By Zephyria 
‘The Emperor is dead?’
That meant the head human who ruled this empire had died.
If that was the case, it was a natural phenomenon for the country to become chaotic both internally and externally. It was not difficult to understand why the school was in such a mess.
“Why did he die?”
“Um, I don’t know. The cause is unknown. He didn’t have any underlying illnesses and was healthy until the day before, but he suddenly passed away overnight… They’re also considering the possibility that he was assassinated.”
Assassination, huh. That could be it.
It was a highly credible guess.
Originally, those in high positions were easily targeted by someone. Well… I didn’t care whether the Emperor of this empire died or not.
Hmm, I replied with a short hum and sat down in my seat, and Herman and Tom looked at me with slightly embarrassed faces.
To be exact, they were looking at me and Zeon.
It was as if our attitude of not feeling sorry was not normal.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No… it’s just that you guys don’t seem to care at all.”
That’s the correct answer since I really don’t care at all.
I shook my head from side to side.
“It’s no use making a fuss, since the dead can’t come back.”
“Ray, Ray! Shh!”
Herman was greatly shocked and covered my mouth. Then, he glanced around and sighed. It was truly human-like to be aware of and concerned about how others would see and judge.
Just as I glared at him and slapped his hand away, Professor Polajigen, who was in charge of the next class, entered the lecture hall.
“Quiet.”
At his appearance, the children who had been buzzing until just now quickly became quiet.
Tom and Herman, who were sitting in the front row, also turned to face forward, but Zeon, who was sitting next to me, whispered softly.
“Shall I say a word to that rude guy?”
When I glanced at him, his eyes were sparkling as if he was about to beat up Herman right away. Herman also rubbed the back of his head, perhaps because the gaze was quite stinging.
“Stop it.”
He’s going to try to establish some strange discipline again.
“Yes.”
Anyway, he answers well.
“You all must have heard the news of the Emperor’s passing.”
Professor Polajigen, who was standing on the podium, continued.
“I understand that it’s chaotic due to the sudden event… but let’s have class for now. The school will be completely suspended from tomorrow because a national funeral will be held right away.”
“Do we have to attend the funeral procession too?”
“Yes. An official notice has been issued for all students and professors to attend. It’s a troublesome matter. But try not to miss it if possible, because you don’t know what kind of disadvantages you might face if you do.”
Polajigen swallowed a sigh, as if he was troubled by the disrupted schedule. Around that time, a small human, Ibelia Mabuir, who had asked the question earlier, asked again.
“What about clothes? I don’t have any mourning clothes prepared.”
“Ah. You guys can just wear your school uniforms.”
The children who had been listening nodded as if they all understood. The Merzel Academy’s uniform was generally dark in tone, so it wouldn’t be a big problem.
“And please be aware that all buildings except the dormitory will be closed for a few days. If you have any books to return to the library, please return them in advance. You probably won’t be able to enter the central building until Saturday.”
That was something I couldn’t ignore.
‘All buildings except the dormitory will be closed?’
If that was the case….
‘That means I won’t have time to scout the school again.’
I was about to secretly skip the funeral and look around the school, but it was like pouring cold water on my plans.
Nothing was helpful. I had to swallow a sigh as I listened to Polajigen’s words that he would start the class.
☠
That evening, after finishing all the classes in the afternoon, I returned to the dormitory, took a shower, changed my clothes as usual, and sat on the bed to store Mana.
Herman was also storing Mana in the bed next to me. Perhaps he was trying to be considerate of my concentration time, but around this time, Herman tried not to talk to me as much as possible. But for some reason, he spoke to me even though it wasn’t past midnight yet.
“Ray.”
“Hmm.”
“We have to go out early tomorrow, are you sure you don’t want to sleep?”
I kept circulating my Mana Circuit and opened my eyes, which had been closed. Honestly, if possible, I wanted to stay in the dormitory and spend my time storing Mana all day.
That would be more efficient for using the floating time.
But I was a little concerned about Polajigen’s words that there might be disadvantages if I didn’t attend the funeral procession.
