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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 205
He spoke as if it were a coincidence, but I instinctively sensed it.
I could clearly feel that Princess Eilena's dress had been especially done up.
In other words, his actions were calculated to some degree from the beginning.
Ah, right.
Well, he is the emperor of the empire after all.
He probably thinks he’s giving me a good experience, finds me a likable person, and sees I have extraordinary talent?
He's tempted, no doubt...
And just in time, his beloved daughter has feelings for me?
It’s a golden opportunity.
The story was obvious even without seeing it unfold.
To be honest, I caught on pretty quickly.
And it wasn’t like the Emperor was trying to hide it either.
"Oh my, it's been so long, Instructor Leon!"
Princess Eilena acted as if she had bumped into me by chance, her expression showing surprise.
If Luna had been here, she would've called her a cunning fox — that’s how much Eilena blushed and showed clear affection toward me.
Strange, considering she seemed very wary during our first meeting.
I wonder if the Emperor knows.
That the feelings she’s experiencing are nothing more or less than the adrenaline of being saved — a fleeting crush.
"Hoho, what a fine-looking pair you make. Didn't Leon once save Eilena’s life?"
"I was merely doing my duty."
"No, no. As Emperor, and as her father, I can't just overlook this."
The shamelessness of the empire’s highest figure was on full display.
"However, since I can't think of anything suitable at the moment, may I bring it up at a later date?"
"Kuhuhu. In matters of love, haste is poison. Do as you please."
So he's setting it up so I'll have to come back later?
Short of dumping my now-cold coffee on Princess Eilena’s face, it seemed there was no way out of this situation.
[Not recommended.]
I knew that.
If she were an enemy or if she had serious personality issues, I might have done it — but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Looking at her, blushing shyly like a bashful maiden, gave me a serious sense of cognitive dissonance.
This wasn't the woman I remembered.
She had struck me as sharp, quick-witted, cold, and uninterested in romance.
The current version of her was vastly different from the one I’d actually experienced.
"Hoho, it would be wonderful if, before I die, I could see our Eilena meet the man she loves, marry, and give me grandchildren..."
For a man who still seemed healthy enough to live for decades, talking like that was pure theater.
"Oh, Father, you’re being ridiculous,"
She said, laughing like a perfect lady.
The sense of disconnect grew even stronger.
Suddenly, we were facing each other directly.
The Emperor smoothly rose from his seat.
"But, I can't let you leave empty-handed. Stay here with Eilena for a bit."
He said he’d give me a reward if I waited, but it was obvious he was just trying to leave us alone.
"Aurora, would you come with me for a moment?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
Aurora, unable to defy the Emperor’s order, also left the room.
In the blink of an eye, Princess Eilena and I were alone in the Emperor’s private chamber.
"Oh my, Father really shouldn't leave a guest alone like this..."
"It's fine. I’ve got time to spare right now."
Maybe if I acted like a complete slacker, she would lose interest in me.
But looking at her face, it was clear that wasn't going to happen.
"U-um, did you receive the letter I sent you?"
Did I ever reply to her?
"How has your life at the Academy been, Princess?"
"Oh, it’s been good. I’ve been working hard ever since. Lately, I returned to the palace for a while."
Her cheeks reddened even more as she shyly smiled.
"Um..."
"Your Highness."
Either way, it was better to make things clear than drag it out.
"Y-yes. Please speak, Instructor."
"I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but there’s something called the 'suspension bridge effect.'"
"The... what?"
Maybe it was called something else here.
"It’s a phenomenon where men and women, placed in a dangerous situation together, unintentionally develop feelings for each other."
"Oh my, this is the first time I'm hearing about that. You really do know a lot, Instructor Leon..."
"Princess."
Though it was rude, I cut her off.
"The feelings you have toward me right now are just that."
"......"
"You’ll come to regret it later."
As I conveyed my polite refusal, she lowered her head and remained silent.
She gazed at the floor, her eyes slowly shifting before she spoke.
"Maybe you're right."
"Your Highness..."
"But this is the first time I’ve ever felt my heart race like this."
Despite her trembling, she expressed her feelings clearly.
"Since that day, I keep thinking about you, Instructor Leon. I find myself staring at the garden, wondering what you might like."
She slowly reached out and lightly grasped the sleeve of my coat.
"Even if it’s a fleeting emotion, I don’t want to let go of this feeling — this exciting, unfamiliar sensation."
With trembling eyes, she looked at me and spoke, but I said firmly:
"Your Highness, I already have someone I love."
"......"
"And I plan to marry her in the near future."
Her hand shook slightly.
"Therefore, I’m very sorry, but I cannot accept your kind feelings."
I stood up, and even as I left, she kept her head bowed, saying nothing.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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"Tsk tsk. The heart of a person is not something you can control."
"Oh my, Your Majesty. Are you just going to leave it at that?"
“Heh. And how do I appear to you, then?”
“You are the sovereign of the empire, capable of anything.”
At Aurora’s sly answer, he let out a bitter laugh.
“There are many matters in the world, but even my authority cannot resolve everything.”
The love of a child was a problem the child had to solve themselves—it wasn't something that could be handled with the authority of an emperor.
“In the past, I too believed otherwise. I thought that with the supreme authority of the throne, there was nothing I couldn't accomplish. But that was a delusion.”
