Chapter 43

Chapter 42

Our Exhibition is Operating Normally - 1

I stood still for a while, holding the bag of cookies. It’s been two years, and it’s not like anything special happened. During the war, all sorts of things happen, and people dying is nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, even when I try to shake it off, it’s not as easy as I thought it would be.

But someday, I’ll be able to shake it off. After looking down at the bag of cookies, I put it in my pocket and moved back into the forest. I need to finish before it gets dark so that the exhibition can proceed smoothly tomorrow.

I hurried a bit and arrived at the forest, where I saw Section Chief 1 and Section Chief 4 having a conversation. They must have finished the interrogation. As expected, when you set your mind to it, there’s nothing you can’t do.

"Are you done?"

"Yes, we got everything out of him."

Section Chief 1 and Section Chief 4 still seemed tense. Even if I tell them it’s okay, it’s not something that can be resolved so easily. Even if I say I’m not angry, how many people would believe me?

I checked the condition of the third Glory prisoners, and none of them were in good shape. Their limbs were weak, and some had lost a lot of flesh. They were tortured outdoors, right? If so, the information we obtained is reliable.

"Any unusual findings?"

"He had something strange."

"Something strange?"

In response to my question, Section Chief 4, not Section Chief 1, handed me a piece of paper. Ah, look at these guys.

"It’s an explosive scroll."

"Yes, it seems to be for mining."

An explosive scroll, a one-time-use scroll containing a stored explosion spell. It’s usually used in mining operations, and due to its destructive power, it’s only produced by the Imperial Magic Tower and supplied to individuals or organizations with confirmed identities.

If this scroll had exploded in the middle of the academy, it would have been a disaster too terrible to imagine. Of course, right now, it’s not about worrying about something that hasn’t happened, but about identifying why this scroll ended up in the hands of a rebel group.

Explosive scrolls are supplied to local officials, lords, or mining supervisors. Regardless of who they are, they must be loyal to the empire. If such individuals leaked this scroll to the rebels, it would be a clear act of treason.

"Is he a suicide candidate?"

"It seems so."

Explosive scrolls are only supplied to individuals or organizations with confirmed identities, and the supply records are kept. So, if we check the records, we can find the culprit. If there’s any inconsistency or suspicious point in the supply and usage records, that person is the culprit.

I wonder if real traitors are fundamentally lacking in intelligence, or why they bet their lives on something that can be easily caught.

After stroking my chin for a moment, I nodded. Since they only mentioned the scroll as an unusual finding, it seems there’s no particularly useful information. Now that we’ve confirmed the leak of the scroll, we need to focus on that.

"Our job is done. Good work, everyone."

Now that there’s nothing left to handle on-site, the rest can be handed over to the center. The remaining prisoners will be handed over to the Special Operations Department, and they’ll take care of them. They’ll also investigate the leak of the scroll with a vengeance.

The Grand Master of the Magic Tower will be furious if he finds out that a product from the tower was almost used for an improper purpose. The Special Operations Department will want to find the culprit as quickly as possible to appease the Grand Master’s anger. They’ll have a tough time.

Of course, once the Special Operations Department finds the culprit, they’ll hand it over to the Inspection Department. In the end, we’ll be the ones doing the hard work.

After successfully capturing and obtaining information from the third Glory, the role of Section Chief 1 and the Black Light Squad was over. The prisoners were immediately transported to the capital by mages after Section Chief 4 reported to the Special Operations Department. Teleportation is really convenient.

Additionally, following the Special Operations Department’s instructions, the deployment of the Black Light Squad continued to prepare for any unexpected variables. It’s reassuring to have them around until the end of the exhibition, but if Section Chief 1 and Section Chief 4 start wandering around the academy, the nobles will be shocked. So, unfortunately, the Black Light Squad will remain in the forest.

Since Section Chief 4 seemed a bit disappointed, I decided to visit him every evening. I should show some consideration to a subordinate I haven’t seen in a while. I’ll bring some food when I come.

Unlike Section Chief 4, who will remain in the forest, Section Chief 1 agreed to work at the booth with me the next day.

"Chief, I’ll move it, so give it to me."

The only change is that he’s more obedient than yesterday.

"It’s fine. I’ll do it."

I just laughed, knowing why he’s acting this way. It’s rare for the trio of section chiefs to be so cautious around me. At least you still have a conscience. That’s touching.

Even after being rejected, Section Chief 1 kept hovering around me, looking around. After all, he can’t say he had no part in yesterday’s incident. If I keep ignoring him, he might start crying.

'I guess he does miss it.'

But I don’t want to be the kind of boss who makes his subordinates cry. Seeing how cautious he is, I think it’s safe to let him off for a bit. We’ve dealt with the third Glory, so there’s no urgent business.

"Do you have anything to do right now?"

"Yes! Nothing! I’ll do it, so you can rest, Chief!"