I hadn’t obtained any useful information yet, and if I got expelled already, that would be a waste of time.
I was lost in thought for a moment and then asked.
“Was what Professor Polajigen said earlier true? That there might be disadvantages if we don’t attend the funeral procession.”
In response, Herman also changed his posture comfortably and answered.
“Well, in the worst case, you could be branded as a traitor, so it’s always good to be careful. Merzel Academy is a place where the Imperial Family directly intervenes… and it has a great influence as a strong supporter.”
Hmm. I see.
The Imperial Family provides all the dormitory costs and tuition fees for free. They must be quite dependent on the academy’s operating funds, especially.
STM
“I see. Understood.”
Having understood, I spread out the bedding, ready to sleep. Herman, also thinking of sleeping, closed the window curtains and turned off the lamp. The room was filled with deep darkness. After a moment, Herman’s voice came.
“Good night.”
I didn’t reply, but that seemed enough. Perhaps he was tired, as he quickly fell asleep, his breathing becoming regular. I listened to his soft, even breaths and slowly closed my eyes.
The next morning, Herman attacked with sunlight by pulling back the curtains and shaking me awake. I frowned at the brightness and burrowed deeper into the blankets, but Herman didn’t seem inclined to leave me alone.
“Stop sleeping and get up.”
“Ugh…”
“Ray. We have to leave early today.”
What a pain.
Eventually, I got up with a deep frown, and Herman, seeing my hair, mocked me, saying it looked like birds had built a nest in it. That damned bastard.
I went into the bathroom, washed neatly, and came out wearing a gown.
Herman had already showered before waking me, it seemed, as he was drying his hair with a towel, and he had already taken out my uniform.
I returned to my bed and took out the uniform hanging in the closet.
“Ah, Ray. Are you done washing? Change in the dressing room…”
Before he could finish, I casually stripped off what I was wearing. Herman, who happened to be looking my way, widened his eyes, his face turning as red as a beet, and hurriedly turned away.
“Hey! Go into the dressing room, close the curtain, and change!”
“Don’t order me around, servant.”
“What? I’m not ordering… Ah! Seriously.”
In the end, the fidgeting guy grabbed the clothes and went into the dressing room. I couldn’t understand why he was acting like that.
I dried my hair, finished changing, and checked my appearance, then waited for Herman, who showed no sign of coming out of the dressing room. I didn’t know what he was doing, taking over 20 minutes to change.
“When are you coming out?”
Urging him, Herman came out of the dressing room as if he hadn’t been holed up at all. He was already fully dressed in his uniform. His face was still flushed, though.
“…Let’s go.”
Herman, avoiding my gaze, turned away first. I silently followed him.
We went out to the street and immediately caught a carriage. There were quite a few students heading to the Imperial Palace besides us.
Merzel Academy was located in Adelmaide, the Valhalla Empire’s direct territory and capital, so it was relatively close to the Imperial Palace, but it was still a bit too far to walk.
“To Dercalio Street, number 24, please.”
Herman gave a few zents to the coachman, who spoke to us in a friendly manner.
“So, you’re also attending the funeral procession.”
“Yes.”
“It’s so unfortunate. He was a good man who brought prosperity to the Valhalla Empire, who would have thought something like this would happen overnight.”
The talkative coachman muttered, shaking his head. I, who had been listening with my arms crossed, spoke up.
“There are rumors of assassination.”
“Ray…!”
Herman, whispering urgently, grabbed my arm. Glancing at him, Herman’s face was pale, almost blue. He was probably worried about how the coachman would react to such a sensitive word.
“Ahahaha!”
But what Herman feared didn’t happen. Instead, the coachman burst into hearty laughter. It must have been a relief for him, who was always so conscious of others.
“Assassination, huh? That’s certainly possible. It happened so suddenly. But I actually find it hard to believe he was assassinated.”
The coachman finished quietly and fell silent. I couldn’t be sure just by looking at his back as he drove the horses, but he seemed lost in thought.
I waited for a moment, wanting to hear the reason, and the coachman, lifting his head, continued.