Aurora didn’t respond to that.
“It is upsetting that he rejected the heart of my beloved daughter, but I must commend him for ending it decisively without playing games.”
After all, his daughter still had much time ahead of her.
Now that she had learned the feeling of liking someone, she wouldn’t live her life obsessively focused on just one person again.
The Emperor then turned his gaze to Leon, who had just emerged from the royal chambers.
“Well then, is it settled?”
“Are you not angry?”
“There aren’t many who would dare ask the Emperor so brazenly. To put it simply, I have no intention of getting angry over this.”
“But Princess Eilena is your beloved daughter.”
“There’s no reason to force something that could become a problem for her future.”
Saying that, he gestured toward the chamberlain standing down the hall.
The chamberlain slowly approached and held out a small box.
“This is…”
“It’s something I received long ago from someone I loved.”
Inside the box was a small necklace.
“This magic… it’s crafted in a way that’s unheard of in modern times.”
Leon, recognizing it at a glance, showed a fascinated expression, and a flicker of interest crossed the Emperor’s eyes.
“You can recognize it?”
“I won’t know the exact details until I examine it more closely, but it seems to be a kind of contract magic.”
“Contract magic? That’s a new term to me.”
“It’s a field that requires at least 7th-circle magic proficiency to even begin to explore. It’s a method where a specific condition is set to exact a particular cost. It’s similar to the magic that was installed in the dragon’s ruins where Coral and Bata recently clashed.”
The Emperor had already been briefed about the incident, so he wasn’t surprised.
“I see. Then, can you tell what kind of power is imbued in it?”
“I doubt I’ll know until I try examining it. May I?”
“Go ahead. I’m curious as well.”
With the Emperor’s permission, Leon poured mana into the necklace resting on his palm.
The necklace reacted and began to float slowly above his hand.
“Oh…”
At the same time, magical circles made of mysterious character arrays emerged around it.
“Hmm. The mechanism is similar. Let’s see…”
Judging by its structure, it seemed to be a mental-type accessory.
“It looks like it provides a sense of emotional comfort to the wearer.”
“You can tell?”
“You knew already?”
“I had a vague idea. But I didn’t expect you to recognize what even the Imperial mages could not. The more I see you, the more I want to recruit you. Young master, would you consider becoming a citizen of the Empire?”
What an outrageous suggestion.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I plan to live and die in Cascadia.”
“For someone with your talents, your aspirations are so modest.”
The Emperor soon changed the subject.
“Also, a personal request.”
“Please speak.”
“Are you planning a sequel?”
At his question, Aurora glanced at me, seeking permission with her eyes.
I nodded, and she answered on my behalf.
“The response has been better than expected, so we plan to artifact-ize just the game part, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful news. If you need any support, let me know. I’ll assist you in every possible way.”
After that slightly peculiar meeting with the Emperor, I left the imperial palace.
On the way out, I asked,
“Was this planned?”
“No. I just quickly read the room and went along. The faster and cleaner things are handled, the better.”
I understood what she meant by "handling."
If there was no interest, it was best to clearly cut off the Princess’s affection.
Especially when dealing with a princess, letting things drag would be a bad move.
It was her way of helping me.
“By the way, I didn’t know Lady Aurora was the heir of Lavren.”
“There’s no benefit in making that publicly known.”
It wasn’t just about power.
The Lavren family was the wealthiest family on the continent—so influential that it was practically a colossal power of its own.
Even though they were from a small neutral kingdom, no one dared to treat them lightly.
If she had broadcasted her connection to the Lavren family, she probably wouldn’t have been able to properly attend the Academy, let alone run the Planeteria Trading Company.
“I understand.”
“Right now, Melissa, the Countess of Cascadia, is fine, but if you continue to make a name for yourself with Orichalcum or artifacts…”
Something curious caught my attention in her words.
“Orichalcum?”
“That thing you gave to Senior Isna—it’s genuine Orichalcum. After the mana instability in the Cascadia mines was resolved, rumors started quietly spreading that Orichalcum was being discovered there.”
Wow.
Rumors sure spread fast.
“I tried to cut it off at my level, but will it be okay?”
“Thank you for the consideration. But isn't it hard for people to believe?”
“I happened to see real Orichalcum by pure luck a very long time ago. Honestly… if the identity of that mine gets revealed, there’s no telling what disaster might happen.”
Mana instability—especially in mines—had never been successfully resolved until now.
Since Orichalcum could only be mined from an extremely unstable area, the Cascadia mine had become effectively the only known source of Orichalcum on the continent.
“So it’s best to keep it hidden for now. Cascadia must grow strong enough that attacking it for Orichalcum would be seen as too risky.”
She added quietly,
“Besides, this recent war with Coral—it’s possible that information about Cascadia’s Orichalcum has already leaked to them.”
Her warning came from genuine concern.
“I will think carefully about it.”
I understood exactly what she meant.
Aurora said she had business with the Imperial Treasurer and parted ways.
She would probably come back again later for some business project.
Just as I was about to teleport back to Cascadia using spatial magic—
Someone called out to me.
“Young master Leon of Cascadia.”
The voice was cold, but not hostile.
When I turned around, I saw Lady Catsey Mielephon—the head of Mielephon House and mother of Lady Isna—looking at me.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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