He answered with such enthusiasm that if he had a tail, he would have been wagging it furiously. I nodded and handed him the load. When he took it, his expression became calm, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. This guy isn’t carrying a physical load; he’s carrying a mental one.

"Put that in the corner and come back when you’re done playing."

"Huh?"

Seeing his confused look, I untied his apron myself. Since I captured him with this, I should be the one to release him.

"Now that there’s no urgent business, you can stay inside the academy. When else will you have time to play?"

"R-really? Is it okay?"

"The booth will run fine without you."

I waved my hand to urge him to go, and his eyes sparkled with renewed energy. He quickly put down the load and ran off, which was quite impressive. It’s like releasing a Pokémon into the wild.

I threw Section Chief 1’s apron, which served as a Poké Ball, aside and looked around the booth. The club members seem to have gotten used to running the booth, and the workers from the three countries are working hard. Since Section Chief 1 was an unexpected addition, his absence won’t be a problem.

Moreover, the number of nobles looking for me has sharply decreased over time. They usually come on the first or second day, so it seems there won’t be many more. Now, I can really spend my time without any worries. This is how an exhibition should be.

"Brother."

Just as I was about to sit down on a chair in the corner, Louise approached and sat next to me.

"What’s up? Is something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to sit down."

Indeed, Louise has been busy running around the booth and hasn’t had a chance to sit down. It’s rare for her to even get near a chair when there are no customers.

"You’ll hurt yourself if you keep this up. Take it easy."

Even though I’m the chief, I was concerned that she might be overworking herself, but Louise just looked at me silently, her gaze so intense that it made me a bit uncomfortable.

"Is there something you want to ask?"

Sometimes flour gets on your face when it flies around. I thought maybe that was the case this time, but when I touched my face, Louise quietly shook her head.

"Did you finish the cookies I gave you yesterday?"

"Ah, they were delicious."

When I answered, Louise smiled slightly but looked a bit wistful.

"You can leave the booth to us."

This time, it was my turn to smile. Yesterday, she said I looked tired, and today, she’s asking if I finished the cookies. It seems that, from her perspective, I don’t look very well.

Even when I received the tea leaves, I was worried by a child. If the minister knew, he’d laugh at me.

"I’m fine. It’s natural for the advisor to be here."

"But other clubs don’t do that. Even Irena’s club has the advisor in a different place."

Caught.

The advisor’s role is to supervise and prevent problems, not to be a permanent fixture at the booth like me. I don’t have the courage to leave the booth with those incompetent club members. And since the advisor’s role is to supervise, I’m fulfilling my duty more than anyone else. My situation is different from other club advisors...

Louise pouted slightly when I didn’t answer, then continued.

"I’m really grateful to you, Brother. From the moment you became our advisor until now, for everything."

"It’s nothing. No need to be so grateful."

"Each of your actions, which you might think are nothing, have been huge for me."

I had nothing to say to that. As the saying goes, a grain of sand can become a mountain. The things I’ve done over time might add up to something significant. But this isn’t the time to use that saying.

"I feel bad seeing you work so hard alone. I want to help you, even a little."

"Stop struggling on your own. If you have any problems, come to this big sister anytime!"

'Damn.'

This has been going on since yesterday. Normally, I would have let it slide, but now it keeps bringing back those memories. That bastard, saying unnecessary things and then dying.

I sighed involuntarily. If the third Glory’s purpose was to break my mental state rather than the academy, they succeeded to some extent. I haven’t felt this bad in a long time.

"B-brother...?"

'Ah.'

I realized Louise was in front of me and quickly composed myself, but she was already on the verge of tears, her shoulders slightly hunched.

"It’s embarrassing to worry you like this. I’ll take a short break, okay?"

Sighing in front of someone who’s worried about you is like telling them to stop caring. This is the height of rudeness. Leaving the booth is a concern, but I should follow Louise’s advice for now.

I forced a bright smile, and Louise seemed to calm down a bit. At least I didn’t end up making a kid cry.

'That bastard.'

This is all that bastard’s fault. I should have not only broken his head but also destroyed other parts of him.

The second part of the exhibition, with the threat of the third Glory eliminated, should have been peaceful, but it started strangely.

Author’s Note

Did the readers who cherish beautiful innocence and memories have a happy Children’s Day? I had a good Children’s Day too.

As mentioned in yesterday’s afterword, I’m considering summarizing the characters and settings in the story and posting them as an announcement, based on a reader’s suggestion. However, it’s a bit tricky.

I thought about including every character whose name or position is mentioned, but that would result in an overwhelmingly long list as the story progresses. On the other hand, only including major characters seems a bit cold.

I need to think about it more, so it might take a while for the summary to be posted.

Thank you for reading this chapter!

Thank you, SharkOrc and the passing reader who requested anonymity, for your support!