When I woke up, I became a national merit (2)
Whether or not a fight for the country’s future loomed ahead, the afternoon tea that Mrs. Canton prepared was delicious. The puff pastries stuffed with orange custard, the Victorian cake covered with jam and fresh cream, and the little cucumber sandwiches were all delicious. Although they seemed simple, each had a good flavor and excellent ingredients. It was served with a bergamot-scented tea that tasted heavenly. Behemoth was also stubbornly pushing his face against the plate.
“Hey, it tastes good.”
“Eat while we drink tea together.”
The cat snapped into a large piece of cake, and Kleio poured him some tea in case it got stuck in his throat. The tail of the cat sitting on the table and eating cake was fluffy. Kleio’s plan to share snacks with the cat and sleep more, however, was destroyed by unexpected visitors.
“Lei!”
“They said you’re okay!”
As soon as the servant opened the parlor door, Lippi and Leticia came in like the wind. It was only four days, but the twins shouted as if they hadn’t seen him in months.
“It wasn’t a big deal. I went to the doctor, but it was just ether depletion.”
“Really?”
“We were all worried.”
“I didn’t even need to go to the hospital.”
“Isiel and Cel wanted to come, but they couldn’t since they were working in the school’s police department.”
“The door is open! They’ve recruited students to patrol!”
The twins moved to either side of him and began to shout.
“We saw it in the newspaper. You’re a big success!”
“What big success? The article’s exaggerated.”
“Your humility never ceases.”
“Now, everyone in the capital knows the greatness of your magic!”
Kleio felt like a headache would form as the children continued to fuss around him. Subsequently, the knight Swain Temple and Zebedee, escorted by him, appeared. It seemed the knight had disappeared earlier to call Zebedee. The professor appeared in formal, royal magic wear, not his usual sloppy professor robes. As soon as he walked in and saw Kleio, he clicked his tongue.
“I came right away after hearing you woke up, but is it like this even after that? Why is your complexion like that?”
“It seems to me that I’m okay. I heard that you took care of me after I fell. Thank you.”
“If such a thing happened, could you be still? As a dean and as a wizard, I have an obligation to confirm the safety of the student wizard who slew the demon.”
Zebedee held back Kleio, who was trying to stand up to greet him.
“Sit down. I heard from Mrs. Canton that you haven’t recovered from the ether depletion yet.”
When told to sit, Kleio spread out on the sofa, ready and willing to continue resting.
“Lord Swain, be at ease too.”
“No! I will do my duty to protect the wizards!”
The loud voice rang out through the reception room as the knight went to the door and took his position. His appearance, wearing light armor and a longsword, was cool, but it was clear that he didn’t leave a deep impression on anyone in the parlor.
“There are two wizards here, so there’s no need to worry. Well, do whatever you want.”
Zebedee, swayed by Swain, flipped his robe back and settled on the sofa opposite Kleio, just as Mrs. Canton dragged a trolley in. It was laden with new desserts, a teapot full of tea, and gold leaf mugs for the people in the reception room. The twins’ eyes lit up as she lowered the desserts and tea to the table, serving Zebedee first, then the twins as well.
“Wow! Madam, this orange puff is delicious.”
“How is this cake so soft and fragrant?”
“It is a special recipe. Thank you for coming to see the young master. I prepared plenty, so eat more.”
Behemoth narrowed his eyes from his perch on Kleio’s lap.
“Meooooow (The reception room looks like a market floor).”
Behemoth’s words were true; the reception room had grown rather noisy. In the meantime, Zebedee, who had already tried the tea, turned to him.
“Kleio, you don’t look so good, so I’ll keep it short. Let’s talk about Orails first.”
“Orails… that’s sudden.”
“Sudden? All the buildings in that district are old, so even a small impact would’ve been dangerous. If you hadn’t lured the demon from there, the elderly and the poor who haven’t yet left would’ve been in danger.”
“I didn’t do it with such a thought…”
Zebedee seemed to interpret Kleio’s attitude as humility.
“You did a really good job. Your fame has spread all the way to Lundane, so the crown prince has made a quick judgment. He is going to award you the capital defense award.”
‘Hey, isn’t this a play to try and make the hero turn his eyes aware of security threats? This crown prince…’
The fact that there was a door in the middle of the capital where anything could pop out wasn’t good news for the citizens. Kleio wasn’t happy to be politically exploited, so his response came bumbling.
“What is that?”
“Tsk, this stupid student.”
Whatever it was, Kleio didn’t like the idea of it. It didn’t sound very easy, and like he would end up being used as he considered that, the twins expressed their surprise on either side of him.
“Lei, you don’t even know that?!”
“It’s a medal awarded only to those who have defended the capital. It’s the third-best medal in Albion!”
“The last time someone received that medal was a hundred years ago. Once upon a time, my great-grandfather received it!”
“Will you be Lord Asel now?!”
Because they were children of warriors, the twins were quick to become excited.
“Guys, try to be quiet.”
“Yes, teacher!”
“I’m sorry!”
The twins, speechless, turned their attention to the dessert and tea again.
“Kleio, you seem to know nothing, so I’ll explain. As these children said, when you receive the award of a capital defense officer, you gain a position comparable to a knight. You can even use the title ‘Lord.’”
“Is that so…”
Kleio’s response was lukewarm.
‘What is that…? I’m not getting money.’
Zebedee immediately went into a practical explanation, but after seeing Kleio’s response, he quickly recognized that he wasn’t interested in such an honor.
‘Tsk, tsk. Does this child not know the world’s situation well?’
“Second, you receive a lifetime pension with the medal. 120,000 dinars a year.”
This time there was a reaction as Kleio’s eyes widened a bit.
‘That’s a fair bit for a normal person. That must be why they don’t give out such a medal often.’
