

“Nothing. I’m heading to the training grounds for a bit. I need to move around.”

Master Duncan had once told me that the best way to clear a troubled mind was to use my body.

As I grabbed the sword I had custom-made before and made my way out, Marty trailed behind me as if sneaking along.

“Can I come too?”

“If you’re going to train.”

“Okay!”

He quickly grabbed his own sword, and the two of us headed to the training grounds together.

Since it was late at night, the empty grounds had an eerie, almost unsettling atmosphere.

But, well, even if a ghost appeared, I felt like I could just cut it down with magic, so I didn’t find this place scary or unsettling.

Somehow, I felt like I had changed.

In the past, I would never have been able to practice alone in a place like this.

How should I put it? It was as if strengthening my body had also strengthened my mind.

“Hoo…”

Anyway, I swung my sword, hoping to clear my mind of unnecessary thoughts.

I focused solely on cutting and slashing at the training scarecrow set up for practice.

As long as I could sense an enemy’s presence the moment they appeared and strike them down, I would survive.

Whoosh— Swish—

As I fiercely slashed at the scarecrow, slicing through the air—

Clang—! Clank—!

Suddenly, I sensed someone rushing at me from behind, and before I knew it, I reacted with full force.

“Ahhh! Damn, you’re seriously strong, Theo…!”

The person standing there was Marty who had insisted on coming to the training grounds with me.

His sword went flying, and it looked like his wrist had twisted.

“Hey, what the hell were you thinking, charging at me like that out of nowhere, you lunatic?!”

Startled, I sheathed my sword at my waist and hurried over to him.

“N-No, it’s just… You were concentrating for so long that I started wondering if you’d be able to block my attack while in that state. So I just… tried it. But wow, you’re really sharp when it comes to sensing presence. You’ve got everything, seriously.”

“Is this really the time to be saying that? Hurry up and get to the infirmary for treatment.”

The academy’s infirmary was so large that calling it an “infirmary” almost felt inaccurate.

The academy’s infirmary felt more like an entire hospital branch had been relocated onto campus. It operated 24 hours a day, allowing access to the emergency ward even at this late hour.

“Ugh, looks like I won’t be able to hold a sword for a while. Alright, I’ll go, so just keep practicing.”

“Don’t come back here. Go straight to the dorms, you idiot.”

After pushing Marty away, partly out of concern, the training grounds quickly fell silent again.

In the stillness, with no sounds to distract me, I quietly thought of Estelle and Iris.

If those two were here, the place would be anything but quiet.

They would have fought over who got to spar with me first.

“This frustration just won’t go away.”

At first, I had only wanted to protect my daily life. But now, I genuinely wished that neither of them would ever get hurt.

They were my closest friends. They were people I would continue to cherish.

If possible, I wanted to prevent the bad endings. But more than that, I didn’t want them to live unhappy lives.

“In the end, what I need is a happy ending.”

I wasn’t sure what would happen to me after that ending came.

I might have suddenly appeared in this world, but I was nothing more than the son of an ordinary extra. Someone who could exist anywhere.

Once the game reached its conclusion, wouldn’t I be forced to return to my original world?

I didn’t want that.

Everything I had was here.

My family, my friends….everyone I cared about was here, and I wanted to stay as Theo.

Swish— Fwoosh— Crash!

After all, if I did return, all that would be waiting for me was a cold, lonely apartment.

“…Ha.”

Even after Marty left for the hospital, swinging the sword for a while longer revealed the state of the training ground. Most of the scarecrows were in complete disarray.

“Hmm, I should replace them.”

The training ground was free to use as much as one wanted, but there was a rule: if a scarecrow was damaged, the person responsible had to replace it themselves.

Apparently, most people barely replaced even one in a month.

So why were so many of them broken?

“Ugh…!”

After moving and setting up the scarecrows properly, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion washed over me.

“As expected, nothing clears a cluttered mind better than hard labor.”

Suppressing the small smile creeping onto my lips, I headed back to the dormitory.

It was about time to wash up and get some sleep.

Tomorrow, Estelle would finally return from the Holy Empire.

And as time passed, the Imperial Palace would hold the Empress’s pregnancy banquet, giving me a proper chance to see her face.

***

An unprecedented number of people were invited to the Empress’s pregnancy banquet, hosted by the Imperial Palace.

Among them, in an unheard-of move, every single student from the academy had been invited.

“Wow, this is crazy…! A party at the Imperial Palace?! This is so exciting!”

For the commoners who had never once attended a banquet or a party in their lives, the news was exciting. They immediately began contemplating how to spend the money they had saved up at the academy. Whether to buy dresses or formal attire for the event.

However, the Imperial Palace went so far as to provide formal attire and dresses for everyone, encouraging them to attend without any burden.

“Oh my, we don’t even have to buy them ourselves…!”

“Maybe there’s a dress code or something?”

“More likely, it’s a gift from His Majesty who deeply loves Her Majesty the Empress.”

The two hadn’t always received such overwhelming support from the beginning.

Most people had not even considered the current Empress to be a true Empress.

At the time, the general perception was that she was just a young girl overstepping her place. But now, with the Emperor openly displaying his love for her, public opinion was inevitably beginning to shift.

“Inviting the entire academy… This is clearly a declaration that he wants to see you, Sir Theo.”

Iris chuckled as she spoke.

“Well, wouldn’t it make more sense that he’s trying to meet Estelle rather than me?”

No matter how he thought about it, Theo felt it was far more likely that the invitation was meant for Estelle. But Iris shook her head.

“No, if that were the case, he would have invited only Estelle. The fact that he called the entire academy means he wants to meet someone among them…someone who must not be singled out.”

In other words, since the Imperial Palace couldn’t openly summon Theo without damaging their dignity, they had orchestrated this event as a way to meet him indirectly.