Chapter 23

Chapter 22

When the superior points, the subordinate rolls - 4

A cherry blossom petal gently landed on the cookie in his hand. When he lightly blew it away, it danced in the air. As it mingled with other petals, it seemed like a pink rain.

"Beautiful."

It had been a while since he had admired cherry blossoms like this. He wasn’t even the type who enjoyed flower viewing. After staring at the pink rain for a while, he took a bite of the cookie. The cookie was also delicious.

He subtly turned his gaze to look at the club members. They were eating sandwiches or toast, and even those with refined palates were eating without any signs of discomfort. Why was it that they could eat so well, but not the cookies?

Thanks to this, the cookies that no one else would eat naturally became his responsibility. The five who refused to eat them were impressive, but Louis, who stubbornly kept making them, was even more impressive. Was it enough for him to have just one person eat them? What an incredible belief.

Meanwhile, a cherry blossom petal that had been dancing in the air landed on Louis’s head. Looking at it, her hair really did have a cherry blossom color. Even in a world where unconventional hair colors were common, such a clean pink was rare.

"I couldn’t tell the difference between the flower and the sister, so I just noticed now."

"Wow."

Louis turned her gaze quietly as Tannian reached out to remove the petal from her hair. Tannian, who had lived his entire life in the closed Holy Kingdom, probably lacked the talent for romantic expressions. Still, the fact that his best effort was at this level was disheartening.

"Thank you."

Louis, embarrassed by such words in front of everyone, awkwardly smiled and expressed her gratitude. Tannian, seemingly satisfied with her reaction, nodded. His standard for happiness was really low. Does the saying that a life without desires is happy mean this? Of course, I don’t want to live like that.

"Is it because you’re a priest that your expressions are so old-fashioned?"

Lutis, finding something amusing, laughed and patted Tannian’s back a few times. Is this what he considers old-fashioned? What exactly is old-fashioned to me?

"Lutis, don’t tease him too much."

I felt relieved seeing Ainter smile and try to calm Lutis. Yes, the old-fashioned style I know is still intact. Ah, I feel relieved. Maybe because I’ve been on edge lately, I didn’t even notice a light joke.

"Brother, is it okay if I don’t eat anything else?"

"Yeah, this is enough."

Louis, who had been watching the club members’ conversation with a smile, suddenly spoke to me. She was trying to give me the sandwich she was holding, but I really don’t need it. Since we spread out our lunch under the cherry tree, I’ve been eating cookies non-stop. Can I finish them all before we return to the academy?

"The other things are delicious too..."

"I like this the most, so it’s fine."

So, don’t push it. One sandwich is enough to fill my stomach, but six cookies...

I naturally turned my gaze to the sky to avoid Louis’s eyes. Hey, the cherry blossoms are beautiful.

I stared at Karl, who was eating another cookie, ignoring the cherry blossoms. He seemed to be so engrossed in the flowers that he didn’t notice my gaze.

'They must taste bad.'

I’m not stupid. I know the cookies I make aren’t particularly good. The club members, who always smile at me, awkwardly try to avoid them.

Of course, I’m not completely incapable of making cookies. If I were, I wouldn’t be able to teach the club members baking. I’m good at the basics. I just want to try making unique cookies. That’s why I’ve made various attempts, and as a result, I’ve produced a variety of bad-tasting results.

Still, Karl always ate those results. Even though they must have tasted bad, he never showed any signs of dislike. Instead, he seemed to be encouraging me by eating them every day.

'He’s a good person.'

As I told Erich before, I think Karl is a good person. Despite his cold and stern appearance, a person’s true nature often shows through their actions. When I first met him, the way he looked at Erich was like an ideal older brother concerned about his younger sibling.

I thought that was Karl’s true nature. No matter how thorough a person is, they can’t control their subconscious expressions, and if he had the acting skills to do so, he would have been more affectionate to Erich. His awkwardness in expressing himself was my first impression of him.

After that, I didn’t think much about Karl. Even though I was staying at the academy for work, I didn’t expect to have much interaction with him. We just greeted each other when we met. That was it. Until we formed the club.

When we managed to gather the minimum number of three members but couldn’t find a faculty advisor, I couldn’t hide my disappointment. The baking club I had wanted since before entering the academy was about to be dashed.

"I don’t need to look further. I’ll be the advisor."

When Karl offered to be the advisor, I was so happy. I smiled widely and bowed several times in gratitude. He patted my shoulder and then turned to leave.

As the club advisor, Karl always took good care of us. He never showed any signs of effort or fatigue, as if it was his duty.

While I was receiving the club members’ considerate treatment, including Erich, his step back to watch over us was a great comfort. It felt like having a reliable older brother supporting me from behind, something I had always wanted.