“The third is a meaningless clause, but I’ll let you know. If you are invited to a royal banquet or dinner, you can bring an animal to the palace. It is a tradition that originated from the lion that Leonid had.”
Kleio’s eyelids fell back down. It was an old country, so it made sense there were some weird provisions. Only then did the twins put their teacups and glance at each other, whispering quietly.
“He can take this one to the winter dinner party.”
Lippi pointed at Behemoth, and the cat, catching their attention, stood up.
“If it’s any palace event, then the birthday party in the summer and the dinner party in the winter.”
“The food at the party last year was great.”
“Oysters and prawns boiled in wine.”
“Parmesan cheese souffle and grilled snipe.”
“It was tasty.”
“I want to eat it again.”
Behemoth heard their conversation and began to look up at Kleio with eyes twinkling like the stars.
“Meooow, meoooow! (Did you hear that? It’s a dinner party, so you’ll have to bring me!)”
Kleio, stuck between the twins and the cat now, let out a sigh.
“And this is the last agenda. Not as a royal magician, but as a teacher… Will you be my disciple?”
“Am I not already a student of yours?”
“It’s not about being one of my students but becoming my research student. My disciple who will inherit my mantras and formulas.”
Warning bells rang out in Kleio’s mind. As the editor of a publishing company that focused on historical texts, he was being warned about dealing with another professor.
‘What? Is that like graduate school?’
“Then… I’m honored, but I’m not good enough.”
“Don’t say no right now; answer after you think about it for a while.”
Kleio quickly turned on Memory and looked over whether Zebedee had a disciple, but there were no mentions of such a thing.
“I haven’t had a disciple before, so it is a bit out of where. But Kleio, do you have the ability to remember the magic formulas completely? I can as well. Such qualities aren’t something that can be achieved with effort, but you must be born with them.”
Kleio’s eyes darted towards Promise on his left hand, and sweat started to bead down his neck. Somehow, he felt like a crook.
‘No, you’re a real genius. In my case, I’m a fraud…’
“If a disciple will inherit all my knowledge, they should have the ability to remember it fully. I haven’t been able to teach such a disciple so far, so this was my blessing.”
‘If you haven’t found a student that capable before, you won’t! Don’t look for it!’
Zebedee noticed Kleio’s hesitation.
“You don’t need to answer right away. There are several years left before graduation, so take a closer look. You need to rest for two weeks to recover your strength, so take your time.”
“Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll see you in two weeks.”
As the professor stood up, the twins joined him a moment later.
“Yeah, Lei. Eat a lot, and become healthy.”
“It’s more about running out of physical stamina than ether.”
“We’ll go. See you later!”
The sun was setting as they left. Kleio, fatigued from his guests, went straight to bed.
.
.
.
Kleio, who had laid down for half the day, awakened to an unfamiliar sight. It was the dark of midnight. After barely getting out of bed, Kleio quickly recognized a form sitting in a chair at the side of his bed. Even in the total absence of light, he couldn’t confuse that presence. It was from Arthur. If he had visited properly, Mrs. Canton would have woken him up.
‘Did you sneak through the terrace again? Tsk.’
“If you come and go through the window at night like this, you’re a thief. You won’t be able to complain even if you get stabbed.”
Kleio spoke up hoarsely, his head still unmoving from his pillow.
“You want to stab me?”
“I’m considering it. Why are you here now?”
“I didn’t have time until now. I was called to the palace.”
As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see Arthur dressed in an unusually colorful robe. There was a dull gloss on his epaulets and belt. It looked exactly the same as the royal red robes buried in Kleio’s closet.
“If you’re busy, don’t bother coming here at night to see me.”
“You didn’t come back to school, so I was curious if you died.”
“If I were dead, I would’ve appeared in the obituary section of the newspaper.”
“Yes, I saw the newspaper. You killed the beast, and your magic turned things upside down.”
“What?”
“I heard that you barely woke up today. Are you still sick?”
“I wasn’t sick in the first place. I’m just tired. It would’ve been better if you let me keep sleeping.”
“Hey, don’t be too harsh. Here, have a drink. Neither your tutor nor your maid can stop you drinking at home.”
Arthur pulled out his flask and reached it out to Kleio, who was still halfway lying down. Accepting the flask, he frowned at the disgusting cheap smell that wafted from it. Hesitantly, he took a sip of it.
‘Wow, that’s terrible. I’ll try not to drink all of it.’
Receiving the flask back from Kleio, Arthur took a hefty sip.
‘What the hell has happened to make him like this?’
Kleio waited for Arthur to bring up the reason for his visit, letting out a loud yawn. Arthur finally opened his mouth after emptying the once half-full flask.
“…Why are you trying to do everything yourself?”
“What?”
“You knew there was a demon. There was no other reason to be in a place like the Orails district.”
Kleio’s jaw dropped. This was too crazy of a leap in logic!
‘No, there is! I was looking at my land…!’
That said, he was reluctant to disclose the property list to Arthur right now. Even Jungjin was well aware that if he showed off his money in front of others, he was motivating them to try to take it.
“It was a coincidence.”
“A coincidence… Why do you always try to hide your noble qualities and sacrifices? Would it be dangerous?”
Kleio screamed in his heart at Arthur’s distant interpretation of his actions.
‘Ahhhhhh. In the eyes of the Buddha, only the Buddha is visible, in the eyes of the pig, only a pig.’
“Integrity… Hey, go if you’re going to speak bullshit. I have to sleep.”
“It’s hard.”
Arthur changed his posture and put down the flask. The sword on his back rattled annoyingly. At that moment, he felt a vague sense of incongruity. Kleio, raising his body reflexively, turned Perception on with a frown. An intense smell of iron and blood assailed him immediately.
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