From then on, I started to look at Karl as if I had a dependable older brother. What he was doing, where he was going. If there was anything I could do to repay him.

"They’re delicious. I could sell them."

"If there are leftovers, I’ll take care of them. Put them here."

The more I received his consideration, the more I realized that he always ate the cookies to avoid hurting my feelings. Thanks to this, I gained confidence and could now make decent cookies.

'...Right, have they improved compared to before? A little...?'

Since Karl says they’re all delicious, I can’t tell if the taste has changed.

Just as a smile was about to form on my face out of gratitude and guilt, I remembered yesterday’s incident and bit my lip. I recalled how Ira asked about Karl and how he tried to brush it off. It seemed like he was hiding something and didn’t tell me in the end.

The fact that there was a relationship between my closest friend and my dependable older brother that I didn’t know about, and that he didn’t tell me, was disappointing. Of course, Karl had no obligation to tell me, but I couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

When I looked at Karl with a discontented gaze, he finally noticed and turned to me.

"Why?"

"I want a cookie too!"

At that, Karl, who had just picked up a new cookie, offered it to me. Instead of taking it with my hand, I took it directly with my mouth.

Seeing his surprised eyes, I imagined my own playful smile. For some reason, my disappointment faded, and I felt better.

After the picnic, I returned to the inspector’s dormitory. I sat on the bed, exhausted, and sighed.

I almost ended up in a 1:5 duel at the picnic site. The five of them stared at me so intensely that if their gazes had physical force, I would have been in pain...

'Why did she do that?'

I didn’t expect Louis to bite the cookie in my hand. Seeing her laugh, I wondered if she had become close enough to play pranks on me. It wasn’t necessarily bad news, but the fact that there were five witnesses was problematic.

I lay down on the bed after washing my face. Louis’s unexpected and active behavior wasn’t new, so there was no point in worrying about the reason. When I meet her at the club room tomorrow, she’ll probably greet me as if nothing happened.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, the communication device on my desk emitted a purple light, drawing attention. Purple?

"...? Purple?"

"Damn it!"

I rushed to the communication device and answered the incoming call. An old man’s face greeted me.

- It’s been a while, Inspector. I heard you were staying at the academy, but I’m late in greeting you. You’ve been working hard.

"No, not at all. I’m just doing my duty for the empire."

- Indeed. Your patriotism is always admirable.

I awkwardly smiled as the old man burst into laughter.

The old man who called was the Minister of the Imperial Palace, the highest-ranking official in the empire’s administrative department, second only to the royal family. In organizational terms, he wasn’t my direct superior, but his call meant the royal family’s will was being conveyed. Here it comes...

- I’m glad you look healthy. The Crown Prince was also saddened by your distant assignment. He was worried you might be uncomfortable in a foreign land.

"The emperor’s grace extends to the entire empire. What discomfort could I possibly have?"

- The emperor’s grace indeed covers the world, but the empire’s order is maintained thanks to loyal servants like you.

"Thank you for the praise."

- Ha ha, it’s not just my opinion. The Crown Prince also agreed. He said your efforts for the empire are commendable and your loyalty is truly excellent.

The Minister of the Imperial Palace laughed heartily, but I felt a cold sweat run down my back. I had expected it, but the Crown Prince’s order was more direct than I thought.

The true meaning of this seemingly simple compliment is as follows: the discomfort refers to the actions of the Third Prince Ainter, the order to the stability of the royal succession, and my efforts to the ongoing purge operations.

= Monitor the Third Prince and handle him if necessary.

'What a headache.'

Fortunately, it’s not an immediate order but a conditional one, leaving the decision to my judgment. It seems the Crown Prince has developed some mercy after a long time without bloodshed.

"Your words are too kind. I will work harder to not disappoint the Crown Prince’s trust."

The Minister of the Imperial Palace nodded with a smile.

- I will convey your loyalty to the Crown Prince.

"Thank you."

- I apologize for the sudden call. Rest well.

The communication device’s light faded as the call ended. I sighed and threw the device back on the desk.

'The Crown Prince is a pain too.'

Now, I not only have to deal with the Louis competition but also keep an eye on Ainter as the Third Prince.

What a headache. Damn it.

Author’s Note

This author, after returning home drunk from an outing, decided to write today’s chapter while still sober enough to stay awake...

The chapter, completed as the morning sun rose, must have been infused with the energy of the dawn goddess. I feel not too bad. But thinking about it, I mentioned in the previous chapter’s note that today’s chapter would be late. Is this a case of false advertising?

Anyway, this author will finally go to sleep now... Good night and have a good morning, dear readers.

Thank you for reading this chapter!